Morgans Shoot Pool - 1946

    As I remember Helen and Roy and Ray and Mary shared a two-story apartment building on 6th Street in Topeka shortly after Ray and Mary's July 1946 wedding. They also shared ownership or use at least of a movie camera. This snippet of film is of Ray's parents, Ray and Vala, shooting pool with Vala's sister, Helen and her husband, Wert. Ray, Jr., also appears so I'm guessing that Mary filmed this exhibition. It's hard to tell where they are playing. Steve, being older, may remember where there was a pool table, but I don't. The only pool table I remember was at the Burkhardts, but this doesn't appear to be their pool table.

     Below are photographs from the Jensen's apartments. The Morgan apartment was in the same building. The photos are marked as having been taken in April 1951. On the wall in the middle one, you can see a portrait of Chris who was born in March 1947.

To repeat the obvious, Helen taking in the latest news.5

A good time was had by Helen, Mary Jane & Lyle Vernon, Roy and Bill And Willie Furlong.

Once again, Roy and Ray relax.

Betsy Sharpe Walker, Intrepid Traveler

     When Betsy Sharpe Walker was 16 she traveled more than 4000 miles from the eastern fens of England to Parkerville, Kansas by various modes of transportation - i.e. ocean steamships, trains, ferries, horse drawn wagons.
     
    The Sharpes and their nine children settled in Parkerville. For the first 15 years, when  the children grew and married, they remained in Morris or Clay Counties. From the records that I have found it's hard to tell for sure, but it seems George, the sixth child, was the first to leave the state. Some time between 1885 and 1892 he moved to Vacaville, California. Betsy and Edward moved to Topeka shortly after Edna was born in 1888. Maud, who was the youngest, married a Californian in 1893 and moved with him to Vacaville to join George. Ada the next to youngest moved to Pueblo Colorado some time between 1895 and 1900. Roseanne Sharpe's husband, Hugh Miller Fraizer, died in 1900. By 1910 she and her family had moved to Oakland, California.

      But back to Betsy and her travels. In Edna's collection of artifacts and photographs there's clear evidence she continued to do so. We know that in 1898, and perhaps more times than that, she and Edward returned to visit England. In 1915 she and Ada boarded a train and made their way to San Francisco, a journey that would have covered more than 3000 in total. Here is a sampling of the photographs from that journey. In San Francisco they watched Betsy's nephew and Ada's cousin, Stanley Blake, graduate from the Navy training school on an island in the San Francisco Bay. They also visited the 1915 Panama-Pacific International Exposition. Panama Pacific International Exposition

      They toured Berkley and eventually visited Maud at her home near Vacaville. Maud and her husband, Henry Clay Blake, had orchards.
   

Betsy Walker - Ogden Canyon, Utah, 1915

Betsy Walker, center, with her sister, Roseanne and Roseanne's daughter, Ada at the beach 1915.

The two Adas, Ada Walker and Ada Somner nee Fraizer at the ocean 1915.

Ada Walker with her cousin Stanley Blake in his naval uniform, 1915.

Betsy Walker and Ada Walker before the one building that was retained from the exposition.

George Sharpe and Betsy Walker at the ocean 1915.

Betsy Walker and Maud Blake nee Sharpe at her Vacaville home in 1915.

     Clearly the camera needed a sunny or at least a bright day to get good pictures. As everyone knows the weather in San Francisco is not always that sunny. What I noticed in these photographs that Betsy was seemingly much shorter than her siblings.

Debbie & Erin's Arrival

First came Debbie in April 1975, born in Washington DC.

Here's the link to the longer video taken by Ray and Mary. Mary came out a few days before Ray to help us all adjust to our new family. Debbie finally took refuge of falling asleep on Mary.  Debbie's first days at home.

Then two years later in April of 1977 Erin joined us in Wichita. Once again Mary came to help us and then Ray joined her. This is a link to the longer video Erin comes along.

Happy Birthday, you two. You've made life much better for all of us.

Mount Vernon 1929

Helen mentioned in her weekly letter that she remembered visiting Mount Vernon as a child. Here is a brief clip from the black and white movies of that trip in 1929. Helen is the girl posing for the camera while Mary Grace runs up and jumps in the movie. A blase EA and Allan walk past, clearly engrossed in the history of the place. Nearly at the end of this clip, Ethel coquettishly poses. Here's a link to a longer version.

Mount Vernon 1929

A Couple of Photographs

Occasionally I come across some photographs that catch my attention.Throughout the last year I've worked to scan three notebooks identified as Edna's by Mary Grace. Today are four that I liked.

New Year's Eve 1913

 The first is of New Year's Eve 1913 featuring many of the Walkers, from left to right on the back row are Bud Walker, Edna, Bill Smith, Ada Walker and an unknown. The front row is Eula Walker Faust, Jennie Thayer Walker, Marcie Walker, (Percy and Jennie's month old daughter), Betsy Sharpe Walker and Frank Faust. I don't know who's house it is, but there are some interesting poinsettia decorations that I can't quite figure out. Edna had been married in June of 1913 and Ada would marry Bill in a couple of years after this. The hairstyles of the women are starting to change as are the dresses.


 The other two are of Edna and Allan. The first was taken when he was about 3months old and she was 25. Edna and EA were married in June of 1913 and Allan was born in November 1914.

Edna and Allan, spring 1915

Edna and Allan, summer 1915

The second one is of Allan at 8 months and I wonder if it isn't his Christening day. The photograph isn't marked that way, but it's clearly a gown of some sort. Just my thought.

The fourth is of Percy Walker and his two children, Bud and Marcie. (There's also an unidentified man.) To me the backgrounds are fascinating and today we have signs, even more fun. This photograph is from 1915. The car reminded me of 1965's The Great Race starring Natalie Wood and Tony Curtis, but apparently that was a Thomas Flyer winner of the 1908 race. The Great Race

As to the last my post, Helen identified the third sister as Grace Walker Bale. So thank you, Helen.

Percy, Bud and Marcie enjoy a miniature Stutz Bearcat.