Through efforts by Jennifer Herr, here are some real relics (And Reljacs)

Thanks Jennifer!

John and Anna's marriage certificate

 

Anna's baptisimal certificate

 

John's baptisimal certificate

So here you are in the middle of a crummy, cold, beginning-of-winter kind of day, and suddenly WHOOSH! You are taken back to a better time through pictures emailed out of the blue. With fond memories and just a tinge of melancholy, images of people who are part of your life and legacy appear before you..

They arrived in quite a roundabout manner. Terri forwarded them, having received them from Pat who in turn got them from Gil.  “Them” being the pictures, sharing these prized artifacts from years gone by is Gil’s birthday gift to his big sister, (Ain’t email and scanners just great?). So I look at the photos and see family history in the making.

There’s Dad (That would be Chuck, Uncle Chuck or Grandpap to you) with Pat and Gil, probably in the midst of one of his many visits to Parma. It would seem to be a casual photo from a forgotten time. No, affirms Pat – it was taken in 1946 at the corner of 14^th and Denison. Must have been memorable for some reason.

Pat, Dad and Gil

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 Then there is Dad (You know… Chuck etc.) with Gil, Pat and Uncle Skinny in the back yard of the house in Parma.

Dad, Gil Pat and Uncle Skinny at Aunt Mary’s

Oh, to time travel back to Aunt Mary and Uncle Roy’s house again! I’d wake up to sun streaming through the windows, the scent of breakfast floating up the stairs along with gentle laughs and conversation going on in the kitchen. It was a long ride from Pittsburgh the night before, especially since I slept curled on the back seat floor, using the transmission hump as a pillow. Meanwhile, Terri and Peggy had the luxury of sleeping on the back seat.

After a quick bite to eat, I would rush to the basement for a few minutes of play on the one armed bandit using nickels from the copper cup. Sitting on the bar stool, I’d pretend to be cool like the older guys. I may even have a root beer and convince myself it says Iron City on the bottle. What a great place for a kid to hang out!

I’d then run into what seemed to be a huge backyard to play. Only later did I realize that Aunt Mary’s shiny lawn ball turned the yard into a vast expanse. Staring into that ball I could see all known horizons and beyond. If the yard wasn’t that big, please don’t tell me. I prefer my child’s eye view.

 And look at his profile. No wonder they called him “Skinny”

 So how about photo number 3?

Pat is not sure where it was taken but I think I have a pretty good idea. So let’s have a friendly contest. Can you name everyone in the picture and where you think it was taken?

I’ll spot you one – Grandpap is on the left

 You can post your answer in the comments section. Now, try to answer without peeking at what others may have written.

 Thank goodness for Kodak, brownie cameras and the simplification of photography. This brings it all back.

And thanks Gil, for brightening an otherwise dreary day. As Pat so aptly put it. So many wonderful memories.

When Mom was little she used to sit by the roadside with her friend and her black cat named, well lets just say the N word, back then it was slang not derogatory. They would watch the rich people go by in their cars and carriages. They would play with daisies and shoot the flower off and chant “a mother had a baby and it’s head popped off”. I like to imagine Mom like this. She also told us how Grandma would make them bread and mustard sandwiches for school because that was all they had in the house. They would tell the other kids it was peanut butter so no one would laugh. Imagine Mom starting work after 8th grade. Remember how we would ask her how to spell a word and she would say look it up in the dictionary? She was the best speller ever , but she wanted us to take advantage of our education. I just told Dad the other day she was one of the smartest people I ever met. She always wanted to be a fashion designer, that is probably why we had many homemade clothes, she loved to sew for us. The reason she had to quit school was to support the family. Uncle Sunce wanted to go to High School so Grandpap said Mom as the girl was not permitted to complete her education. Next time a story about the job she had next door to the brewery, the recently closed Penn Brewery.

Mom talked about how she went to Allegheny General Free Clinic to have Ted’s ear checked when he was a baby. She was on a program called Mother’s Assistance with provided little financial support. She, Jan and Ted were all walking back to her apartment on Lovett Street. She saw all of her furniture on the sidewalk due to non payment of rent. During her difficult times Aunt Gus and Uncle Al offered to adopt or take in Jan and Ted. Mom remained adament that they remain a family. She always said the best thing in her life was marrying Dad. She loved him not for taking her away from her sad situation but because he loved her and the children unconditionally. They knew each other because of Aunt Ann and Uncle Sunce. His family was not supportive of their friendship, but she said Grandpap was always kind to her. I still tear up when I think of Mom gazing at Dad when he did not know she was talking about him. She would say “he is such a good man”.

When Dad was 17 he was hired to work a a big car dealer on Baum Blvd. He was the prep person for cars. He would walk to work to save the trolly fare of several cents. He worked on many beautiful cars. This was one of the biggest car dealers in Pittsburgh. Another job was near the Market House on the Northside. One day as he approached the building several other workers said “Chuck, don’t go in there”, he stayed back and watched as the business was raided for illegal trafficking. The sad part was he never got paid for working that week.

Dad shared another story about the area near Lambros. There used to be a speakeasy named the Green Goose. The owners had a big Packard with bulletproof windows (Dad always adds the car description!) The driver would go to Erie during Prohibition and obtain stock from Canada. When the Feds came in to break up the the stock they poured the “hootch” in the gutters. Many people gathered downstream, near Grandma and Grandpap’s to catch a free drink. I asked Aunt Ann about the Green Goose, she lit up and started laughing about this memory.