Christie's Diary

7-10 got our abstract back for Renue's house paid up with $161.00 after every thing paid up to the good.

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Renue was Grandpa Thomas' sister.

She married Erwin Wells

They had one child, Melvin T. Wells, who was born in 1921. He was stillborn or died at birth.

Erwin died in 1957, Renue died in 1958.

Christie's Diary

1964 

7-10 took Ethel Kime home this AM. stopped and saw Grace Schriner a few minutes 

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Christie had several groups of lady friends. Some were church organizations, and some were social "clubs" who got together to play cards or Bunco (a dice game). I went with her to some of those meetings. Here are some pictures of some of those groups. I guarantee Grace Schriner is one of these ladies, but I've no idea which one. I can remember several names and recognize a few faces -- but I can't put the names and faces together in my memory.

Christie is 2nd from right. I think the woman on the far right is Nell Fogelsong, who was a teacher at vacation Bible school at the Christian Church. I don't know the rest.

The gentleman was a minister, I think, so this would be a church group. Christie is in the back, peeking around from behind one of the taller women. The woman on the far right I believe is Edith Davis.

This is the only picture with names written on the back -- "Hertha Woodrum, Christie Thomas, Mrs Evans, Edith Davis, Hazel Kelso, Stella K, Mrs Haynes"

In this picture the lady 2nd from left is Aunt Mabel. Christie is on the far right. I can't name the others.

Christie's Diary

7-8 Effie was out & gave Bill his birthday card & $5.00 & Bernarde was here a few minutes

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Grandpa's birthday was 05 July 1899. 

Here are some pictures of him when he was younger.

William Charles Thomas

This is Bill and Christie. I think this would have been not long after they were married in 1924

Not a good copy of this picture, but it's the only one I have. That's Bill holding my dad in 1934.

Bernarde, Richard, Bill and Christie 1944

Bill holding me. 1954.

Bill holding my brother John, 1964

1974

Probably one of the last pictures we have of Grandpa Thomas.

This was 1979. He died in April of 1980.

Christie's Diary

 

7-8 Ethel & I went to John's to see their trailer

* * *

Ethel is Mrs. Kime (see previous posts).

John is Christie's brother, John Treat, and his wife Mabel.

I'm assuming she was talking about John Treat, although I don't remember John and Mabel ever living in a trailer. They lived in a little house in Bangor. By 1964, though, we had moved to Hartford, and it's possible John and Mabel moved out of their house. I didn't spend much time in Bangor after we moved to Hartford.

PHOTO L-R: Mabel and John Treat, Christie Thomas, Massie Treat. Massie was my great-grandmother, the mother of John and Christie.

Christie's Diary

* * *

7-9 Effie went to WKZO to the throat specialist for her throat, to see if she needs an operation 

[I forgot to mention this in yesterday's post -- Grandma always wrote WKZO for the word Kalamazoo. I don't know if she just didn't know how to spell it, or maybe she just thought it was an abbreviation. (People do sometimes shorten it to "K'zoo") 

WKZO was a local TV channel based in Kalamazoo.]

* * *

7-9-64 Bill started tarring* down building up to Graft Young's 7-8-64 

(* I assume she meant 'tearing')

* * *

I don't know why Grandpa was tearing down a building, but it was probably to salvage the lumber and building materials. He built their house from the ground up -- the one they lived in while I was growing up, a few miles south of Bangor. I guess that's where my dad got his love for woodworking. He never built a whole house, but he did build some cupboards and things like that in the houses where we lived.

PHOTO: Red, Ricky, Dianne

This is the house Mom & Dad bought in Bangor in 1956. We lived there for 6 years. The room divider that we're standing in front of was built by Dad, to separate the living room from the dining room. 

This picture was taken in the living room, looking toward the dining room and the kitchen.

This picture was taken in the dining room, looking toward the living room. The bottom part of the room divider had doors that opened on this side and shelves inside which gave us a lot of storage space.

Christie's Diary

7-9 Went got Ethel Kime to visit us

Effie went to WKZO to the throat specialist for her throat, to see if she needs an operation

* * *

PHOTO: Ethel Kime

Mrs. Kime was a friend of Grandma and Grandpa's. Her son, Russell, was a friend of Uncle Bernarde (my dad's older brother). In her old age she was nearly blind, so she didn't drive. That's why the diary entry says they went and got her.

PHOTO: Mom (Wathada) and Aunt Effie

Effie Wieland was Grandpa Thomas' sister.

Christie's Diary

1964

7-6 faun called me at 6 o'clock PM to see if we were going to Ohio

7-7 it rained this A.M.

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PHOTO: Bob & Faun McDonald, Bill & Christie Thomas

Faun was Grandma's cousin. She and her husband Bob lived in a big farmhouse a few miles outside of London, Ohio. 

 

(These pictures are from Google Earth)

Every summer Grandma and Grandpa made a trip to Ohio to visit Grandma's relatives, and they usually took me with them. We always stayed at Faun & Bob's house a few nights. I loved it there. Bob McDonald was a gentle giant of a man, very calm and soft-spoken, and it always fascinated me that he was actually a prison guard. Aunt Faun and I had the same birthday, and we exchanged birthday cards every year until she died in 2002. 

Christie's Diary

1964

7-6 Bernarde was over after dinner to have Dad help him fix a steps for raft

7-6 We had sort of a electric storm about noon rained some

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PHOTO: Lake of the Woods, Decatur, Michigan.

PHOTO: Bernarde & Eileen's house on the lake.

In 1964 Bernarde & Eileen lived across the street from the area that would later become a subdivision on the lake shore. They did own a lot on the lake where they built a new house in 1967. I don't have a picture of the old house where they were living in 1964 when this journal entry was written. The raft they built was anchored several yards off the shore in front of their lot. It would be just off the frame to the right in the photo of the lake above.

Christie's Diary

7-6-64 went to Benton Harbor in forenoon

7-5-64 had Madge & Leonard, John & Mable out for Sunday dinner on Bills birthday.

* * *

Madge was Christie's sister. John was their brother.

PHOTO: Christie, John, Madge

PHOTO: Madge and Leonard

PHOTO: John and Mabel, 1950

PHOTO: Mabel, John, Christie, and Massie Treat (mother of Christie, John, and Madge)

This picture was taken in front of John & Mabel's house, I think.

This picture was taken on the front porch of Madge & Leonard's house in Bangor. This would have been about 1958. Madge & Leonard and John & Mabel all lived in Bangor when I was a small child. (We lived in Bangor, too.)

Christie's Diary

 

7-3-64 went to Bernardes to help him make a raft to have for the 4. had supper got home 10 mins to 11 oclock PM. Bill was feeding his pigs at 11pm. tempture got down to 62 at eleven oclock nice & comfortable to sleep

* * *

Well, it happened again -- I found a picture I don't remember ever seeing before.

This is Grandpa Thomas with his pigs. He looks pretty young here -- must have been before I came along. Grandpa always raised pigs, and he sold some every year to have butchered, and used the money for a trip to Ohio every summer to visit Grandma's relatives. (I usually went with them.)