On This Day in Family History - May 31

Barbara Jean Smith Hicks was born 31 May 1930 

Barbara was the wife of Olan Hicks (a brother of my grandmother Cleffie Hicks Burford)

Olan and Barbara had three children - Jeannie, Clint, and Chuck

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Sylvia Kathern Arnold Dye was born 31 May 1917

Sylvia was the daughter of Marlie Arnold (brother of my great-grandmother Annie Arnold Hicks)

Sylvia married Delbert Dye

Sylvia and Delbert had two children - Noma and Garland

On This Day in Family History - May 30

 Rosie Lee Hicks was born 30 May 1902

Rosie was the oldest child of Felix and Ida Lenora Hicks.

Felix was the brother of my great-grandfather Ulysses Hicks.

Photo: Front - John Henry and Malisa Hicks, son David Hicks. Back - Felix, Ida holding Rosie, Ulysses.

Photo: Felix holding son Odice, Rosie, Ida

Photo: Rosie, Odice, Odelcie

Photo: Front - Rosie, Cleffie & Lester Burford. Back - Joann Wheetley, Odelcie. 1976 (Rosie's birthday and Hicks family reunion)

Rosie Hicks never married.

She died in 1990, age 88.

On This Day in Family History - May 29

 

Memorial Day, Hartford, Michigan 1992

Same activities, for the most part -- but much smaller crowds.

No more "town reunion" vibe... *sigh* 

American Legion

American Legion Auxiliary

Boy Scouts

High school band

Strawberry festival royalty

Old fire truck

New fire trucks

and kids on bikes

Band plays patriotic songs in the park

(This part used to be done at the cemetery)

Speeches in the park

21 gun salute

(also used to be done at the cemetery)

Ah, Michigan! End of May - 44 degrees, 40 mph wind...

On This Day in Family History - Memorial Day

I was a teenager in the Vietnam War era, when patriotism wasn't cool. And I admit my sentiments about that haven't changed much as I've grown older. But in the summer of 1969 I took a trip with my uncle Ron and aunt Maxine to Washington DC. We saw all the usual sites -- including Ford's Theater and the house across the street from the theater, and the bedroom where President Lincoln died. The most fascinating thing we saw was the changing of the guard at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. I didn't have a video camera, so I took a picture every few seconds, during the ceremony, to capture the whole sequence. If you ever get anywhere near Washington DC, go see it ! It's an experience you'll never forget.

The Iwo Jima monument

President John F. Kennedy's grave (with eternal flame)

Robert Kennedy's grave (It was new in 1969 -- I'm sure it's different now.)

On This Day in Family History - May 28

On Memorial Day in Hartford, Michigan, kids were invited to decorate their bikes and ride them in the parade. My brother John rode in the parade for the first time when he was a little bitty thing (on a little bitty bike). He must have been 3 years old in this picture. Dad ran along beside him. The parade route was only 3 or 4  blocks long -- Hartford is a very small town.

We had a little bike like that when I was very young. It didn't have coaster brakes -- you just had to stop pedaling if you wanted to slow down or stop. I don't know if this is the same bike or not. (John is 10 years younger than me.) This picture was taken the year after the photo above. John would be 4 years old in this one.

This would have been 1970 -- John would be 5 years old. I guess he had outgrown that little bike by then and graduated to a real one.

On This Day in Family History - May 27

Memorial Day in Hartford, Michigan - 1970

First, the parade. These are little baton twirlers, students at the local dance studio...

...and the little drum major.

Here's the real drum major, Hartford High School band - Diana Knight

The reason there's an empty lot on Main Street is because there had been a big fire in town a year or two before these pictures were taken. Some of the stores had not yet been rebuilt. 

After the parade, the cemetery. (Decorated bikes were part of the parade.)

This was the high school band director, Mr. Fay

This was pastor Smith from the Federated Church, who led a prayer as part of the cemetery ceremonies.

After the cemetery, the park. Everybody who ever lived in Hartford came home for Memorial Day. It was like a town reunion in the park after the parade and ceremonies were over.

The little girl is Jackie Jo Treat - daughter of my dad's cousin Jack Treat (right) and his wife Joanie (behind Jackie Jo)

A classmate of mine, Lynn Cornell. I don't know who the baby is.

On This Day in Family History - May 26

Some of the good memories of my childhood revolve around Memorial Day in Hartford, Michigan. To my recollection, it was sort of an annual town reunion. Everybody who ever lived in Hartford came back to town for the Memorial Day celebration. In preparation, folks went out to the cemeteries and cleaned up their relatives' graves and put out fresh flowers and flags. (Some of the older folks still called it Decoration Day.)

Bob McDonald, Bill Thomas, John Treat

Christie Thomas, decorating the grave of her brother Ray Treat

Christie Thomas and Mabel Treat

These pictures were taken in 1966.

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Cleffie Burford and Wathada Thomas at Arlington Hill Cemetery, Bangor, Michigan, May 1993

Wathada at Carvil A Barnett's grave, Thomas Cemetery, Bangor Michigan, May 1993

Cleffie at Christie and Bill Thomas' graves, Arlington Hill Cemetery, Bangor, Michigan, May 1993