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.

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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

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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.)

Christie's Diary

7-3-64 Bought me a table  model second handed singer electric sewing machine

Bernardes wanted us to come over there for the 4th, but are going to Mells I guess (went)

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PHOTO L-R: Me, Dad, Grandpa Thomas, Eileen, Kim, Ricky, Mick, Greg. 

(Actually, Grandma is in the picture, too. She was sitting back a little on the other side of Mick.) This picture was taken in 1958. It is the only picture I have that I know was taken in Bernarde and Eileen's old house in Decatur.

PHOTO L-R: Grandma, Grandpa, my brother John in front of Grandpa, Mom, Eileen, Bernarde.

 

This picture was taken Christmas Eve 1967. Bernarde and Eileen had just moved into their new house on Lake of the Woods in Decatur. (Their old house was near Lake of the Woods, too -- across the street from what would become the subdivision where they built their new house on the lake front.)

PHOTO L-R: Jean, Jerry, Alta, Mel, Bill, Christie (picture was probably taken by Roger)

This picture was taken at Mel and Alta's house in 1977. Mel was Grandpa's brother, Jerry was Mel and Alta's daughter, Roger was their son, Jean was his wife.

Happy Birthday, Rick

How it started... 

How it's going...

Christie's Diary

7-3-64 went to Benton Harbor to have them start Social Security Aug 1 -64. Bill retired July 2nd-64 2 days before his 65th birthday - 64 it's muggy & cloudy 7-3-64

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Grandpa Thomas worked for the Van Buren County Road Commission for 33 years. In the winter he ran a snowplow, and in the summer drove the tar truck. 

Here is what my brother Rick recently wrote:

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This picture of Grandpa and Grandma reminds me of a story I only halfway remember... 

Seems that after Grandpa retired, some of the family suggested that they should start spending winters in Florida. So they decided they would try it. If memory serves me, they went to Florida (where I believe this picture was taken), and after a couple of weeks they came back to Michigan, said they hated Florida. And that was the end of that. 

Christie's Diary

Welp, I spent all day yesterday trying to get the entries in Christie's Diary organized. Keep in mind that it's a huge ledger book, not a diary. There are only a few places, though, where they (either Grandma or Grandpa) recorded some business transactions. 

Most of the pages were blank. But then, sporadically, Grandma decided to use it as a diary. She made some entries in 1959, and then no more until 1964. Then again, briefly, in 1968. And then 1970, 1977, and 1978. 

As if that's not random enough, once I got all the dates verified, their distribution through the book is kind of nuts. The 1959 entries are on page 196 and 195 (in that order). The 1964 entries are on pages 190, 189, 188, 193, 187, and 184. On these, she helpfully (?) wrote the numbers 1,2,3,4,5, at the tops of the pages. Then in the middle of one page she wrote "over to page 4 - then back to this page / should have been here". 

At the top of that page there is an entry that seems to start in mid-sentence, and I couldn't find a previous entry leading up to it.

There is one page with entries from 1964 and 1977 on the same page.

The 1968 diary entries are on page 13. 

The 1970 entries are on page 15, 

1977 on page 22, also page 184

1978 on page 14

Now you see why it took me all day.

Christie's Diary

March 30 '59 

Ray & Richard & family were home for Easter & Bernarde & family were here for after noon & evening & Evely & Charles & Beverly were here in the afternoon

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PHOTO: Ray Treat, Christie's brother

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PHOTO: Bernarde and Eileen, with their sons Mick and Greg. Kim had not been born yet -- this would have been about 1953. 

Bernarde was Christie's oldest son (my dad's brother). (He wasn't really that dark skinned, he must have been working out in the sun a lot when this picture was taken.)

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PHOTO: My brother Ricky, Charles and Evalee Jones and their daughter Beverly.

You know how I've said sometimes I run across a photo that I don't remember ever seeing before? Well, this is one of those. This picture was actually taken on the day (Easter Sunday 1959) mentioned in Christie's diary. 

Here is another picture that was taken on that Easter Sunday -

PHOTO: Ricky and me in the front yard of Grandma and Grandpa Thomas' house

Christie's Diary

 March 25 '59 Tim Carney died March 25th services at 3 oclock good Friday after noon at McKane's. Buried in Hartford

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The name Tim Carney does not ring a bell with me, so this was apparently a friend or acquaintance of my grandparents. McCane funeral home was in Bangor, where the funeral was held. Burial was in Hartford, the next town over (10 miles away). My Thomas and Treat relatives lived in both Hartford and Bangor through the years. Those were the towns where I grew up -- first Bangor, and then Hartford. They were both very small towns, population about 2500 at the time. They are still about that same population. I really miss living in small towns where everything was within walking distance.

McKane Funeral Home

This is a picture of the building that was McKane funeral home. It is now the Bangor library.

This is a picture of Maple Hill Cemetery in Hartford where Mr. Carney is buried.

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Supplement - from Bangor Historical Society Facebook page

In 1919 Paul Decker built a car dealership but failed to make his dealership a success and moved out in 1922. Over the next eight years three more dealerships failed to make their business successful. In 1928 the building was converted into a funeral home which was later operated by Burt McKane. The building now is the public library in the front and the police station in the back.

Christie's Diary

 March 20 '59 Tempature got up to 60 dgs on March 20 '59. Marie Hazelett & I went to Benton Harbor had a good time

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Grandma Thomas belonged to several women's groups. Some were associated with local churches, and some were just for socializing and playing cards or bunco (a dice game). I used to go with her to some of these get-togethers. And sometimes she would host them at her house. I recognize some of the faces in these pictures, and there are several names that I remember from my childhood -- but what I cannot do is match the names with the faces. Marie Hazelett is one of the names I remember, and she is probably in one of these group pictures, but I have no idea which one.

Christie's Diary

 

27 Feb 

Mell & Alta & Effie were here for supper 27 February talked with her her once in 2 wks time

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Effie was my grandfather's sister.

PHOTO: Bill Thomas and Effie Thomas Wieland

Aunt Effie lived in Bangor when I was a young child. (We lived in Bangor at that time, also.) Her house was on my way to school, and sometimes she would invite me to stop at her house after school or come to visit her on the weekend. We played Parcheesi and I remember having fresh peaches with cream at least once at her house. She had a box full of wooden blocks that I liked to play with. Aunt Effie and Uncle Harry never had children of their own, but they raised a nephew -- Allan Miller -- whose mother died shortly after his birth. (Allan was already grown and gone by the time I came along.) I don't remember Uncle Harry. I think he died before I was born.

PHOTO: Aunt Effie holding me. 1955

Christie's Diary

1959

Jan 25 Mells got home from California Sunday Jan 25th went to Mells for supper & see pictures of their trip Sat nite Jan 31th our check was delayed because of no money till Sat Jan 31th county. Beautiful Sunday day Sunday Feb 1th

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I can't make heads or tails out of this entry. 

"Mells" refers to my grandfather's brother, Mel, and his wife Alta.

PHOTO: Nancy Thomas, Vickie Hills, Jerry Hills, Mel and Alta Thomas

Jerry is Mel & Alta's daughter, married to Bert Hills. Vickie is Jerry's daughter.

Nancy is Mel & Alta's granddaughter (Roger's daughter).