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What I Learned from My Mom

  Last Monday, October 27th, would have been my mom's 88th birthday, and I'm thinking about her this week. I can hardly believe that she's been gone since 2010...15 years already. I've written about her a lot, but even with all I've done, I fear there is so much I've forgotten already, memories I will never be able to claw back into my consciousness. I'm glad, then, to have the gift of the questions that I'm working on from the book, Questions You'll Wish You'd Asked , which our son gave to me a few years ago. I'm slowly making my way through the book and some of the questions are about my parents and siblings. I keep my answers in a private blog for our son called Mamoushka's Memories (Mamoushka is our son's pet name for me...which I love !). One q uestion I recently wrote an answer to was, "What Did You Learn from Your Own Mother?" In honor of my beloved mother, Anna Margaret Kozlina Gilbride , here's my answer, addres...

Favorite Photo


I'm participating in the 2024 "52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks" Writing Challenge - Week 3 Theme: Favorite Photo


It's nearly impossible to pick a favorite photo from those I've accumulated through my research or that have been shared with me over the past several years by cousins. My "favorite" changes from time to time.

This precious photo is one of my current favorites, and was shared with me by my cousin. Pictured is my grandmother Mary Josephine Baker (1911-1981) with her older brother Charles Edward Baker (1908-1955).1 

I'm guessing that was taken about 1913 or so likely in Cleveland; Charles (or Charlie, as he was known), was born in St. Catharines, Ontario, but Mary Josephine (known is Josephine or Jo), was born in Cleveland. If taken about 1913, the family was living at 5009 St. Clair Avenue in Cleveland.2

Dad always said that his mother and her big brother were very close, and one can see the connection here. I can imagine Charlie protecting and guiding his little sister around the house or playing in the yard, making sure she did not get into any trouble. Little Jo looks very shy and quiet, and like she relied upon her big brother to take care of her.

The original photo was black and white. I enhanced the digital copy of the photograph with the Photomyne app on my Samsung phone in 2022. 

Until next time...

Next week's theme: Witness to History 

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© Nancy Gilbride Casey, 2024. All rights reserved.

 

NOTES

1 For Mary Josephine's birth: St. Edward's Church, Cleveland, Ohio, Certificate of Baptism for Mary Josephine Baker, (7 May 1911), prepared 1 June 1973. Private collection of R. Firestone [address for private use], 2022. Copied from original church register; date of birth 7 May 1911, date of baptism 4 June 1911. For Charles' birth: St. Catharines, Lincoln, Ontario, Canada, Births, 1908, #104, Edward Charles Baker, 1 May 1908, father Edward Jos. Baker, moulder; database and images, "Ontario, Canada Births, 1869-1912," FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:9Q97-Y3S7-23B : 10 October 2023). 

2 Photo of Edward Baker and Mary Josephine Baker, unknown photographer, about 1913, location unknown; private collection of R. Firestone [address for private use], 2022. Colorized by N. Casey using Photomyne app, 2022.  For 1913 residence: "U.S., City Directories, 1822-1995," Cleveland, Ohio, 1913, p. 85, Baker, Edw., molder r 5009 St Clair av NE; digital image, Ancestry (https://www.ancestry.com/discoveryui-content/view/1344482356:2469 : 14 January 2024), image 770.


 


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