Pictures Mislead--Jean Was Right

Letters from Jean's files show that her account of her birth and Ada and William's golden wedding anniversary was right.  Marjorie and I were trying to piece a coherent account together based on my memory of Jean's account and available photographs.  .  We weren't sure when the anniversary was, but we now know it was August 6, 50 years from the wedding in August 6, 1885.

Here's the

photograph showing the family assembled for the anniversary.  Note my mother.  At this point she's close to  9 months pregnant, but does it really show? Jean was born 4 days after this picture was taken.  This letter from Ralph to Gertrude confirms the timing, and the fact that her pregnancy was a surprise.

She and dad had been married almost 16 years (they married on August 21, 1919) and as far as we know this was her first pregnancy (age 37).  Jean speculated that the lingering effects of dad's lead poisoning accounted for the late birth.

Jean Louise Harshaw

My sister Jean died 2 weeks ago. Legacy has the obituary.

Trip, Day 9, to B'Ville [Revised]

Our Geneva stay was in a Ramada on the lake. Then off to the Geneva Historical society, where the archivist very kindly allowed us in, even thought the archives were officially closed. Marjorie found the microfilm of the No. 9 Session minutes fascinating and I had to bribe her away. (Capt John Rippey was the clerk of the session initially.) They had the record of William Smith's daughter marrying in 1825 from the Geneva Gazette. She recommended we go to the Ontario County Archives for further material. Unfortunately it meant going west and our stamina was flagging. So we headed east to the Seneca Falls National Women's Rights museum, which I had visited with my wife, but which Marjorie had never seen. Then on through Auburn (Seward mansion--who bought Alaska and gave us Sarah Palin, and Harriet Tubman's home, both closed on Oct. Mondays) and Skaneatles (the prettiest town on the Finger Lakes) and up to Baldwinsville where my sister Jean lives. Met her for supper. (See Day 10 report.)

Trip Day 10, B'ville [Revised]

Spent the day in Baldwinsville, NY, resting a bit and visiting with sister Jean, who last saw Marjorie in 1970 (or before). Lots of talk, reestablishing relationships over Monday evening and Tuesday. A sharing of trip results, prior researches, and heirlooms. Perhaps the most significant may be a big old photo album containing unknown people. We're guessing it might be from when Rev. John Rippey was pastor in Kortright, NY (mid 1850's), because some photos are from nearby towns. But the provenance is lost in the mists of the past, so we'll have to research it. But it might, repeat might, show Rippeys from about the time of the Civil War. Nothing much earlier, I'm afraid.

Much amusement over old photos of Marjorie and her sister, much analysis of photos of my baptism (the chauvinism of W.R. Harshaw is unmistakable), and a number of other artifacts and photographs. Will try to post separately on them as I'm trying to catch up on a number of fronts.