Family Pictures

Christmas 1960 and 1962

/ Gail Grunst Genealogy / 1 Comment

Everyday until Christmas, I am going to try to post a picture from a past family Christmas. 

Mom's Christmas Table

Mom’s Christmas Table

My mother’s Christmas Table in 1960.  Behind my mother is a built-in china cabinet.  On the top left she has some dishes and on the top right is my doll collection.  You can see part of an old-fashioned telephone on the right.  My grandmother is sitting on the chair against the wall and above her is the Knick-Knack shelf that went from house to house with us.  On the table is a terrarium.  The camera flash can be seen reflecting off the glass doors behind my mother.

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Pictured here is my brother with our second cousin, Diana in 1962   Look at all the presents behind them.  This was the first year that we did not have a real tree and my parents went with an aluminum tree.  In the background is our Grand Aunt Helen. 

Copyright © 2019 Gail Grunst

Christmas 1960

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Everyday until Christmas, I am going to try to post a picture from a past family Christmas. 

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Christmas 1960

Family photo from Christmas 1960.  Back left:  Ralph Bowers (grand Uncle), George Manfroid (father), Fred Kaiser (grandfather). Next row: Martha Treppa, Elizabeth Farrell (great aunt), Dorothy Manfroid (mother), Helen Kaiser (Grandmother), Helen Bowers (grand aunt).  Front:  Ronald Manfroid (brother) and me (Gail).  Notice the Texaco Truck in front of my brother. My grandfather worked for Texaco for 45 years, and was still working for them when this picture was taken.  He retired in 1963. It was unusual to have Ralph and Helen Bowers, Martha Treppa, and Elizabeth Farrell in our family pictures.  They were with us on some holidays, but not all.  I think this picture was taken at the last minute before they left because of the shopping bags and boots on Aunt Helen.  Missing from the picture is my Uncle Russ, but he appears in the next one and I am missing from that one.

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Uncle Russ is sitting on the arm of the sofa.

 

A visit to see Santa 1956

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Everyday until Christmas, I am going to try to post a picture from a past family Christmas. 

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Santa, Ron and Gail

The picture is unmarked but by the looks of my brother’s age, I think this is 1956.  My brother is on Santa’s lap and doesn’t look to happy.  He appears to be grabbing for me.  Oh that scarf!  Hard to believe that those were popular at the time.  But you were not suppose to tie it like it did.   I tied it because it would not stay up otherwise.  How about those saddle shoes, and what a fashion statement for the fifties!

Copyright © 2019 Gail Grunst

Christmas 1956

/ Gail Grunst Genealogy / 1 Comment

Everyday until Christmas, I am going to try to post a picture from a past family Christmas. 

This was our Christmas in 1956.  Picture on left is my brother, Ronnie, with Santa.  He is about a year and half old.  I love his face, he looks so happy seeing Santa.  Some kids at that age are afraid of  him.  You can see some of his toys.  This is one of the first pictures I have of Christmas in our first house.  We moved there in 1953, yet I could find no photos of Christmas 1953, 54, or 55.  The tree is behind my brother, and I can see cards taped up around the door.  On the right is me playing the accordion for Santa.  I was nine years old at that time.  The accordion was my Christmas present the year before.  I took lessons for three years and gave it up when my teacher kept me on a song that I hated until I played it perfectly.  I seemed to be stuck there and bulked at taking anymore lessons.  My father was upset with me.  No one ever suggested changing teachers.  I remember the accordion cost $500 at that time, and it must have been a lot of money for my parents.  That’s is probably why my father was upset with me.  I quit lessons and  he sold the accordion.  I didn’t want him to sell it because I would have played for my own enjoyment, or maybe a few years later I would be ready to try again with another teacher.   A few years later my father bought an organ, and I was able to transfer my knowledge of music and the accordion over to the organ.  I  never took lessons on the organ but can play it because of those accordion lessons.  Behind me is a built in shadow box .  My mother used that spray snow and stencils all over the house, and it looks like she put some on the mirror of the shadow box.  

Copyright © 2019 Gail Grunst

Christmas 1952: Dad and me

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Everyday until Christmas, I am going to try to post a picture from a past family Christmas. 

Christmas 1952 Dad and me

Christmas 1952

Here is the father who went without lunch and saved his lunch money to buy the Rita Doll in my last post.  He did many other things for me throughout his life.  He built me a doll house, a model train layout, and ran to every store in the area with me to find red wax lips that were popular at that time.  He was always there for me, gave me advice, tutored me in history, walked me down the aisle, and was a wonderful grandfather too.  I know he liked my husband because he told some friends of ours that he hoped when their girls grew up they would find someone like my husband. I loved my dad, and I have no doubt he loved me.  So many times I wish I could talk to him and get his advice now.  But that will have to wait until another time.   I still have the manger scene under the tree.  You can’t see the dress I am wearing very well, but it was made by Aunt Fran, my grandmother’s sister.

Copyright © 2019 Gail Grunst

Christmas 1951: Rita Doll

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Everyday until Christmas, I am going to try to post a picture from a past family Christmas. 

Christmasa 1951

Christmas 1951

In 1951 Santa brought me a Rita Doll.  You can see by the picture that she was half my size and she walked.  Oh, how I wanted that doll, and when I was older my mother told me that my father went without lunch and saved his lunch money to buy me that doll.  It meant even more to me after hearing that story.  Once her arm came off and we took her to a doll hospital to be fixed.  This picture was taken in my bedroom and that little dresser was painted pink and blue.  Every year we would go the A&P food store and buy one of those little trees for my bedroom.  There were lights on it and you can kind of see the cord going up the wall and around the door to be plugged in.  I like the paper chain on it, and I remember there were some glow-in-the-dark stars and icicles on it.

Below is information about the Rita Doll from dollreference.com

The Paris Doll Company ad for the Rita doll states: Rita’s a must – See her during Toy Fair at the Hotel McAlpin Rooms 1046-48, doll is unmarked.  Hard plastic head with glued on saran wig, hard plastic jointed body, sleep eyes, real upper eyelashes, painted lower lashes, open mouth with teeth. Came as a black or white doll.  May have been dressed in several different outfits one of which was a Majorette, as well as shown in the ad wearing a cotton plaid dress with white sheer pinafore trimmed with red satin ribbon, white socks and mary jane shoes.  Doll is unmarked, 24 or 28″ tall.

Copyright © 2019 Gail Grunst

 

Christmas Family Portrait 1948

/ Gail Grunst Genealogy / 2 Comments

Everyday until Christmas, I am going to try to post a picture from a past family Christmas. 

Christmas 1948 Family

Christmas 1948 Family picture

The picture was taken on Christmas Eve 1948 in my parents apartment.  On the left is my grandmother holding a doll, Fran my grandmother’s sister is next to her, my mother is in the kitchen doorway, I am next to my mother, Pat (Fran’s daughter) is front left, my Uncle Russ, and Grandpa.  I assume my father is taking the picture since he is missing.  I always like looking at the background in these old pictures.  In this one you can see a little into the kitchen.  There is an old stove with a kettle sitting on a burner.  The stove has a shelf and on the self is a clock and two coffee carafes.  I remember that kitchen was very small, and there was a small table that fit the three of us. Notice the knick-knack shelf on the wall.  I think my mother had that one and others in all of her houses until the day she died.  I know my grandmother did.  I don’t see them anymore, but they were kind of nice for displaying items.  I know I am always looking for shelf space to display things.  A few of those around would help.  The knick-Knack shelves now are plain square boxes. I love to see how styles of furniture, kitchen appliances, clothes, and hair styles change over the years.  The trees were always real with the bigger lights and tinsel.

 

Two Beauties Christmas 1949

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Everyday until Christmas, I am going to try to post a picture from a past family Christmas. 

Pat, Mom and Tommy Doll

Christmas Eve 1949

You can’t tell this picture is from Christmas, but it is from Christmas Eve 1949.  I have to laugh at my mother’s face.  She made this face when when she didn’t like something.  So was use to seeing it.  In 1969 when I saw Lily Tomlin on Laughin playing Ernestine the telephone operator, I told my mother she reminded me of her.  My mother was insulted, but I meant it as compliment.  Click link to take a look at Lilly Tomlin as Ernestine and compare the faces.  This picture was taken in our apartment and was probably the first time my mother hosted Christmas Eve.  Our family tradition was we had Christmas Eve at our house, and opened our gifts after a visit from Santa. On Christmas Day we went to Grandma and Grandpa’s house for dinner.  Sitting next to my mom on the sofa is her cousin Pat.  She is holding a doll, that I probably received for Christmas that night.  I called it my Tommy doll.  I don’t know if that was the name from the manufacturer or something we came up with.  It is interesting that it is a boy doll.  At that time most dolls were girls.  I remember the doll, but don’t remember playing with it very often. My mother wrote on the back of the picture, “Two beauties — Xmas 1949”.

 

Christmas 1948: Taby

/ Gail Grunst Genealogy / 1 Comment

Everyday until Christmas, I am going to try to post a picture from a past family Christmas. 

Taby Christmas 1948

Taby 1948

It looks like he is wearing a party hat.  Maybe it was New Years Eve.  The back of the picture just says, “Taby 1948”.  I think he was a mutt, but don’t know what mixture of breeds he might have been.  I was about three when we was taken away.

I have a vague recollection of Taby.  He was my parent’s dog when I was born.  I believe Taby was my father’s dog before he married.  My parents lived with my grandmother when they were first married so Taby knew their house.  When my parents moved to an apartment across town Taby would go back and forth between the two places.  My mother said that he was very good with me.  I was told that the neighbors complained about him.  I don’t know what he did to upset the neighbors, but it became impossible for my parents to keep him in an apartment.  I have often wondered why my grandparents didn’t take him.  They had a dog and apparently when my parents lived there the dogs got along.  But the sad story is that we had to get rid of Taby.  My father took him to a shelter “Orphans of the Storm”.  I was promised when my parents bought a house we would get a dog and we did.  We never gave up another one.  They are with us until they take their last breath.  I am a big believer that when you get a dog you keep it.  They are not a piece of furniture that you throw away.  Every time I see a picture of Taby, it breaks my heart.  Just writing about Taby brings tears to my eyes.  I wonder what happened to him, and I hope he got a good forever home.

 

 

Christmas 1927

/ Gail Grunst Genealogy / 1 Comment

Everyday until Christmas, I am going to try to post a picture from a past family Christmas. 

Mom on Horse with Santa 1927.jpg

Mom and Santa 1927

This is my Mom again with Santa in 1927. I don’t think I ever saw a Santa outfit quite like this one. Love the outfit my mother has on.  It looks like it would be warm.  My grandmother wrote “Howe Street” on the back.  So I am assuming that this was taken on Howe Street in Chicago.  No date on picture other than 1927, but I assume it is near Christmas and there is snow on the ground.  I wonder did Santa walk up and down the streets of Chicago to have his picture taken with children.  We are use to seeing Santa in department stores.  The picture appears to be a professional one, not just a snapshot.  

Copyright © 2019 Gail Grunst