Showing posts with label family history. Show all posts
Showing posts with label family history. Show all posts

Sunday, September 6, 2026

Searching through old Photos, Memories and Immigrations.

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My goal has been to get through the MOUNTAIN of bins, boxes, plastic bags, envelopes, photo boxes full of five generations of photos my family never bothered to label or sort. 

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I think this is my dad and his sisters, circa 1935-ish in the middle of the Depression and a big Wisconsin snow.

They were compulsive photo takers/and so far many are multiples. 

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Great Grandparents in early 1890's, Denmark.

Some are formal photos...this is an engagement/wedding photo.


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We also have photos of my husband's Bohemian Czech family, this is from the 1880s who came to Wisconsin in the 1850's.(centerfront and right) the rest are their six grown children.
Hubby has tons of relatives and photos.


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1910-11 in Denmark. They all came to Wisconsin, several times, a long story.

My great-grandparents' came from Lithuania and Denmark

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Farm outside Lokken Denmark.

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Early 1890's. Everyone here stayed in Denmark.


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So, I have photos from there-pre1890's, and from every trip they took back.


My mom on a steamer to Denmark 1929 (she was 7)

My parent's photo stash isn't any better.

My Dad took a brownie camera to WWII and boot camp, he was stationed in New Guinea, Philipines, Borneo, and finally Australia with a Portable Medical Corps, the precursor to M.A.S.H. units.

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Dad is 3rd from left.

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So I have all those from the war, unlabeled. I can trace his units movements from Army records...this could be Luzon, Philipines, or Borneo, or New Guinea. The surgical hospital followed the action.


 I have business photos of: telephone operators,
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1943 Long Distance Operators, from an old photocopy?
no source My mom worked with these ladies, in 1941-2.

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My Dad had a service station and an Omar bakery truck,


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our family's fish market, opening in1922

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1964 Local Kringle Festival at the fish market. My grandmother in costume.

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My Mom--1964, a 'Fisker' woman...! 
I also have photos in restaurants, and of dairy trucks, and fishing boats. 

More than that, every birthday and holiday.

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Mother's Day 1955 my grandmother made all these dresses for my cousins.

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Easter 1956--yes, that is a turquoise/navy Hudson vehicle.

EVERY HOLIDAY,


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My 11th birthday (on right) with the cousins at the kid's table, my poor cousin center was 14...how humiliating! I was 5 foot 5-135# with size 10 feet. I was an Amazon in 5th grade.
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Every Anniversary (25th for my Grandparents)1955
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about 1984 for another family Birthday at the local Dania Hall. 

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Grandparent's 25th Anniversary formal party with music--1955
and ALL the
graduations, confirmations, baptisms and a few funerals. 
Yes, photos of people in their coffins, sent home to the 'old country' and the same coming back. I'll spare you those. 

Some bring back pleasant memories and some sad...
1962
My 14th birthday and my first pair of heels, stockings and lipstick.

Some are just silly...

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 Hot dates---prom dates the day after...sorry Mic and Bob! 1966.
Some are just silly 


,,,and some are inspiring. 
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How about the 'we should have...,' photos? 

My dad spied an early box 'camper' at a vacation expo in the 1950's. So he decided to make a pull-behind trailer with a tent on it. Always a handyman, he built one of his own design in 1954-5. I remember it consisted of a 4'x8 foot plywood box, with a two fold-out doors, 2'x8' that were the lid---which became bunks, with some nifty side supports. My bed was another board supported between the two crosswise on a separate piece of plywood, 
2'x4' I was only 7. 
Dad bragged it was made from only 3 pieces of plywood.
An old smelly canvas tent was supported by a center pole, with the bottom cut out..and tied around everything. It all just worked.

We were quite the hit of the campground with our little gray trailer  and moldy tent.
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Here is the first camping trip---on St.Germaine Lake in N.Wisconsin for two whole weeks in 1955, I think. We were plagued by rain, but we were off the ground and dry! 

We had to put all the food and coolers in the car at night (bears and raccoons) and their 'little' paw prints were all over the tables each morning. 

However,
my mom was a person who had to do everything correctly. 
We had cloth tablecloths and napkins--a double dishpan for a sink, a folding (cardboard and wood) card-table for the kitchen. 

The fire supported a huge kettle of hot-water for all her ceramic dishes. She even brought a dish-rack to drain them. Long story short---her professional set-up was health conscious, however the soapy hot water softened the table top which was supporting the legs. It caved on the uneven ground. All the dishes collapsed into a heap of shards. She was horrified--with all the broken crockery on the ground. A passing fellow camper stood and watched. 

His comment---"I betcha, it's the first time camping?" 

A large portion of our meager vacation funds went to a set of Melmac dishes(my mother hated them), purchased new in town just for camping.

This whole story came from looking at that one photograph....! 

And there are thousands, more to move on to!
My dad always said he 'shoulda' patented the trailer design. 

Now, we have online files/photo applications and sorting systems at our finger tips...blogging has helped at least record some of these photos and their history.

Well, what have you found in 
your familys' photos?

Thanks always for visiting.

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All the opinions and photographs in this blog are my own, I have not been paid or reimbursed in anyway for my opinions or posts. Please do not use photos without linking back to this blog without my permission. Thank you for your cooperation, Sandi Magle



Sunday, May 18, 2025

Fifteen-Thousand Photos and Counting


OLDNEWGREENREDO has been on Blogger the entire time I have been blogging. I've always loved taking photographs and the digital world is wonderful when it comes to taking images. I can't believe I have over 15,000 photos sitting on blogger. 

I'M  sharing a few of my favorites from over the years.



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This image is my Avatar and as a Google and Etsy photo. This sweet repaired ceramic was one of Mom's favorites...I also used her in the collection of photos that I use for my header on Etsy.,
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I've actually adjusted this original montage photo for Etsy and have since tweaked it. I simply wanted to show the items I loved to indicate my vintage products on BarberryLane on Etsy.

I started using two different cameras...I'm not a name brand person, basically I have no idea what they were, but every photo was stored on a memory card and then had to be transferred physically to the computer.  Lately I have taken most of my photos with Iphone or IPAD. The ease of transferring them to the computer through the cloud is just so simple. Editing is done directly on my computer in my Mac's photo program. I thought I would share some favorite photos from over the years.

FAVORITE PLACES: I've never shared tons of personal information...but my Hubby and I were both born on the shores of Lake Michigan 200 miles apart. The water and the waves are an integral part of our being, and though the hometowns on the Lake are far away, we try and visit often.

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Lake Michigan Beach

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Hubby's home town has a distinct Light House as does mine.

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Stunning isn't it, my hometown lighthouse is one of the oldest and tallest on Lake Michigan. I'm compelled to visit the park on the grounds every time I go home.

Personal Favorite Photo

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Our graduation photos from UWSTOUT in 1970-71.

Always our FAVORITE: 

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We are blessed with one Grand Girl, who is now 12...and camera shy always. She was 4 here and playing in the sandbox at Gramma and Grampas.

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SIMPLE FAVORITE: The favorite photos from the blog are actually the mundane and everyday...wash on a line.

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FAVORITE ANTIQUES: My mom's fish poacher which resides on the counter or in displays. I've only poached fish a couple of times, it's French and very old..

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FAVORITE SHAPES: The artsy part of me, often takes random shots of interesting shapes...this is a wicker lamp top out on our porch, which is full of antique wicker.

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FAVORITE FAMILY HEIRLOOMS: These three pieces are always on display or use in my home. The large jar on the left is HEAVY cut glass and top is below. It was once silver plated but the silver was polished away. I think it was Great Grandmother's. 
The lady is a piece from Grandmother the next jar is also crystal and holds cinnamon and sugar on my stove shelf in the kitchen now and was my mom's from where, I'm not sure. NUM!

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Shadows and form....love this.

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FAVORITE PATINA: I don't make these vignette's very often now...but this was a Spring display of some favorite things. I still haven't polished that teapot---I just love the patina it has. I have polished the tray to use for bouncing mini lights glow in the winter.

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FAVORITE BLUE: Our home is full of blues, but Favorite things include my family blue enameled coffeepots. I somehow ended up with three (1 sold). They are German enamel and designed for the old drip coffee fabric pouches that tied on to a neckpiece. I have two still in the kitchen I use for flowers and serving coffee.

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FAVORITE FLOWERS; Flowers of course are a favorite and I  have oodles of photos of Pansies, a family favorite...here is a whole flat from years ago.

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MORE: Wisconsin is dotted with fields of Sunflowers and one time we stopped and I took maybe 15 photos of some stunning Sun Flowers in a huge field. Who knew they would become a political symbol of support for Ukraine.

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MORE: I love all flowers but the stately IRIS (which are just started to bloom in our yard) are always my favorite. I imagined them as Queen of the Fairies' robe and dress, hanging out to Dry. I had a vivid imagination as a child.

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FAVORITE GARDEN SPOT: These two are my favorites in the yard no matter what season. Here they are quite new and not all covered in age and moss.

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Last year...Sometimes they are swallowed in foliage.,

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Very early on when the bushes were so small. My girl and boy's cane poles are blown away, and I periodically have to replace them. You would think this is sheltered area, but it's a wind tunnel of West to East Chicagoland winds.

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Oh, Dear! The pair fish all year round, and I just have to take a photo of what they are up to even when it snows.

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Another favorite pond early on...with the old pump from the basement of the family Fishmarket. This was the first year, I think...and the right corner is now swallowed in Day Lilies. My son keeps giving me Frogs...LOL. I have oodles of garden frogs, some are faded and need some REDO.


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FAVORITE NEW: Of all the NEW things we did, building the Greenhouse was one of my favorites.

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It functions well and needs a new coat of paint this year...even that top board, we will use wood stain this time, the paint didn't hold up to the sun at all on the cedar. Last year we laid a stone floor which really helped hold the sun's heat this season.


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I ran across these photos---of our kitchen planning 2016. We designed and installed an IKEA kitchen by ourselves and a family cabinet and drawer assembly picnic.

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Since 2016 we have added new appliances, a small shelf installed to the left where the microwave is on the counter. Also added a spacer shelf next to a new stove for griddles and racks. New stove, hood, refrigerator and dishwasher. 

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One thing about designing a kitchen your self---is everything has a defined place...and I wouldn't change anything about our design at this point. Switching to almost all drawers was brilliant for our age. Everything has pull out shelves, very good for old people who can't get on their knees to look for things. 



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FAVORITE FOODS: Picture from 2013 of garden produce ...wow, we do grow everything sometimes.

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FAVORITE FOOD: Strawberries are up there on the list along with anything homegrown.

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I've always canned foods...Pumpkin Butter and Pickle relish...from our garden.

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Not everything is a powered machine. This crank juicer gets used every year...and simple tools that make canning ing easier....Rich Dark Tomato sauces pureed in the strainer.

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This is an old photo of our old stove...canning frozen tomatoes that were saved to do later. 

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And US: This one is even a bit old...6-7 years ago...but we are just grayer and older now.

Such are OLDNEWGREENREDO's  FAVORITE  PHOTOS! 

WHICH ARE YOUR FAVORITE PHOTOS? 

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All the opinions and photographs in this blog are my own, I have not been paid or reimbursed in anyway for my opinions, posts or any products shown.