Photographs from Album created by Ruth Fuller Pyatt Dourte(my paternal grandmother)circa 1924
G- ma Ruth – Ruth Frankie Fuller Pyatt Dourte (1900-1980)
Photographs from Album created by Ruth Fuller Pyatt Dourte(my paternal grandmother)circa 1924
G-Pa Pyatt – Charles Alfred Pyatt (1896-1985)
Dad – Earl Eugene Pyatt (1922-2010)
No idea who the Riggs family is in these pictures. Maybe neighbor children or related somehow….
“Some icicle” G-pa Pyatt & Dad“Roy Riggs & pups”“Harold, Ralph & Helen Riggs”“Me & my car” Dad“Chickens – David (age 2)”
(Some of you who frequent my blog may notice that I have skipped a couple of pages from this album. Just so you know, the pictures on those pages were of a very nondescript landscape and were extremely faded.)
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Photographs from Album created by Ruth Fuller Pyatt Dourte(my paternal grandmother)circa 1924
I do not know who this gentleman is…
but I have seen him in other pictures later in the album.
Hmmm…another mystery!
I have previously blogged about my Dad being a Prisoner of War in first the Philippines and later Japan, during WWII. That post included pictures of my Dad’s return and excerpts from my grandmother’s diary entries from when she finally found out he was a POW.
My grandmother also kept a large scrapbook from World War II. In it she has clipped articles that pertain to my Dad’s unit, the 200th Coastal Artillery. There are also articles about other young men missing, held prisoner or died during the war. Some she clipped because she recognized my Dad’s friends, some she thought he might know from the war. I like to think that this scrapbook kept her connected to my Dad in some way. Keep her occupied as she waited to hear news from him or about him. In looking through this scrapbook I came across this telegram and letters she received verifying his status as a Prisoner of War.
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Telegram received by my Grandmother. This was her first indication that my Dad was alive in the Philippines.
Letter received from War Department confirming telegram.
Letter from Congressman from New Mexico regarding my Dad’s POW status.
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I am truly thankful that my grandmother kept this scrapbook. It has given me a special insight into what it must have been like for her during those extremely trying times.
Here it is…one year since I went “public” with my blog. There were some periods of time when I didn’t post at all…some periods of time when I posted every day. The main thing is that I never completely stopped posting…so here I still am one year later. Feels really good!
For those of you who have visited my blog…thank you! Over the last year, I have met and become acquainted with so many others who share my interest in genealogy. I have also had many wonderful comments that have thrilled me to no end! My first year blogging has been glorious!
Photographs from Album created by Ruth Fuller Pyatt Dourte(my paternal grandmother)circa 1924
G-Pa Pyatt – Charles Alfred Pyatt (1896-1985)
Dad – Earl Eugene Pyatt (1922-2010)
Taken in Cisco, Utah
May 1925
“Taking a ride” G-pa Pyatt & Dad“Sheep herder”Cisco, Utah
Do you have a special memory of a first Christmas present from a sweetheart? How did you spend your first Christmas together? Any Christmas engagements or weddings among your ancestors?
Thirty-three years ago my family changed the date of Christmas. My future husband was going back East to visit his folks and my mother and younger sister were not coming into town until after the holidays. My twin sister and I lived in San Francisco at the time. She and I made most of the decorations for my little tree that year. It was my first Christmas in my new apartment. Since everyone couldn’t be there on the 25th we decided to have Christmas on January 7th. So no gifts were opened and we all waited and got together that day. We had a great late Christmas…lots of food, drink and presents.
Later that evening, my soon to be husband, proposed to me. I kept saying “Are you serious?” several times. When I finally realized that he was serious…I accepted! We continued the celebration on into the night! What a wonderful Christmas present! Thirty-three years later we are still together!
What songs did your family listen to during Christmas? Did you ever go caroling? Did you have a favorite song?
Mahalia Jackson…she is my most vivid memory of Christmas music in our house. I don’t know where my parents got the album but it was played every Christmas. One of those old LP albums, that my son calls “those big CDs”! For me it’s just not Christmas without Mahalia! My sister kept that album and transferred it on to her computer. She made me a CD of it and now every year in my house we play that album. My favorite song is Sweet Little Jesus Boy. Nobody can sing it like Mahalia!
“There are two lasting bequests we can give our children: One is roots, the other is wings.” Teaching children values and giving them the opportunity to excel is essential to good parenting. However, I feel I must also provide my children (and myself) insight into the ones who came before us: our ancestors whose lives and stories have shaped us into who we are. This is my journey; these are their stories…
Kathi O'Neill Genealogy 