Wordless Wednesday

1938, Possibly San Mateo, California

This is a picture I found with a bunch of pictures I was given. I think my father is in the second row from the bottom and second from the left.
Notice the year and make-up of the class. I live in Arkansas now and the students here cannot believe that segregated schools were not every where.

Quaker dates

This week I decided to go back and changes some of the dates in my database. It use to be you had to convert Quaker dates, but now the program I have, RootsMagic, I can enter the Quaker dates. That means I can enter the dates as they are recorded in the records and there would not be any possibility of converting the dates wrong. (For those who don't know, before the year 1752, the year use to start on 1 April instead of 1 January and the Quaker dates are written using a month number and not a name. ie 5mo 3d 1800 is May 3, 1800). I have many dates that were converted wrong and so records don't match. They look like the person was born on two different days months apart. However, the different dates are just one person converted the date wrong and one person converted it correctly. That is why I'm excited about being able to put the actual Quaker dates in and not having to convert them. I can convert them in my notes.

Dad's Desk

I have a desk and hutch that I had when I got married. I know that through the years my husband has thought about getting rid of it. He doesn't know the history behind the desk and hutch. I guess I should tell him. The desk and hutch belonged to my father, James Edward "Eddie" Baker Jr when he was younger. After he died and my mom was getting ready to move into a smaller home I asked her to keep it, for some reason I just want it around. Maybe because it belonged to my father or maybe just it seems comforting to have it. I don't know, but it is in need of being redone, the paint has come off in places, but my father was the last one to refinish it and it helps me to remember him. Silly, the things we hold onto for sentimental reasons.

Monday Memories - Artichokes

My great grandma Orpheline Boche Bionaz's, sister and brother-in-law started a farm in California raising artichokes. My mother remembered every year getting a box of Artichokes from them and enjoying eating them. My mother also talked about summers as a little girl sitting in the artichoke fields and eating raw artichokes fresh off the plant. Her lips would turn black from the iron in the artichokes.



Unfortunately, I never did cook artichokes for my family. We always lived to far away for the artichokes to be affordable. I do miss them, but not raw.

Elizabeth Grace Hawk Bionaz Birth

We've been unsure about my grandmother Betty's birth day. Most people would say just ask her, but that is where the confusion comes in. She always thought she was born in Dec 1910, but when she went to apply for Social Security, she had to have a copy of her birth certificate. When she wrote for her birth certificate, it came back with the birth date of 8 Nov 1911, an eleven month difference in age. Okay, but to add a little more question the birth certificate had the name Margaret Hawk. It had the correct parents, but not the birth date she always thought was her birth date and it had another name also!

We were hoping the 1920 census would help clear up the birth date, but if we figure her age, she would have been possibly born in 1912. Well, Lisa had a chance to get to Harper County, Kansas and maybe helped clear this mess up (or possible added to the confusion). I heard somewhere that Grandma's brother was adopted and Margaret's birth certificate said that Mabel Martin Hawk (grandma Betty's mother) that Margaret was the 6th child. Now I know of Lucille, Ruth, and Crystal, because they were alive when I was born. I had found a Eleanor in the Ohio birth records that also belong to this family, but she apparently died before the 1910 Census and none of the girls remembered an Eleanor. That makes 4 children and now we have proof that there was a boy born in Harper County, Kansas in February 1910. Lisa found a newspaper announcement for a boy born to Mr & Mrs H.C Hawk on 21 February 1910. Now we know of 5 children and Margaret would make 6. Now all the children are accounted for and Margaret could be grandma Betty. Before, if William was adopted then there was 4 girls by 1910, William adopted and that would have made Margaret the 5th child, which would mean that maybe Elizabeth was born before Margaret. However, now with a boy being born in 1910 there is not another baby born before Margaret.

Now the question is "Is William adopted or is he the boy born 21 Feb 1910?" William's birth date is listed as 22 February 1910 in the Social Security Death Index as well as that's the date everyone else in the family had for him. So, is this just an error in when he was born or is he adopted and the boy born 21 February died shortly after birth. That's the next Question to figure out with this family.

Monday Memories

Today I was planting a hanging basket of tomatoes and of strawberries and it made me think of my grandpa Baker (James Edward Baker Sr.). When we moved to Woodland California, Grandma and Grandpa Baker moved their trailer behind our house. We had about 3/4 of an acre and since grandpa was retired, he decided to go back to farming. He planted a fairly large garden and my mom would say if you didn't watch grandpa he would plant another row of sweet corn. He loved his sweet corn. I remember a metal bucket of corn kernels in the wash room for planting for the longest time. Even after my grandfather died we still had a small garden, but just not as big.

I would go out in the garden and pick tomatoes and eat them fresh off the vine. I still enjoy a good tomato!