Between the Tigris and Euphrates

I'm back to my original mission of uploading old family photos. But I have no idea who this family is :)  I know that the old woman in the photo is my great-great-grandmother Josephine. Look how tiny she is!Little Sicilian woman. You know she was probably as tough as nails though. 

 She is the mother of my great-grandpa Charlie .  The other people, I don't know. I love the old baby carriage though. If I become rich and live in Manhattan, I'm going to get an old-fashioned stroller like this. I can just imagine pushing one of them through Central Park. Très adorable! I wouldn't want a nanny though. I'll take care of my own kids. I always see them in the subways --- au pairs taking their employers' kids everywhere. The mother probably doesn't even work. Damn rich people. Sorry, I tend to digress often.

Not sure of the year. So, I'm saying late 1930's or early 1940's. Probably taken at my great-great-grandparents house in Babylon, NY. 

First Communion

This is my grandmother and her brother posing for their First Holy Communion ca. 1933.

Forget Me Not

I found my Grandmother's junior high school autograph book from 1942. I had a

blast reading all the things her classmates wrote to her.

Some of them are a little saucy considering that it was written in the '40's by junior high schoolers. It made me LOL literally!

Here are a few of my favorites. I made my own notes in italics.

To anna:

Two in a hammock,

Ready to kiss,

All of a sudden it went

like sıɥʇ.

Your Brother Grad-u-8,

Alfred L.

When you are married

And your husband gets cross

Pick up a broomstick,

and tell him you're boss.

Forget me not,

Betty M.

Prison: J.H.S 73

Cell: 318

Keeper: Mrs. Tilley

Warden: Mr. Gainsboro

Flint

When you get married

Don't marry a flirt.

Marry a man who

Will wash your shirt!

Eleanor

Never make love at the garden gate.

Love is blind but the neighbors aint!

Your classman,

Ellen S.

Some like the tulips

that grow in the park,

but I like the two lips

that meet in the dark.

Your pal,

Laurie

Remember Grant.

Remember Lee.

The hell with them!

Remember me!

sister grad-u-8

Bushie

Ashes to ashes

dust to dust

if it weren't for boys

the girls' lips would rust.

Your friend,

Katricia

Butter is butter

And cream is cream.

What good's a kiss

Without a Squeeze?

Pat M.

The higher the mountain

The higher the trees

The younger the couple

The tighter the squeeze.

Evelyn

Roses are red.

Violets are blue.

Sugar is rationed.

Why aren't you?*

*She's gotten that one a few times in the book. I just think it's great because of the "sugar is rationed" part. It really shows the times.

Our eyes have met

Our lips not yet

but OH!

You kid,

I'll get you yet!

Brother Grad-u-8

Charles D.

Little over-confident there, are we Charles? Hmmmm?

Pins and needles

Needles and Pins

When you are married

your troubles begin

Pal

Vita

˙uʍop ǝpısdn ƃuıʇıɹʍ ʎq

ʞooq ɹnoʎ pǝlıods oɥʍ ʎoq ǝɥʇ ɯ,ı

'uʍoʇ ǝɥʇ ɯoɹɟ ʎoq ǝɥʇ ɯ,ı

'ʎʇıɔ ǝɥʇ ɯoɹɟ ʎoq ǝɥʇ ɯ,ı

Bob

Bum ink

Rotten Pen

Best Wishes

Amen

From your cousin,

Sonny A.

There is a darling girl I know.

Boy will I miss her

When I'll go out to fight the foe

This girl is my sister,

Your Brother,

Joe

Anna, Anna as they say

Walking up and down broadway

with fellows at each side

selling kisses

two for five

Your Friend,

Lucy

What are you trying to say, Lucy? Walking down the street, selling kisses! What a friend you are.

You may forget a doll.

You may forget a toy.

But I bet you ten bucks

You don't forget a boy!

Your sister grad-u-8,

Charlotte

Finally here is one my grandfather wrote to her. They didn't meet until after the war, so his is a later addition.

To Doll,

They Say it's a sin to love,

I never asked them why.

But If I sin in loving you,

I'll sin until I die

Love,

Bob

That's all. Sorry if I drove you crazy with the upside down text, but it was necessary, I assure you.

¿ʞuıɥʇ noʎ ʇ,uop ˙sıɥʇ ǝʞıl sʇsod ǝɹoɯ ǝʇıɹʍ plnoɥs ı ʞuıɥʇ ı

The Little Gentleman

How adorable is this picture? I don't know who this little boy is, but he has to be one of my grandmother's older cousins. I say this because he is in my great-grandmother's wedding photo. I think he is even wearing the same tuxedo. Maybe this was taken at the same time the wedding photos were taken. My great-grandparents were married in 1924, so I'm dating this photo the same year.

My favorite part about this picture is his hair: parted down the middle. It's such a 1910s/1920s hair style. It would look so strange if a boy did his hair like that now.

I noticed that many of the photos I have from the 1920s/30s are printed on the back of postcards, including this photo. I've read that there was this postcard craze in the beginning of the twentieth century. Maybe that is why I'm finding so many. Half of the ones I have are in Italian, and the other half is in English. This one was in English, which makes sense because my great-grandparents were married in America.

I'm dying to post the photos I have from my great-grandparent's wedding. They are amazing. They are just way to big to scan. I've been trying to take a picture of them using my digital camera, but they weren't coming out good. I'll keep trying....... Hopefully soon.

Rascals, Scamps, and Urchins

Here is another photo I know little about. I found it with other pictures of my great-grandmother during the 1920's, so I am assuming it was taken around the same time. Judging from the kid's clothes the 1920's seems about right.

Their clothes are fantastic! It reminds me of when my mom would dress me and my sister in the same outfits. My favorite parts are their shoes and stockings. I love old fashioned shoes. When I went to the St. James General Store here on Long Island, they had old shoes displayed behind the counter that I wanted to touch and examine so badly! I love any old household items. Forget the copy of the Gettysburg Address, I want to see Lincoln's toothbrush!

That's why the St. James General Store is so great. They have old boxes, signs, clothes, and

things of that nature on display. It's just a little torturous if you're like me and want to touch

everything. It is supposed to be the oldest continuously operated general store in the country. It's small, creaky, and uneven, but that only adds to its charms. They have a whole bunch of knick-knacks for sale, but the best is the candy!

Here is a site for more info if you want it : Link

I digressed a bit, sorry :)

Beach Babes

I love old beach photos! The progression of bathing-suit styles fascinate me. Not many men would be caught dead wearing a one-piece now.

My grandma is the little girl to the far left. The boy in the middle is her brother Joseph. I'm not sure of the exact year in which this was taken. My grandma was born in 1926 and in the photo she looks about 3 or 4 years old.... so possible late 1920s to early 1930s.