Walworth California Company

My grandfather, Van Wolfe, worked for Walworth Company in the early 1930's. This photo has him at the far right. The back of the photo has written:

Walworth Calif Co.
317 North Grant St.
Stockton, CAL

Feb. 14, 1931

Ray S. Pease
Van Wolfe
Tom Godsil (?)
Louis Brandt





My grandparents were married Feb. 28, 1931, 14 days after this picture was taken.

The first picture is the McKinley School - Stockton, California - Ball Team 1923

My grandfather, Jacob Van Cott Wolfe is in the back row, 3rd from the left.This second photo is the Stockton High Football Team - September 1925. My grandfather is in the second row, 5th in from the right.

Laundry of yesteryear

Found these items and many more in a lonely trunk in California. They belonged to my mother's side of the family - most likely her grandmother's (Eugenia [Genie] O'Connor Lobdell) and her great grandmother's (Fannie Stiles O'Connor). It was fun washing them up and hanging them out to dry. Hopefully I get them pressed soon and take some more pictures of them.

Fannie Stiles O'Connor's Coffee Pot

Tonight my daughter and I were polishing a beautiful silver coffee pot that was my great great Grandmother, Fannie Stiles O'Connor. Several years ago, when we went to California to celebrate my grandmother's (Wilma Lobdell) 90th birthday, I was blessed to bring this pot home.  On the back of the pot it has Fannie's maiden name engraved which would date this back to at least 1867.

Along with the coffee pot, I brought several pictures and one of them is of Byron and Fannie in their Grenola, Kansas home, with their youngest daughter Elizabeth.   If you look carefully, you can see this very coffee pot sitting on a lovely table in the room behind them.

Harriet and Mina Wolfe - Sisters

I do not know much about these sisters at present, but hope to find out more over time through research. On the same trip that I found the pictures of my Grandfather's sisters, I found these pictures of his aunts (his father's sisters). The ladies came from a large family, their parents being in a previous post - Jacob and Frances Wolfe. It is likely that this picture is taken on the San Joaquin river in the area where they owned a large tract of land in the late 1800's. The township was Castoria, which now would be on South Airport Way and the family talked of it as Durham Ferry. Both sisters married, but Harriet died young after having two daughters. In some of my research so far, it looks like Mina adopted one of Harriet's daughters and another sister, Amanda, adopted the other daughter. I will try to feature them in an upcoming post. But, for now, this current picture is of Harriet and Mina on the San Joaquin.

Adeline Frances and Eleanor Wolfe

On a recent trip to California, I was blessed to come across several pictures I don't recall ever having laid my eyes on.  My grandfather was the oldest of 4 children.  When he was about 2 years old, his parents were blessed with twin girls who they named Adeline Frances and Eleanor (who I found out was nicknamed Birdie).  These two girls did not look anything alike, and after hearing some stories, have realized that they were nothing alike in personality either.  These are just two of the pictures that I was able to scan and bring home.  I am sure these girls gave much delight to their home (maybe a little vexation too, from time to time.)

Random quote

Now, I have planned mainly for this blog to be a blog regarding family genealogy, but have been thinking of this quote from an era of time gone by and feel today is the day to post it. I thoroughly enjoy Jane Austen and also enjoy watching the movies that have been made from her books. This quote is from Sense and Sensiblity:

Elinor Dashwood: What do you know of my heart? What do you know of anything but your own suffering. For weeks, Marianne, I've had this pressing on me without being at liberty to speak of it to a single creature. It was forced on me by the very person whose prior claims ruined all my hope. I have endured her exultations again and again whilst knowing myself to be divided from Edward forever. Believe me, Marianne, had I not been bound to silence I could have provided proof enough of a broken heart, even for you.


:)