Old cylinder recordings and my grandfather

The UCSB Library invites you to discover and listen to its online archive of cylinder recordings; donate to help the collection grow; and learn about how these sounds and songs create an audio history of American culture.

The UC Santa Barbara Library has a digital library of a lot of old cylinder recording from the late 1800s to early 1900s.

They have all types of recordings from music, speeches, sermons, vaudeville etc. I love listening to them and can spend hours just browsing the collection.

Then I came upon this recording:  He'd have to get out and get under (to fix up his automobile).

I then recalled an old photo of my Grandfather, Clyde Lee Webb from circa 1915.

 Clyde is the man under the car. The other person is unknown.

According to the site the song was released about 1913, so it may have been fairly popular back then. I wonder if the writing was a reference to the song. It's seems quite likely. Putting a pop-culture reference on a photo is something I would definitely do.

It's kind of  strange. When I knew my grandfather he impatient and seemed humorless and not much fun to be around. Something as simple as this all these years later kind of makes me feel a little closer to him.

Mystery Photo - Manny

Another mystery photo from my grandmother's (Ruth McFadden Webb 1905-1985) collection. Many of the photos in the box that eventually made its way to me were mixed together so I am unsure if this is someone from her side or my grandfather's (Clyde Lee Webb 1898-1987).

On the back at the top someone had written something. It could be Manny, Mommy, Murray or something similar. So far I have not come across anyone on either side named Manny, Murray or anything particularly close.

The name of the photographer is also on the back. C. C. Giers National Portrait Gallery at what looks like 45 Union Street in Nashville, Tennessee. Some of his photographs are held at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville McClung Museum of Natural History and Culture. Under his biographical information it states that his geographical location was 43 and 45 Union Street in Nashville about 1863-1877.

https://mcclungmuseum.pastperfectonline.com/bycreator?keyword=Giers%2C+C.+C.

When Ruth's father (Dennis Cornelius McFadden1847-1924) arrived in America he and his family lived in Ohio, the Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania area and Baltimore Maryland.

Clyde Webb's grandfather, Zephaniah T. Webb (1828-1906) was born and lived in Tennessee and at some point moved to Arkansas.

For now I am going on the assumption that this person was a Webb or related family member and was born and was born between 1863-1877. It's also difficult because of how babies and toddlers were dressed back then to determine if it's male or female so for now I will assume it could be either.

Another photo with an old car

Clyde Lee Webb (1898-1987) and Ruth Eileen McFadden (1905-1985).

The license plate is a little blurry, but it looks like it reads Ohio-1937. They were married in November 1937.

Ruth had some cousins in Stark County, Ohio, so I am guessing this may be one of their cars. I'll have to see if Ohio has license plate records from back then.

Mystery Photo UN025 and time to get organized

 

 

Here is another unknown photograph that was in my maternal grandmothers house then got sent with my aunt. It has 3 adults and 4 children standing outside of a house.

 

Unfortunately, I do not know if it is my grandmothers (Ruth Eileen McFadden 1905-1985) or grandfathers (Clyde Lee Webb 1898-1987) side of the family. The people in the photo do not bear any resemblance to any other photographs that I have gone through.

 

The house does look similar to some of the houses my grandmother was pictured in front of in the 1920s in the Pittsburgh, PA area.

 

 

Also, it is time for me to get these photographs better organized. I have an old scanner that as far as I can tell won't let me scan them as tiff files or set the DPI. I plan to look for a higher quality scanner this weekend. It will also let me combine duplicates and compare photos that are labeled with similar photos that are not.

52 Ancestors-Week - 14 - Ruth Eileen McFadden (1905-1985)

This post is part of Amy Johnson Crow's 52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks challenge.  The object is to write something about 1 ancestor each week.  More information can be  found at her blog No Story Too Small.

When I became serious about pursuing my genealogy, my parents gave me a box that had a lot of pictures and letters from my grandmother Ruth Eileen McFadden (1905-1985) along with some items of my grandfather Clyde Lee Webb (1898-1987). 

Among the items in this box was a journal that my grandmother kept that began at the end of 1975 and ended at the beginning of 1977.

I don't know if she kept diaries or journals throughout her life but this is the only one that made it to today, whether on purpose or by accident.   

Here is a page from her journal from 38 years ago this month.

11-17 April 1976

 

Sunday April 11

Elizabeth (my mother) came over & we visited Sallie (don't know who she is).  She looks well and was in good spirits.  Will be operated on tomorrow morning.

 

Monday April 12

10:45 & going to bed.  Busy day packing for trip etc.  Started to drizzle tonight.  Talked to Beverly (don't know who she is). Sallie is doing well.  Today is Dr. Hamilton's birthday-96. (what I remember about Dr. Hamilton is that everyday my grandmother would go over and check on him.  Not sure what she did for him other than see him for a few minutes.  The one memory I have of him is of him on his porch yelling at us kids to shut up.  We were playing Nerf football in the front yard of my grandparents house in Fort Worth.  I was 10, my brothers were 12 and 6 and my sister 8.)

 

Tuesday April 13

Left at 11:15 for Miss. (My grandparents second daughter and her husband) Arrived in Monroe, LA about 4:45 PM-stopping at Ramada Inn had dinner at the Inn.   Drove (not sure what this means or relates to.)

 

Wednesday April 14

Left Monroe about 9:00am-decided to stop along the way for breakfast but did not see a decent place-so had a hamburger at Stucky's (I remember Stucky's.  When we went on family trips to Arkansas, to visit my fathers family, we'd look forward to stopping at the blue roofed Stucky's.  I'd always get the little pecan pie.)

 

Thursday April 15

M & B (my aunt and uncle) had class today (both were university professors) came home for lunch- Daddy came over about noon. (no idea what this means.  Came over from where? She definitely did not have the best handwriting.) Had a wonderful day- Bucky barbecued chicken which was delicious.  B. fixed Black Russians.  Had one, salad, home made bread, ice cream, cookies, wine. 

 

Friday April 15

Real nice day. M&B on vacation. We went to Stations (?) this afternoon.  Bought Rhoda & Nick (don't know who they are) a wedding gift.  Another delectable dinner-cheese souffle with shrimp sauce, homemade bread & salad.  10:15 PM getting ready to go to bed.

 

Saturday April 17

Real warm again today- Maureen hemmed her drapes and put them up.  Another delicious dinner.  Bucky made ice cream.

 

 

 



Treasure Chest Thursday-Chess Stand



I don't recall how I ended up with this chess stand but it has been with me for at least the last twenty years or so.

I remember this stand being in my grandparent's house (Clyde and Ruth Webb) either in the living room or perhaps her bedroom.  I don't ever recall seeing a chess set or other similar type game on it.  There may have been a plant on it at one time but I can't be sure and of the few pictures I have of the inside of my grandparent's house, the stand doesn't make an appearance.  I have no idea how old it is or where it came from, but I have always liked it.

My wife has a lot of board games and included among them was a glass chess set.  It took a long time but I managed to put the two together.  And now I have a major sense of accomplishment.

Mystery Photo 076

This photograph was among others included in an album of my grandfather, Clyde Lee Webb (1898 - 1987).  The photos in the album appear to be from the early 1900s to the mid 1930s.  He married my grandmother Ruth Eileen McFadden (1905-1985) in 1937 and there are only a couple of pictures with her included.  

It's unusual among the pictures because it is of an interior of a house and there are no people included in the shot.   I do like the brief glimpse into what may have been the house my grandfather and his siblings grew up in.  I never remember hearing if my grandfather had a piano in his house when he was young or if he or anyone in the house ever had lessons or played.  Even when I and my brothers and sister were all taking piano lessons, the topic from what I remember never was brought up.  I'd also like to know what books are in the bookcases.  In the days before TV, computers and iPads, it would be interesting to know what they did for entertainment. 

The large picture on the wall, at first I thought was a portrait of a woman in a black dress with her head faded out.

 After playing around with the image for a little bit I now think it is a picture of a boy/girl on something with their arms around each other’s shoulders.  Or perhaps she is just behind him holding onto him.  There also appears to be woman on the right looking at them. So far, I have not found any other pictures in the album that match up with this one.

If it was the home or one of the homes where my grandfather grew up , it was most likely in or near Russellville Arkansas around the early 1900s to the 1920s.  Of course this is nothing but guesswork but since as far as I know, no one is still alive who would have remembered the house, guessing is about all I can do. 

**Edited to add:  Playing around with the picture a little more, it looks there is a small child with his back to the camera on the bottom right.  Can't tell what, if anything, is on the lower left of the picture. 

Mystery Photo-unknown woman and disappeared man

 

This picture was found among my grandfather's (Clyde Lee Webb 1898-1985) collection of family photo's.  This picture appears, to me, to date from the early 1900's to the mid 19-teens.  My grandfathers family lived in and around Russellville Arkansas during this period, but nothing else ties the picture to that area.

 

Some questions this picture raises:

 

I have no idea who she might be, but her eyes and chin do resemble the Webb's.  Could she be one of my grandfathers sisters?

 

Why was the man cut out of the picture?  It looks like he is wearing a wedding ring while she appears not to be. 

 

She looks quite young, so could the man be her father?  If that is the case, then cutting him out makes it even more mysterious.

 

Finally, why is his hand just hanging there?  Most pictures, I believe, the hand would be on her waist or arm.  The way the hand  is makes me think this could be a post mortem photo and someone later removed the "disturbing" image.

 

Clyde's, and possibly her, father Charles J. Webb (1874-1937) died in Pope County, Arkansas in 1937.  Charles's father, Zephaniah T. Webb (1826-1906) died in Pope County, Arkansas in 1906.  Both are buried in Old Baptist Cemetery in Center Valley, Pope County, Arkansas.  If one of these men was the other person in the picture, I do hope the missing piece or another copy of the picture eventually turns up.  As far as I know, no picture of these men exists.

Workday Wednesday- Clyde Webb at work

A few weeks ago I was going through some old pictures with my parents and we came across this picture.  I always remember my mother mentioning that her father was a salesman and was often away from home.  I don't ever remember them talking about his pre-salesman life. 

Before his traveling salesman days, he was an electrician.  Here is a picture of him at work.  I have no idea when or where this was taken.  Notation on back says "C. L. at work I did not know he took this one." I don't know who wrote this or who 'he' refers to.

Sports Saturday: ready for some baseball

Found this picture in my grandmother Webb's box of memories.   I have no idea who this kid is or where the picture was taken.  I found it in with several of my grandmother's family pictures, but it could easily have been a member or neighbor of my grandfather's as well.  I'm guessing it was taken sometime in the 19 teens. 

WORDLESS WEDNESDAY

My grandfather Clyde Lee Webb (driving) and unknown person.  One of my favorite pictures of him, unfortunately I don't have any other information on this photo.