Ol’ Family Memory Lane

You look at the old photos… some over 100 years old… you remember bits & pieces that was passed down… but wouldn’t it have been nice to really know the history behind their lives. Except for a old photo and perhaps a name and date written on the back, the rest is unknown and lost for all time. Some of the things in the photos tell a bit of the story, but it’s still largely unknown. Going back more than your grandparents it’s a mystery. Very little basic information let alone any details of who they were as a person, what they thought, what they believed… who they really were. One of life’s tragedies. You think more about these things when you get older. Will you be remembered any differently three or four generations now… sadly… probably not. Whatever you leave behind that survives the test of time, like the generations before you, will fade into the smaller and smaller bits & pieces, until only one ol’ photo somehow survives to tell one little bit, of one moment, of one day in your life. So here’s a silent remembrance of those that came before me, stories untold, and lost forever… in the sands of time. Wish I knew more.

My Great Great Grandfather James Oliver ___ Sr.

James Oliver ____ Sr ( my great great Grandfather) c 1897

My Great-Great Great Grandmother Olivia (born c late 1850’s)

a child during the Civil War

Olivia ( James Sr’s mother) and her grandson

James Jr. circa 1905

James Jr. (my great grandfather) 14 years old circa 1912

James Jr Great Grandfather

Joseph & Emma ( my Grandparents) [father]

Fred & Marie Grandparents ( mothers side )

and my mother Doris circa 1930 (4 years old)

Doris my mom ( 5 years old)

James my Dad ( 7 years old)

Doris my mom c 1933 (7 yrs old)

My mom 1946 (20 yrs old)

James my dad c 1942

My grandparents Fred & Marie c 1952 [mother]

James my dad 1950 ( 30 yrs old)

Doris my mom 1948 ( 22yrs old)

Doris & James, ??, and me

always wondered about this photo c 1955

Me 1957

?? & Me 1959

wondered about this one too

classic… my first & last cigarette

Easter c 1959

Easter 1960

funny how clothes have changed

or perhaps “thankful”

The Time line…

Great-Great–Great Grandmother – Olivia born c 1850’s

Great Great Grandfather James Oliver ____ Sr

Great Grandfather James Oliver ____ Jr

Grandfather Joseph Oliver _____

James Richard _____ born 1920

Richard (me) born 1953

So it’s nice make some of the connections back to my Great-great-great grandmother who was born sometime circa 1850. But there’s so many unanswered questions. Even with your parents, little is known about their childhood. For me it’s sad because the only grandparent that was alive when I was old enough to remember anyone was my mothers father…Fred. Everyone else in the family had died. My father died while I was still a teen, later followed by my grandfather and later my mom. All connections with other family was lost when I was a child. No family ties. Very little known about their lives… lost to time itself. Just a few old photos that capture a moment and can be little more than a keepsake with many unanswered questions. But it’s interesting to see the clothes and surroundings in the photos. Here’s a few more…

Fred …grandfather (hat)

Grandmother ( mother)

Grandparents (mother)

Atlantic City ??

Great grandparents (fathers side)

They say a picture is worth a thousand words…

but that just doesn’t seem to be enough.

Remembering family… wish I knew more.

Grandmother and mom (23 yrs old)