Warren Alfred Robinson (1899-1994)

Throwing back about 100 years: My second cousin 1x removed, Warren Alfred Robinson (1899-1994). I don't think I ever met Warren, so I had to consult Ancestry.com to figure out more about the adorable little boy on the left and the handsome soldier on the right. Warren was born in Colorado to Harry Robinson and Margaret Lucy Roberts, my first cousin 2x on my mother's side. He was a student at the University of Colorado during WWI, according to his draft card. By 1920, he had moved to South Pasadena, CA, to join his parents and the rest of my mom's large, welcoming clan of aunts, uncles, and cousins. Warren joined the service in 1923 and became a career Army man. During his Army years, he and his family lived in Bellevue, Nebraska, and Hilo, Hawaii, according to the 1930 and 1940 censuses. Eventually Warren moved back to California, living out his last days in Riverside. I have no idea what kind of many Warren was, but if these pictures are any indication of the soul of the man, I think I would have liked him very much.

Roberts Family Picnic

Throwing back to around 1910 or so, below Troutdale, CO. Not sure who everyone is, but I know that my 1st cousins 2x removed Ruth (standing) and Maggie (sitting) Roberts are in the middle of the picture. Looks like a fun-loving group.

Grandma's Peaches

This one's from 1908 in South Pasadena: On the left is Dot Grier, my mom's first cousin; on the right is Alma Grier, Dot's mom and my mother's aunt. The picture was made into a postcard, evidently a common practice back in the day, and Alma's sister Pearl has written something about "Grandma's peaches" on it. I'm not sure I've ever seen peaches grow on a vine, but Pearl was a truthful soul, so I'll take her word for it.

Another Family Gathering

Throwing back to circa 1928: A family gathering of Griers, Croziers, Majors, Osbornes, and Pages. That's my mom on the far left. On the far right are Aunt Alma and Uncle Ed Grier (my great-aunt and great-uncle). Uncle Ed owned a cannery, and he and Alma loved to gather the family together at their place in Pomona, CA. There is hardly a picture to be found of the Griers that doesn't include a dog. The dog in this pic is NOT dead, by the way. He's probably worn out from all the attention from my animal-loving family.

John George Long

Uncle John c1876

Uncle John c1890

My great-grand-uncle John George Long (1854-1916) was born in Missouri and grew up in Kansas. Uncle John spent much of his life working gold mines in Wyoming and California. He also worked for a while on the streetcar line in Los Angeles. Like so many of my relatives, he ended up in California after moving around from place to place, always chasing the American dream.

William Henderson Crozier (1875-1953) and Myrtle English Crozier (1875-1949)

Will and Myrtle Crozier circa 1910

Will was my great-uncle, and Myrtle was his wife. The Croziers, my mom’s paternal side of the family, lived in the small unincorporated town of Dutch Mills in northwest Arkansas. 

I know next to nothing about Will and Myrtle, but one of the fun things about researching family history is looking at the Census records for family members. Not only do you find out about their lives (ages, schooling, professions, addresses) but also about who their neighbors were. The 1910 Census, for example, shows that the Croziers lived next door to the Whites. The Whites’ daughter Mary Clem ended up marrying Will Crozier’s little brother Roy. That’s right, Cousin Susan Reimers and Cousin Annie Marquez, your grandfather was Will Crozier’s little brother. Sometimes I feel as if I’ve dropped into a production of “Our Town” as I learn these stories.

The Croziers' roots run deep in Arkansas. The little homestead where my grandfather Joe Crozier grew up still stands, as does the church his preacher/farmer father, James Knox Polk Crozier, founded. I hope to visit there someday and look up some of my kinfolk who still live in the area.

Ruth Roberts McClelland

Ruth Roberts (1890-1977) was my 1st cousin 2x removed, the daughter of my great-grand aunt Julia Long Roberts. Ruth grew up in Silver Plume, Colorado, and according to the writing on the front of the picture, she attended Boulder College. Ruth went on to marry James Robert McClelland (yes, that silly "d" belongs there at the end), which is rather ironic, considering she's on my mother's side, and McClellan (no extraneous "d" required) was my father's surname.

Even though I was twenty-seven when she died, I don't believe I ever met her, which is strange, since she had family in California, and my family drove through Colorado multiple times on cross-country trips. Ruth's brother John Lewis Roberts and his family were very close to my parents, but for some reason, we had little contact with the other Roberts siblings. 

They must have kept in touch with my mother, though, because I have so many pictures of them, at least up until the 1920s or so.