SOLEMN WOMEN

 


My 3xs paternal Great Grandmother, Mary Gould Chase

My paternal great great Grandmother, Lucy Chase Taylor, Daughter of Mary Gould Chase and wife of my great great Grandfather, Frederick William Taylor, M.D.  Sadly, she died when their daughter, my great Grandmother, Ella, was only 2 years old, so Ella was raised by her Aunt Susan and Uncle Goodlow Taylor, brother to Frederick.

My paternal great great Aunt, Susan Taylor by virtue of marriage to my great great Uncle Goodlow Taylor, brother of Frederick William Taylor, M.D.

My paternal great Grandmother Ella Chase Taylor Smedley, daughter of Lucy Chase and Frederick Taylor, and wife of my great Grandfather, John Kinsey Smedley.

My paternal Grand Aunt Elizabeth Bradley Hayworth, sister to my Grandfather, Frank Herbert Bradley

My Grand Aunt Helen Bradley, sister to my Grandfather Frank Bradley

My Grand Aunt Mary Ann Bradley, sister to my Grandfather Frank Bradley

My paternal Grandmother, Harriet (Hattie) Bell Smedley Bradley.  She’s not smiling, but neither does she look grim or solemn.  Just one of those “Don’t smile” portraits of the times – actually taken with her new husband, Frank Herbert Bradley on their honeymoon, but I left him out of the picture as this post features women only. J

My maternal Grandmother, Bertha Louise Parton Whitney.  While the others may have had such solemn expressions due to the time their portraits were taken being told not to smile, Grandma’s serious expression could very well have been conveying the worry of a single mother trying to raise two children on her own in 1920s-‘30s San Francisco.  Her full given name was Bertha Louise, but she chose to be called Louise which is why I called her my Grandma Louise.

My Mom, Lillian Adelle Whitney Bradley, daughter of Bertha Louise & Ira (Jim) Edwin Whitney.  She doesn’t look solemn, more like she’s slightly concerned about something she sees over her shoulder, but I love this picture of her – taken some time in the mid 1930s before she was married to my Dad, Herbert Kinsey Bradley.

And lastly we have me – 18 years old, freshly out of high school, having to look for a job in the fall of 1958.

:->

La Nightingail

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

On a happier, sort of crazy note, this photo was taken while I was posing for a photo to use with the announcement of my engagement in the newspaper.  I thought it would be a kick to use this one, but both families nixed that idea, so I had to settle for a more dignified one.  Shucks.

At least I could smile. J

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