My Grandfather was a Nurseryman

Here is another great old photo of my grandfather Fred D. Bucklin.  I sometimes wonder whether a photo is actually a photo of him.  He had a twin brother, so it’s difficult to tell them apart.  I’m sure if you knew them well at the time you could tell them apart, but this photo was taken over 90 years ago.

But this photo of him was in my mom’s possession ever since I can remember, so I’m pretty sure it is my grandfather.  It was taken around 1929, which is around the time that he began his plant-selling profession.  He and his twin brother Clarence actually were working together at the time.  I’ve shown a picture of their price list previously, as has cousin Joseph.  They were from the early 1930s.

This newspaper ad from the February 13, 1929, edition of the Crowley Daily Signal shows that they had started at least by that point.  The Bucklin Bros. were advertising the sale of evergreens to the surrounding communities.  This seems to coordinate well with the photo of Grandpa in the truck.  If you look at the bed of the truck, you can see several balled and burlapped trees back there.

Like I said, it’s a great old photo.  I just wish I knew where the photo was taken.  The price lists that were printed back then show an address of Elton, Louisiana, but they didn’t live in Elton proper.  They lived in Hathaway.  It’s always a bit confusing to me.  They have so many names for that little area in Jefferson Davis Parish.  We always said that we went out to Hathaway to visit our grandparents, but I think they may actually have lived in China.  Or maybe it was Raymond!  We passed by the Hathaway High School and the Raymond Methodist Church on the way to their house.  If we went a little further down the road we’d be at the China Cemetery.

Whatever you want to call the place, I don’t recall seeing a body of water like you see in this main photo.   Maybe some of my cousins or some residents can help me out with this.  China?  Hathaway? Raymond?  Pine Island?

Tell me what you think.