The films of great great grandmother are great, but this one from Aunt Ruth’s collection is lots of fun. A bunch of grown men trying to hula hoop. Charles says this is at the Bruchhaus farm. Behind Grandma and Grandpa’s house they had a Barbecue house. He didn’t recognize any of the men.
To transfer these films to digital, I borrowed an old 8mm projector and a film transfer box from Jeannette Bucklin Jackson. It is a box of mirrors that allows me to line up my digital camera and projector to record the projected image. I always wanted to use software to clean them up and remove as much of the flickering as I could. But I haven’t got around to it in over 10 years so when I found them again on my computer, I decided now was the time to start uploading them. I did make a few quick attempts to reduce the flicker, but have not had good luck yet.
Thanks to Aunt Ruth for keeping so much family history stuff.
Today is Leigh Ann Hebert’s birthday. So how about a film from her Great Great Grandmother’s birthday party? Addie May Hine Bucklin and the family celebrating her 83rd birthday in September 1959. Happy Birthday!
Another old film for Leigh Ann’s birthday. The second half of this film is her dad, Charles Bruchhaus’ 5th birthday party. The first half is a livestock show that looks like it includes Uncle Roy and Jeannette and Doris Bucklin showing cattle.
1959 with Grandma Addie Hine Bucklin and her Bruchhaus great grandkids, Charles and Kurt. Planting beans. And the Elton 4th of July parade. I added captions on the video. If anyone can add more or has corrections, let me know. They only appear on a computer, not on mobile.
These are the old Connors family 8mm films that Carolyn had transferred to VHS years ago. I did all I could to improve the picture quality, but VHS resolution is limited so it isn’t as sharp as the original films. Leave a comment if you have any additions or corrections to the scene lists. You can download and print the list here. You can leave a comment on this blog without logging in.
1. 1951 Port Tobacco with Fr. Kelly and Carmelites
3. Carolyn 9 yrs old roller skating. Joe. Mary 3 ½ with mom.
4. 5/53 – 4542 43rd Place. Mary.
5. 5/53 – 4542 43rd Place. Mary, Joe, Annie, Ivy & Carolyn
6. ????? Mt. Carmel – Mom Sadie, Dad, Jane (doesn’t seem correct)
7. Pt Tobacco Pilgrimage 5/53 – Sadie, Carolyn, Joe. Mom & Dad
8. Fr Gregory; Mary Joe Anne at 43rd Place
9. 10/54 Dedication of New Chapel at Port Tobacco, Archbishop O’Boyle, Fr.Kelly
10. 5/55 May Procession – Joe & Carolyn
11. 5/55 May Procession – Joe & Carolyn
12. 7/23/61 Port Tobacco Pilgrimage – Grandma Fox, Joe, Mary, Claire, Rita, Jane, Mom & Dad
13. 10/23/61 – Port Tobacco Sunday (blurry)
14. 10/23/61 – Port Tobacco Sunday
15. Mom??? getting in car
1. Mary, Joe, Carolyn playing with ball and bat in yard
2. Carolyn??? Anne??? Mary and Joe inside 43rd place
3. Mom, Joe, _________ outside 43rd Place.
4. Mom, Joe, ________________________ Trinitarians
5. inside church at _____
6. Joe, ____, Mom, and ____ at Trinitarians farm
7. 1953 – Albert visiting at 43rd Place, Grandma Connors w/Joe, Claire baby w/Mary & Anne kissing her
8. Carolyn, Joe and friend playing baseball
9. Gorman’s & Louise & Dick
10. ________
11. Canna Club Picnic, Mary & Ann, Carolyn w/bathing, Joe & Anne, Dad with Mary Sherman & John Roeuane; Fr Moffitt
12. ________
13. ________
14. ________
15. 6/53 Dad & Mom-Mimi, Carol Ann, Margaret, Carolyn, Joe & Mary, Uncle Albert, Aunt Kate, Clem, Notre Dame Convent, Grandma Connors, Uncle Leo & Aunt Rita, Claire-7 months; Sister Helen Aloysius, Cousin Joe Connor
16. Joe 1st Communion, Claire, Anne, Mary, Mom, Mary Connor (Mr & Mrs. Francis Connor)
17. Joe 1st Communion
18. Joe 1st Communion
19. ________
20. Claire on the swing, Joe pushing her.
21. Brother Joseph, Joe, Mom, Mary, Carolyn, Anne
22. Claire eating an egg
23. May Procession, Grandma, Aunt Helen & Joe Manuli & Uncle Albert, Anne
24. _____ in front of Grandmothers’ house??????
25. ???? 1954 Mom & Dad, Carolyn, Joe, Mary, Anne Claire – At Missionary Servant Bros Hilary & Joseph
26. _____
27. _____
28. Easter 1955-Missionary Servants, Bro Joseph, Claire; Easter Eggs
29. At Rita’s christening, Joe & Claire around Rita’s crib
30. Carolyn & Claire, Joe flying his plane, Mary & Anne running around
31. 1960 – Tommy Crooks Beach, Jane 4 years. All kids except Frank.
32. Rita??? on swing. Cleaning up.
1. Mom & Dad in mainland, Queen Karl, Diamond Head. Hawaii trip
2. Hawaii trip – Polynesian
3. 1973 Tara. Rita getting Cardinal’s St Patrick award
4. 73?-Rita & Stanley training Mike, Jane
5. 1974 Rome Vatican
6. 7/74 Rome – Mom & Dad, Anne, Claire
7. Ordination w/Bishop Sullivan, Consecration Communion speech by provincial, 3 ordained; Uncle Albert & Connors Clan; ???? Aunt Kate & Clem, Leo, Albert, Cousins
8. St Mary’s church.
9. Anne???? at St Mary’s church garden. ___________ party ???
10. Uncle Albert’s 1st mass and our family
11. Jane playing basketball (#22), Claire in bleachers, cheerleaders
Two old 8mm home movies of the Elton Mardi Gras parade in the 60s taken by a Bruchhaus. I wish I had ran across this again in time to post for Mardi Gras this year. Found some old films at Aunt Ruth’s house years ago and copied them with an old projector and film transfer box Jeannette Bucklin let me borrow. I finally found an easy way to eliminate some of the flicker.
I don’t know what it is about double exposures that capture my attention, but they do. Particularly when they are older photos of my family. I’m guessing that this one was taken around 1950 in Hathaway, Louisiana, at the home of my great grandmother Addie Mae Hine Bucklin. She was my mother’s paternal grandmother. I’ve posted photos of her before and she usually has a rather dour look on her face. There are exceptions to that, but this is not one. Now that I think about it, all of the ones I’ve posted so far show her scowlish demeanor. I promise you that the next photo that I post of her will be one with a smile.
But for now you will have to put up with that sour look one more time. Poor old Addie! She seemed like a sweet woman whose family meant everything to her and all I do is give her a hard time. I can just picture her scowling at me! See her? She’s the one standing in front of the window in this photo. She’s also standing ‘behind’ the only person who is doubled in the photo. The other thing I like about the photo is that it looks to be a candid shot. Sure, they were setting up for a group photo, but it doesn’t seem like they are quite posed yet.
In fact, it looks like my mom is coming down the steps when the photo was taken. That’s Betty Lou Bucklin on the far right in this photo. Her sister Loris is between Betty Lou and Addie Mae with the dark blouse on. In front of Loris is their younger brother Austin. Sister Alma is on the other side of Addie Mae. She looks a bit dazed from being bombarded with the lights from the double exposure. Older sister Sylvia is the first female seen from the left of the shot. She’s got the most light on her from the double exposure, but she’s smiling like a trooper. To the right of her is my grandfather Fred D. Bucklin, father of Betty Lou and son of Addie. To the right of Fred is his sister Edna Bucklin Keys. Next is a brother-in-law. The next two are cousins of my mom. The older one is a Bruchhaus boy and the younger one is maybe a Keys. The woman next to them is Ruth Bucklin Bruchhaus, who is trying to imitate the sour look of her mother. She even crossed her arms for better emphasis.
I’m not sure who all of the people are. I’m pretty sure that the man to the left of Sylvia is her uncle Herbert Bucklin. I’ll be editing this post as I get corrections and additions concerning the identities of certain people. I’m posting this other photo from the same day, but that is all I have from that day. I’m wondering if there is a ‘final result’ photo that shows everyone ready and smiling. With Addie in the photo, that may be asking for a bit much!
Getting ready for the Bucklin family photo. I can just hear her now, “Come on, everyone, get outside. Let’s get this over with.”
Southern gentlemen from 100 years ago. Note the fob on my great grandfather Max Patureau on the left. This photo has been edited and colorized.
This photo has a bit of Southern charm about it. Don’t you think? The men are dressed nicely with their jackets and hats. I guess hats on your head were not for indoors or for photos. I’m not really sure about hat etiquette from 100 years ago. The setting is very nice as well. It looks like these men are standing around old live oaks with Spanish moss hanging from them.
I’m pretty sure this was taken in Lafayette, Louisiana. I’ll tell you why I think this. The man on the left is my great grandfather Vincent Maximilian Patureau, who we all like to call “Grampa Max.” He lived in Plaquemine until 1912 and then moved to Lafayette with his family. Part of the family was his son Romuald or Rome (rhymes with foamy) who is standing next to him in this photo. Next in the photo is Louis Joseph Peter Landry who was the brother of Robert Joseph Landry, Sr., otherwise known as my grandfather Pee Paw aka Pappy. So Louis was my grand uncle.
Louis and his wife had moved to Lafayette by the time their first child was born in 1906. And since his wife was Clemence Babin, aunt of my grandmother Erie Patureau (Mee Maw), the families would have associated with each other. They were pretty close according to Tommy Landry’s account of the family. In fact my grandmother was living in Louis and Clemence’s household at the 1920 Census. And with family get-togethers like the one in this photo, there would be chances for her to get to know her mother’s first cousin Rob Landry quite well. Well enough that they were married in November of 1921. (Which makes me wonder: Is there a photo of Mee Maw and Pee Paw’s wedding? If so, someone is holding out big time on me!)
Getting back to the photo. The man on the far right is Pierre Oscar Patureau. He was Grampa Max’s younger brother. He was a dentist and he lived in New Orleans. That doesn’t help my theory that this photo was taken in Lafayette, but it still points to southern Louisiana. And since Uncle Oscar died in 1926, this photo was taken earlier. I estimate the date as around 1920.
The main inspiration for posting this photo was DNA related. On 23andMe daddy had a match with someone that showed as his 2nd or 3rd cousin. This is not unusual because everybody with a good amount of Cajun DNA shows up at this predicted level of relationship. Even the fact that the match had the last name of Landry wasn’t too significant. But his name showed up on my tree, so I checked to make sure he was the same person in my tree. And sure enough he is. He even has a son named Van Landry! The DNA match is the great great grandson of Louis Joseph Peter Landry, the man in this photo. But this DNA match didn’t know it. He only knew that his grandfather’s name was Dickie Landry. With the great legacy of family tree information and old photos that my dad left behind, I have been able to share lots of family history with him. I hope he appreciates it as much as I do.
This letter has been on my mind the past few days, so I thought it would make a good post in the Keepsake series. My cousin Mary texted me a note about the song “Amazing Grace” that was played so wonderfully at my parents’ funeral by a family friend Marcus Davis. She also talked about how it had been Grandma and Grandpa’s favorite song. That put me on a quest to find this letter that I had acquired a few months earlier.
It came from a stash of some of my mom’s treasured mementos. It is a letter that my grandmother MyrtlePhenice Bucklin wrote to her childhood friend Emily Brown Stothart. It was written a couple of months after the death of my grandfather Fred Bucklin. They had been married for almost 54 years. That should be enough information to set you up to read the letter I’m posting. It mostly speaks for itself, and thankfully she had nice penmanship as well.
I think it is a wonderful letter to have. So touching and sweet. There is something that I want to accentuate, though. She kind of casually makes the statement, “A person can’t help but grieve…” and continues on. Grieving is not the same as, “I shed a few tears” or “I felt a bit sad.” After witnessing firsthand the grief of someone losing their spouse of many decades, I’m sure it was a powerful feeling and experience for her. And this letter was one of the ways that she dealt with some of that grief.
It is also interesting to see her talk about some childhood experiences. I really liked how she talked about fixing their hair in the “new styles” that they had seen on their favorite blog (Oops, wrong time frame. Must have been from magazines.) In another letter her friend talked about riding the buggy to school and sometimes Myrtle’s brothers Henry and Orville would ride horses to accompany them. Oh, the good old days.
