Reflections From the Fence: January 2023

Saturday, January 28, 2023

Geneva Florence Halterman, Education, 52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks

Thanks to Amy Johnson Crow, who year after year posts "challenges" her followers to share thoughts and/or photos in whatever manner suits each individual. Blogs, social media, or just in your personal memories. I have played before, and will play along a bit this year, God willing and the creek don't rise.

This week's challenge is: Education

Meet Geneva, my great aunt. I have chatted about her before here on Reflections.

Geneva was a great story teller, we remember how she would recall events in her life, tilt her head back ever so slightly and close her eyes. It was delightful.

Geneva received her Bachelors of Science in Education in 1925 from the University of Virginia. She went on to earn a master's degree from the University of Virginia. She conducted doctoral studies at Columbia University in New York and George Peabody College in Nashville, Tenn.

She taught school in Rockingham, Page and Amherst counties in Virginia and in Hardy County, W. Va., until 1942.

After teaching, she served as a German translator in the Army Memorial Division in Washington, D. C., and Philadelphia.

I have a few of her old text books lying around here somewhere. Let me tell you, when she got her education, you were educated. 8th grade text books were quite advanced.

Geneva never married and she hated thistles (I got that thistles hatred from her, I just know it.)

She also assisted in the gathering of information for several genealogy books that were published. I may have inherited a bit of that genie interest as well.

Sunday, January 8, 2023

Campfire in the Rain, 52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks

This was in from the mid 1970's, our very very very first camping trip to mid Michigan. Tent, collie, 2 kiddos, mother and father in loves, borrowed open trailer to haul it all in. It rained 80% of the time we were there, 2 full weeks.

It was raining when this photo was taken, with a roaring campfire. If you look at the bench to the far right, you can see the rain drops dripping from it. No wonder we were not sitting on that bench.

My father in love took this slide photo. I remembered it for years. I was obsessed with locating it. It took a deep deep dive into all his slides to finally find it. I scanned it. If in my genie wanderings I locate it again in the archives (aka, messes) of my office, I might consider trying another scan with more up to date hardware and software.

It may not be my favorite photo, but, it is one that I wanted to locate, it became a mission. That's me, by the way, in the green rain coat with hoodie pulled up (and a decided smirk on my face). Mother in love, to the far left. Man in pale yellow short sleeved T. Dude to the far right, who knows?? Some other camper we were chatting with.

Mission accomplished.

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