Four sisters

The kids in the photograph are likely familiar even to their grandchildren by now (L to R): Matilda and Esther in the back, Darlene and Ruth in the front. Given Ruth’s apparent age and the fact that Alma isn't standing in the picture, one might plausibly date this photo to sometime in 1939.

The location of the photo is a place that we have not seen before: the farm of Isaac G. and Sarah Epp Franz, Grandma’s parents. If you recall (see here and scroll down to the plat map), the Franz family farm was less than a mile down the road west of Peter P and Margaretha’s place (section 15). It was roughly a five-mile drive from Grandpa and Grandma’s Lushton farm.

Part of the fun of looking at these old photographs is exploring the background, seeing what was in the daily lives of the people who are pictured here. This particular photo is busy: the barn appears to be well-built and well-kept; one wonders whether the windmill in front of it was just for livestock or also provided water for the house; the flower garden to the right of the girls is watched over by two wooden figurines, what appear to be young girls in sun dresses and bonnets; the utility pole behind the girls presumably brought electricity to the Franz house. (When did electricity come to Grandpa and Grandma’s Lushton farm?)

What else do you see? I notice that all four girls part their hair on their left and comb it to the right, that a chicken-wire fence appears to enclose the farmyard, and that there is a faint outline of a single rod at the left tip of the roof, likely a lightning rod to protect the structure from strikes. Take time to explore the photograph with your eyes, to enter that time and place where four sisters stood together one sunny day. It is the best way to get to know not only the people—our family—pictured there but also their lives back in 1939.