Grouped with the small photographs of the family trip to Hawaii (see here) are two other photos of the same size. The first one, which is shown to the right, has a caption written on the back; the second one provides only the year when the photo was taken: 1938.
The caption on the back of the first photo reads: Mother and Dad in the driveway—Ontario, California. The driveway in question was at Peter P and Margaretha’s house at 426 East I Street in Ontario. A quick check on Google Maps reveals, unfortunately, that their house no longer exists, having been replaced by a two-story, six-unit mini-apartment building.
If you recall, after returning from their Hawaiian vacation in March 1936, the family moved from their farm east of Henderson to Ontario, California, later that year, in August. Ontario, which is located roughly 30 miles east of central Los Angeles, was a modest city of just under 14,000 people at that time. We currently know little more about the house in which they lived, beyond what we can see in photographs from that time.
Several things stand out in this photo. First, unlike the farm, which had a dirt or gravel road leading up to the house, here Peter P and Margaretha had a modern, paved driveway from the street to their parking spot (in a garage?). Second, if you look closely to the left of the photo, you can see a perfectly manicured hedge, something that would not be found on any farm in the late 1930s. Finally, most impressive of all are the two massive palm trees visible in the background, both of which appear to have been on their property. The differences between life on the farm and life in Ontario could not have been more stark.
I have not yet shown the second photograph mentioned above for a simple reason: when I looked at the photo I had a strong sense of having seen it before, of maybe having posted about it before. Sure enough, I had both shown and written about the photo—along with several others—on 18 November 2014. You can view the original post here, although I am also reproducing it in full below, so that all four photos appear together. The second photo that I reference above is the second one shown in the 2014 post below. Note also the link in the 2014 post to yet another Ontario post with photos. Finally, if anyone has additional photographs of or information about the Ontario home, please let me know, so we can fill out the story further in a subsequent post.
———————————————
18 November 2014 post
A post several days ago reminded us that Peter P and Margaretha left Nebraska in 1936 and relocated in California. This post picks up the story two years later, in the summer of 1938.
The first photograph was taken at Peter P and Margaretha’s house in Ontario, California. According to a note on the back of the photo, this shows the front of the house located at 426 East I Street (see here for an earlier mention of the address).
The photo includes Peter, Margaretha, and four of their eleven living children (their firstborn died at an age of eight days): Sara, Anna, Henry, and Maria (who is sitting on the lawn). Peter was sixty-nine, Margaretha sixty-seven, Sara thirty-eight, Anna, twenty-four, Henry twenty-two, and Maria thirty. The house appears to be modest but nice, the palm-tree setting perfect for retirement life.
The second photograph was taken the same day but includes one additional person (far left, next to Henry) who cannot be identified; it seems reasonable to imagine that she was a friend of Henry’s. We will return to Henry at some point in the future, to share what we can of his experience as a prisoner of the Nazis during World War II.
Since the first two photos were taken in front of the house, the third photograph (below) was probably taken in the back yard, especially since the setting resembles the earlier photos (see here) from Peter P and Margaretha’s fiftieth wedding anniversary, which we know were taken in the back yard. One thing we do know (based on a note on the back of the photo) is that the photo below was taken February 27, 1944.
The problem with this photo is that we can identify only some of the people. Margaretha and Peter are easy to spot in front, and standing between and behind them is their daughter Sara. The woman on the far right may be Maria.
The back of the photo identifies a few more people but skips most of them. On the front left is Jacob P Buller (Peter P’s younger brother); on the back left is Albert Friesen, while the curly-haired gentleman in the center-right back is John Peters. As always, please leave a comment if you can identify anyone else, and I will update the post accordingly.
The first photograph was taken at Peter P and Margaretha’s house in Ontario, California. According to a note on the back of the photo, this shows the front of the house located at 426 East I Street (see here for an earlier mention of the address).
The photo includes Peter, Margaretha, and four of their eleven living children (their firstborn died at an age of eight days): Sara, Anna, Henry, and Maria (who is sitting on the lawn). Peter was sixty-nine, Margaretha sixty-seven, Sara thirty-eight, Anna, twenty-four, Henry twenty-two, and Maria thirty. The house appears to be modest but nice, the palm-tree setting perfect for retirement life.
The second photograph was taken the same day but includes one additional person (far left, next to Henry) who cannot be identified; it seems reasonable to imagine that she was a friend of Henry’s. We will return to Henry at some point in the future, to share what we can of his experience as a prisoner of the Nazis during World War II.
Since the first two photos were taken in front of the house, the third photograph (below) was probably taken in the back yard, especially since the setting resembles the earlier photos (see here) from Peter P and Margaretha’s fiftieth wedding anniversary, which we know were taken in the back yard. One thing we do know (based on a note on the back of the photo) is that the photo below was taken February 27, 1944.
The problem with this photo is that we can identify only some of the people. Margaretha and Peter are easy to spot in front, and standing between and behind them is their daughter Sara. The woman on the far right may be Maria.
The back of the photo identifies a few more people but skips most of them. On the front left is Jacob P Buller (Peter P’s younger brother); on the back left is Albert Friesen, while the curly-haired gentleman in the center-right back is John Peters. As always, please leave a comment if you can identify anyone else, and I will update the post accordingly.
No comments:
Post a Comment