52 Ancestors Week 3: Favorite Photo

 From Amy Johnson Crow: Week 3

The theme for Week 3 is "Favorite Photo." This is one of my favorite prompts. Yes, I've used it in previous years, but it's too good to not use again! Tell the story of a favorite photo: Who is in it, when and where it was taken, and why it was taken. (That last part is often left out!)

I swear Henrietta gives me Italian grandma vibes here.

    Another year another 52 Ancestors blog about a favorite photograph of mine! It's a good thing I have a wide variety of photos to choose from. I have photos of every occasion from weddings, birthday parties and Christmas eve parties to general family gatherings. You name it. I've got it. I probably won't run out of photos any time soon. So, let's talk about one you may have seen in the blog a few times. BEHOLD!

The Felker clan circa 1949 

   This photograph of the Felker clan has been spotted in the blog since day one and it's one of my all-time favorites. I think it was taken in the early fall of 1949 because the adorable baby on the couch being held by my grandmother Natalie is none other than my mother, Diane Hamel. She told me this herself when she dug it out of her files back in 2017 when I had asked for a picture of my great-grandparents Austin Felker and Henrietta Legault..

Austin had swagger.

    My mother went on to tell me how Austin had the bluest blue eyes ever. It's a shame that this picture couldn't capture them as it was taken in the late 1940s. But, I can definitely see them in later color photos of his son, Austin. Dude had some serious blue eyes. The sad thing is I don't really remember my great-uncle as he moved to Florida when I was little and rarely made it back to New England.

    Austin Junior is right behind his father with his arm around is first wife, Isabelle Noon.  Fun fact:  Austin's daughter, Nancy was in the same homeroom as my father at Haverhill High. Cue Disney's "It's a Small World"! I wonder why she wasn't in the photo. She'd have been three years old. Don't say she was taking the picture! I know better!!

    Standing tall to Isabelle's right we have my grandfather, Robert. I don't know why part of his head was cut off. If only the person held the camera up a little more. Then again the kids in front probably would have been cut off. The only other option would have been to back up a wee bit. I'm surprised Robert wasn't telling everyone how to frame this shot!

Where have I seen those 
radar dishes before?

    Next to Austin we have my great-aunt Dot (Dorothea), my great-uncle Norman's wife Norma Auclair and Norman Felker. Growing up, I think I've seen Dot a few times in my life. I'm not really sure because she passed away in the late 1990s. I remember seeing her children quite a bit, though. In fact, I'm Facebook friends with one of them!

    As for Norman? I wish I could say I remember him because he passed away in 1985 when I was little. Norma and Norman had two children, Judy and Norman Junior. Judy's actually in this photo and is the kid in the front row on the far right giving her cousins the side-eye. I want to ask her what was going through her mind there. I don't think she remembers because it was so long ago.

    Rounding out the back row is my great-aunt Elaine and her husband, Richard Dupré. Out of all my mother's aunts and uncles, I saw Elaine the most. I think it was because my mother was closer in age to the Dupré kids. I'm not really sure. But, she was definitely at family events like my grandfather's birthday and my grandparents' anniversary parties. The thing with aunt Elaine is that even though she is a small woman, she is VERY LOUD.  She would call your name from across the house to get your attention. If I didn't know better, I'd swear she was a little old Italian lady. Then again she was born in Massachusetts so the loudness is already in her genetic makeup.

Gotta be that stern to handle that bunch.

    Sitting next to my great-grandparents is their daughter Eleanor Felker. As the oldest Felker sibling, she had to wrangle the rowdy bunch of siblings she had. I honestly think that's where my mother learned how to deal with her siblings. My mother is the oldest of six and Eleanor was too.

    She married a man named Reinhardt Gallipeau and my mother remembers calling him "Uncle Reinie" whenever she visited her cousins. Out of all of Reinie and Eleanor's kids, my mother was closest to Sheila who passed away in 2023. She's still sadly missed. =(

Fun Fact: Sheila lived in Seabrook, New Hampshire and one of her rooms faces the Seabrook Nuclear Power Plant. She called that room the "Nuclear Room" for obvious reasons. You can see why I was close to her. =)

    The kids in the front row pointing at the camera from left to right are Dorothea's daughter, Brenda Welch, Austin Felker III, Barbara Welch and the aformentioned Judy Felker.

    Wow. That's quite the cast of characters, isn't it?  Keep in mind that this is just a fraction of my mother's first cousins. There are a ton more out there.

    So, let's get down to brass tacks. Why was everyone gathered in one spot? It's not Christmas. Everyone's dressed for warm weather by the looks of things. After consulting with my mother, we agreed that this photograph was likely taken at either Austin or Henrietta's birthday party. Let's take a look at the evidence.

1. My mother was about maybe six months old when the picture was taken. She was born in the March of 1949 and looked to be about six months old here. That means the photo was taken in September or October.

2. Austin was born on September 25th, 1892 and Henrietta was born on November 20th, 1892. In late November in New England you wouldn't be wearing short sleeves unless you were crazy. The chances of this picture being from Austin's birthday party just increased a thousandfold.

    After looking at the evidence, your honor, I'm willing to bet that this photograph was taken in late September, 1949 at Austin's birthday party. The defense rests.  If only there was a date on the back of the actual photo to confirm this...

    Either way this is one of my favorite photographs because it shows the Felker clan celebrating what appears to be my great-grandfather's birthday. I can only imagine why the kids were all pointing at the camera. Did the cameraperson say something funny? Who knows. Kids are gonna be kids regardless of when the picture was taken. I'm just surprised that they were sitting still. Getting everyone together like this is like herding cats. It really is a good picture and I'm glad we have it in our archives because so many stories can be told just by looking at one photo of one group. That's why I like photographs so much!

See ya next time!