My Grandmother, Mary Marguerite Hutchins Beckington, loved books. Before she got married she was a teacher. I don't recall seeing many books in her house, nor do I recollect a bookcase, but she must have had one. One of my earliest memories is visiting her in her small, quaint red house with the cherry trees in the back yard and walking down the sidewalk to the nearby public library. I loved being surrounded by books and I have many bookcases in my house!
I was happy to find a few photos from her Dekalb Normal College (is now Northern Illinois University) album. I believe Marguerite graduated in 1912. These photos are of her friends, she is not in them. I love the photo above - if the photo was captured today, I would assume Bess was texting, but I like to think Bess has a small book of poetry in her hand and Bob is taken with her beauty and possibly eating his lunch.
This post is participating in and linked to
"Sepia Saturday"
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| Sullivan's room. |
I assume this is a sneak peak in the dorm rooms! Can't imagine wallpaper in the college kid's rooms of today. I labeled each photo as I could read it in my grandmothers' handwriting.
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| Moses, Smith & Sullivan. |
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| Ruth and Blonde |
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| Thirza and Elsie |
I slightly remember Thirza from when I was a little girl. I believe they both lived near each other as widowers in the later part of their lives.
The photo below I added due the sharp eye of Wendy who asked the question if the "Trouble Cleft" flag (above) was a play the two young ladies above might be in, so I went through my grandmother's album and found the photo below. (My guess is it's a fun name for their choral group) I also googled and found a reference that a man named Howard Nash Johnston had been known "the "King" of a group known as the "Trouble Clefts". He graduated 1910 from this same college.
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| My grandmother, Marguerite Hutchins (married name Beckington) front, left. (Love that huge hair bow!) |
The last photo looks to be staged in a photographer's studio, the bottom reads "Woollett, 110 Washington Ave, Minneapolis. On the back is my grandmother's writing "Aunt Libby Lyford, Bradely". This was her grandfather Lyford's oldest sister (Marguerite's mother's father's sister). So that makes her my... great great great Aunt? This is exactly why I could NEVER do a family tree - my mind just blows up when I have to do this.
19 comments:
One of the slats in the railing appears to be loose. I hope it didn't give way and send them both over the side, mid-poem!
I wonder if one of the girls was studying music. "Trouble cleft" seems to be a humorous play on "Treble cleft." I have college yearbooks belonging to my grand-aunts. The dorms are much roomier than what I and my daughters experienced.
Wonderful photographs to have and keep, I love these captured moments in time when we look into the past.
Fireblossom - I see that railing now!
Wendy - I added a photo of the "Trouble Cleft" group. I think it was a pun - perhaps they weren't the best sounding singing group? ha
Anns Art - Yes, it is fun to notice the small details.
It certainly couldn't be a Kindle in that first photo. Interesting to see inside college rooms from so far back and lots of books.
This is a really nice collection of photos. As someone whose mind runs naturally to puns, my first thought was that Trouble Cleft was a singing group. If it wasn't, it should have been.
These are treasures!
Oh I think it's wonderful that you have these photographs and they seem to be in such good condition...I like you are amazed at the dorm rooms including a rocking chair no less....can you image that today?
I love reading about other's history and this has been a great post....thank you for sharing.
Beautiful photographs, thanks for sharing
Margaret, these are just wonderful, and how fortunate you are to have them
Truly a treasure!
They are wonderful photographs and I rather like the idea of Bess texting. Perhaps she had managed to get her hands on an early Beta version of a mobile phone. And perhaps you don't recall a bookcase in her house because she had equally got her hands on an early Kindle.
Those college pictures are nothing short of amazing. What incredible treasure.
I love those college pictures. I almost feel like I am there with them.
Well!
I can now say that I've seen a girls dormitory!!
:D~
I see you are also doing the "365 days". Not easy doing it on a daily basis, or is it, for you? For me, inspiration and circumstances don't always coincide.
Oh well!...
:)~
HUGZ
Thanks everyone. To glimpse the past is fun!
Ticklebear - When I first started this blog it was solely for photography and it has blossomed into so much more. I followed a photo a day for a little over half the year, I believe. It was a wonderful challenge, but I found I started going in other directions... :)
Well, I've recently started my second year, but fortunately, another project came to a close at the same time, making things a little less crazy...
:D~
HUGZ
First of all, I LOVE the name of Trouble Cleft! That is so clever. HA! Secondly, I loved that you mentioned she'd be texting in that photo if it were today. Old-timey photos like these are so fun. :)
You're obviously from a long line of readers, and reading leads to writing :-) The dorm rooms look surprisingly modern to me when compared to their dresses, but I'm in the UK and it was probably much different here. A family tree is easier if you buy a roll of lining wallpaper - you need to have a LOT of paper :-)
What a lot of studious students!
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