Gerbers (01)

These are my maternal grandparents - Anna & Ed Gerber. Judging from his uniform, I'd say this was taken in the World War I era, 1914-1918. Grammy Gerber was born in 1889, so she's probably 25-30 years old here.

Gerbers (02)

Grandpa Gerber, probably from about the same time as the previous picture. These were taken at a South Dakota studio. I'm not sure if Grandpa G was born there, or just lived there for a while after being out on his own. I have a vague memory of someone telling me he worked on a ranch out there for a while.

Grandpa and Grammy Gerber lived on Washington Street as well, just "up" the street from Grammy Ludwig (towards 2nd St. - thank you, Mick!).

Gerbers (03)

The name on the back of this pic is : Marguerite Wagner Luckenbill. Since Grammy Gerber's maiden name was Wagner, I'm going to assume this is her sister. But did she live in South Dakota? Hamburg? Somewhere else in Pennsylvania? I haven't a clue.

Gerbers (04)

Well, this may or may not be the oldest photo I have - but it is the oldest person - Grandpa Gerber's mom. I think Grandpa G was born in the 1880's, so this makes his mom born when - maybe during the Civil War?

Ludwig Siblings - Portrait

The last of this set of sepia portraits - the Ludwig siblings. From the top, clockwise : Charles, Hazel, Bob, and John. I'm guessing this is in the range of 1925-1930.

30's Parade (a)

Let's go to a parade! I think this is from the 1930's. This bike was old even then.

30's Parade (b)

The sign reads "Zion First Pipe Organ". The float decor is "minimalism". This ain't no Rose Bowl parade.

30's Parade (c)

The only "Hyde Park" I know of is a suburb of Reading. So I'm wondering whether this parade is in Hamburg or Reading. If anyone recognizes the background in these pics, let me know.

30's Parade (d)

I'm not sure who these are. Highway patrol perhaps?
BTW, you'll see in most of these pics that the center of the pic is the most in focus, and the fringes (usually the sides, but sometimes the top and bottom) are out-of-focus. This is deliberate. My dad was playing around with a "pan effect" in these photos. I'm not sure how he did that.

30's Parade (e)

Well, this is "Ben Himself". Maybe it's a take-off of "Ben Hur"? Maybe not. I thought the Ben-Hur movie was made in the 50's. But I'm not sure when the novel came out. Perhaps the book was a big hit in the 30's.

30's Parade (f)

The girl scout float. Does anyone recognize the buildings in the background here?

30's Parade (g)

Well, this looks like a local police department. Or a fire department. Oh yeah, all these parade pics were originally 1"x 1", so the resolution may leave a bit to be desired.

30's Parade (h)

This is cool. Some sort of "Junior Navy Drum Corps".

30's Parade (i)

The partial banner reads "...re Co.", so I'm guessing this is a Fire Company. The background here might give a clue as to where this parade was held.

30's Parade (j)

Oooh, this parade even has an Indian in it. But it is a strange sight - you don't normally see Indian riders using stirrups. ;-)

30's Parade (k)

Another drum corps. You can really see the "pan effect" here. Both sides of the photo are quite blurry. Again, anyone recognize this street?

After the parade (a)

The parade's over. Hey, let's all head over to Schlenker's for a root-beer float. Not that I have any clue where Schlenker's is/was.

After the parade (b)

I'm presuming this is the inside of Schlenker's. I like the old coke bottle with two straws in it.
It looks like the camera was setting on the counter when Dad snapped this. Maybe he was trying to get a candid shot.
No one in the pic looks even remotely familiar to me. Anyone who has an inkling, feel free to leave a comment.

Mo

Every boy, when he's growing up, should have a dog.

Janet & Chuck's Wedding (a)

Here comes the bride! And her bridesmaids.

Janet & Chuck's Wedding (b)

Some of the guests arriving. I blew this photo up to try to read the cross-streets on the sign. This is 3rd Street and ??

Janet & Chuck's Wedding (c)

I also enlarged this one to read the name of the church : Bethany Methodist Episcopal Church. And the Pastor's name is Paul Beck, Jr.
By blowing it up, I could identify the people here. This is Aunt Hazel and Uncle Charlie for sure. So I think the boy in the front is Bill. And I'm guessing the girl with her back turned is therefore Ellen.

Janet & Chuck's Wedding (d)

The only inside shot from this set of photos of the wedding.

Janet & Chuck's Wedding (e)

It is my pleasure to present to you : Mr. & Mrs. Janet & Chuck Barr. Ducking a barrage of rice.

Janet & Chuck's Wedding (f)

This is presumably the Maid of Honor.

Janet & Chuck's Wedding (g)

The rest of the wedding party. I don't recognize anyone here, but I'd be surprised if I did. BTW, what year is this?

Janet & Chuck's Wedding (h)

Good luck on identifying any of the boys in the foreground.

Janet & Chuck's Wedding (i)

The only crowd shot from this set of pics. Since its everybody's backs, I'm doubting that anyone can be ID'd.

Janet & Chuck's Wedding (j)

Last pic from this set. I don't know where the reception was held. I'll leave it to Janet & Chuck to identify the various folks in the wedding party.

Ride 'em Cowboy!

This is at the Pittsburgh kiddy zoo in the summer of 1955. It looks like I'm about to dig my heels into my intrepid steed and give a shout of "Hiyo Silver!". The poor kid leading us has no idea he's about to get crushed by a galloping horse.

Lenhartsville house (01)

This is our house in Lenhartsville, presumably during renovation work prior to us moving in. Well not me actually, I was not yet born. I never knew about the big tree (stump) in the foreground. Is that an outhouse in the background? That fence was still there as of 1993, when we revisited the place. I'm not sure of the year of this pic.

Lenhartsville house (02)

Mom's note says this is me. And I'm sure that's Granny Sawyer holding me. So this is 1951. The renovating from the previous pic must be done by now. Its strange seeing the backyard without those hexagon-shaped cement blocks Dad laid down as a patio.

Ludwig Reunion - 1950 (a)

Mom's notes on the back indicate this was held in New Hope, Pennsylvania.

Ludwig Reunion - 1950 (b)

I'm guessing there were a lot more Ludwigs there than just our clan. Nobody in this picture looks familiar.

Ludwig Reunion - 1950 (c)

I'm pretty sure this is Aunt Doris.

Ludwig Reunion - 1950 (d)

And maybe Aunt Hazel to the right. I gather the game was to fill the coke bottle, one tiny cup at a time. Good' clean, 50's fun.

Ludwig Reunion - 1950 (e)

Doing the macarena - 50's style

Ludwig Reunion - 1950 (f)

Or the conga. I think that's Aunt Doris and Aunt Hazel on the back of the line in the foreground.

Ludwig Reunion - 1950 (g)

BTW, all of these images come from pics that were originally 1" x 1". So they lost a little in resolution as I enlarged them.

Ludwig Reunion - 1950 (h)

If I didn't know better, I'd think this was a rugby scrum.

Ludwig Reunion - 1950 (i)

Okay, this and the next pic are presumably our own our contingent at the reunion. I recognize Hazel & Charlie; John & Doris; Grammy Ludwig; and Janet in the pic.

Ludwig Reunion - 1950 (j)

And maybe my mom with the beatnik shades in the back. That leaves about a dozen others. First one to ID everyone wins a prize. :-)

Unknown (5)

Here's one I need help on. I have no idea who she is, nor where the pic is taken. It looks like our front street in Lenhartsville, but if so, I can't place that wall.

Heiser Wedding (01)

Oh, let's do a wedding or two. I'm pretty sure these are the Heisers. I have no idea of either of their first names. Nor exactly when this wedding took place. UPDATE : Their names are Marion & Pat Heiser. Thanks, Sheri!

Heiser Wedding (02)

That's Dad in the upper left, so he was in the wedding, and probably snapping a couple pics in his spare moments. The man to the far right might be Bill Wolfinger. Or not. I have no idea who the other two prople are.

Heiser Wedding (03)

And I don't recognize anyone in this photo, other than the bride & groom. I'm guessing once again that Dad knew the groom through scouting.

Heiser Wedding (04)

I don't remember being often at the Heisers. They had a daughter named Patty Jean. For some reason I only recall being at their house in the daytime, with Mom and Mrs. Heiser chatting in the kitchen. I think there was a lot of open space (a gentle slope) outside their house. That's about all I can remember now.

Janet & Chuck's Wedding (preview)

Coming soon! Janet and Chuck's wedding. These come from a large number of random, unsorted photos. I've found some from this wedding, but I know there are a few more in the big pile. A la prochaine, mes amis!

Blue Rocks - 1955 (a)

At first I thought this was Aunt Doris, but now I'm not so sure. Anyone know?

Blue Rocks - 1955 (b)

Well, this is Grammy Ludwig and Aunt Sally. Reading was apparently a popular pastime at Ludwig gatherings. I think that's cool.