ABC Wednesday- Letter K

K is for kinfolk.

Up in my bedroom closet is a box full of old family photographs. I'm glad the pictures aren't all taken in a studio because so many bring a smile to my face and give me a glimpse into the lives of my relatives and ancestors.

My grandma grew up on a farm in the hills of Allegany county in southern New York state. She was the third of eleven children and was about eleven years old when this photo was taken in 1916. The back of the picture says "Shafer's Nine."

I am guessing about the next photo. It looks to be several of the same group out on the farm with some animal friends. I'm fairly certain the young boy on the end with a chicken under his arm was the baby in the previous photo.

My great grandpa dressed in his raggedy coat really makes me smile. He reminds me a bit of my own father; it's the eyes and hands. Grandma said that Grandpa "didn't know enough to come in out of the rain." He loved his vegetable garden. (Maybe because it was quiet out there...)


I don't know the story here either but I'm pretty sure I could make something up. I love the overalls, the bare feet, the dirt on the dress, and the little ring on the girl's finger. She is one of my father's many aunts but I'm not sure which one.

This is a photo I asked my dad about. These two look like a couple of moonshiners, but were actually my great grandma's brothers, Herb and Charlie. Dad thought they were old bachelors but my research showed that they had both been married and were widowers. One lost his wife in the flu epidemic along with an infant son.

Finally, one of my favorites. Uncle Al holding a piglet. When my father was a little boy he climbed into the pigpen where he was once chased by an angry sow. He ran screaming from one end of the pen to the other, jumping up on the fence before rushing back to the other side. His mother came running out and saved him.

I wish I knew more about these people of my past and their stories. I love the character that shows through in the photos and find it interesting that many of my father's aunts were artists. Some even painted pictures of childhood scenes.

K, kinfolk.

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