Skeeter's Family: More Fun With Pictures

My faithful readers have seen several posts already about Nanny’s photo album. Here and here. It has taken me quite some time, but I have finally scanned all of the images in that album. There were some surprises in there and there were some that I knew were already there that were important, but it was very interesting to see this picture of my father at 16. Now my dad was a personality all unto himself. This photo was taken about 1928 as Nanny annotated it that dad was 16 years old. Personally, I think he's trying to look like whatever passed for cool in 1928. But I do wonder what's in that pipe he's holding in his right hand.

Dad at 16

There are many pictures of my dad growing up in this collection. I will put a couple of them below just to give you an idea of what it was like growing up in central Pennsylvania in the mid-1920s. Dad was raised by his mother since his father died during the flu pandemic in 1919 so it was a probably a rather tough life.

Don 1 year old

Don 2 years old

Done 4 years old

Don 6 years old

Don 10 years old

Don in a tub, unknown age

Don, unknown age

Nanny was a fabulous cook as I've mentioned before. She had her own restaurant but that was not until the mid 1920's through 1940 or so. There would be several other kitchens that she worked at including one on Penn State University which was operated by the Quakers and also at an engineering project for Penn State University and the Bay Harbor Hotel on Miami Beach much later. Here are some pictures of Nanny’s various kitchens.


The back of this picture says "This is where the cookies come from"

The kitchen in the Friend's Union, Nanny is 2nd from the right

Nanny and Don outside of the BBQ, 1925

Now this picture has me asking several questions, first is this the rear of Nanny’s restaurant, and second who the gentleman with her is. I believe this is the rear of the restaurant called, Mrs. Campbell's Barbecue, because of the roof peak and the lighting. These two pictures show what I mean.


Nanny outside the rear of the BBQ, 1925

Front of the BBQ. Notice the roof peak and lights.

Nanny with the unknown gentleman, undated. Compare the roof line and lighting with the above pictures.

The gentleman I think, and my brother and elder sister agrees with me, although my eldest sister does not, is Ralph Trent. He was living next door to Nanny in the 1930 census and was a border in the 1940 census in her house. And we know he was a was a longtime companion of hers. I was introduced to him but only as an infant, so I don't remember him at all. This is a picture of “Uncle” Trent as we called him holding me as an infant with my siblings sitting there as well. Let me know if you think it's the same gentleman in both pictures.

Trent and the Campbell kids, 1959

Now here's another interesting set of pictures. In my other post I put this first picture up of Nanny in a car with an unknown gentleman who is appearing to drive the car and they both are laughing. Here is another picture of Nanny with the same gentleman in maybe the same car. I can't tell, but you'll notice there is no windscreen on this car as the gentleman has his feet through it. So now I'm wondering who this guy is. It's quite possible that this is one of her brothers she had several and it is a big family, but I have not been able to identify this man at all. Maybe one of the Bodle cousins will happen to stumble upon this and can identify this gentleman for me. That would be most wonderful. I've put both pictures below so that you can check that it is the same gentleman. For what it's worth, I do not believe that this is the same person in the picture above behind the restaurant. It's hard to tell because there's not enough features of the men to identify. If only the gentleman in the picture at the restaurant would have smiled, then those teeth would have been a dead giveaway. If anyone can identify the make and year of the car in these pictures, I would greatly appreciate it.

Nanny and gentlemen in the car. His feet are through where the windscreen should be.

Same couple as above?

Here are a few more pictures of my father with various people that I cannot identify as well. Here's hoping that a family member notices these and says oh that's so and so!

Don and unknown girl, age 2

Don and unknown boy, age 9

Don and unknown kids, age unknown

One thing that I cannot find in all the family pictures that I have is a picture of my dad with his dad or with both his mom and dad. I do have pictures of dad in nanny together but no pictures at all of Herbert, his father, with either nanny or dad. And that is sad.