My father was born in Galveston TX, and his parents had lived there most of their lives. My grandmother's parents had met and married there, and she had several cousins and aunts and uncles there as well. I think my grandfather moved there when a child. But they married there in 1905.
The 1900 census gives my grandmother being listed in her parents home, as well as her Uncle and Aunt Sweet's. Her parents lived at 1509 Avenue I.
Her Uncle Chauncey Sweet and "Auntie" Ada Pulsifer Phillips Sweet lived at 1709 Winnie St., where Ada at 14 and her younger sister at 12 were also listed for that Census of 1900.
The Chauncey Sweeets lived at 1201 Avenue J in 1910, but by 1920 were on Ave. I (according to the census records.) Perhaps my grandmother (who I think gave the caption for this house's photo above) got the street confused. But it is a beautiful house, probably on a corner with that wrap around porch.
My grandfather, George Rogers Sr. and his sister Annie, lived with their mother, Betty Rogers (widow) at 1828 Church St. with a boarder and a female servant in 1900.
Ada Swasey married George Rogers in 1905 at her parents' home, on Avenue I. Her parents left Galveston and moved to Houston in 1907.
In 1910 the young Rogers family, George, Ada and sons Elmore and Alexander, were living at 1217 Avenue J. They were in their own household. In 1916 their oldest son, Elmore accidentally drowned. They had a daughter born in the same month just before he died. She unfortunately also died before her 3rd birthday. Sons Chauncey Rogers (1912) and George Rogers Jr (1914, my father) were born in Galveston, but I don't know the address of their home yet.
By 1920 the George Rogers family had moved to Fort Worth Texas, where their last son, James was born in 1922. The census for that year was so poorly written the family was transcribed as Ragus, with Alexander getting a very strange name, and Chauncey even is considered a daughter, but at least George at 5 (my father) is legible.
Sharing my Galveston roots with Sepia Saturday for this week.
Exercising on the Beach, 1935
Those old homes are beautiful. It looks like the hurricane did a number on them which might explain why the "tall" houses aren't there anymore. I swear - looking at the devastation from the hurricane, I wonder how anyone made sense of what they were digging through and hauling away.
ReplyDeleteThere were many stories that I read in a book about the hurricane, and a cousin has said that my grandfather helped search for bodies as the cleanup took place...he was a young man at that time...and married 5 years later.
DeleteWe enjoyed several vacations in Galveston when our children were small. Your photos of the houses evoke the feel of Galveston. I can't imagine the horror of that hurricane.
ReplyDeleteThe town has grown again, and is great for a vacation.
DeletePerfect example of how a picture can be better than a thousand words. The Galveston hurricane becomes a more horrific catastrophe when you see the photos of the storm's devastation. So many bad storms this year, but at least everyone had advance warning. Not like 1900 when weather was still unpredictable.
ReplyDeleteThere was a wired message apparently to whoever was representing the weather bureau at the time, from Cuba I think, but it was not shared apparently...or the next person ignored the warning. People just weren't as prepared...and these days I think they would have been evacuated definitely.
DeleteI can see why Auntie Ada loved her house! Really pretty. The way the seawall is curved to send the waves back on themselves is interesting. But the devastation from the 1900 hurricane is horribly amazing.
ReplyDeleteI also love Auntie's house, but couldn't find it through Google maps at either Avenue I or Avenue J. Sorry those people had to go through the hurricane of 1900. I wonder where my family might have sheltered during the storm.
DeleteI enjoyed reading your interesting profile of where you were born. I loved the style of the houses with the verandah and balcony - we have nothing like them here. But how devastating to see your home flattened in the hurricane - your photographs convey the reality of the disaster.
ReplyDeleteWhether considered Victorian or Queen Ann's style, those southern homes had weather being considered...the veranda would be coolest and windows open at the top of the home would cause a draft of the rising hot air. I was born in Dallas, but my father was born in Galveston.
DeleteIncredible photos of the flood damage -- illustrating the need for the protective high sea wall. Wonderful that you have the old photos of the family home.
ReplyDeleteI can't imagine how houses were raised feet above their foundations and fill dirt was put under them, over a whole town!
DeleteLoved the old postcards! I grew up far from the ocean and did not see it until I was in my twenties.
ReplyDeleteThough I was born in Texas, I was raised in St. Louis MO, a long way from an ocean. Then my first job was in Miami, and I found the joys of a beach again.
DeleteI enjoyed this post on your family history, Barbara, especially the old postcards and photos. The destruction in Galveston, TX after the hurricane was amazing to see and the B&W photos were very good. BTW thanks for your comment on my outdoor sculpture garden post and I will check out your Alchemy of Clay blog.
ReplyDeleteThanks so much for coming over to see this post. Lately I haven't put as much time into sitting and composing posts...having 3 blogs means only one gets a daily post..."When I Was 69." But my heart is still looking to share more of my ancestors' stories here.
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