Update about blogCa

Thursday, March 7, 2013

Annie Lou's skiff

(Author's note.  I've since this post found more information which changes that below.  My grandfather and Annie Lou were not orphaned nor raised by their aunt and uncle.  And the middle name of Elmore refers to a distant relation of their uncle, named Elmore Ross, from the Revolutionary War. See newer posts about Annie Lou Rogers Wilson. Note date: May 9,  2015)

Remember there were pirates active in the Gulf of Mexico still at the turn of that century.

Annie Lou Gibbs Rogers Wilson was my father's father's sister, born March 10,1879 in Huntsville, TX, died July 11, 1956 in Hitchcock, TX.  She and my grandfather (2 years older) were orphaned the year she was born and then raised in the home of their father's sister, Alice Luella Rogers Ross and John Elmore Ross.  They might have been their god-parents, because my grandfather and my father's middle names were also Elmore, or maybe there was someone else named Elmore that I have yet to learn about.  Whoever Elmore was will have to be another story.  But perhaps Annie Lou brought Alice Luella's middle name forward also?

Though Great-Aunt Annie Lou was alive in my lifetime, I don't remember ever meeting her.  It's probably because I was just a child, and only interested in childish things.

I found some interesting photos - of her "skiff" and/or a sailboat in Galveston, TX.  They look like they've been in a fire. (My father's family had a house fire in Fort Worth in the 30s). This is the condition in which they came down to me.

October 30, 1904



10-30-1904
Annie Lou's Skiff



10-30-1904
on
Hannas reef
Galveston Bay


In none of these photos do I see anyone resembling a woman of 1904.  But it's  possible.  Maybe the shorter person on the end of the fish display could be a woman dressed as a man.

Who are the other men?
I wonder if Great-Uncle Chauncey is one of them, perhaps the one with mustache and bowler hat, since he owned the bank in Galveston. (He was my grandmother's uncle).

I wonder if my grandfather, George Elmore Rogers is one of them, probably a rather short man, because I do remember that he wasn't very tall.

Incidentally, George Elmore Rogers married Ada Phillips Swasey in June 1905, (my grandparents).  Aunt Annie Lou married Patrick Henry Wilson the next year, 1906, and then they had 3 children.

So this is a glimpse of the life of my great-aunt as a young woman, or at least the men who went fishing with her.

I love that it was called Annie Lou's skiff, meaning probably the rowboat. 

I'm submitting this post to Sepia Saturday this week.
It's about boats after all!





15 comments:

  1. Wonderful Photographs! And the damage to them enhances them in a way....

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  2. Wow. These are great, and it is amazing that the photos survived.

    Very interesting story.

    Kathy M.

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  3. Did Annie Lou own the boat and hire it out? Just upstream of the Anglers, we had Jacko who hired out skiffs and punts.

    Great pictures and I think Tony is absolutely right

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  4. Wish I knew, and I'm now the oldest generation, so nobody else left to contact...so it's anybody's guess. Since I have an active imagination...ah!

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  5. Wow! What great family photographs and a lovely story to accompany them!

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  6. Nice scans of what appear to be very fragile photographs. It would be nice to find the real contect of these photos, and I hope you do. I have a similar pair of photos in my family collection, which I considered posting this week, and which I have no idea of the background. One day ...

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  7. I like the way the damage to the photos actually makes them look more interesting and important.

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  8. It seems to be a universal emotion to be grateful to rescue old photos after a fire. These are so very interesting, so I'm sure you are glad to have them.

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  9. The bowler hat doesn't seem very practical for fishing in the Gulf, but he takes a fine picture. They caught a lot of fish that day.

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  10. What was it that made the pirates from long ago so much cooler and interesting than the pirates of today! Great photos and I enjoyed your story!

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  11. I agree - the condition seems to add an air of mystery. I'm glad you preserved them permanently on your blog.

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  12. Wonderful old photographs - it doesn't matter what condition they are in, they speak of their age.

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  13. Oh, your poor photographs. It is sad to see them in such bad shape, but the wonders of modern technology will help you preserve them for the future. I love being able to scan and save!

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  14. P.S. Your men have a nice catch of fish there.

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