Old Family Portrait

My father's parents, and his older brother who didn't live to adulthood.  The home at 1209 Broadway in Galveston, was built by my father's father.  My father wrote the caption later. (NOTE: I'm not sure this is the home Poppy built, but it was their first home...perhaps the Swaseys?)

My impression of this picture is that the family of proud parents and new baby sat on their porch, and somehow a photograph was taken.  I note that both parents hold a handkerchief.

I know that both my grandparents survived the 1900 un-named hurricane, which had devastated Galveston.  Even that didn't bring about the changes that have been made by now, but some things were evident.  The house on Broadway was on stilts, allowing storm waves to pass under the house and hopefully not damage its contents.

My father was one of the 6 children born into this family, probably right in the home, though 2 died as children. 

I'm glad these ancestors lived to produce their families, daily going about the tasks of child care, feeding a family, schooling children, men working for a living.  My grandfather was a bookkeeper.  So was my father.

My grandfather did continue to have the mischievous grin that he displays here, when I knew him as a youngster myself.