Grandmother Krom's Children

  It is my understanding that my grandmother was married three times and had four children.  She lived most of her adult life in a very small hamlet called Shinhopple, NY between Walton and Downsville.

  As a child, I spent many summer vacations at her house, with my older sister Janet, playing on the porch, in the creek and exploring what we called the squirrel cage. (a small room that she rented out to hunter's in the fall- it was just a niche in a storage shed of sorts.) 

 We also walked barefoot everywhere - even about a mile down the dirt road with a dime to pick out our favorite penny candy at the general store.  

Mayme Niles , George Hawley and Lottie Biggs - Downsville, NY 1900

Mayme married George Hawley about

the time this picture was taken.

She was about 17 years old.  Lottie was her best friend.

Mayme and George had one son, Frederick

.

Uncle Fred Hawley

Uncle Fred 

My memories of Uncle Fred were when we were visiting at Uncle Doug and Aunt Lil's.

He was always joking and loved to use the "I bet you can't spell hippopotamus  - spell "it"

on us all the time.  I never remember meeting his wife Dorothy or any of his children - they were quilt a lot older than we were - he was 12 years older than my mother.

 A picture that my grandmother had of her Hawley grandsons.  I love this picture and regret that we never knew them.  I think Uncle Fred had remarried and they lived with their mother.

Edwin Fantan, Fredrick Jr. and William Hawley.

 Uncle Carl Crandall

I have never been able to determine the first name of Grandma's second husband, Mr. Crandall and if I even saw Uncle Carl I was too young to remember.  He served in the army but died of alcohol poisoning shortly after her finished his time in the service.  He was married to a lovely woman named Laura and she always came to our family get togethers and never remarried.

Douglas and Elizabeth Krom

My mother and her brother Doug in the 1920's

Grandma married her third husband, William Krom and the children from that marriage are my mother who married Andrew Hendrickson (5 children) and Uncle Doug who married Lillian Maroney (2 children).

Apparently Grandmother moved on from that marriage also as I remember my mother nursing my Grandfather at our house until he passed away when I was about 5 or 6 years old.

The Hen Party 2000 - North Carolina - Year of Comfort and Support

Tardiva Hydrangea

Star of Bethlehem Hibiscus 

Janet and Barb came to North Carolin to visit and offer love, support and comfort to me while John was in the hospital. He was in and out of the hospital since February and was currently in the hospital for what ended up to be a 3 month plus stay.

  After 18 surgeries that year he recovered but there were too many close calls.  One of his surgeons told him "he had already used up seven of his lives."

It was a stressful time and the only definite thing I recall was our visit to the Farmer's Market.

Janet bought me the Hibiscus and Barb gave me the Hydrangea. 

 They are blossoming in the yard right now.

This was before selfies so I don't have a single picture of us from that visit that I can find or recall taking.

Stephen Benane Family - about 1912 - John's Paternal Grandparents

Stephen Benane Family 

Pictured right to left 

Hazel Catherine 1901- 1989

Stephen A. Benane 1873 - 12/29/1915

George NMN 3/10/1908 - 10/02/1989

Martha Venelia McElwain Benane 4/15/1878 - 2/20/1965

Marion Barbara 3/23/1903 - 9/8/1979

John's grandfather died when George was just seven years old.

John's grandmother who was known as "Mattie" never remarried.  She raised her children by working as a cook at the resorts in Lake Placid and Saranac Lake.  

When I look at this picture of John's Dad, I can see where  many of his children got their beautiful eyes.

Hen Party 1999 - Oxford NY - The Year of the Tote

Barb, Janet and I got together at Barb's.  We made Patriotic Chicken Tote Bags.

We found the fabric and all the beads, ribbons etc. at the local Walmart.

We each managed to finish the basic sewing and took them home to finish them up.

Barb thinks she still has hers upstairs somewhere and I think I may have gotten rid of mine last year.
I'll have to check when I get back home.

Barb and Janet both had new Sony Floppy Disc Digital Cameras (I was so wishing that I had one too) but so far this is the only picture that I can find from that year.
I wonder what happened to those floppy discs?

The Hen Party 1998 ... The year of Spaghetti

In 1998 my sisters and I got together at Barb's for our first Hen Party.  

I guess we must have had a birthday theme by the looks of our cups and plates and our candy head dresses(?).  We all have birthday's in July except Barb's is in August.

Watch out for low flying spaghetti!

May be Kim is questioning her decision to attend?

Hamming it up

Barb made us a spaghetti and meatball dinner (a la Betty style).  

Our Mother (Betty) made either spaghetti and meatballs or a rolled pork roast that she cooked in a pressure cooker when we arrived at her house for a visit.

That's so fun- do we have wine? No.

 Janet brought us all birthday gifts. 

We spent the three day weekend - playing cards, touring around, playing cards, eating, playing cards, antiquing and did I mention we played cards.

Easter Morning 50 Years Ago

Easter Morning 1967

Shelly was 22 months old.  We lived in oxford, NC. 

 I believe our neighbors, Mrs. Smith and her daughter Julia,  across the street had just come over.  

Shelly was so excited whenever she saw them.  She would stand at the door and call "Miff Smiff, Miff Smiff, MIFF SMIFF"!!!

Tracey - 3 1/2

Kathy - 5

I think Gordon was the photographer as I don't have a picture of him that morning.

Richard Andrew Hendrickson - 1935

This is my brother Richard Andrew at about one year being held by our Grandmother Mayme Krom outside her home in Shinhopple, NY. 

Love the lilac bush and the peonies in full blossom.

 My mother loved flowers and she enjoyed growing them.

    I remember how she would root roses by putting a cutting in the ground and used a canning jar to cover it to protect it from drying out( and probably keep in warm) on chilly NYS days.