Creating a Family Photo Memory Book

 

As unofficial keeper of the family documents and photographs, I am entrusted with such treasures whenever someone dies. After years of accumulation of these items,including an old photo album from my grandmother's brother's family, I decided I needed to organize and preserve them. 

Scanning was my first step. Once I had all one family treasures scanned, I began scanning various documents I'd gathered in my genealogical research on that family. Scanning complete, I began editing the scans - cropping, resizing, correcting darkness and light problems and so on. 

As soon as I had everything complete for one family I decided to create what I call a Family Memory Book. I eventually want to do one for each family line I have photos and documents for, but for now I worked on my English side - my mother and her parents going back as far as I have photographs. I have a page for each family member for whom I have a photo. Some individuals have many pages as I have a lot of photos and documents for them. Some have only 1 page, others share a page with other family members. It isn't a family tree so does not have to be in any particular order. As long as I labelled each photo, everyone can be identified by comparing names to a chart of the family tree which is included as one of the first pages of the book. 

The photo at left is an example of one page from this 40 page booklet on my mother's English lines. This page holds a photo of my mother and her sister at very young ages, my mother's original birth certificate and a group photo of her at a young age with her parents and older sister. The group photo is actually a photocopy of an original and had to be seriously edited after scanning as photocopies are never a good solution. Sadly it was all I had to work with as no one knows who had the original or where it is now. (As an interesting aside, the young boy standing in the group photo was the son of family friends. The family lost touch but he became my mother's second husband some 65 years after this photo was taken.)

In this Family Memory Book I have scanned and placed photos, birth records, death records, newspaper obituaries, postcards of the ship my grandparents sailed on from England to canada in 1914, copies of ships passenger lists and any other documents I found when researching the lineage. 

Because I have many family heirlooms passed on to me by my English grandmother, I also took pictures of them and included those in the Memory Book. This page is my Grandfather Charles in the Kent Buffs, and his gold pocket watch and initialed signet ring which my Grandmother gave me. 

Each photo in the book has a caption or explanation with it. The progam I am using allows me to stack the photos as if I were creating a scrapbook. I can overlap. I can resize the photos right on the page so that I am able to immediately see how the finished page will look

Once I’m happy with my pages I made copies for my children, printed them on good quality paper, created a cover, and coil bound them.  They make wonderful Christmas gifts 

My Wall of Ancestors

This is my wall of ancestors. One of many. Each of the photos you see is of an ancestor - either mine or my husband's.

We intersperse them with antique paintings or prints, or wall clocks for a display that, as you can see, almost fills every inch of space!

They didn't come to us in frames (except one or two). I buy antique frames which my husband repairs if he needs to, then we have the original photos enlarged to fit. We choose a mat from the local framing shop and have it put together. Then I write on the back the details of the person, or family group, in the photo. It's our way of cherishing our ancestors, preserving family photographs, and ensuring that information on them carries on to the next generation who will welcome the photos into their protection.

Here are a few closeups of some of our ancestor photos on the wall. It was challenging to take photos due to glare from windows and height of some. I hope you are preserving and enjoying your family treasures.

 

Another Prompt For Writing Your Life Story

Last year a Meme hit Twitter called #FirstSevenJobs  As the hashtag suggests, folks posted a list of the first seven jobs they held. That made me think about what a great prompt that is for writing the stories of our lives. I already have a prompt about talking about your first job in my book "Sharing Family Stories and Memories: Prompts for Writing Your Memoirs for Future Generations" but making a list of all your paying jobs is a great addition.

Of course, with each job listed you would write a description of what year(s) you worked at that job, what you did, how much you made (if you remember), where it was, what your boss was like, whether you loved or hated it, and any other details you can remember.

To show what I mean, here is my list of all of my paying jobs - 18 of them, starting from age 14 with babysitting jobs. I would have included being a homemaker but I didn't get paid for that. I haven't included a description of them but in my personal journal of my life story I will. Why not try your hand at this? Here's mine:

1. Babysitting
2. Working as a page in the local Library
3. Waitress at a Lodge near Huntsville Ontario
4. Vending Machine company sorting and rolling coins
5. Assistant to Chief Accountant in Canada-wide Banking & Mortgage Company
6. IBM Keypunch Operator
7. Creating surveys for Survey Marketing company
8. Library Assistant
9. Nursery School Aide
10. Dental Office Receptionist
11. Bookkeeper in Ophthalmologist office
12. Child Care Worker Kinark Child and Family Care Services
13. Teacher Assistant
14. Teacher in Special Education
15. Math Tutor
16. Self-employed Genealogist
17. Affiliate Marketer
18. Author

Mother's Adventures Part 1 Australia at Age 80

As mentioned in a previous blog post, my mother was an adventurer. At the age of 80 she made a decision to backpack through Australia. On her own. I had set her up on a computer when she was in her late 70s, and showed her how to email and look around on websites for genealogy information. She enjoyed doing this and often spoke to me about how much fun it was to "smurf" the 'net. Yes that's what she called it - smurfing the 'net.

Mother (3rd from right) in Australia waiting for her hot air balloon ride

We had relatives in Australia and Mother met new people through her mailing lists and genealogy forums. This spurred her to wanting to go to Australia to meet some of them. Her final push to go was when she asked me to book a hot air balloon ride for her for her 80th birthday. I wasn't able to do that and so she decided her gift to herself would be the trip to Australia where she'd find that hot air balloon ride she wanted.

To get ready for the trip, mother purchased a pink Barbie backpack - one made for children. She was only 5'1" tall so a child's pack fit her perfectly. Next came Tilly clothing - 2 sets, plus a Tilly hat. Adding socks and underwear, a few toiletries, and an extra pair of shoes, mother declared herself ready. She fit everything she needed into that backpack and booked her trip.

Here are her own words from her trip journal with some editing for brevity:

As my 80th birthday was only a year away I thought it wise to go somewhere that I knew for the first trip alone.  I could then branch out with confidence. My first trip was on a tour for 20 days to Australia and New Zealand.  I flew from Toronto to Vancouver then to Hawaii, then to New Zealand.  I had been in touch with a cousin who lived  near Wellington and she and her husband were going to come to the hotel on the evening of our return from the North end of the island to compare our notes on our Family Tree.  It was a lovely visit and we each found things to add to our respective family trees. It was exciting  to finally meet the family I had found through research in New Zealand. 

I had no idea when I started researching  the Stead family that some of them had emigrated to New Zealand as well as Australia.  I had been in touch with the ones in Australia for some years as one of the relatives had made a trip to Canada sometime in 1950.  I only met him once for a few minutes and did not remember him.  One of my mother’s brothers emigrated to Australia and the rest  of the family came to Canada.

 

I enjoyed New Zealand the only thing that I didn’t enjoy was the rain, it rained 10 out of the 21 days we spent there.  If you are going on a tour by yourself you can ask to be teamed up with another  person who is alone and hope you get a partner who is compatible.  This time I was not very lucky as she was discontented and surly.  This lady had only booked for two weeks instead of three so I had a week by myself.  I was glad because we did not get along.  It was the only time I had a problem with partners  on my trips. It could have spoilt [sic] the last two weeks as she did not speak to me unless she had to.  

After we saw all the sights on the north island we boarded the boat for the south island which was completely different to the north  even the climate was different.  It was colder and there were mountains which we did not see in the other part. We went right down to the end and the mountains were quite high there.  There was snow on the top of them and the last night there was quite cold.  I really did not expect it to be so cold.   I was sick and had to call the leader about 10:00 at night and get a doctor to come out and see me.  This was the only time in all my travels that this happened.  I ended up with a throat infection and had to keep by myself as much as possible.  No one else got sick thank goodness and in a day or two I was fine.

We went back up to Wellington and took the flight to Sydney to finish this tour. By the time we got to Sydney I was fine.  We had a tour of Sydneys water front, saw the new opera house and other things of interest  there. .  My cousin met me there and took me home with him.  I added some more time to my trip and changed my flight to come back home as I wanted to ride the train across country to Perth on the Pacific Ocean.

I booked the train ride and Frank, my cousin, drove me to Sydney when the time came to leave for the West Coast.  He  got  on and was very impressed by the accommodation.  I had a room by myself with a bed and a cabinet holding a toilet and wash basin so that I could get a wash in the morning if I did not want to go out to the shower room in the morning.  There was also a little seat so I did not have to go out of my room unless I wanted to. 

I was sitting on the stool the first morning and a lady came walking along and asked if I was alone.  I said I was and she came in and sat down and we introduced ourselves and decided to go to breakfast together.  She was wonderful company and we spent the rest of the journey together..  We had a wonderful trip and we still correspond.  

We got to a little place called Kilgori just on the edge of the last state which to find that the railway employees were on strike and we could go no further until it was settled.  We had two days  in this little backwater of a town before we could go on.  People who booked trips on the west coast were put on buses and rode all  night to catch their tours and the rest of us stayed on the train until the strike was over.  We had a great time on the train waiting to go on.  We really got to know each other and the train personnel very well.  

....to be continued

Don't Miss Past Voices: Letters Home

Have you been to Past Voices: Letters Home? Past Voices gives our ancestors a voice - and these voices from the past come alive in their letters. 

Letter writing has long been an important mode of interpersonal and official communication. As long ago as 3500 BC, Sumerians sent "letters" written on cuneiform tablets in clay "envelopes". 

Letter writing flourished in the seventeenth century in Europe and it was an extremely important form of communication. As public postal services were established letter-writing increased even more dramatically.

Many letters on Past Voices are from soldiers far from home. Nothing tells the true reality of war more than the simple writings of the common soldier. These poignant letters from lonely men to their mothers, wives or sweethearts will touch your heart. Some letters will leave you bewildered by their unemotional telling of horrors almost beyond our comprehension. 

In February 1864 Lucius Bidwell wrote to his mother

"Our Heavenly Father has again saved your son Lucius safely through another battle ..." 

"The water was very cold--it makes a fellow’s feet and legs ache, I tell you!"

"James Ingles was hit on the leg, and a man named Winks in our camp, and another German, was shot through the head (named Stinall) and another tent-mate of mine was hurt in the ankle. Our Major was slightly wounded in the leg. Capt. John Broaht, I hear, had his finger shot off, but I have not seen him yet."


Past Voices also contains letters and memoirs from ordinary individuals going about their everyday lives. These letters provide us with a sense of history, of being there and experiencing life with the people who write about the times they live in. 

"When women get to running boundary lines it will take several generations for them to right the mistakes of their forefathers. The women of Reno show their appreciation of being emancipated from the wash tub by making their social calls on Monday morning..." Caroline Churchill, California 1870s

On Past Voices you can find your roots and hear your ancestors' words across the generations. Add branches to your family tree as you find your genealogy.

You can also learn how to find and preserve old documents, family treasures and heirlooms.

A Suitcase of Memories: The Start of a Journey

Last night my husband came home from visiting his parents with a small suitcase. Inside are papers, documents, school notebooks, letters and who knows what else! 

We have not done anything more than open the case. What you see on the left is the top layer.

We had a quick look in the Note Book and it is full of school essays written by Florence Elgie when she was a young girl.

Ann, Luella & Florence Elgie

Florence was the sister of my husband's grandmother. She was born in 1914 in St. Mary's Ontario and lived her entire life there, dying in 1996.  Florence married Wilbert George "Wib" Hooper (1913 - 1993). The Hooper family was fairly well known in St. Mary's as the owners of Hooper's Dairy. 

George and Florence had no children so her papers were passed down to her niece and now to my husband. 

William Elgie 1876-1946

We are excited about seeing what memories this little suitcase holds. We have been told that one of its treasures are original songs written by my husband's great-grandfather William Elgie.

Remembering My Dad Cecil McGinnis Who Died on Christmas Day

Back in November my good friend Gail Dever of Genealogy a la Carte mentioned a blog post by another friend and writer Lisa Alzo called Ten Things I Miss About Dad: Remembering John Alzo 1925-2005 

I read Lisa's touching post and knew I wanted to write about my dad too. My father died Christmas Day 1960. It has been 55 years since he left us at the age of 47. I did not have an opportunity to say goodbye. I remember the last time I saw him on December 23. I was 14 years old and he had been in the Hospital for a few months. 

He hadn't been feeling well all summer. By early Fall he was hospitalized in the Ajax General Hospital but I was not allowed to see him as they had a strict policy of no children under age 16 being allowed to visit. After a few weeks he was moved to a larger city hospital in Oshawa and then I was allowed in for short visits. I only saw him a few times and he was in so much pain he did not seem to know who I was. It is not those moments or last weeks of his life that I want to remember so here are the wonderful memories I have of my dad.

I don't have many photographs of my father. Saddest of all I have none of him with me. But I have my memories.

1. Dad loved to pretend to be a monkey and jump around with us kids. I remember him at my uncle's house in Guelph - my cousins and I screaming and laughing in the front yard as Dad crouched, swung his arms, made monkey sounds and leapt around the yard chasing us.

2. Dad always had time to play catch with me in the driveway.

3. I was the only child of four siblings that got to go fishing with Dad. He said it was because I was able to sit quietly for hours reading a book while he fished in the creek or river. I loved that time together as he often chatted quietly for a bit and taught me how to fish. I used to clean all the fish for him when we got home. When I was 10 he bought me my own fishing rod. How I wish I still had it.

4. Dad tried to teach me to swim but I was terrified of the water. He did start teaching me to skate in the winter by taking me alone to the frozen pond and helping me. He bought me a hockey stick so I had something to lean on as I moved slowly around on the ice.

5. I was definitely Daddy's little princess. In his eyes I could do no wrong. The pride and love in his eyes when he introduced me to his friends was something I have firmly planted in my memory and I can call on anytime I want to remember that feeling of happiness.

I miss you Dad. I miss not having you around to know my children and grandchildren. I miss not having had you at my wedding. I miss all the years I didn't have you in my life. And I treasure the memories I do have. They bring you back to me whenever I want.

Do Humans Have Genetic Memories?

Does this explain Deja Vu? Does it support those who believe in, and swear they have experienced, Reincarnation? 

Scientists have found that memories may actually be passed down through generations in our DNA. That sounds so futuristic doesn't it. SS News explains:

"New research from Emory University School of Medicine, in Atlanta, has shown that it is possible for some information to be inherited biologically through chemical changes that occur in DNA. During the tests they learned that that mice can pass on learned information about traumatic or stressful experiences – in this case a fear of the smell of cherry blossom – to subsequent generations."

For an interesting read, see the story at SS News

How a Toast Rack Keeps a Memory Alive

My great-grandmother Sarah Jane Simpson, who was born in 1862, owned this toast rack. Sarah lived in Ramsgate England, where she kept a boarding house. I suspect she used this toast rack on the table for her family and boarders.

In Victorian times, toast was made and then placed in a rack to be set out on the table. The toast rack, along with many other small items owned by Sarah, were given to me by my grandmother Ruth Fuller (her daughter). 

 

The toast rack is safely displayed in one of my China Cabinets but it seems a shame to not put it to use.

 

 

David Simpson & Sarah Stead Wedding Day 1862

 

It is always difficult to know how or even if to use treasured family items but I have figured out a once-a-year use!

 

Every Christmas I host a large family dinner (30 or more guests). Putting Great-Grandmother's toast rack to use as a napkin holder works well. 

 

Every time I see the toast rack on my table I think of my grandmother and the talks we used to have. I think of great-grandmother Simpson who I did not know in life but know her through the stories my grandmother told me and the treasures I now hold that once belonged to her.

 

Thanksgiving Traditions - Canadians Got the Date Right!

Do you remember your childhood Thanksgiving Days? What was the traditional Thanksgiving Day for you? What is it now? Has it changed very much? 

I don't remember anything special about Thanksgiving as a child except we got to eat Turkey with stuffing that my dad made. It was so good! There were four of us kids and only 2 drumsticks and we all wanted that prized piece of meat. 

We also got my mother's horrid mashed potatoes. Her version was to peel and boil potatoes then mash them roughly with a fork - no butter, no milk. They were dry as a bone and I used to smother mine with ketchup just to swallow them! 

Why am I talking about Thanksgiving? Because it is the Canadian Thanksgiving weekend. Tomorrow I am cooking a traditional Thanksgiving meal for 15 people. That's a very small and nice number for me to manage! 

We are having Turkey with stuffing and gravy, Mashed potatoes (the real kind, not my mother's), Roasted Root Vegetables, Stir Fried Broccoli, Meatballs in Marinara Sauce, Macaroni & Cheese (the grandkids love this), Butternut Squash Soup, and Fresh Homemade Bread. I'm also including Spider Eggs for the grandkids - hardboiled eggs with cut up black olives on top to look like spiders. Dessert is an assortment - two kinds of pie which my guests are bringing, vanilla ice cream with chocolate and whip cream, and my homemade pumpkin bread.

What will you be doing this Thanksgiving?

52 Ancestors: Charles Fuller, an Ordinary Man But Loved by All

Charles Fuller in The Buffs, Ramsgate Kent England

I'm writing about my grandfather Charles Henry Fuller as part of Amy Crow's Challenge: 52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks 

I never knew my grandfather. He died in Guelph Ontario in 1941 at the age of 48. I do have many photos of Charles and heard many stories about him from my mother, her sisters and my grandmother Ruth. 

Charles was born and grew up in Ramsgate, a seaside town in Kent England. It was there he met my grandmother Ruth. I don't know much about his life in England although I have  photos of him as a young teen still living in Ramsgate.

As a young lad he joined The Buffs and was sent to ride along the coast on his bicycle watching for invading Germans. 

When Charles was 19 years old he and his fiance Ruth decided to come to Canada. On May 29, 1913  Charles Fuller and Ruth Simpson sailed on the Cunard Line ship Ausonia from Southampton to Montreal then Quebec, Canada. The ship arrived in Quebec on 9 June at 8:10 p.m. My grandmother often spoke of this journey with loathing. She was terrified of the water and the trip was something she never wanted to do again.

1914 Wedding Charles Fuller & Ruth Simpson

One year later in August 1914, Charles and Ruth were married in Toronto. Shortly afterwards they moved to Guelph where Charles obtained a position as bookkeeper in the Guelph Lumber Company. It didn't take long before he was promoted to manager. 

Apparently my grandfather had a wonderful singing voice and used to sing in the church choir as well as entertain on stage in amatuer vaudeville performances.  My aunt, his daughter, remembers the Sunday afternoons when her dad would entertain the neighbours and his family at the piano.

Charles in Blackface

Although it is certainly not appropriate in today's world, his forte was singing in blackface, much as the singer Al Jolsen had done.  This was a popular way to entertain in the 1920s. And Grandpa was certainly not a bigot, he respected everyone.


Charles was by all accounts, extremely kind-heared. He would help anyone and often brought strangers home for dinner. His wife, my grandmother, was used to having Charles walk in the door from work with one or two down-on-their luck men he'd spotted on the street. No one was turned away from their table and Grandma always found a way to stretch the meal to accomodate. 

WW1 had not seen Charles enlist because as the manager of the lumber company he was needed at home. Since he had been active in The Buffs in England I am sure he was disappointed at not being able to join in the fight. 

And so Charles lived out his short life, not having done anything particularly outstanding, but a kind decent man who was loved by family and friends. His mother adored him and in fact his parents left England, bought a house beside Charles and Ruth and planned to live out their lives in Guelph. Eventually they were so homesick for Ramsgate that they returned but that is how much his mother missed him. As an aside, she and  her daughter-in-law (my grandmother) did not get along and I'm willing to bet the years when they lived next door were a struggle for Ruth. 

Grandpa Charles fell ill sometime in 1940 and doctors could not determine what was wrong. After a year of pain and fatigue he died in the Guelph Hospital. My grandmother never got over his death and even though she married two more times during her life, she always spoke of "Charlie" and how much she missed him. In some strange ironic twist of fate and genetics, Charles youngest brother is still alive at the age of 102. 




 

Gather Family for a Group Photo

If you haven't done this already - at your next family gathering (Christmas, Thanksgiving....etc) gather everyone together for a group shot. 

Think of how much fun it will be for the young children in this photo to see this photo 50 years from now. So take your photo, print some copies and identify everyone on the back. 

It's all about preserving memories.

Christmas Photos and Memories

This is the earliest family Christmas photo I have. I'm not there so I suspect this was taken in 1945 or 1946. 

The photo looks like it was taken in my Grandmother's house in Guelph Ontario Canada and it includes my 3 siblings and my cousin. 

After this photo there's a jump of 10 or more years before another Christmas picture!  It too was taken at Grandma's house and I'm wondering if we didn't own a camera. 

Otherwise I can't explain why we have no family Christmas  photos except these. 

 
This photo is of me (with the doll)  and my sister. We don't look very happy so I've always wondered what was happening. 

I should have been ecstatic because that doll was the one I wanted more than anything that year. If you held its little arms it walked! The legs were articulated and that was quite thrilling to me. 

But we were very poor and I knew there was a good chance I would not get that doll because it was too expensive. I do recall how thrilled I was to see it! 

Do you have early Christmas photos? I wish I had some of my mom or dad as children but there are none. 

I often wonder how my grandparents celebrated Christmas but there's no one left to ask. 

Close Encounters of the Fourth or Maybe Fifth or Sixth Kind

Last night I watched about 10 minutes of a Wayne and Shuster comedy show from 1964. Wayne and Shuster were a popular Canadian comedy act of Johnny Wayne and Frank Shuster. They appeared on the Ed Sullivan Show dozens of times. And I knew them.

Deer Park Library

They didn't know me, except as the young gal in Deer Park Library in Toronto Ontario who checked their library books in and out in the early 1970s. They never came in with their families, or with each other, but always alone. I'd smile and greet them. One would return my smile and a reciprocal hello. The other (and I'm not about to reveal which one did what) would remain stony faced and simply nod.

I mentioned all this to hubs as we watched a few minutes of this old black and white comedy, and he asked "What other famous people did you know?" My rather hasty response was "Oh gee, no one, I don't know any famous people" But he persisted,  saying that I didn't have to be best buddies with them, but had I ever had any encounter of any kind with anyone well-known. That got me thinking and I realized that over the years my path had indeed crossed the paths of several famous individuals.

So indulge me this morning and let me list my encounters with celebrities, politicians and other famous people. I'd love to know about yours!

Ovide Mercredi. Ovide was an Aboriginal Canadian politician, very well known in Canada. He travelled far afield, speaking at the United Nations in Geneva and New York. Around 1993/1994 he went to Mexico as head of a Canadian delegation to the troubled Mexican state of Chiapas. I had a chance meeting with him there in Ixtapa. I was on a holiday with my sister and we went to a new restaurant for dinner one night. The staff did not speak English very well. I speak a little Spanish, just enough to get by on, and was enjoying using what Spanish I know with the restaurant staff.

At the table next to us was a  distinguished-looking man about our age with a woman. The stranger at the next table was listening and finally he spoke, telling me that the staff thought he was Indian from Mexico and so they insisted on speaking Spanish to him. But he did not understand them, and would I mind translating for him. So I did, and we began chatting. He introduced himself when I told him he looked familiar. It was Ovide Mercredi and he was taking a break from the talks in Chiapas. We had a very pleasant conversation for a few hours as we enjoyed our meals.

Gordon Lightfoot, Canadian songwriter and singer. For many years Gord had a home near Penetanguishene which is a few miles from where I live. He also sailed on Georgian Bay in his sailboat Golden Goose. I also sailed in those days (both for pleasure and competively) as crew on a 30 foot sailboat called Bobby Shaftoe. Georgian Bay is a tricky Bay to sail in with lots of shoals and vast stretches of open water. If you are crossing from Penetanguishene or Midland heading to Tobermory on the other side, you need to watch the weather as strong gales and huge waves can come up suddenly. One beautiful day four of us decided to take a run to Tobermory for a weekend away. I can't recall the year but it was in the 70s.

Golden Goose

We saw Gord's boat in the distance, making the same run. A gale came up and things got very bad. Two of our 4-person crew were seasick and not able to help take sails down or man the tiller in the storm. Gord's boat, piloted by Vic Carpenter, drew near ours and Gord yelled out to say that their crew was also seasick and we should sail together for safety reasons.

We had several hours of fighting the storm, wind and waves together as we yelled back and forth to each other. Finally we made Tobermory Bay and we anchored, as did Gord. I immediately pulled out my tape recorder (remember those?) and began playing my Gordon Lightfoot songs at full volume. Gord came out on deck and I yelled out "Hey Gord, do you like my music?" (Now so embarrassing to think about but at the time I thought I was quite clever). His response was a grumbled "It's interfering with my playing!" And he disappeared below deck. I don't think I impressed Gord very much that day.

John Dieffenbaker, 13th Prime Minister of Canada. I happened to pass him in a deserted hallway of the old Pearson Airport in Toronto in the early 1970s. He was within an arm's length from me, surrounded by 3 or 4 staff aka bodyguards. I did something something out of character - smiled and said "Hello Mr. Dieffenbaker!" He looked up and nodded his head, then kept on walking. That counts as a semi-encounter I think.

Lincoln Alexander & Lorine

Lincoln Alexander, 24th Lieutenant-Governor of Ontario. I met Mr. Alexander in April 1990 at Victoria Harbour Public School where I was teaching.  He spent some time in our classroom of special needs children and we talked for a short time. This is a photograph taken of us standing together with another teacher. That's me on the right (his left) in the polka dot skirt and short-sleeve blouse.

Guy Lombardo,  bandleader. I happened to be on an elevator with him in my hotel in Forida in the late 1960s or very early 1970s.  I think it was in Fort Lauderdale but it was so long ago I'm not sure. We were the only two on the elevator but I was too shy to speak up.

I couldn't think of anyone else but hubs seemed to think  my list was pretty good. He couldn't recall anyone famous with whom he was ever in any kind of encounter, but maybe you have an encounter or two or several that you can share with us?  It was a fun exercise and brought up a lot of old memories. I plan to add this blog post to my Genealogy Journal for my children to enjoy reading one day.