Weeks 18-22: 52 Weeks of Genealogy

Week 18: Institutions - Grandpa Frank

My paternal grandfather passed away when my father was 16 years old, so I never met him. My dad always said he worked for the county, but not specifically where. In the 1940 census, it's noted he worked for the "Home for Dependent Children" and the occupation was "Janitor." In the 1950 census, he was listed as a "Building Mechanic" working for the "Country."

The Home for Dependent Children was built in 1898, the children who lived at the home were from poor families who couldn’t afford to care for them or children whose parents were incarcerated, and they had become orphans. In 1931, there were 555 children living on the grounds, the home closed in 1982. There is only of of the three buildings left and it now houses the Milwaukee County Park System headquarters. You can learn more here: https://onmilwaukee.com/articles/county-parks-headquarters. I don't know where my grandfather worked in the facility or if he had any contact with the children.

Interesting bit of history about my grandfather and Milwaukee County.

Week: 19: At the Library

As a kid, I walked or road my bike everywhere. It was a time when I told my mom where I was going and she told me what time to be home. One on favorite places to go was Tippecanoe Library in Milwaukee. The library was on the corner of Howard Ave. and Howell Ave. about 10 blocks from our house. My first library card came from this library and this library is where I discovered my love of reading.

(Photo courtesy of Milwaukee County Library System)

Week 20: Wheels

My dad loves cars and he loves restoring them. His first love was a Sierra Gold 1957 Chevy Bel Air. Through out my teenage life, I had many cars as dad bought cars that were "totaled" by insurance companies and restore them... I have fond memories of an 1976 orange Chevy Chevette, a blue Ford Fairmont wagon and many others. As my folks became empty nesters, he became an expert in restoring vintage corvettes and late 1960'2 muscle cars. They say you never forget your first love.

The original 1957 Chevy.

He finally found the perfect 1957 to restore!

The license plate says it all, "R-OLD 57," loving restored, pretty much all original colors, upholstery and dash, it was a labor of love.

A craft long lost, not many people restore cars for fun anymore, for him, it's love.

Week 21: Military

My paternal grandfather served in World War II. Drafted at the age of 21 in September of 1942, he spent time in Italy and was honorably discharged in October of 1945.

He was a Sargent in the Army although he was designated as "Branch Immaterial" which meant the Army didn't need to track the warrant officer's branch. After he passed, a cousin shared a lot of his memorabilia and he had saved many issues of Stars and Stripes and other ephemera from his time in the service. He didn't talk about his time in the service, but he was proud to have served and instilled a sense of civic responsibility into his family.

As a part of the greatest generation, his service did not end after he left the service. He went on to take a very active role in the Veteran's of Foreign Wars Post. He served as a commander of Charles E Fidler VFW Post 9469. Much of my childhood involved going to "The Post" for Memorial Day or summer picnics or Christmas parties.

Every time I see a veteran with poppies, I give, in honor of my grandfather.

Week 22: Reunion

My Dad and his siblings

Every Christmas, my dad, his siblings, and our families would come together at Grandma's on either Christmas Eve or Christmas Day. As we kids grew up, went to school, and began our own lives, the family Christmas gatherings became smaller. Our family doesn't have many reunions, but after not seeing my cousins for many years, I proposed a family reunion in 2016 with my dad, his siblings, all the cousins, and their children. We gathered at a cousin's lake house in Southeast Wisconsin, and everyone attended: my dad and his two siblings, 8 first cousins, and 15 first cousins once removed. Some of the kids met their cousins for the first time! The age difference from the oldest to the youngest was 15 years. We traveled from all over the US; CA, AZ, NY, and IL.

Prior to the reunion, I asked my cousins to send me pictures of their families and created Shutterfly books of the families including our grandparents and great grandparents. It was a great chance for all of us to catch up on each others lives.