My mother was 27 years old when she married my father in 1948. He was 22. They both were intelligent, sensitive, articulate, kind, caring, artistic, friendly, outdoorsy, non judgemental, unpretentious, tool users with well developed senses of humor.
Of course, they were much, much more than what I have just written. How could I possibly sum them up in just a few sentences or paragraphs? Mama was 5 years older than Pop. We lost them both at the end of 2020. She lived one month longer than he did.
My brother, sisters and I were truly fortunate to have had the parents that we did. To try and write about them now is to start grieving once again. I just couldn’t get this post out on Mother’s Day. Mama would understand.
This is Mama’s own handwriting. Her beautiful penmanship would last nearly her whole life.
From memory, I think she was 18 months old when this image was made.
She read once that her first name, Dolores, meant “sorrowful”. Consequently, she never liked it and always went by Jane.
Here she is with her mother, Ora Marguerite Layman Jackson, in the back yard of their home on Elm in Wellston.
With her mother on the front porch of their Wellston home.
Redevelopment has completely erased the neighborhood where she once lived.
With her Dad, Lowell Hobart Jackson, and a few furry critters. 1924
With Mrs. Trafflet and her baby.
The back of the previous photo.
Hot Rod Jane. 1924
Must be her third birthday in 1924.
This is her 4th birthday party.
The back of the previous photo.
We have a lot of these historic images of my family. Many are very interesting for reasons that you will soon see. Lowell and Ora moved to St. Louis where my mother was raised. They both came from rural farms. We have images that were taken at the farms during family reunions. I’ll be posting those soon.
This effort to collect and display these remnants of Maplewood history continues to be a lot of fun. No end in sight.
As always, I appreciate the interest and support of y’all. (Did I mention that I also have family in Texas?)
Doug Houser May 15, 2023
Here are the links to my first two posts about my family.
Maplewood History: My Own Family Story – The Jacksons – Part One
These pictures of your mom are just priceless! They are a portal into the past and take us to those moments when loved family members that we now grieve were young. We see their pets, surroundings, friends, birthdays, and daily moments and have a connection. Your mom looks so sweet, with her dolls, toy rabbit, kittens, and dog! Thank you for sharing.
I’m happy to hear about your family Doug!!!
Thanks for sharing your history and your photos.
Love these pics! You are definitely your mother’s child – the resemblance is very visible!
Truly? You may be the first person who has ever told me that. Thanks, Toni.
Really enjoyed these pictures of your Mother Doug. Those pictures are so special.
Thank you, Nancy. I always appreciate hearing from you and hope you are doing well.
Hi Doug, Fell down a rabbit hole looking into your mom’s birth home on Elm Street in Wellston. It would seem since the 1930s or so about every other street name in Wellston has been changed, including the now nonexistent Elm Street. So loving a good challenge, I searched through some of the old maps I have collected and this is what I found.
Elm Street in Wellston was always only a single block and at its peak had about 20 homes. Elm Street is now Evanston Ave. and only a few homes remain. Your grandparents home, 6329 Elm St., was on a large double lot and the building was placed on the western edge of the lot. In the early 1970s the house was replaced or possibly added onto; making a building with three row houses that still exist as per 2023 Google maps. I would be surprised if any of the original house was retained but the western brick wall of the current structure looks like a pretty good match of the photo with the furry critters in 1924… both down spouts are in the same position.
During this process, I also found that you have some very active family genealogist and a good amount of work has been done on your family lines. I recommend opening an account at familysearch(dot)org, which is the free Ancestry portal. From there you should be able to find your family’s genealogy and get in contact with those researching it.
Hope this is helpful, Dave P.
Wow! This is exactly what I was hoping would happen if I posted these images of my family. Much thanks, Dave. I’ll follow up on these leads that you have provided.
Hold them close, Doug. The pictures and memories are priceless!
Will do, John. I agree. They are.