Photo Sharing Theme of the Week: Paternal

Question

This week's photo sharing theme: Paternal.

To participate, simply:

1. Choose a family photo that fits this week's theme.
2. Add it to this week's free-space gallery.
3. Reply with an answer below to let us know which photo you're sharing. If you want to include the photo but don't know how, click here.

The photo you share might be featured on the WikiTree home page and in our social media channels as next week's Family History Photo of the Week.

If you use a social network (Facebook, Instagram, etc.) you might want to share your photo there as well. This can be a great way to involve more family members. Many people love seeing old family photos. Be sure to add #52weeksofphotos and #wikitree to your post.

Also see: Profile Accuracy Theme of the Week: Father's Day.

Answer 1

Here is my great-grandfather Tien Zhu Wang, father of my paternal grandmother.  I don't know a lot about him except that he was a doctor of traditional Chinese medicine.  Both of his daughters eventually married doctors trained in Western medicine.  My grandmother had evidently learned from her father and knew a lot about traditional remedies.  For this week, it would have been fun to show a photo of my father's father's father, but I don't think any exist.  He was a flower farmer and I think he passed on his gift for growing things to several of his grandchildren who love to raise orchids.

Comments

What a wonderful photo of your great grandfather. It would be interesting to know about the medications he used. Thank you Betsy for sharing his photo and story.

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Hi Alexis--Yes, I would love to know too!  My oldest aunt seemed to have learned the most from my grandmother and in turn passed this on to her daughter.  This is definitely a topic for conversation next time I see that cousin.

Answer 2

My son's . . .father's . . .father's. . .father, Thomas Bolivar Stanga, was the father of six sons. (His own father was the father of seven sons and one daughter.)

Comments

A handsome family photo you have, Joyce, a bit of a tongue twister, at first, but now I have it straight.

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I love the bookend puppies, Joyce.  I'm curious when and where was this photo taken?

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Kelly, the baby in this picture, was born February 1908, so picture was probably that same year. (Claiborne and Allen came along later.) The family lived in the piney woods of Louisiana, around Bedico and Ponchatoula.

Just for contrast, here's my great-grandmother and six of her seven children (five girls and two boys.)

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I love how your family pictures have the names of people written.  I have a shoebox filled with photos and I have no idea who they were. These are lovely pictures, Joyce.

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Pat, thanks for the comment. I'm the person who wrote the names of the Stanga family on the picture. In my family, people used their first names, or maybe a standard nickname like "Jim" for James. In the Stanga family, people used their first names or middle names or some random nickname like Mutt or Lum or Pink. So when I figured out who was who, I wrote it down. I too have pictures with no names, or with helpful labels like "taken last winter." I have one labelled Great Grandma Coons, but no idea whose great-grandma she was.

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I really love seeing the old style fashions.  Thanks for sharing.

Answer 3

This is a photo taken about 1900 of my paternal great grandfather Thomas W. McCleery, sitting lower right. His father died the same year he was born, and his mother remarried. These are his three younger half brothers: Alfred E. Hillman, sitting on the left; Christie Henry Hillmann, standing left and Alexander Diederick Hillmann, standing on the right. 

Comments

Christie and Alex  are buttoned top-to-bottom, Thomas has only the bottom unbuttoned, Alfred has only the top buttoned. My wife always instructed me when wearing a suit coat, always button the top and middle one, and never button the bottom one. On a four-button coat, don't button the top or bottom.

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Another gorgeous photo sweet Alexis, what a gorgeous photo of your paternal grandfather, how very sad his dad die same year.the all look stunning on the photo

Thank you for sharing

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Bryan, thank you for your great comment about the buttons. Interesting that they all four are wearing practically the same thing except for neckties. Funny how these challenges make us look closer at our photos.

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Susan, when I first joined WikiTree, I was very surprised to see that there was a profile and photo of Thomas, since my father was his only grandchild, and I was his only great grandchild. No other site had him, and it had to have come from the Hillman Family. This really made me happy to know that he was a part of their family. Thomas’s step-father, Henry Hillmann, must have been a very good man.

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Four very nice looking young men. Thank you for sharing another of your wonderful photos, Alexis.

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Thank you Robin for the nice comment.

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Alexis,  Studying your tribute to Henry Hillmann, paused me to know better my own maternal ancestors, of which, at age 6 my grandfather lost his father of 33 and my grandmother at age 7 lost her father of 35.......may I join you, on this Father's Day, on remembering those stepfathers who carried on the families.

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John, you always have lovely and insightful comments Thank you for reminding me how special stepfathers are, and a very happy Fathers Day to you today.

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Thankyou, Alexis. Now for a nap before today's activities start.....and,  I see what kind of mischief I can get into. 

Answer 4

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Well, the photo isn't of the highest image quality but here is a picture of who I believe to be David Newbury with his wife (to be) Harriet and only daughter Kathleen as well as an unidentified, ungendered and thoroughly unimpressed cat. 

David was the only male child in his family that reached adulthood and so this particular branch of the Newbury line ended when his daughter married. Still, just because he won't be on anyone's direct paternal line this week doesn't mean he's less important (and, besides, I don't have a picture for anyone on my paternal side!).

Comments

That's great that you could honor him and the Newbury line. Now, about that cat.. any offspring there?

Answer 5

This photo is my dad and my older brother, my dad looks very happy and maybe a little unsure of what fatherhood would bring, he didn't know at the time that this child would be the first of seven children, the first and last children boys, with 5 girls and 16 years between the 2 boys.  

Comments

Reminds me of my first picture holding my son. I have a definitive expression of not knowing what to do.

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My grandfather was also the oldest of seven children--he had  five sisters and was 15 before he had a brother. Someone asked him if he was happy to  finally have a brother. He replied, "when he's 15, where will I be?"

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My older brother ran around the house and announced to everyone ' I finally have a brother!'

Answer 6

Story Time: I had this picture of six unidentified men, and had stored it away to research another day. As I dug back through my father's side of the family, I had pictures of my father, his father (Clay), and his grandfather (Grant), but no further back. I had a picture of Grant's mother, "Granny Betty", but not his father. Granny Betty was well loved in the county and I see her picture pop up a frequently on the local genealogy chat pages.I seemed everyone knew her or knew of her. So I asked if anyone had a picture of her husband, Matt Lawson. Several weeks went by and I got the following photo:

Comments

They were identified as my great-great-grandparents, Matt and Betty Lawson. Now I know the five men in the picture are my great-great-grandfather, Matt, sitting next to Willie Greene (Betty's father) and Matt's three boys, including my great grandfather, Grant, in the middle back.

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How great that you could finally solve the picture puzzle. An interesting story.

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What a great story, Bryan. Thanks for sharing it with us and the photos. I love a mystery.

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Hello Bryan, Joyce and Robin,

Thank you all for sharing your comments about photographic puzzles and mysteries. My grandmother had several photo albums with many pictures, almost none of which is identified by name. Sometimes only a year on a page is written in pencil on a black background, which is hard to read. However, I have managed to figure out from circumstantial evidence the identity of many (but not all) people whose images appear in the first album. For example, I used the background location, their approximate age, the presence of a wedding ring, and facial features to identify my second cousin once removed, his wife, and child, as well as his grandfather. Moral of the story: we all love a good mystery, but please make notes so the next generation will not need to play detective to identify the people, places, etc. in your photo album.

Answer 7

For this week's topic, I have chosen my mother's stepfather, Josef Wilhelm Beumer (1911-1944).
The photo was taken at Christmas 1943 and it is the last photo in which he can be seen alive. He was killed in action as a platoon leader of a tank unit in the Netherlands on September 20, 1944.

The photo shows him with his son, Hans-Jürgen Gerhard Beumer (1939-2018) on his arm, my mother and his stepdaughter Hannelore Gisela Beumer, née Grabow, widowed Lewerenz, widowed Hahn (1934-2021) and his wife (my grandmother) Herta Martha Auguste Beumer, née Grabow (1913-1984). 

Comments

That is awesome. I will assume Herr Beumer was in the Bundeswehr, although he might be Dutch?. It is somewhat difficult to realize that warriors on both sides of a conflict are just everyday people, but willing to give their all for what they believe in.

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Thank you Dieter for sharing this wonderful photo

How sad he was killed

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Yes. It was tragic.

During Operation Market Garden, his tank was shot down by a US tank. He and the gunner were able to get out of the tank alive, but were killed by machine gun fire.

Answer 8

My grandfather, Bill Koehnline with his grandfather, J.A. Monroe, known to him as "Pap-Pap" in Wheeling, WV, around 1930-1935. My grandfather was a major influence on my life & self-identity, as his mother & her father were on his. I haven't yet taken it upon myself to write a proper biography for J.A. yet, though I fully intend to in the near future; he was a physician, & he wrote one of the most extensive collections of family stories & history that existed for my recent family prior to my own work: finished around 1913, the three-hundred or so page Monroe Memoirs, subsequently expanded upon by my grandfather & I, are a thorough compendium of all the information & research collected & remembered by J.A. about his family, & contain much valuable information I haven't yet had the chance to put up here on WikiTree.

By the time of this photo, J.A. had gone completely blind, but my grandfather fondly remembered traveling with him, & J.A. reading to him from his extensive collection of Braille books.

Comments

A wonderful story and a wonderful picture. Thank you.

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Thank you Thomas for sharing this story and the photo. The biography sounds like it will be wonderful.

Answer 9

My Father Richard aka Donald (young boy) in front of his brother in law Willie. Next to them is my great uncle William with his daughter Elenora holding Willie's daughter Beverly. Last man is my grandfather Richard 

Comments

I wonder why the photographer stood on the other side of the fence? And what Elenora was standing on-- while she held up the baby? And Donald has to peek around so he can see? These aren't city folks who get dressed up fancy to go into town to the photographer's studio. Thanks for an interesting picture.

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Joyce..yes and I wonder what is in the bag uncle William is holding..lol I do know that for some reason the whole photo didn't load and there is a big horse that Elenora is sitting on sideways.

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You can reduce the size of the picture so that we can see the horse. Follow these instructions.

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Thank you Joyce..It worked !

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So many of these family pictures have dogs and cats. The horse deserves his place, too.

Answer 10

This is my grandad, Gordon reading to his children in 1949. The children are from left to right, my uncle Clive, my Mum, my aunt April and my aunt Zella.  I really love the expression on my aunt Zella's face, she looks enthralled.

 

Comments

This is definitely a paternal photo, Jutta. My dad used to read to us children and it was a very special time, as it appears to be with your grandfather and his children. Thank you for sharing.

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This is an exceptional picture of a very common,yet very special time in a father (and child's) life,

Answer 11

My father, William Thompson, Akyab, Burma, 1900.  This photo is very dear to me because in the 1950's, when it was shown to me, my father explained that Merralee was his best friend for 4 years until he was taken to Cheltenham, England.                                                                                    

Comments

Thank you John for sharing this wonderful photo.

Most be sad for both loose a friend

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This is a wonderful photo, John. It shows us so much of the time period -- the "stroller", your grandfather's clothing, Merralee's clothing -- thank you for sharing it.

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Susan,  William was left in Cheltenham, in 1904, while his parents went back to Burma for another 5 year term.....upon their return to Cheltenham, William remembers remarking to his mother, "you're not wearing the same hat".

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Robin,  William's brother, 'Jack', was born in Cheltenham, in 1904, and taken back for his turn to be raised in Burma.

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Very interesting, John. Do you think "his turn" was because he was too young to be away from his parents? Or was there a benefit to spending time in Burma over elsewhere? Or both?

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I'm sure, Robin, that 'Jack' was young so that he went with his parents and, thanks to your question, I have just surmised that William was left with 2, well established, grandparent families to commence his education.  When their father finished his last 5 year term as Superintendent of Burma Police, he took his family to the Okanagan, in British Columbia, where their sister Norah was born.

Answer 12

My paternal great-grandfather, Eugene Davenport with his four grandsons.  My grandfather, one of his two sons, died not long before this picture was taken.

Comments

What a wonderful photo! The two boys on the left don't look too thrilled about having their picture taken, but the rest of the family seem to be enjoying it. Thank you for sharing it.

Answer 13

A pic of Janine Leigh Isleman , my dad ,  Richard Lee Isleman , Jonathan Richard Isleman and my older brother , The pic was taken in 1964 in our backyard at the time we lived on a canyon , so there were all kinds critters , jackrabbits, roadrunners, snakes , lizards , etc , I was always the one who got into situations, and my dad would come rescue me I was bad about climbing trees and getting stuck, My dad was good about being involved in our activities I was a girl scout and explorer scout , my brothers were in the boy scouts so he would go on outings as well as my mother 

Comments

Thank you Janine for sharing such a happy paternal photo. My very best of memories are from being a Girl Scout.

Answer 14

This week I'd like to highlight my husband's Uncle Bill. When my husband's dad was away from home for an extended period of time while his own kids were children Bill stepped up to be a paternal influence in their lives.

Though Bill had three sons of his own he made special time to take my husband and his six siblings on outings to the roller skating rink, swimming, etc. Not only did he provide diversions for the children, but he provided their mother with a much appreciated break. The children all remember him very fondly.

Comments

Thank you Robin for sharing such a wonderful photo of your husband’s uncle. I loved that you wrote about Bill being the type of man that stepped up to help his brother’s family; glad to know he is remembered.

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Thank you, Alexis, for your always kind comments. I wish I could have known him, but he died in 1959, still relatively young.

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Robin,  Your husband's Uncle Bill reminds me of my friend's father who as Scout Master would take us tent camping at all times of the year, to church occasionally and invite us over to watch Ed Sullivan on Sunday evenings......they will be fondly remembered...

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Thank you, John!

Answer 15

Back Row: my half brothers (Harold and Miles), my father (Vernon), myself (age 12)

Front Row: my paternal grandparents (Jesse and Hattie), my nephew Eric (Miles' son)

Date: October 1991

Place: North Myrtle Beach, South Carolina on the Air Force Base (Ballroom Area)

Event: Family Reunion

Comments

Jesse appears to be a very proud grandfather.....and thankyou Eileen for the opportunity to get to know your family.

Answer 16

This is my mother's father, Arthur McClain with my three oldest sisters (his first grandchildren). They are on the porch of my parents' home at the time, in Albany, Oregon. Photo was taken in 1939. My sisters, from left, are Kathryn, Clara and Donna Wright.

I didn't ever know my grandfather. He died in an accidental fall before I was born. But by all accounts he was a wonderful father and (as can be seen here) a wonderful grandfather.

Comments

A happy moment......and, I see the family resemblance.

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Lloyd, what an absolutely adorable photo! Thank you for sharing it.

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Thanks for the comment, John. Yes, happy for sure. And those McClain genes did get passed on strongly, as you astutely observed.

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Thank you for the sweet comment, Alexis. I agree with you!

Answer 17

My great grandfather, William Jefferson Sims (1852-1924), is seated in this photo.  

My grandfather, James "Jim" Sims (1889-1962), is on the far right.

My grandfather had 3 brothers: Charles Sims (1879-1956) ... Valentine "Vollie" William Sims (1883-1966) are identified on the photo.  The other brother, Herman Sims (1877-1947), is not identified, so it might be the person to the far left?

Comments

Confused.

Is the "person on the far right" your grandfather, or an unidentified person who might be your grandfather's brother.

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OOppss ... I got my left and right mixed up ... Herman is possibly the one on the far left ... my grandfather, Jim, is on the far right.

Answer 18

This week I am sharing a photo of my great grandfather, my dad's, dad's, dad Robert Leland George 1887-1947, George-5816. Robert is on the left in this photo, he is inspecting the Austrian Winter Peas. He worked for the Denton Soil Conservation District of Denton County. 

Comments

Thank you Stacie for sharing such a great photo of your great grandfather. I especially like the photos where people are doing things.

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Your mention of Austrian Peas caught my attention, Stacie. My father had a seed business in the small farming community where I grew up in Oregon. When I was in maybe 4^th grade, I brought samples of a bunch of different seeds to school for some assignment (science, I suppose). One of the seeds I brought was Austrian Peas. I remember being fascinated by that seed because it was so much bigger than all the others. I believe some farmers in the area planted Austrian Peas as a winter cover crop. The fact that they were called "Austrian Winter Peas" in Denton makes me suspect maybe they were planted for a similar purpose there.

I don't remember seeing a field of Austrian Peas like in your photo, but seeing your great grandfather in a field inspecting the crop brought back memories of my father and the seed business. Thanks for sharing!

Answer 19

My father, William T. Ceruti, was an electronics technician, a musician, a sailor and a photographer. He passed an appreciation of all of these things on to me. Here is a picture of him at work in 1961 at the Radio Corporation of America, Riverhead, Suffolk County, New York, USA tuning in communication signals and relaying them to their next destination. He used to fix electrical devices around the house when they malfunctioned. He was skilled at performing many tasks and I learned from him.

 

Comments

Wow!  Marion,  All those switches, dials and meters quickened my pace as I scrolled down your photo of Mr. Ceruti at his work......took me right back to some of my childhood interests......thankyou.  

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Thank you Marion for sharing such a great photo of your father. He had to have been a highly intelligent and talented man.

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My reaction was similar to John's. The equipment in the background is fascinating! Also found the visor interesting. But most of all the body language--it would be interesting to know what was going on just then to prompt that response from your father. Thanks for sharing this photo.

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I think that what is going on in this photo is that my father was presenting to the photographer the equipment that he used. I can almost hear him say, "Here it is!" He never explained to me how these devices worked, but being a third-generation electrical professional (now retired) I have an idea. Communication signals lost amplitude when traveling over long distances. From the double construction, it looks like a signal would come into one side of the device. The operator would amplify the signal. Then the operator could relay the signal so that the outgoing signal's amplitude visually matched that of the incoming signal. The trade magazine of the Radio Corporation of America was named Relay because that's what they did ;-). Nowadays, what was done manually and labor intensively is all automatic. The RCA no longer operates this station because it is (nostalgically) obsolete.

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Thanks for the informative reply, Marion. I'm a retired digital network engineer, so what you describe is not foreign to me.

In any case, it's a great photo of your father in his work environment!

Answer 20

I only just today received my email notification of this week's photo sharing for Father's Day.  Be that as it may, I have shared one of my favorites photos of my father at https://www.wikitree.com/photo/jpg/52_Weeks_of_Photos_Paternal-7.  It was taken at the celebration of his and Mom's 25th wedding anniversary and includes all eleven of his offspring.  I don't know how to add the photo directly on this page, but perhaps that's because the best answer has already been selected.

Comments

Thank you Loretta for sharing such a lovely photo of your family. With ten siblings, you must have had fun growing up—and lots of stories.

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Thank you Alexis.  It was indeed fun growing up, with lots of stories.  Fortunately for the two boys, they were right next to each other in age instead of being, for example, the eldest and the youngest.  There were some disadvantages, such as wearing lots of hand-me-downs, but I wouldn't trade my family or our growing up for anything in the world.

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Here are some instructions or posting your picture to this photo challenge. I hope to see yours.