52 Ancestors In 52 Weeks: Family Pictures

One of her dearest possessions was a camera. She could capture and remember poignant moments in time, plus to her the lens was magical. Miss Mamie treasured her grandchildren of whom she took many snapshots. Miss Mamie delighted in her husband Lafe’s fishing and hunting exploits so those prizes were photographed, too. Once in a while, she would turn the camera over to a family member so he/she could snap a shot of her.

Mamie had four children: Pearl, Helen, Edward (nicknamed Jack), and Isabella.When her family was young, they visited the local photography studio to have portraits taken. Then, she got a camera…informal pictures were now hers at the snap of a button. There was Jack on his bronco…Pearl and Helen sitting in a Model T…Isabella monkeying up to the roof of the house.

Two of my family treasures are pictures she took of her granddaughter Merna Mae. One is the young MaeMae (as Merna was nicknamed) with her horse Beauty. MaeMae rode her horse to the one room schoolhouse that she attended. In the picture, she looks shyly at the ground and not facing the camera.

The other is a snapshot of MaeMae with her mother Isabella and sister Mary Lee. There they stand proudly by their car and with a pony.

Miss Mamie would be most proud to know that her little slices of everyday life are appreciated and valued by me. She was my great grandmother, and we never met. Her daughter Isabella was my grandmother while MaeMae was my mother. Miss Mamie’s name was Naomi Ruth (Stevens) Boultinghouse. And she is loved along with her family photo treasures.