Uncle Jakie

Today, I began sorting the pictures I scanned at Mama's week before last. This was one of the first I encountered - it's Uncle Jakie as a baby!!

You may remember that Granddaddy was married to Ruby Linwood Dodds and together, they had two children - James D. Dunn and Dorothy L. Dunn.

This picture is of JD Dunn (baby) on his maternal grandfather's lap, with his great grandfather, Frank McElroy seated to his left. That's Granddaddy standing.




Because this was a little hard for me to piece together, I've included a piece of the family tree below. If you click on the image, you can view it full-size.

A Splash of Water

How do you make cornbread? Do you add a "splash of water" after mixing in the buttermilk? Mama and I agree that last little splash of water makes the cornbread more fluffy. She said Maudie always added a little water to her cornbread. We wondered if Maudie added the water to make her cornbread more fluffy OR did she add it because she was running short of buttermilk?

Tonight's dinner: Chili and cornbread

Either way, I always add a "splash of water" to my cornbread (and Tim does the same for his pancakes). And every time I add that splash, I think of Maudie.

Hayden Family 1905

One of the things I had hoped to find as I gathered old pictures was to see what Maudie's husband looked like. Here he is, William Edward "Ed" Hayden, Jr. He's standing behind Maudie (Mary Isabelle, "Mayme"). Seated to Maudie's right is her father-in-law, William Edward Hayden, Sr. He is holding someone near and dear to our hearts, Mary Rowena Hayden (Dunn).


She was born in 1903, so I estimated this picture may have been taken in 1905. The pictures Pete Cannon gave us are truly priceless. Check this out:



I added the close up picture inset in the family picture and I added the red arrow above. The way I see it, once I've figured out how Pete's information relates to us, I'm going to create an additional version that makes it easier for us to relate to.

Mary Rowena Hayden 1918

Grandmother!!! Mary Rowena Hayden, about 15 years old. This came from the CD that Pete Cannon gave us. (Maudie, Mary Isabelle or "Mayme", was a Cannon before marrying William Edward Hayden.)

Pete had made some notes, and this one said "Rowena Hayden portrait, circa 1918".

William Trimbletoes

This picture was scanned by Pete Cannon. His notes say, "Mary Isabelle (Cannon) Hayden seated on the lawn with Ruby holding her doll, and Fred, circa 1910."

William Trimbletoes,
He's a good fisherman.
Catches fishes,
Puts em in dishes.
Catches hens,
Puts em in pens.
Some lay eggs,
Some none.
Wire, briar,
limber lock.
Three geese,
In a flock.
One flew east.
One flew west.
One flew over the cuckoo's nest.
My Mama told me to pick this very one.
O....U....T..... you dirty dishrag YOU!

While not all my family members remember Maudie as the kind, nurturing great-grandmother who patiently colored and played games, that is who MY Maudie was. And William Trimbletoes was one of the games she played with me.

It was a finger-counting game. I'd spread my hands out and Maudie (also Mama) would gently touch each of my little fingers as they recited the rhyme. The finger that was "out" was then folded under my hand - missing from the next countdown.

I googled William Trimbletoes, just for kicks, and found lots of references.

And in case you don't recognize the little toes here, they belong to Shelley's babies: Evan, Nate, and Lizzie. Thought the toes of a new generation would be a most appropriate image to use in illustrating their great-great-great-grandmother's finger counting game.

William Trimbletoes - You were fun!

****CORRECTION****

There was only ONE fishpond at the funeral home. Grandmother Rowena ordered the supplies for the pond. How in the world she received live fish....who knows!!?!

Stack Cake = Delicious

It's simply delicious! Tim, Sarah, and David all loved it. Will definitely make it again. Wish I could write Grandma and thank her for her recipe.