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| Ida Belle Lewis Hanna, Albuquerque, 1913 |
I love this portrait of my paternal great-grandmother, Ida Belle Lewis Hanna. It was taken in about 1913, shortly after her marriage to Glenn Hanna. I love her Oakleyesque pose on the rocks outside Albuquerque, New Mexico, complete with her leather skirt, holster, pistol, bullet belt and just a peep of petticoat.
Both Ida's father, Joseph Thomas Lewis, and Glenn's brother, Guy L. Hanna, were ill with tuberculosis, and the families had relocated to New Mexico for the benefits of the climate. The Lewis family was from Escambia County, Alabama and the Hannas from Howard County, Indiana.
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| Glenn Hanna and his delivery wagon for J.C. Boyd Grocer, circa 1912 |
I fondly remember my great-grandma telling me how she met Glenn, a delivery man for J. C. Boyd, Grocer in Albuquerque, behind a huge hanging bunch of bananas in the store. They were married March 19, 1913 in New Mexico, and returned to farm in Howard County, Indiana, after it was sadly determined that Glenn's brother, Guy, would not recover from TB.
As Alan mentioned this week, if it weren't for avid enthusiasts, like my great-grandfather, who invested in the art of photography, we would not have these wonderful treasures, these unique bits of history, family legacy, and art. We owe them a great debt of gratitude.
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| Glenn with his portable bellows camera, circa 1913 |
This is a Sepia Saturday post.
These were two incredibly attractive people ~~~ and I would wear her outfit (minus gun & holster of course) today!
ReplyDeleteThese are fantastic. How many people out there have so many pictures of their ancestors? Not just that, but how many of them actually know any of the history that goes along with the pictures?
ReplyDeleteOh my, what an awesome photograph and what a treasure to have this one with her leather skirt, holster, pistol, bullet belt and just a peep of a petticoat!! Love this fascinating post! I love family history, thanks for sharing.
ReplyDeleteThat is a very stylish outfit Ida belle is wearing and I like the big bow in her hair.
ReplyDeleteThe camera is fascinating, but doesn't look so poratble by today's standards : )
Priceless Willow,
ReplyDeleteThat is so interesting. She is cute as can be. There seems to be a little resemblance. love this post.
yvonne
It's like time travelling. Love the post - and the wonderful pic of Ida Belle Lewis Hanna.
ReplyDeleteI think you have wonderful similar cheekbones! Peace,
ReplyDeleteThese are great! Your great-grandfather Glen had a good eye for composing a shot.
ReplyDeleteBTW, you missed my Theme Thursday post; there's something there that I think you'll get a kick out of.
really fascinating shots willow...love the old outfits personally...
ReplyDeleteGreat pictures! Absolutely love her outfit!
ReplyDeleteSo, you've got a gun-totin' gradma eh? I knew all you Americans were cowboys/girls at heart.
ReplyDeleteHave a good weekend. Bisou, Cro.
You are so lucky to have these.
ReplyDeleteBut, you already know that.
:)
I love these family photos you share - she was a beauty :)
ReplyDeleteAmazing photograph - I'll bet she could shoot that gun, too, Willow!
ReplyDeleteShe was a pretty woman.
That's a terrific shot of your great-grandmother. Annie Oakley indeed.
ReplyDeleteAnd Alan was spot-on about avid enthusiasts, like your great-grandfather. We do owe people like him a great deal.
Love the photo, gun and peticoat and all. You are so right when you say if it weren't for avid enthusiasts, like my great-grandfather, who invested in the art of photography, we would not have these wonderful treasures, these unique bits of history, family legacy, and art. We owe them a great debt of gratitude". I would just add that there are so many past photographic "investments" like these that sadly go to waste, forgotten and lost after a few short generations, their gentle sepia flashbacks unseen and lessons unheard. It makes efforts like yours here and other sepia Saturday participants so important. You, too, are due some gratitude.
ReplyDeleteBy the way, your mini-review of the film The Visitor struck a chord with me. I saw it a while back and found it an enchanting story.
Hi Willow,
ReplyDeleteFirst time to your blog..love the second photo..the camera.it looks nice and old..
My Yatra Diary...
Wonderful photographs, you look like your great grandmother. Enjoyed your post, appreciate the treasure of family photos that can be identified. I have a box full of 'unknowns', but know they have to be family connnected somehow. We were fortunate to sit with my grandmother when she was in her
ReplyDelete90s, and have her help us identify many family photos before she passed. Geneaology is a fun hobby and so fascinating, my sister has traced ours as far back as the
1300's!! Have you caught the show on TV "Who do you think you are?" It is all about celebrities finding their roots. Sepia Saturday is great, thanks for sharing.
Wasn't Ida pretty - she reminds me rather of the pictures of you, willow. A definite similarity.
ReplyDeleteYou make me want to get out the photos of my ancestors now - perhaps I will
Dear Willow, You have touched my heart here for I love poring over old photographs and imagining lives and times long past. To have such albums in your family connects history with the present day and gives it meaning.
ReplyDeleteHave a lovely weekend and keep that gun in its holster!
Willow I loved your trip back in time. I find history, in particular familial history very, very interesting. I can see where you get your genes from, Ida Belle, was an adorable young woman!
ReplyDeletehow wonderful that you have these! gorgeous, just gorgeous.
ReplyDeleteWhat a treasure chest of memories you have, Willow. And all so fascinating!
ReplyDeleteThese are amazing photographs and your grandmother looks as if she was having the time of her life. The beginning of the women's movement perhaps?
ReplyDeleteSun Dance, oh, darn! I keep forgetting to watch that Ancestry program on TV. It's on Friday nights, right?
ReplyDeleteWhat a beautiful girl, willow and what a graceful, happy pose.
ReplyDeleteall three of these photos are spectacular! what treasures - the clarity of the first is so impressive.
ReplyDeletemy husband's family is rooted in alabama and alburquerque - i wonder they know any of your family....none of your family names are in his family tree (that is that i know of and f's sister continues to do amazing genealogical research - it's fun to find connections between families - in fact, through mary's research we learned his family are distant relatives to a dear friend i went to graduate school with in connecticut, who both have family ties to the samuel morse family -- i too keep forgetting about that tv show!
That first picture is especially adorable! I love seeing her so young!
ReplyDeleteMarvelous pictures. Your great grandmother was photogenic and she sure was a true pioneer. I love the outfit, holster and all.
ReplyDeleteKimy, some of my Alabama names include Lewis, Dunnam and Morris. That would be amazing if I have connections to your husband's family.
ReplyDeleteThe photograph of Ida Belle (what a wonderful name!) is priceless. And what a wonderful smile she has.
ReplyDeleteThanks for that picture of Glenn with his camera. Indeed, thanks for all these photographs which just transported me back in time to a real-life western film. The photograph of Ida is a treat - and I can see something of you in her.
ReplyDeleteLove this. I use to buy old photographs at house sales because I felt sad they had lost their connection. I would give the people names and histories but never as interesting as Ida Belle and her actual history. From your profile photo, you look very much like her to me too!
ReplyDeleteIt's interesting that so many of you mention you can see some of Ida Belle in me. Funny, since I happened to be born on her birthday, October 20.
ReplyDeleteOh wow wow!! How much do I love that gorgeous portrait. Every detail is just so lovely.
ReplyDeleteWonderful Sepia Saturday post!
Willow this was a great SS post. Ida Belle is so cute and to think she had the grit to pose like that. I am enjoying researching my family history too.
ReplyDeleteQMM
She looks so young, so full of spirit and passion! I, too, love the way her petticoat peeps out below her skirt.
ReplyDeleteThese fascinating personal glimpses into history are part of a larger mosaic which contains all our stories.
Thank you for sharing your Ida Belle.
Such clear photos---all Ida Belle needs is a long rifle beside her; so proper with the hint of bric brac petticoat showing. This is the 2nd time today I've referred to petticoats on Sepia post--a term I've not used in a very long time. The working horse photo is exquisite too.
ReplyDeleteA true piece of Americana. I liked the story and the camera. I wonder if New Mexico is a place we could go and maybe I could breathe easier.
ReplyDelete..and I owe you a debt of gratitude, too - for these posts always make me smile. What a wonderful treasure you have in these old photos and that you know the stories along with them!
ReplyDeleteI particularly love the one of Ms. Ida Belle...
Abe, you should plan a little trip west and see if the dry air makes a difference for you.
ReplyDeleteHi Willow, first I want to say how much I love your banner photo. It's perfect for spring!
ReplyDeleteAlso, I noticed that you said your great-grandmother's family was from Escambia County in Alabama. I'm originally from Covington County, Alabama which is adjacent to Escambia County on the East side. However, I do believe (though I've not done the genealogical research) that I had relatives/ancestors from that area during the early 1900s.
It always amazes me how small the world seems to be from the perspective of the internet. Thanks for sharing your family and photos. The shot of Ida is really beautiful.
Such treasures you have. Of course photography had become so easy once miniature cameras like the one here had been invented!
ReplyDeleteLovely...simply lovely. And they were right smart to move to New Mexico ;) I miss it...
ReplyDeleteReally good photos! There's a lot of spirit in Ida Belle's portrait, & the photo of Glenn in his wagon is really evocative. The Sepia Saturday really gives us a chance to ponder not only our own roots, but the general time in which our grandparents & parents grew up. This is first-rate.
ReplyDeleteThose are all wonderful, cheerful images. Ida looks so contemporary. It's hard to believe the photo is almost 100 years old.
ReplyDeleteExcellent post, Willow! You are absolutely correct; we do indeed owe a debt of gratitude to those who came before and the innovations they created that enable us to experience their lives.
ReplyDeleteKat
What a lovely lady your great-grandmother was.
ReplyDeleteaaahhh, Grandma was a cutie pie and Grandpa quite the dapper!
ReplyDeleteThanks for sharing these great photos!
:) The Bach
i was thinking the same about her outfit, it would look great today!
ReplyDeleteand i do like her hairstyle and that great flamboyant bow
The cool thing about these iconographic prints is that they would hardly be aware of how that long sitting would be for us an amazing history lesson one day. It is like I am watching a cowboy flick by John Ford. This is for real? They really dressed like that. That was really his carriage. This isnt one of those let's dress up and look like Annie Oakley or Fess Parker, these are real people living real lives in the wild west, in the real past. Amazing! But is it real?
ReplyDeleteshe was a doll for sure. i think i see some of you in her smiling face. my dad had TB also for a year and he was away in a TB hospital for that time when I was about 5. He recovered and ended up getting some kind of disability funds from the gov't as he contacted the TB in the army. About $100/mo.
ReplyDeleteTB was a dread disease that killed so many. Love the pose, bet your Grandfather staged her! You have such an interesting family and one to be proud of.
ReplyDeletewoW! Ida was So Beautiful! And what well taken photographs!
ReplyDeleteThe top photo reminded me so much of Georgia O'Keefe photos in the desert. Nice story and photos.
ReplyDeleteI love the outfit and the photography is outstanding! Thank you for sharing your family's amazing history.
ReplyDelete