I don’t think linearly. As I struggle to get my head around who Aunt Marian was, and what she was like, I think about the years she was in the military—but I also think about the first 45 years of her life.
Aunt Marian was the born on a farm near Montgomery in southern Lycoming County, Pennsylvania in 1899. She was the 6th of 13 children. I have a few very low quality pictures of the farm that probably date from the 1930s.
It’s changed a lot over the years. The barn is long gone—though the silos are still stand silently guarding the landscape.
When I recently walked past the farm, if I squinted a little, I could almost see a pre-teen Aunt Marian laughing and chasing her siblings around the yard playing tag on a lovely spring day . . I could also almost see a huge vegetable garden at the side of the house waiting to be planted as soon as the soil dries out a little. . . and cows in the pasture. . . and . . .
My Aunt the WAC 
What a wonderful post . . .I can see her too!
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I’m glad you liked it.
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It’s so wonderful that you have the old pictures.
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I have a few old photos–though I wish that I had more. 🙂
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Any old pictures are great. I find that it’s sometimes hard to decide what to do with those old low-quality pictures because there’s still something there that you might not be able to see now.
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I used to quickly discard low-quality photos, but over the past few years, as I’ve worked on various family history projects, I’ve learned to appreciate photos with many flaws. They often contain important information and clues about my ancestors lives.
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I love how you are able to connect, first Helena and now Marian to land belonging to the family – not many can do this Sheryl. ❤
Diana xo
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Thank you for the kind words. I tend to think that home, land, and communities.play a role forming the personality of a person.
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It is wonderful that the house is still standing. Yes, I am sure they had a big garden and some cows too.
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There have been a lot of changes over the years–but fortunately many of the old farm houses are still standing in rural Pennsylvania.
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It’s really wonderful that the old houses are still there.
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Hurrah! Glad to have found you again. Somehow you fell out of my feed, but now you’re back. Looking forward to following the adventures of your aunt.
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Welcome! I’m glad you found it. It’s good to have you on-board.
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Really nice photo essay – both words & pics. I’ll have to get out my map–heading to PA again soon!
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It’s nice to hear that you liked it. This area is on the other side of the Susquehanna River from McEwensville–and 10 miles or so further north. It’s just off Route 15.
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The house somehow looks more elegant to me in the old photo. Very special that you found the old homestead and were able to match the old with the present. Did your family keep the farm after your aunt’s parents both died?
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No, the farm was sold shortly after her parents died. I also think that it looks nicer (and more “homey”) in the old photo.
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Loved the Vines in the old photo …it made for a cooler porch before Air Conditioning:)
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The vines and the porch swing make house look so inviting in the old photo.
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Like you, I’ve begun looking at the few family photos I still have with an eye more forgiving than a photographer’s. And I’ve found that even the “worst” photo can be enhanced digitally. I’m not very good at it, but my aunt wanted one photo retouched, and with a lot of patience I could get rid of some creases and such.
Your then-and-now photos reminded me of one of my favorite bluegrass songs. You may know it — it’s called The Old Home Place.
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I’m also not very good at digitally enhancing old photos. I may need better software–and I definitely need more patience. 🙂
Thanks for reminding me of The Old Home Place. It’s a good song. Somehow the words seem more bittersweet and meaningful now that I’m a little older than what they did when I was a younger woman.
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I only use PicMonkey, and it has tools now that are perfectly fine for what I do. I did subscribe to the Pro version, but it’s dirt cheap compared to some products like Adobe.
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Thanks for the info. I’ll have to give it a try.
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Wow that is awesome you have photos of the house for when your Aunt lived there and now recent ones too! It would be neat if you could have gone I side to see it! Hugz Lisa and Bear
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It is nice that the house is still standing. I try to respect the privacy of the people who currently live in house, so didn’t ask to see inside.
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