A Gift From Out of the Past

  

There have been a myriad of wonderful surprises and delights that have come to me from this blog and  it seems they just keep coming.

I recently had an email from a wonderful woman named Elyssa of the blog "Fancy Pantalons", a follower who had some kind things to say about my blogging, and she happened to mention New Bedford, Mass.  I got all excited because one of my Uncles whom I have blogged about, my Uncle Harry, lived for many years in New Bedford and I had wonderful memories of the grand old Victorian house there.  I mentioned the address to Elyssa and told her about him and, wonder of wonders, the next day she sent me a photo of the house (she had driven by and found that it was still there) and an article she had located telling all about my Uncle and his achievements.

 I haven't been able to upload the article but I have managed to get the photo pulled up and, behold, here it is.  I can't quite say "in all it's glory" because the house is a bit faded, but still gorgeous, I think.
(Oh, what I could do with it if I were only 20 years younger.)

 I sent the photo to two of my young cousins and they were both tickled to see it again too. They had both been there with their parents when they were young and had fond memories.

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Comment from cousin
Rob Kapnek

Lo-

Amazing!!!

I remember many trips there, visiting

Harry, Essie and Flora, throughout

my childhood.

The house was like a living museum

to me, replete with antiques, pianos, brass

beds, silver and objects, all

of which seemed hundreds of years

old, at the time.

Essie was permanently hunched in

two, from carrying Harry up and down

the stairs, on her back.

When she was nearly 100, she was still

climbing the apple tree in the back yard to make us a pie, when we visited.

I think he was the founder of the Kiwanis Club and was always visited and lauded for his philanthropy. 

Flora was their adopted daughter and lived at home with Essie to care for Harry, wheelchair bound for more

than 60 years. 

Dad and Lew loved them and they all were really devoted to each other.

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Comment from cousin Bruce Morton

Thanks for sending this. As I recall, my Dad took the family up to Cape Cod for a vacation when I was a senior in college and my brother Ken was a freshman, and we stopped in New Bedford en route to see my 2 cousins at the house in New Bedford. They were both female, around 88 and 93 years old as I recall. When we arrived, one of them was up on a tall ladder replacing a light bulb, and the other one was doing house repairs. I was stunned at their vibrancy for their age.  We got a tour of the house, which was full of original woodworking art.

Great, fascinating..............

Thanks.

Love,

     Bruce
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I am incredibly grateful to Elyssa for her research and zeal in bringing back these wonderful memories.
The wonders of blogging will never cease to amaze and thrill me.
e.

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Sat, Mar 26, 2011 12:48 pm

A_History_of_New_Bedford.docx