All Dressed Up

Here is a photo of my father, David Barton, with his brother John (on the left). They are all dressed up for some occasion but I have not quite figured out which one. My first thought was that it was the day of their sisters’ wedding. That would have made Uncle John almost 11 years old and my father almost 14 years in June 1949 when that wedding took place. Do they look that young in the photo below? I’m not sure they do. The other family occasion that comes to mind is my Aunt Marion and Uncle Jim's wedding in 1953 when they would have been 15 years old and 18 years old.

I’ve asked a couple of relatives if they have any photos of either day with them in it but nobody has seems to have any. For now, it will have to remain a mystery lost in time. Either way, they both looked quite dapper in their suits, didn't they?

Both weddings took place in Carrville Methodist Church (eventually Carrville United Church). Like a lot of small community churches, membership declined drastically over the years and it was no longer sustainable. The building itself was sold and is now a Jewish community centre. Three generations of our family are laid to rest in the cemetery to the east of the church.

Birthday Celebration

Here is a photo of a family celebration for my first birthday. I assume my mother took the picture since she is not in it and I’m sure she would have been there. *smile* The party would have been in October 1957. I love looking at these old photos.

From left to right…Ida Amelia (White) Ash (my maternal great grandmother), Myra (Middleton) Barton (my paternal grandmother), Marion (Middleton) Ash (my aunt), David Barton (my father) holding me, John Barton (my uncle, my fathers’ brother), Jim Ash (my uncle, my mothers’ brother) holding my cousin Donna, Jack Barton (my paternal grandfather) and in the forefront is Bob Ash (my cousin, son of Marion and Jim). At first, I was not sure where this photo was taken until a couple of relatives told me that it was my paternal grandparents' house. Of course it was, my parents and I lived there until we moved into our new house in Richmond Hill in 1958.

Old Family Photographs

I am currently going through some old family photographs and plan to document what I know or remember with each one. I hope I don’t bore you with my ramblings. Here is a photo of my paternal grandmother, Myra (Middleton) Barton with my father, David Barton, when he was very young.

My father must have been two or three years old at most, and he was born in 1935, which means the photo is from 1937-1938. I’m guessing here since there is no information on the back of the photo. See the cheeky expression on his face? And look at that head of curly hair! I always wondered where my eldest son got his curly locks as a young child. Now I know for sure.

That image of my grandmother is as I remember her. She was always wearing what she called a house dress. They typically were a shift style dress (like the pattern above) with buttons down the front. They were always floral designs. She did have a sewing machine, I wonder if she made them herself? I really don't know. It wasn’t until much later in her life that I ever saw her wearing slacks. I want to find a place that can clear up the graininess, bring it into sharper focus and enlarge both photos here.