My Grandparents’ House

My grandparents, David and Mary Ann "Minnie" Methven, purchased the house at 423 Westbourne Dr. in West Hollywood, California in 1929. They moved from the house at 4125 Hammell St. in East Los Angeles, California.

My grandfather built the first house by himself when the family moved to California in 1919. He did everything except the plumbing because his brother-in-law was a plumber. The house is still standing all these years later, although it has been remodeled to such an extent that the original house is no longer recognizable. (I could not find a good photo of it.) Mother and I used to drive by it once in a while just to see if it still existed.

The new house in West Hollywood was much larger than the old house. The family now had three daughters and needed more space.

The story I was told was that the builder had intended to live there himself, but he had to move to another state. Grandpa heard about it from a friend and purchased it.

I have this small painting of the house. Grandma told me that during the Great Depression, itinerant artists went from house-to-house volunteering to paint them for a very small amount of money. The actual painting is about the size of a postcard. It is done on a thin piece of wood and is signed “O.J. Russert” and dated ’33.

Until her death, Grandma hung it next to the front door.

At the time I was born in 1946, my parents lived in the “little house,” an ADU behind the “big house.” My grandfather built the “little house” originally when his father came to live with them. Great-grandpa later moved to the third bedroom in the main house, and my older aunt and uncle, Gordon and Muriel Collin, moved into the “little house.”

It was originally just one room with a Murphy bed with a half bath (toilet and sink) attached. It never had a shower or tub.

When my aunt and uncle moved out, my mother moved in. She lived there when my dad was in the military in WWII. They were married on October 27, 1942 at the Wee Kirk o' the Heather at Forest Lawn Memorial Park when Dad was home on leave, and their reception was held at the house.

Dad and Grandpa added a lovely, large, sunny kitchen and breakfast nook on to the “little house.” My parents still had to go to the “big house” for showers and baths, but it was a cozy place to live.

After over four years in the US Army, Dad was discharged. He first reported on April 21, 1941 and served through November 24, 1945. Since Dad passed away at thirty-seven years of age, the loss of these four-and-a-half years was significant.

My earliest memories are as a baby waking up in my crib, which was shoved against one wall of the living room/bedroom. Mom and Dad were in the kitchen with the lights on entertaining friends. Smoke arose around them (Dad smoked) as they talked. I knew I was supposed to be asleep, and I tried to be as still as possible.

I remember the yellow kitchen with its sheer curtains. These are happy memories of a time when I was safe and cared for.

Every day, when Grandpa came home from work, he walked by the “big house” and tapped on the kitchen window so Grandma would know he had arrived. However, his first stop was the “little house” to see me. He carried me around and talked to me. Sometimes, he took me to the “big house” and pointed out objects: door, table, picture, window, etc. Because of this, I had a 52-word vocabulary at one year old. (Mom wrote all of them in my baby book because she was sure no one would believe her.)

When I was a bit older, Grandpa read to me. Although space was at a premium, the bottom drawer of the dresser was filled with books. Grandma and Grandpa and my parents bought me lots of Little Golden Books. Some of my favorites are still published. I wore out quite a few. It was through Grandpa that I learned to love reading.

Dad and Grandpa loved working together on “projects.” Grandpa adored Christmas. He and Dad built lots of decorations from wood and many “found” items.

They built a whole village of “tiny houses,” most of which were based on real structures. They created a village on the front lawn, surrounded by a miniature picket fence, and covered in Ivory Snow (washing machine soap flakes). They formed street lights from tin cans and wired them to illuminate the “village.”

Later on, they added a Santa on the roof, two large reindeers, and a sleigh full of presents. In this photo, a few of the “tiny houses” are along the wall.

Dad and Grandpa both worked at the Broadway Department Store in downtown L.A. They obtained the reindeer—previously used in a window display—when the store discarded them. After my family moved to Alhambra in 1948, the deer came with us.

Grandpa died of a heart attack at the Broadway at closing time on October 27, 1948. He was just fifty-five years old. I was twenty-six months old, but I still remember him. And I remember the night he died.

I have a memory of standing at the screen door of the “little house” waiting for of his footfalls on the driveway and the sound of his voice. They never came.

Unfortunately, most of the “tiny houses” were lost in a fire in Grandma’s garage a couple of years after Grandpa died.

Ironically, my father also died of a heart attack in the Broadway on February 16, 1954 at opening time. He was only thirty-seven years old.

My grandmother passed away on the 26^th of March in 1969, while we were on the road driving to Illinois, where Larry had a job. When we called to let our parents know we had arrived, we learned that they had just attended her funeral. The house was sold a year later, before we returned to California.

I am grateful to have these photos of my grandparents’ home since it was the site of many lovely memories.

57 Years – And Counting

 On September 4, 1965, Larry and I said, “I do.” How can it be that long ago?

Last year, to celebrate my August 24 birthday and our 56^th anniversary, we spent wo nights and three days at the Grand Californian Hotel at the Disneyland Resort. We LOVED it!

Because we had enjoyed our time back at the parks so much, we decided to get annual passes again. We had them for years, but when the prices went crazy, we gave them up. Going back made us realize how much we had missed spending time there.

Because the passes are SO outrageously expensive, we decided to go at least every two weeks to make them worthwhile. We call it “theme park aerobics,” and we put in 10,000-18,000 steps each time.

With the horrible heat wave this year, we decided to go again for our anniversary.

We arrived on the 4^th, our actual anniversary. We did not have park reservations for the day, and it was the actual Labor Day Monday, so we just checked into the hotel, enjoyed the cool air, and rested in the afternoon.

Last year, Larry decided to add the concierge service on to the cost of the hotel. (It’s only money…) We decided to do it again this time. We figured we actually saved money because this includes food service most of the day and night in the Veranda Room. We ate all our meals there during our stay and avoided the insane prices at the resort restaurants.

Our first night, we went to the Veranda and sat outside. From there, we could see the nighttime fireworks from Disneyland. They also piped in the accompaniment music. We met several other Disney fanatics and had a great time.

A perk of staying at one for the resort hotels is early entry to Disneyland. It used to be an hour, but now it is only half an hour. Still… They also limit early entry to about a dozen rides in Fantasyland and Tomorrowland, but heck, we love avoiding the crowds.

First day in Disneyland

We went in early on Tuesday morning-before the heat set in. We rode on about seven rides, and got back to the hotel before 10:00 a.m. We rode the monorail back to Downtown Disney. The hotel entrance isn’t far from the monorail station.

We had gotten coffee before we left, but when we came back, we ate breakfast in the Veranda Room. Then we went back to our room, cooled off, and worked a bit on the computer.

Late in the afternoon, we went into California Adventure and rode Soarin’ Over the World (our favorite ride in this park). We had never gone on Grizzly River Run—the river raft ride—because I have never wanted to spend the rest of the day in wet clothing. However, this was the perfect time to do it!

While we waited in line, we met a couple of young men from San Diego. One was a surfer, so he and Larry talked surfing. They also love theme parks, so we entertained them with stories about building Universal Studios Japan. What a nice way to pass the time!

We took the ride—and got soaked―but it was so hot, the cold water felt good. Then we went back to the hotel and showered. I washed my hair and changed clothes. Later, we went back to the Veranda for their afternoon hot hors d’oeuvres. Just perfect!

The next morning, we again took advantage of the early entry. The Haunted Mansion had just been changed to the Nightmare Before Christmas theming. While in line, a young man spotted Larry’s surfing Mickey Hawaiian shirt. He offered $100 for it. However, it is one of Larry’s favorites, so no sale. So much fun.

Before we left, we took a selfie in front of the castle. Fortunately, a nice family volunteered to take our picture. This one was better.

We ate lunch (tea) and then packed and checked out.

The three days and two nights away from the unbearable heat at home really helped!

Not a bad way to celebrate!

99 Years – And Counting

 

Growing up, Aunt Evie was my very favorite relative. She was the youngest of three girls. My mother was in the middle. Evie was six years younger than Mom and seven years younger than Aunt Muriel.

Mom and Muriel were raised as proper Victorian children—to be seen and not heard. They had to behave, and Grandma was very strict.

Mom, Evelyn, Muriel

Evelyn on the other hand, was quite spoiled, both by her parents and her older sisters.

She was tiny and cute and was of a different generation than her sisters. She was twenty-three years old when I was born. She and her husband, Uncle Frank, were the fun relatives.

When I was in my early teens, they hired me to babysit their kids. The twins, Karen and Kathy, were only three years younger, but they wanted to be sure they weren’t alone in the house when they went out for their Friday night “Date Nights.”

I have always believed they also wanted to give me some extra spending money, and this was the only way my mother would have allowed it. In addition, they recommended me to their neighbors, and I babysat for quite a few children on their street. Another reason they were important to me.

They conspired with my cousin, David, to plan a surprise party for my fifteenth birthday. David, who was a year older, brought all his friends—several of whom were guys. They also invited my girlfriends. The party was held at their home around and in their pool. Uncle Frank barbequed. This is a very special memory.

Not long afterward, they moved to the bay area. The first Thanksgiving week after they moved, my younger cousin, Eileen, and I took the train to visit them. While Eileen and the twins played, Aunt Evie helped me to make two wool dresses—one for me and the other for my mother’s Christmas gift. Since Evie was a fabulous seamstress, the dresses turned out perfectly. (This dress was one of the few garments I ever made for myself that I actually wore. In fact, I wore mine out as did my mother.)

After I was married, we tried to visit Evie and Frank at least once a year. When she knew we were coming, Evelyn always tried to find a new and fun place to share with us.

Although I was not fond of seafood, we always went to Berkeley to Spenger’s Fresh Fish Grotto (now closed). They had halibut Florentine, and it was delicious!

My very favorite place was Allied Arts in Menlo Park. This place benefits the children’s hospital at Stanford, and their restaurant was always a delight. I often bought gifts when we visited the little artisan shops on the property.

For several years, Evie was a docent at Filoli, the former home of the Matson family. We visited several times, and once she took us on a private tour.

We often drove over to Sausalito for brunch at the Alta Mira Hotel (now closed). I have many happy memories of this place, including taking our “kids” Silvia and Kazue there.

Aunt Evie suffered a stroke in 2011. It left her with some speech and balance issues, but her mind remained sharp. I created this video to celebrate their 72 years of marriage. They loved to dance, and I think it kept them both young. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A4H05UpTFoM 

70^th Anniversary

Aunt Evie and Uncle Frank were married for over 73 years when Uncle Frank died in 2016. My cousin, Karen had planned to move them to her home because their split-level home had become too much for them to manage. After Uncle Frank died, Evie moved in with Karen.

I created this video for Uncle Frank’s memorial service. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x89KAWHlfaQ&t=4s 

On August 28 of this year, Aunt Evie turned ninety-nine. We decided to visit her. Karen has now moved to Reno, NV. So, we drove the Tesla there and spent a few days. What a wonderful trip!

We first spent a day with Karen and Evie going over several books of family photos. I may be the only one left who could identify who they were! What fun to see all the familiar faces.

Karen’s home is like a museum of my childhood memories―jam packed with Evie and Frank and Grandma’s things. So nice to see them all again.

The next day, we took our great-niece (who also lives in Reno) out for lunch. Since I had told her all about Aunt Evie, I wanted them to meet. Both Evie and Karen were very impressed with this young lady. (Of course, we are biased, but we think she is truly special.)

The next day, we picked up Evie and Karen and took them to Sheels in Sparks for lunch. Afterward, we went to the indoor Ferris wheel. Aunt Evie LOVES Ferris wheels! Karen won’t go on it with her, but Larry and I both bought tickets. I went with her first, and she was like a little kid. On the last revolution, the car stopped at the top. She gave a fist pump and laughed. Larry changed places with me, and again, the car stopped at the top. She was thrilled! Of course, we had to have ice cream before we went back to Karen’s house.

We returned home with great memories of my precious aunt to add to those we had accumulated through the years.

For her actual birthday, Karen continued with the Ferris wheel theme.

August 28, 2022

I can’t finish without mentioning Karen once more. She is one of the most loving, giving, generous people I know. She takes exceptionally good care of her mother. Both in her former home in California and in her current home, she has given Aunt Evelyn the master suite so all of her familiar furniture fits. Karen is constantly thinking of things for her mother to do to keep her engaged and interested. Her twin sister, Kathy still lives in California, but she visits whenever possible.

Karen’s daughter, Heather, and the grandchildren live around the corner and spend quite a bit of time with Karen and Evelyn. I can’t imagine a lovelier way to live at her age! Many thanks to Karen for loving your mom, my very favorite relative.

Finding “New” Relatives

 

We had our DNA sequenced a number of years ago.

* * * *

In January of 2018, Larry and his brother received messages through 23andme.

According to 23andme, we are 2^nd cousins. I was born in 1969 in Pennsylvania and was adopted through Catholic Charities. My mother was 19 or 20 years old and from the state of California. I am looking for any information you can give me. [Edited]

This was a no-brainer. Larry only had one female relative who would have been the right age. We lived in Illinois in 1969, and we had no idea this particular woman had ever lived in Pennsylvania. But, as Dr. Gates says on his show Finding Your Roots, “DNA don’t lie.”

Larry forwarded the email to her and asked what she would like him to do with it. She immediately replied, “Give her my contact information.”

We did so.

We located the young lady on Facebook, and were struck by how much she looked like her mother’s other daughter. Yes, they were definitely related.

We invited her to come to California with her family but since she lives on the east coast, she has not done so—yet. We stay in touch with her through Facebook, however.

* * * *

On January 11 of this year Larry received another message through 23andme. This message said:

I am on 23andme, and they have you as my 1^st cousin. I never knew who my father was. That is why I am reaching out to you. The man I thought was my father refused to sign my birth certificate. He was 100% Native American. So was my mother. They were from Northern Minnesota. My results say I am 52% European. I don’t look like my siblings. My coloring is lighter. I’d like to find out the truth. [Edited]

Imagine discovering a “new” first cousin at 70+ years of age!

This one was a real puzzle. Larry’s dad had three brothers. (Thank goodness he was off the hook since Larry and his brother are first cousins to her and not half siblings!)

The family moved from North Dakota to California in 1923. As far as we knew, none of the brothers had returned to that area of the country.

We looked at the map. His new cousin, Jeannie, grew up on a reservation just over the state line from the little town in North Dakota where Larry’s family had lived. Hmmm…

I started by eliminating the two eldest brothers. Both had married young and had remained married for over sixty years. We also did not remember either of them ever traveling. One had a mobile home at Balboa. They went there on all their vacations.

This left the third brother. He never married, lived with Larry’s grandparents for much of his life, and when they died, he lived with his oldest sister. However, how he would have connected with Jeannie’s mother remained a mystery.

That is, until Larry remembered an incident from his childhood. He and his father drove his grandmother and this uncle to the train station in Alhambra. There, they boarded a train to visit her sister. Larry was about ten at the time. This would have been the year Jeannie was conceived.

We subsequently learned that Jeannie’s mother was an alcoholic, and this particular uncle of Larry’s was also an alcoholic. We now assumed they met in a bar…

The final clue came when Ancestry posted the 1950 census. We checked each of his grandmother’s sisters. Only one had remained in the Midwest, and the census showed her living in Minneapolis. Her death record showed her in the same city. BINGO!

We began to send Jeannie information on the family, including quite a few family photos. 

She sent a recent one of herself. When I saw it, I was stunned. We had a photo of his grandmother at about the same age, and they looked nearly identical: same features, same expression, same coloring.

She told us she and her younger brother (the youngest of her ten siblings) were removed from her mother’s care due to neglect when she was three and he was a year and a half. They were put into the foster system. She had one good foster home and one abusive one. Fortunately, she found a school counselor who removed her from that home and took her home to live.

She married young, but she must have inherited the Collins long-marriage gene because she and her husband celebrated their 50^th anniversary in April. They have three sons, all successful with families.

It took us several days to figure all this out, but we were quite certain we now had the relationship correct. (We checked with Larry’s brother and a couple of other cousins. They agreed with our conclusions. And we confirmed that the other two brothers never went back to the area once the family moved to California.)

We invited Jeannie and her husband to come for a visit and to meet some of the family. They decided to make the trip their 50^th anniversary celebration, and they arrived mid-June for a few days.

Meanwhile, we continued to send her information and more photos.

Of course, the grandparents and all her aunts and uncles, as well as her father, are gone. But we planned a visit to the graveyard where they are buried for their visit. Larry’s brother, Casey, went with us.

I ordered matching t-shirts for the five of us. They say: Collins Family 2022. We wanted to emphasize that she is, was, and always would be a member of the family.

She said she had a little trepidation as they exited the plane, concerned that we would actually be there to meet them. However, as soon as we saw one another, we felt a bond.

We picked up Casey at his house, and he asked them in for a moment. As she walked by him, Casey said, “You look just like my grandma.” He had seen the same resemblance I had from her photo.

The day before they arrived, I made up about a dozen small bouquets. We took these to the cemetery with us and placed them on the family graves.

Most of the family are buried in the same area. (They purchased their plots when the cemetery first opened, and they got them al about the same time.)

We found Larry’s grandparents first.

Then we located the eldest brother and his wife.

We found several of the others, and then we located Jeannie’s father. She was able to place a bouquet on his grave. It wasn’t the same as meeting him in person, but at least she now knows who he is and where he is buried.

We drove past our first home where a cousin now lives. She had a previous commitment and wasn’t able to join us for the day.

Then we went by the house where Larry’s grandparents lived in Arcadia, and where his uncle lived. Last, we drove by his aunt’s home where he lived when he died.

Our last stop for the day was for a late lunch at Clearman’s North Woods Inn, where the family had celebrated many occasions.

We had a lovely day together, and it felt as though we had known each other forever.

During their stay, we went through more of the family pictures, and I put together a group to send to her.

We spent a lovely day at Mission San Juan Capistrano. Jeannie enjoyed hearing about the history of the Native Americans from this part of the country.

One of her “bucket list” items was to put her feet in the Pacific Ocean. She had done so in the Atlantic and also the Gulf of Mexico. So, we went down to San Clemente, and Jeannie fulfilled her goal.

Before they left, we heard from one of Larry’s cousins. Years ago, she had been given their aunt June’s cedar chest. She asked if Jeannie would like to have it. She was thrilled.

It has been shipped and should arrive in Minnesota soon.

We couldn’t give Jeannie her father, but we did try to introduce him and the rest of her relatives to her. She and her family have a standing invitation to visit again.

 

Have you ever discovered “new” family members via DNA?