Margaret and Donald Hickman with my Uncle and Mom. February 1959 and probably in Garden Grove, CA
I went to a clothing swap on Saturday that confirmed my belief that 1950s and 1960s dresses are my thing. I still think the early 1930s are my most favorite fashion years, but I wasn’t built to wear those styles.
I’m glad Don Draper on Mad Men is finally becoming aware of his alcoholism. My grandpa Don was also an alcoholic in the 1950s and 1960s (and other decades). I hope Don Draper can move beyond his drinking problem and not let it kill him in the 1980s like it did my Don.
My grandparents lived in Southern California for awhile in their younger years. Don was a Seabee in the Navy at Port Huaneme (and other non-SoCal locales), and then he and my Grandma lived in Los Angeles and Orange County for a bit before they ended up back in Oklahoma.
I haven’t found documentation, but when Don was a little kid I think his parents brought him out to California at least once in the 1930s. It seems like he had a very unstable childhood. I’ve always thought his dad James Aubrey Hickman (who I call “Pa” because that’s what my Mom called him) was handsome in photos. I think he was also an alcoholic? Maybe I’ll post about Pa next.
Machiko and James Furnier with my Dad, circa 1960-1961. Could’ve been taken in Montana or Okinawa or Ohio or elsewhere. I’m sure someone knows where. I should ask.
I didn’t get to know my Furnier grandparents very well before they passed away. My Grandpa James was big into genealogy, which is one of the few things I know about him. He did a lot of research on the Furniers, back in the days before the internet. As genealogy torchbearer I’ve been debating creating some kind of online database with all the genealogy related materials digitized and organized. I don’t think of myself as owner of any of it; I think of myself as steward of materials that belong to the whole family.
For now I’m just going to start posting more about genealogy on this blog. It seems to be one of the few subjects I feel inclined to ramble about. Writer’s block is no match for genealogy musings.
Illuminated Past 