Follow up

My Grandad Arthur H. Harvey, Paw-Paw, with my sister Lily December 1956, she was about six months old.

Born and raised in WV, he married my Grandmother Ollie Garten in 1914.
My Aunt Bee (Bernice) was born in August of 1915, and my Aunt Rosalie (Lee) in July of 1916.
My dad was born in May of 1921.

My grandmother taught school before they married and was responsible for all three of her children's literacy. My Aunt Bee just finished sixth grade, my Aunt Lee went to teachers college, now Jr College and taught school herself for 40 years.
My dad did go to HS, but did not have the chance to go to college after WWII.
He went right to work, and was a well respected cival engineer and concrete expert in his industry.

My grandad, with mom, me (age three) Lily, six months, and Aunt Bee, in late '56, early '57

Life during the period after the World War and the Great Depression was harsh.
Both of my grandfathers were carpenters and builders by trade.
During the building season, they were away from the farm plying their trade.
My granddad Harvey worked for the Stotesberry Coal Mine, building structures and forms that were sent down into the mines.
Granddad Cupp was a mason as well, and worked on houses and other structures.
My grandmothers stayed behind and ran their farms and raised their young'uns alone.
And all of that without electricity, or indoor plumbing!

My dad told of watching his father pick up a barrel of nails under each arm, and carrying them over to where he needed them.
Each could weigh as much as 200#.
He was still a powerfully built man in his later years.


We kids with our PawPaw and Aunt Bee, at the farm March of 58.
I am 3 1/2 here, my sis is almost two.

This is a rare picture of him laughing.
He did not laugh much after my grandmother passed in Sept of 1951.
He never remarried.

Quite a character in his younger years and a bit of a ladies man to boot.
I have a picture of him as a teenager with two rather attractive young ladies.
My Aunt always told me they were his aunts, dad told me years later that they were actually a couple of his lady friends.
After my Aunt Bee passed, we found a box of picture post cards that my Granddad and Grandmother sent back and forth to one another during their courtship between 1912 and 1914. She had quite a personality, I regret I never had the privilege of knowing her.

I knew my Grandmother "Granny" Cupp well.
She passed just before Ariel was born.
She remains a major influence on my life. Grandparents are a blessing to have.

I found this picture of my father with three of his buddies taken in Oregon in early spring of 1942, right after they finished basic training.
He told me the other three boys were all killed in combat in either N Africa or Italy.
Dad is in back with his arms around his comrades in arms.
They never got to be dad's themselves.
There are always the few who sacrifice for the many.