A few census forms
1870 Ash Grove, Illinois Census
1880 Ash Grove, Illinois Census
1900 Summit County, Utah Census
1910 Weiser, Idaho Census
1920 Cambridge, Idaho Census
1920 Joseph, Oregon Census
1930 Grant County, Oregon Census
Are these pictures of the same house?
But separated by almost 100 years...
Dad lived in this house as a lad while attending Weiser's West Side Grade School
(now demolished). The hand-tinted picture must have been taken around 1905-1910.
The picture on the right was taken in 2003 while Justine and I attended my 50th year
Payette High School reunion. It is located 3-4 blocks south of where the grade school
used to be.
One of Dad's stories was about the time when his second grade teacher insisted that Dad
bring 25 cents to pay for his music book. Grandpa Duncan was a real skinflint about money
for the family (but was a soft touch for any bum that came by his blacksmith shop) and
refused to give Dad the quarter he needed. The teacher kept after Dad for the money so Dad
kept begging Grandpa for the quarter. Grandpa finally relented and gave him the quarter
but only on condition that he ask the teacher a very specific question.
Dad said that he was more afraid of his Dad than he was of the teacher so the next morning
he gave the quarter to the teacher to pay for the music book and then asked, "And my Dad wants
to know if you think you can teach me anything out of it?"
This is a rare picture of Great-Grandmother Duncan.
She was born Mary Jane Ashmore in 1837
and must have been about 75 when the picture was taken around 1912. She is holding my Uncle Don and
Aunt Edythe.