Most of the photos I received yesterday were never before seen. However, one photo I recognized immediately. It is a copy of a photo that hung in my bedroom when I was a kid. The picture is of my grandfather, Monroe James Dobbs (before he changed his name to James Monroe Dobbs, Jr.) The picture was taken in 1917 when he was 15 years old. … Continue reading Preppy
The back of this photo says, “Spiegel Family – Dallas, Texas” and does not give a year. And I am going to make some conjectures here: The man leaning against the tree on the far left is my great-great-grandfather, George C. Spiegel. He was a cigar maker in Dallas, Texas. From census records, I have two street addresses for the family. One on San Jacinto … Continue reading Spiegel Family – Dallas, Texas (c. 1900)
This is a photograph of my grandfather James M Dobbs and his first cousin Christine, daughter of Evan Prothro Dobbs and Margaret Hulda Hahr. Evan was a brother of my great-grandfather. Both James and his half-sister, Emita, lived with their uncle Evan when their father was traveling overseas. In fact, Emita spent practically all of her childhood living in the household of her cousins. Emita’s … Continue reading Georgia Cousins
This one is of my maternal grandfather, James M. Dobbs, Jr., taken when he was a teenager in the late 1910s. The inscription on the back reads: “Taken in street in front of Uncle Clif’s house in 1917 or 1918.”“Uncle Clif” refers to Herbert Clifton Dobbs, younger brother of my great-grandfather. While my great-grandfather spent a number of years in South America, Herbert stayed close … Continue reading Jimmy Dobbs (1917?)
In one small photo, my grandfather is wearing a cadet uniform. I know that this is not Georgia Military Institute (GMI) because Sherman’s army burnt it to the ground and there is a golf course there now. My grandfather’s great-grandfather, David Dobbs, was one of the founders of GMI and his grandfather was in the class that graduated two years before the Civil War. GMI … Continue reading Cadet Dobbs
The back of this photo is marked “Helen S. Dobbs – Mexico City”. She was my great-grandmother. There is no date; however, I believe that this photo was taken in the first decade of the 20th century. During that time my great-grandfather was still working for the U.S. Foreign Service. He spoke fluent Spanish and he specialized in Latin America. In the 1890s he was … Continue reading Helen Spiegel Dobbs (1872-1954)
Two photos are of a woman carrying a baby. The house that she is standing in front of looks like Spiegel family home in Dallas. The inscription on the back reads: “Helen M Dobbs and son James M. Dobbs Dallas Texas”. The year would be 1901. There is a very dark photo of a smiling boy standing in front of a picket fence. On the … Continue reading More Dobbs Photos
I have seen this postcard before, but without anything written on it.This photo is of my grandfather, James Monroe Dobbs, Jr. when he was about 4 years old. The date on the card is August 1905 – that would make him 3 1/2. The inscription reads: “Dear Grandma: This is my last photo out gunning. Your loving grandson, Monroe” This obviously was not written by … Continue reading A Postcard From the Past
The following is a excerpt from Gathering Leaves – 2nd Edition My father told me that his paternal grandmother, Della Gaume DeBacker, was born in Ohio before later moving to Kansas. This is all that I knew about my great-grandmother before discovering on my own the story of her family. In 1985, I made a trek to the National Archives branch in southern California. At the … Continue reading My French Connection
The following is a excerpt from Gathering Leaves – 2nd Edition While growing up I knew almost nothing about my maternal grandfather, James Monroe Dobbs, Jr. My grandparents divorced when my mother was about ten years old. I knew that my grandfather had been born in Dallas, Texas July 4, 1902; that he had an older stepsister; that his father was involved in some business … Continue reading Finding the Long Lost
