August Fool's Day

When we got back together after a number of years apart, Tony said that August 1st would always be "August Fool's" Day.

We got married the next year on August Fool's Day 2004

HAPPY ANNIVERSARY!

Sisters on Sunday

When I look at this photo, 

I can smell stink mud and wet kapok filling from slightly mildewy life jackets.  

We were having great fun though and that is what makes me smile!

Brenda's Husband

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Nichols Cousins

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Please Standby. . .

Our workload has finally kicked back up to high gear.

I will get some more pics loaded this weekend.

In the meantime, please please please comment on the posts now and then. The point of this blog is to prompt us all to remember stories and tidbits of our shared family history - and SHARE them.

Also, I am running out of photos. I have found the best way to copy photos in this modern age is to simply photograph them with an iPhone 4 or a digital camera. Do not use the zoom, simply place the photo or document in good sunlight and fill your camera frame with it. I can crop, rotate, etc; so just snap and email to me. 1 or 2 at a time is a good batch size, makes it quick and easy for you and keeps it manageable for me.
EmaiL is jfleo4(at)gmail(dot)com.

I love doing this and hope that y'all like looking at them. If you ever need a raw copy of photo, let me know - they belong to all of us.

Kansas City, Missouri 1967 'ish

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Vintage Love

Elmer and Meta "May" Nichols

At Sea

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Sisters on Sunday

This is a photograph of my grandmother, 

Meta Augusta Dahlem Nichols (on right) 

and one of her sisters.  

I do not know which one it is.  She had two.  

Does anyone know if this is Ollie or Emma?

Tommy Thompson

This is a great photo of Tommy when he was in the Navy.  

Not sure of the year.

I would love to be able to post photos of all our family members who served in the military.

Send them to me ...

Tony and Jana's Wedding 2004

Terry and Molly (Tony's sister) Behle with Tony and I on our wedding day - August 1, 2004

At Grandma's House

Jana, Rick and Brenda Nichols

circa 1968 or so

Schell City, Missouri

Parthenia Hawkins Anderson Champion

Parthenia Hawkins Anderson was born in 1817 in Perry Country, Tennessee

She married James M. Champion on October 2, 1833 at the age of 16 and moved with him to Salem, Mississippi.

She had between 8 and 12 children and lived to the age of 62.

Parthenia died in 1879 in Salem, Mississippi

One of her sons, James Greeley Champion was my great great grandfather.

When I started researching her on Ancestry.com, I found at least 24 family trees with her on them. Wouldn't it be fascinating to know how many people claimed this one woman as their ancestor.

Square Dancers

Classic photo of Penny and Richard Nichols with square dancing friends and also next door neighboors, Chuck and Mildred Watkins.

L to R: Chuck Watkins, Penny Nichols, Mildred Watkins, and Richard Nichols.

They danced often at a church in Grandview and I can remember running loose with a herd of kids through the gymnasium and classrooms of the church.  

The swirling of the petticoats and stomping of cowboy boots made a lasting impression on me.

Richard Nichols and family

1987

Sisters on Sunday

Clariece Ann and Beverly Jane Thompson 

circa 1930

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO BRENDA

JULY 16, 1958

I GOT A NEW BABY SISTER!!!!!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY

BRENDA LEE NICHOLS McDONALD

Micah

Micah Moises Paredes

Sabrina Mercer

I just recently met this delightful young lady.  Sabrina is Perry's daughter.  

She is an aspiring artist - we traded some pieces while I was visiting.

Camping

Circa 1965

Penny Nichols, Tommy (Champ) Thompson 

and Rick Nichols

All during the 60's, our extended family would meet at lakes in Missouri, Oklahoma, Arkansas and Texas for multi day camping trips.  Sometimes just 2 families and sometimes many.  From the looks of the background, I would guess that this one involved the Nichols, Thompson and Mercer families and was probably 3 or so days long.  

As a child, these were absolutely the best of times.

  

Family, water, fewer rules, cousins and endless hours.

Nichols / Dahlem / Redenbaugh / Dent Reunion

This was a family reunion in our back yard in Kansas City, Missouri.  Maybe 1967ish.

The day of the reunion, Penny fell out the kitchen door and broke her ankle.  And she was the hostess!

Back row:  Bob Dent, Uncle John Dahlem, Penny (Evelyn) Nichols, Orval and Erna Frith, Charles and Maxine Redenbaugh with Charles III , unknown woman, Elmer Nichols and Judy Dahlem McNichol

Middle row:  Bob and Barbara Woodard, Rick Nichols, Steve Nichols, Nancy Nichols, unknown boy, Vivian Nichols, Ruth Dahlem behind and Meta Nichols in front of her.

Front Row:  unknown girl and small unknown boy, Lee Nichols with his hand up, Jana Nichols holding Missy the dog, and Brenda Nichols

I absolutely love this photo.

Richard, Edmund, and Bob

Maybe 1935 or so.

Mmmmmmm

Thanksgiving 2010
Richard carving while Penny and Tina look on.
Mmmmmmmm......

Bob Champion

I have been working on Ancestry.com recently and am discovering relatives just several generations back with interesting stories.

This is Robert James Champion

He was born in 1877 in Corsicana, Texas

His younger brother, Frank Champion, was my great grandfather.  Known in the family as Big Dad, Frank attended Southwestern University in Georgetown and so did his brother, Bob.

Bob died in 1919 in an accident in Ranger, Texas.

  He worked for the railroad and was crushed between two railroad cars.  

At the time of his death, Bob was 42 and from what I can tell, he never married.

Bob was only two years older that my great grandfather, and looks just like him.

Welcome to the family, Bob.

Brenda Nichols McDonald and Family

Great casual Christmas photo of Brenda and her family:  

Claire and Wayne on fireplace

 Brenda and Meredith seated on the floor.

Tommy Thompson

Our family member Tommy Thompson ended his earthly journey yesterday.

He was the only brother with 3 sisters:  Clariece, Jane and Penny.

Uncle to a huge brood.

Father to Tonya and Champ

Husband to Lucy

He will be missed

The Mustang

This is a photo of Jana Nichols with her first car.circa 1977
"I had finished 2 years of college and decided to drop out and move toward the shining lights of Austin, Texas.  I shared an apartment with my best friend, Laura Hawkins Hearn and was completely living on my own at 19 or 20.  I had my first "grownup" job complete with insurance and paying enough to make my first car payments.  My mom came up from Corpus Christi to help me through the maze of finding a car, applying for a loan, etc.  I absolutely loved my little blue mustang.  I know it looks like a Pinto, but it was really a smaller hatchback Mustang.  After I married, I passed this sweet little thing on to my sister, Brenda and she loved it as much as I had"

What was your first car?  Do you have a photo and/or story?  Please share with the class!

Grandma and Grandpa Knight

Bottom Row:  Steve Nichols holding Lee Nichols, Jana Nichols, Brenda Nichols and Rick Nichols
Seated:  Charles Knight (Grandpa Knight) and Pauline Boeger Knight (Grandma Knight)
Standing:  Evelyn (Penny Nichols) , Meta Nichols, Bob Nichols and Vivian.


I can remember visiting Grandma and Grandpa Knight as a little girl for 2 very distinct reasons.  First, they were absolutely the old people I ever knew. Grandma Knight was my great grandmother.  Second, because they lived in a high rise apartment.  Like really high for 1962 or so.  It was pretty thrilling in those days to ride an elevator and go up so high.

Brenda Lee Nichols McDonald

School photo of Brenda. Probably kindergarten circa 1963. Brenda and her sister Jana had matching dresses, often made by their mother, Evelyn (Penny) Nichols or their paternal grandmother, Meta Nichols.