A nice morning with Lois - she set a lovely table and artistically arranges all the components of your meal on a plate for every meal. I can't believe the attention to detail.
About 10am we headed for Berwyn, a western suburb of Chicago. It is here that James Bradford Tukey (the other G grandparents on my dad's side) and Hugh and Elizabeth Atkinson (G grandparents on my mom's side) live in the first quarter of the 20th century. With a detailed street map book from cousin Jay, Lois and I began to track down addresses. James and Armenia lived on Harold Ave. in 1900 and were at 3122 Harold Ave. in 1920. By 1930, it was 3122 Clinton Ave. Meanwhile, Hugh and Elizabeth lived at 3305 Harold Ave in 1910, 3329 Irving Ave. in 1920 and 3329 Kenilworth Ave in 1930. Since the house numbers remained the same, I figured that between 1920 and 1930 Berwyn and Cicero officially became separate towns and renamed the streets.
Against all odds, we arrived at the Clinton address and the house was still standing. It is three stories although the top floor is p
robably just an attic. The back looks like an addition was put on sometime in the last several decades. The porch is different than the original. Lois remembers her family living on the top floor with her grandparents on the main floor while grandpa Tukey got his PhD at the University of Chicago. And yes - Emerson Elementary School is still across the street. Lois had the back bedroom while Dad and Loren were in the front south and grandma and grandpa in the front north. That all changed when dad got chicken pox. He had to sleep in the bedroom alone, got special toys, and they even put a swing in the doorway for him. Lois and Loren were told not play with Ron, the toys or the swing or they too would get chicken pox. So of course they did - and they did. When James and Armenia first moved to the Clinton street home, it was a house in the middle of a field. No other houses around and James could wait til he heard the training whistle blowing before running the three blocks to the station. Today it nestled amongst other houses which have a more traditional look (suburbia 1910-1930) rather than an 1870s farmhouse.
robably just an attic. The back looks like an addition was put on sometime in the last several decades. The porch is different than the original. Lois remembers her family living on the top floor with her grandparents on the main floor while grandpa Tukey got his PhD at the University of Chicago. And yes - Emerson Elementary School is still across the street. Lois had the back bedroom while Dad and Loren were in the front south and grandma and grandpa in the front north. That all changed when dad got chicken pox. He had to sleep in the bedroom alone, got special toys, and they even put a swing in the doorway for him. Lois and Loren were told not play with Ron, the toys or the swing or they too would get chicken pox. So of course they did - and they did. When James and Armenia first moved to the Clinton street home, it was a house in the middle of a field. No other houses around and James could wait til he heard the training whistle blowing before running the three blocks to the station. Today it nestled amongst other houses which have a more traditional look (suburbia 1910-1930) rather than an 1870s farmhouse.We have always had a funny family story that if my grandmother Maggie (mom's mom) had looked out her window in 1930 she would have seen her future son-in-law walking to kindergarten. Hate to tell you mom, but that story is pure fiction. Your gr
andparents lived three blocks south of the RR station while the Tukeys lived 3 blocks north - and dad only had to walk across the street to school. However, we found the Atkinson house - also 3 stories and also in good shape. It has a nice big backyard, lots of flowers and looks well lived.
andparents lived three blocks south of the RR station while the Tukeys lived 3 blocks north - and dad only had to walk across the street to school. However, we found the Atkinson house - also 3 stories and also in good shape. It has a nice big backyard, lots of flowers and looks well lived.Moving north to Oak Park we also looked in on the homes were Hugh's sister Nina and her husband James Taylor lived on Euclid Ave ( 329 S and 405 N). Being in Oak Park these houses were larger. The 405 house must have a least 6 bedrooms on 1/4 acre, huge trees, a screened porch, etc.
The remainder of the day was spent with odds and ends of chores and chatter.
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