Six Generations

Left Side

Right Side

These were fun layouts to do. My Grandma Hopkins had her wedding bouquet pressed and behind the glass of a serving tray. This always hung on her wall in the dining room. My Aunt Grace, who is an oil artist, painted color onto the aged blooms. I'm not sure where this 78 year old treasure is, but likely my Aunt has it. I was looking at a German site, Scrapbooking Heaven and liked some of her work, but it is too bright for my usual tastes. I tend to like muted, soft or jewel tones, not bright and for fabric and paper I like an old fashioned or shabby chic kind of look with a little touch of country and a smidge contemporary - in other words eclectic, but not bright and wild eclectic! When I saw the Cherished Memories kit and Cluster package it reminded me of Grandma's wedding bouquet.

I have long wanted to do a page layout with the six generations of married women on my Mom's side. When my daughters marry that will be seven! It's so neat to have these pictures and I wanted to do something special with them. This won't go in my regular heritage album, but may go into an album that I want to create about the people who have influenced me in my life and faith. This took a long time and I probably won't do many of these "fussy" pages, but it was gratifying to accomplish something, even though we were all too sick to do much else today!

78 Years Ago Today...

June 2, 1930

Alden G. Hopkins married Holly M. Tisdale at the United Methodist Church in Everett, Washington, where they had met almost ten years earlier. They enjoyed a long courtship as high school sweethearts and married after each had finished their college degrees and Holly had completed the requirements for attaining her lifetime teaching credential. They had a family of three girls, each six years apart and several little boys who were waiting for them in Heaven! They lived, loved, worked and served together. Unfortunately, Alden died early, in 1962. Holly lived nearly another 40 years and chose not to love another. She filled her life with her faith, serving others through teaching and enjoying her family. Though she had her faults as any of us do, she definitely was a Proverbs 31 woman!

It's good to remember where we have come from and WHO brought us to where we are today!

H Is For Hopkins and Honey

I am a little late for my "H" post for the ABC Along. But I was early for the "G", so I guess that makes up for it! LOL My H is for Hopkins, my Mom's paternal family line and if you are not interested in my family story, which I have discussed at length in this post for the benefit of my family, you can scroll down to the bottom to see H is also for Honey! I am working on putting together a family history containing photos and genealogy for my family.

Many times in my blog posts, I mention my maternal Grandma Holly Tisdale Hopkins. This is a picture of her reading her Bible when she was around 90 years of age and she is also looking at a Daily Bread devotional booklet. I've probably shared this picture before, because I love it - it really shows her personality, what was really her.

Grandma wasn't born a Hopkins though, she was born a Tisdale (which will probably be my T post!). She married a wonderful man, who was her first and only Sweetheart and they built a home and family together. This post is about his family.

This photo was taken about 1909. On the left is my Grandpa who I never met. George Alden (Alden) Hopkins was born 21 August 1906 in Boyne City, Michigan. As an infant, he traveled to Everett, Washington by train with his father George Alfred Hopkins and Mother Blanch Alpha Wolcott Hopkins. Many people in Michigan were heading west at this time for better jobs and money for their families. The Hopkins' joined the Wolcotts in a city where I would eventually be born and built a home on Rockefeller Street, which at the time was nothing but a muddy open space. Today the land where their homes were located is now part of the grounds of an elementary school. Here, Vera Alene Hopkins (above) would be born in 1908, Paul in 1909 and Philip in 1914.

Later the family would buy land in Lake Stevens, an almost wilderness area in the early teen years, where they would build a house and the family would settle and expand. Their mother Blanch Wolcott Hopkins was a talented writer of poetry and intelligent and friendly. Sadly, in 1916, she after attempting to end a pregnancy. Many in my family feel this is a good reason why it should be legal. I argue that this is a good example of paying attention to those around you and seeking to relieve young mothers who are bowing under pressure and stress, loving each other in tangible and meaningful ways. Her loss was haunting and indelible. George remained single and raised his family with the help of housekeepers, Auntie B and Mrs. Nutting.

Some of my family think this might have been taken before Blanch died because the children are dressed so nicely with attention to detail. Recently though I have studied this and wondered if it wasn't taken after their mother's death, perhaps wearing flowers from her funeral. L to R Vera Alene Hopkins Rehbine, George "Alden" Hopkins, Paul Wolcott Hopkins and Philip Sedgewick Hopkins (seated). About 1916.

About 1920, the Tisdale family moved to Lake Stevens where Holly's father was Superintendent of Schools and Principal of Lake Stevens High School (Go Vikings!). The Tisdale family and the Hopkins family both attended the Everett United Methodist Church where George Hopkins and Fred Tisdale became good friends. They both had families of 4 children, all about the same age and often would get in the car and go on picnics and adventures together after church. I can't say for certain it was true love, but Holly never had eyes for anyone else and I'm almost certain they knew they would marry long before they did at age 24 (Holly completed all her teaching requirements for a lifetime credential first because in those days married women did not teach).

The photo above was taken at Hemlock Pass in the Cascade Mountains and was sent back east to family in Michigan. Because it is such poor quality I am not certain who all the people are except for the first guy on the left is Alden, the 2nd may be Philip and the 3rd may be Clifton Tisdale, Grandma's brother who is often pictured wearing a cap like that and had the same build. The young woman is Holly and I do not know the other men, who were likely friends. The photo was probably taken my George Hopkins, though both of my great grandfathers were photographers!

On 2 June 1930 Holly and Alden were wed at the Everett United Methodist Church and took a short wedding trip to Skykomish, Washington. Alden returned home to his job building homes and Holly set up house in a small shack like cabin while Alden worked on their home on the side.

Alden had attained his Bachelor's Degree at the University of Washington in Business Management in order to run his own home building business.

This is the home he began building in 1929 on 4 acres across the road from his Father's and brothers' lands. Sadly the property left the family after 70 years and this is what it looks like today. It has been sad to see changes to the land, but at least the owner did not tear it down and build cookie cutter homes!

The business went well until Alden was sued, wrongfully in the opinion of my family, and lost a lot of money. No one could accuse Alden Hopkins of being lazy. He went to night school in the 1940s, driving to Seattle after work, to take classes at the Palmer Chiropractic College where he became a licensed chiropractor. He was also an elder of the 7th Day Church of God (which my family does not follow) and served many years as their pastor.

This is all those cute little kids, many years later: L to R, Philip Sedgewick Hopkins, George "Alden" Hopkins, Vera Alene Hopkins Rehbine and Paul Wolcott Hopkins. Vera married her cousin Mark Rehbine and moved back to Michigan where she taught school for many years and Mark was a Chrysler executive. Paul became a logger and worked for his in laws, the Neff family, before operating his own logging company. Philip remained in the family construction business and was well known in the Lake Stevens and surrounding Snohomish County communities.

Vera inherited the homestead and Paul and Philip built homes for their families on adjacent land. There were 13 living cousins, 11 of whom grew up next to each other so that the school bus driver had to say "All off for Hopkinsville!"

Holly and Alden had three daughters, Grace, Marilyn and Ruth, Ruth being my mother. When she was 16 years old, Alden died from the side effects of stroke, so I never met Alden or had opportunity to learn from him. Even though I do not agree with his beliefs, I have always admired the fact that he sought God with all his being and was willing to do anything that God called him to do, even if it was unpopular. If we get to meet people in Heaven and discuss life on earth, I would love to have a good long chat with him and get to know him on a personal level.

After Alden's death, Holly chose not to marry again, even though she was only 56 years old. We very much grew up in a "matriarchal" family. This photo was taken at Thanksgiving 1993. I am behind Grandma and my Mom and is next to Grandma, with her sisters also on the couch. Spouses and cousins are standing behind. Thanksgiving and Mother's Day were always spent together, occasionally at an aunt's home but generally at Grandma's. These were very special times for me, especially since I spent most of my growing up years as an only child, after my brother died in 1973.

This is what we looked like at our 2004 Reunion in Sooke, Vancouver Island, British Columbia. D in front, Mom and her husband Jack behind, Hubby holding A, me holding J, my Aunt Marilyn and Uncle Bill. Their children and spouses were unable to come and my Aunt Grace was also able to come. We were the small group at the reunion that year but had a lot of fun. From Alden's family, I am the only one to have children. They are the future and I hope to pass on the torch of faith in God to them, the same torch that brought our ancestors to America almost 400 years ago.

1. John Hopkins (of Cambridge/Newtown 1634, of Hartford 1636) m Jane

2. Stephen Hopkins, 1637-1689 m Dorcas Bronson (lived Hartford, CT)

3. Lt. John Hopkins, 1662-1732 m Hannah Strong (lived in Hartford and Waterbury, CT)

4. Consider Hopkins, 1687-1727 m Mrs. Elizabeth Grayham, widow of George Graham (lived in West Hartford, CT)

5. Captain Consider Hopkins, 1727-1795 m Lydia Gilbert (lived in New Hartford, CT)

6. Mark Hopkins, 1764-1843 m Sarah Kellogg (lived in West Hartford, CT, Bridgewater and Prattsburg, NY)

7. Erastus Hopkins, 1804-1867 m Lydia Ann Parker (lived in Bridgewater and Prattsburg, NY and White Lake, Michigan)

Erastus and his cousin pioneered in Oakland County, Michigan and had this saw mill.

This is his home in Oakland County, Michigan which was designated a centennial farm.

Where Erastus, his wives and some of his children are buried in the White Lake, Michigan cemetery.

Dan G. Hopkins, Erastus' young son was killed at the Battle of South Mountain, Maryland in the Civil War. Another son George survived the war and went on to serve in politics as a private secretary to Michigan's governors, Bigley and Crosswell, in the Michigan legislature 1878-1882 and as Assistant Adjutant General, confidential secretary to Secretary of War Russell A. Alger. A third son also, surved, the war, my ancestor...

8. William Wadsworth Hopkins, 1828- 1871 m Harriet Calista Crittenden (lived in Oakland County Michigan and Benzie County, Michigan) He served as a gunsmith and blacksmith in the Civil War and was mustered out in Salt Lake City, UT after the war. He died young of Typhoid fever.

His daughter Mary Grace Hopkins True was a painter and as you can see from this photo she was quite good. She offered to give my Grandparents a painting for their wedding gift if they could pay the postage from Michigan, but they were quite poor, being newly married at the start of the depression, so they were unable to attain the painting.

9. Sedgewick Erastus Hopkins, 1854-1932 m Mary Belitz (lived in White Lake and Interlochen, Michigan)

Sedgewick and family in front of their home in Interlochen, Michigan

L to R: Edith Harriet Hopkins Rehbine, George Alfred Hopkins (my great grandfather), Sedgewick Erastus Hopkins, Abbie Grace Hopkins Nelson, Nina Lydia Hopkins Madden, Mary Belitz Hopkins holding Erma Naomi Hopkins Riley, Ella Viola Hopkins Cole and Etta Ruth Hopkins Lewis. Interlochen, Michigan.

As their children grew older, they rented out rooms for tourists and it was called Pine Gables.

This photo was taken ca 1900-1905 of Sedgewick Erastus and Mary Belitz Hopkins.

10. George Alfred Hopkins, 1882-1949 m Blanch Wolcott (lived in Interlochen, Michigan and Everett and Lake Stevens, WA)

Nina, George, Iram and Sedgewick Hopkins taken during their visit to see son/brother George Alfred Hopkins in Lake Stevens, Washington. I must have these ladies to thank for my stout figure!

11. George Alden Hopkins, 1906-1962 m Holly Mabel Tisdale Hopkins (lived in Everett and Lake Stevens, WA)

12. Mom, 1946- m Daniel Eugene Johnson 1945-2000, divorced. (lived in Lake Stevens, Everett, Snohomish, Granite Falls, Marysville, Mukilteo, Laurel and Ferndale, Washington)

13. Me, 1966- m Hubby 1998 (lived in Everett, Lake Stevens, Marysville, Granite Falls, Snohomish, Mukilteo, Bellingham, Laurel and Ferndale WA and Rancho Cordova and Sacramento, CA)

14. D, J, and A ... and hopefully on to the future! :o)

Congratulations if you read this far or thanks if you scrolled down to see that H is also for Honey! My best friend Shelley has always wanted to keep bees and so this year she dove in and received her Carnolian Bees a couple week ago. Soon she will be blogging at Blessed Bee all about her adventures! She sent me this photos which she took and I cropped and changed to low res so that I could see the beginnings...

The hive, sitting up on blocks and near the house. Can you see the bees buzzing near the entrance?

Here are some more bees entering the hive. They are busy setting up a home and collecting pollen. I can't wait to see what happens next!

A Is For...

This year I decided to join the ABC Along because I have enjoyed seeing others' posts in the past. There are still a couple days left to sign up if you are interested. Directions are at the link. A is an easy letter to start with. A is for Alphabet.

A is for Antique...this is the pincushion my Mom made as her first sewing project when she was 9 years old. I won't say how many years ago that was, but it does qualify as an antique. It has seen better days - it was once lavender and yellow. The author of this post is responsible for coloring on the button with a tailoring pencil and time and use are responsible for the "shabby but not chic" appearance. Since it is stuffed with sawdust, I cannot wash it. Mom says to photograph and toss. I haven't decided yet.

A is for Alaska...where several family members have lived since the 1920s. This summer Hubby and I hope to take a long overdue honeymoon in Juneau. This is where my cousin's Ted and Barbara live. Please pray for Barbara...she is the one with brain cancer.

A is for Princess A...who has a flair for melodrama. This is her Joanne Worley impression! LOL

A is for Baby A...A is twin B and J is twin A. She is notorious for saying "take a picture of this" and then doing something goofy which makes the picture taking impossible!

A is for Awl...This is an antique awl that I found in my Grandma Hopkins' button can.

A is for Applique...these are the flowers appliqued on my bedspread, a wreath of flowers around the log cabin blocks in the center.

A is for Art and Artist...this is a sketch of the water towers in Mendocino, CA by my Hubby who is talented as a pen and ink artist. Art plays a huge part in our lives and in my family. My Aunt Grace is also an artist.

A is for Album...this picture shows one shelf of my memory albums.

A is for Airplane and Airshow...these are the US Air Force Thunderbirds flying in formation over our house.

A is for Angora...a bunny fiber to spin. My step Dad got this for me either from Free Cycle or Craig's List.

A is for Active...my son D rarely stops moving. Here he is at Lake Tahoe...um, dancing?

A is for Adventure...our family loves to go on adventures especially near water or out in nature.

A is for Autumn...my favorite season. This is the VFW memorial in Placerville.

Naturally, A is for Apples...These beauties were photographed at Apple Hill in Placerville/Camino.

And who could forget A is for Apple Donuts...which are one of our favorite treats.

A is for Abbie...an Animal...who thinks she is Queen of the Home.

A is for Amy who I Adore :o)

A is for Amaryllis...this variety is called Naked Ladies.

A is for Alden...my Grandpa Hopkins who is on the left. He died when my Mom was 16 so I never met him. Besides being an avid hunter, he was a carpenter/chiropractor/pastor.

A is for Ancestors...this is a graveyard in a town in Michigan that my ancestor Erastus Hopkins pioneered.

A is for Atholl Palace...in Pitlochry, Scotland. A stay here was a gift for my 28th birthday from my "English Mum".

Some of my favorite A Websites are:

Amish America

A Year In Bread

Amanda Soule

All Tangled Up

Angry Chicken

AJ Quilts

The Apronista

Alie Edwards

Allsorts

A Dress A Day

Abby's Yarns

Arianie

Ample Knitters

Phew! You made it to the end! :o)

I Told You He Was A Keeper

Friday I took a break and got some shopping done. Fun shopping. I had gift cards and was able to buy some things for our home schooling. I also enjoyed some time at my lys since I had earned $20 on my customer card. So, Saturday I sent Hubby off to use his gift card at Barnes and Noble and to do a few errands but most of all to get away and relax a little. Well, did that man buy himself something at the bookstore? NO! He came home and told me he had a belated anniversary surprise for me! He bought me a book called The Secrets of Scotland, which is a beautiful photography book about 12" square. He knows how much I LOVE Scotland! I felt a little bad he didn't find himself something, but he did go online later and use the rest of his card to find some drawing books he liked.

Today we had a wonderful service at church. Our seniors pastor spoke and I always enjoy the years of life he brings and the gentle way he shares the Truth in his sermons. This evening I took some time to scan a few wedding pics as Amy was commenting about it! :o) I really need to get them scanned in better and work on them in PS Elements to improve some of them and get them reprinted. Maybe before my 10th wedding anniversary I will get my wedding album finished!

Here I am going down the aisle. I was so happy, I could have floated. My Daddy looks pretty stern. He wasn't. He just took his job seriously and he was on oxygen. My cousin's then boyfriend, now husband, walked behind us to carry his oxygen tank. I was so thankful for this. A few weeks after the wedding my Dad was given 2 weeks to 2 months to live. He fulled them all and stayed with us another 18 months or so. I treasure the very few pictures I have of him, even though they aren't great. We reconciled when I was in college but a couple years before he died, he asked Jesus to forgive him of his sins. It was then that he began to understand who I was as a person and he was always one of my staunchest supporters. He was so happy for me to marry my Hubby because he knew that Hubby was very good for me and could see how much in love we were. I chose to go down the aisle to the same music as Maria in the Sound of Music. (I did not want to go down the aisle to the strains of "here comes the bride, big, fat and wide!)

Three Generations, me, Grandma Hopkins and my Mom. I love these pictures because Grandma still looks healthy. A few months later, her health began to deteriorate, though she lived about 3 years more. We were 32, 92 and 52 (sorry Mom, but you always look great at any age!).

I probably don't have to explain why I love this picture of Grandma and me. You can see the dark speck on my left lapel (right side when looking at pic). That was my something borrowed, something blue. It was one of my Mom's sapphire earrings which her husband Jack gave her when they married. Since I worse special earrings which Hubby's Mom had bought me for the wedding, I couldn't wear them in my ears. So, I wore one pinned to my dress. Historically women have often pinned special mementos both on and inside their dresses, so I felt it was a fun thing to do. But, I wish I had a dollar for every time someone said, "There's something on your gown." LOL

This is me with my Mom and step Dad Jack. He read the scripture which I put on my December 27th blog post: Colossians 3:12-17. He also gave us LOTS of poinsettias from his job for decorating the church and did a little bit of everything to help with the wedding. (And he often gets mistaken for Santa! HA HA!)

Here we are in the sanctuary. Neither of us had a single gray hair...those came after the children! :o) You can see we are laughing a bit. Our photographer was someone I met only once and she was good at helping us relax. Hubby's Mom died just a few days before our wedding and it was not an easy time. He didn't want to delay or change our wedding though so we went ahead as planned. I worried a little that he would not enjoy our day or that it would be sad for him. But, God filled us with so much JOY because we knew we were walking in His perfect will for our lives. It was very exhausting, but filled with moments we will always treasure.

Here is another shot where the coloring is more accurate. We tried to have special things incorporated in our wedding. The heart necklace I wore was a silver locket with my brother's newborn hospital picture in it. My wedding rings came from my step Grandma, Doris. The Bible on the communion table was Grandpa Hopkins' and the pineapple doily on the table was crocheted by my Grandpa Johnson when he was in a TB sanitorium as a boy. The glass used for communion was an Iris and Herringbone patterned depression glass water goblet that had belonged to my Great Grandma Tisdale (Grandma Hopkins' mother) and the candle sticks were also Iris and Herringbone which I had given as a gift to my Mom. The Unity candle was made by my friend Debi from high school and college and the communion bread was made by my Mom's sister Marilyn. It was a treasure to have the pearl drop earrings that Hubby's Mom had chosen for me, so that we could have a piece of her with us in the ceremony.

This is my Mom's favorite picture of us. It's kind of goofy, but sweet. I am certainly starry eyed for my Hubby! :o) My dress was chosen because Hubby does not like lace and frou frou. Do you know how hard that was? Now there are many dresses without lace but then less so and especially in my size. It has lovely beading and the lace is only on the bottom. I am not really a fancy person, so I had difficulty with choosing a veil and spending $200 on a piece of nothing! So, I made mine with a satin headband. I sewed tiny pearl beads every couple inches along the toule. I wanted to wear the veil in the traditional way and it was wonderful to have Hubby pull it back to claim me as his after we spoke our vows. I thought I would cry in the ceremony, but I didn't. I don't think I could have squeazed one out. I was so excited that I was swaying a little, which probably concerned people. But how could I not be excited? I was standing before God, my family, my church family...at least 300 people proclaiming to them all that I loved this man and I promised to be truly his and wonder of wonders (miracle of miracles), Hubby chose me too!

You might think I'm crazy for this post. But, I think it is good to remember the romance, the giddiness, the things and places and memories and feelings that brought you together as a couple in the first place. Life gets mundane. True love grows in the every day life, not just the fairy tale dreams, but sometimes we need sparkly moments to rekindle the fire. I once worried I would never have this...a godly man who loves me...but I am thankful that I do and I don't want to ever take that for granted.

Thanks Amy for the trip down memory lane! :o)

Normal blogging returns tomorrow.