Merry Christmas

The card is from Katherine R. Norwood and it was mailed to Henry T. and Gladys Norwood and their son Henry E. Norwood who was nicknamed "Sonny."  Katherine used the spelling "Kathryn" at different times. She was an Army nurse stationed overseas.

Christmas Cookies

 Frosty Anise Rosettes

This is a classic cookie in my family. My mother has made these every year at Christmas as far as I can remember.
These days she mostly lets her daughters and granddaughters make the rest of the cookies but she still makes a batch of these.

They are one of my favorites. The recipe is in the book Pillsbury's Best Butter Cookie Cookbook 

Vol. 2.  I can not find a year of publication but it is from the 1950s.

Yum!  You'll love them too! Here is the recipe.

Sift together:

• 3 cups flour
• 2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt

Cream:

• 1/4 cup butter, gradually add
• 1/2 cup sugar, creaming well

Add:

• 3 unbeaten eggs, beat until well blended.

Stir in:

• 2 tablespoons anise seed
• 1 teaspoon grated lemon rind and
• 1 1/2 tablespoons lemon juice. Add
• 1 teaspoon anise extract, if desired.

Add gradually:

• 2 cups of the dry ingredients, beating well after each addition. Stir in remaining dry ingredients with a spoon. 

Knead on floured surface for 1 minute until well blended and smooth.

Divide dough into 8 equal parts. Roll each into a strip 1/2 inch thick and 18 inches long, then cut into five pieces.

Cut slits half way through each piece along one side at 1/2 inch intervals, then seal the ends together to form a circle. Place on greased baking sheet.

Bake in hot oven, 400 degrees for 8 to 10 minutes. Cookies do not brown. Cool. Dip the tops of cookies into sugar glaze, allowing glaze to drip down sides.

Sugar glaze is 3 cups confectioners' sugar and 1/3 cup hot milk. Thin with more hot milk a teaspoon at a time, if necessary.

Don't forget to add some decorations!

Blue Christmas Tree

Here is my grandfather Henry T. Norwood decorating the Christmas tree.

It looks like he wasn't aware he was going to be photographed. I was told he loved to decorate the Christmas tree with blue lights. He also spent a lot of time getting the tinsel placed perfectly. 

This picture of their tree was colorized by my father. I found this in his photograph album and under this photo he wrote the year 1948. 

Genevieve Lucille Norwood

  

On November 29, 1908, my Great Aunt Genevieve was born to parents Rose Wilczewski Norwood and Frank Norwood. At the time of her birth the family surname was "Nawrocki."

From mother Rose's Bible

Genowefa is the Polish version of Genevieve. It is pronounced ge-naw-Ve-fah. Her nephews called her Aunt Who because they could not pronounce her name. I remember calling her Aunt Genevie. Genevie was actually the spelling of her name on the 1910 census. The last name was misspelled on the same census though. The family was listed as "Norward." They were actually using the name Norwood but it had not been officially changed from Nawrocki yet. More on that another day.

Christening

The back of this photo lists the ages of Genevieve and her brother Henry but it is partially covered with black paper from being taken from an old photo album and it is unreadable.

Genevieve with my grandfather Henry Thomas

The back of this next photo is labeled, "Genevieve aged 4 years."

Genevieve 4 years old

Photo postcard with Genevieve and mother Rose

Back of postcard

This was likely written to Frank's sister Kate.

Celluloid photo frame using the same photo as above

Genevieve shared her birthday, November 29, with her father Frank.

Veteran's Day

Here is my favorite veteran, my dad. 

Henry E. Norwood, Electronics Technician 2nd Class, US Navy, Korean War,  

USS George Clymer APA 27

Thank you, Veterans!

Gladys

November 5th was my grandmother's birthday. She was born in 1910.

I haven't uncovered any baby pictures but this is pretty young.

Here is the back of that last photo which is a postcard. I haven't spent much time figuring out what it says on the back but I'm sure it will mean more with some study. 

Mrs. Clark Smith is Gladys' mom Ida. Possibly it refers to the location of her home. 

November 5th is also the day my grandmother was buried in 1999.

Happy Birthday, Gram! I miss you!

Girls at the Pottery

This group of photos were my grandmother's. She may have taken them herself but I don't know for sure. She wrote some names on the back so I will list them as she wrote them. These are girls that worked at the Canonsburg Pottery with my grandmother Gladys Smith. They were taken in 1929.

Gladys Smith is second from the right of the girls that are standing.

Gladys Smith is second from the left in the front row. She is likely kneeling.

Left to right:

Dorothy, Lydia, Helen & Helen S.

L- Lydia Meredith

R- Dorothy Cooper

L - Katherine Perry

C - Edith Schussler

R - Dorothy Cooper

L - Anna Deacon

R - Alice Franko

L - Helen Stoner

R - Gladys Smith

L - Helen Lewis

R - Mrs. Tagshire

Back row, left to right: Gladys, Edith, Helen, Katherine, Helen S., Alice

(Based on the other photos, I think the Helens should be switched.)

Front row, left to right: Mrs. Tagshire, Dorothy, Lydia & Anna.

Hand Prints

This is my hand print which was created on the 12th of January 1964. I was less than two years old. It was a little more than six months after my grandparents purchased their home at 255 Vine Street in June of 1963. This is on a concrete slab that was poured to set the washer and dryer on in the basement. 

Here is the house now.

After more than 50 years it is about to be sold to someone else. After my grandmother passed away, my father made this his home. Although I didn't spend that much time here in my adulthood, it was nice knowing the home was still in the family and it seemed as if it always would be.

This was a magical place to be when I was little. We had Sunday dinner here with my gram and granddad. We played for hours with the toys in the basement. There were dolls and coloring books. I remember a wind up monkey that lifted a beer to his mouth. I loved the old pots and pans I found in the back room and played house with them. There was a refrigerator in the basement filled with pop. I remember making Christmas ornaments and other crafts in the basement. 

 There always seemed to be a big box of chocolates at Gram's house. Ribbon candy and my brother's favorite, chocolate covered cherries. 

We always had Thanksgiving dinner here and while Gram and Mom were cooking, Dad and and his dad were watching football. Granddad was drinking Black Label Beer. Well, that was the routine every Sunday, not just Thanksgiving. And if it wasn't football it was Wide World of Sports and Indy Car Racing. We watched the Wonderful World of Disney, The Red Skelton Show and lots of other shows that are now classics. They all remind me of being at Grams' house. 

There were only four of us children on January 12, 1964. Exactly one year later, on Jan. 12, 1965 our youngest sister was born. 

Valerie is standing next to my grandparent's birdcage in their kitchen by the back door. Her hand prints are not here but she got to experience the same amount of love and good memories as the rest of us. 

I said my final goodbye to this special little house yesterday. I thanked it for all the love and good memories that it sheltered. I hope the new owners are happy here. They will have our little hand prints to remind them that we were there.

Aunt Kitty's Mink Stole

Katherine R. Norwood was my great aunt and she was also my godmother. We knew her as Aunt Kitty.

Spring 1955

Katherine was a nurse just like her sister Genevieve. They both served overseas in the Army during WWII. I have lots of photos and things from that time period that I will share later. Katherine also had a twin brother named John. He passed away when he was only 18 years old in 1930.

The reason I am sharing this photo right now is because I just found it and saw that she was holding a mink stole. I never knew or even thought to ask if there was a photo of her wearing it. I am thrilled because I own that stole.

About 35 years ago I studied fashion design. When I was in school Aunt Kitty gave this to me since she knew I was interested in fashion. I thought it was nice but at the time I really didn't think that much about it. I put it with my special childhood things and stored it for many years. Something reminded me of it years ago and I was quite happy to see it still existed and that I hadn't ruined it. It is actually in fabulous condition. I pulled it out to look at it again about a year ago and was pleased to see her initials as I had forgotten they were inside. 

Katherine Rosalie Norwood. I only recently learned what the "R" stood for. I found it on her Social Security application. Her mother was Rozalia or Rosa or Rose depending on the time and document.

Katherine never married so she did not have children. She was well loved by her nephews and great nieces and nephews.

Canonsburg Pottery

 My grandmother worked at the Canonsburg Pottery for most of her life. 

Her name was Gladys Smith and she is on the far right wearing the pretty dark dress. According to the 1940 census, the highest grade that Gladys completed was the 7th grade. My father told me that she had to work because her father had left the family. She helped her mom clean houses at first and then she got a job at the pottery. This photo was taken around 1927.

The building she is standing in front of still exists. Here is the way it looks now. I took this photo on 11 June 2016.

When I was born in 1962 she lived on Vine Street which overlooks the town of Canonsburg. My father resided in her home after her death and sadly we are presently preparing to sell the home as he passed away last month. I stood on his front porch and realized I could see this same building from his porch.

 Here is a zoomed in version of the whole building as I could see it from the porch.

My father told me she worked on the second floor about half way back. She likely worked around the few windows that are at the end of that white pipe.
Here is an overview of the Canonsburg Pottery as illustrated on an old postcard that was postmarked in 1939.

I don't know where the building above is situated in this postcard but I am guessing it is one of the long buildings shown. The company was founded in 1900 and it closed in 1978.

I have many pieces of Canonsburg pottery and I also have many photos of the girls Gladys worked with which I will be sharing later. Maybe she worked with a relative of yours. Here is a larger group shot in front of the building with a curious mix of sleeveless dresses and winter coats. I suppose it was cold outside and a hot place to work inside. My gram is 4th from the left, hiding behind a friend, or perhaps snuggling into her coat to keep warm.

A Favorite Photo

This is an adorable photo of my mom, Dolores Audrey Rakiecz.  She was born in 1933 so this photo would be from the late 1930s. She lived on Calera Street in the Hays section of Pittsburgh, PA. This likely is her porch but her grandparents lived nearby and many photos were taken on a neighbor's porch so this really could be any of those. Mom remembers having a dog but she does not remember the cat.  I just love the sweet moment that my grandfather caught on film!