Finally a Flanders Brothers Family Photo

 

Never in my life did I have any hopes of seeing this photograph. Gathered together are my mother's parents and the brothers and wives of my grandfather. As I grew up I was able to visit my grandparents for a few years, and met two of Grandpa Flanders' brothers, but didn't know the others. In a wonderful sequence of events, a cousin of mine has been able to borrow a photo collection from another cousin with the promise that she'd scan and share them with more of the family. She recently shared a few with me, as she's preparing to save them to CDs for distribution to cousins who prefer that over digital sharing via the "cloud". 

This photo was among those shared with me and I'm thrilled to see it. Pictured from left to right are: 
1. Gordon Flanders (1885-1963)
and Bessie (Morris) (1895-1978) 
2. Merritt Flanders (1879-1970)
and Sarah (Fletcher) (1891-1956)
3. My grandparents Milo Flanders (1883-1965)
and Nannie (Becker)  (1887-1962)
4. Walter Flanders (1881-1955) 
and Jessie (Morris) (1895-1982)
5. Clarence Flanders (1877-1968) 
and Clara Etta "Carrie" (Ingersol) (1879-1959)
I want to note that Bessie (Mrs. Gordon Flanders) and Jessie (Mrs. Walter Flanders) are twin sisters.

This photo shows all the brothers and their families at that time. I can pick out my mother and her brothers and sisters, but wouldn't it have been nice to have the cameras back then that would get the whole group in a wider lens so they could spread out and we could really see them? 

This wasn't taken the same day, but this is my mother and her brothers and sisters, so it's the complete family of Milo and Nannie (Becker) Flanders. Front row left to right are: Ruby, Ethel, Pearl; back row left to right are: Mervin, Albert, Cleo

1. Ruby Flanders (1925-1990)

married (1) Ernest Margheim (my dad) in 1943 

and (2) Donald Craine (1925-1998) in 1952

2. Ethel Flanders (1908-1994) 

married Dewey Haddon (1900-1984) in 1925

3. Pearl Flanders (1916-1980) 

married (1) Robert Goodwin (1910-1939) in 1938 

and (2) George Harris (1918-1994) in 1942

4. Mervin Flanders (1921-2007) 

married Bernice Kent (1928-2008) in 1948

5. Albert Flanders (1918-2002) 

married Bonnie Roblyer (1927- living) in 1956

6. Cleo Flanders (1912-1994) 

married Alberta "Berta" Smiley (1913-2006) in 1933

I'm so grateful to my cousins Edna, Duane, Debbi and Nancy for sharing your photo collections and making them available for more cousins to enjoy. I truly treasure them!