Wisdom Wednesday: Mystery Ladies

A mystery girl revealed?
So, we have this old family picture that's been hanging in my parents house as long as I can remember.

This is the picture.  The first time I remember talking to my Mom about it was back in the 90s...this was about when I started getting interested in genealogy.  I remember her telling me that many of the male Robinsons in this picture used to travel back to England when there was no work in Philadelphia.

The youngest child in this picture is a baby and was born in 1907, so I'd date it 1907-1908.  The couple in the middle are Mary Robinson (nee Crossley) and John Raynor Robinson.  They are my 2nd Great Grandparents and they moved to Philadelphia from England in 1868.  The rest are their children, the children's spouses and their children.  My mom had most of the people labeled (she and I had changed some as we learned more).  The exception being the 2 ladies on either side in the back row, they have always been unknown.  They are clearly dressed differently than the other women.  We had speculated that maybe they were servents, then chuckled about that idea!

So, the back row is: Unknown Girl, Thomas, Jonas, James, Mary Elizabeth and Unknown Girl
Middle Row:  Ida (wife of Thomas), Mary (wife of Jonas) with little Rayner on her lap, Mary and John Raynor, Lillian (wife of James) with Baby Howard on her lap, George Smith (husband of Mary Elizabeth).  Seated in front of Ida and Mary is James B Robinson (my grandfather's brother), on the stool next to him is Jonas and Mary's daughter, Rebecca, on the stool in the middle is Samuel Raynor (my grandfather), on the floor next to him is Lillian Smith, next to her is Mae(or Mary), they are Mary Elizabeth's children.

Well, I came across another picture while cleaning out my email.  And this one has an additional sibling in it.

Mary Lizzie, ?, Thomas, Lillie, Jonas, James, ?
Mary Elizabeth Robinson, ?, Thomas C Robinson (my great grandfather), Lilly Mae Robinson, Jonas Robinson, James H Robinson and John Raynor Robinson.  Lilly was born in 1889.  I'll guess she's about 3 or 4 here and say this photo was taken in about 1903.  I think this is the house they lived in on G Street in Kensington.  So, now I'm wondering if one of the gals on either end in the more formal picture is Lilly?  And is the other one another unknown sibling.  Everyone in that back row seems to be a child of John Raynor and Mary Robinson. So it makes sense to me that the 2 unknowns are also children of Mary and John Raynor and that perhaps they are dressed differently since they are unmarried.  Now, the question is...can I find a name for the other Robinson Girl.  The 1890 census would be so helpful here!  It's a shame it was mostly destroyed!  This picture also has an unknown woman, which could be Thomas wife, Ida, but it really doesn't look like her. I think Ida is very distinctive looking.  Maybe she's the other missing girl?

Tombstone Tuesday: The Riccardi Grave

I've posted a picture of this grave before.  It's the grave of my Mother-in-law's father, uncle and brother.  The picture above is the original that I took a couple of years ago, when I visited with my Mom-in-law.  She told me that her brother, Rex Patrick's birth year was incorrect and they had been meaning to have it corrected.  Well, earlier this year, we lost a wonderful woman, Rose Edith Riccardi, AKA Nana.  Nana was buried with the other Riccardis in this same grave.  This was a great opportunuty to have the year for Uncle Rick corrected.  The engravers added Nana and changed 1939 to 1935.  They did a great job, too.  Thanks to my brother-in-law, Glen, for sharing this picture with me.

2 Generations of Gold Card holders

No, not credit cards!!! 

My Dad is a member of the International Union of Bricklayers and Allied Craftworkers, as was his father.  A few years back, he received his gold card.  This means he's been in the union for 50 years and is now considered a Lifetime Member.  He also had the card that his father received when he reached that milestone.  A little while back he handed both cards to my sister and asked her to hold onto them...he was afraid they would be misplaced.  So she had a great idea.  She took them to Michaels Craft Store and had them framed together and we gave it to him as a birthday gift last night.  It turned out great! 

I find it interesting that my grandfather's from 1968 looks better than my Dad's from 2002.

Angelo Rex Riccardi, His First concert

I came across this photo while digging through photos this past week.  It's a great picture.  This is my husband, Chris' Grandfather, Angelo Rex Riccardi.  He was a musician and went on to be the Assistant Vice President of the American Federation of Musicians.  On the back of the picture is written "Rex Riccardi - taken at Va - First concert - age 14"

Treasure Chest Thursday: Cedar Hill Cemetery

I had a lovely adventure with my father today.  I met him at his favorite (breakfast) restaurant, M & M Restaurant at Emery Street and Allegheny Avenue in the Port Richmond section of Philadelphia.  I had a fantastic Kielbasa and Cheese omelet with a side of potatoes.  It was fantastic and I won't need to eat until dinner time!   After we finished up, we pulled out the maps and other info that the lovely people from Cedar Hill Cemeteries sent me and headed on over the Frankford and Cheltenham Avenues.  This is an interesting spot in Philly where there's a cemetery on each corner.  3 of which are part of Cedar Hill.  There's North Cedar Hill, The Cedar Hill and East Cedar Hill (which was unmarked) and the 4th is Mount Carmel.  We have family buried in North and East Cedar Hills (that I know of).  So, first stop was North Cedar Hill.  My Dad's Uncle Elmer and Aunt Bert (whom I wrote about before: Wedding Wednesday: Elmer J Black and Alberta M Franks).  We easily located this grave in the back of the cemetery.  The maps provided were great.

John H Dingler was the first to be buried here.  He died in 1914, and while there are no dates on the stone for him or Matilda, the cemetery provided a copy of all the records that they had.  John was a police officer and committed suicide at the age of 57.  I wonder if I'd be able to find more details about that!?  Next, is Alberta M Black, she was the child of Uncle Elmer and Aunt Bert and was 6 months old when she passed and was buried in 1934.  Next up is William "Billy" Murphy, he was Matilda's (John's Wife) second husband.  He passed in 1938 at the age of 67.  Note that his name was not added to the headstone.  Tillie was next, she was 94 when she passed away in 1954.  My Dad knew Tillie.  He's told me several times that she was very old and if he remembers correctly she was blind.  He said to me, "I thought you said Tillie was here!"  He didn't know that Tillie is short for Matilda and he knew her as Tillie Murphy, so he didn't realize right away that it was her in there when he saw the names!  Then I have, in 1982, "Infant Girt Lyons SB", "2ft Casket".  Another baby, how sad!  I spoke with my Aunt Joan and we think this would have been Aunt Bert and Uncle Elmer's grandchild by their daughter, Joan.  Her name is not on the headstone, either.  Uncle Elmer passed away in 1989.  And last one in was Aunt Bert, 1999!

We paid our respects and moved on...to the wrong cemetery (woops, I should have printed the big map with the full intersection), we ended up in The Cedar Hill cemetery.  But Pop straightened me out and over to East Cedar Hills we went!

Again, very nicely detailed maps were provided and we located the target grave quickly. I was surprised to find somewhat of a monument. When we spotted it, my Dad said "Wow, they must have had money!"  This is Pop Black's family. He's my Dad's maternal grandfather.  This grave also holds 7 people, however, only 2 are listed on the monument.  This is the first family grave that I've seen with a limestone monument.  This is why the letters are corroding off.  Limestone just doesn't last like marble. 

I was able to transcribe what it says: 

In Memory Of
Isabella wife of
Augustus Black
Born Sep 22 1852
Died Nov 8 1894
Augustus Black
Died Feb 1 1928
Aged 76 years

So, Isabella was buried first.  And the headstone lists her birthdate, which I didn't have before, just the year!  Jackpot!  Then Robert Black and Anna Black both buried on the same day in 1900, he was only 15 months and she was just 13 months.  I did some digging and these are 2 children of Isabella and Augustus.  He actually died in 1875 and she died in 1886.  Their death certificates say they were buried in North Cedar Hill, but they must have been moved to be with their mother.  William Black was then buried here in 1907 at age 28.  He died of pneumonia.  This was another child of Isabella and Augustus.    Pop's father, Augustus Black was buried here in 1928, No birthday for him, though!  The records indicate that he died of Nephritis, which is a disease of the kidneys.  And while the record indicates that he was 75, the tombstone says 76.  Pop Black, Mervyn Black Sr., was buried here in 1958 at age 82.  The record says that he died of senility.  The last person listed in the record is no longer a mystery.  Her name is "Sallie (aka Sarah) Price".  She died in 1969 and was 87 years old.  I just figured out who she is.  She is the last child of Augustus and Isabella, born Sarah M Black.

I took a few pictures of the rest of the monument, since it's fairly ornate, compared to what I'm used to finding.

This is a close-up of the lower front part of the monument.  You can see that the different parts are twisted a bit.  Of course, my Dad tried to twist them back, but couldn't budge em!  I wonder if there was more decoration on the part just above the "BLACK" name?



In this picture, I tried to capture the design that I saw in the upper part of the monument.  It looks like it was a line of daisy-like flowers all the way around the monument.

This is another stone at the foot of the grave.  The material matches the monument and I suspect that it's partially buried and may have something written on it, like the family name again.  My Dad says he will bring a shovel next time!
So, while the weather was not great, me and my Dad had a nice morning.  The best part is, he tells stories about the people that he remembers.  He is hoping I can locate his cousin, Jimmy Black, Uncle Elmer's son.  He thinks he lives down the shore somewhere.  Plus, now, we have a few more people to take flowers to at Easter!

Tombstone Tuesday: Or lack there of?

Back at Christmastime, I posted about my 3rd Great Grandfather, Jonas Robinson, and what I thought was his grave:  Is That You, Jonas?  I have come to learn that the grave I took a picture of is not where Jonas is buried.  Not only that, but there's no gravestone at all!  I sent a donation to the organization that is maintaining the records for the cemetery (which is in serious disrepair) and in return they did some extra research for me, including taking a picture of the actual grave.

Jonas Robinson's Grave at Greenwood Cemetery

I suppose the item buried just above the plot could turn out to be his gravestone once it's unearthed.  I wonder how long it will take for the to start uprighting the gravestones?  I also have a list of about 100 other Robinsons buried in this cemetery to go through to figure out if they are family.

Talented Tuesday: The House that Grandpop Robinson Built

I come from a family full of tradesman.  My father started as a bricklayer, later added roofing to his repertoire and now operates as a general contractor.  His father, Samuel Raynor Robinson, was a bricklayer and builder, as well.  My brothers, uncles, cousins and great-grandfathers also work(ed) in the building trades.  Today, I have an example of my Grandpop's work to share.  He grew up in the Kensington section of Philadelphia.  After he married my grandmother, Lettie Mae, he bought some property out in the Fox Chase area and built a house for his family.


The house that Grandpop built in Fox Chase, about 1930

This is a picture of the house from my Grandmom's scrapbook.  It was taken around 1930ish.  Unfortunately, something "funny" happened with the bank and my Grandparents lost this house and ended up moving back to the Kensington/Port Richmond area before my father was born, but my aunts and uncles all lived in this house.

In the 1930 census, I found my grandaparents and my eldest uncle, Sam, living in this home.  It was the only house on the street.  There was an address in the census, so, my Dad and I decided to take a drive to try to locate it.  The problem was that when I mapped the address, 257 Roslyn St in Abington Township, there wasn't an exact match.  After staring at a map for a while and chatting with my Dad (He'd been by the house a few times over the years), we figured out that the road was now called Roseland Avenue in Rockledge and made a plan to go check it out.  We drove around a bit and successfully located the house, not only had the street changed names, but the number was different, as well!

The House that Grandpop Built, 2010

I tried to get a picture from roughly the same angle as the old picture.  It was really nice to see how well the house was cared for and that it's no longer the lonely house on the street!

The House that Grandpop built, 2010, looking loved.

Roughly 80 years old, this house is a job well done by Sam Robinson.

Wedding Wednesday: Elmer J Black and Alberta M Franks

I found this last year.  It's the Marriage Record for my Dad's aunt and uncle.  Elmer was his Mom's (Lettie Mae Black) brother.  I remember Aunt Bert and Uncle Elmer, he died in 1989 and Aunt Bert died in 1999.  They didn't have an easy life, 5 of their 6 children died before they did.  I remember spending time with them when we would visit my grandparents.  They were both very sweet!

------
Date and Place of Marriage:
Sept 30, 1928, 5 PM
Wilmington, NC (New Castle), Del

GROOM
Full Name:  Elmer J Black
Present Residence:  Phil, Pa
Age at Last Birthday: 22
Color or Race: White
Occupation:  Mechanic
Nativity: State or Country: Pa
Single, Widowed or Divorced: Single is marked.
Groom's Father, Nativity: Mervyn, Pa
Groom's Mother, Nativity: Lettie M, Pa
Number of Groom's Marriage: First

BRIDE
Full Name:  Alberta M Franks
Present Residence: Dover, Del
Age at last Birthday: 21
Color or Race: White
Nativity: Pa
Single, Widowed, Divorced: Single is marked.
Bride's Maiden Name is widowed or divorced:
Bride's Father, Nativity:  Francis J, Pa
Bride's Mother, Nativity: Mary, Pa
Number of Bride's Marriage: First

Minister signature: Abram S Woodard, Minister
Residence: Wil, NC, Del

Witnesses:
Jas F Dingler, Phila, Pa
Anna M Dingler, ""

Filed: Oct 2 1928, Signed by Resistrar, Fred F Armstrong
----------
The witnesses are a relation of some sort, as they share a last name with Elmer's mother, who was born Lettie Mae Dingler.  They may have been Lettie's brother and Sister-in-law.  However, I have him as Walter James Ferguson Dingler, but he may have gone by James (his WWI Draft registration leave out the Walter and Ferguson.  Ferguson was his mother's maiden name.

Uncle Frank Samsel, WWII Veteran

Well, I should have posted this yesterday, but I was a bit preoccupied.  So, better late than never. 

In honor of Pearl Harbor Day (yesterday), this is a picture of one of my relatives who served in WWII. 

This picture was labeled "Corsica, March 3, 1944, Frank Samsel, 3rd from left".  Francis I. Samsel was my Granny's brother, My mom's uncle.  I don't know a whole lot about him, but that he was the son of immigrant parents.  His mother and father came to the United States from Poland at the turn of the century.  Frank was the 2nd youngest of 9 children.  Although, if memory serves me correctly, my Granny mentioned that she had several siblings that died at a very young age.  The WWII record that I found for him states that he was Enlisted in the Army on 27 August 1942 in Philadelphia to the Branch Immaterial - Warrant Officers, USA.  It also states that he was only educated to grammar school.  He was single without dependants.  For occuption it just states:  "Unskilled public service occupations, n.e.c.".  He was 5' 5" and 117 pounds.  I'm unsure how long he was enlisted, but I'm proud of him, nonetheless!

Thanks to Uncle Frank and to all those who served and continue to serve our country.

Is that you, Jonas?

The Hunt for Jonas Robinson (My 3rd Great Grandfather)

Me and Pop (and Jake and Emma and Ivan) made our rounds of the cemeteries today, with my new addition, Greenwood Cemetery.  I got a pretty detailed map from a member of the organization that volunteers to help maintain the grounds.  With that, I felt pretty confidant that we could find him (and the other 5 people buried with him).  We drove in past the newly remodeled main building and drove up to a "Receiving Vault"...that's something I've never seen before.  But it was clear that they are making changes to that.  We thought we drove up to about the right spot and got out to start wandering.  However, none of the section markers matched the map...at all!  So, I assume they are reassigning the sections, somehow.  We tried to work out roughly where his section should be and started hunting.  From afar, the cemetery looked well kept, but as we walked, we came across toppled over head stones, others so sunken into the ground that all that was visible was the very top. 

Robinson, Robinson, where is Robinson?  There it was.  And that's all that is says, "Robinson". 

No names, no dates.  A bit of a letdown.  I did wander around a bit more, but no other Robinsons to be found.  I guess I'll have to wait to confirm.  There are plans to reset all of the stones in the future.  You can see the top of at least one headstone in this picture.  I wonder if this is just the top the stone?  Maybe they will reopen the office soon and someone can help me locate it for sure.

The Hunt for Jonas Robinson

He should be easy to find.  He can't go anywhere.  He's been dead for 106 years!

Jonas Robinson was my 3rd Great Grandfather.  Jonas was the father of John Raynor Robinson. John was the father of Thomas Crossley Robinson.  Thomas was the father of Samuel Raynor Robinson.  Sam was the father of Raynor Elmer Robinson.  And Raynor is my dad.  Jonas was born in England and died in Philadelphia.  He moved his family to the US in 1868. 

So, anyway...I wanted to find his grave back at Easter time when I went to the cemeteries with my Dad.  We were going to Oakland Cemetery, which is right across the street from Greenwood.  So, I thought I'd look him up and go find his grave while we were out that way.  I searched for the cemetery and found that it was under renovations.  This is something I've never heard of, but it sounds like a great thing.  The downside is that:   a. There was no office to contact to find out where he is and b. They were not allowing visitations.  So, we made the rounds and I could see the work being done on the cemetery.  They were remodeling the main house on the property.  And I could see that the property really needed some cleaning up. 

Here's a photo of what it looked like:

Well, me and Dad are getting ready to make the rounds again.  Hopefully, this Christmas he doesn't just go do it without me.  We don't call him Quick Carl for nothing!  Based on what I read on the cemetery's website, it seems they are allowing visits, but there is still no office on the premises.  I did, however, find an email address for lookups.  I'm hopeful that they will get back to me and tell me where he is so that we can go find him. 

Maybe my next post will be a picture of his grave.  Wish me luck!

John H Dingler's Obituary

Dingler – Suddenly, on Aug. 29, 1914, JOHN H., husband of Mathilda Dingler, nee Ferguson.  Relatives and friends of the family, also police of the Tenth, Fifth and Twenty-sixth districts are invited to attend funeral services, at 2:30 P.M. Wednesday, at his late residence, 2643 Janney Street, interment at North Cedar Hill Cemetery.

John H. Dingler was my 2nd Great Grandfather.  He was the father of my Dad's Grandmother, Lettie Mae Dingler, AKA Mom Black, mother of Lettie Mae Black Robinson, my Dad's Mom.  This obituary halped me find Matilda(Tillie)'s family.  I didn't have her maiden name before I found this.

Connie, we miss you!

Well, today is the second anniversary of my Mom's passing.  I still have a hard time believing that she's gone.  But, she is.  So, I thought that it would be nice and therapeutic for me to share some pictures and memories.

So, here's a picture of my Mom as close to a baby as I have...isn't she cute?












This is her a little older, in her Kielbasa curls, as she called them.  She reminds me of my niece, Paige, here.

















More Kielbasa Curls!  This was taken in 1948, I think she was in a wedding.

This is her high school graduation picture.  She graduated from Nazareth Academy in 1957 with High Honors.  This was often pointed out when my report card came home!!

This one is a favorite picture of mine.  She is getting ready for her wedding, at my Granny's house and the lovely ladies assisting her are her Mother (my Granny) and my Dad's Mom (Grandmom Robinson).  This was a little over a year after her graduation, November 1st, 1958.

My cute Daddy with my Mom after the wedding!

This one was quite a few years later!  We traveled out west.  That's my Mom holding me up and my brother, Scott standing on the wagon. 











And a few years later, here she is cracking up at Julia!  Jul had a great time smashing up her first birthday cake and my Mom truly enjoyed her grandchildren!!

This is a great one of her and my brother, Scott!!  This was taken at a Mother's Day celebration at my Sister's house!

I'm so glad to have so many pictures to share!  This is me and my Mom at my bridal shower.  We are both cracking up at my wedding cake topper!!









Here she was dancing at my wedding, you can't quite tell, but fingers pointed up was her signature move!  She really had a great time!

Granny and her grandchildren (up until that point...Emma wasn't born yet!)  This was her Birthday celebration.

Here she is with her best friend, Carol.  This was taken at my Dad's 70th Birthday Party.












This is a great one of her swinging on the swings with Ivan.  This was in Ocean City.

Another fav!  Here she's picking crabs apart with Jake.  He just wanted to play with the claws and she was OK with that ;)  This was also in Ocean City.

Emma's First Birthday!  I love this...check out Jake sneaking the icing off the cake!












This one was shot by Jake!  Another Ocean City pic!  Mom and Donna Rae.

Donna Rae, Mom and Me at my Mom and Dad's 50th anniversary party.  She was actually quite angry with us for having it.  She did not like to be the center of attention!  TOO BAD!!!

On the beach in that damned wig!  I am amazed at what she still managed to do while having those chemo treatments!  She was a hell of a roll model!










This one is my Dad's favorite picture.  It was taken at my wedding.  They both had a great time!

And here's the whole crew from our Disney Trip in 2008!  Thank you Mom and Dad!

Funeral Card Friday: Samuel Raynor Robinson, 1899-1980


Samuel Raynor Robinson,
December 29th, 1899 - October 2nd, 1980

Front of Funeral Card

Back of Funeral Card

 

This is the funeral card for my Grandpop Robinson.  I was 7 when he died, and didn't attend the funeral.  I remember him fondly.

Edward Aubrey Lee, Jr, 1904 - 1981

This is the Delaware Birth Record for Edward Aubrey Lee, Jr.  He is the Grandfather of my brother-in-law, Rick Lee.  I was recently adding some information to the tree from his uncle's obituary and it led me to this record on Ancestry.com. 

It has a great deal of good information on it.  Edward was born on March 30, 1904 at 1212 Dupont in Delaware.  His father was Edward Augustus Lee, who was 33 years and a Master Carpenter born in New Jersey.  His mother was Jeannette (not sure of the middle name) Wallace, who was 28 years and born in New Jersey as well.

Finding James B Robinson

James Benjamin Robinson.  I grew up calling him Uncle Pete.  He was my Dad's Paternal Uncle.  I got to thinking about him the other day, while Jake was playing his harmonica at my Dad's house.  My Dad grabbed it and played a song for them.  I thought of Uncle Pete.  He always had his harmonica.  I can picture him sitting on the couch in my parents living room at Christmas time, jamming on the harmonica (if that's possible).  He was really into it!
The mystery that I'm trying to resolve is:  Who did Uncle Pete live with after his father passed away?
I've been told for years that he was raised by Ida's sister, Mabel.  My dad and mom had told me years ago that Uncle Pete was raised by an Aunt.  Never any mention of the father having passed away.  My Dad didn't know how young the brothers were when their father passed, so he just thought they didn't have the money to keep him.  Which is likely true, except that it was due to the fact that Thomas died.

The family consisted of Ida Alice Mason, AKA Mom Kuster (she later remarried), Thomas Crossley Robinson were the parents.  They had my grandfather, Samuel Raynor Robinson in 1898 and his brother James Benjamin Robinson in 1901.  They lived in the Kensington section of Philadelphia on G Street.  Hopefully it was a better place to be back then!  Thomas passed away in 1911, the death certificate says it was from Epilepsy with mental derangement as a contributing factor, when Samuel was 14 and James was 10.  I've been told that at this point James had to live with Ida's sister, Mabel.  Ida couldn't afford to keep both children.  It is my guess that Samuel was probably working already at the age of 14, so he was contributing some income.  I can't find any evidence of the split of the brothers, however, due to the time frame.  It all falls right smack in the middle of 2 censuses.  In 1910, They all lived with Thomas' mother, Mary,  at 3439 G Street (I suspect Thomas was sick at the time).  In February of 1911, based on the Death Certificate they lived at 807 Schiller Street.  By 1920, the next census year, Ida was remarried to Henry Benhart (unsure of spelling) Kuster, AKA Ben Kuster and both children were living with them at 3546 G Street.

So, this leaves me with my mystery...did Uncle Jim live with his Aunt Mabel?  My Dad and his brother Sam both recall this, however, Aunt Grace does not.  She tends to have the best memory about all of the Robinson family stories.  So, my Dad asked me to see if I could figure out if this is true or not!  So far, I cannot come up with a way to verify this.

Uncle Jim never married.  He was sent to Denver, Colorado by General Electric or Westinghouse to do electrical work there.  As far as we know, he worked for them until he retired.  While living out west, he developed a love of the rodeo.  I am unsure whether he just liked to watch or if he participated.

I wonder where I'll find him in the 1940 census when it's released next year.  It will likely take a while to find him, since it will not be indexed right away!!

Mystery Monday: I know who...wish I knew where!

Helen Josephine Samsel

This is a great picture of my Granny Smyczynski, taken well before she was my granny and even before she was a Smyczynski.  Her name is written on the back, looks like her writing to me.  "Helen Samsel".  This dates it before 1932, which is when she married my grandfather.  I with I knew where it was taken, such a cool spot!  I would assume it was taken in Philadelphia, somewhere...but of that I can't be sure.

Tombstone Tuesday: Angelo Rex, Samuel and Rex Patrick Riccardi

Angelo Rex Riccardi (1901-1953)

Samuel Riccardi (1893-1973)

Rex Patrick Riccardi (1939-2003)

Holy Cross Cemetery, Yeadon, PA

A Rex Riccardi is my husband's maternal grandfather.

Samuel Riccardi is A Rex's older brother.

Rex Patrick is A Rex's son, my Mother-in-law's Brother.

Motivation Monday: Spring Cleaning

Talk about Spring Cleaning!  This is my Grandmom, Lettie Mae (Black) Robinson, washing her beautiful marble steps at their house on Cedar Street in Port Richmond, Philadelphia, PA!  She was a wonderful woman and I miss her.  For some reason I thought about this picture today and thought I'd share it.  Not sure if it will motivate me, but it made me smile!