Sepia Saturday – Mystery Couple on a Bike

Sepia Saturday provides an opportunity for genealogy bloggers to share their family history through photographs.

I wonder how far these couples succeeded in riding arm-in-arm and in heels and a rather tight skirt?

This prompt provides me the perfect opportunity to share a couple of mystery pictures that were among my grandmother’s photographs. My “couple” are a girl and a dog.

Mystery Girl and Dog

Mystery Dog

 

I have no clue as to the identity of this little girl or the dog. My suspicion is that these pictures were sent to my grandmother by her English relatives. My grandmother, Eveline Coates Hoskins, corresponded with several of her cousins and her aunts who lived in Durham, England in the early to mid 1900s. They often included photographs and postcards with their letters to her. The surnames of those she corresponded with are Coates, Elgey, Hall, and Dawson.

I don’t know enough about postcards to know if the back of the postcard provides a clue as to its origin. Help, anyone?

Another possibility is that it is some family member in the U.S., or a neighbor. In either case, the location would likely be Mystic, Iowa or somewhere nearby. Our family names in Mystic, Iowa are Coates and Hoskins.

In any case, the dog looks like he has done this before.

You can find more lovely photos by following the link to the Sepia Saturday Blog.

 

 

 

 

 

Follow Friday – August 10, 2012

A few things I’ve been reading this week:

1. Searching for a Phantom Uncle in Depression Era Records at The In-Depth Genealogist
2. How Google Images can help you research your family history like never before by Piers Dillon Scott
3. Sorting Saturday — Making Sense out of the Mess or Sources Matter at Finding Forgotten Stories
4. Sorting Family Tree Digital Files at Family Stories: Photographs and Memories
5. Who Remembers the Lard Pail at iowagirlmemories
6. Terror Atop the Train! at Family Archaeologist
7. What’s Your Favorite Line from a Children’s Picture Book? at The Happiness Project
8. How Apple and Amazon Security Flaws Led to My Epic Hacking at Wired.com

New-to-me Blogs:

The Brick Wall Climber
Family.Food.Ephemera
The Last Leaf on this Branch

 

Family Recipe Friday – Ice Box English Tea Muffins

Continuing with recipes my mom submitted to the Friendship Circle Cookbook in 1973….

I didn’t remember that this recipe was included in the cookbook and was surprised to see it. I’ll take credit for its inclusion, though.

One summer when I went for my yearly visit to Iowa, my Grandma Hoskins (Eveline Coates Hoskins) made these muffins for me. I really liked them, so I asked her for the recipe and took it home to Mom.

So you see, I am allowed to take credit.

 

Ice Box English Tea Muffins

1/2 cup butter or oleo
3/4 cup sugar
1 egg
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
3/4 cup raisins
1 cup milk

Cream shortening and the sugar. Beat in the egg, mixing thoroughly. Sift the flour, baking powder, salt, and cinnamon. Add alternately with the milk. Stir in the raisins. Fill greased pans 2/3 full. Sprinkle with brown sugar and chopped nut meats. Bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes. Yield 12-16 muffins. Batter may be kept in a covered bowl in refrigerator for several days.


I suspect that Grandma got this recipe from the newspaper or a friend. I don’t really remember my grandmother making muffins when I was little. And as I think about it, this was the late 60s – people baked muffins of course, but it was before super-sized muffins of every conceivable flavor were so readily available. Maybe that’s why I was impressed by them. That – and because she seemed so pleased with her new recipe.