Rally Day Pins

These two pins belonged to my paternal aunt.  They are the same, this is just a front and back view.  On the front, Jesus is speaking to two children.  On the back, the name of the company that made the buttons, Abingdon.  I did an Internet search and I quickly found that my aunt probably got these from a vacation bible school she attended in the 1960's.  They must have been special or held some meaning for her, because she kept them for the rest of her life.

Photo of the Day

There is just something that I love about this photo of my paternal great-grandfather that was taken in the late 1950s or early 1960s.  He looks so proud posing in his guard uniform.  I am still on the look out for where this was taken, though.

James Odgers
1893 - 1965

Who Are You Honoring on Memorial Day?

Memorial Day honors those Americans who died while defending our Nation and its values.  It is a day to remember all who made the ultimate sacrifice for our freedom.

Today I am remembering my maternal great-uncle, William Bunting.  He was killed in action during World War II on 22 July 1944.  The fatal battle began in the early morning hours of 21 July.  My great-uncle's division was called in for support that night.  His US Army Infantry Division, the 77th, were tough fighters and the Marines fighting alongside them at Guam referred to them as the "77th Marine Division."  My great-uncle was killed in the battle the following day.

I am also remembering my maternal uncle, Paul Branyan, Jr., who died on 10 December 1967 in Vietnam.  My uncle and his company were in a terrible fight with an enemy that was dug in at a ditch.  He was on an armored personnel carrier and was passing ammunition to a fellow soldier, Drew Shipley, as he was firing a 50-caliber machine gun.  Sargent Shipley was shot in the head and killed.  Despite knowing the danger, my uncle took over the machine gun and tragically met the same fate.

May we never forget the men and women who sacrificed their lives for our country.

Who are you remembering on this Memorial Day?

Little Mementos

Recently I came across a pocket edition of The Gospel According to St. John that belonged to my paternal grandfather.  He must have had it while he was in the Navy in the 1940s.  In faded ink are his name and references to the US Navy.

Inside there are passages that are marked with underlines and brackets.  It makes me question why he did this.  Was it because he had to for some reason or other, or did these specific words hold a special meaning to him?

Even more interesting to me is what else was in this book - five diverse newspaper clippings.  Each one must have held some significance to him.  That is why they were kept neatly in this book.

This first clipping must have come from his parents, because at the time it was printed in his hometown newspaper, he was in the navy and stationed in England.  But how did he get it?  Did his parents mail it to him?  Did they give it to him when he arrived home?  Did he find it after their deaths?  Even with all of those questions, it is amazing to me how something this small can contain so much information.  At this time my grandfather was 26 years old, which would put the year around 1944 or 1945.  It also contains my great-grandparents' names and their address.  The big announcement was that my grandfather was advanced to his US Navy ship's cook second class.  Aside from mentioning that he was stationed in England at the time of printing, it also states that he had been stationed in the Caribbean for 23 months out of his three years in the US Navy.  Both of these are big clues when it comes to doing military research.

The second clipping had me a little perplexed.  I saw that my grandfather had "Delaware Gardens" marked in ink with parentheses.  It made me wonder if this was a street that he had lived on at one time, but none of the streets mentioned in the little article sounded familiar to me.  That is when I decided to turn over the clipping and look for clues.  And there it was...£1.  Then it clicked.  This was from when he was stationed in England.  A new neighborhood with a street with the same name as his home state, something familiar when he was so far away from home.

The third clipping was way easier to figure out.  It announced that my aunt came in first place in her age category (nine to 12) in the Simons Gardens Egg Hunt.  Simons Gardens was the neighborhood in which they lived and would have taken place in the early 1960s.

The fourth clipping also had to do with my aunt.  This one announced that she was admitted to the De La Warr High School chapter of the National Honor Society in her sophomore year, 1966 - 1967.  My grandfather must have been very proud of his daughter for her academic achievement.

The last clipping was the announcement of his divorce from his second wife, to whom he was married after the death of my grandmother.  I know this was a very bitter time in his life and it took place in the 1970s.

Five newspaper clippings from different times in his life, all contained in one little book from his US Navy Days.  It just amazes me when I find these little treasures, a glimpse into who my family was and what was important to them.  It keeps me motivated to keep digging.

Photo of the Day

This is a photo of my paternal great-grandmother taken in the 1950s or early 1960s.

Caroline Wright Odgers
1888 - 1965

Reflections of a Day Gone By

This is a photo of my paternal great-grandmother with two of her grandchildren, my aunt and uncle, and her dog.  The photo was taken some time in the 1960s in the home of my great-grandparents in Delaware.  There are a lot of things that catch my eye in this photo.  The newspaper is open to the sports page where an article about the Phillies front office and an advertisement for WFIL-TV can be seen.  There is also a reflection of my aunt's face in the coffee table. The multicolored pillows sitting on top of the couch and my great-grandmother's curlers are pretty awesome too.  Just a little glimpse into a day in their lives.

Caroline Wright Odgers (1888 - 1965)
Diane Odgers (1951 - 2002)
James Odgers (1954 - 2007)

Photo of the Day

This is a photo of my paternal aunt taken in 1961 at the home of her paternal grandparents in Delaware.  She was nine or 10 years old.

Diane Odgers
1951-2002

Photo(s) of the Day

These photos show my paternal aunt with the family dog.  They were probably taken at her family home in Delaware.  The first two were taken in the early 1950s, the third was in the late 1950s or early 1960s.

Diane Odgers
1951 - 2002

Photo of the Day

This is a photo of my paternal great-grandfather probably taken in the late 1950s or early 1960s in Delaware.

James Odgers
1893 - 1965

Photo of the Day

This is a photo of my paternal grandparents taken in their living room in New Castle, Delaware, probably in the late 1960s.

William Odgers (1918 - 1986)
Ellen LeGates Odgers (1924 -1970)

Photo of the Day

This is a photo of my paternal uncle taken in his family living room in New Castle, Delaware in December of 1965, while he was playing with some of his Christmas presents.  He was 11 years old.

James Odgers
1954 - 2007

6 December 1967 Letter

This is a letter written by my maternal uncle to my paternal aunt on 6 December 1967, while he was stationed in Vietnam.  He had been out in the field for a few weeks, and was hoping to be back at base camp by Christmas and home by September.

Four days after this letter was written my uncle and his company were in a terrible fight with an

Photo taken by Paul Branyan in the
days leading up to his death.

enemy that was dug in at a ditch.  He was on an armored personnel carrier and was passing ammunition to a fellow soldier, Drew Shipley, as he was firing a 50-caliber machine gun.  Sargent Shipley was shot in the head and killed.  Despite knowing the danger, my uncle took over the machine gun and, tragically, met the same fate.

At the time of his death, my uncle had been in Vietnam for 100 days.  He was twenty years old.

Sadly, my aunt received the letter from my uncle the day after he died.

This is a link to an article that describes the battle that occurred on the day my uncle died.

Paul Branyan's Virtual Vietnam Veterans War Memorial page
Memorial Page for Paul Branyan
Web site for 1st Battalion 50th Infantry

20 November 1967 Letter

This is a letter from my maternal uncle to my paternal aunt.  He wrote it on 20 November 1967 and she received it a week later.  He wrote it after he had returned to the field in Vietnam after a short break at base camp.  He closed his letter by wishing everyone a Happy Thanksgiving.  He was looking forward to getting home the following September, but he died in battle less than a month after this letter was written.

Memorial Page for Paul "Ozzie" Branyan
Virtual Vietnam Veterans War Memorial Page for Paul "Ozzie" Branyan

16 October 1967 Letter

This is a letter from my maternal uncle to my paternal aunt.  He wrote it while stationed in Vietnam on 16 October 1967.  My aunt received it on 24 October 1967.

He mentioned my dad's visit home on leave from the army.  My uncle joked that it was a two hard weeks with my aunt and my mom around and that my dad would be ready to get back to the army life.  He also joked about Vietnam, calling it "The big Southeast Asia summer resort area."  And how "everyone is going there this year.  It's where all the action is."  In reality, he was looking forward to coming home the following September and getting out of the army.  Sadly, he would die in combat less than two months later.

Paul "Ozzie" Branyan's Memorial Page
Virtual Vietnam Veterans War Memorial Page for Paul "Ozzie" Branyan

20 September 1967 Letter

I have found that old letters can be a gold mine of information, and a little glimpse into life at that

Paul "Ozzie" Branyan

moment.  They can hold clues and provide missing pieces of a puzzle.  It can put personality to family members gone long ago.

This is a letter written by my maternal uncle to my paternal aunt.  He wrote it on 20 September 1967 from Vietnam and she received it six days later.  I know the date she received it because she wrote that date on the envelope.  A great piece of information to have!

My uncle opened the letter by inquiring how everyone was doing, asking if my dad, who was also in the army, had gotten to take leave yet, and how my aunt liked school.  I imagine my uncle was missing the every day life of home.

My uncle went on to briefly describe his trip to Vietnam on the USS General John Pope and how they stopped in Okinawa just long enough to refuel.  He wrote the letter while they were sitting in a bay in Vietnam, unloading equipment and some men.  He still had to spend a couple more days on the boat to travel up the coast.  He complained about the heat and that it felt like it was getting hotter.

He was looking forward to getting back home the following September, but would die in battle less than three months later.

Paul "Ozzie" Branyan's Memorial Page
Paul "Ozzie" Branyan on the Virtual Vietnam Veterans War Memorial

Christmas Toys

I love looking at photographs taken on Christmas morning.  The smiles, the excitement, the mess....and the TOYS!  I find myself studying every detail I can see.  I also like comparing Christmases from year to year.  This black and white photo was taken in the mid-1950s of my paternal uncle and aunt and the color photos were taken in 1963.  I see how much my aunt had grown and how the toys had changed.

James Odgers (1954 - 2007)
Diane Odgers (1951 - 2002)

Diane Odgers
(1951 - 2002)

Photo of the Day

This is my paternal aunt's senior picture.  She graduated from De La Warr High School in New Castle, Delaware in 1969.

Diane Odgers
1951 - 2002

Photo of the Day

This is a photo of my maternal uncle taken in his family home in New Castle, Delaware in 1967.  He was killed in action in Vietnam on 10 December 1967.  He was 20 years old.

Paul "Ozzie" Branyan
1947 - 1967

Last Will and Testament

This is a copy of my paternal great-grandfather's will.  A Last Will and Testament is a legal document which identifies those individuals that are to receive the deceased's property and possessions upon their death.  There is very little specifics in this will, but I feel very blessed that my dad gave it to me.

My great-grandfather left everything to my grandmother and her two sisters, and they were to share everything equally.

The one specific in the will is that my great-grandfather wanted to be interred in lot number 495, Garden of Gethsemane at Gracelawn Cemetery, New Castle County, Delaware, next to his first wife (my great-grandmother).  I believe that one of the reasons he was so specific is because he had a very short-lived second marriage and he wanted no question as to which wife he meant.  As a side note, I noticed that cemetery is spelled incorrectly in the will.  Pretty funny for a legal document.

My great-grandfather named my great-aunt (the oldest sister) as the Executrix.  The will states that if she should have died before he did, he would then appoint my grandmother as the Executrix.  Ironically, my grandmother died seven and half years before he did.

There were two witnesses to the Last Will and Testament.  One name is familiar - my great-aunt's (the Executrix) neighbor.

Girl Scouts List

Every once in a while I come across something that gives me glimpse into a family member's everyday life, and I love it.  This is one of those things.  It is a to-do list that my paternal aunt made for a Girl Scouts Christmas party that was occurring on December 20th, probably in the 1960s.

She was going to ask one of her cousins to go to the party with her, so I'm guessing she could bring a date.  She needed to buy one gift for a girl and one for a boy.  Each needed to cost between $.75 and $1.  She also needed to bring a soda and $.20 to a meeting.

I wonder if she had a good time at the party.  Maybe I will come across a picture some day.