Special Picture # 359 – Alfred Duryee Guion and Spot – early 1900’s

I have no idea when or where this picture was taken but it is one of the earlier pictures I have of Grandpa.

Alfred Duryee Guion and Spot sitting on a large rock

Tomorrow another Special Picture. Judy Guion

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The Beginning (24) – Reminiscences of Alfred D Guion (1884 – 1964) – Early Years in Trumbull

The following memories are quotes from “Reminiscences of Alfred D.  Guion”, written in 1960 while he was on a four-months “around the world” freighter trip. 

At this point I will begin adding the memories of the children as they were growing up.

Lad, Ced, Biss and Dick playing at the Trumbull house in 1925.

A.D. – The Larchmont house was sold for considerably more than it cost and the Trumbull property bought for considerably less than the proceeds from the Larchmont property.  We moved in one late December day.  There was a furnace of sorts heating a potentially good hot water heating system.  Water was pumped from a nearby brook to a large storage tank in the cellar.  No lights, as a storage battery system in the barn had frozen, so we celebrated our first Christmas with candlelight under rather primitive conditions.  Early the following year the local power company installed electric lights but heating and water supply still furnished problems.  There were 6 fireplaces to supplement the furnace and firewood was plentiful.  With foot-valve troubles at the brook end of the water supply, water pipes freezing, frequent pump failures, it became necessary at times to draw water from the three wells on the property until some years later, when city water mains furnished adequate supplies.

At one edge of the property a small cottage once served as an office for a long vanished paper mill.  This cottage was let, rent-free, to various couples in return for the man’s help in his spare time in taking care of the grounds and the woman’s aid in helping Arla with the housework.  Over the years we had many and sundry types of individuals in the cottage, all of which would make an interesting story in itself.  Perhaps some of my children might be persuaded to record some of the highlights of these days, details of which are now rather confused and hazy in retrospect.

We inherited some scraggly chickens with the place but these were soon abandoned.  A small pony cart and harness and an early vintage Waverley Electric auto were also found in the barn, which later led to the acquisition of a pony for the children, a gentle little goat named Geneva, and Airedale dog, Patsy, and later, when my sister came to live with us, she brought a high-spirited Bridle horse, Nador, who, one day broke loose, ran down the railroad tracks, broke her leg and had to be shot

DICK – Aunt Dorothy had a wild stallion named Nador.  He threw Lad and Dan.

A.D. – The children attended a little one room school heated with the potbelly stove, in traditional country style.

LAD – While we were in Larchmont, we went on vacation to Sandy Hook, Connecticut, Camp-A-While, it was called.  In fact, that’s where we were going the day the old Franklin gave out.  One of the bearings, one of the connecting Rod bearings let go and Dad found a Franklin garage in Danbury.  The owner of the garage was working on the car, fixing it, and his wife was talking to Mother.  I don’t know how it happened – Mother may have been asking her questions about the area.  Apparently, Mother liked the area of Connecticut, I don’t know.  The wife told Mother about a house they owned in Trumbull.  We went to look at it and before long, we bought the house.

When we first arrived in Trumbull, the house had been unoccupied for a while; there was an awful lot of cleaning and fixing up to do.  We had cows, chickens, pigs, but we didn’t have any horses at that time.  We got the horses later.  In the cottage, there was a fellow named Parks, who was living there with his wife.  They helped Dad and Mom with the Big House.  His wife did the cleaning and he did the outside work.

Tomorrow, more early memories from the children about their early years in Trumbull.

Judy Guion

Trumbull – Dear Paralytics of the Writing Hand (2) – Smoky Joins the Family – November 8, 1942

 

Smokey – 1945

Page 2    11/8/1942

There was one post-election result however, that was quite unexpected. Wednesday morning, when I arrived at my office, there at the top of the last flight of long stairs, right under my office door, was a young pup that looked something like Mack looked at the same age (estimated about four months old), except that he was black and white instead of brown and white. He was apparently waiting for me to arrive, for all the world like a customer, except that he had peed on a couple of steps, something which none of my customers have done up to the present time. He looked up, cocked his head on one side and wagged his tail in a very friendly manner, acting as if it were the most natural thing in the world for us both to meet in that manner. I assumed he belonged to someone who was paying a call in the office below and had come up the stairs to wait for them. At about 11 o’clock, however, I had to go out. He bounced along with me, followed me across State St., and then when I looked around, he had disappeared, to seek, I supposed, some new doorway as shelter. I was gone about an hour, but on returning, there he was waiting for me at the outside door, and apparently overjoyed to see me return. When I first saw him he had on an old collar with a busted piece of small round leather strap hanging from it, but this he had apparently shaken off. This time he followed me into my office and lay down under my desk, barking quite lustily in his shrill puppy way, when the postman called. He followed me out again when I went to lunch, deserted me when I had again gone a couple of blocks, but at the end of an hour or so, when I returned, he was again awaiting me. He was such a friendly, bright, gentle little fellow that I decided he was just the thing for Bissie and her boys, so as no one claimed him up to closing time, I announced my intention to Dave of taking him over to Elizabeth. And you should have heard the strenuous objections made by Dave to such a suggestion. He wanted so much to keep him that I finally consented, knowing Aunt Betty was fond of dogs and thinking he might be company for her during the day. David named him GOP because he had been swept into “office” with the Republicans in Conn.. Saturday, when Elizabeth stopped in, she immediately dubbed him Smoky because of his coloring, and it looks as if that name would stick. Incidentally, she threatened to do dire things to Dave for obstructing my original intention. We have watched the paper for notices in the lost and found column, but as the poor district is down the street from us a bit, and the pooch looks like a half breed anyway, I guess he didn’t appear to be valuable enough to be worth advertising for. Anyway, at present, he seems to have found a happy home and is in general favor with family and friends. He is partly housebroken and apparently is quick to learn. So much for the advent of what may turn out to be Mack # 2.

Yesterday afternoon, Dick and I finished putting up most of the storm windows. I was again elected Justice of the Peace for another two-year term. Last night Gilbert and Sullivan’s Iolanthe was played by the Chicago Opera Co. at the Klein Memorial, to which performance I blew Aunt Betty and Dave, enjoying a very pleasant evening. And that’s all for the present.

DAD

This is the second half of the letter Grandpa wrote. The section telling his 3 sons in Alaska that this might be his last letter to them was posted yesterday. With this half of the letter, I found out how we acquired the dog, Smoky, that I knew as a child. The rest of the week will include two more letters from Grandpa to all of his sons away from home.

Judy Guion

Special Picture # 291 – Christmas, 1939

 

Grandpa writes on the back – “Photo by Venezuelan Dan, Mack smells Dad’s rum, December 25, 1939”

Back – Dick, Grandpa, Ced and Dave               Front – Aunt Betty, Aunt Elsie

Grandpa writes on the back – “Sister Dick and others by photographer Ced, December 25, 1939”

Back – Grandpa, “sister” Dick, Dan        Front – Aunt Elsie, Aunt Betty, Dave

Smoky at the bottom

Special Picture # 286 – Trumbull House – Blizzard of 1940

 

Just found these pictures from the Blizzard of 1940.

Dave, Mack and Dick shoveling.

Dave with Mack in front of the Packard.

Dick does a “Whirling Dervish”.

Note on the back: “Russian camouflaged as spruce tree sights at snowdrift, figuring it might be a Finn. Real Finn is disguised as a discarded coat in foreground.”

Special Picture # 285 – Mack – Interesting Poses – 1939 – 1940

I came across a couple of new pictures of Mack. Enjoy.

Note by Grandpa on back – Dec. 24, 1930, Mack’s “reserved seat”

 

Note by Grandpa on back – Snow Image by Dick and Boredom by Mack

March, 1940

 

 

 

 

Trumbull (2) – A New Family Member – Nov., 1942

Smokey – 1945

Page 2    11/8/1942

There was one post-election result however, that was quite unexpected. Wednesday morning, when I arrived at my office, there at the top of the last flight of long stairs, right under my office door, was a young pup that looked something like Mack looked at the same age (estimated about four months old), except that he was black and white instead of brown and white. He was apparently waiting for me to arrive, for all the world like a customer, except that he had peed on a couple of steps, something which none of my customers have done up to the present time. He looked up, cocked his head on one side and wagged his tail in a very friendly manner, acting as if it were the most natural thing in the world for us both to meet in that manner. I assumed he belonged to someone who was paying a call in the office below and had come up the stairs to wait for them. At about 11 o’clock, however, I had to go out. He bounced along with me, followed me across State St., and then when I looked around, he had disappeared, to seek, I supposed, some new doorway as shelter. I was gone about an hour, but on returning, there he was waiting for me at the outside door, and apparently overjoyed to see me return. When I first saw him he had on an old collar with a busted piece of small round leather strap hanging from it, but this he had apparently shaken off. This time he followed me into my office and lay down under my desk, barking quite lustily in his shrill puppy way, when the postman called. He followed me out again when I went to lunch, deserted me when I had again gone a couple of blocks, but at the end of an hour or so, when I returned, he was again awaiting me. He was such a friendly, bright, gentle little fellow that I decided he was just the thing for Bissie and her boys, so as no one claimed him up to closing time, I announced my intention to Dave of taking him over to Elizabeth. And you should have heard the strenuous objections made by Dave to such a suggestion. He wanted so much to keep him that I finally consented, knowing Aunt Betty was fond of dogs and thinking he might be company for her during the day. David named him GOP because he had been swept into “office” with the Republicans in Conn.. Saturday, when Elizabeth stopped in, she immediately dubbed him Smoky because of his coloring, and it looks as if that name would stick. Incidentally, she threatened to do dire things to Dave for obstructing my original intention. We have watched the paper for notices in the lost and found column, but as the poor district is down the street from us a bit, and the pooch looks like a half breed anyway, I guess he didn’t appear to be valuable enough to be worth advertising for. Anyway, at present, he seems to have found a happy home and is in general favor with family and friends. He is partly housebroken and apparently is quick to learn. So much for the advent of what may turn out to be Mack # 2.

Yesterday afternoon, Dick and I finished putting up most of the storm windows. I was again elected Justice of the Peace for another two-year term. Last night Gilbert and Sullivan’s Iolanthe was played by the Chicago Opera Co. at the Klein Memorial, to which performance I blew Aunt Betty and Dave, enjoying a very pleasant evening. And that’s all for the present.

DAD

This is the second half of the letter Grandpa wrote. The section telling his 3 sons in Alaska that this might be his last letter to them was posted yesterday. With this half of the letter, I found out how we acquired the dog, Smokey, that I knew as a child. The rest of the week will include one more letters from Grandpa to all of his sons away from home.

Judy Guion

Trumbull – First Sunday of Spring (1) – March, 1941

Trumbull, Conn.                            March 23, 1941                         A-122

Dear Guions everywhere, just everywhere:

Greetings from Trumbull, this first Sunday of spring. And it is beginning to look like it too. There is still snow on the ground, in patches, but it is bright and sunshiny with the promise of warmer weather in the air. It makes one feel like getting out the seed catalog and planning the wonderful garden, that true human nature, is always better in prospect that in actuality.

Carl and Ethel are back. Had a wonderful time and heartily recommend the same trip to all and sundry. I have invited them both to dinner here Tuesday.

Dave and I took in the movies last night (Jack London’s “The Sea Wolf”  http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0034162/ ) and when we got home again we found a note from Bruce Lee inviting us to Westport for Sunday dinner today, but as Dave had made a previous arrangement to go to Waterbury with the Young People’s Group, I had to phone Bruce that if he could extend the time and give us a little more warning, we would look forward to a future engagement, which he assured me would be forthcoming.

Last Sunday Dave and I took the train to New York to attend the meeting with Aunt Betty, Elsie and Mrs. Burlingame. It seems that affairs had reached a point financially which necessitated their either going out of business entirely, getting some other nearby rental at a much lower figure (which was impossible as none were available) or raising additional capital in an attempt to weather the crisis, hoping for better things to come. What it came down to was a proposal that Aunt Betty put up enough of her securities as collateral to enable the shop to borrow an additional $1000. This Aunt Betty, in her altruism and supreme optimism, readily agreed to do. I pointed out as brutally as I could that if it was her life savings she was endangering, gambling $1000 on the hope of success, but she still felt she would rather do this than see the institution she had created go up in smoke, unshaken in her belief that everything would come out all right. Not having this sublime faith myself, I am rather fearful of the result, but it is possible I am too conservative. We shall see.

I miss poor old Mack. It was my wont on Sunday afternoons in preparing to write my weekly Clarion, to get out my materials and place what I was not immediately using, on the floor beside my typewriter stand. Invariably Mack would lie down on these papers and would have to be dislodged when I came to the necessity of using papers for the second page. I feel I would almost like to be bothered again in this manner.

The first thing Carl did when he got back was to fire his assistant, Mitchell. The latter had promised he would not drink when Carl was away, but the flesh was weak, and this combined with a growing carelessness in his work, led to a showdown, and now Carl is looking around for an assistant. Labor, however, is becoming scarce and it is becoming increasingly difficult to find reliable young fellows that are willing to work for moderate sums when the factories are paying defense wages.

I now have my Buick back again. Labor and parts cost me $32. Ouch !

DAD

Tomorrow, an individual letter to Lad, written the same day, along with a personal letter from a the friend he is planning a short trip with before he leaves Venezuela. Other individual letters will fill out the week.

Judy Guion

Special Picture # 194 – Spot – Early 1900’s

This is a picture of Spot (Can you guess how he got his name?) probably taken in the very early 1900’s. This is a quote from “Reminiscences of Alfred D. Guion”.

One day I acquired from our washerwoman a little half breed Fox terrier pup which I named Spot. He was a bright little fellow and I taught him many tricks, rollover, play dead, chase his tail, not touch the most tempting morsel held in front of him until I gave permission, beg, shake hands, speak, come to heal, stay put until I called, etc. He was quite a show off and one day I dressed him up in a little jacket and pants like a monkey, with a little hat, got out an old hand organ of my father’s that played music roles, and with myself dressed as an organ grinder, called on several neighbors who did not recognize us at first and seemed to derive much amusement from the performance until Spot’s pants fell down and we were recognized.

You can read more about Grandpa’s childhood and young adulthood by clicking on the category Alfred D. Guion – Early Years.

Special Picture # 105 – Smoky – 1945

At this point, I think Smoky was a fairly new addition to the family.

One, because he looks young, and two, because I remember him looking quite a bit older.

This picture was taken a year before I was born.