c. 1964, Corona: Portrait of Elizabeth V. Todd

This is the only time I can remember that Mom went out and had her portrait taken without the rest of the family. We didn't have family portraits taken very often, but we did on occasion. I remember her coming home with this photo. I think she said she just felt like having a nice photo made of herself. I wonder if we should all do that sometimes. I thought it was kind of silly then, and maybe she did, too, but now I'm happy to have it. I dated the photo "about 1964."

Sep 1959: Sheryl with a calf

I've always liked animals. This may have been on a cattle farm owned by my father's relatives, the Sortors, in Tulare, California. As I find them, there will be a lot more pictures of me with animals before we get to the tapirs in 1968. The photo was dated Sep 59, when I was 10. Sometimes the film was in the camera for awhile before it was developed, but the date will be close. Yeah, yeah, I know. Somehow I turned into a chronologist and historian. Wait until you see how precise I am about some of my other projects. Anyway, why not? Don't worry about the posting date, above. I'm trying to work out a system where the older pictures fall into the right order - and the earliest date Blogger will allow is January 1, 1970. You can organize the pix using days, hours, and minutes, too. This could be fun, but if anyone has an easier work-around for dates before January 1970, please let me know!

Feb 1956: Ted with Kathy and Sheryl, printed February 1956

Ted with his first two kids, either 1955 or 1956. From left: Kathy, Ted, Sheryl, and Sheryl's doll. The photo was printed in February, 1956. I almost remember that we were supposed to be singing Christmas carols, so it was probably taken in December. Remember when film stayed in the camera for months? Gary was born in 1954, but was not in the photo.

Jan 1956: Ted with little Gary, printed January 1956

Gary was born November 1, 1954.

c. 1952, Summer: Dad with kids at the beach, about 1952

I (Sheryl) am the kid on the right. The other little girl was a friend of the family. I have no idea who the body-builder is on the far right, but arm at left probably belongs to the little girl's father. I'm guessing she is Shauna Haugan, but don't quote me. Growing up in Southern California, we went to the beach a lot. That had also been a tradition in Dad's family growing up. They went to Corona del Mar most of the time; we usually went to Newport or Balboa. I think Dad was a pretty good swimmer. At least he usually went in and got wet.

c. 1951: Aunt Jan's Wedding - Mom Putting on the Garter

Aunt Jan's wedding, May 26, 1950. Here's my mom putting the garter on her sister's leg. Janice Versteeg was marrying James Hampson. I don't know who the other women are - friends of my aunt.

Click on the photo to enlarge, then click again.

This blog is sponsored by Tapir and Friends Animal Store.

Feb 22, 1951: Sheryl, Dad, Mom, and tricycle

My first tricycle. I wasn't as brave as Kathy was. I was probably scared, although I loved riding the trike later. In the picture are Ted, Betty, the tricycle, and Sheryl. It was in an envelope that was printed February 22, 1951. That would make Mom 7+ months pregnant with Kathy. I can't tell from the print date when the photo was taken. The dates weren't marked or printed on the photos. The picture was taken on the patio behind our house.

c. Aug 1950: Sheryl with her dad at the beach

This is a small photo with no date on it, so I'm just guessing. Everyone enjoyed going to the beach, and both families have a tradition of spending time there. My mom grew up near the beach, and Dad's family had spent time there for several generations.

Dec 25, 1949: Sheryl and Dad at Grandma's house

I think I always liked dolls. Here is Dad playing on the floor with me, and this may be a doll I'd gotten for Christmas, I'm not sure about that. The date the photos were developed was December 29, 1949. Grandma's parents had brought Oriental rugs back to Corona after a trip around the world in 1910 and 1911. It looks like they were still in good shape after lots of use by 1949!

c. 1950: Dad with Sheryl (top) and Kathy (bottom)

I think it's possible that the top photo is me and the second is Kathy, and she agreed with me, but we're not positive. Kathy had darker hair and I had a wider face. I think Dad looks a little older in the second photo, too, but that's really hard to tell. If my guess on who's who is right, the first is 1949, and the second 1951.

"I'm touched that Adam liked them and yeah, they sort of look like Life Magazine. They're of that era, black and white. I took out a few spots in the prints and lightened up my dad's face in a couple of them so you could see it. I was struck by one of the pix where he's holding Kathy or me. His t-shirt has holes in it, his fingernails have grease in them. It was like him, working on the ranch and then coming home to the family. It's a kind of 1940's image, maybe. The baggy t-shirt. We weren't exactly poor, but nobody bought new stuff every time it had a few holes in it! It's just a different age."

c. Jul 1949: Ted with baby Sheryl, 1949

Sheryl was born May 6, 1949.

c. 1940: Clement J. and Bernice J. Todd family passport

Clement Joseph Todd and Bernice Jameson Todd family passport, c. 1940. This is a scan from a xerox. Stamps on the passport say not valid for travel in either China or Spain.

Top row from left: Ted Todd, Clem Todd
Second row: Bernice and Clement
Front row: Helen and Bernice

June 1, 1947: Mom and Dad Get Married

Westwood (Los Angeles), California ~ June 1, 1947

This is a more relaxed, less formal photo of Mom and Dad's wedding. (Elizabeth Louise Versteeg and Theodore Jameson Todd.) I have the official one they kept on the dresser somewhere also and will scan it when I find it.

This blog is sponsored by Tapir and Friends Animal Store.

About 1925

Ted Todd was born January 11, 1923.

Ted Todd's ancestry

Here is a chart showing some of Dad's basic information along with his three siblings and three generations of ancestors. I printed it to PDF from Family Tree Maker. I don't know why I don't have Uncle Clem's date of death listed, but I don't want to make a mistake, so I'll print the tree again when I have the right date.