August 11, 2018; ninety years ago.

90 years ago, on August 11, 1928, my paternal Grandparents, John Griffith Williams and Alma May Palmer were married in Naicam, Saskatchewan at the Pastor's Manse.

They had eloped from Spalding Saskatchewan in John's horse and buggy, but they had to wait until nearly midnight as Pastor Kemlo wasn't home! 

The photo above was taken in Vancouver BC in 1942. There are no wedding photos, nor was there a wedding dress. I think my Grandma's mother didn't want her to marry a man who was 20 years her senior! But the marriage lasted until 1974, when John passed away in June. They were married 46 years and had 7 children.

By Loretta Houben

My Grandmother's school in South Wales.

This photo was taken in 1969 when my Grandma, Alma May (Palmer) Williams visited Penygraig, Wales.

I never knew where this was when I visited in 2007.

I didn't even know the name of the school!

So back in 2015 I looked up where schools would be on Google map in relation to #15 Wyndham Street where the Palmer family lived at the time. On September 10, 2015 I was looking at old photos in my Dad's stash, and came across the one at the top of this post. I zoomed in on the photos of the schools but nothing looked like my photo.

So I then searched Google images of the two schools and found this one, which is identical!

I knew I'd found the school!

It's Penygraig Infants School at Hendrecafn Road in Penygraig, Tonypandy RCT CF40 1LJ

I thought I'd blogged about this, but I hadn't so it took me some time to wonder if I'd put it on my Williams/Palmer family Facebook page, and lo and behold I had, way back in September 2015! I checked in the photos and then scrolled back 2 years. That was a job!

But here is the information. My Grandma's siblings would have attended this school too. 

By Loretta (Williams) Houben

Alma May Palmer/Williams Memoirs

I'm re-reading my Grandma Alma May's memoirs which she wrote in a lined notebook in 1977. 

I remember her telling me she was working on them, a little each day. I was 17 at that time, and hoped to read them soon. I wasn't able to get my hands on them until she passed away in 2004! Then my Dad gave the notebook to me.
In 2007, thirty years after they were written, I edited them and typed them into my computer. I printed the pages and had them bound at Staples and gave them to my Dad.

Now I'm going through them again. They are very interesting and well written.

They give a glimpse into my Grandma's life so long ago.
Here is a portion about Alma's life in Saskatchewan, near Spalding:
(see excerpt below)

I looked up Fred and found him on the 1921 Canadian Census, which you can see at the top of this post. Someone has added the correct spelling of his surname. So my Grandma remembered his name very well! I wonder what Fred looked like. If Alma had married him, I wouldn't be here!

"I went to work for Mrs. Collop, 14 miles from home. It was hard work so different from what I did in London. I learned to cook, wash clothes on a wash board for five people; Mr. and Mrs. Collop and Lorraine, Bill the hired man and myself for fifteen dollars a month. While there I met Fred Shlondorff, a young German. He was nice, he took me to a box social party. That is, I had to take a shoe box dressed up outside and put sandwiches and cookies, so we put the pretty boxes all together. Nobody knows whose they are. Then a man puts them up for bidding. Fred didn’t know my box. So an older man bid on mine and got it and then we both ate out of my box. (poor Fred) It’s very exciting, though. We did enjoy ourselves. Fred wanted to marry me, but I met Jack Williams, he being a Welsh man, I wanted him instead, so Jack and I got married August 11^th, 1928." (page torn in half, bottom is missing)

By Loretta (Williams) Houben

Happy Mother's Day!

This is one of my favourite photos of the Williams family, taken in Spalding, Saskatchewan in the 1930's. Date unknown. My Dad was born in 1929 so I guess this could be around 1935.

My Dad is wearing a tie, so I guess they are going to church.

My grandparents had both died before I ever saw this photo in my Dad's collection.

When you are growing up and raising your own family you just don't clue in to the past generation until it's too late to ask questions.

So if your grandparents are alive, speak to them today!

I'm glad that I have these photos though, and this one was very scratched so I used my handy PicMonkey photo program to erase all the scratches and it looks so much better.

Happy Mother's Day to all the wonderful hard working moms!

By Loretta (Williams) Houben