100 Years Ago Today

Today and perhaps for the next few days we are going to once again enter Mr. Peabody's Wayback Machine. So, strap in and enjoy the ride.
Today is October 23, 2016. My grandfather John James Sutor was born on October 23, 1906, so today would have been his 110th birthday. A century ago today he turned 10 years of age. I have spent the last couple of years going through old photographs, scanning them and documenting as best as I can who is in the picture and where the picture was taken. Along the way I happened across a photograph album and this was the first page on the inside.

The photo album was a gift from my great grandmother Mary Emma Parsons to my grandfather John James Sutor, Jr. I don't normally refer to my grandfather as a junior but since at times I will be referring to his father I must in order to distinguish between the two.

I want to say a few words about the photo album and its contents. The pictures contained in it are glued to the pages so they were scanned in place. It was difficult to get the album apart and put back together but it was done without damaging it or the contents.

What was the United States like in 1906 when my grandfather was born. Theodore Roosevelt was president. The flag had 45 stars. In April the San Francisco earthquake destroys much of that city killing at least 3,000. In September Bradbury Robinson of St. Louis University throws the first legal forward pass in an American football game. In November President Roosevelt takes a trip to Panama to inspect the progress of the construction of the Panama Canal. It was the first official trip outside the United States by a sitting president. The average life expectancy was 47 years. There were 8,000 cars in the United States and 144 miles of paved roads. The average wage was 22 cents per hour. The average worker made between 200 and 400 dollars per year. Over 95% of all births occurred at home. Sugar cost four cents per pound, eggs were fourteen cents per dozen and coffee was fifteen cents per pound.

By 1916 when he turned 10 years of age the president was Woodrow Wilson. The flag had 48 stars. In March Pancho Villa leads 500 Mexican raiders in an attack against Columbus, New Mexico killing 12 United States soldiers. United States troops pursue him across the boarder into Mexican territory. The Chicago Cubs in April play their first game at Weeghman Park (modern day Wrigley Field) defeating the Cincinnati Reds 7-6 in 11 innings. The cost of a loaf of bread was seven cents. Sugar was four cents per pound. The 40 hour work week officially began at the Endicott-Johnson factories. Only six percent of Americans had graduated high school. The average price of a car was $400.

The young fella on the left is my Grandfather John James Sutor, Jr. The picture is undated but he appears less than 4 years of age so my best guess is around 1910.

The picture above is my grandfather John James Sutor, Jr. in the middle flanked by his two older brothers Martin Parsons Sutor and Frank Bullard Sutor. It again appears we are in the area around 1910. None of the buildings in the picture are familiar to me. The two most likely locations are on the home farm in Sparta Township or the home place of his mother in Henderson Township.

I can add nothing to this picture. It is the Spoon River, but the where and why escape me. They are certainly lost forever in the mists of time.

The photograph above does not identify either of the women. I suspect I know who they are and will share by best guess. The woman on the left is most likely my great grandmother Mary Emma Parsons Sutor. Her father was Franklin Parsons born January 9, 1826 and married to Sarah Bullard on March 19, 1849. She passed away on March 25, 1869 at the age of 40. He remarried on September 5, 1871 taking Actus Baxter as his second wife. It is my suspicion that Actus Baxter is the woman on the right. The difficulty with pictures is that you may know who people are but unless you mark them somehow we are left guessing decades later.

The pictures above from the next page in the album appear to be from a school and school function. Once again I have no information on them.

The upper picture is interesting and helps lend some credence to the comments I made regarding the two women above. The woman on the left side of the picture is Mary Emma Parsons Sutor. Note how her head in this picture is tilted slightly in the same manner as the woman in the other picture. The facial features are similar enough to lead me to feel confident in her identification. The picture above is featured in a family history written by Paul R. Dick entitled "The Sutor Saga: Belfast to Zurich". The picture was provided by my grandfather and the people pictured are identified as follows. From left to right: Martin Parsons Sutor, Mary Emma Parsons Sutor, the boy in the sailor suit and the girl behind him are unidentified, John James Sutor, Jr., Frank Bullard Sutor, and John James Sutor, Sr. The picture was taken in 1918. The picture below it is of John James Sutor, Jr. While the picture is undated from his appearance in the one above in 1918, in the one below he appears older. Since he would have been 12 in 1918 we can reasonably assume in this one he has entered his teenage years.

No story about my grandfather would be complete without a picture of a dog. How or why the dog is sitting in a rocking chair in the yard is beyond me. I remember growing up there were always dogs around. Grandpa had at least 10 and often closer to 20.

The pictures above appear to have been taken in Galesburg at the house John James Sutor, Sr. and Mary Emma Parsons Sutor owned at 790 North Broad Street. The picture on the left is John James Sutor, Sr. The center picture is Mary Emma Parsons Sutor. The third picture is the two of them together.

The picture above and the last one for today is Martin Parsons Sutor. It states at the ranch which would lead one to think it was taken at the Sutor Brothers Ranch in Kansas. The trees and foliage cause me to question that. Where he was it was apparently hunting season. I know grandpa used to go out west to hunt so perhaps they went together.

The next picture is complicated and will require an entire blog post to explain. It will require some review of family history especially the Kansas portion of the family.

That is all for today aside from this. Happy birthday Grandpa. I know you are remember fondly by each of us. You have impacted our lives for the better in ways that you perhaps did not intend or realize. As a stone thrown in a pond causes ripples in the water, your life, your actions, your conduct and your legacy ripple through our lives and those of our children and grandchildren even today. Thank you.