Water and Bugs

The kids had a blast in the lake at the AFI picnic at Lake Harmony on August 2, 2008.

Elliot was especially fun to watch as he enjoyed falling forward on his face in the water.

There were bugs along the shore that he enjoyed exploring, so that's what he is talking about and pointing to.

Happy 124th Birthday, Ernest Martin!

Ernest Hiram Martin was born August 15, 1884, in Eaton County, Michigan. (The family Bible has him as Hiram Earnest.) He was the only child of Hiram Francis Martin and Laura Henrietta Craun. Each had been previously married and had children from those marriages. Hiram had been married to Sarah Craun, (Laura's cousin?), , and was the father of Charles Seymore, Martha May (May), Cora Ellen, and Viola Sarah (Ola). Laura had been married to Benjamin Franklin Stoner and was the mother of Maude, Earl, and Guy. Interestingly, Earl and Ola married each other, of course not illegally, but frowned upon by some.

Ernest in his little blue velvet suit.

Gail has a hand-colored copy of this in an oval frame. Lovely! From that, I could never tell if this was a photo or a drawing, because the proportions look odd. But now that I've seen this photo, I guess it's real!

This is the Martin homestead on Royston Rd. Ernest, Hiram, Erle, Guy, Laura, Viola (in door).

Grandpa said he remembered crawling behind the heating stove in this house and seeing a blue racer snake.

Ernest Hiram Martin

Handsome Fellow!

Another photo at home.
Laura, Erle, Hiram, Ernest

Now here's a whole bunch of family in the yard! Many of the children are Grace Stoner Densmore's. Popular thing to have the cars in the picture!

Ernest and Gretta are just about in the middle, with Doris beside Gretta.

Erle, Doris, Laura, Ernest, Donna, Gretta, Hiram about 1917

Gretta, Roial, Donna, Belle (Roial's first wife), Ernest in the 1920s

Here's the barn on Royston Rd. after the "cyclone" hit in the early 1930s.

This is in 1949 at Aunt Doris's house on Water Street in Eaton Rapids. It was right across from the river.

Ola, Sam, May with Bonnie, Mary, Gretta with Jon, two of Hannah's(?) Ernest

Erle, TH, Doris, Donna, Don, Gail, Ardyce, two more of Hannah's(?), Hannah, Hubert, Claude

Can you find Norman?

I always loved this picture of Grandpa eating watermelon. I remember having lots of snacks (especially corn or watermelon) out in the yard. And Grandpa did love watermelon!

Rod Wright, Mary Wright, Gretta, Ernest

First United Methodist Church, Albion, Michigan

September 15, 1962

Grandpa went to school on picture day and had his photo taken.

This was in 1974 at Doris's house on Bellevue Hwy. south of Eaton Rapids.

I think it might be at Ernest's 90th birthday party. If not, it was right around there.

Back: Steve, Kristie, Mary, Nancy

Front: Amy, Bonnie, Donna, Ernest, Jeff, Kevin

Amy wasn't too happy in this series of pictures.

August 16, 1975

TH and Doris

Ernest with Aaron, Donna

Jeff, Amy, Kevin, Kristie

This was (again) at Doris's house, just before we left to move to Utah.

You can tell the kids had been swimming in the pool.

Ernest died on his 92nd birthday, August 15, 1976. He is buried in Maple Grove Cemetery in Charlotte, MI.