Let the Scanning begin!

Welcome back to the
  Family Trails
blog.  We begin the 3rd installment of what might be nick-named,
Weaver Wednesdays,
as the goal of your faithful family blogger is to have a new post for you each Wednesday morning when you turn on your computer.


Let's begin this morning with some very special portraits of Nancy Antoinette Haynes and Charles Sisson Weaver and their 10 children.

Such a precious picture taken outside by the porch of the 305 Oak Street home place! What a good-looking family! The costume designers from Downton Abbey must have consulted our Weaver archives for their inspiration.

But, my fellow Family Trails followers, how did these pictures get on our blog? 

Let me show you how this all got started. It was not a "trail" at all, but a journey through newspapers, photos, records, and all that I listed in the first blog post. Yes, I had accepted the challenge of preserving and organizing my great grandfather's scrapbooks, but I also have just as much of this type of…shall we call it "stuff" in my own stash that needed attention. So follow along as I show you some of the progress…..

Here is one of the many C.S. Weaver scrapbooks...

Sorting through my collection

Making notebooks to gather my thoughts on how all of this should be organized.


This is such a nice picture of 6 of the Weaver children: Kiser, Tenison, Lora, Nina, Lallie, and Ivera.

 First I tried a huge file tote. This was a good way to begin, but the  file tote was not up for this big job!

 File boxes are nice, especially when they are a "Get-To-It" gift from sister, Rebecca, to encourage me  in such an undertaking!              

Notebooks! Ahh! I think I have found a good way to work through the next stage: File first,  then slip each treasure into a plastic page protector, and snap into the appropriate family book. But, my goodness! This family needs about 4 or 5 of its own books. The C.S.Weaver scrapbook collection will fill at least 2 notebooks. 

There is also another good reason for why I am making these books: I do not think my children will accidentally throw them away, but a file folder……? Yes, easy to throw away! 

  

Recognize the familiar Weaver handwriting? I have lots of hand-written notes from each Weaver sister, and all 5 of them had a similar handwriting. This particular page is in my grandmother's hand.

 Work! Work! Work! Sure, it is taking time to do this. I just sort and file for an hour or so whenever I have a little free time. Like I said in an earlier blog, this is a work in progress.

 Here is a tip… when photographing a tombstone, don't stand between it and the sun!

Hooray! The scanner has arrived! This little thing is going to transform this entire process, and best of all, allows me to share what I find with you. So with a few lessons from my digital master, daughter Rebecca, we are on our way! 

 So, Weavers, stay tuned! Log on each Wednesday as we explore… EVERYTHING! There is so much! But here is a hint about next week's post…..

Isn't it almost hunting season?

Let's start at the very beginning....

 A very good place to start.... Let's begin with the beginning of present day. Would you like a tour of the family home place as it looks today? You will be so happy to see these pictures. Thankfully,
305 Oak Street is now a very important part of The Alabama Institute for the Deaf and Blind, serving as a host home for visitors. The AIDB has brought life back into the home with lots of care and preservation.

 I love mantels, so I took a picture of every mantel in the house.

Below is a picture of the upstairs bedroom. When you go up the stairs, this is the room on the left. Today it is used as a small dining area that connects to a back bedroom.

Details of mantel in the house

 Every room has beautiful beds. I think I am correct in saying that one of these beds is Nina's.

The next three pictures are taken in the turret bedroom and one picture taken of the turret from outside.

Did you know that one of the turret windows appears in this book? 

Alabama Memories by Chip Cooper

published in 1989

Here is the window when it wore a pink dress! 

See page 184 B

A big thank you to sister, Rebecca, for photos and information regarding 

Alabama Memories.

Each bedroom has been given a name on the door. The downstairs bedroom is perfectly named The Weaver Room.







More mantels and
details.

I think this is a front upstairs room, once called the sleeping porch?

The bedrooms are all very well decorated. They stay true to the time that the house was built. Each bed has a hand-made quilt. 

The picture below is taken in the foyer. There are some changes in the way most of us remember this area.
 The door on the right is the parlor door, but the door on the left is new. A few changes were made for better kitchen access and to make the house handicap accessible.

The picture below is taken inside the front parlor. The door that connected the parlor to the dining room  has been removed. The sofa is against this new wall.

Here is a close-up of the beautiful mantle in the parlor. 

What intricate carving!

A detail of the cherub tiles that surround this parlor mantel. Did you know this? Each tile is different!

Great-granddaughter, Mariellan and great-great grandson, Patrick in front of the mantel.

 The picture below is one of my favorite pictures.... the front door to 305 Oak Street.

 The original glass in the doors was RED. Yes, red, hence, a nod to that fact by painting the doors red. In light of the fact that several generations of children played in and around this house, it is important to note that the red glass was never broken and remained in the door for many years, into the 1990's.

Great-great-greatgrandson, Raughley.

 Many thanks to The Alabama Institute for the Deaf and Blind for preserving our family home. The AIDB is continuing the Weaver family tradition of open doors and loving hospitality to anyone who may enter.

I hope you enjoyed the first journey on our Family Trail. Let's leave the family home place now and begin our journey on our Family Trail.

So long, but not farewell.