DIMPLES****LOAD CHALLENGE***

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DIMPLES**LOAD CHALLENGE*

Journaling says:Dear Emily I‘ve wondered for a while just where your beautiful dimples may have come from. Today while I was looking at some very old photographs, I found one of your great-great Grandmother Staley, and now I’m wondering if maybe you got those from her. Do you suppose that could be? I’d like to tell you a little about her. She was born on July 10th, 1876 in Grimm, Russia. She married your great-great Grandfather Christ (yes, that was his name) sometime in 1895 while they were still in Grimm. They were persecuted in Russia, and forced to immigrate to the United States. So, they packed up their two living children Amelia (Mollie) and Marie, and in 1906 they came to the United States on a boat named the S.S. Compania. It sailed from Liverpool, England, and entered the Port of New York on October 25th, 1906. Once they arrived, they were sent to AuGres Michigan on a train. I’m not sure why they went there. They could neither speak nor write English, but I believe there was a large Russian population in that area when they arrived there. After a few years, they went to Flint, Michigan, where they eventually established the Staley farm on Van Slyke Road. It was a 52-acre plot of land, that your great great-grandfather built a HUGE farmhouse on to house his eventual huge family. Your great grandfather Chris was the first baby to be born in the United States, and he was born on July 5th, while they still lived in AuGres. They had another baby every two years until 1918, then one more child (Jacob) in 1921! That was a lot of babies!! But since they lived on a farm, there was always lots of work for them all to help out with. They raised chickens, and I believe pigs too! When your great grandfather Chris married your great grandmother Hazel in 1935, he took her home to live in the big farmhouse too. Your uncle Jacob also married, and he brought HIS bride to live at the house too. I’m not sure how many of the others lived at home at that time. Your uncle Lewis (Grandpa Staley’s brother) was born while they still lived at the farm. By the time your uncle was about 2 years old, though, your great grandfather Chris bought about 12 acres of land from his father, and then they contracted to have their own home built on the property. Their part of the property was on another road named Maple Road, and that is where they lived the rest of their life. That is where your Grandpa Staley lived when he was born in 1944. Your great-grandmother Hazel used to keep a ledger—and in that ledger, she kept track of just about everything. One thing she wrote down was that when your great grandfather bought the property from his father, that he paid them $800.00! That was for a little over 12 acres, so for today’s standards, it was really cheap!! And when he contracted to have his house built, it cost them $2900.00 dollars. That is about what some people these days pays per month on their mortgage!! Isn’t that amazing? It’s been fun telling you about your Great-Great Grandparents, Emily. I’ll enclose a photo of her so you can see her beautiful dimples. Do you suppose she gave them to you? This picture I’m sending to you was taken somewhere between 1941 and 1944—because she died in 1944, and it was taken at Grandpa Chris and Grandma Hazel’s house (your mama’s grandparents), which wasn’t contracted for until 1940! J Even though she was pretty old in the photograph, you can still see her amazing dimples. I hope you enjoyed learning a little about your ancestors!Love you, Grandma