Clemon Beals Lambertson (1898-1994), Memories, 52 Ancestors # 7

Clemon Lambertson, 1916, likely Cicero, Indiana

The seventh ancestor in my 52 Ancestors in 52 weeks project is my maternal great-grandfather, Clemon Beals Lambertson (1898-1994), who married June Gilliland (1898-1951), on June 28, 1917 in Monroe County, Indiana. I had previously written about the events of his life in an Exploratory Data post.
Grandpa Clemon was the oldest ancestor that I have memories of having direct interaction.  Although we didn't interact very much, I do have a few memories of him.

The earliest memory I have of him was being at his house on Silver Street in Anderson, Indiana in the mid-1970s.  I don't remember the circumstances, but I do remember being at the house and seeing family pictures on the wall.  I also remember it not being too far to the Best-Ever Dairy, which was a great place to get ice cream.

Clemon Lambertson with Travis, Jason & Michelle LeMaster, 1979, Anderson, Indiana

I remember my dad borrowing Clemon's copy of the Chronology of the Beals Family and making copies from it for his genealogy research, which might have occurred around the same time as we hauled bricks away from Uncle Floyd's home in Elwood.  This was my first exposure to a compiled family genealogy - as an adult I purchased my own copy for my research.

I remember one time speaking with him on the phone when he called our house and we talked about baseball and the World Series.  The Dodgers were playing at the time, so this must have been around the 1978 series.

I also remember Grandpa Clemon coming to visit at my grandma's house.  As a little kid, I don't remember what we did or said.  Fortunately, I was able to find a copy of this photo of him at a birthday celebration.

Clemon Lambertson birthday, 1978, Bonnie Wright, Lynn Priest, Ruby Walsh, Martha Lambertson, Cissy Priest, Alexandria, Indiana

The last memory I have of him was when his daughter, my grandmother, passed away in 1984. At that time he would have been 86 years old.  I remember his comment that you weren't supposed to bury your child.  I can't imagine how painful that was for him.

I wish I could have talked to him about family history and share some of the things I've discovered over the years about his ancestors.

The 52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks Challenge was created by Amy Johnson Crow of No Story Too Small blog.  The premise is to write once a week about a specific ancestor - whether it be a story, a biography, a photograph or a research problem.