Advent Calendar : Holiday Travel

Did you or your ancestors travel anywhere for Christmas? How did you
travel and who traveled with you? Do you remember any special trips?

Every year on Christmas Eve we would go to my Grandma Wright's house in town.  Then, on Christmas Day, we would travel about an hour to my Grandma LeMaster's house.  

Right after my daughter was born, my in-laws flew all of us to Siesta Key, Florida for Christmas.  That was an interesting trip, especially with a six week old baby.  The weather was beautiful, and it felt strange not to have it be cold and snowy for Christmas.

My mother added her memories regarding holiday travel:

As a child, we went to grandparents home on Christmas eve to celebrate and exchange gifts.  When my brother moved to Chattanooga about 30 years ago, we decided to drive down on Christmas Eve Day and be with them.   A winter storm was predicted so we told the kids that we asked Santa if he could deliver gifts early and we left two days before Christmas eve. My mother went was us as she was a widow at the time.    It was warm (50degrees) and we went shopping on Christmas Eve.   We had a great time.

Amanuensis Monday: Future Farmers of America (1938)

An Amanuensis is a person employed to write what another dictates or to copy what has been written by another. 

Source: Alexandria-Monroe High School Spectrum, Alexandria, Indiana, 1938

First Row: Billy Cranfield, Keith Sizelove, John Featherston, David Cade, Leroy Waymire, John Nacoff, Omer Young, Virgil Hughes

Second Row: Herman Brown, Bernard Balser, William Wright, Orville Wright, Thurman Fuller, Harold Sayre, Paul Thurston, Charles Sayre

Third Row: Mr. Disque, Ralph Porter, Forest McMahan, Harold Bess, Verle Allen, Barney March, Dale Blacklidge

Fourth Row: Donald Wilson, Robert Hobbs, Fred Johnson, Eugene Fields

Future Farmers of America

The Future Farmers of America is a national organization of farm boy studying agriculture in the public high schools throughout the United States, Territory of Hawaii, and Puerto Rico.  The F.F.A. colors are gold and blue.  Each year the State Organization selects two per cent of its membership for the Hoosier Farmer Degree.  The selection is made on the basis of scholarship, leadership, and record as a vocational agriculture student.  The Alexandria chapter has two members who have acquired the Hoosier Farmer Degree.  These boys are Paul Thurston and Thurman Fuller.  The local organization has twenty-nine active members.  The club has a basketball team and have played several good games this year.  Mr. Disque is the faculty adviser for the group.  The officers are :

President - Charles Sayre

Vice President - Paul Thurston

Secretary - William Wright

Treasurer - Dale Blacklidge

Newspaper Reporter - Herman Brown

---

My maternal grandfather, William Wright, was the secretary of the F.F.A. for this year.  The Orville Wright mentioned in the membership roster is his second cousin.

Amanuensis Monday is a daily blogging theme which encourages the family historian to transcribe family letters, journals, audiotapes, and other historical artifacts. Amanuensis Monday is a popular ongoing series created by John Newmark at Transylvanian Dutch.

The Light of Christmas

Miss Vera Haley

Portland, Ind.

Route 9

Did Santa Clause forget you?  

Love and best wishes to all.

Beck

---

This postcard, postmarked Midland, Michigan December 20 ____, was sent to my paternal greataunt, Vera HALEY.  I do not know yet who Beck was.  Vera was married in 1915, so that would place this postcard pre-1915.