Fifty Fridays #31

In honor of St Patrick's Day, I'll bring out another bit of my Irish heritage.

This is my father's maternal grandfather and grandmother.  He was second-generation Irish-Canadian (from County Kerry) and she was the granddaughter of German immigrants.  Both their families came to Nova Scotia looking for a new and more prosperous life for their children.  I think these grown-up children certainly were prospering.

I can't tell what year it is - not even with that wonderful hat she's wearing.  Fashions changed very slowly in rural areas and so the range of years is uncertain.  I am not even sure if this is a child or grandchild they have between them.  Their last daughter was born in 1907 so it is possible that that is who the rather nicely dressed little girl is.  A youngest would be a bit spoiled for clothes, I think.  The adults both look relatively young so I don't think this is a grandchild.

This great-grandmother was always known to me as Grammy Nick.  I never met her but I heard stories about her from my dad.  My favorite one was of her, in old age and blind, sitting in the kitchen by the stove knitting mittens for the kids.  I have a mental image of this rather stout lady hunkered down in a rocking chair with needles flying and mittens dropping off at regular intervals.  That picture was formed when I was a little girl and hasn't changed at all over the years. 

I have other photos of her - like this one - which show her as a younger woman.  She looks strong and capable and very serious in all of them.  This is the only one where she is so dressed up.  I wonder where they were going?  And who took the photo?  Was the horse the true subject?  The men of this family were all rather keen on good horses, I'm told.  They seem to have driven off the road into a field for the picture.  And it's not a very formal picture for the times.  Just another mystery.