On Saturday, February 22, the Romeo Community Archives hosted a Scanning Party. For those who don't know, these events involve people receiving high-quality scans of their photographs to ensure long-term preservation. In our case, patrons even had a chance to donate their digital copies to the archives if they wanted to. One person Charlotte Grobbel did just that by giving copies of family pictures throughout the years to our digital collection. This is one of them.
This photo was taken 100 years ago in 1925 in front of the home on 104 West Gates Street in Romeo. If one passes by that house these days, they wouldn't recognize it because of the exterior changes. One of which was the porch seen in the 1925 picture. That porch was removed long ago. Regardless, Charlotte confirmed the address of the residence, in which her grandparents, mother, and uncles resided for some time.
Ezra and Laura Havers and their four children rented that home for a good chunk of the 1920s. They did this until 1927 when Laura's father Henry Lee gave his home on 356 North Main Street to her before he moved to Texas. Sadly, Ezra didn't live long enough to see that since he passed away in 1924.
In 1925, it was only Laura and the kids Lee, Bill, Dorothy (Charlotte's mother), and Albert aka Kret who resided in that house. Going back to the photo, most of the people have been identified. In the front row, there's Bill, Dorothy, and Kret as well as Bum the family dog. In the back row, there's Bessie Short (a cousin), Laura, and Lee. The only ones that haven't been identified are the man on the left and the baby in the back. Charlotte wondered if they were Bessie's husband and child, but nothing was entirely certain.
Charlotte spoke fondly of her family during the Scanning Party. She even had a fun story about Bum. Apparently, he lived a long life, and the family trusted him so much that he walked himself to the veterinarian on West St. Clair Street whenever there was an appointment. I don't how many people have faith in their pets to do that.
People can view this picture and others on our online catalog at https://rcarchives.pastperfectonline.com/
We will have another Scanning Party soon!
To learn more about the Havers family and the Scanning Party, you can contact the Romeo Community Archives at rca@romemodistrictlibrary.org or call (586) 690-4890.
Images and sources courtesy of the Romeo Community Archives; Romeo Community Archives, Digital Collection; Charlotte Grobbel; and Ancestry.