Delbert & Irma Go Fishing

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 My Grandmother, Irma (D'Angeli) Saunders,
fishing (or at least holding a fish), in Brentwood, in 1934.
In all my years knowing her, I never say Grandma fish,
but it looks like Grandpa got her to do it at least once.

I love the wide legged pants she's wearing
and the fact that she's barefoot in the photo.
They must have been having a fun time.

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Delbert (Bud) Marion Saunders -- Clown Extraordinaire.
This is probably my most favorite photo of my Grandfather.
Ever the jokester, I'm sure my Grandmother had just told him to smile,
and instead he did this.
These photos are from August, 1934, before Bud and Irma were married.

Delbert & Jakey Go Fishing

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Jakey Jilbert, my Grandfather Delbert's cousin,
fishing at Bay Point in 1934.
Jakey was the only son of Delbert's aunt Nellie,
who was his mother Nora's youngest sister.
At the time, Jakey live in Tracey with his mother, Nellie.

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Jakey Jilbert, Tiny the dog and (on the very edge of the photo)
my Grandfather, Delbert.

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If there's on thing knew about Grandpa, it was that he loved to fish.
Here he is with Jakey and Tiny.

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My grandmother, Irma, was the one taking the photos.
They are from her photo album and the notes on them are her handwriting.
In 1934, she and my grandfather were still dating.

Delbert & Irma Go Shooting

 My father's parents, Delbert "Bud" Saunders and Irma Saunders
on a shooting trip to the Livermore hills.
Grandpa spent his teen years in Tracy, California,
so he probably knew these hills very well.

 My grandfather, Bud, with what I'm assuming is a .22 rifle.
Grandpa wasn't one to kill animals.  But he was a top-notch tin-can hunter.
The photos are from a photo album of my Grandmother's,
from the time when they were dating.
It is her handwriting on the bottom of the photos
placing them in Livermore, on July 4, 1934.

 Grandpa, with his rifle and his dog, Tiny, perched on his shoulder.
These photos were taken two years before my grandparents got married.
No doubt he took her on an Independence Day outing,
and tried to impress her with his hunting ability.

Grandpa and his dog, Tiny.

And that there would be my gun-totin' Grandma,
with tiny in hand, of course.

Delbert Marion Saunders and Family

 This is my grandfather, Delbert "Bud" Marion Saunders (on the right),
with his Aunt Nellie (Baker) Jilbert, and cousin Jake (Jakey) Jilbert.

The photo is from an album of my grandmother's, Irma (D'Angeli) Saunders. The photo is dated Aug 5, 1934 and was likely taken at Nellie's home in Tracey, CA. Bud and Irma were married in 1936, so they were dating at the time this photo was taken. I imagine this may have been the first time my grandmother met Nellie and Jakey, which is why she may have saved the photos in her album.

My grandmother, Irma (D'Angeli) Saunders
and my grandfather, Delbert "Bud" Marion Saunders.
My grandmother was 21 years old at the time.
My grandfather was 23.

George and Arnold Carsten

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This is George Carsten (the man) and his son Arnold (the boy).
George Carsten is my grandfather Delbert Saunders's step-father.
He married Nora Belle Baker after she and George Saunders divorced.
Arnold is my grandfather Delbert's younger half-brother.

Arnold bears a strong family resemblance to my grandfather,
and also to my grandfather's grandmother, Martha (Woodside) Baker.
Their eyes and "crooked" ears are clearly a Woodside feature.
There is no date on the photo.

George Carsten was born about 1891 in California.  The 1920 Census Tulare, in San Joaquin County, California, lists George Carsten at age 27 and notes that he is a native of California.  It lists his occupation as switchman for a railroad. Nora is also listed as age 27 at the time.  Their children are listed as "Jas" (James) Saunders, age 10, born in Idaho, and D. (Delbert) Marion, age 9, born in Montana. Both James and Delbert are listed as step-sons.  Arnold Carsten grew up to live in Woodland and had three boys.

Mysterious Idaho Cousins

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Among my grandfather Delbert Saunders's photos is this one
that is simply labeled "Cousins in Idaho."
The back of the photo is stamped with the date Aug 3, 1933
and was processed by Bear Photo Service.
Though I have no idea who these folks might be,
I love the "Americana" portrayed in this picture --
a Mid-West Farmer and his wife and daughter.

Great Uncle Frank Baker

 Great Uncle Frank Baker, and his sister Nora Belle (Baker) Saunders.
Nora Belle was my grandfather Delbert's mother.
Frank was younger than Nora Belle, but his birth date is unknown.
Based on the style of the houses, the photo appears to have been taken in Oakland, Calif.
There is no date on the photo.

 A very tiny framed photo (about 1-inch high) of Great Uncle Frank Baker.
There is no date on the photo.

Frank Baker's daughter, Lillian.
Frank married Nola Phipps.  To my knowledge the had only one daughter.
There is no date on the photo.

Nellie (Baker) Jilbert

 My great Aunt Nellie (Baker) Jilbert and her husband, whose name is unknown.
Nellie was the youngest of the Baker daughters.
Her birth date is unknown, but it is likely some time in the early 1900s.
Her older sister, Nora Belle (Baker) Saunders,
was my grandfather Delbert Saunders's mother.

There is no date on the photo.

A small, photo-booth-style of my Great Aunt Nellie.
There is no date on the photo.
Nellie had one son whose name was Jake (nicknamed Jakey).
Jakey married a woman named Rose.
Together they lived in Tracy, raising their two children, Beverly and Richard.

 Great Aunt Nellie with her granddaughter,
Beverly Jilbert, daughter of Jakey and Rose Jilbert.
Also in the photo is my father, George Marion Saunders.
A note on the back of the photo says is was taken in Tracy, California.
From the white picket fence, my father remembers that
this was Jakey's and Rose's front yard.
He and Beverly I spend played together there often.
The photo names the other two girls as Joyce and Diane Calhoun,
though we don't know who these girls might be.
My father remembers Aunt Nellie, but she was not married when he was a child.
He cannot recall whether she was widowed or divorced at the time.

Great Aunt Nellie, with a fish.
The back of the photo is stamped with a July 27, 1937 date,
processed by Bear Photo Services.

Mamie (Baker) Meyers and Her Family

 My great aunt Mamie (Baker) Meyers.
She was a younger sister of my great grandmother, Nora Belle (Baker) Saunders.
Mamie was born Jan 1, 1895 in Glendale, Montana,
to Martha (Woodside) Baker and Fred Baker.

There is no date on this photo, but she appears to be in her thirties or early forties.

 This is a photo of Mamie with her first husband, Joe Michels.
No one can remember why Joe and Mamie's marriage ended.

Mamie with her son Kenneth Michels.

Kenneth died in childhood from polio and was never spoken of

after Mamie married her second husband Henry Meyers.

There is no date on the photo.

Mamie again with her son Kenneth.

There is no date on the photo.

Kenneth Michels.
There is no date on the photo, but a note on the back
places the location as Neptune Beach, Alameda, CA.

Another photo of Kenneth Michels, in childhood.

Mamie with my father, George Marion Saunders.

Mamie and her husband, Henry Meyers, owned the house
across the street from my paternal grandparent's house,
at 624 46th Street, in Oakland, CA.
In her long life, she was "Aunt Mamie" to both her nephew (my grandfather)
Delbert "Bud" Saunders, and my father, George Marion Saunders.
There is no date on the phot, but I estimate it was taken about 1944 or 1945,
when my father was three or four years old.
A note on the back of the photo places the location as 46th Street, Oakland, CA.

Mamie and Henry lived well into their seventies.
She was alive when I was a child old enough to remember her.
I can recall visiting their home when I was around five years of age (approx. 1968),
which would have made Mamie about seventy-three.
She made me this sleepy-time puppy which I cherished all my childhood,
and still have tucked away in a memento box.
Once, when I had to sew up a tear in its threadbare cloth,
I discovered that she had stuffed it with her old silk stockings.
No wonder it was so soft.

James Robert Saunders As a Young Man.

A portrait of my Great Uncle, James ("Jimmy") Robert Saunders, as a young man.
Jimmy was my grandfather Delbert ("Bud") Marion Saunders' older brother.
There is no date on the photo, but it was taken at the
Novelty Studio, on 1018 Broadway in Oakland, CA.
A note, written in my grandfather's hand on the back of the note
names the girl in the photo as Anita Kerr.

James Robert Saunders As A Boy

 The boy in this photo is my great uncle, James ("Jimmy") Robert Saunders.
The girl is just named as a "friend."
Jimmy was the older brother of my grandfather, Delbert ("Bud") Marion Saunders.
Jimmy was born in 1910.  This photo is dated 1912,
when he would have been two years of age.

I imagine that, like any little brother, Bud idolized his brother Jimmy,
because he spoke of him often and with great affection.

Another portrait of Jimmy Saunders, probably at the same photo session
since the shirt he's wearing is the same as above.

 Another portrait of Jimmy Saunders, dated two years later in 1914,
when he would have been four years old.

 A picture of Jimmy Saunders taken in San Francisco, at Ocean Beach.
The photo was turned into a post card.
My grandfather notes that it was available for sale Ocean Beach for over fifty years.

On the back of this particular post card, is a note from my Great Grandmother,
Nora Belle (Baker) Saunders, to her mother, Martha (Woodside) Baker.
The note is addressed to Mrs. M.E. Dwight of Dillon Montana, dated Oct. 12, 1913.
(By then, Martha had re-married Dan Dwight,
after the death of her first husband, Fred Baker.)
The note reads:

"Dear Mama, Here is Jimmie taken on the beach today,
at the Ocean Cliff House and his pet dog.
Wish Delbert was only here too,
but I knew you wanted to see Jimmie anyway."

Delbert "Bud" Marion Saunders and his Grandmother

Delbert "Bud" Marion Saunders (kneeling) with his dog.
Standing behind him on the left is his grandmother, Martha Emily (Woodside) Baker.
I'm not certain who the other three people in the photo are.
The man standing on the right looks very much like Bud did when he got older,
so the man may be one of Martha's brothers.  The woman beside him is likely his wife.
The man standing beside Martha may be her son, Frank.
The photo is dated Aug 3, 1933.  Bud was 20 years old at the time.

Ruby (Baker) Finney as a Young Woman

A portrait of Ruby (Baker) Finney.
There is no date on the photo, but it is likely from around 1915,
When she would have been in her mid-teens.

Ruby (Baker) Finney, as a young woman.
This photo is undated, but judging from the clothing, her hair and age,
it is likely from around 1918.

Ruby was the youngest child of Fred Baker and Martha (Woodside) Baker.  She married Bedford Finney with whom she had two children -- Barbara and Bedford Jr.  Though I am not certain of her exact age, I estimate she was born around 1900.  My grandfather, Delbert Marion Saunders, describes his Aunt Ruby as "like a sister to me."  Ruby and Bedford originally lived in Long Beach, but moved to Oakland when my Delbert was in Junior High School.  At the age of 14, Delbert had quit school to work in a wire factory, in order to support his family.  Ruby and her husband talked him into quitting work and returning to school.  They tried their best to support him.  He says of her, in a letter to us the year before he died, "Ruby was so good to me, I hope that where ever she may be, that she will know how much I love and always appreciated what a fine person she was."

Ruby died early in life.  She had joined a fundamentalist church that persuaded her to give up all medications.  In an advanced stage of pregnancy, she was rushed to the hospital with uremic poisoning.  Unfortunately, she did not survive. 

Ruby (Baker) Finney Nursing Photos

Ruby (Baker) Finney, training as a nurse at Alta Bates Sanitorium.
Ruby was my great grandmother Nora Belle (Baker) Saunders's sister,
and my grandfather Delbert's aunt.
The photo is dated February 6, 1920 with a greeting in her own hand on the back:
"Love to all, from Ruby."

Ruby (on the right) with a nursing school classmate, Eng Daniels,
at Alta Bates Sanitorium.  This photo is dated May 1920.

Ruby in training at Alta Bates Sanitorium.
This photo is dated March 11, 1923.

Ruby's nursing school graduation photo.
Unfortunately, this photo is not dated, but it is likely from the mid-1920s.

Another of Ruby's nursing school graduation photos,
Likely from the mid-1920s.

Alta Bates Sanitorium, now called Alta Bates Summit Medical Center, in Oakland, CA, was founded  in 1905 as an eight-bed hospital for women and their infants, by Nurse Alta Alice Miner Bates.  Alta was a prominent early California Nurse Anesthetist, having been one of the first graduates of a nurse's training program out of Eureka, CA.  Alta administered over 14,000 anesthetics during a career lasting more than fifteen years.  Early in the 1900s, she opened her family's home to women and children medical needing care.  Soon after that, with about one hundred dollars, a building design from her father and credit from local merchants, she founded the eight-bed hospital that came to bear her name.  Throughout her career, Alta was active in the nurses' training program at her hospital and likely taught Ruby and her classmates during the early 1920s, while the hospital was expanding its capacity and services.

Delbert Saunders's High School Year Book Page

Delbert Marion Saunders's Senior high school year book page.
He attended Fremont High School, in Oakland, CA.

Grandpa was due to graduate from high school in June 1930.  Sadly, he never finished.  Times were hard and he dropped out of high school to work full time, in order to support his grandmother, with whom he was living.  In his own words (from a letter he wrote to us the year before he died):

"I studied hard in school and managed to skip a grade. I worked as a house boy for a family in Piedmont. Then I worked in a boarding house... They treated me like a slave. From there, I got a job working at an auto laundry, on Fridays and Saturdays, and also ran some poker games on the side. My problem holding that job was the extensive lying I had to do to my school counselor, regarding reasons that I was missing all my Friday classes. This had to end, so I managed to get a job driving for the Manila Meat Market, after school and all day Saturday. The job was punishing because of the long hours involved, and the difficult transportation getting to 82nd Avenue from High School. I had to do my homework on the street car and sometimes fell asleep on the way home, waking up at the end of the line in San Leandro. Never the less, I enjoyed it very much. The people I worked for, a nice German family, treated me just like a member of their own family.  As would be happening all over, the depression was building up and the company went broke; and with it went my job. That ended my chance of going to college. But not all was lost. I had found the love of my life -- your Grandmother.  Of this good fortune, I have been very blessed."

Delbert "Bud" Marion Saunders in his Late Teens

Delbert Marion Saunders.
This photo is actually a small proof, about 1-inch in size,
that I scanned at 300% to make it larger.
It appears to be from a sitting he took as a Senior, for his high-school yearbook.
The photo is not dated, but it is probably from 1930.

Delbert Marion Saunders,
looking strikingly handsome in a tux.
This photo is also a small proof, about 1-inch in size,
that I scanned at 300% to make it larger.
These photos would have been taken while he was and a senior at
Fremont High School, in Oakland, CA.

Delbert Marion Saunders, at the beach.

Two things I love about this photo are the old fashioned swim suit he is wearing and the fact that whomever he was there with is cropped out of the photo. I found this in the front of my grandmother's teen-age photo album, along with the torn photo below.  Clearly, she wanted to save a photo of him, but not of the girl he was with at the time.  How adorable.

Delbert Marion Saunders wearing some dandy knickers.
He on a beach and, from his stance (and knowing what Grandpa loved most),
I'm guessing he was fishing.
Scroll down to reveal the mystery of who is cut out of the photo on the left.

Delbert Marion Saunders, on a beach picnic with a girlfriend.
Looking through my grandfather's High School yearbook,
I found a photo of someone who looks like this girl, who also signed the year book.
Her name was Geneva Proctor.  She may have been his High School sweet heart.