Grandmother as a Little Girl (#2 of 52)

This post is based on Amy Johnson Crow’s “52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks” challenge. This week’s theme is: FAVORITE PHOTO.

My grandmother, Evelyn, the youngest of five children, was born 10 October 1915. Sadly, when she was only 8 1/2 months old, her mother died. Although Evelyn’s father raised the four eldest children, Evelyn was raised by her maternal grandmother, Sallie (Dickson) Ward. Evelyn grew up near family, including her father and siblings, in Perry County, Tennessee.

Photo likely taken in Perry Co., Tenn. in ~1918 – Elsie Ward (~15), Sallie (Dickson) Ward (~58), Evelyn Dickson (~2), and Ethel (Ward) Pollock (~24)

This is one of my favorite photos as it is the only known childhood photo of my grandmother, Evelyn (Dickson) Kaechle (1915-2004). Wearing a bow and a dress, Little Evelyn is looking down at a pet chicken she is holding. Behind her, with her hands resting on Evelyn’s shoulders, is Evelyn’s grandmother, Sallie (Dickson) Ward, who raised little Evelyn after the death of her mom.

Photo retouched by JRS (my father)

On the left side of the photo is Elise Jo Ward (1903-1989) who is Evelyn’s first cousin/Sallie’s granddaughter through Sallie’s son, Joe. On the right is Sallie’s youngest daughter, Ethel Ward (1893-1987).

I often learn more about a family or situation as I write a blog post. In this case, I did not know when Ethel had died. But, as I did research for this article, I located her death certificate. Now I know that Ethel died at the age of 95 of cardiac arrest in a nursing center in Daviess County, Indiana.