Way Back Wednesday: Grandparents

This past week I have been really thrown into Family History. I've been contacted by distant relatives on my Mother's side and My Father's. I find it interesting how many people are getting into their own family histories and want to know where they came from. It's exciting!

I don't have a lot of information, but I'll share what I have.

While my mom was growing up, their home burned down 2 different times. Unfortunately when your home burns down, you lose histories, genealogy and photos.

Here is a history of their home burning down from my Mother's history that she wrote:

(Photo not from our history but found on the web. I'm a visual person and love pictures so I'm adding it for effect)

House burning down the first time from my mother's history:

The first thing I really remember was when I was 3 years old and our house burned down. I remember telling Leo to come see "pretty", and I showed him the whole ceiling in the kitchen was on fire. Leo locked Darrel and myself in the grainary so we would be safe. I can still see and hear our neighbor Tel looking for us. Tel might have been able to save something if he had known where we were. Everything we owned was gone. I was told we lived with my Uncle Rufus for a while. We had land by him and built a 2 room home there and another on the ranch. I really loved our ranch. There were lots of hills and a stream coming out of the hills. I used to try and catch water skippers in the stream where we got our water to drink and bathe in . We did not have running water or indoor plumbing.

House burned down the 2nd time:

The next thing I remember is a short time later when we were all in our home by my Uncle's house. Bonnie was healing from a car accident. My sister Jean and her baby Danny were at our house (her husband Glen was in the Navy) and Jean got me up to go to school. Jean had me come to the kitchen to show me what she had made me for lunch. We went to the kitchen area, she made me a gumdrop man with tooth picks and gumdrops. We looked up and the whole ceiling was on fire. I ran out of the house to my Uncle's house for help. I wasn't dressed yet and was only in my petticoat and bare feet. The school bus stopped and helped. I was very embarrassed that I was only in my petticoat in front of all the kids on the bus. We saved only what we could get out of the main part of the house, not anything that was in the attic.

After our house burned down all the people from Mapleton came and built us a new house. We had a house raising, everyone came and in a few days we had a new house. We never had electric lights in our home before, only a lantern for light. We still did not have a bathroom with running water, but we did have lights now. In fact, I was 17 years old when we finally got a bathroom in the house (1955).

In the Mapleton history book it says:

On 21 March 1941, the home and all the furnishing of Brother and Sister Henry Dursteler were burned. The ward turned out and helped build a new home for them.

Right now I have all of my Mom's black and white photos that I wanted to get scanned in and put in a book. I am starting to work on it and wanted to add them for my family and relatives. I love sharing family information with my extended family and photos are the best! Also my hope is that with this on my blog, it will be available to more relatives and be preserved.

 Grandma Clemma, Leo, Grandpa Henry, Darrel,  my mom Zoey and Bonnie in front.

 4 generation photo:  Joel Tudolph and son, Larry R. then Great Grandpa Rudolph Dursteler born 2 May 1862 Zurich Switzerland, died 11 June 1947 in Idaho. Next is my Grandpa and son to Rudolph - Heinrick (Henry) Rudolph Dursteler born 5 September 1890 in Idaho and died 19 June 1967 in Idaho. Photo taken at a Willow Flat Dursteler reunion 1942.

 I know a couple of people, but will fill in more when I talk to my mother.

Photo taken in front of home in Mapleton, ID about 1946 - 1948.

Tall boy in front of the tree is Leo, then Vinora, and Randall (not sure who the first 2 women are, one is probably Bonnie)

Front row with hat is Grandpa Henry, Jean and her son Danny (right above Jean in back of Grandma is Jean's husband Glen, then Grandma Clemma.

 In the middle is Great Grandpa Rudolph and Great Grand kids.

The photo is in front of home in Whitney, ID about 1946-47.
The children are Joel's kids: Jerry (1938), Larry 1937, Eugene left of Rudolf, Donna Lee (1944) in chair below Eugene (1941). Paul and Paulene (twins 1945) on grass to Rudolf's right. Vonazz holding baby. Glade next to here, Devon in chair, his twin sister Deon. 

 This is Grandma Clemma's kitchen and I remember it well. Grandma Clemma, then my dad Grant is looking through something, then my mom Zoey and my oldest sister Christine in the front.

 Grandma Clemma is sitting in a chair and her 2nd husband Elmer Neaf is in the plaid shirt on the couch. I don't know who anyone else is.

My Aunts and Uncles.
Leo and wife Shirley
Cora and Dale
Edwin (Elva (Ed's wife died about 1975 - as well as Joel)
Vinora and Randell

Photo about 1968. Looks like a campsite at Willow Flats. 

(Thanks to my cousin Larry for filling in the blanks on who are the people in the photos)