Happy Heavenly Father’s Day to two of my paternal first loves – father, John Willie Taylor, and grandfather, Willie Taylor, and . . .
. . . to two more of my maternal first loves -grandfather, Joseph Chapple, and great-grandfather, Richard Smith.
On this day (May 23rd), 101 years ago my maternal grandpatents, Joseph Chapple and Estella Smith were married by Justice of the Peace, Leon Lush, in Houston, Harris County, Texas.
Happy Heavenly Mother’s Day to my mom Carrie Chapple Taylor and grandmother, Estella Smith Chapple and . . .
. . . to my paternal grandmother Louise Newsom Hubbard, great-grandmother Olivia Moten Newsom, great-grandmother Birdie Elizabeth Green and 2x great-grandmother Lula Routt Green.
“Cousins by blood—friends by choice.”
Unknown
July 24th in the United States is the perfect day to send some love to those family members we call cousins.
Continue reading
I want to take this time to CONGRATULATE photographer, Roxanne Quezada Chartouni, for her exquisite photography in – “A Look At Fourth Ward” that was published in the Houston History Magazine on April 8, 2020!
I also want to send virtual (((hugs))) to my awesome and wonderful cousin Cecelia Cook Drew who is gracefully captured in one of the photos waving a white hanky in the wind. Her efforts to keep cool in Houston’s brutal heat is futile. But she is definitely – as the caption reads, “looking beautifully cool,” — through it all!
The culture, history, and true feeling of freedom for all Freedmen who settled in Houston’s Fourth Ward after emancipation is literally being swallowed up today by gentrification. My connection, and Cecelia’s connection, to this community comes from our Chapple/Chappel ancestors who lived and loved hard, worked hard, and played hard right here at the turn of the 20th century. So THANK YOU Roxanne for capturing a community that is near and dear to our hearts and our family’s history before it’s gone from view forever!
Check out Roxanne’s article and photography at the link below —
https://houstonhistorymagazine.org/2020/04/a-look-at-fourth-ward-houston-texas/
Be sure to visit & “Like” Houston A Look At 4th Ward – 1987 Facebook Page for more great photos as past and present community members of 4th Ward interact with Roxanne and assist with the identification of the photos for publication – https://www.facebook.com/Houstonalookat4thward/
Claiming Kin Genealogy 