Family Photo and Love - #52 Ancestors

Merritt and Maude Emma Agard 60th Wedding Celebration

This family photo exemplifies love as each of these couples married young and stayed happily married until death did they part. They served as a strong moral core for their families and for everyone who knew them. They used their talents to the benefit of the communities in which they lived.

The photo was taken in 1983 on the occasion of the 60^th wedding anniversary of Merritt Martin Agard and Maude Emma (Hardenbrook) Agard. The couple on the left is their son John Richard Agard and his wife Beverly (Shepard) Agard; on the right, Edward Francis Nunn and Carol (Agard) Nunn (my parents). The photo was taken at our family restaurant, Taughannock Farms Inn, overlooking Cayuga Lake near Trumansburg, New York.

Merritt’s version of how he met Maude: It was at one of their church suppers (Jacksonville M.E. Church) that he caught Maude Hardenbrook’s eye. Maude had attended with another young man from the community. Merritt, being mischievous, turned the lights out during the supper. While the lights were out, he raced in, took Maude’s hand, and took her away from her companion.

Maude on the other hand liked to tell the story that on one of their first dates, Merritt tried to kiss her and she slapped his face. In any event, they sorted all that out, were married, and celebrated their 60^th anniversary in August 1983.

From their wedding book: They were married at Willow Creek on August 22, 1923 by the Reverend R. L. Smith. Witnesses were Helen Atwater and Alfred Hopkins. Guests were: Mrs. E. Hardenbrook, Mr. Enos Hardenbrook, Mrs. Arthur Agard, Mr. Arthur Agard, Mrs. Menzo Wortman, Mr. Menzo Wortman, Mr. W. L. Twekin, John W. Agard, Mary A. Simpson, Moreia Higgins, Fred D. Higgins, Mr. and Mrs. Herbert Agard, Frank J. Beardsley, Mrs. F.J. Beardsley, Adalade C. Tucker, Mr. and Mrs. John Rightmire, Delia Rightmire, Mr. and Mrs. C. Owen Carman, Dorothy M. Vann, M. Gertrude Godfrey, Eleanor M. Drew, Mrs. Walter Higgins, Mary Higgins, Leon Drew, Walter Higgins, Emily H. Gardner, Mr. and Mrs. Raymond Darling, Cornelia B. Thompson, Mrs. C. H. Smith, C. H. Smith, Kenneth Hardenbrook, Alice D. Sherman.

J. Richard Agard and Beverly Jean Shepard were married July 1946 in Sage Chapel on the campus of Cornell University.

Edward Nunn and Carol Louise Agard were married September 12, 1941 in the rectory of Immaculate Conception Church in Ithaca, New York with J. Richard Agard and Adeline Agard in attendance. The reception was held at her parent’s home on Jacksonville Road. Photos of their wedding can be found on an earlier blog.

I miss these loving members of my family.

Fearless Females - How they met at Taughannock Falls State Park

Edward Nunn and Carol Agard
abt 1940

Because he matriculated at Cornell University, my uncle, Harold “Bus” Nunn, not only secured a lifeguard position at Taughannock Falls State Park for himself, but he also succeeded in getting a lifeguard job for my father, Edward Nunn.

With their two sons employed upstate, it made sense for Harry and Mary Nunn to leave the Bronx for the summer and camp in the Finger Lakes Region.  After setting up tents at Taughannock Falls State Park, and having his family settled in, Harry drove the windy two-lane Route 17 back to the city to work for New York City's Public Works Department.

In the meantime, Maude Agard worked at the park’s bath house, and her children, Carol and Richard rode their bike (Carol on the handlebars) down the steep hill each day to bring their mother her lunch.  It wasn’t long before 14 year old Carol noticed the handsome 17 year old lifeguard from New York City.

Fun at Taughannock Park
Carol in dress; Edward standing, facing camera

The park was a gathering place for young folks and the summers were filled with fun. The above photo is an example of that! I am so thankful that I, too, spent my summers enjoying the park, and swimming in Cayuga Lake.

Edward Nunn
abt 1940

As for Carol and Ed, Carol later admits that he chased her until she caught him!

Sports Center Saturday - Morse Chain 1952 Golf Team

I was sorting through files this morning and came upon three issues of the Morse Chain Echo. The reason these three were kept is because each featured a photo of my father, Edward Nunn. Previously, I had found his photo in the issue, but never took the time to really look through the rest of the magazine, until this morning.

I will continue to share photos of the people and events in these three issues. The photos of the department Christmas parties are wonderful, and each photo is labeled.  The issues I have are Aug-Sept 1950, Nov-Dec 1951, and May-June 1952.

Below is a page from the May-June 1952 issue and features the Morse Chain Twilight Golf team. 

Those Places Thursday - Niagara Falls, NY

My uncle Bus’s first job, after his one-year stint with the Boston Shamrocks, was as a tour guide at the Niagara Power Plant. It was through his employment there that he met his future bride, Barbara Hamann. Bus and Barbara were married on 29 May 1941 at 4:30 p.m. in the Reception Room of the Niagara University Faculty House. Their attendants were Katherine Louise Hamann and Edward F. Nunn. A reception immediately followed at the home of the bride’s parents in Lewiston Heights, NY.

Bus then went to work for DuPont in Niagara Falls, most probably due to his father-in-law’s position as Chief Engineer with DuPont.  And so the story of Bus’s career begins. 

Arthur and Jessie Agard Wedding Anniversary Celebration

From left: Adeline Agard Tamburino, Edward Nunn, Jessie Agard, Carol Agard Nunn, Arthur Agard
abt 1960s

I am a month late in wishing Art and Jessie a happy wedding anniversary. They were married in her Enfield, New York home on June 26, 1901.

Their anniversary dinner was celebrated at Taughannock Farms Inn overlooking Taughannock Falls State Park on Cayuga Lake. 

Sports Center Saturday - James Monroe High School Swim Team - 1937

1937 Swim Team, James Monroe High School
Bronx, New York

Tomorrow is my father’s birthday.  Edward Francis Nunn was born May 1, 1920 to Mary (Doyle) and Harry Nunn in Manhattan, New York. At the time of his birth, the family, which also consisted of my uncle, Harold “Bus” Nunn, lived with Patrick and Maggie Doyle in their Manhattan apartment. That summer the Nunns moved to their Cruger Street home in the Bronx. All this I learned from genealogy research; Dad never talked about his growing up years.

Consequently it was not long ago I learned my father was on his high school swim team, and I found this great photo. It then made sense why I have always loved to swim – it’s in the genes!

In honor of Dad’s birthday I post this photo of him with his 1937 swim team at James Monroe High School in the Bronx, New York.  Edward Nunn is in the second row, third from the right.  There are some names on the back of the photo. They are: “Ike” Siegel, “Dizzy” Fishman, Jos. McCarthy, “Kid” Warose, Voltaire Nathan, Irving Zucker, Nathan P. Chambers.

Happy Birthday, Dad!

Wedding Wednesday - September 12, 1941

Soon after I began my genealogical research I realized I had never seen any pictures of my parents’ wedding.  I mentioned this to my mother and learned that no pictures had been taken with the exception of those on an eight mm camera owned by her Uncle Bill Agard.  Because it was a “moving” picture camera, no photographs were produced.

Consequently, on September 12, 2001 when my parents would have been married sixty years - would have been except my father died in 1988 - it really bothered me that my mother did not have one photo of their wedding day.

Since Bill’s daughter lives in the family farmhouse, I asked her about the film. After several months it was miraculously located and mailed to us. A local technician repaired the tear in the tape and transferred it to a VCR.  But I needed it on a CD so we could put it into the computer and using PhotoShop make stills that we could send to my mother. I mentioned the situation to our neighbor, a commercial photographer, and he said he would give it a try. He successfully transferred the VCR tape to a CD and then showed us how to manipulate the film in PhotoShop. Another neighbor gave us special Kodak paper on which to print the photos, and on March 18, 2002 via Federal Express, my mother saw, for the first time, pictures of her wedding day! 

This photo is a sampling of what we captured from the 8 mm film. Top left is their friend and fellow lifeguard, Chuck Lueder; middle is Mother of the Bride, Maude Agard ; right is Uncle Bill Agard. The wedding party consisted of Maid of Honor Adeline Agard (Tamburino), Carol Agard Nunn, Edward Nunn, and Best Man J. Richard Agard.

The marvels of technology!