“Tin Can Tourists” – June 10, 2014

I have been working on a monograph of the Nunn family and through that writing process I realized the title no longer fit. 

In his presentation on writing family history at the recent National Genealogical Society meeting Warren Bittner suggested starting at a crucial point in the story. That point for me was the death of Elizabeth in January 1947.

The prologue imagines how my grandfather, Elizabeth’s brother, might have received the information of her passing. It then occurred to me where the focus of my story should be -  my grandfather, Harry Nunn.

I reread my mother’s oral history, and my father’s accounting of their 1949 trip to Florida, I realized my grandfather didn’t retire and move to Florida in 1946, which is what I had believed, but actually it was probably more like 1949.  And that trail brought me to my grandparents’ move to Florida and settling down in what was then known as “The Largest Trailer Park in the World.”

In 1935 the Bradenton, Florida Chamber of Commerce wanted to capture their fair share of tourists that flocked to the Sunshine State each winter. Many of those tourists pulled a small travel trailer behind as they headed south on the Tamiami Trail. In order for Bradenton to entice these snowbirds, or Tin Can Tourists, to stop and stay awhile, it needed a trailer park.

The city could not come up with the money, but the Kiwanis Club thought they could. With a generous land lease from the city and donations from various Bradenton businessmen, a park was born. At first tourists were charged $1.50 a week, and if they stayed four weeks or longer, that rate was $1.00.

Living the American Dream
Retiring to Florida
Harry and Mary Nunn
Kiwanis Trailer Park abt 1950
Cabanna added later in the 50s.

By the 1940s the park had electric, water, paved streets and a bathhouse where residents could shower, do laundry, and use the toilet facilities.  With all those amenities the rental rate then went to $3.50 a week.

In 1996 the heavy hand of the IRS came down on the Bradenton Kiwanis Club. It was ruled that proceeds from the park were disallowed for charitable purposes, and the Kiwanis Club faced 30 years of back taxes!!  After some negotiation, penalties were removed, and the park was sold to pay the taxes.

The park lives on as the Bradenton Tropical Palms a 55+ community of 490 trailer homes.  Among the list of amenities is the “nicest wooden dance floor in the Manatee-Sarasota county area.

The Manatee Historical Society has a neat early brochure of the park online. There is also an interesting article in the Sarasota Herald Tribune about the selling of the park.

Tuesday’s Tip – Timelines in Genealogy Research

“A grasp of history is important in putting the circumstances of an ancestor’s life in context.” Speaking to an audience with experience that ranged from a few months to over forty years, Phyllis (Jule) Legare explained how important timelines are in genealogy research.

Presented in PowerPoint format, Phyllis showed a number of ways timelines can be developed to help fill out an ancestor’s life.   She explained that timelines provide chronological information of our ancestor’s lives as they fit into local and even world events.  Timelines can be historical events, a list of individuals in your family, or any combination. 

I decided to try one of her options, which was to develop a timeline for an individual.  I chose my grandfather, Harry Nunn, since he was the person who got me started on my genealogy journey. I thought I had pretty much filled out his life, so this database should be easy to fill in.  Wrong.

My fields were: Year, Event, Town, County, State, and Source. What I quickly realized was that since I had started his research in the mid-1990s, things like the five-year NY census were not known/available to us, and his whereabouts in 1910 was still a mystery.

I went about filling those holes in my database.  I cannot find him in the 1905 NY Census. In 1904 at the age of 14 he was sent from St. Joseph’s Home in Peekskill to work with a Mr. Salmon (?), Middletown, NJ.  New Jersey also had a five year census, where I found a George H. Nunn in Morris, NJ, but not a Harry or Henry.

I am convinced that in 1910 Harry was in Alexandria Bay, NY working as a bartender, even though the stated age on that census was “30” when he was actually 20.   At this point I decided that not only is my Irish side creative with their ages, but that tendency seems to be on my German side as well!  I went back to the database and added another field – Age. It will be fun to track how individual’s ages were recorded through the years.

Harry was married in 1914, so in 1915 and 1920 he is living with his in-laws, Patrick and Maggie Doyle.  By 1930 Harry, Mary and their children are living at 1948 Cruger Avenue in the Bronx.  I had assumed that the Doyles died at some point in the 1920s, but again, have had no luck finding their death dates.

Consequently I was surprised that in 1925 the family was living at the Cruger Avenue house, but with Margaret (Maggie) Doyle as head of household. Her daughter Winnie (age 21) was living there along with the Nunn family, cousin Mae Conlon and niece Catherine Murphy.  Now I know that Patrick Doyle died between 1920 and 1925; Margaret (Maggie) Doyle died between 1925 and 1930, and that Winnie was married sometime after 1925.  I have found a couple of options for Patrick’s death certificate on FamilySearch.org, and will be ordering the microfilm.  Fingers crossed.

Developing a timeline database has helped me immensely on a family member I thought I knew pretty well.  Although I had much of this information, pulling it into a database gives a whole different perspective.  I may now expand on the database (or develop a new one) by adding additional family members as well as historical/economic events.

Phyllis (Jule) Legare was a speaker at Introductory Genealogy and Beyond, a spring series offered by the Fredericksburg Regional Genealogical Society and the Central Rappahannock Regional Library.  The last two sessions in this series will be held at the Free Lance Star building, 616 Amelia Street, Fredericksburg, VA.

April 27, 2013 – Session I - Probate/Courthouse Records: Understanding Them and Locating them, and Session II – Civil War Research

May 11, 2013 – Session I – DNA in Genealogy, and Session II – Continuing the Family Legacy: Honoring Heritage through Lineage Societies

Family Vacations - Bradenton, Florida

After my grandfather, Harry Nunn, retired from the New York City Public Works Department in 1946, he and Nana decided to move from their home on Krueger Avenue in the Bronx to Florida.  My mother’s parents knew folks, the Doxstaders, who had moved from Ithaca to Bradenton, Florida, so that became the destination. 

My parents and grandparents drove to Florida and upon arrival in Bradenton immediately connected with the Doxstaders, who took them to the local trailer sales and helped them pick out just the right one.  My grandparents purchased a small trailer home, had it delivered to the Bradenton Kiwanis Trailer Park (noted as the largest trailer park in the world at that time), and were able to sleep in it that very evening.  The trailer did not have a bathroom, so they had to walk to the park’s bathhouse to wash and use the facilities. 

Nana and Pop outside their new Florida home
abt 1948

Their small trailer became our family vacation destination for many years.  Sleeping arrangements were creative; I was on a cot set up in the tiny kitchen area after dishes were done, and my brother slept in our station wagon.  We did not mind.

Those were the years of the warm Florida winters.  Each day we drove the Tamiami Trail to Sarasota’s Lido Beach where we swam and played in the sand.  Catching coquinas as they dug into the sand after each wave was one of our favorite pastimes.  When they dried, we spread their colorful shells like butterfly wings.

My grandmother always had a delicious dinner awaiting us. Roast pork, mashed potatoes and gravy, fresh green beans and tossed salad was one of our favorite meals.  There was always something delicious for dessert, and of course, sweet fresh picked grapefruit was always available. My mouth waters just to think about it. 

In later years, my father purchased a cabana for the trailer that doubled the size and included a small bathroom. What a treat that was for the family.

Watching the state-of-the-art RVs on the Interstates today reminds me of that little trailer of the 1950s.  In spite of its limited space, we made do and created wonderful family memories.

Left: Ed and Harry Nunn; right: Mary Ellen Nunn
Lido Beach
Abt 1953

Family Connections

I have said that if I could spend a half hour with one person in all history, that person would be Elizabeth "Lizzie" Nunn Siebert. Although I know that will not happen, this week I received a second best when the wife of Elizabeth's grandson contacted me. And this was only days after I had posted the blog about this family!  I am so excited!!! 


I hope family stories and photos can be shared and I can't wait to share all the information I have gathered on Elizabeth and her siblings, one of which is my grandfather Harry Nunn.


In learning about Regina and Nicholas Eberhard, I will know more about Elizabeth's life and possibly learn what happened to her other siblings.  

Regina Siebert Eberhard - Found!!

My genealogical journey began in the mid-1990s due to curiosity about my grandfather, Harry Nunn. It was a long eight years before I broke through the wall that prevented me from finding him and his family.  As I mentioned in an earlier blog, the key was his sister, Elizabeth. Elizabeth married Louis Siebert in 1905 and they had two daughters, Regina and Eva. By 1930 Regina was no longer in the household.  She must have married – but whom?

Periodic checking on the www.stevemorse.org website I found a bride card for a Regina Siebert. The card stated the groom was Nicholas Eberhard, Jr.   In mid-December I ordered the film from the local Family History Center. I anxiously awaited the opening of the FHC this week after its ten day holiday. I viewed the film on January 5 and found the bride card was indeed MY Regina Siebert.  She stated her mother’s maiden name was Elizabeth Nunn! Success!!

Through the SS Death Index I found Regina Eberhard died 10 Oct. 1987 in Queens, NY. For only $8.00 the Queens Library Archives will provide a copy of the obit.  The letter is in the mail; my fingers are crossed that it provides further information on this family.   

Harry Nunn - Mary Nunn Maki - 110 years later...

Today I stood on the grounds of St. Joseph’s Home in Peekskill, NY where my grandfather, Harry Nunn and his siblings were sent in 1900. How different it must have been for these children who had only known the streets around 2030 First Avenue in New York City.  I imagine the surrounding forests and wide Hudson River would have been scary for a ten year old. I can only hope that Harry and his siblings thrived under the care of the sisters there.  The children had to go through a quarantine period, getting all the proper medical care before joining the 1,000 children at the school. But once there, they were integrated into a family style setting. Individuality was encouraged and the sisters did everything possible to safeguard each child’s “inherent right to his personality.”  I felt very close to my grandfather today, and now know why he turned out so well.