My Adventure Through Our Family Tree Branches

For over 50 years my Dad researched both his and my Mom's family tree branches - and loved every minute of it! Trying to fulfill the promise I made him the last month of his life, I have spent the past four years continuing where he left off - finding out about all the many family members who came before us, from the many branches of our family trees. The histories will still be published as my Dad always wanted. But what he wanted most was to share the stories of the people who came before us - the places they lived, the cultures of the times, the families they created, and the circumstances - good and bad - that would one day lead to us, their descendants. These are the stories of my Mom's families. . . .

Surnames in this Blog

BRUNETT, DeGRUY, DeLERY, FLEMMING, FORTIER, FRISSE, HORST, HUBER, JACKSON, McCAFFREY, McCLUSKEY, O'DONNELL, WEINSCHENK



Wednesday, September 7, 2011

WONDERFUL WEDNESDAY'S PHOTO - Four Generations of Horst Women, ca.1907

Four Generations of Horst Women
Mobile, Alabama ca. 1907

Four generations of Horst women make up this family photograph, including my great-grandmother and my great-great-great-grandmother. This photograph, made into a postcard, was taken about 1907 at Monroe Park, Mobile's most popular entertainment destination. [NOTE: the name of the park can be seen on the painting of the background.] Written on the back of the photograph are their names: "Aunt Dolly, Mama and Pearl, Aunt Appy and daughter Appolonia, Appolonia Horst".

Seated in the front center of the picture is the Horst family matriarch, Apollonia Weinschenk Horst (1829-1908), my great-great-great-Grandmother.Standing, from left, are two of Apollonia's granddaughters, Odalie Felice "Dolly" Horst (1896-1990) and Pearl Alphonsine Horst Flemming (1884-1961). Pearl is my great-Grandmother. Pearl and Dolly are the daughters of Apollonia's oldest son, Charles Frederick Horst (1856-1912) and Odalie Felice Fortier (1857-1920), my great-great-grandparents. Pearl and Dolly both lived in Birmingham and obviously were visiting their grandmother and other family in Mobile when this picture was taken.

Pearl is holding her oldest daughter, Pearl Alphonsine Flemming, who was born in Birmingham on March 11, 1907 - her father is my great-grandfather Harry Clinton Flemming (1878-1955). Baby Pearl was the first great-grandchild of Apollonia. She is also the older sister of my grandmother Susie Flemming O'Donnell (1909-1989).

Standing at Pearl's left is her aunt Apollonia "Appie" Horst Manson (1870-1942). Appie is the youngest child of Apollonia - Apollonia's husband and the father of Appie is Martin Horst (1830-1878). Next to Appie, on her left, is her only child, Marie Apollonia Manson (1894-1972). Appie's husband and her daughter's father, James Hunter Manson, died in 1896 when his daughter was just two years old. Appie and her daughter moved in with her mother and lived with her until the matriarch's death the year after this picture was taken. (In 1915, at the age of 45, Appie married Robert Sands (1860-1946), the son of a distinguished Civil War Captain.)

Monroe Park
Monroe Park was established in 1893 near Mobile Bay. It was located east of  Frascati Park, once owned and operated by the Horst family until it was destroyed by a hurricane in 1893. Monroe Park operated in Mobile until the 1940's. Here are two great vintage postcards showing scenes of Monroe Park in its heyday.

The back of this 1918 vintage postcard describes the park in this way:
"Monroe Park" on Mobile Bay is the largest pleasure park around Mobile. It has been the scene of many large gatherings. A large number of church, school and private picnics are given there during the season. Crowds gather nightly to see the free moving pictures, while enjoying the gulf breezes.
Another charming vintage postcard shows off the carousel at the center of the park.


Steam Carousel at Monroe Park, ca. 1908

Posted by Susan Thomas at 10:14 PM
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