Thinking, Thinking, Thinking

I looked over this picture and then scanned my genealogy database. I realized that little Marion is wearing roller skates. That hardly seems right for a visit to the Yearnd cousins I was thinking of. Then I remembered Austin William Kaiser 1896-1920, son of William Kaiser and Delia Conway. William Kaiser was Winnie’s father, and Deila, one of two stepmothers. Winnie’s mother, Jane (Jennie) Johnston, died in January 1888, when Winnie was between 2 and 3. William’s subsequent marriage to Delia Conway, 1862-1930, produced two children, Austin, and his older sister, Aunt Bertha. Bertha Kaiser, 1893-1981, is one of the few Kaisers I remember well. I didn’t know the sad story about her brother until much later. He died young, of diabetes, according to his obituary. I do remember she said he was a very good horseman. But wait, I know there were some photos with horses in them. I know the Kaiser’s kept a boarding house, I wonder if they also had horses and chickens? So many questions, so few answers…

Austin was born in 1896, and Marion in 1912. Using my handy-dandy date calculater, he was 15 years, 9 months and 13 days older than Marion. Marion was always small for her age, it’s obvious in all the photos, but roller skating is a skill for after you can walk pretty well and have good balance. If she were 5, Austin would be 20. Could that young man be 20? Maybe. Perhaps the young man in that photo was “Uncle Austin” to little Marion.