Hillman Family Connections

AUNTS AND UNCLES WEEK – EXTRA PUZZLE #1 – DISCUSSION

JACK AND/OR PHOEBE

Jack was Gil’s brother.

MAIL DELIVERED TO MAIL

Jack and Phoebe lived on Mail Road in Exeter and I assume their mail was indeed delivered there.

ORANGES NORTH – TATERS SOUTH

I asked my cousin Jack a few questions about his dad. When responding to the “what did he do for work” question, “oranges north, taters south” is pretty close to a direct quote of his answer. In case there is a need to explain, Jack (Sr.) drove an 18-wheeler for many years moving those goods in those directions.

SON JACK KNOWS DIANE→OTHR CLAN

Jack (the younger) is my paternal cousin. For many years he worked with my maternal cousin, Diane. They are very good friends with many shared interests including a book club which some of us have joined.

I acknowledge a right pointing arrow may not clearly convey “from” or “from the” but again, I’ve got a 30 character limit so I have to make do.


WOUNDS TENDED-STITCHES RNDERED

Phoebe worked as a nurse. I’m told a hobby of hers was counted cross-stitch.

I don’t have a picture of Jack and Phoebe but below is a picture of Gil (on the left) and Jack.

JANE AND/OR FRED

Jane was Claire’s sister.

I have no memory of my Aunt Jane. Sadly she died very young in 1967. I have enjoyed learning a few things about her while working on these puzzles. Although her husband outlived her by many years, I have no memory of him either. I know virtually nothing about Fred.

1of3 LASSES-HAD CLASSY GLASSES

Jane was the middle of Frank and Flo’s three daughters. In every picture I’ve seen of her she’s been sporting some pretty awesome eyewear.


WED ON 7/9, NOT HER BIRTHDAY, MINE

Jane and Fred married on July 9, 1955. It wasn’t her birthday or technically even my birthday yet, but I claimed it as such six years later.


KID DIANE KNOWS JACK→OTHR PACK

See the yellow section – SON JACK KNOWS DIANE→OTHR CLAN – and reverse things.


SEEN DURING “CAMPUS QUARANTINE”

Jane appeared in the North Kingstown High School production of “Campus Quarantine” in 1947.

Below is a photo of Jane and Fred on their wedding day, July 9 1955.

Here’s the un-cropped version of the photo. When I first looked at the photo I could easily recognize (from left to right) Jimmy, Charlie, Kay, Jane, and Fred but I didn’t know who the man on the right was. After reading the Standard-Times write-up about the wedding, I feel it must be Johnnie.

JOHNNIE AND/OR MARIE

Johnnie was Claire’s brother.

Although the group heading here is “Johnnie and/or Marie,” Marie is another of the aunts/uncles I was unable to learn anything about. She and Johnnie divorced in the mid 70s but I do remember her. I remember her, but I don’t know anything about her – what she did for work, if she did work, etc. I ran into her in a restaurant many years after she and Johnnie had divorced and she recognized me immediately and we had a very nice chat.


HAD CAMPER-VISTD-NOT FRM TAMPA

After John and Marie divorced, Johnnie moved to California.

I remember him having a camper that he parked in Flo’s driveway for a while. In my memory he was visiting from California but I’m sort of wondering if it was when he was going to California.

I do know he wasn’t coming from or going to Tampa.


SOLN 2BTHRM/PHONEBTH EXECUTION

Before cellphones there were landlines and phones were mounted to walls or semi-stationary on desks and tables. The phone (yes, one singular phone) at The 461 was on the wall in the kitchen just outside the bathroom. In order to have privacy during phone conversations the bathroom was utilized as a phone booth. When installing phones in homes, the phone company routinely installed the phone with a cord of a standard length – one far too short to make bathroom/phone booth conversations possible. UncleJohnnie provided the solution (“SOLN” is an abreviation for solution in case anyone is still wondering about that) – a massively long cord, or at least that’s what I remember.


WAS BOY #5, 1 MORE TO ARRIVE

John was the fifth boy born to Frank and Flo, overall he was the seventh child. There would be one more boy after him (Robert)…and Eileen in between.


CHERYL-ERIC-SCOTT+ONE I FORGOT

John and Marie had 4 kids: Cheryl, Scott, and Eric and one I really didn’t forget, Mark. Mark always went by Mark as far as I remember but he’s actually John Mark, Jr.

Below is a snapshot of John (Sr.) on-the-job somewhere near The 461 (I presume) in 1969.

CAROL AND/OR RON

Carol was Gil’s sister.

NOT MARIAN, BUT A LIBRARIAN

Carol was a librarian for many years in the Narragansett School System before retiring. In addition, she was a librarian at the Clark Memorial Library in Richmond.


DAIRY CHEMIST WITH A CHECKLIST

Uncle Ron was very close to being in the “don’t know anything about ‘em” collection but both Judy and Christine provided some vague “chemist” information. Amazingly, upon reflection and much later in our conversations, they both also mentioned that he worked as a chemist at East Greenwich Dairy. Neither seemed 100% sure they were remembering correctly though. I really have no idea of the specifics. It seems plausible – the possibilities actually seem numerous and varied. I believe it’s reasonable to assume if he did work there he would have employed a checklist for assessment or evaluation or whatever other tasks a dairy chemist might undertake.


FREQ’D MOONSTONE 4 EVEN TONE

I in no way feel I’m telling tales out of school here – if there’s one clue EVERYONE will know, it’s this one.


W MIKE,TIM&BILL LVD ON PINEHIL

Carol and Ron had 3 boys, Michael, Bill, and Tim. The family lived on Pine Hill Road in Wakefield for many years. Tim has been trying to establish some form of a family party/reunion. He started about ten years ago, first as a Christmas Party (as his mother had done for decades), but has since decided a summer/fall outdoor event may be better attended due to fewer scheduling conflicts. He’s planning a backyard cookout for September 20th if you’re interested.

Below is a photo of Carol taken at one of the Christmas parties she hosted in her South Kingstown home. I believe this is from either 1980 or 1981.

Nancy Knott

8 responses to “AUNTS AND UNCLES WEEK – EXTRA PUZZLE #1 – DISCUSSION”

  1. Whew!

    I will tell you know that I planned to do this Aunt and Uncle Week thing but I had it in my mind that Aunt and Uncle day/Week was in August. I wasn’t really ready.

  2. Got it! Full disclosure had to get out once. Got Carol/Ron first. I mentioned to Carol once (when I was older) something about Moonstone. She said the town beach was right next to Moonstone and that was where she went. I definitely remember Judy more than once when Carol and Ron would come late to the summer family picnic that Ron won’t give up his weekly trip to Moonstone. As far the dairy, I remember him working there. I went on a field trip there and he gave part of the tour. Silly me through the whole tour I kept asking myself “is that my uncle?” When I got home Mom confirmed that it indeed was my uncle. Lastly, when I was younger I thought Carol was a teacher because she worked at a school. When I worked at Bald Hill Garden Center a kid worked with me who know her because she was the librarian at his school. I think I might of brought up family party at my aunt’s house or something and at some point mentioned a last name, Ulmschneider not being too common of a name he said he knew her.
    I got Johnny next. I believe the pole photo was taken at the end of South Rd on Old Baptist. There is definitely one of him up that pole somewhere. He did come to visit with his wife/girlfriend (don’t honestly know if they were married) from California. Think her name might of been Anne. I actually visited them when I was in California (1977). I forgot that they had come by RV, but I do remember it being kind of a long visit.
    Have to go for now,Jaycie is coming. Will try to comment on the other two later.

    • Karen, according to Carol’s obituary she did teach English at some point.

      Did anyone notice that Jane worked at EG Dairy too?

      It’s not in this puzzle but one of dad’s uncles (I think the one he lived with in Providence for a while) also worked in a dairy – as a milk grader, per a census record I found.

  3. I had to back out once and make a couple of guesses but I got it! I got Jack first. hen Carol.
    Not only was Kay the Groom’s niece but also the Bride’s sister-in-law
    I knew Ron was a Chemist but didn’t know where he worked. I had forgotten the story about Moonstone Beach.
    And yet another Cummiskey going by their middle name.

  4. I believe that is Johnnie in Jane and Fred’s wedding photo.
    I did not know that was were our long telephone cord came from. Thank you Uncle Johnnie!
    I remember seeing Marie and Cheryl many years ago. I don’t know ifthey stopped at mom and dad’s. They had gotten lost. Forget where they were going but got to where the Wickford rotary use to be and kept on going the wrong way so stopped at mom and dad’s for directions. I ended up going to Cheryl’s wedding a some time later. It was at a house down in Shore Acres. I have photos somewhere, Nancy.