My grandpa grew up in Nebraska, with four generations of pioneer heritage in that state. As I followed their paths there, I understood them better (but new research questions were raised).
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| Wally in his Lincoln days |
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| the capitol building |
I moved backwards chronologically, beginning with my grandpa's high school and college days in Lincoln. Lincoln was coming into its own the same time that Wally lived there (1925-35), with architects' dreams and buildings beginning in earnest. The capital building was built that decade, and his home and high school are still standing.
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| Lincoln High School, built 1871 |
Wally moved to this big town from tiny Chester, 110 miles away, in time to do his senior year at Lincoln High School. His mother, recently w
idowed Carrie Mendell Cramer, chose to come here in 1925 with her younger children, presumably for better educational opportunities and to be near her older children, and they lived at 1811 Sumner Street until
she died in 1929.
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| Cramer, Carrie B (wid[ow] Jos[eph] G), h[ouseholder] 1811 Sumner |
Grandson
Glenn Laymon recalled: “They lived in a two story house since I remember
grandmother Cramer put a stuffed owl at the bottom of the stairs to keep me
from going up. It was located fairly close to my Laymon grandparents’ house at 1748 Euclid.” The home is even taller than Glenn recalled, with three stories and what looks like a basement as well. It has a gazebo and garage in back, and the four-columned front porch is a common architectural design we noticed around town. The home has two big trees in the front, possibly the same ones planted a century ago. It has a weedy lawn and old lace curtains, and is in a deteriorating residential area only a mile from the capitol building, near a zoo and the Sunken Gardens.
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| photo of Caroline at her home, in front of the home |
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| view down the street |
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| side view of Cramer home |
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| porch detail |
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| side view to back of house |
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| side view |
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| Cramer home at 1811 Sumner, Lincoln Nebraska |
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| antique store around the corner (no obvious Cramer relics for sale) |
After his mother died, Wally lived for a time at the YMCA (on the corner of 13th and P), and then at Ma Forburger's boarding house at 532 S 33rd St. He worked as a clerk at local shops: Piggly Wiggly, Freadrich Brothers, and Safeway. He attended the University of Nebraska as well as a local secretarial school, and was mobilized with the Nebraska National Guard for a streetcar strike in June 1935 in Omaha. And then he joined the Army and left Nebraska for good.
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| Ma Forburger's boarding house at 532 S 33rd St |
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| the Laymon home at 1748 Euclid |
But we found a place to celebrate his heritage and love of ice cream!
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| Ted & Wally's ice cream, Omaha Nebraska |
Posts
From Glenn Laymon:
ReplyDeleteDear Anita...
Thank you so much for sending me this information. It brought more memories back into my mind.
I remember uncle Harold also living at Ma Forburger's house although I never new where it was - just somewhere west of 3700 Randolph Street.
I also remember visiting a grocery store with an open produce section where uncle Wally and uncle George worked. I think it was on O Street - or a very busy street.
And, of course, I remember Lincoln High School where I graduated. I had a math teacher, Ms Proctor, who also taught math to my aunt Lenore and uncle Clyde. Hard to believe it is still standing today. They sure made them sturdy back then.
Love...
Glenn