~ Vintage Images from the Early Twentieth Century of the Polish Immigrant Community of Worcester, Massachusetts ~

Monday, July 29, 2013

A Mystery Sort of Solved (Mystery Photo #23) - Mystery Monday


(Digital Image. Photograph Privately Held By Cynthia Shenette; Photograph and Text, Copyright (c) 2013 Cynthia Shenette) Several weeks ago I posted a photo of a group where many of the young ladies (and one gentleman) were wearing bows.  I thought the photo seemed a little funny at the time with everyone wearing similar hair bows.  I decided to go back and take another look at the page in the album in which the original photo appears.  The parade photos in this post appear next to the bow photo in the previous post.  On reflection my guess is all the photos were taken on the same day at the same event.  Apparently the people in the photos were involved in a parade in Worcester, MA. 

The parade route was heading north on Main St. in Worcester.  You can see Worcester City Hall in the background on the left in the top photo along with a long line of ladies carrying parasols.  The photo looks as if it was taken from one of the taller buildings on Main St. along the parade route.  The bottom photo is a close up shot of several of the young ladies in which you can clearly see them holding parasols and wearing neck bows!  My guess is the parade photos were taken earlier in the day, and the photo of them wearing the bows in their hair was taken after the parade, possibly at a post-parade picnic.  Also interesting is the Slater Building in the background of the bottom photo.  If you zoom in you can clearly see "Slater Building" above the arcade sign.
 

One mystery for Mystery Photo #21 is partly solved.  I think I now know why everyone had the same bow in their hair.   Now I want to know what the parade was for or about.  It looks like the same group, so the marchers probably represented St. Mary's Church in the parade.  The parade happened during the warmer months, maybe spring because the ladies are wearing light/white dresses.  The photo was probably taken in either 1916, 1917 or 1918.  My grandfather, Adolf Szerejko, was in the army by spring of 1918, and he is in Mystery Photo #21 .  Some of the business signs along the parade route are clearly identifiable.  It may be possible to narrow down the date further with additional research in city directories.

If you recognize anyone in either Mystery Photo #21 or Mystery Photo #23 or have some information about the parade I'd love to hear from you!

Monday, July 22, 2013

Cute Little Kids (Mystery Photo #22) - Mystery Monday


(Digital Image.  Photograph Privately Held By Cynthia Shenette; Photograph and Text, Copyright (c) 2013 Cynthia Shenette) My mom, Christine (Szerejko) Shenette, is the little girl on the left holding the doll.  I don't know who the other children are.  Friends from Worcester's Vernon Hill neighborhood? Cousins perhaps?  My guess is it's not a school photo, because I doubt my grandmother would let my mom take a doll to school.

Mom was born on 20 July 1921, and clearly the photo was taken in the warmer months.  I wonder if it was a birthday party, and maybe the doll was a present.  I'm just guessing, but my mom looks about six or seven years old in the photo which would date the photograph to about 1927 or 1928.  The building in the background is also interesting.  It doesn't look like a house with those bricks or that type of window.  I know my mom won a doll dress sewing contest at the Quinsigamond branch of the Worcester Public Library, but that doesn't explain all the boys. Maybe the photo was taken in front of the library or perhaps in front of the brick St. Mary's school building.

If your parents or grandparents were kids in the 1920s and grew up on Vernon Hill take a look at my photo, and maybe you will recognize someone you know.  Family names for possible cousin connections include Bulak, Bullock, Szerejko, or Kowalewski.

If you do recognize any of the children in this photo I'd love to hear from you!