The first residence of Jake and Elsie Caraway

On 13 Jul 2023, I was doing family history research on Jake Caraway’s life timeline. I was tracking where he lived and when, as well as where he worked and when. I found the home address in Oakland of where Jake and Elsie first lived when they got married (and where they brought home their first child, Ann). The address was 2240 Hopkins Street in Oakland.

In doing some online sleuthing, I happened to find an old photo from 1940 on the Oakland Public Library online archive and the caption showed that Hopkins Street later became MacArthur Boulevard.

I then searched Google Earth to find what the current address looks like and found that an historic apartment building still stands there. 

Then I went back to the 1940 photo and discovered that the very apartment building is in the old photo! So the photo shows EXACTLY what the neighborhood looked like when Jake and Elsie lived there!

Another fun discovery...When I looked closely at the texture of the building, the vent grates, and the banding along the bottom of the building, it realized it was the background in the photos we have of Jake holding Ann when she was a baby as well as the ones of the two of them when Ann was a toddler. It's fun tidbits like these that make family history research come alive for me.

Bill and El Munce's Yosemite Trip of 1912

Letter written to Elsie Munce Caraway by her father William "Bill" Munce:

Home 1-29-1960

Hello Kids:

Well, you have sure handed me a dilly of an assignment, requesting at this late date the mode and method of your arrival at 2010 East 16th St. in Oakland, Calif. (see photo at right) on April 15, 1913.








I'll have to go back to 1912 to get this tale off to the right start.

Our neighbors, named Garner, wife, and daughter, talked up a trip to Yosemite Valley, said trip to be made in a covered wagon and a team of horses.
Dad supplied the transportation and we russeled(sic) up the grub. So bright and early one July morning we hit the trail, and enjoyed every hour of the four days it took to reach Inspiration Point where we got our first glimpse of wonders of nature.

We made camp under the Royal Arch, and for about ten days we tell we were leg weary; and then went over to the North Fork were Mrs. Garner had a mother and brother on a sundown ranch close to a small Indian village where we stayed about a week...

...then took the trail back toward home by round about roads, arriving safely having spent about 25 days of dust and ashes with board and lodgings in the open. Believe me it was a close race as to who got the first bath. I ran a close second.

Time marched on, and on one occasion I see mother making baby clothes and asked her how come? She said I had planted seed under the Royal Arch and that she was going to make a dady(sic) out of me which she did, for she wanted her baby born in Oakland so here we are back where we started from.

When my mother hears the news she was real tickled and told your mother-to-be that she had been with each of her daughters when their baby came, so she would standby.

On the 15th day of April, old Dr. Beckwith was on the job with all his equipment and you took your own sweet time coming out to see what kind of company you were forced to keep.

You were a red, rosy, package, and I can still hear my mother singing, crying, and praying as she was giving you your first bath. She never got through telling folks of her new granddaughter's big blue eyes and ready grin.

She was the proudest Granny in town and was happiest when she had you in her arms and sang to you some of the old time scotch lulabyes(sic).

Hope this is what you wanted; but if it isn't sing out and I'll try again.

Dad

Below are scanned images of the original letter

Granny Jessie and Little Elsie's Special Connection

Grandma Jessie Rae Munce holds her baby granddaughter Elsie Louise Munce (later Caraway)

Born to parents Bill and El Munce at home on April 15, 1913 in Oakland, California, little Elsie Louise Munce became the apple of her grandmother Jessie's eye. Little Elsie's father, Bill, wrote:

"Little Elsie was a red, rosy package when she arrived, and I can still hear my mother singing, crying, and praying as she was giving Elsie her first bath. Mother never got through telling folks of her granddaughter's big blue eyes and ready grin. She was the proudest Granny in town and was happiest when she had Elsie in her arms and was singing some of the old Scottish lullabies."

Grandma Jessie Rae Munce holds a slightly older Elsie Louise Munce (later Caraway)

The Miracle of the "Elsie Poppies"

Above: The packet of Shirley Poppy seeds that were dated for the growing season in 1970.

If you haven't read the post

"The Poppy Seed Experiment",

reading it first will provide the context for the following post.

After sowing the seeds from the above packet back in February, and subsequently writing about them and their significance, I have waited and waited to see if the seeds would grow. I had already determined that if they did grow and bloom, I would dub them "Elsie Poppies" after my Grammy (the original owner of the seed packet).

In our region of the U.S., seeds can go in very early in the year since we usually don't have frost after the last of February or early March. Poppies are really happy in our climate if they're given an extra headstart, so that's why the seeds went into the ground in late February. That way they would get the benefit of the spring rains to help them germinate.

I watched and watched the bed where I'd sown the seeds. Soon I saw little sprouts coming up that looked like they might be poppy seedlings. I couldn't be sure if they were the Shirley Poppies though because there was a chance that they could be Red Oriental Poppies or some other volunteer poppy from others I've had in the garden previously. I realized that I would just have to wait until each plant actually bloomed to see if they were indeed Shirley Poppies. If they had a black center, then they were Red Oriental Poppies. If they didn't, then they were Shirley Poppies.

So I watched and watched some more. Finally, last week they started to bloom! I have hesitated to post. Why? Because none of them had black centers and I'm still in awe. They all had light centers! They are Shirley Poppies... ahem... "Elsie Poppies"!

There are some things in life that can only be classified as miraculous. I count this as one of them. Seeds that were 38 years old sown into the ground still remembering their purpose and mission is a miracle to me. Somehow inside those tiny black specks were the instructions that made these beautiful blooms possible.

What is more miraculous for me is that these seeds were purchased by my Grammy. She had hoped to put them into the ground and see their lovely blooms so many years ago. But instead, the seeds weren't sown until 38 years later, and now I am enjoying the blooms that my Grammy would have seen had she planted them. There is a poignancy to this reality that I can't quite find the words to express. The only word I can use is "miracle".

And so, I share with you the "Elsie Poppies" from my garden. They are small, but they are beautiful. And they are really here! And you can bet that I'm definitely collecting the seeds from these precious blooms.

The Poppy Seed Experiment

Recently, my mom was going through her boxes in storage and came across some seed packets that she had forgotten about.

The seed packets were originally purchased by my Grammy. Grammy passed away from ovarian cancer at the young age of 64 in the spring of 1977. The illness took her quicker than anticipated. I was very close to her and felt a deep kinship with her. Her very quick exit from this life left a void in my life and in my heart that still causes me to mourn.

When Grammy's three daughters went through her things after her death, my mom brought Grammy's seed packets home with her. The seeds were never planted--probably unconsciously left in storage as a way to somehow hold on to the garden and flowers that were an extension of who she was.

Aside from looking a lot like her and having similar personality traits, my connections with Grammy were many (which is why I miss her so deeply), but none seem so strong as the gardening connections I have with her. Grammy's garden was where I came to love my favorite flower--the lilac. It was also where I photographed my first hollyhock. And it was where I tasted chives for the first time. I learned to love the smell of hay at Grammy's house. And I developed my affinity for the look and smell of bearded iris there. Because of my special connection to Grammy and her garden, when my mom came across the seeds a month or two ago she passed them on to me.

The newly discovered seed packets alone are a treasure for me. The graphics and typefaces take me back to my childhood. When I flipped over this packet of Shirley Poppy seeds it said that it was packaged for the growing season of 1970! But I also noted on the front that the packet touts that the seeds are "foil packed".

Yesterday, I finally got up the nerve to plant the 38 year old seeds. Poppies do well in our soil and are best if the seeds are sown right about now. So after I completed the planting of the new roses, I snipped open the foil packet within this seed packet to sow them. The seeds had obviously stayed dry because there wasn't any clumping. I sprinkled them around with my new seed sowing trowel that vibrates the seeds through a tiny hole for even dispersing.

Now I'm going to just sit back and wait to see if seeds this old can germinate. If I'm successful with these, I'm going to try out the other various seeds I also acquired from my mom.

Somehow, I'm hoping that my sweet Grammy will angelically kiss the seeds to make them grow. If they do then the Shirley poppies will be dubbed "Elsie poppies". I will definitely be keeping everyone apprised of the "Poppy Seed Experiment".

The Easiest Way to Make a Difference

Many in the world today unite their voices in speaking about making our world a healthier and more beautiful place to live by being environmentally aware.

I have an interesting perspective about this issue, one that I've come to realize is quite unique. I hope that by sharing it, I can somehow make a small difference.

One does not have to win a Nobel Peace Prize, make a film, donate thousands upon millions of dollars, or become a chest-thumping activist to make a difference in this world as far as the environment is concerned. One simply has to be a good steward over that which one has been given and pass that legacy of awareness and good stewardship on to the next generation in one way or another. It's that simple. How do I know? Because I am a product of it!

Let me introduce you to a couple of true environmentalists--my great-grandparents, William and Elsie. They are pictured here riding mules during a long summer vacation in Yosemite National Park in 1912.

They traveled to Yosemite via covered wagon from their home in Oakland, California. By car on today's modern roads it is a 3-4 hour trip, so you can imagine how long it took in a covered wagon!

William ("Bill") and Elsie ("El") were simple city folk. They didn't have a lot of money. Bill was a metalworker and would have been considered "blue collar" nowadays. El was a homemaker who was active in her community organizations. They were also nature-lovers. They loved the outdoors and took time for daytrips to enjoy the many beautiful outdoor areas around their local San Francisco Bay Area. During summers, they would enjoy longer vacations that were simple and inexpensive like trips to Yosemite.

Bill was an avid gardener and amateur horticulturist grafting fruit trees, growing roses, and maintaining a produce garden on his urban lot in Oakland. El had been raised by gardening parents, so she had a connection to gardens as well. Together they made room for gardens and a chicken coop on their city lot. Bill and El's three children (Little Elsie, Jack, and Fred) grew up with gardens being a part of their upbringing.

Top: Bill holding his oldest, Little Elsie (Grammy) out in his garden (note the chicken coop behind him).
Second from top: Elsie (Grammy) and Jackie out in the family garden.
Third from top: Jackie out in the flower garden (note how close their neighbors are and also note that they don't have the traditional lawn).
Bottom: Fred helping in the garden with a watering can almost too big to lift.

Once they had children, Bill and El continued to take daytrips around the Bay Area to enjoy nature. And they also took their children on longer vacations to national parks throughout the state of California, including Yosemite. Camping and visiting national parks was an inexpensive way to have a family vacation. It was also a great way to get away from the city and enjoy the beauties of nature. No longer needing to take a covered wagon, they took the family automobile on these excursions. Although not recommended by any means, Bill went so far as to feed the bears at Yosemite to have a "close up" nature encounter (pictured at left).

This love of nature and gardening was easily and very naturally passed on to Grammy (Elsie Louise).  Subsequently, Grammy passed that love of nature as well as a sense of stewardship over earth's many beauties to her three daughters (Ann, Sue and Joanie).

As a conservative suburban housewife in the 1960's, I know that Sue started early passing on those values and understandings to her own children. I was her first, so my early experiences are probably more well-documented photographically, but all three of us got the choice experience of being raised by a mom who was always gently telling us about those things in nature that we were surrounded by every day. My mom would matter-of-factly indentify trees, plants, and flowers for us and then shared some special childhood memory connected to them if there was one. And she would teach us "tricks" on how to identify them.

My mom took advantage of opportunities to take us to local petting zoos, natural history museums, and parks, so we could have firsthand experience with animals. These experiences helped us gain an understanding and love for animals which is an essential part of the foundation of an environmentally-conscious adult. My mother also did other unorthodox things. For instance, she knew I was fascinated with horses so sometimes after mowing the lawn she took me to feed the lawn clippings (and some carrots she brought along) to some horses at a nearby field. As opportunities arose, she would gently share her knowledge of how everything in nature is interdependent. We learned the "circle of life" long before it was ever portrayed in an animated motion picture. On family vacations to Disneyland, she would slip into the itinerary stops at the California Missions so we could see a bit of history and tour the gardens or visit the working farms that still existed. We aren't Catholic. This was just my mom's way of educating us about the environment in a stealthy but effective way.

Top: Me at about age 3 or 4 out on a nature outing in the wintertime.
Second from top: Me at age 2 at the Oakland Zoo hugging a goat.
Third from topt: Me feeding some horses our lawn clippings. My mom drove me and the clippings there, because she knew I loved horses.
Bottom: My sister and me out in nature in the wintertime.

My mom also had books about nature, gardening, and animals present in our family library. Whenever we wanted, we could pull a book off the shelf and browse. She was available to answer questions, but for the most part the journey of discovery in those books was a private one for each of us. Interestingly, one of my favorites when I was 5 or 6 years old was an Audubon Society guide to North American birds. As I became a more advanced reader there were books available to me such as the James Herriot All Creatures Great and Small series. I was welcome to take them and read them at my leisure. I ended up reading the entire James Herriot series over the course of a year on the school bus on the way to high school when I was a freshman. Those books gave me an understanding of man's relationship to animals that still impacts me today.

As an adult, all those understandings and values about the environment were part of me. The fibers are so intertwined with who I am, there is no question that I care about the environment and want to make a difference. I had learned through example that the best way to make a difference was to start with what I had control over--my own home.

In our first apartment as newlyweds, I planted tomatoes and flowers in pots on our front stoop and in the little narrow strips of dirt around our miniscule patio. Later when we moved to Rosehaven Cottage, the potted Red Japanese Honeysuckle (a favorite of bees and hummingbirds) and white "Princess Diana" Bower Vine that were on that front stoop became a part of the Rosehaven Cottage garden and are still here today growing madly up the front pergola.

Rosehaven Cottage's gardens were a blank canvas. The lot isn't terribly large, but I saw in it the potential to become the gardens I had always wanted. Rosehaven Cottage sits in an interesting geographical location of being somewhat rural but just within sight of an oil refinery's stacks. So there is an odd combination of industry and nature happening all at the same time.

I scoured the internet for resources on how to plant a garden that would be friendly to the animals and insects that already lived here and provide them with a home in the midst of industry. Through the help of my mother (again giving me gentle guidance), I found the National Wildlife Federation's website on how to build your own backyard wildlife habitat. I used their guidelines and eventually certified the Rosehaven Cottage gardens with their national registry.

Now I chronicle my experiences with my garden and backyard wildlife habitat here at my blog.

The Bottomline

The best, most effective, and easiest way to make a difference in this world is to start at home.

Educate yourself about what surrounds you. Learn why bees and other insects need water sources that you can easily provide for them in any setting. Learn what frog is keeping you up at night with its incessant ribbet-ribbet-ribbet. Learn how to use the hundred-year-old method of companion planting instead of using pesticides in your garden. Learn why it is better to let your flowers go to seed and not always have a perfectly coifed garden.

Learn, learn, learn! We've got an amazing tool available to us--the internet! So, why not use it?

Then implement what you've learned in your own living situation. As Bill and El proved, you don't have to live on a farm or be financially well-off to do it. A few potted plants on a fire escape makes a difference.

And once you've learned and begun to implement what you've learned into your own living sitation then gently pass that knowledge and experience on to the next generation through example.

It's as simple as that.