The Blands - My Dad's Family  
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Now we're to the point where Kansas met Virginia... Ed Bland and Bonnie Willey were married November 26, 1946.   Dad was in the Navy.  I was born in Key West, FL, September 11, 1947.  By the time I got to first grade we had lived in Vallejo, California and Niantic, Conntecticut and were back in Key West, where we lived until I was in 6th grade in 1959.  I think that's the longest we ever lived anywhere.  There's lots of pictures here, so just click on the thumbnails to follow the story...

I have very few old pictures of the grandparents - Dad got those in his album. My grandfather was Edward Leslie Bland and Grandmother was Margaret Battle Bland.  The children were Ed (also known as "Hinky" and my Dad), Bill, Harry (aka Stu), Bobby and one sister, Patricia Carol.  I was the first grandchild in 1947 and 12 more followed by 1959 (the last pictures I have in this series).  More followed but I have no pictures.  Until we went to France in 1959 it seems I remember we went to many Bland family reunions and most of the family also traveled to visit us in Key West.

In 1959 before we left for France for three years we made a big tour of the US and visited all the relatives - so a lot of the pictures are dated that year.  I'm missing pictures of the years we spent in France because Dad was into slides by then and there are no prints of those pictures...


            
Three of the five Bland kids -
I don't have pictures of Uncle Bobby and Aunt Pat from this era...


Great Grandpa and Grandma Leake lived in the same house with Grandma and Grandpa Bland.  I used to love staying over because I got to sleep in with Grandma Leake.  She had snow white waist-length hair and I used to love to brush it. Grandpa Leake had a room in the attic where I used to love to go play.  He carved me a Dr. IQ wooden game that I had for years.  We were overflowing with grandmothers in those days.  When my Bonny was born she had seven living grandmothers!


Miscellaneous Bland pictures - hopefully I got all the names right!

               



Paths on the journey down Family Lane

  Page  1 - For My Children - Christmas 1998
  Page  2 - The Willey Family - Kansas (My Mom's Family)
  Page  3 - The Bland Family - Virginia (My Dad's Family)
  Page  4 - 1947 - 1954 - Early Lolly - Key West
  Page  5 - 1954 - 1965 - Growing Up - Key West, Paris, Connecticut, Oklahoma
  Page  6 - 1968 - 1971 - Marriage & Babies - Kansas to New York
  Page  7 - 1971 - 1980 - California Years - Southern CA to the Bay Area
  Page  8 - 1980 - 1984 - Single Mom & Kids - Part I
  Page  9 - 1985 - 1987 - Single Mom & Kids - Part II
  Page 10 - 1987 - 1989 - Married Again - California to Tulsa
  Page 11 - 1990 - 1997 - Tulsa, Kansas and Both Kid's Weddings
  Page 12 - 1997 - Now - Kansas to Pennsylvania - A New Life


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