Monday, June 6, 2016

When Harry Met Sabra, No 2




My paternal grandparents, Harry and Sabra, were quite a match. Harry was a cowboy, an unusual mix of half Native American, half European...primarily English...descent. 

Harry is the dapper fellow on the left in the picture below. Sabra is on the right -- not to be messed with -- having that rifle on her knees! I have no idea who the middle person is, but he looks like he could fit right in with the Duck Dynasty guys.

Harry met Sabra when he came to work as a hired hand on her father's ranch. Sabra (I think she was 26) was what was known back then as a spinster. I first wrote about these two here.  

This photo is actually a post card. Back in the early 1900's it was popular to make post cards from photos. 
Sabra was only 4 foot 11 inches. Harry was not much taller than Sabra. Sabra's father was a big German-American man named "Ami" (pronounced am i ) who was 6 foot 4 inches tall. 

I think it's Ami's fault that our family has been affected by tall and short all through the generations. My father, Sabra and Harry's son, was 6 foot 2. I was blessed with three daughters two of which are tall (5' 10" and 6 foot) and one who is only 5 foot 3. My oldest brother is 6' 2" and his son is 6' 4" as is our oldest grandson Jack (19) who is 6' 4" and climbing!

I only knew my grandmother after life had defeated her and, except for penny-anti poker and Friday night wrestling on TV, she led a rather quiet life. When I came across these early pictures of her, Sabra seemed to come to life as a rather brave and feisty young woman for her day.
This is a rather blurry picture, but it shows Sabra and Harry with a mess of fish they had caught. In the first picture of this post, she looks pretty comfortable with that gun. 

Sabra died in the late 60's when I was 19 and away in the Air Force. Looking at these pictures, I wish I'd had a chance to find out more about her life in early Nebraska when she was young and in love.



Thanks for dropping by!










7 comments:

  1. Wouldn't you LOVE to know more! Have you ever read Half Broke Horses? Jeannette Walls writes about a similar era. I REALLY liked it!

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  2. Such a lovely heritage, a great post leaving you wanting to know so much more.

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  3. Great photos. I've never seen a picture of my Grandmother as a young woman, one of my Great-Grandmother though.

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  4. Love this story of your grandparents. I was blessed to have my both grandmothers in my life until I was in my 40's.

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  5. My grandparents were born in the late 1800's and passed when I was a very young girl. I often wish I had longer with them to find out who they really were, too. Interesting post!

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  6. Fascinating story of your ancestors.

    Oh the photographer did more than look, he waved his arms and yelled. I guess I thought sitting on a bench next to the river was public property! Ha!

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