80 Years Ago

 

Little Grandma Anna Hattaway Gonzales with
Vera Armelle Booksh and John Frederick Hertz
October 1940

   On this day 80 years ago I was born. Three days later my cousin Johnny was born. This is the oldest photo of us that we have. Our Great Grandmother, always called Little Grandma, was 80 years old when this picture was taken in her backyard in October 1940. I am the one with the ruffled bonnet. 

   Anna Hattaway and her twin Hannah were born in Algiers, Louisiana, on January 3, 1860, daughters of Peter Hardaway/Hartway/Hartwig from Copenhagen, Denmark, and Bernardina Harmeyer of Alfhausen, Hanover, Germany. Little Grandma said that she was the sickly twin and had to be carried around on a pillow because she was so frail. But she survived and her twin died. She was Peter and Dina's sixth and last child. (One of the strange coincidences of genealogy is that I named my daughter Dina before I knew that Bernardina's nickname was Dina.)

   Little Grandma's father died sometime between 1862 and 1870 leaving her mother to raise five daughters and one son. Peter had been a ships carpenter and worked on the riverfront in Algiers which later became part of New Orleans. During the Civil War and the blockade of the port he may have gone off aboard ship. Little Grandma only knew that he went away and never came back. He is listed with his family on the US census in 1860 but not in 1870. Bernardina died 8 October 1883. 

   Little Grandma married John Henry Gonzales (1856-1907) on 15 April 1880. He was also born in Algiers and worked on the riverfront and as a fireman. His father, John Gonzales (~1820-1884), was born in Northern Spain and his mother, Anne Farnan (1827-1910), was born in Ireland.

   Anna and John Henry Gonzales had seven children, only three of which survived childhood: Joseph Manuel (1882-1938), James Peter (1886-1957) and Sarah Ann(1888-1965), my Grandma.

Anna Hattaway Gonzaales with her two sons,
James Peter Gonzales and Joseph Manuel Gonzales, circa 1930

   Little Grandma died 7 July 1943 at age 83. I barely remember her except from old photos, but my Mama passed on many stories of things she said. Mama said that Little Grandma never cursed. The closest she came to cursing was to say "He's as full of piss and vinegar as the barber's cat." or "He can go to Guinea." She also used to say "You never know what's cooking in someone else's pot." That is very similar to a Spanish saying "The only one who knows what's cooking is the spoon that stirs the pot." I wonder if that came down from her Spanish father-in-law.

   The last photo of Little Grandma we have is this one with Cousin Johnny and I circa 1841.

Anna Hattaway Gonzales with
John Frederick Hertz and Vera Armelle Booksh, 1941