Allan scanned this photos and added these comments:
Edwins in the 1960sThis first photo is a scan of a black and white photo taken of my grandfather and grandmother on the steps of (I assume) the family home in Guisad, Baguio City.
This is only the 2nd picture I have ever seen of my father's parents. The first is a set of portraits of them in the background of some of my parents wedding photos. I never knew before now that my grandfather was so tall, or my grandmother so short. It explains the wide range in heights among my uncles, aunts, and cousins and also my height comparatively among most Filipinos.
The photo prompted comments from my dad and step-mother about my grandfather. Apparently he was a snappy dresser, slim, and handsome. My grandfather died the year before I was born and my grandmother died 6 months after I was born. I do not know how old they were -- though it seems safe to guess that they were in their 70's by the time I was born.
Also pictured are some of my aunts, my uncle Thomas, and some of my cousins who are only a few years older than I. There are a few who are almost a generation older than I. Their children are younger than me by the same measure that I am younger than the children in this picture, about 3-5 years. My dad commented that uncle Thomas was the one who appeared most like his father. He was very handsome and had dimples...
Allan
Uncle Thomas met with a rather grim end to a short life (26 years), but I'm going to see if I can verify the story with more people before I try to describe it. The deal with cultures which favour the oral tradition is that you definitely have to speak to more than one family member to get the full story.
I think I've seen a similar photo to this one, but I don't recall my grandparents in it. I'm also surprised by the height differential... but this is probably explained by the fact that the only photos I recall of them are during their funerals, when they're lying down...
We have a LOT of cousins. To this day I still don't know how many first cousins there actually are. I think this photo was taken in 1971 or 1972, because Allan is still an infant (he's the only baby in the photo), and my mother was pregnant with me. Allan and I are only 12 and a half months apart in age, which is closer than any of his kids, even though it's impossible to tell!
My dad was from a family of originally 12, but a few died at childbirth, I believe. This was common for the time, and for a culture that relies upon midwives, not hospitals, one can expect a higher infant mortality rate. (As of 2002, the Philippines is 101st out of 224 countries for its rate of infant mortality -- nearly 28 deaths out of 1,000 live births, as compiled by Nationmaster.com.) The remaining 9? (I'll need to do a recount) bar one had children, and my dad is one of the younger ones. In fact, he was practically raised by his eldest sister, Jane, who is now being taken care of by her daughter Maureen, in upstate New York. I visited them briefly when I was in New York the last week of 2002, and hope to make it over there before too long. After all, my Aunt Jane is in her 80's now. In fact, one of her great-grandsons is in his 20's! It's amazing that she would outlive her husband, daughter, and son, to remain the matriarch of my father's family.
