Ingemann J. H. Jorgensen

If you read my last post, I mentioned that I am trying to research a man named Ingeman with no last name.  Not easy.

This morning I went to a free workshop titled The Basics of Historical Resarch at Bellevue College Campus in the same building as The Puget Sound Branch of the Washington State Archives.

LOVED IT!!!

For whatever reason, I haven't used the Washington State Archives database much (maybe I tried it and it didn't have much of interest to me as the collection was starting to grow so I forgot about it).  I thought I'd poke around when I got home and even though I only have a first name, I decided to search it since it's not too common in the United States.

BINGO!

There's no doubt in my mind that this is the right Ingeman since he's from Mount Vernon and served at Camp Cody.  Quite a thrill to have another important piece of the puzzle.  I would still love to know if he's somehow related to Hans and Maren Andersen or was just a close friend. But I definitely feel like I'm making progress in Maren's albums and scrapbooks!

Ingeman at Camp Cody

War is scary.  So still with no vintage Halloween photos, I'm posting about Ingeman at Camp Cody.  A (gas)mask seems suitable for my Halloween week photos.

From Camp Cody - Ingeman

I don't know who Ingeman is but he sent photos and postcards to my Grandfather-in-law (the one married to Maren who kept up lots of photo albums and several scrapbook treasures).  I can't find any details about his last name.  He wrote both in Danish and in English.  One photo has Maren's handwriting and tells us he's at the Paulsens.  I don't know who the Paulsens are, either but I've seen other photos marked Paulsen and Polsen and if I recall correctly in one of the other thick albums I saw mention that they lived in Burlington, Skagit County, WA.  Maren and Hans moved around Skagit and lived in Sedro Woolley, Burlington and Mt. Vernon.

For the better part of this year, I had this photo as my blog banner at the top:

From Camp Cody - Ingeman

I couldn't identify it where it was but Maren had pasted it in an album that I've had for over a decade that ranges from about 1910-1927.  After looking through a couple of new-to-me-trunks late this summer, I found postcards from World War 1 time frame from someone named Ingeman and sent from Camp Cody.  Summer ended and I headed back-to-work and didn't have much time to spend looking in to Camp Cody since quick searches and me being easily sidetracked when I surf didn't turn up much for me.  Last weekend I remembered I still wanted to confirm this and I found http://campcodydeming.orbs.com/ - I wrote the webmaster, Michael Kromeke and he confirmed the photo location for me and sent me a plethora of interesting links.  So the mystery of the location of "Base Hosp" has been solved but I'd still like to know more about Ingeman - did he get sent overseas during The Great War and how he was important to Hans and Maren Andersen?

More Camp Cody and Ingeman photos here:

Dolls

STILL no vintage Halloween photos.  But dolls from this era (this photo is the mid-1920's) sometimes come across as creepy to me - and the crayon colorization . . .  My cheerfully cute mother-in-law is quite pleased with her dollies here, though!

From Maren Nielsen Andersen's album

Neely Mansion

Still no vintage Halloween finds of my own but I did remember a photo I took of the Neely Mansion in about 1978.

From Visiting Vintage

You could tell it had been a beautiful house back in the day but had fallen into disrepair. 

It has since been wonderfully restored - see their website.  It's listed on the National Register for Historic Places, the Washington State Register and is a designated King County landmark.

Paul Dorpat wrote about it - read here.

Back in 1978, it certainly looks perfect for a haunted house.

Northern State Hospital - Sedro Woolley

My husband's grandfather, Hans Andersen worked as a Poultry Man at Northern State Hospital.  My mother-in-law, Viola Andersen Robertson wrote about her father:  

In 1924, Dad was the head of the Poultry division at the hospital. I remember Smitty who was mentally deficient but so sweet. He was helper in the chicken house - he would do everything by routine. He grew sweet peas and always gave me bouquets.

According to a Skagit River Journal article about Northern State "The poultry farm was also sizable, supplying 36,798 pounds of dressed hens and fryers. Jones was determined that enough eggs be produced to allow at least one per patient per day. To that end, 139,207 eggs were laid that year."  It appears to me, the farms there not only supplied food for the patients but also served as occupational therapy.

I've requested the book "Under the Red Roof" from my library and I hope to learn more about the farming at the hospital.

Some photos kept by Hans' wife Maren Nielsen Andersen whom I have shared addition photos from.

From Skagit Co. photos

Maren is pictured on the right and Vi is in the middle - caption reads "from hospital Reservoir"

From Skagit Co. photos

From Skagit Co. photos

"The Geese Pond at State Hospital"

From Skagit Co. photos

This one isn't captioned but the roofline looks enough alike to me that I'm pretty sure it's the State Hospital. Hans Andersen on the left, Viola Andersen on the right.

From Skagit Co. photos

I can't quite read the caption but I think she is indicating these are boarder houses at the hospital.

From Skagit Co. photos

"Pheasants at State Hospital"

Patches Pal and Gampa

Matt's blog and request led to this post. Puget Sound natives of a certain age all remember our beloved TV clown J. P. Patches. And they probably also heard on the news, Facebook or Twitter that J. P. Patches had his final public appearance last Saturday at at the Fishermen's Fall Festival at Seattle's Fishermen's Terminal.

Matt's blog post brought to my mind when I was in fourth grade and entered a poster contest. I was very proud of my crayon drawing of Esmerelda, J. P.'s rag doll. I had my own Raggedy Ann doll that I hadn't given up still in fourth grade so I loved drawing Esmerelda. My poster won "Honorable Mention" - I believe this was the first time I'd ever heard that term. I was thrilled to go up on stage and recieve a Patches Pal iron-on transfer from J. P. Patches himself. I don't have a photo of my poster nor of me on stage but I mentioned to Matt that I thought I still had my sweatshirt that I ironed it on to somewhere. So, Matt, here it is!

From Visiting Vintage

The shirt is stained and the transfer crackled but as you can see I never could part with it.

In a way, J. P. Patches connects me to my Grandpa, too.  My Grandfather, Howard Johnson died when I was eight.  I don't have a lot of memories of him but he enjoyed paint-by-numbers in his free time.  He painted a clown for me.  I actually never really understood sad clowns but this is the one painted just for me - he signed it Gampa which is apparently what I called him when I was two.  So despite the frown on this clown, it resembles J. P. Patches to me.

From Visiting Vintage

So, J. P. and Gampa - thank you for the smiles and the fond memories from childhood!

Back to School and College 1959

Our district is starting up again today, the day after Labor Day.  I enjoyed this cover of the September 12, 1959 Saturday Evening Post.  I love working at an elementary school, so I'm going back-to-school myself. But, wouldn't it be nice to relax on the sofa with a cup of coffee for some alone time?

From Vintage Goodness

Carefree college coeds circa 1959 enjoying autumn between classes

From Vintage Goodness