For this week's installment of family stories, we're taking a look at my great-great grandparents, Joseph and Belle Stroup of Columbus, Ohio. I didn't even know my great-great grandmother's name until I discovered a treasure trove of history on the internet last week. My great-great grandmother was Belle M. Dunn before she married Joseph. Joseph was born in January 1866 to Anthony Jackson Stroup and Martha Caroline Puckett. He was a locomotive engineer. He died sometime between the 1900 and 1910 census.

He married Belle, who was born in April 1863 (an older woman!), in either 1884 or 1885. They had four children: one who died prior to 1900, Clyde (my great-grandfather who was born in May 1890), Howard F. Stroup (who was born in June 1892) and Joseph Earl P. Stroup (who was born on July 18, 1899).

After Joseph passed away, Belle became a laundress. My mother said she was responsible for our beautiful family quilts, although she kept them in a drawer and didn't share them with anyone. After her death, my great-grandmother inherited two that are now in my mother's care. Her hoarding ways turned out to be a positive, as they are in perfect condition today!

Here are the family photos:

My great-great grandfather Joseph Stroup

This is a photo of Joseph and Belle and two of their children. It is labeled Clyde and Earl, but after considering their birth years, I think the younger boy is Howard.

This is a photo of Joseph Stroup and Beecher Dumm, my grandmother's grandfathers. As Joseph died before 1910 and my great-grandmother Elsie didn't marry Clyde until 1920, I would assume their were either friends or business associates. It is a lovely photo.

Family history...isn't it fascinating?