December 3
Gerald Hardin (left) at Christmas in Mississippi.
My Grandfather's WWII Helmet
My grandfather, William Andrew Cannon, around 1942.
On October 24, 1942, my grandfather William Andrew Cannon enlisted in the Air Force at Camp Shelby in Hattiesburg, Mississippi. He would become a pilot based out of Foggia, Italy during the war. During his time in Italy, he met my grandmother on the Isle of Capri. They married in December 1945 and moved to Meridian, Mississippi in 1946. They would eventually move back in Italy in 1955, where they lived until he retired from government service in March 1990. They moved to Booneville, Mississippi later than year.
On October 25, 2014 (72 years and a day after my grandfather first enlisted), a man named Grant sent me a message through the G&J website. He owns an Ebay store called Circa1941 that specializes in WWII helmets and other military gear. He had purchased a helmet with the name Cannon written on the inside along with the serial number 4357. A quick search of this website told him the helmet belonged to my grandfather. Another quick internet search led him to Gerald & Joan and the blog posts I've written about my grandfather. We connected a few days later, and he offered to send us the helmet as a gift. My grandfather passed away on February 28, 2002, so being reconnected to him in this way is a true gift that means a great deal to our family, especially my grandmother.
There have been times over the past two years that I've wondered what I'm doing with this blog. It has really become more of a family history/photo preservation blog, and while it provides inspiration for my work, it doesn't really do much for my business. When Grant emailed me, I was reminded why I started this business and this blog -- Through my work, I wanted to tell stories, preserve history and share memories. Because of this blog, we were reunited with a piece of our family's history and we're able to honor my grandfather's memory. If that isn't Gerald & Joan in a nutshell, I don't know what is.
Thank you, Grant, for this wonderful gift.
My grandfather, Lt. William A. Cannon, is at the bottom left.
Update: My dad with the helmet!
The Yates Sisters
Jonathan's grandmother Sadie was blessed with a large family. She was one of eight children, and seven of the eight children were girls. Sadly, her sister Ernestine died as an infant, but the remaining sisters (Kass, Lois, Olivene, Martha, Sadie and Linda) were very close. Here are a few photos from their family gatherings over the years. There were some good genes in this family!
Denise's family photos
My mother-in-law Denise is a very busy lady who spends most of her time taking care of her family and friends. Most women have a strained relationship with their mother-in-laws, but she is one of most selfless people I know. She spends most of her time taking care of her family, friends and neighborhood kids.
When she does have a free moment, she delights in the simple things -- a Sunday afternoon in her garden, a Saturday morning drive to the flea market to look for vintage treasures and a holiday spent with her children, granddaughters and soon-to-arrive grandson (!). She is an old soul, and many of her lifelong interests were formed during days and weekends spent with her beloved grandparents. Many of her family photos burned in a house fire years ago, so the photos she still has are very precious to her. Lately I have been working to digitize and create a photo book of her family photos.
Here are a few of my favorites:
Clovis and Arletta Geno, Denise's parents.
Her adorable grandparents, James and Pearl Barnes.
Denise (bottom right) and most of her siblings.
Denise's grandmother, Mommie Barnes (third for left), and her sisters (Sarah Gann, Myrtle Thorton, Pearl Barnes and Mary Gann).
Denise's sweet sister Glenda who was killed in a car accident a few weeks before Jonathan was born.
Baby Jonathan.
Jonathan again.
Denise (top right) and her sisters.
Denise (right) with her cousin Susan and sister Sandi.