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This picture of William Short and his
three daughters was taken shortly after their arrival in Whitby, North
Yorkshire, England.
According to a note my mom put on the back of the picture, the year was
1899. Left to right are Florence (Florrie, the oldest), my
grandmother Bessie (the youngest) and Harriet, known to the family as Amy.
It wasn't until I was grown that I realized that the timing of the eight
years spent in England neatly enabled these three to avoid the disastrous
San Francisco earthquake of 1906, which occurred while they were away.
It also explains why my grandmother always talked about the 'San Francisco
fire' rather than the earthquake, because evidence of the fire was the
majority of what she saw when she returned. My grandmother was
between the ages of 7 and 15 during the stay in Whitby. I remember
her always having a hint of an English accent, as well as using number of
British words and expressions which are not common here in the
U.S. Soon after their return to San Francisco, Amy left home and apprenticed herself to a milliner and eventually became a very well-regarded San Francisco hat maker in her own right. Florrie and my grandmother stayed together, serving as governesses for wealthy families in nearby Mill Valley, in Marin County. Eventually they returned to San Francisco and one day happened across Amy, with whom they had lost contact, aboard a trolley car. |
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Leaping ahead a number of decades, a picture (below) of my grandmother and grandfather (Olie Nilsen, the Norwegian) at the Brussels World's Fair in 1958. It was the first time either of them had returned to Europe since leaving there as children. |
Back of the above photograph, made by a relative, E. P. Short. The thick paper is worn, but carries an intriguing air of history about it.
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At right: my mother, Edna, and her brother Howard. Mom was born in 1916 and Howard in 1920.
Below, my parents. My dad, Wylie Middleton, was from Ohio. My parents met during World War II while his ship was in port in San Francisco.
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