52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks #7 ~ Happy Birthday Mom!

Written for Amy Johnson Crow's Challenge 52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks. (click on the icon in the sidebar for details at Amy's blog) 

First, just the facts:

Name: Jacqulin Ann Quick
Born: 17-February,  Denver, Colorado
Married: Donald John Ritchie, 18-Aug-1957

Relationship: My mom!


Since the day this posts will be Mom's birthday, it only made sense that she would be the focus of my post for this week.


My Grandpa Quick was a great picture taker so I am fortunate to have hundreds of pictures of my mother when she was little.  I couldn't even begin to show them all here.  I am also fortunate that he dated them and also added comments.  Now sometimes those comments don't actually tell me WHO is in the picture, but with the help of my Mom we can usually figure it out.


I have a whole sequence of these pig pictures and there is a great story that goes with them.  A number of years ago I had my nieces and nephew interview various people at Christmas and one of the stories I had asked for was about these pigs.  It was my first attempt at putting audio and pictures together.  It can be seen/heard here.

My Mom lived in Denver until she was nine.  Besides all the candid shots, her Grandmother (Nelle Eickelberg) would take her each year on her birthday to have a formal portrait done.  I think my favorite of those has to be this one.  Back in the days when pictures were hand-colored my Mom often appeared with brown eyes, although her eyes are blue.  It's just that she has very dark blue eyes and they were often mistaken for brown.  I have those same eyes.

Jacqulin Ann Quick, age 3

Jacqulin Ann Quick, age 5

When my sister's twins were in 4th grade, they had to write about one of their grandparents.  My nephew, Colton, chose my Mom and here is one of the things he wrote, 

"The naughtiest thing she did when she was young took place at the City Park in Denver. All the children, in each age group, were each given a basket and told to go out into the grassy area and pick up the Easter eggs. There was a boy beside her, who kept following her,and every time she would find an egg he would push in front of her and grab it. She finally got tired of his actions and when she found the next egg she stepped on it and smashed it before he could pick it up. She did it three times before he would leave her alone."




My parents met when they were in college in Oxford, Ohio at Miami University.  I love this picture of the two of them. My dad apparently had to sing to my Mom - a performance that we haven't gotten him to repeat for us!



If there was just one picture of my Mom that I could have, it would have to be this one.  It was taken when she was in college and it's my Dad's favorite picture.  He has carried it in his wallet since they were in college and whenever he would get a new wallet it is always the first thing that goes in there.  I can't remember the first time I saw it ~ because it was always there.   He now has this picture in puzzle version thanks to his grandkids.


In order for this blog post not to be a book, I'll skip ahead to today - or at least to a recent picture.  This was taken when my parents and I went to Scotland touring all the places my Dad's ancestors had lived.  I rained quite a lot while we were there, but that doesn't mean it wasn't a fantastic trip!

Happy Birthday Mom ~ thanks for being the best mom in the world! 

Jack H Quick's Baby Book

My Grandfather, Jack H Quick, was born on July 3, 1911 and we are fortunate enough to have his baby book. The "H" in his name did not stand for anything ~ his name was simply Jack H Quick.

Interestingly, one of the pages in the book is inscribed, "Jack Edwin Quick." I have often wondered if they originally intended to name him Jack Edwin as Edwin would have been his uncle - his father's brother. His father's name was John H Quick and I have yet to find anything that states if the "H" stood for anything.

My Grandpa used to tell a wonderful story about starting school and how his first teacher insisted that his real name had to be John since Jack was just a nickname. She called him John all throughout the first day. She also asked him multiple times what his middle name was as the H had to stand for something.

The next day his mother strode into the school and told the teacher in no uncertain terms that she had named her son Jack H Quick and this IS what he would be called. Whenever my Grandpa told that story, I always picture his mother wearing that big hat with the feather [picture here]- even though that picture was taken much earlier! She was not a woman to trifle with.

One of the entries in this book near the end is:

The saddest event of his babyhood was the loss of his papa by death on Oct 24th 1912.

I'm hoping the slide show thing works - it's an experiment!