The Book of Me: Prompt 7 - Paternal Grandparents

The Book of Me prompt for week 7 is Grandparents.

What were their names?
Where were they from?
Were they related? – Cousins perhaps
Where were they born? Another County or state/area?
Photos
What did they do?
Did you know them?

I considered myself blessed in that I knew 3 of my grandparents and even 1 great grandparent well into my late teen years.  I'm splitting this in to a 2 part prompt, Paternal and Maternal. 

Norman Bartlett in his teens

The one grandparent I did not get to know was my paternal grandfather, so I’ll start with him.  Norman Henry Bartlett was born in April 1895 in Manchester, NH, the first of two children to Herman Luther and Mae (Harris) Bartlett.  Norman was 8th generation born in the U.S. on the Bartlett tree.

From stories my father shared with my siblings and myself, Grandpa Bartlett worked at a shoe factory in Manchester, NH; a fact clarified on my grandfather’s WWI Draft Registration Card which stated he was a foreman at a Shoe Factory in 1917.  After marrying in 1919, Norman moved to Massachusetts, first living in Lowell and then settling in Walpole. While in MA, Norman worked as a welder or machinist in various machine shops.

Both my Dad and his mom had a photo of Norman on display, so I had an idea what my grandfather looked like. Information from the WWI and WWII Registration Cards show that my  paternal grandfather was short and slender, standing 5’6” and weighing 138 lbs.  He had blue eyes and light brown hair. Norman wore glasses and did so from a young age.  He died of a massive heart attack in Oct 1953 at the age of 58.

Norman Bartlett abt 1950

Norman’s wife, my paternal grandmother was Jennie Viola Jenness, born in Sept 1896, in Hill NH. She was the first of four children born to George Milton and Jennie (Emmons) Jenness.  Jennie was 7th generation born in the U.S. on the Jenness tree. In my family, my paternal grandmother was called “Nana”.

Jennie Jennes with parents and brothers

Nana had a tough childhood as her mother died in childbirth when Nana was 4 1/2 yrs old.  For some reason Nana’s father kept her with him but sent his sons off to live with other families.  Nana’s father remarried a year after being widowed and Nana gained an older step-brother, but her younger brothers did not rejoin their father at that time.  The newly blended family moved to Manchester NH where Nana’s father had grown up.

Because her birth mother was Jennie also, my Nana chose to use her middle name of Viola as her primary name and many records refer to her as Viola J Jenness.

Nana’s family lived one street away from Norman’s family in Manchester NH and they both attended the same school, graduating from 9th grade together.

After her husband died, Nana stayed in the house they had lived in for almost another 30 years before she moved to a retirement community closer to their son, my father. She stayed there for just a short time, and was admitted to a nursing home a month before she died in 1983 at the age of 87.

Jennie Jenness in her teens

Jennie (Jenness) Bartlett abt 1950

My siblings and I would save our sewing repair projects for when Nana would come to visit, either spending holidays or a short "vacation" with us. She said it made her feel useful during her visits. Nana's home was about 50 miles frommy home and several times a year we would do a day trip to her home as well.

Because I knew Nana for 22 years I have lots of memories of her.  To describe her physically, I’d say Nana was short, maybe 5’1”, and she was a little bit stocky. Nana had a double chin and a warm friendly smile. She wore wire rim glasses, always was in dresses and stockings (not pantyhose but actual stockings), 1” laced or strapped black shoes and a single string of pearls.

The final piece I’d like to share about Nana pertains to her appearance; her hair. For as long as I knew her (and proven from photographs of her throughout her lifetime) Nana had long hair that she wore in a braid crown, secured with tortoise shell colored hair combs. 

Norman and Jennie - wedding photo