Not sure of the exact year that this letter was written…but I am guessing that it was written to my father (Bob Wilkinson) after we moved from Columbia, SC to Tulsa, OK). I believe this move happened in 1978. We only ended up staying in Tulsa for one year. We moved there so my father could take a job at Acme Brick. Apparently the job wasn’t exactly what my parents expected.
The drawing is by Joanna (my grandmother) of what I am guessing is the house my parents bought in Tulsa, OK.
This portrait is of Frank Wilkinson and Joanna Stouffer Wilkinson. Circa late 1970’s.
Here is a picture of Frank Wilkinson and Joanna Stouffer Wilkinson (my paternal grandparents) presenting three of the nine Liturgical Banners they made for St. Stephen’s Lutheran Church in Lexington, SC
This picture was featured in the October 1974 issue of the South Carolina Lutheran
This is a booklet my grandfather (Frank Wilkinson) created for all the the church banners that my grandmother (Joanna Stouffer Wilkinson) made. This was done some time in the 1970s for St. Stephen’s Lutheran Church, Lexington, SC.
This is a letter and a doodle my grandfather or grandmother did on the back. No idea when this was done. It would have been some time before my grandmother died in 1982. They had several pear trees in their front yard, which must have been the inspiration for the drawing on the left.
Here is the MLS listing for my grandparent’s house from 1970.
Frank and Joanna lived here from the late 1950’s until 1970, when they moved to South Carolina to be closer to Bob and his family. Bob also lived here until he joined the US Army in 1961.
map
Here is the house today.
I found this property survey from “Chippewa Point” on the St. Lawrence River. This is on the U.S. side in Hammond, NY.
I know at some point my grandparents (Frank and Joanna) owned a cottage in the Thousand Islands. If I remember correctly, they sold it because the island needed a new causeway and it would be very expensive to replace and Joanna was apparently terrified that Rob was going to drown in the St. Lawrence River.
The Property owner is listed as John Tomaney. I looked him up and apparently he was a Lawyer in Syracuse and died in 1982. I am not sure if THIS is the property they bought or this was another one they were looking at. I have very few details about the cottage.
I found the approximate location on google maps (see below). It looks like a nice location. And I am sure it would be worth LOTS of money now.
Here is the google maps location of where I believe this property to be located today.
10th Anniversary Yearbook/Directory for St. Michael’s Lutheran Church Camillus, NY.
I contacted the church and I am going to send this this and several other items for their historical archive. Apparently, the Pastor in this picture is still alive and is a member of the church.
Here is a picture from 1955 of the “Masters & Families”. Not sure wher this picture was taken. My father (Bob Wilkinson or Bobbie as he was known then) is the tallest one in the middle of the picture. His parents (Joanna Stouffer Wilkinson and Frank Wilkinson) are directly in front of him.
A “Master Mason” is the highest rank a Mason can achieve. You have to master increasingly difficult silly handshakes and passwords to make it to this level. I believe you must also purchase a very ridiculous hat to achieve this level in the Masonic order. (source: Wikipedia)
Here is a close up of Frank, Joanna, and Bob.
Here are placeholders for Frank and Joanna for the Philo Lodge No. 968 Annual Dinner.