Pearl Dobson Sanders #1

The Julian and Ina Dobson Family, c. 1912

I enjoy reviewing my dad’s family in a way that I wouldn’t be comfortable talking about others. To me, they are just wonderful characters who came out of an age that fades from collective memory. I consider it a privilege to have memories of them, but they come to life in my imagination because life at the farm constantly reminds me of them.

I’ve already told about my dad’s sister Myrtle Dobson (Aunt Lynn) and his brother Earle. Now I’ll tell you about Pearl, the eldest of Jack and Ina’s children. (Obviously, I’m not taking them in order.) Of my dad’s five siblings, I know the least about her. She died when I was three, so I barely remember her.

But I DO remember her. I met her just once, but that meeting so impressed my young mind that I remember it. We went to Seattle to see her. She had a heart condition and was an invalid at that time and mostly bedridden. She came out of the bedroom for supper, walking unsteadily with her husband, Uncle Al, supporting her on one side and the wall on the other. She said, “Hello, Kathy!” And I wondered how she knew I was Kathy. She died November 2, 1952, just a day before her 60^th birthday.

So, in the next few posts, I’ll talk about my Aunt Pearl. And by the way, if any reading here feel that this is just Dobson genealogy, be aware that Aunt Pearl also appears on my mother’s family tree (Sanders/ Portfors) because her husband, Albert Sanders, was Mother’s uncle. KW

[Photo -- Back row: Ethel (14), Myrtle (18), Earle (16), Pearl (20); in front: Julian (Jack) and Ina, Shirley (2), and Vance (8). The ages are approximate, not that it matters.]