Wordless Wednesday: Cole’s Shoe Store

This week's family photo...

Gates Family Ghosts

Hitchhiking with my friend, Katie Disney World's Haunted Mansion has 999 happy haunts wandering its halls, making music in the graveyard and terrorizing the groundskeepers (but there's always room for one more, of course). The Haunted Mansion is one of Magic Kingdom's opening-day attractions from October 1, 1971, and it's always been my favorite ride [...]

My Almost Great-Grandfather

At the age of 17, my great-grandfather deserted the U.S. Army, packed his belongings into a rucksack and made his way by foot to Lockport, New York. He changed his name to John Gates during a stop in Ohio, married my great-grandmother in Buffalo and raised five children of his own. He didn't tell anyone--not [...]

A Soldier’s Lament

James William Cole was born on October 18, 1893 in Red Oak, Ohio to Alfred and Louella (Hook) Cole, the oldest of three children. On September 21, 1917, at the age of 23, J.W. enlisted in the 126th Company of the Army National Guard, leaving behind a wife and child at home to serve in [...]

Wordless Wednesday: Sisters

This week's family photo...