This is my Great Granddad George Mann White on the left, and Great Great Granddad David T. Rochelle on the right.
I was sent this picture by one of my Mom's 1st cousins. I actually was born before my Grandad White passed away. I have pictures of him holding me as a toddler. This is the only picture I have ever seen of Great Great Grandad Rochelle.
I wish I knew what year this was...I love this picture. They both look so relaxed and happy. I'm guess late 1920's? Grandad White always had a cigar. He looks so much like my grandfather and my uncles ..or I guess they looked like him.
Grandad White owned a feed store in Arkansas and had a farm house. My great uncles took over the feed store and one of them lived next door to the farm house. I have such great memories of going to the feed store as a kid. We would roller skate there. It was set up in a way that it formed a perfect sized roller rink "circle". The floor was just smooth concrete perfect for skating.
It always had such a distinct smell as well. A mix of seeds, dust, salt, hay, soil... it smelled good to me. I loved to go to the seed bins and open all the different drawers and look at the seeds. They were different colors, sizes, textures.... They always felt cool, and I would scoup huge handfuls up and let the them run through my fingers back into the drawer....until someone caught me and told me to get out of those drawers! Someone always ran me off from there, I never understood what was so bad about me playing in the seeds. I guess they thought I was going to spill them everywhere.
The other thing we used to do is make our own sausage there every year. My family would all pitch in together *all grandparents, cousins, and kids* and buy a hog or two. Then we would gather at the feed store one evening and grind and mix the sausage, and link it ourselves. At my cousins and I were too young to help...that's when we would skate and explore. Then, as we got older we were allowed to help out. Making your own sausage is pretty gross.... but man oh man was that sausage good. I will never have sausage as good as that again.
Anyway.... like I said, I love this picture. It makes me think of good times and makes me wish I could have known the both of them. I love to hear the stories about them, but I wish I could have known them.