“Dinghy” was the dog that was hit by a car in front of their home on Hampton Ave., in St. Louis, Missouri. Mary had married the love of her life, Edward A. McMurray, Jr., who was attending St. Louis College of Pharmacy. (Most people called him “Mac.”) They had very little money, so they lived with Mary’s parents, G.W. Helbling and Anna May (Beerbower) Helbling. One day they heard the screech of tires in front of the house and rushed out to the busy street. A car had hit a black dog, so they carefully carried the dog to the vet’s office. Thankfully the dog survived, and he was a loving member of the family for over ten years. They took him on their honeymoon to the Lake of the Ozarks:
Mary (Helbling) McMurray on Lake Ozark, on their honeymoon, 05 June 1948. Dinghy (the dog) was either in the water or in the front of the boat, nose in air. (Click to enlarge.)
They loved the Ozarks, and took a number of trips there.
August 11, 1952, “Happy Days In Ozarks- Dinghy and Mac” was the caption Mary wrote for this photo. (Click to enlarge.)
He was the sweetest dog- loved swimming in the lake and running, and tolerated four young children pulling and poking at him, trying to ride him, dress him up, etc. If there is sainthood for dogs, he definitely deserves it!
About 1953- Mary T. (Helbling) McMurray and “Dinghy” in their new home in Glasgow Village in St. Louis County, Missouri. (Click to enlarge.)
The brand new home that Mary and Mac built in Glasgow Village, in north St. Louis County, became home in 1953 or 1954. This may be one of the last pictures with Mary and her dog before children were always in the pictures too!
Notes, Sources, and References:
Family treasure chest of photos.
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Original content copyright 2013-2017 by Heritage Ramblings Blog and pmm.
Family history is meant to be shared, but the original content of this site may NOT be used for any commercial purposes unless explicit written permission is received from both the blog owner and author. Blogs or websites with ads and/or any income-generating components are included under “commercial purposes,” as are the large genealogy database websites. Sites that republish original HeritageRamblings.net content as their own are in violation of copyright as well, and use of full content is not permitted.Descendants and researchers MAY download images and posts to share with their families, and use the information on their family trees or in family history books with a small number of reprints. Please make sure to credit and cite the information properly.Please contact us if you have any questions about copyright or use of our blog material.
[These have been posted before, but when talking about Mary’s dogs, we can’t forget the beloved cocker spaniels. Sadly one died in a house fire, and Mary was still upset about it many many years later- thats how much she loved her dogs.]
Mary T. Helbling and “Honeychow,” the family’s beloved cocker spaniel, circa early 1940s.
Notes, Sources, and References:
Family treasure chest of photos.
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We would love to read your thoughts and comments about this post (see form below), and thank you for your time! All comments are moderated, however, due to the high intelligence and persistence of spammers/hackers who really should be putting their smarts to use for the public good instead of spamming our little blog.
Original content copyright 2013-2017 by Heritage Ramblings Blog and pmm.
Family history is meant to be shared, but the original content of this site may NOT be used for any commercial purposes unless explicit written permission is received from both the blog owner and author. Blogs or websites with ads and/or any income-generating components are included under “commercial purposes,” as are the large genealogy database websites. Sites that republish original HeritageRamblings.net content as their own are in violation of copyright as well, and use of full content is not permitted.Descendants and researchers MAY download images and posts to share with their families, and use the information on their family trees or in family history books with a small number of reprints. Please make sure to credit and cite the information properly.Please contact us if you have any questions about copyright or use of our blog material.
This image was just posted recently, but there is more to it than just Mary and the family dogs.
Tuesday’s Tip:Look beyond the subject of a photo to learn more about the event and the family.
Looking at the above photo, we notice that there is a shadow at the bottom, obviously of a person. The shape of the shadow suggests, by the silhouette of the hairstyle, that it was a woman taking the picture. We cannot be sure, but most likely it was little Mary’s mother, Anna “May” (Beerbower) Helbling (1881-1954), taking the picture. That shape of shadow would not have been cast by Mary’s father, Gerard William “G.W.” Helbling (1882-1971). In 1929, young women were cutting their hair- and their skirts!- short, but since May was 48 years old that year (she was 43 when she had Mary), she wore her hair a bit more old-fashioned, as she did in the nineteen-teens. The Edwardian styles were poufy on the sides and flat on the top so they could wear the big hats of the day. The shadow reflects (actually the opposite?? Wordsmithing is fun.) that style.
Analyzing the picture further, we also note the woman in the background, at the screen door. (No air conditioning in those days!) Too bad we cannot see her face, but that woman was most likely Mary’s beloved maternal grandmother, Anna Missouri (Springsteen) Beerbower (1854-1939). Why do we think that? We found Anna Missouri in Indianapolis, Indiana, with her husband Edgar Peter Beerbower at the time of the 1910 census. He died in 1916 but we cannot find her in the 1920 US Federal Census- not in Indianapolis, St. Louis, nor with her other children. There is a picture of Anna holding her granddaughter Mary as a baby (see previous posts) so she was at least visiting in 1925, if not living in St. Louis with the family. We do find her listed with her daughter and son-in-law and their family (including Mary) in 1930, the year after this picture was taken, at the house at 5154 Page Ave., St. Louis, Missouri. So checking censuses can help us learn more about what is in the background of the photo.
Anna’s son, Edgar Springsteen Beerbower (1876-1940) lived with them too as he was divorced. He was Mary’s “Uncle Edgar.”
That must have been a very full house at 5154 Page Avenue, St. Louis, Missouri! The Helbling house appears to have been since demolished, (see Google Maps link below) but neighboring houses are about 2,000 sq. ft. Zillow lists the one next door as multi-family, with 2 bathrooms. The lot size is about double the size of the house, at just over 4,000 sq. ft. In the 1930 census, the residents of the house were G.W. and May Helbling (who is listed as age 46, not 49), their children Edgar B. Helbling, the oldest at age 22; Anna “May” Helbling; Viola G. Helbling; Robert “Bob” Helbling; William “Bill” Helbling; and Mary Helbling, age 5. Anna Bierbower was listed as G. W.’s mother-in-law, and Edgar Bierbower is listed as his brother-in-law (his wife’s brother). Emma Johnson was their servant. (They definitely were not ‘rich’ money-wise, but May had health problems- likely diabetes before there was insulin, so needed help at home.) So there were 10 people in that house and since it was built in 1895, at that time there was likely only one bathroom. A 2,000 sq. ft. house is considered a ‘starter home’ in the suburbs today, but is the norm for many city areas. The home was very near Forest Park, and even back then was considered city.
Although this information about the home and occupants is not something we directly learn from the photo, the research was inspired by it, to add more to the story. So always analyze more than just the subject of a photo, to understand more about your ancestors.
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We would love to read your thoughts and comments about this post (see form below), and thank you for your time! All comments are moderated, however, due to the high intelligence and persistence of spammers/hackers who really should be putting their smarts to use for the public good instead of spamming our little blog.
Original content copyright 2013-2017 by Heritage Ramblings Blog and pmm.
Family history is meant to be shared, but the original content of this site may NOT be used for any commercial purposes unless explicit written permission is received from both the blog owner and author. Blogs or websites with ads and/or any income-generating components are included under “commercial purposes,” as are the large genealogy database websites. Sites that republish original HeritageRamblings.net content as their own are in violation of copyright as well, and use of full content is not permitted.Descendants and researchers MAY download images and posts to share with their families, and use the information on their family trees or in family history books with a small number of reprints. Please make sure to credit and cite the information properly.Please contact us if you have any questions about copyright or use of our blog material.
Mary Theresa Helbling (later married to Edward A. McMurray, Jr.), loved dogs, and they loved her. Looking through the old Helbling family photo album, it is clear that she enjoyed them from the time she was very young.
1929- Mary Helbling with one of their puppies in her arms, one at her feet.
She often told her children stories of the pups.
October 1930- Mary T. McMurray ready to go out for a drive.October 1930- Mary T. McMurray ready to go out for a drive.
Having a series of photo albums is just wonderful. It allows comparisons over the years of people and places, and even dogs.
1931- Mary Helbling, summer, with Shaggy 1 and Babe.
It is interesting to see the progression of pups and how important they were to the family. There are quite a lot of photos in the album that include dogs!
1931- Mary Helbling with their pup Shaggy 1.
Look at those leggings, and note that it was summer in hot and humid St. Louis! Mary did remember, well into her later years, how hot, sticky, and baggy those stockings were. And was she already tired of the photo shoot? Or frustrated because Shaggy 1 apparently was, and just would not face the camera.
June 1934- Mary T. Helbling with her beloved older sister Viola Helbling and their dog Putsy.
The whole family seemed to love their dogs.
About 1935- Mary Helbling with one of their dogs harnessed, another behind, and a lollipop.
Was Mary trying to get a harness on the smaller dog so that they could go for a walk? Mary looks so cute with her lollipop in her mouth and bow on her hairband as she struggles with one of the small dogs.
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We would love to read your thoughts and comments about this post (see form below), and thank you for your time! All comments are moderated, however, due to the high intelligence and persistence of spammers/hackers who really should be putting their smarts to use for the public good instead of spamming our little blog.
Original content copyright 2013-2017 by Heritage Ramblings Blog and pmm.
Family history is meant to be shared, but the original content of this site may NOT be used for any commercial purposes unless explicit written permission is received from both the blog owner and author. Blogs or websites with ads and/or any income-generating components are included under “commercial purposes,” as are the large genealogy database websites. Sites that republish original HeritageRamblings.net content as their own are in violation of copyright as well, and use of full content is not permitted.Descendants and researchers MAY download images and posts to share with their families, and use the information on their family trees or in family history books with a small number of reprints. Please make sure to credit and cite the information properly.Please contact us if you have any questions about copyright or use of our blog material.
Mary just wanted to be a wife and mother, and she has left an incredible legacy of wonderful children and grandchildren.
Hope she has her favorite “Nancy Ann” cake today!
Notes, Sources, and References:
“Sentimental Sunday: Mary Theresa (Helbling) McMurray” http://heritageramblings.net/2014/03/16/sentimental-sunday-mary-theresa-helbling-mcmurray/
‘Nancy Ann’ cakes were the store brand made by Schnuck’s years ago, and they were incredibly delicious. Sadly, they are no more, and their replacements just don’t compare.
Click to enlarge any image. Please contact us if you would like an image in higher resolution.
We would love to read your thoughts and comments about this post (see form below), and thank you for your time! All comments are moderated, however, due to the high intelligence and persistence of spammers/hackers who really should be putting their smarts to use for the public good instead of spamming our little blog.
Original content copyright 2013-2017 by Heritage Ramblings Blog and pmm.
Family history is meant to be shared, but the original content of this site may NOT be used for any commercial purposes unless explicit written permission is received from both the blog owner and author. Blogs or websites with ads and/or any income-generating components are included under “commercial purposes,” as are the large genealogy database websites. Sites that republish original HeritageRamblings.net content as their own are in violation of copyright as well, and use of full content is not permitted.Descendants and researchers MAY download images and posts to share with their families, and use the information on their family trees or in family history books with a small number of reprints. Please make sure to credit and cite the information properly.Please contact us if you have any questions about copyright or use of our blog material.
