Mystery Monday: Where are Our Photos of the Lee Family and Friends Visiting Colorado in the 1940s?

I was excited this morning to see a comment on a previous blog post from a reader whose parents were friends of Gene and Ruth (Alexander) Lee. Henrietta and Walter Reuter were close friends of Lloyd Eugene “Gene” Lee (1907-1991) and his first wife Ruth Nadine Alexander (1906-1953). The commenter has photos of Henrietta with Ruth and Gene in Colorado in the 1940s. What a great opportunity this is to share images and help each other identify people and places!

I knew there were quite a few photos of being out west in Colorado or in Banff, Canada, in our Lee collection. Closer scrutiny, however shows the majority of the photos are from the 1920s- too early probably to include our commenter’s parents, and Gene was a teen in those photos- too young to be married. The only photo I could find from the 1940s with a person in it is the above photo with Gene Lee sitting high on a rock outcropping by a lake.

(I really need to get my photos into a program like Lightroom- my search would have taken just a short time had I tagged all the images I have.)

I wonder if the family visited the same places year after year? Gene did tell us that they went out west frequently for the good air. (Of course, they were all smokers then so maybe the fresh air cleaned their lungs a bit.) There are some images from the twenties that could be the same place as above. It is sort of hard to tell with beautiful mountains and lakes though- they do look somewhat similar, I suppose.

We are really looking forward to seeing the new photos!

Please contact us if you would like higher resolution images.

1) Family Album-Lee

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Those Places Thursday: Aiken and Lee Family Homes

Home of Henry Edwin Aiken and his second wife Lizzie Schmink. The young woman and man may be William Hanford Aiken and his wife Dora J. Russell. A family picture provided by a kind collaborator, DB. — Home of Henry Edwin “H. E.” Aiken and his second wife Lizzie Schmink in Amherst, Ohio. The young woman and man may be William Hanford “W. H.” Aiken and his wife Dora J. Russell. Image would have been taken after about 1891 when H. E. married Lizzie. A family picture provided by a kind collaborator, DB. (Click to enlarge.)

Since I have been focused on building a new home and have not had much time for writing, I thought some pictures of family homes might be in order on the blog.

mage of "Grandpa Aiken" or W. H. Aiken, d Feb. 17, 1942 in Tylerlawn, Mississippi. Unknown if this is his house or not. — *Image of “Grandpa Aiken” or W. H. Aiken, d Feb. 17, 1942 in Tylerlawn, Mississippi. Unknown if this is actually his house. (Click to enlarge.)*

Interior of Lee home at 6204 Alamo, St. Louis, Missouri. The clock on the mantel is still in the family, and the favorite dog in the picture is Mickey. — *Interior of Lee home at 6204 Alamo, St. Louis, Missouri. The clock on the mantel is still in the family, and the beloved dog in the picture is Mickey. (Click to enlarge.)*

*Lee home at 6204 Alamo, St. Louis, Missouri. (Click to enlarge.)*

Three generations of Lees lived in the above house at 6204 Alamo Drive in St. Louis, Missouri: Samuel J. Lee and his wife Dorothy Adele Aiken, Lloyd Eugene Lee and his wife Ruth Nadine Alexander along with their son Robert Eugene Lee, and after Ruth died, Gene’s second wife, Vada Kovich.

The buildings we live in contribute so much to our daily lives, even though we often forget about them or their beauty and comfort until the house demands attention, like cleaning, painting, or plumbing repair. Knowing where our ancestors lived and what their houses looked like, inside and out, can give us a better understanding of their lives.

Notes, Sources, and References:

1) Family treasure chest of photos and scans.

Please contact us if you would like higher resolution images.

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Tombstone Tuesday: Lee Monument in Memorial Park Cemetery, Jennings, Missouri

Lee headstone in Memorial Park Cemetery, Jennings, Missouri: Lloyd Eugene "Gene" Lee, his first wife Ruth Nadine (Alexander) Lee, and Gene's uncle, Claude Frank Aiken. — *Lee headstone in Memorial Park Cemetery, Jennings, Missouri: Lloyd Eugene “Gene” Lee, Ruth Nadine (Alexander) Lee, and Claude Frank Aiken. (Click to enlarge.)*

Lloyd Eugene “Gene” Lee is buried in Memorial Park Cemetery in Jennings, St. Louis County, Missouri, along with his first wife and uncle.

Gene Lee was the son of Samuel J. Lee (1879-1964) and Dorothy Aiken Lee (1884-1953).

His first wife, Ruth Nadine (Alexander) Lee, was the daughter of George Harrington Alexander (1879-1951) and Wilhemina Schoor (1882-1942). Ruth was also the mother of his son, but died at the young age of 47.

Claude Frank Aiken was the uncle of Gene Lee, and brother to Gene’s mother, Dorothy “Dottie” (Aiken) Lee. Claude was a pharmacist and helped Gene get his license as well; they attended school together and tested together for their licensing- see Friday’s Faces from the Past: Claude Aiken. Gene was very close to his uncle throughout their years.

Gene’s dearly loved second wife, Vada Kovitch, was cremated. Sadly, the state of Missouri has allowed a stranger to control her ashes and burial, rather than the family who loved her so much. (They wouldn’t let us see her either- unbelievable.) The last contact with this person indicated that she still had the ashes but not the money to bury them with a headstone; she still refused to give them to family.

Notes, Sources, and References:

1) Tombstone photograph taken by family member and permission to publish granted.

Please contact us if you would like a higher resolution image.

We would love to read your thoughts and comments about this post, 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.