Category Archives: Cleages

Detroit School Boys about 1920

November 18, 2015Cleages, Photographs, sepia saturday#Albert B. Cleage Jr, #Louis Jacob CleageKristin

My father, Albert B. Cleage Jr is on the left end of the row and my Uncle Louis Cleage is on the right end. The two in the middle are unknown to me. Were they on their way to or from Wingert school around the corner?

Sepia Saturday 306 Header — For more Sepia Saturday offerings, CLICK!

Poster From Photograph

November 7, 2015Cleages, Photographs#Atkinson, #then and nowKristin

Poster using my photograph. — My sister Pearl, My father Rev. Albert B. Cleage Jr and me, Kristin

Several weeks ago I was contacted for permission to use my photograph on a poster for a presentation at the School of Social Policy, Social Work and Social Justice University College Dublin. Here is a copy of the poster. The photograph first appeared in the post – Then and Now – Atkinson About 1953.

You can read more about the presentation here: Intergenerational transfers and housing tenure: Australian evidence

The Ancestors Are Always There

November 5, 2015Cleages, Photographs, sepia saturday#Celia Rice Cleage, #meKristin

My great grandmother Celia at the next table. — My great grandmother Celia behind me at the next table, Atlanta Botanical Gardens.

The Day Louis Cleage Died – 7 Feb 1918

October 23, 2015Cleages#Indianapolis, #Louis CleageKristin

In 2011 a genealogy friend of mine, Megan Heyl of Hunting Down History, was helping me find the death date and place for my great grandfather, Louis Cleage. She wrote to the Indianapolis Public Library and asked librarian Mike Perkins if he could tell us anything. At the time, he could not. However, on October 6, 2015, he sent a copy of Louis Cleage’s death notice from the Indianapolis Star. That is 4 years later!

I wondered what was happening on the day he died. Using Newspapers.com, I was able to locate the full issue of The Indianapolis Star for February 7, 1918 and find out. The first thing I noticed when looking at the full list of deaths for that day, was that 6 of the 11 people that died, died of pneumonia. Below is a collage made from articles and advertisements in that day’s issue of The Indianapolis Star.

Louis Plays the Lute

October 21, 2015Cleages, Photographs, sepia saturday#Louis Jacob CleageKristin

Louis Cleage playing a mandolin. Early 1940s.

You can read a bit about Louis in this earlier Sepia Saturday post #79 – Uncle Louis Plays the Organ.

Springfield, MA 1950

October 15, 2015Cleages, sepia saturday#Doris Graham Cleage, #me, #Pearl CleageKristin

My sister Pearl held an arm full of leaves. My mother held our hands. I held my doll. We were standing in the vacant lot near the parsonage of St. John’s Congregational Church in Springfield, Massachusetts.

Click for another post about life on Union Street in Springfield.

Gladys, Anna, Their Father and the Dog

October 5, 2015CleagesKristin

Maybe this is why Gladys and Anna were looking so worried in the last photograph. Gladys seems safely behind her father and Anna looks pretty worried.

This might be Duke, but I’m not sure.

Hanging Up The Laundry – San Francisco 1944 & Mississippi 1977

September 16, 2015Cleages, sepia saturday#Doris Graham Cleage, #meKristin

My mother hanging up clothes in San Francisco, 1944. Photos of my mother by my father, Albert B. Cleage jr

doris_graham_cleage_1944-5 — My mother with her clothes box after hanging up the clothes.

clothes in basket st. john's rd — Me posing with a basket of laundry to hang up. About 1977. Photos of me by husband James E.Williams

hanging clothes st. johns road — Me hanging up or taking down clothes in the rain? About 1977.

Two other posts about my parent’s time in San Francisco

My Parent’s Time In San Francisco

Newspaper Clipping of My Parent’s Arrival in San Francisco

A post about my life on St. John’s Road, Mississippi

R is for Toute 1 Box 173 & 1/2

Hugh Cleage Wrapped Up

September 12, 2015Cleages, Photographs, sepia saturday#Hugh Cleage, #IdlewildKristin

Hugh_Idlewild_Blanket — My Uncle Hugh outside my Uncle Louis’ cottage in Idlewild, Michigan. Wonder where that blanket is now. My uncle Louis bought several blankets on trips out west.

I’ve written other posts about Idlewild which you can see here: Building Uncle Louis’ Cottage, On Lake Idlewild, Idlewild 1953 – Sentimental Sunday

To see more Sepia Saturday posts, click!

The Freedom Now Party – William Worthy Speech 1963

August 11, 2015Cleages#Albert B. Cleage Jr, #Freedom Now Party, #Henry Cleage, #Louis Jacob CleageKristin

Inspired by a Facebook post by my cousin Nikki, I went through my collection of The Illustrated News and found the first mention of the Freedom Now Party (FNP). In the days to come, I will be posting a series of The Illustrated News issues that mention the FNP. There is a lot of reading there but I hope some will wade through it. This is the September 2, 1963 issue. The story about the FNP is on page 2. Other posts about the FNP are The Freedom Now Party Convention 1964 and Interview with Henry Cleage. Click any image to enlarge.

The Illustrated News was published during the early 1960s by my father’s family and family friends. Two of his brothers, Henry and Hugh, started a printing business because the family was always looking for ways to be economically independent. The main business was printing handbills for small grocery stores. They started several newspapers. First they did The Metro but the one I remember best is The Illustrated News. It was printed on pink paper (that was what was left over after printing the handbills) and distributed to churches and barber shops around the inner city. Some people had subscriptions. My father wrote many of the lead articles. My Uncle Louis wrote Smoke Rings, which was always on the back page. Billy Smith took most of the photographs.