Super Sister Sunday - Christmas in Japan

Christmas Eve? Huh?

Before heading overseas my family always opened Christmas gifts on Christmas morning. Yes the memories come back to me as we tried to spy at what Grandma and Mom were doing in the bedroom on Christmas Eve. I especially remember one year when we just would not settle down and go to sleep. After we managed to actually see what Grandma and Mom were doing. They were making up our Christmas stockings! I was quite shocked actually and a little disappointed at that. Anyway we would try to look and then run back to bed as soon as we heard someone coming towards the door.

One time that same night, I managed to get back into bed before Nancy. Dad saw her and came over to her bed and this part really sticks out in my mind even today. She was silouetted with the light being behind her and Dad. Dad lifted up her legs to give her a swat on the bum and it was hilarious! She did not bend her legs! She looked like an ironing board, super stiff and super straight with her legs going way up into the air. One swat and no more ironing board. She promised Dad she would settle down. She finally did.

Back to the Christmas morning thing. When we moved to Japan, Nancy remembered the first Christmas we were there. On Christmas eve we went to neighboring American homes to visit them. We were shocked to see they were all opening their gifts! On Christmas eve! We quickly went home and did not visit any more of our friends.

So, the next Christmas we opened our gifts on Christmas eve and did that ever since.



The Lyon Sisters, 1964 Mary, Susan, Sandy and Nancy

Here we are in Japan with a very spindaly tree. It is awful! Of course did not notice at the time.

Super Sister Sunday - Indonesia

This picture is one of my favorites that consists of myself (on the left) and my eldest sister Nancy although we did not realize at the time it was taken it would someday be a favorite.

Here is the story. We lived in Bandung, Indonesia at the time. We were 8 and 9 years of age. Our mom would send us away in a "betcha" or rickshaw to take piano lessons from a nice Indonesian woman. Nancy remembers that day was really rainy and dreadful, but we went on the ride and took the lessons anyway.

The piano teacher had a son called "Sinchepu", a teenager, who was enthralled with us. While we waited for the other one to complete lessons he would show us weird things. Like, the

Indonesians would take a rubber band and rub it back and forth on their arms to remove the hair. It really hurt! Bad!

Sinchepu had a camera so on this day he decided he wanted to pose Nancy and I so he could take our picture. We were not in the mood, and ordinarily would not have posed like that but we let him anyway, therefore the non-smiling picture. He was very proud to give us the picture the next time we went for our lessons. Somehow it made it back to the U.S. with us and it has become a favorite of mine.

Super Sister Sunday - More Hanson Sisters!

Back of the picture says:

Hanson Sisters

Claire, Edith, Emmie

Previously I had written about my great grandmother and two of her sisters. You can see that article here. In the box I found last Sunday, there were a few pictures. This one is of some more of the Hanson sisters! These girls are my Gr Grandmother's younger sisters. I really liked how they are posed and I wish I had more information on them.

Here is what I do have about them.

Edith Hanson
B August 12, 1888 On the farm near Marion, Iowa
M ?? Gordon
D March 10, 1980, Cedar Rapids, Iowa

Buried - Oak Shade Cemetery, Marion, Iowa

Emma Hanson
B August 30, 1891, Marion, Linn County, Iowa

Clara Hanson
B October 19, 1893, Marion, Linn County, Iowa

Super Sister Sunday - The Hanson Gals

Here is a neat picture of my Great Grandma (middle) and a couple of her sisters. These sisters were all born in Sweden and imigrated with their parents to the US, landing in Michigan for a few years, then moving to Iowa. They were three of 11 siblings! The records say that Alva (on the right) was born at sea!

There were 8 sisters and three brothers all born to Nicholas and Alma (Holstenson) Hanson. It would be so neat if someday I could trace down a picture of all the siblings and especially a picture of the 8 sisters! Looks like my gr grandmother was the oldest. I can spot a lot of facial features that my grandmother has from her.

Charlotte (Lottie), Flamina (Minnie) and Alva Hanson

The sibblings are as follows in order of birth.

Flamina (Minnie) Alma Hanson
B August 22, 1876 in Stockholm, Sweden

M Albert Frederick William Fahl, April 7, 1897 Marion,

D November 12, 1950, CedarRapids,

Buried in Oak Shade Cemetery, Marion, Linn County, Iowa

Charlotte (Lottie) Hanson

B December 21, 1877, Oscarsom, Sweden

M Charles Benedict

Alva Hanson

B September 9, 1879 at sea

M ? Putnam

D 1979

John Hanson

B 1880, Isapeming, Michigan
D 1882

Arthur W Hanson

B December 9, 1882 Isapeming, Michigan

D October 1963, Arizona

Maggie Hanson

B1884, Marion, Linn County, Iowa

M Clyde Carson

Halgie L Hanson

BAugust 8, 1886

Edith Hanson

B August 12, 1888 On the farm near Marion, Iowa

M ?? Gordon

D March 10, 1980, Cedar Rapids, Iowa

Buried - Oak Shade Cemetery, Marion, Iowa

Emma Hanson

B August 30, 1891, Marion, Linn County, Iowa

Clara Hanson

B October 19, 1893, Marion, Linn County, Iowa

Hazel Hanson

B January 25, 1895, Marion, Linn County, Iowa

Super Sister Sunday - The Fahl Sister's

This is my second post for Super Sister Sunday. This time, these sister's are from my paternal side of the family which includes my Grandmother Eleanor (Fahl) Lyon on the far right.

These sister's absolutely LOVED to pose for pictures throughout the years. This one you cannot really tell, but I have some more to share with you. They pose in flower bushes with flowers next to their faces, on their tummy's with their feet up and all sorts of poses. It was fun to see what they came up with next. They were characters for sure.

Of these ladies I never had the priviledge of meeting my Great Aunt Evelyn. She was the stylish sister of the three.

From left to right:

Evelyn Fahl
B March 16, 1908
D August 25, 1971 in Marshalltown, Iowa

Edna Fahl
B September 1, 1901
Died June 17, 1997 in Newbury Park, California

Eleanor Fahl Lyon
B March 4, 1900 in Marion, Linn County, Iowa
M Willis Harold Lyon on Aug 31, 1921
Died June 6, 1989 in Lake Alfred, Florida

You will be hearing more of these lovely ladies in the future.

Super Sister Sunday - The Swedish Sisters

This is the first Super Sister Sunday I have blogged about. It is something I have wanted to do for awhile. Being one of four sisters - I just love stories and pictures of sisters. I hope you will join me from time to time with your stories and pictures of sisters.

The Swedish Sisters
Here is a great photo taken in 1922 of my Grandma on my mothers side (the one on the right) and her sisters. Their parents came to America in 1890 with their Eldest child Mary (the one on the left) when she was about 18 months old or so. They came to the little town of Ruthven, Iowa where the rest of the children were born. My Grandmother was the youngest of her siblings. They also had two brothers. It was also taken the year before my grandparents married.

On a trip to Iowa in 2008 my sisters and I visited my mothers cousin Bob. I asked him to tell me about his parents. Both his parents died during the same year for different reasons which was a very difficult year for Bob and his siblings. This is the lady in the middle.
She was only 53 years of age when she died.

Back to the Swedish Sisters. Bob told me that the sisters used to drive he and all the cousins crazy because these ladies would either be on the telephone with each other or at family gatherings speaking in Swedish! This was a surprise to me because I never knew my grandmother even spoke swedish. Obviously their parents taught it to them. Plus in those days - if you don't ask, you won't ever find out. I never asked and barely found out! From a cousin of my mom's! Even she did not tell us kids about this.

Here are the sisters. They are actually standing Oldest to Youngest from left to right.

Mary B Nelson
B August 31, 1888, Genarp, Malmohus, Sweden
D December 17, 1971, Spencer, Iowa

Elizabeth Nelson
B June 23, 1896, Ruthven, Iowa
D February 14, 1949, Spencer, Iowa

Laura Marjorie Nelson
B November 20, 1903, Ruthven, Iowa
D October 1, 1979, Spencer, Iowa


All sisters are buried in Crown Hill Cemetery in Ruthven, Iowa.