Kenilworth Street

Franklin III at Kenilworth Street

The above photo of my father (Franklin III) was taken on the sidewalk in front of his house at 25 Kenilworth Street in Waterbury, Connecticut. His pedal-car may have been designed after a Toledo Pierce Arrow.

Although the photo does not include any details, he may have received the roadster from Uncle Will for his third birthday in February 1928. Uncle Will had adopted Papa (Franklin II) and his brothers in 1905 after their father was killed by a train (see previous posts here and here). Therefore, Uncle Will may have considered my father his "grandson" (and therefore, my generation could probably consider ourselves his "great-grandchildren").

25 Kenilworth Street, from a current Google "Street View" image

My grandparents (Franklin II and Phyllis) had moved into the Kenilworth Street house in 1923 after they were married. At that time, Papa was 22 and Gam was 20. The house had been newly constructed and was located on a 0.14 acre parcel within a residential area of the city.

Franklin III ("Sonny") at Kenilworth Street in October 1927 (click to enlarge)

Although Waterbury has undergone a lot of changes during the past 90+ years (for better or worse), it seems that Kenilworth Street has remained largely unchanged. In comparing the three black-and-white photos above with the current Google image below, although the road is now paved, each of the houses and other features are almost identical!

Current view of Kenilworth Street to west

WW2 Appendix - Additional Photographs (Post 1 of 6)

Franklin in August 1943, one week before leaving for the service

Shortly after completing this story, another box of old photographs was discovered at the lake house from the time of the war. The photos had been taken by Franklin's family during his last few months at home, during his leave from training, and during the time that he was away. The original photos were in black and white and were only about 2 x 3 inches in size.

Most of the photos had been taken by Franklin's father, who seemed to have a good eye for photography. As an engineer, he also appeared to be especially good at adjusting his camera to the various light conditions and then developing the photos in his darkroom.

Papa's darkroom on South Street where he developed his photos

After development, Franklin's mother would carefully write the subject of the photos on the back in pencil before enclosing them with their letters to him overseas. As possible, Franklin would then return the photos to them along with his own letters.

The following appendix contains 52 of the additional photos from that time. Where possible, I have noted the chapter numbers for the corresponding events taking place in the preceding story.

Bob Bristol
March 26, 2019
East Haddam, Connecticut

Photos of Nancy

  

Here are a couple early photos of Nancy, the daughter of Franklin II. The photo above was dated September 1946 and was taken when she was 20 years old. Papa probably developed this photo in his dark room at their home on South Street in Middlebury.
 
The photo below of Nancy and her future husband, Duncan Allen, was dated June 11, 1946. According to Nancy's brother, David, the photo was taken at Tufts University during my father's (Franklin III's) graduation.

Franklin III as a Toddler

 

A very nice photo of Franklin III that has been hanging up in the cottage at Lake Quassapaug.

Nancy as a Toddler

Here are three professional photos of Nancy Bristol Allen as a toddler, framed in Bethlehem, PA. Aunt Nancy was photogenic right from the start!

Photos of Franklin III and Nancy, circa 1932

Here are some great photos of my father (Franklin Bristol III) and his sister Nancy.  Because they look to be about 8 and 6 years old (?) the photos were probably taken around 1933. The photos have been hanging up in the cottage at Lake Quassapaug and appear to still be mounted in their original frame from Clyne’s Gift Shop in Waterbury.