Over the last four years I have inherited boxes of photos. Many of them were labeled but some were not. Some were labeled but in this case the stories and labels didn't match. So, a little sleuthing was required.
The photo on the left and right are an example. These photos had belonged to my great-grandparents. Written on the back of the left photograph was At Pasajes. On the reverse of the photo on the right was written: Pasejes in pencil, then in ink, Must be in Norwegian and Sailors off ship kidding, think Dahl on Bottom.
I could tell who had written in ink on the back because it was the same handwriting of some other photos in the box where she identified herself or relatives. The author of the ink written portion was my great-aunt. Well, she was wrong! It definitely wasn't Norwegian and it probably wasn't of Dahl. (The mystery of Dahl is another long story that I may tell later.)
Pasajes is the Spanish name of a city in the Basque region currently called Pasaia. It might have been some sailors, dock workers, or just some local Basque population posing for a fun filled photograph. The man in the back seems to be a colleague of my Great-grandfather, Oscar Anderson, but all others are residents of Pasaia.
An analysis of the clothing reveals the photo was taken in the 1910s or 20s. Oscar was a boat captain, fisherman, bridge builder, construction worker and resident of Pensacola, Florida. In the early 1920s he worked for the Atlantic, Gulf, and Pacific Company as a bridge builder according the 1920 Census and this photo, which was labeled, Papa worked on this boat.
In Pasajes at that time there was a lot of investment in port construction. Oscar was probably there with this company to support this work. While speculative, it fits the timeline, as well as a story tied to another photograph taken in 1921. Here Oscar is pictured with his wife and two of his daughters in south Florida. The reverse of the photo says "Howey-in-the-Hills...the last wooden bridge (alternate link) built in Florida. Papa wouldn't take the job unless he could take his family." Which tells a deeper story about his time in Pasajes.
This story has a 21st century family connection. My daughter and her husband were celebrating their 15th wedding anniversary by going to Spain. I didn't know her daily plans or where in Spain she was going. But, I sent her the pictures of Pasajes in a text to tell her..."You know, you aren't the first in your family to go to Spain." She replied, "We're 13 minutes away from there!" She had a good time trying to find the spot where her second great grandfather stood to take a picture of San Pedro y San Juan. Many of the Basques she talked with in Pasaia asked her to airdrop the pictures to them. One was planning on framing it.
Mysteries Solved! Maybe!
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