Happy Memorial Day!

Thought I would share with you some of the pictures I have of relatives in the military at different time periods. There are many more family members who have serve, these are just a few that I have pictures of with their uniforms on. I wish to thank all of those past and present who have served in the military. Thanks for keeping America free!!!

Ross Utterback - WW I, my great-uncle.

Harry Armstrong in Greenland- WW II, my grandfather

Bill and Glenn Utterback- WW II, Uncle Bill and my father.

Jack Utterback- WW II, my uncle.

Harry Mahakian - WW II, my grandfather

Robert Riggs - Korea, Uncle Bob

Kent Utterback - Viet Nam, my brother

Kevin Utterback - Iceland, my brother


 If you have pictures that you want me to add of our family members, email me and I can put them on. Also if you have a cool story to go with it, that would be nice. Thanks!

William 'Denver' Riggs

I think he's a cute baby. Glad to have a picture of him this young.

William Denver Riggs was born August 10, 1896 in Bonham, Fannin County, Texas. His parents are: William Emerson Riggs and Emma Elizabeth Dilbeck. He along with his wife, Juanita and his brother, Ted, moved to California during the late 1920's.

Uncle Denver did serve in WW I, in the Navy.  I would like to find more information of his military service.

During WW II he was a Merchant Marine and travel to China and Japan. He served at least for 2 1/2 years that I could find information on. It amazes me as he was 48-50 years old during this time of his life, he felt the need to serve and he did!
On Dec 24, 1922 he married Juanita Davis in Noble, Cleveland County, Oklahoma.  Shortly after they moved to El Centro, California.  Around 1923 or 1924, they moved up to Maywood, near Los Angeles as two daughters were born in Los Angeles. Juana Jean, in 1924 and Betty Louise in 1926.
He and Juanita were divorced around 1936. He remarried sometime in the late 1940's to Doris Eddy and later divorced her. I did know Doris and loved to go into her resale shop. As a little girl and going into that shop was so much fun, just seeing all those old clothes and jewelry, I got to dream how fun it would be to play dress-up. Uncle Denver was at most of our family gatherings when I was a child, when he and Uncle Ted got together, there was so much laughter. Uncle Denver is a person you just loved as he was so much fun to be around. He was shy, soft spoken, and we all loved him. He passed on April 12, 1977.

This is how I  remember Uncle Denver, always happy.

Make Sure You Have the Correct Sister! (Dilbeck)

Lela Marian Dilbeck Fritzlan and Charles Fritzlan

Leona Riggs Mahakian, Glenda Utterback, Lyda Lee Dilbeck Measures

As I have been looking at all the pictures my sister has sent, I try to add correct names and ask other relatives who they are. I call my sister for her opinions and we feel like 'picture detectives'! Looking at time periods and  at my ancestral charts we have done pretty good at finding out "Who is in that picture"! As I have been working on some of the pictures that have the date Jan 1957, I have noticed a couple of things. Most are from picnics and or of  family gatherings. Most are of the Riggs family. Well, I have looked at these two before and thought they were the same person, not really paying attention to how the names were spelled. It turns out that they are sisters about three years apart.
Lela stayed and lived in Oklahoma. Here she is visiting with her family members in California. Lydia moved to California and lived her life there. I have seen Lela's name spelled Leila. Lydia name is pronounced Lī da, according to my mother.
There are more pictures of the two of them and I will add them later and hoping to add some stories with them.
Thanks for visiting!

Picnics!!!!! (Riggs family)

We had many, many picnics!! I miss those picnics and I am sure all who attended at least one if not as many as I did, missed them too! What fun we had and all that food! My grandmother, aka Granny to all, made great food! Although, my mom was just as good. I will be posting a few pictures of different times we had our picnics, so will start with these:

Uncle Denver, (next to him I don't know), then Aunt Alice, Granny (Leona), Grandpa, Uncle Pete, in front of him Lester Hooper, in back of Lester is Aunt Woody, back to front, Aunt Dianna, Alice and Pete Young. The young girl, by grandpa, I thought might be Barbara Riggs, but now I am thinking maybe that is Lu Carol Hooper. Do you know, so I can put the right name? There isn't a picture of Uncle Ted or Aunt Nell, so that is why I am thinking Lu Carol.

 1955 - I was almost four, Kent would have been 5 depending on the month of this picnic.

Pretty much the same people, except, Kent is in front of Uncle Denver, and I and Robert are at the table.  I also think that this is in Uncle Denver's backyard.  Isn't Aunt Dianna beautiful?

Aunt Alice, Granny (Leona), Aunt Woody, Uncle Denver. 

 All Riggs siblings, Alice Riggs Hooper, Leona Riggs Mahakian, Clara Mae Riggs Woodring, William 'Denver' Riggs.

I wonder where my parents and Uncle Bob were???? Who took the pictures? Also why wasn't Uncle Ted and Aunt Nell there? Any clues?

Aunt Alice, Uncle Lester, Aunt Woody and Uncle Pete must have been visiting, as they lived in Oklahoma. so that picnic for Granny and Uncle Denver, I am sure was special.

3 More Pictures of Riggs

In this picture I see Pearl (in the second row, first of left), then Aunt Woody (Clara Mae), then Granny (Leona),Great-granny Riggs (second row towards the right). Possible next to her is Uncle Ted and back of her with head turned in Uncle Denver. Gladys in front with Great-granny Riggs holding onto her shoulders. Please list the others. Thanks!

In this picture front row left to right: Leona, possibly Alice, then Woody? In back left to right: Annie, Emma Elizabeth and ? Anyone know where this was taken?

On the back of this picture it says: Betty didn't get into either and so will send this too. Who is Betty? Date processed Mar 23, 1931. To the far left is Uncle Denver with his first wife, Juanita and their two daughters,  Juana Jean and Betty Louise. Uncle Ted is in back holding possibly Uncle Bob? Is that is first wife, Mayme? I don't know the couple in front to the right. Did I get any of the names correct?
Note to myself: If Betty didn't get into the picture, is it Betty that is Uncle Denver's daughter? If so, then who is the little girl in the front center? So many questions!

A Day in Long Beach 1929 Riggs Family

Granny (Emma Elizabeth Dilbeck Riggs) and Grandpa (William Emerson Riggs) came to California for a visit. I am hoping that someone can help me with the names of this family. In the front to the right with the two darker hats are Grandpa and Granny Riggs. In the back to the left with a dark hat is Leona Riggs (my granny). Who are the rest? Are they also Dilbeck's in this picture?

On this picture it reads:  Oh! How Happy "down in Long Beach" California. 1929

Granny Riggs in the dark suit.

Would like to know for sure who the other girls, women are? Anyone know?

My parents (Utterback, Armstrong)

Will start with a picture of my parents. This was shortly taken after their wedding, July 1949. Mom said that after their wedding they took the bus to visit my father's parents in Barstow, and then found an apartment close by Granny, near East Los Angeles. Dad was in the Navy at the time.
 
More pictures of the same day:

Aren't they cute, newlyweds!

A New Blog

I wanted to scrapbook some old pictures my sister was kind enough to send me. Make a book of memories to past down to my children and anyone else in the family who wanted to enjoy them. Well, I have realized that it will take me the rest of my life to do what I would like. So I have decided to blog them and put what stories I know about each picture. There are many in which I do not know who the person is and am hoping that you might know them and have a story to post along with it.  We together will find the joy and sad times of our family and how we are all related! Enjoy!