Beverly -- My Babysitter, My Cousin

Our little village of Mineral Ridge was abundant with Bickerstaff relatives.  It seemed wherever there was a group of people, at least one of them was an aunt or uncle or cousin to some degree or other.  Most were my grandmother's siblings, the sons and daughters of Edward Jesse and Mary (Thompson) Bickerstaff and many were their descendants who were also nieces, nephews, and great--nieces and -nephews of my grandmother.  Most were older then me though there were a few who were about my age, and a few more who were about my brother's and sister's ages.

But this post isn't about my cousin Emma, it's about her daughter, Beverly. My parents rarely went out but when they did, either Beverly or another Bickerstaff cousin, Janet, came to stay with me.  Sadly, I don't have any specific memories of Beverly other than that I liked spending time with her. 

I wish this were a better photo.  Beverly is looking down and her eyes are closed.  But one doesn't need to see eyes to know how wonderful she was when you can see the two little children hugging her.  From the photo, you can see how my neighbor Frankie and I adored her.  This photo was probably taken in the summer of 1953.  

Beverly's son, Kirk, contacted me a few years ago and we reconnected last week.  I told him I'd post this photo, though I'm sure he has plenty of better photos of his mom when she was younger. 

I have one other comment about this photo:  look at how curly Beverly's hair was.  Those were natural curls.  I wonder from which side of her family she inherited them. 

I'm thinking about her curls because in recent months my hair has turned curly because of a medication I take.  For many years it was wavy, but never curly (or so I thought).  When I was looking for this photo of Beverly, I came upon a photo of myself when I was about 13 and was shocked.  I've seen this photo before (without really seeing it?) and well, of course I was there when it was taken.  But those curls!   Where did they come from?  Was there a Bickerstaff ancestor who had curls?  Any ideas, Kirk?

—Nancy.

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