The Meinzen Cousins, The Bickerstaff Cousins

The Meinzen Cousins in Steubenville, Ohio, about 1927:
Back row: Gladys Hashman, Sid Harris, Audrey Meinzen (my mom)
Front row: Betty Harris, Doris Meinzen, Geraldine Meinzen, Bertha Harris

Above are some of the Meinzen cousins who lived in Steubenville.  Despite living nearly a day's drive from Mineral Ridge,  the cousins seemed to be good friends who enjoyed each others' company when together.  Audrey, Doris, and Geraldine are sisters and Betty and Bertha are sisters.  Dresses were worn for play during my mother's childhood but with the girls wearing all white, they were probably dressed for some occasion, perhaps church or Sunday School.  Sid, in the back row, was always a tease, even as an adult.  Good chance he'd made a joke or comment a moment before the camera snapped the photo.  He does not seem to be dressed up with his flat cap and his sleeves rolled up.  Could the girls have attended a Saturday birthday party?

Most of the Bickerstaff cousins lived in or around Mineral Ridge.

The Bickerstaff Cousins in Mineral Ridge, Ohio, about 1925.
Most of these children I cannot identify but may be able to with a little research.  In the middle row,
second and third from left are Emma Bickerstaff and Audrey Meinzen, my mom.

I chuckle when I look at the photo above.  It was a great attempt to get cousins of a wide age range together for a photo but six of the little ones in the first row seem more interested in other things than facing the camera.  Still, there they are.  I know whoever was around when the photo was taken was able to identify those little ones but sadly, the information was not passed along with the photo.

Bickerstaff Cousins in Mineral Ridge, Ohio, about 1929.
The child front row, second from the left is Pauline Meinzen, my mom's youngest sister.
In the middle row, the girl on the right may be Doris Meinzen, Mom's 2nd  youngest sister.

Above are more Bickerstaff cousins.  I think they may have been a rowdy bunch when more than two or three were together.  The little ones in the front are attentive, as are the children in the middle row, but those kids at the back....  They look like they're ready to make their mark in the world.  The boy in the center, with a smile on his face, seems to be ready to take a punch at someone, perhaps joking with the photographer.  And the mark on the face of the girl, standing on the right, is not a mark but is, indeed, something hanging from her mouth.  Could it be a hand-rolled cigarette or a small cigar.  Take a look for yourself by clicking on the photo to enlarge it.

In my own family, there were eight of us cousins.  Sadly, I don't believe there's a single photo with all of us together.  It would have lots of cousins living nearby.

This post was written for Amy Johnson Crow's 2019 version of 52 Ancestors.  The post topic for the week was "Cousins."

--Nancy.

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