Friends and Family

The Polaroid photo is one taken at my birthday party in Beaumont. I don't know the date but I would guess around 1968. Top row is Cindy McGovern, Sam McGovern and my Dad. Second row is me with my eyes closed and a silly grin, Erich Garland, Amanda Burnett and Rosalind Garland.

Basilio Ramirez Soto (1858-1923)

In this photo Basilio is standing on the left. The other names in the photo are Alejandro DeLeon, Santos Romo and wife. I am assuming that Senor Romo and his wife are the ones that are sitting and Senor DeLeon is the one standing next to Basilio. Basilio was my great grandfather on my mother's paternal side of the family. He was married twice and my great grandmother, Concepcion Enriquez was his second wife. Basilio was a Mexican Methodist minister. Basilio was born in Laredo, Texas to Antonio Soto and Francisca Ramirez de Soto. The photo was taken on April 30, 1884 by Louis de Planque who was a well known photographer in the Corpus Christi area.

405 East Third St., Austin, TX

405 East Third Street is the house that my mother grew up in. The first mention that I can find of my Mom's family living there was in 1935 and the first mention that I can find about the property was in 1848 when the state of Texas granted the property to James Cole. The first listing of the house in the Austin directory was in 1900. The photo was taken on August 5, 1943. My maternal grandmother is the woman standing in front of the house. My parents bought the house from my grandparents in 1973 and my Mom sold the property on November 15, 1989. By the time the property was sold the house was one of the few homes still standing in the downtown Austin area. The property is now part of the Austin Convention Center.