My search for a family member with a nickname has been just this side of arduous. My parents deliberately gave us names that can't really be shortened, and while my brother has a nickname within the family, I'm looking for something historical here. My Grandma Margaret wasn't "Maggie" or "Meg" and I can't imagine Aunt Dorothy entertaining the idea of something like "Dot". Uncle Dick (technically the 3rd Dirk in the family) was mistakenly labeled "Richard" at one juncture, but only that once that I'm aware of.
I received a few emails last year, from someone unrelated who found some family mementos and found my TenKley tree online. She kindly emailed me a few things, clippings and photos related to one of my Grandma's cousins (56 maternal 1st cousins in total!). My great grandmother's sister Dena set out with her husband for Canada in the late 1890's, and circumstances stopped them in Montana.
Albert L. "Red" Bolster was his parent's middle son, born 14 May 1903 in Plentywood, Montana. He grew up with 3 older brothers and 3 younger brothers. The 1900 Federal Census of Montana indicates his dad was a rancher, but later records tell of their livelihood as residents of the town. The Bolsters ran a rooming house that was also a store and post office, and Mr. Bolster was very involved in the civic life of their adopted home, serving as Justice of the Peace, postmaster and even Mayor.
Albert dated the above correspondent's grandmother and among her mementos was a signed photograph taken for an area newspaper. "Red" was a boxer, and while it was the era of Jack Dempsey, I don't believe Bolster's career lasted. The relationship with his sweetheart didn't last either. Albert wed to Edith Bell in 1926 and the marriage lasted 50 years until her death. The couple had no children.
Albert “Red” Bolster, May 1925
Coincidentally, my bonus Dad and I were recently discussing his red hair, noted by his mother to be inherited from a paternal uncle. However, both his mother's paternal cousin (another Dorothy) and quite possibly "Red" Bolster were also redheads, leaving me insatiably curious if there were more, and how many? A festival of redheaded participants is even held in Breda, Netherlands!
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