Grandma Revis • Tale 1 • Early Years

Lucille Bernice Oswald Revis 1914-2010

So many Tales to tell

So many images to share

Today's page will be Part 1 of at least 3

Tale Number One

Early years, from 1914 to 1935

Tale Number Two

Photos and places from 1935 to 2010

Tale Number Three

Letters from Lucille

I have over one hundred pages of her handwritten letters that I will share.

Tales Numbered Four and More

More letters that I didn't have time to post the week before.

Childhood 1914-1933

1918

Elwin, Illinois

Albert was a door to door salesman with the Rawleigh company for a while. You can see the sign behind the family on the house. I'll tell a Tale for that later this year.

1920

Harristown, Illinois

1923

2587 East Main, Decatur, IL

Not sure if the house was the white one--it is numbered 2581 now.

The house on the left is facing North 26th Street.

1926 Her dad was a carpenter at this time.

1168 West Wood, Decatur, IL

Tennis courts are there today. Near the Jimmy John's.

1930

South Macon Township, Illinois

On a farm

1932

Boody, Illinois

Her father died from an infection. He had been repairing a fence and was cut by the barbed wire. Lucille was 18 years old and still living at home.

Lucille learned how to drive with a crank start Model T.

I always imagined that it looked like this.

Around 1933 or 1934 Lucille met her husband, Ez, at a local dance. She went with her sister Allegra. The two sisters were very close and went everywhere together. They even graduated High School together.

Young Woman 1934-1937

I'm no expert but I may have figured out the car model. She's standing in front of what looks like a 1940 Chevrolet. Tell me if you think it is something else? It looks pretty flashy but I think that Ez would have liked it, for sure.

1935

1189 West Sunset, Decatur, IL

Across the street from the newly built Woodrow Wilson School.

When Lily was born in December of 1935, Lucille and Ez were living here with her mother, Julia File Oswald, and her brothers Earl, Robert, and Philip. Learn more about Julia in her own Family Tale: Strong-Willed Woman.

Cookbook

In 2014 I scanned Lucille's handwritten cookbook. I formatted those scanned recipes for a hardbound book. It is available as a one-at-a-time (on-demand printing). The money paid goes to the printer and I do not receive any kickback from the sale. I just wanted to make it available to all of the family. Kind of pricey at about $32 a piece. I can provide you with a free PDF if you cannot afford to get a hard copy, just contact me. If you want to order, go to the Lulu printing company's website.

Warning: Her famous sugar cookie recipe is not in the book. I am showing it here instead. My thanks to Cousin Terri for the icing recipe! The type of icing used makes a big difference.

My goal in all of the Dead Family Tales is to present stories that would have been told around a kitchen table or campfire during family gatherings.

A new Dead Family Tale is posted every Monday.

Come and visit again!

Do you have more tales of our Koprek, Haupt, Revis, or Oswald lines?

Please contact me or add it in the comment section at the bottom of this page.

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