Ogg and Wallingford Christmas Photos

This set of photos is mostly of the 'Wallingford/Ogg' family. Though there's a few of the wider Ogg family, for instance, most are of the children of Roland and Corinne (Ogg) Wallingford.

The Ogg Family Christmas Parties

Through the 1950s, at least, the families of the five children of Henry and Bessie (Campbell) Ogg - Ernest, Andrew, Leo, Corinne and Marjorie - would have a Christmas party at the old community hall. The hall was on Yale Street, in The Heights (of Houston) near where they were all born and raised.

This would generally be the only time that wider family would all get together, and it was a long, food and talk filled afternoon each time!

These few photos are from the early 1950s - 1953 and 1954 or so. This first one has Ray Courtney (with the cigarette!) and Roland Wallingford watching Nicky Wallingford unwrapping something. In the background are Maudine Ogg, Karen Wallingford, Margie Lynn and Nancy Courtney and probably Marjorie Courtney. Just behind Nicky is one of the small picnic tables that each family got that year - was it Roland who made them? Interesting that one of the signs on the wall refers to J.M. Heflin, a councillor at large - he was related to the Ogg family, too!

Outside the hall - you can see the sign refers to Yale Street. The three Ogg brothers - Leo (40 years old), Andy (43) and Ernie (45).

And in that same 1954 year, most of the women - not sure where Marjorie Courtney was! Maudine, Christine, Gladys and Corinne. Nicky photobombing the picture!

Ogg cousins - I won't try to identify them all! Nancy Jane and Margie Lynn are missing - maybe that explains why Marjorie Courtney wasn't in the earlier photo. They hadn't arrived yet that year, or didn't attend?

This photo is marked as 1959 - but I'm not certain it was at the community hall... Joan Wallingford with the glasses, Gladys, Corinne and possibly Maudine.

Christmas at Grace Lane

Roland and Corinne lived in several houses on Grace Lane, in southeast Houston. The house at 5934 Grace Lane was the first house they actually owned. They lived there until the summer of 1956.

Nicky with a fire engine, probably 1953 - about two and half years old.

John - pointing to his new watch! - Joan and Nicky. The dog would have been "Wassels", named for Nicky's inability to pronounce the word "waffles".

Carl and Nicky - their last Christmas at Grace Lane. Carl is on the rocking horse - that device lasted for many, many years. After the X-shaped base fell apart, Roland mounted it on a sheet of plywood. Nicky is playing a plastic accordion - he still has it nearly 60 years later, for some reason.

The Christmas before moving to Sylvan Road, Nicky and Carl went to meet Santa. Nicky is wearing his coonskin cap - he was fascinated with Daniel Boone through this part of childhood! The following photo comes from a newspaper story that Karen sent in...

Chrismas 1956 was the first in the Sylvan Road house. Here Carl and Nicky are holding the controls to some 'remote control' battery powered cars (well, remote though connected by the wire ran to the ground!)

Christmas at Sylvan Road

A few years later... The black and white television on the left was for Carl and Nicky - it was around for many, many years, with reception about what you'd expect from built in rabbit ear antennas. Carl seems to be holding some money. And notice that Corinne was an 'early adopter' of the artificial Christmas tree?

Opening presents that same year. Dovie Mae Ogg would sometimes be with us for Christmas. Roland, in the chair being made to eventually open his own presents, would not have been 50 years old yet...

And a Few More Recent Photos

And finally a last few more recent photos - it is all comparative.

The stockings in either 1975 or 1976 at Sylvan Road. The rest of the family's stockings would have been hung to the left of the fireplace.

Various of the grandkids and great-grandkids at Karen's house in 1991.