Fort Lauderdale in the 1930s and 40s

My grandfather Sammons, Forest Charles Sammons, loved Florida.  His wife, Clara Margaret Hornberger Sammons, was not as much of a fan.  But Clara was a good sport and she and her kids would go with Forest for at least a part of the winter.  I believe it was during my mother's high school years as she talks about having gone to high school in Florida and having a boyfriend when she lived there.

I will slowly add information about their Florida home as I find things.  I thought that this first photo was very interesting!


This morning I found a photo of Clara Margaret Hornberger Sammons sitting on the beach at Ft Lauderdale:



And since then I have found the following:

First photo is Dottie Sammons Duncan on the Ft Lauderdale Beach



Second is Lila Burl and Harry Sammons in Fort Lauderdale 

Mom identified the next photo below.  It is mom's mother, Clara Margaret Hornberger Sammons standing with Lillian Henry.  Lillian's husband, Lee Henry, worked for Papa Sammons.  But mom said that the couples were friends as well.  And we believe  that the below photo is take in Ft. Lauderdale while Papa's house was being built.  Mom told the story that the Henrys had no children.  And that Mrs. Henry would take mom to the dime store for her birthday every year and buy her a dollar's worth of things of Mom's choice....Mom particularly remembered the perfume.


The next photo I found in the pile was very pretty and was labelled Pinecrest on the back.  Mom explained that she went to school there when they were in Florida.  It seems that the school still exists and that it was founded in 1934.  So it would have been quite a new school when mom attended.  However, Mom has explained that Ft. Lauderdale was just kind of a country kind of town when they lived there.  Not the big bustling area that it is now





Below is a photo taken from their website today.



Mom identified the below house as their house in Ft. Lauderdale. After a great deal of discussion, Mom, Helen and I agree that the woman in the photo is Ann Catherine Davies Sammons the first wife of my Uncle Fred Sammons.  Ann was one of my very favorite people.  She lived next door to us with her family when we were growing up,