That's awesome. I found my Great Grandfathers Pharmacy in Rockville, Indiana. Then and today. I plan on going soon....
I know my family's history back to roughly 1896. Before that,we might as well have not existed on Earth. On my wife's side, they go back to mid-eighth century. Much more chance to record the scofflaws.
Very cool. I agree with taking a metal detector. How sweet would it be to dig up a spark plug from the 1940’s.
Aw man, that just warms my heart. Great sleuthing. Looks like both of our Grandpas worked on some big ole trucks. Dan Dukich worked as a mechanic and welder in the iron ore mines near Hibbing. I’ve got one of his old torches w the raised logo completely worn smooth but his hand.
My family was so into record keeping and saving/hoarding paperwork, photos, and family treasures. I can trace our history to early 1800's to Alexander, New York. I hope your search turns out well!
Glad you found it! The chance to stand in a place that means so much to your family history will be the thrill of a lifetime. If you were to discover something of interest would be even more amazing. Pics would be great, but a video would be outstanding! Happy Hunting!
I have a complete family tree that goes back to the 1800s. However, whoever put it together left out Frank Cochran for obvious reasons... it wasn’t until I did the tree myself that I found out about him... Since then, the story has just gotten darker and darker - corruption, crime, murder, fast cars, etc... truly crazy shit.
Thats great you were able to find your grandfathers old shop. Seeing as how I'm currently not allowed to do any work (recovering from surgery) I checked it out on google maps...about a block north on 9th st there is what appears to be an old train station with some old signs and gas pumps, and behind it is a scrap metal yard...it might be a long shot, but what are the odds that some of the old signs from your grandpa's shop are stored in that building?
I remember the picture of your Grandfather’s shop in the Rodders Journal . I was curious about the history of it. Very cool. Keep us posted if you learn more information Sent from my iPhone using The H.A.M.B. mobile app
Family history is SO interesting...great find Ryan. Not much on my family history, but my Wife's (Bonnie Bushong Murphy) is amazing ! Her Grandfather X5 was Jacob Bushong of New Market Va whos farm was the site of the Civil War "Bushong Battlefield". We have had a blast researching her history. https://vmi.edu/museums-and-archive...e-civil-war/museums-and-grounds/bushong-farm/ Close up image of the Bushong family. L-R Jacob, Elizabeth, Sarah, William
And your not even Italian. I am, so I can say that. My grandfather had a chicken market in Santa Monica. I will try and pull up a photo. When I was there when I was nine. He had a Chevy sedan delivery. Ryan you need to duplicate that Cochran Garage sign. Sent from my iPad using H.A.M.B.
Sounds like my Dads side. Nobody has ever traced that side back any farther than my great grandpa, and nobody is even sure where he is buried. We have no idea where we came from or when we got to America. I never knew my Great Grandpa, and my Grandpa was a dirt poor share cropper who rented all his life and never owned a car. Heck, he never even learned how to drive!
Funny...maybe not - my grandpa died a year after I was born of a heart attach but I understand he had a few of them Have a history map of the shops in Sacramento - the city was always wanting the space they were in. The Super Station my great grand pa , my grandpa and great Uncle Sal built around 1921 was wanted by the Eldorado Bank which still resides there. The picture of the Super Station doesn't transfer really good so the next shop is from about 1925 before my mom and uncle came around. Have a lot of pictures of the last shop my grandpa had which luckily has my Uncle's roadster builds from 1950 and the same roadster in 1956 at the same shop. Hope you can get more pictures and info !
Good for you Ryan. Good luck with your expedition. That sign that was up front could be stored in the attic rafters!
Vintage Aerial (https://vintageaerial.com/) is another cool site, useful for research of newer properties. Found our place circa 1974 with the old man's 69 Charger in the driveway. Blew me away.
Ok here ya go....In 1998 I was hired at Discount Tire Co store MIF-04 in Flint, MI. It was (at the time) the smallest DTC store in the state. And, as the 4th DTC store ever, very old. How old, at the time, I wasn't sure. My grandmother on my dad's side told me her dad (Great Grandpa Johnson) had a shop there. Did a lil didgging and found it was called Johnny Johnson's Auto Repair. His name was Henry but he thought 'Johnny Johnson' sounded better for his business. Anyways...it burned in the late 40's, he rebuilt and it burned again in 1957. IIRC DTC's Bruce Halle bought it and opened it as a tire shop in 1964-ish. Fast forward...DTC built a new building a few miles east and shuttered the old building. Before it totally closed, I managed to get in and 'borrow' a few artifacts that were no doubt put there under my Great Grandpa's ownership. Pretty Neat!
Congrats Boss, I know the feeling. Love playing family history detective. What the heck is a “white truck”?
Hmm . . . so don't bother if it's not a White? Interesting. Maybe most of the big rigs were White's in those days. It's a cinch I don't know.
How cool! Nothing more exciting than digging up family history. A few years ago my quest took us to Germany where I walked the village streets and viewed the homes of my great great grandfathers. It was unreal. And to top it off, my wife’s family lived 30 miles from that location. Kissing cousins.
I worked for the predecessor of the White Truck company. Volvo-GM originally started out of Cleveland.1900. They made large hauling rigs after WW1.
My great grandfather had a brother who killed a man due to a "dispute" over a woman in the late 1800's. He's pretty much disappeared from the family history, and all that we know about him are the stories that have been spoken. Odds are high that those stories have, as are most, been embellished over time. The last line in the ad is great! "Any bright teamster can drive a White truck, it's so simple."
So a cousin of mine contacted me with a great picture. This is my grandfather's shop after he died. Apparently, my grandmother's family took over the space for their construction company: I believe this shot was taken in the late 60's or early 70's. My grandmother's maiden name is Hart... as is my middle name... Amazing for me to see this stuff... I never knew the building stayed in the family.
I’d guess between 13 and 20k? I wanna know what bed is on that Ford... Other than that, it’s exactly like my old Wimbledon white ‘64...
The Jalopy Journal
