Archive for the ‘cousins’ Category

James Fredrick Gill answers “The Twenty Questions”

Monday, February 8th, 2010

Jim has always been very athletic and competitive.

Jim has always been very athletic and competitive.


Remember the 20 questions? They were devised by Ann Hartman 4 years ago and everyone answered them except Gregory. Well here is Big Jims go at it:
What is your memory of Mom/ Aunt Joan?
Sitting at the table on Whitman Street smoking a cigarette!

2. What are three words that other people use to describe you?
Big, happy, intelligent

3. Who was better Elvis or the Beetles?
Elvis…Beetles…Elvis…Beetles…
It should have been between The Rolling Stones or The Who!

4. What is your favorite song and why?
Anything Van Halen (with David Lee Roth) or off Boston’s first album; vintage ELO as well.
I know that doesn’t answer your question…I guess Desperado by The Eagles…but I really don’t have a favorite song.

5. What is your favorite movie? Can list up to three titles.
Shawshank Redemption and Godfather 1

6. What are you afraid of?
Heights.

7. Do you have any pets?
Cats and a dog

8. Do you wear glasses dentures or a hearing aide?
Glasses only if I want to see the TV, where I am driving at night or anything from a distance!

9.What is the most embarrassing thing that has ever occurred to you?
Pulling the wrong way in junior high; the play went left and I went right…the only one ON FILM that went right!

10. What is the funniest thing that ever happened to you?
They would have to do with flatulence!

11.What color is your bedroom?
Lavender but it’s Tammy’s bedroom, not mine!

12. Which room do you eat dinner in?
Living room.

13. What is your favorite meal?
A hardy Breakfast.

14. What do you do for a living?
Recruit professionals for manufacturing, engineering, accounting and human resource positions.

15. What do you wish you did for a living?
Early in life? To play quarterback or catcher for a professional team.
Now that I have grown up? A teacher and coach for a middle school.

16. What is your favorite subject in school? Do you still like it?
Math first; English second.
Love them both today!

17. Do you know how to drive a stick-shift automobile?
Yes!

18. What is your favorite candy bar?
Snickers!

19. Do you bite your nails?
Used to; don’t now!

21. What is your favorite cereal?
Captain Crunch Reese’s flavored.

22. What is your favorite cereal as a kid?
Don’t know that I had one…Frosted Flakes?

23. What is your nickname?
Now? Don’t really have one…see below.

24. What was your childhood nickname?
Bluegill!

25.What is something we didn’t ask but would like others to know?
In 1978 I spent 33 days in Europe as a People-to-People Student Ambassador.
We visited communist Russia, Belgium, Germany, France, England, Holland, Denmark, and Sweden – great time!

26. Which sibling would you like to get to know better?
I would have liked to have known all of you better.
I know my sisters very well.

27. What shoe size do you wear?
11 ½ – 12

28. How was growing up in a large family better than a smaller family?
When we visited? I always had a ‘brother’ to play football with!

29. What is your proudest accomplishment?
Running a ½ marathon; raising 2 kids, making it on my own; surviving whatever life has thrown at me!

30. What would you like to change about yourself? Why?
Nothing now.
Growing up…I would have liked to have been 4-6 inches taller and more dedicated as an athlete.

31. What is your favorite childhood memory?
Traveling to Grandma’s house (my Mom’s Mom) for Thanksgiving and Christmas.

32. If money were no object where would you like to go?
Travel everywhere. Visit all stadiums throughout the U.S.

33. What is your favorite book?
Anything by James Patterson.

34. How did you meet your spouse/companion/best friend?
On E-Harmony!

35. What is the one thing you would like to do in your life before you die?
Retire and do whatever the hell I want, whenever the hell I want to and not have any worries!

36. End this with a quote:
Be happy and don’t take life too seriously.

Posted in Gill, Ohio, cousins | 5 Comments »

October 25 2009 Giants, New York, Westfield Tammy and Jim

Wednesday, October 28th, 2009

Can you see us from up there???

Can you see us from up there???

Jim Gill and his girlfriend Tammy arrived early Saturday morning and were gone before I could even blink an eye.
Rocking out at Rocking Joes Cafe.

Rocking out at Rocking Joes Cafe.

Jim looked great, having just lost 60 lbs and Tammy was a real sweetheart. Hopefully we will ALL get together with them soon. Our travels to Austin Street in Westfield (where his Dad, “Brother” and our Mom grew up) and the cemetery for Jims first visit to his fathers grave in over 15 years. I enjoyed their stories of being a couple together, their hardships, their experiences of being parents, their travels to Scotland, their cruise over the Summer, and our exchanging of “family rumors” from the deep (sometimes dark) past of Gill/Hartman history.
Happy Family?

Happy Family?


Posted in Gill, News, cousins | 1 Comment »

Mother and son.

Wednesday, August 12th, 2009

Around April I made it a mission to find Grandma Gill and Brothers grave. Earlier last year, Barb and I had unsuccessfully attempted to locate it and the office was closed on the weekend we were there. When I came back I tried on my own to find it and finally gave up and went in the office. They gave me an almost exact location and I STILL couldn’t find it.
I was looking for the two trees. The landmarks of the grave for the past 50 years. Planted by Grandpa Gill after his wife May was buried.
I finally found to stone but to my dismay, the TREEs were GONE! I couldn’t believe it! I was very upset. How do you just “take down trees”? Without asking or for that matter HOW DO YOU JUST KILL TREEs. Trees with much sentimental value.
Not only were they missing but the holes in the ground were never properly taken care of. Not filled in enough or at all! As a result of this inconsiderate action, the stone has begun to shift.
I went back into the office and complained.
They told me that they NEVER take down trees unless they are dead or “unrecoverable”
I believed them.
From what I did understand (please correct me if I am wrong) is that Grandpa Gill planted Japanese Maples
I remember it had red leafs. Very beautiful. Very very slow growing. Hardly a tree to survive for a long time in this area.

My idea is to replant trees here. Hopefully the same kind. I would like to do it if any or all of the Gill family happens to stumble into New Jersey sometime.
To the Grandmother I never met: I heard you were a very good woman. It is too bad you lived such a short life. I don’t know why your husband and father of three children didn’t want to rest next to you. He was a strange bitter man sometimes but a good generous man.
Grandma May, you would have loved your many many grandchildren. We would have loved you and your wonderful smile.

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Posted in Gill, Ohio, cousins | 3 Comments »

Photos That Make You Think August 2009

Thursday, August 6th, 2009

Multiple heads and thoughts from this months Photos That Make You Think

Multiple heads and thoughts from this months Photos That Make You Think

To the best of my knowledge from what my mother told me: There was a neighbor that was an amateur photographer that came around and took photos of the Gill children. For the years that some of these were taken (the mid 1940′s) he is using some very high end equipment of the time. I found an envelope of negatives and from my best guess, he used a Browning Camera.
This photo of Fred Gill (Brother) is a pure classic. The photographer captured a moment in time that could thrill even non family members.
Just look at Brothers eyes! Doesn’t take much to thrill children this age. Innocence reigns!
My mother told me that Brother had this doll for many years. Took it with him wherever he went and as you can see by the look in his eyes, he absolutely adored this thing. As beat up and dirty as it got, he loved it even more, his sister Joan said.
Photography really took off in the 1940′s and was a huge but expensive hobby for many people. Family Ties will be revealing much more of these Austin Street gems in the future. Some of them need some work. This Photo Album was rescued from the heat and humidity of Florida just in time.
This photo had a pencil scribble in Brothers hair that I painstakingly removed. But when I thought about it, the pencil scribbles are acually part of the history and heritage of this awesome photo.
So here is the original, making us all wonder, WHO might have been the artist from such a long time ago.

About Aunt Pats glasses: What can I say? It was the EARLY 1960′s. Batman was a popular show on TV Saturday nights. Catwoman was his hot villian. Was Aunt Pat inspired by Catwoman? Who knows? Actually, who cares???

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Posted in Ohio, Photos That Make You Think, cousins, friends | No Comments »

Hands across the water….(water)

Tuesday, July 21st, 2009

In every conceivable manner, the family is link to our past, bridge to our future. -Alex Haley

In every conceivable manner, the family is link to our past, bridge to our future. -Alex Haley


I believe more than anything that the closeness of our mother Joan to her only Brother, Fred was the amazing gift that they had left us. It wasn’t just a weekend get-together, or a quick holiday but when the Gills came over it was for THE SUMMER. It is those long hot innocent Summers of childhood. It is the memories of ALL the senses (like I spoke about in my last post 1969) that come back. The overly chlorinated pool, Uncle Brothers overly buttered and salted popcorn. Listening to Paul McCartneys “Hands Across the Water” and all of us singing in union.
I have recollections of many people I have met, friends, coworkers, casual conversation…and they have shared with me; “Oh I don’t talk to my sister anymore.” or “I have no need to to see my family.” or “Screw my dad, he’s a jerk.” One day you will wake up and realize how short this journey of life is.
Maybe I am over emotional and way too deep (as I have been told) but when I was on the phone with my cousin Jim last week, I cannot express the feelings that came over me to hear his voice again. To hear him as a father and a husband AND a Grandfather! He wasn’t just my cousin quarterbacking our touch football team down for a score on Whitman street.
And when we finally had to hang up, I told him something I never told him before. “I love you” and it came from the depths of my heart and soul.

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Posted in Gill, Gratitude, Ohio, cousins | 5 Comments »

The Gills are home !

Thursday, July 16th, 2009

Mmmmmmmm.........

Mmmmmmmm.........

Thanks to modern technology (Facebook) we have located our long lost family!! This is very exciting to be finally be with them again. They all have grown children like us and have many stories to tell. I am a little embarrassed that there are so FEW photos of them on this website.. especially their father Fredrick “Brother” Gill who was nothing short of our “father” after dad died.
So now is the time to flood the web site with the GILLS. I have missed my best childhood buddy cousin James Gill very much. I have his phone number but am a little afraid to use it. It has been a long 15 or so years.

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Posted in Gill, News, Ohio, cousins | 7 Comments »