Those were the days: The Soares clan, with friends & neighbors

Vintage photographs from the 1930s and beyond from the family of Victor Faria Soares, Sr. and Rose Raymond Soares of Somerset, Mass., my grandparents. These were digitized by my uncle, Arthur Faria Soares, who also provided me with many stories about my family and his experiences growing up. The children of Rose and Victor Sr. were: Victor Jr., Beatrice, Raymond (my father), and Arthur.

We continue our summer travels with a return to Martha's Vineyard, where, in 1948, a group of members of the Somerset Portuguese-American Civic League traveled for a convention. Here, my Aunt Beatrice digs into a box of popcorn held by her mother, Rose Raymond Soares. The woman to the right is unidentified. I think the dress styles between the two generations is illuminating. Aunt Bea looks very trendy in her cuffed slacks, loafers and movie-star glasses!

Those were the days: The Soares clan, with friends & neighbors

Vintage photographs from the 1930s and beyond from the family of Victor Faria Soares, Sr. and Rose Raymond Soares of Somerset, Mass., my grandparents. These were digitized by my uncle, Arthur Faria Soares, who also provided me with many stories about my family and his experiences growing up. The children of Rose and Victor Sr. were: Victor Jr., Beatrice, Raymond (my father), and Arthur.

Continuing with the theme of "Summer at Home," (we will hit the road again soon), here is my aunt, Beatrice Soares, with her cousins, Anna, left, and Marilyn Soares, and the family dog, Spotty. Anna and Marilyn are the daughters of Manuel Faria Soares, Jr., Pépère's younger brother. This photo was taken at the side entrance of the house, with the kitchen windows seen at the left. I have many photos of Spotty, starting from puppyhood. He accompanied Uncle Art on his paper route, and I will have an anecdote to share about that in the future. Also noteworthy in this photo are the beautiful hydrangeas in the background; the yard was lovingly landscaped by my grandparents.

Those were the days: The Soares clan, with friends & neighbors

Vintage photographs from the 1930s and beyond from the family of Victor Faria Soares, Sr. and Rose Raymond Soares of Somerset, Mass., my grandparents. These were digitized by my uncle, Arthur Faria Soares, who also provided me with many stories about my family and his experiences growing up. The children of Rose and Victor Sr. were: Victor Jr., Beatrice, Raymond (my father), and Arthur.

Our summer travels continue...today we have my mémère, Rose Raymond Soares, with her daughter, Beatrice, and Bea's best friend, Connie Quental. They are at the Franklin Park Zoo in the Mattapan neighborhood of Boston, circa 1944. Mémère, who had a wonderful sense of humor, is striking a pseudo-serious pose. I love the way she is always wearing a hat and carrying a small purse when in public. I also like the ankle socks on the girls and Connie's quintessential saddle shoes.

Those were the days: The Soares clan, with friends & neighbors

Vintage photographs from the 1930s and beyond from the family of Victor Faria Soares, Sr. and Rose Raymond Soares of Somerset, Mass., my grandparents. These were digitized by my uncle, Arthur Faria Soares, who also provided me with many stories about my family and his experiences growing up. The children of Rose and Victor Sr. were: Victor Jr., Beatrice, Raymond (my father), and Arthur.

The summer theme continues...Today I am posting two pictures, because they go together. Here are my mémère and pépère, Rose and Victor Soares, and their daughter, Beatrice, at Horseneck Beach circa 1948. Not sure what's going on with those hats.

Mémère has conked out, and pépère is headed in the same direction. Meanwhile, their friend, Mary Perry, is trying to read the newspaper.

Those were the days: The Soares clan, with friends & neighbors

Vintage photographs from the 1930s and beyond from the family of Victor Faria Soares, Sr. and Rose Raymond Soares of Somerset, Mass., my grandparents. These were digitized by my uncle, Arthur Faria Soares, who also provided me with many stories about my family and his experiences growing up. The children of Rose and Victor Sr. were: Victor Jr., Beatrice, Raymond (my father), and Arthur.

Today we return to Martha's Vineyard and the happy group that traveled there in 1948 for a Portuguese-American Civic League convention. I love the period bus in this photo; I can't make out all the lettering on the roof, but it appears to say, "Martha's Vineyard Sightseeing Line." The bungalow in the background suggests to me that this is Oak Bluffs. The man in the forefront is named in other photos as "Mr. Ramos," and I get the sense he had quite the personality. You can see my pépère, Victor Faria Soares, Sr., peering over Mr. Ramos' shoulder; then two down to the right is pépère's brother, Manuel (I think), then Victor's daughter, Beatrice, and wife, Rose (in the hat). In the front row are Manuel's daughters Anna, left, and Marilyn, right.

Those were the days: The Soares clan, with friends & neighbors

Vintage photographs from the 1930s and beyond from the family of Victor Faria Soares, Sr. and Rose Raymond Soares of Somerset, Mass., my grandparents. These were digitized by my uncle, Arthur Faria Soares, who also provided me with many stories about my family and his experiences growing up. The children of Rose and Victor Sr. were: Victor Jr., Beatrice, Raymond (my father), and Arthur.

Here is my aunt, Beatrice Soares, in 1944. Her outfit could be that of a "candy-striper," or hospital volunteer. I wonder if she was doing some war-related volunteer work? The struggle on the home front during World War II was very real. Bea's brother, Arthur, wrote a reminiscence of the war years in Somerset for his SHS alumni newsletter: "...On car windshields, stickers graded A, B or C, designated the amount of gas that vehicle could consume. There were little books with coupons for everything: gas, meat, butter, coffee and shoes, plus collections for scrap metal, paper, rubber and cooking fat, items the government wanted conserved to help the war effort. At any given time, long lines in the city markets indicated the availability of rationed items were in short supply."

Those were the days: The Soares clan, with friends & neighbors

Vintage photographs from the 1930s and beyond from the family of Victor Faria Soares, Sr. and Rose Raymond Soares of Somerset, Mass., my grandparents. These were digitized by my uncle, Arthur Faria Soares, who also provided me with many stories about my family and his experiences growing up. The children of Rose and Victor Sr. were: Victor Jr., Beatrice, Raymond (my father), and Arthur.

The Soares Family in 1931. From left, Rose, Raymond, Beatrice, Victor Sr. (with Arthur on his lap) and Victor, Jr. As of the 1930 census, the Soares were living at 218 Covel St. in Fall River. Victor's mother, Anna, is listed as head of household. His brother, Manuel, also lived in the house. Victor had begun work as a salesman for the National Biscuit Company (Nabisco), a position he would keep for the rest of his working life. Manuel was a loom fixer in one of Fall River's many cotton mills. Rose and Anna were "at home." This particular census noted whether people had a "radio set;" the Soares did not. Neither did most of their neighbors. Victor and Manuel were naturalized citizens by this point. An interesting note on the census instructs takers to "Distinguish Canada-French from Canada-English and Irish Free State from Northern Ireland." And, indeed, one of their neighbors traced his origins to the Irish Free State.

Those were the days: The Soares clan, with friends & neighbors

Vintage photographs from the 1930s and beyond from the family of Victor Faria Soares, Sr. and Rose Raymond Soares of Somerset, Mass., my grandparents. These were digitized by my uncle, Arthur Faria Soares, who also provided me with many stories about my family and his experiences growing up. The children of Rose and Victor Sr. were: Victor Jr., Beatrice, Raymond (my father), and Arthur.

My mémère, Rose Raymond Soares, and her daughter, Bea, reading in the kitchen of the house at 204 Sherman Road, Somerset, Mass. Rose grew up speaking French at home (her parents did not speak English). She learned to speak Portuguese so she could communicate with her mother-in-law, Anna. Mémère had a fourth-grade education. The way she told it, the teacher told her she had passed, and she thought that meant she had finished her schooling. My Uncle Arthur said his mother loved to read the newspaper, especially the crime stories. When I heard that, I knew immediately why "In Cold Blood" has been one of my favorite books since I was 16.

Those were the days: The Soares clan, with friends & neighbors

Vintage photographs from the 1930s and beyond from the family of Victor Faria Soares, Sr. and Rose Raymond Soares of Somerset, Mass., my grandparents. These were digitized by my uncle, Arthur Faria Soares, who also provided me with many stories about my family and his experiences growing up. The children of Rose and Victor Sr. were: Victor Jr., Beatrice, Raymond (my father), and Arthur.

My uncle, Arthur Faria Soares, who digitized many of these pictures, titled this "Bea and Connie on Dad's Car." That would be his sister, Beatrice (on the right), and her best friend, Constance Quental. The Quental family lived near the Soares family, and the youngsters were quite close. There were six Quentals and four Soares, so I imagine they formed quite a "tribe." There are many pictures of the Quentals in my collection. Mr. Quental was a carpenter who fell on hard times during the Depression and was unable to finish the house he was building for his family. So they lived in the capped basement until World War II brought the Navy to nearby Newport, RI, and Mr. Quental found work again.

Those were the days: The Soares clan, with friends & neighbors

Vintage photographs from the 1930s and beyond from the family of Victor Faria Soares, Sr. and Rose Raymond Soares of Somerset, Mass., my grandparents. These were digitized by my uncle, Arthur Faria Soares, who also provided me with many stories about my family and his experiences growing up. The children of Rose and Victor Sr. were: Victor Jr., Beatrice, Raymond (my father), and Arthur.

Today we return to that enthusastic group that journeyed to Martha's Vineyard in 1948 for a Portuguese-American Civic League gathering. Here they are on the ferry. On the left, front, is Mary Perry, a friend of the Soares family. I believe my parents and I lived in an apartment in her house when I was one-two years old. My Aunt Beatrice is next to her. My grandfather, Victor Faria Soares is next to the standing man in a hat. I know the man next to Pépère is "Mr. Ramos," but only because he is identified in other photos. Bon voyage, happy travelers!

Those were the days: The Soares clan, with friends & neighbors

Vintage photographs from the 1930s and beyond from the family of Victor Faria Soares, Sr. and Rose Raymond Soares of Somerset, Mass., my grandparents. These were digitized by my uncle, Arthur Faria Soares, who also provided me with many stories about my family and his experiences growing up. The children of Rose and Victor Sr. were: Victor Jr., Beatrice, Raymond (my father), and Arthur.

My aunt, Beatrice Soares, in New York City. I believe this was taken in 1950. Her brother, Arthur, who digitized most of the photos I've been sharing, titled this "Ready for Church." Besides the lovely outfit, I like the fact that the passerby on the left is taking a look, and the mid-century street scene. 

Those were the days: The Soares clan, with friends & neighbors

Vintage photographs from the 1930s and beyond from the family of Victor Faria Soares, Sr. and Rose Raymond Soares of Somerset, Mass., my grandparents. These were digitized by my uncle, Arthur Faria Soares, who also provided me with many stories about my family and his experiences growing up. The children of Rose and Victor Sr. were: Victor Jr., Beatrice, Raymond (my father), and Arthur.

Yesterday we saw the men of the family in 1938; today it's the ladies' turn. From left to right, Aunt Alexina, my mémère, Rose Raymond Soares, her daughter, Beatrice, and her sister-in-law, Elizabeth Soares, who is holding her own daughter, Anna. Aunt Alexina was Rose's aunt. She was the sister of my great-grandmother, Celina Trahan Raymond. I did not know anything about her until my Uncle Arthur sent me these photographs. She sounds like an interesting person, and I'll have more to say about her in the future!

Those were the days: The Soares clan, with friends & neighbors

Vintage photographs from the 1930s and beyond from the family of Victor Faria Soares, Sr. and Rose Raymond Soares of Somerset, Mass., my grandparents. These were digitized by my uncle, Arthur Faria Soares, who also provided me with many stories about my family and his experiences growing up. The children of Rose and Victor Sr. were: Victor Jr., Beatrice, Raymond (my father), and Arthur.

Here is Beatrice Soares standing on the Slade's Ferry Bridge. The bridge, which spanned the Taunton River, was built in 1875 and connected Somerset and Fall River. It was demolished in 1970. I just discovered it also carried rail traffic on top.

Those were the days: The Soares clan, with friends & neighbors

Vintage photographs from the 1930s and beyond from the family of Victor Faria Soares, Sr. and Rose Raymond Soares of Somerset, Mass., my grandparents. These were digitized by my uncle, Arthur Faria Soares, who also provided me with many stories about my family and his experiences growing up. The children of Rose and Victor Sr. were: Victor Jr., Beatrice, Raymond (my father), and Arthur.

Today's vintage (circa 1931) photo is of my father, Raymond Faria Soares on the left, then his sister Bea, and his brother Victor, Jr. I'm not sure what Aunt Bea is looking at; we will have many lovely photographs of her in the days to come! This photo is noteworthy to me because in most of the pictures of my father as a child, he looks like he is on the verge of pulling a major prank. Also, I think Uncle Vic's look of "haughty derision" (as Sheldon Cooper would say) foretells his future as a physicist.

Those were the days: The Soares clan, with friends & neighbors

Vintage photographs from the 1930s and beyond from the family of Victor Faria Soares, Sr. and Rose Raymond Soares of Somerset, Mass., my grandparents. These were digitized by my uncle, Arthur Faria Soares, who also provided me with many stories about my family and his experiences growing up. The children of Rose and Victor Sr. were: Victor Jr., Beatrice, Raymond (my father), and Arthur.

Before moving to Somerset, the Soares lived on London Street in Fall River. My dad is on the far right; Arthur is next to him; Bea behind Arthur and Vic behind Ray. The other three children are unknown neighborhood friends.