Shank Siblings – February 14, 1910

This photo was taken February 14, 2010 and has my Aunt Laura, Aunt Mabel and Uncle Press posing for the photographer.  Laura (Laura Leona Shank McGrew) is the eldest, born in 1901, she was the premature baby who was not expected to live.  She went on to be 97 years of age before she died.  She was just past 8 years of age when this photo was taken.  Aunt Mabel (Mabel Ada Shank Rich Carlisle) is on the left, and was 5 years and 9 months old.   Press (Harvey Preston Shank) is on the right, was 4 years old.  There was a baby boy born prematurely before Laura who died, and two more baby boys in between Laura and Mabel who died at birth.  The next six kids all survived (Press, Marguerite, Minnie, Anna (my mother), Virgil and Geneva), though Minnie, born in 1912, was “sickly and puny” according to one of her mother’s letters.  She lived well into her 90’s.  The last baby boy also died after only a couple months of life, and his mother then succumbed to death about two months later, leaving a grieving husband and eight children.