Found this picture in with a bunch of my Grandfather’s war photo’s.  A lot of the stuff comes out incorrectly exposed, and/or out of focus.  This one definitely included.   However, from what you can make out there are smiles, and laughs.  I like the idea of my Grandfather as a young man.   Having never known him, I only get small bits of character insight, and it seems like to me he lost much of this youthful energy as he got older.

I love the image of this scene even if it is hard to make out faces.  Open mouth laughs, smiles, around a dinner table.  I can only imagine this was one of the good days, and I can’t take my eyes off it.

I decided that it was time that we got a quality binder made of all of the photo’s scanned to date.   It’s a ton of photo’s and this print out cost a pretty penny.  However, it’s helpful to be able to see them laid out like this.  It’ll also be nice for taking notes directly onto the plastic sleeves I have them inside.

Doing this also got me thinking about how many other photographs we must be missing.  A ton from different family members.  I think it’s about time to step up the game and make some trips up North to see if we can get any more of these pictures.

I depart on my first filming trip to Cleveland OH. Birthplace of my dad, and home to his parents for many years. We plan on having nice chats with my dad’s uncle Dick, and his cousin’s, and hopefully taking a look at some great photographs, as well as visiting with Dick and hopefully hearing some great stories about my Grandparents.

I’m excited that my dad and I were finally able to make this trip happen and it’s just as exciting that my uncles and aunt seem just as excited as I am to see this project through. We have broken ground on the filming portion. There’s only one way to go from here. Which is full steam ahead. Here we go!

On December 15th I fly to Cleveland, OH to meet up with my dad, and embark on a weekend long shoot that will cover a ton of bases. We’ll be talking to my dad’s uncle dick. As well as a few cousins who have photo albums and pictures of my grandfather when he was a child. We will be going to Stark lane, and visit the landing spot for the Stark family when they came from over seas. As well as countless other activities and events in order to mark the beginning of shooting for the “Reassembling Marion” project. Looking forward to it. Post more when we’re there.

Over the course of the last few years this project has seen times of growth and times of stagnation. All the while still trying to figure out how to generate interest and with that hopefully energy and willingness to participate in something that is bigger than all of us individually. I have been working for a few months (on and off) on this trailer of sorts. Something to showcase the direction of this project, something to showcase the scope and the professionalism in which I’ll be taking this project from here forward.

This will be like what I envision for the finished product. Something that is tangible, and not just a bunch of photo’s on a hard drive. Something that we can all watch and say “that was well done”. Something that is so well done that it transcends just the immediate family, and hopefully will evoke some sort of emotional, or physical reaction out of any viewer.

That being said, this is the first of what I can only guess will be a quite deal more video trailers or teasers for the end result. Which I’m hoping to have be a long form film in some way or another.

Not quite sure who the photographer was on this one, but its a wonderful shot. At my grandma’s house in Lafayette taken from the end of the drive way looking up towards the street. Beautifully composed and wonderful.

This photo was in scanned with the rest of Joe Stark’s photo’s and the original is in his possession. I have scanned this large enough to have prints made if wanted.

Another quick update. I’ve got through a whole lot of scan’s recently. Spent a few Sunday’s in front of a computer screen and scanner putting all these photo’s in.

I’d like to immediately thank Jeff, Joel, and Robert for grabbing some photo’s for me to scan.

The thing is. I need more. I’d really like this to become a very all encompassing project. If I’m not going to do it right, then why do it at all? So Anything that’s of any interest to the immediate Stark family. Even if you don’t think it’s of any interest. Please, put it aside and get it to me, I’ll scan them, and get them back to you a.s.a.p. I’m just trying to compile for the entire family. You’ll get copies of everything in the end.

Here’s a nice one from Joel to get you excited about the great stuff I’ve been finding.

Thanks!

Hey,

Haven’t updated you in a while. Letting you know that I am still workign on this stuff. I scanned a huge chunk of photo’s found in my parents attic. Got the computer and the scanner in front of the tele last weekend and put down about 300+ photo’s. Here’s one from WWII section.

Also, thank you to those of you who have submitted some photo’s. This again, is a huge project that relies heavily on cooperation from everyone in the Stark family. There’s no way to know how wonderful this project will become. However, what I have seen and worked on so far has got me pretty excited and interested about everything.

Please don’t be affraid to contribute, if anything be empowered and excited to share what you’ve got in your attic collecting dust with the rest of the family.

Thanks.

John

Here’s the slide show that played at Thanksgiving. The project was received warmly. I found quite a few more photo’s a Jack’s house this weekend. So I’ll start to itemize and catalog those photo’s. Thanks to uncle Joe for bringing some photo’s to Thanksgiving, I’ll have them back to you a.s.a.p.

December 27th is less than a month away. Please take a look into those boxes in your attic or storage space, and bring what you’ve got. If you have them in tupperware boxes all the better. I’ll take what you have and give it back to you in the exact same condition. I’m not in the business of redistributing things. I’m in the business of bringing all of this families memories, and photograph’s together into one large catalog.

For those of you that want to know more about how this project or process will go, please email me. I’d be happy to tell you more about what I want to do, what this project will start out like, and what I possibly see it ending in. For the record, when the photographic catalog enters it’s finishing stages. I want to make it clear that everyone in this family will get a copy if they want it. I believe it will be too large for cd’s and dvd’s and will end up needing to be cataloged on hard drive. Thanks for you help and encouragement.

John M. Jenkins-Stark

Scanning is in process, however it is a rediculously tedious project to overtake. I’ve gotten through one full photo album and am working on the next. As well as a tin box from my grandfather. The scan’s look really great, here’s one from the Stark’s roadtrip/move to Oregon.