My mother referred to the house where her mother grew up as "the old Woodsfield House." This photo dates from 1895. The structure still stands (in slightly altered form) at 224 Eastern Ave., Woodsfield, Ohio — although I suspect the street number had not been assigned when the picture was taken. It was known then, and apparently still is, at least among older residents of Woodsfield, as "the Mallory house."

The little blond girl standing in front of the porch and sucking her thumb is my maternal grandmother, Gertrude Mallory Messner (1892-1975). The dapper croquet player in the hat is my great-grandfather, Wickliffe Ewing Mallory (1852-1911), a successful lawyer who built the house and went by his initials, "W.E." View full size.