A couple of weeks ago, my mother sent me off with an old shoe box filled with negatives, most dating back a half-century or more.
![[text]](http://ilind.net/images_2009/kodak090709.jpg)
Some appear to be about the size of 35mm film and tightly wound up in long strips inside old film containers or wrapped around Kodak boxes like this one. Some are larger negatives, cut and stored singly, probably 120 film from a Brownie camera.
One box caught my eye right away. It was marked “Waipahu Luau 1949”.
These old negatives were stiff and warped with age, but didn’t break when I carefully removed them from the box. I cut them into short strips to minimize the pressure when I tried to straighten them out. Unlike some of the larger Brownie negatives, which survived in excellent condition, these smaller 60 year old negatives show every bit of their age. But even though the originals are very underexposed, I was able to recover some of the long-lost images.
![[text]](http://ilind.net/oldkine_images/waipahu-luau/source/image/luau-1949-09.jpg)
The photos were taken during a family luau at the Waipahu home of my mother’s parents in 1949.
We’re now trying to figure who is in the photos. The woman second from the left in this first photo, facing the camera, is “Aunty Helen”, my grandmother’s sister, Helen McPherson.
Next to her, third from the camera, appears to be my grandmother, Heleualani Yonge.
But when shown another photo, which shows the same woman as she looks to the left, my mom said it was not her mother. The hair isn’t right, she said.
![[text]](http://ilind.net/oldkine_images/waipahu-luau/source/image/luau-1949-04.jpg)
My sister has her sleuthing hat on, and writes:
Our grandmother had short hair, this woman has long hair pinned up. My guesses are either Auntie Louisa (the youngest of the 3 Cathcart girls, daughters of Robert William Cathcart) or Auntie Flora, a half-sister who mother always says could have been her mother’s twin.
Auntie Flora is the grandmother of Mamo Howell and entertainer and teacher Kimo Alama Keaulana of Honolulu Community College — among others. Auntie Flora was maiden surname TOOMEY. Alexander Toomey, the lighthouse keeper who died in the fire at Makapuu Lighthouse in Apr 1925 was her full brother.
We still trying to put names with other faces that appear.
![[text]](http://ilind.net/oldkine_images/waipahu-luau/source/image/luau-1949-01.jpg)
There’s one photo of my mother holding me on her lap.
To see all the photos I was able to scan from this family gathering, just click here.
And for those who are interested, here’s my mother’s chart of relations in that generation.
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Ian, what sort of hardware scanner are you using to scan your negatives and slides? We have lots of slides that need digitizing before they are lost. Also, my advice regarding your decision about a single topic blog: Keep doing what you’ve been doing. The multi-topics are YOU…this is what keeps me coming back for my daily dose.
When tweaking a scan that has extreme contrast in tones, such as deep darks and blown-out highlights, try the EQUALIZE function on PhotoShop. It can sometimes work a miracle. And sometimes make it very weird.
Great palaka shirt you’re wearing in the picture!
What a cutie, I bet he became a real “Lady killer”.
I love the spontaneous not posed attitude the bent calender on the wall and the cluttered table after eating “a frozen moment of time”.
Aloha,
Thank you so much for sharing your pictures. I am a great grand daughter of Alexander Toomey. My grandmother was his youngest daughter she was born after the Makapu’u Lighthouse accident. Her name was Minnie Ululani Toomey Medeiros. I’ve been trying to make connections on who’s who? My grandmother was raised by Dorothy Kawewehi not sure who she was or how my grandmother was related to her.
According to my grandmother’s birth certificate, her uncle Samuel Toomey signed the paper and discharged her soon after she was born because her mother passed away giving birth to her.
Trying to connect missing links.
aloha,
i am the great great grand daughter of Alexander Toomey. My great grandmother is the late Julia Toomey, i was very close with my grandma . And she would always tell me stories about her mother and father, thankyou so much for sharing, i have many stories and my mom and i maybe a help to any famliy member with any questions.
Aloha my grandmother is the late Julia Toomey, 2nd oldiest daughter to Alexander Denmis Toomey and Minnie U’a . I am Marleina Piilani (Willis) Sirkin. Mother to Lokeanela Willis above. My mother is Alethea Lokeanela (Anderson) Kapela .
Marleina I would love to get in contact with Jeremy. We were in contact and then nothing, what happened?