Many members of my family as well as my friends have read Stored Treasures, since it's publication. I received great feedback all around, but one unexpected response occurred Almost everyone who knew me and read the book, told me how stuck they were by how my resembled my ancestor. "Which one?" I asked, even though after a few times, I knew the response. "The one in that amazing photo. The erie one," they all pretty much replied.
They were referring to my second great-grandmother Feige Kranowitz (Yarmovsky) in the picture where she appeared next to her husband, my second great-grandfather Moshe Aaron Kranowitz. Honestly, at first, I was taken aback by this remark. Feige, in this photo, must be one of the most frightening looking women I've ever seen. The photograph, one of only two known photos of Feige, spent many years hidden away in a box. It was too difficult for me to look at it.
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| Moshe Aaron and Feige Kranowitz c1922 |
I've written about this amazing photos, early on in this blog. The January 11th post—A Photo Worth A Thousand Word—to this day, is my all time most popular post with close to four hundred views. I'm pretty sure it continues to get hits, because the photo is so striking.
How can people think I look like Feige Kranowitz? I thought. Her face is completely scarred from what looks like the pox. Her gaze is very stern. Yet, so many people see the resemblance. "What is it you see?" I began asking, trying not to take offense. "It's the eyes," the reply would come. "There is something in the eyes". And then, I saw it. I have my second great-grandmother's eyes. She had light eyes. Blue? Maybe green?
Her eyes reminded me of another family story. For years everyone in the family wondered where I got my green eyes. My mother and all her siblings had brown eyes. My grandmother Ethel had brown eyes as did her mother, my great-grandmother Minnie. My mother repeated asked Minnie where the light eye gene could have originated but she couldn't recall and light eyes going generations back. They almost agreed it was a mutation, when my sister, five years younger than me, was born with blue eyes. One day, Minnie recalled: "My mother had the most beautiful light eyes you've ever seen," she said. I'm pretty sure she must have said Blue or Green, but sadly I don't know for sure which color she reported her mother's eyes to be. All I know is they were light colored, not brown. My mother was amazed. Everyone was relieved that the mystery was solved. I inherited my eyes from Minnie's mother, Feige!
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| Kranowitz Family Reunion 2010 |
Here I am at our family reunion with the image of Feige projected behind me. In this view, I can even imagine that maybe we share a bit more than the eyes. The cheek bones or the shape of the face perhaps? See what you think.
To learn more about +Lisa Alzo's 31 inspirational writing prompts in celebration of Women's History Month visit her blog: The Accidental Genealogist. It's not too late to join!
Don't forget to check out my new blog Ethel's Scrapbook!
Yep, I see the resemblance in the general shape of the face and cheekbones, for sure. I didn't write on this topic even though in my teen years I looked very much like a great-aunt in her teen years. If I were being psychoanalyzed, the doctor might say I fear looking like that aunt in her "old lady" years. HA!
ReplyDeleteI was a bit scared to write about this topic, because I do find the photo quite creepy, and you are right Wendy, the taught of looking more and more like her as I get older is even scarier. But I decided I couldn't skip this prompt!
DeleteThere. Is a resemblance in the face shape and eyes. You look much happier though.
ReplyDeleteThanks, Betty! There is a lot of sadness in her face isn't there? Emily was correct to assume that my life has been a lot easier than Feige.
DeleteDefinitely the shape of the face and cheekbones. Of course, you look much nicer (but have probably led an easier life).
ReplyDeleteIt reminds me of the lyrics from the Brandi Carlile song, The Story.
DeleteAll of these lines across my face
Tell you the story of who I am
So many stories of where I've been
And how I got to where I am
Her face does tell the story of a very difficult life, doesn't it. I know only bits and pieces of it, from her daughter's memoir, but like you said, you can see how difficult it was from her face.
Like Wendy, I too see the resemblance in the shape of the face and cheekbones. Aren't genes amazing? I have a niece who looks so much like my grandmother (her great-grandmother).
ReplyDeleteThanks, Jana. Yes genes are amazing. Even after five generations with a mixture of so many more genes to the mix, there is still resemblance!
DeleteI understand how surprised you must have been at their response, and this is a fascinating question. There is so much to see in faces! Feige does have light eyes, and I wonder where they came from, genetically? Which "haplogroups," I guess is the question, have light eyes?
ReplyDeleteEven though her face is scarred, she has that "steady-as-she-goes" look, a real survivor. There is a resemblance to you in the shape of the face, too -- something in both the cheek and the jaw. I'd say that you have "deep" eyes (whatever that means) with sharply outlined eyebrows. And so does she.
Hmm...now I'm going to read the earlier post about that amazing photo.
Mariann, I like the "steady-as-she-goes" idea. I do know she had a difficult life, dealing with poverty, many children (eight who made it to adulthood) and then illness. I do carry her mitochondrial DNA, but the light eye gene doesn't come from there.
DeleteI look forward to your input on the "Photo Worth A Thousand Words" post!
I love this post! The photo is amazing - such character in their faces. And I definitely see it in the eyes :)
ReplyDeleteThanks, Sally. It's a truly a cherished photo which took me years to appreciate! Thanks for stopping by!
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