Sessler Family and Great Grandpa Henry Clay Boaz

front - Margie, Bobby, Harry
back - Warren, Beulah, Henry Clay Boaz

Warren Sessler, holding Bobby on the colt
with Margie and Harry in front

Harry Sessler

Harry Sessler - 1943

Uncle Harry Sessler ~ 1944

Harry Elliott Sessler was born 31 July 1926 in Pratt, Pratt, Kansas. He was the 2nd of six children (1st of 4 sons) born to Warren Martin Sessler and Beulah Maybelle Boaz Sessler. He graduated from Hugoton High School in the spring of 1944 as class Valedictorian. 

Harry served in the United States Marine Corp during World War II and enlisted on 18 Oct 1944 at Hugoton, Stevens, Kansas - Board #1; Service #950614; Registered Order #10305.  

He fought in the South Pacific and witnessed the deaths of his closest buddies. After the war he suffered from Post War Traumatic Stress and never fully recovered from it. 

He attended college in Stockton California but left after the first semester and then worked in Colorado on a bridge building job. He fell from the top of the bridge and suffered a head injury. He was mentally handicapped afterwards, partially because of the fall and partially because of his experiences in the war and post-war from the electric shock treatments he received in the Veterans Hospital. 

Harry lived with his parents until their deaths and then spent the remainder of his life in rest homes. He never married. 

The Sessler Family ~ December 1951

The Sessler Family ~ 1951

Greg Sessler ~ December 1951

Greg - 18 months

Greg - 18 months - Dec 1951

My Brother - Gorgeous Greg

1956 - Greg - 6 yrs

1957 - Greg - 7 yrs

I love these photos of my brother, Greg. In the first one he looks like he's such a little scrapper. He could be a character right out of the Little Rascals. I love how he is smiling big to show us his missing teeth. I hope the Tooth Fairy was good to him. 

And in the second photo he is such a lady's man. It makes you want to reach up and gently brush his hair back as you drown into his gorgeous blue eyes.

Connie Sessler - 6 months old

Feb 1954 ~ Connie LeAnn Sessler
6 months ~ 19.5 lbs 

Grandmother's Album of Baby Pictures

Mildred and Maxine Forward ~ b. 1920

What adorable babies!! Ann and Glenn must have had so much fun with these two cuties!!  A lot of work, no doubt, but so much FUN!!! I wonder if Ann knew she was having twins or if she found out when they were born.

JoAnn Forward ~ b.1929

This is a favorite photo of mine. Of course I'm a bit biased since this is my mom but you must admit she is a beauty with those gorgeous eyes and kissable little mouth! What innocence! 

My grandparents, Ann and Glenn Forward, had seven children: Maxine, Mildred, Jean, Dula, Wayne, Charles and JoAnn. Grandmother had the most wonderful photo album with baby photos of all her children and grandchildren. Whenever I was at their home I would ask to see the photo album. I would sit on their big bed with that huge album, slowly turning the pages, savoring each photo and storing the images in my memory. When Grandmother passed away that wonderful photo album was dismantled and all the photos were returned to the various families. The only baby photo I have from that album is the one of my mother, JoAnn. This photo of her sisters, Mildred and Maxine, actually came from my great aunt, Barbara Helfrich Webber.

I would like to recreate Grandmother's family photo album. So this is a request to my Aunts, Uncles and Cousins: Please send me your baby photos - the ones that were in Grandmother's album.  I promise to scan your photos and then promptly return your originals to you in perfect condition.

Thank you,
Connie

Barbara Helfrich Webber and Deloris ~ 1915

Before

After

Sisters ~ Barbara and Gertrude Helfrich

Before

After

Awesome hats!! Check out Girtie's hat pin!! These are clothes my granddaughters would love to play dress-up in! Heck! These are clothes that I'd love to play dress-up in!!

I believe this photo was taken when the family lived in Syracuse and before Barbara married in 1914. (In 1914 Barbara was 21 and Gertrude was 17.)

Sisters ~ Anna and Frances Helfrich

This was a tiny photo scanned from Anna's (Grandmother Forward) personal school photo album. If this was in 1914 (estimated) - Anna would be 16 and Frances would be 14-1/2. They went to school in Syracuse, Kansas. I'm not sure when they moved to Hugoton, Kansas but they were there by 1918 when Anna and Glenn were married.

This was a tiny photo scanned from Anna's (Grandmother Forward) personal school photo album. If this was in 1914 (estimated) - Anna would be 16 and Frances would be 14-1/2. They went to school in Syracuse, Kansas. I'm not sure when they moved to Hugoton, Kansas but they were there by 1918 when Anna and Glenn were married.

My Grandmother ~ 87 years

Before

After

Anna Helena Helfrich Forward, December 8, 1985 ~ 87 years old. 

My beautiful silver-haired grandmother with twinkling blue eyes.

Glenn Forward ~ WWI

l-r: Glenn Forward, Ray Kiever, unidentified

Forward Reunion - 1964

Before and After

This photo was taken 31 May 1964 at the Forward Reunion in the VFW Hall, Hugoton, Kansas.
l-r: Jean Coulter(42), JoAnn Sessler(34), Mildred Moser(43), Wayne Forward(36), Dula Hughes(39), Charles Forward(38), Maxine Phillips(43) - (ages as of 31 May 1964)

(As you can see, colored photographs are harder to edit. I'm not sure if I improved it much but I tried.)              

Sisters, Frances and Anna Helfrich ~ abt 1918

Before

After

Much of the detail in this photo (before) was almost faded away. This is what happens to old photos when light and air gets to them - not to mention that this photo is almost 100 years old!! But it is an awesome photo and I'm so thankful that we have the technology to scan and restore the details before they completely disappear!!

This photograph of Frances (Helfrich) Watkins and Anna (Helfrich) Forward (my grandmother) was taken about 1918 in Syracuse, Kansas. I wish I knew the story behind this photo. They look very somber/serious and Frances has a hankie in her hand. It feels like a sad picture.