Grandpa’s Photo Album

This is the story of a house and a family growing up together. In 1911, Grandpa and Grandmother Davenport, with their three sons (John, Byrd, and Baby Roswell) purchased a ten acre farm in Henrico County.

“Why are you moving way out there in the country, Marguerite?” asked her Richmond friends. Grandmother, born and raised in the city of Richmond, had married a handsome New Englander and with their growing family, they were looking for more space. In the very first photos in the album, one can almost guess what attracted them to this site formerly owned by an Englishman named Mr. Matthews. Mr. Matthews had built an octagonal-shaped stone building with three foot walls filled with rocky debris because he feared the winds of the West would blow it down. The octagonal building became the cornerstone of the developing home and was clearly the favorite of the new owners.

Grandmother had a great eye for a thing of beauty. The building eventually became the unusual living room of the home. Grandmother also knew the importance of owning land. In the first few pages of the album, the views seem to exhibit another reason for their interest in this particular site. The views appear to stretch out endlessly to the west with almost no trees. In the distant landscape, is that the James River?

As they sold lots later, there was always the stipulation in the deed that the purchaser’s house plans had to be submitted to the owners, no tall chimneys to obstruct the view. That was one of Grandmother’s quirks.

These early snapshots show that Grandpa and Grandmother had picked a superb site for the growing family. Grandmother was an avid gardener. There is a picture of her on one of her garden paths, bordered by daffodils. Grandpa particularly enjoyed feeding the birds in her gardens, especially hummingbirds. The children enjoyed the garden and the yard every bit as much as Grandpa and Grandmother.

John was the oldest and is always recognizable because his hair has a wave to it. He was the only one that had learned how to milk Buttercup, the cow, who is pictured serenely in several photos. Unfortunately, Henny Penny is not pictured. Henny Penny was a favorite pet until one day after one of Sarah’s delicious meals, when they discovered that they had eaten her. After John, the towhead Byrd became known through the years as “the one who could fix things.” He never lost that talent. The third one on the scene was Baby Roswell, who at his early age exhibited a great smile, even as he sat joyfully in his British-style baby buggy.

As the children grew and changed, so did the house! Mr. Matthews’ simple one story white clapboard house, yards away from the octagonal room, soon became attached to it with the addition of several rooms facing east.

As the house emerged, little Stephen, another towhead, was born. Stephen became a tease and had a great sense of humor, as seen in many of the photos. For a while, we get Byrd, Roswell, and Stephen mixed up. There is one great photo of Grandpa seated outside, surrounded by the four boys and a Collie dog lying in the grass. Grandpa was a spiritual man, a man of authority, and love.

And then Warwick arrives on the scene, somewhat pixyish, and often pictured as small boy with his head tilted to the side.

We begin to see a miscellaneous group of photos: Sam, the yardman; Warwick pushing the wheelbarrow; snapshots of playing Indians; Uncle Stephen in his WWI uniform; the goat cart; the Shanklin cousins from California cavorting on the lawn. Sports became an interest of the Davenport boys; Byrd, Roswell, and Stephen in football uniforms, as well as John with a basketball at St. Christopher’s. Pictures of two girls begin to show up, Imogene and Ida, the daughters of Grandmother’s sister, who died in the flu epidemic of WWI. At this point, Imogene and Ida had become part of the family. We eventually see John’s graduation from Yale and Byrd’s from UVA.

The renovations of the house had been completed with a second story added, as well as a front porch with large columns in front of the dining room, adjourned with none other than the original octagonal building. We now reach the end of Grandpa’s Photograph album. It was a moment in time, never to be quite the same again.