Arnold and Newlin: 1966

Nevis family photos from 1966. Newlin is in her final trimester of pregnancy during the winter.

Andrew's school photo, 1965

unidentified boy, Emmett and Sheryl's house, Crawfordville, Florida

Spuffy was a pure breed boxer, sired by the champion boxer living next door. He got his name from a cross between Ruffy (Joel's unimaginative choice from their first dog) and Spot (Allan's unimaginative choice from a spot on Spuffy's forehead).

We had Spuffy for only a short time. Arnie was allergic so he could no longer tend to the dog, and Newlin took care of Spuffy until she was late in pregnancy. Since a neighbor was moving out of town to a rural setting, we gave Spuffy to them for a life in the country.

Andrew with Spuffy

Allan with Spuffy

Allan with Spuffy

Newlin with Spuffy, March 1965

Newlin and Arnie, February 1965

Newlin, March 1965

Andrew in a Christmas pageant

Arnie attends a meeting in Denver, Colorado, at the beginning of October 1965:

May D&F, Court Plaza, Hilton Hotel (Denver) postcard

Civic Center and City Hall, Denver 

next post  Arnold and Newlin: Eric arrives 1966

previous post Arnold and Newlin: Road Trip West 1965, Disneyland

first post in Flashbacks  How the Nevis family came to California

first post in Arnold's Story  July 1943

first post in blog  Leonard's Story: May 29, 1943

Arnold and Newlin: September 10–14, 1961

A letter from Newlin in Florida to Arnie at the Hotel Michelangelo in Rome, September 10, 1961:

Newlin took Allan, Joel and Andrew to her mother's in Crawfordville, but did not cross paths with her sisters Sheryl or Eloise or their families there; the Uhrigs lived next door to Arnie and Newlin; the Greers lived across the street, opposite to the Uhrigs

A postcard from Arnie in Rome to Newlin in Gainesville, September 11, 1961:

the Forum in Rome, circa 1961

It is odd that Arnie uses the German Rom, instead of Italian Roma;
the reception was probably in the Baths of Diocletian, now part of the Museo Nazionale Romano

A half envelope and a whole letter from Arnie to Newlin, September 14, 1961:

The Musei Capitolini (Capitoline Museums) is a single museum containing
a group of art and archaeological museums in Piazza del Campidoglio, Rome

next post  Arnold and Newlin: Geneva, September 1961

previous post  Arnold and Newlin: Rome, September 1961

first post in Flashbacks  How the Nevis family came to California

first post in Arnold's Story  July 1943

first post in blog  Leonard's Story: May 29, 1943

Arnold and Newlin: Spring and Easter 1961

Some photographs from Florida in the spring of 1961. The first set are from 3448 NW 11th Avenue, Arnie and Newlin's new house in Gainesville; the second set from Nursie Ashmore's house in Crawfordville at Easter.

In the first five Gainesville pictures, the family is in the living room. The next two are in the front yard of the house, where one can see the car port. Car ports were perhaps more common in Florida at that time. The numerous pine trees provided shade in the summer, keeping the air conditioning bill lower. Later they were a nuisance as they frequently lost branches in any wind or storm.

Andrew, six months old

Andrew, Allan (back of head) and Joel, spring 1961

Newlin, Andrew, Joel, and Allan, Gainesville, spring 1961

Joel, Newlin, Andrew, and Allan, spring 1961

Newlin, Andrew, Joel, and Allan, spring 1961

Joel with Ruffy

Joel, Andrew and Allan with their dog Ruffy, spring 1961

Allan, Andrew, Newlin, and Joel Nevis, spring 1961

It looks like Newlin is wearing a birthday hat in the photo above, but I can think of no one's birthday in the spring, so perhaps this picture is from Mother's Day, May 14.

Easter (April 2) was spent at Newlin's mother's house in Crawfordville. She had a large grape trellis for her scuppernong grapes in the back. Allan and Joel did not like the grapes' pungent flavor but they did throw the fruit at each other in play. Newlin's brother Ludlow and his family (wife Clarisse, son Randan and daughter Jerri) joined them.

Allan, Joel, Arnie, and Andrew, Crawfordville, Easter 1961

Allan and Joel, Easter 1951

Andrew, Newlin, Joel, Arnie, and Allan, Easter 1961

Clarisse, Randan, Ludlow, and Jerri Ashmore, Easter 1961

Allan, Easter 1961

Allan and Joel, Easter

In the front of the house of the photo above, one can make out a semicircular flower bed where Nursie grew her favorite flower zinnias. On this trip, though, we had picked some azaleas from Arnie and Newlin's yard in Gainesville and discovered on the way that the flowers concealed several bees who emerged in the car. We had to open the window and chase them out. One bee managed to make the three hour drive and escape from the flowers inside Nursie's home.

Nursie, Newlin, and Eric in Crawfordville, Florida, 1961

Joel and Nursie, Crawfordville, 1961

Allan, Arnie, Joel Nevis, Nursie, Newlin, and Andrew, Easter 1961

In this last photo the three generations (Nursie Ashmore, daughter Newlin Ashmore Nevis and son-in-law Arnold Nevis, and grandsons Allan, Joel and Andrew Nevis) stand in front of Nursie's house in Crawfordville. It is a typical Florida house, built up off the ground to keep critters out and in most cases with a crawl space to allow air to circulate underneath and cool the structure. The style is dubbed a cracker house — a cracker is a native of Florida — and features a covered porch and fireplace, among other things.

Arnie managed to insult his brother-in-law Ludlow when he found out that Ludlow was born on the fourth of July, humorously calling him a cracker in reference to a firecracker set off on Independence Day; cracker is also used as a term for poor rural whites in Georgia and Florida, perhaps a notch below a redneck, so the joke did not go over well.

After Nursie got cancer, Ludlow and Newlin's brother Enwood took her into his house in Tallahassee with Newlin and her three sisters tending to Nursie's care. As appreciation, all the Ashmore siblings donated their shares of the house from Nursie's inheritance to Enwood. Enwood later rented the house to sister Sheryl's son-in-law Charles Barwick and he converted it into a restaurant (named Shay's for his youngest son). It burned down after a few years, about a decade after Nursie's death in 1963.

next post  Arnold and Newlin: June 1961 WEN

previous post  Arnold and Newlin: California Nevises 1961

first post in Flashbacks  How the Nevis family came to California

first post in Arnold's Story  July 1943

first post in blog  Leonard's Story: May 29, 1943

Arnold and Newlin: 1952 wedding

Arnold and Newlin had a relatively short courtship in San Francisco. They rode the cable cars between their living quarters and the hospital, explored the city, and saw the area sights. Arnold proposed to Newlin on a street corner going home from a laundromat, with Newlin having her hair still in curlers. She was obviously smitten with Arnold and decided that, while not a particularly romantic scenario, she admired him for wanting to marry her in her sloppiest attire.

Newlin returned to Florida to prepare for her wedding, where she lived with her mother in Crawfordville and commuted 30–40 minutes by car to Tallahassee Memorial Hospital for work. She had had a few accidents in the past driving home after her night shift, so a family member was always assign to drive her to Tallahassee and pick her up. 

Tallahassee Memorial Hospital W-2, Newlin Ashmore, 1952

In reality, she spent her time working, as her cousin Helen Durrance (Earlie Helen Durrance 1915–2007) arranged everything for the wedding. Happy to have someone else (and someone with experience) take that over, Newlin only overrode the choice of going away outfit — she insisted it be made of cotton instead of wool or heavy silk to accommodate the hot and humid Florida climate. 

Certificate of Marriage for Newlin Ashmore and Arnold Hastings Nevis, September 6, 1952, First Baptist Church, Tallahassee, 
signed by Rev. Jack Eppes and witnessed by matron of honor Sheryl A. Ferrell and best man John L. Mason 

Newlin Ashmore with her nephew Emmett "Bucky" Ferrell, III

groom Arnold Nevis with John Mason (right) and Allan Tisdale (center), before the wedding

Newlin with her sister and matron of honor Sheryl Ashmore Ferrell

Newlin arriving at the church and assisted by her brother Wayne Ashmore

Newlin was escorted down the aisle by her oldest living brother Wayne Ashmore

newly married Newlin and Arnold Nevis walking down the aisle

newly married Newlin and Arnold Nevis exiting the church

bride and groom Newlin and Arnold Nevis, First Baptist Church of Tallahassee

bride Newlin Nevis

newly married Newlin Nevis

the wedding party, left to right: Elise Ferrell, Laura Nevis, Floreine Ashmore Marshall, Ludlow Ashmore,
matron of honor Sheryl Ashmore Ferrell, Byrne Ashmore, bride Newlin Ashmore Nevis, Allan Tisdale,
groom Arnold Nevis, Enwood Ashmore, best man John Mason, unknown, Helen Durrance,
Jean Solomon Turner, and Linda Langston at the First Baptist Church of Tallahassee

Newlin and Arnold Nevis cut the cake at their wedding reception

Wayne Ashmore, Newlin Ashmore Nevis, Arnold Nevis, and Emmett "Bucky" Ferrell III

reception line: Nursie Ashmore (mother of the bride), Wayne Ashmore, Newlin Ashmore Nevis, Arnold Nevis, Hazel Nevis (mother of the groom), Sheryl Ashmore Ferrell, Helen Durrance, Jean Solomon Turner, Floreine Ashmore Marshall, Laura Nevis, Linda Langston, Elise Ferrell

Wayne Ashmore Nursie Ashmore, Newlin Ashmore Nevis, Arnold Nevis, Hazel Nevis, John Mason

Wedding reception line, marriage of Newlin Ashmore and Arnold Nevis,
June 6, 1952, First Baptist Church of Tallahassee, Florida
Bill Nevis (leftmost), Hazel Nevis (her back), Nursie Ashmore, unknown female profile, Wayne Ashmore, Emmett Ferrell, Newlin Ashmore Nevis, Sheryl Ferrell (her back) Arnold Nevis, others 

Newlin's eldest sister Eloise Ashmore Langston is in charge of the wedding guest book

first page of the wedding guest book with bride, groom, officiant, and wedding attendants

Newlin and Arnold cutting the wedding cake

reception napkin from wedding of Newlin and Arnold Nevis

Newlin tosses the bouquet to her bridesmaids

Newlin and Arnold depart on their honeymoon; Newlin's going-away outfit was red (and white);
guests throw the traditional rice at the couple for prosperity, fertility and good fortune

Newlin and Arnold depart on their honeymoon in Newlin's sister and brother-in-law's car

Arnold and Newlin borrowed a car from Newlin sister Sheryl and brother-in-law Emmett. Apparently people wrote on the car with lipstick ("just married" and the like). Arnold and Newlin did not clean it off until the next day, but by then the writing had baked into the finish of car and for the many years Sheryl and Emmett had that car, one could still see faintly the just marrieds on all sides of it.

next post  Arnold and Newlin: 1952 honeymoon

previous post  Arnold and Newlin 1952

first post in Flashbacks  How the Nevis family came to California

first post in Arnold's Story  July 1943

first post in blog  Leonard's Story: May 29, 1943