The Perkins Family Page
Mom & Dad in the 'early 1940's.
Dad was stationed in or near Augusta, Georgia during the early 1940's.
This is a photograph of Mom, in a leather folding case, that Mom gave to Dad
to carry with him while he was in the Army and away from home (signed: "With Love, Babe").MORE
This is a photograph of David N. Perkins, my father and the love of my Mom's life! He left us on May 5, 1978
This is my father, David Norton Perkins.
This photograph was taken during his college years.
This is my Dad and his High School class. He's in the center of the back row.
Notice the "great" odds that the guys who stayed in school had. At least two girls for every guy!
This is my Maternal Grandmother Edith Coleman.
She died while my Mom was still very young (about 12 years old) and I never had a chance to meet or know her.
My Grandfather, William Coleman, ran a General Store. That's him on the left, above, resting and watching over things.
My Grandfather Coleman opened his first General Store in Beech Grove, Kentucky.
Long before there were "Green Stamps" or "discount shoppers cards" he used these coins to lure customers back to his store.
The smaller coin was worth 5 cents and the larger one was worth 25 cents in his store for merchandise.
This is my Grandfather's General Store on Main Street in Smiths Grove, Kentucky. The photo was taken on a day of great excitement as he was giving away a Model T Ford automobile. He obviously knew how to create excitement and get customers to the store! Mom & Granddad are standing on top of something, just to the left of the tree in the foreground and are marked with an X on their chest. The car was won by Gerald (Mousey) Brown's Aunt Lula. We believe this was in the time frame of 1926 or 1927.
Fast forward a few years and Mom and Dad owned this "Service Station" on Main Street in Smiths Grove. Mom ran the station when Dad went to the Army to serve during World War II. Dad had others run the station for them at times and they later leased it to Ashland Oil after they added two service bays to the right side of the station. The whole thing burned down (in the early 1960's) due an employee attempting to thaw out a frozen gas line with an acetylene torch! Thank goodness the place was insured...
Here our family arrives home in Smiths Grove after Dad's service in the Army Air Corps was over at the end of World War II.
My Dad and I share a moment. Do you think he was proud of me yet? Actually, I was very lucky to ever meet my dad,
considering the assignment he was preparing to undertake, just before World War II ended.
He had prepared for that assignment by manufacturing his own "pig sticker" as he called it. See it HERE.
Here are a couple of shots with Mom at about six to eight months of age.
At only age 10-1/2 Months, David Lee gets close to His Grandfather William "Will" Coleman.
David Lee's first Easter Egg hunt with the girls. Already he's looking for the "more mature ladies". GRIN!
David Lee's first lesson with the lawnmower. There would be days later on... that he finally got it right!
One of David Lee's earlier Family Photographs, taken in July of 1950 at the little white house on "Kid Alley".
One of David Lee's earlier Family Photographs, taken inside the little white house on "Kid Alley".
David Lee "hanging out" out behind the little white house on "Kid Alley".
David Lee's early portrait at about age six.
Seems like David Lee wound up starting early as a car nut. He still is!
In the early 1950's we moved to a farm near Chalybeate Springs, Kentucky.
Here my Dad and I pose in the front yard of our home with one of our dogs named BeBe.
In this photo David is 6 years of age.
In the early 1950's we moved to a farm near Chalybeate Springs, Kentucky.
Here I pose in the front yard of our home with Mom.
Here I am, hanging out in the front yard of our house with my Dad.
Here I am, hanging out in the front yard of our house with Mom and my puppy.
Our house was a cozy three room Log Cabin!
Here I am, getting outside in the winter with my puppy.
Life was Soooo simple then!
This dog of ours just wandered in one day and decided to stay.
She learned to do all kinds of tricks and became part of our family!
Here, Mom gets her to do her "standing up" trick.
Again I got out on the porch in the winter with my cat named Stack.
He never seemed to care how I held him... as long as I held him!
Here's a better shot of Stack.
Dad named him that as he said the cat was as black as a Stack of black cats.
I never understood that reasoning... do you?
It must have been cold this day... check those ear muffs!
After I finished the third grade, we moved from the farm back to the little white house on Kid Alley in Smiths Grove. Soon after we got settled in my Uncle Paul, who lived in Chicago, passed away. His wife, my Aunt Maude and my Dad's Sister, bought a house across the street from us and moved back to Smiths Grove. The photo's below are of Aunt Maude as a young lady, then as the Aunt Maude I knew and the portrait of her reading the bible is how I last remember her. She passed away while I was in the Navy and on a cruise out at sea, in the late 1960's.
In the Fall of 1961 we were paid a visit by our Cousin Bill Edwards and his family from Birmingham, Alabama. They were up to visit with his Father (my Uncle Will and my Dad's Brother) who lived north of us near Cave City, Kentucky. In the photo, (L to R) Aunt Maude, Pauline Edwards, Me (in back), Beverly Edwards (front) and Cousin Bill Edwards.
In the spring of 1963 this bunch graduated from High School (me included) and we went to Daytona Beach for our Senior Trip.
Then... moving ahead a few years...
David Lee and Mom in October of 1966, home on leave (from the Navy) at Smiths Grove, KY.
At that time, David's duty station was Midway Island.
David Lee and Dad pose for the camera, October 1966, in Smiths Grove, KY.
Mom & Dad's home in Smiths Grove, KY. from 1957 to mid 1996.
Marie Perkins meets her first Grandchild, Johnathan, in 1972.
Dad meets Johnathan in 1972.
Mom and Dad beside their prize flowers sometime between 1975 & 1977, probably in the late summer or mid-fall.
During this time, David and his family spent a couple of years on the island of Guam. Johnathan enjoyed the beach, as seen HERE.
Granny Perkins takes a break from playing games with the Grand Children, Johnathan and Sarah, [in July of 1988]
at her home on the corner of Fourth and Kentucky Street... in Smiths Grove, Ky.
Here Mom cleans up the kitchen after a meal. Taken on a visit in July of 1994.
Granny Perkins "clowns around" at Thanksgiving time of 2002 with the clown we kiddingly
teased her about being with her "boyfriend"! As you can see, she enjoyed the fun.
Marie and David Lee share time together. Taken in the Fall of 2002.
Marie and getting a visit from Santa in 2002.
Granny Perkins enjoys her "best friend" Woogie, the cat. They spent lots of time together
and Mom had Woogie's picture on the night stand beside her bed as she drew her last breaths.