Fishing Trip to Canada (1946)

Left to right: Wallace R. Reece, Lloyd J. Reece, George M. Reece, Bert Young

My father, Lloyd, my Uncle Wally and my grandfather, George. With them is Bert Young, who lived in Niagara Falls, NY. Mr. Young was a neighbor and a friend of the Reece family.This was taken in 1946 during a trip to Parry Sound, about 150 miles north of Toronto, Ontario. The fish appear to be northern pike.

Trott High School Football (1944)

Front, left to right: Frank Accardo, Lou Martino, unidentified, unidentified;
Rear, left to right: Jim Szczerbacki, unidentified, Norman Reece

I thought of this picture when I watched the recent George Clooney football movie, "Leatherheads". My Uncle Norm is the tall guy in the back. He says these were members of the Trott High School team (in Niagara Falls, NY) and the year was probably 1944. I'm still trying to identify three of these guys - I'll update this if I get any new info.

Rose Murphy Reece and Kids (early 1920's)

Rose Murphy Reece (center, b. 1872) with daughters Vivian Eliza (left, b. 1910), Ethel Rose (right, b. 1907) and son Wilfred Paul (b. 1916).

Rose was my great-grandmother. She was married to George Franklin Reece (b. 1863). Besides the three kids pictured here, they had six other children, Oral Raymond (aka Tommy, b. 1889), Myles Franklin (aka Barney, b.1891), Gertrude May (1893-1988), Corinne Nellie (b. 1895), my grandfather, George Melvin (1897-1963) and Bernard Lloyd (Bernie).

I'm fairly certain that the house in this picture is the same house seen in a photo taken around 1923 (and posted somewhere below), which shows my grandfather holding his firstborn son, my Uncle George. I'm not very good at guessing ages, but if one assumes little Wilfred's age to be around 7, the two photos could've been taken at around the same time. They may have even been taken on the same day... maybe at a family get-together? Although it's possible, there doesn't seem to be much chance of ever knowing for sure. These old photos fascinate me, but the lack of information about them can be frustrating.

Gerry Reece with her Uncle Tommy (1946)

Oral R. Reece (Tommy); Geraldine J. Reece

Born in 1889, Oral Raymond Reece was the oldest brother of my grandfather, George Melvin Reece. Nicknames seemed to be popular in the family - Oral was known to everyone as Tommy. He was born in New York, possibly in the Niagara Falls or Buffalo area. He married Della McGahey and had six children. At some point he moved to California and he died in Los Angeles on August 28, 1959.

My Aunt Gerry was 16 when this picture was taken in the back yard of her home on North Avenue in Niagara Falls, NY.

April 1943: Gerry, Lloyd & George M. Reece

Geraldine Reece, Lloyd Reece, George M. Reece


Lloyd J. Reece

These two pictures were taken in early April 1943, behind the family’s home on North Avenue in Niagara Falls, NY. My father, Lloyd, was 19 years old at the time and my Aunt Gerry was almost a teenager, her 13th birthday being later in the month. My grandfather was about a month shy of his 46th birthday. My dad had joined the Royal Canadian Air Force in November 1942, so I wonder if this might have been his first visit home on leave.

The Reece and O'Brien Families - Tweed, Ontario (1941 or 1942)

These photos were taken during a family vacation in the small town of Tweed, Ontario. The lake seen in the background is Lake Stoco, which borders the town. Lake Stoco was, and still is popular for sport-fishing, especially muskellunge. The Reece brothers are wearing jackets with emblems representing the hockey teams they played for. My father, Lloyd, and my uncles, George and Wally, played for the Clovers. My Uncle Norm played for the Pontiacs.

My grandfather, George M. Reece, and Corrine O'Brien were brother and sister, two of nine children born to George Franklin Reece and Rose (Murphy) Reece.

Corrine and Freddie O'Brien had three kids, Norma, Neil and John. The youngest, John, was born in June 1939 and looks to be about 2 or 3 years old here, so these pictures were probably taken in 1941 or 1942. I met Neil once, at my sister Pat's house, about ten years ago. He was a pretty good fiddle player and I think he said several of his kids were involved in the music business.

My Uncle Wally has been an invaluable source of information in identifying the people and places in a large number of old family photos, including this group. He remembers his Aunt Corrine as the nicest woman you could ever hope to meet, and he said Freddie was always extremely polite, a nice guy who could drink a lot of beer, which I guess probably came in handy on vacations like this.


George & Florence Reece and their children.
Left to right: (back row) Wallace Richard, George John, Norman Duane, Lloyd Jasper;
(front row) Geraldine Joan, George Melvin, Florence Mabel


Left to right: Wallace R., Lloyd J., Geraldine J., Norman D. & George J. Reece


Left to right: (back row) Wallace R., Lloyd J., Norman D. & George J. Reece;
(front row) Norma O'Brien, Geraldine J. Reece, Neil & John O'Brien


Left to right: (back row) Norman D. & George M. Reece, Freddie & Corrine O'Brien;
(front row) Neil O'Brien, Geraldine J. Reece, Norma & John O'Brien

Veterans Day Tribute - The Reece Brothers (WWII Era)

These pictures were taken in the early-to-mid 1940's. The four brothers served in various military units. Uncle Wally was a US Marine. Uncle George and Uncle Norm were in the US Army. My dad, Lloyd, served in the Canadian Air Force and then in the US Army.

Norman D. Reece

Wallace R. Reece


Lloyd J. Reece

George J. Reece


Lloyd J. Reece (left), George J. Reece (right)

George M. Reece & George J. Reece (1923)

This is the earliest photo I've seen of my uncle, George John Reece. His father, George Melvin Reece, is holding him. Uncle George was born in March 1922, and he appears to be about 12 to 18 months old in this picture. Their clothing and the open window behind them indicate warm weather, so this shot was likely taken during the summer of 1923. They lived in Ontario, Canada at that time.

Lloyd J. Reece (circa 1939)

My father, Lloyd J. Reece at the age of 16. I once asked my father about the pins on his jacket in this photo. They appear to be a shield (chained to a number 36) and a drum. He explained that he needed a jacket for the photo, but he wasn't wearing one that day. So he borrowed this one from a classmate.

George & Florence Reece with their dog

Here are my grandparents, George Melvin Reece and Florence Mabel Underhill Reece, with their dog, "Pat". From what I've heard, Grandpa really loved that dog. These pictures were taken in front of their home on North Avenue, in Niagara Falls, NY. I don't know the exact year, but it was probably the late 1940's or early 1950's. I guess I'm not the first Reece to have a soft spot for dogs.

Geraldine Reece (1945?)

Of the five children born to Florence and George M. Reece, Geraldine Joan Reece (above) was the only girl. Born in 1930, she was their youngest child. My father, Lloyd, was one of her four brothers. I don’t know anyone who ever called her Geraldine… she was always Aunt Gerry to me. When she was a young lady, she put together a collection of photographs of her family and friends. Since her death in 1999, her son, Brian Federspiel, has kept the collection intact, and he has now given me the opportunity to digitally archive this part of our family history. Over the years, I’ve managed to gather up a modest assortment of old pictures from various sources. But Aunt Gerry’s collection is quite literally a treasure trove of Reece family photographs. Most of the photos were taken in the 1940’s and 50’s, but there are some exceptions, both older and newer. The photo shown here was taken during the winter of 1945 - 1946 (possibly December 1945), when Gerry was not yet 16 years old. Thanks to my cousin Brian, I expect to post many more vintage photos of the Reece family (and friends) in the not-too-distant future. I’d like to think these will be seen by relatives with a curiosity about their lineage. I also hope that, for some folks, certain pictures might even evoke fond memories of the good old days. Thanks again, Brian.

Lloyd J. Reece (1928)

My father, Lloyd J. Reece, immigrated to the U.S. from Canada just before his 5th birthday. This picture is from his Immigrant Identification Card, issued on September 13, 1928. The circular marks across the bottom of the photo are the embossed seal of the American Consulate in Niagara Falls, Ontario.

Anthony Patrick Donoughe (1943)

This is my grandfather, Anthony Patrick Donoughe. He was born on June 21, 1908 and died a week before his 85th birthday, on June 14, 1993. This picture was taken in a carnival photo booth in Cresson, PA, when he was 35 years old. The year was 1943. Earlier that year, on January 27, his wife, Christina Mildred (McMahon) Donoughe, had died. She left him with seven young children, the oldest one being my mother Rose, who turned 13 the day her mother was buried.

Mary McMahon & Clyde McMahon (1932)

Mary McMahon (left), Clyde McMahon (right)

The quality of this image is pretty lousy, but it's the only photo I have of my great-grandmother (my mother's maternal grandmother), Mary McMahon. My mother's Uncle Clyde was Mary's youngest child. He was a year or two younger than his niece (my mom), Rose Donoughe. This picture was taken on the porch of Mary's home in Gallitzin, PA in 1932.

Rose Marie Donoughe and her neighbor, Mrs. Felus (1933)

Mrs. Anne Felus (left), Rose Marie Donoughe (right)

This picture was taken in 1933 in Gallitzin, PA. According to my mother, Rose, it was Easter Sunday, and if you look close, you'll notice she's holding an Easter basket. Mrs. Felus was a neighbor, and she was about 38 years old at this time. My mom was 3 years old.

William McMahon, Jr. and Rose Marie Donoughe (1936)

William McMahon, Jr. (left), Rose Marie Donoughe (right).

Here's my mother at the age of six, with her Uncle Bill, who was about ten years old at the time. The photo was taken on May 31, 1936, on the occasion of William's First Communion, at the home of my great-grandmother, Mary McMahon, in Gallitzin, PA.

Rose Marie Donoughe (1937)

This picture of my mother was taken in 1937, when she was 7 years old. It was taken at school, in Loretto, PA. She lived a few miles away, in Wildwood Springs, and rode to and from school on a bus.

George Melvin Reece and Sons - November 1959

Left to right: Wallace R. Reece, George J. Reece, Lloyd J. Reece, George M. Reece, Norman D. Reece.

This is my Grandfather, George M. Reece, my father, Lloyd J. Reece and my uncles. The picture was taken in November 1959 at the house of my father's only sister, Geraldine Federspiel, in Niagara Falls, NY.

The Reece clan (ca 1929)

Left to right: (back row) Florence Mabel Reece (nee Underhill), George Melvin Reece; (front row) George John Reece, Norman Duane Reece, Wallace Richard Reece, Lloyd Jasper Reece (my father)

This picture was taken in the backyard of the family's Niagara Falls, NY home at 2413 North Avenue some time after they moved to the USA from Canada. The house behind them is 2415 North Avenue. Many years later my Uncle Wally owned and lived at 2415, and later still, my brother Mick owned it and lived there for a number of years.

Immigration documents show that my grandfather, a carpenter, emigrated from Canada in early December 1927. He probably commuted back and forth across the Niagara River while finding and/or preparing a new home for his family. The whole family officially made the move in mid-September 1928. Although I originally thought this photo had been taken around that time, Uncle Norm has pointed out that the apparent ages of the children (himself included) would seem to indicate that it may have actually been taken the following year. Their ages in 1929 would have been (roughly): Florence 25, George 32; George 7, Lloyd 6, Wally 4, Norm 2. The youngest child, Gerry, hadn't been born yet. She arrived on the scene in April 1930.

WWII: Reece Brothers In Uniform

Lloyd J. Reece (left) and George J. Reece (right).

I don’t have a date for this, although I know that both men served during World War II. The original photo is in a cardboard frame from the Hart Studio in Niagara Falls. Lloyd was my father, George was my uncle.