Happy Leap Day

Happy Leap Day and happy birthday to my great grandpa, William Hendrick Nelson, who was born on February 29, 1880. He lived to be 96 but was always young at heart since he had only had 23 birthdays (no leap day in 1900). After serving in the Spanish American war, he registered, as all men were required, for the first World War - the picture is his registration card. 

He's my mom's grandfather, on her dad's side, but technically he's not related to us, as he was her grandmother's second husband. He raised grandpa so he counts in all the ways that matter. And he is of Danish descent, like his wife, my great grandmother, whose parents also emigrated from Denmark before she was born.

Not to get off topic, my great grandmother had a February birthday too. Mary Christine Andersen was her name and she was born February 6, 1885. In this photo she is the older girl, on the left. The man in the photo on the wall is her father, Theodore, who had recently died. Her Mom, Anna, is on the right and the rest of the children are her brothers (in age order: Alfred, Victor & Harry) and sister (Thorence, called Too).

thanks to ancestry.com and distant relations for this image.