My Grandparents's Old Photos

Hello, friends! I'm still in the mood for old photos. This time, I want to share my grandparents's photos:) Both  my paternal and maternal grandparents were born in the 1920s, some 25 years before the independence. Photography at that time was an expensive thing and people only took photos for identification and documentation purpose. Also, during the independence struggle, they moved several times to avoid the Dutch troops. So these are the only photographs I have of them.

Meet my paternal grandmother, Grandma Ummi (she's in the middle), that's how I called her. Her real name was Siti Rubiah and she was half Bugis half Sundanese descent. When the photo was taken (I don't know when it was taken, sorry!), she was probably in her early 20s and still single. At that time, a 20-something single woman was considered as a spinster. The other girls in the photo were either her sisters or her nieces, at least that's what D told me:).

When I was around one year old, due to circumstances, M&D sent me to Bandung to live with her, so I was very close to her. She's small and slim, but she's a rock for her children. She passed away when I was 12 years old.

This one is of Grandma Ummi and Grandpa Buya (his real name was Adang Said). Perhaps this one was taken when they were newlywed. Although Grandpa Buya was born in Sumedang, West Java, D was not sure sure of his descendants. He was a schoolteacher, but when the war for independence began, he became a soldier. He could speak English, Dutch and Russian (and I don't know what other language he mastered). He passed away 10 years ago.

This last photo is of my maternal grandparents, their children and several relatives. It was taken in Jakarta, in 1955. At that moment, my maternal grandfather (we called him Mbah Kakung, his real name is Suwandi, he's the third man from the left) worked as a mantri  (a kind of medical worker) in the Army. Grandpa passed away when I was 12 years old, near the time of Grandma Ummi's death.

My maternal grandmother (we call her Mbah Putri, her real name is Hindun) was the second from the right. She was holding her sixth child, whoever that was (I have seven uncles and I can't remember who's the sixth, sorry! Ok, let me guess. Er, perhaps he's Uncle Toto?). Of her eight children, M is the only daughter. M, the fourth child, is sitting on the bench very close to Grandma in the picture. Grandma is currently living with her youngest child, Uncle Hari, in Kebumen, Central Java.

M said that during the 1950s, houses in Jakarta were mostly made from wood board for the walls and wire mesh for the windows (just like the one in the photo). Sixty years later, we can find either the towering apartment blocks or the shanties. Hmm.

Do you have old photos of your grandparents? What stories do you see from the old photos?