I want to build a place where my son can meet his great-grandparents. My grandmother Marian Joyce (Benning) Kroetch always wanted to meet her great-grandchildren, but she died just a handful of years before my son's birth. So while she didn't have the opportunity to meet him, at least he will be able to know her. For more information about what we're building see About AncientFaces. For information on the folks who build and support the community see Daniel - Founder & Creator.
My father's side is full blood Sicilian and my mother's side is a combination of Welsh, Scottish, German and a few other European cultures. One of my more colorful (ahem black sheep) family members came over on the Mayflower. He was among the first to be hanged in the New World for a criminal offense he made while onboard the ship.

Favorite (204)

Message

29.0k+ favorites 725 photos

Lizzie Kunde

My name is Lizzie Kunde and I am the newest member of the AncientFaces Support team! See more info about me here: Lizzie - Community Support and I look forward to getting to know our wonderful members. Feel free to reach out with any questions, happy to help :)
My mom's side of the family is Swedish (and still lives in Sweden) and she instilled in me lots of Swedish heritage and traditions which has made me who I am today. My dad's side of the family is German and Irish and the most likely the side of the family I get all my freckles from. Family is so important, and welcome everyone to discover more about them, their history, and share about their loved ones who make up the history of who we are!

Favorite (158)

Message

Favorites

Loading...one moment please

Hard work, was never a fear that my Mother had. She always worked hard. But this women, from Union Springs, Alabama could surly cook a meal. Her times growing up on the "migrant pickers" trail, taught her to cook and make a meal out of almost nothing. It came in handy, during the hard times in our lives.

Fannie Elaster

Favorite (1)

Comments

All I can say is that I love her to death. Even to this day, she is always only a thought away. She guided me with her very limited wisedom. That made a huge difference in my life. Even thou my father "Ivey" was a total "failure" for us all. She never said anything bad about him. I could never understand how she could be so loyal to him..., even after the cruel things he did and said to her and his six kids. I never understood the soul or the depth of my wonderful strong Mother. I never met or seen anyone with the beauty of soul that she had, not only for the herself, us and the world. But towards my father "Ivey". I hope in his last years on earth, that he truly understood how lucky he truly was to have a person who "loved" you, even thou you were not deserving. She did everything for us six kids. And suffered a "lone" and hard life. She was and will always be..., everything to and for me. To judge others by, who enter and leave my life. Today, I am the only surviving child of her's. Many of my dearling sisters and brothers have gone before me. Covid-19, took my sister Betty, leaving me alone in this world. But my Mother "never" failed me! And her wise and thoughtful teachings will always be with me. The pain of losing her still hurt. Yet her teachings, of a woman with only a 4th grade education. Still makes me wonder. Born to a migrant mother in 1917, in Union Springs, Alabama, who died one year later. Did some real damage to her. She never had a true family. She bounce from one family member to the next, and was continously abused. She only wanted to be love and wanted. And when "Ivey" gave her some of that. She stayed and became his loyal follower. And he abused us all. I loved her dearly, totally. But I hope that in some way, I made her proud.

Fannie Elaster

Favorite (1)

Comments

Fannie M Elaster May 10, 1917 - Oct 31, 1994 Detroit, Michigan

Fannie Mae Owns Elaster, was my wonderful-dear Mother. Whom was my rock and guide, for the first 18 years of my life. She instilled into me a code, that I never lost, or altered. She gave me life, love, and a purpose to go forward. I will always honor her and love her.

Favorite (2)

2 followers

All I can say is that I love her to death. Even to this day, she is always only a thought away. She guided me with her very limited wisedom. That made a huge difference in my life. Even thou my father "Ivey" was a total "a******" to us all. She never said anything bad about him. I could never understand how she could be so loyal to him..., even after the cruel things he did and said to her and his six kids. I never understood the soul or the depth of my wonderful strong Mother. I never met or seen anyone with the beauty of soul that she had, not only for the herself, us and the world. But towards my father "Ivey". I hope in his last years on earth, that he truly understood how lucky he truly was to have a person who "loved" you, even thou you were not deserving. She did everything for us six kids. And suffered a "lone" and hard life. She was and will always be..., everything to and for me. To judge others by, who enter and leave my life. Today, I am the only surviving child of her's. Many of my dearling sisters and brothers have gone before me. Covid-19, took my sister Betty, leaving me alone in this world. But my Mother "never" failed me! And her wise and thoughtful teachings will always be with me. The pain of losing her still hurt. Yet her teachings, of a woman with only a 4th grade education. Still makes me wonder. Born to a migrant mother in 1917, in Union Springs, Alabama, who died one year later. Did some real damage to her. She never had a true family. She bounce from one family member to the next, and was continously abused. She only wanted to be love and wanted. And when "Ivey" gave her some of that. She stayed and became his loyal follower. And he abused us all. I loved her dearly, totally. But I hope that in some way, I made her proud.

Fannie Elaster

Favorite (2)

Comments

Mamie Elaster Jan 17, 1919 - Oct 26, 1995 Detroit, Michigan

Mamie Elaster of Detroit, Wayne County, MI was born on January 17, 1919, and died at age 76 years old on October 26, 1995.

Favorite (1)

1 follower

Mamie was Earl's girl. A great wife and woman, 15 years his senior. And she gave him everything. Including great advice.

Mamie Elaster

Favorite (1)

Comments

Ruth Elaster Oct 16, 1910 - Aug 11, 2005 Detroit, Michigan

Ruth Elaster of Detroit, Wayne County, MI was born on October 16, 1910, and died at age 94 years old on August 11, 2005.

Favorite (2)

2 followers

Ruth was Red's (Teddy Elaster) wife. She was a very very good woman, person, and wife. She never said or did anything that I know of, that was unkind. She always very nice to me. And stood by my Uncle Red, regardless of his drinking. I never spent much time around them thou, because my life was a challenge itself. My wonderful mother did everything she could to hold a family of 7 together, with no income, but Welfare. So at the age of 8, I knew that if I wanted to go anywhere with my life. I needed to invest in me and my education. So I had no spare time to spend with other family members. Because the only reading material in my home was Jet, Ebony, and the Detroit Free Press. My mother read TV Soap Opera magazines.

Ruth Elaster

Favorite (2)

Comments

I met my Grandfather only once, but I remember it well. My Grandmother whom I never met pass away and we came to bury her, in 1962. We drove down with my Uncle Earl in a totally filled car. I did not want to go, but my mother insisted that I come. My Grandfather was a proud man, even in time of sorrow. He remained strong for his family. He sat in his chair and looked out into the night, remember what ever it was that he was thinking of. As I sat there looking at him. He looked up at me, and said. You..., you are Ivey's son right. I answer him "yes". I can see that you are nothing like your father. You have fire, and you will go far. You remind me of some one. You are not a dreamer like your father. Then he turned and contiued to stare into the night. Later on, we went off to my Uncle Therdore's home. And he ask me what his father had said to me. And I told him. And he stated "yes, you seem to be book learner, you will go far". And I did. I completed high school, one of the first in our family tree. The first and only one in Ivey's family tree. Finish college courses and higher education, and retired from the military. And the rest is history. I hope I did my Grandpa James proud.

Grandpa James Elaster

Favorite (3)

Comments

I met my Grandfather only ones, but I remember it well. My Grandmother whom I never met pass away and came to bury her, in 1962. We drove down with my Uncle Earl in a totally filled car. I did not want to go, but my mother insisted that I come. My Grandfather was a proud man, even in time of sorrow. He remained strong for his family. He sat in his chair and look into the night, remember what ever it was that he was thinking of. As I sat there looking at him. He looked up at me, and said. You..., you are Ivey's son right. I answer him "yes". I can see that you are nothing like your father. You have fire, and you will go far. You remind me of some one. Then he turned and contiued to stare into the night. Later on, we went off to my Uncle Therdore's home. And he ask me what his father had said to me. And I told him. And he stated "yes, you seem to be book learner, you will go far". And I did. I completed high school, one of the first in our family tree. The first and only one in Ivey's family tree. Finish college courses and higher education, and retired from the military. And the rest is history. I hope I did my Grandpa James proud.

Grandpa James Elaster

Favorite (1)

Comments

James Elaster Aug 25, 1887 - Feb 1976 Chattanooga, Tennessee

Grandpa James Elaster of Chattanooga, Hamilton County, Tennessee was born on August 25, 1887, and died at age 88 years old in February 1976.

Favorite (3)

3 followers

We all called him "Red". I never found out why. But he was a very heavy drinker. The hard stuff mostly. He was the first to come North from Tennessee. The farm was a bust, and not too much money was being made there..., as money was in very short supply. So Red came North to Detroit. He was one of the first to settle in Detroit, and worked for the Dodge Boys and later GMC. He would later get Ivey a job there. When he got real drunk..., he would "pinch" us kids hard. It hurt real bad. My family had a lot land from the Civil War. It was divided among all the family. Many of them with different last names than my own. Much of which I do not know. But owning land and being Black was not a winning combination. As the White Supremacist, box you out of the financial market. They would first loan you funds on only 40 acres of land. And it was never enough to get any thing truly going. Then they would move in and pin you down under heavy payment plans, that took all of your operating funds. And you find yourself falling behind in your debt payments. Forcing you sell some of your un-used land. Never getting it's actual worth in return. If that did not work and you some how got the funds to pay your loans. Then Hamiltion County would come and take your land. And paid you nothing for it. Our families lost land to the County up until 1993. There are various different family names in my family through marriage. The Elaster family lost a lot of land and business to White Supremacist over the decades pass.

Teddy Elaster

Favorite (1)

Comments

Teddy N Elaster Jun 7, 1912 - Mar 2, 2001 Detroit, Michigan

Teddy N Elaster of Detroit, Wayne County, MI was born on June 7, 1912 in Chattanooga, Hamilton County, Tennessee United States, and died at age 88 years old on March 2, 2001.

Favorite (1)

1 follower

My Uncle Earl was my best uncle. He had class, a total class act. He loved and drove "Cadillacs". It was one goal in life, to own and drove a "Cadillac". I remember his first, it was in 1956, a 1948 Series 61. He loved that car. My "Uncle Earl", was one of the kindness persons I know. When his brother ran off to Chicago, during the 1960 Christmas season. It was my Uncle Earl, who gave me a Christmas. It only cost him $5.00 dollars. But I never forgot his kindness. I will always love him for that act of kindness.

Earl Elaster

Favorite (1)

Comments

As a father, he performed poorly. It had much to do with his up bringing. No schooling or book learning..., totally country. He was dirt poor, in the State of Tennessee. He always wanted to go to Chicago, believing that it was the "holy gail". Only to find mounts of disappointment. Because, he waited too long to go there. He was never a huge force in my life, yet I learned to over the failures from his. And I know I made him proud. I just wish I had talked and spoken to him more. To try to understand his vision, of a dirt poor Black kid from Tennessee..., looking for more than he had. I will always love you dad, the pain you carried was huge. It was not easy for people such as yourselves to endure. In a world with hate, racism, lack of education, and the need to feed, house, and cloths a family in the times you were born. Trying to judge the times and actions needed to survive, for a person such as yourself, with no education, must of been maddening.

Ivey Elaster

Favorite (1)

Comments

Help reunite mystery or 'orphan' photos that have lost their families.

Photos with the names and dates lost in history. AncientFaces has been reuniting mystery and orphan photos with their families since we began in 2000. This 'Lost & Found' collection is of photos foun...

Favorite (94.8k+)

11.4k+ photos

Political

Original photos of the politicians and political events throughout the past few centuries.

Welcome to a collection of photographs that document the fascinating history of politics. From democracies to monarchies, communism to fascism, and everything in between, this page captures the divers...

Favorite (78.9k+)

17.9k+ photos

Notorious

The people and places that live on in our memories - not for good reasons but because of how they shocked and saddened.

Images of serial killers, mass murderers, despots and dictators, prisons, and the victims of these horrors. These people & places live on in infamy in our history. There are the notorious killers: Th...

Favorite (79.2k+)

2.98k+ photos

1800s

The 1800s where the end of the industrial revolution and the birth of scientists.

The Industrial Revolution began around 1760 and ran through the 1840's. Then began the birth of the profession of science. Louis Pasteur, Charles Darwin, Michael Faraday, Thomas Edison, and Nikola Te...

Favorite (79.2k+)

84.2k+ photos

African Americans

See the faces of just some of the many African Americans who have contributed to building the United States into the country it is today.

African Americans in the early history of the United States had an extremely difficult start as immigrants. Having been primarily forced to immigrate to a new continent, African Americans worked throu...

Favorite (78.9k+)

4.02k+ photos

Kenneth Elaster

Message Kenneth Elaster

Recent Activity

Photos Added

Recent Comments

Kenneth's Followers

Favorites