Since I am presently concentrating on the RUPP, RUPE, ROOP, ROUP, ROOPE, ROUPE, RUPPE families I thought I would share heirlooms which are still in the family only not in my possession.
My great-grandfather Walter F. ROOP was a blacksmith, coal miner, artist, poet, photographer, and cartoonist. He left us precious memories including this photo of the Gauley River. Walter took three photos at Jodie in Fayette County, West Virginia, in 1921, tinted them by hand, and put them together to make this panorama view.
“Homemade” panorama titled “Gauley River” by Walter F. ROOP
The year 1921 was a very productive year for my great-grandfather. Not only did he make the panorama photo of Gauley Bridge, he also made ink drawings which were passed on to his children and are now in the possession of two grandchildren and a great-grandchild.
“Panther and Deer” by W. F. Roop dated December 26, 1921
“The Grizzly” by W. F. Roop
His granddaughter Peggy Jean Ramsey Baker recounted how the Panther and Deer and The Grizzly drawings were copied from pictures in a big book (maybe some sort of history book). She saw the pictures which were approximately 2×2.5 inches in size in the book as a child. She believes there was a third drawing of “some sort of cat in tall grass.”
When I wrote my post on Walter in 2014 my cousin Linda Roop let me know she has the third drawing and shared a photo of it. It’s in the original frame made by Walter F. ROOP but she was not able to get a good photo due to the size and it being behind glass.
Isn’t it wonderful how the three drawings are now united even though they are at home with Walter’s descendants through his children Edith Estelle, Myrtle Hazel, Walter Gordon and Alfred Lee?
Click here to see a list of other bloggers doing the heirloom posts.
© 2016 Cathy Meder-Dempsey
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Nice review of Walter Roop’s artistic talents. Would be nice to see the frame on the “Leopard” picture to see if it is the same as or similar to the other three pictures you have shared.
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Thank you Robert. Linda took the picture with her phone and couldn’t get it with the frame.
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Walter Roop would be pleased, I think, to know that his artwork is shared among family members and remembered as well through your writing.
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Thank you Kendra.
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Talented guy! I love that you were able to track each of those items down.
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Thank you Amberly. Now I would like to track down some of his cartoons and poetry he submitted to miners’ publications.
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Ooooh! That would be awesome. Best of luck! I hope you find them.
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What a talented man – making the panoramic photo was quite interesting! Even though they aren’t in your possession – they are preserved by family and united through your story.
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Thank you Jeanne.
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Those drawings are wonderful. What an artistic man! Did the talent for art show up in his descendants (and ancestors)?
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Thank you Amy. I know of one distant cousin, a descendant of Walter’s great-grandfather, who paints. We have some musical talents as well: Earl Scruggs, the bluegrass banjo master, and a family or group of sisters who sing but I can’t remember the name right off.
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Cathy, I have one maybe two poems he wrote about his wife Rebecca. I believe her wrote them after she died. Will look them up and e-mail you a copy.
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Janice, I have some of his poems too. I’ll send you a list of the titles so you can compare.
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