52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks (2026-06)
52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks is a series of weekly prompts to get you to think about an ancestor and share something about them. The weekly prompt is provided by www.amyjohnsoncrow.com. The prompt for the week of February 2 is "Favorite Photo.”  |
| Scan of a photo of Edward Olsen and his great-grandmother Cecelia Strahle Hillenbrand. From the collection of ©️Virginia Summers Olsen, originally from the collection of Emma Dorothy Hillenbrand Olsen. |
This is a photo of me and my great-grandmother, Cecelia Albertine Strahle Hillenbrand (1893-1972). I chose this for the "Favorite Photo" prompt because I believe having a photo with a great-grandparent is truly rare and special. It requires two things to align: your great-grandparents must live long enough to meet you, and you must have the opportunity to visit them.
This picture came from the collection of my grandmother, Emma Hillenbrand Olsen. When she passed, my mother scanned and labeled her photos for the family. While this photo isn’t dated, based on my size and the warm onesie I'm wearing, I assume I was likely 4 or 5 months old.
Of my eight great-grandparents, I only had the chance to be photographed with three of them. While I don't recall any other photos, I know that besides Cecelia, both Gulborg Gulbrandsen Olsen (d. Jan. 11, 1968) and Edward Louis Gillen (d. Nov. 15, 1969) were alive when I was born.