In 1931, my Dad, Andrew Joseph Tobin, was in a youth club of sorts - a local football team.
This photo shows him in the back row, second from left, at a dinner which took place at "Chinese Restaurant 138th St." on Dec. 19 1931. That would be in the Mott Haven section of the Bronx. I haven't found any details on-line about the team's sponsor, and the name of the restaurant is lost to time.
Dad was probably living around the corner on East 137th Street, where he is shown enumerated on the 1930 U.S. Census, with his parents Andrew John and Mary Agnes (Sullivan Murphy)Tobin, and his half-brother John Jerome Murphy. In 1937, the family was living on East 139th Street, the address showing on his mother's death certificate. Whichever street he was living on, he was still "just around the corner."
He was born on May 30, 1913, so he would have been 18 years old here.
What a great photo, and kudos to whoever jotted the names on the back. Your dad's team looks as if they are ready for a game -- full of youthful energy and camaraderie. FYI, this NYC Municipal Archives website of Bronx tax photos may have a photo of the Chinese Restaurant from 1940. http://nycma.lunaimaging.com/luna/servlet/NYCMA~6~6
ReplyDeleteHey Molly - thank you - it's worth a try. I like to browse those archives anyway!
DeleteAs with everything from the past - if you think of it in today's terms, I see those young fellows playing in leather helmets with minimal padding to their uniforms. Then again, somehow I don't think they were encouraged to play as rough as today's teams play? Maybe?
ReplyDeleteEnd of the season celebration? They surely cleaned up well. (And do you mean he was born in 1913?)
ReplyDeleteYeah, they look all bright and shiny don't they? And thank you for pointing out that incorrect year!
DeleteYay for names on the back of the photo! I enjoyed reading all of the nicknames.
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