Ed Jordan spent two summers at his Uncle Bill Knowles’ home and farm in Rock Island, Illinois. These were the summer of 1937 after his Freshman year and the summer of 1938 after his Sophomore year. At the time, Wilfred (Bill) and Gertrude Knowles lived at 2506 8th Street, Rock Island, Illinois. The relationship is Bill Knowles’s is Ed Jordan’s paternal grandmother’s brother, sometimes referred to as a great-uncle.

The Knowles’ home address a the time was about a mile from the Mississippi River and an adjacent lake. Dad recalled that the farm was a 4 acre truck farm. I presume that Uncle Bill grew various fruits and vegetables and then trucked the produce to various places around town, such as small grocery stores or farm stands. Dad also recalled that one of the summers he was stung by a hornet 3 times on his hand while picking grapes.

The photograph shows young Ed Jordan at age 14 holding three large fish caught in the nearby Mississippi or adjacent lake. Given the photograph, he probably went fishing with his Uncle Bill who had the camera.

It is difficult to choose a month and a day for this 1937 photo. I believe it is probably August after Ed had time to acclimate himself to the Knowles and his time there. He always told us he loved his summers there on the farm and years later he loved working and growing plants and vegetables in his own yard. After his stay there, the Knowles asked if they could adopt Ed, but his mother said no.

If you would like to add information about this photo, please contact Dave Jordan. The picture reference number is: 161-20.