Family Cars from the 1920s Onward
Ivan Macbeth: 1904-1972 (Maternal Grandfather)
Juhl Peterson: 1917-2001 (Father)
Rex Macbeth: 1934-2006 (Maternal Uncle)
Cars have always been important to my family. Living in the
country on farms, they found cars to be essential means to connect to the
outside world. When I saw the prompt “Wheels”, I decided to do a little photo
essay showing some of the cars my family had over the decades, from the early
models to the flashy, huge 1960s era vehicles that sported chrome and fins.
The first photo shows my grandfather, Ivan Macbeth, in his
car parked in a grassy lane. This would probably have been his first automobile—I
think it might be a Model A. The photo would have been from the years my
grandparents were courting, so during the early 1920s.
The second photo was a bit of a surprise to me. My
grandmother, Nora Hoffman Macbeth, had proudly written on the bottom of the
photo in red ink “Our Willys Knight”. I had never heard of this car
manufacturer, so I was forced to turn to Google. I discovered that the Willys-Knight brand was
founded in Ohio by John North Willys. He acquired the Stearns-Knight auto
company of Cleveland that used a Knight engine, so the brand became known as
the Willys-Knight. The company operated from 1914 through 1933. I believe the
car in the photo was a model 70, manufactured in the late 1920s. It was
probably the first auto my grandparents purchased after their marriage. I wonder
what color it was—the Wikipedia page featured a green Model 70 that was beautiful.
The next photo is from around 1950, and features my
grandmother Nora, my mom, Ione, my grandfather Ivan, and my uncle, Rex Macbeth
in front of the family car. I love this photo as it shows them probably on
their way to church or to a family event, all dressed up in hose and heels and
bundled in winter coats and gloves as they stand in the snowy yard. I’m unable
to identify the model of the car but as was typical for late-1940s vehicles, it
had a spare tire on the back end and that sort of curved boxy shape. The
Macbeths were proud enough of the vehicle to pose in front of it.
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| Nora, Ione, Ivan and Dwight "Rex" Macbeth around 1950 |
The following photo brings back memories. This one features
my dad, Juhl Peterson, with his Pontiac. It was probably taken while he was
dating my mom, around 1956. I can remember riding in this car when I was very
young. I was in love with the hood ornament, which featured a stylized Pontiac chieftain
in a feathered war bonnet. Dad was proud of this sleek black automobile.
The final shot is a fun one of my Uncle Rex Macbeth with his
wife Susan and their daughter Jessica taken around 1970. They were posed with a
marvelous, over-the-top, huge American convertible from the late 1960s. I’m not sure
of the car’s make or model, but I remember it had air conditioning, which my dad’s
car did not. I can’t even imagine trying to park something so long in today’s
parking lots, or to even find a garage big enough to hold it! My grandfather
had a silver Plymouth Mercury that was nearly as long, with crazy fins in the rear.
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| Susan, Jessica and Rex Macbeth around 1970 |
This little trip down Memory Lane shows how car styles have transformed over the decades. While the car shapes and engines and interior
comforts changed drastically, my family’s pride in their vehicles remained
unchanged.
Sources:
Family photos.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Willys-Knight
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