Beginnings
Dear Laura,
You are our precious daughter—our one and only child. I am your mother, Linda Peterson, and your father is Sam Peterson. We named you Laura because I grew up on Laura Street in North Richland Hills in the great state of Texas, and I always loved the name Laura. Your father chose your middle name, Michelle, because he liked the Beatles song “Michelle.”
Over the years, I created family photo albums and included “Dear Laura” letters in them. I was inspired by the writings of Laura Ingalls Wilder. I read all eight of her books to you when you were young. She wrote about everyday life, and reading her stories more than a hundred years later was fascinating. In that same spirit, I began writing about our everyday lives—ordinary moments that make up a lifetime.
When Sam and I were working with a lawyer on our wills, I began to wonder what would happen to my fifty-two family photo albums after I am gone. With no grandchildren, I worried that no one would want them. I imagined that they might eventually end up in a dumpster.
So, I spoke with the North Richland Hills Library Director, Cecilia, about donating the albums to the library after my passing. She was excited about the idea and suggested that the photographs and letters be included on Birdsong, the North Richland Hills history section of the library’s website.
Librarian Brandon digitized the family photo albums and the “Dear Laura” letters. The process took two and a half years. I would drop off a couple of albums and two weeks later, I would pick them up and bring more.
Before leaving for a new job, Brandon gave me a computer drive containing all fifty-two albums. Other librarians have since continued the project, and we are working together to complete the collection before it is published on Birdsong.
I am grateful to the North Richland Hills Library for all the work done to preserve and publish our family albums and “Dear Laura” letters.
Perhaps a hundred years from now, someone will read the “Dear Laura” letters and learn about life during my lifetime. The “Dear Laura “letters are my legacy.
Weddings and Anniversaries
This photographic series documents the wedding ceremony and reception of Willard "Bill" Davis Tyler and June Lee French, the celebration of their 50th wedding anniversary, the wedding of Sam and Linda Peterson, and the celebration of their 50th wedding anniversary. More on Sam and Linda's love story and wedding can be found here.
Clicking each photo will open the corresponding album and information about the event.
Linda's Childhood
An excerpt from Linda Peterson's letter to Laura dated August 2, 1991,
"..I'll tell you what I remember about being six years old...Due to my birthday falling just after the first of September, I was not in school. Texas did not have kindergarten at that time...My bedroom had a twin-size bed and shelves made of stacked bricks and boards, just my size. I had a few little Golden books and maybe two or three dolls...I played outside much more than you do...I was allowed in the backyard by myself. We had a swingset, and Daddy had built a nice big sandbox. One time we built a "clubhouse" out of bricks, stacked three or four high only at the corners and a red 3x3 tin for the roof..."
Clicking the photo of this album will open a collection of Linda's childhood memories.
Click here to read more "Dear Laura" letters written by Linda. *insert link to "Dear Laura" page.
Linda's Teenage Scrapbooks
Dear Laura,
While I was sitting with the librarian, Courtney, at the North Richland Hills Library, we looked through digital copies of my teenage photo albums. As we clicked from page to page, she paused and asked me, “How did you make your scrapbooks?” Her question made me smile, because at the time, it never felt like a process or a project—it was simply something I loved to do.
So, Laura, let me tell you how those scrapbooks came to be.
In my bedroom, I had a large bulletin board hanging on the wall. It was my little space to collect memories as they happened. At the beginning of each year, I would tack my calendar right in the center. As the months passed, that board slowly filled up around it. Your grandmother often took pictures of my friends and me, so I would pin those up as soon as they were developed. I added movie ticket stubs from evenings spent laughing at the theater, newspaper clippings of things that caught my attention, greeting cards from friends, and all sorts of small treasures that might seem ordinary to anyone else but felt important to me.
That bulletin board was like a living story of my year. Every time I looked at it, I could remember where I had been, who I had been with, and how I had felt in those moments.
Then, every New Year’s Day, I had a quiet little ritual. I would take everything down from the board and sit on the floor of my bedroom with a new, empty scrapbook, a pair of scissors, and a bottle of glue. Piece by piece, I arranged the memories from the past year onto those pages. There was no fancy system or special training—just my hands, my memories, and my desire to hold onto them.
By the end of the day, the blank book had become a story.
Looking back now, I realize those scrapbooks were more than just collections of paper and photographs. They were a way of paying attention to my life as it was unfolding. They taught me to notice small moments and to value them. Long before digital cameras or computers, this was how I saved my memories.
And now, more than fifty years later, those same scrapbooks are still here—carefully preserved, telling the story of a girl I once was. It amazes me that something so simple has lasted so long, and that you, and now others, can look at them and see a piece of that life.
Love,
Mother
Clicking the photos will open their corresponding scrapbook album.
A Letter about Grandmother June
Dear Laura,
Bill and June had been married seven years when I was born. I remember when I was two years old, and we went to look at a new home on Laura Street. That house on Laura Street became our family home, and my brother was born on January 4, 1956.
Your grandmother was a wonderful stay-at-home mother. She cooked our meals, kept the house very clean, and took us to school and all activities. She was very kind and a good listener and advisor.
She was active in the United Methodist Church and was president of United Methodist Women. She worked as a volunteer Candy Striper at Glenview Hospital.
After her son graduated from high school, she worked for Tarrant County College and later at Tandy Computers, assembling computers and then as the CEO’s secretary.
After she retired, she did volunteer work at the North Richland Hills Library. She was very active with United Methodist Women. When I was substituting in Birdville, she would pick you up from school. I always made sure that you saw your grandparents at least once a week.
In their late 80’s, Bill and June moved to Emerald Hill Nursing Home on Davis Blvd. They celebrated their 67th wedding anniversary there.
Bill passed away on January 7th, 2013, at 87 years old. We celebrated June’s 90th birthday in 2017 (view album here), and a year later, she passed away on January 3, 2018. She was the best mother.
Love, Mother
View an album of June's life here.
Grandmother Remembers Book by June Tyler
The "Grandmother Remembers" book records important memories, family traditions, favorite recipes, and special stories to pass along to their grandchildren. This journal was given to June by her daughter, Linda. June then compiled her memories and returned the journal to her granddaughter, Laura, on Christmas Day 1986
Clicking the photo of this album will open the journal.