You may be surprised to learn that William J. Dumes started filming the family in the 1930s, and every branch of the family is represented in his collection. His films make the basis of what is presented here.
Early reels were 8mm black & white, with occasional splurges on color stock. In the 1950s he moved to 16mm, and some of those clips are remarkably sharp. These movies are a vivid record of the Sadie Silk Dumes family in America.
For me, this completes an assignment my father gave me over 50 years ago: to find a way to share these films with the whole family.
Sam Zoll, Sol and Evelyn Dumes, Bill Dumes and more boating. If you recognize any other faces or know the location, please let us know!
This clip is 4m 4s long.
The wedding of Hy Dumes and Irene Melcher. I believe that their wedding was at the home of Irene's parents in Ohio.
This clip is 5m 54s long.
This clip brings to life a Louis Dumes family picture taken in 1947 by allowing us to see the picture being taken.
This clip is 3m 8s long.
The wedding of Stanley Dumes and Phyllis Abels with commentary audio by my mother Phyllis that I recorded while we watched the movie together. They were married in Terre Haute in a very fancy wedding with hundreds of guests.
The wedding movie is 20m 6s long.