Young Doree Martin

Her parents loved taking photos and film, so we have some great pictures of Doree ("Mom" to me) when she was a little girl.

By Dave

Jan 2, 2021

Above are pictured the cover and inside page of Doree’s birth announcement. The cover is a colorized photo of her older brother Bert looking into the bassinet. (Click the picture to enlarge it for a better view.) The announcement was tied together with a pink ribbon.

In the above two photos, baby Dorothy is pictured with each of her parents. They look so young! Herb was 28 and Mary was 26 at Dorothy’s birth.

Doree, already an excellent swimmer, is taught to stand on a paddleboard in this video clip. We also get a chance to enjoy the sight of Bert trying to paddle an innertube.

In this film clip, Doree and Bert ride bikes, walk through a herd of sheep, and play in the snow.

This clip shows Doree (then known as Dorothy) as a newborn. Her mother apparently hired a nursemaid to help with the newborn child. Later in the clip we see Doree at two months old, and by this time her mother is caring for her in the video. It ends with a kiss from her big brother.

Dorothy had not learned to walk by the time of her first birthday, but from this film clip we can see that she was pretty close. The clip shows her playing with her brother Bert and enjoying the flowers. The clip reveals something about our family; we always talk about how Votaw babies have round faces. But look at 1-year-old Dorothy – this trait apparently comes from the Martins!

Doree is two years old in this photo. The dog is not identified.

I do not remember Mom ever telling us that she took piano lessons! They must not have been a good experience for her; we kids were not encouraged to have them when we were young. Note that both Bert and Doree were featured in this performance.

Here Doree demonstrates remarkable skill at the important task of fish-cleaning. She knows how to handle a knife!

We are indebted to my grandparents, Herb and Mary Martin, and their love of photography, for the artifacts on this page. They bought a 16mm film camera in 1928 when Bert was born and they used it quite a bit through all of the years that Bert and Doree were growing up.

Above are the two pages of Doree’s birth certificate from the hospital in Pomona where she was born.

This photo of mother and baby looks like it might have been taken in the hospital just after Dorothy was born.

This photo and caption were taken from Doree’s baby book.

These certificates show Doree’s progress through various grade levels at school and at church. (Click to enlarge and see detail.)

This photo was undoubtedly taken to show off one of the most outstanding shiners ever seen. I would love to know the story behind it.

Here’s Doree with her dog Fritzi.

Doree enjoys some beautiful orchids.

Doree and her friend Dianne indulge in a little bit of play-acting.

Doree dresses up for an evening out with her dad.

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