A Shared History

We're all out there living our lives and taking pictures and writing our own stories. But as new memories are forged, others may fade. Grandma Jane Alton has been doing her part to see that doesn't happen. She's been saving photos, clippings and scrap books, and sharing memories her whole life. And much of the impetus to get the "SAP Archives" website off the ground has been the imminent occasion of her 95th birthday. Fortunately, Jane has not been working alone: John Alton has been deep down the rabbit hole of the "SAP" Family history, Heather Alton has compiled the story of Annie Schlosser's journey from Norway to America, Scott Schlosser and Mary Ann Dixon have preserved some of Walter's amazing photos via their father John's collections, while over on Judy's side, Jill Peacocke has amassed, sorted and logged hundreds more.

John and TW started talking years ago about creating a place to bring our stories together before they scatter to the wind. 

This website is our first attempt. The dream is that we'll all keep adding to it and some day, one of Gam's great, great, great offspring will discover the length and breadth of this family's intriguing history and enjoy it, or turn it into a school project, a collage, perhaps a novel. Or maybe they'll just pass it along to their kids.

Notes on Nomenclature:

The term "SAP" stands for Schlosser, Alton, Peacocke and refers to the three nuclear families under Helen Schlosser's Matriarchy. The term was invented by consensus among her eleven grandchildren, likely on a Ward Air flight to Hawaii, ca 1974.

*

Helen came to be known as "Gam" via Scott's monosyllabic stand-in for "Grandmother", ca 1955.

*

And, finally, thanks to Alison Woodbury for the latest addition to the argot with her coining of "GamFam" in the naming of this site, ca 2024.