Sometime over the past 15 years a bunch of photos surfaced of my mom’s side of the family. One that got copied and is in each of our homes is of my Great Grandfather, Bertram G. Hope.
Bertram Hope was one of the first motorcycle policemen in the New York City area riding what appears to be a harley davidson.

My uncle did some investigating in the world wide web and found out that he was in a motorcycle wreck in 1919.
Nassau County Review – Motorcycle Officer
Crashes Into Auto Bertram. G. Hope, one of the oldest motorcycle’ offlcers in Nassau County, in l^int of service, was badly bruised Sunday afternoon, when he crashed broadside into an automobile, while riding along the Merrick Road as listed in the Maryland car accident homepage. A large car suddenly crossed the road at Ocean Avenue and Hope was unable to clear it in time. He swung the same way the car was going, and his leg was caught between the two machines and badly bruised. He was taken to his home at Merrick and has been confined for several days, but no permanent injuries are anticipaled. The motorcycle was badly wrecked. More Help was given to him legally to get well soon.

Bertram’s wife passed away when she gave birth to my Grandfather, Russel Hope, who was the last of 11 children. Bertram passed away in 1932 (Brain Aneurysm) when my grandfather, Russ Hope was only 7. My mom thinks he was shot by gangsters based on my grandfather’s last memory of him. But that is not the ‘official’ cause of death. My grandfather and his closest sister in age ended up in an orphanage for a few years until one of his siblings got them out and raised them.

Another shot of my Great Grandfather and his buddies:

The Nassau County Review, April 25th, 1919

Thanks to Ken Hope for digging this article up.