Commenting on blogs

This is a giant "I'm sorry" if I haven't left you a comment in several days. I have a large list of favorites that I like to visit and I am trying to get though a lot of the new blogs I haven't seen yet. I was doing a fairly good job until Wednesday. That's when there was a shooting next door and someone died.

We know bad things can happen anywhere so we accept that next door is as good as across the country but when it's next door, the daily routine changes. We were in the crime scene tape area and my husband had to be escorted out to go to work. My 13-year-old saw most of it and had to talk to the detectives. He was bummed out all day yesterday and I spent very little time with the A to Z challenge. They finally took the tape down late yesterday afternoon but it was like living in a war zone with police, forensic teams, detectives, the coroner, and other personnel. Murder is a very ugly thing and although it was not our family, we are so sad for the family next door. There are small children there and it will change them forever.

Today I am working to get back on track. I sent the boy to Sea World with some friends so he can have time away from here. I am working though the blogs because it is one of the things I really enjoy. The A to Z challenge is an amazing way to learn about all kinds of new things, get research help, and in general, travel from place to place. Right now, the A to Z is exactly where I need to be.

P is for Posterity

Posterity - all future generations of people. (Don't worry, the definition is for me to make sure I am using posterity in the right context.)

I was delighted when I found five letters my great grandmother had written to my grandparents. It was a time capsule of 1918 and 1919. It had clues about the family but it also shared daily bits. She wrote how they had managed their timber so they would get better prices. She talked about the people who ran the mine. She talked about the "flue" and how many people were sick. You can read about mines and the flu in history books but the emotions and day to day details are absent. 

Writers and bloggers are leaving information for posterity. Never in our history has there been so much available. Genealogist may complain that the data is not verified but that's not as important for family historians. I know I am after the flavor of the times as well as the details. 

Based on the letters, I know that my great grandmother was educated in an area where girls did not learn to read and write. I know that she bought property and had an income greater than what the farm provided. I know she treasured her children above all else and had a hard time letting them go, even as adults. I know she was strong and able to survive tragedy. 

My family tree is full of wonderfully unique people who left clues for their descendants. They didn't leave large estates or millions but something greater. They left a family history full of life events telling us who they were, what their dreams were, and how they achieved their goals. 

Just like the letters written by my great grandmother, today's writers and bloggers are leaving little bits and pieces to posterity. How great is that!

O is for Obituary

In this very technical world, some of the best resources are being lost. One is the art of the obituary. Newspapers have all but disappeared and with them, the daily notice of who died and when. I can't remember how long ago it was that I subscribed to a newspaper.

When my mom died, there was no notice in the paper. When my dad died, there wasn't one either, the family was notified by telephone. At least, they were not texted which I think would have been disrespectful.

Obituaries used to mean something. It told the world that someone important to someone had passed away. Even if it was in a small newspaper, people read them. If they knew the person, they somehow made contact with the rest of the family to offer their condolences. Today, on facebook, a "sorry" is offered. Please forgive me, I am guilty of doing that once and should have sent a card or made a call.

For those researching family history, it is more disturbing. The obituary told us a little about the person; who they were, what they did. It sometimes told us how they died. It gave us family members. It told us time and place. Those facts are hard to come by. Oh, we get date and place and sometime cause of death and occupation but it is all very impersonal.

My mom died on May 8, 1998. She died in Perris, California. She was retired. She died of a heart attack. That doesn't begin to tell us who she was and she was so much more. On the other hand, here's what the obituary for my grandfather read:

Death Claims E. M. Yeakley/Veteran Printer, Preacher here since 1911

Reverend Ernest M. Yeakley, 56, veteran Wichita Falls printer and Baptist minister, died Monday night about 10:30 o'clock at a Wichita Falls hospital. Yeakley, who came to Wichita Falls in 1911 went to the hospital a few days ago suffering from a paralytic condition. A heart attack was the cause of his sudden death Monday night. Yeakley had worked on newspapers in many Texas towns. He was one of the first printer employed by the Times Publishing Company after its institution in Wichita Falls. In recent years he was employed in newspapers in Gainesville and Sherman. He held pastorates in Baptist churches in dundee, Black Flat, and Kamay within the last few years, being the minister at the Kamay Baptist Church in 1937 and 1938. Yeakley , who made his home at 1317 Eighteenth, survived his wife by approximately five years. He had been employed at the Buchanan Stationery Company as a printer for almost a year. Survivors include five sons, Lee M. Yeakley, Wichita Falls, Noel Yeakley, Dickens, Texas, Don Yeakley, Houston, J. D. Yeakley, San Diego, Calif, Pvt. Eugene Yeakley, Denver, Colo; three daughters, Mrs M.E. Edmonds, Houston and Misses Ruby and Lola Mae Yeakley, both of Wichita Falls; one brother, Lynn Yeakley, Gainesville; two sisters, Mrs. Nola King, Gainesville, and Mrs. Jennie Riley, Gainesville, and 12 grandchildren. Funeral arrangements in charge of Owens and Brumley Funeral Home are incomplete awaiting word for the sons at Denver and San Diego.

There was also a picture that put a face to the name.

Today, the closest thing we have is Find A Grave. I was remiss as I sponsor my mother's site and hadn't added a bio. After writing this, I went to the site and updated the information. I have others yet to do. I want everyone to know they were important. 

N is for (James) Noel Yeakley - Uncle Noel

I love this picture of my Uncle Noel. It was no doubt taken by his father who photographed his children every chance he got. There is a picture of my mother who threw herself on the ground so he wouldn't take her picture. Uncle Noel doesn't look any happier. 

Uncle Noel, James Noel Yeakley, was one of the kindest men I have ever met. He and Aunt Alta were wonderful people but I didn't get to know them well. You see, they were old people and us younger cousins didn't spend a lot of time with them.

James Noel Yeakley was born on November 17, 1908 in Altus, Oklahoma. The family didn't stay there very long. Lee Marvin Yeakley was born in Texas two years earlier and the next child in line after Uncle Noel was Aunt Ruth who came along three years later and was born in Archer, Texas. Eventually the family moved to Wichita Falls where they put down roots. Noel married Alta Lovenia Rogers and had six children.

Three of the children are in the picture below. Aunt Alta is the one holding the baby on the left. My mom put the notes on the picture. You can barely see her in front of the flag. The picture was taken in 1937 at the Central Baptist Church in Wichita Falls, Texas.

Noel and Alta made several trips to California to visit us and Uncle Jay Dee. They also went to Washington State to visit Aunt Lola. We also made the pilgrimage to Texas every summer to visit family. Having the family visit was a regular occurrence and one that we enjoyed as children. Although my cousins were mostly older, at least they weren't old people.

Uncle Noel passed away on November 6, 1988, at the age of 80. Aunt Alta lived to age 78 and passed away on October 26, 1990, two years later.

Uncle Noel loved music. He was on his way to sing for the people at the "Old Folks Home" when he had a heart attack (at the age of 80) and died before he got there. It's says a lot about him and is a testament to how young he was at heart and how he was always willing to be a blessing to others.

Noel and Alta Yeakley, probably mid-60's.

Uncle Noel also wrote a hymn. My mom had a copy so I will share it here. I don't know if it was published but I am sure it was sung at his church.

M is for Lola Mae Yeakley - Aunt Lola

"L" was taken for Uncle Lee. We always used her middle name with the first name so technically, I can use the "M" for her.

Lola Mae Yeakley, the youngest child of Ernest Marvin Yeakley and Nancy Ellen Jones.

Wichita Falls High School

Her timeline on Ancestry.com reads like this:

Birth

1926  Wichita Falls, Wichita, Texas United States

11 Apr

1930  Residence

Age 4  Wichita Falls, Wichita, Texas

1940  Residence

1 Apr   Wichita Falls, Wichita, Texas

1942  Residence

Age 16  Wichita Falls, Texas

1993  Residence

Age 67  Renton, WA

2009  Death

16 Dec  Renton, King, Washington

Age 83

This is what we run into when we start tracking our ancestors. Facts are OK but there was a whole life lived between the sources. Aunt Lola was more than just a list of sources for me. She was a very real person who fell in love, married, had children, and lived life on her own terms. 

Lola Mae was 20 years younger than her oldest brother. There were 6 other children between them and Ellen, my grandmother, was 39 when she was born. She was the baby of the family and was treated as such. She was four when my grandparents had their first grandchildren. Because of the age differences, by the time I was born, most of my cousins had children my age. It was no different for Aunt Lola. Her playmates were her cousins and not her brothers and sisters. 

Ellen died in 1938 when Lola Mae was 12. It was difficult for the family but at that point, the only children at home were Lola May, Gene and my mom, Ruby. My mom was 20 at the time and a college student. 

This was a photo taken at the time of Ellen's death. It is all the kids and my grandfather. Back row: Noel, Don, Marvin (my grandfather), Jay Dee, and Lee. In the front, Eugene, Ruby (my mom), Ruth, and Lola Mae. 

It was decided that Lola Mae would accompany my mother to Denton, Texas and live with her. My mom went to college and Lola Mae attended school the local elementary school. I have several letters my mom wrote to her siblings about how hard it was at times but how much fun the two of them had. Any activities my mother attended, so did Lola Mae. Gene stayed home. He was 15 and attended high school, old enough to fend for himself until his dad got home from work. 

I have to stop here and explain why Aunt Lola's name changes from sentence to sentence. Her siblings never called her anything but Lola Mae. The nieces and nephews called her Aunt Lola so in this narrative, I find it hard to write and call her Lola Mae. To me she will always be Aunt Lola. 

Lola Mae and Ruby moved back home when my mom graduated. Lola Mae finished high school in Wichita Falls. When Lola Mae was 17, she met John Gerald Curtindale. She must have met him at the USO, the same church where my mom met my dad. My mother was not fond of John Gerald Curtindale and didn't want Lola Mae to marry him but Aunt Lola always did what she wanted. For the 50 some years Uncle Johnny and Aunt Lola were married, my mother was always there for them. While I think she never got over the fact that Aunt Lola married him, he was accepted as part of the family. 

Uncle Johnny could be charming but he was not always the nicest of persons. However, Aunt Lola was no fool and they had an interesting life together. 

Johnny was an entrepreneur. I remember when he had a gas station in West Seattle. He always had some invention or business that he was working on. I remember the worm farm on the side of the house. I thought it was gross but he did explain how beneficial the worms were. 

They lived in West Seattle for many years. From the balcony off the back door, you could see the Space Needle and downtown Seattle across the Puget Sound. The home also had a basement where we would stay when we visited. It wasn't exactly finished but did have bedrooms and a bathroom. There was a very large (and I do mean large) holly bush in the front yard. We learned early it was prickly and you didn't want to hide in it. Aunt Lola worked a Boeing for more than 30 years and was often the sole support of the family. She liked her job and it kept her busy. She was also a Weight Watcher Lifetime Member and remained trim for most of her life. She attended church on a regular basis.   

Uncle Johnny and Aunt Lola had two children. We spent a lot of time as children together. They would come to California or we would go to Washington. I still am in touch with my cousin Paul and we are grateful for the relationship. His younger brother Jerry passed away recently. 

My mom holding me, Paul standing in front and Lola Mae holding Jerry. 

John Gerald Curtindale passed away on October 4, 1996 at the age of 79. Aunt Lola outlived him 13 years passing away on December 16, 2009. I can still hear her voice and laugh and I miss her. 

L is for Lee Marvin Yeakley - Uncle Lee

I don't have any clear memories of my Uncle Lee. I was nine when he passed away.

Lee Marvin Yeakley was the oldest child of Ernest Marvin and Nancy Ellen. He was born on September 29, 1906 in Archer, Texas. He was 12-yrs-old when my mom was born. On June 9, 1929, he married Dorothy McWhirter. He was 22, she was 18. Their only child was Richard Lee born in 1930. Lee Marvin Yeakley passed away on November 23, 1958 at the age of 52.

Like my grandfather, he worked at the Times Publishing Company. It was his only job and according to one newspaper account, he wasn't feeling well but worked there up to the week before he died.

I knew my Aunt Dorothy and my cousin Richard Lee. Richard was called Dickie Lee by the family, even as a grown man. Since I can't seem to find a picture of Aunt Dorothy, here is a picture of Dickie Lee and his wife Movolene. Dickie Lee is still living but we lost Movolene last year. They were fun people to be around and I always enjoyed visiting with them. 

52 Ancestors - Week 16 - Solomon Shearer - 1811-1881

This photo was posted by PaulRutherford20 on Nov. 21, 2010 with a note it is probably a replacement as many of the old stones are tipped over or broken. The Bethel Cemetery in Frisco, Collin County, Texas was under renovation. I have yet to find a death record so this is as close as we come. The month of June is listed on Ancestry but it it's not documented.

We do know that he was born on June 8, 1811 in Wayne County, Kentucky and married Mary Price in 1840. They had seven children, one of them Margaret Ann Shearer, my great grandmother.

There is a little know about Solomon Shearer. In 1918, Edmond Franklin Bates wrote a book called History and reminiscences of Denton County. On page 44, he writes: 

"The standard of morality was high, resulting in a high order of citizenship to the honor of this Kentucky colony whose roll call will never grow old to the writer." 

He goes on to to mention Solomon Shearer, and his brothers, Will Shearer, Walter Shearer, and Rev. Worth Shearer. 

The Hawkins Settlement was founded by Rev, William Bates in 1854 by his sons and sons-in-law. It was called the Kentucky Settlement because most of the residents had migrated from Kentucky. They were Methodists and built a church in 1857, called Zion after the church they left behind. The people of the Settlement we "fervent" in their worship. In the Yeakley and Jones families, religion was a very important part of their lives. I know that their religious beliefs were passed down as my mom was a person who lived her beliefs. 

According to the records, Solomon Shearer and Mary Price were born and married in Kentucky and by 1870, were living in Denton. We don't have a census for 1860 but the book mentions them as part of the Settlement which means that they were there prior to the 1870 census. Their youngest child was born in 1854 in Kentucky so we know they were not there when the Settlement was founded. The Settlement eventually became Denton.

Solomon and Mary lived there until they died, Solomon in 1881 and Mary in 1900.  

K is for Knott's Berry Farm

This is a stretch but I don't seem to have any "K" family members that are completely researched on the Yeakley/Jones side. So, while still keeping with the A to Z requirements, I am using Knott's Berry Farm to share some family photos. 

Scott is my oldest son and I think he will be the one to carry on the genealogy. He is now interested after learning we might be able to track our past back to the Mayflower. He is a history buff so it appeals to him. 

This is Scott at Knott's Berry Farm. 1973

Christopher is my youngest son and into history too. Along with my brother, niece and nephew, they are Civil War reenactors. It is a family affair. They are Confederate mounted cavalry but also do World War II. 

This is Chris at Knott's Berry Farm. 1973

We are a California family so our lives have been spent at Knott's Berry Farm. As a small child, we took family there. This is my Dad holding my brother and my grandma holding me, The picture was taken in 1953. 

Aunt Lola brought my cousins from Washington State to visit in 1954. This is Paul, Jerry, Marlin (my brother), and Me. 

Aunt Ruth also visited in 1954. This is my mom, Aunt Ruth, and my cousin Annette taken in front of the Jail. 

We took Granny in 1965. My dad and I are in the back. In the front, Granny and my annoying brother. 

As my kids have grown up, they have spent a lot of time there too. This is Chris and Scott. They are a little older. 1974

 

 They were not happy with this photo. They wanted to be outlaws, I wanted school boys. I won. 

 They finally got their wish as young men. This is their favorite Knott's picture. 

Knott's is a totally family affair. Gary and I were married in Las Vegas without photographs. We went to Knott's for our official wedding photo. 1983

We are raising our grandson and spend lots of time at Knott's still. This is Gary, Chris and Niles. Niles is an outlaw in training. 2011

As long as we can, we will continue with the tradition of the pictures. After all, it is part of our family history. 

BTW - Gary goes to Knott's for the chicken dinner. We make several trips a year just to eat there. It's like an obsession.