J is for JD Yeakley - Uncle Jay Dee

I have more pictures of Uncle Jay Dee and Aunt Marie than any other family members. I bet that's because they lived less than an hour from us and we saw a lot more of them. Thinking back, it's an interesting dynamic. My Aunt Marie and I didn't get along until I was an adult. I think that's mostly because she had boys and wasn't quite sure what to do with girls. She got along well with my brother and other boy cousins. 

Jay Dee Yeakley was born on August 28, 1913 in Archer City, Texas. When he was 21, he married Halcyon Marie White in Wichita Falls, Texas. She was also from Wichita Falls. They moved around a lot from San Diego to the San Francisco area, ending up in La Mirada, California. He was a printer like his father and brothers.  

Probably taken in the 1960's at our house in La Puente, California
My dad, my mom, Uncle Jay Dee, and Aunt Marie

They had two boys, Jerry and Jimmy. I talked about Jimmy on letter "H". He died in Vietnam in 1967. Jerry is alive and well and living in the San Diego area. 

We spent a lot of time at their house, especially in the summer. When family came from Texas or Washington, we would gather there because they had a pool and it kept us kids busy while the grown-ups visited. Aunt Marie had an amazing orchard collection and a green thumb. 

Eventually, they moved back to the San Diego area, living in El Cajon. Uncle Jay Dee and Aunt Marie attended my mom's funeral in May of 1998. I had no idea he was unwell but he passed away six weeks later on June 17, 1998. Aunt Marie lived another 8 years. She still loved to raise orchards and the last time we visited, she had some very beautiful plants.  

I is for Isaiah Jones

Yipee! I think I have found the missing Jones family.

We knew my 2nd great grandmother was Lucy Jones. We did not know the name of my 2nd great grandfather other than Jones.

They had three children, James Augustus Jones, Sally, and Sammy. I know James Augustus Jones is correct but the rest was left for speculation.

James was born in Mississippi. I had Lucy's birthplace as Alabama based on notes my mom left. I could not find a Lucy Jones in Alabama with the correct birth year or even close so I changed her birthplace to Mississippi and found a census report with the children's names. However, her name was Mary L. Jones. Taking a leap of faith, I changed her name to Mary Lucy Jones and was rewarded with another census report with the same children plus one. The plus one is Hannah and she disappears before the 2nd census report so she may not have lived very long.

I actually think that this is correct although I have been disappointed before. I continued searching and found a marriage record for a Mary Lucy Blanchard and Isaiah Jones. I think this is correct too. It's fits into the timeline and it is also in Mississippi.

Now the real work begins. All of this needs to be verified so I'm going back to my DNA page to see if there is a Blanchard in any of the surnames. That's a lot of extra research but I need to be sure I am on the right track.

Still, that's the first glimmer of hope I've had in the search for Lucy's husband.

H is for James David Yeakley in Heaven

You expect parents, aunts and uncles to pass away before you do but not necessarily cousins who are the same age. It's not that I'm young, I just expected us to grow old together. 

James David Yeakley

I miss Jimmy. I had a cousin crush on him from the time I could remember and was so jealous when he married Regina.

James David Yeakley was the youngest son of Jay Dee and Marie Yeakley. He was born on October 17, 1944 making him five years older than me. Jay Dee and Marie lived in San Diego when he was born. Most of my memories center around their home when they moved to La Mirada. Uncle Jay Dee and Aunt Marie often hosted family weekends. La Mirada was not far from our house so we spent a lot of time swimming in their pool. 

Jimmy had a MG and used to take me for rides. For an impressionable young girl, he was beyond cool. He treated me as an equal although looking back, I must have been a pest. 

He married Regina in 1965 and they moved to Norwalk. I don't know if he enlisted in the Army or if he was drafted but it was at the height of the Vietnam War. According to the family story, he was killed by a sniper while patrolling the Cambodian/Vietnam border on November 17, 1967 at the age of 23. They were not allowed to defend themselves and fire back because we were not at war with Cambodia. Looking back, I don't know how true that story is but it changed the way I looked at war.  

I had the honor to visit the Vietnam Memorial in Washington DC. It was there where I was able to reconcile my total dislike for the Vietnam War with all those who died there. The Wall is a powerful reminder of a time of uncertainty. I believe Jimmy died in a war that was not our business but at the same time, our country called on our young men and they responded, giving their lives. Like others, I made a rubbing of his name. Everyone on the wall had loving families doing the same thing.  

Jimmy did not leave a family to carry on his legacy. He had no children and Regina moved on and remarried, as it should be. He lives only in our memories but he is more than just a birth and death date. He deserves to be remembered as the fun loving person that he was. He was a good son and brother. 

And...he is the only one who drove on the sidewalks in La Mirada to prove to me that he could. What a hoot! 

G is for Natalie Gorin

Natalie Gorin was my mom's boss at the library at Wichita Falls High School in Wichita Falls, Texas. She was also her friend and mentor and deserves a mention in the Yeakley family history.

She was born in  Port Arthur, Texas on August 1, 1911 to Charles Gorin and Minnie Coufal. They moved to Wichita Falls in 1930 where she completed her education and became the high school librarian. She dedicated her entire career to the high school. She is pictured in the high school yearbooks from 1941 to 1964. 

In 1948, she made a trip to California to visit my newly married parents. They were seen at Knott's Berry Farm, the Huntington Library, and the NBC studios. This photo was taken at the Huntington Library. My mom is on the left and Natalie to the right.

This is the photo taken in front of NBC Radio City in Los Angeles, California

Natalie never married so I am hoping that she still has family who want to know about her. I have lots of pictures to share. I am posting these pictures because she was important to my mother and made a difference in her life. No one lives without leaving a footprint.

She died on September 6, 1966 of breast cancer and is buried at Crestview Memorial Park in Wichita Falls, Texas. 

F is for Family Trees - private or public? My blog, my rant!

There is a raging debate on whether private or public trees are better. You would think that it wouldn't matter either way but there are some pretty heated arguments on both sides. I follow James Tanner's, Genealogy's Star and Kerry Scott's Clue Wagon, both of which have touched on the same topic. 

Usually I'm a good sport but when those of us with public trees are portrayed as the unwashed masses, I take offense. While I won't respond on other blogs or leave a comment that is less than polite, this is my blog where I get to say what I want. 

I have public trees so others who are looking for the same information can find me. That is how we found 7 of my husband's missing siblings. If I had done a private tree, we would not have connected. That's a pretty big deal and a whole story by itself. 

I don't say my trees are correct. The Rhea/McCollum is pretty clean but once in a while I am surprised. Not because it's wrong but because new information surfaces that makes me rethink my research. That recently happened on my Yeakley/Jones tree. A book written long ago and used as a source by many has been discredited. I contacted the Historical Society in Cocalico, Pennsylvania who confirmed the sources in the original document were not verified. Back to square one. 

So here is my response to those who think I am poluting Ancestry.com and the other programs out there with my public trees. Clarification here: not everyone feels this way and I acknowledge those who don't share for personal reasons. 

1. I don't care if you think my tree is incorrect. This is my journey for the truth. If you are looking at my tree and find an error, I am more than willing to correct it if you can provide the source. If you have information but don't want to share it, don't write to me. 

2. I share. Letters, pictures, notes and stories are all out there for anyone who wants them. If someone copies them, so much the better.   

3. My trees are a work in process. I add a person on Ancestry.com and view all the trees on member connect. I read each one and note the differences. I check for sources. If there are no sources, I might add it anyway. Here is where we differ. My research is public. If I find I'm wrong, my tree changes. I am not ashamed to say I have it wrong and I am really happy when I find I have it right. 

I just found a missing great grandfather. Is the info correct? I don't know. More research will need to be done but it's out there on my tree until I decide yes or no. You shouldn't be concerned about how I do my research or what my tree shows. After all, it is my tree, warts and all. When they come up with a program (with public trees) where I can identify information as preliminary and leave it there until it is verified, then I will be quite happy. Right now, it doesn't work that way. 

4. Family history is not alway about genealogy. I did my husband's tree before we found his biological parents. I didn't delete his adoptive parents, aunts or uncles. They are his history. I added his biological last name and started research on that side of the family. His tree looks wrong but from his standpoint, it's exactly right. 

The debate is stupid. We're after the same thing. I wanted to understand what made my great grandmother tick. While doing the research, I was blessed to find cousins who were looking for the same thing. Together, we reconstructed her life and in doing so, found her soul. Isn't that why we're all working so hard? 

Rant over, now back to our regular scheduled program of my fascinating ancestors and family friends. 

52 Ancestors - Week 15 - Margaret Ann Shearer 1847-1893

Margaret Ann Shearer was the daughter of Solomon Shearer and Mary Eller Price. That is open to discussion because no one can agree on the true name of Mary Eller Price. It could be Mary Ellen Price and several people think her name is just Mary Eller. The marriage bond has both names so it is still up in the air. However, I digress.

Margaret Ann with the middle child of seven. Born in Kentucy in 1847, she was 20 when she married James Madison Yeakley in Texas. I don't know when the family came to Texas but it was before 1867.

She was a mother of five children, the youngest one being my grandfather, Ernest Marvin Yeakley. I suspect that Margaret Ann had very strong religious beliefs as my grandfather was a minister and lived it every day of his life, passing it on to his children. 

There is a DNA match with lgsM63. I have written to her requesting additional information and hope to hear something back soon, In the meantime, on my Ancestry tree, I only have Margaret Ann. LgsM63 has a sibling I didn't know about so it gives me another place to search for clues. Unfortunately, it makes more questions than it provides answers but I will get to the truth. 

E is for Ernest Oliver Rhea, my dad

I am half Yeakley and half Rhea so how can I do the letters of the alphabet without mentioning the Rhea side? I actually have a blog for the Rhea/McCollum side that has enough information to complete a family history.

One of the more interesting things about families is that spouses become another part of the family and it is hard to separate the two. My dad is a Rhea but after all those years, the distinction between family names blur and he was as much a Yeakley as my mom was a Rhea.

My dad, Ernest Oliver Rhea, was born in Billings, Montana on October 17, 1921. He was the youngest son of William Ogden Rhea and Mellie Farris. The three boys were raised in their earliest years on a farm bordering the Yellowstone River. My dad had lots of stories about living on the farm. When they were in Middle School, the family moved to town. My grandmother was an astute business person and bought land and houses so there was always rent coming in. My guess is that when they had enough money, moving to town suited her better.

My dad on the left and my uncle playing chess (about 1943) in the two story home my grandparents built in town. The upstairs was rented while the family lived in the lower level. That is the place I remember spending summers and holidays.

My dad attended school in Billings. My grandmother was big on education and all three of the boys were pushed to go to college. In 1942, my dad was at Michigan State University studying music. While there, he was also in the Michigan State Orchestra. However, life got in the way and he enlisted in the Army during World War II. His Army career consisted of administering tests for men who wanted to fly. While in the Army, he was stationed in Texas where he met my mother at a USO. Their first encounter was when he taught her to play chess.

They kept in touch and when he left the Army, he went to Colorado where my mother was employed as a Librarian at the Denver Public Library. They were engaged on Christmas Eve 1946. The next year, my dad and mom moved to Los Angeles where they were married on July 4, 1947. My dad had enrolled in USC and was studying accounting. The music career was left behind for a more lucrative profession.

After graduation, they moved to Bakersfield, California where my dad was employed by the Internal Revenue Service. In 1952, there were two big earthquakes in the area that stirred up the dust and released the spores for Valley Fever. It made my dad ill and they decided to move, ending up in La Puente, California.

For several years my dad made the 60 mile drive to Los Angeles for the job at the IRS and then decided to open his own accounting business. He did well and although we weren't rich, we were comfortable.

When he was older, he went back to playing the flute with the church orchestra. 

The love of music that he had as a child was reborn after he retired. My love of music comes from him and I also play the flute. We did duets all the time. 

When he passed away on February 10, 2006, I put the flute away. However, the love of music lives on. I am teaching my 13-yr-old and my husband to play the piano.

D is for Don Carl Yeakley - Uncle Don

Of all the Yeakley boys, I think Uncle Don was the best looking. He had sort of the James Dean look.

He was born in Olney, Texas on June 12, 1915 and died at the age of 79 on April 18, 1995.

He married Vivian Mae Crawford when they were both 19 and had a long, successful marriage. They had two children. My cousin Don and I used to get together when he came to California on business.

My best memory of Uncle Don was when he decided to be our getaway driver after my first marriage. I still remember him speeding through the streets of Covina, California while our friend tried to keep up with him. They were no match for him.

Aunt Vivian outlived him only four years.