Tuesday, May 31, 2016

Duffield/Sisson Postcards No. 9

This is the ninth in a series of postcards from 1908-1914 discovered last year in the Sierra Madre, California home of Warren Brown after his death. The collection of memorabilia found was saved by Warren's grandparents and passed down. Warren was my husband’s cousin and we are the proud holders of the collection today.
Warren’s mother, Edythe Grace Sisson (Dec 1897-1978) was the daughter of Edith Amy Duffield (1864-1926) and Charles Herman Sisson (1868-1927). Her slightly older sister, Vera Louise Sisson (Feb 1897-1976) was my husband’s grandmother.

Edith’s parents were William Duffield (1833-1925) and Henriette Louise DeSusClades (sometimes found in records as DeClad) (1841-1887). Their children were:
·       Albert Louis Duffield (1860-1942)
·        Marie “Mae” Louise Duffield (1862-1943)
·        Edith Amy Duffield (1864-1926) – the recipient of this postcard
·        Victoria Jennie Duffield (1866-1957) – the sender of this postcard
·        Eva Grace Duffield (1880- )

9511. Denver's Auditorium, Erected 1908, Seating Capacity 12,000.


Victoria, her husband, James, and son, Ryburn, are on the way home from a vacation by train that began in Chicago, looped down around the Grand Canyon to Los Angeles, up to San Francisco, to Salt Lake City and now are in Denver for a few days stop.

When the Denver Auditorium opened in 1908, it was the second largest auditorium in America, with the largest being Madison Square Garden in New York. The 1908 Democratic National Convention was held here. It's unknown if Victoria even saw the auditorium, though, as she and her son were sick during the stop in Denver and stuck in bed.

Vic was recovering as she wrote this postcard to her sister Edith. I think it says they are at Mrs Core's, but it might be Cove's and I don't know if this is family or acquaintance.

Postmarked 24 Mar 1909, Denver, Colorado


Postcard addressed to:
Mrs Edith Sisson
Ottawa
Illinois

Mar 24

Dear Sister Edith
It is a long time since I heard from and you will be astonished when I tell you Ryburn and myself is sick in bed at Mrs Core's in Denver feel some better today don't know to when we can come home I am writing in bed but I guess you can read it.
Good. bye Vic. to Edith


Thursday, May 26, 2016

Duffield/Sisson Postcards No. 8

This is the eighth in a series of postcards from 1908-1914 discovered last year in the Sierra Madre, California home of Warren Brown after his death. The collection of memorabilia found was saved by Warren's grandparents and passed down. Warren was my husband’s cousin and we are the proud holders of the collection today.
Warren’s mother, Edythe Grace Sisson (Dec 1897-1978) was the daughter of Edith Amy Duffield (1864-1926) and Charles Herman Sisson (1868-1927). Her slightly older sister, Vera Louise Sisson (Feb 1897-1976) was my husband’s grandmother.

Edith’s parents were William Duffield (1833-1925) and Henriette Louise DeSusClades (sometimes found in records as DeClad) (1841-1887). Their children were:
·       Albert Louis Duffield (1860-1942)
·        Marie “Mae” Louise Duffield (1862-1943)
·        Edith Amy Duffield (1864-1926) – the recipient of this postcard
·        Victoria Jennie Duffield (1866-1957) – the sender of this postcard
·        Eva Grace Duffield (1880- )

843 - In the snowsheds, Sierra Nevada Mountains, Ogden Route, S. P. R. R.
Copyright 1907 by Edw. H. Mitchell, San Francisco, Cal.


Postmarked Ogden & S----, March 14, 1909


Mrs. Charles Sisson
Ottawa
Illinois

Mar 14
Golconda, Nevada

Dear Sister Edith,
We are on our way home. I am writing this on the cars so I cannot write very plain.
We left San Francisco Sunday morning. expect to be in Salt Lake City tomorrow noon.
We are well have had an awful nice trip so far will stay a day or two in Denver.
Best wishes you are all well

from Vic and Jim


Golconda is a town in southeastern Humboldt County, Nevada. In 1909 it had a train depot and the town was growing due to the discovery of copper, silver, gold and lead and the opening of mines and mills. After 1910, though, depletion of the minerals left the town to a few farms and ranches. See Wikipedia.
The distance from San Francisco to Golconda is about 400 miles and from there to Salt Lake City, another 340 miles. They were travelling on the Southern Pacific Rail Road (SPRR).


Duffield/Sisson Postcards No. 7

This is the seventh in a series of postcards from 1908-1914 discovered last year in the Sierra Madre, California home of Warren Brown after his death. The collection of memorabilia found was saved by Warren's grandparents and passed down. Warren was my husband’s cousin and we are the proud holders of the collection today.
Warren’s mother, Edythe Grace Sisson (Dec 1897-1978) was the daughter of Edith Amy Duffield (1864-1926) and Charles Herman Sisson (1868-1927). Her slightly older sister, Vera Louise Sisson (Feb 1897-1976) was my husband’s grandmother.

Edith’s parents were William Duffield (1833-1925) and Henriette Louise DeSusClades (sometimes found in records as DeClad) (1841-1887). Their children were:
·       Albert Louis Duffield (1860-1942)
·        Marie “Mae” Louise Duffield (1862-1943)
·        Edith Amy Duffield (1864-1926) – the recipient of this postcard
·        Victoria Jennie Duffield (1866-1957) – the sender of this postcard
·        Eva Grace Duffield (1880- )

Pacific Wireless Station.
Santa Catalina Island, Cal.

The card is postmarked from Avalon 26 Feb 1909

 1909
Mrs. Edith Sisson
Ottawa, Ill

I am out to the Island just ready
to go back to Los Angeles excuse the haste
Vic S


Edith's sister Victoria and her husband James Sesslar are in California on vacation, having travelled by train from Chicago to Los Angeles. Postcards No. 4-6 document earlier correspondence during this vacation.




Wednesday, May 25, 2016

Arthur Virgil Cavanaugh (1895-1988)

Arthur Virgil "Art" Cavanaugh, my paternal great grandfather, was born 31 January 1895 in Mountain Grove, Wright County, Missouri. He was the third of six children born to John Houston Cavanaugh (1870-1954) and Mary Calier Read (1871-1949).
Art had two older bothers, Lexon Charlie (1891-1949) and Elmer Diamond "Curly" (1893-1957), and one younger brother, Orvel Burgess (1897-1979). He also had two younger sisters, Zona Ruby (1901-1991) and Opal Edna J. (1906- ?).

John and Mary with their first three sons, Art is the youngest one on his mother's lap. This copy of the original photo was sent to me years ago by Lavera Cavanaugh. Taken about 1896 probably in Mountain Grove, Wright County, Missouri.

The following timeline shows the family moved several times during Art's childhood:
  • January 1895, Art's birth in Mountain Grove, Wright County, Missouri
  • January 1897, brother Orvel's birth, also in Mountain Grove
  • June 1900, Federal Census, Clinton, Texas County, Missouri
  • August 1901, sister Zona's birth in Waterville, Douglas County, Washington
  • June 1906, sister Opal's birth, Missouri
  • May 1910, Federal Census, Robberson, Greene County, Missouri
  • July 1915, marriage to Sarah Katie Erickson, Ephrata, Grant County, Washington
Art as a young man.
I have a photocopy of the original photograph, and I think it was from Lavera Cavanaugh, but I didn't document it and can't remember for sure (otherwise known as "How Not to Do Genealogy").


In about 1895, Henry Cavanaugh, Art's great Uncle, moved with his wife and young family to Douglas County, Washington and settled in the Waterville area. Henry's sisters Sarah and Lucy followed with their husbands by 1900. Their mother, Art's great grandmother, was also living in the area for several years and may have come with her daughters. So John bringing his family to Douglas County wasn't such an odd thing, since he had several relatives in the area at the time. It's not known why he returned to Missouri or why, as fate would have it, they were in central Washington again in about 1914 when Art met Sarah Kate "Katie" Erickson, and fell in love. They were married on 12 July 1915.

Marriage return for Art and Katie, copy from the Washington State Archives,
Central Regional Branch in Ellensburg, Washington.

 Katie was the daughter of Albert Erickson, a Swedish immigrant, and Josie Moore, who had German and Quaker roots. The family came to Washington from Iowa between 1900 and 1910 and settled in the newly formed Grant County. Ephrata became a city in 1909, so they were some of the first settlers of the town. Art and Katie were still in Ephrata when their son William Virgil was born on 16 January 1916. (I'm doing the math in my head and I think Art may have been "encouraged" to marry Katie as baby Bill came just 6-1/2 months later!)  Art was working as a laborer in Seattle in 1918 and remained there until about 1923-24, when he brought his family to Yakima County. Two additional children had been born to the couple; Evelyn Winnifred in 1918 and Melvin Roy in 1921. The young family lived for a time in Yakima, then Moxee, and eventually settled in a home in Selah with some acreage and an orchard. My Dad lived with his grandparents briefly in his teens and remembers fondly the time spent with them. Art and Katie remained there for many years before retiring to a small home in town on Pear Avenue.

Art and Katie Cavanaugh, photo from my personal collection.

Art suffered a heart attack and died on 9 April 1988 in Yakima, Washington at the age of 93. His wife Katie outlived him by several years, passing in 1997 at 101 years old. They are buried together at West Hills Memorial Park in Yakima, Washington.

Funeral record from Shaw and Sons Funeral Home, Yakima, Washington.


Art's obituary from the Yakima Herald, obtained from the obituary file housed at
Yakima Valley Genealogical Society, Union Gap, Washington.

The grave of Art and Katie Cavanaugh at West Hills Memorial Park.
Photo taken on my Memorial Day visit last year.

Monday, May 23, 2016

Duffield/Sisson Postcards No. 6


This is the sixth in a series of postcards from 1908-1914 discovered last year in the Sierra Madre, California home of Warren Brown after his death. The collection of memorabilia found was saved by Warren's grandparents and passed down. Warren was my husband’s cousin and we are the proud holders of the collection today.
Warren’s mother, Edythe Grace Sisson (Dec 1897-1978) was the daughter of Edith Amy Duffield (1864-1926) and Charles Herman Sisson (1868-1927). Her slightly older sister, Vera Louise Sisson (Feb 1897-1976) was my husband’s grandmother.

Edith’s parents were William Duffield (1833-1925) and Henriette Louise DeSusClades (sometimes found in records as DeClad) (1841-1887). Their children were:
·       Albert Louis Duffield (1860-1942)
·        Marie “Mae” Louise Duffield (1862-1943)
·        Edith Amy Duffield (1864-1926) – the recipient of this postcard
·        Victoria Jennie Duffield (1866-1957) – the sender of this postcard
·        Eva Grace Duffield (1880- )

Broadway at Night, Los Angeles, Cal.


Postmarked 22 February 1909 in Los Angeles, California


Addressed to
Mrs Edith Sisson
Ottawa Ill.
408 Marcy St

Feb 22. 1909
Dear Sister Edith

I got your letter was awful glad to hear Charley was all right again but take good care of his scalp so the hair won’t come in gray the rest of us is gray enough. This is a picture of 1 of the main Streets in Los Angeles 300,000 ??? population our Hotel is 1 ½ blocks from Bullocks store so you see we are right in town. Write from Vic


Vic and her husband, Jim Sesslar, were vacationing in Los Angeles and staying at the Livingston Hotel. The traveled from Chicago by train on a route that passed by the Grand Canyon in Arizona.


Sunday, May 22, 2016

Elam Ethan Allen (1868-1951)



Elam Ethan Allen and Katherine Irene Aplington,
1898 wedding photo, courtesy of Rene Rodgers.


Elam Ethan Allen, my great-grandfather on my dad’s maternal line, led a very interesting life. Several years ago my cousin, Rene Rodgers, passed an old family history book to me. I don’t think I could write it any better so will instead share a few pages of that old book.

“A Narrative of Events in the Lives of the Descendants of William Allen”,
Issued November, 1957 by
Ethel E. Allen, Clan Historian
1286 Elm Street, N.W., Salem, Oregon
Assisted by
Glen and Helen Allen
10 Overlake Court, Oakland, California
First issue, August 1947

Excerpt, Pages 45-48

Page 45                                   

ELAM ETHAN ALLEN, fourth and last child of James Miller and Sarah E. (Butler) Allen
Born October 22, 1868; died July 7, 1951
Elam was born on the Butler Donation Land Claim at Buena Vista, Oregon
Married Katherine Irene (“Rena”) Aplington on December 21, 1898, at Asotin,
Asotin County, Washington. Katherine’s sister, Retta, was second wife of
John Lucas Allen
Katherine was born May 2, 1880, at Almena, Kansas; died January 7, 1951
Both Elam and Katherine are buried in Forest Lawn, Seattle.


                                                                                           
(5) Lois Lee Allen  Born August 21, 1900
(5) Inez Rhea Allen  Born March 24, 1902
(5) Elam Cecil Allen  Born December 14, 1904
(5) Felma Estell Allen   Born September 21, 1906
(5) Edna Ernestine Allen   Born September 16, 1908
(5) Mabel Elizabeth Allen   Born February 2, 1910        Died  July 1910
(5) Laura Beryl Allen  Born July 26, 1911
(5) Isaac Lawson Allen   Born  June 1, 1913
(5) Joyce Wilma Allen   Born May 14, 1915
(5) Helen Lucille Pauline Allen  Born April 2, 1918


Elam’s father, James Miller Allen, had crossed the plains by ox team. (See life of James Miller Allen, p. 19) In 1871 Elam moved with his family to Prineville. They built a log house and also a flour mill, which latter is still standing. His father was school director and Justice of the Peace and often took the place of parson by reading the Scriptures on Sunday mornings. Tragedy came to the family in the death of Elam’s mother soon after they moved to Prineville. When Elam was about eight years old, his family moved to Fifteen-Mile Creek near The Dalles, where they had a farm and mill. They moved later to Dufur then Boyd where they built and operated flour mills.

            One of his duties as a boy was to drive to the hills for the winter’s wood. He was accompanied by his older brothers and since there was an Indian uprising, the trip was fraught with danger and adventure. Adventure was to be the key word of his life and coupled with a marvelous memory for people, events, and places, he was able all his life to keep everyone about him entertained with witty and interesting accounts of episodes and events in his life.

            At sixteen, he hired out as a sheep shearer at six cents a head. He sheared twenty the first day but was shearing sixty-five by the end of the season and also was getting eight cents per head. In 1887 his father died, so following the next harvest Elam went to Pendleton, Oregon, to live with his half-sister, Nancy Crawford, where he went to work in a harness shop. On the side he broke horses at $5.00 a head.

Page 46

 In 1885, he went to Joseph Creek in Asotin County, Washington. With his brother-in-law, Jim Bradley (Pauline Jane Allen’s husband), he went into the cattle business. Joseph Creek was primitive country and he soon felt there would be more opportunity if he sold to Bradley and went into business for himself. Elam filed on land for himself and proved up under one of the last remaining preemption claims in the State of Washington. His claim was on the Snake River and he conceived the idea of bringing calves in by boat. This proved to be a workable idea and he began to prosper. In winter he carried mail from Anatone to Bly, Washington, on horseback. Elam sold his claim to Mr. Greene and bought the Bolton place. At about this time he was married to Katherine Irene Aplington, who had moved with her widowed mother and brothers and sisters from Colorado. He met “Rena” through her uncle, Nathan Aplington, whom Elam had saved from drowning in the Snake River. He not only saved Nathan from drowning but from freezing to death by making him and the two men with Nathan run all the way to the nearest Indian camp of the Chief Joseph tribe, and got help from the Indians in getting them warm and dry again. Nathan never forgot this and became one of Elam’s closest friends.

            Three children were born to Elam and Rena while they lived on the Snake River ranch and as they grew to school age the decision was made to move to a more civilized part of the county. Consequently, they sold out and purchased a harness shop in Anatone, where they built a home. There was plenty of business in the shop. Elam’s brother, Isaac, came out from the East and went into the business with him. The rude awakening came when it was discovered that thousands of dollars were on the books, but people wouldn’t or couldn’t pay. Elam made the discovery then that business involving credit was not for him. He trusted everyone and could not turn down anyone with a hard-luck story. He sold the harness shop and with Isaac moved to the Yakima Valley. For this move they rigged up two covered wagons and drove twenty head of horses and some cattle, which they owned. Other horses pulled the wagons containing the household effects. They swam the livestock across the Columbia River and ferried the wagons. Elam always made the camp bread at the evening stops. This he loved to do by mixing it in the top of the sack of flour.

            One more child had been born to the family at Anatone. In 1908, the Elam Allen family bought a ranch at Outlook in the Yakima Valley and lived there fourteen years. Here the remaining six children and the first grandchild were born.

            On this ranch, hay, potatoes, and livestock were raised. Elam kept breeding stock and doctored all the sick animals for miles around, as well as raising bumper crops of potatoes. He owned good modern machinery and was in great demand for crop harvesting. He employed Indians from the Yakima tribe at Wapato to harvest the potato and sugarbeet crops. He was about the only man who could get along with the Indians and get work out of them, so his crew was also in demand as long as he was the boss. He spoke their language and understood them and they often came to visit during other seasons of the year. The Indians always ate with the family on these visits and often came to use Rena’s sewing machine.

            Elam was referred to as “Spud” Allen or “Potato King” and in 1922 was awarded the Northern Pacific Railway’s potato medal. At the time of his award the family lived at Benton City, but in 1928 moved to Selah, Washington, where Elam worked as Supervisor on a hop ranch.

            After the children were all in school, Rena decided to pursue a vocation she had always liked, that of nursing. She went to a local doctor and through him got a correspondence course in practical nursing. The doctor helped her and soon put her to work on cases under him. She was a born nurse. Everyone loved her. There were always more jobs than she could take. She followed this profession for seven years and finally illness forced her to stop.

            Elam had been making exploratory trips to Oregon. His half-brother had told him how to locate the old trail their father, James Miller Allen, and other immigrants had followed after becoming lost. With his son, Elam Cecil, and a

Page 47

 son-in-law, Guy Michael, he found the buried land marks for which he sought. One of those was an ox-yoke still intact but weather-beaten.

            Elam also went to the Joseph Creek country to check up on a copper mining claim he had filed on years before. This claim probably would be valuable if transportation were available for the ore.

            In 1939 Elam and Rena moved to southwest Seattle to be nearer the majority of their children. Here they built a new home and retired from work, except to care for their beautiful flowers and garden. Elam developed a hobby of writing verses, cowboy songs, short stories, and spent some time on the story of his life.

            He enjoyed telling the reunion groups that he had the largest family of any one present – ten children, twenty-seven grandchildren and thirty-three great grandchildren;

            He passed away in his sleep at his home in Seattle. He was Honorary President of the Allen Clan 1949 and 1950.

- - - -

This poem was written to Lee Niles when he was planning a hunting trip:
Rifle Packin' Daddy
Daddy’s gone a hunting,
You should hear the kiddies cheer,
For all of them are positive
 That Dad will get his deer.
    Mother’s looking out the window,
     The kids can hardly wait,
       For rifle packin’ daddy
         Is half an hour late.

 Hope he doesn’t disappoint us,
     For we are low on points.
    We need a tender juicy steak
       To limber up our joints.
     Just in case he has no luck
      In bringing home the stew
     We’ll send pistol packin’ mamma,
             And see what she can do.  ----

                                     Elam Ethan Allen


THE MISSING LINK

Oft times when writing poetry
  I think with all my might
To find the one word needed
To make it sound just right.
  
Sometimes I write it many times
And think and think and think,
Then finally it comes to me,
The long lost missing link.
 It’s when I go to bed at night,
And lie there seeking slumber,
New ideas pop into my head,
So out of bed I lumber.

Page 48

And when I switch on the light
And make an awful clatter,
I hear a voice calling me,
“What in the world’s the matter?”
“Nothing, dear,” I answer back,
As I make the paper rattle,
“I’ve something preying on my mind
With which I have to battle.”
Then I write the darned thing down,
And get back to bed contented,
And feel like I have written all
That ever was invented. –

                      Elam Ethan Allen, Published in THE MUSE of 1943, (An anthology of poetry)


            Lineage:

(1)   William and Rebecca (Stevens) Allen

(2)   Isaac and Margaret (Miller) Allen

(3)   James Miller and (2) Sarah Elizabeth (Butler) Allen

(4)   Elam Ethan and Katherine (Aplington) Allen

                                                                       

                                                           

Elam Allen, 1950, courtesy of Rene Rodgers


The book was put together by Ethel E. Allen with information gathered from members of the Allen clan who regularly attended reunions in Oregon. It's not known if Elam himself is the one who submitted the information from the excerpt above, but I think he probably did. A disclaimer at the beginning of the volume asks family members to submit corrections for any errors or omissions they should find. As this is the second printing of the volume, it is likely such a disclaimer was printed in the first printing and some corrections have already been addressed in this printing. The pages are all hand typed and total 203, including an index, and are assembled with dividers for the descendants of each of the children of William Allen (1759-1815) and Rebecca Stevens (1768-1855) in a three ring binder. This book is a real treasure.

              

Friday, May 20, 2016

Duffield/Sisson Postcards No. 5


This is the fifh in a series of postcards from 1908-1914. They were discovered last year at the home of Warren Brown in Sierra Madre, California, following his death. Warren's mother, Edythe Grace (Sisson) Brown, was the daughter of Charles Herman Sisson (1868-1927) and Edith Amy Duffield (1864-1926) of Ottawa, Illinois. These postcards are just a small part of the collection of memorabilia that Edith saved and passed to her daughter and then Warren. It remains with the family in my possession. This is a postcard sent to Edith's brother-in-law, James B. Sesslar, in February 1909.


Washington's Park showing where the Lincoln and Douglass debate was held in 1858. Ottawa, Ill.


Postmarked 8 February 1909 in Ottawa, Illinois and mailed to Los Angeles California.


This postcard answers the question I had on postcard No. 4 regarding which "Vic" was the author. Victoria Jennie Duffield (1866-1957) was Edith's sister. She married James Bazzle Sesslar in Ottawa, Illinois on 20 December 1888. They were the vacationers that mailed the last postcard to Edith. This is one that was mailed to them while they were in Los Angeles on holiday. I know it was just a holiday because they were back at home in Ottawa for the 1910 census takers.

It reads:
Dear Aunt, Uncle & family,
Just got your postals. We are having fine weather. Mama is doing dandy if she will only mind us and be careful. She gets so mad when I won't let her go to the doors. Grandpa talked for 2 days about Jim going to see a bull fight. He gets so interested in where you are. Write again. Sue

Addressed to:
Mr. James B. Sesslar
633 South Hill St.,
Los Angeles,
California

And at the bottom it says, "The Livingston".

I found an ad in the Los Angeles Herald in April of 1909 for "The Livingston Hotel-First class room and board, home cooking, $8 per week and up. 633 S. Hill." California Digital Newspaper Collection

I'm not sure how this postcard came to be in Edith's possession. It is written by Jim Sesslar's niece, Sue Eichelberger, the daughter of his sister Lora Ella (Sesslar) Eichelberger and her husband William B. Eichelberger. Ella was the sibling closest in age to Jim in a family of 9 children (two more children died in infancy). Jim was the only boy with eight sisters. So, when the writer mentions "Mama", she is speaking of  Ella, and "Grandpa" is Jim's dad, Bazzle Sesslar (1830-1911).

Thursday, May 19, 2016

Hattie Eugene (Nicholas) Cobb (1899-1977)

My mother’s paternal grandmother was Hattie Eugene (Nicholas) Cobb. I was a pre-teen girl when she passed away and remember many fun times spent at her home in Kansas City, Missouri in the 1970s.

Hattie Cobb in the early 1970s.
Photo from my personal collection.

Hattie was born on 3 June 1899 in Missouri. Her oldest daughter told me once that her birthplace was Marquad, Madison County, Missouri, according to an entry in a family bible. Her parents were David Lincoln Nicholas (1874-1961) and Cordelia “Cordia” Francis Hammond (1877-1970). Hattie was one of four daughters born to the couple, though one died as an infant. Her sister, Nora Belle (called Belle), was born in 1897 and younger sister Beulah came in 1903. Both of those sisters were born in Arkansas.
In the 1910 census, Hattie is living with her family in Washington, Fulton County, Arkansas. In the home next door was her mother’s brother John Hammond and his family, with several cousins near Hattie’s age. The Nicholas and Hammond children, along with a few other neighbors, attended a small school together. I believe the following photo was taken between 1912 and 1915; Hattie is holding the sign that reads “Grammar School”. I think Beulah is to her right and Belle to her left, but I’m not certain.

 "Grammar School" probably taken in Washington, Fulton, Arkansas about 1912-15. Hattie is the girl holding the sign. Photo from my personal collection.


In 1920, the family is still in the same home, but sister Beulah and her husband, Walter Wallace, were living in the neighboring home. Soon Hattie would also marry, walking down the aisle with Henry Clay “Kay” Cobb on 5 February 1921. By December of that first year of marriage, the Cobbs were in West Plains, Howell County, Missouri, welcoming daughter Velma Love. Son John David arrived in 1923, Leroy in 1927, Bobby Clay in 1929, and the baby Vera in 1933. They lived about 5 miles south of West Plains on the old Cobb farm that Kay’s parents owned before them.
Several years ago, Velma wrote out some of her early memories for me in a letter. This is an excerpt about her childhood, “One of the most scary things I can remember is we had a Tornado when we lived in the 2 room house at West Plains. It blowed our chicken house away, blowed our orchard up by roots, tree on the house, blowed window lights out, we got under the bed. None of us got hurt. J.D. was 11 years old he was praying. When I was growing up my mother would buy enough flour with the same pattern & make me a dress, tablecloths & sheets & curtains. My brother and I used to take a basket of eggs, walk to the country store & exchange them for things we needed. We used to walk three miles to church & three miles back. My dad never owned a car. He had 2 mules and a wagon. It took them all day to go to town and buy groceries. We had kerosene lamps. I used orange crates to nail on the wall to put dishes in. We made curtains [for the crates] out of flour sacks.”
Hattie’s parent's marriage ended in divorce. Her mother remarried by 1923. Cordia’s new husband, Joseph Dye, was a widow. The children all adored him as a grandfather. The Dyes had a home in Koshkonong (18 miles East of West Plains) near the railroad tracks. Hattie’s father remarried in 1932. David and his wife Gainie lived in Fulton County, Arkansas.

Left to right; Hattie, her daughter Vera, son J.D., son Bobby, son Leroy and unknown boy. Photo taken about 1939, from my personal collection.


The 1930 census lists the family in Howell, Howell, Missouri on West Plains and Lanton Road. This would be the old Cobb Farm. They moved in about 1934 to the Spring Creek community, also in Howell County, into a larger home to accommodate the family. Kay was still farming.  Soon after daughter Velma married Wayman Womack in 1939, she and her husband moved to Kansas City where he was employed at the Bomber plant before he joined the Army. Kay came to Kansas City to work at the plant, too, while Hattie stayed back until she sold the farm and then moved up with the younger kids. Hattie’s two oldest sons, J.D. and LeRoy, were both in the service during WWII along with her son-in-law Wayman. I’m sure there was a lot of worry on her mind until all three were home safe. After the war, when Kay’s job at the plant ended, he worked as a plumber before retiring. Hattie worked for a time in a Made-Rite sandwich shop. The couple also had a small farm on the property and sold some produce for extra income. The grandkids were sometimes recruited to peddle the fruit and vegetables. My mother hated doing it, but enjoyed the time in the summer with her cousins at Grandma and Grandpa Cobb’s house.

Hattie holding her granddaughter Louise in 1947.
Photo from my personal collection.

Kay died at home in 1968. Hattie remained there until she died in 1977. They are buried in Howell Memorial Park Cemetery near West Plains, Missouri.

Five Generations. Unknown what paper this was in. I'm the child on my mother's lap.
From my personal collection.


Every summer when I was a little girl I remember picnics at Great Grandma Cobb’s house. Big quilts laid out on the ground with watermelons holding them in place, picnic tables, searing hot metal lawn chairs, and cousins having a lot of fun. There were peach trees and tomato plants that we could pick from and eat if we wanted to. Often the women would be in the tiny kitchen canning peaches, a family favorite. Great Grandma Cobb always wore an apron when she was cooking and she made some fantastic food in that little kitchen. When I entertain, it's her example that I follow. Nothing fancy, just bring as much family together as you can, as often as you can, and the good times just naturally happen.
Setting up for a picnic in the early 1970s at Hattie's house in Kansas City, Missouri.
Photo from my personal collection.