Obituaries in Old Newspapers

One of my favorite items to find in old newspapers is an obituary. Especially when it's a really long one that lists the deceased person's birth information, the parents, the siblings, the spouse, the children, the places of residence, occupation, and burial information. I realize that it's all secondary information and the informant is rarely known, but the bones of the story found in an obituary are usually close to the truth.

I subscribe to two newspaper sites, Newspapers.com and Genealogy Bank, and I use them both often. Today I did a search for some of my husband's ancestors from Utah and found two of his 2nd great-grandparent's and 3 of his 3rd great-grandparent's obituaries. Just like that. Golden information.

Second Great-Grandparents Marion Haws Holdaway and his wife Prudence Eliza (Peay) Holdaway:

Obituary of Marion Haws Holdaway, 1855-1929
Salt Lake Telegram, Salt Lake City, Utah, 28 Jun 1929
From Newspapers.com

Obituary of Prudence Eliza (Peay) Holdaway, 1854-1942
The Daily Herald, Provo, Utah, 23 Dec 1942
From Newspapers.com

Marion was the son of Shadrack Holdaway and his second wife Elizabeth (Haws) Holdaway. Shadrack's first wife was Elizabeth's sister, Lucinda. He was married to both women at the same time and bore children with them both. I didn't find an obituary for Elizabeth, but did find Lucinda's.

Shadrack Holdaway, 1822-1902
The Salt Lake Herald, Salt Lake City, Utah, 25 Dec 1902
From Newspapers.com

Lucinda (Haws) Holdaway, 1828-1917
The Daily Herald, Provo, Utah, 12 Apr 1917
From Newspapers.com

Prudence was the daughter of Francis Peay and Eliza Jane (Baker) Peay.

Francis Peay, 1825-1904
Deseret Evening News, Salt Lake City, Utah, 7 May 1904
From Newspapers.com

Eliza Jane (Baker) Peay, 1834-1915
The Daily Herald, Provo, Utah, 9 Aug 1915
From Newspapers.com

Henry Clay "Kay" Cobb, 1885-1968

Number 12 on my pedigree chart is my Great-Grandfather Henry Clay Cobb, known as Kay by his friends and family. He was born on the first of September, 1885, in Morristown, Tennessee to John Cobb, Jr. and Nancy (Hodges) Cobb, one of seven children born to them. Only Kay and three of his siblings, Warrie, Belle and Love, lived to adulthood. As a child, his parents called him by his middle name Clay. One of his sisters wasn't able to pronounce the  "L" and called him Kay. Soon everyone else was calling him by the name and it stuck.

Kay Cobb, his son LeRoy Cobb, and LeRoy's daughter Louise.
The photo was taken about 1949-1950.

In 1889, when Kay was about four years old, his family moved from Tennessee to Howell County, Missouri, settling on a farm four miles outside of West Plains. As a child, he enjoyed playing baseball and running around with some of the other boys from the area - but only after the chores at home were done. He was an ornery kid and seemed to find trouble at social events.

The Journal-Gazette, West Plains, MO, 21 Sep 1905
image clipped from Newspapers.com

His brother once said that Kay ended up in a fight at every dance he attended. There were a lot of dances, as that was the most popular way for everyone in the community to get together and socialize. The boys traveled to attend dances in neighboring communities as well, which is how Kay would later meet the young woman he would marry. In the meantime, when he wasn't working or at a dance, he spent his free time hustling. He loved to gamble and often won. Billiards, cards, chicken fights, and sporting events were all bet upon. By the time Kay was an adult, he knew just about everyone for miles around. He knew who was making moonshine, and he knew just the type of people who were buying it, so bootlegging became another way for him to make a little cash.

The Journal-Gazette, West Plains, MO, 7 Aug 1913
image clipped from Newspapers.com

Kay registered for the draft when WWI broke out, and he really wanted to go and fight but was denied the chance. His parents were elderly and relied on him for help on the farm and his only living brother, Warrie, was blind. While most of his friends went away to war, Kay stayed and worked the farm with his father.

Front of Kay Cobb's WWI Draft Registration card, Ancestry.com.

Back of the draft registration card, Ancestry.com.

After the war, at a dance in Sturkie, Arkansas, a young woman named Hattie Nicholas caught his eye. After that first meeting, Kay was regularly hitching up his pony & wagon for trips to Sturkie, sixteen miles from the farm. He'd stay as late as was proper and then point the pony towards home. Then he'd crawl in the bed of the wagon and go to sleep! The horse knew the way and always got him home safely. John Cobb would find Kay asleep in the wagon, out in the middle of the yard, on many mornings. He'd wake him up and tell him it was time to help with the chores. When Kay decided he wanted to marry Hattie, he built a small house on his parent's land, went down to Sturkie where the wedding took place on the 5th of February, 1921, and brought her home to the farm. In December of that year, their first child, a daughter they called Velma Love, was born.

Though he was now a family man, Kay's bootlegging continued. He was in even higher demand since Prohibition had begun.

"The 18th Amendment only forbade the “manufacture, sale and transportation of intoxicating liquors”—not their consumption. By law, any wine, beer or spirits Americans had stashed away in January 1920 were theirs to keep and enjoy in the privacy of their homes."

https://www.history.com/news/10-things-you-should-know-about-prohibition

Prohibition laws were in effect for 13 years, from 1920-1933. During this time, Kay Cobb was in trouble with the law a few times, allegedly for selling homemade wine. But, according to Kay, he never made homemade wine. He admittedly bought and sold moonshine, but told his sons that he never made any kind of liquor. He sold moonshine to the Sheriff, the Judges, local doctors, and attorneys. Because of his local connections, his little bootlegging side gig was overlooked by the local authorities. It was the Feds who wanted him and who Kay suspected of planting the wine.

The Journal-Gazette, West Plains, MO, 28 Dec 1922
image clipped from Newspapers.com

In August of 1923, Kay and Hattie had their first son, John David (J.D.) and a few weeks later, Kay's father died. Now Kay was responsible for not only his growing household but also that of his mother and his sister Belle. Money was tight, so he continued to hustle. He worked the farm, took odd jobs in town including running the duckpin bowling at the pool hall, and continued to sell moonshine the whole time. In the spring of 1925, he again had some trouble with the law. Convicted of selling wine based on witness testimony, he appealed the conviction and was acquitted of the charges. 

The Journal-Gazette, West Plains, MO, 12 Mar 1925
image clipped from Newspapers.com

The Journal-Gazette, West Plains, MO, 30 Apr 1925
image clipped from Newspapers.com

The Journal-Gazette, West Plains, MO, 4 Jun 1925
image clipped from Newspapers.com

Kay's son Bobby remembers his father telling him that while he was jailed, the Sheriff allowed him to leave at night to go home to his family as long as he was back by morning. One night, in particular, Kay was allowed to leave jail to attend a big dance and was given the key to the jail so he could let himself back in. The Sheriff made it clear that Kay had to be back in his cell by sunup. Somehow, Kay lost the key at the dance and had to walk several miles to the Sheriff's house to get another key and he just barely made it back to jail before sunrise.

Over the next several years, life moved along for Kay and his family. Son LeRoy was born in April of 1927, in August of that year Kay's mom, Nancy, died, and then son Bobby was welcomed in February of 1929. In 1930 there was some excitement when Kay's nephew Glenn, the son of his brother Warrie, came into town. Glenn, just 16 years old, was in trouble for stealing a motorcycle and was found and arrested at the Cobb farm. It wouldn't be the only time that Glenn tried to escape the law by hiding out at the Cobb farm. Bobby remembers his dad telling a story about hiding Glenn for a week in a cave at the back of their property once.

Soon the excitement would be centered around Kay and his bootlegging again. In June of 1932 officers found liquor buried on the farm and he was convicted and fined $75. Kay claimed that someone had "planted" it.

The Journal-Gazette, West Plains, MO, 16 Jun 1932
image clipped from Newspapers.com

The truth is, Kay had planted the liquor. He devised a sneaky plan for selling liquor. On the front part of the property, just off the road, was a cornfield. When someone made a purchase they would be given information to find the bottle, sort of a treasure map. For example, 7 rows of corn into the field and down 14 stalks. The purchaser would find a bottle buried between the 14th and 15th stalks of corn. Kay and Hattie kept track of where the liquor was buried on a calendar.

The year 1933 began with hope for the future. Prohibition was coming to an end and the Cobb's were expecting another child, due in the late summer. On the afternoon of May 1st, the cyclone hit.

The Journal-Gazette, West Plains, MO, 4 May 1933
image clipped from Newspapers.com

Kay's daughter Velma remembered the storm and told the story years later of hiding under the bed with her brother J.D. while he prayed. They all survived the storm and a few months later, in August, Hattie delivered a daughter they named Vera Mae. The storm caused a lot of damage and may be the reason they decided to sell the farm. That was put on hold, though, as once again, Kay was facing charges relating to liquor. This time he was charged with possession and found himself in the county jail for a bit where he was one of several prisoners put to work chopping wood for the needy.

The Journal-Gazette, West Plains, MO, 9 Nov 1933
image clipped from Newspapers.com

Prohibition ended in December of 1933 and soon after that, the Cobb's were able to sell the old farm and purchase 85-acres. The new farm was located 13 miles west of West Plains, in the community of Pottersville, and was bought for $900.00. Besides farming, Kay needed to find other ways to support the family and found work with the WPA when it was created in 1935. He worked as a timekeeper and would leave home around 4AM and work until well after dark. As a timekeeper, a job similar to being a foreman, he was responsible for clocking the men in and out of work. Occasionally he would fudge the records and allow a few men to go squirrel hunting on the clock, provided they share their bounty with him. The government man that oversaw the workers never noticed a man or two missing. On the rare days when Kay was at home with his family, at the end of the day, after chores and after supper was cleaned up, he could be found on the front porch playing his banjo and singing with the children.

The children of Kay and Hattie Cobb
back, J.D. and Velma
front, Bobby, Vera and LeRoy
photo taken about 1938

The second World War was looming and the Cobb's would soon make some big changes. Kay's draft registration says he was working for Fraser-Brace Construction of Weldon Springs. It wasn't long after this that he was working at the Kansas City Bomber Plant in Fairfax helping to produce B-25 bombers. Hattie sold the farm and brought the younger kids with her up to Kansas City. Kay used the proceeds from the farm to buy a 22-apartment rooming house which supplemented the families income. 

WWII draft registration card for Kay Cobb, image from Ancestry.com

Kay's sons J.D. and Roy joined the Navy during the war and his son-in-law Wayman signed up for the Army. With extra money from the room rents at the boarding house and wages from the bomber plant, Kay purchased $2100.00 in war bonds and the Kansas City Star wrote an article about him. In the article, he said he wanted to do it because he had 2 boys and his son-in-law in the military and he wanted this war over as quickly as possible so they could all come home safe.

Kay and Hattie Cobb

After the war, Kay found work in the Kansas City Stockyards for American Royal. He worked as a plumber and was especially busy during horse shows and rodeos when the drains in the horse stalls would often clog up. After several years living in downtown Kansas City, the Cobbs found a home in the 'burbs. Kay planted a big garden that included rows and rows of tomatoes and raised roosters and chickens. He raised the roosters for his son Bobby to take to the chicken fights in Kansas. Kay always enjoyed sports and, besides the chicken fights, he would go to see a baseball game or a wrestling match any time he had a chance. 

Kay Cobb with his son Bobby, about 1952

Kay was proud of his garden, especially the tomatoes, and often enlisted the help of his kids and grandkids to sell them and then used the extra money for family vacations. The kids got to keep a little bit of the money and learned some lessons on selling and getting along with the public. Every Sunday Kay and Hattie had all the family over for a big dinner. The four oldest kids were all nearby, so their families were regular guests. Vera and her family had moved out of state and were only able to visit once or twice a year. In the summer, the meals were held outside on the lawn, picnic style. 

Kay and Hattie Cobb, seated, with their children about 1957.
L to R, Vera, Bobby, LeRoy, J.D. and Velma.

When Kay retired he spent even more time in his garden. He added flowers and gourds and kept a row of peach trees neatly pruned. Extended family would often come over for the day and help with planting or harvesting while the little kids played in the yard. 

Kay Cobb, son LeRoy, granddaughter Louise, and great-granddaughter Shannon.
Four generation photo was taken on August 13, 1967, at Kay's home in N. Kansas City.

On the morning of September 26, 1968, Hattie woke up to find Kay still beside her. She tried but was unable to wake him. He had died in his sleep. His body was transported to West Plains where his funeral was held. He was buried in Howell Memorial Park Cemetery in Pomona where Hattie joined him in 1977.

Kay Cobb's obituary as printed in a West Plains newspaper.

The grave of Kay and Hattie Cobb,
Howell Memorial Park Cemetery, West Plains, Missouri.

The Large Family of John and Hannah (Wallis) Lowder

John Lowder/Louder (1738-1820) and his wife Hannah Ann (Wallis) (1735-1800) were married and settled in New Garden, Guilford, North Carolina. They were members of the Society of Friends, or Quakers, and attended first the New Garden Monthly Meeting, and later the Center Monthly Meeting and the Westfield Monthly Meeting. The records the Quakers kept were very, very good and include all the records of births, marriages, and deaths among the Friends who attended the Monthly Meeting. For this reason, I can say with certainty that John and Hannah were the parents of 13 children:

• Catherine 1758-1760
• Caleb 1760, married 1. Ann Osborn & had 10 children, married 2. Sarah & had a son
• John 1762, married Sarah & had 10 children
• Mary 1764, married William Osborn & had at least 3 children
• Joseph 1766, married Martha Clark & had 6 children
• Ralph 1768-1772
• Rebekah 1770-1772
• Samuel 1772, married Elizabeth Ratliff & had 8 children
• William 1773, married Margaret Harris & had 6 children
• Hannah 1774-1776
• Job 1776, married Sarah Ratliff & had at least 2 children
• Joshua 1778, married Jane Phillips & had at least 6 children
• Nathan 1780, married Sophia Stiltner & had 5 children

Four of the children died as toddlers, but the ones who lived to adulthood all married and had children of their own, resulting in at least 57 grandchildren for John and Hannah. Their youngest son Nathan was my 4th Great-Grandfather. 

Nathan Lowder was in my mother's maternal line. There is another large Quaker family in my ancestry on my father's paternal line, The Coffin & related families of Nantucket. An interesting little tidbit is that several of the Nantucket people migrated to North Carolina and requested membership in the New Garden Monthly Meeting at the same time the Lowder family was attending. I love finding these fun little tidbits that connect the different branches of my family. It's a small world :)

Lexon C. Cavanaugh, 1891-1949

Lexon Charles Cavanaugh moved to California as a young man, later fought in WWI in France, retired after twenty-five years in the Army, and died in a tragic train accident. His life was certainly interesting, but because he never married and didn't have children, there is no one telling his story. Until now.

Meet Lexon, my Second Great-Uncle.
He was born on October 3rd, 1891, 1892, or 1893 (depending on which record you look at - one even says 1895!) to John Houston Cavanaugh and Mary Calier (Read) in Mountain Grove, Wright County, Missouri. His family always called him Charlie, but as soon as he could get away on his own, he began using his preferred first name.

Lexon, age 3 or 4

I wish I had a photograph of him as a grown man, but the only one I have is a family photo taken when he was a young boy. I cropped the photo, above, for a closer look. His physical description varies a bit in records, but, generally, he is described as having blue or gray eyes, brown to black hair, and, as an adult, he stood about 5'5" tall. Lexon was the shortest of the boys, with brothers who ranged from 5'6" to 5'10". 

I have searched for documentation to shed light on Lexon's life. The earliest records I've found are the 1900 and 1910 census records; 1900 in Texas County, Missouri and 1910 in Greene County, Missouri, just outside of Springfield. In early 1910, Charlie and his younger brother Elmer left for California to find work in the orchards. They were just 17 and 18 years old when they left for their adventure. Once they arrived, they urged their parents and younger siblings to join them. The family soon followed and they all settled in San Bernardino County. 

In 1911, Charlie disappeared and his parents were frantically searching for him. An article in the newspaper said he was ill when he took his pay and left work, saying he was going home to his parents. Instead, he purchased a ticket to San Bernardino and disappeared. His distraught mother placed an ad in the lost and found for a full week. I'm not sure if they found him. This is the time period where he began using his given name, Lexon. Makes me wonder if he wanted a fresh start, alone, for some reason. His parents and siblings all left California and settled in Washington within just a few years after Charlie's disappearance.

This ad ran in the Lost & Found section of the San Bernardino County Sun
from August 31 - September 7, 1911,
from Newspapers.com.

UPDATE! Thanks to a reader hint, I now have a photo of him as a young man! This photo was attached to the 1911 missing person report in Tulare County, California. Charlie would have been about 18-19 years old in this photo.

Ancestry.com. Tulare County, California, U.S., Sheriff's Office and Jail Records, 1874-1963 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2015.
This collection was indexed by Ancestry World Archives Project contributors.
Original data: Sheriff's Records. Textual records. Tulare County Sheriff's Office, Visalia, California, USA.

Page 1 of the San Bernardino County Sun, Aug 31, 1911,
from Newspapers.com

Page 2 of the San Bernardino County Sun, Aug 31, 1911,
from Newspapers.com

In 1913 and 1914, Lexon was found in San Bernardino City Directories and shown as employed by the County Hospital. The excerpt below tells us he was working as an ambulance driver.

From the San Bernardino County Sun, October 2, 1914.
This clip, from newspapers.com, lists warrants paid to County Employees.

On June 5th, 1917, Lexon registered for the draft. No longer an ambulance driver, he worked for I. L. Lyon & Sons Ranches in irrigation and was living in Redlands, San Bernardino, California. This document gives his birthdate as October 3, 1895, but it looks like something else was written under the five...maybe a 2? Most records say 1892. Regardless, this tells a little about what he'd been up to. In addition to his address and occupation, it says he was a sailor in the Navy for 6 months, was single without dependents, and on the back, it includes a basic physical description.

WWI Draft Registration card for Lexon Charlie Cavanaugh.
Image from Ancestry.com.

Conscripts from Redlands Precinct 7 include Lexon Charlie Cavanaugh.
From the San Bernardino County Sun, 12 Jul 1917, p.13, found on newspapers.com.

Lexon was one of the conscripts from the Redlands Precinct 7 that was examined by the Exemption Board in the summer of 1917. Finding no cause for exemption, he was chosen with six other men from Redlands to serve in the first contingent. There was a big reception given for the men before they left to undergo training. The townspeople were proud of their soldiers and an enthusiastic crowd of about 3000 showed up to offer support. There were speeches, patriotic music, and readings offered in the outdoor amphitheater. I imagine Lexon was overwhelmed and honored by the reception.

Reported in the L.A. Times, 5 Sep 1917.
Redlands Honors Its Selected Men.
Seven men, including L. C. Cavanaugh, were honored at an outdoor
reception with over 3000 people in attendance.
Clipped from newspapers.com.

Soldiers leaving on September 5, 1917, to American Lake Training Camp, include
L.C. Cavanaugh from Redlands.
San Bernardino County Sun, 2 Sep 1917, front page.
Clip from newspapers.com.

The American Lake Training Camp was located at Camp Lewis, now Fort Lewis, in Tacoma, Washington. Lexon was among the first recruits to arrive and train at the newly constructed National Army training camp for draftees from Washington, Oregon, California, Idaho, Utah, Nevada, Wyoming, and Montana. It was the largest training camp in the United States at the time. When the men first arrived, they began training in their own clothes, as uniforms were still being processed for them. The men were part of the 91st Division, also called the Wild West Division. Lexon, with Company H of the 364th Infantry, departed Camp Lewis in late June 1918 by train for New Jersey. From Hoboken, New Jersey, they boarded ships to cross the Atlantic and set sail on July 12, 1918. After an almost two week voyage by sea, they arrived on English soil and then crossed the English Channel into France.

The soldiers made their way across France, mostly by train, until they arrived on the front lines on September 25, 1918, at La Cigalerie Butte, near Eclisfontaine, France as part of the Argonne Offensive. They pushed hard through constant fire during several days of "do or die" fighting. There was a high number of casualties, both dead and wounded, by the time the 91st Division was relieved from the front line and placed in Corps Reserve on October 3, 1918 - Lexon's birthday. The Argonne Offensive has been called the greatest effort of the American Expeditionary Forces, and Lexon was there at the beginning with the 364th Infantry.

When the war ended on Armistice Day, November 11, 1918. Lexon was still in France and remained there for four more months. On March 25, 1919, he left St. Nazaire, France on the ship Orizaba bound for the United States. He was listed on the passenger list with Company H of the 364th Infantry, rank Private First Class of Redlands, California. His next of kin was Henry Huckaby, a friend. Was "Charlie" still out of touch with his parents? Or maybe he just felt more comfortable listing someone he knew well and who lived nearby.

The U.S.S. Orizaba
Photo from Wikipedia, public domain.

Decades later, in 1945, Lexon completed his WWII draft registration. On the back, it says he was discharged just two days before, on July 26, 1945, after serving 25 years in the Army. This discharge date is also written on his death certificate, along with his Army serial number, 2267287 and his rank, Corporal. 

I have not been able to find Lexon in 1920, 1930 or 1940 census records.  I have looked and looked, searching page by page in case there was an indexing error. So far, I've not had any success. For the time period of 1920-1945, during his enlistment, he may have been living on base somewhere, possibly overseas, and may be why I can't find him on census records. I have some more searching to do in his military records to try to fill in this big gap.

WWII Draft Registration card, front, dated July 28, 1945.
Image from ancestry.com.

WWII Draft Registration card, back, dated July 28, 1945.
Image from ancestry.com.

On January 12, 1949, Lexon's mother died in Yakima, Washington. On her funeral home record, "Charlie" is listed with her children, his residence California. Finally, some proof that they did find him and didn't spend their whole lives wondering what had happened to their son. Lexon died just four months after his mother, on May 31, 1949, in King County, Washington. I believe he traveled to Washington for his mother's funeral and hadn't returned to California. His death certificate says his usual residence was Sacramento, California, but he was a transient. He died as a result of injuries to his chest, back and skull when he was hit by a train while resting on the tracks near Kent, Washington. One article I saw said he was traveling to Seattle, perhaps to find transport back to Sacramento. Another said he had been working in an orchard nearby. If that's true, he may have been working to earn his return fare. Whatever situation caused him to be near Kent and resting on the tracks that day is irrelevant. His death was tragic, regardless of what led to him be there that day.

Lexon Charles Cavanaugh Washington State Death Certificate.

Article found in the The Post-Register, Idaho Falls, Idaho from 1 Jun 1949.
Image from newspapers.com.

Lexon's body was transported back to Yakima County where he was interred in the same cemetery as his mother. Their graves are not near one another, though, as Lexon was placed in the Veteran Section. Fitting, I think, for a man who devoted such a chunk of his life to the U.S. Army.

Lexon C Cavanaugh is buried in the Veteran Section
of the Tahoma Cemetery in Yakima, Washington. 

My Grandparent's Wedding, or what we know of it

The story of their wedding day was one I never heard. I never thought to ask, either, and they're long gone now. I don't know the story of how my grandparents met, either. They never talked about it and I never asked, though now I wish I had! But I do have some parts of the story. The record of my grandparent's marriage is still around and we have a portrait that my grandmother always said was their wedding picture.

LeRoy Cobb and Nyleta Powell were married on 14 December 1944 in Kansas City, Missouri.

LeRoy and Nyleta Cobb Wedding Portrait, 1944

The laws at the time required a man to be age twenty-one or over and a woman to be age eighteen or over to be married. Nyleta was of age, being 18 years old, but her groom was just 17.

In order to marry, the groom's parents had to complete an affidavit to be filed with the marriage certificate giving their consent. LeRoy's parents, Kay and Hattie Cobb, agreed to the marriage and signed the affidavit on 8 December 1944. The affidavit lists Nyleta's address as 909 W. 14th St. in Kansas City. The Cobbs lived just a few blocks away at 606 W. 17th Street. 

The General Affidavit reads:

Kay Cobb and Hattie Cobb His Wife, of lawful age, being first duly sworn, deposes and says: That They Or[sic] The Father And Mother Of Roy Cobb, A Minor Son 17 Years Old, And That They Hereby Give Their Consent For Him To Be United In Holy Matrimony To Nyletta Powell Of 909 West 14th St. Kansas City Missouri

The affidavit signed 8 Dec 1944 by Kay and Hattie Cobb.
Jackson County Missouri Marriage Records,
Image from Ancestry.com.

The marriage took place less than a week later. On Thursday, December 14th, 1944, LeRoy and Nyleta stood before Justice of the Peace Bernard W. Gnefkow and became husband and wife. It's unknown where the wedding took place. Perhaps it was at Justice Gnefkow's office at 1627 Main Street. At that time, the fee collected by a Justice of the Peace was only $5.00, a much more affordable option than a big church wedding. Nyleta wore a skirt and jacket, LeRoy a suit. It was wartime, and money was tight.

Marriage License for LeRoy Cobb and Nyleta Powell, 14 Dec 1944.
Jackson County Missouri Marriage Records,
Image from Ancestry.com.

Just months before their 43rd Wedding Anniversary, Nyleta passed away. LeRoy followed a year later. 

LeRoy and Nyleta Cobb, the photo was taken about 1981.

They never talked about their wedding during those 43 years, at least not that any of us remember. They raised two sons and two daughters to carry on their legacy. Currently, there are seven grandchildren, twelve great-grandchildren, and six great-great-grandchildren in this family that continues to grow. All because two young people went to the courthouse in 1944 and filed the paperwork to be married.