Remembering Clemmie Bodenhamer 100 Years Later

17 Friday Jan 2025

Posted by Generations of Nomads in Family history, Genealogy, Slavery, Women's History

Tags

ancestry, Bodenhamer, Coffeyville, family, Family history, Genealogy, Goldsberry, Goss, Greene County, history, Kansas, Marshfield, Missouri, North Carolina, Owen, Rowan County, Slavery, Webster County

*Clementine Esther (Bodenhamer) Owen, date unknown, family collection*

I was about 15 when I began piecing together my family history and gathering names of my ancestors. I learned that I had a great great grandmother named Clementine Bodenhamer and I was smitten. Who could resist such a fine name?

Clementine “Clemmie” Esther Bodenhamer was born in Marshfield, Webster County, Missouri on January 30, 1854 and probably died in Coffeyville, Kansas on January 13, 1925, 100 years ago this week. She was the only child of Elizabeth Jane Goldsberry (1833-1888) and (probably) John Bodenhamer (1836-1862).

In 1860 Clementine (6) and Elizabeth Bodenhamer (26) were living in Greene County on the 1,000 acre farm of John’s newly deceased father, Jacob (1790-1860) with his widowed mother, Fernita “Neaty” (Goss) Bodenhamer (1795-1863) and three of his brothers. I have not found a record of Elizabeth’s marriage, but John is the most likely Bodenhamer son to have been Clemmie’s father. He is said to have fought in the Civil War for the Confederacy and died in 1862, although I am not aware of a record of his service or death (yes, there’s lots of conjecture and research to be done!)

Jacob Bodenhamer’s death was followed by Neaty’s in 1863. Clemmie’s childhood circumstances on the large Bodenhamer farm must have changed significantly during those years. Jacob and Neaty had somewhere between 17 and 20 children. They were slaveholders, with eight individuals enslaved by Jacob at the time of his death. (More on this in a post yet to come). Seven of their sons served during the Civil War—five for the Union and two for the Confederacy.

As the farm property was broken up and John died or disappeared, it is unclear where Clemmie and Elizabeth went until about 1868 when Elizabeth married Joshua Hamilton (1810-1889), a farmer 23 years her senior from Marshfield, Missouri. Joshua was twice widowed with ten children.

*Elizabeth Jane (Goldsberry) Bodenhamer Hamilton, date unknown. Image courtesy of Nancy Hamilton Wright.*

On Christmas Eve, 1871, Clemmie (17) and James Washington Owen (23) were married in Marshfield. Like many of Clemmie’s relatives, James was born in Rowan County, North Carolina, and moved west to Greene County, Missouri with his family as a child. At the time of their marriage James and five younger siblings were living on the family farm, where he was a farm hand.

Between the 1873 and 1875 births of their first two children, Clemmie and James moved from Greene County to Webster County. The 1880 Census lists James as “keeping a wagon yard.” By the time Clemmie was 32 in 1886 she had given birth to four sons and three daughters. Clyde, Daisy, John, Maud, and Stella (my great grandmother), all lived to adulthood, but Clemmie and James lost their last two sons very young.

The late 1880s must have been particularly difficult for the Owen family. Babies Oscar and Bertie died in 1885 and 1887; Clemmie’s mother, Elizabeth, died in 1888; and then James died in 1889 at age 41. James’ death seems to have been expected. His will, written three months before his death, states that he is “weak in body but strong and vigorous in mind.” He authorizes Clemmie to dispose of personal property and real estate in order to reinvest the proceeds for the care of herself and the children. He stipulates that their 320 acre farm on Derrick Prairie be retained until their youngest child comes of age “so that my family can be sure of a house…or can get the proceeds of the rents.” James also asks that Clemmie sell his interest in a lumber company.

*James Washington Owen, date unknown, family collection*

Clemmie remained on the farm until at least 1900, when the census lists her as a farmer, sons Clyde (27) and John (23) as farm laborers, and daughter Maud (20) also in residence. Daughters Daisy and Stella had married and moved away. In 1901 Maud married Alvin Jackson, an order clerk at a wholesale house. Clemmie was living with them and their two young sons in Springfield, Missouri in 1910.

*Clemmie, location and date unknown*, *family collection*

Sadly, by 1920 Maud was a patient at Missouri State Hospital No. 3, a psychiatric hospital in Nevada, Missouri, where she remained for many years. Perhaps for this reason, Clemmie moved by 1920 to the Coffeyville, Kansas home of her daughter, Stella (Owen) Miller and her husband Frank. Three granddaughters, Marjorie, Thelma, and Esther Jane (my grandmother), must have made a lively household. I don’t know the details of Clemmie’s last years, whether she stayed in Coffeyville until her death in January 1925 at age 70. She is buried in Marshfield, Missouri with her husband and two of their children.

*112 W. 2nd Street, Coffeyville, Kansas home of Stella and Frank Miller in 1920*

In The Marshfield Mail on February 9, 1933, a chatty society columnist wrote nearly ten years after Clemmie’s death, “At her death she left a fine memorial behind. That of a kind, good mother and a loyal Christian woman. Today we heard a friend of hers remark, ‘I believe Clemmie Owen was one among the best women I ever knew.’” She is remembered.

*Marshfield Cemetery, Marshfield, Missouri*

Relationships

Jacob and Fernita “Neaty” (Goss) Bodenhamer, 4th great grandparents

John (probably) and Elizabeth (Goldsberry) Bodenhamer, 3rd great grandparents

James Washington and Clementine Esther (Bodenhamer) Owen, 2nd great grandparents

Stella (Owen) Miller, great grandmother

William Edward Stephenson, Jr., father

Telling Family Stories Out Loud

03 Saturday Jun 2023

Posted by Generations of Nomads in Family history, Genealogy, People, Places, Uncategorized

≈ 3 Comments

Tags

Brummana, Caithness, Family dogs, Family history, Genealogy, Harrington, Lebanon, Michigan, Oliver, Ras el Met'n, Scotland, Stephenson, Yorkshire

I recently had the delightful opportunity to spend an hour chatting with Andrew Martin, host of The Family Histories Podcast. We spoke about one of my very favorite family subjects–my great grandparents, Daniel and Emily (Wright) Oliver. Daniel and Emily came from Caithness, Scotland and Yorkshire, England respectively. They met in their 20s in Brumanna, Syria (now Lebanon) where they were teachers at a Quaker boarding school, and later settled for many decades in the mountain village of Ras el Met’n, where they established an orphanage and school. Tune in to hear the rest of their story, along with the story of my “brick wall” ancestor, Juliaetta (Harrington/Herrington) Stephenson from Michigan, whose parentage remains a frustrating mystery to me.

You can listen to my episode here. Be sure to check out other episodes too. Andrew’s podcast is now in its fifth series and there are lots of interesting stories from all over the world.

A couple of illustrations to go with the podcast:

*The castle in Ras el Met’n which housed the Daniel and Emily Oliver Orphanage*.

*Daniel in his “Highland suit”. Emily wrote a 1938 letter describing his purchase and saying he was planning to have his photograph taken in it. Here it is.*

And a postscript: A few days before this episode was released I had a lovely visit with my mum’s cousin, a granddaughter of Daniel and Emily. She shared a family album with images I’d never seen, including these gems. (Thank you, Susan!)

If not for the Beirut photo studio I would have guessed that the first photograph was a wedding picture. It’s labeled 1895, the year Daniel and Emily were married at ages 25 and 29, but they were married at the Stoke Newington Friends Meetinghouse in London, not in Beirut. Emily appears to be wearing a wedding ring, but Daniel is not. (And I know he wore one. It’s on my husband’s finger now.) This is the earliest image I’ve seen of Daniel.

And the second photograph may be my new all-time favorite. First, he’s in Ras el Met’n wearing his “Highland suit”, purchased in 1938 to his great delight. Also, Olivers are dog lovers from way back, and there are many pictures of Daniel with an assortment of dogs. This, probably taken about 1938, is the best.

Unexpected Oliver Photos: Serendipity, Paying Attention, and Gratitude

14 Sunday Aug 2022

Posted by Generations of Nomads in Family history, Genealogy, People

≈ 13 Comments

Tags

Daniel Oliver, Family history, Genealogy, Lebanon, Oliver, Ras el Met'n, Wright

In family history research, and in life in general, I’ve always believed in the magic of serendipity aided by a good helping of paying attention. And always gratitude.

*Emily (Wright) Oliver (1865-1954), my great grandmother*

When Ancestry started waving its little green hint leaves at me about my mother’s first cousin, Bobby Oliver, I took a peek at a recommended tree and smiled to find a few photos of him. I remembered meeting Bobby once at my grandparents’ when I was a child. He was about my mother’s age and died in his forties.

*Bobby Oliver (Robert Hugh Oliver, Jr. 1930-1976). Taken late 1940s?*

As I explored the tree, I realized that it belonged to a relative of Bobby’s mother, a connection by marriage, and not a direct relative of mine. And yet…my attention was caught by the photo of a lady in round spectacles and a white-haired wig attached to the tree. It was my great grandmother, Emily (Wright) Oliver, but it was listed as someone else! Someone I wasn’t related to! I know this particular photo well. I have a copy of it. And the very Victorian brooch she’s wearing is in my jewelry box. It was definitely Emily and most definitely not this Anna person.

Misattributed portraits come up often on Ancestry trees. Oh, look! Ancestry waved it’s little hint leaf at me! Somebody posted a photo of great, great aunt Mary Sue! I’ll add it to my tree! And once a mistake is made, it can spread like wildfire. If dozens of other people have that photo in their family tree and they all say it’s Mary Sue, then it must be true. Ack!

But before harumphing too much about Emily being mislabeled as Anna, I wrote the person in whose tree I’d found it. To thank her for the wonderful pictures of Bobby. What a pleasure to find them! And, by the way, about that photo you’ve labeled as Anna…

As usual, courtesy (and persistence) is the best approach. It took two messages (not everyone checks Ancestry as obsessively often as I do), but when I heard back from Mary happy things followed. She corrected the misidentification. We shared family info relating to Bobby, who was also her mother’s first cousin. And, best of all, she had a family album with more pictures of my side of the family. Wonderful pictures of my grandfather and his brothers as children, of my great grandparents. I’m thrilled and grateful. And it turns out that Mary’s son lives in the same Pennsylvania town my daughter and her family just moved to. We’re going to meet up sometime and look at pictures together. Hooray!

*Daniel Oliver (1870-1952), my great grandfather*

*Taken about 1905, probably in Ras el Met’n, Lebanon.*

So when the serendipity gods drop something into your lap, be sure you’re paying attention, and don’t forget to say a heartfelt thank you.

Relationships

Daniel (1870-1952) and Emily (Wright) Oliver (1865-1954), my great grandparents

Kenneth Stuart Oliver (1898-1975) my grandfather

Alan Douglas (Doug) Oliver (1896-1983) Daniel and Emily’s son, my great uncle

Robert Hugh Henderson (Hugh) Oliver (1903-1979) Daniel and Emily’s son, Bobby’s father, my great uncle

Robert Hugh (Bobby) Oliver, Jr. (1930-1976) Hugh’s son, my first cousin once removed

Special thanks to Mary Witaconis for the use of these photographs. They make me happy.

A participant in the 7th Annual Genealogy Blog Party Potluck Picnic.

65th Anniversary Update: Well THAT Was a Mistake

19 Friday Jun 2020

Posted by Generations of Nomads in Genealogy, People

≈ 9 Comments

Tags

Family history, Genealogy, genealogy mistake, Johns Hopkins, wedding, Wedding anniversary

Celia and Bill at their second wedding on June 16, 1954 and gathered at Bill’s graduation from Johns Hopkins University on June 14, 1955 with (l-r) Aunt Marjorie (Miller) Willbern, Bill’s mother, Jane (Miller) (Stephenson) Hare, Bill, Bill’s step-father, Bob Hare, Celia, and in front is cousin David Willbern.

Today I got a reminder of how easy it is to unwittingly make stuff up in genealogy. Earlier this week I wrote an affectionate little post about my parents’ 65th wedding anniversary. This morning I got a call from my mother, who said, “You’re not going to like this.” And she straightened me right out.

First of all, I had the year wrong. Celia Oliver and Bill Hare (born Stephenson) were married in Wellesley, Massachusetts on June 16, 1954 (not 1955), which was four days after Mum’s college graduation and a year before my Dad’s. Secondly, my aunt and uncle were in fact married in 1955, a year, not a few weeks, after my parents. Thirdly, I left out the part where Mum and Daddy were secretly married in Baltimore a year before their official wedding in Massachusetts.

So what, you say? Well, facts matter. And this story is actually different when it’s correct. And, since I’ve never located a marriage certificate for either the Maryland or Massachusetts marriages, I should have double checked with Mum instead of going on my memory of what I thought she’d told me long ago. And yes, this is the downfall of many a sloppy genealogist!

It was the 1950s. My parents were still in school and they quietly got married in 1953 in Baltimore. They were 19 and 20 years old and they never told their parents. Not ever. According to Mum, “Bill was afraid that because I was a year older I’d take off, and if we got married I wouldn’t.” So they got a marriage license, and one afternoon they rounded up two friends–Vince, a fraternity brother of my Dad’s, and Callie, a classmate of Mum’s–and went to the home of a Justice of the Peace. When it was over, Vince and Callie drove off in one car and Celia and Bill drove off in the other.

Because Mum was a year older than my Dad, they decided to get married when she graduated. They could get an apartment together (it was the ’50s) while she worked through his senior year at Johns Hopkins.

This morning Mum explained that my aunt and uncle traveled from Boston to Baltimore to visit them, the newlyweds, during the year before their own wedding in June 1955, again confirming that my dates were mixed up. So it’s actually my aunt and uncle whose 65th anniversary is this month…

And this solves my burning question as to why Mum would wear a suit to my Dad’s graduation a few days before marrying him in the same suit. What bride would do that?! The answer is that she’d worn the suit at her wedding first, the year before. I’m relieved.

So happy 66th (and 67th) anniversary and double check your facts! xxoo

This post is a participant in the Genealogy Blog Party.

Family History Magic from Augusta, Kansas

25 Saturday Jan 2020

Posted by Generations of Nomads in Genealogy, Places, Uncategorized

≈ 4 Comments

Tags

Augusta, Family history, genealogical research, Genealogy, Kansas, Serendipity, Stephenson

Maybe it’s because the internet didn’t become part of my life until I was well into adulthood, but I still believe it’s magical. And that’s been proven again and again in my family history research. Sometimes the magic is random, and sometimes it’s been the result of methodical research, but either way, the information and contacts that have come to light feel like gifts that have fallen from the sky.

My grandfather, William Edward Stephenson (1910-2004), was born and raised in Augusta, Kansas. His dad, Richard W. Stephenson (1874-1960), started a men’s clothing store in town around the 1910s, and Bill’s older brother Paul Noble Stephenson (1902-1972) and his wife Dorothy continued the business until about the 1960s. I wrote a post about Grandpa Bill and his younger brother, Clark (1911-1994), and their high school and college yearbooks here.

On a whim this week, I did a search on WordPress for Augusta, Kansas. No particular reason. And what popped up was a bunch of blog posts by crittersandcats/Dave, who shares stories for his kids and grandchildren about growing up in Augusta in the ’40s and ’50s.

As if it wasn’t enough for me to get some local flavor for a place I’d only visited a couple of times, Dave answered my comment by sharing that he’d known my family and had written a story including Uncle Paul, Aunt Do, and their son, my dad’s cousin Dick!

Back in the 1950’s, we had a men’s clothing store in Augusta, Kansas. It was owned and operated by Paul Stephenson as Stephenson’s Men’s Clothing. The store was located on the east side of the 500 block of State Street, nestled up against the Prairie State Bank, on its north and Mamie Hall’s book store on the south. Paul and his wife (only 60 years and I’ve forgotten her name) were in the store every day, well dressed and professional but friendly in demeanor. Their son, Dick, was a classmate of mine. Dick and I graduated in 1954 and I went to work and I think Dick headed for the University of Kansas. The following year, I was going to attend a wedding and needed a new suit. I went down to Stephenson’s and Paul fitted me with a new outfit and his wife set me up with a lay-away plan to pay for it. Those were the last dealings I had with the Stephenson family.
crittersandcats, https://crittersandcats.com/2017/08/24/small-speck-small-world-big-ocean/

Dave goes on to write about an unplanned landing in Guam in 1959, where he bumped into Dick, who was by then an ensign in the Navy. Small world!

Richard (Dick) I. Stephenson (1937-2009) Yearbook, University of Kansas, 1958

The moral of the story is: Methodical research is all well and good, but don’t forget that serendipity also plays a part. Indulge yourself in the obscure Google search. See if somebody has written a blog post about your grandfather’s small home town, or the tiny school your great grandmother attended, or the newspaper your great great grandfather published. Surprise connections sometimes fall from the sky. There IS magic. (And thank you, Dave!)

P.S. Dick had won my heart as a five year old (just a few years after Dave’s story) when he came to visit, looking quite dashing in his Navy uniform. He pulled out a guitar and sang to me. “The Fox Went Out on a Chilly Night” has been a favorite folk song of mine ever since…

Family History Greatest Hits of 2019 (Just a Little Late…)

17 Friday Jan 2020

Posted by Generations of Nomads in Geographic Genealogy, People

≈ 5 Comments

Tags

Abbotts Creek Cemetery, Ackworth School, Barrock Lodge, Bodenhamer, Bower, Caithness, Davidson County, Deane, Genealogy, Goss, Isle of Que, Lyth, Miller, Mills, Milnes, Oliphant, Oliver, Owen, Quaker, Reeds Baptist Church Cemetery, Scotland, Staunton, Thornrose Cemetery, Walk My Past, Wright, Yorkshire

I managed to spend more time than usual frolicking in my family research this year, including a trip to England in August and a road trip through family-related places in Pennsylvania, Virginia and North Carolina in March. The research was a refuge and escape from other worries at times, and the travel and people I connected with were pure magic. Genealogy was definitely a highlight of my 2019, with a few particularly special discoveries and experiences.

A brick wall came tumbling down; never seen photos emerged; I visited a cousin in England and made contact with several cousins I hadn’t known about; I walked in places where my ancestors spent their days. My plan was to blog about each of these, but most of those posts are still drafts… Goals for 2020!

People

Olivers and Oliphants – Finding the father of my born-out-of-wedlock 2nd great grandfather, David Oliver (my mother’s family name), has long been a challenge, and the discovery of DNA matches named Oliphant helped redirect my search. Thanks to the help of a great new online community, Walk My Past (see below), the mystery has been solved. David Oliver’s father, my 3rd great grandfather, was George Oliphant (1827-1904) from Bower, Caithness, Scotland. And… I found a photograph of the place he was living at the end of his life!

Barrock Lodge, Lyth, Bower, Caithness, Scotland. Postcard posted 18 July 1928.
Credit: Alex MacManus from his mother’s collection here.
George Oliphant was living here at the time of his death on 10 December 1904.

James Mills and Maria Milnes Photos – I’ve always had a fair amount of information on Granny’s (Elsie Mills, 1899-1993) maternal family, but not much on her father’s side. So far I’ve only turned up one blurry passport photograph of her father, James Mills (1863-1925). And then this unexpected gift! An Ancestry member posted a pair of photos from a family album–Granny’s grandparents, James Mills (1824-1904) and Maria Milnes (1825-1892). It was remarkable to see their faces and especially to discover how much my Granny looked like her grandmother.

James Mills and his Maria Milnes were married in Derby, England in 1845. They emigrated to Staunton, Virginia about 1871 with 9 of their 10 surviving children.
Credit: Mills/Mason Watson/Brewer Family Tree on Ancestry.com, courtesy Korina Mills

Living Cousins – 2019 brought re-connection and first contact with close-ish cousins in England, Scotland, New Mexico, Texas, and New York. Some were through DNA matching and others through more old-fashioned methods. It turns out that a childhood friend is a 10th cousin (thank you, Ancestry DNA) and a friend from college is a 9th cousin. Best of all, I spent a lovely afternoon with my Mum’s first cousin in London. Another goal for 2020 is to be in contact with more cousins.

An August visit with Robin Monro, my first cousin once removed, in London was a delight, and seeing the strong family resemblance to my Granny (his aunt) made me happy. Then the photo of Maria Milnes (above) appeared–his great grandmother–and I see the same resemblance to her.

Places

Ackworth School – Oh, my, what a thrill this was! In August I arranged to spend a day visiting Ackworth School in West Yorkshire, exploring the buildings, and poring through the archival material collected for me by Celia Wolfe, the school’s kind and incredibly knowledgeable archivist. I won’t spoil the post that I really, truly do still plan to write, but the short version is that I strolled the campus where my great grandmother, Emily Wright (1865-1954) was born and spent most of her childhood, where her parents worked, and where her ancestors on both sides and her siblings were students from 1780 through the late 19th century. The original buildings and grounds of this Quaker boarding school are little changed, so it felt like they could have been right there, walking the halls and pathways with me.

*Ackworth School*, *Pontrefact, West Yorkshire*

And there were photographs of students and teachers, including lots of wonderful images of Emily Wright and her parents, Mary Ann Deane (1841-1884) and Alfred Wright (1831-1901). The Quakers are precise record keepers, so there were documents rich in details about many family members. Proper blog post to follow!

One: Emily Wright (center of image), age 18, taken in 1884 when she was an apprentice teacher at Ackworth School.
Two: Alfred Wright, taken about 1870, when he was the bookkeeper at Ackworth.
Three: Mary Ann Deane (top of image), 1861 at age 20 as an apprentice teacher at Ackworth.
Credit: Ackworth School archives

Pennsylvania/Virginia/North Carolina Road Trip – A spur of the moment driving trip in March took me first to Sunbury, Pennsylvania, in the Susquehanna River Valley, north of Harrisburg, where I researched my Miller and Deppen ancestors. Thanks to the helpful folks at the Northumberland County Historical Society, I learned that my 4th great grandfather, John Miller (1774-1821), is said to have drowned in the Susquehanna River while checking his flooded land on the Isle of Que. The tiny island is one half mile wide and 5.5 miles long, part of Selinsgrove, Pennsylvania on the west side of the river. I paid a quiet visit to that shore at dusk.

*Isle of Que, Selinsgrove, Pennsylvania*

Next stop was Staunton, Virginia, where James and Maria (Milnes) Mills settled around 1870. I took a whirlwind tour of Trinity Church, where the family worshiped; Thornrose Cemetery, with a sizable Mills family plot beneath a majestic magnolia tree. Census records and city directories provided me with the addresses of several family homes, so I was able to find where James and Maria lived during their later years with some of their children.

*One: Lovely Trinity Church, built in 1855*.
*Two: The Mills family plot beneath a magnolia tree in Thornrose Cemetery.*
*Three: By 1888, 901 West Beverly Street, Staunton, Virginia was home to James and Maria (Milnes) Mills and three of their adult children (school teachers Annie and Maria*, *and son Harry*). *By 1890, they had all moved to a nearby house, and James and Maria’s widowed daughter, Mary Ann (Mills) Aitkins had moved into this house with three young adult sons, Frank, James, and John.*

The North Carolina leg of my road trip took me to Davidson County in search of late 18th to mid-19th century graves of my Owen, Bodenhamer and Goss ancestors. It was a bit of a wild goose chase. Visits to the Abbott’s Creek Primitive Baptist Church Cemetery, Reeds Baptist Church Cemetery, and Becks Reformed Church Cemetery led me to graves of some collateral ancestors, but no direct ones. But the bonus was some exceptional decorative gravestones–well worth a quick visit!

*Abbott’s Creek Cemetery*, *near Thomasville, Davidson County, North Carolina, is known for its unusual carved gravestones. Not my ancestors, but I enjoyed seeing them.*

New Resource

Walk My Past – A new resource for genealogists appeared on the scene this year when amateur genealogist Abbie Allen decided to create Walk My Past, a website where people could easily offer or request help with their family history. The idea is simple– volunteer “genies” are available to help with requests for information, cemetery photos, or a trip to a nearby archive. With willing helpers scattered across the globe, it gives access to information that can be out of reach otherwise. There are now 187 genies in 14 countries and the numbers are growing. Definitely worth checking it out!

And I’m the happiest of users. A kind-hearted “genie”, Meredith Cane of Revill McKay, Scotland, saw my request for help tracking down the answer to my Oliver/Oliphant mystery. She was already working in Scottish records for that region, and was able to identify my 3rd great grandfather, George Oliphant. Hoorah!

There’s my 2019 in a very large nutshell. Now, onward to 2020 and new adventures.

Happy 100!

22 Sunday Sep 2019

Posted by Generations of Nomads in Genealogy, People, Places

≈ 2 Comments

Tags

100th birthday, Bar Harbor, Family history, Family photos, fashion show, Genealogy, Mount Desert Isand, Munson

My lovely mother-in-law, Natalie (Munson) Brengle, would have been 100 years old today. Here she is as an 18 or 19 year old in a fashion show in Bar Harbor, Maine in 1937 or 1938. She only became more poised and elegant as the years passed. We miss her and raise a glass in her memory today!

Image

Wordless Wednesday: Esther Jane

11 Wednesday Sep 2019

Tags

Coffeyville, Family photos, Genealogy, Kansas, Miller, Wordless Wednesday

Esther Jane Miller (1914-1975)
Grandma
Probably Coffeyville, Kansas, ca. 1920

Posted by Generations of Nomads | Filed under Genealogy, People

≈ 2 Comments

Back to School

03 Tuesday Sep 2019

Posted by Generations of Nomads in Family history, Genealogy

≈ 4 Comments

Tags

1930s, Dad, Family history, Family photos, First day of school, Genealogy, Hare, Kansas, Stephenson

I don’t know any details about this adorable picture, but my dad, (Billy in those days) is the little guy with the polka dot tie. Too cute! Seems appropriate on the first day of school. Probably taken in Kansas about 1937.

Relationship: