First Sister's Edition of our Round Robin Family Blog
Least we forget
June 2 - Dick and Wanda (George's sister) married 39 yrs
June 3 - Junior & Laura married 11 yrs
June 6 - Julie (Dick and Wanda's dau) 33 yrs
June 8 - Ethel Renfroe Wheatley, Larry Renfroe's mother, Laura and Erin's grandmother, died in her home 1998
June 10 - Richard Powell (Worthy's son) 82 yrs
June 11 - Clinton and Reba Trantham (both gone now) married 68 yrs
June 11 - Amanda (Gary's daughter) 17 or 18, not sure how many
June 12 - Granny Ada Renfroe's birthday (gone now) 98 yrs
June 13 - Betty Knight (gone) 83 yrs
June 14 - Sister Betty 56 yrs (here in spirit, off somewhere in mind, body fading fast)
June 14 - Kalub Anderson (Gilbert's only grandson) 2 yrs
June 15 - Aunt Della Tabor b. 1880
June 16 - Larry, Betty's husband, girls father, little girls grandfather, 57 yrs
June 18 - Laura (Fleta's dil, Junior's wife) 29 yrs
June 19 - Laura and Eric (Betty's kids) married 7 yrs
June 21 - Turman and Francis (both gone) married 70 yrs
June 27 - Patsy and Dillard (Dillard gone, Patsy fading) married 47 yrs
June 29 - Dillard Poor (gone now) 79 yrs
Thursday, June 08, 2006
Wednesday, June 07, 2006
Letters from the past, about the past
Letter from Aunt Winnie Reed, Nov. 3, 1993 Received this after I called her and asked her for information about her family. Fleta Aday
Thelma I think Thelma being the oldest always felt she had to watch after and tell us all what to do. Thelma was always Mom's favorite. I can't remember anything about her before she was a teenager. I can't remember her ever being happy till she went to Green Forest to stay with Uncle Jess (Papa's bro.) While gong to high school. One year then to Sof O for three years. I think her red hair and freckles were a handicap. Red hair and freckles came from the Maples side, so Mom thought they were OK. Her red hair had a lot of body and was very pretty.
Thelma graduated from high school at School of the Ozarks which was sixty miles north of Green Forest (a boarding school). While at S of O she worked in the school hospital and got a scholarship to go to college majoring in nursing. From college she got a job teaching nursing in St. Louis City Hospital. She got married to Tom Gwaltney while working in St. Louis. They never had a good marriage but produced 6 children.
Truman was a quite, easy going kid. For some reason Pop favored Willis over Truman and believed Truman got as many whippings as the six of us totaled, but I can't remember Truman ever criticizing Mom or Pop or any of the rest of us. It seems he had and showed more love for all of us than anyone in the family.
Truman didn't finish high school (S of O). He came back home and managed to buy a saddle and managed to buy a saddle horse. His social life was curbed by how far he could ride that horse (Ole Red). He married Francis Rudd. They had 5 children.
Willis When I think of "Cotton" I think "Happy." His hair as a little boy was very light blond. I don't Know who nicknamed him "Cotton." Pop didn't like to allow nicknames used. I think Cotton was in on the mischief (most of it) but Truman got the whippings for it. I think all of us wondered how Cotton got by with so much. He treated everything "lightly." He was a complete opposite to Pop. I think he had more Maples blood than Powell. He also went to S of O but I think it was his second year there he ran off, and visited some relatives in Oklahoma, then came home, bought a saddle horse, did his social living by horse back. He met and married Hazel Gaddy. They had 7? children.
This may belong to my page. I remember my junior year at School of the Ozarks, We all would go home for a couple of weeks. I felt like I'd die if I didn't have new white shoes to take back to school. Of course, there was not money for new shoes. Cotton came up with $2.00. I think Truman helped with the $2.00. I still don't know how he managed to come up with 2 whole dollars. But I got my shoes before I checked in the dorm. This was my Junior year.
Fleta (Alleen) and I shared a lot of the farm chores. It seems we were always assigned a team job. She was 2 1/2 years older than I, so of course she was always boss. I think I always bullied over Floyd and Betty tho.
I remember one time I had a big "boil" on my right fore arm. We always carried pond water from the chickens to drink. We carried a wash tub most of the time. While the boil on the arm was the worst, we carried water for the chickens. Flet made me carry with my right arm. She and I have laughed many times over this.
Flet and I were opposite. She was always a fast mover. Her motto was "Flit and get it over with." She also went to S of O and graduated. Some one of the fatality got her a job as house keeper in Flint, Michigan for a family. She spent less than a year there. Came back to Qzarks and met up with a class mate, Harold and married. Had one child.
Winnie I forgot to mention I was slow at everything, Beautiful, smart and a lot more I went through high school at S of O then beauty school in St. Louis. Thelma paid for my beauty school. Married Sgt. George L. Reed, the air force, from West Virginia, had two boys. I had my own beauty shop for three or four years.
I think I got as many demerits as all the other four brothers and sisters that went to School of the Ozarks for breaking their tight rules. All the things that got me into trouble, I considered to be a joke. I really got on Fleta's nerves.
Floyd: When Floyd graduated from grade school, I think he spent a year or so taking care of the farm. He was about to be drafted so he joined and served ?? years.
When Floyd was in grade school he was a very quite kid. Never seemed to want or need many fiends, and if anyone crossed his path he could really throw a mean punch.
He married Lovetta ?? She had 2 girls before Floyd met her.
Betty Lou: Just a few months after Betty was born, Pop sold our house hold goods and farm equipment and moved all of us to Oklahoma (city?) but just a couple years there Pop moved us all back to the farm and started over. Betty went through high school at Green Forest. Then went to a teacher training College (I don't Know the name where she went). It was close to Green Forest. Winnie paid for her short schooling to be a teacher.
She taught grammar school a few years and met Charge Knight. They married and went to northern California to live. Had 2 boys.
Betty was a very sweet sister to all of us all through her life. I don't think any of us ever crossed Betty, for if we had she would never have gotten over it. She wanted peace and love from her family at all times.
Winnie Reed, Nov. 1993
Thelma I think Thelma being the oldest always felt she had to watch after and tell us all what to do. Thelma was always Mom's favorite. I can't remember anything about her before she was a teenager. I can't remember her ever being happy till she went to Green Forest to stay with Uncle Jess (Papa's bro.) While gong to high school. One year then to Sof O for three years. I think her red hair and freckles were a handicap. Red hair and freckles came from the Maples side, so Mom thought they were OK. Her red hair had a lot of body and was very pretty.
Thelma graduated from high school at School of the Ozarks which was sixty miles north of Green Forest (a boarding school). While at S of O she worked in the school hospital and got a scholarship to go to college majoring in nursing. From college she got a job teaching nursing in St. Louis City Hospital. She got married to Tom Gwaltney while working in St. Louis. They never had a good marriage but produced 6 children.
Truman was a quite, easy going kid. For some reason Pop favored Willis over Truman and believed Truman got as many whippings as the six of us totaled, but I can't remember Truman ever criticizing Mom or Pop or any of the rest of us. It seems he had and showed more love for all of us than anyone in the family.
Truman didn't finish high school (S of O). He came back home and managed to buy a saddle and managed to buy a saddle horse. His social life was curbed by how far he could ride that horse (Ole Red). He married Francis Rudd. They had 5 children.
Willis When I think of "Cotton" I think "Happy." His hair as a little boy was very light blond. I don't Know who nicknamed him "Cotton." Pop didn't like to allow nicknames used. I think Cotton was in on the mischief (most of it) but Truman got the whippings for it. I think all of us wondered how Cotton got by with so much. He treated everything "lightly." He was a complete opposite to Pop. I think he had more Maples blood than Powell. He also went to S of O but I think it was his second year there he ran off, and visited some relatives in Oklahoma, then came home, bought a saddle horse, did his social living by horse back. He met and married Hazel Gaddy. They had 7? children.
This may belong to my page. I remember my junior year at School of the Ozarks, We all would go home for a couple of weeks. I felt like I'd die if I didn't have new white shoes to take back to school. Of course, there was not money for new shoes. Cotton came up with $2.00. I think Truman helped with the $2.00. I still don't know how he managed to come up with 2 whole dollars. But I got my shoes before I checked in the dorm. This was my Junior year.
Fleta (Alleen) and I shared a lot of the farm chores. It seems we were always assigned a team job. She was 2 1/2 years older than I, so of course she was always boss. I think I always bullied over Floyd and Betty tho.
I remember one time I had a big "boil" on my right fore arm. We always carried pond water from the chickens to drink. We carried a wash tub most of the time. While the boil on the arm was the worst, we carried water for the chickens. Flet made me carry with my right arm. She and I have laughed many times over this.
Flet and I were opposite. She was always a fast mover. Her motto was "Flit and get it over with." She also went to S of O and graduated. Some one of the fatality got her a job as house keeper in Flint, Michigan for a family. She spent less than a year there. Came back to Qzarks and met up with a class mate, Harold and married. Had one child.
Winnie I forgot to mention I was slow at everything, Beautiful, smart and a lot more I went through high school at S of O then beauty school in St. Louis. Thelma paid for my beauty school. Married Sgt. George L. Reed, the air force, from West Virginia, had two boys. I had my own beauty shop for three or four years.
I think I got as many demerits as all the other four brothers and sisters that went to School of the Ozarks for breaking their tight rules. All the things that got me into trouble, I considered to be a joke. I really got on Fleta's nerves.
Floyd: When Floyd graduated from grade school, I think he spent a year or so taking care of the farm. He was about to be drafted so he joined and served ?? years.
When Floyd was in grade school he was a very quite kid. Never seemed to want or need many fiends, and if anyone crossed his path he could really throw a mean punch.
He married Lovetta ?? She had 2 girls before Floyd met her.
Betty Lou: Just a few months after Betty was born, Pop sold our house hold goods and farm equipment and moved all of us to Oklahoma (city?) but just a couple years there Pop moved us all back to the farm and started over. Betty went through high school at Green Forest. Then went to a teacher training College (I don't Know the name where she went). It was close to Green Forest. Winnie paid for her short schooling to be a teacher.
She taught grammar school a few years and met Charge Knight. They married and went to northern California to live. Had 2 boys.
Betty was a very sweet sister to all of us all through her life. I don't think any of us ever crossed Betty, for if we had she would never have gotten over it. She wanted peace and love from her family at all times.
Winnie Reed, Nov. 1993
Our Father's Mother's family
Sister Betty has been posting photos of our Mother's ancestors and speculating about who she looks like in the pictures. When we were growing up, we had a portrait of the parents in this photo hanging on our wall. It was always so amazing to us children, that the woman in the photo looked like an older version of our sister Betty.
This mother is Sarah Lou Coxsey Maples. Standing beside her is our grandmother Gertude Lee Maples Powell. The father is William Burl 'Bee' Maples. Aunt Oma Maples Moore is standing. Sarah is holding John Maples and Bee is holding Aunt Bertha.
My grandfather did not have a good opinion of his father-in-law and my father 'caught' that prejudice, but Daddy looked more like Bee Maples than any of his other ancestors that I have seen photos of. Uncle Turman looked a lot like his father and his Uncle Jesse, but Dad favored the Maples side.
We have a saying in our family about looking like a Powell baby, that is cubby and round with little or no hair. And when hair appears it it thin and blonde. Do the little ones in this photo not look like Powell babies? I think our round little blonde babies are in reality Maples babies.
Tuesday, June 06, 2006
Sisters, Winnie & Fleta Powell
Winnie was born in May of 1919 and Fleta was born in 1916, so this must have been taken in 1919. Fleta looks cute and chubby. She was sooo very skinny as an adult.
Monday, June 05, 2006
On the Death of a Sister
I wrote this poem when I heard of the death of my Aunt Fleta. I was thinking of Aunt Fleta and Aunt Winnie when I wrote the poem.
On the Death of a Sister
We shared a bond of time and place,
Our lives entwined like threads in lace.
Her mother, my mother, her father mine.
We shared a room, a space in time.
Same time and place in the Universe,
All things were shared with sister first.
Who will I share with from now on?
Sister’s gone, Sister’s gone.
January 29, 1994
Fleta Aday
On the Death of a Sister
We shared a bond of time and place,
Our lives entwined like threads in lace.
Her mother, my mother, her father mine.
We shared a room, a space in time.
Same time and place in the Universe,
All things were shared with sister first.
Who will I share with from now on?
Sister’s gone, Sister’s gone.
January 29, 1994
Fleta Aday
Sunday, June 04, 2006
Week End Project
Well, actually 2 week ends. The covering for my swing was fadded, frayed, and in general looked very worn. I recovered the seats and top over the last 2 week ends and now it looks better than new. I looked for an before pic, but could not find one so you will have to take it on faith that it looks 100% prettier. Emmy even said it was pretty!!
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