Turkeys, both live and dead

We drove around the rock query Saturday evening and saw a flock of turkeys. They were in the field running along Callens Branch just before you get to the old Hampton place (but on the other side of the road). I was glad to see such a large flock. There were two large flocks rosting in the trees the other side of the branch last year, but they were so well known, and so accustomed to seeing people that the big brave turkey hunters got a lot of them last year. I can not understand why people want to shoot these things.

Then the dead turkeys. Patsy has posted an obit for one of our relatives, Jimmie Kay Maples. He was about Patsy's age and had been researching Maples genealogy for at least since the 1960's or 70's. Patsy wanted to know who he was in relationship to us. I knew but thought I would search on the net and find a tree to post. Not much luck. I already knew his grandfather was Clay Maples, our grandmother's uncle. I was sure Clay Maples had several children as almost everyone of that time did. I could find only the one son, William Floyd Maples, father of this Jimmie. Whatever this Jimmie Kay Maples did with his genealogy work, it is most likely all going to crumble into dust just like Jimmie Kay. Even though I have spent a lot of time on our family history, I still think it is just a fun hobby, not the serious business some try to make it out to be, but, just the same, after putting so much time into the hobby, I am please that when I turn to dust, much of the three sister's genealogy work will still be floating out in cyberspace for any and all to use or abuse.

So, Jimmie Kay, is a grandson of Henry Clay Maples, my grandmother's uncle. He always went by Clay Maples and I doubt many people knew his name was Henry Clay. When Daddy was growing up and many years thereafter, Clay Maples lived in the big white house at the junction of Highway 62 and the Denver Road. I never knew the names of his children, but the 1930 census says he had Glen, Paul, Floyd, Mary Katherine, a girl that I can't make out the name, and Frank. Today, two granddaughers of Mary Katherine live on the Maples place.

I remember Daddy telling a story about the Maples boys. When these boys were young men still living with their father on the long hill on Hwy 62, the milk trucks would pass their house hauling the local milk to market for the farmers. At that time the milk was in 25 gallon cream cans, not bulk tankers like we have today. These early day trucks had trouble climbing this long, steep hill and had to slow to a crawl. The Maples boys would lie in wait at the bottom of the hill and hop on the back of the truck. While it progressed slowly up the hill, they stole milk from the milk company truck. Then they sold this milk back to the milk company. At least that was Daddy's story. If Jimmie Kay had been more generous with what he found about his Maples kin, maybe I would have his version of his family's story instead of Daddy's.