Where I was when I heard President Kennedy had been killed....

Dear Grandparents,
We're told that people who were alive at the time, remember where they were when they heard President Lincoln had been assassinated,  Pearl Harbor had been bombed, planes had crashed into the World Trade Centers, and for my generation when they heard President John F. Kennedy had been assassinated. I am no exception and thought that on this 50th anniversary of Kennedy's death, I should write about what I remember about that day and those that followed.

I was home from school sick and watching television (CBS), doing French verb conjugation homework, while my mother ironed. They broke into the broadcast with a bulletin that the "President had been shot in Dallas, Texas. He is being taken to the hospital and his condition is not known." We were shocked and waited, and waited for some word on his condition. It seemed like a long time but probably was about 30 minutes until Walter Cronkite appeared in the oft seen clip and announced "President Kennedy is dead."

We were stunned. Our family were not democrats, nor were they Kennedy supporters. We had recently moved to Willingboro, New Jersey from La Habra, California. Richard Nixon had law offices in La Habra and his mother lived next to Starbuck Junior High School where I had attended. Still.... the President, his beautiful wife and those little children...

My sister Peggy (Leslie) was a sixth grader at Pennypacker Elementary School in class when a teacher came by and told her classroom teacher that the President had been shot. She overheard the conversation and then was asked to keep the information to herself. Less than an hour later, an announcement was made that President Kennedy had been killed and most of the teachers and children were crying. During the 1960 campaign, John F. Kennedy had visited Willingboro and many people in the community had turned out to hear him speak. His death seemed very personal. School was immediately dismissed. All students lived within walking distance of the school so no provisions were made to notify parents that the students were being sent home. It was expected that there would be someone at home for them.

Peggy clearly remembers what she was wearing that day.... a madras plaid sleeveless dress that Mom had let her wear over a turtleneck as it was cold.

Her husband Hugh remembered he was working at the Bureau of Land Management Office in Salem, Oregon and they were notified when someone rushed into their office. His brother Paul was working, building Clearwater River Road in Idaho. Someone had a radio and that was how they heard.

Sister Trude's 4th grade class was on a field trip to the Township Library which was about 4 blocks from Pennypacker School.  The class had walked there for their special tour. At the announcement of Kennedy's death, the students were dismissed directly from the Library and expected to walk home. She remembers being scared. While we were living in California during the Cuban Missile Crisis, there had been air raid drills where each student was made to crouch beneath their desk while sirens blared, waiting until the 'All Clear' bell was sounded. At nine, Trude didn't really understand the emotions of the adults. That night she dreamed that witches were trying to bite off her toes. She recalls the need to keep her toes under the covers and safe from the witches stayed with her well into adulthood.

Her friend Michael Blackman was a high school student in Philadelphia. He remembers a student passing in the hall saying that the President had been shot. He did not believe him. After arriving in his next class, it was announced that Kennedy was dead and a moment of silent prayer was offered by everyone. He does not remember that school was dismissed.

My brother Rusty was a 7 year old 2nd grader at Pennypacker. He remembers being dismissed early and walking home with some friends. One boy yelled that the President had been shot but Rusty wanted to wait until he heard it from his mother to be certain. He's not sure if they told the younger kids that Kennedy had been killed or if it was lost in the excitement of getting out of school early.

The family spent the next several days huddled in front of our black and white television set. We were mesmerized by the steady parade of events. There were so many things that we had never seen before. The silent vigil in the Capitol Rotunda, the family walking behind the casket. I'll never forget the sound of the muffled drums accompanying the caisson. Lee Harvey Oswald killed in front of so many. Most unsettling for me was the tears streaming down my father's face as the coffin was carried down the steps of the Capitol.

Photo from NY Daily News

For all of us, the images of John John saluting his father's coffin, the caisson's slow progress to Arlington National Cemetery are burned forever in our minds.

Love,
Cecily

Mayflower Compact 1620

Dear Grandparents,
As we begin to prepare for our annual commemoration of Thanksgiving, my mind has been turning to those of you who made Mayflower's historic voyage from England to Massachusetts. What courage it must have required to board that tiny ship leaving every place you had ever known behind! I hope I would have had the courage to join you.

We often focus today on the feast of Thanksgiving you hosted with the Indians and many forget some of the other contributions made by the settlers at Plymouth. We've read about the religious congregation from Leiden and probably most of us think of you as one group. I wonder if you realize that you are often referred to as the "Saints" and "Strangers." I think the implication being that the "Saints" were members of the Leiden congregation and the "Strangers" were the other English families who were hoping for more opportunities in a new land.

What foresight it took to understand that you needed some rules to govern the expectations and behaviors of the community before it was established ashore. I wonder how many of us would have come to that realization.

Mayflower Compact 1620

IN THE NAME OF GOD, AMEN. We, whose names are underwritten, the Loyal Subjects of our dread Sovereign Lord King James, bu the Grace of God, of Great Britain, France, and Ireland, King, Defender of the Faith, &c. Having undertaken for the Glory of God, and Advancement of the Christian Faith, and the Honour of our King and Country, a Voyage to plant the first Colony in the northern Parts of Virginia; Do by these Presents, solemnly and mutually, in the Presence of God and one another, covenant and combine ourselves together into a civil Body Politck, for our better Ordering and Preservation, and Futherance of the Ends aforesaid; And by Virtue hereof do enact, constitute, and frame, such just and equal Laws, Ordinances, Acts, Constitutions, and Officers, from time to time, as shall be thought most meet and convenient for the general Good of the Colony; unto which we promise all due Submission and Obedience.

IN WITNESS whereof we have hereunto subscribed our names at Cape-Cod the eleventh of November, in the Reign of our Sovereign Lord King James, of England, France, and Ireland, the eighteenth, and of Scotland the fifty-fourth, Anno Domini; 1620.

Mr. John Carver, John Billington, Thomas Williams, John Ridgdale, Mr. William Bradford,        Moses Fletcher, Gilbert Winslow, Edward Fuller, Mr. Edward Winslow, John Goodman,                Edmund Margesson, Richard Clark, Mr. William Brewster,  Mr. Samuel Fuller,                             Peter Brown, Richard Gardiner, Isaac Allerton, Mr. Christopher Martin, Richard Britteridge,          Mr. John Allerton, Myles Standish, Mr. William Mullins, George Soule, Thomas English,             John Alden,  Mr. William White, Edward Tilly, Edward Doten, John Turner, Mr. Richard Warren, John Tilly, Edward Liester, Francis Eaton, John Howland, Francis Cooke, James Chilton,                    Mr. Steven Hopkins, Thomas Rogers, John Craxton, Digery Priest, Thomas Tinker*

*I have bolded the names of my ancestors who signed the compact.

There were women on board the Mayflower though they were not included in the affirmation of the compact they were certainly expected to live up to its requirements.

The transcription of the Mayflower Compact 1620, as well as the signatories, comes from the General Society of Mayflower Descendants Website. Commonly referred to as the Mayflower Society, it is an organization of those who prove their descent from one or more Pilgrims. It is estimated that there may be as many as twenty million descendants of the 102 hardy souls who sailed on the ship including nine American Presidents. My Great Grandfather Frederick Naaman Cone was a member of the Society, as was his son William Laurence Cone.

For family members, we can trace our linage to William Bradford, William Brewster, Steven Hopkins and his son Giles Hopkins, and Edward Doty (who's name was written at Doten on the compact).

Thank you for your bravery, foresight and spirit. I want to tell more of your stories before Thanksgiving.

Love,

Cecily

A coincidence of dates.... the Gettysburg Address and Van Eps Hugunin's Birthday

Dear Great Grandfather Hugunin,
Today our nation is observing the 150th anniversary of President Abraham Lincoln's delivery of the Gettysburg Address. They tell us that not much was made of Lincoln's speech when delivered. He wasn't even the keynote speaker that day in 1863 at the dedication of the new national cemetery on the site of one of the bloodiest battles of the Civil War. The Honorable Edward Everett delivered a two hour speech that cold day in November and then Mr. Lincoln began... "Four score and seven years ago, our fathers..." words that every school child in America memorized for more than 100 years.

Few of us realize that a little known girl reporter, Mary Shaw Leader, was responsible for acclaiming Abraham Lincoln's Gettysburg address as remarkable. In a report that was published in the Dallas Morning News, November 17, 1941 in Section I, Page Nine (and available through www.genealogybank.com), the community of Hanover, Pennsylvania dedicated a monument to her shortly before the seventy-eighth anniversary of the speech. Marking her grave, the stone carries the following inscription;

          "Her first-hand report of Lincoln's Gettysburg address bore witness to its greatness. In her account for the Hanover Spectator she garnered Lincoln's words from his own lips. She helped the world to long remember. Her fellow townsmen pay this belated tribute to her courage, enterprise and fortright that we may never forget."

Mount Olivet Cemetery, Hanover, York County, PA

Photo provided by Izzebella for Find A Grave Memorial #11051041

 No copies of the speech were distributed to the press corps that day. Mary had walked the fifteen miles to Gettysburg that blustery day to report on what was said at the cemetery's dedication. Unlike most of her male colleagues, she published the full text, as she had transcribed it, in the weekly Hanover newspaper.

Ironically, Mary Shaw Leader had died during the fiftieth anniversary of the Battle of Gettysburg in 1913. A celebration to which she was not invited.

November 19th is already a date of note in our family genealogy, as you,Van Eps Hugunin, were born on that date in 1832. Son of Richard "Dirick" and Janetje Van Eps Hugunin, you were born in either Fonda or Fultonville, New York. The family emigrated to Johnston, Rock County Wisconsin about 1840.

Your father Richard was a War of 1812 veteran, so it was not surprising that you enlisted in Company B of the Wisconsin 13th Infantry Regiment on 16 September 1861. Elected Sergeant, there was a quick promotion to Full 1st Sergeant. Leaving Wisconsin January 18, 1862, the Regiment was sent to Leavenworth, Kansas by railroad via Chicago, Quincy, to Weston, Missouri and then marched to Leavenworth City.

According to E. B. Quiner's "Military History of Wisconsin" published in Chicago in 1866 and available at the Wisconsin Historical Society website, the next 18 months consisted of long marches, skirmishes, and garrison duty. At the time President Lincoln was delivering the Gettysburg Address, the 13th fresh from a battle with Rebel leader Woodward at Garretsville was on duty at Fort Donelson, Tennessee. Quiner reports they had marched more than 160 miles.

When did you hear about the Battle of Gettysburg? In the thick of battles yourself, did the horrific number of soldiers killed give pause or cause a great deal of discussion among your troops? You served another year before being mustered out. When did you learn of President Lincoln's Address and did you think it applicable to your efforts also? There are so many question I want to ask you.

Happy Birthday and Thank you for fighting to keep our nation whole. We will never forget.

Love,
Cecily

Honoring Their Service on Veterans' Day

Dear Grandparents,
Each year on November 11th, we honor our country's men and women who have served in our armed forces in both peace and war. This November is the first since 1971 where the family has no one currently serving on active duty. In the honor of those who served, I am endeavoring to put together a list by name, rank and service. These are the family members who have served in the 20th and 21st centuries, I'll cover the 18th and 19th centuries in another post. If you have additions or corrections please leave me a comment.

Cdr, Raul Dominguez, U. S. Navy 2002-2020
Maj. Amanda M. Kelly, U. S. Air Force (ret) 2002-2012
Lt. Kristen Cone, U. S. Navy 2005-2009
Cpl. Agye Danso, U. S. Marine Corps 2003-2007
Maj. Roger Moore, U. S. Army National Guard
Capt. Edward W. Kelly, U. S. Navy (ret) 1971-2001
PH2 Ronald A. Pearce, U. S. Navy 1972-1982
Lt. Charles "Rusty" N. Cone, III U. S. Navy, 1978-1983
Lt. Frederick Allen Cone, JAG, USNR 1957-1960
Sn. Dana A. Pearce, U. S. Navy 1954-1956
1st Lt. Hugo Riecken, U. S. Army 1954-1958

Lt. Marge Riecken, U. S Navy Nurse Corps 1950-1956
Capt. Charles N. Cone, Jr, U. S. Navy, 1944-1984
PFC Phelps Wilson Long, Jr,  U. S. Marine Corps, Killed in Action Dec. 16, 1943 Bougainville, Solomon Islands
Pvt. Kenneth M. Branchflower, U. S Army, 1936-7; 1944-1946
Sn. Charles Robert Brim, U. S. Navy, 1942-1945
Cpl. Josephine Mary Brim, U. S. Marine Corps, 1943-1945
CM1 Charles C. Black, U. S. Navy 1942-1945
Pvt. Edward Ebert Kelly,  U. S. Army, 1944-1946
PFC James R. Caldwell, U. S. Army, 1944-1947
Sn David Earl Propes, U. S. Navy, 1944-1945
Pvt. Vern B. Werst, U. S. Army, 1942-1946
Pvt. Emerald J. Caldwell, U. S. Army, 1918-1919
Pvt. Charles N. Cone, U. S. Army, 1918-1918
Pvt. Charles Richard Brim, U. S. Army, 1918-1919
Sgt. William Laurance Cone, U. S. Army, 1917-1919
Cpt. Chester D. Allen, U. S. Army Medical Corps, 1917-1923

Their contributions represent over 100 years of service to our country.

Our family has been blessed that only one member was killed in action. Phelps Wilson Long, Jr. was the daughter of my Grandmother Hazel Bynon Allen Cone's sister Martha Marinda Allen Long. Phelps was my Dad's first cousin. He enlisted in the United State Marine Corps shortly after the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor and was trained at New River, North Carolina. He was part of  Company I, 21st MAR, 3rd Marine Division.

He was killed in action at Bouganville, Solomon Islands on December 16, 1943 and posthumously award the Silver Star for Conspicuous Gallantry and Intrepidity Against Enemy Japanese Forces in the Cape Torokina Area. I do not know if his body was returned to the family for burial in Florida or if they erected the marker just in remembrance. Once while visiting Oahu, My mother, Ed and I paid our respects at the Punch Bowl National Cemetery in Honolulu. My mother had been under the impression that Phelps was buried there but we did not find him.

My Grandmother said her sister never recovered from Phelps' loss. She died five years later at age 48.

Thank you all for your service. For the time you spent away from spouses, children and homes which did not come without sacrifice on both your part and that of your families.

Love,
Cecily

Haunted Houses ?!?

Dear Grandparents,
There has recently been some discussion in the genealogy community about people starting a website documenting deaths that have occurred in a particular house. Reading about this led me to think about the simple farmhouse outside Newberg, Oregon that had been the home to three generations of my family. It seemed a little creepy to write about yesterday on Halloween, but hopefully it is more appropriate today, All Saints' Day.

House at Pine Lawn Farm showing fruit house.
About 2 miles north of Newberg, Yamhill County, Oregon

This is the house that was home to my great-grandparents William Wallace and Mamie (Hugunin) Colby. They moved into the house in the spring of 1912, leaving their farm in Kirwin, Phillips County, Kansas for Mamie's health. I do not know the origin of the fruit house, but my grandmother and their daughter Ada Grace Colby, said that her father had found a farm with a small house outside of Newberg. He agreed to buy the home if a larger house would be built before the family arrived in Oregon. In the photo above, one can see the original small house to the left. Behind and obscured from view is the larger, two-story addition.

To my knowledge, four deaths have occurred in this home. First, my great-grandmother Mary Elizabeth "Mamie" Hugunin Colby October 15, 1917. Her obituaries tell the story. "In December of last year, Mrs. Colby underwent a very serious operation at the Swedish hospital in Kansas City. She rallied from this grave condition, and seemed much stronger. While convalescent, she visited for some time with her relatives and friends here (presumably Kirwin, clipping is from scrap book with out source). It seemed then that she might hope for many happy and comfortable years. During the summer, she complained of much weariness and was not so well. Her death, however came most unexpectedly. She passed from us.... still a comparatively young woman, being 49 years, 7 months and 17 days of age."
           
More of the story is included in the obituary published in the Newberg Graphic on Thursday, October 18, 1917. "The many friends of Mrs. W. W. Colby were shocked Tuesday morning to learn of her sudden death Monday evening. She walked into town Monday afternoon, seemingly in her usual health. Retiring at 9:30, about 10:30 she woke her husband telling him she felt very ill. He called the
doctor who reached her bedside in a few minutes but a 11 o'clock she passed away."

From left Mamie and daughters Madge, Pansy and Grace
at Pine Lawn Farm circa 1912,

The second death that occurred in the house was that of Mamie's husband William Wallace "W. W." Colby. He continued to live in the house after her death with daughters Madge and Grace. Then after Madge married and Grace went to Oregon State, with his second wife Ada May McNay Colby. After Ada's death in 1931, he invited widowed Grace and her daughters Betty and Helen to share his home.

I remember well the stories told by my Grandmother, Mom and Aunt about his death. Hoo Hoo, our pet name for my grandmother, related that in February she had noticed her father favoring a leg. He made light of the soreness. When she noticed the weakness in the leg continuing, she demanded to see it. The infection had spread terribly. She wasn't sure why he had let the infection go untreated. It was the depths of the depression and money was very scarce. She expected that Grampa Colby was concerned that there would not be enough money to pay for a doctor. Of course, seeing the condition of the leg, Hoo Hoo called the doctor immediately. It was too late, gangrene had set in and there was no hope.

My mother and Aunt remember being sent to stay with friend for the few days until he passed. It was terrifying for them. William Wallace Colby died in the house March 2, 1936.

William Wallace "W.W." Colby and granddaughter   
Betty Werst in front of the house circa 1935

The third death in the house was that of my grandmother Ada Grace Colby Werst Branchflower. Moving there as a child of 9, she had spent most of her life in the home. She was asleep upstairs when her mother died. She had seen two of her sisters married in the living room. It had been a sanctuary when she was able to reunite her two daughters and move in with her Dad. I'm sure she did all that she could to ease his suffering before he died. She struggled to buy her sisters out of their portion of Pine Lawn Farm so she could keep her home. She raised her daughters there and they welcomed her new husband Kenneth Branchflower into the home. It became a favorite retreat for grandchildren visiting from California.

Grace Colby Werst in front of the house
with daughter Betty circa 1938.

She knew that her mother, grandmother Sarah Amanda Hugunin, her Aunt Grace Hugunin Bissell, sister Madge Colby Massey and Ethel May Colby King had all died as fairly young women, many in the forties. It wasn't until she was diagnosed with polycystic kidney disease that the family realized that the others had probably died of the same hereditary condition. Grace controlled the disease with careful salt-free dieting for years and tried to qualify for dialysis. Alas, the doctors were not going to approve using that expensive treatment on a woman who was 70. She died of a heart attack January 8, 1973.

The last death to occur in the house, was that of my step-grandfather Kenneth M. Branchflower. With the exception of his time overseas during the Second World War, he had made the house at Pine Lawn Farm his home after he and Grace married May 23, 1944. He had grown up on a farm up the street. After Hoo Hoo died, he talked about rehabilitating his family home which had been vacant since his father's death in 1958. He built a 3 bay garage and shop on that property as the first step in that transition. Unfortunately, he never had the opportunity to finish the job. He died in his sleep, presumably of a heart attack February 15, 1976.

Kenneth Massey Branchflower at Pinelawn Farm 1975

Aunt Helen, my husband Ed and I drove from California to Newberg with heavy hearts arriving late at night. For some reason the power was off and the old house really did seem haunted. We ended up spending the night at good neighbor Alice Nelson's home across the street. It was the only time that I had been concerned about staying in the house.

Today, my aunt, siblings and cousins and I remember the many good times we had in the house. Though it has been rented to others for many years, the house remains in the family. Each time I visit Oregon, I make it a point to visit.

I am certain that you all know of many more stories of houses where family members lived, loved and died. Please feel free to share them with me.
Love,
Cecily

1640 Puritan Psalter to be auctioned by Sotheby's

Dear Great Grandfather Thomas Thacher,
One does not expect, when living in 21st century Montgomery County Texas, to read an article in the morning paper referring to an item that might well have been used by a 9th great grandfather who died 326 years ago. That's what happened to me yesterday. The third page of the Conroe Courier led with an article from the Associated Press entitled, "1640 Puritan psalter goes on display in Houston."
The article went on to describe "The Bay Psalm Book", which will be displayed Thursday at the Museum of Fine Arts in Houston, as one of two owned by Boston's Old South Church.

A Psalter is sort of a hymnal. The psalms in the Bible were written to be sung. A psalter divided the poems by meter so they could be set to music, Beginning in 1620, the Pilgrims and Puritans had been using Psalters that they had brought to Massachusetts from England and Holland. The "Bay Psalm Book" was the first psalter printed in Massachusetts Bay Colony by Stephen Day in 1640. Members of the church leadership had been dissatisfied with the translations of the Psalms from their original Hebrew in their original Psalters so created a panel of their Ministers to undertake a new translation. Their creation is said to have been used for more than a century. Wikipedia provides a transcription of the title page of the 1640 first edition;

                                                          The Whole Book of Psalmes
                                                               396104         Faithfully
                                                             Translated into English
                                                                           Metre
                                                          Whereunto is prefixed a discourse
                                                      declaring not only the lawfullnes, but also
                                                       the necessity of the heavenly Ordinance
                                                             of singing Scripture Psalmes in
                                                                     the Churches of God
                                         
                                                                Cambridge, Mass. Stephen Day
                                                                     Imprinted, 1640

I know you were the first pastor of what we call the "Old South Church" in Boston taking the pulpit there 16 February 1670. You would have called it the Third Church. As these Psalters were used for a hundred years, I imagine that you had your hands on this copy as well as many others.

Today, there are only 10 known copies of the 1640 Psalter left. Two of the copies are owned by the congregation descendant from yours. The Old South Church has a congregation of more than 350 and meets in a 138 year old building that is showing its age. They have made the decision to part with one of their two copies of the Psalter. It's auction by Sotheby's (our premier auction house) is expected to net the church nearly 30 million dollars. The church is planning on using the funds generated by the sale to establish an endowment to maintain their building.

Somehow, I am certain that you would approve of their decision to sell though be somewhat stunned by the price this old hymnal is expected to bring.

Love,
Cecily

Happy Grandparents' Day

Dear Grandparents,
In the last ten years or so, we have been celebrating Grandparents Day. My Grandson Cooper appeared at our door this morning with a card, saying "open it Grancy, its Grandparents Day."
It made me think about how lucky I am to be near my grandchildren and part of their lives. I was also lucky enough to know three out of my four grandparents and a step-grandfather who we always thought of as ours.

So today I'm introducing my grandparents....

First my maternal Grandfather and namesake Cecil Oscar Werst. Born March 16, 1900 in Valley Falls, Jefferson County, Kansas, Cecil was the 10th of 11 children born to Lewis Werst. His mother was Lewis' second wife Mary Jane Barnes.  His first wife Lunetta "Mattie" Fitzsimmons died shortly after her third son was born and her older boys were 4 and 2. Mary Jane really raised all of them. There was only one girl in the family.

Cecil was still an infant when his family moved to Garfield County, Washington following in the footsteps of his former brothers-in-law. The family soon moved on to the Belma area of Yakima County which has now been absorbed by Grandview. Lewis worked as a carpenter and construction manager. His death in 1916, forced Cecil to leave school to support his mother and younger brother.
In fact in the 1920 Federal census he is listed as the head of household, working as a laborer doing general work.

Cecil holding my mother Betty Lorraine Werst 
Spokane,
Washington 1926


In 1923 he was visiting his older brother Clem in Pendleton, Oregon. Across the street, my Grandmother Grace Colby was visiting her sister....they were married in Spokane, August 8, 1924.
Cecil was working as a manager at the Real Silk Hosiery Factory and Grace worked for the Spokane newspaper until the birth of their daughter Betty Lorraine Werst.

Unfortunately, the small family was shattered by Cecil's sudden death October 24, 1927. He had an abscessed tooth removed by a dentist and in the days before penicillin was dead within a week when and infection set in.

I never knew Cecil and my grandmother did not talk about him much as she had long since remarried when I was a child. Cecil also missed out on knowing his younger daughter Helen Louise who was born five months after he died. I wonder what he would think of the family he founded today.


Ada Grace Colby Werst Branchflower is my maternal Grandmother. Named for her mother's best friend Ada McNay and her sister Grace Hugunin, she was born October 21, 1902 on the Colby farm near Kirwin, Phillips County Kansas.  She was the last of five daughters born to William Wallace and Mary Elizabeth "Mamie" (Hugunin) Colby. She was more than ten years younger than her next sibling. She was the pet of the family and called 'tickie' because she was always running like a clock.

In 1912, the family left the familiar environs of Kansas moving to a Pine Lawn Farm just outside Newberg, Yamhill County, Oregon. They made the trip by train with Mamie and daughters Madge, Pansy and Grace riding in coach and W. W. Colby riding in the livestock cars with his prized mules.
Mamie died suddenly in 1917 at age 49 leaving Grace and W.W. stunned. They survived as Grace quickly stepped up to the role of lady of the house.

Graduating from high school in 1921, Grace left for Corvallis and Oregon Agricultural College (now Oregon State University). W. W. decided that he could not manage the home and farm without a woman's touch and married his late wife's best friend Ada McNay who had also been widowed. Returning from college in the summer of 1923, Grace found that her role as 'lady of the house' had been assumed by her father's new wife and there was not room for her. She promptly left for her sister Madge's in Pendleton. You know what happened from Cecil's story above.


I always admired my grandmother, widowed at age 25, she survived and cared for her children even returning to Newberg to care for her father when Ada McNay Colby died. She is responsible for my interest in family history and genealogy because I loved the stories she told of her family and ancestors. She died in 1973


My paternal grandfather, Charles Newton Cone was born December 6, 1898 in Worthington, Nobles County, Minnesota. The fourth of five children born to Frederick Naaman and Helen Brown (Newton) Cone. His family was also on the move shortly after his birth when the entire Cone, Clark, Newton clan moved to Mapleton, Utah. The family were lay missionaries for the Presbyterian Church. A precocious mind, young Charles chafed at the restrictions placed upon him being one of the few non-Mormons in school. The Springville Presbyterian church congregation took up a collection to send him to Fairmont College (now Wichita State University). He graduated in 1920 with a BS in Chemistry and followed his family to Salem, Marion County, Oregon.

Chemistry turned out to be not only his vocation but his avocation and he worked in the field until he was 88. His work in the plywood industry lead him indirectly to my paternal grandmother.

On a business trip to Memphis, Tennessee, he called on a local plywood manufacturer intending to sell him the new glue that he had developed. Chester Bynum Allen was very impressed by Charles' vision, personality and by the fact that he was still single.
Inviting him home to dinner, he introduced him to his unmarried daughter Hazel. In less than two weeks they were married and en route to their new home in Seattle.

Granddaddy lived until 1988 and I was lucky enough to spend lots of time with him.

My paternal grandmother Hazel Bynum Allen was teaching school in Memphis when the gallant young Charles Cone swept her off her feet. Hazel was second for four children born to Chester Bynum and Ida Mae (DYE) Allen. She was petite and redheaded like her father.

When she was about ten, her mother was injured in a railroad accident. Her injuries were so severe that she did not walk for many years. This left Hazel with a lot of responsibility for her younger sisters. My grandfather told me that her mother had expected that Hazel would not marry and instead remain at home to care for her parents in their old age. Evidently, she had not okayed this plan with her husband.

Grandmother was less than 5 feet tall and my Grandfather at 6' 2" towered over her. But do not think that he ruled the roost. It was clear to everyone that she could stand up for herself.

My step-grandfather Kenneth M. Branchflower married by maternal Grandmother Grace in 1944. He was the grandfather we knew on that side of the family. Poppy taught us to drive tractors, trucks, about pioneering, camping, burning trash, fishing for crawdads and so much more.

There is, of course, much more to each of their stories. I miss all of them today and honor their memory and their contributions to my character.

Love,
Cecily