January Happenings

 Putting all the Christmas decorations out in December is a LOT more fun than taking them all down in January.  Even though I have donated some decorations, I still have a ridiculous amount.  I can't blame it totally on my mother and her love for Christmas. I definitely take some of the credit or blame depending on how you look at it.  It have 33 boxes of decorations.  And I love every single one of them.

When they were all put away I relaxed with a delicious original Dr. Pepper that John and Monica gave me, put my feet up and enjoyed a bit of TV!

Almost every week since November of 2022, I've gone to the Family Search Center to work on scanning our 30 boxes of slides.  It has been a slow and frustrating process.  If the scanner is cooperating (and it hardly ever is) scanning 50 slides takes a bit more than 2 1/2 hours. The carousels average about 120 photos each.  For most of the year they have had 2 scanners so that made it faster.  

The center director was reluctant to tell me that they were getting a new super fast and efficient scanner.  I am just glad they got it before I was finished. 

It scans a slide every 4 seconds and is super easy to operate. 

That's 900 in a hour...well that isn't exactly right because it takes time to put them in and take them out of the carousel....but even 500 an hour is an amazing improvement!

Finishing my last 8 boxes will be a snap!

Pretty impressive huh?

The forecast keeps calling for snow.

And we have gotten a bit.

Saturday night we had several inches and the sun was shining bright on Sunday morning.

And the sky was so blue.

It was magical with the snow sparkling in the sun.

I love it and as always my mantra is

LET IT SNOW, LET IT SNOW, LET IT SNOW!

DNA Solves the Mystery

For many years, I have been interested in my family history. We have a lot of 'genealogy' on most all my family lines with the exception of my Montgomery line.  I knew that my grandfather was Arthur Marion Montgomery.  Unfortunately, he died before my Daddy was one year old.  Grandfather Arthur did have some living sisters and a brother and I got quite a bit of information from them about their siblings and parents.  They knew that their father was Joseph Nathaniel Montgomery and that he fought with the Army of Illinois in the Civil War.  With a bit of research on him I got a lot of information, including all his military records, but could never find his parents' names. Part of the problem was that on every form he filled out and on every census record I could find, he said that he was born in a different year and a different state.  I spent hours looking through microfilms trying to find him.  Nothing made sense to me. He just didn't seem to exist before he joined the army in 1861.  

Last year following a consultation with a very experienced genealogist in Salt Lake City and acting on her advice, I followed a lead on his death certificate which said that his parents were Nathaniel Montgomery and his mother was Agnes Upton.  I also did some google searches and discovered that the unit of the Illinois Army that he joined had many men from Greene County, Illinois.  Lo and behold, I found a marriage record of Nathaniel Montgomery and Nancy Upton and a census record of their family in 1840 in Greene County!  There were 8 children but no Joseph Nathaniel.  There was a Josiah that was born about the correct time but no way to prove that this Josiah was actually my great-grandfather Joseph Nathaniel.  Very frustrating! 

I had done a DNA test  few years ago but hadn't used it for research. I decided to take  a close look at DNA matches on Ancestry.com and was thrilled to learn that I had  DNA matches with 10 of Josiah's sibling's ancestors! 10 probable cousins!  Josiah had to be my Joseph Nathaniel!  What a happy day!

I know that Joseph Nathaniel was illiterate.  My guess is that young Josiah was called Joe.  When he joined the army, he wasn't sure of his full name but thought it might be Joseph.  Then he took his middle name from his father's name, Nathaniel.  Maybe he was born Josiah Nathaniel! I will ask him that someday.

Another experienced  genealogist and DNA expert, looked over my research and the DNA matches and could say with certainty that Josiah Montgomery was my Joseph Nathaniel.  She taught me how to use the DNA as a source.  

After so many years, I have a new link on my Family Tree and the possibility of adding more family to my line!  I know our ancestors on the other side of the veil help us with research. I'm sure that Joseph Nathaniel Montgomery gave me some nudges in the right direction!

 

Royalty

I readily admit that I have an obsession with the British Royal family.  I remember getting up in the very early hours to watch Prince Charles and Lady Diana Spencer's wedding and I did it again to watch Prince William wed Kate Middleton. In Barcelona, I even went down to the Cathedral when one of the Spanish princesses was wed.  No one else in my family was willing to brave the crowds.  Mary would have gone with me, I am sure, but she was already away at college.   That day I got a very friendly wave from Prince Edward who, seeing my blond hair among all the dark haired Spaniards, probably thought I was British!

Our family has a bit of 'family tradition' relating to the Royal Family.  My Daddy was in the Navy and was actually in England during the time of the Queen's Coronation in 1953. 

 In fact he missed my birth because of that assignment. 

Family lore holds that he was part of the fleet that was sent to honor Queen Elizabeth.  I did some research and learned a bit about the ship he was on in July 1953 - the USS Antietam.

She was sent to England but her mission there was to conduct joint testing with the British on a new design for aircraft carriers.  The Antietam had been retrofitted with an angled deck.  Before this time, carrier decks were straight like the top design.  The Antietam now had the angled design of the bottom ship.  The result of this testing was that the angled design was most efficient.  The first ship built with this design was a British carrier; although other ships (like the Antietam) had been retrofitted with the angled design. Now it is the norm.   

Yes, in Top Gun-Maverick the deck is angled! 

While he was on board the Antietam in 1953, I was born in Little Rock, Arkansas. Daddy made it home before my mother and I left the hospital. Of course, in those days, postpartum stays were often as long as a week. He must have been on his way home when I was born. The train carrying Daddy arrived late at night but he came directly to the hospital to see me. Moma says that I was wide awake when he arrived.While in England, Daddy bought a set of Wedgwood china in a pattern called Charwood and carried it home in a large box; first on his ship and then on the train from New York to Lonoke. Needless to say, it is a treasure.

Because of all of this, I have always felt a 'connection' with Queen Elizabeth and the royal family. 

So yes, I bought a Platinum Jubilee mug.

And I watched video after video of the celebrations.  

I was thoroughly entertained.  The kids, the pomp and ceremony, the fashion, the crowds so obviously honoring a woman who has served them well for 70 years!  

I confess to shedding a tear or two when the Queen and her 3 heirs stood on the balcony and sang 'God Save the Queen'. 

It reminded me of this quote from the new Downton Abbey movie: 

Individual Crawleys come and go, but the family lives on.

Family at the County Historical Museum

 When you donate things to a museum, you never know if they will just languish in a back storage room or be on display.  I was so happy to see a few things that I had donated being put to good use in the Lonoke County Historical museum.

The punch bowl that my Grandma Boyle painted in the early 1900's.  China painting was popular with proper young ladies.  My Webster great grandparents even hired a woman to teach the skill to their young daughters.  George and I used this punch bowl at our wedding reception in Lonoke.

Presbyterian quilt which was completed for the one of the celebrations of the church's history.

The square my mother made had the verse, "Serve the Lord with gladness".  For her entire life, Moma was a great example of service to the church and her neighbors and family. 

This is the tailor-made navy uniform my Daddy wore to their wedding on December 25, 1948.  A picture of my parents leaving the church in tucked in the collar.

That' s my Grandma Boyle, Clarice Webster Boyle, on the right.  I read in the paper that she was 'among the most popular young women in the city'.  She is certainly a beauty.

A newspaper clipping about my great grandfather S E Webster when he opened a shoe store in Lonoke. 

Lonoke Equals Home

 Why does a place where I haven't lived for more than 45 year still feel like home to me?  Is it in my very DNA?  My ancestors walked those streets, attended the school, worshiped at the churches.  My parents and grandparents loved this little town on the prairie in central Arkansas. I lived there occasionally from my birth to age 8.  When Daddy was deployed on a ship, Moma and I would come and stay with my Grandma Boyle.  I attended part of 1st grade there and then came back in the middle of 3rd grade and stayed until I graduated.  There are memories on every corner!

My heart swells as I drive down Highway 70 past Anderson's Minnow farm.  I start smiling as soon as I seen the rice dryer and come around the 2 curves that take me into town.  When I get out of the car and feel the hot sticky air and smell the humidity and earthy scent, I am taken back to my childhood and teenaged years and to the many visits I've made as an adult.

The fish hatchery, the Court House, the office where my mother worked, the doctor's office, Melton Motor company building, the depot, the drug store, the Presbyterian Church, the school, our green house on Depot Street, friends' houses, the buildings in the middle of town...it is all as familiar to me as the streets I walk everyday in Eagle, Idaho.

In fact, sometimes when I can't sleep, I will mentally drive up and down every street in Lonoke.  That relaxes me.

A couple of things I've read recently resonated with my nostalgia for Lonoke. 

If a place is part of your life for long enough, part of your soul, then it holds the good memories and the sad.

Home is a place that lives in one's heart, waiting with open arms to be rediscovered. 

Perhaps those two quotes explain my feelings.  Lonoke is part of my soul, part of my heart.  Going back there, the town waits and I rediscover the people and the place I love. My soul is rejuvenated, my heart rejoices and I am filled. 

Lunch at Lonoke's new restaurant with my DePriest cousins - Kelly Probus, Janie Depriest Raper, Karol Depriest, Debbie Depriest 

My cousin Ross Moore who graduated with me

My cousin Jimmy Depriest

I was lucky to have two cousins in my class - Ross and Jimmy

When they built the new high school, the original arches from the old school were kept on campus.  My mother passed under those arches on her way to school, just like I did.

After a tour of the new school, a few of us got a photo in the place where we had gotten our senior class photo 51years ago.  

As you can see they incorporated the 'arch' design into the new school. A bit of the 'old' along with the new. 

Some of the walkway bricks commemorating graduates of Lonoke High School.

Me and my classmates

My mother - Bessie Jane Boyle

My Aunts Mary and Maudie

My cousin Janie and her husband, Pat,who graciously let me stay at their house when I visit.

A barbecue dinner with cousins Ross & Brenda Moore, Robin & Chuck Lewis, Charlie Cummings,  Kellie Huggs, Pat and Janie, Blayke Huggs and her friend.

It's not just family that makes Lonoke HOME.  It's my lifelong friends.

Pam Cordell Landis and Jeanne Cole Harlan

We had a sleepover at Pam's house for a few nights!

Not quite like high school days but just as fun!

Brunch at the Grumpy Rabbit 

Pam and Jeanne 

Ronnie and Sheree Wallace

Ed Willman

Kirk Fort

Home, the spot of earth supremely blest, A dearer, sweeter spot than all the rest.

Robert Montgomery

 

Joy Montgomery Cummings

My cousin, Joy Montgomery Cummings died yesterday. I grew up following in the footsteps of my three cousins - June, Joy, and Janie. I looked up to them and observed their lives as they went through high school, got married and had children. They were always one step in life ahead of me. 

When we lived in Spain, I had the thrill of traveling with them from London, to Paris to Carcassonne, France and finally to our home in Barcelona. Oh, the memories we made! Finally we were just 3 adult women enjoying the sights! So glad we shared those weeks!

Feeding the pigeons - Trafalgar Square, London

Eiffel Tower - Paris

Castle walls in Carcassonne, France

Cathedral in Barcelona

Three Montgomery girls

Aunt Dawn

My Aunt Dawn Boyle passed away today, the last of my parent's generation. All afternoon I have been thinking about her and as I did, I remembered this photo. It was taken during the short time that Dawn and my Uncle Edward, my mother's brother, lived in Lonoke, Arkansas . The baby is my cousin Doug Boyle. The interesting thing is that in my mind the photo showed both of them smiling and clearly they were not. These slightly grumpy expression were not the norm for them. I can't picture them with anything but big smiles. I can still hear Dawn's sweet laugh. These two truly lived the words of former President of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, Gordon B. HInckley, "The gospel is a thing of joy. It provides us with a reason for gladness. Of course there are times of sorrow. Of course there are hours of concern and anxiety. We all worry. But the Lord has told us to lift our hearts and rejoice. I see so many people...who seem never to see the sunshine, but who constantly walk with storms under cloudy skies. Cultivate an attitude of happiness. Cultivate a spirit of optimism. Walk with faith, rejoicing in the beauties of nature, in the goodness of those you love, in the testimony which you carry in your heart concerning things divine." I am eternally grateful for the example my Aunt Dawn and Uncle Eddie set for me.

Orpha Lewis's 100th!

 On Sunday March 20th,  George's siblings organized a Zoom meeting tribute to their Mom on her 100th birthday.  Karen wrote a biography and Tammy put together a slide show of photos of her through the years.  It was a wonderful occasion.

The grandchildren shared their memories of Grandma. I love the tender thoughts that our children expressed.  Although her mobility was severely limited through all their lives because of rheumatoid arthritis, she taught them life lessons through her interactions with them, as well as her cheerful acceptance of her limitations.   Each of them was touched by Grandpa's tender devotion to her throughout her life.

Here are some of the family photos through the years.  I wish I had a copy of the family photo on the bottom so that you could see clearly that we were all wearing 'ugly sweaters' and didn't know it!

Tammy didn't marry until several years after her death so Mom didn't know the wonderful additions to the family of Richard's kids, our 'Bonus Family' as I call them! It meant a lot to me, and I am sure to Tammy, that they wanted to know more about Grandma Lewis.  And it is a tribute to the love they have for Tammy.

I learned a few things that I didn't know before.  In the years just before her marriage, she earned a Masters of Fine Arts with an emphasis in Retailing from NYU. I knew that. What I didn't know was that she was in the top 10% of students in her program.  The photo on the left shows the members of the honor society of her program.  Notice anything?  Yes she was the only woman, groundbreaking for 1949-50! The other photo is a newspaper clipping from her hometown of Spanish Fork, Utah.  A sort of 'small town girl makes good in the big city' story.

When are kids were little I asked her what she did to have such smart children and she quickly replied, "marry their Dad".  I don't think that is the entire story.  She gets equal credit in the 'brains' department.

George uses different word to describe his parents. The word that describes his Dad is 'doing' and the word that describes his Mom is 'being'.  One cousin described them this way.  Dad was providing and Mom was nurturing. 

Together they created a wonderful family!

After the meeting we enjoyed several of Mom's recipes

Lemon Pepper Chicken

GreenBean Casserole

Waldorf Salad

canned Peas

Rolls 

Toffee Torte 

All served on her stoneware that Matt inherited.

Then we sang "Happy Birthday" and her Great-Granddaughter blew out the candles!

Happiest of birthdays Orpha, Mom, Grandma!

Happy birthday Daddy!

My Daddy, Jake Gates Montgomery, was born 106 years ago on January 31, 1916.  He's the younger boy in this photo.  The other boy, Joe David Montgomery, is the father of Jane Montgomery Derning and Joy Montgomery Cummings.  Grandfather to Kerrie Pollitt and Kellie Huggs, Amanda Cummings McGraw and Leigh Anne Cummings Stankoski, Alan Creech and Tracy Creech Lloyd.  Alan and Tracy's mother was my cousin, June Montgomery Creech, who died in 1986 from Leukemia. 

Dave Montgomery died in 1947 from an accident. Called out to his job as a linesman for Arkansas Power and Light on a Sunday, he was electrocuted and fell to his death.  My cousins were just little girls.

Daddy died of cancer 43 years ago at the age of 63 on May 27, 1979.  I was only 25.

My parents were married for 30 years before Daddy's death.  My mother was a widow for almost the exact same amount of time that she was a wife. 

 I'm so thankful to be absolutely sure these words are truth.

Jake Gates Montgomery

My Daddy, Jake Gates Montgomery was born on January 31, 1916. Tomorrow is his 105th birthday!

He died on 27 May, 1979 at age 63, which is 4 years younger than I am now.

I was only 25 years old when he died so I have spent a lot more years without Daddy than with him yet he had a profound influence on the person I am today.

When he died Moma and Daddy had celebrated their 30th wedding anniversary a few months before. My mother was a widow for almost 30 years.

I look forward to seeing them both again.