Maple Hill High School Class of 1939

My mother, Lucille (Corbin) Clark and my father, John Leander "Tim" Clark were class mates and school mates in the Maple Hill Public Schools, Maple Hill, Kansas.    They were almost the same age.   My mother's birthday was April 22, 1921 and my father's birthday was April 19, 1921----just three days separating them.   My father went to Maple Hill Grade School and Maple Hill High School without interruption.   My mother's family moved a couple of times for short intervals which caused her to go to a couple of rural, one-room schools but the majority of her schooling took place at Maple Hill Grade School and Maple Hill High School.

Both entered the first grade at the old Maple Hill Grade School in September 1927 and both graduated from Maple Hill High School in May 1939.   I have several photographs of them taken during those years.

The old, two-story frame Maple Hill Grade School was built in 1904 as both an elementary and high school.   The elementary students held class on the first floor and the high school students on the second floor.   Both ate lunch and played in the large basement rooms of the old grade school.

Maple Hill grew in population and built a new, brick high school building in 1921.   The old frame elementary school continued to serve the community until it was razed in 1952 to make way for a new, brick, one-story elementary school and gymnasium.    The brick high school building continued to serve the community until it was consolidated with Alma, Kansas schools in 1968.   So Tim Clark and Lucille Corbin went to elementary school in the old, two-story frame school building and attended high school in the new, two-story brick building.

This is a photograph of the old, two-story, frame school building in Maple Hill, Kansas.   It was built in 1904 on land donated by George A. Fowler, who was one of Maple Hill's founders, and at one time owned the Fowler Ranch, which later became the Tod Ranch, then the Glunt Ranch, and finally the Brethour Ranch.   This photo was taken by Emma Jeanne (Flattre) Adams (Mrs. Warner) and was used for their Christmas Card.  This was the south entrance.   There was a large center hallway with four rooms on the first floor and four on the second floor.  I believe that my cousins, Charles M. and Bonnie (Thomas) Mitchell were the last custodians before it was razed in 1953.  The author attended school there from 1951 to 1953.  I still remember the peculiar "smell" of the building, which I assume was caused by putting linseed oil on the floors.

This is a photograph of Warner and Emma Jeanne (Flattre) Adams taken by the author in 1968.  The photograph is taken in the sitting room of the Franklin and Elizabeth (Parsons) Adams home.   They were the parents of Warner Adams.  The house was built in 1900 and Warner was born in 1901.   When Warner and Emma Jeanne Adams were married on May 21, 1944, they remodeled the upstairs of the home into a residence where they lived all their married lives.   Warner's maiden sister, Emily Adams, lived downstairs until her death in 1965.   After that time, the downstairs was used mostly for entertaining and Warner and Emma Jeanne continued to live upstairs.  Emma Jeanne (Flattre) was teaching English at Maple Hill High School when she married Warner Adams.   She was the teacher of both my mother and father, Lucille (Corbin) Clark and John L. "Tim" Clark.  I worked with Emma Jeanne Adams and Jack and Bill Warren in writing and preparing the Centennial History of the Maple Hill Community Congregational Church in 1975 (better known as the red book) and I well remember Emma Jeanne's wonderful writing and editing skills.

 

 

 

This is a photograph taken on the south side of the Maple Hill Grade School in the spring of 1951, just as the author, Nicholas L. Clark, was completing the first grade.  I am sitting sixth from the left end in the second row.   I am able to identify about 75% of those in the photograph.

 

 

This is a photograph of the 1939 Maple Hill High School graduating class.   The entire top row of pictures are of faculty members.   James Varvel taught social studies and science.   Wanda Harpster was from Hiawatha, Kansas and after teaching several years at MHHS, married Arthur A. Adams, Sr.  Muriel Corrigan was from Denison, Kansas and had already taught many years in Native American Reservation Schools before coming to Maple Hill.  She later married Mr. Roy Will, a Denison Rancher.  Emma Jeanne Flattre taught several years at MHHS and then married Warner Adams.  Jerry Barker coached football, basketball, track and baseball at MHHS and later was the football coach at Washburn University, Topeka, Kansas.  The principal of the school was Eugene Luse, who is picture is in the fifth row, just underneath the school initials and date.  For at least a portion of their teaching careers, Wanda Harpster, Muriel Corrigan and Emma Jeanne Flattre all took room and board at the home of Estelle Holdenhousen and her son and daughter-in-law, May and Glenn Crayton on Maple Hill's Main Street.   They owned the former home of Dr. J. M. Kemper.

 

I'm going to write a little about each of the classmates of my mother and father, if I have information.  If I have specific dates from genealogical records, I will include that.

 

Jack Heim - I don't believe that I ever met Jack Heim.   I don't believe that his family stayed long-term in Maple Hill, Kansas, but they had lived in St. Marys and Pottawatomie County for at least three generations.    Jack Heim's paternal grandparents were Anton and Elizabeth Heim, who immigrated from Pfeifer, Saratov, Volga, Russia to Topeka, Kansas in 1878 when they were 22 years old.  They were married in Russia in 1875.   They were Catholic and may have had relatives and friends in or near St. Marys, Kansas, but they came there directly and are listed as living in St. Marys, Kansas on the 1880 U. S. Census.   Anton's occupation is listed as a stone mason.  Their children were Joseph (born November 1882); Lena (born August 1884) John P. (born August 1886); Charles (born July 1887); Teresa or Theresa (born Feb. 1889) and Aloysius (born Sept. 1891.)

 

Joseph S. Heim, the son of Anton and Elizabeth Heim, was the father of Jack Heim.   He married Agnes McEnroe on February 5, 1905.  Joseph Heim was born on November 24, 1881 at St. Marys, Kansas and died August 29, 1964 at St. Marys, Kansas.   Agnes Hannah McEnroe was born January 18, 1882 at Lenora, Kansas and died May 24, 1968 at St. Marys, Kansas.   They had the following children:  Vincent P. (1908); Francis J. (1910); Cleo (1913); Joseph (1915); Harold (1917); Bertha (1919); Jack (1921); and Agnes S. (1924.)   The Joseph Heim family is shown living on a farm near Dover in Shawnee County, Kansas on the 1930 Census.    The 1940 US Census has a wealth of information.   It records the Joseph S. and Agnes Heim family as moving to rural Maple Hill, Maple Hill Township, Wabaunsee County, Kansas in 1935.   They are living in the stone tenant house on the William Warren Farm west of Maple Hill.   Their neighbors are the Francis Deiter family, the Romig families and the Warrens.  Although the house is no longer standing, I remember it well.   I believe the last family living there was the Bronaugh family.   The house had two large rooms downstairs and two rooms upstairs.   It was built about 1900 and was not used after the mid-1950s.  At this time, I don't have any further information about Jack Heim.

 

Robert Hicks - I'm ashamed to say that I don't have much information about Robert Hicks.   I say that because he is my cousin.   Robert was the son of James Hicks and Vera Hattie (Phillips) Hicks.   I am related to Vera Hicks through the Phillips and Jones families, both families lived the Vera, Newbury Township, and Maple Hill,  Wabaunsee County, Kansas communities.    I know Robert Hicks was born in Denver, Denver County, Colorado in 1921, but I do not know his birth date or much else about him.    I knew his mother Vera (Phillips) Hicks very well.  She used to visit her sister, Mable (Phillips) Herron and her cousin (my grandmother) Mabel R. (Jones) Clark often.    I don't know much about James Hicks.   I believe I may have met Robert Hicks once or twice as a child but I don't recall anything about him.

 

Louine Wilson - was the daughter of Hattie M. (McClelland) Wilson and Willis Ance "Dick" Wilson.    Hattie was the daughter of Frank and Mattie (Dailey) McClelland and was born March 29, 1893.   Hattie's McClelland family came to Maple Hill Township very early and built a stone house overlooking Mill Creek two miles east of Maple Hill.  That house burned.  Frank and Mattie (Dailey) McClelland bought the former Beaubien Farm, about 1.1 miles south of Maple Hill on Mill Creek.   They lived there all their lives and the farm was passed on to their son Donald McClelland, who was for many years principal of Maple Hill Grade School.   After the death of Dick Wilson in 1934, Hattie (McClelland) Wilson and some of her seven children eventually moved back into her former home and lived the remainder of her life with her brother, Donald McClelland.   

 

 Here is a clipping from Maple Hill News Items in the Alma Signal Enterprise of 1934: May 25 – Mr. Willis Ance “Dick” Wilson was buried here on Wednesday.  Mr. Wilson was born in Brown County, Texas on May 21, 1882 and spent his early life in Texas.  He was a cowboy.  He was married to Miss Hattie McClelland in May 1917 and moved to this community in 1922.  He has been foreman at the H. G. Adams Ranch for 11 years.  He is survived by the widow and seven children, all at home.

 

The 1930 US Census shows the Wilson family living in a tenant house on the Horace and Mable (Warren) Adams ranch north of Maple Hill.  The information is as follows:

Willis A Wilson, born 1878; Hattie M. Wilson, born 1893; Louise Wilson, born 1919; Frank A. Wilson, born 1920; Louine Wilson, born 1923; Mack Wilson, born 1925; Leona M. Wilson, born 1928; Willis A. Wilson, Jr., born 1930.   The census shows that Louise and Frank Wilson were both born in New Mexico.      

 

The actual birth and death dates for Willice Ance Wilson are May 21, 1878 in Texas and May 21, 1934, Maple Hill, Wabaunsee County, Kansas.    Hattie Wilson was born on March 29, 1893 at Maple Hill, Wabaunsee County, Kansas and died in June, 1979 at Maple Hill, Wabaunsee County, Kansas.   Both are buried in the Old Stone Church Cemetery, Maple Hill, Kansas

 

Louine Wilson was born January 9, 1923 at Maple Hill, Wabaunsee County, Kansas and graduated from Maple Hill High School in 1939.   She was married to Gilbert W. Glover.   Gilbert Glover was born at Topeka, Kansas on February 1, 1921.    They were the parents of two children.    I remember their daughter, Donna Glover, very well.   She used to spend a lot of time with her Grandmother Hattie Wilson during the summer.   She would often attend the dances and ice cream socials and was a very attractive young lady.   I met "Lou" Wilson Glover on many occasions.   She would often attend the annual Memorial Day Services at the Old Stone Church and would call on my mother, Lucille (Corbin) Clark during the afternoon.   They were very good friends. Louine (Wilson) Glover died December 22, 2003 at Pittsburg, Crawford County, Kansas.   Gilbert Glover died March 5, 2004 at Pittsburg, Crawford County, Kansas.

 

Ruth Lemon - I knew Ruth Lemon very well.   She was my cousin through the Lemon Family.   Her father and my maternal grandmother, Mildred Mae (McCauley) Corbin-Clark were first cousins.  When Ruth was in her 50s, she used to car pool with me when we both lived in Maple Hill, Kansas.

 

Ruth was the daughter of William Earl Lemon and Alice (LePage) Lemon.  Earl Lemon was born April 14, 1890 at Steele City, Nebraska and died in September 1983 at Maple Hill, Kansas.  He was the son of Charles Montgomery and Sarah Jane (Rich) Lemon.   Charles was a well-known farmer and businessman in Maple Hill.  Earl and Alice were the parents of five children:   Ward, (born and died in 1915); Lawrence Earl, born in 1917; Reva Corrrine (Lemon) Boaz, born 1920; Ruth Leota born May 12, 1921; and Arnold Dorr "Kayo" Lemon born in 1929.   Ruth was born when the family lived in Hollenberg, Washington County, Kansas.

 

Ruth was first married to Ulan Leeper.   The Leepers were an old Maple Hill family.  He was born on December 16, 1939.   He and Ruth had the following children:  Deborah, Karen, Leslie, Michael, Mick, Patrick, Rita and Thomas.    Ulan Leeper died on January 16, 1978 at Larned, Pawnee County, Kansas.    Ruth married a second time to Leroy F. Kitt, also from a long time Wabaunsee County and Maple Hill, Kansas family.   Leroy was born on September 29, 1922 and died in September 1987 at Maple Hill, Kansas.

 

Irene Flannary   I knew Irene's father, Barney Flannary, and I met Irene Flannary several times.   Before I was aborn, Irene worked for my paternal grandmother, Mabel R. (Jones) Clark, as a relief operator in the Maple Hill Central Office.

 

Barney Milford Flannary was born on March 9, 1891 at Jonesville, West Virginia the son of Emery C. and Julia E. Flannary.   His siblings were Maggie Flannary born in 1886 and Kate E. Flannary born in 1888.   The 1900 US Census records the family living in Soldier, Jackson County, Kansas.

 

Barney Milford Flannary was married to Elva M. Perry at Onago, Kansas in 1917.   They were the parents of six children:  Zona M., born 1919; Harold M., born 1920; Irene F., born 1922; Barney M. Jr., born 1924; Freda F., born 1926 and Lois C., born 1927.  Elva M. Flannary died in 1950 and Barney Flannary, Sr. was married a second time to Sarah "Sadie" Nancy Gideon on November 8, 1951.    Sadie (Gideon) Flannary was born April 14, 1884 at Adrian, Jackson County, Kansas and died December 24, 1962 at St. Marys, Pottawatomie County, Kansas.

 

The Flannarys lived in a rental house in the north end of Maple Hill, Kansas when the 1930 and 1940 US Census was taken.   They had moved to St. Marys, Kansas by 1950.  

 

Lucille Corbin and John L. "Tim" Clark - The next two photographs are of my parents, Lucille Corbin and John L. "Tim" Clark.   There history and genealogical information has been covered extensively elsewhere in this blog.    Both remained life-long residents of Maple Hill, Kansas.

 

John Dura "Jack" Warren - Jack Warren was the son of William Dura Warren and Edna (Reynolds) Warren.    Jack never married and was a life-long resident of Maple Hill, Kansas.   His grandparents moved to Kansas in 1874 and purchased land that was a part of the former Pottawatomie Indian Reservation along Mill Creek in Wabaunsee County, Kansas.   The family built three large, stone residences along what is today known as "Warren Road."   Jack and his brother, William Sprague "Bill" Warren managed the family farm and pastures throughout their life.   After the death of their family, the Warren brothers worked in Topeka, Kansas.   Jack worked for the Fleming Company.    I knew Jack Warren all my life.   He and Bill were active members of the Maple Hill Community Congregational Church, where his grandparents were founding members.   Jack and Bill were the Pilgrim Fellowship Youth Group sponsors all the while I was in grade and high school.   They were the sponsors of the group during the early 1960s when the Old Stone Church was restored following a 1955 fire.  Jack was later a member of the Maple Hill Kiwanis Club and was on the board of directors of the Wabaunsee County Historical Society, Alma, Kansas.    Jack and Bill Warren befriended Horace and Norris Hoobler during the 1960s.   The Warrens and Hooblers traveled frequently until the Hoobler twins married.   At the deaths of the Warren brothers, they left their property to Horace and Norris, who built new homes there.    The original Warren stone house and 10 acres is now owned by Bud Hund, who along with his wife Catherine, has restored the home and added a garage and other improvements.   Jack and Bill Warren are fondly remembered by many who lived in Maple Hill.   Jack Warren was born March 10, 1922 and died Sunday, July 9, 2006.

 

Maxine Hartman -  Maxine Hartman was the oldest child of Louis Sylvester Hartman and Alta F. (Singer) Hartman.   The Hartmans and my maternal grandparents, Robert and Mildred Mae (McCauley) Corbin were very good friends.   Grandmother Corbin and their daughter, Flora (Hartman) Barsch, were about the same age and life-long friends.  

 

The first generation to live in Maple Hill Township was Jesse A. Hartman and his wife Elizabeth Amanda (Essman) Hartman.   They moved south of Maple Hill, Kansas in 1906 on what is today known as Windy Hill Road.  There is a huge cell/transmitter tower at the top of the first hill south of I-70.  The Singer and Hartman families lived on that hill.   Jesse Hartman was born in 1859 in Iowa and "Lizzie" Essman was born in 1869 in Missouri.  They were married on February 16, 1888.   They farmed in Missouri before moving to Maple Hill.   Their children were Louis S. and Flora Hartman.   Flora married John Barsch and they farmed 3 miles south of Maple Hill, Kansas.   Elizabeth Hartman died in August 1944.

 

Louis Sylvester Hartman and Alta F. (Singer) Hartman were the parents of four children:   Maxine L., born in 1922, Jesse M., born in 1924, William L., born in 1925 and Kenneth E., born in 1928.   Alta F. (Singer) Hartman was the daughter of Milton B. Singer and Fannie (Henry) Singer.   The Singers moved to Maple Hill, Kansas in 1902.

 

From 1978 until 1983, I was director of Heritage Hill State Park in Green Bay, Wisconsin.  My mother, Lucille (Corbin) Clark and my grandmother, Mildred Mae (McCauley) Corbin-Clark came to visit while I was there and we all traveled to Milwaukee, Wisconsin and visited the Jess M. Hartman family there.   I don't know when they moved to Milwaukee or why.

 

Flora Barsch sold her farm and moved to Maple Hill, where she lived in the house built by Charles Montgomery Lemon on Prairie Avenue.

 

Jessie Oliver - Jessie Oliver was the daughter of James Simon and Mary (Glogau) Oliver and lived on the Oliver family farm south of Maple Hill, Kansas.   The farm was formerly the William A Pierce Ranch and was owned by the Oliver family until recently being sold to the Lanny W. Ellis Family.

 

James Simon Oliver was born April 21, 1897 at Maple Hill, Kansas, the son of Simon Oliver and Jessie Hamilton, both Scotch immigrants.  Jim was married to Mary Ellen Glogau on June 15, 1917 at Kansas City, Jackson County, Missouri.   They were the parents of six children:  John William, born 1917; Doris Mae, born 1919; Jessie E., born 1922; Fredrick G., born 1923; James Walter, born 1926; and Gene, born 1933.

 

Herman Schwanke - Herman John Schwanke was the youngest child of Henry Alfred and Amanda (Schlief) Schwanke and was born on the family farm south of Maple Hill, Kansas on November 3, 1921.

 

Both the Schwanke and Schlief Families came to Wabaunsee County from Germany during the 1870s.   Henry Alfred Schwanke was the son of Johann and Wilhelmina (Hankammer) Schwankee whose farm was in rural Alma, Kansas.   They came from Pommern, Cochem-Zell, Rhineland-Pfatz, Germany.   Amanda Schlief was the daughter of August William Christian and Elizabeth Maria Dothea (Hasenbank) Schlief and was born on her parents farm in the Wells Creek Community, north of Maple Hill in Wabaunsee County.

 

There were seven children born to Henry and Amanda Schwanke:  Alfred A., 1907-1991; Edwin C., 1909-2000; Harry Henrich, 1912-1970; Orville Arthur, 1912-1995; Lora I., born 1916; Lakin Earl, 1918-1999; and Herman John, born November 3, 1921 and died in September 1985 at Scott City, Kansas.

 

Kenneth Gooden - Kenneth was a Clark family cousin of mine.   Kenneth B. Gooden was the son of John Nelson and Rosa Mae (Butefish) Gooden and was born April 12, 1920 in Newbury Township, Wabaunsee County, Kansas.  

 

Kenneth's paternal grandparents were Daniel Jefferson and Julia (Watkins) Gooden and were from Indiana.   They moved to Kansas before 1900 and John N. Gooden settled in the Newbury and Maple Hill Township areas of Wabaunsee County where he was a tenant farmer.      Later in his life, he and Rosa bought a small farm adjacent to the west side of the Old Stone Church Cemetery at Maple Hill, Kansas.  

 

Rosa Mae Butefish was born on the farm of Henry and Matilda (Clark) Butefish about three miles south of Maple Hill.   Rosa was the sister of Frank Butefish who with his wife Carrie lived in Maple Hill.    Rosa's father immigrated to Maple Hill Township from Hanover, Germany in the 1860s.   He was a stone mason and one of his first jobs was working on the Kansas Capital building in Topeka.   His family tells the story of Henry Butefish walking to Topeka pushing a wheelbarrow and returning home with the wheelbarrow full of supplies.    Matilda (Clark) Butefish was the daughter of John Clark (1806-1883) and his second wife, Sophia (Rice) Clark (1822-1884) and was born in Indiana.   She moved with her parents and other family members to the Dog Creek Community in Newbury Township, Wabaunsee County, in 1878.

 

John Nelson and Rosa Mae (Butefish) Gooden had seven children:  Charles H., 1901-1986; John W., 1903; Edna M. 1906; Ethel F., 1908; Esther Rae, 1910-1928; Kenneth B. - 1920 - 1987.

 

Virginia (Gooden) Lett, wife of Omar Lett of rural Maple Hill, is the daughter of John and Rosa Gooden's oldest son, Charles H. Gooden and his wife Janette A. Gooden.

 

Kenneth B. Gooden married Helen J. Yocum from St. Marys, Kansas.   Her parents were George and Gertrude (Heston) Yocum.   Kenneth and Helen lived in Topeka, Shawnee County, Kansas most of their married lives.   Kenneth Gooden was a mechanic for Moorman Buick in Topeka.   He passed away March 26, 1987 in Topeka.

 

George Rutschmann - George Charles Rutschmann was born February 17, 1921 on the family farm in Kaw Township, Wabaunsee County, Kansas.   The mailing address was Maple Hill.  He was the son of Karl August and Mary Ellen (Curtis) Rutschmann. 

 

Karl August Rutschmann was the son of Xaver and Katharine Marie (Krier) Rutschmann, who came from Baden, Germany and settled first in Illinois in 1866.   They had moved to Kaw Township, Wabaunsee County, Kansas in 1872.  Karl and Mary Ellen Rutschmann were married on October 19, 1909.  Karl and Mary Ellen Rutschmann are buried in Greenwood Cemetery, Kaw Township, Wabaunsee County, Kansas. 

 

Mary Ellen Curtis was born August 6, 1889 at Maple Hill, the daughter of George and Sarah A. (McGovern) Curtis.   The Curtis family was from New York State and had settled on a large farm north of Maple Hill, Kansas in the 1870s.   George Curtis was a stockman and raised fine cattle.  In an 1896 Maple Hill News clipping, I found the following information:   "George Curtis is the catcher on Maple Hill's fine baseball team."

 

Karl and Mary Ellen Rutschmann were the parent of:  Jessie Marie, 1910-1977; Floyd Carl, 1912-1991; Lorene Ann, 1914-1972; and George Charles, 27 Feb. 1921 to 2 Nov. 1981.

 

Raymond Hoobler - Raymond Delbert Hoobler was born September 12, 1919 at Madison, Greenwood County, Kansas the son of Vernon Perry and Mary "Myrtle" (Rake) Hoobler.   The Hoobler family is quite large and goes back several generations in Wabaunsee County.

 

Jacob Hoobler III, seems to be the first to settle in Wabaunsee County.   One of his descendants, Lewis Hoobler, of Wichita, Kansas wrote the followging:  "Jacob Hoobler III, born in Van Buren Township, Fountain County, Indiana, moved with his family south of Streator in Livingston County, Illinois, shortly after 1850. There on beautiful farmland along the Vermilion Riv­er, he grew to manhood. There was a huge colony of Hooblers and related families near the prosperous little town of Manville, as witnessed by the tombstones in area cemeteries. In 1867; he married Margaret Elmira Smith. In 1877, they joined the westward movement, buying $5 an acre railroad land along the Kansas River in Kaw Township, Wabaunsee Co. They lived in St. Marys while they built their home. An April 1878 St. Marys Twp. re­cord shows he bought 15 bridge tickets, allowing him to cross the iron bridge for 15 cents, with two horses and one wagon. On the 1885 Kansas census, his parents, Jacob II and Mary Dice Hoobler were living with the family_, Jacob had 300 acres valued at $9000, and he raised corn, wheat, cattle, and swine. By 1895, the value of the farm had grown to $12,000; all was under fence_, 200 acres were corn, 20 acres timothy, and 2 acres were Irish potatoes. He had 27 horses, 5 mules, 30 swine, 1 dog, 26 cattle and 100 bearing apple trees. One of his Sons remembered “Jake” as a white shirt—bow tie farmer, strictly a boss and never a laborer. “I never saw my father dirty,” he said. Elmira was a frail woman, but she drove her own team and buggy to town, while he loved to race his spirited team. When the Kansas River flooded the Hooblers joined in the Nebraska movement. In the Sand Hills of Loup County, he built a huge barn and ranch house. After her death, he moved to Texas about 1918. Jake must have made a break with the Illinois relatives; (he is not mentioned with the Kansas brother William and sister Mary Anderson in his parent’s obituaries). Still, he loved his family, and began the reunions in 1929, which were revived by Texas cousins in 1970. We hope it's a tradition that will continue for many more generations."

 

Jacob Hoobler III was born in 1847 in Indiana and traveled west to Livingston County, Illinois with his family.   He married Margaret Elmira Smith there and there were the parents of twelve children.  Jacob Hoobler lived owned a fine farm in Kaw Township, Wabaunsee County, Kansas but lived in St. Marys, Pottawatomie County, Kansas.    His farm was just four miles south of St. Marys, on the south bank of the Kansas River.

 

Jacob's son, William Amos Hoobler was born October 31, 1869 in Newton Township, Livingston County, Illinois.   He was married to Anna Martha Evans on October 1, 1891 at Lecompton, Douglas County, Kansas.   Anna (Evans) Hoobler was born January 20, 1871 at Ottawa, Franklin County, Kansas.    She and her husband William Hoobler settled on a farm in Kaw Township, Wabaunsee County, Kansas and lived there many years.   She and William were the parents of five children.   They sold their farm in later years and moved to Topeka, Shawnee County, Kansas where William A. Hoobler died on December 4, 1941 and Anna M. (Evans) Hoobler died on January 4, 1943.

 

Vernon Perry Hoobler was the oldest child of William Amos and Anna M. (Evans) Hoobler and was born January 10, 1893 in Kaw Township, Wabaunsee County, Kansas.   He was married to Mary Myrtle Rake on June 4, 1913 at Topeka, Shawnee County, Kansas.    "Vern" Hoobler had moved from Kaw Township to Madison, Greenwood County, Kansas in 1910 while still a bachelor.   He farmed in Madison, where he and "Myrtle" Hoobler lived until 1925, when they moved to a farm in Kaw Township, Wabaunsee County, Kansas.    Their farm was located about seven miles northwest of Maple Hill, Kansas and at one time had a Bellvue address and later was on the Maple Hill Rural Free Delivery route.

 

Vern and Myrtle (Rake) Hoobler were the parents of ten children:  Harold Vernon born March 26, 1914 at Greenwood, Madison, Kansas; Mildred Nadine born November 12, 1915 at Madison, Greenwood, Kansas; Lloyd Alvin born 1917; Greenwood, Madison, Kansas; Raymond Delbert born 1919, Madison, Greenwood, Kansas; Dwight Rolland, born 1921 Madison, Greenwood, Kansas; William Albert, born 1924 Madison, Greenwood, Kansas; Forrest, born 1927; Kaw, Wabaunsee, Kansas; Everett, born 1929, Kaw, Wabaunsee, Kansas; and Lester Arlen born 1931, Kaw, Wabaunsee, Kansas.

 

Raymond Delbert Hoobler married Marie Hasse and they had two children.   Raymond Hoobler died on March 23, 1981 at Fort Wayne, Allen County, Indiana.

 

Many of the Hooblers were well-known to the Maple Hill Community.   Growing up, I remember Vern and Myrtle Hoobler taking part in many community activities.   Vern and his son Harold Hoobler were both excellent square dance callers and were often at area dances.   Harold and his wife, Velma Irene (Leeper) Hoobler were the parents of my good friends and classmates, Horace and Norris Hoobler, both presently living in rural Maple Hill.    Vern and Myrtle's daughter Mildred Nadine Hoobler, married Leo Ronsee and the lived in St. Marys, Kansas all of their married lives.  Mildred (Hoobler) Ronsee was the unofficial St. Marys town historian and for many years wrote a local history column for the St. Marys Star.    I knew Mildred well and we exchanged many letters and emails as we worked on area history projects.

 

Dorothy Allis Thompson - Dorothy Thompson was the daughter of Edwin C. and Mae Thompson and was born in 1921 on her family's farm about 1.5 miles southwest of Maple Hill, Wabaunsee County, Kansas.

 

Dorothy Allis Thompson was the great granddaughter of  Walter and Emma Griswold, who came were from Guilford, Connecticut and came to Kansas in 1857 with the Beecher Bible and Rifle Company to found the Beecher Bible and Rifle Church at Wabaunsee County, Kansas.   Walter Griswold came because of his strong beliefs in Kansas entering the Union as a Free State.  The Griswold Family had five children:  Fanny, Effie, Nellie, Julia and Milford.

 

Katie Allis Griswold and James W. Thompson were the paternal grandparents of Dorothy Allis Thompson.   They lived on a farm along the banks of Mill Creek about 1.5 miles southwest of Maple Hill, Kansas.  James W. Thompson and Katie A. Griswold were married on October 29, 1886 at Wamego, Pottawataomie County, Kansas and settled on the farm at Maple Hill in 1893.   Their only child was Edwin Callaway Thompson, who was born on August 17, 1894 at Maple Hill, Kansas.

 

Jim and Katie Thompson were well-known and active citizens of their community.   For many years, Katie Thompson was the Maple Hill reporter for the Alma Signal Enterprise.  I found several other mentions of their activities in the Maple Hill News Items.   On March 8, 1912, James W. Thompson was elected vice president of the newly formed Maple Hill Mutual Telephone Company.  On March 23, 1917, James was a pall bearer for the funeral of Mrs. Mary Jane (Porter) Adams, wife of Alexander Adams.  On December 16, 1921, Mae Thompson, wife of Edwin C. Thompson, was elected to the Charter Executive Committee of the newly founded James Elmer Romick Chapter of the American Legion Auxiliary.   Edwin C. Thompson was a veteran of World War I. 

 

Katie Allis (Griswold) Thompson died on February 3, 1933.  Her obituary said that she was a long-time member of the Maple Hill Community Congregation Church and had served as the Worthy Matron of the Maple Hill Chapter of the Order of the Eastern Star.    When James W. Thompson died on September 25, 1936, his obituary said that he was born October 25, 1854 in Montpelier, Vermont and that he came to Kansas with his family in 1878.   James W. Thompson was a member of the Maple Hill Masonic Lodge and served as Worshipful Master in 1907.

 

I found an article from the October 14, 1938 Alma Signal Enterprise stating:  "Maple Hill High School has a new newspaper.  Lucille Corbin is editor, Ruth Lemon, Beatrice Oliver, and Ruby Smith are reporters, George Rutschmann is sports writer, Jack Warren is responsible for art work, and Dorothy Thompson is the feature writer.    Mrs. John (Fannie) Turnbull is advisor."

 

Beatrice Viola Officer - I haven't been able to learn much about Beatrice Officer.   I wish my mother were still living.   I'm sure she could tell me all about Beatrice.  During the early 1900s, there was a large influx of black people to Wabaunsee County, Kansas.   One time I was visiting with Annie Miller, who was well-known in Maple Hill.   She told me that many came from Tennessee after learning about the Exodusters who came to Kansas after hearing about Wabaunsee and the Beecher Bible Rifle Church.   There was a stop at Wabaunsee, Kansas on the Underground Railway, which carried former slaves from the South to freedom in the North and Canada.  She also told me that several families had come North after the great Galveston Hurricane of 1903.   This hurricane devastated Galveston, Texas killing thousands and making many more thousands homeless.

 

I know that Beatrice was born December 6, 1921 the daughter of Wesley Officer and Minnie L. Oliver.    I haven't been able to find anything out about Wesley Officer, but I do know that Minnie L. Oliver was the daughter of George and Neppie S. Oliver.    According to the 1930 Census, George W. Oliver was born on May 9, 1874 in Tennessee and died July 29, 1953 at Maple Hill, Kansas.   Neppie Oliver was born in Tennessee in 1878 and died at the home of her son in Saginaw, Michigan on July 9, 1955.   Both are buried in the Old Stone Church Cemetery at Maple Hill, Kansas.   The were the parents of the following:

 

George W. Oliver, Jr. born in 1913 at Maple Hill, Kansas

Alfred S. Oliver - born in 1917 at Maple Hill, Kansas

Minnie L. Officer - Born on May 25, 1900 in Tennessee.   Minnie Officer died in April of 1976 at

                                Maple Hill, Kansas.

 

On the 1930 U. S. Census of Maple Hill, Kansas, Minnie L. Officer is shown as 29 years old and living with her parents.   In addition, her daughters Inex C. Officer, age 10 and Beatrice V. Officer age 8, are also living in the Oliver home.

 

George and Neppie Oliver farmed the David Stewart farm 1.5 miles southwest of Maple Hill for many years.   This farm was located on the north bank of Mill Creek next to the farm of Edwin C. and Mae Thompson.

 

In 1940, just one year after graduating from Maple Hill High School, Minnie L. Officer is shown as being 18 years old, and living with Ben Taylor and Birdie Taylor, another well-known black family in Maple Hill, Kansas.  I'm sorry I haven't been able to find anything further.

 

 Ruby Smith - Ruby Lorraine Smith was born July 11, 1920 at Maple Hill, Wabaunsee County, Kansas and died January 7, 2006 at Topeka, Shawnee County, Kansas.    Ruby was the daughter of Samuel and Sophia Smith, who were married in 1894 in Halifax, Wabaunsee County, Kansas and moved to Maple Hill about 1910.    They were the parents of eleven children:

Allyne Bennard - 1896

Glen Wilbur - 1898-1995

Olin Van - 1902 - 1988

Cecelia - 1904

Charles W. - 1906

Ora M. - 1909

Jessie Mae - 1910  2006

Warren Woodrow - 1913 - 1952

Ollie Aldrene - 1916 -1936

Ruby Lorraine - 1920-2006

 

 A photograph of Ruby Smith Pettis taken in 2006.

 

Ruby Smith was married twice.   Her first marriage was to Irville Chester Harrison (1916-1975) and her second marriage was to George Pettis (1924-1988.)  I remember meeting Ruby Smith many times when she would come to visit my mother (her classmate) Lucille (Corbin) Clark.   They were great and fast friends over the years.

 

Richard Clark - The last of the 1939 classmates pictured is my cousin Richard Clark.  Richard was born February 10, 1921 on the family farm in Snokomo, Newbury Township, Wabaunsee County, Kansas.   He was the son of Clarence and Elizabeth J. (Wood) Clark.  Elizabeth J. Wood was born at Norfolk, Nebraska.  They were married at Topeka, Kansas on May 28, 1918.

 

Clarence McKinley and Elizabeth J. (Wood) Clark were the parents of the following:

Floyd E. Clark born December 13, 1919; Elizabeth J. Clark; Richard E. Clark born 1921; Margarite Clark born 1924; and Donald Clark, born 1931.   Clarence M. Clark died at Topeka, Kansas on April 11, 1984 and Elizabeth J. (Wood) Clark died at Topeka, Kansas on November 26, 1982.

 

Clarence was the son of Lewis and Janie (Lawson) Clark.   Lewis came to Wabaunsee County, Kansas with his parents, John and Sophia (Rice) Clark in 1878.   Sixteen members of the extended Clark family moved from Putnam County, Indiana in three covered wagons.   The staid with the Beach Family, who they had known in Indiana, until their log cabin was finished.

 

Lewis and Janie (Lawson) Clark lived on a farm in the Snokomo Community most of their lives.   They retired and moved into the town of Maple Hill, Kansas where Janie Clark lived until her death in 1943.   There children were:   Etta Mae (Mix) 1883-1912; William John "Bill" Clark 1888-1969; Roy Clark, 1891; Clarence Clark Oct. 1896 to 1984; and Oney Cecil Clark, 1905-1987.

 

 A photograph of Lewis and Janie (Lawson) Clark taken on the porch of their farm home in the Snokomo Community, Newbury Township, Wabaunsee County, Kansas in 1926.

 

Richard Clark was married to Lois Flannary and they lived in Topeka, Shawnee County, Kansas most of their lives.   Richard died at Topeka on November 22, 1999 and Lois is still living.

 

This completes what I know about the classmates of my mother, Lucille (Corbin) Clark and my father, John Leander (Tim) Clark in the Maple Hill High School Class of 1938.

 

Happy Trails!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

A Little History About Jerred T. Strong

I have faint recollections of Jerred T. Strong.   He died in 1949 and I was born in 1944, so I remember him only as a very kindly, old, man with a white mustache.   He was the fourth husband of my maternal great grandmother, Lucy Mae (Lemon) McCauley-Banta-Strong.

Several people have asked about his family history, and I'll share what I know.

He was born in February 1866 into a farm family living in Meriden Township, McPherson County, Kansas.   The 1870 Kansas Census shows that the family was living in Red Vermilion Township, Nemaha County, Kansas and that John's father was a farmer.

Parents and siblings of Jerred T. Strong:
Father:   John D. Strong - age 29 - Born in Ohio
Mother:  Charilla Julia (Midkelf) Strong - age 29 - Born in Ohio
Step-Daughter - Francina Kirkpatrick - (a child of Charilla's first marriage)
Son:  Jerrod T. - age 11 - Born Kansas
Son:  William - age 6 - born Kansas
Daughter:   Kate - age 2 - born Kansas
Daughter:  Eva - age 3/12

Through genealogical research, I learned that Jerred's grandparents, the parents of John D. Strong were living in Knox County, Illinois when the 1850 US Census was taken.  

Grandparents and aunts and uncles of Jerrod T. Strong:
Head of Family:  Jared Strong - age 37 - born Ohio - Occupation: Farmer
Wife:  Jane Strong - age 38 - born Ohio
Daughter:  Elizabeth
Daughter:  Nancy
Daughter:  Ann
Son:  John
Son:  Henry
Daughter:   Emma
Daughter:   Samantha

Jerrod T. Strong's first wife was Effie Harriet Randel.   They are shown on the 1900 US Census as follows:

First Wife and children of Jerred T. Strong:
Head of Family:  Jerred T. Strong - 34 - born February 1866 - Kansas.
Wife:   Effie H. Strong - age 27 - born January 1873 - Kansas
Daughter:  Odessa Maude Strong - born January 1891 - Kansas
Daughter:  Jessie Strong - born August 1893 - Kansas
Daughter:  Hazel Strong - born January 1898 - Kansas

Effie H. Randel was born January 26, 1873 and died at Hoyt, Jackson County, Kansas on November 28, 1934.   She and Jerred T. Strong are buried side by side in the Hoyt Cemetery, Hoyt, Jackson County, Kansas.

Census records show that Jerred and Effie farmed in Nemaha County, Kansas until about 1925 when they moved to Hoyt, Kansas.    Jerred is shown as a poultry producer on the 1930 Census.

I haven't found a marriage date for Lucy Mae (Lemon) McCauley-Banta-Strong.   I believe that Lucy and Jerred (who our family called J.T.) were married about ten years.   Jerred died in 1947, so that would mean they were married din about 1937 or 1938.    I don't ever remember hearing an unkind word about J. T. Strong.   With the exception of Joan (Corbin) Andrews-Frazier, all of those who could say more are now deceased.

 

This photograph of Jerred T. Strong was taken in 1944, because I was born in 1944 and I am the baby being held by my mother, Lucille (Corbin) Clark.   L-R in the photograph are:  Vivian Mae (Corbin) Wild, Lucy Mae (Lemon) McCauley-Banta-Strong, Lucille (Corbin) Clark holding Nicholas L. Clark, Jerred T. Strong, Sarah Emma (Corbin) Justice, Margaret (Lemon) Miller, Joan (Corbin) Andrews-Frazier, and Mildred Mae (McCauley) Corbin-Clark.

 

I hope this is helpful.    Happy Trails!!

 

 

Third Child of Robert and Mildred Mae (McCauley) Corbin: Joan (Corbin) Andrews Frazier

Joan (Corbin) Andrews-Frazier was born on January 15, 1925 at Maple Hill, Wabaunsee County, Kansas and is the only surviving child of Robert and Mildred Mae (McCauley) Corbin.   Joan's paternal grandparents were George Washington and Sarah Ann "Sadie" (Todd) Corbin and her maternal grandparents were Samuel and Lucy Mae (Lemon) McCauley-Banta-Strong.  Aunt Joan just celebrated her 88th birthday.   She lives in a retirement complex in Topeka, Kansas and is thankfully in wonderful health.

 

Joan (Corbin) Andrews-Frazier's 88th Birthday Photograph

January 15, 2013

Joan lived with the family for a short time in Eskridge, Kansas but spent the majority of her youth in Maple Hill, Kansas.   She attended Maple Hill Grade School and moved with her family to Topeka, Kansas where they lived for a short period of time allowing Joan to graduation from Topeka High School.

This may well be the first photograph of Joan Andrews.   The picture was taken in front of the Frank and Amy Penrice home in Eskridge, Kansas.   L-R are:  Fred Banta, second husband of Lucy Mae (Lemon) Mccauley, holding Joan Corbin, Mildred Corbin, Lucille Corbin, George Corbin and Lucy Mae (Lemon) McCauley-Banta-Strong.   The Corbins rented a farm east of Eskridge, near present day Lake Wabaunsee.   While in Eskridge, the Penrice family were their good friends.

This is a 1944 photograph of the Corbin Sisters.   Left to Right are Vivian, Lucille, Joan and Sarah.   The photo was taken on the south side of the stone house owned by the Franklin Adams Estate, three miles east of Maple Hill, Kansas.   Their father, Robert Corbin, was employed by the Adams Estate as a tenant farmer.  This photo was taken shortly after Lucille (Corbin) Clark gave birth to Nicholas L. Clark on November 16, 1944.

Joan was a member of Maple Hill Community Congregational Church in Maple Hill, Kansas and was active in the community.  She took a few piano lessons but mainly taught herself to play the piano very well.   As a child, I remember many wonderful Sunday afternoons spent in the home of my grandparents, Robert and Mildred (McCauley) Corbin, with Aunt Joan at the piano and all of my aunts, uncles and cousins gathered around singing.   The Corbins and their extended families were definitely music lovers and enjoyed these song fests.

The Topeka High School graduation photograph of Joan Corbin

Joan Corbin was married to Richard George Andrews at the Maple Hill Community Congregational Church on April 20, 1946.   Rick Andrews was born March 28, 1924 at Oak Hill, Connecticut.   He served in the United States Army in World War II, and was a member of the Alamo Scouts, a forerunner of today's special forces.  The unit worked behind enemy lines in the South Pacific.   After the war ended he and Aunt Joan were married and traveled to Connecticut where they lived for several years.  Uncle Rick enjoyed motorcycles and they rode from Kansas to Connecticut for pleasure.

In 1951, the Andrews returned to Kansas where Rick Andrews became employed at the Veteran's Hospital in Topeka, Kansas.   The hospital grew in size as veterans needing care returned from World War II.   There was also a unit that cared for older veterans of World War I.  He remained with the Veteran's Hospital his entire career.  Rick and Joan Andrews lived 2509 High Street in Topeka for several years and later purchased the frame home of Frank and Flossie Mackie and moved to Maple Hill, Kansas.

My Aunt Joan was always a "fun" person as this photo would indicate.   She has always had a sweet laugh and uses it often.  Aunt Joan is now 88, but still loves to have a good time, is in good health, loves to travel with her family, and generally enjoyes life.

This is a photograph taken in 1937 or 1938 on the south side of the Robert Corbin house in Maple Hill, Kansas.  L-R are Mildred Mae (McCauley) Corbin, Lucy Mae (Lemon) Banta-Strong, Charles M. Mitchell with Vivian Corbin in front of him, Bonnie (Thomas) Mitchell with Sarah Emma Corbin in front, Jerod T. Strong, and William Alexander Mitchell in back with mustache.   We're not sure who the little girl is in front of "Uncle Billie" Mitchell.  It could be his granddaughter, Marilyn Kelling, daughter of Pete and Virginia (Mitchell) Kelling.   Mildred Corbin and Charles Mitchell were Lemon first cousins.   Lucy Mae (Lemon) McCauley and Mary Jane (Lemon) Mitchell, wife of William Alexander Mitchell, were sisters.

Joan (Corbin) and Richard G. Andrews were the parents of three children:  Bruce Charles Andrews born April 12, 1954, Christine Mae Andrews born August 11, 1957 and Coleen Ann Andrews born February 5, 1959.    The Andrews children attended Maple Hill Grade School and graduated from and Royal Valley High School in Jackson County, Kansas.

This union ended in divorce.   Richard Andrews died March 7, 2003 at Topeka, Kansas.

Joan was married a second time on June 8, 1968 to Robert Lyle Frazier, son of Roy E. and Nellie (Crouse) Frazier.  The wedding occurred at the Maple Hill Community Congregational Church, Maple Hill, Kansas.  Mr. Frazier was born April 18, 1926 and operated his family farm for many years.  He worked for the Supply Depot in Topeka, Kansas for 10 years and later worked for the State of Kansas.   He served in the U. S. Army in Germany.

Bob Frazier helped raise Joan's three children who thought of him as a father.  He was a very hard worker, and spent many happy hours tending his family's farm and cattle.   He was a good husband, attentive to his wife and family.   I knew Uncle Bob from 1967 until his death on February 6, 2002.   Although his later years were clouded with emphasema, he had a good disposition, was always ready to help anyone he could, and seldom uttered a disparaging word.    He and Aunt Joan were members of the Mayetta United Methodist Church, where Bob held offices and Aunt Joan served as pianist.   Uncle Bob was a member of Masonic Lodge #282, AF&AM at Mayetta, Kansas and he and Aunt Joan were both active in the Order of the Eastern Star there.

I was blessed with wonderful aunts and uncles.   I spent a lot of time with Aunt Joan's family.   Aunt Joan was musical and so was I.   She always found time to accompany me for a special programs or to help me with my piano lesson.   She was always there for any of us when we needed her.

Joan (Corbin) Andrews-Frazier's oldest child is Bruce Charles Andrews, born April 12, 1954.   I'm awaiting information about his family.

Joan (Corbin) Andrews-Frazier's second child is Christine Mae Andrews, born August 11, 1957.    Chris attended Maple Hill Grade School and Royal Valley High School.  Chris was married to Lee Allen Tuck on July 24, 1976 at St. Marys Immaculate Conception Church in Valley Falls, Kansas.  Lee is the son of Lester E. and Annella Marie (Fiegener) Tuck, both deceased.

Lee Tuck founded his own concrete construction company and has been very successful, often employing his children and their spouses as well as others.  Lee's concrete construction company's name is ATM Concrete. The "A" stands for Ann, in reference to Lee's mother. The "T" is for Tuck, and the "M" is for Men. Or, some would say, All Tuck Men, who knows!! The choice for the name was really trying to come up with something that started with an "A", as that would be the first letter of the alphabet and for advertising purposes would be the first name you might see. Lee, Kristopher and Adam, all work together and have created a very successful company which has a great reputation for honesty and quality work. They have been in business for 20 years now, and do all types of residential concrete (basements, sidewalks, patios, etc), as well as commercial jobs. They are also doing some work with "stamp-crete" and other decorative concrete, which seems to be popular now.  

The first picture is Lee and Kristopher, working together on the concrete around the pool we put in last summer.  

Adam Tuck finishing concrete.

 

This is "stamped" concrete work done by ATM Concrete.













Chris (Andrews) Tuck has been in the nursing field all of her career.  She has worked and studied hard and has attained many honors.    Here is her academic history:
1979 - Kaw Valley Technical School - Licensed Practical Nursing Certification
1982 - Stormont Vail School of Nursing - Nursing Certification
1993 - Washburn University - School Nurse Certification
1999 - Graceland College - BA in Science of Nursing
2003 - California College of Health Sciences - Masters of Science in Service
            Administration with emphasis in Community Health

From 1191 to the present, Chris has been the Director of Health Services and School Nurse for Seaman School District #345 in Topeka, Kansas.

Just a few of Christine's professional services are:
1988 - Kansas School Nursing Organiation
1990 - National Association of School Nurses
2006 - Kansas School Nurse of the Year
2008-2010 - President Kansas School Nurses Organization
2010-2014 - Kansas Representative to the National Association of School Nurses
2012 - Appointed to serve on the National Executive Board of the National
           Association of School Nurses.

When Chris Tuck is credited in presentations or books her certiciation is listed as:  Christine Tuck, MS, RN, BSN, NCSN.  Chris says that she has achieved National Certification in School Nursing, which she claims is likely her proudest attainment.

Chris has authored many phamplets and books, has been appointed to local, state and national committees and boards by the Kansas Governor and others, and has received the accalaides of her associates and colleagues.

In the midst of working full-time and going to school for many years, Chris and Lee are also the parents of four children:
Kristopher Lee Tuck - July 19, 1978, Wamego, Pottawatomi, Kansas
Alicia Dawn Tuck - April 29, 1980, Wamego, Pottawatomi, Kansas
Mollee Coleen Tuck - October 8, 1983, Wamego, Pottawatomi, Kansas
Adam James Tuck - December 30, 1984, Topeka, Shawnee, Kansas.

The Tucks raised their family in a burmed house built by Lee Tuck on his parent's farm in rural Jackson County, Kansas.

In addition to her professional life, Chris (Andrews) Tuck also enjoys running.  Here is what she wrote about how it all started.   "I started running at age 30, and ran with some of my pediatric nursing colleagues during our lunch hour or after work. I typically ran 4 to 5 times a week, and depending upon the time of year, run 12 to 30 miles a week. I have ran three marathons ( San Antonio, TX 2004; Chicago, IL 2007; Marine Corps Marathon in Washington DC, 2011)."

"I recently ran a Half Marathon, in Des Moines, IA in Oct of this year, with my niece and nephew, Cameron and Kaney Tyler. I have also run 5K’s and am now working on the next generation of my family to run!"

 

This photo was taken after Chris Tuck ran the Marine Corps Marathon in Washington, DC.   Front row L-R:  Jaxon Padilla, Emmy Goldberg.  Back Row L-R:  Mollee (Tuck) McKinley, Joan (Corbin) Andrews-Frazier, Christine (Andrews) Tuck, Aysia Padilla, and Alicia Padilla.

A photo taken at the 2011 Fall Into Fitness Run at Seaman High School, Topeka.  L-R are:  Chris (Andrews) Tuck, Aysia and Alicia Padilla.

  In the front row of this photo L-R are:  Olivia and Maecy Tuck.  In the back row L-R are Jill Tuck and Chris Tuck.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I

In this photo, L-R are: Christine (Andrews) Tuck, Cameron Tyler and Kaney Tyler. Cameron and Kaney are Chris' nephew and niece and the children of Coleen (Andrews) and Jim Tyler.

 

 

 

 This is a photo of the Christine (Andrews) and Lee A. Tuck Family taken at the August 2012 Corbin Family Reunion at Gage Park, Topeka, Kansas.   In parinthesis behind each child's name, is their parent's name.  L-R in the front row are: Maecy Tuck (Kristopher), Max Tuck (Kristopher), Jaxon Padilla (Alicia), Aidan Tuck (Adam), Olivia Tuck (Kristopher), Emmy Goldberg (Mollee), Averi Tuck (Adam), Halle Tuck (Kristopher), Aysai Padilla (Alicia), Rylee McKinley (Mollee.)
Second row, L-R are:  Kristopher and Jill Tuck, Alicia and Christopher Padilla, Jen Tuck with Anella and Adam Tuck, Mollee McKinley with boyfriend Jeff Wilkerson and his son Tucker.
Back row L-R:   Lee A. Tuck, Christine (Andrews) Tuck and Joan (Corbin) Andrews-Frazier.

 

 
This photo was taken on Christmas 2012 and is a photo of the children, grandchildren and great granchildren of Joan (Corbin) Andrews-Frazier.   There are three missing from this photo, Lindsey Andrews, Kelsey Andrew's son Taegan, and the wife of Scott Andrews, Jamie Andrews.
L-R on floor in front are:  Emmy Goldberg (Mollee), and Macey Tuck (Kristopher.)
Second Row L-R are:  Aysia (Alicia), Rylee (Mollee), Olivia (Kristopher), Max (Kristopher), Aidan (Adam), Jaxon (Alicia), Hallee (Kristopher), Averi (Adam), Kelsey (Bruce's youngest daughter.)
Third Row L-R are: Adam, Jen with Anella Tuck, Jill Tuck, Coleen Tyler, Joan (Corbin) Andrews-Frazier, Christine (Andrews) Tuck, Laurie (Pierce) Andrews with grandson Parker (Scott) Andrews.
Fourth Row L-R:  Kristopher Tuck, Alicia (Tuck) Padilla, Mollee (Tuck) Padilla, Kaney Tyler (Coleen), Lee A. Tuck, Bruce Andrews with grandson Ryder (Scott) Andrews and Jim Tyler.
Back Row L-R:  Christoper Padilla, Jeff Wilkerson (Mollee's boyfriend) with his son Tucker, Cameron (Coleen) Tyler and Scott (Bruce) Andrews.

Coleen Ann Andrews, youngest child of Joan (Corbin) and Richard G. Andrews, was born on February 5, 1959 at First United Methodist Church, Holton, Jackson County, Kansas.   Coleen attended grade school at Maple Hill, Kansas and later at Hoyt, Kansas.   She graduated from Royal Valley High School, Jackson County, Kansas.

Coleen was married to  James Alan "Jim" Tyler.   Jim Tyler was born on June 9, 1957 at Rockford, Winnebago County, Illinois to Paul Durad and Patricia Ann (Craft) Tyler.  Jim and Coleen were married on October 20, 1979 at Topeka, Shawnee County, Kansas.    Jiim and Coleen have lived in Topeka, Kansas and Lawrence, Kansas all their married lives.

Jim has worked at Westar Energy for 33 years. He is the Director, Distribution Services. Coleen just celebrated her 32nd anniversary at Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Kansas and she is the Director of Underwriting and Contract Administration.

Jim and Coleen (Andrews) Tyler are the parents of two children:  Cameron Joseph Tyler and Kaney Nicole Tyler.  Cameron was born on April 15, 1983 and Kaney was born on May 8, 1985.

Cameron just began his seventh year in the U.S. Army. He is a Combat Medic, 82nd Airborne Division, Ft. Bragg, North Carolina. He will turn 30 in April.

 

Kaney is the head women's soccer coach at Washburn University of Topeka. She will have her Masters in Sports Administration in May 2013 from Southern New Hampshire University which, ironically enough, recruited her to play soccer after high school. Instead, Kaney played soccer at and graduated from Missouri Southern University, Joplin, Mo. She will be 27 in May.

 

Jim and Coleen (Andrews) Tyler now live in rural Lawrence, Kansas.

 

(Note:   This is a work in progress.   There will be more information to come about Joan (Corbin) Andrews-Frazier's second marriage and her children and their families.)

Children and Great Grandchildren of George and Freda (Kitt) Corbin

I'm pleased to provide a little history about the children and grandchildren of George and Freda Corbin.   George is the son of Robert Corbin and Mildred Mae (McCauley) Corbin, and the grandson of George Washington Corbin and his wife Sarah Ann "Sadie" (Todd) Corbin.   Freda is the daughter of Frederick Solomon Kitt and Mary Emeline (Clark) Kitt.

This photograph was taken at the 60th Wedding Celebration for George Samuel and Freda (Kitt) Corbin.  Pictured are Jennie Justice, Freda Arlene (Kitt) Corbin, George Samuel Corbin, Leslie Forest Justice, Lucille (Corbin) Clark and Joan (Corbin) Andrews-Frazier.   The photo was taken on May 29, 2007.

George and Freda were both raised in Wabaunsee County, Kansas primarily in the community of Maple Hill.   After their marriage in 1947, they moved to Topeka, Shawnee County, Kansas where they spent their entire lives.   George was employed by Goodyear Tire and Rubber Company for more than 30 years and Freda was a devoted mother and was employed by Macy's Stores after the children were older.

This photograph was taken at the 60th Wedding Anniversary celebration for George Samuel Corbin and his wife Freda Arlene (Kitt) Corbin.   They are at the center of the photograph and they are surrounded by their children, grandchildren and great grandchildren.

To their union, three children were born:   Sheila Kay Corbin, Robert Frederick Corbin and Ronald George Corbin.   All three attended Seaman High School on Northwest Rochester Road, Topeka, Kansas.

Sheila Kay Corbin was married to Laro Loddie Hill.    They are the parents of two daughters: Michelle Dawn Hill and Marcie Danae Hill.

This is a photo of Sheila Kay and Laro Hill with their grandchildren on the occasion of their 45th Wedding Anniversary.   Left to Right are:  Madeline Kay Schriener, Mariah Morgan Miller, Sheila Kay (Corbin) Hill, Elise Ann Schreiner and Laro Hill.

This is a photo of the grandchildren of Shiela and Laro Hill taken at Christmas 2012:   L-R are Samuel Earl Miller, Elise Ann Schreiner, Madeline Kay Schreiner and Mariah Morgan Miller.











Michelle married Todd Michael Schreiner and they have two daughters:  Madeline Kay Schreiner and Elise Ann Schreiner.

Marcie Danae Hill married Thomas Earl Miller and they have two children:   Mariah Morgan Miller and Samuel Thomas Miller.

Robert Frederick Corbin Sandra Root and they have three children:  Allison Arlene Corbin, Robyn LeeAnn Corbin and Collin Robert Corbin.

Allison Arlene Corbin married Brandon Troy Nelson.   Their children are:  Sierra Allison Nelson, Savannah Robyn Nelson, Corbin Brandon Nelson.   Brandon's daughter from a previous marriage is Aspen Malease Nelson.

Robyn LeeAnn Corbin married Brian Keith Devlin.  Their children are:   Gate Robert Devlin and Chloe BriAnn Devlin.

Collin Robert Corbin married Sara Beth Ropski and they have two children:  Ashlyn Amora Corbin and Hayden Albert Corbin.

Ronald George Corbin married Sandra Mentzer and they have no children.   Sandra Mentzer has two children from a previous marriage:  Laurie North Alejos and Rodney North.

Laurie North Alejos has four children:   Alyssa, Chas, Trey, and Alex Alejos.

Rodney North has two children, twin boys:  Tyler and Taylor North.

This photograph was taken at the Corbin Family Reunion held at Gage Park, Topeka, Kansas in August 2012.   Standing back row left to right are:  Robby Corbin, Sandi Corbin, Collin Corbin, Sara Corbin, Brian Devlin, Robyn Devlin, Allison Nelson, and Brandon Nelson.  Front row left to right are:  Gate Devlin, holding Corbin Nelson, Savannah Nelson, Ashlyn Corbin, Freda (Kitt) Corbin holding Hayden Corbin, Chloe Devlin, and Sierra Nelson.  This photograph was taken by Jim Tyler.

George Corbin passed away April 4, 2008.   His widow, Freda (Kitt) Corbin continues to live in their home in Topeka.   All of the Corbin's children and grandchildren make their homes in or near Topeka, Shawnee County, Kansas.

Our Woody Family Connection with Georgia

I had an email from a distant cousin asking how the Clark/Woody Family is connected to the Woody Family in Northern Georgia.   I'm going to reprint a short history I wrote for the Woody Family Reunion in June 1996.  My Great Grandfather, John "Johnnie" Clark married Mary Eliza Woody, the daughter of Peter Littleton and Eliza (Stover) Woody.

Our Woody Connections by Nicholas L. Clark

"It had been a long drive from Muncie, Indiana to Dahlonega, Georgia in March 1988.   My wife Verona, and our children Nicholas and Amy, were on our way to visit Walt Disney World in Florida over Spring Break.  The weather was superb and got better as we headed south.  The sun warmed the temperatures well into the 70s, as we traveled along in our Chevy Caprice Wagon.   The children were very eager to get to Disney World and knew that they were in for another "family roots" delay when I announced that we were going to take a little side trip to discover some of our Woody family history.

An 1895 Map of Georgia showing Lumpkin and Union Counties in the north central portion of the state.


All my life, I had heard about the Woody family from my Grandmother, Mabel Clark; from my cousin, Mabel Woody, and from a very distant cousin and Woody family genealogist, Thelma (Mrs. Olaf) Nelson.   It was really Thelma, who was the expert.   She had traced the family heritage from Kansas to Missouri, and on to Georgia.  The early roots of the family were in North Carolina and England.    She had documented Woody family participation in the American Revolution, the Civil War and other events of consequence.   She was a dear lady whom my Grandmother Clark loved and respected.   My family visited Thelma and her husband Olaf Nelson, when they lived in Tacoma Washington.   The year was 1978 and, even though advanced in age and with considerable physical handicaps, we found them to be warm, wonderful, welcoming and full of interest in their distant cousins.  

I loved my Great Great Grandfather's Woody's (Peter Littleton Woody) beautiful stone house in Snokomo, Newberry Township, Wabaunsee County, Kansas.   It was already 100 years old when I first became interested in family history.   It was occupied by dear cousin Mabel Woody, who was short, slender, pert, hard-working and loved to share stories about her life.   Her mother, Minnie Wilson, had lived past 100 and had instilled a love of family and history which Mable gladly shared.  My Grandmother Clark and I would often drive to the old Woody home on Sunday afternoon and spend the afternoon visiting with Mable and Minnie.  

The Peter Littleton Woody Home, Snokomo, Newberry Township, Wabaunsee County, Kansas.  This photo was taken about 1880, ten years after the Woody's moved to Kansas from Platte County, Missouri.   Unfortunately, not all those photographed are known, but Peter L. Woody is standing between the two white horses.  This is the south side of the house.  Note the double veranda.  There was an identical double veranda on the north.  The underground root cellar was just behind the man and black horse on the left.

One time in the late 1960s, Thelma Nelson was visiting Cousin Mabel Woody so Grandmother Clark and I drove over and spent the afternoon.  Mable would always take us up to the head of the stairs where hung the portraits and marriage license of Peter Littleton Woody and Elisa Stover Woody, who built the stone house.  Mable said that Peter Littleton Woody had been raised in northern Georgia, but he was not a Southern sympathizer as had been other members of his family.  She said that he had first joined the Confederate Army, but that he had deserted and joined the Northern Army because he didn't like the way the blacks were treated and didn't believe in slavery.   This interested Thelma and myself, and Thelma began corresponding with the National Archives to retrieve Peter Woody's military records.   She found Mabel's oral history to be accurate.

Mabel didn't remember too much about Peter's Civil War history.   But Thelma eventually discovered a great deal more.  It seems that one of Peter Woody's brothers, John Woody, was absolutely committed to the Southern Cause, so much so, that he headed the Home Guard, which was evidently a unit meant to harass the families of men who joined the northern army or deserted from the Confederate Army.   John Threatened to kill Peter if he returned to Dahlonega after the war.

Peter Littleton Woody and his wife, Eliza Stover Woody.



When I visited Dahlonega in 1995, I talked with local historians there and at Blairsville, just to the north in Union County, Georgia.   Both related to me that the area had been very much divided between Northern and Southern sympathizers.  Since it was a mountainous area and not dedicated to raising cotton, the slavery issue was not as heated in the beautiful Blue Ridge Mountains.   They also said that all of Northwest Georgia had been Cherokee Indian Territory and that the Cherokee were very much against slavery.  The historians said that there had been many, many families split over the slavery issue and that they felt the majority of the people in Lumpkin and Union Counties had been in favor of maintaining the Union.

At any rate, Peter Woody must have felt he couldn't remain in Georgia, because he moved his family far from this beloved Georgia woods, to Platte County, Missouri in 1867.   There was a terrible flood on the Platte River in 1868, which ruined all the work that Peter and Eliza Woody had done in improving their Missouri farm.  Realizing the risk of remaining in the Platte River Valley, he moved his family about 100 miles west, to Wabaunsee County, Kansas.   He was in search of land that would not flood.   The year was 1868 and the vast Potawatomi Indian Reservation of over 3,000,000 acres had just been opened to settlement.   He decided to farm in the highlands, overlooking the spectacular Mill Creek Valley.   In 1870, he purchased 16y0 acres in the community named for Potawatomi Chief Snokomo.   Cousin Mabel said that the old Chief was still living in the area when the Woodies moved there and that Peter Woody allowed him to be buried on his farm. 

Peter Woody, like many other farmers in Wabaunsee County, built his two-story home of native limestone which was available from the surrounding hills.  It was hard work to quarry the stone, but it was cheap and there were many stone masons in the area.  The home was in a "T" formation.  The house had three large rooms on the first floor and three on the second.   On each side of the upstairs bedrooms, were two beautiful long sleeping porches, a most unusual feature for Kansas but quite common in Georgia.

There was one large kitchen on the west side of the house.   Mabel showed us that if you went through a door in the northwest corner of the house, you went into a large underground root cellar.  This was used for many purposes.  Primarily it was used as a root cellar to store harvested potatoes and other root vegetables as well as canned and preserved foods.   Secondarily it had been used for a "storm cellar" because tornadoes blew stone into the home and killed it's occupants.   Thirdly, it had been used as a little "fort" in case there had been Indian troubles.  There were still several Indian families living along Mill Creek at that time and the Kaw Indian Reservation wasn't too far to the south so they felt protection was necessary.

Mabel told us a story about the kidnapping of one of Peter and Eliza Woody's children.   She said that soon after the house was built, a large number of Indian men came up the lane.   The family hadn't seen them at first and before they knew they were present, an Indian leaned down from his horse and swooped one of the playing children onto the horse and they all galloped away but remained in sight.  Peter approached them and they asked him what he had to trade for the child.   He told them that he had a barrel of sugar and they were willing to trade.   He wheeled out the barrel of sugar and the Indians gave the child back, breaking the top of the barrel and carrying away the sugar in buffalo skin bags.   After that, the Indians came back many times.  They didn't threaten the family or take any captives, but they would camp in the yard and Eliza would send food out while they smoked their pipes and visited.

The interior styling of the house was completely foreign to Wabaunsee County.   Most houses were plastered inside, but the interior walls of the Woody home were completely paned with beaded board.   This is a  horizontal board hat is about 3/4" thick and 4" wife.   Down the center of the board, there is a "V" groove.   Each board is tongue and grooved so that they fit tightly together.   Wood doesn't hold heat very well but plaster does.   Therefore, this style was employed in much of the South were the Woodys were raised.  

Even 100 years after the house was built, the skill of Eliza Woody was evident in the living room and all of the bedrooms, which were carpeted with her beautiful handmade rugs.  Mabel told us that there was straw underneath the rugs and that every spring, they were taken up and put over the banisters of the two big upstairs porches and beat to get the dust and dirt out.   Clean straw would be put down and the rugs laid and tacked.  These were braided rugs.   Wool strips were cut and then braided together.   The braids were then sewn together to make the desired size carpet.

Not far from the Woody House, was the Snokomo School House, also built of stone.  Records show that Peter Woody paid $700.00 to have the school built so his children and other neighboring children would have a place to go to school.   This beautiful old building was restored as a country school by the Snokomo Silent Workers Club and I was privileged to be the speaker for the rededication ceremonies in 1973.  The Wabaunsee County Historical Society placed an historical marker at the school.

This is a photo of the Snokomo School House, built not far from the Woody residence at a cost of $700.00, paid mostly by Peter L. Woody.   This photograph was taken in 1934 and shows Pauline Shipp, teacher, standing in front.   My great grandmother, Eliza Woody Clark, my grandfather, James Peter Clark, and my mother, Lucille Corbin Clark all attended school here.

Returning to narrative about our family's trip to Georgia, I was reluctant to try and contact my relatives still living in Georgia on count of the controversy between my great great grandfather's desertion and consequent removal from Georgia.  I didn't know what kind of unpleasantness might be harbored by them.   There are always two sides to every story and I didn't know what Peter might have done when he left Georgia.   However, I knew that Thelma Nelson had visited there and had been very well received and had remarked about how wonderful all the Woody Cousins were to her, so I soon overcame my fears and left the Interstate at Dalton, Georgia and headed east on Georgia Highway 76.

The children soon forgot any unpleasantness they may have felt in giving up a day to explore family history, after all, it surely wasn't the first time they had tolerated their father's family history craziness!   The drive into the Blue Ridge Mountains was simply spectacular and they were soon absorbed in the scenery and watching for various animals.  We continued on Highway 76 to East Elijay, and there took Highway 52 to Dahlonega, the county seat of Lumpkin County, Georgia.  The weather continued to be exceptionally warm and beautiful.

The Dahlonega region was homeland to many bands of Cherokee Indians.   The Cherokee are closely related to the Iroquois Indians of the Great Lakes Region and have lived in North Carolina, Georgia, Tennessee, Alabama and the Southeast for many hundreds of years.   There is a photograph of my great, great, great grandmother, Percilla Treadway Woody in the archives of the Georgia State Historical Society in Atlanta.  On the back of the photograph is written, "Percilla Woody - full blooded Cherokee." Suches, Georgia, just to the north of Dahlonega, is named for the Cherokee Chief, Suches.   It was one of the main areas where General Winfield Scott gathered the Cherokee at gun point and began their march 1500 miles west to Indian Territory, now Oklahoma.  The tragic trek, when 4000 Cherokee lost their lives, is now known as The Trail of Tears.

A photo of Percilla Treadway Woody, now in the Georgia Historical Society archives.  On the back it says, "Percilla Woody full blood Cherokee."   Percilla is wearing a typical Cherokee beaded collar.  The photo was made between 1860 and 1870.  Percila was the mother of Peter Littleton Woody.

Dahlonega is today very much a tourist town and summering location for wealthy residents of Atlanta and other urban areas.  Thank heavens one of our Woody descendants, W. Arthur "The Ranger" Woody, was the first National Forest Ranger appointed in Georgia (1918) and was responsible for the United States purchasing millions and millions of acres of verdant, timber-covered mountains which is today, the Chattahoochee National Forest.  He is said to have seen the last wild deer slaughtered in his region, and vowed to not only bring back the deer population, but preserve vast tracts of mountain land for future generations.   He went to North Carolina, brought deer back with his own funds, and attracted the attention of the government when it began to develop the Chattahoochee Forest.   He remained a ranger until his death in 1944 and was one of the most respected men in the Blue Ridge Mountains.

Dahlonega was full of tourists on the beautiful March day in 1988 and we ambled into the local Chamber of Commerce office, near the old courthouse, and asked about the Woody Family.

"Oh my goodness," said the elderly grey haired lady at the desk.   "The Woodys are one of our most prominent families and are very highly respected."   She continued to tell me about her knowledge of the family and then picked up the phone and dialed without us asking her to do so.

"Hello Miss Oline?   There's some nice kin folk of yours here and they'd sure like to talk with you."   She handed me the phone, ready or not, and the next thing I knew I was talking with Oline WOody, widow of "Ranger" Woody's son, Clyne E. Woody.

We chatted a monument, and then she said, "Thelma Nelson said you'd be coming down for a visit one of these days."   I had never mentioned that to Thelma, but Thelma was certainly aware of my love for family and history and must have surmised the same.  "Now you folks come right on out to the house.   I want to take a look at you!"   With that, Ms. Woody gave us directions and we were on our way.

We headed north out of Dahlonega on Highway 19, towards Blairsville.   Then we turned to the northwest on Highway 60, as if going to Suches.    Before we arrived at Suches, we traveled a narrow, black-topped road up, down and around the most rugged and picturesque of areas.   At last, we topped a splendid mountain when my son Nicholas suddenly said, "Dad, look!"   There's a sign that says Woody!"   Sure enough.   Just ahead, was a beautiful National Forest Service marker denoting that we had arrived at Woody Gap, in the Chattahoochee National Forest.

We stopped, unloaded and drank in the grandeur of our surroundings.  For as far as the eye could see, there was beauty of every description.   Purple hued mountains with red, pink and gray granite formations.   Sturdy pine forests and bubbling streams.   Overhead, a huge hawk called its welcome.   Little chipmunks wandered over to sample crackers from the children.   A rush of emotion filled me, as if all my ancestors had gathered to say, "You're home!"  We were humbled and proud to know that we were in a very special place that honored more than 150 years of our family's heritage.

Not wanting to leave, but realizing our limited time, we left Woody's Gap, but vowed to return as soon as we could.  We climbed back into our station wagon and headed north on Highway 60.   We soon  came to Ms. Clyne Woody's nice, brick, ranch home nestled at the bottom of Woody Gap.  Just beside the house, was one of the bluest lakes in Georgia.   She was already at the front door, waiting to greet us and it was all we could do to get the children to come inside long enough to be introduced.   They were ready to "run a little" and explore.   So they went outside and we visited with Ms. Woody for about an hour.   She then said, "There's another cousin you've got to meet, Mabelle Woody Gooch."   I had heard Thelma speak of her and was pleased to have the opportunity.

Ms. Woody phoned and made certain that they were home before giving us directions and sending us on our way.   Although Oline didn't say so, I had the feeling that she was not well.    I visited Dahlonega again in October 1995 and her name was not in the phone book.   I'm assuming that she had passed on.     We will never forget her hospitality and that beautiful home by the blue lake.

Mabelle was a frail little lady, whose eyes twinkled and who radiated a warm feeling of welcome   She was living with her children and grandchildren who had owned a fine cattle operation.  We visited for a long while and the children explored yet another inviting forested parcel of land.   It was nearing supper time and we didn't want to impose so we took our leave.   I asked Ms. Gooch for directions to the old Woody Family Cemetery, which Thelma Nelson had told me was nearby.   Thelma had spoken so lovingly of the cemetery and I wanted to see where my fourth and fifth generation ancestors were laid to rest.  It seemed that it was not more than one or two miles distant from Ms. Gooch's home.   It is in a very remote location, up a little graveled lone, which dead ends at the cemetery.   The cemetery itself is immaculately kept.

The knoll on which the cemetery is located, overlooks the little valley with breath-taking beauty.  It speaks to you and tells you that you have entered a very special place.  Here, lie cherished loved ones--family members---who we never knew but for the oral descriptions and traditions of our loved ones.   The parents of Peter Littleton Woody, John Wesley and Percilla Treadway Woody have stones that are fairly new and indicate that they were placed there by loving descendants.  On the rise, is a very nice family picnic shelter which is used annual for a reunion on Memorial Day Weekend.  It is also used by family members for funeral and other gatherings.

Incidentally, Percilla Woody was a midwife and delivered over 3,000 babies during her lifetime.  When she passed away in 1888, her obituary in the Dahlonega Paper stated that she always added "Percilla" to every girl baby's name that she delivered, making it one of the most popular names in the county.   She was 89 at the time of her death.

Both Ms. Woody and Ms. Gooch invited us to return, but fate has not been kind in providing such an opportunity.   I continue to hope that we will be able to return in some not-to-distant time, for I felt as if I had known these wonderful people all my life and that we were more than welcome.   We were kin."

Hope this answers some questions and creates many more.   I had a very wise professor of education in college.   He said, "Education isn't about answering questions, its about creating a spirit of inquiry which makes it necessary to find answers."   How true.    Happy Trails!!