Saturday, April 12, 2014

A to Z April Challenge: K is for Kibler



My theme for the A to Z April Challenge is “In-Laws and Out-Laws – Friends of the Family.”  I will be researching friends, colleagues, neighbors - those people who came and went touching my family’s lives in both small and large ways. 


is for Kibler.  Constance Margaret Kibler.  She was one of my grandaunt Violetta Davis Ryan’s friends from college.  Actually, they were probably neighborhood friends as well.  Constance was born in 1903 and grew up just three streets away from Violetta in Shenandoah, Virginia.  Constance was the only child of Benton and Minnie Good Kibler. 

Both Constance and Violetta attended the Harrisonburg Teachers College and graduated with the 2-year diploma in 1923, which at the time entitled them to teach anywhere for seven years before having to be recertified.  Like Violetta and Argene Louise Lauck, Constance was a member of the High School Club for students seeking certification in secondary education.


Constance Margaret Kibler 1923
Constance Margaret Kibler
scanned from School Ma'am 1923

The description under Constance’s graduation picture in the yearbook reveals much about her personality.  Her “inscrutable expression,” her kindness and her “love of chatter” peppered with “uncutting sarcasm” make her seem likeable without being overly sweet. 


Constance Margaret Kibler 1923
Constance























Collecting signatures in the yearbook is a long-standing tradition.  Violetta made a point of collecting just these two.  All that room in the yearbook, yet Constance squeezed her message and signature below someone else’s.  And on an ad page, no less.   

Scanned from The School Ma'am 1923


I wonder if Constance ever put that teaching degree to work.  If so, it was for only a short time.

In 1925, Constance married Harold W. Bryan, an electrical engineer from Pennsylvania.  I wonder how they met.  What brought him to Virginia or what took her to Pennsylvania?  At any rate, in the census records for 1930 and 1940, Constance was not employed.  Meanwhile back in Shenandoah, Virginia, the Kiblers were renting out Constance’s bedroom to lodgers. 

Apparently Constance and Harold did not have children.

At least by 1976, the Bryans were residents of Deerfield Beach, Florida.  That is where Minnie Kibler, Constance’s mother, was living when she died. Constance died five years later on July 29, 1981.  Both are buried in Pompano Beach, Florida, along with Harold who joined them ten years later.

Photo courtesy of Tom Carroll at Findagrave.com



Don’t keep your knickers in a knot; put the kibosh on that kerfuffle; keep a hold on your kinkajou and kangaroo; kick up your kilt; knit a kerchief.  But whatever you do, key up for the A to Z April Challenge



© 2014, Wendy Mathias.  All rights reserved.

18 comments:

  1. Hi Wendy, I have added myself to your followers. I am amazed at the amount of research you have done. How did you manage to get so much info on all these people?

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    1. Oh, I'm flattered. Thank-you.
      This research is nothing special. It's just whatever I can find using Ancestry, FamilySearch, Findagrave, and sometimes Genealogy Bank. I have the college yearbooks from my aunts, and I have their photo albums that sometimes give a clue. It's not like I'm interviewing people or making trips to the courthouse for this A to Z Challenge. However, I do that for research on my own family.
      Thanks for the follow. I'll return the favor.

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  2. You are an excellent researcher. This is another great story.

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    1. Oh, you are too kind. Thanks for stopping by.

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  3. What a fantastic source Violetta's college yearbook and photos have been for you. Constance is a lovely old fashion name and she was a lovely girl with her' love of chatter' and 'un-cutting sarcasm'. What a nice way to say she talked too much and had a sharp tongue...LOL!!! Congrats on making it through Week #2. Thanks for your visits and comments on my AtoZ 'fiction from forgotten fotos'.
    Sue at CollectInTexas Gal

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    1. And to think I wanted to get rid of those yearbooks. NEVER!

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  4. My husband became enamored with my family's ancestry when we first married as his father was adopted. His enthusiasm sparked my interest and I've about extended my research capability as most of my older relatives are not with us any longer and families just don't keep important documents. I wonder if you think the fees for the ancestry sites are reasonable? Great posts by the way.

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    1. Actually I think I've gotten my money's worth for sure, and then some. FamilySearch has a lot of the same sources for free, but certainly not all the census records. I use both.

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  5. I've been seeing this K posting around, and it's quite fun to read everyone's post, and now your post as well. You sure have family history at every turn, I envy that!

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    1. Family history is my thing, no doubt about it!

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  6. I should correct that and say the A to Z challenge! Featuring K this week!

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  7. There was a time when married women didn't teach. Strange, I know.

    Liz A. from Laws of Gravity

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    1. That's true -- they had to quit. I wonder what was behind that policy?

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  8. "Jollette Etc." has been included in the A Sunday Drive for this week. Be assured that I hope this helps to point even more new visitors in your direction.

    http://asthecrackerheadcrumbles.blogspot.com/2014/04/a-sunday-drive_13.html

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  9. Interesting to be a detective and explore these past lives. I've done a little family research also and some of it can surprise you. :)

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    1. That's right -- you never know what might show up in old records.

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