Wordless Wednesday: Jollett Sisters

Wordless Wednesday is a daily prompt at Geneabloggers that asks family historians to create a post in which the main focus is a photograph or image.

The Jollett Reunion was the highlight of the year for the Jollett family.  This photo of the sisters was taken some time before 1941. 

Left to Right:

Victoria Jollett Breeden holding a slice of watermelon

Sallie Jollett Clift

Mary Frances Jollett Davis

Leanna Jollett Knight

Laura Jollett Sullivan

Emma Jollett Coleman

©2014, Wendy Mathias.  All rights reserved.

Tombstone Tuesday: Victoria and Aleta Breeden

Tombstone Tuesday is a daily prompt at Geneabloggers which asks bloggers to create a post including an image of a gravestone of one or more ancestors; it may also include a brief description of the image or the ancestor.

My great-grand aunt Victoria Jollett Breeden and her baby girl are buried side by side in Coverstone Cemetery (formerly known as the EUB Church Cemetery) in Shenandoah, Virginia.




from Findagrave.com
photo by Jan Hensley

Breeden

Aleta Mae

Aug 24, 1903

March 20, 1904

Victoria E. Jollette

March 19, 1878

May 2, 1944

©2014, Wendy Mathias.  All rights reserved.

A to Z April Challenge: Reflections

I had never heard of the A to Z April Challenge until I stumbled into it.  Kathy of Oregon Gifts of Comfort and Joy was announcing her participation.  I was curious and followed the link.  The requirement that each entry be short sold me. Everyone had already started, but there was still time.  I signed up. 

But honestly, I got cold feet.  Hopping from blog to blog sent a clear message that most participants were professional and would-be writers, poets, homeschoolers, and crafters.  I began to doubt anyone would be interested in my family history.  I wrote an email to the hosts to say I changed my mind, but just before I hit SEND, I changed my mind again.  What the heck.  I don’t have that many readers anyway, so what difference would it make?  At least the daily letter would give me a focus.  I’d have fun by myself.

Now the organizers of the A to Z April Challenge want to know what I think.  So I’ll answer their questions.

1.       Did you meet new bloggers with similar interests? Are there any you would like to feature and share with others?

It turns out I wasn’t by myself.  Several participants visited me every day.  That’s so nice of them.  And I found new blogs that I looked forward to, and – I must admit – I was disappointed if they didn’t post first thing in the morning and I had to wait on them.    

·         Sue of Collectin Texas Gal is a family historian too, and her blog is an inspiring blend of research and creativity.

·        Dana of the Daily Dose writes about motherhood and writing.  I enjoy her humor and outlook, and she always responds to comments.

·         M. J. of Lots of Crochet Stitches posts beautiful pictures and instructions about crocheting.  I don’t crochet, but I looked forward to how she applied the challenge to her craft. 

·        Tammy of Heartstring Quilts is another crafter.  I don’t quilt, but I love quilts, and Tammy is a professional quilter.  I now come here to get my quilt-fix quilting vicariously with the best.

·        Lucy of Lucy B Goosey felt like a kindred spirit as she used the challenge to teach some grammar. 

2.       Did you enjoy posting daily? Was time management an issue?

Since I’m retired, I can write whenever I want, so posting daily is never a problem.  I went away for a week, so I had to write about 7 posts in advance because I don’t have my research on my laptop.  A few of those entries suffered as a result.  Yeah, they really did.

3.       Did you have a theme or did you wing it? Was it easy to come up with ideas for each letter, or were some harder?

My theme was the same as the focus of my blog:  family history. I have never been in love with my blog, but A to Z made me love it.  Within the structure of following the alphabet I had the freedom to be random with the people I wrote about.  Quite the paradox!  It was fun to be creative with challenging letters like Q and X.  The hardest letter for me was M.  (See Question #2)

4.       Did you stumble upon sites still using word verification? Did this prevent you from leaving a comment?  

Many participants still use word verification, but that doesn’t bother me.  I commented just the same.  I do not have it on my own site because I’m not worried about spam.

5.       What will you do different next year?

Right now I have no plans to do anything different with my theme.  I’ve gotten some ideas of different ways to treat the letters.  For example, Collectin Texas Gal was doing family history too, but instead of limiting herself to people’s names, she used letters for places or collective words like “S is for Sisters.” 

More reflections on the A to Z April Challenge are just a click away.

©2014, Wendy Mathias.  All rights reserved.

Sunday's Obituary: Victoria Jollett Breeden

Sunday’s Obituary is a daily prompt at Geneabloggers asking us to post obituaries along with other information about that person.

Aunt Vic was my great-grand aunt, sister of my great grandmother Mary Frances Jollett Davis. Vic was the seventh child born to James Franklin and Lucy Ann Shiflett Jollett.

This is her obituary.

Source: The Page News and Courier: 4 May 1944 page 4 col. 5

Mrs. Victoria Elizabeth [Jollett] Breeden, 66, wife of Decater B. Breeden died suddenly at her home in Washington, D. C. early Tuesday morning, May 2. Mrs. Breeden had been a sufferer from asthma for years, but been in her usual health until a few hours before her death.

Mrs. Breeden was the youngest daughter of the late James Franklin and Lucy Shifflett Jollette, and was born at Nortonsville, Greene County on March 19,1878.

She was married to D. B. Breeden on Dec. 24, 1901 and spent most of her married life in Shenandoah. Her husband is a former N. W. [Norfolk & Western Railroad] engineer. They moved from Shenandoah to Waynesboro, VA, and from there to Washington, D.C. where he is employed in government work. She is survived by her husband and the following sisters: Mrs. A. J. (Emma) Coleman, Shenandoah; Mrs. W. B. (Mary) Davis, Harrisonburg, Mrs. Geo. F. (Sallie) Clift, Washington, D. C. and Mrs. W. J. (Laura) Sullivan of Shenandoah.

One daughter died in infancy. The following members of the family are deceased: Mrs. James (Leanna) Knight, of Albemarle County, B. L. Jollette of Stanardsville, William Isaac Jollette of Greene County, U. F. Jollette of Baltimore, Md. And one half brother Henry Jollette, of Harriston, VA.

Mrs. Breeden was a devout member of the U. B. Church and possessed an amiable disposition which had endeared her to the hearts of many. The news of her death was received in Shenandoah with genuine regret and sorrow.

The funeral will be held from the U. B. Church this afternoon at 3 p.m. with the Rev. P. W. Fischer in charge. Burial will be in the U. B. Cemetery.

Vic and Decatur Breeden

©2014, Wendy Mathias.  All rights reserved.

Sepia Saturday Part 2: Pokey Smokey

Sepia Saturday challenges bloggers to share family history through old photographs.

This week’s Sepia Saturday photo prompt shows people preparing to ride a miniature train.  I immediately thought of our beloved local mini, the Pokey Smokey.  However, it doesn't fit with my emphasis on personal family history.  But who can resist that cute train with its iconic whistle?  So I wrote two posts this week.

There is no telling how many photos like the prompt have been taken of Pokey Smokey.

Pokey Smokey is a crowd-pleasing attraction in Portsmouth, Virginia.  It is a scale replica of the 1863 C. P. Huntington steam locomotive, which incidentally was the inspiration for the appearance of “The Little Engine That Could.”  The original was a gift to the City by members of the Jaycees.  A conductor shoveled coal and blew a steam whistle for the 5-minute ride around Portsmouth City Park.  

Pokey Smokey is so well-loved that when the first one was deemed unsafe after 41 years of service, a new one was commissioned.  It runs on gas instead of coal, but the whistle is the same.

The original Pokey Smokey was sold at auction and is now bringing joy to visitors in Carthage, North Carolina, with 900 feet of track, a tunnel, a bridge, and a depot.  

Take a ride vicariously through one of these YouTube videos.  The first shows Pokey Smokey II in Portsmouth.  It’s a short video.  The second is a LONG YouTube video of the original Pokey Smokey in its new home in North Carolina, but you’ll quickly see how Pokey Smokey got its name.  (Frankly, I can’t watch the whole thing – it’s way too long.)

Get your ticket punched and hop aboard the Sepia Saturday train.



©2014, Wendy Mathias.  All rights reserved.

Sepia Saturday: Railroad Men

Sepia Saturday challenges bloggers to share family history through old photographs.

This week’s Sepia Saturday photo prompt shows people preparing to ride a miniature train.  My family’s love affair with trains was anything but “mini.”  In my database, I have over 30 people who worked for the railroad.  They were clerks, machinists, car repairmen, car inspectors, firemen, brakemen, foremen, general laborers, and conductors.  One was even a watchman at the railroad crossing.

In the town of Shenandoah, Virginia, the railroad MADE the town in the early to mid twentieth century. The railroad meant jobs.  My great-grandfather Joseph Calhoun Rucker started as a railroad hostler before 1900 moving train cars from one track to another.  However, most of his working life he was a conductor.

Look at the size of that engine!

Joseph Calhoun Rucker is 4th from the left
conductor on Engine 685 about 1920
scanned from Shenandoah: A History of Our Town and Its People, 1984

My great grand-uncle Decatur Breeden likewise was a conductor for the railroad.

Decatur Breeden
first from the left
scanned from Shenandoah: A History of Our Town and Its People, 1984

Of course, those jobs are to be expected.  What is surprising though is how people benefited from the railroad even though they did not actually work for the railroad.  Some of my family worked with the YMCA, an organization that offered services in many busy railroad centers.

YMCA in Shenandoah,Virginia
built 1907
scanned from Shenandoah: A History of Our Town and Its People, 1984

In Shenandoah: A History of Our Town and Its People is this description of the Railroad YMCA:

Men may feel the weight of life, and even begin to despair of themselves, but the YMCA never does.  It is a strong and never-failing champion of humanity, which has lifted and renewed men by the thousands, and impressed its three-fold principles [body, mind, spirit] by means which have carried the weight where moral persuasion alone might have failed.

My great-grand uncles George Clift and William Sullivan worked for the YMCA.  For a time, Will Sullivan was Assistant Secretary.  More interesting though is that the two ran the restaurant.

If this is a punch card, men got $6.25-worth of food.
scanned from Shenandoah: A History of Our Town and Its People, 1984

George Clift’s two sons Raymond and Leonard worked as waiters and dishwashers at the YMCA when they were young teenagers supplementing their mother's income after divorcing their father.  According to their depositions in the Clift vs Clift case, they worked from 7:00 at night to 7:00 in the morning.  When asked why they were not in public school, they answered that they were attending classes at the YMCA.

Raymond and Leonard Clift

The YMCA records for 1926 report that the Y served 100,000 people in some way; it served 39,294 meals; sleeping rooms were used 13,463 times.

What a bargain!
scanned from Shenandoah: A History of Our Town and Its People, 1984

That's Woody on the back row, far right
scanned from Shenandoah: A History of Our Town and Its People, 1984

Meanwhile back at the station, it wasn't ALL work. The railroad shops had basketball teams and baseball teams that competed with teams from Norfolk to Cincinnati.  My great-uncle Woody Woodring, who worked in the electrical force of the Norfolk & Western Railroad, was a catcher for the Shenandoah shops team.  He went on to play professional baseball in the minor leagues. 

For over half a century, the railroad not only provided a livelihood but also enhanced the social life of the citizens in Shenandoah.  Sadly, the arrival of diesel engines and the affordability of automobile travel spelled the economic doom of the town in the 1950s. 

[Side note – some of you had asked for updates on my garden from a couple Sepias ago.  Click HERE to see new pictures added to the original post.]

Get your ticket punched and hop aboard the Sepia Saturday train.

©2014, Wendy Mathias.  All rights reserved.

Wednesday's Child: Artubine Jollett

Wednesday’s Child is one of the daily blogging prompts at Geneabloggers that features gravestones of children. 

16 Dec 1853 – 27 Oct 1862

Artubine Joseph Jollett was my first cousin 3 times removed.  He was born the first child of my second great grand uncle John Wesley Jollett and his wife Sarah Elizabeth Smith.  He lived his short life along Naked Creek in Page County, Virginia.  He is buried in the Jollett United Methodist Church Cemetery on the hill behind the church. 

©2014, Wendy Mathias.  All rights reserved.