Tombstone Tuesday: Elizabeth Marie Schwalls Lee

Walford B. Lee and

Elizabeth Marie Schwalls Lee

They are buried at Westover Memorial Park in Augusta, Georgia.

(An interesting side note:  The nice gentlemen who looked up the grave's location 

for me said that Walford paid $395 for this plot in 1960.  

I asked if it costs 10 times that much today.  

He said "Almost!":  $1,700 each = $3,400!!)

She was my 2nd cousin, 1x removed.

She was the child of George Payton Schwalls and Gladys Marie Johnson.

George was the child of Charlie Milton Schwalls and Elizabeth Jane Wheeler.

Charlie Milton was the brother of my maternal great-grandmother, Mattie Schwalls Tapley.

Charlie Milton and Mattie were the children of my ever elusive George W. Schwalls.

I went to Augusta to see my mother today and we managed to visit three cemeteries to locate graves of relatives.  Elizabeth and Walford's was one of them.

Amanuensis Monday: Listing of children

My cousin had this list of our great-grandparents' children and allowed me to scan it.  We do not know who wrote the list; it appears to have been written by two different people - the top part in ink and the latter section in pencil.  Did our great-grandmother, Rebecca Page Tapley start the list?  Did she finish it much later?  Did someone else finish it?  We will never know the answers; all we do know is it lists Rebeeca's and James (Jim) Madison Tapley's children.

The original is in terrible shape after probably 75-100 years:

    F.M. Tapley was born in the year 1867 
on the 7th day of April
    J. L. Tapley was born in the year 1868
on the 18th day of July
    L.K. Tapley was born in the year 1870
on the 31st day of March
    E.L. Tapley was born in the year 1873
on the 12th day of February 
    M.G.T. Tapley was born in the year 1875
on the 10th day of March
    G.W. Sentell Tapley was born in the year 1876
on the 5th day of July
    Bennett Olin Tapley was born in the year 1878
on the 10th day of April
    Solomon Tapley was born in the year 1881
on the 5th day of March
    Mary Magdalene Tapley was born in the year 
                                                              1885-1886 on the 12th day of February
                                                                 
    Mary Magdalean Tapley was born in the 
year one thousand 
eight hundred and eighty-five on the 12th 
and died on the 23nd of February 1885 age 
eleven days
    Vianna Bell Tapley was born in the 
year 1886 on Oct the 4th
    Bascomb Tapley was born in
the year 1888 August the 3rd day

There are a few differences in this list and what I had in my records, i.e., the year of birth for Mary Magdalene and the spelling of Bascom's name.  So many questions I will never have the precise answers to.

Sunday's Obituary: Luther Boardman Ranney

Luther Boardman Ranney

Born March 11, 1870

Died October 9, 1943

My maternal great grandfather

His daughter, Ethel (Ranney) Tapley, was my grandmother.

I do not know in what newspaper this obituary was published; I found

the clipping in some paperwork and it was undated with no citation.

Grandma's Diary, Part 4

(You can read prior entries from my grandmother's 1933 diary here:  Part 1, Part 2 and Part 3.)

Key:   The writer is Ethel Ranney Tapley.
          Alice is her sister.
          H = her boyfriend, Hazel Avery Plumlee
          Otho is Otho Hesser, her father's cousin.
          Viella is Otho's wife.
          Uncle Jont is Jonathan Hesser, Otho's father and her father's uncle.

Sun., January 29, 1933:  "We stayed up all night.  Lucile & I towed Clints car home it had a broken piston.  We slept awhile & came to Yucaipa & went for a ride.  I stayed all night with Lucile."

Mon., January 30, 1933:  "Lucile & I got up about 10:30 am.  We got Dorothy Pence & went to town.  Mrs. Pences sister Ruth came yesterday to stay awhile.  I came home with Alice on the bus."

Tues., January 31, 1933:  "Laura, Ester & Mrs. Basinger came up.  I went to (Yucaipa) Redlands & got Viella.  The car leaked a stream of oil.  H. came over & fixed it."

Wed., February 1, 1933:  "H. came over in the morning.  He took me to church about 12:30.  I worked with Mrs. Houston & Mrs. Bowman.  Lucile & Ruth came to see me for a little while."

Thurs., February 2, 1933:  "Mr. Kemp came in the morning.  We went over to Hessers & took their scales back.  H. came over & we went to Plumlees & Trowbridges."

Fri., February 3, 1933:  "I made a 3 layer cocoanut cake.  H. came over & I went to Yucaipa with him.  Mama is starting a crazy quilt."

Sat., February 4, 1933:  "We went to Mentone & got some peanuts.  Took Spottie along & he got sick.  H. came over, stayed for supper & we visited McDonalds."

Such a simpler time!

52 Weeks of Personal History & Genealogy, Week 5: Favorite Food

What was your favorite food from childhood? If it was homemade, who made it? What was in this dish, and why was it your favorite? What is your favorite dish now?

When I was growing up, the only time we ate out was when we were on vacation.  My mother worked full-time and came home EVERY SINGLE NIGHT and cooked dinner.  So naturally, she had to use some shortcuts in her cooking, but since that is what I grew up with, that is what I know and love.  For instance, Mom didn't make spaghetti sauce from scratch... she used Ragu spaghetti sauce in a jar probably from the time it was invented!  I still use it to this day, and homemade spaghetti sauce is just not as good to me.  My mother is a good cook.  She doesn't cook much anymore, but when she does, "she's still got it!"  Some of my favorites from childhood?

* Chicken and dumplings.  The ultimate comfort food to me.  Mom didn't roll out her own dumplings; she used Mueller's pre-packaged dumplings, which were very similar to regular egg noodles - just wider.  To this day, I do not care for homemade dumplings... too "dough-y" to me.  I love Mom's chicken and dumplings.  I can remember being an adult and having my wisdom teeth out and my mom coming over and cooking a pot of chicken & dumplings for me.  I was in my 30's before I ever attempted to cook them myself.  They still are not as good as Mom's, but they will do when I need some comfort food.

* Fried chicken.  Yum.  Nothing I need to say about this - you know what I'm talking about!

* Sausage balls.  Mom started making these for Christmas sometime when I was a teenager, I think.  They are still a favorite, and she just made me some this past Christmas!

* Banana pudding.  Still my favorite dessert. 

There is no discussion about food in my family without mentioning our lifelong friend, Colene.  I have eaten some of the best meals of my life at her table in South Carolina.  She makes some of the best cornbread in the world.

We can thank my father for my love of McDonald's.  Sometimes, while Mom was at work, he'd take to lunch there.  I think I cut some teeth there!  He loved to tell the story of how, when I was little, I would sidle up to him in the cab of the pickup truck and say "My froat (throat) is thirsty" meaning I wanted to get something to drink at McDonald's.  I can remember it being a rite of passage when I graduated from eating a little hamburger to a Quarter Pounder!  

What are my favorites now?  Well, I still love all of the above, of course.  I still have not attempted fried chicken or sausage balls, and I just made my first banana pudding (under Mom's watchful eye) this past Thanksgiving.  I know, I know.  My only excuse is that I do not want to be disappointed when they are not as good as hers, because I know they won't be. 

And anyone who knows my mother is screaming at their computer screen right now while reading this because I have not mentioned her CORNBREAD.  My mother's cornbread is every bit as good as Colene's - it's just different.  My mother makes magic out of corn meal, self-rising flour, and water.  That's it.  Oh, and a cast iron skillet.  People ask her for the recipe... there isn't one.  It's so simple and yet so complicated at the same time.  I don't think I appreciated her cornbread when I was growing up, but it is definitely a favorite now.  I have cooked it... and as expected, mine is not as good.  Alas, I don't have a cast iron skillet and can't use one on my smooth top stove.  

I have also loved fried turkey since it was "invented."  It is now our only way to prepare a turkey for the holidays.  My husband is the best turkey fryer I know.  He has to slap my hand away as he's carving!   Mmmm, just look at that golden bird!

I don't cook much at all.  I don't enjoy it.  So my favorites tend to be from restaurants, like Mexican food, hot wings, or McDonald's french fries. I would run over small children and old ladies to get to a bag of potato chips.  For that matter, I have never met a potato I didn't like. 

Disclaimers:  (1) I actually can cook and am a pretty good cook, but don't tell anyone cause then people would expect me to do it! and
(2) All those wonderful foods I mentioned are now casualties of getting older and must be taken in moderation.

Wordless Wednesday: Do you know this person?

Several years ago, my father found among his belongings a suitcase that belonged to his mother, Nealie Drake Tapley.  In that suitcase were many wonderful finds, however, there were also 21 pictures that neither my parents nor I know who they are.  So I scanned them at ScanFest on Sunday and thought I would share one a week here on Wordless Wednesday to see if someone who reads this blog might recognize anyone in the photos.

The first picture I am going to share appears to be a young woman dressed like the 1950's-1960's.  

UPDATE:  My mother called when she saw this post and told me exactly who this is.  It is a (living) cousin. The picture was more than likely taken in Macon, Georgia.  One picture down, 20 to go!  Thanks, Mom!
 

Tombstone Tuesday: Irene Tapley Thomas

Irene Tapley Thomas

(interesting note - She did not have a middle name.)

DOB July 25, 1925

DOD April 15, 2004

buried at

Rowland Cemetery

near Chester in Dodge County, Georgia

It was a beautiful day here in Georgia on Saturday, so we took a road trip down to Dodge County to find my Aunt Irene's grave.  She was my father's sister.  We went right to it even though it a long way out in the country - almost an hour south of Macon.  I can't image driving in a funeral possession that far!  It's a beautiful little cemetery, with many unmarked graves.  

To demonstrate just how far out in the country it is, here is a picture of the street signs for the nearest crossroads.

East Chicken Rd - LOL.  You've got to love it!