Loveletter to Mom

Dear Mom...
I never quite understood when you used to tell me how much you missed picking up the phone and talking to your Mom.  I wasn't able to understand because you can't understand until the day you lose your Mom.  It doesn't matter how old you are, the loss is always there.

I like to say that your Mom is always with you in your mind and your heart.  My mind remembers all of the nights playing your version of gin rummy until Dad came home from working graveyard.  Your special type of humor showing up while you talked on the CB radio or with your close friends.  I remember watching you play out in the yard until you almost collapsed with exhaustion only to get up the next day and do the same thing.  It was something else to watch you with that first computer and those that followed.  You taught yourself word processing, spreadsheets, databases and publishing. My mind still sees you sitting at the piano playing and singing song after song with the door open.  People walking along the road used to stop and listen.  I can still see you singing and filling up the church with your voice.  I can hear your laughter and jokes and even your irritation.  Anything that you did, you did it to the best of your ability.  You lived your life with passion, humor and love for your family.  There are a lifetime of memories that play in my head. They are wonderful gifts for our family to always treasure.


I miss laying my head down on your chest and feeling your arms around me.  You left a permanent impression on so many lives from your family to friends.  So many have a story to tell about something you said or did.  So, I hope that you are enjoying your Mother's day this weekend with all the women that meant so much to you during your lifetime.  I sure miss them all...but most of all, I miss you!     Happy Mother's Day!

Grandpa Frank & Old Cars

During the past year, I have been working on getting some of my grandmother's negatives scanned.  Many of them were from the 1930's and 40's.  There are many great familiar photos but much better quality.    There are two pictures of Grandpa Frank in an old car.  One is the familiar one of ol' 77 and the other one much earlier.

Sometimes I think that cars become a character in our own history.  My Dad can probably tell you every car he has ever had...come to think of if, so can I.  However, I don't have quite as varied of a history.  One of the best finds in my grandmother's negatives was an old picture that I suspect was taken about 1930.  Dad remembers his father telling him that he worked delivering coal for quite a while.  I believe that the other individual in the photo is a cousin.  Someone else would have to tell my the vintage of the car.  Even my Dad isn't sure.  My Grandpa Frank is in the driver's seat and I am sure that this was taken in Dunn Center, ND

It was a series of happy circumstances that my Grandpa ended up on Hatter Creek.  He was in the CCC's (Civilian Conservation Corps) and traveled from North Dakota to Arkansas with a side trip to New Orleans.  Grandpa ended up coming up north with a friend.  Went out on a double date with his friend and Grandpa ended up with his friend's date, my grandmother.  (No hard feels as they remained friends)  My grandmother was the oldest daughter in a family that was shortly going to be 10.  On the night her youngest brother was born (4 July 1939) - my grandparents got engaged.  As the story goes, Grandma's younger brother, John Bernard Gage (known to family as Bun) fixed up a car to race in the Tin Lizzy Derby in Lewiston, ID.  However, he wasn't old enough to drive the car yet as he was not 18 as yet.  So, he convinced his sister's fiance to race his car.  It is probably one of my favorite pictures of my grandfather.   I love the phone and the one below was also taken by my grandmother in August of 1939. 

My grandparents married a few months later in October.  They began their young married life driving across Montana to my Grandfather's home in Dunn Center,ND.  As my Dad tells the story, the 1927 Chevy through a rod and Grandpa had to try to put it back together out in the middle of nowhere.  

I love this photo of the younger couple...probably just married and getting ready to start their life together.  They had 35 years together and shared five children and 18 grandchildren.  Grandpa died at the age of 60 and Grandma survived him by another 35 years. 

Pizza and Beans

Aunt Pauline and Uncle Allen were favorites of mine since I was a child.  Pauline was my grandmother's younger sister and Allen was her husband.  I can still picture Pauline zipping about and Allen with his shirt unbuttoned with a beer in a beer cozy in his hand.  They were fun and there was always a smart ass comment.  There were a few times when I remember Pauline and Allen staying with us at our house.  They would stop by in their trailer and other than a nap or two, we were altogether visiting.  What wonderful memories!

Pauline had a way of looking at you and listening to you that made you feel as if you were one of the most important people in her life.  I haven't seen that talent in that many people but I have in my grandmother and her sisters...and I suspect that they got it from their mother.  Pauline made me feel special and important.  I think she did that for just about everyone.  I found it funny and endearing that just about every card I ever received always had a wonderful note in it which included what the current weather was in Waldport, OR where she lived.  They were lovely newsy notes that always made me smile. 

Allen was a big bear of a man with wonderful hugs and a twinkle in his eye.  I knew as a child that he had a bad back because my parents told me, but it wasn't something that he ever told me much about.  Allen was always good for a story and he was always teasing me.  I used to think that we had something special because we had the same birthday.  I can remember time and time again that I found myself sitting next to Allen to hear what he would say next.  I learned a lot of family stories at his side!

I think I must have been about 19 and it was the first trip that I drove to Canby, OR to spend spring break with my grandmother and great grandparents.  I started out my trip getting lost in Portland, OR because I took a wrong turn.  I ended up in a not so nice area :)  I got myself turned around and made it to Canby.  I spent a few days there and then decided to go down to see Aunt Pauline and Uncle Allen at Waldport, OR.  I was excited to go and see the ocean and have some wonderful seafood.  After another adventure in driving (this was my first long road trip), I made it to Aunt Pauline and Uncle Allen's.  After the initial greeting, Aunt Pauline was excited to show me her home town.  I changed out of my new tennis shoes and we began by walking around on the beach and then walking through town.  I learned at that point, that I wasn't the only person that Pauline made feel special.  Pauline was known and affectionately greeted by everyone.  What a wonderful special day that I spent with her.  I have never forgotten it!

When we got home, Pauline promised me a special treat.  I am not sure we were on the same page, because I was hoping for seafood.  Instead, Pauline brought out a frozen pepperoni pizza.  I was a freshman in college and my tastes had been elevated to Domino's and pizza delivery.  As we sat down to eat, Pauline took a pot off the stove of Allen's favorite beans.  Then I saw Allen grab a spoonful of those beans and place them on his pizza.  I can honestly say that I have never seen that before or since. 

We lost Allen back in 2001 and we lost Pauline on Jan 24, 2020 at the age of 94.  I suppose that I will aways think of that trip to Allen and Pauline's and remember the fun and enthusiasm of Pauline and the twinkle and teasing of Allen's.  Whenever I see the ocean, I remember walking on the beach with Pauline....and whenever I see a pot of beans - Allen definitely comes to mind.  I have missed Allen for the last 20 years and will miss Pauline terribly.  I can't help thinking of how lucky I have been to have known and loved these two wonderful people who always made me feel special.  I hope they knew how special and they were loved by me and everyone else who knew them!
 

My Aunt Anne!

Sometimes I think that it takes losing someone you love to remember how lucky you are to have had them.  I have always known that I was fortunate, but I am reminded because we lost my Aunt Anne this past week.  She is free from her pain and reunited with all those she loved – but I am sure going to miss her.

Anne - 1944

My Dad was the oldest of 5 and the only boy with 4 sisters.  Dad had an especially close relationship with oldest two of his sisters and I am sure it was a combative one at times.  He used to say that his day was shot if he didn’t make Anne cry before school.  I am not sure if it was Anne or Shirley who put the scissors through his hand…but I am fairly sure that he deserved it.

House in ND where Anne was born

 Dad was born in a hospital in Dickinson, ND in 1940 but both Shirley and Anne were born in the little house that their family lived in back in Dunn Center, ND by the local midwife, Mrs. Bell.  Anne always found it ironic that she married man with the last name of Bell and she was delivered by a midwife with the name of Minnie Bell. Grandma Marian either got fed up or was so homesick (maybe both) that she came back to Idaho on a train in February 1943 with a colicky baby (Anne) and two toddlers aged three and two.  Her father picked her up and brought her down to her folks place on Hatter Creek, ID.  There at the bottom of the road were my grandmother’s two younger brothers waiting with a sled to cart those little ones up to the Loggie (It was a log cabin and the snow was too deep for the car to make it).  It was there that my great grandmother finally got her hands on her three oldest grandchildren whom she had not yet seen in person.  This is a story that Anne and I talked about quite often.  Obviously, she didn’t remember the being placed in her grandmother’s arms that first time but I know she thought about it when she was able to hold her grandchildren for the first time. 

Loggie where the Gage family lived on Hatter Creek, 

Anne spent part of her early years on Hatter Creek in the old schoolhouse that her parents bought.  They lived there until she was about nine years old when they moved up to the Mountain Home area north of Freeze Cemetery near Potlatch, ID.  In Anne’s mind, she had an idyllic childhood.  Anne, Shirley and Dad (Gene) spent their childhood climbing trees, playing together and having a wonderful time.  They were each other’s playmates and while their parents never really had any money, they never thought of themselves as poor.  Although the next two sisters were relatively close in age, I don’t think they ever shared the same memories or perhaps the same joyful childhood.  By the time they were older, Grandma had a job and wasn’t at home as much…so there wasn’t the same carefree childhood for them.

Anne & Bill

I am not sure if Bill chased Anne or allowed himself to be caught.  He was her devoted boyfriend much to my father’s chagrin.  Bill was a year older than Dad…and perhaps Dad wasn’t quite ready to see his little sister go out with an older guy.  Bill and Anne always pushed the limits of her curfew and there was many a time that they spent so much time staying goodbye on the porch that Dad had to get up and dig Bill’s car out of the driveway because he had gotten stuck because of the snow or mud.  There was even a time when the two lovebirds were showered with snow – they didn’t know until years later that Dad helped it along.  After all it was too cold to walk out to the outhouse!

Anne & Bill's Wedding

My grandparents allowed Anne & Bill to get married when she was 15 – Grandma said that she knew if she didn’t then Anne would have presented her a grandchild in short order.  So in June 1958, Anne and Bill were married at St Mary’s church in Potlatch, ID and just over a year later that first grandchild arrived (Billy) then the following year, Rod, and the next year Kenny.  She took 1962 off and then had Alan in 1963 and Ronny in 1964.  Anne loved nothing more than being a mother and a wife. 

Anne & Bill's boys about 1965

Bill, Rod, Kenny, Ronny - 2008

She adored her husband’s parents and treated them with the same love and affection as she did her own parents.  Bill was an only child and his parents embraced Anne as a beloved daughter and they adored their grandsons.  Anne always wanted a little girl – but she wouldn’t have traded her boys for anything in the world.  Life couldn’t remain that idyllic for long.  In 1982, when the boys were all home celebrating their parents and grandparents wedding anniversary, a fire swept through the house.  The only one who didn’t make it out of the house was Alan.  Bill almost destroyed  himself trying to get in the house and get him out but to no avail.  Alan died of smoke inhalation.    I am not sure that was a loss that Anne and Bill ever recovered from.  I know that Anne told me on many occasions that you never get over it, you just learn to live with it.  Anne also had to be the rock for Bill and her boys – they remained the center of her life.  Nothing was ever more important to her than her family.

Bell Family - 2000 - Grandma Marian's 80th Birthday

Anne never had that girl she always wanted.  She did try to live a little vicariously with her nieces.  I am sure all of us have memories of her wanting to play with our hair while we wanted to be out playing with the boys.  I think Anne got her own back though…out of the twelve  grandchildren, eight of them are girls.  You can tell that Anne has left her stamp on all of them because I can see bits of her in every one of them. 

Bell Family 2012

As I sit here and think about Anne…there are a wealth of memories to sift through.  Anne has always been a part of my life.  I was always close to her…but we became especially close during my college years to the present.  I loved to go over and visit her at the cafeteria at the University of Idaho where she worked as a cook.  There were many family reunions that included picnics, weddings and funerals where Anne and Bill were always there.  I don’t think Anne and Bill missed one family gathering if they could help it.  When Mom and I got involved in genealogy, Anne became our compadre.  We spent many hours discussing and analyzing anything and everything that we found. Mom, Dad, Anne & Bill as well as their  granddaughter Angela, my niece Ashlie traveled back to North Dakota in 1999 or so.  We hit some of the important spots along the way like Yellowstone, Devil’s Tower and Mount Rushmore, but our real goal was to meet some cousins in Washburn, ND and see if we could figure out where Grandma was buried.   I will never forget our adventures.  I can still picture Bill walking his granddaughter’s cat on a leash.  In my mind’s eye, I can see  our cousin Sheryll, my Mom, Betty, and Anne sitting in the living room pouring through pictures.

Then my grandmother joined our little group (she moved to Idaho in 2001).  There were untold hours spent on family stories and family histories.  Unlike many families, we spent a lot of time talking about what our family had experienced during the last several hundred years.  Anne always figured that I had our family figured out so she was working on figuring out what she could about Bill’s family.  We never stopped our family search.  We shared our frustrations and triumphs.  We also shared our sorrows when my Mom died in 2005, Grandma Marian in 2011, her Bill a few months later in 2012  and Shirley in 2015.Perhaps the hardest cross she had to bear was the loss of her beloved Kenny this past January.  No one should ever have to face the loss of child and Anne had lost two of them.  The last time Anne and I had time alone we talked about her facing death.  As expected, she was rather matter of fact about it.  Anne liked to say that she slept with two angels every night, Bill at the head of her bed and Alan at the foot.  She smiled and said that Kenny had squeezed in there.  Anne’s pain is over and now she is reunited with her angels and all those that she has loved and missed.  If I know Anne, after she has greeted everyone – she has some questions and she will finally be where she will get her answers.  Next time I find something interesting…I will have to wonder if Anne found something out and is letting me know.  Just wish it was in person. 

Frank with Gene, Shirley & Anne in front

Here are some pictures of Anne with her siblings!

Mother's day 2011 - Left to right - Fran, Anne, Marian, Gene, MaryKay & Shirley

Left to Right - Shirley, Fran, Marian, Gene, MaryKay & Anne - 1975

MaryKay, Anne, Fran & Shirley

This is a particular favorite of mine.  You can see the pride in all of their faces.  

Anne with son, Kenny, granddaughter Rikki, grandson Brayden and mother Marian

 

Goodbye Uncle Orland!

Orland with Marian - abt 1920

We lost Uncle Orland last week.  Ever since I have been trying to verbalize my thoughts.  Orland lived a long and full life and at a 100 years age had experienced much of what life has to offer.  We were unusually close, partly because he was my godfather and my parents always had a close relationship.  We became closer when Orland started using a computer because I was his tech support…it has been a few years since I got a phone call and heard his voice saying “Carm, I got a problem!

Back Left:  Don, Duane, Byron, Pauline, Marian, Orland, Bernard
Front Left:  Norma, Florence, Ora & Elaine - 65th Wedding Anniversary of Florence & Ora - 1983

Orland was the oldest of ten children.  You might say that he took that role seriously as being the oldest brother and son to my great grandparents.  He was born in Mapleton, IA and lived there on the family farm until he was 14 years old.  Orland spent a lot of time working with his grandfather (George Christian Shawver) as well as his own father.  That time was precious to Orland and those memories were some he treasured his entire life. 

My Baptism - 1967 - Orland & Patti

My close connection with Orland goes back to my baptism.  Orland and his daughter Patti were my godparents.  I always received cards and gifts from Orland and Patti and they have been both been a treasured part of my life.  In the late 90’s Orland discovered the computer and utilized both my Mom and I as tech support.  I spent many hours with him showing him how to scan photos, work with Excel, use Word and anything else that came to mind.  In fact, I spent a lot of time with both Orland and my grandmother, Marian doing the same type of activities.  When I hear someone tell me that they are too old to work with computers, I know better because Orland and Grandma proved otherwise.  I also heard a lot of stories about his childhood and life.  There were many times during my research that I have had a question and was able to ask both Orland and my grandmother for information.  After my grandmother moved back to Idaho in 2001, it was so much fun to listen to the two of them visit and squabble like the siblings they were.  Mom and I even had to make arrangements when we were both gone on a vacation in 2004.  We told Orland that if he had an issue, he was to call my brother.  We also warned my brother that a call might be coming.  Sure enough, Orland had to call Bub…I remember seeing my nephew chatting with someone on the computer when he was about 10.  I found out that it was Orland.  Alex complained that his typing was really slow and I told him to give him a break – the last time he had a typing class was probably when graduated from high school in 1939.

I have been so lucky to have had a very close relationship with my great uncle.  We became friends as well as family.  I was so lucky to hear many stories that I am sure that I will use in my blogs to come.  I am going to do my best not to mourn his loss.  He lived a long and healthy life full of friends and family.  Orland was fortunate to grow up in a very close family that remained close until his passing last week.  I know that he had a tremendous amount of respect for his parents.  Orland like to tell the story that after his father died at 98 years of age, there was an unopened package of underwear in his drawer that his mother gave him.  Orland took them home and put them in his drawer unopened.  He said that “he still wasn’t man enough to wear his father’s underwear!”  When Orland came home from World War II or Korea (I don’t remember which one)  he bought his mother a rose.  That rose was moved every time my great grandparents moved which was several times.  After they passed, Orland moved the rose to his yard in a place of honor.  The last time I visited with Orland for any period of time was at his 100^th birthday party.  I showed him some pictures from negatives that included a photo of his parents.  Orland had the sweetest smile on his face, remembering his parents.

Orland's 100th birthday - Carmen & Eugene Johnson
pictured with Orland - 2018

So our family and his friends are going to say goodbye to Orland in a few days.  Some won’t be able to be there but everyone will miss him at the family reunions and all the other family occasions that we have had through the years.  When you look at his lifespan it is pretty remarkable.  Orland’s parents were born in the 1890’s, grandparents in the 1850’s and 1860’s and he knew his great grandmother who was born in 1844.  Orland was born in 1918 and he had several great, great, great nieces and nephews and some of them are old enough to remember him.  He leaves behind his daughter and grandchildren and a whole lot more whose lives he touched in so many ways.  Orland was the last living World War II veteran in our family and truly was a member of the “Greatest Generation!”  

Orland with brothers Duane (left) & Byron (right) at National Guard Reunion

Orland holding Patti and Eileen & Mike - 1949

Bernard & Orland - Returning from WWII

The Brother I Never Wanted

I have had an argument with my cousin, Kenny for about 30 years.  He made a beautiful dollhouse for his daughter.  It was constructed piece by piece by Kenny’s patient hands.  It was an incredibly detailed Victorian themed house with a beautiful turret in the corner.  According to Kenny – that was a tower because a turret was something that came out of tank.  I told Kenny that it was called a turret when it was cone shaped feature  on a Victorian house.  Kenny told me to “Go lay down by my dish!”  Only Kenny could get away with saying something so insulting and making it sound almost like an endearment.

The 5 Bell Boys - Billy, Rodney, Kenny, Alan & Ron

I am sure that I was a "pain in the ass" younger cousin.  I can remember going up to my Aunt Anne and Uncle Bill's place and being stuck inside while my Aunt played with an actual female child.  I really can't blame her - she was likely in testosterone "hell!"  The only thing female oriented in the that house other than Anne was the doll on her bed that she had hoped to give to a daughter.  Anne tried 5 times (maybe not on purpose), and ended up with five boys in 6 years.  There were wonderful memories of sledding down the hillside by their home in Potlatch, ID.

Kenny was my parent's godson.  His mischievous nature, twinkling eyes, charming personality and humor especially endeared him to my mother.  He held a special spot in my Mom's heart.  In the late 1980's, Kenny worked a few summers doing yard work for my folks.  It was at that time that Kenny and I learned a few things about each other.  Kenny told me that he always felt a little sorry for me because he thought I was picked on.  I thought of him as yet another male cousin.  Kenny then informed me that after watching me in action, he was pretty sure I wasn't picked on and that I gave as good as I got.  He then decided that I was the sister he never wanted.  I was more than happy to provide Kenny with some feedback on some of his idiotic male notions.  It was good-natured on both sides and always remained so.  A few years later, Kenny decided that he was going to go to college.  By that point, I was a Senior at the University of Idaho and Kenny was an incoming Freshman.  You might say it was a reversal of circumstances...I was the Senior at the University of Idaho and he was the incoming Freshman.  Kenny was going through registration and he was still there when I showed up 2 hours later.  My registration process took 10 minutes...as a Freshman, his was much more complicated.  I helped him through and we left several minutes later.  Kenny showed up to my apartment many times during the following months.  He might have been helping me with something, or I was helping him.  I cooked more than a few meals for him and he did several jobs fixing one thing or another.  I conned him into going to see "Les Miserables" with me.  Broadway musicals really weren't his thing...he was was much more fond of 70's rock.

It seemed that almost every time we saw each other at family reunions or gatherings during the next few decades we renewed our argument about the turret or tower.  There was also a lot of hugs, joking and conversation.  There were also more than a few phone calls that lasted over an hour.  Both of us reminiscing about the past and talking about our families.  We had that cousinly bond…but it was much more.  I always got off the phone reminded at how deeply Kenny loved his wife, his children and grandchildren.  The bond with his brothers was always there as well as that with his nieces and nephews.  

Johnson's at Dad's 50th birthday - 1990

Tommy, David, Kenny & KC - Cousins

Kenny with Chris Johnson

Left to Right - Billy, Rod, Kenny & Ron

When my mother died, one of the first phone calls I got was from Kenny.  I can’t remember exactly…but I think he couldn’t make it to the service.  It just about broke his heart because he adored my Mom – and it was definitely reciprocated.  I remember seeing Kenny during the next several years and he was almost always taking care of someone.  Sometimes it was his Dad or Mom or our Grandmother.  Despite Kenny being such a jokester, he had a caring heart and he used humor to offset tension.  There is no question that at times, it was inappropriate…but there was an expression used in our family – “it was just Kenny!”  When Kenny’s Dad died, he asked me to read something for he and his brothers.  He knew that he was asking me to do something that would be hard for me to do – but he asked me because he trusted me to do it the way he wanted. 

Kenny passed away on Sunday, January 6.  When I heard the news from his mother, I had to sit there for a while with tears rolling down my face.  I was never going to get that big bear hug again or hear his teasing.  Kenny left a wonderful legacy!  There is not one person who will ever forget him who knew him.  His brothers will always tell stories about the trouble they got into…his nieces and nephews will always have a story about something stupid that Kenny taught them to do.  Kenny leaves behind a loving wife and adoring children and grandchildren, a mother and brothers and their families who will do their best to continue to keep Kenny present.  There is also is his extended family.  We have been blessed with a large family, but it is so hard to lose someone who was so beloved.  For as long as anyone is alive who knew Kenny – there will be a funny story and knowing Kenny that is exactly what he would have wanted. 

Martha Pennington Gilley Family

A census record is snapshot in a moment in time. My experience has taught me that sometimes we pay too much attention a detail and sometimes not enough. I was doing a bit of "wandering" in my database and took a closer look at Martha Pennington. She was the youngest daughter of Levi Pennington and Elizabeth Henson. Martha was born on 29 Mar 1843 in Hemlock, Ashe Co., NC and died on 21 Dec 1926 in Eldreth, Ashe Co., NC. She married a widower, Marshall Gilley on 21 Mar 1872. These are the basic dates of her life...but if you look a little closer, there is some interesting things to consider.

Martha is the youngest of the 13 children of Levi Pennington and Elizabeth Henson. Everything looks pretty normal in the 1860 census. Martha is the only child still in the household with her parents and his recorded as a 18 year old. It is the the 1870 census where questions arise. Martha is recorded with her parents as his her brother, Daniel Pennington (Levi Daniel Pennington). However, there are two children also recorded - William Pennington as a 6 year old and Mary as 4 year old. You find in the the same two children in the 1880 census recorded with Marshall Gilley with the surname of Gilley.

I would love to say that I knew this the whole time. I think I heard or knew about it when I first started looking more seriously at the census records. However, I didn't really go back and look at it more closely. Like most people, I don't really think about women of that area having children outside of marriage that seriously. Marshall married a Lucy Denny on 9 Oct 1866. I haven't been able to locate Marshall in the 1870 census and my supposition is that Lucy likely died sometime before 1872, as that is when Marshall and Martha Pennington get married.

Marshall was born Apr 1835 to Francis Gilley and Dorcas Jones and died sometime between 1910 and 1920. Marshall was of an age to fight in the Civil War and like most in his area, he fought for the Confederacy. Marshall enlisted in Company 2nd B, North Carolina 32nd Infantry Regiment on 13 Mar 1864 as a Private. He also turns up on the list as a prisoner of war in Elmira prison in NY. So, if I look closely at the dates, Marshall likely left Martha Pennington pregnant before he went off to war (William) and perhaps when he arrived home (Mary or Mollie). So we are left to consider if Marshall is the father of Martha's children. They are listed as his children in the 1880 census. Since, we don't have access to the 1890 census, we are left with more questions than answers. According to census records, Marshall and Martha had the following children:

• William Pennington/Gilley b. 1864 d. aft 1920 
• Mary/Mollie Pennington/Gilley b. 1867 d ? 
• Wilson Gilley 1 Jun 1873 d. 28 Dec 1936 m. Ollie Jane Osborne m. Nora Amanda Shaw 
• Amanda Elizabeth Gilley b. 4 Aug 1876 d. 6 Jan 1968 m. Winfield Kelly Harris 
• Olive Gilley b. 1876 d. 1879 (of a fall according to mortality schedule) 
• Adah Gilley b. 1883 d. ? 

Here is why I am still a bit uncertain as to the names. The oldest son, William stays with the name of Pennington and is recorded as getting married to Mary Caroline Derham 27 Aug 1884. In the 1900 census, Mary is recorded with her maiden name and several children and William is recorded with his mother. Mary is recorded in the 1910 census and divorced and widowed in the 1920 census. William is listed as married in 1910 and widowed in 1920. Only one of the children lists William Pennington as her father in the records. It is also interesting to note that one of those children died in 1916 of tuberculosis. The father's name is listed as unknown and he is listed as white in the death record but "colored" or black on the burial record. Makes me wonder if there was something else going on. William stayed in Ashe Co., NC and is the informant on his mother's death record. I don't find him in the 1930 census, so I assume that he probably passed away.

It seems that every few years you can learn a little more with the additional records that seem to be added. I suppose the only way we will ever know if William and Mary are Marshall's children is if it shows up in DNA records. It would be lovely if you could answer all the questions instead of finding more mysteries. I suppose that is why I enjoy genealogy so much, there is always more to the story and you are unlikely to ever discover the full story.