Family Story Matters

  L to R: Brother and his wife - Dad and Ma Dowdy Grandmother in the front - Mel and her son - Mom in back The question continues to plague me: Why did my grandmother uproot her grief-stricken daughter from this tight-knit community and place her with an aunt who lived two hours away? To date, I've looked at the extended family who lived in Boone Prairie, TX at the time of my grandfather's death. Several other family members experienced similar tragedies , and yet they found relatives in close proximity willing to care for the young left behind. Did they reject my mom? That seems doubtful. The family bonds were tight, going back for generations. Yes, perhaps Ma Miles " kicked them out " ... but there were many other relatives who would have opened their doors to an eight-year-old. Did my grandmother reject them?   To date,  I've leaned toward this theory. I think my grandmother wanted a way out of the small-town community. I think she yearned for adventure and i...

  Three weeks ago, I shared the inter-family marriages  of Boone Prairie, Texas -- Mom's childhood home. The image above is my visual interpretation of the 1930 census for those families. It's important to note that in rural communities, the census taker numbered the households in the order in which they were visited. Street addresses were not available in this location at this time. The number in the upper left-hand corner represents the house visitation order. Where possible, I identified the names of Mom's relatives. The blank spaces are unfamiliar names to me (so far). ** It is worth noting that Floyd and Maida Lee (Mom's parents) lived in the same house as his mother and older brother, Ollie. Mom was two years old. My next step is to overlay this census information with geographic location. However, I have yet to find an appropriate map. Until I do, I can only make inferences. I do not know how far apart each dwelling was (in terms of miles), nor do I know if the v...

  I often lose track of time when I research. Last week, I decided to document how I spent fifteen hours on what seemed to be a simple question: Why did my grandmother go to secretarial school in Houston? Actually, that's two questions. I'm not sure why my grandmother chose secretarial school. What other options were available to her? Perhaps I will tackle that issue another time. But I did tackle the question: Why Houston? It seems to me similar training would be offered in areas closer to Robertson County. Baylor University in Waco, TX was about an hour north-west. Texas A&M in College Station was a mere forty-five minutes in the opposite direction. From newspaper articles I've read over the past several months, I know the County Extension Service associated with Texas A&M made frequent visits to the area. This led me to question whether my grandmother knew someone in Houston. If she were starting out on her own in an unfamiliar city and a new profession, she migh...

  Last week I discussed a few inter-family marriages in the small town of Boone Prairie, TX. Specifically, I detailed the various connections between the Dowdys (Mom's maternal side) and the Miles (her paternal side). This weaving together of family groups creates a tight-knit community. Townfolk not only know everyone's business, but they also share in one another's joys and sorrows. This week I will focus on one year in the life of this family, culminating with a particularly harrowing month for the Dowdys. Family Connections I included the above graphic for easy reference. The four Dowdy brothers were born about two years apart. Three of them married within a two-year timespan. Certainly cause for much celebration. John Dowdy married Laura Jane Miles  (Mom's great aunt) in 1896  Charles Claude  Dowdy  married Eddie Carter in 1905 Robert Lee Dowdy married Mary Faye Crane (Mom's maternal grandparents) in 1906  Adam Dowdy married Beulah Starr Simmons ...