Roy Long and Vivian Maupin: early 1900's

Roy and Vivian—

While attending a writing class at church, someone in the class had begun writing her family history with a story of how her grandparents met.  As almost the eldest in my family, I thought I’d better write more of my family stories also.

Grandpa Roy grew up in a Baptist farm family of 12 children outside of DeSoto  MO near Big River. His mother was the daughter of a German miner and his father was from a Jefferson County Mo. family that had been farming and mining there before statehood. Any schooling Grandpa had would have been in a one room country school.He was raised with hard work and chores, but  Roy broke  away from the family traditions of farming or mining  to work at Missouri Pacific Railroad shop in De Soto, MO as a welder/boilermaker.   He was tall with blond good looks and based on notes, postcards, and photos that he saved, he was well loved by the ladies in the area.

  

Grandma Vivian grew up in a Methodist-Episcopal family with 7 children in a large Victorian home in DeSoto Mo.  Her mother’s family was from England and my aunt remembers tea parties and lace-curtain- elegance.  Grandma was raised in a more privileged family that was also more fun-loving.  During the Depression, an uncle gave all of the girls in the family violins and the boys each got a dime to buy ice cream with.  My dad often told stories of riding in the rumble seat of his grandfather’s Packard. Vivian’s father was the foreman of the Missouri Pacific roundhouse and the family travelled often by train to St. Louis for shopping and to Kansas City and Texas where family lived. She was one of those women whose personality and kindness sparkled in her eyes.

I don’t know how they met—the only common thread was Roy worked in the Missouri-Pacific shops and Vivan’s father was the foreman of the  Missouri-Pacific roundhouse in the same small town of De Soto, Missouri..  Grandpa had turned many a female head, and Grandma was a small town aristocrat. . .  and the boss’s daughter.  I have no letters and no photos of them at this time.  World War I was looming.

Roy enlisted in the Army Air Corps, not realizing that Vivian was pregnant with dad (LeRoy). LeRoy Harold Long  was born Aug. 1918 while Grandpa was in France. While I do have post cards Roy sent his parents, there is no indication that he had become a father.  The post cards are letting his parents know that he had landed in New York and would be home soon.

And Vivian?  I have one photo of her at this time, standing in a large circle — she appears to be pregnant. So, she wasn’t sent away or locked in her room.  Based on the stories I have heard about her family, I believe she was loved and cherished.  Her parents were indulgent with their children, even when they were adults and married.  Great grandmother Annie was so beloved that many of her descendants still bear her name (mine is in the middle).  They were not stingy with their wealth and freely gave what they had to all of their children that needed it, especially in the Depression where they provided housing for any needing it including one of my aunts (Norma) who lived with them as a teen-ager.  So, I believe they did whatever they needed to keep her physically or emotionally healthy.

Roy was discharged from the army on March 27, 1919 and  got married on the same day.  The witnesses were Mamie and Leo Wilson—Vivian’s sister and brother-in-law. She was 20; he was 25. It's worth noting that Vivian's mother was one of the founding "mothers" of the Episcopal Church in DeSoto.  Roy's family were the backbone of their Baptist Church and yet they were married by the Justice of the Peace not in a church. That seemed to be pretty common at that time---at least in my  Dad's family.   I wish I had one photo of them together when they were young, but starting life together with a 7 month old boy was undoubtedly a big adjustment.

As far as any of us know, Grandpa, despite his reputation with the ladies, remained faithful in his marriage to Vivian.  They had 6 children (Milton died as a baby) and remained married for 32 years until she died in 1951. But, there must have been a little bit of embarrassment on someone’s part since I found their marriage certificate which is in contradiction to the “official marriage records” in Jefferson County, Missouri.  The 1919 had been changed to 1916.

For more on Roy and Vivian , click here. 

Defendants to Graham Lawsuit

Several Graham descendants and spouses are in this photo. The woman in a dark dress with no hat and white hair is Mary Wilson Trimble (granddaughter of Mary "Polly" Graham). The woman in the white dress with big white hat is Bertha Graham Wilson (granddaughter of William Kane Graham).

There are over 200 defendants for the lawsuit fighting Adeline Graham Wilson's will---I'm going to try to identify as many of them as possible by which of Adeline's siblings they descend from. Since many of them weren't named in the will, I don't really understand why they were defendants, but I'm listing these purely for genealogical reasons. For those named in the will, click here. For information on the lawsuit and the plaintiffs, click here. PLEASE, contact me if you have any corrections.

Adeline's Will and Lawsuit

1913, (standing r-l) Bertha Graham Wilson(white), Abner Medley (white suspenders), Rev. George Steel(white beard), Rev Brown (kneeling in front of them), Gladys Wilson Long is seated on the ground with a black band around a white hat. Bertha Graham Wilson (named in the will below) and George Steel defendants.

Section 7 of the Will basically says "no part of my real estate shall be sold to pay any portion of the legacies bequeathed by this will."

Section 8--If a surplus shall remain after all the costs of the settlement of my Estate, and all the money's directed paid out of my Estate . . . .the surplus shall be paid by my Executor share and share alike to the following persons to wit: Samuel Lee, son of my deceased nephew, James Lee, to nephew Martin V. Graham, to my nieces Margaret V. Blake, Catherine Eaves, and Bertha Wilson, and Ruth Frost and Maggie Maupin, daughter of my deceased niece Arah J. Williams.

Adeline Graham Wilson's Will, Section 6

Adeline Graham Wilson mentioned 3 heirs in the previous post: Thomas J. Miller, Frederick A. Harbison (her brother Madison Martin Graham's grandson) and Ann Liza Wilson (her former-slave). Between this will and the subsequent lawsuit, we know almost all of her nieces, nephews for two generations. But, first, I probably need to list the children of William Graham and Margaret Graham (Adeline's brothers and sisters whom she outlived):

Thomas Jefferson Graham (1809)
Thompson Graham (1810-1843)
Mary "Polly" Graham (1811-1858)
Madison Martin Graham (1814-1882)

Susan Graham (1815-1880)

Lucinda Graham (1816)

Arah Graham (1818-1847)
Theodore Graham (1820-1882)
Adeline Graham (1822-1900)
Margaret Julia Graham (1824-1889)
William Kane Graham (1825-1880)

James Stephen Graham

Section 6: To Margaret V. Leeper---my niece four hundred dollars.
To Margaret Carrow, widow of John J. Carrow one hundred and fifty dollars.
To my niece Sarah I. Carnell one hundred and fifty dollars.
To my niece Sophronia Winer one hundred dollars.
To my niece Lydia Oles one hundred dollars.

Adaline Graham Wilson's Will and "Lize"

Ann Eliza Wilson, 1913

Adaline Graham (1822-1900) was one of William and Margaret Graham's youngest daughters. She and her husband John M. Wilson had no children who lived beyond infancy. But, they "took in" many children to raise. They were fairly affluent and well-respected in the community. Adaline's will and subsequent lawsuit, is like having your genealogy handed to you on a plate. For these two documents, I will highlight the names of the individuals so genealogists can find their ancestor easily. But, my favorite part of the will concerns "Lize" her former slave.

Last Will of ADALINE WILSON deceased

I, Adaline Wilson of Jefferson County and State of Missouri do make and publish the following which is my last will and testament.

Milton Long and Catherine Brown's children

Jeptha Long and Frances Johnson

I recently had lunch with my 2nd cousin once removed (her grandfather and my great-grandfather were brothers) who brought a wedding photo of her grandparents which I'd never seen. Thank you Kay for sharing the above photo of Jeptha Long and Frances Johnson.

Milton Long and Catherine Brown

Click here for more information on Milton and here for more information on Catherine. They had 8 children most of whom I have photos for. Besides Jeptha Long (pictured above) they had Milton Martin Long, Nora Long Couch, Sarah Jane Long Maness, Susan Long Wallace, Mary Evaline Long Hughes, James C. Long and my great-grandfather Thomas Henry Long.
Pictured above are Susan Long and Thomas Wallace.
This is Milton Martin Long and Hettie Williams.
Above is my great-grandfather Thomas Henry Long with his oldest children: standing are Este Long, Alfred Long and Katie Long Bruns. Seated on T.H.'s lap is Lecy Long Guinther and to his right is Clarence Long. On Mary Reiter Long's lap is Lawrence Long and on the ground with a skeptical face is my grandfather Roy Long.
The only other photo I have of Milton's children is the one above and below from the 1931 family reunion photo. Thomas H. Long, Jeptha Long, Sarah Jane Long Maness (1859-1945), Lenorah (Nora) Long Couch (1861-1942) and Susan Long Wallace (1858-1941)
The only ones whom I don't have photos of are Mary Evaline Long Hughes and James C. Long.

Reiter-Bruns Family

Eloisa Drennon Bruns with her daughters Cora, Emma and Rose, 1938 at the old Aquilla Drennon house.

Gwendolyn has sent me lots of wonderful photos. I have categorized them and will post them in groups. This group will have Reiter and Bruns photos with two Longs. These are all from northwestern Jefferson County, Missouri.


The photo below is identified above. It has the following family names: Kramme, Bruns, McCulloch, Hollandt, Blake, Weber, Torbitsky, Gascke, Meyer, Ultzen, Belew, Reiter, Eime, Schuchart, Pierce, Steele. It is "Reunion at Maple Grove School, Dittmer July 4, 1922."
The next photo is identified as a Cedar Grove School photo, September 24, 1928 (??)
It has these names: Meyer, Manion, Montgomery, Reiter, Williams, Harrison.
The photo below is my great-aunt Katie Long Bruns with her husband Harry Bruns. Katie (was my grandfather's half sister Cenith Catherine Long---her mother was a Wiley)

Gwendolyn sent this photo in with her unknown photos---it's Celecy Ellen Long Guinther (great Aunt Lecy whose mother was Mary Reiter---she had the same father as Katie---Thomas Henry Long)
Below is Fred (Francis Frederick) Reiter and his wife Rose Bruns. This is from the Baptist Church photo. The children are: Ina Reiter Pigg (face turned), Lula Reiter Sutter (in hat), Clara Reiter Kolley and Emmett Reiter in the lap.
Finally, here is Fred Reiter and Rose Bruns wedding photo--such a handsome couple.

Elizabeth Ellen Tyrey Reiter

Eliza is also my great-great-grandmother (my grandfather Roy Long's grandmother). Her father Jacob Tyrey (the surname was probably not spelled that way) came from Germany and settled in Wisconsin (mining) before coming to Missouri. Her mother Celicia Gilpatrick or Kilpatrick(probably a Scotch-Irish name) was from Tennessee---I don't know any more about either of them.

I've mentioned before that being related to someone famous doesn't interest me, nor does having a family tree back to the dawn of man. I'm interested in where my ancestors lived and why they moved. My cousins Gwendolyn and Ira Pigg just sent me a package with some documents they copied for me. Above is an envelope that had her pension check in it (her husband Louis Reiter was a Civil War veteran). I don't think she actually lived in Oermann, Missouri, but nearby---this is on the Morse Mill-Grubville Road (I think)
If you look in quadrants 19 and 20, you'll see the name "Elizabeth Reuter" whom I believe to be Elizabeth Reiter. I've found spelling mistakes on every relative in this 1898 atlas.
The 1900 census shows who lived around her, and I can find all of those names near her on that Atlas page. She still had Annie Josephine Reiter Phenty and Edward William Reiter living with her. Below is a note she wrote Annie:

Aug. 12, 1898
To Annie
A life can be well ended
if it has been well spent.
Eliza E. Reiter

Reiter/Tyrey Children---names unknown

Unknown Children--Turn of the century

While at my sister's, I found a box of children's photos with no names on them. The blond child above looks a great deal like my nephew and grandson (see below). Mother always said they looked like Reiters. My grandson Davis

My nephew Doug

Since this photo and the one with the Ingalls were all together, I assumes they are all Reiters, but they could be of the Tyrey family, too. I know all of Mary Celecy Reiter's children, and don't think any are her children. Amanda Reiter Ingall's children were identified by my parents years ago, but some could be Ingalls. Annie Reiter Phenty and William Edward Reiter had no children, that I know of.Unknown Child--Turn of the century

Unknown Child--Turn of the century

So, these children are either Louis Reiter and Lana Wiley's children: Nina Reiter Beck (b. 1898); Mae Reiter Voth (b. 1905); Gladys Reiter De Roig (b. 1908) or Eloise Reiter (b. 1914). Or, they are from the Tyrey family. The girls below have been tentatively identified: Gladys Valle Cooper daughter of Albert and Alice Valle) and the other one is maybe Edna Valle (daughter of Lawrence and Estelle Valle) whose grandmother was a Tyrey. Click here for more information.

Unknown Child--Turn of the century

Or, they could be Frederick Reiter and Rose Bruns children: Louise Ellen Reiter Sutter (b. 1908); Ina Mae Reiter Pigg (b. 1911); Emmett Reiter (b. 1914); Clara Reiter Kolley (b. 1912).

Unknown Child--Turn of the century

Unknown Child--Turn of the century

Finally, one could be Elizabeth Reiter and William Clinton Manion's son Dewey Manion (b. 1898) who is, by the way a double cousin since his great-grandmother is related to me on the Long side (Susan Graham).Unknown Young man--Turn of the century

If anyone can correct the information above or can identify any of these children, I would apprecitate it. The one below is my dad LeRoy Harold Long---but, I think he also looks like the blond in the first photo.LeRoy Long @1919

Francis Glanville Reed in St. Louis

After William Reed's death in 1891, Frances Glanville Reed must have had a hard time with so many young children. I was pretty surprised to find her in St. Louis in the 1900 census. She might have had relatives here. My mother recalled that Vivian Maupin Long (Frances's granddaughter) always liked coming to church with us at Lafayette Park Methodist Church because she ran into cousins. My Aunt Mary remembers visiting "cousins" with her grandmother Annie Reed Maupin. I haven't, yet, figured out who that would have been, but when Francis came to St. Louis she lived on Hickory Ave. which I knew was one of the streets in the Lafayette Park neighborhood. Naturally, I assumed she had lived in that neighborhood, but a "road trip" with a GPS system revealed a different location.

First, I was surprised to be so close to the Anheuser-Busch Brewery and Ralston Purina plant---further east from the Lafayette Park neighborhood, but very close to where a lot of industry was at the turn of the century. Also, nearby is a tavern that's been around since 1818--Old Rock House. Then, when I passed St. Raymond's church (above), I was pretty sure I'd never been in this area. When we turned on 9th Street, I was beginning to feel a little uneasy. Ahead was all "new" housing just as the GPS said, "Arriving at destination." 927 Hickory was that building to the right, so I'm thinking Francis lived in a house in front of the dumpster: 929 Hickory.

The census takers weren't always that good about writing the street addresses down. Frances could have lived at 928 or 930, but nothing was there either. Across the street was a little "pocket park" which is where those buildings would have been.

This area is called the LaSalle Park neighborhood which used to be part of the Soulard neighborhood---a very trendy place named for the Soulard Market---a farmer's market since 1779.
Down the street were a couple of restored row houses which I assume is the way the whole street looked at one time. The one on the right is a Bed and Breakfast. I talked to a woman who was staying there. She said it is ultra-modern on the inside. So, if any of you were planning on taking a trip up memory lane and staying on g-g grandmother's street, be warned--it does say "modern abode". Click here to see inside. It was however named best B and B in St. Louis for 2006.
Back to the census (double click to enlarge, but use the back arrow to come back):
She had 4 children still living with her: Mary (Mayme) Reed who was 22 and worked as a dressmaker; Charles Reed, 19, worked as a "polisher" at the foundry; Walter Reed, 17, was a laborer at the foundry; James Reed, 14, was "at school." Also note that there were boarders. One, Gustav Outman, was probably Frances's nephew (Augustus)----the son of her sister Elizabeth Glanvile Outman who with her husband died in 1877 leaving 4 young orphan children. In the 1910 census, two were living with William Glanville, the oldest brother, in St. Francois County, MO.

I confess that I was a little sad that Frances's house wasn't there, especially since I had imagined it beautifully restored in the Lafayette Park neighborhood. I hope I have better luck finding the stone house that William built in the De Soto area (see below for an old photo).