Keele Cousins

Chester & Lester Keele                                          William Chester Latimer & Edward Keele

      It is always fun to meet new cousins in person or online, growing our family tree. Some are found through DNA, some through research websites, others through social media. I have met dozens of people through family history and now enjoy some rich and rewarding relationships.  We have met many Keeles and Greenhalghs through church membership in our area. Most are distant cousins of four or five generations and some are many miles away, but we still have that common bond.
    This last year I met Edward Keele while working at the Temple.  I was instantly intrigued.  My husband mother's maiden name is Keele.  I mentioned this to Edward and to Bill at different times.  They both looked at me almost embarrassed while rolling their eyes.  I am sure that they were thinking that I am that, "crazy genealogy lady." After a few weeks I decided it was time to figure out exactly how they might be related. When Edward gave me his grandfather's name it immediately sounded familiar but needed further investigation to verify my instinct. I quickly discovered that Edward and Bill's grandfathers Chester and Lester Keele were brothers!  A lot closer than I imagined.  Bill and Edward are second cousins!  Now our greetings are filled with hello cousins, fist bumps, stories, and finding similarities within our families.  Edward is tall, as is Bill. His sons are also tall and were very active in sports as were our sons. I think they even kind of look a like. I gifted the above picture of Chester and Lester to Edward.  He was thrilled.  He had never seen it before.  I believe this is a sampling of the way it will be in eternity. We will greet all those family members that have lived before us with open arms and joy. 
    


Common Ancestor:  Thomas Henry Keele father of 

• Chester Reynald Keele father of 
• Velva Jean Keele mother of 
• William Chester Latimer 
• 
  
• Lester Englestead Keele brother of 
• Chester Reynald Keele and father of 
• Donald Henry Keele father of 
• Edward Keele

Although this blog post goes against my previous ideal of writing about deceased persons only. It shares names only with no other personal details, with their permission. I hope you enjoy!  Teri

The Raccoon

Brenda, Teri and Cousin Denny with pet raccoon about 1961

There are some experiences in life that are so memorable that I wish I could take my children and grandchildren back in time to share with them.  Chasing fireflies is one, having a pet raccoon is another.  I am always telling my family about my pet raccoon but I am not sure they really believed me.  



     Writing and sharing this  picture can scarcely capture the fun of having that little guy sleeping on my lap.

     At this time we lived on a farm in Williamsburg, Kansas.  I would have been about five or six years old and in the first grade. I remember wearing those brown round toed shoes on the first day of school. The big tractor tire that we are sitting on was a sandbox that I used to spend hours in. My younger sister Brenda, on the left is about three years old with my cousin Denny on the right. My pet raccoon is stretched out sleeping on my lap. 
     I used to carry my baby raccoon around nestled in a towel in the bottom of a small brown basket with a wooden handle.  I fed him from a bottle just like a baby. Sometimes he would help hold onto it. As he grew he would wander all over the house hiding anything that was shiny, when you couldn't find something the first place you looked was in his "nest."  I was fascinated by his little black hands holding his food, just like people, and rolling it around while dunking it in water.  Most pets like dogs and cats just eat from the bowl.  Not raccoons, they pick it up.
      I think taking care of him brought out the mothering instinct in me. I loved this little guy. As he got older he made lots mischief getting into things. I am also sure my mom did not enjoy this wild critter raiding her house. The sad day for me came when we had to let him go back into the wild because he got mean.  One day he bit my Dad, which did not go over well. I think that I am glad he never bit me! 

     So you have to ask, what does all of this have to do with family history? Apparently I wasn't the first one in the family fascinated by these little bandits.  Here is a photo of my Grandmother (the little girl on the left),  and my Great Grandmother and her sister.  It's not the best picture but you can clearly see a raccoon in front of them drinking from a bottle. I love their cloche hats typical of the 1920's!  

     Baby raccoons must be easy to come by in Kansas.  As a child having a raccoon for a pet brings back warm memories and connects me to my grandmothers that loved this critter just like me. 

Marie Bell Hayden/Bien - great grandmother
Loene Loena Smith/Hayes - grandmother
James Dewayne Hayes & Shirley Brooks parents of
Teri, Brenda and James Hayes

John and David Long - Father and Son

     I love this family!  As I was doing their research I was impressed with the unity and closeness that I found. Often times I would find several families and multiple generations living in the same home. When one family would move the others would soon follow. Whether to escape the hardships of drought or establish new homesteads on the plains, they were together. Many times to understand why people do something we need to learn the events that occurred during their lifetime. This requires study and investigation. This was the case with the David Long family. They were married and their first child was born in Kansas. Why then were the following children born in Iowa? By 1880 the family has returned to Kansas. This occurred during an era of difficult travel right before the civil war.  The trip would have been made by train, boat and wagon. Kansas was still a territory and did not become a state until 1861.  Why would they leave for so many years and then come back?   I found one answer to that question in a second hand store when I came upon this neat old text book.  It is copyrighted in 1914 and is over one hundred years old, the title drew me right in. 

From History of Kansas reader:

*The drought -- "It began in June 1859 for period of more than sixteen months. The ground became so dry that it broke open in great cracks, wells and spring went dry. . . crops were a total failure." --- "They could fight ruffians, but they could not fight starvation."--- "After a year they began to give up and go back east. No fewer than 30,000 settlers abandoned their claims and left Kansas." 

     The Long family was among those that left and return to Iowa. Now I understood one of the reasons for their move.  The fact that they were teamsters may have facilitated their decision.  Their experience with traveling great lengths and hauling goods from place to place would have been a great asset. They owned or had access to multiple wagons.  Here is a wonderful photo of a member of the Long family with his wagon. 

     The story of the Long family is a story of unity, hope for the future and hard work. I am sure with so many people in such close quarters there were times of difficulty, and disagreements, that is normal.  The wonderful thing is we share their DNA and have access to their spirit, their strength and love that can carry us through whatever lies ahead.

Long Family Teamster

• John Long 1792-1887 married Dorothea Bastedo parents of 
• David Long 1832-1924 m Mary Jane Walker parents of
• Getty (Gertrude) Long 1864-1930 m Daniel Marion Gragg parents of
• Eva Marie Gragg 1896-1964 m Carl McKinnley Brooks Parents of
• Shirley Alene Brooks/Miller 

     There is so much to learn from our ancestors and I have a lot of information on the Long/Gragg family that I will share in future posts.  But for now I promised myself I would keep these short. Great reading for a Sunday or FHE.  So sign up for those email updates!

 *A History of Kansas - by Anna E. Arnold Author of Civics and Citizenship, Published by the State of Kansas 1920, Topeka

William Greenhalgh 1861-1943

William Greenhalgh was born on 18 March 1861, in Whalley, Lancashire, England, United Kingdom. His mother Mary Moorcroft was 34 years old when William was born. His father was Thomas Greenhalgh and was 40. William was the seventh child of ten children. 

From the autobiography of his sister, Mary Greenhalgh Mace we read, "In April 29, 1865, our family of nine children with Father and Mother, left Liverpool for America on a sailing vessel called the Belle Wood. This ship was in the charge of Captain Freeman, a large red-headed Yankee, who said he had crossed the ocean six times. Our trip on the ocean lasted five weeks and two days. The captain said it was the nicest trip he had ever taken across the Atlantic Ocean."

"We landed at Castle Gardens, New York, June 2, 1865, and found the country in deep mourning over the tragic death of Abraham Lincoln. Everywhere we saw soldiers who were returning home from the Civil War. I remember one troop carrying what remained of a huge American Flag. The center had been taken out by a cannon ball, and soldiers were carrying it down the street by its corners. They looked ragged, tired and sick as they dragged themselves down the street to their quarters amid the shout of cheers and martial music." What a sight this must have been for 4 year old William after traveling so far on a difficult journey."

"My baby brother, (Francis Moorecroft Greenhalgh) who had been sick on voyage, died one month after we landed in New York and was buried in the Green Wood Cemetery."

"Our family stayed in New York City until the middle of September, where my sister Sarah and I obtained work in a silk factory. We were dissatisfied here because Father could not find work and we did not like living in a city either, but we were obliged to stay until we could do better. In a short time we heard of a manufacturing town called Co hoes, ("Spindle City" )which was eleven miles from Albany, so we moved there. Here we obtained a comfortable house in which to live, and secured work for us all. . ." We lived here until July 10th or 12th, 1866, when Father decided to move west to Utah."

Thomas and his family were called to the Cotton Mission, 1867

"We arrived in the little town of Washington, Utah on November 7, 1867," recalled his daughter Mary Ann. "Here we found a factory operating Mendenhall hand looms. Father now started to set up power looms immediately, and I began to weave cloth as soon as he got the first loom set up." These were the first power looms in the state of Utah.

William Marries Sarah Emily Potter, 1892

William Greenhalgh married Sarah Emily Potter from Kanab, Utah
2 November 1892. She was just fourteen years of age and he was thirty one.

Sarah's mother had passed away in December of 1891 after the birth of her ninth baby. "It was a sad thing for this Potter family of small children to have their mother taken from them. After this Elijah was never satisfied to stay in one place for long. He never remarried. . . Elijah kept the boys with him as they traveled around from place to place. " *

Keele Family Move, 1938

During the Great Depression in about 1938 the family of Chester R. Keele and Elizabeth Ruth Greenhalgh Keele moved to Twisp, Washington. They probably moved to find employment and join Elizabeth’s sister Sarah Melissa Workman that moved to the Wenatchee sometime before 1930.

It appears that William arrived in Wenatchee Washington only eighteen months before his death in June 1941. This may be one reason that most family members did not know of his gravesite. He lived with his daughter Elizabeth Greenhalgh Keele on Springwater Avenue.  William died when he was 81 years old in Wenatchee, Chelan County, Washington and is buried at the Wenatchee City Cemetery. Please share his story so that he will not be forgotten!

William Greenhalgh saw a lot of changes in his lifetime, from a small boy born in England traveling with his family across the Atlantic, to a covered wagon train crossing the mountains to Utah. He may have saw the passing of his baby brother. His family settled in Southern Utah as pioneers. They established and worked in textile mills and at farming.

He had married a girl young enough to be his daughter and began his own family. He toiled on his farm raising children through dust bowl and depression through two world wars and the invention of phones, electricity and automobiles. Three of his children and his wife died before his passing in 1943. We can only imagine the life he led and the things he experienced, his personality, his work ethic and his love as a father.

His life and legacy lives on in each descendant that remembers and looks forward to a glorious reunion in the eternities.

Children of William Greenhalgh and Sarah Emily Potter:

• Sarah Melissa Greenhalgh 1893–1948, married Lindsay Nathaniel Workman 
• Elizabeth Ruth Greenhalgh 1900-1971, married Chester Reynald 

             Parents of Cleo, Chester, Fern, Beth, Ramona, Velva Jean and Lawanna. 

• Mary Emily Greenhalgh married Dumont Arbuckle 
• Alice Fern Greenhalgh married Denzil Rex Gardner 
• Myrtle Nellie Greenhalgh married Keith Warby 
• William Wallace Greenhalgh married Anne Sevella Wilson 
• George Greenhalgh born and died in 1907
• Eva Greenhalgh born and died 1908
• Elijah John Greenhalgh married Fern Marie Lamb 
• Wanda Greenhalgh married Charles Ambrose Potter 

*From the bio of Elijah John Potter, Familysearch.org

Thomas Henry Keele Jr. 1857 - 1900

Thomas Henry Keele, son of Mary Angeline Jolley and Thomas Keele, was born 10 April 1857 in Palm Town, Utah County, Utah. This town is now known as Salem. He was the third child in his parent’s family of 12 children, 7 daughters and 5 sons. He was baptized in the church. He was not a pioneer across the plains, but a son of pioneers who helped to settle the barren lands of Utah. He was very much acquainted with the pioneer life and hardships and  trials which they must have endure.

He was a very dark handsome man, black hair and dark brown eyes. He is remembered for his wit, as he was a happy sort of man. He was very kind and gentle with his family.

He lived in Long Valley where he and Margaret Annie married 14 October 1875 in Mount Carmel, Kane County, Utah.

He loved his wife and family and their home was one of peace and contentment. Music played a large part in making his home so choice and inviting. The love and tenderness of these good parents made it a heaven on earth. Twenty lovely children graced this home, which was a two-room log house located on a bench south of Emery town about 3 to 4 miles. How did a family of 14 live in so small a house? Many ticks were filled with fresh clean straw and stacked on the beds and at night were pulled onto the floor where the children slept comfortably. When company came, another tick would be filled and there was always heart room and house room. The hot biscuits, fresh butter, cottage cheese, and honey were a common appetizer in this house. After Lester, the last son was born; Henry Thomas got smallpox and died. Before he got the disease he went out into the hills to get a big load of wood for his family as it was winter time and very cold. While he was doing this a voice said, “This is the last wood you will ever haul.” He took the wood to his wife and family who were living in town to escape smallpox and returned back to his farm where his oldest son, Thomas, was very ill with the disease. He took the disease and died without ever seeing his wife and family again. Margaret Annie now left with a large family to care for did many things to make a living, and all her children sought for jobs which would aid in feeding and clothing themselves.

She wove carpets and rugs. She was a beautiful seamstress and sewed clothing for the dead when needed. She was the switchboard operator for the telephone in Emery, which was housed in her front room. She did a lot of beautiful hand work and quilts and everything she did was perfection. She lived at Neola for a few years, then traveled but lived mostly with her daughter, Alice, in Ferron where she passed away 9 November 1939 and was buried in Emery Cemetery beside her choice companion, Henry Thomas Keele. 

Their children are:

 Mary Angeline (twin) 

Annie Margaret (twin) 

Thomas Henry

James Rasmus 

William Manning 

Chastie Luticia 

Susan Evelyn

Jennie Luella 

Sylvia Loraine 

Alice Marie 

Chester Raynal (sp)

     father of Velva Jean Keele

Lester Englestead

From the "The Jolley Family Book" published by Brigham Young University Press 1966, written by Bryant Manning Jolley and his committee.

Serving up Love - Loene Leona Smith/Hayes 1920-2006

      Many of us can relate yummy food to an environment of comfort and love.  Grandma Hayes made the most wonderful homemade noodles in a delicious chicken broth.  This was then ladled over big helpings of  buttery whipped potatoes.  It makes me hungry just thinking about it.  Then when I was so full I thought I'd burst they would ladled on more. 
     The potatoes were often served in this brown crockery bowl pictured above sitting on the dinner table. Enjoying this meal are  left to right is Grandma Loene Hayes, Uncle Leslie (standing), Grandpa James Wesley Hayes and Aunt Lola Hayes.  
     This yummy dish was served up with a heaping helping of laughter, love and belonging to a family that cared and enjoyed being together. 
     I am still amazed at the way Grandma made her noodles. She  mixed up the ingredients right on her cutting board. I am so blessed to have a photo of this precious memory. 

     While visiting my Dad in 2008 my Uncle Leslie graciously presented to me grandma's stoneware bowl. His generous gift nearly brought me to tears.  It is now one of my greatest treasures. 

Loene Leona Smith/ Hayes & James Wesley Hayes
parents of 
Nancy Armida Hayes
Lola
Leslie
James Dewayne Hayes
father of  
Teri, Brenda, James Leland, Bryan and Cris.

I hope that there are some that enjoy this story from the Hayes family.  My father was the last Hayes. He has three children, ten grandchildren and at last count twenty six ggrandchildren and two gggrandchildren.  A large legacy for sure but he was the last to bear the Hayes family name. 

Uncle Leslie had no children, Lola had four with the last name Cowdin and the youngest Aunt Nancy (not pictured) had one daughter with the surname Crosby.  

Independence Day a time to honor our veterans!

William C. Latimer - U.S. Army 4 years Germany

William H. Latimer - Air Force

Chester Gale Keele - WWII U.S. Navy

Robert Wilbur Latimer - WWII European Theater - Bronze Star

James Lyle Latimer - Air Force

Leslie Wayne Hayes - U.S. Navy

George Fisher Hayden - Civil War 

John Long - Civil War

Alvin D. Brooks

George Marvin Brooks

Gerald Clarence Brooks

Loren William Brooks - Wounded aboard ship.  Spent 6 hours floating in  the sea awaiting rescue. 

Donald Lee Brooks

Herbert Delano Brooks

James W. Hunt - Civil War

George Andrew Brooks - Civil War Defended Fort Stevens - Washington D.C.

Ernest R. Brooks - Died active duty - 1932

Victor D. Brecht - Died WWII France - 1944

Joseph Hennon - Revolutionary Solider Pennsylvania

Captain Alexander Bushnell - Revolutionary Solider

Kenneth Richard Brown 1901-1933

Front row L to R - Margaret N Brown (Midge), Grace G. Johns-Brown, James Alpheus Brown, Helen Loren Brown.  Back Row L to R -  Paul E. Brown, Russell John Brown and Kenneth Richard Brown

Kenneth Richard Brown grew up in Pulaski Pennsylvania second son of James Alpheus Brown and Grace Gertrude Johns.

Kenneth Richard Brown 
brother to Helen Lorene Brown
Mother to
William (grandpa Latimer)
father to
Nancy
Donna 
Bill
Ronald
Russ 
Wayne

Sometime it is easy to follow the timeline of a person’s life. Kenneth Richard Brown was one of those. I became interested in him when I discovered this gravestone. There are three persons shown. Kenneth Brown, Phoebe Cochran - a different last name -and a grandson Kenneth only one year old. The little ones that pass so early always pull at my heartstrings. 

I knew that Kenneth was the brother of great grandmother Helen Lorene Brown. But I wondered, why did he die so young and who were those laid to rest beside him? 

As I began to search Newspapers in Newcastle, Lawrence County, Pennsylvania I was surprised at the wealth of information I found. Kenneth as a young man attending social activities of the era, recitals, parties, receptions, and going to school. 

In January 1923 at the age of twenty two  he was working for the Smith Foster Motor Car Company and suffered a severe accident. Kenneth suffer a fractured jaw and lacerations of his face and was hospitalized for "some time."  The life long affect of this accident is unknown but this along with his employment in the Ohio steel mills could have contributed to his early demise. He eventually recovered from this accident and resumed his normal life. There is no mention of scaring or any other disability. 

Fortunately for us everything that happened in a small town was news, when there was a party or reception, when a person came to visit, or when someone lost their horse it was  in the newspaper. At some of events I found Kenneth and a young lady by the name of Phoebe Fennick. Maybe a little match making by friends and family? In about 1925 Phoebe became Kenneth's wife. Also in attendance was a young man by the name of Lyle Latimer. (Father of William Latimer) Could he and Kenneth have been buddies? 

In 1930 Phoebe, Kenneth and their young son lived in Coitsville, Mahoning, Ohio. This is just minutes away from Youngstown.  In Coitsville, Kenneth is working in a steel mill as a pipe fitter. This is a historic area where Bethlehem Steel, Carnegie Steel and Youngstown Steel and Tube where located. Bruce Springsteen wrote this thoughtful song about the era. Bruce Springsteen - Youngstown

Youngstown Steel Mill

In 1931 a second son was born Donald Alpheus Brown 1931–1996.

But in 1933 tragedy struck. Kenneth became sick with pneumonia.  During this time his mother-in-law Sadie Fennick came to stay with the family and help with his care. Why did his wife need extra help?  I thought this seemed a little odd at the time but brushed it off thinking it had to do with how sick he was.

Kenneth Richard Brown died 3 August 1933 of double pneumonia at the young age of thirty three years old.  At this point I was well acquainted with Kenneth and I actually shed a tear when I found the article about his death.  This may seem a little strange but as I learn about person I get pretty attached. It felt like I had lost an old friend. 

But the story does not end there! Flash forward to 1940. What happen to the widow with two young sons?  Now we find Phoebe Fennick Brown living with her mother and THREE sons.  Her name has not changed and there is no husband listed in the household.  After a little calculating I was able to see the reason that Phoebe's mother came to help care for her son in law.  Phoebe Brown was pregnant at the time of her husbands death.  Their third son Edward Brown was born in 1934. How sad this must of been for this little family.  

Phoebe did eventually remarry after 1948 but it was short lived.  Either due to divorce or the husband's death.  She remained very active in her community and it appears those around her rallied to support the young widow.  I believe the moral of this story is the beautiful strength and determination that people have. In our day we sometimes need that reassurance that life goes on and that our loved ones are at peace. 

The young boy buried with his grandparents is Kenneth Raymond Brown 1953-1954 child of the oldest son Richard J. Brown. 

Washington Roots? - - Who knew? - - The Vanhoy Family

Vanhoy family, Spring Creek, Klickitat County, Washington 1900, Seated in front Louisa Elisabeth Henley Vanhoy, Hamilton Jones Vanhoy, Standing L to R son George Washington Vanhoy, adopted daughter holding doll and daughter Annie Francis Vanhoy. 

It's a small world in family history circles and this is a story that really surprised me. 

My 4th great grandmother Verlinda Vanhoy was born in 1812 in North Carolina. After her marriage to Asheal Woodruff Hart they and many of their extended family members moved to Henry County, Missouri. The Brooks' and associated families lived in Henry County, Missouri for more than one hundred years. The aforementioned Doris Ellen Hunt Brooks would have been her Verlinda's granddaughter.  This is where I thought the story ended, in Missouri.  Fast forward one hundred thirty years and eighteen hundred miles. 

My husband and I lived in Goldendale, Klickitat County, Washington for twenty years.  It is a very small town with a nice cemetery right across the street from our church.  I knew that there were Vanhoy headstones but I really didn't think to much of it.  After all, my Vanhoy family is from Missouri and Vanhoy is a fairly common name.

One day a gentleman came into the family history library to donate a book he had written.  It was titled the "Vanhoy Families of Klickitat County." I found it interesting so I began flipping through the pages.  Suddenly the pedigree charts began to look very familiar.  I open my own research book to compare, and there it was, a perfect match to my Vanhoys!  

A pioneer of Klickitat county Hamilton Jones Vanhoy was my grandmother's brother!  I could have fell out of my chair! All those miles and all those years and I ended up living in a town that my ancestor helped establish. It was a fascinating adventure and much research followed. Here are some of the interesting things that I found.  

Vanhoy homestead property on Vanhoy Road, Goldendale, Washington.  Abandoned long ago. Beautiful in the spring.

Pioneer Monument on courthouse lawn. 

Hamilton & Louisa Vanhoy listed on the pioneer monument. 
Brother of my 4th great grandmother Verlinda Vanhoy.

Newspaper clipping from 1911 

An article from the local history said, "at one time every fifth person on the street was a Vanhoy."  There are still a few descendants left but none that I could located with the Vanhoy name. 





Hamilton Jones Vanhoy
     Brother to Verlinda Vanhoy wife of Asheal Woodruff Hart (4th great grandparents)
Father of Mary Elizabeth Hart wife of James W. Hunt (3rd)
     Parents of Doris Ellen Hunt wife of Charles Daniel Brooks (2nd)
Parents of Carl McKinnley Brooks, grandfather to the Brooks clan!
     Me and you!

This story is an example of why my heart is so devoted to family history.  I frequently experience the feeling that my ancestors are very close.  Many times I have not found them, but they have found me!  I learn about their lives, their adventures, their heartache and I feel I know them.  I marvel at their choices and cry for their heartaches.  It seems when I learn about them here on earth my heart searches for them in the vast spans of eternity.  It is a wonderful feeling.

Doris Ellen Hunt/Brooks 1870–1963

Doris Ellen Hunt-Brooks

Her name should be said with honor.
Great Grandma Brooks represents the ideal of dedication, and endless love that is needed to be a mother. Her life is one of sacrifice, devotion and of holding her family together.

She was born in Henry County Missouri in 1870 to James W. Hunt and Mary Elizabeth Hart.

1892 Doris married Charles Daniel Brooks. They had five daughters and four sons.

1910 She lost a little daughter Josephine at 5 years of age.

1914 In her son Frank died. He was at 19 years old.

1917 after 25 years of marriage her husband Charles passed away of Pneumonia. Doris was forty seven years old when she became a widow and single mother of her seven living children. Four of which were under the age of 18. Over time the children worked to help support their family. In 1920 daughters Ethel 20 and Mary 18 were working as seamstresses, while William 16 worked as a machinist.

In 1923 – Her oldest daughter Grace died one month after giving birth due to  complications and influenza. She was just 29 years old. Her infant son John Keith Brecht was not expect to survive but was taken five blocks south to the home of his grandmother Doris Ellen Brooks. He lived with her all of his life. 

Grandmother Brooks' home 1923-1968 Clinton Missouri

In 1925 her son-in-law, Grace’s husband, John Brecht also died after being kicked in the stomach by a horse. This left their five small children orphans. The youngest three children stayed with Grandma Brooks and the two older children went to live with his mother Regina Brecht who was also a widow.

1930 Doris’s youngest daughter Georgia is working as a bookkeeper and contributing money to support her family.

1932 Son Ernest died Ernst died in active military duty at 25 years old

1944  The oldest orphaned grandson Victor Brecht dies during World War II in France.

Doris Ellen Brooks’ life is a story of an unending well of love. Often life throws at us so many difficulties it’s hard to manage, let alone be graceful and loving about it, but Grandma Doris Brooks did manage and so much more! She moved forward with love and faith through hard ship and loss. Her Grandson came to her when he was only one month old. He said of growing up, “we were poor but never went hungry.” Grandmother Brooks sewed all our underwear and clothing and sometimes we had patches on our pants,” but he felt loved. He spoke very highly of her and dedicated to her his memoir. 

From the obituary of her son in law John Newton Brecht we read:

“It takes great courage to face the task of Mrs. Brooks and her daughter and raise these little ones. Indeed fortunate are the wee folks who are in their care, for to them is given unstinting love and motherly council and care and a true abiding faith in the Lord Jesus Christ for there are no better Christian people than the Brooks family.”

It appears that Grandma Brooks' faith in the Savior is what carried her throughout her life and blessed her with eternal love and hope. She lived a long life passing into the eternities to her waiting family when she was 92 years old. Bless her heart.

It has been a rough couple of weeks for our own family and I have struggled greatly to write of her challenges. But through this process I have learned so much! Her example has somehow sustained me. May each one of her descendants be blessed with that same faith, love and perseverance that she has shown us.

The three youngest orphans,

 Doris, Bonnie Jean & John Brecht

Bonnie Jean, Grandma Doris Brooks, 

John and Doris

Charles Daniel Brooks & Doris Ellen Hunt parents of:

Grace Brooks/Brecht 

John Newton Brecht & Grace Brooks 
parents of the orphaned grandchildren

Frank Brooks

Carl McKinley Brooks father of:

Alvin

George

Loren

Gerald

Carl Jr.

Leonard

Herbert

Shirley

Donald

Ethel Brooks/Cook

Mary Brooks/Smart

William E. Brooks

Josephine Brooks

Ernest R. Brooks

Georgia Brooks/Sandridge

Grandmother to:

Doris Brecht/Vanderburg

Bonnie Jean Brecht/ Williams

John Keith Brecht

Ruth Louise Brecht

Victor Brecht

Never forget

Chester Reynald Keele 1897-1977

 One of the wonders of the internet and doing family history research in the modern age is finding hidden treasures.  I recently came across this wonderful photo of Chester Reynald Keele (on the left) and his brother Lester Englestead Keele shared by a distant cousin of the Keele family.  What a treasure!  He is so young! None of us would ever have known him this way. 

Chester was the eleventh of twelve children born to Thomas Henry Keele and Margaret Ann Englestead. 

"After Lester, the last son was born, their father Thomas Henry Keele went out into the hills to get a big load of wood for his family as it was winter time and very cold. And while he was doing this a voice said, “This is the last wood you will ever haul.” He took the wood to his wife and family who were living in town to escape smallpox and returned back to his farm where his oldest son, Thomas, was very ill with the disease. Henry took the disease and died without ever seeing his wife and family again."* 

Thomas Henry died of smallpox in 1900.  He was 43 and young Chester was only three years old. So essentially Chester grew up without knowing his father. 

Another photo found of Chester and five of his siblings. From left to right back row: Jennie, Alice, Chastie, Sylvia. Front row Chester and Lester.  

Many of the Chester's grandchildren grew up knowing "Grandpa Keele" and worked and played on his farm near Rock Island, Washington.  I would encourage each of you to share a memory that you have and give "life" to his story.  Help your grandchildren to know their great-great-grandpa.  

What do you remember? 

Chester Reynald Keele

father of: 

Cleo K. Keele

Chester Gale Keele

Alice Fern Keele

     mother to:

           Janice

Elizabeth Keele

Ramona Mae Keele

Velva Jean Keele

      mother to: 

            Donna

            Nancy

            Bill Jr.

            Ron

            Russ

            Wayne

Lawanna Pauline Keele

     mother to:

             John

             Candy

             Randy

             Jerry

*"The Jolley Family Book" published by Brigham Young University Press 1966, written by Bryant Manning Jolley and his committee."