Growing Up In Small Town America Part 21

 CHRISTMAS WITH EXTENDED FAMILY

Most Christmases, we would go to Granny Hart’s (Merphia Ewing Quillin Hart) house on Christmas Eve to celebrate with Daddy’s family and exchange gifts. Granny would serve a meal and all the cousins would perform a Christmas play. I have some hilarious photos of this Family Christmas Pageant.

Bryan Quillin is narrating from the Bible. Patricia Whitworth is playing the piano. I'm the halo over Mary's head, aka Paula Quillin, and David Carver is Joseph.

Cousin Beverly Carver is singing

We are nearer to Christmas morning, so Bryan is now Santa. I'm sure Paula is prompting me, as I am only 3 years old. (1959)

We would go home and Santa would come to our house. And on Christmas morning, we would go to Mimi and Pappy’s home in Crowell where there was a very large extended family gathering. Mimi would serve the traditional meal and the afternoon was spent again with a Christmas play by the children and the exchange of gifts. It was such a large family that we would draw names at Thanksgiving so that each person was only bringing one gift for a cousin. Of course, everyone gave Mimi and Pappy a gift…and I believe that they in turn gave everyone a gift. How in the world they afforded it, I don’t know.

Cousins in Crowell (1960) Left to right: Me in the center, 4 years old. Second Row: Carolyn Jones, Patti Jackson, Bob Martin Lynch, Bill Lynch, Jr. Bryan Quillin, master of ceremonies. Back Row: Debrorah Jones, Pam Jackson, Paula Quillin,

 Later on, as our extended family moved farther away from one another, my immediate family began to stay in Vernon. We would have grilled steaks and baked potatoes on Christmas Eve and then have our tree (open gifts) that night. Christmas grew to be rather large at this time, with Daddy being a great gift giver. On Christmas Day, Mother put together the traditional Christmas meal and we hung out watching football all day.

1973 - The first Christmas for Paula and Bill were married on 18 July 1970. This may be the first time they came to Vernon for Christmas because Bill served in the U.S. Airforce. 

Pal (my dog and first love) Bill Ford, Paula Quillin Ford, Nancy Quillin

Growing Up In Small Town America Part 20

 CHRISTMAS BREAK

On the day that school would turn out for Christmas, we were released early to go to the downtown parade where Santa arrived on his very own trailer. They set up an igloo on the courthouse lawn where Santa would take in the children to hear their requests. I remember it being very dark in the igloo and probably would not have wanted to do this, but Santa always gave large lollipops that were completely different from anything that could be bought. I loved them, so I endured the igloo. Our church would host a Christmas party in the basement for age appropriate children where we brought a gift to place in the gift exchange. I sang in the youth choir and we would rehearse many of the Christmas hymns leading up to Christmas.

Return to Jones / Seales Family Research

texasescapes.com

New information is coming to light

My lineage in the Jones family

Carolita Jones Quillin < Joe Carroll Jones < Martin Harmon Jones < Martin Ervin Brooks Jones < Martin Jones b 1816

I have been contacted by two serious genealogists with some new information about the wife of my great great grandfather Martin Ervin Brooks Jones's wife's family Her name was Manerva Jane Seales (1840-1909) Her father was Abraham Seales (1794-1873). His wife was Clarissa (Clarrisy)...last name unknown.

I have posted minimally on the research that I have on Martin Harmon Jones and his wife Matti Bell, with some of my documentation. There is much more.

When my beloved Uncle Martin Frank Jones passed away in late 2022, many of my posts for the Jones family were tributes to him and his blog, so those posts were his recollections. He was in his 80s and suffered from macular degeneration and this blog gave him purpose and added meaning to his life at that time.  He loved family history, and he wanted to know more about Martin Jones born1816. I, in no way, want to discredit Martin Frank Jones, but some of his recollections were hearsay from what others had told him. Some of my research discredits those thoughts. He had no access to true documentation.

I will begin giving more detailed information and sources about Martin Harmon Jones and Martin Ervin Brooks Jones which will tie me into the Seales family with Manera Jane Seales.

Stay posted as there is much more to come.

  

Growing Up In Small Town America Part 19

 PREPARING FOR CHRISTMAS

                                                            My Beautiful Sister 1967

I have vivid memories of Christmas, more especially from the time that we moved into our home on Bismark Street. As a family we would go down to the Optimist Club Tree lot and pick out a Christmas tree. It was always cold weather. Daddy would place it in the tree stand, and then on the weekend, he would flock the tree. This was a process that caught on in the 60s. General Mills marketed Sno-Flok home kits, to be applied using a gun that attached to a vacuum cleaner. He would flock the tree white, I suppose to look like snow. We decorated it with LOTS of white lights and red balls. I thought the tree was magical as we displayed it in our front bay window. People would drive by to admire it. Later on, Daddy learned of a nursery in Wichita Falls that flocked trees, and we would drive over and select a tree from them. At that point, we began choosing green flocking and used yellow lights and gold balls. The trees became bigger and more elaborate as time passed. For a short time, we tried the aluminum tree with a revolving light illuminating it in different colors. Mother began decorating a smaller tree in the den with child-like decorations which I began to take over the older that I got. It is a tradition that I continue to this day. I am very fond of the old fashioned trees. Derek and I decorate our tree with our first year handmade dough ornaments, our yearly ornaments, Mother’s handmade stuffed ornaments, and the ornaments we collected on our travels through 23 countries.

1965 - below

1966 - below

1973 - below

The Novelty Tree that I took over when I got older. I was seeking approval from my best friend, Pal. Pal was my dog (who adopted me). He followed me everywhere and it was the first dog that Mother allowed inside. 

Know When To Go

 

Historic Election

 

This morning, I want to thank the Democrat Party for showing us where we need to be as a nation. To quote the Ohio senator-elect, it was not a red wave but a red, white, and blue wave. We are tired of politicians overlooking the needs of the average AMERICAN citizen.

 At 4 am, I tuned into NBC and found a calm desk of people talking (they were probably grieving as the media has become corrupt and no longer reports ALL the news correctly) about what needs to be done in this nation. A projected presidential winner had been made. They were reflecting on what the Democrats should learn from this election, mainly that they should not overlook the needs of certain classes, citing examples of the Latino community. I then turned to FOX and was offended by a black guy who ranted about the responses that he was hearing on other channels. He was upset that the networks were not focusing on the problems that Democrats are facing. That was the exact opposite of what I had just heard.

 We must stop this rhetoric! We must STOP and start listening to everyone without prejudice. We have become a "WOKE" society. This is because the left has shoved down our throats that it is normal to have transgender, even to the point of letting children change their sex, that blacks should have more privilege and should be paid reparations for past grievances, the rainbow coalition, the list goes on and on, shaming white America for all the ills of society and making them afraid to speak out. I left prejudice behind the year I started teaching, nearly 5 decades ago. There are needs and rights of the American people that have been stepped on. Not to mention that we no longer have a border; millions from across the world have flooded our borders, taking the monies normally spent on Americans to pay for housing, schooling, medications for those here illegally. We have totally crossed the line, choking the life out of the rightful citizens of our nation. The media should be ashamed of their coverage and their rhetoric. The nation-wide slant of the media of support for the Democrat Party is despicable.  But so is the rhetoric on ALL self-appointed networks. The proof is in the pudding. I heard it this morning with my own ears. The ideology of the extremes on either side is NOT what your average person in America believes. So journalist everywhere. Start reporting the unbiased NEWS backed up with a source as proof....PROVE IT! Instead of saying this is unverified and reporting it anyway. This fuels the fire.

 It is a RED WHITE AND BLUE nation. Listen to all of us; cover the news for all of us; bring all of us back together.

P.S. I will not compromise my values and belief system, though I have been lumped into the category of a Christian conservative. I'm not extreme, but these values define who I am. I have often felt that the prejudice is extreme towards me. I was shocked when I voted early on the second day of voting and was handed a "I Voted" sticker written in Spanish. I was told they had run out of English stickers...on the second day of voting??? Once again, it was forced upon me with a lack of sensitivity to who I am. I have accepted other nationalities into our family and loved them all the same. "Jesus loved the little children, red and yellow, black and white. They are precious in His sight. Jesus loves the little children of the world."

Growing Up In Small Town America Part 18

 Halloween 1960

Back then, Halloween was celebrated by children only. A large Halloween carnival was hosted by Hawkins elementary. I think it was only on the bottom floor, but different rooms offered activities and sold tickets for people to participate. These activities were things like a cake walk, dunking for apples, etc. Everyone, children that is, would turn out in costume.  They sold all kinds of food in the cafeteria. It was truly a hometown center of fun. My costumes were usually the store-bought variety of clowns or skeletons with the suffocating plastic mask that I could barely see out of. It evolved into making our own costumes which usually consisted of hobos and witches. When we left the carnival, Mother and Daddy would take me individually to go door to door in search of the trick-or-treat candy. They would follow along in the car. This wouldn’t last for long as it was usually getting late on a school night.  I remember pilfering through the candy and separating the things that I didn’t’ like and Daddy would usually finish it up.