Family Photo Shoot

James and Mary Carpenter family
circa 1903

 back row:  James Buchanan - James - Effie - Claude - Marion

front row:  Iva  - Ralph - Ream - Mary Adeline Parker

This is the other Carpenter picture I found - the entire Carpenter family taken when Ream was just a young child.

I'm impressed with the number of family pictures I have found in this adventure.  I know that money was not always abundant in our ancestral families, but somehow they found a way to dress the entire family in their "Sunday best" and sit for a formal photograph from time to time.  And when I think about what cameras were like during that time period - slow to shoot and leaving little room for error - I'm even more impressed!

Mary, the mother of this family, died in 1916 only about 12 - 13 years after this picture was taken.  How fortunate to have this in our history.

When did you last gather your family for a picture taking session?  Don't wait any longer!

James Buchanan and Mary Adeline (Parker) Carpenter

James Buchanan and Mary Adeline Carpenter

James and Mary Carpenter are Leona's paternal grandparents; Ream Carpenter,  Leona's father, was their youngest son.  Mary died in 1916 when she was just 53 years old, so Leona never knew her.  In fact until we found this photograph, Leona had never seen a picture of her.  This grandfather lived with Leona's family when she was a little girl.  I'll be sharing those memories in  future posts.

Today I found their marriage certificate.  The couple was married on 27 March 1883 in Maysville, Missouri - Mary was 20 and James was 27. 

I know this is hard to read.  The following is what I'm able to transcribe:

This license authorizes any Judge, Justice of the Peace, licensed or ordained preacher of the Gospel or any other person authorized under the Laws of this State to solemnize Marriage between James. B Carpenter of _____ in the County of Dekalb and State of Missouri who is over the age of twenty-one years and Miss Mary A. Parker of ____ in the County of Dekalb and State of Missouri who is over the age of eighteen years.

Witness my hand as Circuit Clerk and Ex-Officio Recorder, with the seal of office hereto affixed, at my office in Maysville the 27 day of March 1883

*  *  *  *  *  *  *

State of Missouri

County of Dekalb                     

This is to certify that the undersigned a regularly ordained Elder of the Church of the United Brethren in Christ did, at the Residence of Joseph H. Parker in said County, on the 27 day of March A.D. 1883 unite in Marriage the above named persons.

 Rev. Samuel King

 If you want to read about how we came across this picture and 

another of the whole family, read this about my serendipitous experience.

The other side of the family

This week, I'm looking at Lou's family history from a slightly different perspective.  In preparation for a trip we'll take to Missouri in May, I've been spending all of my time compiling names, dates, and documents for Leona's side of the family.  We've made some interesting discoveries, and we're excited to visit some places where she and her family lived.  

Here's a bit of what I've learned.

"Just sink your teeth in one of these donuts"
Ream Carpenter - circa 1933

 From Leona's memories:

My father was a baker by trade. As a young adult in Missouri, he worked in a bakery with his father and brother, Ralph. He was working there when my parents got married. I can remember going to the bakery and getting great big gumballs. My father was the baby of the family and had been spoiled all of his life, so it was only natural that his first child would be fussed over also.

 After we moved to Florence, Colorado, my father had a room in our house that had a big oven.  He ran a baking business from home.  At a fairly young age, I learned how to fry and glaze doughnuts as well as other baking jobs. My father would take a big metal tray with a strap that went around his neck and fill the tray with baked goods. He went to the mining camps in the area and sold breads and pastries to the men living there.

After we moved to Pueblo when I was about 12, I have memories of taking baked goods in boxes and going door to door selling. I was embarrassed to be seen by my school mates or neighbors, but I had to help bring some income to the family.  

This is your life!

The following was a presentation honoring Dad when he was released as the Bishop of the Pueblo Ward in 1966.  
It was written by Verda Kay Gibson who obtained the information from 
Mom and Uncle Joe and Aunt Fern.  Although Verda didn't get all the facts quite right, 
I thought it would be a great way to honor Dad's birthday.

As the late winter sun cast its final rays of the day on the tiny, two room white house, the population of the small eastern Colorado town was increased by one. The newcomer made his arrival known by a loud, lusty expansion of his lungs. The date – March 16, 1923, the place – Haswell, Colorado.

THIS IS YOUR LIFE, BISHOP LOUIS EDWARD BUTLER!

The first child of Jesse and Mable Davis Butler, you and your parents moved to Pueblo while you were still a small child. In the next few years, you were joined by three brothers, Charles, Eldon and Delbert. While you boys were still small, your parents became members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

Although you and your brothers did have the usual brotherly fights and arguments, and a few trips to the woodshed were necessary to help mold your characters, the bond of brotherly love was very strong among you. Following Eldon’s graduation from High School, tragedy broke up this brother quartet. While driving down a California street, a large truck ran a red light, hitting Eldon’s car broadside. Our Heavenly Father called him home before any members of the family could reach his hospital bedside. 

You started your first year of school at Parkview Grade School, where in the past few years, you have managed to advance to Principal - after 36 years, you’re at the same school.  You attended Park Hill Junior High School, and were graduated from Centennial High School in 1941. During your high school years, you were employed at the 11th Street Grocery.

 You and an attractive young girl, who would someday prove to be the biggest asset in your life, first met at M.I.A. Leona Carpenter knew you were for her the first time she laid eyes on you and only had to convince you of the same. She did succeed in getting you to take her to the show once, the summer before she started high school. You played the field for a while, dating several girls. Romeo Butler, you were known as in those days.

Leona finally succeeded in ‘landing’ you, and on November 17, 1943, you were married.

 Since you had joined the Navy shortly after graduation from High School, you were stationed in Seattle and this is where your marriage took place. You and Leona lived in Seattle for five months before the Navy sent you to Adak, Alaska, and Leona returned to Pueblo. After twenty-one months in Adak, where you served as a communications technician, you were released from active service and returned to Pueblo where you attended Pueblo Junior College from 1946 to 1948. You were active in sports – football, baseball, basketball, etc.

 Your ability to concentrate while trying to study was tested by the arrival of Louis Edward Jr., September 27, 1946. 

 Having once located your place of residence, the stork brought you another gift the following year, when on November 9, James Alan joined your family.

 You taught PE at Minnequa School one year, and then desperately trying to lose the big white bird, you moved your family to Greeley where you attended college for one year.

 Then once again the Navy had plans for you. “Join the Navy and see the world!” But where did the Navy send you this time during the Korean War? Why right back to good old Adak, Alaska, where you remained shivering and dreaming of Hawaii until your discharge several months later.

 You once again returned to Pueblo, and once again the stork located you and in making up for ‘lost’ time, she presented you with not one, but two sons, Charles Thomas (Tom) and Donald Eldon (Don), July 3, 1949.

 You were a principal at Bessemer School for seven years, before returning to your present position at your childhood school.

 By returning to Greeley to study during the summer months, you were finally able to obtain your Master’s Degree in 1955.

One of the highlights of your life was having your family sealed to you for time and eternity when you went to the temple on August 5, 1963.

You have always been active in church work and civic affairs. You are a member of the Pueblo Business Men’s Club, Lions Club, and have been a Single Fund representative for District 60 for several years.

 You served the Church as counselor under Bishop Evenson; you have been Scout Master, Seminary teacher, and with able understanding, patience and love, served as our Bishop from August 1963 to February 1966. You are presently High Councilor for the Adult Aaronic Priesthood. 

 A good, clean, God-fearing citizen of high moral standard – an asset to any community. 

What better can be said of any man?

Happy 88!

Someone has to watch the sheep

While serving their mission at Haskell Indian Junior College, Mom and Dad spent a lot of time with the students and learned a lot about their home life on the reservation.  The students faced obstacles to their education that most of us would never even imagine.

Haskell Junior College Centennial Convocation
September 1984

to the family

from Dad

3 October 1984

Last evening about 6 p.m. one of the students came in and asked me if I could take him to the bus depot right away.  He got a call from his father saying that he needed him to come home and help get in the wood and coal for winter, because someone had to watch the sheep and the father couldn't do it all by himself.  So Martin had dropped out of school and was going to make two trips walking to the bus depot - about 3 miles each way.  Fortunately the LDS Student Association President saw him and told him to come see me about a ride.  When I talked to Manuel about going home, he didn't seem to resent it nearly as much as I did!  He just said that someone had to do it, and he would come back in January and start again.  Martin was looking forward to our volleyball tournament, and he loves basketball.  He hopes to be back and if so, he will play basketball in January.

Martin turned 20 last May, and he really is a good young man, and we will miss him around the Institute.  The parents of these kids really don't understand what it means for the students to have to drop out and go home like this.  I really felt bad to see him leave.

Can you imagine interrupting your semester

to go home and tend sheep?

DEAR Grandma and Grandpa,

Fancy stationery for the missionary grandparents

 to Grandma and Grandpa

on a mission in Lawrence, Kansas

from Mark

21 September 1984

I HOPE you are happy that I have BUNKBEDS.  I am in school now.  My teacher's name is Mrs. Baden.  I have P.E. every Tuesday.  I have library every Wednesday.  Nathan and Emily are in 2nd and 4th grades.  I hope you have been feeling well.  For my first time I have jumped off a high diving board.  Maybe we can go to Cherry Hills together again.     MARK

Mark and Grandma at Cherry Hills water slide - June, 1984

Grandma willingly "volunteered" to take Mark on the water slide, 

because he was too small to go alone.  Yeah, Grandma!

Facing the Music

I was told by several friends that when I became principal I would have to work with a music teacher who was the mistress of one of the most influential and powerful men in the city. She lived with her husband in a neighboring town, but it was difficult to drive home each night, so she had an apartment in town and spent most of the week there. Mr. Big paid for it and was seen there often.

Previous to my time, he often came to the school, bringing her things, picking up her car for washing or repairing. But thanks to R.B. Flemons, a School Board member, he was told to stay away from the school.

The previous principal’s schedule had this teacher teaching music to the four 5th and 6th grades, and having her home room class the rest of the time except for the gym class which was her preparation time. But she wanted to just teach music all day. She just played while the children sang, and that was what the music classes consisted of. After school had been in session a couple of months, I noticed that other classes were going to music and her class was moving every thirty minutes to a different teacher. She had changed everyone’s schedule behind my back!

I checked with the other teachers, and they said she had just told them that she would take their classes for music and they were to teach such and such to her class. I called her on it, and told her that I would not cause another move for the students now, but in December I would make a new schedule going back to just the four music classes a day, resuming in January.

She didn’t think I would do that, and when I did, she came into the office and threw the new schedule down and said that she would not teach this schedule. I told her that it was going to be the schedule, and that she needed to go to see the Assistant Superintendent over Personnel for a change of assignment if that was her decision.

I don’t know if she went to the Admin Building or not, but the next year she was transferred to two other schools where she could teach music all day.

We don't live here anymore.

Taking a break from letters, here's a funny school story:

Mrs. Salas’ First Grade was going on a field trip this morning and everyone had permission slips except for one little girl. So the teacher sent her to the office with a note asking if I could get permission for her to go by a call on the telephone.

I grabbed her enrollment card to get the phone number, but they had no phone! So I took the card and the little girl and we took off for her house as she said her mother was home. I had the address on the enrollment card, so I drove quickly to the house, and we got out and walked up to the porch.

Two doors! I knocked on one and no one came to the door, so we moved over and I knocked on the second door; still no one came. So I said to the little girl, “Your mother must not be at home.”

She replied, “We don’t live here anymore.”

So she showed me where they moved, and we got the mother’s permission and got back to school just as the class was getting on the bus.