What about the Bolings?

Maitland, Missouri city limits - May, 2011
Home of James Boling family for a number of years

 I know that I jump around a lot on this blog, writing about different families, scattered events,  and random places.  The truth is -  I write what interests me at that moment, and that doesn't usually follow a predictable order!  When I start researching, I can very easily get off on a tangent and end up many miles and several generations from where I started looking.  

You  may have noticed that I've already included several posts about Leona's history.  For a while I wasn't certain I should include her history on a blog about her husband, but I finally realized that I can't really write about Lou's life without including Leona.  I couldn't figure out where to draw the line between his story and hers - and I didn't want to start another blog!

So since my interest right now is on the Bolings, let me introduce you to the family:

Leona's mother, Etta Lorene Boling (Carpenter) was one of 11 children of James Leonard Boling (1884-1942) and Ruth Elizabeth Winger (1891-1928).  Eight of the children were born in Missouri, and the other three were born in Nebraska.  I know very little about the Boling history, so I don't yet know what took them from Missouri to Nebraska and then back to Missouri where the two youngest children were born, but I'm trying to find out.

A granddaughter reports that James and Ruth raised a hard working and close knit family.  From James' World War I Draft Registration Card, we learn that he was employed in 1918 as a carpenter and mason.  His obituary states that he was "industrious" and "well liked by all with whom he came in contact."

As was typical for that generation, Ruth was at home with the children - which would have been no easy task as the mother of 11!  Grandma Tootie (Lorene got the nickname of Tootie from her dad) told of her mother's great cooking, but added that she couldn't bake a cake.  As a result, Tootie baked all the cakes for the family - and I'll bet there were many - from the time she was eight years old.

In the stories that follow I'll share what I know about the Boling family including Ruth's early death, which necessitated a variety of living situations for the children still at home.  I've been fortunate in making contact with one of Leona's Boling cousins who is helping me with names, dates, and places and hopefully some more of the family history stories.

I don't care how poor a man is; if he has family, he's rich.

-Dan Wilcox & Thad Mumford