Sharing Stories Through Letters

 How interesting it is to re read old letters, especially when it’s address to you. While I was re reading some of my letters, it was as though I was revisiting what the sender was sharing with me. I felt like I missed out on some things. While in those moments, it felt like this was the first time to read the letters. (The letters from my relatives date back to the early 1980’s and 1990’s. )

As I read them again:
I had some thoughts about; How I wish I should have done back then.
Why didn’t I asked more questions?
What held me back on the pursuit to learn more?
Why didn’t I do more?

Now, What can I do?
I know that I can’t change what I didn’t do or what I should have done.
I know that I need to leave this matter be, because the past is in the past.
I can’t change the past. I have to leave room for mysteries.

I can keep moving on and hope for the best.
I can cherries the moments of the past and share some of my letters now.

What I have discovered from my letters, each of them have its own tone .What the sender and I shared is what we wanted to say at that time in our lives. There’s so much in a letter that can say something about us. Here is page two of a letter from my cousin, Willie (White) Winfrey (1904 – 1994) The letter was written on August 16, 1985.

Cousin Willie shared with me about her desire to get the families together and learn more about the family history. And she mentioned about our cousin Ted Blakey. Yes, we make mistakes. But, we can learn from our mistakes and keep moving on. And we learn from one another.




As For My Old Letters:
I compiled them into in a notebook. I’m organizing them according the each person and the time that they sent the letters to me. I can piece together what each was saying and build on from there.

With today’s technology, we can email and text messages. I do keep some of my emails. I print some of them out. I have been putting them into a notebook as well.

May we learn to keep what our relatives send us. May we past on what we learn from our correspondents. May we want to desire to know more about our family history. Amen.

Posted on November 12, 2021 by Susan Ann Blakley on another site 

Thanks for reading.
Sharing Stories Through Letters #52Ancestors
God bless you.
S. A. Blakley

November In Remembrance: Blakey Blakley WHITE Family Connections

I changed the theme and posted Sharing Stories Through Letters

Generations café via facebook Week 44: Voting
Have you ever found your ancestor on a voter list? Any politicians in the family tree? How about someone involved with the women’s suffrage movement? Feel free to post your links and stories in the comments below.

The WHITE- Blakey - Blakley Family Reunion 2016

 This post was originally posted on facebook. This one is posted for those who might come across and or connected to the White Blakey Blakley Family Connections.

Here's some info about the White - Blakey - Blakley Family Reunion July 15 - 17, 2016 in MN.  Some of you should have received info. I didn't want to post phone numbers on facebook or this site. However, The church number is posted.

 

Letter From Mary Jane (BLAKEY) LIGTHNER: February 2, 1982

Letter From Mary Jane (BLAKEY) LIGTHNER dated February 2, 1982 ~ page 1. She was sharing some of the Blakey Family Connections.

Letter From Willie (WHITE) TERRILL WINFREY : January 25, 1985

Letter From Willie (WHITE) TERRILL WINFREY dated on Jan 25, 1985 page 2 ~ Willie was speaking of her Ferguson Grandparents etc. I'm thankful that cousin, Willie took the time to record what she knew about the Blakey Blakley WHITE Family Connections.

The Julia White Family Connections: Joshua White

Who was Joshua / Josh White?

Josh was the son of Andrew White and Julia (Finney) White. He was listed on the 1880 census with his mother, 4 brothers, 1 sister, 1 sister in law, 3 nieces and 4 nephews in Chariton County Missouri. He was listed as age 20, born in 1860 in Missouri.  He was a laborer.

Below are photos from parts of some letters my cousins sent me. They were sharing with me what the heard in our family connections.  I didn't know that there was a John BLAKE until 1985.  My grandfather was John BLAKEY / BLAKLEY. This would be confusing to figure out, who's who.

 

 

Letters from Mrs. Willie M. Winfrey And Rev. and Mrs. T.A. White 



 Letter from Willie (White) Terrill Winfrey in 1985

 Letter from Rev T.A. White and Mrs. Cleavie White in 1988.
Unfortunately, I didn't get the response who the names of Joshua's daughter.

I was re reading some of the old letters, I received from cousins, Willie Winfrey and Cleavie White. They spoke of a John BLAKE.  He was a son of Josh / Joshua White.

Joshua had two or three daughters and a son named John. John was raised by a large family with the BLAKE surname. The cousins didn't mention who Josh's three daughters by name.

I've searched the Missouri census looking for John Blake.

I believe that I've found him. It may seem to be a coincidences. But, at first, I  noticed on the 1910 census that there was a John Blake with wife, Arrette (Hayes). Also they were listed with a Mattie White. Mattie was born about 1877 in MO. Mattie was a widow. She had 5 children. Only 4 were living. However, the children's names were not listed with Mattie.

I searched to back track on who this Mattie White was. I see that Mattie may have been counted twice on the 1910 census. I came across a Mattie White who was a widow. She had 5 children with one deceased. She was listed with her 4 children;  Patrick, Alice, Ella and Jane White.

I searched to find out more about  John Blake. Who was John Blake? I came across one John who fits the description on what my cousins spoke about. This John was listed on the 1900 census with Louis and Mary Blake. John was Louis' stepson. 

As I continue to search for John Blake, I found some similarities.

It appears that John was the same John Blakey listed with Mattie on the 1910 census. John later was divorce in 1930's. Louis Blake was listed as John's father on the 1920 and 1930 census. Also on the WW II draft, Louis was listed as John's father.

According to John H. Blake's death record, he was born on May 29, 1880 in Howard County MO. He passed on Oct 5, 1930 in  Hannibal, Missouri. John's mother, was Mary Anna Johnson or Potte. 

Mary Blake was born on Dec 4, 1865 and passed away on April 15, 1918 in Howard County MO. Her parents were Merritt Potte and Becky Bentley.

Louis Blake was the son of Ceaser and Trusty Blake. Mary and Louis were married in 1885. Mary had about 12 children ; Merritt, William, Nellie, Rector, Oscar, George , Frank, Eleanor, Maggie, Corrine, (1907 - 1967) Swetzie and John Blake.

Accord to a census, this John Blake had a son named Cortez Jaco, He was born about 1926 in Missouri. and Harold Valentine who was born about 1927 in Missouri.

This is all I have come across on Joshua White and his off srpings. I hope that the descendants of Joshua White and John Blake will discover this blog. And that they could add to the family history.

Thanks for reading.
 Susan Ann Blakley

Letter From Mary Jane Blakey Lightner 1982

This is page 4 of a Letter dated Feb 2, 1982. It was from cousin, Mary Jane (Blakey) Lightner. ~ Has anybody heard of the story of the surnames. Why BLAKEY / WHITE? 

 

Thanks for reading
Susan Ann Blakley