Handwritten Letter By Mrs. Willie M. (White) Winfrey

 Letter writing can be a challenge in the making and wonder in the waiting for a respond. I don’t hand write letters like I use to. But, I’ve learned to save the letters, especially the ones about my family connections. From time to time, I re read the letters.. Who knows, it’s possible I’ll find some new insight as I review some of those letters.

The crop photo letter was from Mrs. Willie Winfrey. She wrote it on Sunday, September 8, 1985. The actual letter was three pages long.

Willie, my cousin always had a greeting. This one was “How are all by now?” She said that she was ok at that present time. when she wrote the letter.

And that she went to visit her brother, ( Rev. Thomas A. White) in Brookfield, Missouri, a week or so ago. She asked him about their cousin, John Blake. Willie said that she was thinking that he was my grandfather (John Blakey Blakley.)

Willle’s brother told her “that this John was really a White because his father was one of his father’ s brother named Josh White and he passed away and another family raised him by the name of Blake.” Willie said we all know that the family was a large family. They are all died, now.

Willie mentioned that there might be one or two sisters living. I checked. John ‘s sister., Margaret D. “Maggie” (Blake) Valentine was living at the time of this letter. She passed in 1997.

Also, Willie said she wondered why we called him John Blake and all the others, Blakey.. At this time, cousin Willie was learning about the family connection: Blakey Blakley and WHITE. . She knew about some of the Blakeys. In this letter , she spoke of the first Blakey / White family family reunion that was held in Iowa in 1971.

Breakthrough Discoveries
In 2022. the mystery of John BLAKE was solved by clues from old newspapers. His death wasn’t recorded in the Missouri death certificate. His name was: John Henry BLAKE.

In May of 2024, I discovered John’s obituary in The Call a Kansas City news paper . He had a daughter named Miss Cora Mae Blake also known as Mrs. Margaret Cora Mae (Blake) Farmer ( 1915 – 1953). I have DNA matches with some of Margaret Cora’s descendants.

New insights from re reading this letter.
I was thinking about John Henry Blake (1880 – 1934). His mother was Mary Ann (Johnson) Blake. John had sisters. They had the same mother and their father was Louis Blake. Lewis Blake was John’s stepfather. On records, John was addressed as Lewis BLAKE’s son.

NOTE that Josh WHITE and Louis BLAKE were NOT the same person. Josh born in 1860 his year of death is unknown. Louis was born in 1863 and passed in 1932.. There is no Missouri death certificate on Louis Blake. But his death was recorded in the newspaper.

It’s something to discover how oral history can lead to uncover family mysteries. I’m thankful for those who corresponded with me over my lifetime and thankful for DNA matches. Thank You, Lord!

Thanks for reading
Hand Written Letter By Mrs. Willie M. (White) Winfrey

Willie was the daughter of Richard W. White and Jane (Ferguson) White. She was born on December 21, 1904. She was married to Ledrew Terrill and Harold Winfrey. She passed on December 14, 1994 at the age of 89. She was the mother of 4,

Cousin Willie’s father Richard W. White was the brother of my Great Grandfather Isaac White Blakey. Willie wanted to learn more about her family connections. I’m thankful that we connected along our journey.

R.I.P cousin Willie

God bless you
S.A.Blakley

What This Story Means To Me: My Family Connections

 In the beginning, I didn’t know much about my father David’s ancestors. It wasn’t until someone gave me a copy of this article “Slavery Descendants to Have First Reunion” in the mid 1970’s. And I held on to that article. (The information in the article led me on a journey. I began a 12 part Blog Series to uncover what I could. )

Decades later, I discovered that the article was published on page 5 in The Sioux City Journal Sioux City, Iowa on Saturday, August 28, 1971. This was the day of the Blakey White Family reunion. The crop photo is from that article.

It’s horrible that my ancestors were enslaved and sold as property. Their names were place in a Glasgow, Missouri a 1858 advertisement . (Isaac Blakey went south and joined the Mississippi Union Army in 1863.)

I’m not for when the enslaved family had their first reunion after being separated. Isaac searched for his family. He located in New Orleans. The family moved to Forest Green, Missouri.

Still to this day, I wonder about the mother and her 5 children who came to New Orleans on a ship.  I did find a record of a  Julia White listed on a record in 1843. She came on a ship called Orleans from Petersburg to New Orleans. She was 23 years old, born about 1823.

Why did the article led me on a journey?
There were some things in the article that did match up with documents and records. I wasn’t out to disprove what was in the article. My aim was to verify what oral history stated. My first blog was posted on Tuesday, January 15, 2013 and ended on Friday, February 1, 2013.

I discovered more information by searching each of the names, places and dates..Example: Julia White and her six children, seven grandchildren and one daughter in law were listed in the same house on the 1880 Missouri census in Chariton County. (And Julia had other children.)

Since 2013, I have discovered more on my Blakey WHITE Family Connections, as well on my other family connections. Searching want to connect with their long lost relatives. I have had many searchers contacted me or I them via internet. (DNA is a good tool to use. )

Thank you for reading,
What This Story Means To Me: My Family Connections

My 2nd Great Julia (Finney) White was the wife of Andrew White. Both were from Virginia.
I’m one of their descendants. from the branch of Isaac Blakey and Martha (Scott) Blakey

God bless you,
S.A. .Blakley

Similarities Between The Family Connections

 The news clip is from the Call Kansas City, Missouri; in the Forest Green, Missouri section. It was published on Friday, June 22, 1951 on page 19.

Who’s who in the news clip?

Mr. Ollie “Deke” Blakey was the son of Isaac White Blakey and Rachel ( Lephridge / Jackson) Blakey. Mrs., Ollie Blakey was also known as Margaret “Aunt Mike” (Cason) Blakey, She was the daughter of Mrs. Grace Harriet “Gracey” (Cason) Cason and Herbert Cason and they had three children: Mabel Cason, Lephridge Cason. and Margaret (Cason) Blakey.

Isiah / Isaac White, Julia White, and Mrs. Corneluis / Cornelia Woods were sibling .Their parents were Laura (Paige) White and Andrew Jackson White. They had 6 children; Mariah White, Julia Ann” July “White, Isaac “Isaiah” White, Cornelia Louise (White) Wood , Wedian B. White and William Spencer White.

Coincident Or Not
Isaac White Blakey’s parents were Julia (Finney) White. and Andrew White.
On the 1880 census for Chariton County Missouri. an Isaac White age 80 and Andrew White, 30, Laura 25, Mariah, July, A. and Isaac; all with the White surname..

Then after Isaac White’s household on that census, there was the household of Julia White, a widow and Isaac, 30 and Rachel 29,, John, Mary, Andrew, Julia, Henry, Spencer, John, David , Josh, Rebecca, Martha and Andrew; all with the White surname.

I believe that there were some connection in these families. I wish the person who reported these stories would have added a little more about he people. The Blakey and White families lived in the Forest Green Missouri area.

Thanks for reading.
Similarities Between The Family Connections

Who am I related to this news story?
Ollie “Deke” Blakey was the brother of my Grandfather John Blakey Blakley. Their father was Isaac White Blakey. Oral history has it that Andrew Jackson White was Isaac’s brother.

God bless you
S.A. Blakley

Posted on October 25, 2025 by Susan Ann Blakley on another site