Oklahoma Family History Visited

As I have written about before, I've been researching and researching my family history. In the last few months I have focused on my Mother's Mother's family. I wrote about them in the Family Love post. I spoke to a wonderful lady at the Prague, Oklahoma museum, Diana Kinzey. She helped me find articles and more facts on my Phillips family. They were my Grandmother's, Delores Dee Delly-Walbert's Grandparents.

I felt since we were headed to Missouri, I had to try and tie into the trip a stop in Prague to pay respect and see where my Grandmother grew up, and where the rest of her family is in their final resting place.

My Great Grandfather Paul Delly's home. Redone over the years, and doesn't have the same charm in my opinion. (It doesn't look anything like the original, but according to the town historian, this is it.) If nothing else, it's the same property.

 

Then we traveled to the Prague Cemetery, again with the guidance of the town historian Diana Kinzey who even emailed me a map of the cemetery and marked my family members grave sites.

This may be creepy for some of you, but to me, it is finally a chance for me to see where they lie in peace and pay our respects. As I always say, you have to know your past to be able to grow and move forward.

I'm thankful for my family heritage and grateful to live close enough to pay respects.

Paul on the right playing golf. He is said to have won two State Championships in a row.

His wife Jessie Mae Phillips Delly. She remarried after Paul's early death, to Reeves Thurman, but is buried by Paul Delly.

Jesse Mae Phillips-Delly and her Mother Cora Lee Taylor-Phillips

William G. Phillips Cora's husband and Jessie's father.

 

I did find it interesting that William died on what would later be his Great-Great-Great Grandson Landen's Birthday. Landen thought it was special too.

William remarried after Cora's death to Mary Lou Phillips. She is buried right next to Cora and William.

Hopefully, they know we were there. I hope they know I love them even though we have never met.

I also hope my Grandma knows I am proud of her family, loved her stories of her beautiful Mother's voice and piano playing, her handsome father and his talent for golf, and how he white washed the trees. I wish I knew stories of Cora and William. Luckily some articles Ms. Kinzey sent helped paint a picture of the close and lovely family I had.

"I love you Grandma! I'll always be your Jennifer Dee, & your brown eyed angel. Thank you for being such a wonderful Grandmother. I'm so glad I got to see your darling home of Prague, Oklahoma and pay respects to your parents and grandparents. I hope you know I'll keep sharing your stories and hopefully the boys will do the same and so on. Your love of Oklahoma and family will never die.

Love,

Jennifer Dee"

So as we walked away and left Prague behind, I gained a love and pride of Oklahoma! I kept hearing my Grandma sing Boomer Sooner in my head and do her little victory dance for her home team. "I'm a Sooner born and Sooner bred, and when I die I'm a Sooner dead, ..."

Thank you Diana Kinzey for keep Prague's history alive and helping those looking for their own Prague history find it! It's people like you that keep people remembering where it all began. Thank you for that!

I hope even if you think you know your family history, that you dig a little deeper. You never know what you'll find. I found out so much more than birth & death dates. I found a suffragette, a free mason & Spanish American War vet. I found a story of a state trooper going out of his way to find my Great Grandmother on the way to Colorado, to let her know her Father had just passed in Oklahoma. So much more than a birth and death date.

They lived!

Happy Family Story Hunting...they are after-all, why we are here!

 

 

 

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Happy Memorial Day

A Memorial Day Poem~

It's not just for those who have died, but for all of those that have served to save & protect our country. I had many relatives that did just that. I'm thankful and proud that they chose to protect and serve our country.

Today, I remember them and all others who have served our Great USA!

A few pictures of our home prepared for Memorial Day & my relatives that have served.

You can barely see my patriotic metal dog in my flower pot,(in the background behind the pot with the bird feeder).

My Father-in-law Ralph Horowitz in the Navy, on missions during the Bay of Pigs and Cuban Missle Crisis. We love hearing his stories. He was recently asked to speak to high school seniors about his experience in the Navy. Thank you "Grandpa Ralph" for serving!

My Great Great Grandfather William G. Phillips served in the Spanish American War. I bet there were some great stories there. Thank you for your service Great Great Grandpa Phillips!

My Grandfather William Mendle Borthwick (still with us), Army World War II. He has told my boys all about living in the Hawaiian islands during the bombing of Pearl Harbor and being in the Army at that time. He wasn't just serving there, he had been born and raised there, it was his home being attacked. Thank you Grandpa for serving!

My Grandpa Wencl Walbert Jr. Commanding Officer in the Navy World War II. We loved hearing his stories of being a farmers son watching planes going over their farm in Owatonna, Minnesota and saying to his Dad that someday he was going to fly....and he did! We love you and miss you Grandpa. Thank you for serving!

My Great Grandfather Paul Delly World War I. I wish I knew some of his stories; but, I'm very proud to share with others his history of service to our country. Thank you for serving Great Grandpa Delly.

And my Great Great Great Step-Grandfather Benjamin Dodge Whitney who served in the Mexican American War. He was a whaling captain by trade and retired to be a lighthouse keeper. I actually found on-line letters he wrote to the government asking for his pension. I bet he had great stories too! Thank you for serving our country Great Great Great Grandpa Whitney.

Here are my boys in the picture below, at minuteman bridge in Concord, Massachusetts a few years ago. This is where our men fought to keep America FREE! We went here on the 4th of July.

I try to remind my boys, It is so important for all of us to remember, it wasn't always easy to worship, to carry a gun to protect our families and property, to live our lives the way we want... It was a struggle. People fled to the Americas for freedom and then fought to keep it that way.

Memorial Day is not just a day of great sales and an extra day off, it is a day to remember those who fought to gives us that "day off" to celebrate with our families in peace.

* And a special Memorial Day wish to my wonderful neighbors the Rios', that I'm convinced my Walbert Grandparents sent me. My Grandpa was a Commanding officer in the Navy & Navy pilot. I was in a low, wanting to move. I prayed and asked for special help from my grandparents to make my home feel more like home. Low and behold, we got new neighbors, 2 years ago, a Navy pilot and his beautiful wife, son and daughter. Tell me that's not a blessing!

They are now leaving us. He was promoted to Commander (probably with a little help from a Walbert Navy angel putting in a few good words), and he is now needed in New Orleans.

Thank you Rios family for serving our country, while never knowing how long your home will be "home". We are forever thankful for you keeping our country safe. And we are so grateful to call you friends! Stay safe on your new adventure. You will be missed. But know you always have a place to stay when you visit....so visit soon and often!

Freedom isn't FREE! So please take the time to Remember.....

 

Happy Memorial Day!

 

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31 Year Old Dream to Visit Laura Ingalls Wilder's Home, Came True!

Well, persistence is everything! I DID convince my husband and my two boys to go to Laura Ingalls Wilder's Home and Museum in Mansfield, Missouri.

This was done on our way to Kansas City, Missouri for my nephews Barmitzvah. We also went through Prague, Oklahoma, on the way to Mansfield, Missouri, to visit where my Grandmother Delores Dee Delly- Walbert grew up, as well as her Mother Jessie Mae Phillips-Delly. What a great mini-vacation! I will post on both of these later.

So...How does a Wife/Mother convince her husband and two boys to see Laura Ingalls Wilder's Missouri home?

Well, I BEGGED!

And in a very convincing way, I explained the historical significance of her literature, her pioneer life and survival. Landen for 4th Grade, studied the Westward Expansion, so this of course fit right in. It really did! Also my Great Great Grandmother Cora Lee was 6 years older than Rose Wilder Laura & Almanzo's daughter. This helped my boys put in perspective the time line of events in our family history and America's.

Seeeeee, sounds convincing, didn't it?

Let's face it....this was for me. But, I thought if I could turn this into educational too, it could make it "worth it"! I guess because Laura was a girl, the stories are "Girly". But, her life was far from "Girly"! It was really, really rough! Just read a little on Wikipedia. It was not all you saw on Little House on the Prairie.

So, now that I'm done making excuses....It was AMAZING!!

Where we stayed~

"The Weaver Inn", the perfect way to spend our day and a half of time travel back to the 1800's. The building was built in 1800. It used to be a Drug Store. The Inn has the most adorable rooms, very clean, very comfortable beds, and all rooms were named after family members of Laura Ingalls Wilder's. The whole town is proud of Laura Ingalls Wilder's history in their town. The Weaver Inn has a coffee shop below that stays open until 10 for Inn guests, with a complimentary coffee bar and cookies. A waffle bar, yogurt, fresh fruit, pastries, and happy Inn keepers & staff, greet you the next morning, also complimentary for Inn guests.

If you ever plan to make the trip, this is a great place to stay. Everyone there is so kind and very willing to indulge you in your thirst for more, on the history of Laura and her family in the town.

http://www.weaverinnbb.com/

We had just put our bags down and the boys were already comfortable in "The Rose Room".

The park directly across from The Weaver Inn. The bust of Laura Ingalls Wilder and encircling the bottom was all of her books.

 

The train going through town, behind the Weaver Inn. It was so charming to hear the trains go by.

If you watch "Beyond the Prairie", (I found it at our local library on DVD), about Laura's life, it shows her and Almanzo getting ready to go to the Mansfield Bank to get a loan for their farm....this is the actual bank. It is also across from The Weaver Inn. The lady working at the Inn said her grandmother remembered Laura coming to town on her horse and buggy. I can almost picture it!

And here we are!

http://www.lauraingallswilderhome.com/

The looks on Preston & Landen's faces are cautiously optimistic at this point! Notice the politically correct smiles...I adore them! Never once did the balk at me dragging them across the prairie for THIS! They truly are awesome kids.

 

Right past the entrance, on the way to the house, is a garden growing heirloom vegetables from the time period of Laura and Almanzo. Also a cabin being built in the same way as the one occupied by Laura, Rose, and Almanzo before they built the white house. I believe it was Amish men building it. If they weren't, they sure looked the part.

The Home Almanzo built for Laura and Rose~

According to the tour guide, Laura said the large windows in the living room you see here, were like living pictures, always changing with the seasons! I could not get over the beautiful grounds of the original 200 acres. The stone fireplace was gorgeous inside and out.

So thankful to my amazing husband Glen, for making my 31 year old wish come true! {After all, this wasn't exactly on the way...}

The home here had a mini museum and gift shop attached. The home had all original furnishings, from the refrigerator, stove, clock (Christmas gift to Laura from Almanzo), china, beds, etc. etc. I was in Laura HEAVEN! The museum had clothing, jewelry, the lap writing desk Almanzo made for Laura (seen in "Beyond the Prairie"), more china, family bibles, and so on! It was thrilling to see it all.

The Home Built by Rose for Her Parents on the Other Side of the Farm~

Rose built this home for her parents in 1928, with all the modern conveniences, including being the first home in the area to have electricity. This is also the home where Rose convinced her mother to write the Little House Series. She wrote the first four manuscripts in this home. She and Almanzo lived here for a little under 8 years and then returned to their farm house. {There really isn't a reason given for their return to the original farmhouse.}

The home is also furnished as it was when they lived there, minus a few things that they brought over to the farm house.

My Three, admiring the peaceful silence and view...

Leaving Mansfield heading towards Kansas City, I managed,very crudely, to capture a picture of an Amish man going to town. So please forgive the blurred picture...

Thank you for indulging me in sharing my childhood dream. It truly was amazing!

I should note, I developed an infection on the trip...of course in a small town with two Dr's, one off duty on a Friday and the other didn't accept United Healthcare insurance and the place smelled like a smoky bar. So please note, the nearest Dr's and true Hospital is in Springfield, Missouri. This wasn't horribly far, but not exactly close either. I made it through the museum, homes and gift shop. Then thanked my lucky stars for google and Walmart Clinics and Pharmacy. No wait time, friendly Dr. , fast and inexpensive pharmacy.

I was then back on the road to recovery and to Kansas City! Pheeeew!

You know your a determined soul, when you're in pain and muscle through it for your goal! It was well worth it!!!

To those that have dreams, goals, and bucket lists, don't let them get buried in life's hustle and bustle. Life is short... Sometimes a day is all you have and all you need to fulfill a dream!

To checking off those dreams, goals, and bucket list items....Happy Checking!

 

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