On This Day in Family History - July 31

 David Thomas Spayde was born 31 July 1933

He was the son of Georganna Thomas and Paul Spayde

Georganna was the daughter of Roy and Mabel Thomas (brother of my grandfather Bill Thomas)

Photo: Roy and Mabel Thomas

Roy and Mabel had 4 children - Russell, Georganna, Helen, and Ruth

I have this picture of Roy and Mabel with ... I assume some of their children and a grandchild. 

Can any of my Thomas relatives tell me specifically who these people are? I'd love to know, because I don't have any good pictures of some of Roy and Mabel's children.

Also, I have this picture which I believe is Roy Thomas (not sure) with a child that may be his, or a grandchild. Help, anyone?

Here is the text of David Spayde's obituary:

David Thomas "Sam" Spayde, age 80, passed away on November 15, 2013 at Spectrum Health, Blodgett Hospital in Grand Rapids. He grew up in Paw Paw, MI. After graduating from Paw Paw High School, he received a Bachelor of Science and Masters Degrees from Western Michigan University. He was active in Tau Kappa Epsilon, Men's Judicial Board, and R.O.T.C. He served in the U.S. Army as a First Lieutenant in 1958. In 1959, he began a 32-year teaching career at Kelloggsville School System in Wyoming, MI. Spending summers at the family cottage in Bay View (Petoskey), he was Director of the Bay View Recreation Club. He was an active member of Second Congregational United Church of Christ for over 50 years. He was always quick with a joke or a cheerful word. He had the ability to celebrate triumphs over his everyday health challenges. His sense of humor was legendary. He had a great love for his family and friends. Surviving are his wife of 57 years, Mary Blandford Spayde, and his daughters, Betsey Spayde of Grand Rapids and Carolyn (Kurt) Krahulik of Lansing. He was proud of his grandchildren, Rachel and Mitchell Krahulik. Also surviving are his brother, Richard Paul Spayde and sisters-in-law, Jane Spayde, Laura Higgins and Carla Blandford. He loved his nieces and nephews. The family thanks Dr. Gary Humphries, for his extra special care throughout many years. In lieu of flowers, please consider gifts to Second Congregation Church UCC, Bay View Association, or the Blandford Nature Center. Visitation will be Thursday, November 21 at Second Congregation Church from 6:30-8 PM. Celebration of Life at the church located at 525 Cheshire Dr. NE Grand Rapids, MI 49505 at 11 AM on Friday, November 22, 2013

On This Day in Family History - July 30

 Nellie Jane Searcy Spain died 30 July 1991

Photo: Eleanor, Ruby, Nellie Jane, Willene

Eleanor, Nellie, and Willene are daughters of Edith Burford Searcy.

Ruby is their aunt -- wife of Raymond Burford.

Edith is in the larger version of this photo, but you can barely see her behind the other women:

Raymond, Edith, and Hazel Burford were the children of Alexander Burford and his 1st wife Helen Virginia Lockard.

After Helen Virginia died -- while the children were still young -- Alexander married Lora Gibson (my great-grandmother) and they had 10 more children.

Photo: George, Lora, Deb, Helen, Ishmael, Killough, Alexander Burford

On This Day in Family History - July 29

 Johnny Cleo Carter was born 29 July 1942

Johnny was the son of Elmer Carter and Lorene Smith

Elmer Carter was the son of John Martin Carter and Amy Tamsett Carter

John Martin Carter was the son of Ned Jonas Carter and Jane Evans Carter

(He was the brother of my great-great-grandmother Adaline Carter Arnold)

This is as far back as we have been able to trace our Carter family lineage. Ned Jonas Carter was born in 1829 in Tennessee, and died in 1900 in Cleburne County, Arkansas.

On This Day in Family History - July 28

 Irene Hicks married Golden 'Doc' Barnett 28 July 1934

Irene was a sister of my grandmother Cleffie Hicks Burford

Ruby, Irene, and Cleffie were the oldest three of Ulys and Annie's nine children.

Ruby married Arvil 'Jack' Barnett, and Irene married his brother Golden 'Doc' Barnett

Doc and Irene had four daughters - Velma Lee, June, Betty, and Bobbie

 

Here is a picture of Irene with 5 generations - daughter June, grandson Randy, great-granddaughter Samantha, and great-great-grandson Jeffery

Doc passed away in 1982, Irene passed away in 2002.

On This Day in Family History - July 27

 Eileen Delores Rice Thomas was born 27 July 1929

I always hesitate to post pictures of living people without asking their permission first. But this lady is very special to me and I want to honor her on her 94th birthday.

Eileen is the wife of Bernarde Thomas (my dad's brother). They were married in 1948, and had three sons - Mick, Greg, and Kim.

My childhood and adult life are filled with good memories of time spent with Uncle Bernarde and Aunt Eileen. Here are a few pictures that I'll bet she didn't even know I had...

Fast-forward a few years...

(at my house in Arkansas, 1981, with Christopher)

And here she is on her 90th birthday, with Kim, Mick, and Greg.

(Uncle Bernarde passed away in 1999.)

I can't even begin to guess how many grandchildren, great-grandchildren, and great-great-grandchildren she has now. LOTS!

As the saying goes -- the woods is full of 'em!

Happy birthday, Aunt Eileen.

On This Day in Family History - July 26

Mary Alice Moorehead Bullard died 26 July 1943

Okay, so you remember George Bullard from yesterday's post?

The picture below is George and his first wife Josie Tamsett, and their daughter Leona.

Well, the picture above is George and his 2nd wife, Mary Morehead Robinson (from her obituary, I take it she was called "Mollie"). The two boys in the picture are her sons from her previous marriage -- Levi and Herbert Robinson. The little girl is George and Mollie's daughter Tessie. They also had another daughter, Georgia Alice, who is not in this photo (might not have been born yet). I don't have a picture of her.

On This Day in Family History - July 25

 Leona Canzada Bullard Hamby Cross died 25 July 1961

Leona was the daughter of George Bullard and Josephine Tamsett

Photo: George and Josie Tamsett Bullard and their daughter Leona.

Leona married William Limuel Phalamil Hamby. They had three children - sons Joe and Mel, and a daughter Dulcia.

Photo: Mel Hamby

After William Hamby's death in 1934 Leona married A.D. Cross.

 

*   *   *

How is Leona Canzada Bullard Hamby Cross related to our family? 

George Bullard was an uncle of my great-great-grandfather John Henry Arnold. So Leona would have been John Henry's cousin.

George Bullard and his sister Peggy raised their nephew John Henry Arnold. He was the son of their sister Emma Bullard Arnold. (I don't have a picture of Emma.)

Photo: George and Peggy Bullard

Photo: John Henry Arnold

Here is what John Henry's daughter (my great-grandmother Annie Arnold Hicks) wrote:

My Father’s Side:

  Grandmother’s name before marriage was Emma Bullard. She married a man by the name of Arnold.  They had one child, Henry (my father).  They didn’t live together but three or four years.  They had trouble because he wanted to move from Missouri to Texas (or at least that’s what set off the separation), with his folks and she wouldn’t move, but he went ahead and moved without her and in a little while he came back and wanted her to take him back but she wouldn’t.  

  Then in a year or two she married a man by the name of Alex McReynolds.  They had one boy and twin girls and they had trouble and he took the girls and left, and they never heard from him any more.  

  But about the time she married the second time, her brother and sister (neither one married) took my Dad - just a small boy about maybe 2 years old, and set up housekeeping and raised him.  Their names were George Bullard and Margaret Bullard (Peggy).  Uncle George and Aunt Peggy was always exactly like my Grandpa and Grandma.  

  After they got my Dad about raised, Uncle George married Josie Tamsett, an aunt of Amy Tamsett that John Carter married. 

On This Day in Family History - July 24

 

Asa Gibson died 24 July 1912.                  Ron Burford Jr was born 24 July 1972.

Ronnie is the great-great-grandson of Asa Gibson

*   *   *

Asa Gibson was the father of Lora Gibson

Lora Gibson Burford was the mother of Lester Burford

Lester Burford was the father of Ron Burford

Ron Burford was the father of Ron Burford, Jr.

*   *   *

Those of us who knew Ron Burford (Sr.) can see a resemblance between him and Asa Gibson. 

(This is not my favorite picture of Ron, just because his hair was never permed like that in the years I knew him. But this one best shows his resemblance to Asa Gibson.)

On This Day in Family History - July 23

 Madison Paige Marvin was born 23 July 1995

Madison is the daughter of Melanie Radde Marvin

Melanie is the daughter of Beverly Jones Radde and Ted Radde

Beverly was the daughter of Evalee Hicks and Charles Jones

Evalee Hicks Jones was the sister of my grandmother Cleffie Hicks Burford