On This Day in Family History - November 14

 John Dallas Treat married Mabel Gertrude Myers 14 November 1925

John and Mabel had one child, a son, Jack

John was the brother of my grandmother Christie Treat Thomas.

Photo L-R: John and Mabel Treat, Jack and Joanie Treat, Christie and Bill Thomas

Jack married Joanie Colman and they had 3 children - Terry, Jeff, and Jackie Jo

This group picture was taken on John and Mabel's 25th wedding anniversary, 1950.

Back Row L to R: Madge Till, Mabel’s father, Leonard Till holding “Little Eddie” Heinze, Mabel’s brother, Myra (wife of Mabel’s brother), Eddie Heinze, Ruth Heinze holding Rita Heinze, Eileen Thomas holding Mick Thomas, Bernarde Thomas, Mary (Junior Till’s wife) holding Doug (Junior and Mary’s son), Junior (Leonard Elmer) Till holding Cindy (Junior and Mary’s daughter), Marcus Treat, Jackie Dallas “Jack” Treat. Front Row L to R: Christie Thomas, Massie Treat, Bill Thomas (kneeling), Mabel and John Treat (with cake), Mabel’s mother (Mrs. Myers), Richard Thomas. 

Some excerpts from my book Secret and Resolute:

Notes from Jackie Dallas Treat:  John married Mabel Gertrude Myers on November 14th 1925 in Galesburg, Illinois. They had one son Jackie Dallas who was born on November 21 1932 in Galesburg, Illinois.   John left home to work on farms at the age of thirteen years old. He loved to work with horses and became an outstanding teamster. He also had a good ear for music and learned to play the fiddle which later involved joining his sister Madge who played piano and a drummer, John Brown, to form a trio that played for round and square dances, they were also in demand to play for "Silent Movies" because they played by ear therefore did not require lights which interfered with the show. He worked many different jobs including Fireman for the CB&Q Railroad out of Galesburg to Chicago, He was a farmer and trucked produce over much of the Midwest. He worked for the Van Buren County Road Commission for many years from whom he retired in 1965.  He was a slim man who stood about five feet ten inches and weighed about one hundred fifty to sixty pounds. 

Notes from Jackie Dallas Treat:  Mabel was a short woman around five feet two or so inches who like her mother was a good cook and homemaker. She baked excellent pies but had problems getting cakes to rise properly. She liked to knit and sew while listening to or watching baseball and sometimes both at the same time while still doing her needlework. She liked all teams, but especially the Cubs or White Sox. "Nellie Fox” the White Sox second baseman was her favorite player.  She worked outside their home for the Bangor Fruit Exchange where she packed fruit for the markets during the fall season. Later she worked quite a few years for "Keller’s Dime Store" in Bangor. She was an excellent and devoted Mother to their son. 

Jackie Dallas Treat was born 21 November 1932 in Galesburg, Illinois, and died 07 May 2014.  He married Joan Louise Colman 04 June 1955.   Jackie, usually known as Jack, moved to the Bangor, Michigan area in 1933 and lived in this vicinity all of his childhood, graduating from Bangor High School in 1950.  He joined the U.S. Air Force 1/24/1953 and trained as a teletype operator, serving from August 1952 until June 1954 in Japan at Miho Air Force Base.  He was discharged 1/23/1956 from Donaldson Air Force Base, Greenville, South Carolina.  Jack always worked with horses and owned a team of large ponies.  He went to fairs and parades driving them with a wagon.  He had 23 different ponies. Jack has worked at several occupations including banking, piano manufacturing and musical band instrument repair. He retired in June 1995 from the Grand Rapids public school system.  After retirement he worked part time for Meyer Music Co. in Muskegon as a repairman of musical instruments.  Jack was the only member of his class who was in the band from 6th grade through graduation from high school.  He started playing trap drums at age 12 and played through his school days and Air Force duty.  He started his own trio after his discharge.  This group was together over seven years.  As late as December of 2000 Jack still played with a church praise band and several other groups.