More patterns

Yesterday's post (Patterns of Relationships) noted that Laura E. Weaver did not remarry after the death of her second husband Alfred Ray. After looking through newspaper entries and checking the Indiana marriage records again, this statement was incorrect. Laura married John D. Smith in Indianapolis on 28 December 1929. I only caught this after finding a news clipping from the Indianapolis Star describing a "Mr. and Mrs. John D. Smith" who had returned from spending their summer in Hollywood, California with daughter and granddaughter Mrs. Marie Reynolds and Jean Reynolds.

Indianapolis Star, 26 Aug 1934.

It is likely when Marie and Jeanne moved to California, Marie had separated from husband John X. Reynolds. By 1938 John Reynolds had moved to Fort Wayne, Indiana and remarried. It also looks like Marie's mother Laura had divorced John D. Smith (or he had died) sometime before the 1940 US Census, as she is listed as head of household by then and had reverted to going by her previous married name, Laura Ray. Marie and Jeanne had also moved back to Indianapolis from Hollywood.

1940 US Census, Indianapolis, Indiana

Indianapolis Star, 28 Apr 1935

An original copy of the four generation photo above is in the set of pictures inherited by my Dad. In this photo, it was hand dated as from 1932. I wonder if whoever labeled the photos meant to put 1935 instead of 1932.

Original photo, which appeared in the Indianapolis Star in 1935.

I vaguely remember my Nana telling stories about living in Hollywood and doing something with the movie industry or knowing actors who were in the movies. We are heading to LA soon for a visit, so perhaps this is a bit of history I will follow-up on to learn more. I have an inquiry with the Screen Actors Guild to see if Jeanne or Marie show up in their early records.

Marie Frances married Bert J. Sexson in Indianapolis in 1947. She passed away on 1 January 1961. Her obituary provides another hint on where to look for information about Marie or Jeanne's involvement with the movie industry.

Indianapolis Star

Hispanic Heritage Month 2016

Each September, from 15 September to 15 October, marks Hispanic Heritage Month. As with previous posts (see last year's here), I take this opportunity to remember my own Hispanic heritage on my Granny's side of the family. For this year's post I am sharing this wonderful photo from Irene Campuzano Wagers, showing her mother Dolores Olivas driving with her sister Rosaura Olivas Camacho and son Gilbert in the back with Rosaura's daughter Sally Camacho in the front. Dolores and Rosaura were first generation Americans, born in Pinal County, Arizona, after their father Jose de Jesus Olivas became a US citizen in 1874.

Photo from I. Wagers.

Hispanic Heritage Month takes on added importance in this election year. Latin Americans are the second-largest, fastest growing and youngest group of Americans. Hispanic Heritage Month of Action is encouraging Latin Americans to register to vote, and once registered to vote this November.

Patterns of Relationships

In yesterday's post showing four and five generations of women in my Nana's family, I noticed that pictures of the husbands in the family were rare. There was the photo of Laura Weaver Ray and her second husband Alfred Ray, which I posted on Sunday. Separately I found two photos of Laura with her first husband Frank Kelley, which I will post here. But something I noticed is that over the years, Laura, her mother Nancy and daughter Marie Frances made a special effort to capture a generational photo with my Nana. There were quite a few.

Laura Weaver and Frank L. Kelley, 1898.

Laura Ethel Weaver was born on 25 February 1881 in Hamilton County, Indiana. She was the daughter of Nancy Barker and Alonzo J. Weaver. Nancy later married Milton Taylor in Indianapolis on 10 November 1907. Laura married Frank L. Kelley on 7 December 1898 in Bedford, Lawrence County, Indiana. The old photos inherited by my Dad included a copy of their wedding announcement, see below.

Laura and Frank had a daughter, Marie Frances Kelley, on 12 March 1900 in Bedford. By 5 June 1900 (the date of the 1900 US Census entry), they were living in the household of Nancy Weaver in Indianapolis at 613 Lockerbie Street.

Laura, Marie and Frank Kelley with Harry Weaver in middle.

The photo above shows Frank Kelley and Laura's brother Harry Weaver standing in front of their store in Indianapolis in 1905 or early 1906. I checked through the City Directories and confirmed they had an entry for the store in the 1906 City Directory.

1906 Indianapolis City Directory

It appears Frank Kelley went by various aliases during their marriage. There is a curious photo where Laura is sitting on the front porch of a home in the Lockerbie neighborhood, and her name is listed as "Laura Kelly Lindsey".

Laura Weaver Kelley.

By 1908, Laura filed suit to divorce Kelley.

Indianapolis News, 6 May 1908.

Laura married Alfred Ray on 22 April 1909, and they enjoyed a happy life in Indianapolis. He passed away on 15 September 1928, and Laura never remarried. I will have much more on her life in Indianapolis and Texas. She lived to be nearly 100 years old.

Marie Frances Kelley (later using Alfred's name Ray) married John Xavious Reynolds on 6 October 1918 in Indianapolis. Their photos are below:

Marie Frances Ray, 1918.

John X. Reynolds Jr., 1918.

Marie and John soon had a daughter, my Nana, Betty Jeanne Reynolds, born on the same day as her mother, 12 March 1923. There are several news articles mentioning Marie and John. I'll go into these further with the next post.

Four Generations

Four generations of my Nana's family.

The photo above is a common one in the photos that once belonged to my Nana, Betty Jeanne Reynolds Jones. The one above is marked as from 1923. My Nana is the baby in the lap of Laura E. Ray, with her daughter Marie Frances on the left and mother Nancy Weaver Taylor on the right.

Same four generations, early 1930s.

The Indianapolis Star featured five generations of women in the family on 14 May 1944:

The photos over the years underscore a pattern, the women in the family were always pictured. There are very few of the fathers and husbands. An explanation for this will involve another post.

Jeanne in 1938

Marie and Jeanne Reynolds, Michigan, 1938

The photo above shows my Nana vacationing in Michigan with her mother Marie Frances Reynolds in 1938. Jeanne was 15 in this picture.

Indianapolis Star, 10 Jul 1938

During the trip, Jeanne had the honor of dancing with Henry Ford, who would have been 75 then. Jeanne's great-grandmother Nancy Weaver Taylor attended (mentioned in the article as her grandmother), and appears to have had a role with the McGuffey Federation.