Living

Living married Living [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Notes:

His address in 1938, at the time he completed a form SS-5, was 175 W. 188 Street in New York City. He was employed by Postal Telegraph. The names of his parents are based on this record, and have been confirmed through census records.

On March 14, 1942, shortly before his twentieth birthday, he enlisted in the U. S. Army. He was a resident of Queens, New York. He had completed four years of high school, and was employed as a bellman. He was single, with no dependents, and was 5 Feet 8 Inches tall, and weighed 148 pounds.

Eugene married Margaret Cecily "Maggie" Wilson on 24 Aug 1946 in Hollis, Queens County, New York. Margaret (daughter of Robert Sudbury Wilson and Evelyn Mary Eastwood) was born on 9 Aug 1927 in Sale, Cheshire, England; died on 22 Jan 2009 in Houston, Harris County, Texas. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Notes:

Margaret Cecily Bramhall

MARGARET CECILY BRAMHALL passed away 1/22/09. She was born in Sale Cheshire, England on Aug. 9, 1927, and was preceded in death by her husband of 49 years Eugene Bramhall. She is survived by 6 children: Eileen Hav?, Teresa Oberholtzer, Ann Bramhall, James Bramhall, Elizabeth Childres & William Bramhall, their spouses, 8 grandchildren & 5 great-grandchildren. The Memorial service will be held at St Paul's United Methodist Church on 1/26/09 at 1:00. We will always love you Maggie.

(Published in the Houston Chronicle on 1/25/2009)

Margaret Cecily Wilson Bramhall was born Aug. 9, 1927 in Sale Chesire, England. She died Jan. 22, 2009 here in Houston. She was preceded in death by her husband of 49 years Eugene Andrew Bramhall. She is survived by her 6 children Eileen, Teresa, Ann, Jim, Liz, and Billy; 8 grandchildren of whom the 4 in Houston are able to be here: Ryan and Haley Bramhall, and William and Alex Childres; 5 great-grandchildren; 2 honorary granddaughters Ashley Childres Worley and Amber Childres, her brother Bernard, and many friends lots of whom are here.

By all accounts and any criteria, Maggie was a tremendous person. All who knew her loved her and she loved them. While she was a proper, and often stubborn, English lady, she was also lively and memorable. 100 lbs. soaking wet, she commanded the attention and respect and engendered the love of those she encountered.

She was known for her sometimes cryptic English expressions which are family lore. "I'm not as green as I am cabbage looking" was one of them. Another was "I might as well as wish I hadda done." "Bob's your uncle" and "laughing turns to crying" were yet others. One that has stuck with most everyone is "show me your friend, and I'll tell you what you are" which is good advice at any age.

Maggie and Gene and their expanding brood lived all over the world as Gene's work took them to far-flung places. During an economic downturn when his job was not in demand, Maggie went to work and helped keep the family together. She was not afraid of hard tasks and instilled in her children that same sense - people who keep clean houses and iron all clothes. A child of the depression, she did not believe in frivolous or virtually any spending. She was always for putting up and setting aside "the best" and saving it for another day.

Maggie was a good sport. She crawled through the doggie door at Liz and Scott's on a dare, a feat which fortunately did not land the Childreses in trouble with Adult Protective Services. She also was notorious for taking out her teeth and losing them in inopportune spots, like napkins, pockets and dogs' mouths. And while she never wore pants, they did get her in a pair of exercise shorts which she wore long enough to be photographed. Denise talked of a time that Maggie went to Ashley's teenaged birthday party and rode in a limousine which blared loud contemporary music. When Denise apologized to Maggie for the din, Maggie said she'd learned early on that she could endure anything for a short period of time and she might as well be kind and pleasant. Denise chose Maggie right then and there as her role model.

Maggie was a bright light shining through her and our lives. She was referred to by many different terms of endearment: Mom, Grandma, Sweetie, Old Girl, and one in particular that her husband Gene used to call her: Maggie, Me Love. It occurred to me that linking Maggie to love was a wonderful happenstance. Maggie was a tremendously loving woman. She devoted her life to love. Growing up she loved her family. During the war, when Gene showed up in England at a dance Maggie attended with her sister, Maggie and Gene fell in love. After the war, at the age of 18, Maggie, by herself, journeyed to the states to be Gene's bride. Her 49 years of marriage were filled with love, including the last several of Gene's life when she single-handedly cared for him after his stroke. She loved her family - her two families - first the 3 girls Eileen, Teresa, and Ann and then 10 years later her second batch of Jim, Liz, and Billy. Of course, William and Alex, with whom she lived throughout their lives, plus others also benefited from her maternal care. Her love for all was evident, tough though it was. Liz remembers that in high school she was expected to be in the house by 6 or dark whichever was earlier - no Bramhall was going to be out at night. And despite Maggie's strictness, everyone wanted her to be their mother. She loved people and they loved her.

The love Maggie displayed was both kind and gentle and tenacious and?b? ?/b?enduring. In our scripture readings from today, we have the familiar words from the Apostle Paul about love. This passage from First Corinthians 13 seemed to be appropriate for Maggie, as we reflected on her life. Her love wasn't soft and sentimental; it was strong and powerful. She manifested love wherever she went. People knew instantly that Maggie was a person to be trusted; she met no strangers. Just as she loved people, others fell in love with her. Always in a dress, with her trademark pearls, she shone.

She understood what Paul talked about in describing love because it was the way she lived. She knew love as described: "Love is patient; love is kind; love is not envious or boastful or arrogant or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; it does not rejoice in wrongdoing, but rejoices in the truth. It bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. Love never ends."

Our faith tells us that Maggie is in a better place. There she is reunited with those who have gone before and there she prays for those of us left living. God who created her and loves her, has drawn her there. The person who lived all but the last weeks of her life in good health, is healthy and vibrant once again.

May we who are left to mourn Maggie, remember her life as a celebration of love. May we draw closer to one another and share life as beloved companions. And that ultimately is what living is about. Let us remember her shining example as we seek to create our own. When you take the best of what you have experienced, may Maggie be your guide. She was the best. God bless her, God bless you. Amen.

Prepared by
Gail Williford
Minister of Spiritual Formation and Discipleship
St. Paul's United Methodist Church
Houston, Texas

Notes:

Married:
Maggie and Gene met at a dance during World War II. After the war, at the age of 18, Maggie, by herself, journeyed to the states to marry him. Hailey Bramhall located the paperwork her grandmother complted upon her first entry into the United States on the "New York, Passenger Lists, 1820-1957" on AncestryLibrary.com. Maggie's completed information sheet shows that she arrived by air (Pan American Airways), departing from London on August 4, 1946 and arriving in New York on that same day. She was 19 years old, and her destination was 109-06 Richland Avenue, Flushing, Long Island, New York, the home of her fiancee, Mr. E. A. Bramhall. She was described as 5 feet, 3 inches, with a fresh complexion, brown hair, and blue eyes. She reported her occupation as clerk. Her last personal residence was 63 Essex Road, Romford, England. Her stated purposed of coming to New York was Marriage, and she stated her intent to become a permant resident. She had $50 with her at arrival.

Living married Bonnie Jean Benkelman Bonnie (daughter of Benjamin Franklin Benkelman, Jr. and Avis Augusta Smith) was born on 8 Dec 1933 in Cass City, Tuscola County, Michigan; died on 26 Sep 2023 in Houston, Harris County, Texas. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Notes:

Bonnie was extremely active during her High School years in Cass City, Michigan. According to her yearbook, the "1952 Perranos", she spent four years in the band (she played the clarinet) and in the honor society; was alternately treasurer, secretary, and president of her home room; was in the junior class play; and was on the Annual Staff and in the Queen's Homecoming Court her senior year. Her lively sense of humor was apparent from her statement in the class will: "I, Bonnie Benkelman, of questionable mind and body, will my ability, (which I don't have) to stay on my hall guide post all hour to Jean Holmberg, who doesn't have it either but since she has to make a good impression it might come in handy."

She went to Western Michigan College in Kalamazoo, and was a member of the Sigma Kappa sorority. She was social chairperson of the Panhellenic Council in 1952. She graduated with a Bachelor of Science in Elementary Education, specializing in Occupational Therapy. It was a good fit for her, combining her love of science and her enjoyment of doing things with her hands. Bonnie noted that Jane Stickley Benkelman, a nurse who worked both with veterans and crippled children, had suggested she pursue this career path.

Bonnie interned in Baltimore, at Shepherd Pratt Psychiatric Hospital, becoming an O.T.R. She also received an Elementary Provisional Certificate from the State of Michigan State Board of Education which would have allowed her to teach Occupational Therapy at the High School level.

Her first job after graduation was at Hines Veterens' Administrations Hospital in Chicago, in the Cardiac department. She saved her money faithfully to purchase an automobile. At that time a VW Beetle cost around $1,500. When she was within $50 of this goal, she broke her leg skiing. Most of her savings went to pay off her hospital bills, and to finance a trip to Europe with her Aunt Ilo Smith shortly before her wedding. When Bonnie resigned from the Veterens' Administration in before her marriage in 1958, she was classified as a GS-631-7 and was making $4,980 yearly.

Bonnie worked as an Occupational Therapist before her daughters were born. When her eldest daughter was 18 months old, she returned to work at the Scottish Rite Hospital for Crippled Children in Dallas. After the birth of younger daughters, she stopped her paid employment to become a full time mom and volunteer. She was a homeroom mother, sunday school teacher, and girl scout leader.

(Research):
In the News

Cass City Chronicle
Friday, July 12, 1940
Local Happenings, Page Four

The dog at the B.F. Benkelman Jr., home rejoiced Sunday night. His little mistress, Bonny, and her mother, Mrs. B.F. Benkelman, Jr., returned that day from a week's visit in Lansing and Grand Ledge.

Cass City Chronicle
Cass City, Michigan, Friday, October 26, 1956
Page One

Bonnie Benkelman Passes OTR Exam

"Miss Bonnie Benkelman, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. B.F. Benkelman, 4581 West Street, Cass City, has successfully completed her national examination for registration by the American Occupational Therapy Association.

A graduate of Western Michigan College, Kalamazoo, one of 29 colleges in the United States offering OT programs approved by the American Medical Association, Miss Benkelman joins the ranks of 5,000 OTR's working in hospitals and schools across the nation.

Occupational therapists give treatment on the doctor's prescription in the form of supervised activity to people injured physically or mentally by accident or disease."


Cass City Chronicle
April 28, 1960
Page Six
Cass City Area Social and Personal Items

Mr. and Mrs. Ben Benkelman enjoyed a four-day visit last week with their daughter and family, Mr. and Mrs. Thomas McLemore and little daughter, in Chicago.

Cass City Chronicle
August 18, 1960
Page 4

Mr. and Mrs. T.E. McLemore and little daughter Melinda of Chicago, Ill., returned home Saturday after two weeks here with Mrs. McLemore's parents, Mr. and Mrs. Ben Benkelman.

Cass City Chronicle
Thursday, July 26, 1962
Page Two
Cass City Area Social and Personal Items

Mrs. Thomas McLemore and daughter Melinda of Dallas, Texas, are spending two weeks with Mrs. McLemore's parents, Mr. and Mrs. Ben Benkelman.

Cass City Chronicle
Thursday, July 15, 1966
Page Two
Personal News from Cass City Area

Mr. and Mrs. Thomas McLemore and daughters, Melinda and Melissa, from Houston, Tex. Arrived July 4 and have been visiting her parents, Mr. and Mrs. Ben Benkelman. Their youngest daughter, Leigh remained in Texas with her paternal grandmother. The McLemores expect to leave Thursday to return home.

The following article was published in "The Paris (TX) News" in the Fall of 1976.

Mrs. McLemore is Newcomer

Mrs. Tom (Bonnie) McLemore, 1065 Johnson Woods Drive, has been named as the Welcome Wagon's Newcomer of the Month.

A native of Michigan, Mrs. McLemore attended schools in Cass City and holds a bachelor's degree in occupational therapy from Western Michigan University.

She has been active in Girl Scouting, garden club work, Panhellenic activities, and a volunteer for Hope House for the Multiple-Handicapped Children.

She and her husband have three daughters, Melinda, 16; Melissa, 13, and Leigh, 11, and have lived in Paris about a month.

Notes:

Buried at the Long Island National Cemetery, 2040 Wellwood Avenue, Farmingdale, NY, Section 2g Site 4987. Service Info: Baker 1/C US Navy, World War I

(Research):
Census Information:

1930 Federal Census
New York, New York, Bronx, District 601
Bramhall, George Head M W Rent $40 age 33 Married @ 24 Nebraska New York Missouri Ticket Agent
Bramhall, Violet Wife F W age 28 Married @ 19 New York New York New York
Bramhall, Eugene Son M W age 8 New York New York New York
Bramhall, Ferne Daug. F W age 6 New York New York New York

George married Violet Margaret Kelly. Violet (daughter of Thomas Joseph Kelly and Mary Veronica McKenna) was born on 12 Jul 1901 in New York County, New York; died on 14 Sep 1994; was buried on 16 Sep 1994 in Long Island National Cemetery, Farmingdale, Suffolk County, New York. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Notes:

VIOLET M BRAMHALL 12 Jul 1901 14 Sep 1994 10590 (South Salem, Westchester, NY) (none specified) 110-03-3093 New York

According to her Form SS-5, Violet Kelly Bramhall was born on July 12, 1901 in New York City, New York to Thomas Joseph KELLY and Mary Veronica McKENNY. In December of 1936, at the age of 16, she applied for her social security number, and was living at 175 W. 188 Street in the Bronx, and working at the Whitehall Lunch Club at 17 Battery Place.

Notes:

England & Wales, Free BMD Birth Index, 1837-1915
Robert Sudbury Wilson
Jul-Aug-Sep 1891
Registration District Altrincham
Inferred County Cheshire
Vol. 8a
Page 170

Mike Bennett noted that Robert Wilson served at the Somme. This battle took place during the First World War between 1 July and 18 November 1916 on either side of the river Somme in France. The battle saw the British Expeditionary Force mount a joint offensive, with the French Army against the German Army, which had occupied large areas of France since its invasion of the country in August 1914. The Battle of the Somme was one of the largest battles of the war; by the time fighting paused in late autumn 1916, the forces involved had suffered more than 1 million casualties, making it one of the bloodiest military operations ever recorded.

Robert married Evelyn Mary Eastwood on 27 Oct 1917 in Chorlton, Lancashire, England. Evelyn (daughter of Robert Eastwood and Helen Evelyn Collins) was born on 17 Jan 1895 in Salford, Greater Manchester, Lancashire, England; died on 14 Jun 1976 in Romford, Essex, England. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Notes:

Vessie McLemore grew up on his parent's farm in the first precinct of Sabine County. The adjoining farm was owned by his Uncle, Henry Strickland White, Jr. The 1900 census indicates that Vessie, who was 15, could read and write, and that he has attended three months of school that year, as had his brothers Rufus and Earnest. His daughter Evon has a class picture of Vessie from around this period. Evon said that Vessie didn't have much of a formal education, and probably stopped attending school altogether around this time. Vessie's wife, Nina, told her granddaughter Melinda that he even taught school for a time, however Evon doubts that this was so. The 1940 Federal Census indicates he had graduated from the Seventh Grade. His wife, Nina, had made it through only Six years of schooling.

When Vessie was 22, he married Nina Fuller,who was 16. On the 1910 Sabine County census they were shown living on a home farm in precinct six, near both Joe Fuller (Nina's father) and John and Jane Fullen (her mother's parents). Nina was shown as being the mother of two children, neither of them living. Nina's first pregnancy ended in a miscarriage, and her next three babies died shortly after they were born. Her first child lived only 10 weeks. Evon said that Nina and Vessie's baby slept in their bed with them, as was the custom of the time. One morning when they woke up, the baby was dead. Tera Fuller, Nina's sister, reported that Nina always worried that she had somehow accidentally caused the babies death, maybe by rolling over it. Evon conjectured that the baby probably died of SIDS, which her mother had never heard of. The second baby lived only a day. In 1911, they had a third baby which also lived only one day. The three babies are buried side by side.

In 1913, Nina and Vessie's son Percy was born. Over the next six years, the McLemore's had three more children, daughter Evon and sons' Earl and Ray. Vessie owned a store in Steep Creek, a sawmill village eight miles south of San Augustine. He also raised cattle. He regularly published a small advertisement in the 1918 Sabine County newspaper, offering a reward for any stray cattle returned to him. His brand was VM on the hip. He later adopted the "Running M" as his brand. Evon remembers her father buying a Brahma Bull, in an effort to improve his herd. Most of the ranchers in Sabine County didn't fence in their cattle, they allowed them to freely roam about to forage for food. Evon remembers people being afraid of the "Brimmer." He wasn't a particularly mean bull, he was just so different from the east texas scrub cattle that everyone raised. Tom McLemore, Evon Tisdale and Melinda Strong had a conversation in November, 2002 with Vance Hargrove that came around to the subject of Vessie's missing cattle. Vance was a neighbor of the McLemore's when they lived in Bronson, and a good friend of Percy's. He said that Vessie asked he and Percy one day to go looking for several cattle that were missing. They found evidence that some of the laborers in the nearby saw mills had been poaching from Vessie's herd. They told Vessie they had found cattle bones in the yards of some of the workers, workers who looked to be half-starved. Vessie said they probably were half-starved, and told the boys not to report their findings to the sheriff.

A son of Enlow Birdwell relayed a similar story to Tom McLemore in September, 2007, at the funeral of Lynn McLemore. He recalled that Enlow had killed one of Vessie's cows and was taking it home to feed his family. He was caught in the act by Vessie. He confessed to what he had done, and said that he was only doing so because his family had done without for a long time, and were starving. Vessie told him to take the beef home and use it as he intended, but added, "let this be the last one of my cows that you steal." It was. When times became more prosperous, Enlow began raising a small herd of cattle of his own. He went to Vessie to borrow some money to get a start. Vessie gave him one of his checkbooks, and told him to simply use it as he needed, he trusted Enlow and knew together they could keep an accurate accounting of what he borrowed. Enlow often told his family that Vessie was the one who helped him get a start in life, and that he especially valued the trust he showed in him.

Vessie's older children attended their primary grades in Sabine County, but had to commute to San Augustine for High School. Evon says that during the winter, she and her brothers boarded with the family of Dr. Davis, who lived nearby the school. In the late 1920s, the family moved to San Augustine. Evon remembers that her mother suffered another devasting miscarriage, which nearly killed her. A few years later, Nina's youngest children were born, son Tommy in 1931 and son Lynn in 1933. They lived in a house Vessie renovated just off Main Street, and had a small home farm. Evon remembers her father first built a garage, and they slept and cooked in this until he had finished with the house. Their home was still standing in 1997. Even the roof is the same one Vessie laid. It is now the second house on the left, on present day Whitton street. It is a block away from the local elementary school. Tom remembers an indigent Civil War veteran, in his late eighties, who his father took into their home. Tom vividly recalls the stories he told about the war each night at dinner.

In the December 21, 1939 issue of the San Augustine Tribune, V.E. McLemore offered a $5.00 reward to anyone who found his dun muley cow branded "M" on the left loin. Around 1940, Vessie sold their house in the city, and bought some ranch land several miles outside of town.

Vessie's brothers and sisters used to say, admiringly, that "Vessie could stand on the corner and make money." He was an industrious man, with a strong enterpreneurial bent. His first job was working in the sawmills, with his brother, Rufus. But Vessie hated working for others, and saved up enough money to buy a general store in Steep Creek. This was around the time of World War I. It was a rough part of town, and he had both black and white laborers from the sawmills as customers.

The sheriff was a frequent visitor to the store. Evon remembers him always having a kind word and a piece of candy for her. He had a reputation for brutality however, and she recalls that he and a brother were eventually sent to jail after being convicted of murder. One day, the sheriff came to the store asking about a particular Negro laborer. Vessie said he hadn't seen him in days. The sheriff asked Vessie to call him the next time this man came in, telling Vessie he intended to kill him. Vessie went home and discussed the sheriff's threat with Nina, worrying about what he should do. In the middle of the night he got dressed, and tracked the man down in his home. He warned him of the sheriff's threat. The man pawned his pocket watch to Vessie, then and there, and used the money to flee town. He succesfully escaped the sheriff and was never heard of again. Vessie later gave the pocket watch to his son Earl. After Earl's death, his children gave this watch to their Uncle Tom, and Tom eventually passed this keepsake down to his eldest daughter, Melinda. It was a brass plated Studebaker watch from the South Bend Watch Company, and widely sold by mail order in the 1920's. These watches were sold on credit, and could be purchased with a down payment of $1. With the onset of the Depression, the company found itself with many delinquent accounts and was forced to close. (http://www.pocketwatchrepair.com/histories/southbend.html)

After the mill near Steep Creek closed, Vessie was also forced to close his store. His family feared that they'd soon be in the poorhouse. But Vessie continued to prosper. He worked as a rancher primarily, leasing and operating land in Pearsall, Garwood and in various sites throughout South and East Texas. He operated up to 20,000 acres at any given time. He also owned and operated a cotton gin and a meat processing plant. He involved his children in all these ventures. He was well known in the community for his willingness to extend credit or make loans to poor families, black or white. Tom McLemore recalls from looking at a lot of the notes he had drawn up that he charged from 6% to 10% compound interest. He was good fried to Will Wade, proprietor of the City Cafe, and W.J. (Wade) McClanahan, Deputy Sherriff of San Augustine.

Vessie felt a strong committment to provide for his family. Before he died, he built a home for each of his eldest four children, as well as giving them each 50 acres of land. He left his homestead and 400 acre ranch, jointly, to his two youngest sons.

When Vessie was in his forties, he was gored by a bull on the ranch. The wound was just under his left eye. He suffered from nearly incapacitating headaches for the rest of his life. In 1950, he had several massive strokes, and was unable to function normally after that. His wife nursed him at home until he died from a brain aneurysm in 1952.

Although Vessie didn't have much formal education, he was an extremely intelligent man. Tom and Evon remember that he read widely. Vessie's daughter, Evon, was the first of the family to graduate from college. She attended Stephen F. Austin in Nacogdoches, where she received a degree in education. She remembers coming home one weekend from college, and her father asked her to check something he had prepared. He had calculated the compound interest that was due on a loan he had made. She told him she didn't know how to do this. "What am I sending you to college for" he grumbled, "if they can't even teach you to calculate compound interest."

His obituary was published in the local papers, as well as in the January 23, 1952 issue of the Houston Post.

Written by Melinda McLemore Strong, granddaughter, circa 1995 and revised periodically

(Research):
Census Listings:

1910 Census
Texas, Sabine County, Pr 6
Enumerated 11 May 1910
SD 2 ED 133 Sheet 32A
209-209
McLemore, Vessie Head M W 24 M1 2 Tx US US Farming Home Farm
McLemore, Nina Wf F W 18 M1 2 2/0 Tx Ga Tx

1920 Census
Texas, Sabine County, JP 6
Enumerated 2 Jan 1920
SD 326 ED 173 Sheet 1A
Bronson Road
2-2
McLemore, Vessie E Head M W 34 M Tx Ga Tx Farmer
McLemore, Nina O Wf F W 28 M Tx Ark Tx
McLemore, Percy L Son M W 6 S Tx Tx Tx
McLemore, Evaughan V Dtr F W 5 S Tx Tx Tx
McLemore, Earl Son M W 3 3/12 S Tx Tx Tx
McLemore, Ira Son M W 1 4/12 S Tx Tx Tx

(Medical):artherio sclerosis, hypertension

Vessie married Nina Ophelia Fuller on 7 Nov 1907 in Many, Sabine Parish, Louisiana. Nina (daughter of Joseph Thomas Fuller and Viola "Ola" Fullen) was born on 15 Sep 1891 in Rosevine, Sabine County, Texas; died on 8 Jul 1980 in Lufkin, Angelina County, Texas; was buried in Rosevine Cemetery, Rosevine, Sabine County, Texas. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Notes:

Nina Fuller was a striking. She was nearly six feet tall and slender. When she unwound her hair from the bun she usually wore, it cascaded down her back almost to her feet. She enjoyed gardening and quilting, growing most of her own vegetables. She was a thrifty woman. She continued to make her own soap from lye, pine rosin and "fat cracklings" even when she could just as easily purchased a bar at the store.

Being the oldest daughter, Nina helped her mother daily with the household chores. She remembers that when she was quite young, her parents went to the State Fair in Dallas by horse and buggy. They came home with a washboard and a box of packaged laundry soap. Nina claims they were the first family in Sabine County to have a washboard, and remembers neighbors coming by on wash day just to see how it worked. The 1940 census indicates she had attended school for six years.

She was a staunch member of the Rosevine Church of God. She truly believed in doing good works, and never turned away anyone in need. Her son Tom remembers that their home was on the "hobo circuit" during the depression. He often passed men asleep on a spare mattress in their garage on his way to school. She fed everyone who came to their door hungry, and made regular visits to the local nursing home to take food to friends and relatives.

Nina Sue Wade, who was a backdoor neighbor to the McLemore family when they lived in town, recalls that her mother relied on her more experienced neighbors parenting advice. The Wade family had several young children, mainly very active boys, with Nina being the oldest. Mrs. Wade worked hard to keep her rambuctious children in line, to no avail. Mrs. McLemore advised her to ignore the minor infractions. Nina Sue recalled her mother often quoting a saying Mrs. McLemore told her, "When your children are young, they step on your shoestrings. When they get older, they step on your heartstrings." She would go on to advise her to cherish her children while they were young and full of spirit, because she would miss them sorely when they were grown and on their own.

Nina McLemore was an independant woman, living alone in a house her brother Lonzo built for her after her husband died. She lived next door to her son Percy, and her grandson's Dental Office was directly behind her home. She was able to live at home and care for herself until she was in her mid 80's, when she went to live with her daughter Evon.

Written by Melinda McLemore Strong, granddaughter, circa 1995 and revised periodically

(Medical):cerebral arteriosclerosis

Notes:

Married:
Nina's mother died six months after Nina's Fifteenth birthday. As the oldest girl, and second of eight children, all the day to day household tasks of caring for their large family immediately fell to her. To make matters worse, Nina's father had relatives who had moved to the fertile lower Rio Grande Valley to farm. They encouraged him to move down there as well. He had made several trips down to visit them, and to inspect land. Nina was desperately afraid of leaving her beloved east Texas.

About this same time, Nina met Vessie McLemore met at a church revival. They enjoyed each other's company, and began secretly corresponding with each other. Vessie soon proposed, and in November 1907, they snuck across the river to Many, Louisiana and eloped. Nina had turned sixteen years old not quite two months earlier. Nina told her granddaughter, Melinda, that she and Vessie had only seen each other twice in person before their marriage. A photo exists that appears to be their wedding picture. Vessie is wearing a dark suit with a white shirt and white bow tie, and Nina in a white dress, with a large flower in her hair.

Witnesses at their wedding were, H. E. White, presumably Henry Ernest White--Vessie's first cousin-- and A. McGown [likely either Albert or Andrew McGown, brothers who lived nearby the young couple in Geneva, Texas].

The license was filed for record on 14 July 1908 in Volume 3, Page 272 of the Marriage Records of Sabine Parish, Louisiana by W. E. McNuly, clerk, oper J. J. McNuly, Deputy.

Joe Fuller was not pleased with his daughters elopement. For at least several months after their wedding, the young couple avoided him. Rumors abounded that he might shoot Vessie on sight. Jan Tisdale, another granddaughter, remembers similar stories. Jan said that Nina's younger sisters were especially saddened by the hasty marriage. They lost both their mother and older sister in less than a year.

Written by Melinda McLemore Strong, granddaughter, circa 1995 and revised periodically

Notes:

Benjamin Franklin Benkelman, Jr. was born in 1899 in a sod hut on the JC Ranch in Jacqua, Kansas. His father, Ben, Sr., had moved to Kansas from Michigan to work for his Uncle at the ranch, and had spent nearly 20 years working as a cowboy. Ben and his three older brothers and sisters were all born on the ranch. In 1901, the family relocated back to Cass City, Michigan, where they purchased a general merchandise store. Ben remembers working at the store as soon as he was old enough to see over the counter. They sold dry goods, groceries, shoes, and crockeries. Ben recalled that the customers just pointed out what they wanted, and it was the clerks job to go gather everything. "We really worked in those days" he said. He remembers making deliveries in a red coaster wagon or by horse and buggy. The horse was named Topsy. Ben said he was the only one of the children who helped his parent's in their store. His other brothers and sisters didn't want to have anything to do with it.

In High School Ben was a star athlete. He was on the baseball, basketball, football, and track teams--four years each, earning a total of 16 letters. He even set several state track records. He graduated from High School during World War I. Fortunately, the war ended a only a few weeks before he was to report for military duty. He went to Kalamazoo College on a football scholarship. His team were the Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association Champions (MIAA) in 1919. The MIAA is the Nation's Oldest Collegiate Conference.

Ben recalls that one of the games he played was against "the Gipper," who played at the University of Notre Dame. Born in 1895, George Gipp was a varsity athlete at Notre Dame from 1917 to 1920. While planning to pursue a career in baseball, he was convinced by legendary college coach Knute Rockne to play football as well. He led the Fighting Irish to a 27-2-3 record, playing both offense and defense. Several of his records still stand today. Gipp caught a throat infection during one of his final football games at Notre Dame. He died a few weeks later at the age of 25. Just before his death, he told Coach Rockne, "Some time, Rock, when the team is up against it, when things are wrong and the breaks are beating the boys - tell them to go in there with all they've got and win just one for the Gipper. I don't know where I'll be then, Rock. But I'll know about it, and I'll be happy."

After a year of college, Ben returned to Cass City to help his parents with the store. He later went to work at the Nestle plant in Cass City. Nestles food had purchased the plant from Hires Milk company around 1922. This plant had been producing "sweetened" condensed milk in Cass City since 1917, employing from 50-100 persons with most of their output being exported. The plant had been established at the urging of a group of local businessmen whose objective was to encourage and secure a milk processing plant to give the local farmers, almost all who had a small dairy herd, an easier way to dispose of their milk.

While working in Cass City, Ben was on the "Ward's Independents" Basketball Team and they were 'Thumb Champions, Michigan' for the 1921-1922 season.

A mutual friend set Ben up on a blind date with Avis Smith, a schoolteacher in a nearby town. This was in 1924. When he arrived to the boarding house to pick her up, she peeked over the balcony to check him out. She had made arrangements with a friend to watch for her signal. If Ben didn't pass muster, the friend was to inform him Avis was sick in bed. He passed with flying colors, however, and they drove nearly 20 miles for Chinese food.

Around this same time, Ben enrolled in a dental technician's program in Chicago. He worked his way through school as a waiter at "Child's One Arm Restaurant." The restaurant was named for the tables the diner's each sat at, similar to old fashioned school desks.

The following article about his studies appeared in the January 8, 1926 issue of the Cass City Chronicle "Ben Benkelman, jr., has completed his studies at the McCarrie School of Mechanical Dentistry at Chicago and is now assisting Dr. P.A. Schenck in the latter's dental parlors where he is gaining practical experience in his chosen work."

Ben and Avis were married in August, 1926. Seven years later, on December 8, 1933, their only child, Bonnie, was born.

Despite being born in the midst of the depression, Bonnie remembers an idyllic childhood. By lucky accident, her father withdrew their life savings from the bank the day before the great bank crash. He took out their savings to buy a winter coat and chair. When he returned to redeposit the balance, the banks had all closed. Ben remained steadily employed, running the dental lab for Dr. Pearl Schenck and then Dr. D.E. Rawson. He was employed by them for 42 years. The Benkelman's owned a house in Cass City, and a cabin in Caseville, on Lake Huron. Ben served on the village council for 11 years, and was twice village president (Mayor). He was never too busy for his daughter though. Bonnie remembers her father helping her, along with half the football team, with their math homework throughout high school.

He was a charter member of the Cass City Gavel Club, and Past Master and Life Member of the Tyler F&AM lodge.

When Ben was in his thirties, he went on a strict diet due to problems with his gallbladder. He abstained from sugar and fat for nearly 30 years. This, and his love of sports, probably contributed to his longetivity. He was able to play golf into his late eighties, and walked every morning and evening until he was nearly 96.

Volume 26 of the STIFFLER-BENKELMAN BROADCAST, published on September 5, 1966, reported that Ben retired "after 40 years as a Dental Technician. He and Avis were going to spend the winter in Houston, Texas with their daughter and family."

When the McLemore's were transferred back to Chicago, Ben and Avis moved onto St. Petersburg, Florida. They lived in a retirement community. They were to fulfill a dream when the visited Hawaii for their 50 wedding anniversary. They also enjoyed a Caribbean Cruise together. Ben had surgery for both kidney cancer and prostate cancer, both of which never reocurred. Avis died in 1981, and Ben lived in Florida for seven more years. After he suffered several minor strokes, he decided to move back to Houston, where the McLemore's had returned. This was around 1988. He lived in a retirement community on his own for several more years.

Ben's biggest fear was that his mind would deteriorate before his body, and sadly this came to pass. Around 1994, suffering from senile dementia and Alzheimer's, Ben moved into his daughter's home. Here he was to live until he died from complications from pneumonia in early 1998. His daughter, Bonnie, and granddaughters, Melinda and Leigh were at his bedside when he died.

Written by Melinda McLemore Strong, granddaughter, circa 1995 and revised periodically.

He was one the family members BonnieMargaret Jacobs personally interviewed when preparing her history of the Benkelman family.

(Medical):Cerebrovascular disease, chronic renal failure, Alzheimers disease, kidney and prostate cancer in remission

Benjamin married Avis Augusta Smith on 24 Aug 1926 in Grand Ledge, Eaton County, Michigan. Avis (daughter of William Bertis Smith and Ida Alice Elliott) was born on 4 Apr 1901 in Odessa Township, Ionia County, Michigan; died on 7 Nov 1981 in St. Petersburg, Pinellas County, Florida; was buried in Elkland Township Cemetery, Cass City, Tuscola County, Michigan. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Notes:

Bert and Ida Smith had a neighbor named Tom Avis, whom they greatly admired. They vowed to name their first child after him, Tom if it was a boy, and Avis if it was a girl. This is how Avis acquired her unusual first name.Thomas Avis was a railroad agent in Odessa. His father was from England. Her middle name, Augusta, was given to her in rememberance of her grandfather, Augustus Elliott. LaVonne Bennett found the following "tidbits" related to the Avis family who was so admired by Bert and Ida Smith. In the Thursday, March 12, 1903 edition of the LAKE ODESSA WAVE newspaper, in a column titled 'Local Splinters': "Homer and Lola Avis were at Lansing Saturday, taking music lessons." The IONIA DAILEY STANDARD, dated April 8, 1909 notes that "Miss Lola Avis is home from Olivet College for Easter vacation." Lola and Homer were the children of Tom and Gertrude Avis, according to the 1900 census.

Avis was an excellent student, and attended Michigan State University, as had her father. Avis's degree was in Human Ecology (Home Economics). She had also studied chemistry, but said that she was told as a woman that she would not be considered qualified to teach this.

In a letter Avis wrote to her oldest granddaughter, Melinda McLemore, after Melinda started college in 1978, Avis recounted her own experiences: "I can remember when I graduated--my Latin teacher wanted me to go to Western Michigan or Kalmazoo College in Kalamazoo, and I wanted to go. But my folks wanted me to go to M.S.U at East Lansing, about 12 miles from home. Then I could help in the store on Saturdays. At the end of the first year, my counselor convinced me that the world was going scientific, and that I should return. I am glad that I did stay with science. But the college was so BIG. 2,000--Ha! I never felt completely at home on that big, sprawling campus." In a later letter she wrote: "The math would frighten me now-as it did when I was a freshman. I loved French. Had a native teacher."

On June 2, 1925, the following letter was sent to Miss Avis Smith, Cass City, Michigan, from W.W. Warner, Superintendent of Saginaw, East Side, Public Schools:

My dear Miss Smith:

Since our interview I have learned from the present outlook at Central Junior High that we are quite likely to have a "Clothing" program in full or in part still unprovided for next year.

I am inclined to think we can use you to advantage on this program. I am therefore enclosing you an appointment card. This carries a salary of $1475. By properly signing the card and returning it to this office, and you yourself retaining this letter as evidence of your appointment you will have a legal contract. Sincerely yours, W.W. Warner

The following year, the Board of Education of Saginaw, Michigan once again employed Avis A. Smith as teacher in its public schools "....commencing September 1, 1926, and agrees to pay as wages for such services and work at the rate of $157.50 per month....."

She was offered a renewal of her contract for the period of September 1, 1927 to July 1, 1928 under the same terms, but at the increased rate of $160 per month. However, she chose to resign at this time, perhaps because of her recent marriage. She received the following letter in response to her resignation:

Saginaw Public Schools Office of the Superintendent Saginaw, Michigan

August Twenty Second Nineteen Twenty Seven

Mrs. Avis Benkelman Box 35 Cass City, Michigan

Dear Mrs. Benkelman

This is to acknowledge receipt of your letter resigning your position with us. I shall be glad to present this to the Board at our next meeting and have no doubt they will accept it. We are sorry to lose your from our school system and wish to thank you for your good work done in the past.

Very sincerely yours,

Harold Steele Superintendent

Although she no longer taught, Avis stayed active and involved with education. She and several close friends from a social group for University Women were tireless volunteers. A pet project was the Rawson Memorial Library (endowed by the Dentist her husband worked for). Her support was remembered many years after she had moved away from Cass City. In a letter dated June 10, 1988 to Melinda Strong, acknowledging a donation made to the Rawson Library in memory of her grandparents, Barbara Hutchison, Director noted that "Your grandparents were indeed well known in Cass City and avid supporters of the library. Your grandmother served on the library board in the 1950's and 60's and was instrumental in laying the groundwork for the outstanding library service that the community enjoys today. They would have been very pleased with the lovely library that we have now. " She also served as treasurer of the Cass City Chapter of the Michigan State College Alumni Association (Cass City Chronicle, Friday, Feb. 8, 1952, Page twelve, column six, M.S.C. Alumni Dinner.)

Cass City Chronicle
March 10, 1939
Local Happenings, Page Four

Mrs. B.F. Benkelman, Jr., and Mrs. Grant Patterson were joint hostesses at a dessert bridge Thursday evening in the Benkelman home on Woodland Avenue. Bridge was played at eight tables, honors being won by Mrs. Warren Wood, Mrs. A. Hesburn and Mrs. D.A. Krug.

Avis and her husband, Ben Benkelman of Cass City, Michigan retired in St. Petersburg, Florida, where she died, November 7, 1981.

Her obituary, as published in the St. Petersburg newspaper, follows:

Benkelman, Avis A., 80, of 7901 40th Av. N., died Saturday (Nov. 7, 1981). Born in Lake Odessa, Mich., she came here in 1968 from Cass City, Mich., where she was a school teacher. She was a member of the Seminole United Methodist Church. Survivors include her husband, Benjamin F.; a daughter Bonnie McLemore, Barrington, Ill., and three granddaughters. National Cremation Society.

Written by Melinda McLemore Strong, granddaughter, circa 1995 and revised periodically

Notes:

Married:
Per the Certificate of Marriage between Ben F. Benkelman and Avis A. Smith, the couple were joined in marriage at Grand Ledge, County of Eaton, Michigan, on the 24th day of August, A.D. 1926, in the presence of Wm B. Smith and Ida Smith of Grand Ledge (the bride's parents) as witnesses. The clergyman officiating was Ernst R. Lactham, Pastor of the Congregational Church.