Living

• Notes	At least one living or private individual is linked to this note - Details withheld.
  Person ID	I12	Strong Family Tree
  Last Modified	1 Jan 2021

  
  

  Father	Vessie Eugene McLemore,   b. 1 Feb 1885, Hemphill, Sabine County, Texas d. 21 Jan 1952, San Augustine, San Augustine County, Texas (Age 66 years)
  Mother	Nina Ophelia Fuller,   b. 15 Sep 1891, Rosevine, Sabine County, Texas d. 8 Jul 1980, Lufkin, Angelina County, Texas (Age 88 years)
  Marriage	7 Nov 1907	Many, Sabine Parish, Louisiana   [1]
  	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
  Documents		Fuller, Nina Ophelia marriage to Vessie E. McLemore, Many, Louisiana, 1907 Nina and Vessie eloped in Many, Louisiana, just across the state line from Sabine County, Texas, where they both grew up
  Family ID	F11	Group Sheet  |  Family Chart

  
  

  Family	Bonnie Jean Benkelman,   b. 8 Dec 1933, Cass City, Tuscola County, Michigan d. 26 Sep 2023, Houston, Harris County, Texas (Age 89 years)
  Children	1. Living   2. Living   3. Living
  Documents		Smith, Avis Augusta Family Bible, p 4 of 4 Marriages information, listing the marriage of Avis to Ben Benkelman, as well as the marriage of their only child, Bonnie
  Family ID	F3	Group Sheet  |  Family Chart
  Last Modified	1 Jan 2021

  
  

• Photos » Slide Show		McLemore, Thomas Eugene ca 1935 This is a picture of Tom when he was around three or four years old, just before his first haircut. His older sister Evon loved his long curly hair, but her father demanded that she take him to a barber to have it cut. Evon had him photographed first.
  		McLemore, Thomas Eugene ca 1943 Jerry Fonville (l) and Tom McLemore (r) This photo titled "Schoolboys" was published in "Folklore on the American Land" by Duncan Emrich. Copyright 1972, published by Little, Brown and Company-Boston-Toronto. (page 233). The author obtained his copy from the National Archives, being from a series of photos of rural Texas during World War II.
  		McLemore, Thomas Eugene ca 1950 Taylor Hall, Texas A&M University College Station, Texas Tom attended Texas A&M University for only one year, at which time it was mandatory to belong to the ROTC. He later graduated from Texas Western University in El Paso. Top Row (Standing, L-R) Marty McAllister, UNKNOWN, Frank Cawthorn, UNKNOWN, Tom McLemore, Norman Smith, W. Myron Myrick Bottom Row (Seated, L-R) UNKNOWN, Dick Phelps, Arnold "Chuck" Pfeiffer, D. Elmo Rust, UNKNOWN, George Reynolds, _____ Thomas PLEASE HELP US IDENTIFY THE UNKNOWN STUDENTS.
  		UARCO 1964 Advanced Management Seminar Barrington, Illinois Tom is the second from the right. (L to R): Bill McGrath, Roy James, Roy Parker, Russ Schulke, Lou Vargo, Frank Rovens, K.J. Dorn, Bill Champion, Giff Glasscock, Wayne Patrick, James O'Donnell, R.T. Sheridan, Earl Mueller, Bert Baur, C.C. North, J.H. Wiedmer, T.F. Graham, John Nelson, Tom McLemore, Howard Bagge
  		McLemore, Percy ca 1985 with Evon, Earl, Ray, Tom and Lynn The McLemore Siblings, Children of Nina Fuller and Vessie McLemore, October, 1985 Family Reunion at the Tisdale Lake House l to r: Percy, Evon, Earl, Ray, Tom and Lynn
  		McLemore, Vessie and Nina Family Reunion, October 1985, Broaddus, Texas l to r: Samantha Weimmer, Nina Ross (McLemore) Weimmer, Velta (Rawson) McLemore, Evelyn (McLemore) Sanders, Fred Sanders (kneeling), Evon (McLemore) Tisdale, Missy McLemore (Seated) with Lee Jay Rawcliffe on her knee, Melinda (McLemore) Strong, Tom Strong, Earl McLemore, Cassandra Weimmer, Lynn McLemore, Elma (Smith) McLemore, Percy McLemore, Dale Tisdale (facing left), Ray McLemore, Opal (Hensarling) McLemore, Tom McLemore
  		McLemore, Evon Viola ca 2006 Evon McLemore Tisdale (right), poses with her younger brothers, Lynn (left) and Tom (standing-center) at the celebration of her 93rd birthday in Lufkin

  
  

  Documents » Slide Show		McLemore, Vessie & Nina McLemore family Home, San Augustine, Texas This is the home that Vessie and Nina McLemore bought in the late 1920's in the City of San Augustine, near the intersection of Main and Whitton. Tom and Lynn McLemore were both born in this home, and lived here until late in the 1930's, when their father purchased farm land outside of the city. This picture was taken around 2003. Tom McLemore notes that this roof on the house is the same one his father laid on the home in the 1930's.
  		McLemore, Thomas Eugene ca 1945 Eighth Grade Commencement San Augustine, Texas Tom McLemore opened the ceremony with a prayer. Other graduates included Connie Markle, Bettie Markle, Alice Sue Mitchell, James Roy Brittain, Barbara Jasper, Ruby Cunningham, and Betty Lou Caldwell
  		San Augustine (Texas) High School Senior Class Officers, 1948-1949 President, Tom McLemore, Vice President John H. Butts, Secretary Nelda Magee, and Treasurer Jo Ann Anders
  		Texas A&M University, 1950 Pass In Review, College Station, Texas From the Texas A&M College Annual
  		UARCO Register Ad An early ad for the Autographic Registers that were UARCO's initial product
  		UARCO beats Moore Business Forms by a Nose This article was published in Dallas in the early 1960's, and involved an attempted suit by Moore Business Forms after being nosed out by UARCO on a significant order by a mere $48. County Judge Lew Sterrett favored the lower bid from UARCO. Lew Sterrett was the County Judge of Dallas at the time of the Kennedy Assassination, and was instrumental in both the building and dedication of the JFK Memorial. This was one of Tom McLemore's earliest sales, and he recalls that it took him an incrediable amount of time and effort to persuade Dallas County to move their business from Moore, a corporation with which they had a long standing relationship, to UARCO.
  		McLemore, Tom and Bonnie Family Home (1961-1962), Dallas Duplex This was the Duplex that Tom, Bonnie and Melinda lived in while in Dallas, in the early 1960's. It was not far from SMU.
  		UARCO Missile Man article Pictured is Robert E. Green of the Watseka, Illinois UARCO Plant in the early 1960's, manufacturing special forms used by Ling Temco Vought in connection with the Minute Man Missile program. The pressures of the Cold War, along with the primitive copying and computer technology at that time, made this a challenging account. The article notes that the rigourous demands of the job meant the forms had to be turned around in three weeks instead of the normal seven, something amazing to imagine in these days of instantaneous reporting and communication.
  		UARCO 100% Club Summit, Bermuda, 1974 Uarco 100% Summit Meeting, Southhampton Princess, Bermuda, 1974

  
  

• Sources

  [S382] State of Louisiana, Parish of Sabine, Marriage License.