Yes, I was also a Morgan

I always get those strange looks when I tell people that I was a Morgan as well. Luckily thru the research I’ve done that goes back about 5 generations we are not related. My husband did enjoy going to my Morgan family reunion when we were first married and joking around. People would see his name tag and ask who his parents and grandparents were and when he would answer they would just kind of give him a blank stare. He finally would let them know who he was!

My great grandmother was Helen Lora Morgan, born in 1905 to EP “Ted” Morgan & Mary Jane Anderson.

Last week, as my family got together on what would have been my parents 50th Anniversary, my mom got out pictures of my great grandparents 50th wedding anniversary celebration.

Helen Morgan married Lewis “Garner” Smith June 2, 1923 in Joplin, Mo. Garner born in 1903 and was the son of James Zachariah Smith and Sallie Oldham.

Helen Lora Morgan & Lewis “Garner” Smith wedding pic

Going thru those old pictures brought back a flood of memories. I was incredibly blessed to have them in my life longer than most. Grandpa Smith passed in 1989 when I was in high school and grandma passed in 1992, shortly after I was married. As a child I can remember

• going down to pick strawberries
•  going to the garage and listening to records on grandpa smith’s old player and the smell in there—it was a distinct smell that I loved
• grandpa Smith’s favorite joke—What’s the difference between a hill and a pill? One goes up and the other goes down.
• the famous CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIES! Grandma would always bring out a container of cookies from the freezer and a can of Dr Pepper. They were the absolute best and one of my favorite memories of them!!

I can remember going down to visit after grandpa Smith had passed and her saying ‘He never told me he was going first and leave me here’ and she wasn’t saying it jokingly. She was serious and it broke my heart. They had been married 65 years when grandpa passed away. I was engaged at the time and remember thinking I hope I can have that kind of love. 

Grandma Smith came to my wedding and it was funny because I was told as my dad walked me down the isle you could hear my grandma Smith say ‘well there’s Larry. I was wondering where he was’ Just thinking about that brings a smile to my face every time. She passed away a few months later and as sad as it was, I know she was united with her love.

I wasn’t able to make it to her sale, but my husband was. He surprised me with their player piano I so fondly remember them sitting at. Something I pray will stay in my family for many generations.

The tale of 2 women married Jan 24 just 22 years apart....

The Tale of two women who married on Jan 24, 22 years apart. Me and my Sweet Mama

Donna was the daughter of Melva (Smith) Turner and Gene Turner. She was 17 and a senior at Joplin High School working part time at Mays City. Larry Immekus, son of Sally Clary and Leo Immekus, who had graduated 2 years early also worked at Mays. He worked in the shoe department and she in the menswear. To get her attention he would throw wads of paper at her. She said they would often laugh and joke around with each other and after awhile he finally asked her out. Mom said she was quite impressed with his neat car, a red and white ‘55 Chevy. They had dated less than a year when one night they went to the Dogs ‘n Suds Drive In to grab something to eat. While there Larry would ask her if she would marry him. In a ‘giggly voice’ she said yes. Both were madly in love, and spending every moment together that they could between school and work. They planned on getting married on Jan 24, 1970. 

Not long after they had gotten engaged they received some news that would rock their world. Larry received his draft notice in the mail. Needless to say both families were devastated. The thought of putting off their wedding was breaking their hearts.  Larry’s dad, who was a medic on the front lines during WW 2, tried to talk Larry into going awol, but Larry wouldn’t do it. His dad Leo would then take Larry to Kansas City for his physical. Later they would receive news thru the mail that he flunked his physical due to extreme allergies, therefore could not serve. Donna said you could imagine the joy that they both felt. They were able to go on with their wedding as planned. 

I asked about a Honeymoon moon and Donna said after their wedding and reception they changed into regular clothes and headed to Tulsa where they ate at Dairy Queen and drove back home to their apt in Joplin MO

I’m writing all of this on what would have been their 50th wedding Anniversary!❤️❤️ Unfortunately Dad isn’t physically with us, but I do know he’s with each of us everyday watching over us. Mom and Dad were able to celebrate 45 yrs together. We all celebrated at Lucky J’s which is where we are all going tonight. Shortly after that anniversary dad was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer. In true dad fashion he had a list of things that he wanted to take care of before he left this earth to make mom’s life a little easier. He was the true patriarch of our family, taking care of what needed taken care of and doling out advice when he felt like some needed to be given. As his grandson Chaise said He was a great man who loved his family!! He could be a hard ass and I probably know that the best since I was the one grounded quite frequently, but he also had a softer side like when Julie’s baby Haidyn died. He was witty and had such a dry sense of humor. As he liked to say “Piss on them, they don’t buy my beer” One of the last tasks dad wanted done for mom before he died was to have new flooring put thru out the house. The day they finally finished was the day he passed, just a couple hours later. 

Mom and dad both gave such a wonderful example to all of us of what a marriage looks like. That you might not always like each other but you always love each other, that just because you fight doesn’t mean you’re going to get divorced, that you need to work together if it’s going to work. They taught me a good work ethic. I honestly was blessed with a ‘Leave it to Beaver’ life and didn’t really realize it til I was older. I had everything I needed plus more. Our Christmas’s were wonderful. And I was one of the fortunate kids that had parents who also liked the newest gaming systems. We had a 

To honor my parents I decided to marry my husband Henry 22 yrs after they got married, in 1992. Today we celebrate 28 yrs of marriage! My story will come another time!!

Much love goes to my best friend, my sweet mother!! I know today is might be tough but know he is always with you!

A treasured gift leads me to my longest line

This past summer I was given the gift of a lifetime. As another genealogist said I hit the jackpot. A sweet cousin of mine who knew I had a deep interest in our family history had came across a folder that she thought I might be interested in. A few days later we met up and she handed me the folder. Looking thru it I was trying hard not to get teary eyed. I was in awe of how much it had in it and was so touched that she thought of me. I won't go into all of the contents right now as I know I will write about them later.

Week 3's theme for 52 ancestors, 52 weeks was Long  Line. I decided to start with my longest line that I can verify, my 4X great grandfather William Dudman. I was blessed with a copy of a handwritten story of William's life starting with where he was born and stopped when he was still alive. He passed in1908, so the notes are well over 100 years old,

William was born Dec 18, 1818 in Chichester England and came to the states with his parents when he was around 2 months old. They landed in Kentucky, but ended up in Clark Co, Indiana. When William was young his father 'was drowned' in Crawford Co, Indiana. I have never found anything else about this. just a short sentence in a book, To me it almost sounds like someone did it on purpose but it's not a known fact. His mother was left with 4 small children and no way to support them so they were adopted out. I had read that William was adopted by a Abalsom Wood family where he received a linited education, but never found any official documents. William did though name his first son George Absalsom so I do believe that Mr Wood had some influence on his life. During his youth he learned the gunsmith trade in Crawford county, which is the county that Mr Wood lived in.

At the age of 22 William left for Illinois and ended up in Clay County, When he arrived in the town of Xenia he invested his savings and opened a gunsmith shop.  About a year later he also took up farming and became the owner of 320 acres. It was here that he would meet and marry my 4X great grandmother Sallie Baity. They were united in marriage on Oct 18, 1841. They would go on to have 8 children including my 3X great grandmother Rebecca Dudman. Sallie died in 1855 and is buried there in Clay County.  At some point during this time he turned his full attention to farming, In 1857 he would marry once again. He and Elizabeth Simms wed in March 1857 and would have 4 children, He would have 12 children in a 24 yr span.

After the Civil War he decided to head west. The notes say he headed for Missouri in 1868 but I have found this is wrong. He is still in Illinois in the 1870 census and I found an ad in a 1870 newspaper where his farm was for sale. Sometime shortly after 1870 he and his family would join a wagon train and head to Missouri where he ended up in Newton Co. He lived there about 7 yrs then moved on to Jasper County Missouri where he would stay the remainder of his life. He became an official citizen in 1878 and was one of the early pioneers of the county. He bought a 500+ acre farm on Center Creek and also raised livestock. He would go on to donate land for a church and a cemetery, Dudman cemetery, where he is buried. This cemetery is very well taken care of and still being used today.

William was a self-made man. He started out as a poor boy, but by hardwork, dedication, his faith in God he became one of the wealthiest and most prominent men in Jasper County MO. He outlasted 3 wives and died in 1908.

My line goes....
William Dudman
Rebecca (Dudman) Oldman
Sallie (Oldman) Smith
Lewis Garner Smith  **he went by Garner
Melva (Smith) Turner
Donna (Turner) Immekus
ME Michelle (Immekus) Morgan

One of my favorite pics....

Almost 70 yrs ago my grandpa had a weekend pass from the hospital where he was staying while recovering from tuberculosis so he and my Nannie ran off and decided to elope. That night he went back to the hospital, my Nannie went back home and they wouldn’t tell anyone for approximately 6 weeks. The first person they told was his Grandma Strong (Susie Reber Strong) and then went to tell my Nannie’s parents (Garner and Helen Smith)

who wouldn’t let them in the house til they saw a marriage license. Since they eloped they didn’t have an official wedding picture and used this one.

Eugene Henry (Gene) Turner married Melva Norene Smith Aug 17, 1950 (Gene was the son of Dora F Strong Turner Greer and Clebert Turner)
*Note in everything you find it’s always Eugene Henry but in the family Bible it’s wrote Henry Eugene

One Sunday I convinced my papa to sit down and answer some questions I had. Just history type questions because I always loved his stories (especially the one’s involving his lifelong best friend and brother in-law Doyle Bradley). He was a little grumpy (while Nannie just sat smiling), but he sat down and talked. I asked about how he met Nannie and I thought we were ALL going to fall over laughing, including Nannie. He and a good friend of his saw Nannie and a friend of her’s and drew straws to see who got which one. I didn’t ask if papa was the ‘winner’ or the ‘loser’ but we all still talk about how the only reason we are all here now is because he picked the right straw!

I know he was a strict father, he wasn’t a patient husband all the time.....I can’t tell you the number of times I would her ‘Melva, I’m ready to go’ but Nannie would smile and say ‘Oh Gene, just a minute....’ but there was never a doubt how much he loved his grandkids, how much they BOTH loved their grandkids. (But, yes I truly was the favorite).

Some of the best memories—
 -Spending the night. I always loved spending the night with them.
 -Yahtzee
 -PING PONG and how the rules continually changed when you played with papa
 -Nannie’s crust on top of her macaroni and cheese—the best
-butter on our noses on our birthdays
-papa teaching me how to gamble
-Wyatt’s Cafeteria where we could order whatever we wanted as long as we ate all of it
-the half man, half beast story made to scare us so we wouldn’t want to go play in the camper after dark
-Nannie telling me what a wonderful host I was every time they came up
-UNCONDITIONAL LOVE

They died in a car wreck in 2011, a week after they had celebrated 61 yrs here on earth! Losing both at the same time was devastating ans extremely tough for us here, but ultimately for them I think it was easier knowing they went together!

#52ancestors52weeks #Favoritepicture #EugeneHenryTurner #MelvaSmith #SusieReber #HelenMorgan #GarnerSmith #Strong #Turner #Smith 

A Fresh Start and one goal accomplished

Thirty years ago I was working at the local library and my dad asked if I thought I could figure out where our name Immekus came from. Those were the days of microfish and interlibrary loans. Fortunately an older lady that worked with me helped get me started and within a few months I had tracked it down. Thus started my journey into genealogy. Fast forward 20 years and as a way to help cope with the death of my grandparents I started in on geneaology once again. This time with a little help of the internet I was able to find out a few things and took a trip down to the library where they were from. The local librarian knew of my family and told several interesting stories. I was also able to find tidbits of my great-grandparents life, something that helped me feel a bit more connected to them. What started out as a way to help me deal with my grief soon turned into a passion. This past year I've found so many stories, both good and bad, about not only my family but Henry's as well, A goal of mine for 2020 was to start a blog, someplace to share my info with those who were interested as well as have a hard copy of my information. I was at a loss though to how to get started. So many stories, where would I even begin? I was almost overwhelmd. That's when I found Amy Crow, a genealogist with a Facebook Group Generations Café. Each year she has a "52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks" where she has a different theme to write about each week. This was just the push I needed. I felt like this was something I could actually do and though I was a few weeks late, I could still catch up. So THANK YOU Amy for getting me started. Even though I started years ago, I feel like this is a fresh start and a great way to share those stories of our ancestors that have made us who we are today.

#52ancestors52weeks #AmyJohnsonCrow #AFreshStart