1902 McNeil Reunion

My great-grandmother, Minnie Pearl Wilson, had a newspaper clipping of a family reunion tucked in the old family bible where she also kept all of the clippings of family obituaries.  The "Family Reunion" clipping was from an unknown newspaper, had no date or place, and had already turned yellow with age when I received it almost 50 years ago.  Someone had taken a guess and written a date (which was off by a year) and place (state only) on the top of the clipping.  The clipping was about a McNeil Family Reunion -- children and grandchildren of Mrs. Sarah McNeil.  The article  mentioned that "Photographer Stone" had taken a group picture of all the family at the reunion.  Over the years I have often wished I could find a copy of the picture taken that day at the McNeil Family Reunion!!

Newspaper Clipping found in family bible.

McNeil Family Reunion

Last year, Newspapers.com added a lot of small town newspapers from Kansas.   I spent some late nights going through the newspapers from Smith County, Kansas, which ended up being a goldmine of information on the McNeil, Cole, and Hatfield families.  The above article about the McNeil Family Reunion was found in a Smith Center newspaper.  It was published in the Smith County Pioneer (Smith Center, Kansas) newspaper on Thursday, 30 October 1902.  The reunion would have taken place on the previous Sunday which was 26 October 1902 and was attended by twenty-seven children and grandchildren of Sarah Margaret Cole McNeil. (Transcription at bottom of page)

Smith County Pioneer newspaper

Smith Center, Kansas

Thursday, 30 Oct 1902

Earlier this year, a cousin on the McNeil side of the family reached out to me to say she was going to post her McNeil family photos on Ancestry.com.  I was more than excited 😍😍 when she posted a copy of the actual photograph taken the day of the McNeil Family Reunion mentioned in the above newspaper article.  As stated in the news article, the photograph was taken on the front porch of the Nate McNeil home in the afternoon by "Photographer Stone" just after their "big dinner".  Grandma McNeil is right in the center of the photo, resting her head back on a white pillow.  

This photo taken at the reunion is remarkable for several reasons:  1) Only known picture(s) of Sarah Margaret Cole McNeil was taken at this reunion; 2) All of Sarah's living children were at the reunion and in the photo; 3) Only known picture of Charles E Hatfield (brother of Martin M Hatfield).  

McNeil Family Reunion 

30 Oct 1902, Smith Center, Kansas

Back row: Martin M. Hatfield, Nancy McNeil Hatfield, Thomas C. McNeil, Mary "Stella" Reed Hoyt, George Hoyt, Addie Ball, Noah Ball, Alma Peterson Hatfield, Amos Reed, Charles E. Hatfield. Middle row: Minnie Newbrey McNeil, James "Harmon" McNeil, Verna McNeil, Susie Hoyt McNeil, Nathan H McNeil, Grandma McNeil (Sarah Cole McNeil), Levi Ball, Susan McNeil Ball, Albert Reed, Roxie Ellen McNeil Reed. Children: Clinton Hatfield, Lenard McNeil, Juanita Higby, Nellie McNeil Miller, Lester McNeil, Blanche Hatfield, Blanche McNeil Miller, Alfred Hatfield.

To see a colorized version of the above reunion photo, click here 

Transcription of above newspaper article of the McNeil Family Reunion:

Family Reunion

"A family reunion was held last Sunday at the home of Nate McNeal, of this city, at which time 27 children and grandchildren of Mrs. Sarah McNeal were present. The children were T.C. McNeal, Nate McNeal and Mrs. Roxie Reed, of Smith Center, Susan Ball, of Athol, Mrs. Nancy Hatfield, of Woods County, Oklahoma, and Harmon McNeal of Dor township. All the above were accompanied by their husbands or wives except T.C. McNeal, who is still a single man. About a dozen grandchildren were present, also was Charlie Hatfield, of Oxford, Neb., a brother of N.M. Hatfield, accompanied by his wife. In the afternoon after a big dinner they all assembled on the front porch where their picture was taken by Photographer Stone.
Grandma McNeal was 77 years old on her last birthday, and all her children are living except one, a daughter who died when about eight years old. Her husband died in 1894. This is the first time all the family have been together for about eight years, and it was like told times for them all to meet again. Mrs. N.M. Hatfield and husband left Monday for their Oklahoma home, and Charlie Hatfield and wife left for Oxford, Neb., on the same train and the others went away Sunday." 

Many thanks 😘😘 to our cousin who took the time to post, preserve, and share the McNeil family photos.  So many family photos and documents are lost every time there is a fire, flood, tornado, hurricane, etc.  By scanning and posting the photos/documents on sites such as Ancestry, My Heritage, FamilySearch, Blogs, etc., we can preserve history for future generations.

Note: Many more photos of the McNeil family of Smith County, Kansas are posted on Ancestry.com.

Click here for Sarah M Cole McNeil's Ancestry profile page. 

Related posts:  

McNeil Family Record 

Nancy McNeil Hatfield Family

Susanah McNeil Ball Family  

June Weddings

Historically, June has always been a popular month for weddings, and if the movies shown on TV this month are any indication, June is still a favorite.  All you need to do is turn to the Hallmark channel to find dozens of movies about June Brides and June Weddings. 

The month of June was named after Juno - the Roman goddess of love and marriage.  And, it was traditionally thought that those who married in the month of June would be blessed with love, happiness, and prosperity.  Another benefit is the wonderful weather and all the beautiful flowers which are abundant in the month of June for the bridal bouquets. 

June also appears to have been a very popular month for our own ancestors to “tie the knot.”  As you can see from the calendar below, every day in June has a wedding for at least one of our ancestral couples.

One of my favorite musicals is the 1954 movie, “Seven Brides for Seven Brothers”.  In the movie is a song called “June Bride.” 

“Oh, they say when you marry in June you’re a bride all your life, 
And the bridegroom who marries in June gets a sweet-heart for a wife. 
Winter weddings can be gay like a Christmas holiday, 
But the JUNE BRIDE hears the song of a spring that lasts all summer long. 
By the light of the silvery moon, home you ride side by side 
With the echo of Mendelssohn’s tune in your hearts as you ride. 
For they say when you marry in June you will always be a bride.”

And, if you are wondering: No, I did not get married in June.

Finding Pearl's Obituary

Obituary for Pearl Wilson

This past week I “accidentally” found my great-mother’s obituary while searching for information about my grand-uncle, Buck Wilson.

Pearl’s obituary was found in the “San Juan Record” (Monticello, Utah) newspaper published on Thursday, March 3, 1966. Monticello is in a different state and 60 miles away from where Pearl lived and died in Cortez, Colorado.  No one in the family lived in Monticello, Utah, but Pearl’s son Loni “Buck” Wilson lived in Bluff, Utah.  Bluff is a small town about 50 miles south of Monticello - over a hundred miles from where Pearl lived.  And, Pearl's obituary was published on March 3, 1966, which was about ten days after her death which was on  February 22, 1966.

The obituary was titled, “Rites held for Mrs. Charles V. Wilson.”  Pearl is only referred to as “Mrs. Wilson” throughout the obituary.  At no point is she referred to by her given name(s) of Pearl or Minnie Pearl.  Also, there is no mention of her maiden name of Hatfield or names of her parents or siblings.  Even her husband’s name used in the obituary is not one he normally used.  He usually went by Charles B Wilson or C B Wilson.  In his own obituary, he is referred to as “Charles B Wilson”.  Also note that Pearl's daughters are referred to by their husband's names not their own. So they (the daughters) would not show up in a search - only their husbands would show up.

In spite of the above issues, Pearl's obituary contained some great biographical information.  I love the part about Pearl driving a covered wagon from Oklahoma to the Four Corners area with her four young children, while her husband drove a herd of wild horses.  To read her daughter Maymie's version of this journey to Oklahoma, click here.  I also love the reference about Pearl’s husband working on the first road up Comb Wash hill (Comb Ridge).  This last bit of information was unknown to most of the descendants today and is fun information to those who like to explore the Comb Ridge area of southeastern Utah.

Lessons learned to be successful in finding obituaries for women:

1. Check newspapers in towns (or nearby towns) where children/siblings/parents lived. 

2. Try using husband’s name when searching for wife’s obituary.   

3. Try using different spellings, initials, and nicknames.

4. Instead of using a daughter's name or sister's name, use their husband's name.
5. Expand your search for several weeks to a month after the death.

Read here about the challenges of finding information for our female ancestors - the 'Hidden Half' of our family.

Transcription of obituary: 

Rites held for Mrs. Charles V. Wilson

Funeral services were held Feb. 24 at the Ertel Memorial Chapel in Cortez for Mrs. Charles V. Wilson, mother of Buck Wilson, Bluff, who passed away in that city on Feb. 22.

Mrs. Wilson, born in 1886 in Smith Center, Kan. travelled from Oklahoma in 1913 driving a covered wagon with her four children while her husband drove a herd of wild horses.  The Wilsons settled in the Zuni Mountain Area of New Mexico, later moving to Dry Valley, north of Monticello.  They homesteaded in Urado, Utah where they lived for 12 years.  Mrs. Wilson had lived the past 33 years in Colorado.  Her husband, who passed away in 1951, worked on the first road up Comb Wash hill. 
Surviving are five children – Mrs. Elmer Martin, Cortez; Mrs. Martin Barnes, Waynoka, Okla.; John Wilson, Prescott, Ariz.; Clayton Wilson, Cortez; and Lonie (Buck) Wilson, Bluff.  Also surviving are 16 grandchildren and 38 great-grandchildren.

Information that also should have been included in Pearl's obituary:

Name: Minnie Pearl Hatfield Wilson
Born: 27 April 1886, Smith Center, Smith, Kansas
Death: 22 February 1966, Cortez, Montezuma, Colorado
Father: Martin Monroe Hatfield
Mother: Nancy Abigail McNeil
Married: 14 December 1902 at Woods County, Oklahoma
Preceded in death by: parents; son, Vern Wilson; son, Charles Lloyd Wilson; daughter, Juanita Maxine Wilson; 5 brothers and 2 sisters.
Survived by: sister Grace Hatfield Kaser of Egbert, Wyoming (in addition to her children mentioned in obituary above.)

Related posts:

Searching for the 'Hidden Half' of our Family 

Minnie Pearl Wilson  
Wilson's Utah Homestead   
Wilson Family Photos
Maymie Wilson Martin