Great Grandparents

Starting with the tiny picture in the middle and going clockwise: John Whitfield, Daisy Pearl Barger, Charley Harley Moore, Ida Austin, Sarah Adeline O'Hara, Peter Arthur Hall, Margaret Mae Hubbell, John Edgar Riley (on right).

These are all eight of my great grandparents. They were born between 1872 and 1892 in Kansas, Missouri, Oklahoma, Arkansas, Tennessee and Connecticut. I feel lucky to know what they looked like. I wonder what traits I inherited from each of them!

My mother's maternal grandparents:




John Whitfield (b. 11 July 1888 in Chapel Hill, Arkansas, d. 11 Nov 1977, DeQueen, AR) and Ida Austin (b. 2 February 1890 near Little River, Indian Territory, now OK, d. 1 Nov 1948, Paris, TX). They had 9 children, 8 of whom lived to adulthood. John suffered a head injury while working at a lumber mill a few years after their marriage and his personality changed. But he was a hardworking farmer for most of his life. Ida was great-granddaughter of Chief Thomas LeFlore, first chief of his district after removal (Trail of Tears) from Mississippi. Ida was a quiet, gentle woman who insisted that her children take time from working on the farm to go to school. She often worked in the fields with a pallet nearby to hold her youngest baby. She died at age 58 from injuries sustained when a car ran her horse and wagon off the road.

Charles Harley Moore, Pearl Daisy Barger Moore with their older children and two of Pearl's sisters.

My mother's paternal grandparents: Charles Harley Moore (b. 31 October 1874 in Reagan, Indian Territory, d. 5 October 1942, OK) and Pearl Daisy Barger (b. 3 February 1881 in Wildersville, TN, d. 17 May 1953, Troy, OK). Charley apparently loved to sing and was in a chorus or singing group. Pearl Daisy was always ready to go out. When anyone came by to visit her, she wanted to be taken out with them.



My father's maternal grandparents: Peter Arthur Hall (b. 23 August 1872 in Missouri, d. 16 February 1934, Atlanta, GA) and Sarah Adeline O'Hara (b. 13 August 1879 in Kansas City, KS, d. 20 May 1970). Arthur invested in a citrus orchard in Florida. A freeze caused them to lose the farm. I just realized that I don't know a story about Addie. She was alive until 1970 and I never met her. We share a birthday. I never met any of her children besides my grandmother. This makes me sad.



Margaret Mae Hubbell Riley and John Edgar Riley with a friend

My father's paternal grandparents: John Edgar Riley (b. 21 April 1892 in Broad Brook, CT, d. 3 September 1958, Kansas City, MO) and Margaret Mae Hubbell (b. 25 February 1891 in Lawrence, KS, d. 6 August 1930, Lawrence, KS). John Edgar fought in the Mexican border dispute. He'd run off from New York City and joined the army as an older teen. He ended up working for the railroad in KS. Both his parents and his three sisters all died during the years John was between 12 and 22. He's a bit of a mystery. He left details about his family, but we haven't been able to document any of it. There is no record of his parents or sisters, and no record of him before 1911. Margaret Mae died at 39, leaving three young adolescents and a 5-year-old. Rumor has it that she died of food poisoning. Her elder daughter, also named Margaret, quit school at 13 to take care of the family. She was adored by her siblings for ever. They were a very close family and my father spent many happy times with his paternal uncles, aunts and cousins.