Meet the trees from which I sprang...none of whom I ever met in person, but whom I've gotten to know and love after their passing.
Clinton Harvard Stockwell (Mother's Maternal Grandfather)
We know the most about Clinton, from childhood onward. He grew up in Nebraska, but then moved to Wisconsin where his mother passed away, and his father needed to be closer to family.
He grew to work on construction and in the lumber industry, but he had the heart of an artist. He wrote comedic poetry to his kids and nephews and nieces, and poetry that addressed spiritual matters in a simple but profound way. He drew caricatures of himself, always using whatever paper happened to be on hand - food lids, used calendars, and other shreds of paper.
He had a strong and commanding personality, and a deep voice. He was also a talented gardener, whose yard was filled with fruits and flowers and vegetables. A veritable paradise in his later years.
Grace Gwendolyn Hall (Mother's Maternal Grandmother)
Grace was Clinton Harvard Stockwell's first wife (shown here with Clinton and their son Allen) - it's unknown why they split up, but the family rumor mill claims it might have been because she chafed under some of the rules of Clinton's religion, the Two-By Church.
She was a strong woman, from a strong mother herself, and she did things like send her oldest boy on a five-mile walk to kindergarten in wolf-infested territory because she was too busy to take him in the car. To her credit, she worried about him. A little. A master passive-agressive manipulater, she claimed to have a 'water cabinet' around her heart, and all she needed to do when she required compliance was to grip her heart and fall back - who could tell her no when no might kill her?
Grace had some other trouble with her children as well, and when they grew to adulthood, some of them avoided her because she had a tendency to interfere in their lives too much, and do things like, adopt their children away - but she did show love to her grandchildren, even raising some of them herself.
Her last husband, August Link, was a laid-back German man, and a perfect foil to her stubbornness and strength. The most surprising thing (and coolest thing) I've learned about them so far was that they went to nudist colonies together.
Robert Emmett LeBleue and Nadeoui (Mother's Paternal Grandparents)
We know little to nothing about these two - not even sure of their names. Their son misrepresented his own life in public records so badly that we know little for sure, but we're still looking. We may at some point break into his coffin and get his DNA for a DNA test if we get desperate and wealthy enough to do it.
Her step-father's family have a long and honorable pedigree that we're proud to be part of as well. His family were mostly Methodist ministers, and connect strongly with the Delano family (as in Franklin Delano Roosevelt - that's right - FDR is a step-cousin.)
Charles Edward Buzzee (Father's Maternal Grandfather)
His nickname was Chas, and he worked as a painter, then for the railroad and then for a wallpaper factory in New Jersey. Made decent money for the time at the mill (about $50 a week), but he only gave my grandmother half of it to feed the kids and run the household, and then he drank the other half. Most men in that time spent a lot of time in public houses, and my grandfather was no exception.
When he was in the hospital dying of alcoholism at age 43 (naturally), his wife found out and asked him why he did that. He replied that he needed some spending money of his own (naturally).
The only picture we have of him is this formal photo he sat for, that looks like a dead ringer for Martin Freeman in his 'Sherlock' years. My grandmother remembered him as a strict disciplinarian. Combined with alcoholism, that surely resulted in some interesting family drama, which is unfortunately lost to history.
Matilda May Stockwell (Father's Maternal Grandmother)
Matilda had a bit of a tragic life. Her home life was unstable - she ended up in an orphanage at some point, and was taken in by a foster family who never adopted her.
She had children after she married Charles, but could never breastfeed. Her first child, a daughter, starved to death as a result. Afterwards, her other children were raised on canned evaporated milk.
There's not a lot of detail about her later years, but she might have gotten disabled from falling out a window at some point, because her own children also went to live with others during a certain period.
On top of all that, she lived a very long time, eventually passing away in 1962. But the pictures we do have of her are mostly all smiles, so presumably she was something of a cheery personality despite all she went through.
Charles Henry Eden (Father's Paternal Grandfather)
Looked a little like Bert Lahr, who played the Cowardly Lion from the Wizard of Oz. Lived and died in New Brunswick, New Jersey, like his father and his father before him.
Worked at the New Jersey College for Women, which is now part of Rutgers University, although we still don't know what he did. It was probably at a desk, whatever it was, which was a step above most of the other members of the family.
His nickname was also Chas, amazingly enough. Not sure if the two Charleses ever met each other in person, but they'd have probably either loved or hated each other.
He died of diabetes in 1965.
Bertha May Cox (Father's Paternal Grandmother)
Bertha...looks like a Bertha.
She and Charles had a largish family of eight children, five of which lived to see their fiftieth anniversary, and she seemed to have spent her life as a stay-at-home mom, as many women did.
The only other story I have about her at this point was a story I heard as a child, which I'm going to try and tell as accurately as possible.
One day the circus came to New Brunswick, and Charles and Bertha took the whole family to the show.
Afterwards it must have been dark as they made their way back to the car. At one point, Bertha vanished inexplicably. The others searched for her and called for her, and when they eventually found her, she had fallen into a pit that had been dug for the elephants' convenience, if you know what I mean. Unhurt, but terribly, terribly soiled.
She smelled so bad that she had to ride home on the outside of the car, so as not to get the inside dirty. And needless to say, the experience was an upsetting one that the family got a kick out of retelling for many years to come.
Again, don't know how accurate that one really is, but I love it myself.
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