Picturing Margaret Ellen

Margaret Ellen Johnston Johnson
with her husband, Chesley Austin Johnson

My mom's Grandma Johnson passed away when Mom was a toddler. At the age of 51, Margaret Ellen Johnston Johnson died when her breast cancer metastasized. Her youngest was still in elementary school. Mom doesn't remember much about her, since she was so young, and she doesn't have pictures of her grandma.

At a family reunion decades ago we got a plastic-bound family record book with family charts, stories, and scanned black-and-white images. Included was a little scan of a blonde girl with curls. For years this has been my only image of Great-Grandma Johnson. Whenever it would put the two pictures of Margaret Ellen and her husband Ches together on my AncestryDNA ThruLines, it looked a little skeevy as it showed an old man married to a preschooler.

Now that Mom has retired, she's made a goal to go through her paperwork and get organized. She and my brother Ammon have scanned family photos to upload and share. In a binder from her mom, Margaret A. Johnson* (Margaret Ellen Johnston Johnson's daughter-in-law), Mom found an image of her parents' wedding line. Grandma and Grandpa were married in 1956, and were surrounded in the picture by both sets of parents!

I was so happy to see Great-Grandma Johnson's face, and to see how cute she looked with her husband at their oldest child's reception. When I colored it, I wasn't sure what the wedding colors were, but I liked her in this periwinkle purple.

This wedding line photo has many relatives on both the Johnson and O'Neil sides of the family, with several treasures. I think I'll do a few more posts to feature those unlocked treasures.

Margaret A. O'Neil and C. Brent Johnson with family on their wedding day, 11 October 1956. The two couples on the far right are Margaret and Ches Johnson, and Auretta and Ed O'Neil.

*Note that my grandpa's parents are Margaret and Chesley Johnson. While he went by his middle name, Brent, Grandpa was named Chesley after his dad, so he and Grandma are also Margaret and Chesley Johnson. Not confusing at all.

Everyday Love Letter

While searching through the binders Grandma Margaret O'Neil Johnson assembled, I found photos, applications for Daughters of the Utah Pioneers, and letters collected by Margaret's mother, my Great-Grandma Auretta Empey O'Neil. She was definitely the genealogist of the family. What can now be sent in an email or a message on Ancestry.com or familysearch.org used to require full hand-written letters to ascertain basic facts. Among those letters, I found one sent to Auretta from her fiancé-at-the-time, John Edgar O'Neil, whom everyone called "Ed." 

During his second marriage, Ed worked as Motorman and Conductor for Grand River Valley Railway Locomotive Engineer, and then with Union Pacific Railroad as Steam Engineer and Fireman. He and Verla lived in Grand Junction, Colorado; Vallejo, California; and Provo, Utah. He left Verla around 1934. She filed for divorce in 1936, and it was finalized on April 7th of 1937. 

Uncle Laurence, Auretta, Margaret, Ed,

and Bob in the mid-1950s

Eleven days later, he and Auretta married in Las Vegas. They had Margaret one year later, and Bob arrived five years after her. Ed and Auretta were married for thirty years before he passed away in 1967.

In January 1937 while they were engaged to be married, Ed wrote Auretta from Helper, Utah.

                                                        

                                                           Helper Utah.

                                                           Jan. 10, 1937

Dearest Auretta.-

Your fine letter received last night and was surly glad to get it. Was so tired last night that I just went to bed instead of writing.

We worked 16 hours and that is about 8 more than I like to work. However it is good money as the time over 8 hours pays time and a half. This is Sunday but had to work. Made 9 hour (?) 55 minutes. Am on what they call the National mine run and expect to hold it four or five days yet.

We usally get out about 5 a.m. It is too bad "dear," that your side bothers you. Hope soon that you get over that.

It does not look as if I could get off very soon as business is holding up fine. I may have more time off than I want after Feb. Would surly like to have a few days off now as I am getting tired of working long hours and what worries me more than that I want to see you.

Yes dear, the car is snowed in again. Maybe I can have it out by the 4th of July. May try to dig it out the first day I have off.

It has been so cold here that I have to wear two suits of underwear and two pair of socks to keep warm. Was a little warmer today.

I will be glad to meet your friends from Helper that you wrote about.

Am sorry that Mother has not been feeling so good and also Dale. He is young and in a few days he will be going strong and will not know he ever was sick.

Am enclosing a letter to Mother so you can deliver it to her.

Hope she feels better now. She has too much to do but don't suppose she would be content unless she has things to do for all her boys. Wonder if she wants one more?

Dear I am anxious to see you and find out what all you have to tell me. I am wondering what I have done now that you want an understanding. Hope that it is nothing serious.

Well Sweetheart I am going to have to get to bed. I don't seem to have any news to write about. Will try to write more next time when I am not so sleepy.

                                                                    Love + kisses to my Little Auretta

                                                                    As ever your Ed.

Auretta in 1962 [colorized]

Mom was pretty young when her grandpa died, so she doesn't remember them together as a couple, just seeing pictures. Aunt Brenda is Mom's senior, so I asked her how they were together. Brenda remembered Grandpa O'Neil's repeated line to his wife.

"I love you with all my heart and all your farts!"

Great Grandpa O'Neil's Other Family

John Edgar O'Neil

John Edgar O'Neil with 

daughter Margaret (my grandma)

 My Grandma Margaret Johnson was an amazing, determined, caring woman, but she took after her mother by holding grudges. Her father, John Edgar O'Neil, had been married twice before marrying her mom, Auretta Empey, who had been married previously as well. My Great-Grandma Auretta O'Neil had a son from her previous marriage, my Uncle Dale. She had been divorced when he was fairly young, and rather than raising him herself as a single mother, he went to live with his grandparents and uncles for a good portion of his growing up years. Still, my Grandma Margaret would see him throughout adulthood and considered him a brother.

Her father's previous family was a different story. He married Nina May Kinney in 1910 or 1911, and they had a daughter, Maxine J O'Neil. They soon divorced, and then he married Verla Vivian Day in 1915. According to the 1920 and 1930 censuses, John and Verla were married at least fifteen years, but I haven't found records of any children, or exactly what happened. It's said they divorced, and in 1937 he married my Great-Grandma Auretta Empey O'Neil, and had Grandma Margaret and Uncle Bob.

Bob, John E, Auretta, and Margaret O'Neil 

celebrating John's retirement

Growing up I'd sometimes hear Grandma refer to the "cold-blooded" relatives. I finally asked her a few years ago who that meant, finding out she was referring to her Dad's earlier marriages and families. I think she may have met a few of the family members once, and it wasn't a good experience. I don't know when this was, or what happened, but it led young Margaret to not think of them very well. I can see how from both sides divorces and "broken" families would lead to hurt feelings. I don't think I'd be very pleased if someone "stole" my dad, or if they thought I'd stolen their Dad. I even got nervous once when I had a dream that Grandma had a separate set of grandkids I didn't know. While there may have been some hurt feelings in the past, our family would like to learn more about John O'Neil's other descendants.

Auretta O'Neil had collected some of the names and dates of her husband's previous marriages for family records, as she was very good about working on family history.

The other day while thinking of my late Grandma, I decided to research those other families, thinking she might have a half-sibling still living. Using familysearch.org and ancestry.com, I found John Edgar and his wives, and his other daughter.

Excluding Auretta's previous marriage, this is the visual I created in order to understand the chain of divorces and lasting marriages starting with the O'Neils and Kinneys. [Alberta and John O'Neil were siblings, who married siblings Nina May and Victor George Kinney- both couples divorced]

Marriage record for John E O'Neil and Nina May Kinney

Maxine's death record

In 1910, his father, John S. O'Neil worked as a Superintendent for an irrigation company in Mesa County, Colorado. It's no surprise that his son John Edgar worked at the age of 19 as a laborer for the "Ditch Rider" industry. His sister, Alberta M. (17) is listed as single, but John S.'s son-in-law, Victor Kinney is a newlywed living with the family. According to the records, John E married Victor's sister, Nina May Kinney around Valentine's Day 1910 or 1911 (a significant difference, because...) a little girl, Maxine Jacqueline O'Neil, was born to them on May 11, 1911. I can't find records for Maxine or Nina in 1920, so I'm not sure if Maxine stayed with her mom or other relatives throughout her childhood.

At the age of 18 [1929], Maxine married 26-year-old Charles Rash, and they had five children (as of the 1940 census). She and Charles moved from Colorado to Oregon, then to Idaho, and lastly to Arizona. She died at the age of 33 from Tuberculosis in 1944 (when my Grandma was 6-years-old). Maxine's youngest were only 4-years-old when their mother passed away. One of whom is Zelma Rash, who passed away in 2009. As far as I can tell, Maxine's and Charles' other four children are still living. There still might be time to meet them.

Auretta and John E O'Neil

In 1920, John Edgar (28) had moved to Vallejo, California with his wife, native Texan Verla V O'Neil (22). He worked in the navy yard as a steam engineer.

As of the 1930 census John E (38) and Verla (32) were still married and living in gold old Provo, Utah, where he worked as a fireman for the railroad. Another occupant is listed in their home, nephew William Potorf (17). Since William's mother was born in Texas, I guessed that she was Verla's sister. After a little searching, I found Leona Day Potorf, and connected her to Verla. She died in 1922, which would explain why her son is now living with his aunt. This is the last I can find of Verla. Maybe her information in the 1940 census hasn't been indexed, or perhaps she'd already passed away, but I can't find anything. Grandma O'Neil indicated that John and Verla were divorced. I knew Great-Grandpa O'Neil had been married before, but I hadn't realized how long he and Verla had been married. They had been a part of each other's lives for so long, and then nothing. I even tried searching for Verla with different last names, in case she had remarried, but nothing stood out in the records.

In April of 1937, John Edgar O'Neil married Auretta Empey O'Neil, and one year later they had my grandma Margaret Alice O'Neil [Johnson]. A few years later my great-uncle Bob was born, and he still lives in the family home.

Sometimes doing research online is about very distant relatives, connected only through a chain of marriages, but this was about finding Grandma's half-sister. My great-aunt. I still don't understand what life was like for Nina Kinney, Maxine, or Verla Day, but I hope their families are doing well, and we can come together in the future.

Uncle Bob holding a picture of Uncle Dale, Bob, his mom

(Great-Grandma O'Neil), and his sister (Grandma Margaret Johnson)

The O'Neil Place

Mom took Miss V and I out to breakfast with some of her siblings and uncles. We drove her Uncle Bob, (her Mom's youngest brother) home afterward, at which point he gave us a tour and shared somed stories. About 8 decades ago, my Great Grandparents went past a home for sale in Ogden, Utah, and decided to buy it right then. "For $2,000 or $3,000," as Uncle Bob explained.

My mom has memories of pretending one of the areas was an elevator, so she and her siblings could be elevator operators like their Mom, Margaret had been at one point. Bob's desk is by one of the windows in the living room facing the front of the house, alongside a built-in bench with shelving along the next wall and window facing the other street of the corner lot.

Bob shared that Great-grandma Auretta Empey O'Neil used to sit at her desk, writing letters, recording in her journal, and working on family history right there, and that the bench was always covered in her potted plants and flowers. They had to tear down the garage and built a new carport, which now houses the car that always makes me think of Bob, his classic green Chevy Impala.

The old basement with coal shoot has a modern heating system, and Bob's updated the kitchen and bathroom with beautiful tiles. You can still see the remnants of how they used to look, as the claw foot bathtub sits on the front porch waiting for a new home, and the indented space for a little fridge now holds shelves where the modern fridge won't fit. Bob makes sure the lawn and the outside of his parents' family home stays well-kept, so it's a welcome sight after pulling off the busy Ogden streets.

Uncle Bob holding a picture of his siblings and Mom: Dale, Bob, Great-Grandma O'Neil and my Grandma Margaret

Great-Grandma and Great-Grandpa O'Neil

Grandma's Funeral

As much as she loved Christmastime, when I think of Grandma J, I think of spring. Her birthday is April 23, and as we celebrated her life at her viewing and funeral, the flowers of springtime seemed fitting. She loved being outside, sitting on a lawn chair laughing. Grandma Margaret Alice O'Neil Johnson was a spunky woman, who was always buying things for a grandchild, and then buying twenty more so everyone could have whatever it was. We gathered around her for family events, and over a month later, I still want to stop by for a visit because I forget she's not there. My great-uncle, Kim, spoke at her funeral, sharing a poem he wrote from her perspective about her sons- and daughters-in-law.

To My Children In Law

You never will be good enough,
Please try to understand.
And be the best you can.

My children are all important to me,
Beside them you're not tall enough to stand.
But please be the best you can. 

In one thing you've done all right.
In grand kids you've done just fine.
When they're grown and married,
You'll begin to understand.
So in the here and now,
Please be the best you can. 

We tend to be more critical of those close and dear,So just get over it.
And be the best you can. 

Written by:
Kim J. Johnson
April 2013 

Grandma J's Passing

Grandma Margaret Johnson, Easter 2012

My last remaining grandparent on my side, Margaret Alice O'Neil Johnson, passed away this morning, 9:43 A.M. She had breast cancer a few years ago, and after a mastectomy and treatments, was cancer-free. We found out last week that the cancer had returned, with tumors on her spinal column and problems with her liver. They tried a hormone shot, hoping to extend her life a few months, but it didn't seem to work. The doctor offered chemo, with the declaration that it wouldn't reverse previous damage, just prevent further spread. He gave her up to two weeks, so my wonderful Aunts and Mother arranged for Hospice workers to come. Yesterday she had a "death rattle," and Mom explained it would probably be a day or two. While I find it interesting that my grandparents have chosen holidays on which to die (Grandpa Hooper around Memorial Day, Grandma Hooper on Father's Day, Grandpa Johnson on Mother's Day), I thought about next week's holiday. Grandma passed away a week before Good Friday, representing the day the Savior passed away on the cross before being lain in the tomb and rising again on the third day, Easter Sunday. I do know that Heavenly Father has a plan for our family, and one of the most hopeful parts is the Eternal Family. Because Jesus Christ died and rose again, every person who has ever lived on the earth has been able to receive a body and will be resurrected to immortality. Because of His Atonement, we also have the opportunity to not just live forever, but live forever with Heavenly Father and with our families if we follow the teachings of Christ and do what He and our Heavenly Father have asked of us. I know Grandma J is very relieved and excited to reunite with Grandpa, just shy of her 75th birthday. Thanks for staying as long as you did, Grandma, even though I told you time and again you were supposed to live to be 100. We love you.