Becca's Death...May 20, 1916...A Mystery Revealed

I remember hearing that my Dad's Mom, Becca passed away sometime shortly after he was born. Again, Amel Wilson Simmons was born on St. Patricks Day, March 17, 1916. According to the death certificate Becca passed away at the tender age of 22 just two months after Amel was born. She died at 6:20 p.m. on the evening of May 20, 1916. Reasons for her death are given as a blood infection due to a pelvic abscess.
Becca was born in Missouri in January of 1894 to Reverend John McCarter & his wife, Tennesse. The informant who signed the death certificate looks to be Laura Simmons of Jadwin, Missouri. This where Grandpa Elliot Simmons' farm was located.
This death certificate gives no indication as to where Becca was buried. Upon further research I have learned that her maiden name was Rebecca McCarter and she was buried in the McCarter family cemetary located in the Turtle township in Dent county, Missouri.

Young Ginny Froehly...circa 1921...My Mom

Mary Virginia Froehly was born on April 9, 1919 in St. Louis, Missouri. This particular spring brought about the first child to a young couple, Joseph and Della Froehly. This was a time when Woodrow Wilson was President of the United States and this was the year that Missouri became the 11th state to ratify the 19th amendmant, which granted women the right to vote.
Joseph & Della first lived on 21st Street. Joseph may have been a wallpaper and painter at this time. Della worked at Brown Shoe Company before she was married and just prior to giving birth to Gin. It was probably at the time that Gin was having this picture taken with her dog that her two twin brothers were about to be born.
Michael Ryan(Chubby) arrived first and Joseph (Junior) appeared shortly afterwards on November 10, 1921.. However, by the time the boys came around the Froehly family was living at their new residence on Lotus Avenue. Katherine (Dolly) came along on October 9, 1924. Dolly was named after Della's mother Catherine Geraghty. Notice that Chubby's middle name was Ryan. Catherine Geraghty's maiden name was Catherine Ryan.

Elliot Travels to Helena, Montana to find work.

Elliot left Missouri in search of work. Times had gotten hard and so he headed out to Montana near Helena to find work on a farm. My Dad related this story to me around the times that I would travel thru Montana on my crosscountry motorcycle journeys. Dad was proud to tell me about his father working in this part of the country.

I am not sure of the years that Elliot worked in Montana, however keep in mind that my Dad was born in 1916 and the Depression began in 1929. Times were tough.

It was during this time that Mabel came into Elliot's life and their relationship developed into marraige. Elliot brought Mabel back to the farm in Missouri. Clark and Amel now had their father again as well as a new mother. Elliot and Mabel had two more children. The boy became my Uncle Lee and the girl became my Aunt Margaret.

Becca & Elliot...Amel's Parents

Becca & Elliot lived on the farm and were the parents of a young boy by the name of Clark. A few years after Clark arrived, Becca became pregnant again and gave birth to Amel. It was shortly after Dad was born in 1916 that Becca passed away. It's not clear just how she died or when she died. For Elliot tho, he suddenly became the single father of two young boys. Fortunately, Belle and Aunt Mary were nearby to help out with the raising of the two brothers.

The photo is an internet image taken of the general area of where the farm is located. There are many rivers nearby that are well known for canoeing and fishing.

The Cedar Grove mail route

The Simmons' farm totaled 360 acres and it apparently was in the Simmons name for quite a while. My Great Aunt Belle recalled Civil War soldiers from both the North and the South traveling thru the area and she told of soldiers taking chickens and livestock for their meals. Belle was a young girl at the time of the war, but remember she lived to be 99 years old. Belle passed away in about 1957-8. She was the mother of my Aunt Mary Simmons. I believe Belle was a generation older than my grandfather Elliot.

The mailing address on the postcard from my Dad to Jack was the "Cedar Grove Route." My Dad would tell me that the farm location was south of Salem and between Jadwin and Eminence. Cedar Grove is in northern Shannon county near the Current River.

I found this map from 1895 on the internet and thought it appropriate for this post because it could be very close to the time that Elliot was born. Also, there is a good chance that Belle may have still been living on the farm then.

A Message from Dad to Jack...Aug. 19, 1954

Here it is...Read for yourselves. Click on the postcard to enlarge it.

Notice that the stamp was 1 cent. Also, Cedar Grove Route was the mailing route that my Grandfather's farm was located. The card was sent to Mr. Jack Simmons in care of E.M. Simmons. Elliot Monroe Simmons was my Grandfather's name.

I just got off the phone with my sister, Mary who is currently battling a cancerous brain tumor and she remembered Grandpa's first name as Elliot. A big Thank you to Mary! She has always had a terrific memory and has struggled in the past 4 1/2 months with her communication and her memory. As I write this posting, Mary is able to speak and recall much better than she has for a while. Mary said that she, Jim, Mom, Dad, and even Nema (my Mom's mother) may have driven out to California on this trip!

Postcard from Dad to Jack...Aug. 19, 1954

This is a postcard that my Dad (38), Amel sent to my brother Jack on August 19, 1951. The postcard has a picture of Suntan Beach and a pier in San Clemente, California. According to a conversation that I had this morning with my brother, I learned that my parents traveled from St. Louis by car to visit my sister, Mary (20) who was married at that time to a soldier by the name of Jim Masconi (sp) who was stationed in Oceanside, California. I believe that Jim was a Marine and was stationed at Camp Pendelton. Jack told me that Mary & Jim had lived just a few blocks from the beach. I believe that my parents made this trip by themselves and Jack, JoAnn, and myself went to stay on our Grandpa Simmons' farm in Salem, Missouri. The farm is where my Dad was raised.

Jack also mentioned that in about 1954-5, our family returned to this area again by car. That was a long haul by car back then as my parents drove JoAnn (13), Jack(12), and myself (3) on the famous Route 66. This trip was probably made because my niece, Karen was born in March of 1954 to Mary & Jim.

Jack said he would curl up and sleep on the floorboard of the front passenger side. My brother also spoke of my Mom (35), Virginia driving thru winding turns thru the mountains. Myself, I would have been 3-4 years old and I remember the canvas water bags that cars had that were hung near the radiator in front. This extra water could be used for getting a drink or to add as coolant if the car overheated.