A conversation with Betty (Maiden) Love Jolovich

We had some great fun at the end of August, visiting with aunt Betty Love Jolovich and family. She's the sole remaining child of William J. and Leota Maiden, who raised their family on land his father had homesteaded in northern Dawes County Nebraska in the late 1880s.

Some months back, Betty's youngest daughter Jan contacted us about doing a video interview with her mother. Of course, I thought it was a terrific idea, and I was delighted that she called me to help put it together. We spent several hours with aunt Betty and her husband Paul Jolovich. In addition to Janice, her older sisters Sandy and Beverly were on hand for the tapings.

We conducted the interviews in three segments of about 45 minutes each. There's a lot of anecdotal side conversation during the video, and we'll edit out most of that and probably end up with a final interview of about 45 minutes to an hour.

Betty talks about growing up on the farm northwest of Chadron, Nebraska, the trials and tribulations of a farm kid going to school in town, meeting her "pen pal" Marlin Love, whom she then married. There's lots of fun information in this discussion, including a description of one of the most hilarious honeymoons anyone could imagine!

Lots of projects going on these days, but this is near the top of the list, and we hope to have a final video completed by the end of the year.

A soldier and his family

This is one of my favorite Maiden family photographs -- probably taken in late 1952 in Germany, where Hank Maiden was serving a hitch in the U.S. Army. On Hank's lap is younger son, Jim, while the oldest child, Bill, is behind mother Harriet, who is holding baby Dorothea.

Hank was the only surviving son of William J. and Leota (Durham) Maiden, who raised their family -- comprised mostly of girls -- near the banks of White River about 13 miles northeast of Chadron, Nebraska. Harriet was the daughter of Henry and Claudia (Johnson) Linklater and grew up near Hulett, Wyoming. Both Hank and Harriet are deceased; last we knew, Bill was living in Vancouver, Washington; Jim was in Idaho; and Dorothea (DeDe) and family were in Viriginia.

So Long, Shad!

With three years under his belt as a member of a National Guard medical evacuation unit in Rapid City, South Dakota, Shad Tenold is about to “ship out” for an overseas tour of duty in Kosovo. It was only fitting that many family and a few friends would gather to help send him off. That gathering took place today (May 18, 2008) at the Perkins Restaurant in Spearfish, South Dakota.

Here’s Shad with his grandmother, Betty Jolovich. His parents are Gene and Jan (Love) Tenold, who ranch near Reva in northwestern South Dakota.

We’ve posted a few other photos from the gathering at So Long, Shad!

It's all John C. Derrick's fault

In shaking the family tree for information, relationships sometimes get a bit bewildering. A classic case is the relationship between the Derrick, Maiden and Miller families of western Nebraska, and it all seemed to start with this old guy.

John C. Derrick was probably born in Holland, although we’ve not been able to document it. We do know he married three times and that his second bride was Adelia Pamelia Kellogg. They had two children together – Walter Earnest in 1860 and Dora Ellen in 1862. While the family was living in Carroll County Iowa in 1880, Dora married William H. Maiden, whose family came from Tama County Iowa. They moved to Dawes County Nebraska, where their only child, William Joseph Maiden, was born in 1886.

Pretty easy, so far, huh? Continue to the next level: William J. “Bill” Maiden married Leota Irene Durham in 1915; they had seven children together – one of whom was Lettie, born in 1920. In 1938, Lettie married John Miller, whose sister, Marie, was already married to William Derrick, son of Walter Earnest and a grandson to John C. Derrick. So Lettie and Bill were cousins – as well as brother/sister-in-law.

Oh, did we forget about another son of John C. Derrick -- Albert? He was the son of John C. and his first wife, Martha Hulbert. Born in 1857, Al was just a few years older than his half-brother, Walter Earnest, and his half-sister, Dora Ellen. When he was 21 years old – living in Tama, Iowa – Albert took a bride, Martha Maiden. Martha was a daughter to Joseph Maiden – a half-brother to William H. Maiden.

Not yet confused? Visit the Maiden Genealogy web site and you’re bound to become even more disoriented. Happy hunting!

Warren Beamish and the Warren girls

Members of the Maiden family likely became acquainted with a Michagander named Warren Beamish when he took a job working on the Maiden place northeast during the Great Depression of the 1930s. It was probably around the same time that they came to know the Warren girls -- Maude, Gladys, and Ellen.

Maude married a Pace, Ellen a Crowe, and Gladys married Warren Beamish. Some of the family may be just as surprised as we were, when we learned about the wartime heroics of the guy known simply as "Slim." That was a subject of this Tribute to Slim story that we wrote in 2007.

Happy Holidays!

We extend our best wishes to

MAIDEN and DURHAM families everywhere!

MERRY CHRISTMAS and a HAPPY NEW YEAR!

Lettie's Little Red Book

Kids have a fun way of leaving their mark in history. Oh, sure, they can become rich and famous, but harken back to their youth, and you'll find kids are pretty much the same everywhere -- more than a bit nonsensical!

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In foraging through materials belonging to my mother, Lettie Miller, I came across a delightful little "Autograph Book."

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Long before television and computers (text messaging was sending morse code via Western Union!) these little autograph books were one way that youngsters could pen a message to their sweethearts and other friends. Little would they realize that most of the kids who signed these books would depart their lives for marriage, the military, or otherwise to seek their fortune elsewhere in the world.

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This has dozens of entries -- most penned by friends of my mother. Some of them were written by teachers or parents, and it's easy to identify them -- they're a bit "less clever" and more philosophical. Since there are many entries from young people in Lead, South Dakota, I believe she had the book both in Lead and later in Chadron, Nebraska, which is where she spent virtually her whole life, except for that one snippet of time in Lead. She stayed with her older sister, Minnie (Maiden) Scott.

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I've transcribed a few of these messages, and they're a hoot! I found many of the poems and sayings repeated by several of the youngsters, so few of the items can truly be considered "original." Nonetheless, it reflects the youthful lightheartedness that kids bring to every generation. Some would call it foolishness. I call it fun!

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YOUR MOTHER / EILEEN MEYER / ELIZABETH BUTLER

SISTER MINNIE / ETTA RED BOY / LUCILLE MORRIS

MARGARET ROBERTS / SISTER BETTY / LOIS CASEY

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CLARA LIDMAN / WARREN BEMISH / ARTHUR EDLUND

DELIA MARGARET HOPPE / FRED MILLER / NETTIE MAIDEN

DORIS WEYMOUTH / JOHN MILLER / MAUDE PACE

LILA NIXON / BESSIE GILLAM / W.J.M. (FATHER)

WM. HENRY MAIDEN / LAWRENCE DRULLINGER

ARLENE CAVANAUGH / EARNEST NORMAN, JR.