A WWII-era photo at 6th and King in Chadron

Probably taken in the winter of 1944 at 6th and King in Chadron. This motley crew of cousins -- all grandchildren of William J. and Leota Maiden -- includes (in the back) Ray Scott, Johnny Miller, Leota Scott and (in the front) Linetha Miller.   We're advised that John and Lettie (Maiden) Miller rented the small house that sat on the southwest corner of the intersection at 6th and King Street, across the street west from the Seventh Day Adventist Church.

J. B. finds another artistic outlet...

"She ain't much to look at, but she's hell for stout."

That's a quotation from grandfather William J. "Bill" Maiden that echoes back to me occasionally as shared by brother John, who remembers the phrase from grandad's description of items he crafted over the years.  I well remember some of those items, including a small sewing stand that sits in the corner of our den.

And while its rustic style doesn't fit most modern tastes, it surely was built "for stout."  In earlier years, I even stood atop the wooden stand -- something that now causes me to shudder, fearing the damage that could have been caused to what has become a treasured item.

But if style and aesthetics weren't high on grandpa's list, that doesn't mean the Maiden family line was devoid of such traits.  In fact, creativity and a flair for artistic endeavors can be found in several descendant lines.

One such person is Johnny Davis of Denton, Texas, a great-grandson of Bill Maiden and a son of Bruce and Linetha (Miller) Davis of Madill, Oklahoma.

Like several of his cousins, young Johnny Davis, now 47 years old, was enamored with rock music back in the '70s and '80s.  Soon he was cranking out music in a rock band, all adorned with hairstyles and attire of the time -- probably to the chagrin of his parents.  But we're pretty sure they recognized his propensity for "the arts," though it would manifest itself in ways they might not have predicted.

Now married and the father of two boys, Johnny Davis has developed into a top-rate artists.  His favorite subject seems to be motorcycles.  We've seen several of his pieces, and they're extraordinarily good -- and usually extraordinarily large.  But now his creative juices are flowing in a new direction.

Johnny has become an editorial contributor to the flashy Ride Texas magazine, a quarterly publication out of Austin that focuses on the best back roads in the Lone Star state.  He's crafted an engaging narrative about an old-time general store that adorns the roadside in the north Texas hamlet of Rosston.

He had passed through the town a few times in recent years -- had noticed the weathered wooden building that houses the Rosston General Store -- but had never stopped.  Sparked by memories of a story he had read earlier about the decline of such unique places, and having passed over opportunities to visit the store, Davis saddled up on his motorcycle and headed toward Rosston.

"I was so enchanted with this place and its friendly clientele that I opened  my saddlebag, got my camera, and took a quick snapshot of my motorcycle next to the hitching post," he wrote in the latest (December 2013) edition of Ride Texas.

Of course, we're delighted at the description that Johnny shares about the Rosston General Store and his experience there.  But we remain utterly fascinated by his skill as an artist, capturing things on canvas in a way that few are able to do (photo above).

Perhaps we shouldn't be so surprised, since his mother, Linetha Davis, has been turning out wonderful paintings for several years.  You'll find some of those in our Davis Gallery.

Now, we'll have to add a place for son Johnny!

But perhaps his greater accomplishment is as a stay-at-home dad for a pair of cute sons, Eli and Isaac, and as a husband to Kathleen,  who recently earned her Ph.D.

It's fun watching the development of the "younger generations."

Maiden descendant a drone pioneer

A few years back, we posted a 2010 news story about young Brandon Tenold of Reva, South Dakota, who was then delving deep in to amateur radio and already had garnered a number of accomplishments at an early age. Now he's making a mark in another related technology. 

For the past few years, Brandon has begun working with radio-controlled aircraft, a hobby that has intrigued him greatly, and one which is closely related to an item that is in the news almost daily: drones. Of course, the military has been using drones for years, and the technology has significantly altered military and rescue operations worldwide.

When Amazon's Jeff Bezos unleashed his vision of drone delivery of Amazon-ordered products, the topic was elevated to coverage by CBS' 60 Minutes. And the potential of drone services has mushroomed throughout the economy -- including some potential services in the range country of the Dakotas and Wyoming. 

That was the focus of this televised report done by KELOland Television. Brandon is a grandson of Gene and Janice (Love) Tenold of Reva, South Dakota. And Janice is a granddaughter of William and Leota Maiden, who were the inspiration for this website.

                                                             

A holiday celebration of Loves

A cold and snowy night -- in a place we'd never heard of.

But the moment we walked through the door, we were delighted at what we found.  We were guests at a family reunion to honor Betty (Maiden) Love Jolovich at a remote guest ranch about 17 miles north of Buffalo, Wyoming.  

We've lived in South Dakota and Nebraska for a good number of years, and we've traveled quite a bit throughout Wyoming, but we'd never heard of this place:  The Ranch at Ucross.

Jan (Love) Tennold and her siblings -- Sandra, Matt and Beverly -- orchestrated this special reception and dinner to honor their mother, who is the last living child of William J. and Leota (Durham) Maiden.  They couldn't have chosen a nicer place.

But we have a feeling that no matter where they might have assembled, there would have been an outpouring of warmth and love that would have filled the room.  We counted 25 children, grandchildren, great-grandchildren and other assembled family.  And we were fortunate enough to live close enough to receive an invitation the the festivities.

The afternoon was a time for family members to visit, tell stories, and catch up on activities.  From California and South Dakota to Arizona and Wyoming, there was an abundance of stories and lots of reminiscing.  What great fun for cousins and kinfolk to be able to come together for a holiday reunion.  The group paused long enough to be captured in the photo below.  You'll find a higher resolution version of this photograph in our Maiden Photo Gallery.  And we're working on compiling all the names for a caption, so please lend a hand!  A simple e-Mail note will do!

Following a reception and dinner at the Ranch House,  the group reconvened at the Lodge to view  an hour-long video that Larry and Karen Miller recorded at Betty's home in Dayton in 2008.  

We can think of no other way to celebrate the Christmas season that family coming together to share memories -- and to show affection for the lady who helped make it all possible:  Betty Maiden!  

With a gloomy medical diagnosis, this remarkable lady faces the future -- however short or long -- with great dignity and grace, and still nurturing the keen sense of humor that she has embraced for her 87 years.  While doctors count her future in months, we all know that her spirit -- and our memories of her -- will be alive for generations to come.  What a lady!

The Saga of Ed Durham

We've always been a sucker for a good story, and they're particularly enjoyable when they're true.

Having spent the better share of the past decade in the northern Black Hills of South Dakota, we've become somewhat familiar with the rich pioneer history that permeates these hills and surrounding prairies.  Of course, lots of indigenous people staked claim to much of this region, and -- in fact -- still do.

Having grown up in Dawes County Nebraska, just a few hours south of historic Deadwood, South Dakota, we've always known about the raucous history of this little mining town.  But during much of the past year we've been researching pioneer attorney Henry Frawley, who was not only successful in the courtroom, but who also amassed a hefty amount of real estate across Lawrence County.  Frawley was prosperous, but he was also considered something of a showboat.  One writer characterized him as the "F. Lee Bailey of his time."  Of course, Frawley practiced a good century before Bailey would make a name for himself in American jurisprudence.  

While researching Henry Frawley, I came across a fine book about the early pioneer days in the Black Hills written by John McClintock.   I found some interesting material about Frawley, but I also came across an intriguing article about one Ed Durham.

Readers of Maiden Archives know that the Durham name figures prominently in our ancestry.  A direct line ancestor of ours from Pennsylvania, David A. Durham (b. 1848) was father to Leota Irene Durham, who married William Joseph Maiden in 1915.  Thus came the Durham linkage to the Maiden clan that is the subject of this web site.

Knowing this, the following article piqued my curiosity.  We've not yet done any genealogical research to see if the Ed Durham discussed here was kinfolk, but we do know that we have Durham relatives still living in the Black Hills region of Wyoming.  

So, here's the short sad saga of Ed Durham, from McClintock's 1939 book, Pioneer Days in the Black Hills.

More photo detective work needed!

Thanks to Ray Scott for sharing this undated photograph

Lots of "cousins" are included in this undated photograph that was apparently tucked away in a picture box belonging to the late Minnie (Weston) Scott and discovered by her son, Ray Scott.

We know several of these folks, but we need help in identifying others.

Let's start in the back row, standing from left-to-right: Sorry, we don't know the first fellow, but the others are: Aleatha "Toots" (Drullinger) Case, Minnie (Weston) Scott, and Bryan Scott.  Kneeling in front are Sharon Case, Unknown, and John Case.

We can't be certain, but we'd guess that the lad in the front with his back to the camera might be Delbert Case, a younger brother to Sharon.  Of course, it could have been any of a number of boys.

And we think that the two unidentified gentlemen in this photograph are Drullingers.  No location is listed, but it most likely was taken in Chadron, Nebraska, around 1950.

Can you help?  Send us an e-mail with your thoughts and suggestions.  Thanks!

Were they really cowgirls?

Friendship is such a wonderful thing.  After a series of career moves over the years, we’ve chalked up a healthy list of people we consider good friends – from Iowa and Oklahoma to Mississippi and Pennsylvania.

Except for Nebraska friends with whom we grew up, most of those friendships were established and developed over just a few short years.  But in many instances, we’ve kept in touch with these friends from elsewhere and continue nurturing the friendships.

We’re intrigued by the fact that so many people of our parents’ generation were often life-long friends.  People with whom they went to school, worked, and grew old.  Friends who confided in one another and – during good times and bad – helped each other.

Such was the special and long-time friendship of Lettie Miller and Gladys (Warren) Beamish.

We’ve heard stories of how these ladies, hard working but fun loving, used to celebrate Halloween to the fullest extent – dressing up in some remarkably innovative costumes.

It tickled us recently when we came across this old photo – taken in about 1947 on the Vince Braddock place north of Chadron.  We don’t think it was Halloween, although it may well have been in October.  No doubt about it, they were in costume!

Billy Beamish – about four years old – is shown at the left with his dog Ringo.  They both seem a bit bewildered by the antics of the two gunslingers on the right, Lettie (Maiden) Miller and Gladys (Warren) Beamish.

This image, we think, captures the light-hearted antics that these two ladies shared with one another.  Perhaps folks who’ve known them and their spouses -- John Miller and Warren Beamish  -- might contend that the girls' tomfoolery was a way of complementing the more reserved (some might say dour) personalities of their husbands!

Far be it from us to assign such motives.  In any event, these two ladies did have fun!

Lettie Miller passed away in Chadron in 1998 at age 77.  Gladys Beamish still lives in Chadron and remains quite active for a young lady in her 80’s!