Catching up

 I hadn't realized how long it's been since I posted something here.  There's a lot of catching up to do.

Leroy Frances O'Dell

1925 - 2022

February 4, 2002 - Leroy Frances O'Dell passed away.  Yes, the middle name is the female form of the name; it's what's on his birth certificate and it's what he used his entire life so, while it may have been a mistake at the time, it stands as his middle name.  He was buried in a delayed graveside, military ceremony, at the Walton Cemetery, Delaware Co., NY., May 7, 2022.  I do not recommend delayed funerals, however, it is not always avoidable.  

If you've had a dispute over some family item as I have had, I have some suggestions:  

There is a large framed photograph of my maternal great grandparents somewhere in California where they never lived.  Fortunately, I have a much smaller copy or similar photograph of them, but I still feel it was wrong to take the larger, framed photograph to California in the first place.

Family disputes over "heirlooms" can be quite unpleasant.  

This can be handled, in part, if parents give things, in advance of their death, to their children, or indicate, in their wills, who gets what.  

Parents can also ask their children, in advance, who wants what.  Whether it's a piece of furniture, decor, photograph, document, or something else, it can mean a great deal to another family member.

Sometimes, and traditionally, most of the estate is assumed to go to the eldest child, but that's not always the case.  The executor of the estate may have their own ideas about how the estate is divided, particularly if there is little in the will to so indicate.

In the case of a single item that may be desirable to more than one person, it might be a good idea to dispose of it, one way or another, before the dispute tears the family apart.  If desirable items are given to specific individuals, it should be said, to everyone, that those decisions are the choice of the current owner and accepted.  It would be a good idea to give or will something desirable (not necessarily valuable) to each child.

My maternal grandmother had a bow-shaped pin with a pendant watch, as I remember, and a red stone.  I don't believe it had any inherent value; I don't believe the pin was gold or the stone was anything other than colored glass (I don't really know), but there were definitely several people who were interested in that pin.  Grandma had it buried with her.  (Of course, then, you have to wonder about the people who had the last possession of the body.)  I'm sorry, I'm a realist.

Another thing that can be done to, possibly, alleviate some of the disputes, in the case of photographs, is to reproduce them.  Certainly, an older, framed studio portrait, is not quite as easily reproduced, but it can be professionally copied so that many family members can have a copy.  Remember our family members are not just OUR family member but are related to quite a few other family members.

Finally, particularly in the case of family heirlooms and artifacts but also, in the case of large, framed photographs, which may have some intrinsic or historic value, they can be donated to local historical societies where there is a potential of being available for viewing by everyone.  While small local historical societies run mostly by the efforts of volunteers and have almost no funding and, therefore, little security from, theft, fire, flood, etc., they are still a place that can make family heirlooms available to be seen by many people, rather than just one or a handful of family members.

I would still like to see that framed photographic portrait of my great grandparents back here, on this coast, and somewhere where most of the family can see it from time to time.  

May Anniversaries in my WikiTree research list (not all family members):

01 May 1922 Margaret Beckman was born 

01 May 1905 Anson Odell was born 

02 May 1999 Modene Campbell died 

03 May 1961 William O'Dell died 

04 May 1977 Jeremiah Clancy was born 

05 May 1882 Nellie Flowers was born 

06 May 2017 John Banjavcic died 

08 May 1914 Samuel Hulse died 

09 May 1884 Emma May Wormuth was born 

11 May 1898 Bertha Kniffen was born 

12 May 1831 Ezra Oliver died 

12 May 1852 Jeremiah Beesimer was born 

13 May 1742 Elijah Flower married Abigail Flower 

14 May 1931 Reuben Odell died 

14 May 1881 Luther Oliver was born 

15 May 1911 Mary McLaury died 

15 May 1836 Joseph Flowers married Phoebe Flowers 

15 May 1916 Permelia Besimer died 

16 May 1933 Elizabeth Hall was born 

16 May 1925 Leroy O'Dell was born 

16 May 1894 Grace Deighton died 

16 May 1862 Peter Wormuth died 

17 May 1931 Frank Mattice died 

17 May 1916 Awilda Neail died 

18 May 1962 Stella Baxter married Cyrus Baxter 

18 May 1846 James Wormuth was born 

19 May 1909 Rachel Louisa Beams was born 

20 May 1863 Cyrus Hulse was born 

20 May 1809 Mary Mattice was born 

21 May 1928 Francis Grant was born 

21 May 1924 Stella Baxter married Edwin Grant 

22 May 1936 William Odell died 

22 May 1964 Leroy Steinhover died 

25 May 1984 Florence Squaires died 

25 May 1990 Frank Platner died 

28 May 1867 Phoebe Wormuth was born 

29 May 2012 Willard Wormuth died 

30 May 1881 Leroy Steinhover was born 

30 May 1905 Amanda Evans died 

31 May 1915 Mary Hubbell died