Neely - Todd Wedding

This newspaper article about the wedding of Joe's parents 

is packed full of information, most of it is correct.

MARRIED IN LOUISVILLE         

MR. AND MRS. JOSEPH H. TODD.

 

(Special to The Indianapolis Star.) BLOOMINGTON, Ind. Dec. 21 [1929] – Joseph R. Todd, son of Dr. and Mrs. Joseph C. Todd, 618 East Third street, and Miss Elizabeth Neely, daughter of Dr. and Mrs. A. S. Neely of Indianapolis, were married in Louisville, Ky, at 11 o’clock this morning. 

The ceremony was performed by the bridegroom’s father, Dr. Todd, dean of Indiana university school of religion, assisted by Dr. Homer Carpenter, pastor of the First Christian Church in Louisville. The wedding took place at the home of the bride’s aunts, the Misses Dorothy and Frances Gilmore, 2542 Ransdall avenue, Louisville was the former home of the Neelys. 

Student Romance.

The wedding is the consummation of a student romance that began while the two were students in Indiana university as members of the class of 1928. Mr. Todd is a Sigma Nu and during his four years in the university was assistant to W. I. Reeves, business manager of the Indiana Daily Student. Since leaving the university he has been associated with the Indianapolis Engraving Company in the high school and college annual department. He has lived in Bloomington since he was 3 years old, coming here from New York city with his parents, attending the public schools and the university. 

 

Member of Delta Zeta

After attending Randolph-Macon for a year. Miss Neely entered the university here. She is a Delta Zeta. 

Only the immediate families and a few intimate friends were present at the wedding. After a wedding breakfast, the bride and bridegroom drove to their new home at 3340 North Meridian street, Indianapolis. They will be Christmas dinner guests of Dr. and Mrs. Todd Tuesday. Attendants at the wedding from Bloomington were Dr. and Mrs. J. C. Todd, Mary Ellen and William Dean Todd and William Ramsay, assistant dean of men at the university and Miss Mary Jane Walters of Bedford. 

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NOTES

Wedding took place at 2542 Ransdell Avenue, Louisville, Kentucky

Mary Elizabeth Neely's aunts Miss Dorothy Gilmore and Miss Frances Gilmore did live there. It was the home of Maria and John Atherton. The Gilmore sisters worked for the Atherton family as caregivers. The article says the Neely family lived there. I don't think that's accurate. Joe's mother Mary Elizabeth did live there when she was in high school, but with the Athertons and aunts, not her parents. 

Street name misspelled in article

William Ramsay - He was Joe's godfather. Joe didn't know his connection with his grandfather and Indiana University until he read an article about the wedding. 

AND - I think I found their first home together - 3340 North Meridian Street, Indianapolis

Google Maps shows this building at that address. It was built in 1923 so it's highly likely that this is the actual place they lived. 

 

Joe in a Clown Suit & His Dog

 

This picture was taken in 1938. I was 4 years old. My Mother must have loved this clown suit since she took many, many pictures of me in it. Maybe she knew something that I was only to find out later. I hope this is a Halloween picture! 

The dog’s (my second) name is Gyp. He is a Springer Spaniel – a very family oriented hunting dog. My first dog was a Rat Terrier that jumped all over me – he got run over by a car. 

 

I really liked Gyp – probably because he would let me pet him and didn’t jump all over me. Shortly after this picture was taken, he disappeared. I was taking a nap in the afternoon. When I woke up Miss Ging (my nanny or if you prefer nurse maid) told me some men came into the backyard and took him away. In later years I got the idea that my father was persuaded by someone in his office to sell him since we did no hunting. 

The black box in the background held the photographic plates used in Speed Graphic cameras used by my father in his advertising work. I am not sure where this picture was taken, but I remember very well the black box and squatting down by Gyp. 

 

A four year old kid’s view of the world is somewhat limited to remembering images not context. I am very fortunate to be able to remember my childhood fairly well.

 Written by Joe, February 2006

 

Cadet Joe

Joe as a cadet at Howe Military School

Howe buttons & pins 

6th and 7th grades - 1945-46 & 1946-47

The W is for White Hall, the dormitory for the "Lower School" boys

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While searching for information recently, 

I discovered that Howe has closed after 135 years. More here

Some Joe Things

It was barely November and Trader Joe's already had their Christmas goodies out

Not at Trader Joe's but at QFC grocery - Joe Chips

I'd never seen these before

February 2013

Veterans Day

Joe - Navy

Dad  - Navy - World War II

Harry Floyd  & Caryl Holton - World War I

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 Civil War - Notes About Our Family & the Civil War

Leonard Caryl Holton, born 1812, would have been too old (grandfather of Caryl Holton)

Alson Landus Ames, born 1818 – We have a letter from his wife Urania in which she states he was going to Rockford, Illinois to tell the military he was too old to serve. As far as I know he didn’t join. (grandfather of Caryl Holton)

John Marshall Cathcart, born 1842 in Ireland. Came to USA in 1860 and settled in central Illinois. I’ve never seen any mention of military service for him. (grandfather of Celia Cathcart Holton)

James Silas Sconce, born 1831. Lived in central Illinois. I’ve never seen any mention of military service for him. It would seem he might be the right age to serve unless someone in his 30s was considered old. (grandfather of Celia Cathcart Holton)

John Bowman, born 1831 in Germany – husband of Jane Judd & father of Idah Alice Bowman Browne, Mary Floyd Holton’s grandmother - served in Civil War, from Michigan

Edmond Floyd, born 1848; Maine (Harry Floyd's father). I don't think he was in the Civil War. His brother Henry was. 

Henry Floyd, born 1842, Maine. Served in Civil War. This is Harry Floyd’s uncle. Henry Floyd was reported missing in action and presumed killed. His body was never found. His mother received a pension based on his death.

William Browne, born 1827. Don't know if he was in Civil War, from Michigan (Mary Floyd Holton's great-grandfather)

Click on the "Military" label to the right to see other posts about our family and the military

Joe & Flowers

Joe had a fondness for marigolds. He said he thinks it came from pictures on Marigold milk containers when he was a child. I haven't been able to find an image from that time period. 

Joe also liked pansies, especially the ones with "faces" on them. He bought this Peggy Karr glass pansy bowl for me at Maple Lee Flowers and Gifts in Worthington

Happy Anniversary to Us!

June 10, 1976

Married - For Eternity

We were married "til death do you part" in June 1976

In April 1983 (above) we were married for time and all eternity in the temple of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Washington DC. At the time it was the closest place for us to receive this eternal ordinance.

April 2014

For time and eternity - Our relationship will continue beyond this life. 

Christ spoke of this with Peter

 "And I will give unto thee the keys of the kingdom of heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt bind on earth shall be bound in heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven." Matthew 16: 15-19

November 2017

Sharing Stories

These thoughts from O. Brent Black reinforce the importance of preserving and sharing stories. 

"My sincere hope is that the writings and stories ... will be sources of strength for my children, grandchildren and more for the years ahead," he said. 

"... How blessed we are if, ... we can sit down at our kitchen table and there review stories of the past from those we have loved, and learn anew the lessons and messages that they have left for us. We must realize that at the very moment we are writing our own stories to be recorded as part of a history which will sometime in the future be reviewed again and again." (Church News; article published August 19, 2000; no longer online)

 left - 1934 - Baby Joseph Todd with mother Mary Elizabeth Neely Todd & her father Alonzo Neeley (Trapper) & Alonzo's mother Mary Taylor Neely (Mamaw)

right - Baby William Holton with parents Celia & Caryl

~1927 Mary Floyd with sister Elizabeth

Mary Floyd Holton's parents in 1896

Mildred Browne & Harry Floyd

Teenaged Mary Elizabeth Neely's passport photo 1919

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9/1/20 typo corrected

Valentines

Our love for each other and for Christ and His gospel 

has increased during this part of our journey

Our love and marriage are eternal - eternal Valentines!

top photo November 2017

Faith Is A Choice

“Faith does not fall upon us by chance or stay with us by birthright. … The future of your faith is not by chance, but by choice. …

“How we live our lives increases or diminishes our faith. … There is an adversary who delights in destroying our faith! Be relentless in protecting your faith.

“Addressing honest questions is an important part of building faith, and we use both our intellect and our feelings. … Not all answers will come immediately, but most questions can be resolved through sincere study and seeking answers from God. Using our mind without our heart will not bring spiritual answers. …

“Faith never demands an answer to every question but seeks the assurance and courage to move forward, sometimes acknowledging, ‘I don’t know everything, but I do know enough to continue on the path of discipleship.’" Neil Andersen 

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Click here for Joe's long ago comments about faith

Skipper At Camp

Joe (left) & Friend at camp 

I went to Camp Frisbie summer camp for one or two weeks in 1943 (9 years old) and 1944 (10 years old). Camp Frisbie was somewhere in Michigan, but I don’t know where.*  I don’t recall if it was for one week or two. I know I spent a Sunday there. 

We swam in some lake. Some guys got to go boating, but I don’t recall that my turn ever came.  I also spent one night and a day in the infirmary for some reason. The part that impressed me most were the evening flag lowering ceremony and the morning flag raising ceremony.  Oh, I also received a sailor hat with Camp Frisbie printed on it which I wore around the neighborhood for a few days.  Along with my nickname Skipper and the sailor hat - maybe, that is why I joined the U.S. Navy in 1953. But, then again my nickname left me rather abruptly at the end of the 5^th grade when I became Cadet Todd and went for a two year long camp out.~

I remember when my parents came to pick me up, I proceeded to sing “Bringing in the Cheese”+ which I insisted were the words we sang in church that Sunday. I sang that song and “My Darling Clementine” all the way back to Grosse Pointe. I couldn’t sing then any better than I can sing now. I am certain my parents were relieved to arrive at home

The evening we arrived home after the 2^nd year, I announced that the whole family should get up and perform the flag raising ceremony along with me – my parents were most unenthusiastic about this wonderful exciting idea and they suggested I get my buddies together to do it. I arose very early in the morning very excited about my new life style. I figured my friend would not come to my backyard, so I went to the front of his place on St. Clair and rang his doorbell for him to come out. He did very sleepily and stood there and stared at me. I stood there and saluted the small flag I brought with me and I forget what else I did, but it must have been very impressive - my friend said, “Is that all there was?”  My father drove by on the way to work and waved.  I must have lost interest in this new activity as I passed up the opportunity to introduce the flag lowering ceremony to the neighborhood and didn’t get up so early the next morning. We all went on to some other exciting adventure.

I enjoyed Camp Frisbie, but I was happy to return home to my family and friends. 

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Written by Joe Todd – August 2006

Notations added by Julia Todd January 2018

*Thomas Lake, Waterford, Michigan   

~ Howe Military School  

+Bringing in the Sheaves

Veterans Day

Joe - Navy

Dad  - Navy - World War II

Caryl Holton & Harry Floyd - World War I

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 Civil War - Notes About Our Family & the Civil War

Leonard Caryl Holton, born 1812, would have been too old (grandfather of Caryl Holton)

Alson Landus Ames, born 1818 – We have a letter from his wife Urania in which she states he was going to Rockford, Illinois to tell the military he was too old to serve. As far as I know he didn’t join. (grandfather of Caryl Holton)

John Marshall Cathcart, born 1842 in Ireland. Came to USA in 1860 and settled in central Illinois. I’ve never seen any mention of military service for him. (grandfather of Celia Cathcart Holton)

James Silas Sconce, born 1831. Lived in central Illinois. I’ve never seen any mention of military service for him. It would seem he might be the right age to serve unless someone in his 30s was considered old. (grandfather of Celia Cathcart Holton)

John Bowman, born 1831 in Germany – husband of Jane Judd & father of Idah Alice Bowman Browne, Mary Floyd Holton’s grandmother - served in Civil War, from Michigan

Edmond Floyd, born 1848; Maine (Harry Floyd's father). I don't think he was in the Civil War. His brother Henry was. 

Henry Floyd, born 1842, Maine. Served in Civil War. This is Harry Floyd’s uncle. Henry Floyd was reported missing in action and presumed killed. His body was never found. His mother received a pension based on his death.

William Browne, born 1827. Don't know if he was in Civil War, from Michigan (Mary Floyd Holton's great-grandfather)

From August

I made an eclipse viewer from a cereal box. 

This was our granddaughter's cereal pick when she visited in August. 

Forest fires sent smoke and ash into our area several times in September. We had hazy skies for days and ash was heavy enough to come into our enclosed garage (our car bumper above) and condo windows. 

Joe's ready for the game!

Sound of Summer

We frequently hear the ice cream truck going through our neighborhood. 

Guess what the driver was doing - eating an ice cream bar!

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I associate the tune "Greensleeves" with ice cream trucks. Why is that tune used?  A blogger pondered that question here. Here's an interesting article about ice cream trucks and music. 

I have vague memories of the ice cream truck on Oak Street in the summer. We didn't have money for those kinds of treats. But it was a happy, summer sound.

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Did you know that Joe sold ice cream from a bicycle cart one summer? He said it was the summer between 8th & 9th grade when he was living in Indianapolis, Indiana with his grandparents, Alonzo (Trapper) and Elizabeth (Mamaw) Neely. He thinks he sold it all summer. 

Joe - Fall 1948 - 9th grade

Ray Pepper's Birthday

Ray Pepper

Joe's friend, hero and father (step)

June 19, 1915 - September 20, 1996

 Ray Pepper graduated from Perry Township High School, Shelby County, Ohio. 

This paperweight must have been given out at the class reunion in 1990

ca 1956 - Ray, Betty (Maude, Mary Elizabeth) & Joe

Mother's Day Reflections

"When you have an opportunity to mother, grab it! It may break your heart, ..." Maddy expressed this thought in her Mother's Day talk at church. Mothering can sometimes be heart-breaking. It can also be filled with joy. Mothering is an eternal journey that's all about love. 

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Children are the anchors that hold a mother to life. Sophocles 

In difficult times, children anchored me and kept me from drifting too far off course. A child kept me going because he loved me and I loved him. Children needed me and I needed them. 

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“When you observe kind and gentle mothers in action, you see women of great strength.”—Margaret D. Nadauld

“There is no role in life more essential and more eternal than that of motherhood.”— M. Russell Ballard

Around Mother's Day it's easy to find quotes about the nobleness of women and motherhood. Along with those kinds of sentiments I like to hear from women who share the challenges of the motherhood journey. 

The following thoughts are based on a blog post in May 2014 by Saydi Eyre Shumway.

Motherhood is hard and is different from what we might have expected. Motherhood isn't about "me, it's about "these lives who have come and merged with mine." I like this thought because my experiences with mothering involve a child I gave birth to and in addition children whose lives "merged" with mine. Our immediate and extended family continue to grow with wonderful people who come into the family. 

I don't think of myself as a natural "mothering" person but as I look back from the perspective of 70 years (wow!), I realize I've learned to recognize, nurture, and embrace that aspect of my being. I work at and enjoy learning to be a better mother and grandmother. Over the decades I have "grabbed" the opportunity to mother others who have come into my life. We've been parents and grandparents for persons living far away from family and for people who didn't have family, near or far. These mothering experiences have sometimes broken our hearts but we've also experienced great joy. We have been blessed. 

Mothering is motivated by love and compassion. Mothering can help us forget ourselves so we can serve and meet the needs of others. "It is really about swallowing up yourself into something bigger, a family, a child, a little life. [or a big life]. Forgetting yourself. It is truly a refiner's fire. If we surrender to it it will burn us up. But we really do emerge from it changed, new, strong, full, and bright." 

When we're able to do this, "surrender to our mother-love," some of our love becomes part of the soul of the person we've mothered. How glorious and awesome is that?!

A mother helps a person feel known, acknowledged, and loved. One of the wonderful mothers in Joe's life was his Grandmother Elizabeth Gilmore Neely, Mamaw. During awkward and stressful periods in his life, she was always there to reassure him, to tell him he was loved and that he could meet any challenge that came his way. Her love is part of Joe's being. 

That love for Joe comes through in the message she wrote on the back of a photo of Joe and his Great Grandmother Mary Taylor Neely. 

"My Little Lamb and his great grandmother. 

This is the cutest child's picture I've ever seen. 

Called 'Picking Flowers'"

Bloom!

Last year I noticed tiny pansies blooming in the concrete and asphalt seam in the driveway into our parking garage. I marveled that these tiny pieces of life and beauty could bloom in such difficult spots. They bloomed most of the summer. I wondered if they would come up this year. They did. They're in a spot where they are walked on and driven over. But they keep popping back up and blooming. The one in the bottom picture is a bit more protected from traffic.

I took these pictures on Joe's birthday. I thought of his resilience and his positive attitude in the midst of the challenge of Parkinson's. He continues to bless people's lives. 

1919 Traveler

In 1919, at age 14, Joe's mother, Mary Elizabeth Neely, traveled to Havana, Cuba with her mother's sisters, Dorothy & Mary Frances Gilmore, and John M. Atherton of Louisville, Kentucky. We think the photo above is the same one on her passport application. 

She applied for the passport in Dade County, Florida. She states she was born in Bogota, Texas April 11, 1905. Leaving from Key West, Florida, she's going to Cuba for "recreation" and expects to stay a month. Her plan is to leave on the "first vessel after receiving passport." 

Stature 5'4" tall, high forehead, brown eyes, straight nose, medium mouth, round chin, brown hair, fair complexion, and an oval face. 

Her aunts, Mary Frances Gilmore, "graduate nurse," and Dorothy F. Gilmore confirm Mary is a citizen of the United States. 

The passenger manifest shows that Mary and her party were on the ship Governor Cobb from Havana, Cuba to Key West, Florida, arriving in Florida December 15, 1919. 

Happy Birthday Joe!

April 24

1934 We have a shoe and silk stocking that 

appear to be the same ones Joe wore in this picture

1937 at Pentwater, Michigan

Joe & his family vacationed there several times

1938 Joe remembers that his mother liked this clown outfit better than he did. 

We have many pictures of him in this clown suit.

ca 1943

February 2017

With Love