Gramma and Nick Miller

Doug's son.

Lucille on the porch of the Tanner Ave house 1953

The porch was rebuilt about '64 to allow you to exit west and go straight out to the street, here it was to the south.

Gramma Anna Miller Sep 1944

From left; Phyllis, Marilyn Rose, Dickie, Bill at the Miller farm.

Grandpa Arnold and Oscar Arthur

Oscar "Os" was a cousin to Grandma Arnold and friend of Grandpa. He has the tie. Mom talked her parents into letting her go down to Kentucky with her Uncle Ruben and Aunt Mary in 1933 to visit folks.  They went to this great big grey building and met with Os for a time. She told her Mom all about her trip and  how some men were wearing guns! Grandma Et told her "Well Lucille that was a prison."She then explained what she could to Mom. I'll never forget this story because she was telling me how she was transitioning from her innocent childhood. The prison was in Fankfort, the capitol. I don't know why he was there.

James Arnold Gunfight p4

 

James Arnold Gunfight p3

 

James Arnold Gunfight p2

 

James Arnold Gunfight page 1

The source of this info is the website "The Sound of Shaking Paper" archives Aug 2012. I have posted 4 pages pertaining to the gunfight involving the killing of my Grandpa Arnold's uncle and cousin.

Liver and Onions

Liver.  When Marilyn Rose was a youngster the Dr. said her muscles on one side of her body were not developing due to vitamin deficiency. To build her up she needed to eat liver 3 times a week. In our house you ate whatever was served! One dish was put on the table and that is what you ate and when you ate. SO THE WHOLE FAMILY HAD LIVER FOR A YEAR! Needless to say we all grew sick of it but there was no vote. Later on as an adult I loved it and would even order it in the restaurants. Mom would make a heaping platter full and invite the family every once in a while. Once in Martinton I set up a long folding table in the garage for a crowd. I believe Berle was a big liver eater. I'm having a platter served today as that is one package. Leftovers for a week as Barb won't eat it. It was great!  We get our beef straight from the farm, Tonya, our daughter-in-law, gets it from her uncle who raises livestock without the chemicals and drugs used by most places.

Wedding 4 Aug 1938

LaVerne Henry Louis Miller married Lucille (no middle name) Arnold 4 Aug 1938. The picture was taken at his parent's home. He was 21 and she 18. Her older brother George Welty Arnold was the Best Man and his wife Martha attended. They wanted a small, quiet wedding and that's what they had. People were invited to the wedding dance based on a notice in the Kankakee Republican News newspaper. The dance was held two Saturday nights after the wedding at the Dreamland nightclub. Dreamland was located on the corner of Rte 17 W and what is now called the Limestone School Road. It was a huge place that ran wide open during the war. It burnt down in the early 60's I think. Some people brought gifts and others threw cash in a hat. Mom's parents, George and Maryetta (Et) Arthur Arnold, did not come because she never drank or danced and didn't believe in it. He did and did. Dad's parents, Luther and Anna Nacke Miller, came but didn't stay long. Attendees were primarily their friends. And that was the beginning of my family!

Visited Mom

I shared a great day with Mom yesterday. I read her a letter from Pearle, her best friend and Dads cousin, and another from Mike McVey a son of Gertie, went through a thick scrapbook of pictures that Dawnetta had made for her 80th birthday party, updated her on family events, took down her cards and letters from her bulletin board that she has received and will add them to another book, passed on info from Christine, Etta, Marietta and others, and shared some laughter and a few tears. She was frustrated because she couldn't remember the name of her pony that she enjoyed riding to school back in the 1920's. And we returned calls left on her answering machine. Positive day all around!

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Arnold Girls about 1939

Gertie, Lucille, Edith in back row from left.  Dora, Dorothy, Velma with Tevis in front.

Dora and Andrew Hargis

Dora Arnold married Lum Whitaker. He was shot and killed moonshining. She then married William Andrew Hargis and they celebrated 50 years of marriage. She was Grandpa's sister born 8 May 1882-27 November 1971. He was born 29 August 1868-29 April 1964. Mom put flowers on their graves every year she was down there for Decoration Day.

Lum Whitaker

Charles Columbus Whitaker Sr".      Charles Sr.'s sons Charles Columbus "Lum" Whitaker Jr., pictured here, and John William were quite colorful characters. Both were involved in the bootlegging business. In fact, "Lum" was killed because of that involvement, and John William shot someone else. Lum was killed along the Rockcastle River at a spot they still call "Lum Rock."

Lum was married to Dora Arnold, Mom's Aunt.  They had another son named Welty I believe. She later married Andrew Hargis and they celebrated 50 years of marriage.

Anna Arthur/Turner

Anna Arthur/Turner with children, Delmer, Vola, Norris and Buren Turner. Wife and sons of Everett Turner......

This was Mom's Aunt.

Nacke-Miller Family Picture

From left: Grandpa Luther Miller, Art Kuhnau, Aunt Gladys Miller (looks like Marsha), Minnie Nacke Kuhnau (sister to my Grandmother), Henry Nacke Jr (looks just like Dad when he was young), Ida Nacke (another sister). Sitting: Grandma Anna Nacke Miller, Lavern Henry Louis Miller (Dad), Great Grandma Sophia Richter Nacke, Great Grandpa Henry Nacke Sr, Aunt Nelda Miller. Dad was born in July 1917 so I assume this was the Kuhnau wedding or perhaps a Holiday 1917 picture. Nackes owned two small farms NE of the Miller place. The Nackes retired in 1918 and moved to town at 532 East Bourbonnais where he died 6 January (Doug’s birthdate) 1926. She then moved in with the Millers but took her meals in her room and would not see any visitors. She thought she had been swindled out of her money. On 4 May 1928 she went out in the yard due north of the outhouse near the fence, laid down in the flowers, took a straight razor and inflicted numerous cuts behind and below her knees and bled to death. Grandma Miller refused to give the coroner’s office the family information so her brother (living in the Nacke farmhouse) had to fill out and sign the forms. Dad was 11, Nelda 17 and Gladys 22  and living at home at the time but I never heard any of them them ever mention this information. Grandpa Miller was in that outhouse when he died 30 March 1942. They had to turn it over to get him out as Dad said he was laying up against the door. Grandma told her family her brother Henry was not allowed to attend the Services. The Nacke farms (but not the house) went to Grandma and when she died to Gladys, then to Uncle Nels and then to his neighbor near Grant Park when he died. Sources of this information; Richter Family History updated 18 November 1996, Mom and Pearle Peterson (Dads cousin) from years past, and the wills of Luther and Anna Miller.    

John Whitaker

From the Line Creek community, this is John Riley & Lucinda Wilburn/Whitaker family. John Riley Whitaker (1833-1900) was the son of James Harvey and Mary Arnold/Whitaker. He married first, Margaret Poynter, with whom he had 10 children. After Margaret's death about 1872, he married Lucinda Wilburn in 1874, with whom he had at least three children.

   Mary Arnold was in my Grandpa Arnold's family.

LaVerne and his pony

 Dad with his pony.

Lucille at Rapids City for Christmas

Mom usually spent Christmas with us except for when we lived in Europe.

Lucille and another 1930's car

 

Their 1930's Pontiac

 

Mom's Kitchen Table

She loved her little house after moving here from the 5 bedroom 2 story with basement they originally bought in 1945.

Gertie, Velma, Lucille

 

Mom with another baby on her lap.

 

Elvis

Mom loved everything Elvis, she had Johnny sign her program.

Kentucky boys with their pistols

Don't know names.

Morrie Cousin

Morrie and Dickie on my '58 Cushman Eagle, Tanner Ave 1963.

Snakes

Mom was terrified of snakes but yet fascinated by these people. I'm sure she would've attended their church just to see the show! But would've probably been standing ON the pew!

Lion of Milkes Grove Township

British Pathe movie about the lion

 

 

My grandparent's moved into Porter's farmhouse back in the 1920’s when they first moved to Illinois. I have a written story how they arrived at the Herscher train station and were taken out to the Porter place in a buggy and when I find it I will post it. The big old house where they lived is long gone. He farmed for the Porters on their ½ section of 320 acres and Aunts Dorothy and Dora said how the family remained friends with the Porters and would visit them socially over the years.  Harlan Porter, his wife Pearl, son Bill, and daughter Bobbyetta lived there. The kids never married and stayed on the farm. Tex, the lion, a horse, and all of the Porters are buried there and it has a new gated area around the small cemetery, I have pictures of it from 2009 and will post them too. Bobbyetta was born 10 Apr 1925 and died 22 Aug 2000. Aunt Edith told me how she and Mom had attended her wake and then Bill’s wake later that year. She worked at the local diner where he ate lunch quite often and they continued the friendship. Aunt Velma told me that she remembers Grandpa taking his kids over to see the lion. She said they had to be very quiet. Aunt Tevis said she never moved when she was there as she was scared of it! Granddad Akers farmed just a few miles SE and he knew them too. I've heard about that lion all of my life. Uncle Welty and his family lived one mile east of Porters back then. Mom and some of her sisters were with me in 2009 at the location of the house built for the original lion to take pictures but it had been torn down just 2 or 3 days prior to our trip there. I ran across this newsreel movie and wanted to share it.  Click on the blue British Pathe...... I could write a slim book on this subject.

Marilyn Rose, Me, Berle, Phyllis Ann about 1948 at Home

 

Me, Uncle Berle, Bill 1948 at Tanner Ave Home

 

Racecars

He used to take the track and cars and travel to the NASCAR tracks. Mom thought that was so neat.

 

Snakes

Mom always had a fear of snakes but was fascinated by these people.

Aunt Dora's Retirement Party Ad 1992

 

Celia Dugger Arthur Mathews

 She married Mom's Grandpa after his first wife died.

LaVerne Miller School Picture

Back row, right end. He graduated from the 8th grade so I'm guessing this was 1928 he would've been 11 yrs old and a 5th grader at the Rathman one-room
School.

Star of Chicago cruise ship

Mom, Dora Vickie, Dorothy, Velma

In Memory of Dad 1976

 

In Memory of Dad 1977

 

Christine, Odell and Ruth. Children of Lincoln and Ellen Arthur in front of the old home place

 

 

 

 

 

Dad's Diploma 1931

 Here is Dad's diploma. He graduated from the Rathman school which was 1/2 mile west of his Dad's farmhouse. When they removed the desks Dad went there and picked up his old desk and it was in the basement of our house on Tanner Ave. Bill called me one day (late 60's I think it was) and asked if I wanted it as he was cleaning out the basement and I said no thanks. I don't know whatever happened to it.

Diploma for Lucille Arnold 1 June 1934

 

Grandma Arnold birthdate 2 March 1897

Grandpa and Gramma Arnold and Mardene

 

Miller Kids 1945

 

Johnny Cash's One-piece-at-a-time Cadillac

 Mom was there 10 Sep 1987 I believe with Edith.