Things My Mother Never Told Me

 A mostly unknown family history unfolded for me when I uncovered the hidden stories within my mother Mother Mary Chesney's collection of vintage postcards.

For years, the I had treasured a small wooden box containing 57 postcards from the early 1900s that Mother gave me. Initially valued primarily for the 4 Santa postcards among the 23 Christmas cards in the collection, the I had mostly examined just the front images.

Everything changed when I decided use genealogy methods to carefully examine the messages, postmarks, and addresses on the backs of these 100+ year old postcards. This closer examination revealed a wealth of family history details previously unknown to me, including:

• Mother's childhood residences in Kansas: Fulton, Natoma, Codell, and Paradise
• The story of cousin Opal Alyce Chesney, who was orphaned at age 2 and raised by her grandparents
• Evidence of Mother's brother Everett's WWI service in the 38th Balloon Company
• The family's experiences with the devastating "Codell Cyclones" - tornadoes that struck the same town on May 20th for three consecutive years (1916-1918)
• Handwritten notes from Mother's grandparents, providing rare personal connections to ancestors

Particularly significant was the discovery that Mother's father had rented farmland in several locations before finally purchasing property near Paradise, Kansas. I also gained insights into why postcards were such a popular form of communication during Mother's childhood (1915 was the peak year with at least 10 cards received).

The journey through these postcards connected me to multiple generations of Chesney family history and helped me understand Mother's early life in ways I’d never known before. By "mining" the messages, signatures, and addresses; and using genealogy research practices I uncovered a detailed family narrative that spans generations.

Now the cards have been digitized and safely preserved in archival sleeves, ready to continue telling this part of my Mother’s family's story for generations to come - a far more valuable treasure than I initially realized when I first received the little wooden box of postcards.

This summary was generated by AI

 This is the script for a virtual presentation I made in 2021 to the Muskogee County Genealogical Society. It has been edited for a few corrections and updating. If you view the script you will be able to see the images that illustrate the script.

Script of PowerPoint Presentation 

Family Tragedy

I was 2 1/2 years old when I attended the graveside service for my grandfather, Edward Kent Chesney, who died May 23, 1945.  I distinctly remember standing at the back of a big tent with my older brother and sister during the service, when someone entered the tent and said something to whoever was presiding.  Then the announcement was made to the whole family gathered that day:  Neal Chesney, had been killed in action. EDITED: 05.06.2021 See the bottom* of this post for more of what I've learned since my original post in 2014.

Edward Neal Chesney was the only son of  Everett Mize and Ruth Lenora Craig Chesney.

The following is a transcribed letter from my grandmother, Clara Louise Reynolds Morgan Wheeler, written to my father when he was in the Navy during WWII:

December 26, 1944
South San Antonio Texas

George:
Thought I may be able to say “so much” this morning that will be so lovely to tell, as it will be to read!  We were thinking of you so much all Christmas Day!  And we do trust by another Christmas, you dear boys can be HOME! ... one somewhere on the Pacific!  and one in India!
    ...On Sunday, Mrs. Chesney (Everett’s wife) was at church, and her son, Neal!  Neal is stationed at Camp Hood here in Texas, and had three days leave, and came here and his mother met him! (Mean at Isabelle’s).  He had to leave Christmas Day (about eleven o’clock I think) so they had to have their dinner early and they did, and when coming from the depot, Elmer, Isabelle, Bernice (Mize) “Ruth”, and Tommy, came by and spent a while with us, and we were so glad to have them!  Luckily, I had fixed some tangerines, (we raised here at our back door) with a box of marsh-mallows the day before, and they were delicious! and what a treat they were they thought, and we sat down in our kitchen (at the little table that had the lovely cloth and napkins on it that Ruth had given me for Mother’s Day) and we ate tangerines and fruit-cake, with pecans “served” with WATER!  Oh we had such a lovely time!  And I had some pecans that were too large for the nut-cracker, and I gave them to “Ruth”.
    If it only made her heart a little light after telling her boy good-bye, I’m only too glad.

Neal was killed in action at Luzon, April 30, 1945, a few months after this letter was written (and this letter may recount what was the last time his mother saw him before he reported for duty).  The telegram from the Secretary of War, informing his parents of Neal’s death arrived, May 25th, 1945, precisely during his grandfather's interment.  The memory of this unusual circumstance stayed with every member of the Chesney family present at that funeral -- including me, even though I was only 2 ½ at the time.  None of us has ever mentioned Grandpa Chesney’s funeral without also mentioning, almost in the same breath, the tragic news that was delivered that day.  Neal was the only member of our family who lost his life due to WWII.

Please note that Neal's mother is the "Ruth" mentioned in Clara's letter, not my mother.

 Neal's headstone is actually the back of his parent's marker.  I do not know if his body was recovered. 

 

EDITED 06.05.2021: I have learned since posting this information that what I thought was a cenotaph on the back of his parents headstone, is in fact his epitaph. Neal's body was repatriated when the cemetery where he was buried in the Philippines (Santa Barbara American Cemetery, Luzon, P.I.) was decommissioned and the bodies were sent to the Manila American Cemetery to be either repatriated or re-interred.

I've also discovered his WWII hospital Admission Card (NAI: 570973) held in Records of the Office of the Surgeon General (Army), 1775 - 1994. Record Group 12. The National Archives at College Park, MD. USA. This record describes his mortal wound was inflicted by a rifle bullet in the neck, most likely inflicted by a sniper hiding in the many caves on Hill 508 during the Luzon Campaign on the Villa Verde Trail.

 The inscription reads:
EDWARD NEAL
BORN, NATOMA, KANS. NOV. 3, 1924
KILLED IN ACTION, LUZON, P.I.
APRIL 30, 1945
32ND DIV. U.S. ARMY
SON OF EVERETT & RUTH CHESNEY

This is the "Ruptured Duck" emblem awarded to WWII military personnel.  Notice that it is anchored in the footing of the headstone above.

 

When We Sat Still for Memory

 William Edward and Ruth Ann Evans Chesney 

m. 19 Mar 1863, Abingdon, Knox County, Illinois

Two solemn figures gaze out from the sepia-toned silence of the 1850s–1860s, preserved in the style and significance they wished to portray. A bearded man and a woman in dark dress pose with hands gently folded, surrounded by ornate mats etched into the photographic plate. These are not just faces—they are artifacts of remembrance, captured through ambrotype or tintype and later rephotographed for preservation. Their stillness speaks volumes: of formality, love, or loss. Time has faded the details, but not the intent. These are memories made tangible, preserved when sitting still was an act of devotion.

* * * * * * * * * *

What we’re looking at here are two preserved echoes from the mid-19th century—likely taken between 1855 and 1870. The portraits depict a solemn man with a full beard and a woman with a center-parted hairstyle, each framed in ornate decorative ovals that are not physical frames but photographic inclusions—elements of ambrotype or tintype matting.

The quality, tone, and hand-coloring tell us much: these weren’t simply black-and-white photographs; they were treasured relics, once tucked into lockets or velvet-lined cases, now perhaps rephotographed for preservation. The sepia hue and light tinting of the cheeks and accessories show an effort to add warmth and realism to these otherwise stoic faces. That warmth hints at affection—either romantic or familial.

The fashion further pins these individuals in time. The man’s cravat and full beard were stylish from the late 1850s into the early 1870s. The woman’s tightly parted hair and conservative dress with brooch and modest lace collar reflect Victorian sensibilities. Photography was expensive and formal in this era; subjects often wore their best clothes and posed with grave dignity.

The original photographic method here was almost certainly ambrotype or tintype, both popular from the mid-1850s onward. Unlike daguerreotypes, these methods were cheaper, faster, and more accessible—yet retained a similar reverence. The matting inside the image hints these are reproductions, perhaps made in the early 1900s to preserve deteriorating originals.

These portraits speak of remembrance. They may commemorate a couple—perhaps before or after a life event such as marriage or war. Or they may be individual keepsakes meant for separate family members. In either case, they were meant to last. To be looked upon years, even decades later.

And here we are, doing just that.

All text generated by AI.

For related posts see:

 

https://chesneymize.blogspot.com/2021/09/an-easter-postcard-from-grandpa.html

 

https://chesneymize.blogspot.com/2014/05/obituary-19-dec-1918-name-of-newspaper.html 

https://chesneymize.blogspot.com/2014/05/bazaar-chase-county-kansas.html

 

 

 

AI generated wedding photo of Edward Kent Chesney and Alwilda Mize

 Recent advancements in Artificial Intelligence models, and more specifically ChatGPT, now permit the average user to create images in an oil painting style using original photos or images. Here is the AI generated wedding photo of Edward Kent Chesney and Alwilda Mize that used a very small image that was a faded and blurry copy of the original. The original image is in the upper right hand corner of the blog header.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Getting to the Truth of the Matter

 

Originally posted June 2021 and updated May 2022 with new military information and conclusions drawn from that information. See the end of this original post for an annotated timeline and summary.

8 Jan 1899 Elmer (Thomas Elmer or Elmer Thomas?)  born in Wakeeney, Kansas

Elmer Thomas Nixon was the first husband of Isabelle Chesney. They were married 12 Jun 1923, in Paradise, Kansas. – verified by Russell County, Kansas, Vitals and Newspaper Records.

The family story about Elmer and Isabelle's early life together has always bothered me a bit. It went something like this:

• Elmer lied about his age and joined the Army at age 16, and served as “messenger boy – on a motor bike” in WWI, and was “shell-shocked” on the front lines.

• Tom [their son] was born while Isabel was teaching school in San Antonio, TX.

• My mother, Ruth who was Isabelle's only sister, went to live with Isabel in San Antonio, after Ruth graduated from High School to take care of Tom so Isabel could teach.

• Elmer, disappeared and Isabel spent many years looking for him only to discover him in a hospital in the Denver area.

• Ruth was with Isabelle in San Antonio, the day Elmer came home.
  

So a few years ago (thanks to records now available online and new research work) I set out to put together a timeline with documentation of the events in the story.

Here’s what I initially found from Elmer's pension records which showed his military history.

29 Jan 1918; enlisted  -  2 Feb 1918; discharged

2 Feb 1918; enlisted  -   3 July 1918; discharged

3 July 1918; enlisted  -  3 Mar 1919; discharged

*14 Aug 1918, Pvt. Elmer T. Nixon (1114460) was listed on the embarkation manifest, as being with the 7th Division, Company "L" 64th Infantry, as a passenger on the transport, "Manchuria" from New York. His father, Thomas J. Nixon, is listed as his emergency contact, and his residence is shown as Natoma, Kansas.

*25 Aug 1918, Pvt. Elmer T. Nixon (1114460) was listed on an embarkation manifest, as being with the 7th Division, Company "L" 64th Infantry, as a passenger on a transport, "La France"  from New York. His father, Thomas J. Nixon, is listed as his emergency contact, and his residence is shown as Natoma, Kansas.

3 Mar 1919; enlisted  -  21 Jun 1919; discharged 

21 Jun 1919; enlisted  -  12 Jul 1919; discharged

19 April 1929 Filed for a pension

“No one had more friends and fewer enemies."

“Father Mize”: A Kansas Pioneer and Beloved Community Leader (1837-1918) 

On January 7, 1837, as Martin Van Buren served as president of a young nation comprised of just 26 states, Henry Mize was born near Somerset, Kentucky. Little did anyone know this newborn would grow to become one of Kansas's beloved pioneers, eventually earning the affectionate title "Father Mize" among his neighbors.

Early Years on the Frontier

At seven years old, Henry moved with his parents to Washington County, Iowa, where frontier life shaped his character and instilled in him the resilience needed for his future adventures. By sixteen, his pioneering spirit already burning bright, Henry struck out on his own and settled probably as a "squatter" near Kickapoo City, not far from Ft. Leavenworth, Kansas Territory in 1853.

His arrival in Kansas Territory couldn't have come at a more pivotal time. The Kansas-Nebraska Act soon ignited the tensions that would lead to the "Bleeding Kansas" era. Special censuses and voter records confirm Henry's presence in 1857, 1858, and 1859 in the Leavenworth (voting) District near the Missouri River, where he witnessed firsthand the violent clashes between pro-slavery and anti-slavery settlers that foreshadowed the coming Civil War.

Building a Family and Legacy

On March 29, 1859, the 22-year-old Henry married 16-year-old Sarah Ann DuBois in Leavenworth County. He and Sarah are listed in the 1860, U.S. Census living in Kickapoo Township, Leavenworth County. As Kansas stood on the precipice of statehood, this young couple began their life together, likely in a modest frontier home. While specific details of their early married life remain scarce, records show Henry participated in pre-statehood voting during a time when polling places often became sites of violence and disruption.

Henry was 24 when the Civil War erupted. The 1885 Kansas Census shows that he served with the Kansas 16th Cavalry, in Co.A. even though no service records has been located at this time. The conflict undoubtedly touched every aspect of his life during those tumultuous years, and may have contributed to he and Sarah selling their 40 acres in the Delaware Trust Lands in Leavenworth County in 1864 and moving by 1865 to Monticello Township in Johnson County. 

Roots in Johnson County

It is there in Monticello Township where they would establish deep roots. For nearly 60 years, Henry called Johnson County home, farming the same land for half a century—a remarkable testament to his perseverance and dedication.

The couple raised nine children, seven of whom survived to adulthood. By the time of Henry's passing, his family had expanded to include 23 grandchildren and 2 great-grandchildren, creating a lasting legacy in the region.

Community Leader

Henry and Sarah became founding members of the Monticello Methodist Episcopal Church, where Henry's strong faith and character made him a pillar of the community. Those who knew him described Henry as a true Christian, a devoted husband, and a kind, affectionate father whose cheerful disposition endeared him to all.

According to contemporaries, no one in Johnson County had more friends and fewer enemies than "Father Mize." This widespread admiration speaks volumes about his character and the respect he commanded throughout the region.

Family Bonds

Remarkably, Henry came from a large, close-knit family himself. As the oldest of ten children, he maintained strong connections with his six sisters and three brothers throughout his life. Despite being the eldest, Henry was the first of his siblings to pass away, with even his youngest sibling having reached at least 40 years of age by then.

Final Years

In the spring of 1918, during a severe illness, Henry's thoughts remained focused on his family. His primary concern was seeing his wife and daughter comfortably settled in their new home in Olathe, Johnson County, Kansas. This wish was granted, and he was able to enjoy their new residence for almost a month before his passing on September 7, 1918, at the age of 81.

The profound impact Henry had on his community was evident at his funeral, held at the Monticello Methodist Church. It was reportedly the largest funeral service ever conducted there—a final testament to the love and respect he had earned throughout his 81 years.

A Pioneer's Legacy

While we may lack records of specific achievements, Henry Mize's story is woven into the larger tapestry of pioneer life that shaped Kansas and the American West. He arrived when Kansas was still a territory and lived to see it transform into an agricultural powerhouse with railroads, growing cities, and modern technologies like telephones and electricity.

Men and women like Henry and Sarah Mize were the backbone of their communities—breaking prairie sod, building towns, and laying the foundation for modern Kansas. Through decades of hard work, unwavering faith, and dedication to family and community, Henry Mize embodied the pioneer spirit that built America's heartland.

* * * * * * * * * *

This information is from a number of sources including newspapers, census records, federal government documents, and the "Descendants of James Mize" by Bill Herrman. My cousin, Evelyn Chesney Baumer, put me in touch with Bill many years ago and he was verygenerous with his research and family history.

Obituary from the Olathe Mirror 12 Sep 1918

 

 

 

 

From the Bonner Spring-Edwardsville Chieftain, 12 Sep 1938

Henry Mize and Sarah Ann Dubois had 11 children (not 9). My grandmother is Alwilda "Wilda" Mize Chesney.

George Washington Mize
Arvilla Mize d. 1875
Elnora "Nora" Mize Wininger
Lewis F. Mize d. 1879
Eudora "Dora" Mize Wininger
Alwilda "Wilda" Mize Chesney
Alfred Courtright Mize
Vilette "Lettie" Mize Stilley
Mioletta Mize
William "Will" Sylvester Mize
Leo Mize

Henry's siblings:

Johnson Mize
Martha F. Mize Reitz
James Harvey Mize
Elizabeth Mize Farmer
John Mize
Ella M. Mize Sarver
Charlotte "Lottie" F. Mize Adams
Melissa Ann Mize Drollinger
Nannie E. Prunty Hawker (step sister)

The information in these obituaries provided a lot of clues about where the Mize family came from (and when) to Kansas and the various places Henry and his family lived.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Kansas City Star (Kansas City, MO)  Sunday, September 8, 1918

 

 

 

 

 

 

Henry's marker in Union Cemetery, Monticello, KS is left of the large Mize headstone. The marker on the right is for Sarah Ann Dubois Mize. I visited this cemetery in 2014,