52 Ancestors - #3 - Verda Mae Strunk, Weddle, Jeffers

Amy Johnson Crow has a new challenge for geneabloggers called Challenge: 52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks. Amy challenges genealogists to write about one ancestor once a week.   I'm already behind since I had about a two week vacation and kind of forgot about this.

WEEK 3

VERDA MAE STRUNK WEDDLE JEFFERS

My Maternal Grandmother was born 31 August, 1894 in Scott County Tennessee,  The family story was that the house was mostly in Kentucky, but the bedroom she was born in was in Tennessee.  No idea if that was true.

She was the daughter of George Washington Strunk and Dille McDonald Strunk and was one of 11 up to 13 Children.  I was sure it was 13, but I only have 11 listed in my tree.  (Hhhmmm.  Wonder if I will find my original notes that I copied from the Family Bible years ago?  Not anytime soon I'm guessing.  Haven't seen them in years, and trying to connect with the current owner of it is difficult.)   Not too surprising that her mother died in 1901 at the age of 43.  

I believe this is her High School Graduation picture 

Top Row: George Ramsey and Ellen Toomey Sievers Middle Row: Elbert Chitwood and Elsey Strunk Ramsey (not sure if they were married when this was taken), Front Row: Cindy Hayes and Verda Strunk Weddle Jeffers.  This was taken about the same time.  

She married my Grandfather, Herbert Cain Weddle in 1911 and my mother was born in July 1912.  Herbert was a busy General Practioner who worked for the coal mines.  He moved around a fair amount mostly in Whitley/McCreary Counties.  My mother said Grandma usually had a girl to help with the housework.  Herbert and Verda lived through some epidemics.. Ruth was an only child for 9 years.  Then her sister Elizabeth (Libby) was born in 1921 and sister Dillie was born in 1925.   Herbert died in Aug 1926 at the age of 38.

Verda had some major health problems after his death and Ruth was sent to a boarding school and Libby and Dillie went to live with Herbert's parents in Mississippi.  After she recovered her health, she moved to Cincinnatti Ohio where she worked for one of the Taft families as a housekeeper (maybe as a Nanny too - I'm not sure).  Some time in early 1930's she married Claude Jeffers.  After some wrangling, Dillie went to live with her and Claude in Dayton Ohio.Her only son, Ray Cecil was born in 1935.  Then in 1937 her youngest daughter, Eleanor was born.  My parents and brother John visited them in 1938 or so.  I remember Mother saying she was shocked to see her Mother carrying a new baby.  Grandma said she had been ashamed to have a baby at her age (43) so hadn't written to tell her about the pregnancy and birth.   

This photo was probably taken in the 1940's but possibly early 1950's

This was probably taken about 1960.  She looks a lot like I remember her the time she stayed with us about 1959.

Verda didn't take good care of her high blood pressure, and I understood that she lost most of her vision because of it.  She fell on ice and broke bones a couple of times.  She was a worrier.  

Her husband, Claude died in 1982, and she died in 1984, a month short of her 90th birthday.