James Henry Corel Driving Horses

Over Memorial Day weekend I had the opportunity to talk with my grandparents about our family history and I was able to go through some old photos, scrapbooks, and other items that had been saved over the years.

I was awestruck when I saw this first photo of my great great grandpa, James Henry Corel  (son of James Pickens Corel) driving his horses – I just think this is a GREAT shot!  James Henry, like many of my ancestors, farmed the Kansas soil to provide for his family.

In having the opportunity to talk with my grandma, I learned some interesting things.  Some things I learned, I probably shouldn’t share, but I will, and I will just hope that no one gets mad or offended!

James Henry Corel on his Plow

I should probably start with my estimation of the age of these photos.  They were glued (ugh) into a scrapbook on pages that also had photos of my great grandma, Kathryn Corel, as a very young girl.  Kathryn was born in 1908, so I am going to guess that these photos were likely taken around 1910.

Grandma told me that the land that she now lives on used to be covered with potato crops.  Today the fields alternate between corn and soy beans.  I never would have imagined potatoes being the crop of choice, after all, we are the Wheat State!

During World War II there was a prisoner of war barracks just down the road from the family farm.  I still can’t wrap my head around Nazi prisoners being sent to Kansas!  Great Grandpa James Henry had a German that came to work on the farm while he was staying at the prisoner of war barracks.  Grandma recalls that the German would eat with them, just like he was one of the family.  Grandma would ride her horse carrying water for the men out in the fields as a young girl.

James Henry Corel wasn’t always nice to his work horses.  One day one of the horses fought back and knocked him down to the ground and stomped on his ear!  Grandma said that he was lucky that he didn’t die that day and that he just lost that ear.

James Henry Corel with 7 Great Grandchildren

I included this last photo of James Henry with his great grandchildren to show that all that our ancestors did, it was always for the family.  Plus, I had teased one cousin about a photo I found and today is her birthday, so I thought it would be a great way to end this post.  This photo was taken about 1953 and has James Henry Corel holding Debbie McCoy and surrounded by Laurie Head, Connie and Sonny Laughlin, Dale and David Corel, and Wayne Hurrelbrink.  Personally, I think that the look on James Henry’s face is simply PRICELESS!!

This image is of the wedding day of Frieda Margaret Newcomb and Lawrence Hubert Cullen on September 2, 1917 in Cheyenne, Laramie County, Wyoming. Frieda is the daughter of Margaret Salathiel, granddaughter of Jemima Morris Corel, and great granddaughter of Henry Highland Corel.

Pictured from left to right

Daniel Patrick Cullen, Margaret C. McClavey, unknown woman, Lawrence Hubert Cullen, Minister, Frieda Margaret Newcomb, Frederick Exeter Newcomb, and Margaret Salathiel

Many thanks to Joe Cullen for providing this photo of his parents’ wedding day!

1954 Conrad Hahn & grandson, Sonny Laughlin

This photo portrays the two things held most dear to my ancestors.  Family and farming the land, and in my opinion, nothing could show more nobility than those two facets combined as they are in this photo.

William Conrad “Con” Hahn is photographed with his grandson, “Sonny” Laughlin, playing on the tractor in 1954.

Conrad Hahn was married to Kathryn Corel, granddaughter of James Pickens Corel.

Anyone who knows me knows that I am incapable of making decisions and narrowing things down! So, for my first participation in the Smile for the Camera carnival, I have selected eight photos of brothers and sisters from youth to adulthood. I did at least pick only one photo from each family, although I did have a few different photos I could have included, I thought I should save those for another day!

This photo from the 1890s shows that two brothers were able to get along well enough to participate in a community band together.  Gaston Dobbins is on the right in the first row with his trombone, and his younger brother, Scott Dobbins, is nearly hidden on the right hand side of the back row.  Scott and Gaston are the sons of James Sellars and Nancy Maryland Corel Dobbins.

This photo was taken about 1890 of James Pickens and Susannah Clay McGee Corel and six of their children.  Pictured are, from left to right, Ella Corel Bowman, Catherine Corel Hughes, Susannah Clay McGee Corel, Anna Corel Stanley, James Henry Corel, Eugenia “Jennie” Corel Engel, James Pickens Corel, and Charles Wesley Corel, DDS.

This photo of Olivia Gillespie Corel McGee and her sons is from 1906.  Pictured, from left to right, are Richard Oney, Albert Edward, Olivia Gillespie Corel, Thomas Stewart, John Jacob Jr., Solon Neidigh, and Oliver Corel McGee.

This image is from about 1911 and is of Frieda Margaret and Rowena Ruth Newcomb, youngest children of Margaret Salathiel and Frederick Newcomb.  The girls are the grandchildren of Jemima Morris Corel and John Morgan Salathiel.  Jemima Morris Corel is a daughter of Henry Highland and Nancy Matney Corel.

This photo from about 1916 shows the many brothers and sisters of my Great Grandma (Kathryn), also pictured are her parents!  From left to right: James Henry, George Arthur, Glenn James, Augusta “Billie”, Eugene William (front row), Charles Wesley, Kathryn (front row), Gladys Faye, Emma Augusta Miller, John Beasley Corel.

James Henry Corel is the son of James Pickens and Susannah Clay McGee Corel.

This photo is from about 1940 and shows two sets of siblings, left to right, James Conrad “Jimmy” Hahn, Daphne Lorina Canterbury, Billie Kay Hahn, and William Huttig “Billy” Canterbury.  The Hahn children are great grandchildren of James Pickens Corel and the Canterbury children are great grandchildren of Olivia Gillespie Corel McGee.

This photo from about 1954 shows siblings Connie Kay Laughlin and Clinton Ray “Sonny” Laughlin Jr., great great grandchildren of James Pickens Corel.

These three siblings from 1965 show from left to right Susan, Michael, and Donald Charles McFarlin.  In 1970 Donald Charles  (Fletcher – McFarlin) Bishop married Connie Kay Laughlin, second great granddaughter of James Pickens Corel.