General Notes

[basham.ged]
1880 Census Crawford County Arkansas  E D 46 Sheet 15
Viola Cathey Info  Basham Document No 32
Mama's oldest sister, Belle, married Dill Moad, a railroad engine
er in Ar kansas. They settled in Monett, Mo and were there all the years t
hat I kn ew them.  Uncle Dill died from an accident on his engine.  As I r
eca ll he was helping his fireman dislodge some coal and fell.  They had t
hr ee children.  Mama always said Aunt Belle had more than her share of so
rro w.  Louis, the oldest boy married in Texas and this was not a happy un
io n. He became an insurance salesman. He went to Galveston supposed
ly on bus iness.  His body was found. I don't think it was ever actually p
roved b ut it was generally believed that he took his own life.
This was before Eva and Leslie were married I think.  Eva became a tea
ch er and that is how she met Leslie Grimes, her principal I think.  S
he w as in a bad hit and run accident before she married.  Then there w
as Litt le Earl, born handicapped, except mentally. He outlived his moth
er a sho rt time. Aunt Belle died of a heart attack.  I can't place the ti
me b ut I think Mama and Papa were still on the farm.  I grew up thinki
ng of Au nt Belle & Uncle Dill as being my rich relatives.  Aunt Belle tri
ed to he lp us all she could while we were home steading by sending Eff
ie and me cl othes and books.  I have since learned that compared to our w
ay of livi ng they were well to do but not at all wealthy, in fact Aunt Be
lle and E va saw some rather hard times.  Eva and Leslie moved to Denver w
here Lesl ie was a professor in the University, then he became Superintend
ent of Sch ools in Greeley.
He remained in this position until he retired.  Aunt Belle, Eva, a
nd Ea rl visited us once while we lived in the dugout after Uncle Dill die
d.  Un cle Dill came with Aunt Belle to Uncle Henry's when Grandpa was str
icken w ith paralysis.
Written in 1972 by Lillian (Thornton) Collings Niece of Dill Moad and B
el le Basham