It wasn’t a planned meeting, but was of great genealogical value even though cousin Raymond Ellis couldn’t hear a word I said.

The Situation

October 14, 2011, my husband and I were driving from Denver, Colorado to Wichita, Kansas so that I could attend a meeting about the search for members of the military who were still missing in action or who had been prisoners of war.  I was to attend to see if I could learn anything further about my dad’s brother William (Howard) McCracken.

We decided to do some genealogy along the way stopping at a cemetery south of Holly, CO where my gg-grandfather Grant Ashby was buried.  Then we meandered around before arriving at Valley View Cemetery in Garden City, KS.

Ellis relatives & my gg-grandfather James William “Will” Thomas’ second wife, Belle (Tremain ?) Woodard, was also buried in the cemetery.  We were talking about the fact that the latest address I had found for any of the older generation of Ellis family in that area was for Raymond Ellis, who literally lived next to the cemetery. 

Rod asked if I wanted to stop in and see if they were home.  We debated it and finally decided to go for it.  Our timing was perfect.  His wife had just arrived home, which was good as Raymond would never have heard us knock on the door. 

Loss of Hearing

A few years earlier, Raymond, who is my second cousin once removed [his grandfather Joseph Andrew Ellis was a brother to my great-grandmother Rosa Isabella (Ellis) McCracken Apt], had suddenly completely lost his hearing.  As he told it, he could hear one day and the next, he couldn’t.  Thus, conversation was challenging.  However, Raymond was excited to have company.  Moreover, we were interested in discussing one of his favorite subjects – family history.

Genealogy Talk

You see, Raymond had collected family history for years, but never with a computer and never with intense research.  He simply collected information from people, newspapers, etc.  He had a long shelf of notebooks all full of genealogy.

We stayed and talked with him for at least two hours using small white boards or slates (that detail seems to have escaped me) to convey our questions.  He would respond with great enthusiasm and energy.  He really wanted us to stay longer or come back the next day.  However, we had the commitment to be in Wichita early the next morning.  So, that wasn’t possible.

So, Raymond reluctantly let us go, promising to copy and send me all of his information on the Ellis family.  His wife Twila did not seem keen on the idea.  However, he made good on his promise.  I received two inches of paper that included a lot of family group sheets, newspaper articles, copies of records, and a few photographs.

It was not long after I received them that  Raymond was moved to a nursing facility in Wichita.  He passed on Valentines’ Day 2015.  He was 85.

Prompt: A Quiet Life

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