Memorial day in Oak Springs - 1996 - Fifteen Years Ago

Memorial day in Oak Springs - 1996

Fifteen Years Ago

Each year, for Memorial Day, in recent years, the Bevins bunch take turns being sure that flowers from The Homeplace garden are taken to and are properly arranged at the graves of Frank and Mildred Bevins, Jason Winslow, and Donnie Bevins. They also place a flower at each of the McDonald and Bevins grandparents and great-grandparents graves, as well.

The High School band and the local American Legion Post conduct a ceremony each Memorial Day Monday morning to remember those we have lost.

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"May each of us have a Homeplace to hold onto, if only in our minds."

Bill ;-)

MCDONALD in the 1860 U.S. Census in Oak Springs, Missouri, area

This is a guest post by Karen BEVINS WINSLOW (a fictitious character in Back to the Homeplace). Karen is the oldest daughter of Frank and Mildred (MCDONALD) BEVINS, one of their four children. These four siblings and their families are the major characters of the novel: Back to the Homeplace. [This blogging exercise is a part of the research for the upcoming novel, "The Homeplace Revisited" by William Leverne Smith]

MCDONALD in the 1860 U.S. Census in Oak Springs, Missouri, area

There were two household entries, one after the other...

The first entry, all born in Missouri, except as noted:

Harry McDonald is 38, farmer, born in Kentucky

Sarah McDonald is 38, housewife, born in Kentucky

Caroline McDonald is 17

Thomas McDonald is 15

Patrick McDonald is 13

Alex McDonald is 11

Mahala McDonald is 8

Rebecca McDonald is 5

The second entry:

Henry McDonald is 59, farmer, born in Kentucky

Daniel McDonald is 22, farm worker, born in Missouri

Families are Forever!  ;-)

Flora and Fauna Friday - Hickory

Flora and Fauna Friday

Hickory

Trees in the genus Carya (from Ancient Greek 'nut') are commonly known as hickory, derived from the Powhatan language of Virginia.

Hickory flowers are small, yellow-green catkins produced in spring. They are wind-pollinated and self-incompatible. The fruit is a globose or oval nut.

Hickory wood is very hard, stiff, dense and shock resistant. It is highly prized for wood-burning stoves, because of its high energy content. Hickory is popular for cooking barbecue and adds flavor to the meat. Hickory is sometimes used for wood flooring due to its durability and character.

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"May each of us have a Homeplace to hold onto, if only in our minds."

Bill ;-)

Four generations at The Homeplace

Four generations at The Homeplace

The Homeplace Series, books one and two, so far, are dealing with the most recent four generations of our McDonald/Bevins family. Family history study has already revealed some of the earlier generations back into the early 1800s.

Today, we want to share a 'chart' of these four generations up to the start of 'The Homeplace Revisited" on 15 August 1996 (nearly 15 years ago):

1st generation (now both deceased)"

Frank and Mildred (McDonald) Bevins

2nd generation:

Karen Bevins and her late husband, Jason Winslow

Beverly Bevins and her first husband, now divorced, Paul Gates

Bart Bevins and his wife, Diane

Peter Bevins

3rd generation:

Matt Winslow and his wife, Susie (Susan)

Lori Winslow

Erin WInslow

Kevin Winslow

Donnie Bevins (deceased)

Jennifer Bevins

Christopher Ogden (biological son of Bart Bevins)

Scott Gates

Heather Gates

4th generation:

Tyler Winslow

Emily Winslow

Families are Forever!  ;-)

Book Trailer for 'The Homeplace Revisited' Released

Book Trailer

'The Homeplace Revisited'

With release of the 2nd novel in The Homeplace Series just a couple of weeks away,

Here is the Book Trailer, to further whet your appetite for the book:

Thanks to Annette Lamb with the 'eduscapes channel' on YouTube and Vision to Action Publishing for producing this book trailer.

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"May each of us have a Homeplace to hold onto, if only in our minds."

Bill ;-)

Tuesday Profiles - Bart Bevins

15 August 1996 Profile

Bart Bevins

54 years old

This Profile is the second of a series of weekly profiles of major characters in the "Back to the Homeplace" novel that also appear in "The Homeplace Revisited," as of the beginning of the second novel, 15 Aug 1996.

Bart Bevins was born May 13, 1942, to Frank and Mildred (McDonald) Bevins, at the Oak Springs hospital; the family lived at the Homeplace farmhouse near Oak Springs, Missouri. 

He attended Oak Creek School #4, a one-room school near the Homeplace, from kindergarten through the 8th grade, when he went to town for high school.

He graduated from Oak Springs High School in the Class of 1960.

(Diane Spencer and Linda Winters were classmates in high school.) All three went to Southwest Missouri State University in Springfield. Bart and Diane graduated in 1964; Linda graduated a year later.

Bart received his B.S. degree in Business Administration; Diane in Secondary Education - English; Linda started in Theater Arts but graduated in General Studies.

Bart Bevins and Diane Spencer were married on June 15, 1960, at the First United Methodist Church in Oak Springs. Bart joined Oak Springs Realty and Diane had accepted a position as High School English teacher at Oak Springs High School. Linda Winters joined Oak Springs Realty in the summer of 1965.

Children born to Bart and Diane in Oak Springs:

Donnie, born in 1968, died in 1987 

Jennifer, born August 3, 1971, 25 in 1996

Bart worked at Oak Springs Reality from the summer of 1965 until the summer of 1978 when his mother asked him to take over the farm operation after his father, Frank, died in the late spring. Bart and Diane build their new home shortly thereafter. He has continued with farm operations responsibilities to this date; working through the Bevins Trust since 1987.

Civil War Note - Alex, May 21, 1861

Civil War Note

Alex, May 21, 1861

This is a guest post by Karen BEVINS WINSLOW (a fictitious character in "Back to the Homeplace"). Karen is the oldest daughter of Frank and Mildred (MCDONALD) BEVINS, one of their four children. These four siblings and their families are the major characters of the novel: Back to the Homeplace. [This blogging exercise is a part of the research for the upcoming novel, "The Homeplace Revisited" by William Leverne Smith]

I found the following note on a yellowed piece of paper in among the notes I found of my mother, Mildred. Who do you suppose wrote it? Can it really be someone from the Civil War era? Who was this Alex?