My Father, Edwin Ray was the first of ten children born to Amanda Price and Edwin Oxford. To differentiate from his father, he was known as Ray. He married Fannie Kent on April 12, 1914, and they had seven children: Eugene, Lois, Bonnie, Iona, Fairy, Ray and David.
After Mother's death, my Father married Florence Goens Nieft, the widowed mother of his son-in-law, on 7 Feb 1942. That marriage was very short in duration and not discussed within either family thereafter. He later met and married Ethel Meakin in 1947. They divorced in 1950, but remarried the following year. They remained together until his death.
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AN ASIDE: My Father's life would have likely been considered that of a common man. His major employments were as a coal miner, a glass factory oven stoker, a railroad car repair riveter and numerous WPA jobs as he struggled to provide for his family through the Great Depression. Shortly before the start of WWII, he was permanently employed with the Pennsylvania Railroad, from which he retired in 1955.
If considered a common man, he may have had common failings as well..., but his integrity was not common and was never in question. His children learned from that. He was a quiet man who once told me that you learn more from listening than you ever will from talking..., I think that I was giving him a little sass at the time, but the thought stayed with me.
Our mother's death resulted in a very unsettled childhood for we three younger children as we were shuffled around to be watched by or live with other family members. Eventually, we were placed in the Chauncey Rose Home for Children where we remained for three years (1943-1946).
My Father's final employment with the railroad allowed him (and his younger children) free travel several times each year. Thus, in the few years after we returned home, we three children were able to travel by train to Ohio and Michigan each summer for extended visits with our Aunts and Uncles. The trains, especially the steam locomotives, will always be a ray of sunshine in my blemished childhood.
After Mother's death, my Father married Florence Goens Nieft, the widowed mother of his son-in-law, on 7 Feb 1942. That marriage was very short in duration and not discussed within either family thereafter. He later met and married Ethel Meakin in 1947. They divorced in 1950, but remarried the following year. They remained together until his death.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
AN ASIDE: My Father's life would have likely been considered that of a common man. His major employments were as a coal miner, a glass factory oven stoker, a railroad car repair riveter and numerous WPA jobs as he struggled to provide for his family through the Great Depression. Shortly before the start of WWII, he was permanently employed with the Pennsylvania Railroad, from which he retired in 1955.
If considered a common man, he may have had common failings as well..., but his integrity was not common and was never in question. His children learned from that. He was a quiet man who once told me that you learn more from listening than you ever will from talking..., I think that I was giving him a little sass at the time, but the thought stayed with me.
Our mother's death resulted in a very unsettled childhood for we three younger children as we were shuffled around to be watched by or live with other family members. Eventually, we were placed in the Chauncey Rose Home for Children where we remained for three years (1943-1946).
My Father's final employment with the railroad allowed him (and his younger children) free travel several times each year. Thus, in the few years after we returned home, we three children were able to travel by train to Ohio and Michigan each summer for extended visits with our Aunts and Uncles. The trains, especially the steam locomotives, will always be a ray of sunshine in my blemished childhood.
My Father, Edwin Ray was the first of ten children born to Amanda Price and Edwin Oxford. To differentiate from his father, he was known as Ray. He married Fannie Kent on April 12, 1914, and they had seven children: Eugene, Lois, Bonnie, Iona, Fairy, Ray and David.
After Mother's death, my Father married Florence Goens Nieft, the widowed mother of his son-in-law, on 7 Feb 1942. That marriage was very short in duration and not discussed within either family thereafter. He later met and married Ethel Meakin in 1947. They divorced in 1950, but remarried the following year. They remained together until his death.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
AN ASIDE: My Father's life would have likely been considered that of a common man. His major employments were as a coal miner, a glass factory oven stoker, a railroad car repair riveter and numerous WPA jobs as he struggled to provide for his family through the Great Depression. Shortly before the start of WWII, he was permanently employed with the Pennsylvania Railroad, from which he retired in 1955.
If considered a common man, he may have had common failings as well..., but his integrity was not common and was never in question. His children learned from that. He was a quiet man who once told me that you learn more from listening than you ever will from talking..., I think that I was giving him a little sass at the time, but the thought stayed with me.
Our mother's death resulted in a very unsettled childhood for we three younger children as we were shuffled around to be watched by or live with other family members. Eventually, we were placed in the Chauncey Rose Home for Children where we remained for three years (1943-1946).
My Father's final employment with the railroad allowed him (and his younger children) free travel several times each year. Thus, in the few years after we returned home, we three children were able to travel by train to Ohio and Michigan each summer for extended visits with our Aunts and Uncles. The trains, especially the steam locomotives, will always be a ray of sunshine in my blemished childhood.
After Mother's death, my Father married Florence Goens Nieft, the widowed mother of his son-in-law, on 7 Feb 1942. That marriage was very short in duration and not discussed within either family thereafter. He later met and married Ethel Meakin in 1947. They divorced in 1950, but remarried the following year. They remained together until his death.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
AN ASIDE: My Father's life would have likely been considered that of a common man. His major employments were as a coal miner, a glass factory oven stoker, a railroad car repair riveter and numerous WPA jobs as he struggled to provide for his family through the Great Depression. Shortly before the start of WWII, he was permanently employed with the Pennsylvania Railroad, from which he retired in 1955.
If considered a common man, he may have had common failings as well..., but his integrity was not common and was never in question. His children learned from that. He was a quiet man who once told me that you learn more from listening than you ever will from talking..., I think that I was giving him a little sass at the time, but the thought stayed with me.
Our mother's death resulted in a very unsettled childhood for we three younger children as we were shuffled around to be watched by or live with other family members. Eventually, we were placed in the Chauncey Rose Home for Children where we remained for three years (1943-1946).
My Father's final employment with the railroad allowed him (and his younger children) free travel several times each year. Thus, in the few years after we returned home, we three children were able to travel by train to Ohio and Michigan each summer for extended visits with our Aunts and Uncles. The trains, especially the steam locomotives, will always be a ray of sunshine in my blemished childhood.
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