~~ Minnie Wilson ~~
Grandma was born into a large family, she was next to the youngest child of eight. The family made it's living doing farm work, both on their own farm and for others. When grandma was about 9 she saw her 3 oldest brothers go off to fight in WWI, only 2 came home and one of them was never the same as he was before the war. She saw her mother go into a deep depression and die a few years later because of what had happened to her brothers.
When she was about 20 she had my mother, Frances. At about the same time both the dust bowl and the great depression struck Oklahoma where they lived. Most of the family started traveling to where ever they could find work. Grandma with my mother and Port Smith ended up in Madera, California.
They made their living doing migrant farm labor and what ever else they could make a living at. Grandma and Port lived together and worked hard to give my mother the best that they could. They were married in 1949 but the marriage only lasted a few years, they were separated about 1958 and never lived together again. But I don't think that they were divorced. Grandma remarried after Port's death in 1964, but that marriage didn't last very long.
Grandma spent most of her later years either living with my mother or one of us grandchildren. She would travel in the summer, first to Oklahoma where her youngest sister lived and then to Oregon and Washington where other family members lived.
She lived to be 88 years old, she had lots of hardships in her life, but she was a tough lady and kept going as long as she could.
She had lots of simple loves in her life, helping her daughter and grandchildren, reading, sewing and watching T.V. Traveling to visit her sisters and brothers and their families. And the one life long love of taking and collecting pictures.
Written By
William Lee "Bill" Spangler
Grandma was born into a large family, she was next to the youngest child of eight. The family made it's living doing farm work, both on their own farm and for others. When grandma was about 9 she saw her 3 oldest brothers go off to fight in WWI, only 2 came home and one of them was never the same as he was before the war. She saw her mother go into a deep depression and die a few years later because of what had happened to her brothers.
When she was about 20 she had my mother, Frances. At about the same time both the dust bowl and the great depression struck Oklahoma where they lived. Most of the family started traveling to where ever they could find work. Grandma with my mother and Port Smith ended up in Madera, California.
They made their living doing migrant farm labor and what ever else they could make a living at. Grandma and Port lived together and worked hard to give my mother the best that they could. They were married in 1949 but the marriage only lasted a few years, they were separated about 1958 and never lived together again. But I don't think that they were divorced. Grandma remarried after Port's death in 1964, but that marriage didn't last very long.
Grandma spent most of her later years either living with my mother or one of us grandchildren. She would travel in the summer, first to Oklahoma where her youngest sister lived and then to Oregon and Washington where other family members lived.
She lived to be 88 years old, she had lots of hardships in her life, but she was a tough lady and kept going as long as she could.
She had lots of simple loves in her life, helping her daughter and grandchildren, reading, sewing and watching T.V. Traveling to visit her sisters and brothers and their families. And the one life long love of taking and collecting pictures.
Written By
William Lee "Bill" Spangler
~~ Minnie Wilson ~~
Grandma was born into a large family, she was next to the youngest child of eight. The family made it's living doing farm work, both on their own farm and for others. When grandma was about 9 she saw her 3 oldest brothers go off to fight in WWI, only 2 came home and one of them was never the same as he was before the war. She saw her mother go into a deep depression and die a few years later because of what had happened to her brothers.
When she was about 20 she had my mother, Frances. At about the same time both the dust bowl and the great depression struck Oklahoma where they lived. Most of the family started traveling to where ever they could find work. Grandma with my mother and Port Smith ended up in Madera, California.
They made their living doing migrant farm labor and what ever else they could make a living at. Grandma and Port lived together and worked hard to give my mother the best that they could. They were married in 1949 but the marriage only lasted a few years, they were separated about 1958 and never lived together again. But I don't think that they were divorced. Grandma remarried after Port's death in 1964, but that marriage didn't last very long.
Grandma spent most of her later years either living with my mother or one of us grandchildren. She would travel in the summer, first to Oklahoma where her youngest sister lived and then to Oregon and Washington where other family members lived.
She lived to be 88 years old, she had lots of hardships in her life, but she was a tough lady and kept going as long as she could.
She had lots of simple loves in her life, helping her daughter and grandchildren, reading, sewing and watching T.V. Traveling to visit her sisters and brothers and their families. And the one life long love of taking and collecting pictures.
Written By
William Lee "Bill" Spangler
Grandma was born into a large family, she was next to the youngest child of eight. The family made it's living doing farm work, both on their own farm and for others. When grandma was about 9 she saw her 3 oldest brothers go off to fight in WWI, only 2 came home and one of them was never the same as he was before the war. She saw her mother go into a deep depression and die a few years later because of what had happened to her brothers.
When she was about 20 she had my mother, Frances. At about the same time both the dust bowl and the great depression struck Oklahoma where they lived. Most of the family started traveling to where ever they could find work. Grandma with my mother and Port Smith ended up in Madera, California.
They made their living doing migrant farm labor and what ever else they could make a living at. Grandma and Port lived together and worked hard to give my mother the best that they could. They were married in 1949 but the marriage only lasted a few years, they were separated about 1958 and never lived together again. But I don't think that they were divorced. Grandma remarried after Port's death in 1964, but that marriage didn't last very long.
Grandma spent most of her later years either living with my mother or one of us grandchildren. She would travel in the summer, first to Oklahoma where her youngest sister lived and then to Oregon and Washington where other family members lived.
She lived to be 88 years old, she had lots of hardships in her life, but she was a tough lady and kept going as long as she could.
She had lots of simple loves in her life, helping her daughter and grandchildren, reading, sewing and watching T.V. Traveling to visit her sisters and brothers and their families. And the one life long love of taking and collecting pictures.
Written By
William Lee "Bill" Spangler
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