Cousins, yes Cousins

  Today I read a snippet about cousins and what they mean to us.  The other day I read a snippet about brothers.  My life is reverse of the snippets.  My best buddy (male) was my cousins, male cousins.
I was the oldest girl and the others all had boys.

So here is thinking of you cousin Bob Morelli, Don Morelli, and Michael Morelli children of Aunt Etta Maxine JONES MORELLI,  My Dad's sister.

Richard Hoffman son of  Donald  Le Roy Hoffman of Wheatland, Wyo. My Mothers brother. God Bless him since he went home last fall. He is deeply missed by his wife Nila and family. He was only 8 months older than I.

Hartley Parish son of Marie Hoffman Parish was the other older child.  He had two brothers, Eldon and Clarence Parish. They were all younger than I.  We shared many of adventures and many great stories as mature adults sharing time together.  (a special story here)

Later my other Aunt's had children: Aubie Dee Cooper Jr, son of Uncle Pete and my Aunt Bethel Jones COOPER.  They had more (James, David, Little Bethel and Aden) but he was close in to my age. Mom and Aunt Bethel said I taught Aubie Dee Jr to walk. I think Little Bethel is near my sisters age and then the other boys and Aden was born same day as our son was born. Her last and our second born.  We lost Uncle Pete from War related injuries.  Aunt lived in my home here many times when she would come to visit us and her brother Gerald.

Aunt Muril Jones COLLINS, they had two girls Melody and Terry but are my younger sisters age.
We lost Uncle Joe, if my records are right from Cancer and War related injuries. He was a Baker after the War.

Gerald O Jones adopted 2 boys once he married. They were her children.  He adopted them and we met them after they moved west. Lewis and James Jones.  We shared many, many hours together over the years. His wife was Jennie.   His second wife was Deliha after Aunt died from Cancer. Both boys older than I, but didn't know them until we were all teenagers. O the fun we had. Lou and Jim I sure wish we visited more often.

I played with Richard Hoffman & Hartley Parrish when I was young before coming to Calif.
My family kept close touch with these families and we went home to WYO about every 3 years.

Grandad would set us on a haybailer and tell us family stories.  Later when older he did same, but we could get on the bailer with out help.  He shared stories last time I saw him in 1958. Continued in letters until he died in the early 1960's.

When moving to California for Dad to work for his sisters' husband on a dairy ranch, while Uncle's hands went to War.  Dad was color confused or blind. He worked the Coast Watch.  No one ever mentions the Coast Watch when doing research WHY?

So I met cousin Bob and Don and we were always into something and checking things out on the ranch. We feed calves and chickens and played a lot.  Having left behind Richie and Hartley I picked up with Bob and Don.  Mike came along when I was 12 many years later.

Larry Hoffman was adopted by my Uncle Dick and Aunt Doris.  Of course I did not know that until years later. Uncle was in War and stationed in various places so did not see them much until he came back to Wheatland, Wyo.  I remember Larry from the 1950's not before. Larry hope to catch you this spring or summer at Uncle's.

I really like my adopted cousins.  We think, as we were doing research that we are related anyway.

Jerry, Linda and Ken Feil came along  and they were younger also.  I used to sit them when they were small.  But when they moved next door to parents home in the 50's we got to know each other well after than. Aunt Ruth Hoffman FEIL was Mom's baby sister.  Aunt and I were not more than 10 years apart.

Susan, Maxine and Wilda were daughters of Mom's oldest sister. I saw them when small then did not see them again until I was a teenager adult.  Aunt Mae Hoffman Scranton Pemberton Crouse.  Mom was strong on us writing letters to our family away. Sis says she doesn't remember this but MOM would make us set down once a month on a Saturday and write to family.  She did not want us to loose touch with family so far away.  Her children we all older than I but she lived away from WYO also. We did get to share life as adults in HI and other places since.

Luckily I was writing to my Great Grandma Margaret Mae Eastman Foulk Archer when she died the year I graduated from High School. Government lost letters in travel we lost two major containers going to HI and one coming back stateside.

Dad lost a sister as an infant and Mom lost a brother as a young teen. He lived in a home due to medical condition.  She cared for him until he was to hard to handle.  She used to tear up  talking about Raymond.  WORD of WARNING, he was jumping on the sofa and fell off and twisted neck and slowly lost all normal function over period of time. Now they would have unpinched the nerve and he would probably lived a long time.  NO JUMPING ON BEDS or Couchs, SOFA's etc.

Of course I was Mom and Dad's oldest and my sister was born about 4 years later in CA. I do have her and two younger brothers.

So cousins were my best friends long before I had brothers.  I was 6 when brother was born and 12 when the other one born.

I am most thankful for my cousins.  And also more thankful for my second cousins too that came west and lived next to us and shared their lives with us. Ralph and Nadine Edminston Scott and family. All gone now but a daughter and various grandchildren.