Notizen zu dieser Person
[Bill's Nutt.FTW] See picture in James Monroe's scrapbook. Betty Maxine wrote her memories about the family, and they are found in her dad's record (attached). Here is the rest of her story: "In my senior year of high school. we moved to Chadron, Nebraska where I finished high school and college. Keeping me in college--even a small State College--was no easy task, but Dad was convinced that I was smarter then Einstein and nothing would keep me from a degree. Dad worked at anything he could find. Mother took a job as "matron"--read housekeeper-- at a student apartment building at the college, and I worked at the college. Tuition was $30 a semester. and books were free. I made four years in three and graduated with honors. One hitch. I majored in secondary education and was only nineteen. Not too many high schools were clamoring for teachers as young as the students. I. finally got a job in Bladen High where I met my future husband, Wallace Martin. As a matter of fact, over that little episode in my life, I lost my job--well, I was asked to resign-- at the end of the first year. The school board president said I was indiscreet. When I asked for an example of my indiscretions, the answer was, "Well, you and Wally smiled at each other "that way" when you would be walking down the street." Remember, we are talking about 1941. I believe the real indiscretion was that the mothers of eligible girls saw the Methodist preacher's son as a "good catch;" and the farmers who were about ready to turn over the reins (pun intended) to their sons, saw the new school ma'am as a husky, healthy farmer's wife. We weren't supposed to "catch" each other. Wally joined the army in the summer of 1941. I went to Lewellen to teach. Wow! That was an experience. Those old rough, tough sand hill guys were something else. Anyway, I resigned from there at the beginning of Christmas vacation, went to Fort Leonard Wood, Missouri, where Wally and I were married on Christmas Day. My whole family were upset. Here i t was right after Pearl Harbor. Mother was sure I'd get married one day, get pregnant that night, Wally would go overseas the second day and get himself killed the third. (I'll admit that was a distinct possibility, but at age 21, I could control not only my destiny but that of the entire world.) Well, Wally never did go overseas (during wartime), and I got pregnant three years (not hours) after we were married. From Fort Leonard Wood, we went to Fort Monmouth, New Jersey, where Wally got his commission in the Signal Corps. For the next twenty years we were in many places: California, Missouri, Kansas, Guam, Japan (twice), Albuquerque, NM, and finally at the Pentagon here. I have been in Arlington since 1958. (She now lived in Virginia Beach, VA.) Sharon was born at Carthage, Missouri, when Wally was stationed at Camp Crowder. We moved to Leavenworth, Kansas, when she was about 18 months old. She was an "only" child until 1950 when Rex was born in Tokyo, Japan. We went back to Japan when Rex was five. He told one of the neighbors his name was Rex Watanabe (equivalent of Smith here). When the neighbor questioned him (here is this blond kid saying his name is Watanabe), Rex said, well, just ask my mother. She will tell you I was born in Japan. Later. the woman told me she nearly broke her neck peeking out the window to see my "Japanese" husband come home. During all these years. we managed to get to Nebraska at least once a year (except when we were in Guam and Japan). It was always a real occasion, because there was always at least one new baby to see. Dad was the letter writer. Mother wrote sometimes. but Dad was the real dispenser of family news. Every, time there would be a new grandchild or great grandchild, he would write, "Now this is the sweetest one we have ever had. I know I say that every time, but this time it really is true." We came to Arlington, as I said. in 1958. The past thirty-plus years have seen many changes. Both my kids were great swimmers and divers and all of us were very active in The Northern Virginia Swimming League. Both kids graduated from Yorktown High School here. We had the usual teenage "growing pains. "--love affairs that, of course. were nearly "fatal" good grades. bad grades, proms--the whole bag. Sharon was married in 1966 and moved to Virginia Beach where she has lived ever since. She is a High School English teacher and loves it. She works like a fiend, and is one tough teacher, but the kids seem to thrive. Her husband, Joe Haring has his own carpet business. He isn't exactly breaking his back working. but they seem to live well. Wally died of a heart attack in 1972 at the age of 52. I was teaching in a CETA program at the time, so continued until 1977 when I decided I was ready to retire. Rex lived at home after his father died until his death in an automobile accident in 1977 at age 27. Another phase in my life began in 1985 when I married Tony Felde. He is a retired (30 year) military man. We have had a very good five years. We both love to dance, play bridge, and travel. Good fortune has provided us with the health and resources to indulge ourselves a bi t. We are now planning another change. We have bought a home in Virginia Beach and will be moving there in a few months. I think we both feel a bit of anxiety making the change, but the benefits outweigh any apprehensions. Situations just do change, and one has to make the adjustments. I will add one more page of just personal observations of things that have been particularly meaningful to me as a member of the McBride family. As I think of the family, I know that Dad and Mother's was far from idyllic. They did keep it together for over sixty years, though, and that says something for devotion, mutual respect, what have you. Dad was headstrong, did pretty much what he wanted. Mother was first and foremost a homemaker and mother. She was reluctant to go anywhere with Dad if the house wasn't in apple-pie order, the laundry done, and the kids in dependable hands. For many years, my grandmother lived with us. She had several strokes and, while she was actually not any particular trouble, she did require mother's attention a good bit of the time. Dad was not averse to having grandma living in the house (that was pretty much the custom at that time) but, I am sure, it did interfere somewhat wi th his freedom. In the last years together, they had a very stable and companionable relationship. I think one of the very best times of their marriage was the first year I was on my own. Since there was no real reason for them to maintain a residence and Dad was traveling, he suggested to Mother that she just travel with him. They stored their belongings and off they went. They lived in hotels wherever his job took him. I recall their coming to Bladen to visit one time. They looked magnificent. Dad was all dressed up in a new suit, Mother was dolled up and had her hair done, and her nails manicured. I really believe that was the first time in nearly forty years that they could think absolutely of themselves. My Dad was a much stronger influence in my 11fe that my Mother. Dad absolutely thought I hung the moon and there was nothing I couldn't do. He was proud of my intelligence and my independence. Now, we had some fiery sessions because we were so much alike; but, on the whole, he was my number one ego booster. Even though he, like the rest of the family, was upset when I got married; he supported me and said that what- ever happened, no one could take away what happiness I had experienced. The last time I saw Dad alive was in December before he died in January. He was 91 years old. I sat on his lap because I was sick with the flu. He said, "I always have hated to see my baby sick." Then he told me that he really loved all of us. He said, "Honey, you know I have had enough. I really don't care what is going on in the world anymore. I only keep up because I don't want to be one of those boring old bastards who can give you book and page of what happened fifty years ago, and can't remember what they had for lunch." I have always been grateful that his death was quick. He would have been a miserable invalid. While I was home, he took his three "girls," Mother, Alda, and me out to lunch. He got all dressed up in a gray suit, pink shirt, and black shoes that were shined to a glow. (He went out to the garage to shine his shoes and probably to take his little "nip" that Mother abhorred!) Mother missed Dad very much. I doubt that she ever really reconciled herself to being alone. She adjusted to Good Samaritan quite well, but really just lost the will to live and gradually reverted to the past where, I am sure, her mind and emotions felt more comfortable. My very best memory of the McBride family was a bond of love that often was strained but never was broken. I have always felt that I am very fortunate to have grown up surrounded with love. It has been a real source of strength. I hope I have been able to give love as a re- sult of that feeling. I know I am sometimes hurt and puzzled when I make overtures of love and am somewhat rebuffed. I just don't understand it. I guess that is still a residual reaction of being the "spoiled rotten baby of the family." We certainly were not models of virtue, but, generally speaking, I believe we did pretty well. We have been a big, loud, fighting, laughing, Irish family. We could always absolutely casti- gate each other; but, just let an "outsider" pass one disparaging remark, and we'd hang together like glue. I am sure this has rambled on far longer than you had asked, but, it might give you some insight to my personal feelings. Perhaps, you can weigh them against your dad's and Pat's recollections and come up with something pretty close to a factual memoir." Letter from Betty Maxine: 1561 Bay Point Drive Virginia Beach, VA 23454 June 4, 1996 Dear Bill and Roberta (Roberta Sue McBride Damon): I received your letter and computer printout today. I am going to answer your last question first. Christopher was the son of Jim's youngest son, David. Christopher had a really rough life. He was a child of a teenage romance, or at least physical union. They did get married, but that was a mistake from the beginning. I never did know David's wife's name, nor did I ever see her. David left Minden shortly after Christopher's birth, and overlooked leaving a forwarding address. I believe Pam always knew where he was--at least she knew he was in Texas. Christopher went from pillar to post. His mother had him once in a while; Jim and Pam kept him off and on (in fact, he was with them when he committed suicide); Linda, Jim and Pam's daughter, kept him from time to time. He was at the reunion last summer. He was a handsome and very personable young man. Probably had a lot of potential if he had only had any sort of normalcy in his life. David did return to Minden for the services and stayed a week or two. It is heartbreaking when a nineteen year old decides life holds nothing for him. Now I will add a few facts that I have. The McBride family was not very good about ancestry. Dad always said he was afraid to do much searching because he never knew who would be "hanging" from the family tree. Starting with the Spence's: Karl and Sadie had 4 children – Loris, who was born probably 1909, in Franklin, NE and died about 1932 in Crawford, NE. Catherine (Polly), born in Franklin, NE about 1912, in Franklin, NE; Morton, born in Franklin, NE about 1922. Tom, you have the info on. Polly married Levi Richardson and they had 3 sons, one of whom died at about age 2 or 3. Tom should have had all this info--maybe he has decided to disown his siblings. My Dad, James McBride, died in Minden, NE. Mother, Lottie, died in Hastings, NE. Mother's father may have died when she was 3 and grandma remarried when Mother was 6. Mother's father, so far as I know, was born, and died on a farm between Campbell and Bladen. I believe they used Campbell as their address. If mother was 3 when he died, it would have been in 1887! Julius Raymond (Shep) was born ln Cowles, NE and died in Minden, NE, as was his wife, Isabel. His second wife, Marie, whom the kids seem to have left out was from Red Cloud, NE. She died in about 1984. All I know about that is that the kids weren't terribly thrilled about the whole deal. Bernard (Buns) was born in Cowles, NE and died in Grants Pass, OR. His wife, Helene, was born in Salina, KS and died in Grants Pass. Their daughter, Janean, was born in Cozad, NE and died in Grants Pass in May, 1994. Nancy Spilker's first husband was Richard Tempero, and her second, Samuel Van Pelt. She married Dick Tempero in 1961 and Sam Van Pelt in 1965. Mary Breeden has only 2 children. Her husband is John Scott Breeden II, her son in John Scott Breeden III. (He used to say, "I am John Scott Breeden, the turd!) Corey is the daughter. My daughter's husband is Paul D. Haring, Jr. (Joe). He was born on October 5, 1943, in Hightstown, NJ. They were married in Arlington, VA on June 25, 1966. My husband, Anthony E. Felde (Tony) was born in St. Louis., MO on March 28, 1920. My first husband, Wallace Martin, was born in Wauneta, NE and died in Arlington, VA. Jim and Pam McBride had 6 children, not 7. "Susie" is listed with "Susan" right below it. Susie and Susan are one and the same. Michael and Dee Peterson have 3 children: Melissa (Dee's child by a former marriage, but has been adopted by Mike), Grant and Tyler. This has been a real hodgepodge, but I just sort of went down the list and jotted down changes. Hope you can decipher it. I like your idea of getting together over the computer. If it takes technology to get the family together, so be it. Thanks for all your efforts. Love, Betty (Signed) (Betty Maxine McBride)
Robert \\\\
Crowe
