Leona Blanche Howland Maffei

Aunt CB writes:

Neil, Dorothy and Leona, 2010

Neil and Leona, September 1977

It’s 10:30 AM, Monday, Nov. 28, 2011 (Happy Birthday, Tim) and Dorothy Maffei just called. Leona died peacefully this morning at 8:30. She has been at Dorothy’s house in Margaretville in the Catskills these last 9-10 days and yesterday, even perked up enough to sit and visit with Dor and eat soup from a friend.


Hospice workers have allowed Dor to have a good night’s sleep the last few nights so she is sad, teary but ready to face the future.

Leona will be cremated and within a couple of weeks Dor and Neil will plan a big party to celebrate her life.

She has been my mentor as well as my cousin and I will miss our talks but am happy for her ease in dying.

Leona, born March 24th, 1919, was 92 years old.

‘Bring none of your slim appetites here’--Happy Thanksgiving!

Thanksgiving at the Kinsellas with the Harold Taylors--November 1978



Thanksgiving Song—Found in Kate Youngs Baker’s scrapbook:

Come uncles and cousins, come nieces and aunts,
Come nephews and brothers, no won’ts, no can’ts
Put business and shopping and school-books
Away;
The year has rolled round; it is Thanksgiving
Day.

Come home from the college, ye mirth-loving
Youth;
Come home from your factories, Ann, Katy and
Ruth,
From the anvil, the counter, the farm, come
Away,
Home, home with you, home, it is Thanksgiving
Day.

The table is spread and the dinner is dressed.
The cooks and the mothers have all done their
Best;
No Caliph of Bagdad e’er saw such display
Or dreamed of a treat like a Thanksgiving Day.

Pies, puddings and custards, figs, oysters and
Nuts
Come forward and seize them, without if or
Buts;
Bring none of your slim appetites here,
Thanksgiving Day comes only once in a year.

Now children revisit the darling old place.
Now brothers and sisters long parted embrace.
The family ring is united once more
And the same voices shout at the old cottage
Door.

The grandfather smiles on the innocent mirth,
And blesses the Power that has guarded his
Hearth.
He remembers no trouble, he feels no decay,
But thinks his whole life has been Thanksgiving
Day.

Then praise for the past and the present we sing,
And trustful await what the future may bring;
Let doubt and repining be banished away
And the whole of our lives be a Thanksgiving
Day.

-----------------Pat Kinsella Herdeg here--Kind of old fashioned, but loved the sentiment.

Love and good thoughts to all of our cousins out there on This Thanksgiving. If I could give a hug and share a meal with each of you, I would.
--Pat

Welcome to the World, Charles Murphy Maney!

Mike and Lorraine Maney proudly welcome their newest grandson to the world. They write that their son, Tim and his wife, Johanna, just added a handsome new addition to their family:

Lorraine writes:

" Charles Murphy Maney arrived early this morning. He is healthy and handsome weighing in at 8 lbs 9 oz, measuring 21 inches, and sporting a full head of dark hair. His big brother is psyched, his big sister says she doesn't like babies, and his mom and dad are just happy he's here! Thanks for all your thoughts and prayers! XO."

Congratulations to all the Maneys!! Charles, can't wait to meet you.

Taylor Pictures!

David Lochner, Nancy Taylor, Mike Maney--Taken 1949

Just a few pictures, as we begin Thanksgiving Week and family begins to gather.

Remember, click on the pictures and they will get bigger!
Love to you all,

Pat

Nancy Cornelia Borthwick Baker By Aunt CB and Pat Kinsella Herdeg

Nancy was born on October 31st, 1838, in Freetown, NY. She was one of ten children (although some died early), and she would go on to have two half-siblings.

Nancy Borthwick married Leonard Baker in 1857, and census records tell us they moved from Solon to Marathon to Center Lisle, NY. She and Leonard had three children, Byron, Nell and Florence.

Byron, as we know, married Kate Youngs and had Ethel, Adin, Ruth and Lillian.

But, back to our Nancy. Aunt CB writes:

“Another one I wish I’d known. From letters and hearsay, I can almost draw a line through traits that are handed down from Nancy to her son, Byron and to his daughter, Ethel. Open-hearted, kind, interested in others, a listener, intelligent, voracious reader—Gladys spoke for them when she commented on why her mother, Aunt Lil, never remarried after her father died, “There was no room on the bed”—it was covered with books!

At the time Nancy became a widow, I think they owned the small farm in Center Lisle, whose fields ran up the hill behind it. Later, her daughter, Florence, lived there with her husband when he retired as a railroad conductor. While he was working, though, they lived in Scranton, Pennsylvania and Nancy spent time with them there after Leonard died in 1900. There she had ready access to the Carnegie Libraries of the day and made good use of them. Byron used to send her apples while she was staying there with Florence so that she’d get a taste of home.

While at home, she was busy with farm chores. When her pig was killed, she had to take care of it—after rendering the fat, sorting parts, preparing hams for smoking and making sausage—then she could get on the train in Lisle and go visit Florence.

Previous to the pig, she was so ‘busy canning and pickling that she felt like an old pickle!’ (this in a letter to Ethel while at Cortland). In another letter, she tells that Kate, their mother, had gone on to help on a baby case so ‘Lil is monarch of all she surveys, and is reckoning on doing a big stroke of business--cook a chicken, clean the pantry and go chestnut hunting’. Nancy writes Ethel that she wishes they both could watch Lillian go about her day (Lillian was quite young then).”

Nancy died in 1916 in Scranton, at the home of her daughter, Florence. She was seventy-seven years old, and most likely, had a bed filled with books yet to read.

Our Halloween-born girl Nancy reminds me of another, more recent Halloween birth in the family. Nancy was the grandmother of Lillian Baker Howland. Lillian was the mother of Gladys Wood. And, Gladys was the great grandmother of Emma Hart-Wood, also born on Halloween.

Our Emma, daughter of Joshua Hart-Wood and Brandy Kapp, just turned five years old last week. Emma told me while she knew lots of songs and stories, she had yet to learn to read. Something tells me that reading comes naturally to her, and that soon she too will have a bed filled with books.

November Birthdays, 2011

Faith

Jonathan

 Kristen

Bob

Happy November! A time of gaining an hour of sleep but watching it grow darker more quickly, of watching the autumn sunlight slant through trees of thinning leaves, of yellow and golds in the air as the wind blows chilly.

Here at the TaylorBaker Cousins blog, we celebrate birthdays!

In Uncle Arnon's family, the birthday kids are:

Faith Melton (Donnie's stepdaughter, granddaughter of Nancy Taylor Wright), Jonathan William McCarty (Diana’s son), Kristen Maria McCarty (Diana’s daughter) and Robert Arnon Taylor.

Jon and Jill



Coleen

In Aunt Ruth's Maney family, Kevin Michael Maney ( Michael’s son ), Coleen Margaret Maney ( Richard’s daughter), and Jill Stauffer Maney ( Jon’s wife) all blow out candles this month.

Carter Michael Hawkes ( Mickey) is the Birthday Boy for Aunt Doris' Hawkes family.

 Judy and Jimmy

Aunt Barb Taylor

In Uncle Harold's family, Barbara Marie Buck ( Harold’s wife),  Judy Lynn Taylor  and her husband, Jimmy Alberts all celebrate this month.

David
In Aunt Esther's family, Dave is the Birthday Guy--turning a very young 65 this month! Congratulations, Dave.



Nancy, Jon, Sandy--June 2011

In Aunt Glady's family, Sandra Gwen Wood, daughter of Chic Wood, grand-daughter of Aunt Gladys is the Birthday kid.

Joan and Tom Doran

Amanda and Lance

On the Taylor side, Joan Tiffany Doran (married to Thomas Doran, son of Florence Taylor Doran),  Lance Taylor (son of Bryant Taylor, son of Floyd Taylor) have November Birthdays.

 Chris

 Tim and his grandson, Cameron

 Nick in the Rockies, August 2011

Patrick, Bridget, Joe

In Aunt CB's family, Christopher Paul Kinsella , Cameron Thomas Walker ( Kristin Kinsella’s son), Nicholas Sean Herdeg (Pat Kinsella’s son), Joseph Aiden Kinsella (Chris’ son),  and Timothy James Kinsella all have November Birthdays.

Lily Rosena Baker Howland ( Aunt Lil), and Merle Barrows (son of Nell and Dell) round out the 'old-timer's of November. We'll write more on them later.

So, Congratulations to all of our November Birthday Kids--we wish we could celebrate with you all!