I'm going to tell you how my mother and dad got together. Bill Jones, my Dad, was living in TX and was getting itchy feet to travel. He was probably in his late teens. Close to where he lived, were a young couple named Audley and Ethel Jones. Aunt Thelma spent a lot of time with this couple and they all enjoyed playing dominoes and such. (They named their first daughter Thelma) Audley was very outgoing and loved to talk. When Audley learned that Bill wanted to check out CA he told him to look up his brother, Otto. He said "Otto will put you up and help you find a job."

Bill did just that. Otto Jones (my beloved grandfather) was living in Uplands, CA with his wife, Josie, his daughter, Lillie, his sons, Alfred, Charles and the baby, Douglas. To Otto there was no question. Bill Jones was family. Otto called Bill's grandfather Uncl eBilly. Otto also knew who Bill's father was. They lived in the same town, but Milton was about twenty years older. Otto remembers seeing Milton all dressed up in his buggy, on the way to marry his second wife. Otto remembered Bill's mother and was impressed with her being a school teacher and having the skills of a milliner.

So, Bill met this wonderful man who welcomed him into his home. He also met and quickly fell in love with the beautiful fifteen year old daughter. Bill and Alfred became buddies as well. Otto was working inan Orange Packing house there in Uplands. He got word of a job opening in a packing house in Orange, CA, checked it out, bought a house and moved his family. I don't know whether Bill moved with the family or followed them, but he and Lillie decided they wanted to marry. She was only 16 and he was about 20 but her parents agreed. I'm not sure that Josie agreed, but she accepted it.

Bill and Lillie and Alfred were almost inseparable. When I was about 18 months old, Bill decided he wanted to show off his family to Dad and family in TX. So, we took a train trip. I can actually remember getting off the train and being bitten by a dog! That's all Iremember. But when Hugh and I took a trip to TX we had a nice visit with grandpa Milton. He was 101 at the time. I was amazed that he was still living independently with his wife at that age! He remembered that visit when I was just a toddler. He had a good memory. I wish I had had a recorder to take down some of the things he I'm going to tell you how my mother and dad got together. Bill Jones, my Dad, was living in TX and was getting itchy feet to travel. He was probably in his late teens. Close to where he lived, were a young couple named Audley and Ethel Jones. Aunt Thelma spent a lot of time with this couple and they all enjoyed playing dominoes and such. (They namedtheir first daughter Thelma) Audley was very outgoing and loved to talk. When Audley learned that Bill wanted to check out CA he told himto look up his brother, Otto. He said "Otto will put you up and helpyou find a job."

Aunt Thelma was a remarkable woman. If she had received a good education she would have been a writer I believe. She had total recall of so many conversations and events in her childhood. She had aspecial relationship with her brother Walter. The two of them took care of their younger sister, and the baby, Bill after their mother died and even after Milton married again. Aunt Thelma was only seventhen and already able to bake biscuits and do other cooking. She remembers that her father would go off hunting and his new bride often went with him. The children were told to stay out of the foodcupboard but Thelma could bake biscuits if they got hungry. Thelma remembered a couple of times they got pretty hungry and decided to kill a squirrel and fry it. Not too easy to do with no gun, but they managed to kill one by throwing rocks at it. A lucky shot and they had full bellies.

Aunt Thelma was thrilled when Bill brought his wife and baby to TX. She and my mother were instant friends. As you know, Thelma could not have children and she loved babies so she had a ball with me. The cancer that eventually killed my mother had begun already but they were not aware of it. She was unusually tired and Thelma encouraged her to rest so she could play with me.

The type of cancer was not known in time. To stop its progress, they amputated her leg. They moved into the two story house Otto had bought in Orange. Lots of people in that house and lots of work for Josie. I have early memories of my mother when we lived alone in that littlehouse in Orange. My memories of her in bed are fairly strong. Shetaught me to read and she taught me many songs. We sang together a lot. I remember her last Christmas, and some outings when my Dad picked her up and put her in the car with a blanket over her leg. They were very much in love. I knew that, and my Dad talked about it before he died in Oregon.

When we still lived in Orange (moved in '33 to Capistrano) I spent alot of time with my cousin Sybil (Walter's first child) She was two years older but we got along well. Sybil died recently. We were still close. I am in touch with her sister Shirley and brother Roderick. Did you know that the three kids were all born on June 19- seven years apart? There was another boy, Maurice, who came after Shirley and died young. His birthday was close to June 19.

Papa's (Otto Jones) mother was named Pollyann Levina Sparks and she was called Viney. I didn't have her parents names. Thank you for that. I have pictures of her as well - when she was young and when she was older. She was a petite little thing and very much in love with her husband Hardy. He was a lot older than her and was a widower with grown children when they married. His sons from his first marriage were apparently successful and papa was proud of them. He was a healthy fellow and was an older man when papa and four of his brothers were born. He died when papa was a young boy. Papa had to quit school to support his mother and family when he was in the lower grades. Papa was proud of the fact that he won "best speller in the school." Viney spoke lovingly of husband "Hardy" and spoke of his beautiful hair and how she loved to give him egg shampoos. She had away with words. I will send you copies of two things she wrote. Son Hardy died in his teens. Sons Arnold, Roy and Otto remained close all their lives. Their baby brother, Audley died young. He maneuvered his daughter Thelma into a career singing on radio. She was a beautiful girl with a nice voice. I am on good terms with his nice grandson, Phil Jones.