Notes from the White County Historical Society as they appear in "The Carmi Times."

Copyright ©2000 by "The Carmi Times" Permission to reprint granted to Cindy Birk Conley and the ILGenWeb by Tammy Knox, editor, "The Carmi Times."

Dorris Harmon Maynard of Houston sent a delightful story which is most
appropriate for June. Here it is in her words:

"On Jan. 1, 1899, my grandfather Carl Hellner (born in Carmi), married
my grandmother, LeNeva Wood. For a wedding gift, he gave her a
gold-plated Spandex bracelet with her new initials engraved on it.

"When my mother, Mary Doris Hellner (born in Carmi), married my father,
John Bertram Harmon, my mother wore 'the bracelet.'

"When my aunt, Frances Eloise Hellner (also born in Carmi), married
Earle Sutton, she also wore 'the bracelet.'

"Frances and Earle had no children, but Mary Doris and Bert had four
children.

"I am the eldest of those four (also born in Carmi). I, too, wore 'the
bracelet' when I married Lt. A.J. Maynard in 1944.

"My sister-in-law and two sisters wore 'the bracelet' when they
married.

"All of our children (or in-law children)--ten to be exact--have worn
'the bracelet' at their weddings.

"On May 20, 2000, LeNeva and Carl's first great- great-granddaughter
wore the 101-year-old bracelet at her wedding.

"Five generations, three decades and so far 18 brides later, and 'the
bracelet' is still the most cherished 'something old, and something
borrowed' thing at our family weddings.

"We think this is a wonderful tradition. And the next wedding is planned
for next year!"
........

Although she lives in Houston, Dorris Harmon Maynard is a member of the
White County Historical Society and subscribes to The Weekly Times. Of
course, she's into genealogy and has a question. She knows
great-grandparents Frederick Hellner and Lizetta Ernst came from
Germany, but she'd like to know what part of Germany. Anyone with a clue
should contact her at dorrisjm@hotmail.com
........

We were delighted to have world-renowned genealogist Mary Smith Fay with
us last week. All the library volunteers had an opportunity to visit
with her at a luncheon at The Fountains on Tuesday.
........

The Genealogy Library is open from 11 to 5 Wednesdays.

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The Coordinator for the White County, Illinois ILGenWeb page is Cindy Birk Conley

Copyright © 2000 byCindy Birk Conley, all rights reserved. For personal use only. Commercial use of the information contained in these pages is strictly prohibited without prior permission. If copied, this copyright notice must appear with the information.