Mamie Van Epps, an extraordinary woman (1897-1993)

Mamie Hope Van Epps (1897-1993) was by all accounts an extraordinary person. She was the only daughter of Cora Bateman and Elmer Van Epps, having two full brothers (Charles and Glenn Van Epps), two half-brothers from her mother (Levi Nazer and William Henry Nazer) and at least one half-brother from her father (Fred Van Epps).

The Van Epps children were born in Waynoka, Oklahoma, but by the time Mamie was seven, the family had moved to a farm in Robinson, Kansas, where her grandmother, Mary Howe Bateman (my second great-aunt) lived. One or more of Cora’s brothers also lived in the area. The year 1909 was a difficult one for the family. Things were not going well between the parents, Cora and the children were now living in Everest, Kansas. On June 2, Mamie’s half-brother, Fred Van Epps, who was 20 years old and about to get married, shot and killed himself in Oklahoma. Sixteen days later, Mamie herself was shot accidentally, by her mother, who mistook her for a burglar. It appears that she fully recovered, though.

For the next few years, Cora and the children struggled, with everyone pitching in to help. Then, in 1914, when Charles was 19, Mamie, 17 and Glenn just 14, their mother died. It is in their mother’s will that we find out that she has two other sons, Levi and William Nazer, who she leaves $25 each. Mamie is left $50, and her brother split the remainder of the estate after the bills have been paid.(Will of Cora Van Epps, Newspapers.com - Brown County World - 13 Nov 1914 - Page 4)

Mamie now starts working full time, in 1915, she joins the Hiawatha Steam Laundry as their bookkeeper. While working there, she takes some civil service exams in Leavenworth, and despite not having gone to high school, manages to score high enough to land a job with the adjutant general. The local newspaper is quoted as saying “The success of Miss Mamie Van Epps, the laundry worker who has secured a civil service appointment in Washington at $1,100 ayear, is another instance of what: an ambitious boy or girl can do when they try. Miss Van Epps' schooling has been limited; she has worked for the support of her widowed mother. Business men and others who know Miss Van Epps have always had a good word for her because of her unusual activity. She studied and prepared herself for the examination and passed with creditable grades.” (The Kansas Democrat - 14 Feb 1918, p. 5)

Mamie seems to enjoy her time in Washington, sharing her experiences in letters, telling in one report to the local newspaper “that she is working in the Receiving and Recording Department of the Sanitary Division of the General Surgeon's office. She helps in keeping the record of the sick and wounded in the different hospitals here and in France. Recently, in her days' work, she found that her brother, Charlie, had the mumps while he was at Jefferson Barracks.” (Brown County World - 8 Mar 1918 - Page 4).

In all she spends about 2.5 years in Washington, coming home for visits, and in February 1920, when her father, Elmer Van Epps dies. By summer, she has advanced as far as she can without a diploma, and leaves Washington to work in the railroad office in Detroit, Michigan. In September, she comes home and finishes high school, where she is awarded the first of several scholarships she receives to attend Kansas University. She is featured in an article in 1922 Topeka Daily Capital where she describes how she can pay her fees, board, room, laundry bill, insurance dues, books and still have money to buy a new spring bonnet on $1.10 a day. Among her many jobs are working in the school cafeteria, child care, waitressing, and her most unique – contacting each female high school graduate offering to send an itemized account of her expenses at the University of Kansas and tips for living frugally, for the sum of 15c. (Brown County World - 14 Apr 1922 - Page 6). But it isn’t all work for Mamie, as she is active in several activities, including the Snow Zoology Club where she is an officer, as well as being a member of the K. U. delegation to the International Student Volunteer Convention in Indianapolis. She receives her A. B. Degree from the University of Kansas, and will later earn a B.S. from the University of Arkansas in home economics.

In September 1924, Mamie marries Willmont Stacey Van Epps in Benton, Arkansas. She is 28 and never married before, he is 36 and recently divorced with one child. His previous occupation was as a physician and surgeon, specializing in eyes, but after his marriage he settles on his farm. It is interesting to note that on his marriage license he claims to be 36, or 12 years older than Mamie, but in every census for the rest of his life, he is actually 20 years older (Arkansas, Marriage Certificates, 1917-1969). When he dies, in 1952, after 28 years of marriage, he is 75 years old (Arkansas, Death Certificates, 1914-1969).

Mamie worked as the county and district home supervisor of Farmers Home Administration in Little Rock for 16 years. After her husband’s death in 1952, she moves to Missouri, where she becomes the Lawrence County, MO home agent in December 1953, only to resign her post six months later, to go to New Mexico to teach native Americans. (Although if this actually happened, I can find no reference to it). Sometime around 1955 she became the home economics adviser for the State Department for three years in Cochbamba, Bolivia, South America (obituary The Monitor, McAllen, Texas - 24 Mar 1993 – p. 42), coming home in May 1958 (Florida, U.S., Arriving and Departing Passenger and Crew Lists, 1898-1963).

Mamie married and outlived two more husbands, Ralph Barnum in 1958, until he died in 1963; and Elmer Reynolds in 1964, until his death in 1981. Following her marriage to Ralph, she moved to Texas, where she lived out her life, dying in McAllen, Texas on 24 Mar 1993.

She lived a full life that spanned most of the twentieth century. She lived through two world wars, the depression and throughout it all sought to help those people hardest hit by serving in a variety of government positions. And she spent her retirement years doing genealogy!

A note about sources My sources included the following: 1900, 1910, 1930, 1940 US Census; 1905 Kansas State Census; Arkansas Marriage Certificate; Texas Death Certificate; 1925 University of Kansas Yearbook, 1958 Florida Arriving Passenger list.
Thirty articles from various newspapers in Kansas, Missouri, Washington, Arkansas, Oklahoma and Texas, accessed through Newspapers.com

Recommendation for further study – I see I haven’t accessed the 1920 or 1950 US Census, and I only have one official marriage certificate, the other marriages are documented through newspaper accounts. I would like to learn more about the common surname she shared with her first husband, and whether they were related in any way. I would also like to learn more about her three half-brothers, about whom I know very little.

How she is related to me – She is my 2 cousin twice removed, our common ancestors are Nancy Mudgett and Nathan Howe, Jr (my 3rd great grandparents), from Great Valley, NY.

Thanks for reading, and please feel free to leave comments and suggestions.

Who was Orretta/Rettie L/Lauretta/Laura Squires/Wilbur/Wade/Hall/Gavitt?

Here are the facts that most people know and accept:

She was the daughter of George E Squires (1831-1901) and his wife, Elizabeth Hale (1834-1920). She had two siblings, Priscilla "Nettie" (1857-1947) who married Charles E. Markham, and Walter J. Squires (1859-1930) who married his first cousin, Grace Hale. She was born 9 Jun 1869, in Little Valley, NY. In the 1870, 1875 and 1880 census, she is listed as Orretta (ages 3 and 13). (1870 and 1880 United States Federal Census for Little Valley, Cattaraugus, New York); (Little Valley, Cattaraugus,New York, State Census, 1875).

By 1892, the household, still located in Little Valley consists of George, 63, Elizabeth, 58, Walter, 33, Grace, 15, Florence, 6 and a Rettie L. Wilber, 24. (Little Valley, Cattaraugus,New York, State Census, 1892). Upon discovering that Grace was the wife of Walter, my first thought was that Walter had been married before and Florence was his daughter. But I could find no evidence of that being true. This is the first significant name change - from Orretta to Rettie L, and from Squires to Wilber. There is only anecdotal evidence supporting this, a news clipping for Whig St saying Mrs. Eugene Wilbur visited friends in Bradford recently. (Is this Lauretta Squires??)This is right above a blurb about her brother, Walter. Not the most solid evidence. (The Post, 17 April 1889)

Another news clipping (The Post, 22 Jul 1896) mentions Miss Laura Wade of Bradford and her mother, Mrs. G. Squires of Elkdale, visited at C.E. Markham's. So we know that her sister is Mrs. C.E. Markham, her mother is Mrs. G. Squires, and there are no other female siblings, which leads me to believe that Miss Laura Wade is another alias. In 1896 and 1897, the Bradford city directory (U.S. City Directories, 1822-1995) shows a Laura Wade listed as a dressmaker.

Her father's obituary, in 1901 does not list the names of his children, only that he has 3 adult children.

Her next name change comes in 1905, when, as Lauretta Squires, she marries Willie E Hall on 5 Nov 1905, in Olean (New York State, Marriage Index, 1881-1967). Of interest is this news clipping: Miss Florence Squires and Mrs. Ed Hall were in Olean Tuesday (The Post, 22 Dec 1904). Is this Florence and her mother? If so, she is going by Hall almost a year before the actual marriage. She keeps the Hall name until at least 1920, we find her in 1910 in Bradford, PA living with Willie E Hall, 38 at 37 High St. She is known as Laurette Hall, 39 and has given birth to one child, who is still alive, but not living with them. (1910 United States Federal Census, Bradford Ward 5, McKean, Pennsylvania). By 1920, she appears not to be with her husband anymore. She lives at 28 West Washington St, where she is listed as single, and the "housekeeper" for S.D. Foley, but also as a dressmaker with her own shop. Also in the household is Florence N. Wilber, a boarder and a dressmaker.(1920 United States Federal Census for Bradford Ward 3, McKean, Pennsylvania).

In November, 1920 her mother, Elizabeth Hale Squires dies. Her obituary says she is survived by one son, Walter of Whig street and three daughters, Mrs. Hall and Mrs. Flossie Wilbur of Bradford and Mrs. Jeanette Markham of this city (Salamanca Inquirer, 13 November 1920). Notice that she is identified only as "Mrs." Hall, her sister is Mrs. Jeanette Markham, and her daughter is misnamed as the child of Elizabeth, but with her own first name.

Sometime after her mother's death, she returns to New York, and in 1925 is living on Atlantic Ave, Salamanca with Charles Gavitt, using the name Laura. She dies on 2 Jan 1927, at the age of 57. In not one of three different obituaries is her given name mentioned, she is referred to as Mrs. Charles Gavitt, in each one. Besides her husband, she is survived by her sister, Mrs. Charles Markham, her borther, Walter Squires, and a daughter, Mrs. Florence Wilbur.(Democrat and Chronicle - 1927-01-05; Salamanca Inquirer, 7 January 1927; Cattaraugus Republican, 5 January 1927).

Through thirteen official sources, and seven pieces of social media, we can put together a general lifeline that includes at least four men Eugene (?) Wilbur, ?? Wade, Willie (Ed) Hall, and Charles Gavitt. She had a daughter, who was raised at least until the age of 10 by her grandparents, but who followed in her footsteps as a dressmaker. She lived primarily in Cattaraugus County, New York, or across the border in Bradford, Pennsylvania, and in the end was buried where she began life, in Little Valley, New York. (https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/253677426/gavitt)

Appalachian Song by Michelle Shocklee

Appalachian Song by Michelle Shocklee
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I loved this dual timeline (1943/1973) book with midwives and music at its core. In 1943, a young girl who calls herself Songbird shows up in the yard of a midwife who lives with her four sisters, wounded in the shoulder by her father, because she won't drink a potion to abort her baby. Although hiding and caring for Songbird could bring danger to the sisters, they decide to do it. For four months, she stays there, endears herself to even the dissenting sister, and gives birth to a beautiful baby boy. When her father shows up a few weeks later, wanting to sell the child, Songbird and Bertie (the midwife sister) take off from their home in the back woods of Sevier county (Smoky Mountains, TN) and with the help of a pair of pastors, take the child to Nashville, where he is adopted by a loving couple. I will stop here and not share the 1973 plotline, but it's well worth your time to read it yourself.
I definitely plan to seek out more of her work.

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The Very Secret Society of Irregular Witches by Sangu Mandanna

The Very Secret Society of Irregular Witches by Sangu Mandanna
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

4.5 stars - Sometimes the stars align and you find a book that is just right at the right time. This book, about three orphaned witches taken in by a motley crew that includes an older gay couple who've been together for 50 years, a middle aged woman, who acts as household manager, and a thirty-ish male librarian with trust issues. They decide they need a witchy tutor for the girls to help them accept themselves and master their talents, and Mika Moon fits the bill. Mika herself grew up without a family, as female witches die young if they give birth. Primrose, the self-appointed leader of the English witch group, took her in and used a series of nanny/tutors to raise her, while being mostly absent. One of Primrose's steadfast rules is that witches need to be solitary, for the protection of all. Mika has been alone, lonely and found it hard to trust others for much of her life. But she finds herself with strong feelings for the girls and their caretakers, much to her chagrin.
This book is about finding ourselves, and our places in the world, and taking risks, and it really spoke to me.

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Foreign Correspondence by Geraldine Brooks

Foreign Correspondence: A Pen Pal's Journey from Down Under to All Over by Geraldine Brooks
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I have read all the novels Geraldine Brooks has written, enjoyed them all, and have wanted to read this memoir for years. It isn't available in many public libraries, but I was able to get it From UT Knoxville, through interlibrary loan.
I didn't realize that before Brooks wrote novels, she was a foreign correspondent, who grew up in Australia. Her introduction to the larger world was developed through a series of pen friends that she regularly corresponded with from adolescence through young adulthood. It was when she came home to bury her father, as an adult, that she found the many letters from these friends, who came from America, France, Israel, and one from Australia. She decides that she will see what has happened to these people 23 years later. The second half of the book sees her visiting them, or in the case of her favorite friend, who died in her early twenties, her mother. She will continue that relationship for the rest of their lives.
I really enjoyed reading this memoir and seeing clues to some of the themes in her other books.

It was my first childish inkling of the way writing can reveal us to ourselves. It was also my introduction to the notion that Australians have lives that were worth writing about. p. 32

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Violeta by Isabel Allende (a reread 3 years later)

Violeta by Isabel Allende
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

3.5 rounded to 4.0 stars - This is the first book that I have read by Isabel Allende, it jumped out at me from a New Book shelf at the library. The storyline is epic, covering a full century, but the author does it in just over 300 pages. While this is a very reasonable length for a book, the premise is that this is basically a letter that she is writing (albeit on her computer) from her deathbed to her beloved grandson.
Violeta is born during the 1920s flu pandemic and dies 100 years later during the COViD pandemic. In between she lives an interesting life filled with lovers, revolutions, family, and fortune. From Depression to depression, wealth to poverty, tiny villages to world travel, feminism, Cold War, and the war on drugs, this book encompasses it all in a way that was interesting, but not overwhelming.

Update 1/24/25 - I didn't realize this was a reread, until I had checked it out. I started reading it at the library, and by the end of the day had devoured it. It was really interesting, having read the earlier book The Soul of a Woman, which was a memoir, and seeing the parallels between her life and the main character's life. Well worth the reread.

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