MY MOM

Since it's Mother's Day today, I thought I'd post a bit about my mother, Nellie Lois Mobley Galentin. She passed way 28 years ago this month and I still miss her every day.

My folks had been married about 19 years when I showed up - the first, last and only child. My mom was 39 when I was born and I think she was surprised, to say the least. Nevertheless, she was a great mom. This picture is, of course, my mom and me when I was a baby. This pretty well represents our relationship for the rest of  her life. That unconditional love got me thru a lot of scary situations over the years.

My mom was born the 9th of 9 children in 1908. By the time she came along, the novelty of children had probably worn off. At the height of the influenza epidemic, her mom spent a lot of time away, nursing those afflicted. That left her home with her dad, who did his best, I'm sure. I think our close relationship stemmed from that sense of estrangement from  her mother as a child. I'm not badmouthing my grandmother - she and my mom had a close relationship when my mom was an adult and I believe she was a good, loving mother. 

You can see my mom in this picture with her dog, Spot. My goodness, she loved that dog. She even called herself  "Mrs. Spot"! I guess that's one place I got my love of animals.

My mom had a certain sense of style as you can see from this picture of her as a young woman. Don'tcha' just love the overalls? And the bobbed hair? She would look right at home today, I think.

And she passed that sense along to me as you can see from this picture take on a visit to Hot Springs, AR, when I was a child. We are decked out in fashionable hats and dresses, though I'm not sure I appreciated the hat at the time.

This is my mom with her mom, Georgianna Miller Mobley. Dressed to the nines again!!

My mom is also my hero! She only finished the 9th grade, but she was so smart. She loved to learn new things. She would read historical fiction and then go to the encyclopedia to learn the facts. She helped my dad run his liquor store before I was born. He probably would have gone bankrupt without my mom's superior business sense. She grew up in an tiny little rural town in Nebraska, but she was so sophisticated in the ways that count.

My mom loved to travel and was the impetus for my parents' move from Nebraska to Texas not long after they married. After my dad died, mom and I traveled a lot. She was a great travelling companion. She even went with me when I moved to South Carolina. She just soaked up the history of the area. We traveled to Charleston, Savannah, Asheville and Orlando in addition to our summer vacations at Hilton Head and Pawley's Island. She just loved Charleston. And when we moved back to Dallas, she felt like she was home. I guess she was a city girl at heart.

So my mom has always been a big presence in my life and I thank her for all the lessons she taught me. I miss you, mom, but I know you're always here with me. 

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, MOMMA

Today would have been my mother's 103rd birthday. I fully believe she would have been here to celebrate it if cervical cancer hadn't cruelly ended her life in May of 1984. Nellie Lois Mobley Galentin was a fighter, a survivor, an animal lover and a great mother.

Momma was born the youngest of nine children in 1908 rural Nebraska. As she was growing up her mom spent a lot of time away from home, nursing those sickened in the widespread Spanish influenze epidemic around the time of WWI. Luckily her dad was there to look after her. She grew up a very independant woman. Unusual in those days.

Nellie married my dad around 1928 or so (can't find a marriage certificate so far). It seemed she loved him. In the 1930's they moved to San Antonio, Texas. You can imagine the culture shock for someone raised "up north" to be in a city so vibrant that there were flowers blooming in the middle of winter. At that moment, my momma became a "Texan by choice". And she was so thrilled to have Texans celebrate every year on her birthday. (Of course Mar. 2 is also Texas Independence Day and Sam Houston's birthday for those of you deficient in Texas history.)

I didn't come along til my mom and dad had been married for 19 years and she was 39 years old. Talk about a surprise!!! I have been assured that it was a welcome surprise.

Me and momma in Hot Springs, Arkansas 1954

Because I was an only child I was wonderfully spoiled. As my mom had to grow up with a partially absent mother, she made sure she was always there for me. She wanted me to be an independent sort, but her closeness didn't always encourage that. However, I think I've become that woman over the years. I think she would be proud of me and what I've accomplished.

Even though she died a long time ago, I still miss her every day! She only went to school thru the 9th grade, but she had a hunger for learning. She just about wore out our Encyclopedia Brittanica looking up stuff. Oh, if only she had been alive in the age of the internet! My mom gave me an appreciation for learning and for life in general. I wish she had survived long enough to meet her grandson and great grandchildren. I know she's with me every day, supporting my every decision.

Happy Birthday, momma!!

MORE OLD PHOTOS

I think these two scanned tintypes are the most interesting of all my old photos. They are of my great grandfather, Thomas Jefferson Mobley and my great grandmother, Hannah Deaver. They are my mother's paternal grandparents. Everyone always looks so stern or lacking in emotion in these old pics, but I think ole T. J. looks a bit wild and crazy, don't you?


Thomas Jefferson Mobley was born in Maryland on 19 Aug 1808, married Hannah on 18 Mar 1830 in Belmont County, OH, and died in Salem, NE on 17 Sept 1878. They had 8 children including my maternal grandfather, Lewis Cass Mobley. T. J.'s parents were Levin Mobley and Nancy Tucker. He was child # 9 of 10!!

I swear that Hannah here looks like she would wash your mouth out with soap if you said a bad word!! I guess being a mom of 8 could do that to you. Hannah Deaver was born in Harford County, MD, on 15 Aug 1812 and died 25 Feb 1897, in Salem, NE. I think 85 was remarkable for that time. It seems that I come from a long line of long lived old ladies. I like that!!!

Hannah's parents were Richard and Elizabeth Deaver of Maryland. She was the second of 6 daughters! It looks like she met T. J. in Maryland, they moved to Ohio and then to Nebraska. The rest is history, as they say.

One of the things I love about genealogy is that it gives you the chance to see your own family in the context of the history of this country and other countries. My ancestors, for the most part, came to America when it was still a colony and the families migrated across the country with millions of others. I'm sure some fought in the Revolution and I know of a few who fought in the Civil War and the Mexican War. It just makes all the history I studied in school come alive. My family was part of all of that. Cool!!