I wonder if Rosalia was who we always called Aunt Rose, her married name was Riley but don’t remember her husband so assume he died before I was old enough to know him. That picture doesn’t resemble either sister as far as I can tell. Wouldn’t it be funny if that DANDY was Uncle Will. Grace and Will were married in 1902 the year my mother was born on January 19. The priest came from Flagstaff and baptized my mother and performed the marriage ceremony. I sent you a copy of a picture of the 3 sisters plus Aunt Myrtie, Uncle Jim’s wife. See if you can see any resemblance to either sister.
First Communion of Minnie Riley, Rose ? & Henrietta Phelan. Minnie was Great Aunt Rose’s Phelan Riley) daughter, don’t know if Rose was too. The only other daughter I knew was Annie Riley, there was another daughter who was a nun but name escapes me right now. Very faintly written on the back I can read ‘Rose Uncle John left this for you’.
I remember Uncle Will and Grace. One summer while we were living at the Grand Canyon, I got to spend some days by myself with them in their little cabin (home) in the woods someplace between Williams and the Canyon. There were special memories as: each evening Will built a fire in their large fireplace where he popped corn is an open kind of wire basket; or make a batch of taffy over the kitchen stove, pour it out onto a large marble slab and help it cool enough to begin pulling it — a most amazing process to me. Then the three of us sat before the fire eating whatever he had made while he told wonderful stories about some of his prospecting experiences. As a 13 yr old, I was in total awe. It was also a very special time in my life because I was ALONE with these two wonderful people. (No memory of being homesick or lonesome). I slept in a little room in the back. There was a tin room over the house and each night it rained. The sound of rain on the tin room is wonderful!
Kewpie (Agnes) was the most beautiful girl I think I had ever seen. When she was a baby, her brothers called her Kewpie – a name that she carried forever. I never had contact with her but learned many years later that she had married, and was living in Cincinnati, OH – about the time I was in my early years there. Mother used to speak about Henrietta with much fondness. She corresponded with her periodically and knew when she died.
Rose Riley lived in the LA area. When I was seven our family went to LA for the three eldest of us to have T&A’s. At some time in that summer we went to visit Aunt Rose, who took us out to her apricot tree in the back yard and let us pick apricots and EAT them! That day she made a wonderful apricot desert which we enjoyed at the meal she served. My best memory of that OH SO DELICIOUS FRUIT! Love you OODLES!
Isn’t it sometimes great to see through the eyes of a child! Aunt Grace told me that Uncle Will was gone more than he was home as he was always searching for the mine that would make them all wealthy. She told me the hardships of raising 5 children on their homestead, the only water they had was captured from the roof or hauled. Unable to afford dental care she learned to roll her own cigarettes from some cowboys to dull the pain from her bad teeth caused by poor nutrition. I don’t know the circumstances but sometimes she even had Aunt Tommie. Mother told me that Kewpie was born with a top knot of hair like a Kewpie doll. As an adult she married a doctor and moved away. Now that I think about it seems she developed a disease while fairly young, could have been an autoimmune problem. Aunt Grace called that son in law ‘Doc’ and seemed fond of him, I am pretty sure I remember her going to visit them. Funny she remembers Kewpie as being so beautiful as Aunt Tommie was gorgeous as a small child, porcelain skin like her mother and huge blue eyes and blond curls. She could also swear like a trouper as she was around the guides and cowboys. Barbara
Keeper of the Family 