Will Lockridge, husband of Grace Phelan Lockridge (youngest daughter of Daniel and Annie Phelan) with his young daughter Kewpie (Agnes). He did original survey for RR from Williams, AZ to Grand Canyon. Henrietta Phelan Smith (Loy) eldest daughter of Ed and Sarah Phelan. Camelle(Tommie)Phelan youngest daughter of Ed and Sarah Phelan. She was later Sister Virginia Elizabeth.The Little Big Horse was captured from a wild herd of miniature horses by my Grandfather Smith and Uncle Jess Smith and brought out of the Grand Canyon.
Photo and Information courtesy of Barbara Ohlwiler
” … without consulting her husband, she purchased a new automobile for $500″
Daniel Phelan (1837-1921) on the far left his wife Annie Elizabeth Donohue (1836-1904) in the center is their daughter Rosalia or Grace. The man is unidentified. The picture was taken about 1902 in Seligman, Arizona.
Information courtesy of Jim Grivich
James Phelan, immigrated from Ireland about 1835. After helping construct the Erie Canal in New York, the family worked its way across this great country building the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railroad along the southern route, living in a railroad car. You can tell the order of the children in the family by what state they were born in as their railcar home moved West as the railroad expanded.
Jim’s grandmother was born on an Indian reservation in Arizona, with Jim’s mother being born here in Los Angeles. Jim’s great aunt Annie used to regale the family with tales of how she met Wyatt Earp in the wild west! The picture above was taken just after the turn of the century in Seligman, AZ. (could the man pictured have been Wyatt??) by Jim Grivish
Keeper of the Family 
From Grace’s niece Barbara Ohlwiler ~
My favorite part is when Uncle Will said to Aunt Grace that she couldn’t buy a car, her answer was – I just did! Can you imagine how she saved and sacrificed to have $500? She was just sick and tired of years of being marooned. She told me they had next to no medical care and her teeth got so bad that she talked the cowboys into teaching her how to roll her own cigarettes to kill the pain, they also kept her in tobacco.
She raised 5 children on a homestead, a house with dirt floors and with no utilities and subject to random water being hauled in. She stayed there until the last child was grown and then moved into Clarkdale in an apartment building by herself. She had what remained of her teeth extracted and wouldn’t even talk about dentures. Later she could chew anything and enjoyed steak immensely. I was there when Great Uncle John came to visit, he was very much a townie. He told her she was a handsome woman and he would like to buy her dentures – wrong! She told him never to mention them again.
She taught me about being a conservationist before the term was invented. For instance when she stayed with us, no water went down the kitchen sink, we did dishes in a pan, then used that water to clean up the floor and what was left was taken outside and poured on plants. We were, also, told it wasn’t necessary to flush the toilet every time it was used. She was the strongest, most independent person I ever knew, along with being kind and generous. All through high school she was there for me when I needed advise or just an understanding ear. She loaned my grandfather, Ed Phelan, the money she had worked and saved, hoping to further his education. He was an alcoholic and wanted (needed) to take the Keeley Cure. Imagine–she was born on the twins 14th birthday and she cared for him, gave him the money, that I’m sure was never returned. She did have the satisfaction that he never drank again.
Another thing she told me was very interesting. When she was a young woman there weren’t many places hiring them except for menial work. She heard about a job at the local newspaper, the owner was nice and told her a little bit sarcastically to come back when she could type. She got hold of a typewriter somewhere, taught herself to type and got the job! Typical Great Aunt Grace.
Seems I can go and on about her. When Tommie & Cupie were just babies my mother needed help with Tommie and who did she go to? Aunt Grace, of course. With the house having dirt floors it was not a good place for babies, she took some old worn out overalls, cut the legs off and with two heavy duty door springs made jonnie jump ups for them to keep them off the floor. Being another generation than I was raised in you probably don’t remember when kitchen doors had strong springs to be self shutting, I think that is probably where the expression about don’t let it hit you on the way out came from.
I only remember one time when we didn’t agree, I was taking my son for a small pox vaccination and she was horrified. She told me about people having to have their legs amputated during the earlier use of the pox vaccine. Seems they were injected in their hip, not like the simple scratching of the upper shoulder that I knew about. I did go against her advice that time.
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My name is Anna Marie Hansen (Lockridge) I am the youngest of Frank Randall Lockridge, he married my mother Elizabeth Ellen Jennings December 22, 1956. They had my sister Elizabeth Mishie Lockridge Aug 2, 1957, I was born September 20,1966. My father passed away Oct, 26,1982, 4 days after my son was born.
I would like the information to be know for my children and grandchildren when they find the history of our family.
Thank you.
Anna Hansen
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Hi Cousin! Thanks for stopping by and leaving a bit of history!! I love sharing!
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My name is Jolene Williams, and I am the daughter of Florence Nancy Lockridge. I was born on December 22, 1958. My grandfather was Frank Randall Lockridge, and I also had a wonderful step-grandma, Helen. I grew up with four siblings—three brothers and one sister—and I hold many fond memories of my Aunt Grace, Aunt Edna, Uncle Tom, and Aunt Elsie, who each brought something special to my life. Today, I live in beautiful San Diego, California.
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So glad to meet you Jolene! I love hearing from cousins out on the far branches of my tree!!!
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