KYCLAY-L Archives

Archiver > KYCLAY > 2002-01 > 1010016989


From: Pattsy Dayley <>
Subject: Re: [KYCLAY] Manchester, KY
Date: Wed, 2 Jan 2002 16:16:40 -0800 (PST)
In-Reply-To: <005001c19383$e4c37c60$36a0fea9@com>


In the 1980's we took my mother back to Manchester looking for her relatives. It was the best thing I could have done for my mom. When she was nine, her mother Eliza Jane Bennett Keith died in Corbin, Bell, Kentucky. Her Father Gabriel Keith married Myrtle Hubbard and they left for Oklahoma. They lived there together for 5 years until Gabe Keith died when mom was 14. She went to work for people cleaning their houses and doing ironing and other jobs she could get until she married my dad. I started doing genealogy in 1964 when mom was about 47 years old. I called her and told her I needed to know who her family was. She was excited about me trying to find them and gave me all the names she could remember as a little girl. She could remember her Grandpa James Keith Jr and her Aunt Mary Jane Keith Jones and her Uncle Wiley. I searched wrote letters and finally about 15 year later we went to Oklahoma. Picked up mom and took off for Corbin KY. What a beautiful place. !
I called the first 3 Keith's in the phone book until this young man said he believed his granny knew Gabe Keith. Sure enough she had married Gabe's brother Gilbert Keith. Her name was Cora Collins Keith plus she'd been married again since Gilbert had died. We went the next day to see her and she put her arms around mom and said "Oadie, my little Oadie. I didn't think I'd ever see you again." (I can't tell this without tears falling). It turns out she had kept my mom for 5 years while her mom was in the sanatarium for epilepsey(sp). She had wanted to adopt mom but Gabe wouldn't let her and Gilbert adopt her. She told us where to go in Manchester and there we met Mildred Sandlin and her mother Pearlina Keith who had married Gabe's younger brother Taylor Keith who use to work at the grocery store in Manchester. We met Polly Keith Gibson who was a cousin age 73 and Nannie Keith her sister and they were wonderful. We were able to go to the family cemetaries on the Sand!
lin, Keith properties and get pictures of graves and Polly Keith Gibson had the most wonderful memory. She could remember who everyone married and when. I loved Manchester. Beautiful country and the people were so nice to us. Sorry this was so long but wanted you to know that it's safe to go to Ky now. It's a down home type of place and I'd love to go back and live there awhile just to get to know my family that I've never met. Mom's gone now but what wonderful times we had hunting for her family. Pattsy


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