March 11, 2008 - Just Talked with Aunt Georgie

I just had a telephone conversation with my Aunt Georgie -- she had just come back from the dentist so our conversation was short and she was having some trouble remembering certain details.

She was very sadden to hear of your Grandmother's death. She would very much like to contact your Uncle Justin. Aunt Georgie said she was in contact with your Great Aunt Charlotte as well as your grandmother for several years but kind of lost contact over the last 2-3 years.

She has some pictures that she will pull out and round up so that we can have copies made. She thinks she has one of Jane Shay and William Shay with George, William, James and Kate. She was a wealth of information.

She said my dad, her brother and Tim Seeley (Ira's brother) went to the Ozark Mountains to visit Aunt Mary -- and then went on out to MO. She couldn't remember right off - where Aunt Mary fits in. Although she remembered she had a newspaper clipping somewhere - and she would try to locate it.

Aunt Georgie said that Oriel Seeley was married to James Heath. James Heath later married Zuella. She couldn't recall them having any children. She said that James Heath and Zuella lived in Shinglehouse? I'm not sure if this is a town or if she was describing the house. She mentioned that she thought William Heath was imprisoned in Anderson Prison.

I didn't talk very long but she said she would definitely get back in touch with me as soon as she looked thru her pictures.

She also said that my Aunt Margaret probably had more info than Uncle Bobby.

I'll let you know what I found out.

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I just phoned my Uncle Justin and passed on Georgie's info. He remembers Georgie fondly. He plans on calling her this week and inviting her down to Coudersport. My mother remembers when Bill and Georgie would come down to visit her parents and grandparents who lived next door to each other in Ulysses when she was a child. She also remembers Margaret coming over also on several occasions.

I looked up the location of the Ozark Mountains...they are located a few counties to the west of Scott Co., Missouri. The Aunt Mary that Georgie referred to must be Jane's older sister Mary. She would have been Kate's aunt and therefore a great aunt to her husband. Mary would have been in her 70's or early 80's when your father went out there. The puzzle is coming together.

I think we could also get the Scott County Historical Society to send us obituaries for Rebecca Peal and her children. That might mention children and grandchild and lead us to more living descendants. Below are the death dates for them.

Rebecca Withow Peal (b. 9/20/1851 d. 11/14/1947)
Mary Annie Peal Marshall (b. 3/3/1880 d. 2/9/1972)
James Stephen Peal (b. 9/16/1881 d. 3/9/1963)

I was wondering who was James Heath's first wife. I know the 1930 census for Allegany Township lists him as a widower. I cannot find James anywhere in the 1920 census for some reason. He was still living at home in 1910 and not yet married. James & Zella lived in a town called Shinglehouse in Potter County, PA. They are buried in East Sharon Cemetery in Sharon, Potter Co., PA. My mother remembers going out to visit Zella with her mother once after their uncle Jim passed away. Do you know when Oriel Seeley passed away? I do not know where she is buried and do not know much details of this marriage. That means two family connections between the Heath & Seeley family. I will call the Potter County court house tomorrow and get a date for the marriage. Potter County keeps many old marriages in their computer database. It took me less than 30 seconds to have my grandfather's first marriage pulled up. Another piece of the puzzle that now fits.

I am excited to hear what Margaret might remember about Jane Shay's side. It seems that George, Jim & Kate must have known or had contact with their aunt or aunts on their mother's side. I bet soon we will figure out what got Jane to come to Potter Co., PA. Talk to you later.