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FRANK HULBERT AVERY 01 Jun 1871 – 20 Feb 1910 Parents: William Henry Avery – Martha E. Stiles Grandparents: William Weeks Avery – Susannah Gilbert Click photos to enlarge.
While trying to find information about my grandfather, I would soon learn that there was no one living that knew him as he died in 1910 at age 38. But even so, how could anyone leave a legacy of 2 children, 5 grandchildren, 15 great grandchildren and 25 great, great grand children and no one knows anything about him or even for sure what his name is? So this would become the first of many research challenges – but first to find my grandfather. It would take some time, but eventually I would learn his name; I would find pictures of him; I would learn about his mother and father; I would walk in the house where he was raised; I would read letters he wrote about my grandmother; I would learn what he did for a living; I would find an engraved pocket watch given to my grandfather on his 21st birthday and I would stand at the foot of his grave where he rests next to my grandmother in the Avery Family plot in Winona, Minnesota. While I never met my grandfather, I now feel that I know him.
When my grandfather was about 13 the family moved to Winona Minnesota around 1888. I have never found anything in my research which indicates why they chose Winona. Initially my great grandfather continued with in the boots and shoe trade, but sometime before 1892 my great grandfather owned and operated his own family business - the Winona Shirt and Waist Factory. Both my grandfather Frank and his brother Gilbert worked for their father in the family business while growing up. Perhaps one of the most interesting parts of my grandfather’s profile involves a first cousin of my grandfather – Emily Easton Avery who was the first daughter born to A. Charles Avery (branch 8) and Minnie Easton. In about 1895, A. Charles agreed to let his brother – William H. Avery ‘borrow’ Emily for awhile and she would move to Winona and live with my grandfather’s family until about 1899. She would have been about 14 at the time she was sent to live in Winona. I am sure that Emily was a wonderful addition to the Winona household and I believe the ‘extra’ pair of hands came in handy around the house with all the pressures of that existed operating their tailor business. In later years after Emily returned home, her sister Susan Alice Avery married Paul Nearpass; but Susan died while giving birth to a son, Paul Nearpass Jr. Emily moved into the Nearpass home where she helped raise Paul Nearpass Jr. and sometime later, Emily and Paul Nearpass Sr. married.
My grandmother was left to raise two young sons. She would later marry a Lou Kelty, but a short time later he was killed when hit by a lightning strike while putting a team of horses in their barn. Lou’s brother, John Kelty was away serving in the First World War and was sent home to attend his brother’s service. My grandmother and John would marry sometime later and while I was growing up he was the only grandfather I knew and I loved him very much. They later moved to Delano California. My dad would graduate from Delano High School in 1922. Later the family moved to Oakland, California where my uncle graduated from Oakland Technical High School in about 1928. Both my dad and uncle would marry while living in Oakland. My uncle married Clare Hoover and they had three children, Evan, Allan and Diane and my dad married Mona M. Agard and they had 2 children – Bill & Judy and that is where I come into this family. There was a curious item regarding the Schoonmaker family. While living in New York, my great grandmother’s mother Mary (Magoun) Stiles lived with them and when the family moved to Winona, she would also move with them. Later research would show that all of Simeon Schoonmaker’s family also moved to Winona. As my research continued, I learned that Simeon D. Schoonmaker died in New York around 1899. It appears that Beanca then moved to Winona with her niece Joanne and her own 7 children so she would be close to her sister Martha, and her mother Mary. Later, Beanca and my Great Grandfather would buy a family plot for 8 in Woodlawn Cemetery in Winona - they each paid $50.00 for the plot. I have visited this cemetery many times and the plot is in a very beautiful setting of green rolling hills and big oak trees. Please come back again to check for other Avery Family Profiles. Bill F. Avery Hot Springs Village, AR 31 May 2005 |
Schoonmaker would later marry another of the Stiles sisters – Beanca Stiles. They had 7 children. Early on in my research it appeared that the Schoonmakers were some how blood kin to the Avery family, but there is only a marriage connection. Interestingly, Simeon had a brother, Ephraim J. Schoonmaker whose family would help raise Helen Ruth Avery (Branch 8) following the death of her mother. Helen was a grand daughter of William and Susannah.
They had two sons, my father Frank William Avery born in 1904 and my uncle Earl Stiles Avery born in 1909. But time was short for my grandparents as my grandfather died in 1910 when my dad was only 5 and my uncle less than a year old. This helps me to better understand why I never heard my dad mention his father - he was probably too young when his father died to remember anything about him. |
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