Every generation has their own maiden aunts and bachelor uncles who leave behind no children and often there is no one left to tell their story. They truly become forgotten stories. I will devote Sunday to those Aunts and Uncles.
Minnie Maude Gillespie was the oldest child of Wyatt Paul Gillespie and Laura Cecile Donald and the oldest sister of my grandfather Gilbert M Gillespie. She was born on January 29th 1897 and died at the age of 61 on April 5th, 1958. She was outlived by her seven brothers and sisters and her mother.
This is the only picture I have of Minnie. Hopefully one of my cousins can supply me with a better one someday. Minnie is sitting on the right on the first row.
She suffered from severe rheumatoid arthritis most of her life. Working at Adair-Hutton’s dry goods store as a clerk was such a struggle having to stand all day. My father remembered her coming home to the house on 108 Houston Street and have to soak her feet.
She was born in Lexington, Virgina, and moved with her parents to 108 Houston Street were she lived the rest of her life. She finished 4 years of high school. She was a member of the Trinity Methodist Church.
She was buried in Stonewall Jackson Memorial Cemetery which more or less in the backyard of her home. She is buried near her parents, many of her sisters and brothers and other generations of the family.
I have two obituaries for Minnie Maude Gillespie. And I am truly sad I don’t more about her.
Footnotes
2. The City Directory of Lexington, Virgina (A.D. Smith, Inc., 1922), 80; digital images, Ancestry.com (http://www.ancestry.com : accessed 1 Jul 2012)
3. “Ms. Minnie M Gillespie”, undated clipping, ca. 1958, from unidentified newspaper; privately held by Anne Gillespie Mitchell, [ADDRESS FOR PRIVATE USE]. Inherited from my father Gilbert Gillespie.
Oh, poor Minnie! Rheumatoid Arthritis is such a terrible disease. My dad suffered from it too.
I love your idea of tellling the stories of your maiden aunts and bachelor uncles!
yes, those unmarried siblings can often open stories of/to the family. A generation or 2 later these same uncles/aunts, who never married – are to become favorites – sharing family stories and photos to their nephews/neices of following generations.
🙂
Wondeful post. I hope you are able to learn more about Minnie some day.
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