As a child
growing up I was so confused as to what Grandma’s real name was So when asked I
would reply Lena Galeenah, but apparently I wasn’t the only one that was
confused.
My mother’s,
Hazel #9, birth certificate says her mother’s maiden name was Delaney Carney,
okay. But it gets more complicated than
that.
Dollie Faye
Poyner Jones, #7, birth certificate says her mother’s maiden name was Elaine
Carney. But then it also says Faye was
born in Kansas and Lena’s age was 82 at the time. Boy someone messed that record up.
Just out of
curiosity, what does your family member’s birth certificate say her name was?
In the 1900
census soundex for Franklin county, AR she is listed as Galina Carny.
Grandpa
Jesse’s death certificate says her name was Galeenah Poyner. While their
marriage liscense says Gareena Carney, age 15.
Her marriage
license to Simon Peter Barnes says Lena Poyner,
She,
herself, was apparently very confused as to what her name was because in 1981
she signed a note Gleenth Barnes. While her social security cards list her as
Gleena Barnes and Galeenah Carney Barnes.
Whoever
composed her obituary tried to clear up the confusion by saying she was Galeena
Lena (Poyner) Barnes.
But then
there is a Christmas card of her that says on the back “"Mom
60 years and 6 months old. Faye Keefover Lena Galena Carney” Faye had this card
in her possession in 1997, I hope in all their moves it hasn’t been lost.
So what was Grandma’s name Delaney, Elaine, all
variations of the spelling of Galeenah including Galeenth and Gareena, or was
she simply Lena. I know Grandpa Jesse
called her his Lena Galeenah. To me she
was always strictly Grandma Poyner.
Interestingly enough the Hebrew meaning of
Galina/Galeenah/etc is God shall redeem.
I’m not certain when she became a reverend, but I do
know that she was listed as that in more than one place.
Faye said she wasn’t truly a reverend that she had sent
off an application to be one from the back of some magazine. Whether this was
true or not I don’t know. Perhaps some
of the family members know the truth.
It is no wonder she was confused about her name. Her upbringing was different to say the
least.
Born July 16, 1893 or 1894 the census records can’t
agree on the year to Chesterfield M (probably for Monroe) Carney and Porter
Columbia Branham in Oolagah, Oklahoma Indian Territory (what is now Rogers
county, Oklahoma).
There was no official record at the time that I can
find. In fact the state of Oklahoma took
my money and said they could find no birth record for her. However, Fay told me she knew there was a
delayed birth certificate on record because she helped her gather the
information to get it in order to be able to draw social security and Grandpa’s
rail road retirement money.
She says there was an affidavit filled out that said
her delivery was carried out with the assistance of Porter’s three sisters
acting as midwives.
From her beginnings her life was a series of ups and
downs.
From a telephone
conversation with Dollie Faye Poyner Keefover Jones on January 10, 1997:
She said that Chesterfield
and Porter divorced when Lena was a little bitty thing and that Chesterfield
kidnapped Lena twice. Once when she was
real tiny and Porter got her back. Then
again when Lena was six and he snatched her right out of Porter's arms. According to Faye, Grandma remembered it
happening and said she thought they were going to tear her apart like a
wishbone.
Chester kept her until she was grown and then she
happened to mention to a neighbor that she'd give anything to see her Mom. The neighbor knew exactly where Porter was
and put them in touch with each other.
While they did meet Lena continued to live near Chester and only saw her
mother on a few occasions. Only once or
twice that Faye could remember and she said the one time she remembers for sure
Chester showed up just out of the blue right after Porter got there. JP NOTE: This leads me to wonder about
something else I was once told. That Chester
had been married to a Native American woman at one point and he came home and
caught her in bed with another man, divorced her immediately and was very
bitter about it. Could Porter have been the woman? I know I have always been told there was
"Indian" on Lena's side of the family, but Lena denied it. If we could prove Porter was Native American
we could all benefit. Anyone have any
definite information on this?
In my records I also have this scattered note:
Notes from discussion with Lula Poyner Maxey Maynard on
July 25, 1998: Mary Bailey at Talequah, Tom Bailey, at Hobart, Ok Mary were related
to Chester. Reeder Bailey was the son of Mary & Tom Reeder's wife's name
may have been Lena. Charlie Dunham was a brother in law to Reeder Bailey.
Homesteaded in Talequah records. Grandma
was born in a two story house straight east of Collinsville toward Oolagah.
From my own research I found that Mary was indeed
related to Chesterfield, often call Chester or Chet. She was his sister Mary Carney. It is believed
it was Mary who told the teenage Lena where her mother was. According to Lula
it was Mary and Tom Bailey who took care of Lena when Chesterfield was not
available.
Census records seem to hold at least part of the story
up.
1900 AR Soundex C650:
Carny, Chester F. Vol 13 ED
201 Sheet 3 line 46
male white b. April 1852
age 48 b. TN
Franklin County, White Rock
Twp enumerated with Alexander, Mary E. as a boarder
In the same household Carny Galina white b 7/1894 age 5
IT
On the ancestry census data
base he is listed as Cluster F. Corney. Talk about mutilating a name.
The actual census record on
T 623-59 of Franklin County White Rock Twnsp enumerated 6/6 1900 by J. B.
Stuart
Dwell 43 Family 43
Alexander, Mary head white female
b. sep 1848 age 67 widow b. Ny fb NY mb NY occupation: farmer can
read, write, and speak English
Carney, Chester F. boarder
white male b. 4/1842 age 48 married 2 years b. TN, fb. TN, mb TN occupation:
day Laborer can read, write and speak English
Ida boarder white female b. 2/1880 age 20
married 2 years b. AR fb. TX mb. MO can only speak
English, but not read or write it. (
She was apparently Chesterfield’s current wife at that time).
Galina, boarder white female b. 7/1894 age
6 single b. IT, fb. TN, mb. MO
Monaham, Walter 16 male
(the ancestry site lists him as Waller)
Keys, Wallace 16 male
By the 1910 Census she was married to Grandpa Jesse and
was living in Newton Country, AR.
My memories of Grandma Lena are very few. I remember being afraid of her because she was
a very stern woman quick to tell me what a naughty little girl I was.
I was equally as afraid of a big grey gander she once
had. He loved to pinch and flog me and I
lived in terror of the goose being loose when I was there.
Around the time I was ten they had a large party, I
believe it was to celebrate Grandma and Grandpa’s 50th wedding
anniversary party, but it was in the summertime.
As usual the kids were all banned to the outdoors
during the party. It was hot so some of
us sought the comfort of the shade of the okra plants in Grandma’s large
garden. It didn’t take long for the
nearby bright red ripe tomatoes to catch our eye.
I slipped into the kitchen and got the salt shaker from
the stove. Before it was over we cousins
had eaten every single one of Grandma’s ripe tomatoes. When she discovered this she became madder
than I had ever seen her. I was
terrified! I never ventured into any of her gardens after that again. In fact I seldom went to her home after that.
After Grandpa’s death she married Simon Peter Barnes
and we acquired a whole new batch of “cousins” one of which went to the same
high school I did. I remember accidentally
meeting her in the girls’ room one day and she made it VERY clear she was not
happy her grandpa had married my grandma.
It was the only time I ever met the girl, but the anger in her voice
made it clear she didn’t want to be friends.
Mr. Barnes passed before Grandma and as her life wound
down Grandma’s health deteriorated. During her last years of her life she lived
with Fay and Tom Jones. One weekend my
husband Gary and I spelled Fay and Tom in Grandma’s care while they got to have
a night out.
By then she was in the fetal position and unable to
care for herself at all, but her mind was still active. Seeing her that way made me ashamed I was
ever afraid of her.
Grandma died December 29, 1983. She was laid to rest next to Grandpa in
Ridgelawn Cemetery in Collinsville, OK.
