Volume 6 , Issue 34

Green Valley School Picture

quot;Found the Green Valley School picture very interesting. Of the twenty-four in the picture, 10 are related as either, siblings, cousins or nephews.

Ralph Keffer, 7 Oct 1902, Howard Keffer, 1 April 1904, Beulah Keffer, 24 Nov 1908 and Melvin Keffer, 12 Dec 1910, were all children of Parkinson Keffer.

Vern Keffer, 20 Oct 1909 and Leslie Keffer, 5 Aug 1909, were cousins, and grandsons of Parkinson Keffer, and nephews of Ralph, Howard, Beulah and Melvin.
     Ollie Martin, 2 Mar 1900, Helen Martin, 3 June 1905 and Louis Martin, 26 Aug 1908, were children of Adaline Keffer Martin, a sister of Parkinson Keffer.

Alta Mitchell, 20 Aug 1908 was the daughter of Pearl Keffer Mitchell, a sister of Parkinson and Adaline.

Adaline Keffer was my great-grandmother, and family information tells how the Green Valley Church was built on the northwest corner of Parkinson Keffers farm.

In some information I have, my Great Uncle Alva Martin is quoted, 'It was important to the homesteaders in this area to have a place to worship. Their first services were held in homes and in the sod schoolhouse. Sometimes there were tent meetings lasting one or two weeks. The Free Methodist Church was organized with only four members in March 1901 at the close of a revival meeting. Two of the members were Parkinson and Mary (Mollie) Irons Keffer, Adda's brother and wife. A frame school house was built later that year. The group continued to worship in the schoolhouse until 1929 when the present Free Methodist Church was built on the northwest corner of Mollie Keffer's farm. Her husband, Park Keffer, died in 1917. Thomas J. Martin, Adaline's husband, spent many hours working on the new church. An old church in Helena was torn down and used in the new church.'

Don't know how much of this is relevant, but did find the picture very interesting. The time frame would be about right, as the Martin children had just moved back to the Green Valley area from Capron in about 1912-13. Thanks again." -- Marvin Henry - Email: figment1@zianet.com - nmfigment@yahoo.com   |  View or Add Comments (0 Comments)   |   Receive updates ( subscribers)  |   Unsubscribe

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