Individual Details
Florence L. Vessey
(October 9, 1894 - December 20, 1981)
Aunt Florence was a gem. She had the longest hair that I ever saw. She told us that she and Uncle Mart came to Washington in a covered wagon. Was this true? I could picture it in my mind. She was a pioneer type woman and they had no children.
They had a 40 acre farm in McCleary, WA and the property was on both sides of the road. One side was the Farm and the other was called the Shack. When we visited, we stayed mostly, in the Shack. What fun and adventures we had over there. Don't know how the two of them put up with us kids since they didn't have any but they always made us welcome.
Uncle Mart traded comic books with us and it was very serious business. He smoked a wonderful smelling old corncob pipe. They raised pigs, cattle and a huge garden. They had two horses named Nickel and Dime and they were jittery and high strong horses. They also owned one called Prince that used to scare the daylights out of us.
We used to go hunting with slingshots and take these wonderful lunches with us... made with homemade bread. Aunt Florence was a wonderful cook and used to trade Store Bought bread with us for the Homemade. We got the best part of that bargain.
We used to lay for hours on the little bridges watching the salmon come up to spawn. It was such a wonderful sight. We also got in on the haying operation and hog killing and all that's connected with farming. I wish my kids could have done and seen, what we were able to, while I was growing up.
After Uncle Mart died, Aunt Florence moved into town and sold the place. She moved in a tiny house with electricity. I remember her being so amused and amazed with the flipping of the switch as she always had to use the kerosene lanterns. The bathroom was something else as she had always used the outhouse. The stories that I could tell about our life experiences would fill pages and pages. Hope I have highlighted some of the things that the person reading this may have a touch of nostalgia.
Interesting things that she would do; is say..."Hallo the House"... which means is anybody home?
If she had to use the Outhouse she said she was "Going out to look at the moon". We once slept on the floor of the farm and got to use the heavenly comforters and lay on the feather bed, and we could hear the adults in the next room, playing Hearts, by lamplight and we could hear the coyotes howling in the distance.
They also owned the neatest old record player that was called a Victrola and it had a tiny dancing mouse that looked like Mickey Mouse and it was attached to the spindle holder and after you wound up the machine the mouse would dance on the 78 rpm record. I wish I had that mouse...I look for one every time I'm in an antique shop.
The way that we found out that she had passed on is that, Ann's Christmas Card to her, was returned, saying deceased. What a terrible shock to all of us. I miss them and will never forget the happiness that we had in their company. They were simple country folk. Simply the best! 7/29/97 NCW--Nan Weisner Whomes--personal memoriels of Ann, Nan and their brother Chuck.
I just spoke to Carl Vessey and Dorothy Vessey (Broten) in Aberdeen Washington and they were able to confirm that Aunt Florence (actually my great Aunt) was a Vessey.
Aunt Florence's brother-in-law, Chris Ness is still alive. He is 93 years young and according to the both of them... still sharp as a tack, residing in a nursing home in Aberdeen, WA. Am praying that he will
provide Dorothy with additional information to add to the ever growing tree. NCW 10/19/97
Aunt Florence...she was quite a lady. She worked hard all her life and I think for the most part...enjoyed it. The smells from her kitchen could make your mouth water. Fresh bread baked weekly... and the rice pudding made on washing day. Fresh butter and all the vegetables from the garden were a treat to us city kids. The fresh rhubarb was fun to try and eat... She was quick to laugh and enjoyed entertaining all the city company.
All felt welcome in their country cabin. Some of the time we could go into the large town of Elma to help Aunt Florence choose her next feed sack dress. It was quite a big thing to be included in those choices. Her dress clothes were always clean and neat if only made from those then colorful feed sacks.
The last time I saw Aunt Florence had to be in 1980 or so... We had made a trip from Texas to attend a national square dance convention with friends... this was held in Seattle, WA. Of course, we made time to see her in her little town house. At that time she showed and told me that when she passed away the three pictues hanging on her walls were for each of us three kids. Sadly to say, she did pass away shortly thereafter and no one let us know of her passing and the pictures are lost to history... she is greatly missed by me. What a love she was. ALN 12/20/97
Some of my best memories were of going to Aunt FLorence and Uncle Mart's farm. My sisters have filled in the details very well. Uncle was always my hero, and the example I use today of someone who was totally at peace with himself and the world. Although it has been mentioned they never had children, they treated us as if we were their own.
It should be known they never had electricity or running water or a phone. They did have an old battery radio, which uncle loved to listen to the Friday nite fights. One of my best memories is sitting with uncle Martin and listening to them either at our house in Tacoma or on the farm. He really worried about the batteries though. One time, the boxer was down and he was being counted out or so uncle Martin though, "Six, Seven, Eight, Nine"... when he shut it off to save them. The next week we were talking about the fight in Tacoma, and told him the guy had actually gotten up and knocked the other guy out! What a fight...so much for saving batteries.
Uncle had a railroad pocket watch that he always hung on the kitchen wall, and that was the official time. He never changed it to daylight savings time as he said the cows and the chickens couldn't tell time.
That watch hangs in my kitchen today as Aunt Florence gave it to me after his death.
There was also the gas engine washing machine, the well and pump and the root cellar. It contained Aunt Florience's wonderful canned vegetables from their garden, salmon from the creek that uncle got with a pitchfork, and clams dug usually at Copalis. Uncle had a homemade sawmill from which he cut the lumber to build the house, shack, barn, chicken coop, root cellar and another smaller building containing his shop. Few people actually new he built them all, mostly by himself.
I believe around my sophomore year in high school, Uncle had a stroke and became bedfast. I took the bus down from Olympia and spent the rest of the summer. During that time I taught Aunt Florence to read and write. We just sat down at the kitchen table until she could do it. That made her much more self sufficient and able to deal better with the world.
When she decided to move into town she wanted to sell the farm and 40 acres to me at a very good price. At the time we had no money and a child with many medical bills, and a grandmother living with us, so just couldn't do it. So, she sold it to the local pharmacist. We often wonder what could have been... Probably one of my last memories was going to the farm with my future wife Naoma. Uncle called her over to the bed where he whispered to her, "if you want Chuckie to marry you, just bit his ear." It must have worked as we've been married 35+ years!
CFW 4/1/98
They had a 40 acre farm in McCleary, WA and the property was on both sides of the road. One side was the Farm and the other was called the Shack. When we visited, we stayed mostly, in the Shack. What fun and adventures we had over there. Don't know how the two of them put up with us kids since they didn't have any but they always made us welcome.
Uncle Mart traded comic books with us and it was very serious business. He smoked a wonderful smelling old corncob pipe. They raised pigs, cattle and a huge garden. They had two horses named Nickel and Dime and they were jittery and high strong horses. They also owned one called Prince that used to scare the daylights out of us.
We used to go hunting with slingshots and take these wonderful lunches with us... made with homemade bread. Aunt Florence was a wonderful cook and used to trade Store Bought bread with us for the Homemade. We got the best part of that bargain.
We used to lay for hours on the little bridges watching the salmon come up to spawn. It was such a wonderful sight. We also got in on the haying operation and hog killing and all that's connected with farming. I wish my kids could have done and seen, what we were able to, while I was growing up.
After Uncle Mart died, Aunt Florence moved into town and sold the place. She moved in a tiny house with electricity. I remember her being so amused and amazed with the flipping of the switch as she always had to use the kerosene lanterns. The bathroom was something else as she had always used the outhouse. The stories that I could tell about our life experiences would fill pages and pages. Hope I have highlighted some of the things that the person reading this may have a touch of nostalgia.
Interesting things that she would do; is say..."Hallo the House"... which means is anybody home?
If she had to use the Outhouse she said she was "Going out to look at the moon". We once slept on the floor of the farm and got to use the heavenly comforters and lay on the feather bed, and we could hear the adults in the next room, playing Hearts, by lamplight and we could hear the coyotes howling in the distance.
They also owned the neatest old record player that was called a Victrola and it had a tiny dancing mouse that looked like Mickey Mouse and it was attached to the spindle holder and after you wound up the machine the mouse would dance on the 78 rpm record. I wish I had that mouse...I look for one every time I'm in an antique shop.
The way that we found out that she had passed on is that, Ann's Christmas Card to her, was returned, saying deceased. What a terrible shock to all of us. I miss them and will never forget the happiness that we had in their company. They were simple country folk. Simply the best! 7/29/97 NCW--Nan Weisner Whomes--personal memoriels of Ann, Nan and their brother Chuck.
I just spoke to Carl Vessey and Dorothy Vessey (Broten) in Aberdeen Washington and they were able to confirm that Aunt Florence (actually my great Aunt) was a Vessey.
Aunt Florence's brother-in-law, Chris Ness is still alive. He is 93 years young and according to the both of them... still sharp as a tack, residing in a nursing home in Aberdeen, WA. Am praying that he will
provide Dorothy with additional information to add to the ever growing tree. NCW 10/19/97
Aunt Florence...she was quite a lady. She worked hard all her life and I think for the most part...enjoyed it. The smells from her kitchen could make your mouth water. Fresh bread baked weekly... and the rice pudding made on washing day. Fresh butter and all the vegetables from the garden were a treat to us city kids. The fresh rhubarb was fun to try and eat... She was quick to laugh and enjoyed entertaining all the city company.
All felt welcome in their country cabin. Some of the time we could go into the large town of Elma to help Aunt Florence choose her next feed sack dress. It was quite a big thing to be included in those choices. Her dress clothes were always clean and neat if only made from those then colorful feed sacks.
The last time I saw Aunt Florence had to be in 1980 or so... We had made a trip from Texas to attend a national square dance convention with friends... this was held in Seattle, WA. Of course, we made time to see her in her little town house. At that time she showed and told me that when she passed away the three pictues hanging on her walls were for each of us three kids. Sadly to say, she did pass away shortly thereafter and no one let us know of her passing and the pictures are lost to history... she is greatly missed by me. What a love she was. ALN 12/20/97
Some of my best memories were of going to Aunt FLorence and Uncle Mart's farm. My sisters have filled in the details very well. Uncle was always my hero, and the example I use today of someone who was totally at peace with himself and the world. Although it has been mentioned they never had children, they treated us as if we were their own.
It should be known they never had electricity or running water or a phone. They did have an old battery radio, which uncle loved to listen to the Friday nite fights. One of my best memories is sitting with uncle Martin and listening to them either at our house in Tacoma or on the farm. He really worried about the batteries though. One time, the boxer was down and he was being counted out or so uncle Martin though, "Six, Seven, Eight, Nine"... when he shut it off to save them. The next week we were talking about the fight in Tacoma, and told him the guy had actually gotten up and knocked the other guy out! What a fight...so much for saving batteries.
Uncle had a railroad pocket watch that he always hung on the kitchen wall, and that was the official time. He never changed it to daylight savings time as he said the cows and the chickens couldn't tell time.
That watch hangs in my kitchen today as Aunt Florence gave it to me after his death.
There was also the gas engine washing machine, the well and pump and the root cellar. It contained Aunt Florience's wonderful canned vegetables from their garden, salmon from the creek that uncle got with a pitchfork, and clams dug usually at Copalis. Uncle had a homemade sawmill from which he cut the lumber to build the house, shack, barn, chicken coop, root cellar and another smaller building containing his shop. Few people actually new he built them all, mostly by himself.
I believe around my sophomore year in high school, Uncle had a stroke and became bedfast. I took the bus down from Olympia and spent the rest of the summer. During that time I taught Aunt Florence to read and write. We just sat down at the kitchen table until she could do it. That made her much more self sufficient and able to deal better with the world.
When she decided to move into town she wanted to sell the farm and 40 acres to me at a very good price. At the time we had no money and a child with many medical bills, and a grandmother living with us, so just couldn't do it. So, she sold it to the local pharmacist. We often wonder what could have been... Probably one of my last memories was going to the farm with my future wife Naoma. Uncle called her over to the bed where he whispered to her, "if you want Chuckie to marry you, just bit his ear." It must have worked as we've been married 35+ years!
CFW 4/1/98
Events
| Birth | October 9, 1894 | Fargo, ND | |||
| Death | December 20, 1981 | McCleary, WA | |||
| Burial | Satsop, Washington |
Families
| Spouse | Martin R. Wiesner (1885 - 1961) |
| Child | no children Wiesner |
| Father | William M. Vessey (1860 - 1938) |
| Mother | Anna Hayes (1870 - 1941) |
| Sibling | George William Vessey (1891 - 1956) |
| Sibling | Ester Vessey (1893 - 1964) |
| Sibling | Rolly Vessey (1898 - 1966) |
| Sibling | Jessie R. Vessey (1900 - 1989) |
| Sibling | John Earnest Vessey (1902 - 1994) |
| Sibling | Joseph Vessey (1903 - 1955) |
| Sibling | Etta Vessey (1905 - 1996) |
| Sibling | Willie Vessey (1905 - 1905) |
| Sibling | Charles Vessey (1907 - 1989) |
| Sibling | Irene Vessey (1910 - 1961) |
| Sibling | Clifford Vessey (1912 - 1918) |