Katherine Connor Diary 1931
Total Page:16
File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb
August 10th, 2010 To all my relatives of the Oliver Family of B.P. Oliver & Katherine C. Oliver, This is Katherine’s diary that she hand-typed for her family of eight in 1931. What history is on these pages! I decided to get this into digital form, so I could have Jake Fletcher post it on his site of our family’s history to share with all of you. This is something we should all pass down to our children so they know the charitable goodness and generosity that we all came from. Bartley P. Oliver, Jr., (Pat), most have felt the same way and did an Oliver Family Record in 1969 which I have a copy of. At some point I will copy this and have Jake post this on the site. I started to work on our genealogy in the 1970’s but never got too far into it. As life would have it, I got busy with many other things going on in my life. Jake Fletcher is a great great grandson of Olivers, who’s great grand- mother was Adelaide O’Neill and Grandmother Helen Anderson, and mother Kasey Fetcher. He started work- ing on a year long senior project of his family history in 2008 and has done an amazing job of researching our family’s history. Jake contacted the California Historical Society to find out more about the Olivers and found a wealth of information there. There are diaries from Dennis J. Oliver, (B.P.’s brother) and his family that they used to record some of San Francisco’s history. One of the amazing facts is that Menlo Park was named by Dennis Oliver. One of his purchases was a ranch in Menlo Park, and he was responsible for giving the town it’s named based on Menlough, Ireland: “a lovely place on the bank of Lough Corrib two miles from the town of Galway.” All this can be found at the California Historical Society for those of you that are living in CA, under the number: (MS3577). Jake has given me copies of brief descriptions of each diary volume, along with genealogy charts of the various Olivers, which I will copy, so Jake can also post these on his site. I been told there is another diary that Katherine C. Oliver wrote about her life, but have not been able to find out any other information on it. If anyone does know of this diary and can help me find it, I would love to add this to Jake’s site to share with you all. I also know that many of you have photos of the Oliver family life and would love it if you could make copies to share with all our relatives! At the family picnic, in June of 2002, I saw many amazing photos of our Oliver relatives and would love to have copies of them to pass on to my daughter. I was very fortunate to have all photo albums of my mother’s, Patsy O’Neill Goodlett, of her childhood and one album of the early years at Mt. Helen in Los Altos. I also have a scrapbook of the O’Neill’s 13 month trip to Europe in 1938. There are some interesting shots in this album, including shots of Berlin, just before the start of WWII. When time permits I will make copies of all these albums to share with you. I also want to thank Jake for all his hard work in chronicling our family’s history. He has done an amazing job and I hope he continues to do so! This Summer he was contacted by Byran Lamkin, a professor of Azusa Pacific University who is working on a book about Irish immigrants who settled in the Amercian West in the 19th century. He is presently in England for 6 mos. doing a research trip to Galway on the Olivers. So there is more to come! As to this diary, please excuse any typographical errors I have made. I have corrected most of the mispellings where I thought it was necessary, but have left some as I felt need not be changed. If you find any errors which you feel should changed, please feel free to let me know and I will change them. I also have diaries from B.P. Oliver from their trips to China which I will get copied when the time permits. Thank goodness we had such great relatives that decided to share their great past with us! I hope all of you enjoy this diary as I have. With warm regards, Shelby Goodlett Pike Great Granddaughter of B.P. and Katherine C.Oliver Granddaughter of Mervyn and Adelaide O’Neill, Daughter of George and Patsy O’Neill Goodlett FOREWORD These anecdotes of our travels within these sheafs of memory will interest you more than what Baedeker’s guide books can supply, of the countries we have vis- ited in our travels over this sea and green earth. This first and only attempt of a tale of biography and autobiography was begun with the story of my intrepid parents, but after extensive research and prodding of my memory, events increased to such an extent that I found material enough for two books, therefore, this second offering is more personal of the “Good Shepherd and Laughing Eyes”, and is not a public story, so should others than the family care to read it and find too much personality between the lines, please forgive, as I am not an author. However, I can talk to my dear ones and shall talk to them in spirit in these lines for many generations to come, when aeroplanes will be as plentiful and as much used as the automobile of today is. “The Good Shepherd and Little Katie” realize the evening of their lives has come but is so laden with blessings and good health. Happiness took our hands on Janu- ary 16th, 1884 and has walked with us, with one exception, Helen’s death, ever since. We know now she will abide with us after the bugle calls. A few words more from a Mother’s heart. Your Father and I have given you our best efforts, and have directed your footsteps in the only spiritual path to happiness, both in this life’s travail in this beautiful world and in the abode of eternity. Heed our wish to stand together always, Kate Connor Oliver Back row, left to right, Leo Merle, Mrs. Leo Merle, (Joan Oliver), Paul B. Fay, Mervyn J. O’Neill, “Pete” Freeman, B. P. Oliver Jr., & Mrs. John Oliver. Second row, from back, Mrs. B. P. Oliver Jr., Mrs. Paul B. Fay (Katherine “Kitty” Oliver), B. P. Oliver, Mrs Katherine Oliver, Mrs. Mervyn O’Neill (Adelaide Oliver), Mrs. Charles Brown (Nora Oliver), Mrs. Edgar A. Freeman (Jean Oliver) & John C. Oliver. Third row from back, Patsy Fay, Jean Fay, Oliver (Hobbs) Merle, Jeanne Merle Jr., Marie Merle, Molly Merle and Leo V. Merle Jr. (added to photo afterwards) First row, Nancy Fay, Sally Fay, Jean Freeman, Patsy O’Neill, Helen O’Neill, Billy Freeman Jr., Paul B. Fay Jr. & John Oliver. Part 1 Dedicated to the first soul of this happy family who has gone on, Helen Oliver Cornish. Her nature was so sweet and unselfish. Many little kindness of hers have since then been remembered by her brothers and sisters. She is in our memory and affectionately mentioned wherever our family gatherings occur. It was God’s will that she should go to a foreign land, China, and give up her life, taking with her that of her infant son’s, little Albert. She will greet us with a smile when we reach the other shore where there are no separations especially if our lives on this earth merit the reward that she has merited. OUR LIFE IN CALIFORNIA The day I was born Major Barron brought a gold locket and chain and a splits bottle of champagne to me with his wish that the bottle of champagne would not be opened until the day I was married. It was kept until that happy day, but it had turned into syrup, however, it was tasted by those at the Bride’s table. The locket and chain were stolen off my neck while in my baby buggy during my infancy. When I was about four years old, my mother, with my brother Maurice and my younger brother Ned, took us to San Francisco as the climate in Utah did not agree with her. My father remained behind as he had too many irons in the fire to leave his interests then. We lived at the Occidental Hotel on Montgomery Street, covering the block where my husband’s office is at present, 100 Montgomery Street, remaining there until my father could come on later. In the meantime my brother Genes was born, we were forced to leave the city as my brother Ned contracted lung fever, the doctor told my mother if he remained in San Francisco another week he could not live. The only abode she could find on such short notice was an adjoining hotel to the picnic grounds in Belmont, where we remained for six months when my mother purchased the Ben Lathrop home in Redwood City, where we lived many years. My brother Hillary was born there, and during our residence there we paid two visits to Utah, when I was eight years old and when I was sixteen. My brothers, Maurice and Ned were sent to Santa Clara College as boarders while I was a boarder at Notre Dame in San Jose, for five years.