If there's a genealogy gene, my husband's grandmother had it. On February 20, 1974, Olive Vandever (Hendricks) Maddox sat down at a typewriter and composed a letter to all her young grandchildren called, "Those Were the Days." It's a memoir, really, and it's utterly fascinating. The letter itself is thirty-five pages long, put in a binder and ends with a family tree. The first time I saw it, my heart beat faster, I swear. Honestly, the whole thing is fabulous and such an act of love (says the genealogist).
Olive Vandever Hendricks with one of her grandchildren, 1971
So here is her book, typed up, because I think it will be of use to those with ties to Mason, Warren County, Ohio in the latter part of the 1800s and the early 1900s. I also think her story will be interesting to anyone with a love of history. My father-in-law (Olive's son) also has an extensive collection of family photographs that he has scanned and shared with his family. The goal of this projects is to illustrate Olive's story with family photos, public domain images, and maps; to share it with a wider audience (and maybe help out a distant relative); and to allow Olive's family a deeper understanding of her life. After all, there's a new generation of her descendants around now.
I've divided the story into somewhat arbitrary chapters for the sake of readability. Those are not in the original text, which is just one long letter. But I have not changed the text, the punctuation, even the occasional typo. I hope you enjoy it as much as I do.
"Those Were the Days"
- My Dear Grandchildren
- A Little Family History
- Farm Life: Threshing
- Early Years
- The Move to Town
- ....
