The Montoya Children

So we know that Ramon Montoya had two children with Lydia Mary Gaulthair. She apparently had at least one child before Enrique that we thought was Frances but now are told that it was Patty. Frances says Ramon is not her father but the picture that Gary's mom had for 50 years shows Rickie and Frances and they look alike. That was the first inkling we had that Gary was really a Montoya since he also looked like them. Confused...so is everyone else. With the reunion just a little more than a month off, the list of questions just gets longer. When did they know about Gary? How do they know about Patty and is it the Patricia Powell I tracked down on Ancestry.com? When did Lydia disappear from their lives? Does Rick and Frances know that Lydia also offered them to Pat and Bill but they turned her down? How does anyone just give away children?

Gaulthair children

The Gaulthair children are aging. We believe that one of the oldest passed away in 2011. We have only tracked down seven so far so we think there are six to go. If we didn't live so far from Wisconsin, it would be easier. This is what we have found so far. Gary, Frances and Enrique will meet for the first time in July 2012. They are in their 50's. Lydia Mary Gaulthair was born on Sept 30, 1925 and died in March 2002 in Dallas, Texas. Ramon Montoya was born in 1916 and passed away in 1989. The three Montoya children are...Frances Montoya born in 1952, Enrique Montoya born in 1954 and Gary Montoya born in 1955. We suspect that some of the other children are Gerold Rickma and Karolene Rickman born in the early 1940's, Patricia L. Powell born in 1947 and David A. Gaulthair born in 1957.

Kendall/Gaulthier family

I have a lot of information for future family to share. Not only did I do my immediate family that is Rhea/Yeakley, I did the Dowland/Galbraith for my kids to include their dad's side of the family. Then I started on the Kendall/Hinds family knowing that my husband was adopted but doing the family who loved and raised him. These people may not completely be his biological family but they are family nevertheless. In the mix of the Kendall family is Gary's biological mother. She was his adoptive mother's cousin. Lydia Mary Gaulthair had many children. Gary was always aware of the two closest in age because we have a picture of them. He always wondered what happened to them. This is a big puzzle to put together and is getting bigger the more we find. We did find Frances and Enrique but then learned from other family members that there was a least one more.

An excerpt from the letter dated January 1st, 1919

Here is a brief excerpt from one of the letters from Martha Jane (McColloam) Rhea to William Rhea. "Mrs. M.J. Rhea Sneedville, Tenn Route 5, Box 3 Jan. 1st, 1919 Dear Wm, Nellie and Ralph, I hope you are well and happy and will Remain So Through life. I am well as I have been for the past 4 months. As far as I know all the Relatives here in common Health. I received your much appreciated presents. Also corset cover and apron from Leona. Della came and brought hers. Floyd did too. Xmas was very quiet. Wm, I am 71 years old this morning and I want to talk to my absent children. What I can and truly hope that when the end of their road is as near is Sight as mine They can Rejoice as I can, that Rest is near."

The Rhea's of Sneedville, Tennessee

The Rhea's of Sneedville, Tennessee is where I started. I had five letters written in 1918 and 1919 between my grandmother to my great grandmother and wanted to share them with family. I had already posted them on Ancestry.com which had generated some interest from family members mentioned in the letter as well as some of the neighbors as well.

This is my grandmother, Mellie (Farris) Rhea and the person I remember the most.

This was Granny when the letters were written.