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Even though "The Mystery of Julia" is titled
such, the article was about the family as a complete unit.
Virtually every member in this family, I had questions about.
Where did they go, who did they marry, where were they
buried? Thanks to reader responses which enabled me to
perform additional
research, I have been able to piece together the following information
in the paragraphs to follow.
Mary Sarah, known as "Sadie" to family and listed
this way on various death documents, the
oldest daughter, married Edward Pare (Perry). They had two
sons, and two daughters.
Lila married Charles Rucker. They lived in El Cajon,
California. After the passing of her husband, Lila returned to
the North Country, where she lived with her sister for a bit.
Lila later moved into her own apartment. She passed away in
the early 1990's. The Rucker house in
California was purchased by the Rock family who had previously
relocated
from Clinton County to California during the summer of 1950.
Despite purported articles in the Plattsburgh Sentinel
airing the Gonyea family laundry, Felix maintained or
reestablished communication with some of his children. Dependent on
whom I was talking to, there was open communication at best,
and at worst turbulent, feudal, grudge holding behavior. In
later years, Felix visited Lila in San Diego. While here, he
took care of the two Rock brothers that had moved here, earlier from
Clinton County. A smile came to my face and nostalgia set
in, as a story of Felix introducing the two brothers to
sugar, butter and bread sandwiches was relayed to me.
While going on visits to my maternal grandparents Ottoroy
(Felix's son) and his wife Agnes as a young girl, my siblings
and I were given these sandwiches as a treat. I remember
warm thickly sliced fresh baked bread, with a slathering of
homemade butter, and a dusting of white sugar sprinkled on.
We would savor these sandwiches while poking around in Agnes'
flower garden. This was
one of my favorite treats as a child. I imagine that this
tradition was handed down from my Great Grandfather. It has
been relayed to me that Felix returned to the North Country and died May 18,
1964, after the result of an auto-pedestrian accident. (I was
7 months old at this time). After re-interviewing several close Gonyea family members, I
have been able to corroborate that Felix returned to Clinton
County, but not how ihe passed away. Two of
these members recall a funeral being held for Felix but are
not sure of the interment location. Both ladies believe that
Felix was interred in the Mount Assumption of Redford
Cemetery. This location being where his parents and several
siblings are buried. Cemetery records for Mount Assumption
of Mary have not been transcribed, or at least that I can
locate. Please contact me if you know of a location where
these burial records can be located. During the writing of
both issues, several anomalies, plaqued me. How/Why
did Felix believe Julie was the person to have a warrant put
out on him after she went to Tupper Lake? Several Plattsburgh
Sentinel articles I have read, elude to the fact that Julie
didn't know the children were in an orphanage. If Julie knew
the children had been abandoned at the institution, why would
she leave them there? I am sure monies were slim, and
that she was working for meager wages and maybe even shame was
a factor. Stories circulate in small towns, and I am sure that
residents of Clinton County were familiar with the outcome,
when children were sent to an orphanage. Later, if unclaimed
or abandoned these waifs were sent to outlying state
orphanages. Perplexed I remain, as to why she didn't regain
custody of her children. I am a believer of the written
word. To an extent. Many times, I have followed persons who
have portrayed themselves to be without reproach. These
individuals publish articles for fame and monetary reward.
They create a curtain to shield themselves and their audience
of actual happenings. Isn't it better to write an article that
will capture an audience even if the facts are bent slightly,
or write an article, that while the facts may be true, are not
sensationalistic enough to bring forth a response from the
readers? I am sure journalism during the decades of Felix and
Julie's lives, are not that different from today's. As
always, I encourage you to share these newsletters with your
family and friends.
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