Reed & Stapleton
Family Genealogy
By William C. Reed © 2001
I Remember Mom & Dad
Mother and dad were, in a sense, the epitome,
in terms
of size, of the saying, that opposites attract. Mother was
6' 2" tall while dad was about 5' 5" tall. Having met in
Ashland,Ky.,they were married December 24, 1936.
My father, the second child of Matthew and Martha Jane
Bayes Ealey, was born November 01, 1916 in Flat Gap,
Johnson, Co. Ky. His family was hit with devastaion
very early in his life, when his father Matthew, was
killed in a train crash at the Russell Trainyard in
Greenup Co.,Ky., on January 21, 1918.
His mother remarried in 1925 to Alonzo Reed, who
was a kind and loving stepfather. When dad left Johnson
County, he took upon himself, against the wishes of his
family, his step-fathers last name, although not legally.
Mother, Birdie Mae Stapleton, the oldest of 9 children
born to Mason and Carrie Martelia McCoy Stapleton,
was born
May 17, 1919 in Ashland,Boyd Co.,Ky.
Their first home, was that of her mother and father
where she gave birth to my brother and sister, Kenneth
and Wanda Lee. Abt. 1941, they moved to Baltimore,Md.,
where dad found work at the Maryland Ship Building and
Drydock Co. It was there, that my brothers Raymond and
George were born. By 1946, they had moved out into the
county, where I was born on New Cut Road, in Severn,
Md. That is where my personal memories begin.
As a child, my fondest memories centered around the
time spent at home with mother. The home was a converted
carriage house, that had for the most part, indoor
plumbing, but still had the proverbial "outhouse" for
other business. Her height was somewhat a disadvantage
to her, as she would have to duck down to pass through
each doorway in the house.
It was here, that I came to know her loving kindness,
as many of my pre-school days were spent with mother reading
her bible to me or playing her guitar and singing me to sleep
in the afternoons. Many days were spent, with me running a
brush through her soft dark hair, while she would sit and
crochet doilies and other articles. Always when I'd take naps
in the afternoon, mother would lie down beside me and rest
as well. I have since inherited that same guitar of hers
along with some of the doilies and pieces she crocheted, which
I will forever treasure.
I was not to get to spend many years with mother, as she
passed away July 21, 1956 after having surgery. A day
which I
will never forget. Dad went on to raise his children
as best as he could with the help of my sister, Wanda Lee,
to whom I will ever be greatful, for giving up her own
teenage years, to care for three rambunctious growing
brothers. Who learned, very early on, that when we wanted
something, "go ask Wanda", and she'd have dad get it for us,
such as Dairy Queen icecream cones.
Dad had many jobs, the best of which, was when he ran
the Amoco filling station in Glen Burnie, Md. It was there,
that I got to spend many of my preteen days, working
evenings and weekends, beside my dad. Whether it was
pumpng gas, or changing the oil in someones car, I
felt
pretty "cool", working for my dad. All for
$ 3.00 a week.
When my mother passed away, dad moved us to a 56 acre
farm closer to town. It was an old Virginia style home that
had the main house and a smaller house off to the side
that was used as a summer kitchen. My dad used it for his sleeping quarters,
while us kids slept in the main house.
Between the two houses was a large barn-garage, behind
which was the family graveyard. It didn't take my brothers
and I very long to figure out that dad would not go near
that graveyard so that was where we built ourselves a
treehouse in a large locust tree.
One night we decided to play a prank on my dad. There was
a pathway alongside the barn that led across the field down
to the local grocery store. My brother George got up into the
treehouse, tied a rope around a limb, and put a sheet over
himself. I went running into the house and told dad that my
brother Ray was laying in the field off the pathway and that
he was hurt bad.
Naturally, dad took off as hard as he could go, running past
the barn. Just as he cleared the edge of it, my sister Wanda
gave George the signal, and down he came swooping out of the
hedgerow right in front of my dad, screaming like a Banshee.
It scared him so bad that he passed out. Talk about four kids
getting a whipping. It was sure worth all the laughs we got on
him that night. Dad never went near that graveyard again, and
my brothers and I spent many a night sleeping up there in that
treehouse when we got into trouble with dad. Of course, dad was
smart enough to know that "you had to come down sometime."
As well as playtime, we also learned the meaning of
hard work. Whether it was hoeing the johnson-grass from
the corn field or shoveling the snow from the long
driveway, dad always found a way to keep us busy. My
fondest memory of the farm, was the hedge row of lilacs
all the way around the main house. I often dream that
I'm back on the farm in the spring, sleeping out on the
front porch, blanketed by the aroma from all the lilacs.
Dad passed away August 29, 1989 in Glen Burnie,Md.
By: Bill Reed"
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