The Royal Ancestry of Isabel Trussell Wodhull

Isabel Trussell Wodhull of England    

abt 1412 - abt 1449

daughter of

William Trussell  

abt 1387 - abt 23 Jan 1464

Trussell, Herefordshire, England

son of

Laurence Trussell  

bef 1356 - bef 18 Sep 1399

Merston, Northamptonshire, England

son of

Warren Trussell  

abt 1310 -

Merston, Northamptonshire, England

and

Maud St Philibert  

abt 1323 - bef 1419

daughter of

John St Philibert     

1293 - bef 12 Feb 1332

and

Ada Botetourt     

- May 1349

daughter of

 

John Botetourt  

abt 1267 - 25 Nov 1324

Berkshire, England

and

Maud FitzThomas  

1270 - abt 28 May 1329

Mendlesham, Suffolk, England

daughter of

Thomas FitzOtes Knight  

1231 - bef 23 Mar 1274

and

 

Beatrice Beauchamp  

1243 - 1285

Emley, Bedfordshire, England

daughter of

William Beauchamp  

abt 1186 - aft 28 Dec 1260

Bedford, Bedfordshire, England

and

Ida Longespée  

abt 1208 - bef 1270

Salisbury, Wiltshire, England

daughter of

William Longespee     

abt 1176 - 07 Mar 1226

son of

 

Henry Plantagenet, King of England  

05 Mar 1133 - 06 Jul 1189

Le Mans, Sarthe, Pays de la Loire, France

My Gateway Ancestor: George Elkington

George Elkington of New Jersey

before 7 Dec 1650 - 19 Oct 1713

son of

William Elkington  

22 Jul 1547 - 15 Jul 1609

Cropredy, Oxfordshire, England

and

Alice Woodhull  

bef 08 May 1570 - bef 06 Nov 1639

Mollington, Oxfordshire, England

daughter of

Thomas Wodhull Gent.  

abt 1537 - bef 30 Mar 1592

England

son of

Fulk Wodhull Gent.     

abt 1515 - 09 Jul 1574

son of

 Lawrence Wodhull Esq.  

abt 1484 - bef 10 Sep 1551

England

son of

Fulk Wodhull Esq.  

abt 1458 - abt 1509

England

son of

John Wodhull Esq.  

abt 1436 - 12 Sep 1490

England

son of

Thomas Wodhull Esq.     

abt 1410 - 08 Aug 1441

and

Isabel Trussell     

abt 1412 - abt 1449

Chapter 11: 1987-2017, The genesis of a book

Over the years that followed, Lonnie and Darlene would add another daughter to their family. He would go on to join the United States Army and be stationed at Fort Wainwright, Alaska. That assignment would eventually lead him to bring Darlene and the girls to Fairbanks via the Alaskan Highway and experience America’s “last frontier” up close and personal.

2 And Lonnie’s military service wasn’t the end of the family’s participation in defending America. A brother from his mother’s second marriage served twenty years in the United States Marine Corps. Later still, Steven’s son would also join the U.S. Army and be sent to Iraq. In short, the family’s participation in the story of America continued.

3 Lonnie’s understanding of his many familial connections to America’s story would also continue to expand and become even more complex over the years that followed. For instance, he would eventually discover that his mother-in-law’s first husband, Roscoe York, was his cousin. Hence, his wife’s beloved half-sister had also turned out to be his cousin.

4 Lonnie’s oldest daughter would eventually attend college in Illinois and meet and marry there a direct descendant of Andrew Ellicott (the man who had given his support to Fitch over her own ancestor, James Rumsey, in the contest to produce a steamboat). Likewise, his youngest daughter would eventually marry a direct descendant of Martin Salazar (the man who had flitted across her Great Grand Uncle’s field of vision on his way back to Alabama to die).

5 Doodle’s death had brought home to Lonnie the fact that THE STORY NEVER ENDS! And the years since that event had only served to reinforce that conviction.

6 “It’s like the Bible,” he thought. “A bunch of stories that were told first around campfires and kitchen tables. Stories that had been told, retold, embellished, written down and rearranged by many different people across the centuries. And they somehow all came together to tell one story. The story of one people and their quest for something better.”

7 For many years, they had been a bunch of disparate strands scattered all over an ill-defined surface. Now, however, they had been gathered together and united in one person. Lonnie was the product of all those scattered strands.

8 He was like a rope that bound all of them together and reached so far down into the past that you couldn’t see the end of it. Moreover, his children, grandchildren, nieces and nephews provided strands that would reach into a future that he would never personally experience.

9 Those varied strands also told a story. And it wasn’t just the story of one man, one family or one tribe. It was the story of a whole nation: The United States of America.

10 Another Henry Howland descendant named Ralph Waldo Emerson had concluded in 1841 that the essence of being able to understand and appreciate history was being able to personalize the story and see one’s self in it. Emerson wrote of the student of history that “he should see that he can live all history in his own person.”

11 Likewise, another Edward Ketcham descendant named Walt Whitman had written about the “varied carols” he had heard as an observer of the American chorale. For Whitman, America was the blending of many different voices and songs.

12 Like his cousins before him, Lonnie had reached similar conclusions about America, and what it meant to be an American. All of the individual stories were part of a much bigger narrative. It was a narrative that stretched into the distant past and continued into an unknown future.

13 And it wasn’t a narrative about things dead and buried. It was the story of living, breathing people. William Faulkner had once observed that “The past is never dead – It’s not even past.” And, long before him, Cicero had written: “The life of the dead is placed on the memories of the living.” “This is my mission,” Lonnie thought.

14 It wasn’t one strand or one story that made him an American. It wasn’t his Pilgrim ancestry (or any of his European ancestry for that matter). It also wasn’t his African ancestry (or his ties to the narrative about slavery). It wasn’t even his Native American heritage (or his connections to the wars against them) that made him an American. It was all of them together.

15 Nevertheless, Lonnie knew that the impetus for compartmentalization and special identity was strong in the America that had produced him. There would be those who would deny his right to claim parts of his heritage because of their unwillingness to imagine themselves as being part of a whole. They would argue that some of his connections were too distant or too tenuous. Some would say that he didn’t have enough blood to claim parts of his heritage, while others would claim that one drop of that blood made him somehow less than a full American.

16 “It’s all part of my DNA,” Lonnie thought to himself as he contemplated the project before him. “I am the product of all of those people. Take any ONE of them away, and I wouldn’t be here. Take away any ONE of these stories, and America would be something other than what it is.”

17 Although many would continue to challenge the notion, America really was a “melting pot.” E pluribus unum was a reality in the person of Lonnie and his kinfolk.

18 Admittedly, there wasn’t much to be proud of in some of the stories that were part of his heritage. Indeed, many of the strands which made up that rope were downright ugly and dark. Lonnie knew that there would also be a few folks who would prefer that some of those strands had not been included in the larger narrative. He also realized, however, that removing them would paint an inaccurate portrait of what it meant to be an American and weaken the rope.

19 He knew that some people viewed America as a chain of stories about continuous and unbroken success, but he also knew that this view was very flawed. In fact, most of the stories which he had collected over the years were stories of almost continuous hardship, suffering, disappointment, cruelty and failure.

20 America’s story, much like the story of his own family, was not one of continuous and unbroken success! On the contrary, the real nature of America’s “success” as a nation lay in the persistence and endurance of its people in the face of many sore trials and much turmoil.

21 Indeed, the story of his family and the nation which they had helped to create reminded him more of something that the Apostle Paul had written to the saints at Corinth almost two millennia ago. He wrote: “We are troubled on every side, yet not distressed; we are perplexed, but not in despair; Persecuted, but not forsaken; cast down, but not destroyed…” (II Corinthians 4:9) And, just as Paul preached, Lonnie’s Americans believed that their endurance of those trials would someday result in a better world for them and their descendants.

22 And, just as the people in those stories represented many different ethnicities, the geography which they had traversed was wide and varied. Americans had always been on the move, and “home” was as complex a notion as the folks who had lived the stories. To his Northern kin, home was the place which they were currently living. To his Southern kin, home would always be the place where they had begun their lives.

23 This land had been home to the buffalo and to the dinosaurs before them. The Principal People and their kinfolk had settled here, and the Pale-skinned ones had taken it away from them. Those same Europeans had fought bloody wars over it and had enslaved their African brethren to work it.

24 Hence, just as he came to accept the reality of the diversity of his ethnic heritage and all that that entailed, Lonnie’s attitude toward the places where his family’s stories had unfolded was shaped by their experiences. Home was not a single place. Home was all of it. The United States of America was home.

25 Like the Israelites before them, Lonnie’s kinfolk were storytellers. And, over many years of listening and researching, Lonnie had collected many stories about his family. That made him the storyteller of his family. He could now see that it was his destiny to retell the stories which his grandmother, kinfolk and his own research had revealed.

26 Lonnie would do this for his ancestors, for himself and for all of the future generations that he would never see. He would use a pen name to do it, and there was only one name that would suffice. He would tell his story as Miller Jones.

Chapter 10: 1985-1987, An end and a beginning

Lonnie had already started taking classes to become a teacher at the college in Athens, Alabama. “Nanny played on the steps of Founders Hall when she was a young girl,” he thought to himself. He knew that Clip and Mittie and Press and Mary had lived in the city many years ago. Moreover, the families of his Great Grand Uncle Tollie and his Great Grand Aunt Pansy continued to live there.

2 Lonnie had chosen History and Political Science as his majors, of course; and he was enrolled in a class which covered the colonial and revolutionary period of American History. The class was being taught by the Department Chair, Dr. Mildred Caudle, and was attended by one of the most interesting creatures he had ever met in his life.

3 She sparkled. She sat on the other side of the classroom, but her presence filled the room. Darlene was pretty, smart and charming; and Lonnie would have to have been deaf, dumb and blind to miss her. He didn’t.

4 “As Washington faced his mutinous officers, he waved before them a letter of support from Congress,” Professor Caudle began again. “Then he paused, pulled his spectacles out of his coat pocket and said something like, ‘Gentlemen, you must pardon me, for I have grown gray and blind in the service of my country,’” she continued.

5 Lonnie and Darlene were both smiling. “Isn’t that wonderful?” the professor asked. “Some of the officers wept, and the rebellious spirit was gone from the room,” Dr. Caudle concluded. “He used their personal loyalty to him to dissuade them from their animus towards the Congress,” Lonnie commented. “Exactly,” the professor smiled.

6 After class, Lonnie approached Darlene who was busily talking with another student. She was obviously excited. “Yes, Handel’s Messiah!” she exclaimed.

7 “What’s this?” Lonnie asked. “In two weeks, I’m going to see a production of Handel’s Messiah at the Von Braun Civic Center!” she repeated. “Mind if I tag along?” Lonnie surprised himself and asked. “Not at all,” Darlene smiled. Although her friend bowed out a few days later, Lonnie and Darlene resolved to go ahead with their plans to attend and thoroughly enjoyed the performance and each other’s company.

8 That turned out to be the first of many dates over the months that followed. Darlene was introduced to Lonnie’s grandparents, and he was introduced to her mother and father.

9 Nevertheless, Lonnie felt guilty for dating someone outside of his church and decided to inform his pastor of the relationship and the seriousness of his feelings. “I don’t want to lose her,” thought the painfully shy young man.

10 Pastor Tucker, however, was not pleased to hear that Lonnie had violated the church’s rule that members must date and marry within the church. “Lonnie, you know that the Bible says that we are not to be unequally yoked together with unbelievers,” he told him. “But she is not opposed to my religious beliefs; and she is a good person, and I love her,” Lonnie explained.

11 “You are trying to reason around church teaching on the subject and justify your sins,” the pastor persisted. “You will have to end the relationship and repent,” he continued. Tears welled up in Lonnie’s eyes, and there was a knot the size of an apple in his throat. “And you can’t come back to church until you do!” the pastor finished.

12 Lonnie was devastated. He was being forced to choose between his church and Darlene – between God and an unbeliever. He was in anguish. “This might be my only chance for happiness and a family,” he thought. “But God must come first,” he told himself.

13 He called Darlene and told her about what had happened. “I don’t think that we should see each other anymore,” he told her. Darlene was bewildered and flabbergasted and didn’t know what to say. When Lonnie hung up the phone, he was shaking and sobbing.

14 He wrote to his father in Ohio and explained the situation to him. Wayne’s response would change his life. As Lonnie read through the letter, he could feel the weight being lifted from his shoulders.

15 “No one can put you out of God’s Church,” he read. “God calls people to be a part of His church, and only He can withdraw that invitation – and He’s not going to do that! I am also sure that Darlene is a wonderful girl (she must be to have captured your attention and heart). If she is meant to be a part of your life, God will reveal this to you in time.” The letter concluded with a strong assurance of his father’s love and support, and that God would never abandon him.

16 When Lonnie had finished reading it, he jumped in the car and headed to Athens. He had to see Darlene. Needless to say, Darlene was surprised and dismayed to see a breathless Lonnie running toward her. She grabbed his hands when he came within reach.

17 “What is it?” she asked. “I love you,” he declared. “I’ve decided that I cannot live without you; and, if you’ll still have me, I want us to be together.” “Are you sure?” she hesitated. “Are you absolutely sure?” she repeated. “I have never been more certain of anything in my life!” he exclaimed.

18 In December, Lonnie asked Darlene to marry him, and she consented. They quickly announced their decision to their respective families and began planning for a March wedding.

 19 “We very much want you to be there,” Lonnie told Darlene’s grandmother. “Well, babies, I don’t usually attend weddings and such, because I like to wear my overalls,” she protested. “I don’t mind overalls,” Lonnie told her. “Well, I’ll think about it,” she replied.

20 “Oh, Maw, I wish you would!” Darlene added. Daisy laughed and shook her head. “We love you,” they both told her. “I love you too, and Jesus loves us all!” she exclaimed.

21 A few months later, they were married on campus in the parlor of Founders Hall. To Lonnie’s delight, his Uncle Tollie and Aunt Pansy were in attendance. Wayne and Sandi came from Ohio to be there. Terrell and Pat drove from South Carolina. Clayton’s sisters came over from Huntsville. Darlene’s mother, brother and sister were also there from Brindlee Mountain. And, to everyone’s delight, Darlene’s grandmother showed up in her overalls and was given a front row seat at the affair.

22 For their final semester at the college, Lonnie and Darlene did their student teaching at Athens High School. Lonnie was given the eleventh grade U.S. History classes of three separate teachers and quickly adapted to the different styles and paces of each class. The experience, however, also knocked down some of the romantic notions which he had harbored about teaching.

23 He was sitting in the teacher’s lounge one day when a clearly frustrated Math teacher entered the room. “What does a fifteen-year-old have to talk about?” he demanded. “They haven’t lived long enough to have anything interesting to talk about!” he declared.

24 “You can lead a horse to water, but you can’t make them drink,” one of the ladies reminded him. “Yeah, but you can hold their head under till they drown!” he shot back. Everyone laughed.

25 In the meantime, Doodle and Clayton had decided to leave Alabama again and return to Ohio. As graduation approached, it was now clear that Darlene was pregnant. Nevertheless, she reluctantly consented to move north with Lonnie and his grandparents. Many loose threads seemed to be coming together all at once, and the young couple needed a distraction.

26 They went to see The Color Purple at the movie theatre in Florence. Darlene cried so much during the showing that Lonnie’s shirt was wet with tears when they emerged from the darkened room.

27 “That was wonderful!” Darlene sobbed on the way back to the car. “It was a powerful movie,” Lonnie agreed. “Whoopi Goldberg and Oprah Winfrey did a fantastic job.” The movie had touched them both deeply, but it had specifically reaffirmed Lonnie’s belief that everyone’s story was connected and inexorably moving in a direction that had profound meaning and purpose.

28 At the end of the summer, Darlene, Lonnie and his grandparents moved to Elyria, Ohio (a few streets over from where Wayne and Sandi were living at the time). There were, however, no openings for a history or civics teacher in any of the local schools. As a consequence, he was forced to serve as a kind of full-time substitute in several of them. Darlene’s rapidly expanding belly prevented her from working, and the couple continued to live with Clayton and Doodle.

29 That fall, they all prepared to enjoy their first Thanksgiving together. Steven and Angela, along with their two small sons, joined Lonnie, Darlene, Wayne and Sandi at Clayton and Doodle’s house for dinner. Everyone contributed to the meal, and they set up a long picnic table in the family room so that everyone could eat together.

30 Before the meal, Lonnie told the story of that first Thanksgiving enjoyed by John Howland almost three hundred and seventy years before that one. He also read his traditional quote from Abraham Lincoln and read from the eighth chapter of Deuteronomy.

31 When that was finished, he prayed: “Almighty God, thank you for this opportunity to give thanks together. Thank you too for each person here with us today – especially the little ones, and the little one on the way. And thank you for Nanny and Poppa, and the home which they have shared with all of us. And thank you for permitting Nanny to see her great grandchildren – that is a special blessing that we all appreciate.”

32 When he was finished, everyone said “A-men;” and they began to eat the feast spread out on the table before them. Little did they know at the time that that would also be their last Thanksgiving together.

33 Darlene had a little girl that December, and Doodle rejoiced to have yet another great grandchild placed in her arms. Still, Lonnie knew that Darlene would feel isolated and cut off from her own mother at such an important time. Her mother (Marie Little), however, did not drive, and no one had the money for plane fare. As a consequence, Lonnie decided to drive to Alabama over the Christmas break and bring her mother to Ohio.

34 At that time of the year, travel was a risky venture at best. Even so, Lonnie set out for Brindlee Mountain in Darlene’s old Monte Carlo. Although he made it to Alabama without incident, the return trip was plagued with plummeting temperatures and frequent snow flurries. Moreover, as the car’s defrost was not working, Marie had to periodically wipe the windshield off with an old towel so that Lonnie could see the road ahead of them. Thus, when they finally reached Elyria, Lonnie and Marie both breathed a sigh of relief.

35 Darlene was overjoyed to see her mother, and Marie was equally delighted to see her new granddaughter. Still, when the time came for her to return to Alabama, although she had been grateful for the opportunity to share this experience with her mother, Darlene was sad to see her go.

36 As a new year dawned, Doodle’s health began to suffer almost immediately. Indeed, over the months that followed, she grew weaker and weaker and was finally admitted to the local hospital.

37 “She has a massive tumor in her heart,” the doctor told them. “What is the prognosis?” Wayne demanded. “She can’t survive this,” the doctor replied. “We don’t have the ability here to even begin to deal with this,” he continued. “It is my recommendation that we take her to the Cleveland Clinic immediately.”

38 “Will she survive the move?” Lonnie asked. “She won’t last much longer here,” was the answer. “She’s scared, we don’t want you to tell her about this right now,” Wayne told him. They all agreed.

39 Doodle survived the trip to the Cleveland Clinic, but she died a few hours after arriving there. Lonnie and Steven were devastated. The woman who had meant so much to both of them was dead. The woman who had raised them, and who had loomed larger than life for all of their lives, was gone.

40 “Why?” Lonnie asked himself. He felt numb and lonely and sobbed all the way home. That night, there was a violent thunderstorm, and rain poured down from the heavens. The wind violently shook the limbs of the trees and swirled around the house. It was almost as if her passing had caused a great disturbance in the cosmos.

41 Lonnie was exhausted and felt empty inside. “God has given me Darlene and my daughter to see me through this,” he thought. And then there was blackness.

42 He could not remember when he had finally fallen asleep, but the sun was shining now. It was morning. The world had not ended last night. Life went on. 

Chapter 9: 1982-1984, Alabama beckons

A year after his sons graduated, Wayne finally decided to give marriage another try. He had been dating a nurse from Amherst with four children of her own. He introduced Sandi to Clayton, Doodle, Lonnie and Steven and then proposed a few weeks later.

2 They were married without fanfare at the Salvation Army in Elyria. “It’s about damn time!” was Clayton’s only comment.

3 “Would you mind if we stayed in the cabin down by the creek?” Wayne asked. “We’d like to save up some money to get a place of our own,” he explained. “We don’t mind at all,” Doodle said. “I don’t care,” Clayton agreed.

4 Lonnie helped to get the place ready for them, but he was beginning to wonder about his own future. He didn’t want to leave Spicebush, but it didn’t look like he was ever going to find gainful employment in Lorain County.

5 “Nanny and Poppa have sacrificed enough for me,” he thought. They had seen him through two years of college, and his brother Steven was currently enrolled in a broadcasting school in Nashville, Tennessee. “It’s time for me to stand on my own two feet and make my own way in the world,” he decided.

6 Thus, with the economy in the tank and no job prospects in sight, Lonnie decided to look for employment in Alabama. Clayton’s sister (Ruby) lived in Huntsville, and Lonnie called her and asked if he could stay with her while he looked for work. “Well, honey, you know you don’t even have to ask Aunt Ruby – I’d love to have you,” she had responded.

7 “Maybe the economy will begin to turn around this summer, and I’ll be able to come home this fall,” he thought as he headed down Interstate 65 toward Alabama. “I hope the traffic won’t be bad in Louisville,” he thought. It would take about eleven hours of hard driving, but he would be at Ruby’s house by nightfall if he didn’t make too many stops along the way.

8 As he came into Nashville, Lynyrd Skynyrd’s “Sweet Home Alabama” came on the radio, and Lonnie got his second wind. He was, after all, aware of his family’s deep roots in the “Heart of Dixie,” and had visited there many times over the years with his grandparents. Hence, Alabama may not have been home, but it certainly wasn’t an alien wasteland either.

9 In two more hours, he had just passed the turn off to “the world famous” Boobie Bungalow and had taken the Ardmore exit off of the interstate. The little city straddled the state line and allowed him to take Highway 53 directly into Huntsville. He couldn’t quite put his finger on it, but there was something comforting about the pine trees and red dirt that lined that road.

10 Inside the city limits, the highway turned into Jordan Lane (pronounced Jurdan Lane) and intersected Governor’s Drive. That was his destination. Governor’s Drive would take him to West Huntsville and the side streets which led to Aunt Ruby’s house.

11 She lived on Cypress Avenue in a small, plain white house that bordered the same playground where he and his brother had played on their visits to Granddaddy’s house when they were children. When he walked in the front door, Ruby was sitting in her rocking chair and sipping on a large glass of sweet iced tea. She quickly set her tea down, jumped up and hugged his neck.

12 “I was beginnin to wonder if you were ever gonna get here!” she exclaimed. “Are you hungry?” she asked. “No thank you, Aunt Ruby – I’m just tired,” he told her.

13 Unfortunately, the job situation wasn’t much better in Alabama than it had been in Ohio – especially for a young man with a degree in Environmental Health. He worked part-time that summer at a nearby K-Mart, and his prospects for something better did not look good.

14 After a few months of that, he was persuaded to try his hand at selling life insurance in nearby Guntersville. “I’m not much of a salesman,” Lonnie admitted to himself. “But, at least, this will get me out of doors and meeting new people,” he reasoned.

15 He parked on the side of one of the many hills that were an integral part of the city and approached a freshly painted house with a well-kept yard and knocked on the door. The Black family who lived there were clients, but they did not appear to be home. Across the street, there was a shabby looking house with knee-high weeds growing in the front yard. Nevertheless, he could see an older woman surrounded by three small children standing in the yard and looking in his direction.

16 He waved at them and started walking toward them. However, as he approached the woman, he noticed a strong urine smell that seemed to be emanating from the house before them. As he got closer, he noticed that the woman’s and children’s clothing was filthy, and flies were buzzing around them.

17 “Hello, I was wondering if you might know when your neighbors are going to be home?” he began. The woman immediately drew herself up into the most indignant stance she could muster and said, “Them’s niggers, we don’t associate with them!” Lonnie was so stunned that he didn’t know what to say. He quickly turned around and left.

18 Shortly thereafter, Lonnie decided that selling insurance wasn’t much better than stocking shelves at K-Mart. He began looking for something else. He also scanned the want ads and government bulletin boards for positions with water and waste treatment facilities and checked with local manufacturing concerns to see if anyone was hiring industrial hygienists.

19 In the current economy and under the current administration in Washington D.C., it was clear that environmental issues were not a priority. By that fall, he was thinking that he had made a serious mistake in his degree choice and was beginning to think that it might be best to go back to school and try something in a different field.

20 In the meantime, Doodle and Clayton were beginning to feel isolated and alone on Spicebush. “We can’t take care of the place on our own,” Doodle told him. “This house is too big for us, and you’re not going to be able to cut the grass and firewood and take care of the garden by yourself,” she continued.

21 “And I’m worried about Lonnie – if he goes back to school, he’s going to need a place to stay.” “Well, is it time to go back to Alabama?” Clayton asked.

22 The following year, Clayton found a place on the Elk River (not far from the place where Daniel Miller had crossed eighty-four years before). It had been the summer home of one of the German scientists who had worked with Dr. Wernher von Braun on the space program in Huntsville.

23 “I can catch me a fish and have it fryin in a skillet before it stops floppin,” he had told everyone. Doodle thought it was too far away from the Huntsville family and doctors on which she would have to rely, but she wanted Clayton to be content, so she gave her approval to the deal.

24 For his part, Lonnie was delighted to have his grandparents back and promptly pitched in to help them fix up the house and move there from Ohio. Once they were settled, he began to explore their surroundings and investigate educational opportunities in the area.

25 “The Millers and the Favors were from Rogersville,” his grandmother had told him. As a consequence, Lonnie decided to have a look at the cemetery that was situated about a mile down the road from them. He had noticed the small white sign posted by the road on their first trip to see the new house. “Miller Cemetery – there has to be some connection,” he thought.

26 As he walked around the cemetery, he noticed a tombstone for a Charlie Cunningham. “Could that be Nanny’s Aunt Clara’s first husband?” he wondered. Next, he found Thomas and David Miller. “Those are Daniel’s sons by his first wife,” Lonnie thought. “Nanny will be so excited!”

27 In the meantime, an older gentleman had pulled up in a pickup truck and unloaded a push lawnmower. Lonnie walked over and introduced himself and told him what he had found there.

28 “I’m Marvin Miller, and I guess that makes us cousins,” the man smiled. “Thomas Miller was my granddaddy, and I’ve taken care of this cemetery for over forty years,” he continued. They talked without interruption for the next thirty minutes. “Well, I guess I’d better get to cuttin this grass or it isn’t goin to get cut!” Marvin exclaimed.

29 “If you get a chance, my grandmother would love to meet you,” Lonnie told him. “Maybe I’ll stop in and say hello a little later on this week,” he smiled again. They shook hands, and Lonnie hurried home to tell his grandmother about what he had discovered at the cemetery.

30 Sure enough, later that week, Marvin showed up at their front door. Doodle and Clayton invited him into the house, and they talked for the next hour and a half. “There are plenty of Favors who still live around here too,” Marvin told them.

31 “Curtis and Mary Favors are two of the finest people I’ve ever known,” he continued. “Oh, I’d love to meet them too,” Doodle volunteered. “I can give them your phone number and let them get in touch with you?” Marvin offered. “That would be wonderful!” She beamed. “I’m beginning to feel like I’ve really come home!”

32 In the months that followed, Doodle met Curtis and Mary and became good friends with them. And, despite her worsening rheumatoid arthritis, she made a point of getting reacquainted with her long-lost kinfolk (cousins, aunts and uncles).

33 Chief among these were two of her father’s remaining siblings who still lived in Athens: Tollie and Pansy. They both seemed delighted to get reacquainted with their niece and her family, and an outside observer would have never guessed that almost thirty years had elapsed since their last contact with her.

34 The renewed relationship was further strengthened by Lonnie’s decision to begin attending Athens State College that year. They had an excellent teacher education program, and it was only thirty minutes away from their home in Rogersville.

35 It was now 1984, and Ronald Reagan was running for reelection. The economy, however, was still in the doldrums, and his triumph did not seem certain.

36 In fact, the Democratic field of candidates who were vying for the opportunity to replace him was crowded. Among them, Lonnie was particularly interested in the senator from his home state of Ohio. Hence, when it was announced that John Glenn (the former Mercury astronaut) would appear at the courthouse in Athens, Lonnie jumped at the chance to meet him.

37 “Senator Glenn, I’m an Ohio boy – like yourself,” Lonnie told him as he shook his hand. “Oh, what part of Ohio?” the senator asked him. “Elyria, in Lorain County.” “Oh, yes, I know where that is,” Glenn smiled. “Thank you for your service to our country,” Lonnie told him. “Thank you for coming out today – I hope you’ll consider voting for me in the upcoming primary.”

38 Later that year, on the fourth of July, Ronald Reagan came to Decatur, Alabama. “The President’s going to be at Point Mallard, and I’m going to see him,” Lonnie announced. One of Leslie’s and Dorothy’s daughters consented to go with him.

39 He had been to the popular water park on numerous occasions before, but he had never seen a crowd like this one. Thousands of people were crowded into the field, and many more were streaming into the open space through the metal detectors that had been erected to protect the president.

40 When Reagan finally took the podium, the crowd went wild. After congratulating them on continuing to be patriotic when it had fallen out of fashion in the rest of the country, the president quickly turned his attention to the folks standing before him.

41 He said: “People who aren’t from the South tend to talk about the moonlight and Magnolias. Well, the South is a lovely place; but I’m one of those who feel a special affection for its people. I admire the values that took root here, and the pride that’s such an integral part of your character. I’m drawn to your good sense, decent traditions and your faithfulness to God and this land. And we share a love for this country of ours.”

42 The applause was deafening, and Lonnie couldn’t help but like the man standing before him. That fall, a majority of the country agreed with Lonnie, and Ronald Reagan was easily reelected to a second term as president.

Chapter 8: 1981, A ride with the devil and finding a job

In the meantime, Wayne had decided to take a trip of his own that summer. He had been itching to try out the metallic purple Corvette he had recently purchased on a road trip, and his desire to visit his step-brother Terrell and his wife in South Carolina would provide the perfect excuse for him to do so. So, he packed a few belongings and headed for Greenville.

2 After a nice visit, he announced that he would leave the following morning. “Which way are you going home?” Terrell asked. “I think I’ll head up through the mountains and hit 77,” he replied.

3 Terrell pulled out his atlas. “You’ll save a lot of time if you cross over here and take 75 instead,” he pointed. “I’ll try it,” Wayne shrugged.

4 A few minutes later, he was on the road back to Ohio. It didn’t take long, however, until his progress was hampered by a torrential downpour.

5 As he drove through the rain, he noticed a man walking just ahead. “He’s going to get soaked,” Wayne thought to himself. He pulled over and waited for the man to reach the car. When he opened the door, Wayne asked him if he’d like a ride. “Sure, thanks,” the man smiled.

6 He struggled to place a large bag behind the passenger’s seat, and then quickly crawled into the front seat and placed a smaller bag at his feet. He appeared to be a fairly young man. In addition to the fact that he was obviously very wet, Wayne could tell that he was tall and had a solid build.

7 He was quiet at first, but Wayne could see out of the corner of his eye that the man was looking him over. “Where are you headed?” Wayne asked. “Ohio,” the young man replied. There was silence again for several minutes.

8 “What’s your story?” the stranger finally asked. “What do you mean?” Wayne responded. “Are you from around here? Are you married? What’s your name?” his guest fired off in rapid succession.

9 “I’m Wayne; and, no, I’m divorced,” he replied. Wayne was beginning to get a little nervous by now. He could see that the man had removed something from the small bag at his feet and had placed it between his seat and the door on his side of the car.

10 “Any children?” the stranger continued. “Yeah, I’ve got two sons,” Wayne replied.

11 There was a rest area just ahead. “I’ve got to pull off at this rest stop and make a phone call,” Wayne told him.

12 “I’m afraid, if you’re headed to Ohio, this is about as far as I’m going to be able to carry you,” he continued. “At least you’ll have some shelter here, and maybe you can find someone here who’s headed in that direction,” Wayne finished.

13 He parked the car, and the man opened the door and pulled out his bags. “Thanks for the ride,” he said and turned to walk away. Wayne locked his car and walked toward the restrooms and the public phones. A few minutes later, he was back in his car and on his way to Ohio again.

14 Years later, he was watching a report on the nightly news about a serial killer from Bath, Ohio. His name was Jeffrey Dahmer, and Wayne instantly recognized him as the young man whom he had picked up on that trip home from South Carolina.

15 And the cosmic connections did not end there. A short time after that, Steven (who was then working as a correctional officer at a prison in Lorain County) would be present when Mr. Dahmer was brought there from Wisconsin as part of the process of holding him responsible for the first murder he had committed as a teenager living in Ohio in 1978.

16 Lonnie, however, was oblivious to what had happened to his father that summer. And, when he got back to Ohio, he began looking for work almost immediately. He put together a resume and started filling out applications at factories, health departments and water treatment facilities all over the county. Then, one day, the phone rang.

17 Doodle answered the call. “Lonnie, it’s for you,” she said as she handed the phone to her grandson.

18 “Lonnie, this is Gordon Richardson with United States Steel,” the person on the other end of the line began. “I’m calling about your application for a position with us as an industrial hygienist, and I was wondering if you’d be interested in coming in to talk with us,” he continued.

19 “Sure, I’d be very interested,” Lonnie told him. “Could you come in for an interview Monday morning at 10?” Mr. Richardson asked. “I’ll see you then,” Lonnie assured him.

20 As he drove up Highway 58 toward Lorain, Lonnie thought about the long commute that this job would entail. “Poppa commuted from North Ridgeville to Cleveland every day for almost twenty years,” he told himself.

21 “The economy is in a terrible recession right now, and they’ve been laying off their workers left and right,” he thought. “They wouldn’t have called you if they weren’t interested,” he reassured himself.

22 When he arrived at the plant, Mr. Richardson gave him a tour of the facilities. “You would be monitoring the air in here and helping to ensure that we provide the best possible working environment for our employees,” the man told him. The tour and interview lasted about an hour, and Lonnie was encouraged by everything that he had seen and heard. It really looked like he had landed a job.

23 Two days later, however, there was another ominous headline in the Elyria newspaper about U.S. Steel laying off more workers. The following Monday, Mr. Richardson called back. “Lonnie, we really liked you, but I’m sorry to say that we aren’t going to be hiring anyone right now.”

24 “Environmental and safety concerns are among the first victims of a bad economy,” Lonnie thought as he hung up the phone. “It is not going to be easy to find a job in this mess.”

Chapter 7: 1979-1981, Expanding horizons

They were settled in at Spicebush now, and Steven was enrolled at Wellington High School. Lonnie, however, was now faced with the question of what he was going to do with the rest of his life.

2 The period between his early graduation from Ridgeville High and getting moved into their new home had been exciting and rewarding. Sure, there had been plenty of work in finishing the house and getting the old one ready for sale; but there had also been many glorious hours of tramping through the woods and exploring the abundant plant life he found there.

3 He wanted to be a park ranger, but that didn’t seem very practical. He would probably have to move far away from his family, and it would still be hard to get a foot in the door – even with a willingness to relocate. There was also the issue of his religion to consider. Rangers often had to work on the Sabbath.

4 There was, however, a small technical college in southeastern Ohio that offered what appeared to be an excellent two-year program in Environmental Health. “I won’t be in the middle of the woods, but I can still make a contribution to protecting the environment in the form of cleaner water and air,” he reasoned. He would also be close enough to come home on weekends – an important consideration for a young man who was so attached to home and family.

5 “I think that Hocking is the best choice,” Lonnie told his grandparents. “I’d really like to try and go this fall.” “We’ll do everything we can to help you,” they assured him.

6 Wayne told him that he would help him too. “You have a fine mind, son,” he said. “It would be a shame and a waste if you didn’t attend college.”

7 That fall, Lonnie rented a room on the second floor of a private home that shared a kitchen and bathroom with another student down the hall. Clara Hashman rented the rooms to supplement her social security and retirement income from her deceased husband.

8 “I don’t want any wild parties, and I expect you to keep the place clean,” she told Lonnie. “You can’t have overnight guests, and you will have to be in at a reasonable hour.” Lonnie smiled. “I don’t have any problems with any of that,” he assured her.

9 Lonnie was still getting used to his classes, fellow students and new landlady when word came that a group of radical Iranian students had taken fifty-two Americans hostages in Tehran. “I’m sure that the president will demand their release,” he told Mrs. Hashman. “I hope so,” she replied.

10 The president, however, did not secure their immediate release, and the captivity of the hostages dragged on and on, month after month. As the election approached in the fall of 1980, it was becoming clear to almost everyone that Ronald Reagan would defeat Jimmy Carter, the incumbent president.

11 On Inauguration Day, like many of his fellow Americans, Lonnie watched the television set in his room as Ronald Reagan was sworn in as the fortieth president of the United States. He was impressed by the optimistic tone of his address to the nation and was thankful that the hostages had finally been released. Maybe a new day really had dawned after a long, dark night.

12 Still, Lonnie was apprehensive about what he perceived as Reagan’s indifference toward environmental issues. “We’ll just have to wait and see,” he told his friends.

13 Then, in March, the news flashed on the television screen that there had been an incident involving the president at a Washington hotel. As the coverage continued, it was revealed that shots had been fired, and that people had been injured. Lonnie raced downstairs to Mrs. Hashman’s den.

14 “Are you watching this?” he asked. “Yes, it’s awful,” she replied. Eventually, they (along with the rest of the nation and world) learned that the president had been shot. Upon hearing that, Lonnie and his landlady quickly bowed their heads and prayed together for Mr. Reagan’s recovery.

15 Although the life-threatening nature of his injuries were not fully appreciated at the time, everyone understood that the president had literally just dodged a bullet. After all, it was clear to them that the injuries sustained by his press secretary and others had been very serious. Even so, Reagan recovered quickly, and his survival added to the aura of strength, success and good humor that had already made him so popular with the American people.

16 Lonnie graduated from college that summer, and Steven graduated from high school. To celebrate those events, Doodle and Clayton hosted a party down by the creek. Linda and their siblings by her second husband attended the affair, as well as both local and out of state family and friends. There was plenty of food and plenty of alcohol.

17 For Lonnie, however, the real celebration of his accomplishment was his grandfather’s decision to take him on a two-week long trip out West. They placed two cots in the back of his Chevy Scottsdale pickup truck with a camper shell over the bed, and they followed Interstate 80 out through Iowa and Nebraska.

18 “They say that the Platte River is a mile wide and an inch deep,” Lonnie told him as they drove along the watercourse. When they got to Rocky Mountain National Park in Colorado, he asked his grandfather to pull over by a mountain stream. He jumped out of the truck and dipped his feet into the cold rushing water.

19 “Can you believe that there is still snow up here in June?” Lonnie asked in disbelief as they rode up into the mountains. He got out of the truck and made a snowball, but the air was a little too thin for much play.

20 The following day, they headed north for Wyoming and the massive Wind River Reservation. “I want to see the places where my Native American cousins live,” Lonnie had explained to his grandfather.

21 However, as they drove through the reservation, he began to realize that many of his notions about these people and how they lived were inaccurate and naive. “They do not look like me, and most of them appear to be very poor and are living in modern housing,” he observed.

22 Slowly, he began to realize that he had romanticized many of his ideas about these people and his connections to them. For one thing, he was surprised to see so many White folks wondering around and living there.

23 Even so, Lonnie did feel a spiritual energy flowing through him which he had not felt before. It may not have been what he expected, but he definitely felt a connection to this land and its people.

24 From there, they continued westward and shortly entered the valley of Jackson Hole. “Poppa, look at the reflection of the Tetons in that lake!” Lonnie exclaimed. Clayton smiled and simply said, “Yeah, I see it.”

25 They continued north into Yellowstone National Park. “This is where it all began,” Lonnie told his grandfather. “This was the first national park.” As they drove deeper into the park, Lonnie thought about President Theodore Roosevelt’s visit to the park just seventy-eight years before his own.

26 “Stop, pull over!” Lonnie suddenly shouted. “What for?” Clayton asked as he pulled the pickup off of the road and parked. “Look at all of those buffalo and elk!” Lonnie exclaimed as he jumped out of the vehicle and began running across the open ground toward them. There were plenty of other tourists who had their cameras out and were doing the same thing.

27 A park ranger, however, shouted at them and motioned for everyone to return to the side of the road. “These are wild animals in their natural habitat, and you are guests in their world,” he explained to the crowd that had now gathered around him. “The ground here is also unstable. There is geothermal activity everywhere here beneath us. Hence, you must stay on the dedicated roadways and paths,” he continued.

28 Later, they also stopped to see Old Faithful and spent the night at one of the designated campgrounds. They immediately noticed that lids were attached and firmly secured to every garbage can in the area.

29 “Make sure that you do not leave any food out, and that all food is secured away from your vehicle,” another ranger had told them. “You don’t want a bear snooping around in your camp,” he explained.

30 The next day, they skirted around Yellowstone Lake and headed east toward the Bighorn Mountains. They were working on the roads that summer, and Clayton was not very pleased with the gravel and dirt surfaces which they had to traverse through the mountains.

31 “Damn!” and “What the hell?” were frequent expletives along the way, but Lonnie was in heaven. The mountains were beautiful. And, as they wound their way through them, Neil Diamond’s America started playing on the radio. Lonnie had goosebumps.

32 In South Dakota, they visited Mount Rushmore. While his grandfather sat down on one of the benches, Lonnie stood on the viewing platform and closely observed the faces of the presidents who had been carved into stone. The visages of Washington, Jefferson, Theodore Roosevelt and Lincoln stared back at him. “This is my country,” he thought. “This is my heritage – sweet land of liberty.”

33 They also stopped at Badlands National Park. “Isn’t this beautiful!” Lonnie exclaimed. “Looks like a bunch of dirt and rocks to me,” his grandfather replied. “Oh, Poppa!” “Well, it does,” Clayton chuckled.

34 “We have to see Pine Ridge and Rosebud,” Lonnie proclaimed. “Why?” Clayton demanded. “Because I told you that I wanted to see the reservations, and I have to see Wounded Knee,” he explained.

35 “You’re determined to get me off on every cow path and pig trail you see,” Clayton protested. “This is important, Poppa,” Lonnie persisted. “This is at the heart of this entire trip.”

36 As they drove across the plains, Clayton complained that he didn’t see “a damn thing” worth noticing. However, when they parked by the sign marking the spot where the “Battle of Wounded Knee” had occurred ninety-one years ago, Lonnie jumped out of the truck and began reading the plaque.

37 The first thing he noticed was that the word “Battle” had been marked through and someone had scribbled the word “Massacre” over it. He had read Dee Brown’s Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee the previous summer, and he understood the strong feelings which this place and the events which had occurred here evoked among Native Americans.

38 As he stood there and looked out toward the place where the events had unfolded so long ago, he did not feel the pride which had enveloped him just a few hours before. In its place, there was sorrow, shame and many questions.

39 “Is this a part of my heritage?” he asked himself. “What was it really like to be hunted like an animal and forced off of your land?” he wondered. A strong breeze was blowing; and, despite the summer sun overhead, he suddenly felt cold and very connected to those who had died here.

40 There were still many miles between them and home, but Lonnie knew that the trip had effectively ended here. This was the objective of his pilgrimage. The things which he had seen on this trip epitomized the dichotomy inherent in his heritage as an American – the good and the bad.

41 As they headed home, Lonnie thought about that contrast and its implications for him and the country he loved. He couldn’t reject it or deny it. It was an integral part of who he was. It was all a part of his heritage, and all he could do was embrace it and claim it as his own.

Chapter 6: 1975-1978, The spirit of ‘76

Clayton had purchased seven acres in Wellington Township the previous year and had created a campsite down by the creek that ran along the back of the property. As a consequence, there was no longer any need for the family to visit the local campgrounds on the weekend. Beginning in 1975, almost every weekend was devoted to what they affectionately referred to as “The Farm.”

2 At “The Farm,” they could pretend to live a simpler life. Clayton purchased an old Farmall Cub and plowed up about a half-acre of ground. Lonnie and Steven helped him plant a garden. There were pole beans, bush beans, peas, corn, potatoes, onions, okra, leaf lettuce, tomatoes, peppers and squash. In fact, by the time they got everything planted, it looked more like a truck patch than a garden.

3 In the summertime, Clayton pumped water up out of the creek to water the garden. Moreover, the sandy loam soil that extended to a depth of almost three feet would grow almost anything. As a consequence, the harvest was always prodigious and continuous.

4 Early in the season, Edna prepared “wilted” salads by pouring hot bacon grease over the leaf lettuce and green onions which the boys had harvested from the garden. Later on, Clayton and the boys would can hundreds of quart jars of tomato juice and green beans and fill up a large chest freezer with the other vegetables (and more green beans). They also canned pickles (dill, sweet and bread & butter). And it usually continued until the frost killed it.

5 It wasn’t all work, however. Lonnie loved to hike through the woods and explore the flora and fauna of the surrounding woodlands. Steven loved to fish and ride the dirt bike which Clayton had purchased for them.

6 In fact, whenever they had a free moment, Lonnie would coax Steven or the family dog to go on one of his extended hikes. He purchased field guides for trees, wild flowers and edible plants. He would gather specimens along the way and bring them home to identify them.

7 The woods did not disappoint him. They were full of White and Red Oaks, Beech, Walnut, Poplar, Cherry, Willow, Elm, Ironwood, Buckeye, Sassafras, Sweet Gum, Sugar Maples and Paw Paw. There was also an abundance of wild flowers (Trillium, Bluebells, Hyacinths, Geraniums, Touch-Me-Nots, Ironweed, Daisies, Snakeroot, Goldenrod, Asters, Queen Anne’s Lace, Bergamot and Phlox). The understory also contained numerous kinds of fungi, ferns, briars and Spicebush.

8 Thus, it was not too much of a stretch to suggest that “The Farm” was the place where Lonnie acquired his love of nature. “I love the woods,” he would often tell his grandparents. Eventually, Lonnie’s love of the woodlands would prompt his grandfather to purchase the fifteen acres of woods on the other side of the creek and transform “The Farm” into “Spicebush.”

9 In the meantime, the country celebrated its Bicentennial in 1976. Two hundred years as a nation. Two hundred years since the Declaration of Independence. The country and Lonnie’s family had survived wars, depressions and scandals. Moreover, the nation was also engaged in another election cycle which pitted Gerald Ford against a peanut farmer from Georgia. So, yes, there was a great deal to celebrate that Fourth of July.

10 Lonnie, however, was not celebrating school. He was an introvert and did not make friends easily. Thus, although his grades kept him on the honor roll, he was eager to finish school and leave North Ridgeville behind him.

11 “I have the credits, and I’d like to graduate early,” Lonnie told his grandparents one day. “If you graduate early, we’ll build a house and move to Wellington,” Clayton told him. “Are you sure you want to do that?” Edna asked him. “Yes, I really think we’d all be happier on Spicebush,” he told them.

12 “I’d have to switch schools,” Steven added. “Yeah, but you make friends easily, and I don’t,” Lonnie reminded him. Steven shrugged and walked away.

13 Thus, Lonnie informed the school’s administration that he would be graduating early and arranged to take the courses necessary for that to happen. And, true to his word, Clayton began construction on a new house at Spicebush.

14 From that point forward, their weekend camping trips were occupied with carpenter’s tools and lumber. Edna prepared the meals while her boys worked on the house, and a new future for the family slowly began to take shape in Wellington.

Chapter 5: 1974, A resignation and a serial killer

 They had watched the testimony before Senator Sam Ervin’s Watergate Committee and had listened to President Nixon’s repeated assertions that he was “not a crook” for months. Now, however, things were finally coming to a head. By the end of July, it became clear that Congress was going to impeach and convict the president for his role in the attempt to cover up the Watergate break-in.

2 Facing such a headwind, the Howland and Lippincott descendant who was currently occupying the Oval Office decided to resign. The family gathered around the television set in the family room that evening to hear the President’s address.

3 He said: “I have never been a quitter. To leave office before my term is completed is abhorrent to every instinct in my body. But as President, I must put the interest of America first. America needs a full-time President and a full-time Congress, particularly at this time with the problems we face at home and abroad.” If he continued to press for his vindication, Nixon admitted that the process would absorb all of the attention of both himself and the Congress.

4 The resignation would take effect at noon on the following day. The President concluded his remarks by saying that he had “felt a very personal sense of kinship with each and every American” as a consequence of his having served in that capacity. He finished with a prayer: “May God's grace be with you in all the days ahead.”

5 It was finally over. Gerald Ford would be sworn in as the thirty-eighth President of the United States the following day.

6 Ironically, like Mr. Nixon, Mr. Ford was also a Henry Howland descendant. Thus, for Lonnie and his brother, one distant cousin succeeded another as President.

7 The following month, Annie was headed back to Birmingham from her cottage on Guntersville Lake when she decided to pull off at the Quick Stop Lounge for a drink before returning home. “I’ll have a Bud,” she said as she sat down at the bar. “Coming up!” the female bartender replied.

8 A few minutes later, another customer handed her a fifty-dollar bill. “Anybody got change for a fifty?” she shouted so that everyone could hear her.

9 Annie waved her hand and opened her purse. She removed a large wad of money from it and counted out one twenty, two tens and two fives on the bar before her.

10 A tall, thin, redheaded young man at the end of the bar perked up and paid close attention to the transaction. After it was finished, he picked up his beer and moved over to where Annie was sitting. “Hello, Darlin,” he said with a broad smile.

11 “Well, aren’t you pretty?” Annie offered with a smile of her own. “Thank you,” he replied with an even bigger grin. “You’re lookin pretty good yourself.” “I’m old enough to be your mama,” Annie admitted. “My mama never looked that good,” he smiled.

12 “I’m Annie Dawson,” she said as she shook her head in disbelief and offered her hand. “Daryl Gates,” he lied as he took her hand and kissed it. He ordered them both another beer, and they made small talk for about an hour.

13 “This place is a bit of a dive, isn’t it?” he finally asked. “Don’t you have someplace where we could go and get better acquainted?” he asked with a leer.

14 Annie couldn’t take him home where her grandchildren would be waiting for her return, and there was something a little unsettling about the handsome stranger. “I know of a much nicer place a few miles down the road,” Annie volunteered. “You can follow me,” she offered.

15 They drove to the Hide-A-Way Tavern and parked. “This isn’t quite what I had in mind,” Daryl said as he walked toward her car. “We can get something and go to a motel,” he suggested. “Alright, you go get us something, and I’ll wait on you,” Annie told him.

16 He entered the bar, and Annie waited about fifteen minutes in the parking lot for him to return. Bored, she finally went inside and joined him at the bar. They purchased a bottle of whiskey and left a few minutes later.

17 “You can follow me,” she told him. “We’ll just take my car,” Gates replied. “I can bring you back later,” he reassured her when he saw the look of doubt on her face.

18 “I can’t stay out too late,” Annie told him. “I’ve got to get home to my kids,” she explained. “I’d love to meet them,” he replied. “That’s not going to happen,” Annie thought to herself. “Oh, just get in the car!” he shouted in exasperation. “No thanks, you can follow me,” she repeated.

19 He suddenly came up behind her and pulled out a knife. “I told you to get in the car,” he snapped in a low voice.

20 She hesitated at the passenger door, then opened it and crawled inside. Although she didn’t know it at the time, the car she was now sitting in belonged to a man who had been murdered by Daryl just a few short weeks before. Even so, Annie now understood that Daryl Gates (or whoever he was) was dangerous.

21 In fact, he wasn’t Daryl Gates at all. His real name was Paul John Knowles, and he had already murdered about two dozen men, women and children by the time he had met her.

22 They drove to a motel and checked in with Annie’s credit card. Paul was unable to perform in bed, but he refused to let Annie go.

23 The next morning, he forced Annie back into the car and headed for Mississippi. Several days of fear and uncertainty followed as the unlikely pair slowly made their way west on Interstate 20.

24 Then, just after they crossed the Mississippi River into Louisiana, he pulled off the highway and stopped in a wooded area on the outskirts of a small town. Knowles dragged Annie into the woods and raped and strangled her with her own nylons.

25 From there, his murderous romp across the country continued. He was finally captured by police two months later and was shot while trying to escape the following month.

26 In the end, Paul John Knowles had murdered thirty-five souls. And, although the authorities were only able to positively identify eighteen of his victims, Annie was one of them. It would, however, take another two and a half years to have her declared legally dead and allow her grandchildren to inherit what little was left of her estate.

Chapter 4: 1973, Gainful employment, a visit and a fire

 In 1973, Wayne was working for American Shipbuilding at the Lorain Shipyards on Lake Erie. He had previously worked on two of the great ore carriers of the Great Lakes: the Edmund Fitzgerald and the Roger Blough.

2 “They are going to dedicate a new ship at the Shipyards, and I want the boys to see what I do for a living,” Wayne told Edna. “I think that would be a great idea,” she replied. Thus, Lonnie and Steven were in attendance when George Steinbrenner and Ava Gabor dedicated the Paul Thayer that year. Years later, Wayne would suffer from the condition known as asbestosis because of his years of crawling through ships that were literally lined with asbestos.

3 In the meantime, Linda was working as a waitress in a restaurant above the Higbee’s Department Store at the Midway Mall. Edna took the boys to see their mother there one afternoon, but they didn’t see much of her that day.

4 “I’d like to see my boys, but I’m not waiting on that bitch,” she told her coworkers. “That’s ok, Linda, I’ll get this one,” Trudy volunteered. “Thanks, I’ll owe you one,” Linda told her.

5 Later that day, after they had returned from Higbee’s, Annie called from Alabama. “I am at my wit’s end with these children,” she began. “I simply cannot keep taking care of them by myself - I can’t even take care of myself!” she continued. “Between my kidneys and this colostomy, I’m just about done for - I need a break!” “Do you think that Dick would be willing to help me?” she asked.

6 “Why don’t you and the kids come up here for a visit?” Doodle suggested. She wasn’t sure that her brother would be willing to have any further dealings with his former wife, but she was willing to help her try for the sake of the children.

7 “Oh Doodle, that would be wonderful,” Annie replied. “Have you got enough room for all of us?” she asked.

8 “We can make room,” Edna responded. “If we have to, we can make a Baptist pallet in the floor for the kids, and I’ve got a couple of couches,” she explained.

9 As Edna replaced the phone on its base, she wondered how her brother would react to the news of Annie’s visit to Ohio. “I hope that he will look past her and think about his grandchildren,” she told Clayton. “I don’t know,” Clayton replied. “How do you think Jean and the boys will feel about this?” he asked. “I don’t know,” Doodle admitted.

10 At first, it seemed like old times. Annie grabbed Edna and hugged her tight. “I’ve missed you,” she told her. “I’ve missed you too!” Doodle replied. They talked for hours about things that had happened when they were younger and the people they had both known then.

11 “Has Dick said anything about seeing the children?” Annie finally asked. Edna squirmed. “No, he hasn’t said anything to me,” she replied.

12 In fact, to say that Dick was not eager to see his first wife would have been a colossal understatement. He had built a new life for himself with Jean, and they were taking care of three boys of their own. Annie and his grandchildren represented an unpleasant past – one that he thought he had put behind him a long time ago. “I don’t understand why Doodle invited them up here!” he exclaimed in exasperation.

13 Edna did her best to entertain her guests and make them feel welcome, and Lonnie and Steven enjoyed the novelty of having cousins to stay with them. Nevertheless, Annie and the children returned to Alabama without any offer of help or interest from Dick. In the end, the visit had only served to damage Doodle’s relationship with her brother and his wife.

14 As the summer waned, Clayton and Doodle decided to refocus their energy on their own grandchildren. Clayton had purchased a large and well-equipped recreational vehicle, and they made several trips to the local campgrounds that summer to keep the children entertained and out of trouble.

15 That fall, Clayton and the boys gathered a large store of firewood and coal for the approaching winter. They all knew that Doodle would keep a fire going in the family room from the time they woke up in the morning until the time they went to bed each evening. Hence, one entire side of the yard was stacked with the fuel that would be necessary to sustain them.

16 Then, in early December, Lonnie and Steven went out late one evening to gather enough firewood for the following morning. As they bent over to collect an armload of wood, however, Lonnie suddenly stopped what he was doing and straightened back up.

17 “Something is wrong,” he proclaimed. “What is it?” Steven asked. “Something doesn’t feel right – something is going to happen tonight,” Lonnie tried to explain. “It’s dark and cold out tonight – probably just your imagination,” Steven reassured him. “Let’s get this wood and get back inside,” he urged his older brother.

18 That night, in the wee hours of the morning, Lonnie and Steven awoke to a loud banging sound. Someone was pounding on the side of the house, and there was smoke everywhere. They sprang out of bed and filed out into the hallway.

19 Clayton was already headed downstairs, and Edna ushered her grandchildren in the same direction. There was an eerie orange glow coming from the direction of the kitchen. The house was on fire!

20 “Get Smokey and Princess and put them in the car,” she instructed. “You and your brother wait outside.” She ran to the hutch in the dining room and grabbed her silver service and headed for the door.

21 Clayton had already hooked up the garden hose and was fighting the flames that were now leaping over the roof at the rear of the house. “I called the fire department,” a neighbor shouted. Edna handed her silver service to another lady and headed back into the house to save something else.

22 By the time that the fire department finally arrived, Clayton had managed to extinguish most of the flames. The firemen quickly put out what was left and set up large fans to pull the thick, black smoke out of the house.

23 “We were on our way home from my company’s Christmas party, and we noticed the flames,” one of the neighbors explained to Clayton. “We knocked on the front door and rang the doorbell several times, but no one answered,” he continued.

24 “They were already being overcome by the smoke,” one of the firemen interjected. “You’re very lucky that he woke you up when he did,” the fireman continued. Clayton thanked the neighbor and the firemen for their help.

25 When they finally went back inside of the house, everything was covered in a thick layer of soot and smelled of smoke. “We aren’t going to be able to stay here tonight,” Edna observed. “I’ll get us a motel room,” Clayton agreed. Lonnie shivered. They had survived the fire, but they all realized that this night could have ended very differently.