Audrey Mavis Hartsell
Sex: F
AKA: Audie
Individual Information
Birth: 19 Aug 1907 - Boothe, Scott County, Arkansas 5
Christening:
Death: 27 Nov 1994 - Van Buren, , Arkansas 5
Burial:
Cause of Death:
Parents
Father: William Anderson Hartsell (1874-1949) 4,5,12
Mother: Minnie Myrtle Mills (1883-1968) 4,5,12
Spouses and Children
1. *Andrew Preston Kelley (18 Sep 1903 - 29 Oct 1990) 4,5,12
Marriage: 7 Nov 1923
Children:
1. Harold Andrew Kelley
2. Ara Mozell Kelley (1927-1976) 4,5,12
3. Max Preston Kelley
Notes
General:
Delayed Birth Certificate, Boothe, Scott County, AR Audry Hartsell born Aug. 19, 1907.Marriage Notes (Andrew Preston Kelley)
Father William Anderson Hartsell, 33 yrs old, born in TX. Mother Myrtle Mills, 24 yrs. old. Born in AR. This is the third child of this mother. Myrle signed the affidavit 23 March 1955 when she was 71 years old.
The spelling was always a problem with Audrey's name. Most of the time she signed her name Audie, in the above certificate she was Audry, and other places it is Audey and Audrey. Not only the spelling but her middle name was a problem. She claimed to have no middle name. Her mother said it was Mavis.
Her age was also a problem when she was young. Her marriage license says she is 17 years old, and she did have a note from her parents that was recorded to allow her to marry at 17 years but she was actually just 16 years old plus a couple of months. They had to have a Marriage Bond of $100 that they would be married with 60 days.
Audrey and A.P. were married on 27 Oct. 1923 in Logan County. The original certificate is with A.P.'s files herein.
Last Will and Testament of Audrey Kelley dated 21 Jan. 1991. A.P. had predeceased her and the will left everything equally to her sons Harold A. Kelley and Max P. Kelley and the three children of her deceased daughter Mozell ( Janet and David Broaddrick and Lynn Abascal. But there were provisions for the repayment of debts by Harold, and Lynn. Harold and Max Kelley were appointed Co-executors.
The debt of Lynn was based on a note she signed with her first husband, which he did not repay. This caused some ill feelings that Lynn was being mistreated.
Death Certificate of Audrey (NMN) Kelley 94.023840 349045 Died at 12:10 PM Nov. 24, 1994 at Brownwood Manor in Van Buren, Crawford County, AR while residing at 6115 Old Greenwood Rd. Ft. Smith, Sebastian County, AR. 72903 of Worardial Infraction.
OBIT for Audrey Hartsell Kelley
Audrey Kelley, 87, of Fort Smith died Thursday, Nov. 24, 1994, in a local nursing home. She was a homemaker and the widow of A.P. Kelley.
Funeral will be ...in Woodlawn Memorial Park Chapel with burial at Woodlawn Memorial Park Mausoleum under the direction of Edwards Funeral Home.
She is survived by two sons, Harold of Maumee, OH and Max of Braden, OK; seven grandchildren, 10 great grandchildren and two gg granddaughters.
The family will visit with friends from 2:30 PM to 4 PM today at the funeral home.
Memorial contributions may be made to the 4-H Foundation.
LETTERS FROM ALICE FARMER FULGHAM ABOUT HER CHILDHOOD FRIENDSHIP WITH MY PARENTS
[Audrey Hartsell Kelley died in November, 1994. In August of that year she received a letter from a childhood friend whom she had known as Alice Farmer. But the letter was from Alice Fulgham. So when the nursing home director, Juanita Broaddrick, wife of David Broaddrick, Mozell's son) read her the letter, Mother did not recognize the name. I followed up the letter and corresponded with Alice for some time. Alice's family was also a neighbor of the Kelley's in Ione and her brother was a friend of my father.
The letters were from Alice Fulgham, P.O. Box 563, Rogersville, AL 35652. [This friend would have known Audrey about 1920-1924.].
1994, August 10
Dear Audra,
Or Audie, as I knew you. I hope that you have a good birthday on August 19th. When I say good, I mean good health. I wish you had one of those white cakes that your mother used to bake. White cake with ¼ inch chocolate fudge filling and icing. And that I was there to help you eat it.
Memories are wonderful things. We can use them over and over. I seem to remember that I was standing by you the day that I was baptized over at Elm Park. Bro George Hayes sure baptized a lot of people that summer.
Whatever your best memories are, call them to your mind. But enjoy your birthday now and many more to come. Your old friend, Alice Fulgham
1994, Sept. 8 [I had written to Mrs. Fulgham asking her about the family and the times when she knew Audrey and Preston She wrote back this letter.]
Dear Harold Kelley,
I am afraid that I cannot tell you much of the history of Boothe.
My name was Farmer (Alice Farmer Fulgham. Born in Ione, AR. One mile east of Ione). My father moved us over across Petit Jean Creek ( probably south of Bud Hartsell's Place) when I was 12 years old, almost 13. We lived about 2 miles from Boothe on the Hurt farm and raised cattle and corn.
We attended school at Boothe. Also attended the Baptist Church at Boothe.
But we moved away when I was 16. Moved to Blackjack Mtn.
I was in the same grade with Audie. I always remembered that her birthday was in August. And that I was from April to August older than Audie. We became friends. Once Boothe School ran out of money and some of the kids from Boothe walked all the way over to Lucas to school. At that time Audie and I sat together. The seats were double. Audie with her wit was hard on my behavior. It was hard for me to keep a straight face at some of the things Audie would whisper to me. I visited the Hartsell home quite a lot. Mrs. Hartsell was a good sport to put up with so many young people. It seemed that their home was always open to the friends of their children. After Audie married, so young, Grace and I sort of buddied each other.
In fact, Preston coming from Ione over to visit my brother Andy was how he met Audie. It seemed to be love at first sight. And soon they were married.
I thought Mr. & Mrs. Hartsell were good people and I enjoyed being in their home. Mrs. Hartsell was a good cook. When we first moved over to Boothe, there was an older brother Delbert, who died soon after we moved there. There was also Willie and Basil. An attractive family, whom I wondered if there wasn't some Indian blood there.
Now years ago, Frances Miller Hanes wrote her autobiography in which, scattered in the 93 pages, you could find a bit of the history of Boothe.
She said that in 1900, her father , Frank Miller moved to Arkansas from Talihiana, Indian Territory, Oklahoma. First they settled over near Tate, then White Oak. Mr. Miller had a thriving saw mill. With him moved Bud, Charles and Jim Hartsell.
Then in 1907 they moved to Boothe.
I never heard or read about the Hartsell men's father, but their mother must have moved with them. Because I remember going with Audie to see her grandmother Hartsell. Who lived with Charlie. Charlie later married. Charley married a widow Puckett who had several children. Both Charlie and wife died soon and Bud and Mrs. Hartsell took the small child, a boy, and raised him. I guess you know all of this.
In Frances' book, I read that a man named Joseph Johnson Tomlinson and family came from Wisconsin in 1830 and settled in Boothe and established a post office which he named Tomlinson. Later one of his daughters married a man named Addison T. Boothe. But after Boothe's wife died and he remarried and I suppose Mr. Tomlinson died too, the name of the Post office was changed to Boothe.
Now there is no post office there and all that part of the county is on a Booneville route.
The Tomlinson and Boothe are buried in a small cemetery in Boothe. Boothe is in Tomlinson Township, Scott County.
I do not know how old you were when you moved from Boothe. If you attended school at Boothe?
There was a lot of good people living there. And some not so good.
My brother Andy had the misfortune to fall in love with and marry Roger Trotter's daughter Cleo. He was the first of her many husbands. Their marriage only lasted about 2 years. Now Boothe outside of the Baptist Church there, and a gas station, is just a place by the side of the road. But a lot of new people have moved there. As you know, the population increase has caused people to have to find places to live away from the towns. It would be a good place now. Peaceful. Not like it was in the old days.
Boothe at one time, or maybe for I should say quite some time, had the name of being a rough place.
Back in about 1915, there was a bunch of rowdy boys around there known as the Rusty 9. And in the Pleasant Grove Cemetery, there is a tombstone of a man named Davenport on which it says "Killed by the Boothe Gang". Dated back in 1870 or maybe 1880. Sorry my writing pen gave out.
I don't know how you could go about obtaining a copy of Miss Frances book. As she is dead and all her family and John Hanes family are all gone too.
There is a L.A. Trotter, a son of Buster Trotter, still living at Boothe. As far as I know that is the only person living there that was there in when I lived near Boothe. Which was from early 1920 until Jan. 1, 1924
I did know your Dad's family as I lived just across Alex Kelley's pasture until I was almost 13 years of age. My brother Andy is still living. He and Preston were about the same age.
We all walked home from school together for about ¾ mile. All went fine until after we separated to go to our homes. The road forked about ¼ mile from our homes. As soon as we would start our separate ways, Andy and Press would start yelling insults at each other. Then daring the other to meet in the space between roads. Then meeting and fighting . The rest of us just stood and let them work off their day's frustrations. No one ever admitted being whipped. But it was all to do over again the next day.
After they got older and we moved to Boothe, they became friends.
I will always remember the good times I had playing with your Aunt Mabel. If I can I will get a paragraph Xeroxed from my memory book.
I was very sorry to hear about the bad things that has happened to Audie. I called and talked with her Christmas 1992. I have been in Alabama near my daughter since 1989.
It is good to know that Preston and Audie's boys have done well. I kept reading about Max. When he was a boy and involved in 4-H work.
Then I discovered Audie working in the Farm Bureau office in Ft. Smith. I had just lost contact with her.
I'll tell you one thing, the Kelley family were hard workers and good honest people. So were the Hartsell.
Maybe you could type any of this off that you might be interested in. Sorry about my writing . Alice Fulgham
1994, September - I had written to Mrs. Fulgham thanking her for her letter and asking her questions.
Dear Harold, I am enclosing a snapshot of Grace and Audie, probably made around 1922.
Your nephew David Broaddrick also wrote me. You might want to send the picture on to him to see. Or maybe have it copied. You may keep the picture. I will write David a short note later. I really do not know much that I could tell him or memories of Audie. I do remember a prank or two, but just silly girl stuff.
There is one of Buster Trotters sons that I think still lives at Boothe. It is L.A. Trotter. His address would be Booneville, AR 72941. His telephone number in my 1989 phone book is 501/928-4812. He might be able to locate a book for you.
The Trotter family were also early settlers near Boothe. I suppose that you know that you have first cousins living in the Mansfield area. Basil's daughter Norma, who is married to Cecil Newman and I think they live on Mansfield Route 1, 72944. She is one beautiful woman. Phone 928-5620 in 1989.
After Boothe school was consolidated into Mansfield the whole image of Boothe changed. For the Better.
Also the boy whom Bud and Myrtle Hartsell raised, still lives near Boothe. His initials are W.A. Jr. I think he was named Junior from Bud, whose initials, I am almost sure were W.A.
928-5612 in 1989 phone book.
And Jim Hartsell has a daughter who lives near Waldron and is married to Clark Fuller. You have a lot of relatives around who would know more than I know about Boothe.
Do you remember that large house where Frances Miller lived? It is pictured on the cover of her book.
My daughter said I must not part from my book, though I might Xerox off a few pages for you. Actually I have told you about all the history included in the book.
After I left Boothe, I later married C.B. Fulgham. He and his brother Berry had a large fruit orchard in Blackjack Mtn. And a large packing shed in Abbott.
You may keep the snapshot, I remember some of the names of families living in and near Boothe when I lived there.
I think Mr. Brice still ran the store. John Hanes family, Lester Farmer family, John Beran family, Mr. Slankard, Lester Workman, Ray Winters, Deharts, Trotters, Sorrels, Jones, Shields, Perkins and Logan.
Back in 1988, C.B. And I left the highway and took a drive down through Petit Jean bottom where I had lived. It was changed. Not much looked familiar.
Once, when about age 14 (1921), I was wondering around up Petit Jean Creek and seeing a little path going into a cane break, I followed the path. Suddenly, I found myself standing in the middle of a whiskey still. I think it must have been the prohibition years back in the 20s. I cannot remember for sure.
Anyhow, the still was not in operation, which I guess was lucky for me. All that is past and gone. I did enjoy my years living down on that creek.
I doubt you are going to get any real benefit from my letters. I used to write letters when I could write a good hand. I have been days writing this. Probably have repeated myself.
1994, October 10 - (I had been pleading for her to copy the Hanes book for me)
Dear Harold Kelley,
I took Miss Frances' book down to a Real Estate place and had it copied. The lady that started it was called away and so a young man finished it. I have studied it but could not to save my life, figure out how you are going to get it into a book form. Unless you just recopy it and only print one page on each sheet of paper.
I hope that you are not too disappointed in it. Miss Frances could have told many interesting things in her book had she chosen to do so.
Now my Memory Book. It is not really my story. It is mostly genealogy. It starts off with my grandfather Samuel Farmer born in North Carolina 1730. My brothers traced the family from there to Kentucky, to Missouri, and then to Arkansas. It also traces my Mathews family life. How my fathers family life and my mothers family life. How my Dad & Mother met, their love story. And just a few , very few, of the bringing up of their children. Then I had to stop the story. Because there were so many divorces. If I had told it truthfully-- I wouldn't have had a friend left in my family. So the story stops with my father and mother's death.
Included is just a little sprinkling of humor about each of my brothers and sisters. I will tell you that the incident of Lester letting Elsie (Elsie Kelley, A.P.'s sister) take the punishment alone did break up their little romance. And caused Elsie's mother (A.P.'s mother) to be cool towards the whole family for some time, and who could blame her? That is the only time the Kelley family is mentioned in my book .[I don't know the story on this one].
This was not in my book, but it is a story about your grandfather's corn patch. One Saturday evening, my sister Rose and I went down the road to play (age 7 and 9). We saw beautiful pink peach, red and so forth silks on the ears of corn in Mr. Kelley's corn patch. And crawled through the fence and picked 3 each. We plaited the corn silks and named the ears of corn pretty doll names. But when we had gotten tired of playing with our corn dolls, we just dumped them by the fence row. So Mr. Kelley found them and brought them to show to my father. We did not get a whipping, but we sure got a talking to. Six ears of corn would have been enough to feed one old hungry horse.
And I still remember how crazy I was over Icy, (A.P.'s sister) who was my first school teacher. I guess I pestered her a lot.
I just don't really think that you would be interested in my family book. I wrote it, my brother typed it and had it made into a book. I paid for it. He did the work. We had copies made for all the brothers and sisters. Mostly we just wanted it all down, the history part, for generations to come.
I do plan to write my own story this winter, the Lord willing.
I hope that you have a nice winter. And that the salt breezes keep your sinus open. Excuse my writing. Alice Fulgham
November 21, 1999
Dear Harold
This is the day that I have promised myself to try to answer your letter.
You can see that my writing has changed. I was surprised to get your letter. I never did get around to writing my story. I did try to get the Farmer ancestors listed in a Journal for future generations, if by chance any of them should be interested. That is about it.
I have dreamed of writing. When I read a good interesting book, I soon realize that I do not know the first thing about writing. Now it is too late for me to be a grandma Moses in the writing business.
I would guess that I have carpal tunnel syndrome in my writing hand. The doctor has not told me that. I had my 6 month appointment with my doctor this month. When I try to tell him about my hand, he smiles and tells me what great shape that I am in to be my age (92 1/2). No way is he going to encourage me to have surgery on my hand at my age. So be it.
I am going to have to give up my main hobby of piecing quilts. I find it clumsy to try to do many things now. Like writing, or sewing by hand. Many, Many things.
I go to the Library and check out a dozen books at a time. Or rather my daughter takes me to the Library. Also to the Drug Store and to the Grocers.
Now let me get back to the Kelley family. My memory is still good, Thank God for that, too.
If I was an artist, I could still draw your Kelley Grandparents house from memory. The Kelley family was a part of my life for the first 12 years of my life.
My siblings and I played back and forth across Mr. Kelley's pasture. With the Kelley children we walked to and fro to school together. Andy and Preston must have had a love-hate relationship. They would walk peacefully together, all the way home from school: until we came to the fork of the road where we separated. Then they would start shouting insults at each other, then challenge each other to meet in the middle of the fork. And while the rest of us waited, and looked on, they would wrestle to a standstill--and reluctantly part. We would then go our own way--until the next day. Mabel and I played together. I remember it well.
My father drove a team with wagon to carry your great grandmother Kelley's body to her funeral. (Altho I do not remember that, I remember my mother telling me about it. Back then, neighbors helped make a casket, and dress the corpse and there were no undertakers involved.
My brother Lester and your Aunt Elsie were childhood sweethearts. My mother and your grandmother Kelley assisted each other in the births of some of their children.
In later years, your Dad came over to Boothe and met your mother. He stayed over night at our house with Andy. (We moved to Boothe in 1920).
I can (in my mind) see your Aunts and Uncles. Whatever happened to Jim? I remember that he was sort of deaf. He was very quiet, but always there in the background. I have a picture of a Baptizing in Petit Jean Creek, maybe it was Pot Hole? The picture is not clear enough to make out the individuals, but a preacher Hayes was doing the baptizing and I was in the group. So was you Dad.
Then to cap it off, your Dad fell in love with my friend, your mother. After your mother married, young Grace and I became more chummy. I guess hat I did not want to give up going to the Hartsell home--and Mrs. Hartsell's chocolate cake. Boy it was good!!!
After we were all grown and married and had families, I watched with much interest to see mostly your younger brother's name in the paper. Max, and I think Max's son and his 4-H club work. Even after my husband died and I came to live in Alabama , I read about Max.'s son in the Progressive Farmer Magazine.
I got to see Audra several times up at the Farm Bureau Office, before I came to Alabama. I got my world atlas down and looked up your town in Florida.
When I knew your mother, she was Audie. There was not many ways I could have changed my name. After 92 ½ years, guess I will just let it be. The people around here call me "Miss Alice", they cannot pronounce "Fulgham".
My daughter and husband own a house down at Orange Beach where they hope to
retire in a couple of years. Every time a hurricane is headed that way, they go through a panic. I wonder if it is worth it?
When I came to Alabama, I could soon see that the people around here are better off financially, on an average, than where I came from in Arkansas. I figured it out that is because of the development of the Tennessee River Valley during the 1930's. And they had good jobs and did not go through so many years of the Depression. Now, these people are retiring and building
nice homes all up and down the Tennessee River and the Elk River and on all the Lakes around here. Many, many beautiful homes.
But they seem to still fighting the Civil War. Every few weeks they are having an Reactivement of a certain Battle of the War.
I think you live in such a Hodge podge of retirees from different parts of the USA, that you won't see all of that. I'll have to admit that northern Alabama is a nice place to live weather wise. Just build a good safe storm cellar! They have a dependable Doppler weather station. If you don't have anything to do but watch TV warnings all day. The warning signal is on the top of the water tower just about 400 feet from my apartment. The first time that thing sounded after I moved here, I almost jumped out of my hide.
Is there any of the Kelley children still Living? I can remember all their names from Ora to Eva. Icie was my first school teacher. She taught a summer school in Ione the year that I was 6 yrs. Old.
I lost my brother Andy and my sister Rose this last two years. Rose in 1998, Andy in 1999. Andy was 93 ½ years old. Now there are only 3 of my family out of a family of 9.
Harold, I can remember seeing your mother sitting at Mrs. Hartsell's sewing machine making garments for you before you were born. I treasure all my memories. More good ones than bad ones.
Sorry that I do not have a book. I suppose you are into computers and
dot.com and all that? Your Mom's old friend, Alice
Reference Number:1622