Page Title
Zerita Valentine Brooke
11-10-16  - 8-2-07

Zeritas children are
Kathy (Brooke) Lee, Kearney, Mo
Carol Shipley, Lee's Summit, Mo,
Mary Boehner, St. Joseph, Mo,
Margaret Groves, Bethany, Mo,
Edward Brooke, Bethany, Mo.
Here is a nice letter from another side of our tree Thank you Kathy I will try to get it worked out to make it look like somethin
Hi, Owen!
This is so exciting! Isn't the internet wonderful.  I wouldn't have ever
gotten so much information and been able to contact you if I hadn't googled
the name Rachel Stoner Taylor.  It's really neat. My sisters and I remember
the story my mother used to tell us of her grandfather being killed by
lightening while going after the horses and found it on your website. We
also have seen pictures of him in later life and he had a problem with one
of his eyes. Mom said a cow had swished it's tail and had a cocklebur in it
catching him the eye and blinding him  in that eye.
Yes, my great grandfather was George Levi and he married Susan (Ellsworth)
Taylor. They lived in Mt. Moriah, Mo area all their married lives and I
believe he farmed. George's brother, John married Susan's sister Naoma
(Ellsworth) and they also lived in Mt. Moriah as well. John owned a produce
store from 1919 until his death in 1942. My mother and her sisters called
Naoma "Aunt Ohm"  and my cousin remembers visiting her in Mt. Moriah. My
cousin has it down in our family history that John and Naoma had no
children. George and Susie had 8 children: Elmer Cecil Taylor (my
grandfather), Belva, Velma, Chloe, Clarence nicknamed "Tan", Homer nicknamed
"Tic", Vesper, and Edmund. Aunt Belva married Fay Lary and both are buried
in a country cemetery around Jameson, Mo. Aunt Velma married a Tuepker and
Aunt Chloe married a Gunder (although I think that's the aunt that Mom said
was married 9 times-I'll have to get back to you on that one.) Uncle Tan
lived in Bentonville, Ark and ran a variety store which was forced out of
business by a competitor; my sisters and I think it was Sam Walton, but
don't know for sure. Uncle Tic (Homer) married a woman named Ocie and they
had 1 son, Rex. George and Susie are both buried at the Mt. Moriah cemetery
just outside Mt. Moriah, Mo.
My grandfather, Elmer was born April 4, 1883 around Mt. Moriah, Mo and died
1-5-64. He married Agnes Belle (Prather) Taylor (born 1-30-1882 and died
4-23-1983) in 1907 (we think) and they had 4 daughters; Monice Moore born
4-19-08 and died12-6-89, Bonnie Mae Cook born 5-23-10 and died 5-7-04 ,
Georgia Cecil Carothers born 7-1-13 and died 10-23-02, and Zerita Valentine
Brooke (my mother) born 11-10-16 and died 8-2-07. Grandma and Grandad Taylor
(Elmer and Agnes) are buried in the Loyd cemetery (also known as Stoner
cemetery) where Rachel and Edmund are buried. There are several other
relatives buried there, one is Lincoln and Kate Taylor and their baby son,
Floyd. Lincoln was George Levi's brother.
My aunt Monice and her husband, Dewey Moore had 2 daughters, Katherine
(Kass) and Janice. He was military and they traveled a lot. Monice and Dewey
are both deceased and buried in Georgia. Jan is deceased in buried around
Arlington, Va. and Kass is currently living in Arlington, but moving back to
the midwest, Iowa Falls in the next few months.
Bonnie and her husband Scott Cook had one daughter, Trixie who lives in
Bethany, Mo. Both Bonnie and Scott are buried south of Bethany around Gilman
City, Mo.
Aunt Georgia married Claude Carothers and lived most of their lives in Iowa.
They had 4 children: Patricia Johnson deceased and buried in Iowa, Jon who
lives in Chicago, Linda Balvanz who lives in Iowa and Jane Hoffman who also
lives in Iowa.
Zerita, my beloved mother whom we just lost Aug 2, married Deane Brooke
(born 6-21-14) on 7-13-1947 and they have 5 children, Carol Shipley, Lee's
Summit, Mo, Mary Boehner, St. Joseph, Mo, Margaret Groves, Bethany, Mo, me
Kathy Lee, Kearney, Mo and Edward Brooke, Bethany, Mo. (I noticed that you
have our name as "Brookes", just FYI there is no "s" on it.)
I have some pictures of George and Susie and my mother's family, but don't
know how to get them on my computer to email them to you. I also have some
pictures of grave stones (wierd, huh?) of relatives and will try to figure
out how or if they fit into the family. I know that there are a couple of
"Chruma's" that are buried at the Loyd cemetery and Mom said we were related
to them.
I don't know  any more than what I have written and don't know anything
about Edmund's father or back. However, I will continue to work on that as
well and see what I can come up with. I would like to have the information
you have on the Stoner family tree.
Again, Thank you so much and it's so nice to "meet" you via internet.
Kathy