Neva was the most interesting of my relatives when I was growing up,
ninos. Something about her defied description. Just when you thought you knew her story and understood how her life was put together, you learned something new and things didn't fit anymore. Here she is with your Nonna who is around three, which means Neva was around thirty or so. By this time she was married to Bradley and they lived in a great little house in Council, not yet on the chicken ranch. This was taken the summer I spent about a month with them on my own. They had no children and I always felt welcomed into their lives. My dad (your great grandfather Max) put me on the bus from Weiser to Council. He fastened his Masonic pin to the collar of my dress and had a conversation with the bus driver. Bradley retrieved me from the bus stop in Council. It was probably no more than a two hour ride back then, but I'm sure you understand this is not something we would do today, the world has changed that much.
This was Neva's car. It's parked in front of her parents house, Grandpa and Grandma Deeds. I'm pretty sure she was the first of the Deeds siblings to own a car. She was probably first at a lot of things, which contrary to what you might think is not always good.
Neva was a beautiful woman, everyone who knew her agreed on that. But it wasn't her looks that made you notice or remember her. She had a persona, a presence, a way of being that was intriguing, to children as well as grown-ups. Part of it was her voice. It was distinctive. But beyond the obvious, Neva accepted situations at face value without passing judgement. She was direct and honest. She had great strength of character, although how I know this I am not sure, as she did not impose her thoughts or views on you in any way. She lived her values. I never heard her belittle or ridicule others (although I am pretty sure she got up and left the room at times when one or another pontificated at length; her patience had limits).
Neva was married twice. Here she is with her first husband, Art Hall. Neva married Art when she was fifteen. I asked your GG if Neva had to get permission from her parents to marry so young, and GG said "Neva didn't get permission from anyone to do anything. Ever." Which I suppose I already knew from the stories I had heard over the years. Art Hall told Neva he never ever wanted to have children so she had surgery at seventeen to prevent children from happening in their marriage. Neva pretty much took a person at their word if you said you did or didn't like something. Years later, after they were divorced, Art remarried and fathered five children. Neva was heart broken, she didn't want to go on with her life. Then she met and married Bradley but of course they remained childless. Their lives were filled with children anyway because Judd and Shirley and Douglas (Uncle Art Deed's first son) and I kept the two of them busy keeping us out of trouble. We all adored Neva and Bradley. When we grew up, we came to understand that Art Hall was a skunk of a man, but it didn't matter anymore.
It probably seems I am telling you a lot, but reality is I know very little about much of Neva's life. These pictures give us a glimpse, but that is all. This is Stibnite, ID in the winter. Art Hall worked here and drove ore from the local mine into town where it was shipped by train. Winters were cold and snow was deep; the Halls used a dog sled to get into the nearest little town for provisions and mail. No phones and no electricity.
Looks like Spring in Stibnite, Neva on the porch with friends. Notice the skis beside them. Neva smoked cigarettes and wore trousers except for special occasions. Art taught Neva to drive his huge ore truck; at times he slept and she drove the steep, winding dirt roads into town. Later she drove logging trucks with her brother Art but by then she was married to Bradley and a lot of her reckless behavior had moved on.
I think Neva was pretty happy when she was married to Art. She smiled and laughed for most of the pictures taken of her at this point. She really was very young, and probably relieved to escape the poverty and deprivation that defined her early teens.
Neva was sixteen when this was taken, probably by her husband Art Hall.
Here she is a little older. This is one of her Stibnite friends. The story is that they were on a picnic and the men went fishing. The women shed their clothes and went swimming in the river. The husbands came back and turned a camera on them. Neva was not one to threaten or bluff, but the look in her eye tells me she had plans for the photographer once she got her clothes back on.
This is the picture as it was taken, and you can see there was some distance between the women and the camera. I'm not sure if the photographer could see the glint in Neva's eye. Maybe he could, since only one photo was taken. River water is melted snow, ninos, and it is very cold. I am surprised that we cannot see steam coming from the area around these women as I think they were feeling pretty hot and angry at these men who were taking advantage of the situation.
To my knowledge, Neva rode horseback for transportation purposes only. Once she got a car, horses were not part of her life. And so the jodpuhrs and boots were probably a fashion statement more than a functional necessity. But doesn't she look great! She later gave this outfit to your GG who loved it and wore it often.
Neva is a little older here. This may have been taken close to the end of her marriage to Art Hall. GG says the house is one they rented in town, but she does not remember much about this time in Neva's life.
Same location, same approximate time period, but I included this picture because Neva is all dressed up. Years later, Judd and Shirley and I discovered all her beautiful clothing in closets and trunks at the chicken ranch. We used her elegant dresses and suits and lingerie to play dress-up. It was fun, she had lots of great things. Her house was scattered with unusual items. Judd and Shirley would say "Neva, when you die can I have your such-a-thing?" and Neva would laugh and drawl, sure you can. I was the youngest and took things to heart, so I would slip away to mope and worry; I didn't want to think about Neva dying and not being part of my life anymore. Nonna was a real worry wort when she was little. Still is, I suppose.
This is Neva when she married Bradley. She is mature and worldly, more sure of what she wants. Bradley was a professional baseball player, quite a bit older, an interesting man in his own right. He recognized the value in Neva, latched on and never let go. They were an excellent match. I will write Bradley's story someday, the little that I know of him, he was a lovely man.
Here are the Plummers at the time of their marriage, visiting his parents in South Dakota. About this time they bought the chicken ranch outside of Council, raised chickens and eggs for their cash crop, gardened, kept a cow, grew alfalfa to sell as hay and generally went on to become substantial citizens. My happiest memories are of trips to Neva and Bradley's farm. Mom and Dad enjoyed those visits also, but never as much as Judd and I did. We each had our own room (his was a closet with a featherbed under the eaves, mine an alcove at the head of the stairs. We learned more than we knew lying on the upstairs hallway floor with an ear to the open heat register as our parents and the Plummers sat in the living room below and caught up on family news. When things got too interesting, Judd made me go to bed. I wasn't smart enough to threaten to expose him if he didn't let me stay up. I have many stories of Neva and Bradley, but those will have to wait until you are a little older. Meanwhile, I can tell you that I hope you each have at least one relative in your lives who is as fascinating to you as Neva was to me.
Neva was the most interesting of my relatives when I was growing up, ninos. Something about her defied description. Just when you thought you knew her story and understood how her life was put together, you learned something new and things didn't fit anymore. Here she is with your Nonna who is around three, which means Neva was around thirty or so. By this time she was married to Bradley and they lived in a great little house in Council, not yet on the chicken ranch. This was taken the summer I spent about a month with them on my own. They had no children and I always felt welcomed into their lives. My dad (your great grandfather Max) put me on the bus from Weiser to Council. He fastened his Masonic pin to the collar of my dress and had a conversation with the bus driver. Bradley retrieved me from the bus stop in Council. It was probably no more than a two hour ride back then, but I'm sure you understand this is not something we would do today, the world has changed that much.
This was Neva's car. It's parked in front of her parents house, Grandpa and Grandma Deeds. I'm pretty sure she was the first of the Deeds siblings to own a car. She was probably first at a lot of things, which contrary to what you might think is not always good.
Neva was a beautiful woman, everyone who knew her agreed on that. But it wasn't her looks that made you notice or remember her. She had a persona, a presence, a way of being that was intriguing, to children as well as grown-ups. Part of it was her voice. It was distinctive. But beyond the obvious, Neva accepted situations at face value without passing judgement. She was direct and honest. She had great strength of character, although how I know this I am not sure, as she did not impose her thoughts or views on you in any way. She lived her values. I never heard her belittle or ridicule others (although I am pretty sure she got up and left the room at times when one or another pontificated at length; her patience had limits).
Neva was married twice. Here she is with her first husband, Art Hall. Neva married Art when she was fifteen. I asked your GG if Neva had to get permission from her parents to marry so young, and GG said "Neva didn't get permission from anyone to do anything. Ever." Which I suppose I already knew from the stories I had heard over the years. Art Hall told Neva he never ever wanted to have children so she had surgery at seventeen to prevent children from happening in their marriage. Neva pretty much took a person at their word if you said you did or didn't like something. Years later, after they were divorced, Art remarried and fathered five children. Neva was heart broken, she didn't want to go on with her life. Then she met and married Bradley but of course they remained childless. Their lives were filled with children anyway because Judd and Shirley and Douglas (Uncle Art Deed's first son) and I kept the two of them busy keeping us out of trouble. We all adored Neva and Bradley. When we grew up, we came to understand that Art Hall was a skunk of a man, but it didn't matter anymore.
It probably seems I am telling you a lot, but reality is I know very little about much of Neva's life. These pictures give us a glimpse, but that is all. This is Stibnite, ID in the winter. Art Hall worked here and drove ore from the local mine into town where it was shipped by train. Winters were cold and snow was deep; the Halls used a dog sled to get into the nearest little town for provisions and mail. No phones and no electricity.
Looks like Spring in Stibnite, Neva on the porch with friends. Notice the skis beside them. Neva smoked cigarettes and wore trousers except for special occasions. Art taught Neva to drive his huge ore truck; at times he slept and she drove the steep, winding dirt roads into town. Later she drove logging trucks with her brother Art but by then she was married to Bradley and a lot of her reckless behavior had moved on.
I think Neva was pretty happy when she was married to Art. She smiled and laughed for most of the pictures taken of her at this point. She really was very young, and probably relieved to escape the poverty and deprivation that defined her early teens.
Neva was sixteen when this was taken, probably by her husband Art Hall.
Here she is a little older. This is one of her Stibnite friends. The story is that they were on a picnic and the men went fishing. The women shed their clothes and went swimming in the river. The husbands came back and turned a camera on them. Neva was not one to threaten or bluff, but the look in her eye tells me she had plans for the photographer once she got her clothes back on.
This is the picture as it was taken, and you can see there was some distance between the women and the camera. I'm not sure if the photographer could see the glint in Neva's eye. Maybe he could, since only one photo was taken. River water is melted snow, ninos, and it is very cold. I am surprised that we cannot see steam coming from the area around these women as I think they were feeling pretty hot and angry at these men who were taking advantage of the situation.
To my knowledge, Neva rode horseback for transportation purposes only. Once she got a car, horses were not part of her life. And so the jodpuhrs and boots were probably a fashion statement more than a functional necessity. But doesn't she look great! She later gave this outfit to your GG who loved it and wore it often.
Neva is a little older here. This may have been taken close to the end of her marriage to Art Hall. GG says the house is one they rented in town, but she does not remember much about this time in Neva's life.
Same location, same approximate time period, but I included this picture because Neva is all dressed up. Years later, Judd and Shirley and I discovered all her beautiful clothing in closets and trunks at the chicken ranch. We used her elegant dresses and suits and lingerie to play dress-up. It was fun, she had lots of great things. Her house was scattered with unusual items. Judd and Shirley would say "Neva, when you die can I have your such-a-thing?" and Neva would laugh and drawl, sure you can. I was the youngest and took things to heart, so I would slip away to mope and worry; I didn't want to think about Neva dying and not being part of my life anymore. Nonna was a real worry wort when she was little. Still is, I suppose.
This is Neva when she married Bradley. She is mature and worldly, more sure of what she wants. Bradley was a professional baseball player, quite a bit older, an interesting man in his own right. He recognized the value in Neva, latched on and never let go. They were an excellent match. I will write Bradley's story someday, the little that I know of him, he was a lovely man.
Here are the Plummers at the time of their marriage, visiting his parents in South Dakota. About this time they bought the chicken ranch outside of Council, raised chickens and eggs for their cash crop, gardened, kept a cow, grew alfalfa to sell as hay and generally went on to become substantial citizens. My happiest memories are of trips to Neva and Bradley's farm. Mom and Dad enjoyed those visits also, but never as much as Judd and I did. We each had our own room (his was a closet with a featherbed under the eaves, mine an alcove at the head of the stairs. We learned more than we knew lying on the upstairs hallway floor with an ear to the open heat register as our parents and the Plummers sat in the living room below and caught up on family news. When things got too interesting, Judd made me go to bed. I wasn't smart enough to threaten to expose him if he didn't let me stay up. I have many stories of Neva and Bradley, but those will have to wait until you are a little older. Meanwhile, I can tell you that I hope you each have at least one relative in your lives who is as fascinating to you as Neva was to me.
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