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| Lena Essie Dean Hunter with gr.grandchild, Mindy |
| Daughter of Holmes Dixon Thacker and Francis Hunt was *Susan "Suzy" J. Thacker (born abt. 1876 in Texas) (she had two brothers: Charles E. Thacker (1878) and James Thacker 1880)) Susan married Robert Micheal Dean Their children were: Richard, Lena, Willie and Robert |
| Here is a picture and short story about this "Thacker" grandchild; Lena Essie Dean b. 7-11-1898 in Lufkin, TX. (d.2-21- 1990 in Houston, TX) |
| I am trying to think of what to tell you about Gama. Her name was Lena Essie DEAN. I remember her telling me that her mother, Susan Thacker Dean, died when she (Lena) was 5 years old. Her "papa"(she said she called him "Papa", not Daddy, like we do today) was Robert Michael DEAN and came from Ireland when he was a young man. Gama told me her mother died of pneumonia. In those days they didn't have a cure for it. I'm guessing she died about 1903 since Gama was born in 1898 and she was 5 when her mother died. After "Suzy" (that's what Gama said her mother was called) died, he remarried to a lady named Ham (not sure if it has 2 m's on the end) and they had a son and daughter. The step-mother made Gama quit school in the 8th grade and stay home and take care of Maggie and Anthony. It seems that it was a regular Cinderella story. She told me of having to go to the river and wash clothes by scrubbing them on the rocks and the step-mother would tell lies to Gama's papa and get her in trouble and she would get whippings. She decided that she had had enough of that and left Lufkin when she was 17 and came to Houston to live with Nonnie Thacker. She met and married John F. HUNTER when she was about 18 and they had 5 children. She always told me that having a boy was real important to Papa and he told her he would "fill the back yard up with girls till he had a boy". They had 4 girls (my mother is one of a set of twins) then had their boy so she didn't have to go thru what Papa's mother did. Their children: Syble Lenora Hunter Randle b. 1917 TX, Ina Fae Hunter Smalley(my mother), and Lela Mae Hunter Willke (the twins were born 1919 TX), Willie Roberta Barlow (Aunt Billie) b. 1921 TX, and John Francis Hunter, Jr.b. 1923 TX. Are there twins in your branch of the family? We have a set of twins in every generation. His mother had had 15 children and I think 12 of them were girls. She had had 8 girls before she had her first boy. Even though Gama didn't get to finish high school, she was very well-read and stayed up on all the current events. She was determined that all her children would go to college. All her daughters graduated from Rice University and Uncle Johnny (who didn't want to go to college where his sisters did) graduated from the University of Houston. Sandra Holik |
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| Gr./Gr. Granddaughter's of Isaac Reed Thacker and Mary Ann Burton....... |
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| * Please note this page was created with information and pictures from Sandra Holik,the granddaughter of Lena Essie Dean. E-Mail: shutterbug1948@yahoo.com |
| Sally & Hattie Thacker |
| Blanchie Thacker |
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| Lena Essie Dean, Willie Dean, Robert Dean (at far right). Tandy and his wife, Rosalie (we're not sure who the little boy is on Tandy's lap (Tandy is son of Charles & Lula Thacker). |
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| The Children of Lena E. Dean-Hunter and John F. Hunter; Left to right on the couch are Lela, Johnny, Ina and standing behind the couch are Syble and Billie. (click on picture) |
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| Lena & her brothers (and cousin & wife) |