Skip to main content




Hey friends and family, Meet Verona Banta, my dear great-grandmother, who is the focus of my latest story in our family tree!

Click the link below to read the story:

Verona Banta




 

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Gee Gee

Gee Gee, 1966 When her first grandchild was learning how to talk, he pronounced "grandma" as “Gee Gee” (hard G as in geek).  Everyone thought that was cute, especially Gee Gee!  From that day forward she was Gee Gee to her grandchildren and her great-grandchildren that followed.     There are three things I remember most about visiting Gee Gee as a child.  First, she was unable to walk after breaking her hip and had to use a wheelchair to get around.  Otherwise, Gee Gee was very  sturdy and loved to hold and hug her little ones.  However it was the wheelchair that fascinated us. The big wheels, the handlebars to push, and the brake to stop.  We all begged to go for rides in the chair and take turns pushing her around the house.   It was a big deal for us!  Another fascinating thing was the piano she had in her living room.   All the kids loved to press on the keys trying to plunk out a melody or perform a re...

Overlooked or Blinded by Assumption

  Searching for James (1832-1881) and Jennie (1855-1932) Banta AI-generated image of James Banta riding in a lightning storm Rolling thunder shook the foundation and lightning filled the room with bursts of glare as heavy rain pounded the roof of their isolated farmhouse.  Young Jennie Banta was laboring hard to birth their second child, and it was not going well.  James needed help and this would not wait for the weather to clear.  He mounted his horse and raced into the stormy night to beg the doctor to come help.  The doctor agreed and arrived in time to successfully deliver a healthy baby girl into the world.  James however was not as fortunate, for he was struck dead by lightning as he rode back home.  A heroic act of chivalry to save the child he would never see.  A daunting future for the widow with a newborn, a two-year-old, and three step-children to raise alone on the Kansas prairie of the Wild West....

Dear Nina - A Father's letter to his Daughter about the Mother she never knew.

    Nina Stearns-Smith , 1927 Nina Stearns-Smith Banta(1910-2012), my grandmother, and I met periodically to share the latest news over coffee.  She knew I was interested in family history and loved to share stories and photos of our ancestors. One day I asked, “What was it like growing up in Colorado?”     Nina and Grandma Smith, 1913 “Hmmm,” she started. “Well, I was actually born in Denning, Arkansas, but my mother died when I was a baby.  After that, I lived with Grandma and Grandpa Smith until I was about four years old.”  As she began to tell the story, her eyes became distant and her voice softened, as I sensed her going back to that place and time.   "I had fun when I was with Grandma Smith.  They had a house in town and a farm where I would help feed the chickens.  I loved helping on the farm.           Then one day they took me to a faraway place, to see my father and his new wife. ...