DORIS RISING HAMAKER (1922-2014)

On April 12, 2014, Doris Hamaker celebrated her 92nd birthday. Eleven days later, she passed away at Ponderosa Villa in Crawford, Nebraska. An overflow crowd attended her funeral service in Crawford on Monday, April 28, 2014. Not a Galey by birth or marriage -- but her daughter Zoleta married Garold Galey, and her husband, Tom, was a cousin to Ila Belle (Hamaker) Sibert, whose daughter married another Galey -- Gary's brother Bob.

Doris was well known for her great sense of humor, her candor, an infectious smile, and the best cinnamon rolls this side of heaven, where she now surely shares her treats with all the angels!

We've long been puzzled by this photograph, wondering who the unhappy looking lady was. Cousin Jon Blosser in Arizona recently (Jan 2013) sent us the next picture (below) along with identities of the subjects -- and we're now reasonably certain that this lady is….(tah-dah)…..Elizabeth Sprinkle Galey, mother of Elisha Galey and nine of his siblings.

Elizabeth Sprinkle was born 1 March 1821 in Perry County, Indiana. She was 30 years old when she married Simon Galey. In 1872 they moved to Iowa and then on to Missouri in 1876. Together, they had 10 children, most of whom lived to be adults. Simon died in 1879, and she then lived with her son Elisha. She died in Maitland, Missouri, in June of 1912. She is buried at Quitman, Missouri.

Here's a wonderful image sent to us by Jon Blosser. Taken in Missouri in about 1904, it shows Elisha and Eliza Ellen (Milleson) Galey seated in the center.

We're now quite certain that the lady in the back is Elisha's mother, Elizabeth Sprinkle Galey. She was born in 1821 in Perry County, Indiana, and died in 1912. She would have been about 83 years old when this picture was taken.

The Galey children here include: Albert Leslie on his father's lap; Lee Franklin on his mother's lap; Clara Jane at right, and oldest son James Thomas behind her.

Legend has it that Clara wasn't happy about the photograph, so she blemished the area over her face.

You can click on the photo to see a larger image. And thanks, again, to Jon Blosser for sharing this photograph.

Having now solved the identity issue with Elizabeth Sprinkle Galey, we turn our attention to this lady.

Any ideas? We'll keep exploring --- with an eye on the e-mail IN basket!

Another photo courtesy of Jon Blosser. It's undated, and except for the lady on the right, we don't know who the other people are.

Seated at right is Clara Jane Galey, daughter of Elisha and Eliza Galey. Born in 1895 in Missouri, she was with the family as they made their trek to Montana around the time of World War I. Unlike the rest of her siblings, Clara remained in Montana. She died in Buffalo, Montana in January of 1926 at the age of 30.

To get a closer look at any of the photos in this gallery, simply click on the image and select a larger version from the menu at the top of the page.



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Reverend H. C. Johnson presided over the marriage of Naomi Jean Sibert and Robert Alan Galey on October 19, 1962. They were both 31 years old. The marriage took place at the Warring Memorial Methodist Church in Whitney, Nebraska, where they remain steadfast members.

Who are these people? Well, actually, they're now all Galeys! Taken on October 19, 1962, at the wedding of Bob and Naomi (Sibert) Galey in Whitney, Nebraska.

Left-to-right are Zoleta (Hamaker) Galey, Naomi (Sibert) Galey, and brothers Robert and Garold Galey. Zoleta and Naomi are also cousins, as well as sisters-in-law.

Something of a "mini-Family Reunion" as three of the Cunningham sisters and some of their families gather near the corner of Atwater and Gracia streets in the Los Angeles area. Probably taken in about 1948-50.

Click on the photograph to select a larger version from the menu at the top.

The "big folks" identified in the photo (left-to-right) are Roger Kritenbrink, little Jack Mosher, Elva Mosher, Dick Mosher, Lois Thompson, Abe Kritenbrink, Geraldine Kritenbrink, Kenny Kritenbrink, and Gordon Thompson. The younger girl in front is Peggy Mosher. Standing right behind her is her cousin, Betty Thompson.

This photograph of Elisha Galey was taken in 1956 when he was about 93 years old. It was probably taken in Canby, Oregon, where he lived much of his later life. He died in December 1958 at the age of 95.

Elisha Galey (1863-1958) was born in Branchville, Indiana, the fourth child of Simon and Elizabeth Galey. The family moved to northwest Missouri in the 1870s and settled in the rolling hills and fertile farmlands of the Nodaway River valley. Elisha dropped out of school to help his mother and four sisters make ends met. He married Eliza Ellen Milleson on May 15, 1884 in Skidmore, Missouri. Among others jobs, Elisha was employed by the Burlington Railroad, but he also worked for the county -- helping to build bridges and maintain roads. Elisha and Eliza had had 11 children, eight of whom lived to adulthood. It was probably between 1907 and 1914 that they moved to Montana, where they lived in the Fort Maginnis area near the Judith Mountains. After about 10 more years, they pushed on to the Pacific northwest. Elisha died in Canby,Oregon in 1958.