Dillon is a little town in the valley between two mountain ranges in the south western most corner of Montana.

My daughter Meredythe and her husband Joey Wedding are there for a six month winter. They went out in the woods and cut down their Christmas tree.
Pretty good deal, HUH?

So……..I’m going to show you their special Christmas decorations there in the beautiful snow covered Rocky Mountains.

The tree from the Montana woods! You like???

From Joey’s hunting.

And more

Meredythe’s collection of treasures. A very old Shirley Temple doll, two Madame Alexander dolls, the Christmas plate in center of the table a treasured gift from her sister Carole Suzanne Smith (Susie) who we lost with cancer.  Meredythe said she is going to put cookies on that plate. Maybe Orange cookies with orange icing. YUM! YUM!

Looks like a little girl standing there doesn’t it? It is a large Shirley Temple doll from my collection that I gave to Meredythe.

This is my Christmas in Montana story especially for you. Hope you enjoyed!

FRF ❤️

Oh the turkey’s roasting and the pies are baked ”tis glad Thanksgiving day.” So let’s have a look-see at our turkey Tracy, our super chef, just took from the oven. YUM! YUM!

My son-in-law Tracy Drake filled the turkey with oyster stuffing, I had ask for it,  placed it in a bag and baked it for three hours. He also made a corn casserole, a green bean casserole, corn bread and gravy.

My granddaughter Sarah Drake made mashed sweet potato casserole and red mashed potatoes.

Tracy and Sarah, our families super chefs, with final details as we all look on with the delicious aroma wetting out appetite.

And my daughter Pamela Drake set the beautiful table. Still more food to be added. And we all sit down to the table to rejoiced in that delicious feast. AND………IT WAS A DAY TO BE TRULY THANKFUL FOR FAMILY AND ALL LIFE HAS GIVEN US.

FRF ❤️

It rained and rained and rained……………Bokes Creek bordered my father’s York Center stone quarry. A bridge was right there on the north west corner of the quarry.

My father kept close watch as it continued to rain and the creek water kept rising up close to the bottom of the bridge. If this continued the creek water would overflow the bridge, flooding the road that ran beside the stone quarry and that water would flow into the stone quarry.

On my father’s orders his working men scrambled to get truck loads of sand and burlap sand bags, hurriedly filling them and closing off the road over to the high banks around the quarry.

Because……….they had to stop that roaring creek water from flowing into the quarry and filling it with water. That would be a catastrophe.

But it kept raining and raining and despite all those men’s furious work to block that rushing, rising creek water we watched as it broke through the bags and rapidly flowed into the quarry. As it continued, it filled the quarry…………………

That put THE ROCKHOLD STONE QUARRY out of business! A VERY SAD DAY…………..

If it were possible to put the pictures of this happening from my brain into my IPad I could show you pictures of this catastrophe. Sorry! I don’t have that ability!

Now, what to do? That’s right! A sump-pump would have to pump that water over the bank surrounding the quarry along Bokes Creek and put the water back into the creek. I don’t remember how long that took but that time was lengthy.

So again as when Old Doc Thompson had put the quarry practically out of business for a couple years we lived the same this time.

When someone ask me “How could you live without any income” I told them “We lived off of what we had”. To someone who knows only living on a paycheck each week that was probably difficult to understand.

Well… to be sure,,,,,you tighten your belt…to manage getting by during the time of recovery when you are again back in business.

But believe me when I say, as we watched that roaring creek water fill the stone quarry with water IT WAS A VERY SAD DAY!!!!!!!!!!!!

FRF❤️

In my search for ancestors, from Nannie B Nimmo who wrote “The Rockholds of Early Maryland” I learned that Robert Rockhold the son came to America from Fitzhead England in the year of 1634. His father also named Robert Rockhold remained in England.

(1) My many greats grandfather Robert, the son, married Sarah Greniffe and they had a son John Rockhold.

(2) John Rockhold married Mary Richardson and their son Charles Rockhold was born in Maryland in 1685

(3) Charles Rockhold married Elizabeth Wright and their son John Rockhold was born in1711 in Maryland.

(4) John Rockhold married Elizabeth Talbot and their son Jacob Rockhold was born August 27 1740 in Maryland.

(5) Jacob Rockhold married Elizabeth unknown and their son Jacob was born March 7, 1770 in Maryland.

(6) Jacob Rockhold married Eleanor Rutledge and they had 10 children. Their first born was William Rockhold born September 20, 1791.

(7) William Rockhold married Ann Collett and they had two children Elisha John Rockhold born November 11,1827 and Mary Matilda born February 24 1829. William died April 19, 1886 in Muskingum county Ohio.

(8) Elisha John Rockhold married Elizabeth Louisa Miller June 13, 1858. They both died in Union County Ohio, they were my grand parents on my father’s side.

Back row Aunt Mary Matilda, Uncle Will Rockhold, Aunt Jane, Aunt Laura  seated Grampa Elisha Rockhold standing my father Levi Gilbert Rockhold sitting Gramma Louisa Rockhold

My father Levi was 17 years old when his mother Louisa died. Louisa was 40 years old when my father was born the baby of the family . His sister my Aunt Mary Matilda Bowen told me since he was so much younger than his siblings they had all spoiled him.

Standing my mother Mary Etta Longbery Rockhold , Uncle Elmer Longberry sitting Grampa Perry Longberry, Aunt Bertha Longberry Rish, Gramma Louisa Longberry

(9) Levi Gilbert Rockhold married Mary Etta Longberry and they had13 children.
(1) John  (2) Carl (3) Edith (4)Mabel (5) Geneva (6) Burl (7) Bee (8) Edna (9) Hazel (Bobbie) (10) Fannie (11) Earnest (Ernie) (12) Florence (me) (13) Howard (Bugs)

Levi and Mary Etta Rockhold had over 50 grandchildren. So to those of my nieces and nephews who are still living this is how you got to be AMERICANS.

I’m PROUD TO BE AN AMERICAN land of the USA!!!!!!!!! It was just 14 years after the Famous MAYFLOWER ship LANDED IN Massachusetts that our many greats grandfather Robert Rockhold landed at Baltimore Harbor.

When my granddaughter Evin was in school her teacher ask whose relative came to this country first and she was the one whose relative did. In fact HER MANY GREATS GRANDFATHER CAME TO AMERICA log before anyone else in her class.

If you do a search of you ancestors you may find a grandparent who came to America way back when…………….

YOU MIGHT GET A DELIGHTFUL SURPRISE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

FRF❤️