Uncle T.O. Mystery

Some of my Nace family has been making the news lately, at least in the "What's on Your Mind" column by Ray Cox that appears in every Monday's Roanoke Times. 

Because one of Cox's April columns, "WOYM: More Nace memories surface, from attempts to revive manganese mining to snakes not alive" referenced a "Tazewell Orren Hunt," I thought Tazewell might be connected to my great-aunt Cora Nace's husband, Thomas Orren Hunt. (I'd blogged about Cora and her husband in this December 10 post: "Cora Virginia Nace Hunt") Orren is not a common name.

I did some research and could find nothing about a "Tazewell Orren Hunt." I concluded that "Tazewell" had to have been "Thomas." I emailed Ray Co about what I'd learned. As a good reporter would do, Cox did some more researching himself. Hence the story in the July 27 newspaper: "WOYM: Family historians help piece together the backstory on 'Uncle T.O.' of Botetourt."

Mystery solved.

Sources:

Because some readers of this blog are interested in Botetourt County hisotry, here are the URLs to related "WOYM" stories about the town of Nace and about Uncle T.O. in order they appeared in the Roanoke Times: 

**April 5 "WOYM: Botetourt County's Nace had ties to region's iron mining history"

https://roanoke.com/news/local/woym-botetourt-countys-nace-had-ties-to-regions-iron-mining-history/article_048ab6a0-c2da-565d-8b75-55deb2a3b641.html

**April 19, 2020: "WOYM: More Nace memories surface, from attempts to revive manganese mining to snakes not alive" https://roanoke.com/news/local/woym-more-nace-memories-surface-from-attempts-to-revive-manganese-mining-to-snakes-not-alive/article_b91503d5-4e17-502d-aafd-4d842dd5b1a6.html

**June 21, 2020: "WOYM: Reader seeks help finding out more about a long-ago storekeeper in Nace" 
https://roanoke.com/news/local/woym-reader-seeks-help-finding-out-more-about-a-long-ago-storekeeper-in-nace/article_0e1e2ae3-4588-5b94-a980-9873d3f135f7.html

**June 28, 2020: WOYM: "Nace storekeeper ID'd thanks to Botetourt County family connections" 
https://roanoke.com/news/local/woym-nace-storekeeper-idd-thanks-to-botetourt-county-family-connections/article_93d29e59-53b2-5bba-93b3-5c77ff651cdb.html

**July 27, 2020: "WOYM: Family historians help piece together the backstory on 'Uncle T.O. of Botetourt" https://roanoke.com/news/local/woym-family-historians-help-piece-together-the-backstory-on-uncle-t-o-of-botetourt/article_9339b544-aa20-586d-be24-2ce89e2e5094.html

~

Cora Virginia Nace Hunt

Six daughters of the Nace family of Lithia survived past infancy. In this 1902 picture, Ossie Belle Nace (1894-1987) stands beside her mother. The youngest, Zora William (1903-1988), wasn't yet born. In the back row, from left to right are Pearl (1890-1911), Blanche (1886-1983), Lucy (1885-197?), and Cora (1888-1945).

The W.R. Nace family of Lithia, VA

Cora Virginia Nace married Thomas Orren Hunt (1877-1965)—my mother always called him Uncle T.O.—and I think they lived in Boones Mill for a while—at least they did in 1908. Later, they moved to Botetourt County, where Cora was again close to her family. In the photo below, Cora is right;  her sister Blanche is left. T.O. is in front.

Blanche Ruble, Cora Hunt, T.O. Hunt

They had the following children:  

• Claude Nace Hunt 1907-1984 (m. Elizabeth Hurt)
• William Orren Hunt 1909-1968 (m. Lillian Gertrude Whorley)
• Pearl Dodd Hunt 1912-1995 (m. Boyd Conrad Whorley)
• Lucas Dennison Hunt 1905-1976 (m. Margaret Vaughan)
• Sulmana Elizabeth Hunt 1917-2011 (m. M. Carl Furman, Roy Hildebrand, Harry S. Woody)

Above are Cora's oldest boys, Claude and Bud (William), when they were little. Below are all five: Elizabeth, Den, Claude, Pearl, and Bud.

A later picture of Pearl and Elizabeth. . .

. . . and another of Elizabeth:

This picture of Elizabeth and her cousin Raymond Ruble was taken in 1927:

An older Claude:

Lawrence Ruble, Blanche's oldest son, lounges on the Ruble porch with his cousin Den Hunt (I now own the rocking chair that's behind them).

After Pearl was married to Boyd Whorley, she looked like this:

One source I found lists children of Pearl and Boyd Whorley as Doris (m. Dan Bailey), Kitty (m. Charles Mills), and Esther (m. John Steinmetz). However, on the back of this 1943 photo are written the names Tommy Whorley, Buddy Whorley, Cookie Whorley, Peggy Whorley, and Ginger Hunt. Are four of these children Pearl's? If not, what's the connection?

Children of Elizabeth and her third husband Harry S. Woody were Harriett P. Woody (b. 1937), Harry S. Woody Jr. (b. 1944), and Thomas L. Woody (b. 1947).

Aunt Cora died of stomach cancer on August 27, 1945—a few weeks before I was born. At least a year after her death, her husband placed this memorial in the Roanoke paper:

I can remember Uncle T.O. visiting my mother and sometimes writing her letters, which he always typed and which always began, "My dear good girl Alene." I don't remember ever meeting their children. 

According to Austin's Related Families of Botetourt County,  T.O. (the book has his middle name wrong) was from Richmond. Actually, he was from the Snow Creek area of Franklin County but lived in Norfolk later in life, probably with one of his sons.  Claude and Bud lived in Norfolk, and Den lived in Richmond. Uncle T.O. died in Richmond in January 1965, nine days after he'd fallen down a flight of stairs and suffered a head and neck injury. He was probably visiting Den when his accident occurred. He is buried beside Cora in Lithia Baptist Church.

~