Rosa's Cousins - Nellie Grace Chase

Rosa had a double relationship to Nellie Grace Chase. Nellie was her 1st cousin and therefore my 1st cousin 3 times removed. But also Nellie had married William Smalley, Rosa's husband's brother, so she was Rosa's sister-in-law.

Since Nellie was married to my Dad's granduncle, he always referred to her as Aunt Nellie, so I grew up calling her that also. She was one of the few relatives from Nebraska who came to visit us in Oregon and I always enjoyed her visits. She was fun to be around. Probably the reason she came to Oregon was not just to see us, but some of her children lived in Oregon.

Nellie was born 5 May 1872 in Henry County Illinois, the daughter of Wells Morgan and Sarah Jane (McLaughlin) Chase. Nellie was the 2nd child of 4, 1 brother and 2 sisters. As a baby they moved to Mercer County Illinois and when Nellie was about 12 years old they moved to Saline County Nebraska. It was there not long before her 16th birthday that she married William Smalley on 1 Mar 1888. She and William soon moved to Sherman County Kansas and they settled on a homestead. Later they moved back to Nebraska, first to Saline County where they were enumerated on the 1900 census with their first four children: Clyde, Lee, Floyd and Sarah Fern.

By 1910 they were living in Nuckolls County Nebraska with their 6 children, including the 2 youngest, Raymond and Maymie. These 2 were still living in the household with their parents in the 1920 census. I haven't yet found the family for the 1930 census, but in 1940 they were living in the city of Superior in Nuckolls County with no children left at home.

William died in 1944. Nellie lived as a widow for more than 20 years until her death 16 Mar 1965. They were both buried in Evergreen Cemetery in Superior Nebraska and have a double gravestone. One of their descendants shared a copy of the funeral program for Nellie with the family. I found it very interesting that the songs listed were ones which I have played for funerals myself: "The Old Rugged Cross," "In The Garden," and "Have Thine Own Way."