Journalistic blunder or...?

Our report of October 11, 2009 heralded a possible “cousin” relationship between the Galey family of Whitney, Nebraska in the last half of the 20th century and the “Gealy” Mathis family of Chadron. Still an unlikely scenario, it fell in to my “Who’d-a-thunk it” category.

Noticing that it’s been a while since I rattled the cage of Galey research, I started foraging through my too-fat and unorganized file of the Galey family papers and happened across the news clipping shown here. It’s a front-page story from the Friday, August 2, 1929 edition of the Chadron (Nebr) Journal, reporting the death of a John Galey, stricken while fossil hunting north of Chadron.

My earlier memory of a “Gealy” spelling in this story proved wrong. But I’m not convinced that the newspaper got the spelling correct, especially if the Mr. Galey of Gordon described in the story was a member of the “Gealy” clan up in Sheridan County. You can click on the image at left to see a larger version of this story.

A bit more research is necessary. These Galeys are a slippery lot.

Who'd-a-thunk it?

Those “brick walls” that confound genealogists sometimes offer tiny holes through which one can snatch a bit of family history that is both surprising and unexpected. It might not be as exhilarating as bounding over those obstacles in a single leap, but it’s still rewarding!

Such was the case last spring when I received an e-mail from a gent named Glenn Gealy, who lives in Maryland. He had happened across our Galey-Miller website on Rootsweb.

“An interesting coincidence,” he wrote, that “Bernard Galey died in my hometown of Gordon Nebraska in 1995. I believe this family originated in Lancaster Co. PA about 1750 (Benjamin Galey, of Little Britain Twp, who died 1777), moved to Kentucky, then to Montgomery Co., Indiana. I would like to correspond with you. Glenn”

I was hooked. Many years earlier, I had come across a newspaper article about a “Gealy” family in Sheridan County, Nebraska. Intriguing as it was, I was confident that there was no relationship to “my” Galey family of Dawes County. It appears my confidence…..again…..was misplaced.

I had known for many years that our Galey ancestors had arrived in Dawes County from Missouri and – before that – Indiana. All of a sudden, it seemed that there just might be a relationship between the Gealys of Gordon and the Galeys of Whitney.

But then the story got even weirder.

In later correspondence with Glenn Gealy, he dropped a bombshell: “Having lived in Chadron – did you know of Gealy William Mathis, otherwise known as ‘Gealy Bill’? He is my father’s second cousin”

As Karen’s cousin Kenny Kritenbrink would say, “Who’d-a-thunk it?”

Know him?!?! Anyone living in or around Chadron, Nebraska, during the last half of the 20th century knew Gealy Mathis. Gealy was something of a “renaissance man.” He was an able individual with the instincts of a survivor. Born on a farm in Sheridan County, he grew up in the country and graduated from school in Clinton, Nebraska, got married and went in to the Navy, landing in Chadron after the service.

I remember him as a long-time employee of the once vibrant Chadron Milling Company. Those were the days when there were three major employers in Chadron: the railroad, the mill, and the college. Gealy ultimately became manger of the mill, but then it burned down. Chadron Milling was devastated not by just one fire – but two.

Doubtless, Gealy loved the community and was committed to remain there and raise his family, even after fire had snatched away his livelihood. He ran the Texaco bulk plant and service station for a while, and then became manager of the Ideal supermarket. Then he became service manager for the Chevrolet garage, and then parts manager for the Ford garage.

A member of the Chadron Volunteer Fire Department for more than 40 years, Gealy was Fire Chief for over 20 years. Involved in so many civic and community organizations, it was no surprise that he was handily elected Dawes County Clerk in 1974 – a job he held until he retired in 1986.

The week after Glen Gealy wrote to me about his uncle “Gealy Bill” in Chadron, we received the news about Gealy Mathis’ death. The Chadron Record posted his obituary on-line.

Of Gealy’s family, I know his son Jerry best. Although we went to separate schools – I was a “Cardinal” and was a long-time “Junior Eagle,” – he was my age and we often competed in sporting events.

During those high school years, Jerry and I dated a couple of girls who were best friends: Shelley and Karen. And all the while, Jerry and Karen were likely shirt-tail "cousins."

Who’d-a-thunk it?

We didn’t.

Tombstone folly

James Thomas Galey died 51 years ago today in Scottsbluff, Nebraska.

That fact spurred memories about a claim by Tom that remains something of a mystery to this day.

Budding genealogists would quickly note – as I once did – that James Thomas Galey died in 1958 at age 58. After all, he had always alleged that he had been born in 1900. That’s probably why his death certificate says he was born in 1900 – as does his tombstone in the Whitney, Nebraska cemetery.

But all was not as it seemed.

In the summer of 1989, more than 30 years after Tom Galey, Sr., died, I was in Portand, Oregon on two weeks of active duty training with the Navy. One weekend, I rented a car and drove south down Interstate-5 to Woodburn, where I met one of Karen’s uncles – Frank Galey.

Lee Frank Galey was by that time long since retired from Portland Power and Light Company. A life-long bachelor, “Frank” lived in a quiet neighborhood of Woodburn populated by senior citizens.

When I took this photograph of Frank, he was 79 years old and still quite active. The golf cart in his garage was well used, and I suspect he was among the very first Galey to pick up a golf club. ‘Twould have been fun to watch him compete with his nephews Bob and Gary Galey, who are both afflicted with the golf bug.

There’s no mistaking that Frank was a Galey. His facial features resembled several of the Galey clan, and I think he particularly resembled Tommy Galey (1934-2006).

Frank was a great story teller and delighted in recalling his visit to Nebraska some years earlier, when those “two little girls of Eva’s helped run down and wring the neck of a chicken” – destined to be the main course for dinner that night.

During our conversations about the Galey family and their migration from Indiana to Montana, Frank revealed a fact that had been obscured over the years. His older brother Tom Galey (1890-1958) wasn’t born in 1900 – as he had claimed and as was inscribed on his tombstone. It seems that Tom, for whatever reason, perpetrated a hoax that lingered beyond the grave.

Frank insisted that he – not Tom – was the only Galey boy born in 1900. And Tom, he noted, was 10 years older than him!

There is little doubt that Tom Galey fibbed about when he was born – the only real question is why.

The most likely explanation had to do with that young Cunningham woman he started dating shortly after he wandered into western Nebraska when he was about 40 years old. It was just prior to the Great Depression, and he had been smitten by the young Eva Cunningham, a schoolmarm who was half his age. My best guess is that he shaved the truth by about 10 years in order to narrow the gap in their ages.

When they finally wed on November 25,1933 in Rushville, Nebraska, she had just turned 24 and he was 43…..er, 33!

Only his brother, Frank Galey, would finally set the record straight. And census records substantiate his assertion. A few short years after our conversation in Woodburn, Frank Galey died. He was 87 years old. We would like to have known him better. He liked to get at the truth of things!

Fran Galey (1962-2009)

We said good-bye today to Fran Galey.

She died far too young – only 46 years old. She passed away last Tuesday (4/28/09) in Riverton, Wyoming, after a lengthy battle with a brain tumor. She was the wife of Jay Galey, and a daughter-in-law to Gary and Zoleta Galey of Crawford.

Fran was born in Fort Collins, Colorado, to Larry and Patricia Dowse. They moved to Riverton, where Fran graduated from high school in 1980. She earned degrees in science and education at Chadron State College, where she met Jay. They married in Crawford, Nebraska in June 1984. They had three children: Jaycy, Kelsey, and Thomas “T.J.”

Fran had a remarkable career in the classroom, teaching science for six years in Spalding, Nebraska, before taking a teaching job in Ord, Nebraska, where she remained for 13 years. The family moved to Riverton in 2005, where she taught middle school science. Fran was a real supporter of youth baseball and served on the boards of Little League and Babe Ruth baseball.

Most of our relationship with Fran was during Galey family gatherings in Crawford at Gary and Zoleta's home. She was a bright and talented young lady whose commitment to education was strong, and she delighted in the accomplishments of her children.

A favorite teacher for many, it was no surprise that St. Margaret’s Parish Hall in Riverton was filled this morning (5/2/09) with people who’d come to pay their respects to Fran and offer their condolences and support to Jay, Jaycy, Kelsey, T.J., and the Dowse and Galey families. It was a beautiful day for the interment at Mountain View Cemetery in Riverton, and it was a touching ceremony.

Here is text of Fran’s obituary as it appeared in the Thursday, April 30, 2009 edition of The Ranger, Fremont County's daily newspaper.

For Karen

50 years together!

We probably don't report as much about Galey "cousins" as we should. So this posting recognizes the singular achievement of Galey cousin Roger Kritenbrink and his wife, Sally, who have just celebrated (2/7/09) their 50th wedding anniversary. Congratulations!

Roger is the older son of the late Abe and Gerry (Cunningham) Kritenbrink. Gerry and Eva Galey were Cunningham sisters.

Their sons spent quite a bit of time together; in fact, rumor has it the Roger Kritenbrink and Tommy Galey joined the Navy together back before the beginning of the nuclear era!

Shown above is a photograph of the Roger and Sally Kritenbrink wedding with their parents at side. The Shays are on the left, the Kritenbrinks on the right. The following note was posted in the February 8, 2009 edition of the Rapid City Journal:

RAPID CITY - Roger and Sally Kritenbrink celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary Feb. 7, 2009. They were married in Belle Fourche. Their children are Julie and James Ledlum, Brooklyn Park, Minn.; Steven and Jeanette Kritenbrink, Alpine, Utah; and Michael and Mary Kritenbrink, Centennial, Colo. They have seven grandchildren.

100 years ago...

It was 100 years ago this month that Margaret Thompson, a quiet young lady from Giltner, Nebraska, married a young man from Illinois, 22-year-old Rayburn Cunningham. They tied the knot on February 5, 1909 in Council Bluffs, Iowa. The rest, as they say, is history!

The snapshot above was taken in 1959 as they were celebrating their 50th wedding anniversary in California, where they often visited daughters living there. They had nine children, seven of whom grew to adulthood. Among them was their oldest daughter, Eva, who married James Thomas Galey in 1933. Their family spurred the creation of this Galey Family Archive! Our thanks to Carl Wells of Valentine, Nebraska, for sending us this photograph. We've seen similar ones taken at this event -- but not this one!