One story that my father and some of his siblings passed along surrounded a mysterious inheritance that my grandfather
received in the 1970’s. Unfortunately, nobody could recall the name of the relative who passed
along the inheritance and no records could be located. But with some persistent sleuthing, help from my cousin Jennie, and a lucky hunch, the mystery was at long last solved.
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| Grandpa (Vernon Bramel) at home, 1969 |
As the story goes, my grandparents, Vernon and Marietta
Bramel, had planned a trip to their tiny fishing cottage on the Sandusky River north of
Fremont, Ohio. They
stopped at the post office on their way out of their home town of Bettsville to pick up the
mail. Grandpa opened an envelope from an
attorney’s office and discovered a check along with a letter explaining that the
payment was for settlement of the estate of a deceased family member. My grandfather, at first glance, thought the check was in the amount of $4,500. But then Grandma, upon closer examination, realized that Grandpa had overlooked one of the zeroes. The check was actually for $45,000!
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| My dad (Vernon, Jr.) with sons Randy and Mike, at the cottage, 1959 |
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| Grandma Bramel (Marietta Semer) with my cousin Tim Bramel at the cottage, 1959 |
Our investigation identified the benefactor as Vernon's aunt, Nancy Mae Bramel, a native of Maysville, Kentucky and the daughter of Wood and Amelia Bramel. The Bramel families in Maysville and Mason County descended from Jonathan Bramhall, who migrated to Kentucky from Southern Maryland in the early 1800's.
Nancy Mae resided in Detroit after a stint in Akron, Ohio where she had worked as a dance instructor. She met Benjamin F. Jones, a successful businessman from Ravenna, Ohio, and a widower with two grown sons. After divorcing Warren Willkinson, Nancy Mae married Mr. Jones in 1931 at Mackinac Island, Michigan. They resided in Ravenna for the remainder of their lives.
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| The life and times of Benjamin Jones |
I was contacted by Holly Beazley, a granddaughter of Mr. Jones, who stumbled upon some of my research on Ancestry.com. She shared some photographs and her recollections of Benjamin and Nancy Mae:
"They were very private people and I hardly knew them but they took me ice skating once. They were avid figure skaters. They lived in a mansion on Main Street in Ravenna that had a ballroom where Nancy would roller skate. My grandfather had a 6th grade education and worked in the coal mines in Ohio before he took a correspondence course in engineering. He and his brothers then founded Jones Brothers Structural Steel Company in Ravenna which became a very successful business. They were all well respected in town."
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| The former Jones home in Ravenna became Sugar Maple Inn, a Bed and Breakfast |
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| Benjamin and Nancy Mae Jones, Lavern Jones, and Harlene, 1930's |
Mr. Jones died in 1967, followed by Nancy in 1976. As far as I know, my grandfather had never met his aunt. He and his two younger brothers were placed in an orphanage near Toledo after their mother died near Cincinnati in 1925. The boys were subsequently separated and maintained almost no communication during their lifetimes. My grandfather never shared any information with us about his childhood other than that his family was from Kentucky and that he ran away from home at age twelve. My research has since lifted the veil on this complicated chapter in our family history, and a link at the end of this article takes the reader to that story.
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| The Akron Beacon Journal - 26 Feb 1976 |
With his inheritance money, my grandfather was able to retire from Basic, Inc. in 1976 after 49 years of dedicated employment. He and my grandmother purchased a large RV camper and traveled around the country, often visiting with their children and grandchildren in Florida, Virginia, and Oklahoma.
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| Grandpa in his workshop, ready to try out a new fishing pole |
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| Marietta and Vernon with their mobile home, 1987 |
LINKS:
