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The seven threads that pieced together the The fabric of the Family and this book.
Margaret Jane Parlette Wolary McConnell (b. 1847)—( The matriarch. A frontier survivor with a Recipe/Cregiving book in her hand and tenacity in her bones. Virtually orphaned at 9 days old, endlessly resourceful, and armed with quilts, prayer, and sharp instincts, she laid the foundation—one handmade stitch and quiet act of resilience at a time.
Bertha Margaret McConnell Conley—A herbalist and naturalist/nurse who archived life’s details with the precision of a historian and the heart of a daughter. Bertha kept a scrapbook and a diary—gluing down what mattered before anyone else realized it did. Through wars, moves, and motherhood, she curated a legacy one paper scrap at a time.
A peripheral part of this story, Alma, was a dedicated horsewoman and hard worker. She found solace in her family and her four daughters and one son after being widowed young.
Bright, and fleeting—was her light. Born between the wars, served in the US Army Air Corps. She nursed young man returning home with grievous wounds seen and unseen. She married a young wounded bombardier pilot and was the mother of two small children when she was felled by a mosquito. She left behind diaries letters and loved ones who never recovered.
Nellye Rose Conley. A teacher, dedicated aunt, daughter, and grammarian with flair. She knew the value of education, well-ironed skirts, and second chances. She filled her home with books, opinion, and emergency cookies—passing along a love of learning and a talent for resilience disguised as charm and was always there.
Connected by DNA, but not mtDNA, Sara Laurene South, ten years younger than Bertha— An influencer, college educated to become a teacher and she became the youngest teacher in Warren County, Illinois. She really wanted to go into business but her father said no to that and also to nursing. By in her middle age she was considered an authority on playing the commodities market to the point that farmers would ask her how to vote on pertinent issues. Her wit and social prominence adds to the development of the next generation. Her legacy is one of order, values, and deep thought along with wizardry in the kitchen.
Margaret Young, Ph.D., is a Professor Emeritus of Communication whose career spans broadcasting, journalism, design, and archival deep-dives into 19th-century ephemera. An award-winning writer and lifelong story excavator, she focuses on the resilience of ordinary women and the generational wisdom tucked into diaries, sock drawers, and stubborn streaks. She believes the smallest stories often carry the biggest truths—and maybe a little rebellion.
The legacy in motion. Dassie brings warmth, wit, and wisdom to every room she enters. A healer, nurturer, and fierce advocate, she bridges past and present. She mothers sons, cultivates beauty, and carries the family line forward with fire and care. The next leaf. The quiet promise of a new story beginning. Born into a library of women’s lives, Dassie carries both their name and their strength. Her chapter is still unfolding, but the roots beneath her are centuries deep.
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