52 Ancestor Weeks, Week 9 : Mildred Vance Ellsworth - The Teen Years.

When Mildred Vance left her grandparents, she had a different way of life. Initially her mother sent her to live with her father where they would work out in the garden and the fields helping.  Mom said she remembered picking crops.
At 13, she moved to live with her mother and step-father Clarence LaBerge, because her father was suffering trying to support 7 children during the depression, and his second marriage was breaking up. Houston was not hit as hard economically, but work was slowed. She said they didn’t have a house.  Mr La Berge was a carpenter. He worked for several home builders.  As he was framing and finishing, he and the family would live in the garage or house, sometimes with sheets up to separate rooms.
I found some interesting facts out about her during her teen years.
She wanted to be an actress.  In 1934, while in the 8th grade, she played Frances in the play “Sally Ann Finds Herself” at George Washington Junior High School.

"Sally Ann Finds Herself" is on Internet Archives. 

This school opened in 1928, and was among the first Junior High Schools in Houston Texas.

Another milestone for her was the Cinderella Pageant at George Washington Junior High in spring of 1935 in the 9th grade. She was a Lady in Waiting for Cinderella.  Her picture is cute.

Cinderella Pageant 1935

Mildred at 16. A favorite picture of the family.

She was to experience tragedy in 1937. Her brother Thurman was killed in an auto accident. He was only 25 and had a little girl. Mom kept in touch with her.  She told me that he lived at the edge of Houston, on a farm the family owned. He would pick her and her brothers up from town and take them out to work on the farm to care for the garden.

In 1938, she must have gone visiting at Cass County, because we have pictures of her having fun with friends, a fellow and cousins.  The following has written on the back: “Arnold Mackey and Mildred Vance”. There isn’t a clue who Arnold is, and I can’t find him on a census.

She had a best friend, Ila Mae West. She wrote this on the back of the picture.  I have not found Ila in any records either.

Ila is in the center and Mildred on the right

.  You can tell who had brothers.  J

Mildred on the left and Ila on the right. The caption on the back was "best friends" ?  

This brings us up to where she met Ed, that is new chapter in her book to be done at a later date.
Thank you for stopping by.