The Schooley Girls

Grandma remembers her favorite grandmother, Jennie Schooley Clark, telling of her childhood and her sisters, Nettie, and Meda, Nanny, and Blanche. Jennie described their father as a harsh and rather unkind man, and when their mother died in childbirth with Helen, the family was devastated. Blanche was "adopted" by a family named Noble, but most of the girls had a struggle. Ephraim eventually remarried and had another child, but only Benjamin remained with him. The story below was told by Nettie to her oldest daughter, Wilma Hackley Hawley:

"Nettie Schooley was born in 1888 to Julia Bantam Schooley and Ephraim Schooley in Iola Kansas. She was the fifth child in the family of six. The first child was Benjamin, followed by Jennie, Blanche, Meda, Nettie, Nanny and Helen, who died at her birth along with their mother.
After their mother's death, homes had to be found for the children. Benjamin stayed with his father. The girls were mostly placed in homes where help was needed. Nettie was past the cute small child age, she was about eight years old, and not old enough to do real work. She became a kind of 'Little Orphan Annie,' looking after smaller children and doing menial chores. She lived with different families.

Finally, in her early teens she came to live with a young unmarried woman named Libby who owned a horse farm in Kansas. Libby became very fond of Nettie, and treated her very nicely. Although Nettie was expected to help, and follow certain rules, she was soon treated more like a daughter than hired help. Libby bought her the first really nice clothes that she had ever had. She had photos taken of her, and seemed very proud of her.

One afternoon when Nettie came home from school she saw a very handsome young man about to come through the garden gate that she was planning to enter. He graciously opened the gate for her and stood by as she went through. This young man was William Edgar Hackley. He had come to apply for the position of horse trainer and had been hired.

As time went on, Edgar was often invited to have dinner with Libby and Nettie. Of course he was there because of a mutual romantic interest between Libby and himself, but he always paid special attentiion to Nettie. He called her his little sweetheart and often gave her presents. Not realizing the reality of what was happening, she fell 'madly in love' with him. Her life became all that she had ever hoped for. She had a home, all the things that the other young people had, probably more--and she was in love!

One nice Sunday afternoon Libby asked Nettie if she would like to take a girl friend for a drive. She could have one of the fancy buggies and a special horse and did not need to be home until late afternoon. Would she ever?

She returned to find Libby and Edgar in the Parlor. That was a surprise, because the Parlor was only used for special occasions. Libby and Edgar were 'all smiles'. Libby said, 'Nettie sit down. I have something that I want to ask you. How would you like to have Edgar for your 'Daddy'?

As the significance of that question became clear Nettie's dream world began to crumble. As quickly as she could she excused herself and hurried to her special place in the hay mow in the barn. She cried and cried--but could only cry so long--because she had chores to do--and dinner to prepare. She dried her eyes--tried to make herself presentable, and climbed down to face the real world.

Edgar and Libby were married. Nettie's home was not the happy place that it had been. But she was growing up. Time has a way of making unhappy circumstances bearable, and life goes on.
Edgar and Libby had not been married very long--maybe two or three years when Libby died suddenly of a stomach ailment, probably appendicitis.

Edgar was eleven years older than Nettie but after a time he began courting Nettie. He won her heart and her hand--but the magic was gone. Nettie and Edgar had three children. Wilma Hackley Hawley, born Dec 3, 1909. Fern Helen Hacklely Sceales, born Nov 26, 1912, William Edgar Hackley Jr. born Mar 8, 1916.

Nettie passed away at age 39, in 1927
Edgar passed away at age 58, in 1929. Dates taken from data of Nettie,
Fern Hackley Sceales."