#52ancestors: Post Two: Juanita Pearl Thompson Gleghorn, a Hairston Descendant

Juanita, Clarence, Ina Lucille, and Andy Bowie Thompson

This week's writing prompt for #52ancestors is "favorite photo." This is one of two of my favorite Hairston photos. The below cropped and enlarged version of the photo of four of children of Floyd Thompson and Ora Cox has appeared on my blog three times. 

• Letters From the Past: Juanita Thompson Gleghorn November 21, 2000 - Part I  
• Forgotten Family – Part IV: The Letter
• 52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks: #41 Floyd William Thompson 

My cousin, Jackie, sent this photo with over 100 other photos - most not identified. My quest to identify the people in the photos led me to several cousins, one being the youngest child in this photo - Juanita Pearl Thompson Gleghorn, my second-cousin-once-removed. 

Juanita 1917

Juanita 2005

Juanita was born on April 29,1918, in Seymour, Texas, and was the daughter of Floyd William Thompson and Ora Ellen Cox. She married Donald Victor Gleghorn on Dec. 29, 1937 in Seymour. 

According to her obituary, Juanita was a longtime member of the Eastside Church of Christ. She was a homemaker, an avid seamstress, and an excellent cook. She was an art teacher for over 30 years and was the first president of the Duncan Art Guild. 

Juanita lived in Duncan, Oklahoma when I received my first letter from her in 2000. She remembered playing with my father when he was a small child, the hand-painted china that my grandfather brought my grandmother from his trips, the lye soap that her mother made for my father’s older brother, and the deaths of my grandparents.  Her family had furniture and china that had once belonged to my grandmother, Myrtie Hairston Bryan.  

My grandmother, Myrtie Hairston Bryan 1900
Painted by Juanita Pearl Gleghorn

Juanita was a wonderful artist. She and her husband lived in San Diego during the WWII where she had her first art classes. During my first visit with her, in 2001, I saw so many beautiful paintings in her home. And, as a gift, she gave me a painting of my grandmother. 

Juanita also liked to write stories. Along with her interesting letters, she sent me stories to read to my children. Juanita wrote a wonderful book for her family, The Life of A Sharecropper's Family, telling of her life growing up and other family stories. 

Juanita died on August 13, 2011. Her husband preceded her in death on May 3, 2008. They are buried in Fairlawn Cemetery in Comanche, Oklahoma.

Juanita Pearl Thompson Gleghorn is #54 in my Hairston Tree
The solid lines indicate that the connection to the family is documented while the dotted lines indicate that direct evidence has not yet been found to make the connection.
Click on the family tree to see a larger image.

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Diana

© 2018

Sources

Family photographs and documents from the collection of Diana Bryan Quinn. 

Juanita Gleghorn | Obituary | The Duncan Banner. 14 Aug. 2011. Web. 13 Jan. 2018. <http://obituaries.duncanbanner.com/obituary/juanita-gleghorn-1918-2011-745089352>.