Votaw Cousins in California

Many of the Votaw cousins lived in or near Whittier, and they enjoyed getting together - especially at Christmas.

By Dave

Feb 1, 2021

When Harold, Mildred, and Dick Votaw left Indiana in 1944 and moved to California, they had to leave close family (Frank & Tirzah Jessup) behind. But they moved into Whittier, a city where a lot of the Votaw family members had previously settled. They had a lot of relatives in the area, and Dick was able to develop close friendships with many of his cousins.

Most of Dick’s cousins were the sons and daughters of his father’s siblings. As can be seen on the diagram at the right, a total of nine grandchildren had been born to Elmer and Ruth Votaw. These cousins were 8th generation Votaws in America. When Dick moved to California in 1944, seven of his cousins were still living (Ronald Votaw had died at the age of 10).

Two additional cousins lived in Whittier, sisters Marilyn and Joanne Votaw. Their parents were Thomas and Ethel Votaw. Thomas was a cousin of Elmer’s, in the 6th generation. Ethel was the older sister of Lucille, Vernon’s wife; I always used to get those two ladies mixed up. Thomas was much younger than Elmer, and generations in his family were longer, so his seventh-generation daughters (Marilyn and Joanne) were close in age to Elmer’s eighth-generation grandchildren. They lived in Whittier, were part of First Friends Church, and were welcomed as close cousins.

The big event of the year for the Votaw family was the Votaw Christmas, a party held sometime in December. Most of the pictures on this page are from that event, but these pictures were taken in the 1940s, before any children were born in generation 9. Dick and his gen-8 cousins, along with Marilyn and Joanne, were young people in high school and college, not yet married.

The Votaw Christmas events carried on well into the 1960s, until the five children of Elmer and Ruth became too old to continue. I remember them being held at Aunt Cile’s house on Philadelphia Street, and one of them (I’m pretty sure) was at the chicken dinner restaurant at Knott’s Berry Farm. This was about the only time we kids got to meet our second cousins, fellow members of the ninth generation of Votaws in America. With the exception of Don and Shirley’s kids, with whom we were in Sunday School every week, we had no chance to form relationships with the others. So the tradition has died out.

The Votaw Christmas event had one rule, which I (as a child) deeply resented: each person could open one–just one–present. In this photo we see Mildred opening her present, while Harold looks on in (mock?) astonishment. Mildred is thrilled with her gift, and Dick is just enjoying the moment. Photo by Don Votaw, at the Whittier home of Vernon and Lucile Votaw.

The above are photos of Dick’s cousins Marilyn and Joanne Votaw in their teenage years.

A 1944 letter written by Howard Votaw to his siblings, upon hearing that Harold and Mildred had moved to California. Howard and Virginia were in Hawaii, apparently serving with the military there during the war. It’s a great letter; Howard discusses quite a few different members of the family and various possibilities, including one that later came true: he went to work with his brothers at Pomona Box Company.

I never got to know Howard; there was no opportunity for me to do so. After reading this letter I wish that I had known him.

This chart shows all of the Votaw cousins that I remember from my childhood. In addition to all of Dick’s cousins (and aunts and uncles) that appear in photos on this page, other Votaws lived in Whittier and were part of our church. Ethel Votaw (whom we called Aunt Ethel) was treasurer of our church when I was a child; I remember that she had an office in that big brick church building, with her name on the door. Her sister-in-law Nellie Grace was also part of the church, although I didn’t know her well. Elmer’s younger brother Merritt and his wife Anna were well-known to our family, and the church had two huge parties to celebrate their 60th and 65th wedding anniversaries. They lived across the street from the church, next to the post office. Merritt wrote the Votaw family genealogy book which is the source of all the information for the above family tree. (Click chart to enlarge it for reading.)

Elmer and Ruth Votaw’s five children as they appeared in 1946. From left to right: Harold, Howard, Vera, Clayton, and Vernon.

The Learning Years, by Dick Votaw (part 3)
(part 1) (part 2)

Now that we were in California we were able to attend the Votaw Christmas parties in person. All the years to this point the gift exchange had to be through the mail. This event was a real tradition for the family. The families of my parents generation would draw names and at first the price limit for the ‘main’ gift was $5.00 and then gradually increased as the years went by. The party time was set a couple of weeks before Christmas and as a high schooler I can remember it lasting well into the morning. It was an event anticipated with great eagerness all year. Eventually the party became shorter in duration as that generation got older and much reminiscing was done each year.

A Votaw Christmas gathering from the 1940s. Standing, in back: Vernon, Clayton, Frank & Tirzah Jessup (visiting from Indiana). Seated, middle row: Vera, Mildred (partially hidden), Arline, Virginia, Lucille, Willie and Kate Boettger (Alma’s parents), and Laura Williams (Alma’s sister). Seated on floor, in front: Will Boyce, Joanne, Harold, Eleanor, and Dick. On couch at right: Fred Williams (Alma’s brother-in-law), and Alma. (Note: Harold always seems to be having fun in these photos. Don Votaw, who took this and many of the other photos on this page, informs me that Harold was always the life and soul of any party.)

Another scene from the same event as the above photo. Standing in back: Dick, Mildred, Joanne, and Tirzah. Seated, left to right: Clayton, Eleanor, Frank (kneeling between the young ladies), Arline, Harold, Marilyn, Vernon. On the right are Will Boyce and Willie Boettger (Alma’s father).

In this photo, Lucille and Vernon Votaw and Vera and Will Boyce are all gazing intently at Barbara Boyce (Rinehart) on the couch. Lucille has just unwrapped an unusual gift – it appears to be a small (bonsai?) tree. Dick is standing behind the couch, looking bored. Photo by Don Votaw at Lucile and Vernon’s home in Whittier.

This is a Christmas dinner with tables for four. At the table on the left, Harold sits with Arline and Marilyn; in back on the right, Dick is with Vera and Barbara Boyce Rinehart; at right front, Joanne is with Barbara’s husband Bill Rinehart. The picture was taken by Don Votaw.

In addition to his cousins, Dick had lots of friends from high school and college. His cousin Don Votaw took this photo at Dick’s birthday party, given in the dining room of his parents’ home on N. Bright in Whittier. I can recognize only a few people in this photo. Standing in the back, wearing aprons, are Lucille, Mildred, and Harold Votaw. Marilyn Votaw is seated directly in front of Mildred. The girl on the right, her face partially hidden, is Eleanor Votaw. Don’s date (Joan) is sitting in front of the china cabinet on the right. Dick is front and left, wearing the funny hat. Next to Dick, also wearing a funny hat, is his high school girlfriend, Jody Taber.

This is a Christmas card sent to Harold and Mildred from Clayton and Alma Votaw. The setting is the front porch of their home on Valley Home Rd in La Habra. Don took this picture, using a tripod and timer so that he could be in it.

Harold, Mildred, and Dick pose with
Dick’s cousins Don and Arline Votaw.

Dick with his high school girlfriend, Jody Taber. We are glad that he moved on and chose our mom!

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