Myrtle Dora (Cryder) McKinney

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Myrtle Dora Cryder[1] was born on the 10th of June in 1873 in Morrisonville, Christian County, IL, to Theodore and Anna (Warren) Cryder. Myrtle married Arthur Boyd McKinney on 6 September 1893 in Virden, Macoupin County, IL. She died on 3 May 1936 in Virden, Macoupin Co, IL., and was buried on 6 May 1936 in Brush Creek Cemetery, Divernon, Sangamon Co, IL. My side of the family always thought that Boyd's name was Boyd Arthur, until I received a copy of his death certificate. He was always called Boyd, and no one who spoke of him ever called him Arthur. Boyd and Myrtle had four children:

i. Lola Aldene McKinney - always called Aldene by her mother (she was Aunty Dean to her nieces and nephews), was born 22 Jan 1896 and married 10 Jan 1917 to Allen Drennan. Aunty Dean died 1 Nov 1971 at the age of 75.

ii. Jessie Theodore McKinney - always called Jess, was born 3 Feb 1898 in Divernon Township, Sangamon Co, IL and married Elsie Clark on 20 Feb 1918 in Virden, Macoupin Co, IL. Jessie died on 24 Jun 1977 in Virden, Macoupin Co, IL at the age of 79.

iii. James Franklin McKinney - always called Frank, was born 23 Feb 1900 and married Flossie Baines on 10 Oct 1918. Uncle Frank died 24 Feb 1977 at the age of 77.

iv. Florence Irene McKinney - who was simply Florence.

Florence was my grandmother. She was born on 18 August 1901 in Virden, Macoupin Co, IL and married James Wilson Walker 10 December 1919 in Divernon, Sangamon County, IL. Grandma Walker was 87 when she died. When Florence died on the 15th of March in 1989, the last diary of her mother, Mrytle McKinney, passed into my keeping. The more genealogical research that I did on the family, the more my interest was piqued. Could there be more diaries?

Through a series of coincidences, and serendipitous contacts, I discovered that several more diaries were in the possession of another of Myrtle's great grandsons, Gary Mortimer. When I knew that I would be in the St. Louis area, I contacted Gary and his wife Lynette, and arranged to meet them in their home in Virden, Illinois. Lynette is the genealogist for their family and after an initial hesitation to let the diaries out of their control, Lynette and Gary graciously consented to allow me to take the diaries and transcribe them. These diaries cover the years from 1927 through 1934.

While transcribing the diaries, I have tried to keep the misspellings as they were written. I have added a capital letter here and there and perhaps a comma or a period when it was necessary, but only when I felt it was necessary to convey what Myrtle was trying to say.

I have come to know quite a bit about Myrtle and Boyd's life from 1927 to 1936. Life on the farm was not easy, the work was long and hard. Myrtle and Boyd did not own the land. They rented the farms that they worked. On the 17th of February 1930, they moved from the McBride place, and rented the Charlie Plowman place. Myrtle and Boyd had lived in the McBride place for 14 years. Myrtle's diaries are very understated. She seldom gave a reason for anything, she merely stated the facts.

They did have a car, but the roads were so bad that the horse and buggy was some times the best way to get to town. The farm house had a telephone, but electricity is never mentioned. They had a radio, but it apparently ran on batteries. Monday was wash day, and Tuesday was when the ironing was usually done. Church and Sunday School played a big part in their lives, but they did not always attend the same protestant church every week. Churches still relied on visiting preachers, and did not always have a preacher available every Sunday.

Myrtle was an active member of the Ladies Aid Society, sang at church and funerals, and helped out at church suppers and socials.

Points of the narrative will be supplemented and expanded from time to time to offer an explanation of who characters are or what some events pertain to. Various family members have offered some of their personal stories for inclusion in this writing. The stories help get a better feel for the people and places that are a part of Myrtle and Boyd's life.

When Myrtle died in 1936 she left a legacy to her descendents that she probably had not counted on. Her diaries were personal remembrances. In reading them, it is evident that she was only writing for her own edification. Her passages are matter of fact, no nonsense, short and to the point. Left out are many explanations of who, what, where, and why. Of course, she knew all the answers, where we have many questions.

Myrtle Dora (Cryder) McKinney

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