Jean Lemley

Beth and I visited Jean Lemley, and here's some of what I learned about her life:

Jean was born in Bula WV, and her family moved quite a few times while she was young.  At one point they had a restaurant in Jefferson where Walters' garage is now, but it didn't work out for long because the depression happened then.  Then her father had his car stolen and he could no longer drive to work, so they moved back to the family farm with Jean's grandparents.  Her mother was pregnant at the time and Jean remembers it as a pretty tough time.

Her future husband, Paul, lived on the same road she did near Bula, and he used to wait outside church to walk her home when she was 15. She married him at 16, when he was 18  Her parents liked him and gave their permission.  They had a daughter, Sue, and a son, Pat. (They're not related to Melvin and Pat Lemley from the Senior Center). Jean's two children live in Ohio and Maryland now.  She has lots of photos of grandchildren and great grandchildren on her bulletin board at Rolling Meadows.

Paul used to work on a baling machine with the old gas wells.  Sam Scott (father of Carol Scott who has been coming to church with her husband Mike Meighen) gave him a job at the gas company doing a bit of everything, like reading meters and digging ditches.  They lived in Waynesburg then, and that's where their children went to school.  Their apartment in Waynesburg burned once and they lost everything.  "But we had each other, and people were generous" Jean says.

At one point Paul worked for Harris Freeland (?) a rich man in Waynesburg.  Then they moved to Jefferson for Paul to take care of some gas wells in this area.  They were friends with the Folwells.  Jean started coming to the Baptist Church.  

I'm not sure I got everything exactly right.  Jean has been in Rolling Meadows for several years now, and loves visitors.  She said she enjoys living there.  Beth and I enjoyed visiting with her.