Nolan Andrew Lane

Nolan Andrew Lane
c. 1916

My Granny and Papaw Lane had their fifth child, Nolan Andrew Lane, on July 22, 1911, in Clairfield, Tennessee.  He was named in part after Papaw's older and much admired brother, Andrew Lane. Nolan spent most of his childhood moving with the family from one mining town to another throughout Claiborne County, Tennessee.  I know very little else about his early life, but by age nineteen he was working as a baker in Lafollette, Campbell County, Tennessee.

Nolan A. Lane (right)
c. 1930

He met his first wife, Mildred Rhea Jacobs, in Lafollette, and they married there on April 26, 1935.  They had their first and only child, a daughter, in 1939.  Rosemary Lane was a beautiful little blonde, and by all accounts was the apple of her daddy's eye.

Mildred Jacobs Lane and Nolan Lane
c. 1937

Nolan Lane and daughter Rosemary Lane
c. 1941

Some time before 1943, Nolan received vocational training and became an electrician.  As I mentioned in my recent Miltary Monday post, he enlisted in the United States Navy on October 15, 1943.  He became one of the Navy's Fighting Seabees and saw active military duty in the Pacific during WWII, mostly in Okinawa, Japan.  Uncle Nolan was honorably discharged from the Navy on November 27, 1945.

Naval Service Card of Nolan A. Lane

At some point after returning home from the war, Uncle Nolan and Mildred divorced.  Rosemary continued to live with her mom in Lafollette, while Uncle Nolan took a job with the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) and moved to Lenoir City, Tennessee.  For reasons that I don't know, Uncle Nolan sadly would never see or speak to his daughter Rosemary again.  He attempted to do so, but Mildred first and then Rosemary herself chose to break all ties to him and eventually to the Lane family.

In 1956 on October third, Uncle Nolan married Martha Marie Sims in Cumberland, Tennessee.  Uncle Nolan and Aunt Marie lived in Lenoir City where Uncle Nolan continued to work for the TVA for about the next twenty years.

Nolan and Marie Lane
1961

After he retired from TVA, the two of them moved to Brooksville, Florida, where they lived the rest of their lives.  They never had children of their own.  Marie died in Florida on November 29, 1982, and Uncle Nolan passed away soon after on March 17, 1983.  Uncle Nolan had battled heart problems for a number of years, and his death was due to a massive heart attack.

Nolan and Marie Lane
c. 1980

I remember my Uncle Nolan well as a tall (about 6' 4"), rather quiet, and gentle man. He was an animal lover who always had a cat or dog as a pet, and he would often send us photos of them and talk of their antics.  Fishing was his favorite pastime, and he pursued this diligently especially during his retirement years in Florida. He was adored by his family, and as I was growing up I heard countless wonderful stories about him from his sisters, Betty (my mom), Ruth, Gladys, and Edith.  I remember his deep, gruff voice and a sweet, slight smile which crossed his face only occasionally. Spending time with Uncle Nolan was always a joy.

Big Catch
Nolan Lane
c. 1980

Nolan Lane and best buddy
1958

A Visit to Florida
Nolan Lane, Beth  Lee, Marie Lane
1978

Sources:

1920 U. S. Federal Census
1930 U. S. Federal Census
1940 U. S. Federal Census
Tennessee State Marriages 1780-2002
Florida Death Index, 1877-1998
U. S. Department of Veterans Affairs BIRLS Death File, 1850-2010

Roy B. Lane (Uncle B)

When I began this blog, I really didn't know where or how to start.  I knew, however, that if I didn't just jump right in and do it, I would worry myself to death trying to plan and make everything perfect--and the blog would never have come to life.  So I began with one of my favorite photos of my mom and that led to some recollections and details about her life.  Thus, my first blog post.  Since then, the blog has just evolved, and I guess it will continue to do so.  That's what's working for me, and I hope it will work for my readers, too.

Roy B. Lane

So, it seems I'm working my way back, youngest to oldest, through the eight children of William B. Lane and Martha Ann Pierce.

8.  Betty Jewel Lane--check

7. Myrtle Ruth Lane--check

Today, let me introduce you to #6. Roy B. Lane, my Uncle B.

Betty and Ruth's older brother, Roy, or "B" as he was always called, was born on October 20, 1914, in Anthras, Tennessee.  Yes, Anthras was yet another coal mining community my grandparents settled in so my papaw could find work.

Roy B. Lane
c. 1915

Growing up, B moved with the family from Anthras to Eagan to Pruden, and then finally into "town" in Lafollette, Claiborne County, Tennessee.

Roy B. Lane with baby sister, Betty Jewel
Pruden, Tennessee, c. 1926

As a young man, B went to work in a steel mill, and he married the beautiful Mildred L. Wagner (1921-2000).  B and "Millie" had their first son, Richard M. Lane on August 27, 1939, in Middlesboro, Kentucky.  By 1940, according to the U. S. Federal Census, B, Millie, and baby Richard were living with B's parents in Middlesboro.  Uncle B had developed tuberculosis, and he and Millie were expecting their second child.  Phillip David Lane was born in Middlesboro on October 1, 1941.  Sadly, B died only a few weeks later on November 26.  He was buried in the Lafollete (TN) Cemetery.

Roy B. Lane and son Richard
c. 1940

Mildred Wagner Lane
c. 1935

Betty Jewel Lane (1926-1992)

Red hair, blue eyes, an easy laugh, and sometimes a fiery temper, Betty Jewel Lane was the youngest of William Bowman Lane and Martha Pierce Lane's eight children.  My mom was born in Pruden, Tennessee, where her daddy worked as a coal miner and where the family lived in a company-owned house beside the railroad tracks.

Betty Jewel Lane (r) and her nephew Billy Schooler
Pruden, Tennessee, c. 1932

Her siblings were Gladys, Leland, Edith, Jessie, Nolan, Roy, and Ruth.  Mom always said that even though they were a poor family, they were happy.  Mom adored her parents and her brothers and sisters, and she was especially close to Gladys, who helped raise her, and to Nolan and Ruth.  With her family, she later moved to Lafollette, Tennessee, where she graduated from high school, and then to Middlesboro, Kentucky.

Betty Jewel Lane, c. 1945
Lafollette (TN) High School

In Middlesboro, Mom worked as a clerk in Lee's Drug Store where she met my dad, Frank Welch Lee.  They married in 1959, and I came along in 1961.  They also had another child, my little brother, Frank Lewis Lee II, who was born in 1962.  It was a difficult birth and my brother died when he was only two days old.  I don't think Mom ever really got over the loss of my brother, but I do think she loved being my mom.





1959 Marriage Announcement of
Betty Jewel Lane and Frank Welch Lee



Just Married, August 5, 1959
Betty Jewel Lane and Frank Welch Lee
Rose Hill, Virginia

When I started first grade, Mom, at the age of 40, started college.  Four years later, she graduated magna cum laude from Lincoln Memorial University with a major in sociology.  She worked for a number of years as a social worker in Bell County, Kentucky.  Mom passed away much too soon in 1992 from acute plasma cell leukemia.

Betty Lane Lee, 1971
Graduation from Lincoln Memorial University
Harrogate, Tennessee

Mom was a voracious reader, she loved to play golf, and she was an avid Tennessee Vols fan.  She liked to talk, she laughed until she cried when watching Steve Martin's movie The Jerk, and she hated people who acted as if they were better than others. What I remember most about Mom, however, is how much she genuinely liked people.  She especially loved being around young people, always welcoming my friends and our neighbors into our home.  She was fiercely loyal to her family and her friends, and she was so proud of her heritage.  So I dedicate this blog to my beautiful mother, and I look forward finding out about my Lane family roots.  I also look forward to hearing from anyone who wants to connect and share information about our family.

Betty Jewell Lane, c. 1945