Ethel (Rowlison) Oakley's 90th Birthday - Nov 1978

Her nieces helped Aunt Ethel Oakley celebrate her 90th birthday in November, 1978. Pictured here are left to right, Mildred (Cassell) Johnson, Maggie's ninth child; Gladys (Cassell) Starr, Maggie's fifth; Cleo (Cassell) Lambert, Martha's fifth; Merna (Cassell) Buresh, Martha's ninth; Hazel (Rowlison) Nelson, George Rowlison's oldest; and Helen (Cassell) Haidsiak, Martha's sixth.

Mildred, Gladys, Cleo, Merna, Hazel and Helen with their dear Aunt Ethel in November, 1978 on Ethel's 90th birthday.

Ethel Aletha (Rowlison) Oakley was born in Hoxie, Kansas on November 9th, 1888 at the end of the Indiana to Kansas migration, the 11th of James and Rhoda's children.

Ethel was married to Roy Oakley, long time Clay County Clerk in Clay Center. Rhoda spent the last years of her life living in Clay Center with Roy and Ethel and their daughter LoRee.

Ethel was close to her many Cassell nieces and nephews and their families. Her sisters, Maggie Alice and Martha Anna married a couple of Scots, the Cassell brothers, David and Oliver and stayed near Edgar, Nebraska as the Rowlison family moved to Hoxie. Both Cassell families produced nine children, a total of 18 born from Maggie's Jessie born in 1891 and Martha's (Aunt Annie) Merna in 1919 - six boys and three girls in each family.

David and Oliver Cassell were uncles of Ethel's husband Roy. Roy was the son of their sister Elizabeth (Cassell) Oakley. The parents of Elizabeth, David and Oliver were James and Isabella (Maxwell) Cassell immigrants from near Kennoway, Fife County, Scotland to Morrison, Whiteside County, Illinois before moving west to southern Clay County, Nebraska.

Let's speak to longevity here. Ages at time of death of these seven women was 84, 92, 96, 84, 103, 86 and 95. Moms Maggie and Martha were 96 and 85. On the other end of the spectrum, Hazel's (103) parents died before 1913 at 38 and 32.