The First Rainey in Branson

Dad anticipated our Branson family vacation each summer. Mother, a confirmed homebody, supported our yearly trip primarily because Dad looked forward to that one week of summer all year long. (That’s some sort of commentary on how to make a marriage work.)

This week, Mother unearthed a cool little personalized key chain from our first trip to Branson, Missouri, in 1994. Mother commented on how the little commemorative memorabilia captured Dad’s exuberance and even hers on that very first Branson excursion.

The inaugural year found us seeing only one show. As a bibliophile, I petitioned that we take in a performance of “The Shepherd of the Hills.” During that evening this photo of Mother and Dad was taken. 

Mother then began recalling her grandmother, Rosa Jarrell Rainey, and her love of reading. Mother spent much time with her maternal grandma and Alice, her aunt. Her grandma never spoke of attending school, but she had learned to read. She loved stories with interesting plots and strong characters.

One of her favorite books was The Shepherd of the Hills by Harold Bell Wright. Wright set the heartwarming tale in the Ozark Mountains in Mutton Hollow in Taney County based on his time in the area as he recovered from tuberculosis.

Rosa and William Rainey were born in Missouri but in their early marriage left their home state for “Bill” to work for the railroad constructing new track in Texas, Oklahoma Territory, and Indian Territory. Even though Rosa and Bill raised their children, Daisy, Lewis, Gladys (my grandma), Alice, Gene, and Emma, in the brand-new state of Oklahoma, Rosa always felt a fondness for Missouri.

In the 1930s, following Great-Grandpa William’s death, Emma and her husband, Bill Buckley, treated Rosa to a trip of her life. She revisited Missouri. They toured the area of Taney and Stone counties, experiencing picturesque Mutton Hollow, the actual setting of Harold Wright’s wildly popular novel.

The portion of Aunt Emma’s photographs that Mother inherited included this photograph of her in the Evergreen Cemetery near Notch, Missouri, in Stone County.

The real-life couple, John and Anna Ross, who befriended the ailing Wright when he sought quietness in the Ozarks was buried exactly four months apart in this cemetery in 1923. Their graves remained unmarked until an effort by fans of the characters of Old Matt and Molly in Wright’s popular novel raised money to erect the monument. Mr. and Mrs. Ross inspired Harold Bell Wright’s endearing couple in his book.

Many of Rosa Jarrell Rainey’s descendants have taken trips to Branson, Missouri. Likely none of us realized the woman from whom we descended toured the Ozark area before it reached its worldwide vacation status.

As I perused my own copy of The Shepherd of the Hills purchased for $2.95 in 1979, this powerful, scathing quote of warning leaped off the page,

…we buy bibles, but will not read them; believing in God, we do not fear Him; acknowledging Christ, we neither follow nor obey Him. From page 287 of the 1978 edition published by Grosset & Dunlap, New York.

            What insight into a deeply grounded ancestor! Great Grandma Rainey loved reading and chose good books because she recognized their impact on her life. May we embrace the power of reading our Bibles, believing and fearing God, and following and obeying Christ. Our diligent commitment to these life-strengthening actions honors an unassuming god-fearing, wise woman of yesteryear. 

Rosa Jarrell Rainey in a custom-fit dress
she created herself. Each of her dresses
were designed by her to fit perfectly at
her shoulders. She stands on the porch
of her last home. This precious lady with
impeccable standards would be appalled
beyond words at the 10th Circuit Court's
ruling on equality allowing both men
and women to appear in public areas
without wearing a shirt of some sort.
This lady who insisted on a dress that
buttoned near her chin, with a skirt hem
falling between her calves and ankles,
would be shocked that anyone - whether
man or woman - would choose to appear
topless in public places. Our society
needs more like Great grandma Rainey
with her attitudes about life and modesty.

To learn more about Rosa Jarrell Rainey and see earlier photographs of her, go to these links:

https://bernadeanjgates.blogspot.com/2013/09/the-matriarch-of-rainey-family.html

https://bernadeanjgates.blogspot.com/2013/10/william-marion-rainey.html

https://bernadeanjgates.blogspot.com/2014/10/a-frightened-mama-and-her-baby-at-red.html