Fictional Family Tree
I'm not basing (modeling) these characters on actual people. I am modeling them on the types of people I have known in my life. This family has a similar structure to mine. Yet these people are very different.
In a way, this is a way for me to write about my family without writing about my family. I mean, I am able to write about-- the strong emotions that we feel for one another; how we enjoy one another's company; the enjoyment of our family gatherings; and our "culture". But I am leaving all the "warts" out of the story. [from "warts and all"-- I am writing about the "all" but leaving out the "warts"]
These characters have their own "warts". They are really nothing like the real people in my family. There may be some similarities, my characters breath air for instance. I hope no one I know sees themself [which isn't a proper word really] in a character and complains. I haven't meant to hurt anyone's feelings.
(see also an edited version of a letter to my sister detailing the motivation and inspiration for the story, I wrote, "Driven to Abstraction" which is becoming, "To Them That's Left")
(d) = deceased ??? = unknown
For a more detailed look at these characters, please see the "Who, What, When, Where" page.
Here's a photo of the chart I made up so that I could make this list easier. It isn't a proper family tree, but it works for what I wanted. There's some duplicated stuff on there. It "reads" from right to left. I had a typed up list before this one, but it was like reading a bowl of spaghetti made with alphabet soup noodles. Just click on photo in order to view a hugeversion.
Cooper
Gertrude Cooper nee ???, "Grandma Gert." (d) – Grandpa Josh's mother.
August J. "Gus" Cooper Sr. (d) -- Grandpa Josh's father. [farmer]
August J. "Joshua" Cooper Jr. -- Grandpa Josh [farmer]
Nana Cooper (d) nee ??? [farmer's wife]
Kate ??? nee Cooper -- Aunt Kate
Edward Cooper
Momma Granfield nee Cooper
Edward Cooper [farmer] -- "Uncle Edward" [farmer, owns Cooper farm]
"Auntie" Cooper nee ???
Kristi ??? nee Cooper -- Cousin Kristi [married two kids]
Leonard ??? (d) Nana’s brother
Granfield
Three siblings...
Margaret Dumphries nee Granfield
Daddy Granfield
Kay Hosfeldt nee Granfield
Daddy Granfield [oil field worker]
Momma Granfield nee Cooper
Josephine Argyle nee Granfield
Emily Granfield [teacher/house mother Christian home for troubled girls]
Elmer Hosfeldt [editor of Lums Chapel Herald]
Kay Hosfeldt nee Granfield
Eleanor Miles nee Hosfeldt
Margaret Dumphries nee Granfield [retired librarian Lums Chapel high school]
Lionel Dumphries (d)
Argyle
Josephine Argyle nee Granfield [secretary Widecombe publishing]
Sam Argyle (d) -- husband of Josephine [designed cars at automotive factory]
Sachairi, "Sox" Argyle (d) -- father of Sam [Scottish for Zachariah]
Wilfred Argyle (d) -- brother of Sox
Janet ??? nee Argyle -- Sam's sister [married two kids]
Miles
Arthur Miles, -- [“The Author”] brother of David
David Miles -- husband of Eleanor
Eleanor Miles nee Hosfeldt [married with ? kids]
Doris Jean Fultz nee Miles -- aunt of Arthur and David [Owns and operates Style Shoppe beauty parlor]
Story I am working on starting in December 2015. I hope to write this as a novel and a radio drama. This is the adventures of Constance Lingwood the, "city girl," Josephine Argyle has been pen pals with since childhood.