The Family of Mr. & Mrs. James Edward Chancey
(Dad and Mom)
James Edward Chancey |
Leola Malinda
Severance |
James Edward Chancey
My very talented and handsome father was born 11 September 1909, to Calvin and Nettie Brookins Chancey. Records located in the Suwannee County, Florida courthouse, lead me to believe that Calvin and Nettie were living in Luraville at the time of Dad's birth, therefore I will assume that Luraville was his birthplace.
My research into the history of our Chancey family began almost fifteen years after Dad’s death. In all the years, he was with us, never once do I remember hearing him mention his parents. It is for this reason that most of the information relating to Dad’s early years with his parents, came from relatives, or from documents located in Suwannee and Pinellas Counties obtained during my many research trips. While growing-up I never once thought to ask Dad about his parents and to this day, I cannot explain why nor did I ever think about Dad’s reason for being silent. Then later, and well into my research, I came across a newspaper article that I believe was the major reason for that silence.
"THREE KILLED IN CHRISTMAS TRAGEDY HERE"
"Calvin Chancey Shoots Wife, Baby, and Self, Coroner’s Jury Declares."
In 2002, Dad’s cousin Raymond Driggers at my request invited me into his home for a one-on-one interview. Raymond and I had never met before so the first hour or so was being acquainted. After we gave each other a quick run-down on our early life, Raymond began the by telling me that in 1927 his mother, Fanny Chancey Driggers (Dad’s Aunt), lived in South Clearwater. Fanny's family at the time included her husband Addison Albert Driggers, and their three sons. Also living with them was Fanny's mother (Dad's grandmother) Molly Chancey. My grandparents, Calvin and Nettie, along with Dad and his brothers and sisters were living in the Chancey homestead located next door to the Driggers home.
Ray spoke of several stories related to the two families and then admitted to knowing when and how my grandparents died, but he did not know the reason behind their death. He then said that as he remembered, Grandfather Calvin was a good natured and very loving man, but he always seemed to be deeply troubled. Raymond went on to say that after the death of Dad’s parents, Dad and Uncle Art, lived in the main house with their sister Sadie and her new husband Luther Earnest.
Dad, (now eighteen years old) and Uncle Art, to help Aunt Sadie with the household expenses, were working at the citrus canning plant located next door to their home. Dad’s younger siblings, Uncle Marvin, Uncle Earl, and Aunt Louise became court appointed wards of the Masonic Home in St. Petersburg. Aunt Sadie and Uncle Luther, even with the financial help of Dad and Uncle Art felt that they could not at the time give the three younger siblings a decent home. Uncle Marvin, in an interview shortly before his death, confirmed that he, Earl, and Louise did indeed live at the Masonic home and attended public schools until they reached the Masonic home-required “mandatory age.” He went on to explain that a requirement of the Masonic home was that wards upon reaching the mandatory age of 16 for female and 17 for male must leave the Masonic home and then provide for themselves.
With Dad now in his early twenties, he began working for the Belleview Biltmore Hotel in Bellair, Florida, as did his father before him. From that moment on, Dad would never hold another job that was not related to a hotel in some way or other. His work carried him from the Fort Harrison Hotel in Clearwater, Florida; to the Hillsboro Club in Pompano Beach, Florida; to the Waumbek Hotel in Jefferson, New Hampshire; to the Mountain View Hotel in New Hampshire; and several other hotels throughout New England.
Dad was extremely talented and often said that he was a “jack of all trades 
and master of none,” but to me he was a master of "many". Among his many skills, were growing plants and beautiful flowers. Dad was also a master in the building of model ships. Several of his model ships were on display in the Belleview Biltmore and Fort Harrison hotel main lobbies.
Another model that I remember well was a riverboat, complete with lights and paddle wheel that at one time graced the mantel of our home fireplace.
After more than two years into this project, I visited a cousin during one of my many trips to Mayo and to my surprise; he presented me with this photo of Dad, Mom, Dan, and me standing next to that model of the Mayflower. I do not remember seeing the photo before; however, I do remember the model...sails, and all. Dad was also a skilled carpenter, and made the most beautiful floral arrangements imaginable. In fact, he was skilled in just about everything he set out to do. One such remarkable skill that I can recall as though it were yesterday, was his ability to create large ice carvings for many of the hotels’ special occasions. I have many fond memories of dad creating magnificent swans, exotic birds, and other designs out of large blocks of ice. Once finished, he would decorate them with buckets of beautiful flowers from one of his many gardens.
In addition to his many other talents, Dad was a talented landscape artist. The owner of the Fort Harrison hotel purchased several of his paintings and put them on display in the Fort Harrison hotel lobby.
Dad and Mom eventually separated and then, much to our dismay, divorced. After several years of single life and still traveling from hotel to hotel, Dad began to date a co-worker and eventually decided that it was time to once again, seek matrimony. He and Marge Noddin were married in June of 1965.
Dad and Marge continued to work at resort hotels traveling from South 
Florida to North New Hampshire each year until Dad reached the age of sixty-five. Both he and Marge at that time decided that they had traveled enough and were tired of the hotel life. The time had come to call it quits and quit they did.
Soon after their marriage, Dad and Marge purchased a home in Lake Panasoffkee, Florida, a small lakeside community in Sumter County. They dreamed of the day that they could retire and live out their lives in this very peaceful setting. Dad and Marge settled down into their lakeside home and both lived out their lives in this small community fishing, playing bingo, and just plain enjoying life. Dad seldom left home to visit or vacation. He was at peace with his surroundings and his small workshop beside his home. In early May of 1983, Dad went into the hospital for the last time. On the 11th of may, and after a very long illness, he passed away.
Dad meets his grandson Michael Jr.
Dad's Obituary
The following obituary appeared in the Coos County Democrat, a small weekly newspaper published in Lancaster New Hampshire. James Chancey Lake Panasoffkee, Fla. James Chancey 72, died May 4 after a long illness. He was born Sept. 11, 1909, in Live Oak, Fla. and lived all of his life in Florida during the winter months but enjoyed New Hampshire in the summer. He worked most of his life at various hotels in Florida and was associated with the Waumbek in Jefferson for many years. Members of his family include his wife, Marjorie (Manson) Chancey, of Lake Panasoffkee, four sons, eight grandchildren and one great grandchild."
Leola Severance, my very lovely and talented mother, is the link by which I 
enter into the family of Severance. The Severance family is probably the most documented of all my ancestral families.
For many years, Severance family historians have thoroughly documented the lineage from John Severns (my tenth great grandfather) born in England in the year 1535 to my great grandfather Samuel Steven Severance. It seems strange that in the beginning of my research, many of the Severance family stories written in this chapter are from my Jones family cousins. The two families it seems were very close long before the marriage of Grandfather Laurie Severance and Grandmother Ethel Jones.
Mom was born 25 August 1917, to Ethel and William Laurie Severance. For many years, Mom told my brothers and me that she was born in Branford, Florida. Branford was a riverboat stop for steam ships traveling the Suwannee River around the turn of the century and is located in historic Suwannee County. After several visits to interview cousins now living in Mayo, Lafayette County, Florida, I believe that at the time of Mom’s birth, Grandfather Laurie and Grandmother Ethel were living in a small frame house in the town of New Troy (no longer in existence) in Lafayette County. New Troy was, I believe, Mom’s actual birthplace being located only five or six miles up river from Branford.
Mom’s early life was probably anything but normal. Within six months after her second birthday, her father died suddenly from pneumonia. Then, when Mom was only six years old, her mother also died. Loosing both parents by the time she was seven must have been devastating for Mom and her siblings.
After Grandfather Laurie passed away, Grandmother Ethel married Mr. George Hunter of Alachua County. Mr. Hunter, already a widowed father of five, now became the provider of nine: Grandmother Ethel, Uncle Steve, Aunt Pearl, Mom, and his 5 children from a previous marriage. Within the next two years, Grandmother Ethel and Mr. Hunter added two additional daughters to the family, Aunt Dorothy and Aunt Caris. A year and a half after the birth of Aunt Caris, Grandmother Ethel, at the very young age of twenty-nine, died of pneumonia after contracting the measles (Mom at the time was six years old).
Aunt Dorothy, Aunt Pearl, and Aunt Caris
After Grandmother Ethel’s funeral, Mr. Hunter returned home with his five sons and five daughters. However, from the stories that cousin Ora tells, it appears that raising ten children alone turned out to be more of a task than Mr. Hunter would be able to manage. After hearing rumors of the difficulties that Mr. Hunter was having, Great Grandmother Caroline Severance, made a quick trip to Alachua County to check on her grandchildren. She returned to her farm with her deceased son’s (Laurie) three children, leaving Aunt Dorothy and Aunt Caris with their father. Aunt Dorothy and Aunt Caris lived with the family for a while then moved in with their brothers. Mom and her siblings remained on her grandmother's farm in Lafayette County until they were each old enough to move out on their own.
I know little of Mom’s early life on the farm. She often spoke of attending school at a little country school house near Troy Springs. Mom once told me that at the age of sixteen, she taught a year of school for the younger children. Other than that one story, she very rarely spoke of anything specific about her early life. During the thirty-seven years that mom was with us (I was 37 at the time of her death), I never once heard her mention Grandfather Laurie or Grandmother Ethel. I truly believe that she had very little memory of them to talk about.
My trail on Mom’s early life would have grown cold for lack of first-hand information, had it not been for an unexpected phone call from my first cousin, Dorothy Chancey. Dorothy now deceased, was the daughter of Dad’s brother Uncle Art.
Cousin Dorothy (far right) and Family
Several years ago, I received a phone call from Dorothy and after she introduced herself, she asked if I was her long lost first cousin. I answered yes, and after the excitement of finding one another died down, we talked at length to catch up on the previous forty years of which there was no contact.
After ending our conversation, Dorothy and I agreed to meet later at her home to discuss my genealogy findings. We did meet and after several hours of swapping stories, agreed to meet again in two or three weeks. It was at that meeting that Dorothy told me that her mother Marie and my mother were friends long before either of them was married. This statement generated a lot of excitement for me, because although Mom was no longer here to tell me about her early life, Aunt Marie might be the one to do so. Dorothy then told me that if I wanted any information at all, I should make a quick trip to visit her mother, who was now living in Branford. Dorothy explained that the memory of Aunt Marie, recently diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease, was fading quickly.
Several weeks later, I did make the trip to Branford, and found Aunt Marie at home. She had no trouble remembering me, and for the next two or more hours, we chatted about her early relationship with Mom.
Aunt Marie began her story by telling me how she and Mom were the best of friends at an early age, and how they first met their future husbands, Uncle Art and Dad. According to Aunt Marie, when Mom was seventeen, she one day asked Fred Jones, her first cousin, if she and Marie could ride along with him from Branford to Clearwater so they might visit Mom’s married sister Pearl. Fred regularly made runs from Branford to towns in South Florida delivering fresh poultry, produce, and citrus. Aunt Marie explained that now and then, Fred would make a quick stop in Clearwater on his way south to visit with a cousin. After much haggling from Mom and Aunt Marie, Fred agreed to take them along on his next trip south.
It was not long before the three of them headed for Clearwater. Fred stopped long enough to drop off Mom and Aunt Marie and then continued his trip south. Fred remained in South Florida for a day or two and then started his return trip home by way of Clearwater, stopping to see if Mom and Marie were ready to return home to Branford. Marie decided that she would return with Fred while mom decided to stay longer and visit with Aunt Pearl and her family in Clearwater.
Aunt Marie Townsend Chancey
Aunt Marie continued, saying that she had been home only a few days when she received a letter from Aunt Pearl (Mom’s sister) asking if she would consider moving to Clearwater to care for her baby Jeanette. Aunt Pearl explained in the letter that she wanted to return to work at a local canning plant and needed a baby sitter during the day. Aunt Marie agreed and was soon on her way to Clearwater to begin her new job. Unfortunately, on the night of her arrival, a big freeze occurred throughout the state ruining most of Central Florida’s citrus crop. Aunt Pearl was immediately out of a job, which meant there was no longer a need for Aunt Marie’s service. Not wanting to return to Branford right then, Aunt Marie moved in with her brother Frank Townsend, who was living in the nearby town of Palm Harbor.
It was not too much later, Aunt Marie said, that Aunt Pearl introduced Mom to a young man (my dad), who worked with her at the canning plant before the layoff occurred. I must assume that Mom and the young man hit it off well, for after a short courtship, the two were married in April of 1935. Then, 15 months later, they received a new addition to their family named Richard (me). Aunt Marie told me that it was not too much later that Dad introduced her to Uncle Art who also worked at the canning plant. They too would wed after a very short courtship.
Several years ago during one of my research trips to North Florida, Mom’s first cousin Rita Severance Stapleton (baby daughter of Mom’s uncle, Doc Severance) invited me to their home in Lafayette County. After a delicious southern dinner, she took my hand and led me to a steamer trunk sitting in the corner of the living room. Rita opened the trunk lid while telling me that the trunk had belonged to her Grandmother. She said there was no telling what we might find in the trunk.
Rita and I began removing the items, being careful not to tear or damage them. After a few minutes, Rita touched my arm and said that she had found something that might be of interest to me. She then handed me a letter written by Mom. The letter dated November 1937, was to Great Grandmother Caroline, who had raised her after the passing of her mother. I tell you now that tears began to fill up my eyes as I read the letter to Rita.
"Bellair Fla.Nov. 1937
Dear Grandma, I hope this finds you all well and in lots better spirits. As for us, we are all well and faring as well as could be expected under the circumstances. This cool weather sure makes me homesick it seems like hog killing weather. Gee – some fresh pork and sweet potatoes sure would go good. Wouldn’t they? Guess I will never get enough sweet potatoes. Grandma you should see Richard now he is getting fat as a hog since he got over this last spell with his ears and the doctor says he don’t think he will have it any more. Grandma won’t you and Doc try and come down here and spend Christmas with Ed and me? I know you can’t leave everything by itself but you could get Claude or somebody to stay there that long it would do you good. Grandma it would be a change and I have been married for three years and you have never been to see us. Now don’t say you can’t make up your mind to and you will. How is Rush’s folks and Claude and Clara. Hope they are all well tell them hello for us and say Grandma have you heard anything from Byrd yet. I just can’t get over the way he done I can’t hardly realize he would do a thing like that. Guess I will close for this time as I don’t have any news to write at this time. Now answer soon and tell me you will come Xmas if nothing happens.
Love to all as ever,
Lee and Ed.C."
Several other letters and post cards were found in the trunk, some pertaining to the family, others containing general news. I will not take the time to transcribe all of them but there is another letter that I thought you might find interesting.
" Bellair Fla.
Feb. 1938
Dear Grandma, I hope this finds you all right and feeling fine as for us, we are all well and getting along fine. I sure hope you don’t think hard of me for not writing sooner and letting you know about the baby but I haven’t been out of bed but 8 days and I haven’t been feeling the best in the world as I had an 
awful hard time of it this time. The baby was born the tenth of January. He weight 8 lbs. The same as Richard and he looks just like Richard did when he was a baby.
Rick
Ed says how you know he is a man he has two boys. He walks around here like he was worth a million dollars. I hope the little present we sent reached you O.k. I haven’t been out yet so Ed said he didn’t know what else to get. I am sending you a small snapshot of Richard. It isn’t very good but soon as I go to town I am going to have some large ones made of him and I will send you one of them.
Lots of love,
Lee and Ed"
While growing up I never gave too much thought about the relationship between Mom and her Grandmother Caroline. Looking back now, I believe that was because I never knew that Mom’s parents died before she was old enough to remember them. Now after reading several of Mom’s letters to her Grandma, I realize that Mom must have thought of “Grandma” as mother and that Grandma thought of Mom as her daughter.
For most of her married life, Mom dedicated her time to raising four boys while at the same time applying her self- taught skill of re-upholstering furniture for the hotels that she and Dad worked at, or for well-to-do clients around town.
After Mom and Dad divorced, Mom re-married. She and her new husband, continued to work between the Hillsboro Club in Pompano Beach Florida during the winter months and at the Waumbek hotel in Jefferson New Hampshire during the summer months.
Mom passed away in July of 1973, two days after my birthday and only two weeks after my family and I had spent two weeks vacationing with her in New Hampshire. Mom is resting in the Hillside Cemetery located in Jefferson New Hampshire overlooking the Waumbek Hotel golf courses’ scenic ninth hole.
The Family of Lee and Ed
Name: James Edward Chancey
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Birth: 11 Sep 1909 Live Oak, Suwannee County, Florida
Death: 4 May 1983 Leesburg, Lake County, Florida
Burial: Evergreen Cemetery, Bushnell, Sumter County, Florida
Father: Calvin Jessie Chancey (1886-1927)
Mother: Nettie Florine Brookins (1887-1927)
Other spouses: Marge May Noddin
Marriage: 19 Apr 1935 Clearwater, Pinellas County, Florida
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Spouse: Leola Malinda Severance
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Birth: 25 Aug 1917 Lafayette County, Florida
Death: 28 Jul 1973 Lancaster, New Hampshire
Burial: Hillside Cem., Jefferson, NH
Father: William Laurie Severance (1891-1919)
Mother: Ethel Lavinia Jones (1895-1924)
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Children
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1 M: Richard Edward Chancey
Birth: Private
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2 M: Earl Dan Chancey
Birth: Private
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3 M: Kenneth Clarendon Chancey
Birth: Private
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4 M: Robert Steven Chancey
Birth: Private