I showed Grandma Icel and Mom Gaines a photo in which I recognized about half of the people. I was just hoping for an approximate date but instead I got an entire People Magazine worthy story. William Edwin Clark, Grandma's dad, was married to someone else before he married Icel Weekley. And they had a child together! Of course when Grandma found out about a half-brother she had to find him. I mean family is family after all!! So she went on a hunt and found him in Seaside Oregon. It was the year 1953. She told her dad what she had done and asked if he would like to go meet him with her. So she loaded up the car with her girls, and husband and her dad and they headed to Seaside. They pulled up in front of the house where she had learned her brother lived and she marched right up to the door and boldly knocked. When a woman opened the door Grandma announced that she thought her half brother lived here and asked if would he like to meet her and and her family and his dad? No sooner had the words left her mouth then she heard two feet heavily hit the ground and a very tall man came charging to the door. He was very eager to meet them all. He told her that he had spent many a time as a boy sitting on a hill overlooking the city dump in Portland and watching his daddy working. I asked Grandma why her dad had not had a relationship with his son during those years. She said the mother would not allow it.
Well they spent a wonderful day together getting to know each other. His name was Edwin Clark. He and his wife, Wilma, had 3 children.
They memorialized the day with this photo:
Back row left to right: Ronnnie Clark, Barbara Perkins holding Beverly Perkins, Betty Perkins, Margie Clark, Icel Perkins, William Clark.
Front row: Edwin Clark, Ray Perkins holding Monte Clark. I imagine Wilma snapped the photo. Ronnie was their oldest son and Margie and Monte were twins.
This is Edwin and his dad taken August 5, 1953
When it was time to part wasy the Portland address of William and Icel was given to the newly found family and they were encouraged to come for a visit. Grandma thought that her mother would also like to meet them and later when she took her dad home and talked to her mom about it she said she would indeed like to meet them all.
A visit did take place in Portland:
William, Icel, Wilma with Margie, Edwin, Ronnie & Monte
There is no date on this photo but judging by the size of the children it looks to be 5 or so years later.
Mom Gaines also shared that when William met Icel back in his circus days he wasn't sure whether or not he was divorced from his first wife and so he married Icel under the assumed name William Edwin rather than William Clark. It seems to me that would mean her name was Icel Edwin in the beginning of the marriage. I don't know how that ever was worked out but it would certainly be an interesting story!
