Wallingford/Jarlov Family Trees

Nick Wallingford, 23 June 2012:

On a phone call to Thelma, she said her first name was Myrta, though she was never known as that. It doesn't appear on any of the family things that I have seen.

Nick Wallingford, 23 June 2012:

Thelma said that she and Marjorie Ogg had cans with rocks in them. They would rattle them so the other could hear it at their nearby house to know they were to meet to do something.

Nick Wallingford from a phone call with Thelma Campbell Reynolds, 13 July 2012:

Thelma grew up with Corrine and Margie Ogg all of their childhood. She was a first cousin - her father Dorris was a younger brother to Bessie Campbell Ogg.

She thinks that John and Lillie Campbell, one of Bessie's brothers, may have been the first of the family grouping to move into that area around West 26th Street. Ultimately, there were quite a number of both Oggs and Campbells.

Thelma said Uncle Henry [Henry Warren Ogg, Jr.] was for sure her favourite uncle. He was pretty much the main influence of all the families living there in the Heights.

Thelma said Bessie Ogg died when she (Thelma) was only three - but she has one memory of her. Bessie had a piano in the house, and Thelma banged on it when Corinne was trying to get her to give her a turn. Thelma says she clearly remembers Bessie pulling her up and spanking her for that behaviour!

Henry was running short of work, so took a job in Louisiana and took the family with him. Thelma says that her father Dorris would take their family over to see them on weekends, which was quite a major trip. Back from one of them, both she and her mother Gertrude got a bad case of the flu. Dorris put them both into the same bed to take care of them, and Gertrude just wanted to have a bucket of cold water to put her feet into and another bucket to be sick into...

Thelma and Margie stole some of Corinne's lipstick. They were playing on the porch, and used the lipstick to mark off the rooms in their play house. Corinne was furious when she found out!

Another time Thelma and Corinne [Corinne's version of the story was it was Creagor and Corinne] somehow climbed up into the attic at the Ogg house. Corinne and Margie had a bedroom on the west side on the second floor. It was too dark up there to see much, so they took out some shingles so the sunlight could come in. Thelma said that Henry was always such a calm and quiet man, but remembers he was very angry when he found out!

Thelma had been told that Bessie died of pneumonia (her death certificate refers to tuberculosis). Thelma said that Gladys Campbell Scroggins had also had TB. She had herself put into a hospital/sanitorium so that she would not be living in the house and possibly infecting her husband Gus and their children. Dorris went to visit her, and she complained about the hospital but felt it was best to be there.

Thelma remembers her mother Gertrude sewing all the time, and often sewing things for Margie. She doesn't remember her sewing quite so much for Corrine.

Dorris Campbell had been living with Henry and Bessie before he got married, and had helped Henry to build the house on W. 26th St.

Thelma said that Dorris was always sad that his mother Maggie had died relatively young of a burst appendix, since that was treatable by the time Dorris made the comment.

Thelma's only bad memory of Addice Campbell was that Addice had a doll that she would only rarely let Thelma play with!

Thelma overheard Henry Ogg, Jr. and her father, Dorris Campbell, talking when they said that Roland Wallingford was too old, really, for Corrine...pbell relations living quite closely.

Thelma's house was on W. 27th, and backed onto the Ogg's house on W. 26th, with an empty section beside it, so the girls would regularly move freely between the houses. She remembers that she and Margie had cans with rocks in them that they could rattle to call to each other to say "come over now". Though there were houses, there were (in the 1920s) still plenty of empty sections scattered throughout the neighbourhood.

Thelma's mother Gertrude as a Hosea, born and raised in Waller County. Gertrude's grandparents on her mother Annie's side had come from England. [Alfred and Phoebe Casburn]. Alfred had been a Baptist preacher, which didn't give him much scope in England which was all Church of England. As well, his marriage caused his wife's family to disown her, again due to different religions - so they emigrated. They sailed into Galveston. In early papers, there wasn't a choice for "preacher", so he would put himself down as a "farmer", but still continued to preach throughout his life.

Thelma remembers him as looking like Santa Claus, with white beard and flowing hair. She was fairly young when he died, but remembered him getting around in a wheelchair after he broke his hip - he would scoot over to the table to get peppermints for Thelma and her brothers when they visited.

Thelma said Uncle Henry [Henry Warren Ogg, Jr.] was for sure her favourite uncle. He was pretty much the main influence of all the families living there in the Heights.

Thelma said Bessie Ogg died when she (Thelma) was only three - but she has one memory of her. Bessie had a piano in the house, and Thelma banged on it when Corinne was trying to get her to give her a turn. Thelma says she clearly remembers Bessie pulling her up and spanking her for that behaviour!

Nick Wallingford from a phone call with Thelma Campbell Reynolds, 8 February 2014:

Roland and Corinne were living in Louisiana, and came back to Texas when Thelma and Truxton got married.

Thelma Reynolds

1923-2017

Thelma Reynolds, affectionately known as "Nanny" to her grandchildren and great-grandchildren, went to her heavenly home on December 5, 2017. A native Houstonian, Thelma was born to Dorris and Gertrude Campbell on August 24, 1923. Shortly after graduating from John H. Reagan High School, she began working in downtown Houston. On February 28, 1942, she married Thomas Truxton Reynolds, Sr. and they remained happily married for nearly sixty-six years until his death on January 31, 2008. She is survived by four children: Tommy Reynolds and wife, Laverne; Larry Reynolds and wife, Carol; Gail Reynolds Gallien and husband, Jim; Craig Reynolds and wife, Josey.

A year after getting married, her husband was called off to war and she was left to care for their newborn son for the first two and one-half years of his life. No doubt that difficult period contributed to the development of the strength of character and determined spirit she modeled all of her life. Never fearing to attempt new things, she was inseparable from her IPad, using social media to keep up with her ever growing family.

She had a way of making each of her grandchildren and great grandchildren feel as if they were her favorite. She was at her happiest when her home was filled with the sounds of laughter and conversation when members of her large family were gathered around her, as they often were. And no-one ever left her house hungry because she always insisted on cooking.

Thelma had a strong faith in Christ and deep commitment to the church. She and her family joined Glenn Rose Baptist Church in north Houston shortly after the church began in the early 1950's. For the past several decades was a member of Champion Forest Baptist Church. Over the years she taught thousands of people in Sunday School, directed many Vacation Bible Schools, and served in numerous ways in her church.

In addition to being survived by her four children, she is survived by ten grandchildren: Renee Barbe, Rhonda Hargrove, Christi Myhill, Richard Reynolds, Gay Lynne Sorrells, Penney Christian, David Sorrells, Ashlyn Montgomery, Kyle Reynolds, and Reagan Reynolds. She was also blessed with 27 great grandchildren and 7 great-great grandchildren.
The family will be at Klein Funeral Home, 16131 Champion Forest Drive, from 6:00 to 8:00 p.m. on Monday, December 11. A graveside service will be conducte
d on Tuesday, December 12, at 9:00 a.m. at Houston National Cemetery. A memorial service will be conducted at Champion Forest Baptist Church, 15555 Stuebner Airline, on Tuesday, December 12, at 11:00 a.m. with a reception following.

The family has requested that in lieu of flowers, memorials be given to the Champion Forest Baptist Church or the Star of Hope Mission.

Published in Houston Chronicle on Dec. 10, 2017