Farley-Hite-Hale-Rice – Page 2

Rigg Water Pitcher

This 19th century water pitcher is one of the more interesting of our family artifacts to survive to the 21st century. It appears to be made of clay; it weighs 10 pounds on the nose and is about 13 inches tall. It originates from the Rigg family in Kanawha Falls, and was also used by the Farley family. It came to my great-grandfather, Frederick Lee Farley (1879-1945) who passed it down to his son (Willis Hite Farley); it made its way to my father and is now in my care.

It seems extremely sturdy to be at least 130-150 (or more?) years old but we still treat it tenderly. It’s a wonderful example of the blend of art and craft, and I imagine it gave pleasure as an item to have for every day use. Continue reading “Rigg Water Pitcher”

Death of Edith Marie Hale

Edith “Edie” Marie Hale was born on 11 August 1906, the first daughter and 2nd of 10 children to Effie Allen Rice Hale and Henry Orville Hale. She was the older sister to my grandmother (Audrey Vellence Hale); by all accounts she and Audrey were very close. At the age of 16, Continue reading “Death of Edith Marie Hale”

Farley’s Furlough

Thomas Willis Farley was born in Buckingham County, Virginia in 1841. Having three older sisters, he was the first son and youngest child when he lost his mother around six months of age. His father remarried and two more children were born to the family. He is my 2nd great grandfather. Continue reading “Farley’s Furlough”

Mystery Photo – Men In Aprons

This photo was among a dozen or so large photos of the Rigg and Farley families in the Kanawha Falls area of West Virginia that were in the possession of my grandfather, then my father, and now to me. There is no notation on the photo and thus far the date, identities and location are a complete unknown to me (hence the “mystery” tag on this story). I’ve not done any cleanup of this photo, but you can click it to see a larger version, age spots and all.

The aprons, rods, pendants and other paraphernalia suggest to me that this is a group of Freemasons. I assume there is someone from the Farley or Rigg family in this photo; my grandfather and great-grandfather were both quite committed members. As I have no photo of Thomas Willis Farley (my 2nd great-grandfather), I like to speculate that maybe he is the bearded fellow seated on the front row with the jaunty hat.

Possible Photo of Montgomery Home

I recently posted a story about this mystery photo. It was included in a packet of photos of various people and locations related to the Rigg and Farley clans in the Kanawha Falls area. Continue reading “Possible Photo of Montgomery Home”