Charles B. Biswell recounts his life's story for his great-grandson Hayes

 Listen:
cbb060393a (43.0M)
cbb060393b (43.1M)

On June 3, 1993, and at the age of 89, Charles B. Biswell recounted his life's story for his great-grandson Hayes David Richard Pierson a few days before his first birthday.

Highlights:

• Life on the Biswell farm in Howard County, MO.
• His education, including Central Methodist College at Fayette, MO, and the University of Nebraska at Lincoln.
• His jobs.
• His romance, engagement, and wedding to Mary Yancey.
• Their move to Delaware and New Jersey and his career with DuPont.
• The birth of their son Charles "David" Biswell and his childhood.
• The Chestnut Drive house in Woodstown, NJ.
• David's engagement and wedding to Sue Ellen Clevenger.
• Mary Yancey Biswell's illnesses.
• Charles's retirement from DuPont in 1968.
• Their move to Orangeburg, SC, in 1978.
• Charles's marriage to Azel Stockman in 1981 after Mary's death in 1978.
• His current health, including his deteriorating sight.

Cemetery tour conducted by Thomas "Ralph" Yancey

Listen:
try100183a (29.5MB)
try100183b (29.5MB)
try100183c (27.2MB)
try100183d (22.6MB)

On October 1-2, 1983, Thomas "Ralph" Yancey conducted a cemetery tour accompanied by John Raymond Yancey, Jr. They visited these cemeteries: Waverly Cemetery in Waverly, MO, in Lafayette County; Little Grove Cemetery, two miles south of Malta Bend, MO, in Saline County; Union Baptist Church Cemetery in Saline County, MO; Ridge Park Cemetery in Marshall, MO; and Sappington Cemetery in Saline County, MO.

Although the Biswell connection to this recording is tenuous (Ralph is the brother of Mary Yancey Biswell), I am posting this recording for those who are interested in the Yancey family history, specifically the Thomas Alexander Yancey branch. Thomas, born in Virginia in 1831, was the son of Charles Lewis Yancey and moved to Missouri in 1858 after his wife Sarah died after two years of marriage. Thomas visited his cousin John Franklin Yancey, whose father, John S. Yancey, came to Missouri in 1829 shortly after it became a state in 1820.

Highlights:

• Little Grove Cemetery is where many of the Virginia Yanceys are buried, including Thomas Alexander Yancey. Many Snoddys can be found here, as well.
• Ralph remembers the Yancey house and farm.
• Ralph tells the story about Dr. T.A. Yancey setting Jesse James's broken leg.
• Ralph's brother Layton decides to study medicine.
• Stories of African-Americans who lived in the area.
• The Union Cemetery is where Gaudins and Minors are buried.
• Novelist Pearl S. Buck's relationship to the Minors.
• History of the purchase of lots #39 & #67 in Section 20 of Ridge Park Cemetery and who is buried there at the current time. The Yancey stone is in the picture below.
• The Sappington Cemetery is where two Missouri governors are buried.

Thomas "Ralph" Yancey's summary of Yancey history as told to CBB and MYB

Listen:
cbb myb try 061772a (28.5MB)
cbb myb try 061772b (28.6MB)

On June 17-19, 1972, Mary Yancey Biswell and Charles Bedford Biswell visited her brother Thomas "Ralph" Yancey at his home in Williamsburg, VA, where Ralph Yancey explained Yancey family history in colonial and post-colonial Virginia that he was researching.

Ralph was a major general in the U.S. Army and was stationed in Korea for a time.

Ralph Yancey also recounts a story about a visit that his great-nephew Robert Ferrier made about an alleged breakfast order that was placed. In Robert's defense, his mother Diane Biswell Ferrier denies that this would have happened.

(Be patient, the quality of the recording improves.)

Charles Biswell's retirement tribute

Listen:
cbb retirement tribute 042568 (87.4M)

On April 25, 1968, Charles Biswell retired from the DuPont company where he spent his entire career and was given a tribute by those who worked with him. The tribute is about 90 minutes. Charles begins speaking at 1:20:10.

He was called "Charlie" by his coworkers. As a child, I remember seeing his white DuPont hardhat which had the name "Charlie" written on it and how strange that name seemed and that maybe he had a life beyond what I knew of him. -- Robert

The Mary Minor Yancey interview

Listen:
mmy interview 092866 (40.3 M)

On September 28, 1966, Mary Minor Yancey and her daughter Ella "Frances" Yancey Meidinger drove from Hiawatha, KS, to Lawrence, KS, where David and Diane Biswell Ferrier and their two children Robert (1 yr 10 mo) and Karen (1 mo) were living in the duplex on Canterbury Lane. Diane's parents Charles and Mary Yancey Biswell were visiting from Woodstown, NJ. Diane interviewed Mary Minor Yancey about her husband Daniel Layton Yancey and her other children Daniel "Layton" Yancey, Jr., Mary Minor Yancey Biswell, Thomas "Ralph" Yancey, and John "Raymond" Yancey. She was 89 years old at the time of the interview and makes a few comments showing her unease about the social changes happening at the time.

Zoe and Dee Graham, a branch of the Biswell tree

Listen:
zoe graham a (28.1M)
zoe graham b (5.0M)

This recording was made by Zoe Graham, the wife of James Landrum "Dee" Graham. Dee was a half first cousin of Charles Bedford Biswell. They shared grandfather Shelton Rice Biswell but different grandmothers: Nancy Jane Moffitt and Sarah Jane Grigsby, respectively.

Zoe tells an interesting story about her life in Texas, New Jersey, New York, and California in the 20th century. I assume the tape was made in the 1970s, although the exact date is unknown.

Zoe and Dee were living in Walnut Creek, CA, and Charles's brother Hubert "Harold" Biswell and sister-in-law Ruth were living in nearby Berkeley, CA, at the same time.

Samuel A. "Sam" Graham was Dee's brother.

A Musical Interlude with David Ferrier and Lander Smith, April 2000

Listen:
def and fls apr 2000 (8.4M)

In this recording in April 2000, David Ferrier ("Papa") and his grandson Lander Smith, who is 6 years old and the son of David's daughter Karen Ferrier Smith, play ukeleles and sing.

Lander takes control of the tape recorder and records part of a conversation discussing an upcoming December trip to Walt Disney World with David, Diane ("Di Di") Ferrier, Lander, and Lander's father Frank Smith. David died on May 14, 2000, of Non-Hodgkin's Lymphoma, but the family decided to take the trip in his memory. Except for a golf course, WDW was one of his favorite places.