This is my family. My family moved to Mecosta County, Michigan in the 1850's. During the civil war one branch of my father's family fought for the confederacy. The other half, my half, were staunch abolisionists, and fought under General Sherman for the north. They eventually settled back into logging which was their original trade, and logged in the Mecosta County area until all of the White Pine were gone. The economy of Michigan during this period was based almost solely on the production and havesting of white pine for furniture and construction. My paternal great grandfather, Thomas, provided stores for the loggers, and eventually opened one of the first general stores in the area. My grandfather and father were both postal employees for the U.S. Postal Service. My family on my mother's side were a variety of personalities of various employ. They were general store owners, teachers, and ran taylor and clothing stores. Both my paternal and maternal grandmothers were teachers in small one room school houses to start, and later in elementary schools in Mecosta and Osceola counties in the state of Michigan.

J.H.Yeo, my mother's grandfather, ran a general store in Big Rapids, Michigan. He emmigrated from London, Ontario with his two sons and wife. My grandfather was Peter Yeo, and was a taylor in the Towne and Country Men's shop in Big Rapids. My Grandmother, Marion Fransico Yeo, was a teacher in the town of Mecosta and taught Kindergarten.

When World War II came my family's history was decided. My father was a carpenter's mate in the Navy, and later came home from the Japanese theatre of World War II to drive the parcel post trucks and rural routes around Big Rapids. My mother became a nurse because it was the thing to do for the war effort, and worked at Big Rapids Community Hospital during and after the war. Later she worked at the Rapids Professional Building in town. During the later part of her career she was 'basically' a medical secretary, and came to know almost everyone in the town of Big Rapids, at least from a medical standpoint. I was born the third of three children, and the only boy of four children. I have memories of a child of having towels snapped in my face and wandering through seas of nylons in our bathroom when and if I could ever get in. I had very good bladder control, as a young child, because the bathroom was always occupied. In high school, I had an above average grade point average, and was involved in many academic clubs like Latin Club, Chess Club, Math Club. I also wrestled a little for two and a half years, but was never too good at that, favoring my academic life over the athletic.

I went on to work on my undergraduate degree at Utah State where I worked on majors in Psychology and Music, and went on to get my certification in Music Education at Utah State and Ferris State University back in Big Rapids. I also lived in Las Cruces, NM, where I studied counseling classes as an extra curricular activity. It was a good time, but hot!!! I am not married, but have not ruled out the possibility as yet. I hope to work with young children or in a gerontological setting with my MA. Eventually, I want to work with college students as a career counselor.

References:

Who am I?
New Mexico State University
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