LARRY FECHT IN UNIFORM

Larry Wayne Fecht
Among the effects of William T. Fecht was this newspaper clipping (likely from the Mexico Ledger) of his nephew Larry Wayne Fecht. The clipping reads" "Army Private Larry W. Fecht 18, son of Mr. and Mrs. Frank C. Fecht, 11307 Pollock Road, Mexico, recently completed eight weeks of basic combat training with the 2nd Armored Division at Fort Hood, Texas. He is a 1958 graduate of Saint Brendan High School. US Army photo."

ROSS SULLIVAN AND DOROTHY FECHT

Ross Joseph Sullivan and his cousin Dorothy Fecht on the day of their First Communion. Ross is the son of David Daniel Sullivan, the grandson of Dora Fecht Sullivan and the great grandson of Jacob and Margaret (Bost) Fecht.
Ross is the oldest child of Louise Elizabeth (Hunn) Sullivan> He was born on the 23rd of March, 1922 and raised in Mexico, Missouri. Ross was baptised a Christian in the Roman Catholic church and attended St. Brendan’s Catholic School in Mexico, for 12 years. Ross was in the same grade and class as his cousin Dorothy Fecht.

BRENDA WILLENBRINK

Brenda Willenbrink (click on image to enlarge)

Brenda Willenbrink is the grand daughter of Margaret Fecht Sullivan. Brenda is the great grand daughter of Jacob and Margaret (Bost) Fecht.
Brenda was born in Mexico, Missouri. This photo was taken in the summer of 2002 at the Fecht Family Reunion.

V-MAIL FROM THE FRONT - WORLD WAR II

V-Mail April 1944 (click on image to enlarge)

During the Second World War, to minimize the weight of transporting the mail, "V-Mails" were introduced to carry short messages from soldiers on the front lines to their homeland. Some kind of micro-filming process was used. I think that perhaps little cartoon messages were provided military personnel, such as this Mother's Day V-Mail from Jim Fecht to his mother Mildred Fecht in Mexico, Missouri. April 1944

LIBERTY THEATER MEXICO MISSOURI

The Liberty Theater Mexico Missouri (click on image to enlarge)

For the third generation of our family, the Liberty Theater in Mexico, Missouri is an important landmark in their memories. I remember my sister Dorothy taking me to see Walt Disney's Snow White there before I started school. While attending the first grade at St. Brendan, the whole school was herded off to see the pro-Catholic musical/comedy Going My Way.

For a pre-television community, the Liberty's newsreels were an important source of visual information. During World War II, even the cartoons shown there were filled with patriotic propaganda. My mother was terribly shaken upon seeing a newsreel about the Battle for Iwo Jim, where her son, brother Ted and nephews were engaged in combat.

The Liberty opened for business on November 1, 1920, just about the time my parents were married and made their home in Mexico. The theater reeked of tobacco smoke and Negro Americans were required to enter through a side door and sit in the upper part of the balcony. Ironically, the theater called Liberty did not end the segregation of its audiences until 1962. It showed its last film in 1982 and was demolished in November of 1995.

MARGARET FECHT BOST SULLIVAN AND DAUGHTER?

(click on image to enlarge)

Our kinsman Dan Sullivan copied this image while visiting the Swartwood Family in Fulton, Missouri. Dan believes the older woman to be "Aunt Maggie" or Margaret Fecht Bost Sullivan.
The upper left corner, above the mule was torn off, so since it did not challenge the integrity of the image, I used photoshop to fill in the missing tree leaves. This was done to keep the damage from distracting the viewer from the images of the women.

DAMON FECHT VISITS DODGERS' SPRING TRAINING CAMP

Both Damon and his mother Janne work long and hard at this time of year, so they took a break this last weekend to visit the Los Angeles Dodgers at Spring Training in Glendale, Arizona. To make sure that they got the full measure of their "sports fix", Damon and Janne went to see Phoenix play their NBA rivals, the Washington Wizards.
OK Janne, it's back to tax season.

THE WALSH SISTERS FOR ST. PATRICK'S DAY

(click on image to enlarge)

left to right

Hannah Walsh, Julia Walsh Algoe and Elizabeth Ann Walsh Fecht
Hannah's name in some records was Johanna.In an era when any kind of deformity or disability was viewed with superstition and shame, Aunt Hannah was viewed as undesirable for suiters. She lived out her adult life with her sister Elizabeth and is buried in Saint Brendan Cemetery in Mexico, Missouri. Julia Walsh Algoe was a half-sister to Hannah and Elizabeth. She was the child of her father Patrick Walsh's second marriage.

All three of these women were strong Roman Catholics, and shared an intense loyalty to their Irish heritage.

SWARTWOOD PHOTOS

James Parker Swartwood

Margaret Fecht Bost Sullivan was twice married. From her marriage to William Bost came two children: Mary Elizabeth Bost and Anne Delilah Bost.
Mary Elizabeth Bost married James Parker Swartwood in 1914, about the time this portrait photograph was taken at Larsen's Dinky in Mexico, Missouri. James P.Swartwood was born on the 3rd of July 1884 in Fulton, Missouri. He was buried in Fulton in December 1979.


John Eugene Swartwood was born in 1928. These photo machine pictures were taken when he was a young man, dating the images after World War II in the late 1940s.

These photos were shared by Dan Sullivan.

ELLA CAMPBELL MACKEY

Ella Campbell Mackey (click on image to enlarge)

I can't find my records on Ella Campbell Mackey. I do know that she married Clarence Mackey and lived most of her adult life in Nebraska. Ella and Clarence had five children. They were:

1) WILLIAM _______________ MACKEY
born: 26 November, 1896 in Westerville, Nebraska
married: 26 May, 1927 to Irvie VAN OSTRAND
in __________, __________ County, _______
died: 28 November, 1947 in Ansley, ________ Co., Nebraska

2) THOMAS ________________MACKEY
born: 6 August, 1899 in Westerville, _______ Co., Nebraska
married: _________ to Doris ERICKSON
in __________, _____ Co., _______
died: 3 December, 1970 in Dallas, _______ Co., Texas

3) RICHARD _______________ MACKEY
born: 27 July, 1901 in Westerville, __________ Co., Nebraska
died: 1 January, 1966 in Denver, ________ Co., Colorado

4) CLARENCE ______________ MACKEY Jr.
born: 12 August, 1903 in Ansley, _________ Co., Nebraska
married: 3 Mar. 1947 to Margaret WILEY
in Milwaukee, ___________ Co., Wisconsin
died: 14 June, 1971 in Las Vegas, ________ Co., Nevada

5) MIRIAM ELLA MACKEY
born: 26 May, 1905 in Ansley, Nebraska
married: 30 June, 1947 to Albin MATOUSEK
in __________

WILLIAM RICHARD CAMPBELL

William Richard Campbell - original photo courtesy of Genevieve Rebbe (click on image to enlarge)

William R. Campbell was called “Willie” as a boy by his family. He lived the early part of his life in Pennsylvania and moved with his parents to Nebraska upon the death of his sister Ella in 1906. There he became a farmer. Prior to his move to the midwest William Campbell was employed by the Pittsburgh Coal Company in Yohonghany, Pennsylvania from 1901 to 1907. Bill worked for two years as a weigh-master for the Ocean Coal Company at the Herminie mine at Westmoreland County, Pennsylvania.
In August of 1927, William married a widow by the name of Katherine Daniels. They were married at the village of Ansley, Nebraska. Mrs. Daniels had two children, 1) Velda Ernest, and 2) Edsel Eugene Daniels, whom William Campbell raised as his own.

ELIZABETH FECHT CAMPBELL

This is a color enhanced and cropped photograph of the family of Elizabeth Fecht Campbell. It is presented to this Fecht Family Pictures blog through the courtesy of Genevieve Rebbe. The original photograph is badly faded. (click on image to enlarge)
The photograph was taken by W. E. Buehler, whose studio was located at 224 and 226 Fifth Avenue in McKeesport, Pennsylvania.

Left to right

William Richard Campbell (Bill)
born : 20 May, 1875 in Alpsville, _________ County, Pennsylvania
died: ____________________ in Albany, Oregon

Ella Lauetto Campbell Mackey
born: 17 September 1872 in Robbins Station, Pennsylvania
died: 26 April, 1906 in Ainsley, Nebraska

Elizabeth Fecht Campbell
born: November 1852 aboard the ship Admiral on the Atlantic Ocean
died: 17 October, 1927 in Mexico, Audrain County, Missouri
Note: Elizabeth Fecht Campbell was the oldest child of Jacob and Margaret (Bost) Fecht. She went to live with her mother in Mexico, Missouri during her final illness. She is buried in St. Brendan Cemetery in Mexico.

Richard S. Campbell
born: 12 August, 1850
died 21 May 1935