#52Ancestors: Rebecca “Becky” Haley (1916-1991)

Becky in 1944, after their family had already moved to California.

My 37th entry in Amy Johnson Crow’s “52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks family history blogging challenge.

The challenge: have one blog post each week devoted to a specific ancestor. It could be a story, a biography, a photograph, an outline of a research problem — anything that focuses on one ancestor.

My 37th ancestor is my husband’s grandmother, Rebecca “Becky” Haley (1916-1991).

Becky was born on 25 August 1916, I think in McRae (White County) Arkansas. I don’t have any primary first-hand documentation supporting her birth date or location, but the U.S. Censuses and Social Security Death Index do identify the date and state. I find it unusual that Becky was born in Arkansas, since both parents and all of her siblings were from Tennessee. She was the second youngest of ten children born to Hallie “Hal” Corder Haley (1878-1942) and Gedie Webster (b. 1881).

By the age of four, according to the 1920 U.S. Census, Becky and her family were living in Nashville, Tennessee. The family was enumerated there again on the 1930 Census, and — according to the 1940 Census — Becky was still living in Nashville as of 1 April 1935.

Five of the six youngest of the Haley siblings. Left to Right: Eleanor, Norman, Rebecca, Frances, and Comer. Based on Becky’s age in this photo, it was probably taken around 1918 or 1919. Youngest sister Nana was born in 1922.

Somewhere along the way Becky met and married Roy Delmar Pace (b. 1914), from Texas and New Mexico. The married couple were living in Lordsburg (Hidalgo County), New Mexico, when recorded 07 May 1940 on the U.S. Census, along with their six month old son and an adult lodger. Roy worked as a miner, Becky as a nurse at the hospital. A daughter joined the family the following year. In 1943, A second daughter — my mother-in-law Betty Pace — was born, but by this time the family had moved to California.

Rebecca and Roy raised their children in Kern County, California, where they spent the rest of their lives. Becky died on 27 April 1991.

Becky with her grandson (my husband), Jeff.