Throwback Thursday – Ollie Belle Hicks Rolen, my great grandmother

Hicks Rolen, Ollie Belle wedding picture crop

This is another of my great-grandmothers. We each have four, two from our mother and two from our father. This is my mother’s paternal grandmother or as we liked to call her Granny Rolen. No she’s not unhappy it’s just what we called for years the Rolen mouth, turns down in a frown when resting but after some genealogy research found out it’s the MacMahan mouth. Ollie was a strong woman.  She took care of her husband for years after a stroke left him an invalid. She raised her children alone getting temporary residence to send them to better schools. She lost a child to untreated asthma, doing all they could for the girl. She was living when I was young and I remember her well. She was a fun woman that loved to garden and show children how things worked. Of course when I knew her she was an old lady not the young bride she is here. This was her wedding day. For years I’d see just this photo but finally we turned up the other half with her husband Milas Lavator Rolen. Here it is uncropped and not cleaned up:

Rolen, Milas Lavator and Hicks Rolen, Ollie Belle

That’s the happy couple on their wedding day 12 May 1907 in Blount County Tennessee.  Who knows how long they had to stand there for the picture but  I am glad we eventually found the whole image.

Comments

3 responses to “Throwback Thursday – Ollie Belle Hicks Rolen, my great grandmother”

  1. Katrina denny Avatar
    Katrina denny

    Yes my name is katrina sisk -denney my dad is tommy w denney his mother was nellie ruth denney – rolen and robert Or bob denney. Nellies father was John holis rolen a nd his mother and father was ollie bell rolen and milus lavater rolen nellie was born in Chattanooga Tennessee and past away in 1995 in Bakersfield’s ca. Leaveing behind 4 boys and 3 girls jonny .Jakie. Tommy.and elton denny and glenda dian Patricia. And frances denny who all live in cal. okl .mis.and ari for yeare ive been trying to find out about are family. And my heritage just recently ive been able to get enough information. To trace us back to ollie we unfortunately. Never got to meet or even new that much about my grandmas side of the family nellies but i would like to learn more my email is katrina.sisk@yahoo.com my dad and all of his siblings along with all of there kids and even my kids all. have. An indian features i was wondering if there might be a role number that was mabey isued to ollie or mabey john. That is available if so could you forword it to my email along with any pictures or even more about ollie and johns or milus lavater im trying to create a Familey tree the more information. The better thank you and hope to here from you soon sincerly Katrina. Joy denny-rolen

    1. Mary Louise Eklund Avatar

      John Hollis ROLEN is my grandfather and he had two children my mother Sylvia Temple ROLEN BRIGHT and John Hollis ROLEN Jr. who died in infancy. There was no child named Nellie.
      Ollie Bell HICK ROLEN – my great grandmother I knew was not born in Chattanooga but rather in Cocke County TN in 1888. Milas Lavator (Who went by Lavator) ROLEN her husband my great grandfather born in 1880 Pittman Center, Sevier County TN. I have primary sources for all of this along with people living who knew them all. So I am not sure how you connected Nellie with my family but she was NOT a child of John Hollis and your data on Ollie and Lavator are contrary to their birth, marriage, and death records. If you want more on them from my research it is on Ancestry under the tree Marylouisebrighteklund or I will be glad to share privately via e-mail.

  2. Thursday Throwback – Milas Lavator Rolen | Mary Louise Eklund Avatar

    […] he had a terrible stroke. My great grandmother <a href=”https://marylouiseeklund.com/2016/02/11/throwback-thursday-ollie-belle-hicks-rolen-my-great-grandmot&#8230; Belle</a> tended him.  His sons pulled together to help. It was about three years of being […]

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