Person Page - 11

     Benjamin Joseph Ventura was born on 18 February 1906 at New York, New York, New York, USA. It is assumed that this record for Bartolomeo Ventura is for Benjamin J Ventura since the parents match and the birthdate is similar to records recorded many years later.¹ He was born on 15 March 1906 at New York, New York, New York, USA. A 1906 birth date matches his age in the 1910 and 1920 census.This date is from funeral card and SSDI.^2,3 He was born on 12 March 1907 at New York, New York, New York, USA.⁴ He married Mary Virginia Yacchari, daughter of Peter Yacchari and Catherine Devoto, before 1931. Benjamin Joseph Ventura died on 4 October 1992 at Cincinnati, Hamilton, Ohio, USA, at age 86.^5,6 He was buried on 7 October 1992 at Saint Catherine's Church, Westwood, Hamilton, Ohio, USA.^5,7
     As of 18 February 1906, Benjamin Joseph Ventura was also known as Bartolomeo Ventura.¹ He appeared on the census of 15 April 1910 in the household of Giovanni Giorguo (John) Ventura and Giovanna (Jennie) Musso at New York, New York, New York, USA.⁸ Benjamin Joseph Ventura appeared at age 13 on the census of 13 January 1920 in the household of Giovanna (Jennie) Musso and Giovanni Giorguo (John) Ventura at Cincinnati, Hamilton, Ohio, USA.⁹ Benjamin Joseph Ventura and Mary Virginia Yacchari lived in 1938 at Cincinnati, Hamilton, Ohio, USA. Benjamin Joseph Ventura was Ben Ventura occupation was "laundry worker" on 4 April 1940 at Cincinnati, Hamilton, Ohio, USA.¹⁰
Benjamin Joseph Ventura and Mary Virginia Yacchari appeared on the census of 4 April 1940 at Cincinnati, Hamilton, Ohio, USA.¹¹ Benjamin Joseph Ventura and Benjamin Franklin Ventura Note of back of photo: Benjamin J Ventura - 5 ft 5 in, hair color black, eye color brown age 40, Son Benjamin F Ventura Jr age 16, 5 ft 5 in. hair black eyes brown, phone WO 4849 in 1947 at Cincinnati, Hamilton, Ohio, USA. Benjamin Joseph Ventura also went by Popo, the name he was called by his grandchildren.
Benjamin Joseph Ventura was mentioned in the obituary of published on 13 July 1983 in The Cincinnati Enquirer, Cincinnati, Hamilton, Ohio, USA.¹² He was a witness he is shown in a photo dated 2 June 1984 with his brothers during a celebration of his 40th anniversary with George and wife June with George Frank Ventura on 2 June 1984.¹³

     Mary Virginia Yacchari was born on 19 December 1910 at Cincinnati, Hamilton, Ohio, USA.¹ She was baptized on 15 January 1911 at Scared Heart Italian Church, Cincinnati, Hamilton, Ohio, USA.¹ She married Benjamin Joseph Ventura, son of Giovanni Giorguo (John) Ventura and Giovanna (Jennie) Musso, before 1931. Mary Virginia Yacchari died on 12 July 1983 at University Hosp. Cincinnati General, Cincinnati, Hamilton, Ohio, USA, at age 72.² She was buried after 12 July 1983 at Saint Josephs New Cemetery, Cincinnati, Hamilton, Ohio, USA.³
     Mary Virginia Yacchari was also known as Virginia.
Mary Virginia Yacchari appeared on the census of 1920 at Hamilton, Ohio, USA.⁴ She appeared on the census of 10 January 1920 in the household of Catherine Devoto and Peter Yacchari at Cincinnati, Hamilton, Ohio, USA.⁵ Mary Virginia Yacchari and Benjamin Joseph Ventura lived in 1938 at Cincinnati, Hamilton, Ohio, USA.
Mary Virginia Yacchari and Benjamin Joseph Ventura appeared on the census of 4 April 1940 at Cincinnati, Hamilton, Ohio, USA.⁶ Mary Virginia Yacchari also went by the name of "Nana". As of 1980,her married name was Virginia M. Ventura Ohio drivers license issued 1980 shows name as Virginia M. Ventura

5234 Warren Avenue, Norwood, Ohio 45212
height 5'00". 140 lbs, Brn, Brn.⁷ She lived on 20 November 1980 at Norwood, Hamilton, Ohio, USA.⁷
Mary Virginia Yacchari was mentioned in the obituary of published on 13 July 1983 in The Cincinnati Enquirer, Cincinnati, Hamilton, Ohio, USA.⁸

     John Jabez Dowling was born on 15 January 1782 at Jeffries Creek, Darlington, South Carolina, USA.¹ He married Susan Barnes, daughter of Theophilus Barnes and Harriet Dorcus Sauls, on 13 February 1812 at Beaufort, South Carolina, USA.¹ John Jabez Dowling died on 16 February 1866 at Brunson, South Carolina, USA, at age 84. He was buried after 16 February 1866 at Dowling Cemetery, Brunson, Hampton, South Carolina, USA.²
     

JAMES' THIRD SON, JOHN JABEZ -
After such fine fighting as that done by WILLIAM, JAMES, JOHN, and father ROBERT had caused the capitulation of Cornwallis at Yorktown in 1781, these Dowlings returned to their farms and the rural life that each followed. It was the following January 15th that JAMES'S third child was born there in the Jeffries Creek area of the sovereign state of South Carolina. JAMES and mother Mary Boutwell Dowling named him JOHN JABEZ.

During the second war with the British JOHN JABEZ married, February 13, 1812. Bride Susan Barnes was the daughter of Theophilus Barnes and a Sauls mother. She was twenty-one when she married JOHN JABEZ, having been born March 4, 1786, in Prince William Parish, South Carolina. As previously mentioned, mother Mary Boutwell Dowling had left Darlington District after the death of husband JAMES. Neither of the son’s ages shown on her 1810 Barnwell District census fit the age of son JOHN JABEZ. So the family tradition which tells of JOHN JABEZ'S arrival in Beaufort District as early as 1807 is probably correct. It was there that his marriage to Susan occurred. And it was there, near today's town of Brunson, South Carolina, that this couple raised the five boys and five girls shown on DFS Chart 323. Great-great-grandchildren still inhabit the area.

JOHN JABEZ was a meticulous person. He believed as much in orderliness that during one period of his life he kept servants on the lookout for any leaves that might fall in the Dowling yard; they were to pick them up instantly and take them back of the barn where they belonged! Religious services were attended by this patriarch in a silk, broadcloth suit and top hat. Still, there was a spirit of rebelliousness in him; when past sixty he went off to the Mexican War! (Earlier, he had fought in the War of 1812 as a soldier in Lowe’s Company of Colonel Youngblood’s Regiment.) JOHN JABEZ and Susan are buried in the Dowling Cemetery near Brunson, South Carolina.

Their descendants can be seen in Chart 323.¹

He lived in 1807.¹ He witnessed the Milt-Note of an unknown person in 1812.¹ He began military service on 27 June 1812 enlisted in Chales Love's Co. for War of 1812.³ He ended military service on 6 October 1812.³ He witnessed the Milt-Note of an unknown person circa 1842.¹ He lived with Susan Barnes on 19 September 1860 at Prince William Parish, Beaufort, South Carolina, USA.⁴

     James Marvin Barfield was born on 5 April 1925 at Saint Louis, Saint Louis, Missouri, USA. He married an unknown person on 17 April 1954 at Sherbrook, Quebec, Quebec, Canada. He married Joyce Elizabeth McLeod, daughter of Randolph Phillip McLeod and Doris May Shaw, on 17 April 1954 at Saint Cuthbert's Church, Montreal, Quebec, Canada. James Marvin Barfield died on 27 January 2021 at Franklin, Macon, North Carolina, USA, at age 95. He was buried on 4 February 2021 at Addington Cemetery, Franklin, Macon, North Carolina, USA.¹
     He was baptized in the LDS church on 3 May 1925.²
James Marvin Barfield and Conrad Paskel Barfield appeared on the census of 15 January 1930 at Saint Louis, Saint Louis, Missouri, USA.³ James Marvin Barfield appeared on the census of 15 April 1930 in the household of an unknown person and Florence Ware at Saint Louis, Saint Louis, Missouri, USA.³ James Marvin Barfield lived with Florence Ware in 1935 at Saint Louis, Saint Louis, Missouri, USA.⁴ James Marvin Barfield appeared on the census of 8 April 1940 in the household of Florence Ware at Saint Louis, Saint Louis, Missouri, USA.⁵ James Marvin Barfield was an Order Clerk at Blackwell & Weylandy before joining US Navy in July 1942. in April 1941 at Saint Charles, Saint Charles, Missouri, USA.⁶ He began military service on 11 July 1942 at Saint Louis, Saint Louis, Missouri, USA, Enlisted in US Navy.⁶ He ended military service on 19 October 1945 at Memphis, Shelby, Tennessee, USA.⁶ He and Joyce Elizabeth McLeod lived in 1970 at Orlando, Orange, Florida, USA.
James Marvin Barfield was mentioned in the obituary of his wife Joyce Elizabeth McLeod published on 3 March 2020.
James Marvin Barfield was mentioned in the obituary of published on 28 January 2021 in Bryant-Grant Funeral Home and Crematory, Franklin, Macon, North Carolina, USA.

     Joyce Elizabeth McLeod was born on 1 July 1931 at Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. She married James Marvin Barfield, son of Edward Barfield and Florence Ware, on 17 April 1954 at Saint Cuthbert's Church, Montreal, Quebec, Canada. Joyce Elizabeth McLeod died on 2 March 2020 at Franklin, Macon, North Carolina, USA, at age 88. She was buried on 5 March 2020 at Addington Community Cemetery, Franklin, Macon, North Carolina, USA.¹
     Her married name was Barfield. She and James Marvin Barfield lived in 1970 at Orlando, Orange, Florida, USA.
Obituary of Joyce Elizabeth McLeod Barfield, 88 of Franklin, NC passed away Monday March 2, 2020. Joyce was born July 1, 1931 in Ontario, Canada to the late Ralph McLeod and Doris (Shaw) McLeod. She was a loving wife, mother and grandmother and enjoyed being a homemaker. She enjoyed knitting, crocheting, designed wedding cakes and custom dresses. Joyce was of the Christian faith and attended several local churches.

Joyce is survived by her husband of 65 years, James Barfield; a daughter, Carol Anne McCann and husband Craig of Otto, NC; two grandchildren, Jessica Wood of Atlanta, Georgia and Katherine Wood of West Melbourne, Florida. She is preceded in death by her parents.

A funeral service will be held at 3:00PM Thursday, March 5, 2020 at the Chapel of Bryant-Grant Funeral Home with the Rev. Terry Wilkes officiating. Burial will follow at the Addington Cemetery. published on 3 March 2020
Joyce Elizabeth McLeod Barfield, 88 of Franklin, NC passed away Monday March 2, 2020. Joyce was born July 1, 1931 in Ontario, Canada to the late Ralph McLeod and Doris (Shaw) McLeod. She was a loving wife, mother and grandmother and enjoyed being a homemaker. She enjoyed knitting, crocheting, designed wedding cakes and custom dresses. Joyce was of the Christian faith and attended several local churches.

Joyce is survived by her husband of 65 years, James Barfield; a daughter, Carol Anne McCann and husband Craig of Otto, NC; two grandchildren, Jessica Wood of Atlanta, Georgia and Katherine Wood of West Melbourne, Florida. She is preceded in death by her parents.

A funeral service will be held at 3:00PM Thursday, March 5, 2020 at the Chapel of Bryant-Grant Funeral Home with the Rev. Terry Wilkes officiating. Burial will follow at the Addington Cemetery.

     Edward Barfield was born on 29 April 1871 at Ohio, USA.¹ He was born in April 1880 at Ohio, USA.^2,3 He was born on 29 April 1882 at Napoleon, Henry, Ohio, USA.^4,5 He married Cora Plank on 14 June 1905 at Saint Louis, Saint Louis, Missouri, USA. Edward Barfield married Florence Ware, daughter of Lance Newcomb Ware and Ellen Dora Harris, in 1914 at Saint Louis, Saint Louis, Missouri, USA.⁶ Edward Barfield and Cora Plank were divorced on 25 March 1919.⁷ Edward Barfield died on 14 March 1937 at Saint Louis, Saint Louis, Missouri, USA, at age 56.⁸ He was buried on 19 March 1937 at Our Redeemer, Saint Louis, Saint Louis, Missouri, USA.^1,9
     He appeared on the census of 11 November 1880 in the household of William C. Barfield and Mary Anna Millward at Saint Louis, Saint Louis, Missouri, USA.¹⁰ Edward Barfield appeared on the census of 1 June 1900 in the household of William C. Barfield and Mary Anna Millward at Saint Louis, Saint Louis, Missouri, USA.³
Edward Barfield and Cora Plank appeared on the census of 23 April 1910 at Saint Louis, Saint Louis, Missouri, USA.¹¹
Edward Barfield and Cora Plank appeared on the census of 23 April 1910 at Saint Louis, Saint Louis, Missouri, USA.¹¹
Edward Barfield and Florence Ware appeared on the census of 5 January 1920 at Saint Louis, Saint Louis, Missouri, USA.¹² Edward Barfield was confirmed on 5 April 1931 at Saint Louis, Saint Louis, Missouri, USA.¹³

     Florence Ware was born on 23 March 1883 at Missouri, USA.^1,2 She married Charles Gardner circa 1907.³ Florence Ware married Edward Barfield, son of William C. Barfield and Mary Anna Millward, in 1914 at Saint Louis, Saint Louis, Missouri, USA.⁴ Florence Ware died on 25 January 1972 at Poplar Bluff, Butler, Missouri, USA, at age 88. She was buried at Van Buren, Carter, Missouri, USA.^5,6
     She Believed daughter of Souix Indian Chief, Indian name unknown. As of circa 1907,her married name was Gardner. Her married name was Barfield.⁵
Florence Ware and Edward Barfield appeared on the census of 5 January 1920 at Saint Louis, Saint Louis, Missouri, USA.⁷ Florence Ware was confirmed on 4 April 1926 at Saint Louis, Saint Louis, Missouri, USA.⁸
Florence Ware appeared on the census of 15 April 1930 at Saint Louis, Saint Louis, Missouri, USA.⁹ She lived in 1935 at Saint Louis, Saint Louis, Missouri, USA.¹⁰ She and Mary Anna Millward lived on 7 August 1936 at Saint Louis, Saint Louis, Missouri, USA.¹¹
Florence Ware appeared on the census of 8 April 1940 at Saint Louis, Saint Louis, Missouri, USA.¹² She lived on 21 August 1945 at Saint Louis, Saint Louis, Missouri, USA.¹³
Florence Ware was mentioned in the obituary of published on 3 February 1972 in The Current Local (newspaper), Van Buren, Carter, Missouri, USA.

     Edward Thomas Barfield was born on 25 April 1919 at Saint Louis, Saint Louis, Missouri, USA. He was baptized on 19 October 1924.¹ He died on 8 May 2017 at Saint Louis, Missouri, USA, at age 98.² He was buried after 8 May 2017 at Jefferson Barracks Memorial Cemetery, Lemay, Saint Louis, Missouri, USA.³
     He appeared on the census of 5 January 1920 in the household of Edward Barfield and Florence Ware at Saint Louis, Saint Louis, Missouri, USA.⁴ Edward Thomas Barfield appeared on the census of 15 April 1930 in the household of an unknown person and Florence Ware at Saint Louis, Saint Louis, Missouri, USA.⁵ Edward Thomas Barfield was confirmed on 9 April 1931.⁶ He lived with Florence Ware in 1935 at Saint Louis, Saint Louis, Missouri, USA.⁷ Edward Thomas Barfield appeared on the census of 8 April 1940 in the household of Florence Ware at Saint Louis, Saint Louis, Missouri, USA.⁸ Edward Thomas Barfield ended military service on 9 February 1946 at Jefferson Barracks, Saint Louis, Saint Louis, Missouri, USA. He lived in 1992 at Saint Louis, Saint Louis, Missouri, USA.
Edward Thomas Barfield was mentioned in the obituary of published on 8 May 2017.

     Conrad Paskel Barfield was born on 29 April 1922 at Saint Louis, Saint Louis, Missouri, USA. He was baptized on 19 October 1924.¹ He died on 12 June 2001 at Saint Louis, Saint Louis, Missouri, USA, at age 79. He was buried on 15 June 2001 at Jefferson Barracks National Cemetery, Saint Louis, Saint Louis, Missouri, USA.²
     Conrad Paskel Barfield and James Marvin Barfield appeared on the census of 15 January 1930 at Saint Louis, Saint Louis, Missouri, USA.³ Conrad Paskel Barfield appeared on the census of 15 April 1930 in the household of an unknown person and Florence Ware at Saint Louis, Saint Louis, Missouri, USA.³ Conrad Paskel Barfield lived with Florence Ware in 1935 at Saint Louis, Saint Louis, Missouri, USA.⁴ Conrad Paskel Barfield appeared on the census of 8 April 1940 in the household of Florence Ware at Saint Louis, Saint Louis, Missouri, USA.⁵

     Alice Barfield was born in 1928.

     Annabel Barfield married Frederick Joseph Tolsch.¹ Annabel Barfield was born on 7 December 1916 at Saint Louis, Saint Louis, Missouri, USA. She married Walter Christeson, son of Christopher Columbus Christeson and Bessie Williams.² Annabel Barfield died on 14 September 2003 at age 86. She was buried after 14 September 2003 at Saint Matthew Cemetery, Saint Louis, Saint Louis, Missouri, USA.³
     Annabel Barfield appeared on the census at Saint Louis, Saint Louis, Missouri, USA.⁴ She appeared on the census of 5 January 1920 in the household of Edward Barfield and Florence Ware at Saint Louis, Saint Louis, Missouri, USA.⁵ Annabel Barfield was baptized in the LDS church on 19 October 1924.⁶ She appeared on the census of 15 April 1930 in the household of an unknown person and Florence Ware at Saint Louis, Saint Louis, Missouri, USA.⁴ Annabel Barfield lived with Frederick Joseph Tolsch on 17 April 1940 at Saint Louis, Saint Louis, Missouri, USA.⁷ As of August 1942, Annabel Barfield was also known as Anna Tolsch. As of May 1956, Annabel Barfield was also known as Anna Terpening. As of September 1961,her married name was Christeson.²
Annabel Barfield was mentioned in the obituary of published on 22 September 2003 in Saint Louis, Saint Louis, Missouri, USA.⁸

     Doris May Shaw was born on 18 April 1910 at Ottawa, Carleton, Ontario, Canada.^3,4 She married Randolph Phillip McLeod, son of Rev. Alfred Henry McLeod and Mabel Elizabeth Colpitts, on 7 March 1931 at Luke's Anglican Church, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada.^5,6,7 Doris May Shaw died on 17 November 1987 at Montreal, Quebec, Canada, at age 77.
     She appeared on the census of 1911 in the household of John Shaw and Elizabeth Botten at 17 Central Ward, Ottawa, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada.⁸ Doris May Shaw appeared on the census of 1921 in the household of John Shaw and Elizabeth Botten at Capital Ward, Ottawa, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada.⁹ As of 10 March 1931,her married name was McLeod.
Doris May Shaw was mentioned in the obituary of published on 19 November 1987 in The Gazette, Montreal, Quebec, Quebec, Canada.¹⁰
Doris May Shaw, deceased, was mentioned in the obituary of her daughter Joyce Elizabeth McLeod published on 3 March 2020.

     Susan Barnes was born on 4 March 1786 at Prince William Parish, Beaufort, South Carolina, USA. She married John Jabez Dowling, son of James Dowling R.S. and Mary Boutwell, on 13 February 1812 at Beaufort, South Carolina, USA.³ Susan Barnes was buried in 1869 at Dowling Cemetery, Brunson, Hampton, South Carolina, USA.⁴ She died in 1869 at South Carolina, USA.⁵
     

JAMES' THIRD SON, JOHN JABEZ -
After such fine fighting as that done by WILLIAM, JAMES, JOHN, and father ROBERT had caused the capitulation of Cornwallis at Yorktown in 1781, these Dowlings returned to their farms and the rural life that each followed. It was the following January 15th that JAMES'S third child was born there in the Jeffries Creek area of the sovereign state of South Carolina. JAMES and mother Mary Boutwell Dowling named him JOHN JABEZ.

During the second war with the British JOHN JABEZ married, February 13, 1812. Bride Susan Barnes was the daughter of Theophilus Barnes and a Sauls mother. She was twenty-one when she married JOHN JABEZ, having been born March 4, 1786, in Prince William Parish, South Carolina. As previously mentioned, mother Mary Boutwell Dowling had left Darlington District after the death of husband JAMES. Neither of the son’s ages shown on her 1810 Barnwell District census fit the age of son JOHN JABEZ. So the family tradition which tells of JOHN JABEZ'S arrival in Beaufort District as early as 1807 is probably correct. It was there that his marriage to Susan occurred. And it was there, near today's town of Brunson, South Carolina, that this couple raised the five boys and five girls shown on DFS Chart 323. Great-great-grandchildren still inhabit the area.

JOHN JABEZ was a meticulous person. He believed as much in orderliness that during one period of his life he kept servants on the lookout for any leaves that might fall in the Dowling yard; they were to pick them up instantly and take them back of the barn where they belonged! Religious services were attended by this patriarch in a silk, broadcloth suit and top hat. Still, there was a spirit of rebelliousness in him; when past sixty he went off to the Mexican War! (Earlier, he had fought in the War of 1812 as a soldier in Lowe’s Company of Colonel Youngblood’s Regiment.) JOHN JABEZ and Susan are buried in the Dowling Cemetery near Brunson, South Carolina.

Their descendants can be seen in Chart 323.³

She b. Prince William Parrish SC. As of 13 February 1812,her married name was Dowling. She lived on 19 September 1860 at Prince William Parish, Beaufort, South Carolina, USA.⁶

     Randolph Phillip McLeod was born on 14 September 1907 at Rusagonis, Sunbury, New Brunswick, Canada.³ He married Doris May Shaw, daughter of John Shaw and Elizabeth Botten, on 7 March 1931 at Luke's Anglican Church, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada.^2,4,5 Randolph Phillip McLeod died on 8 February 2002 at Lachine Hospital, Montreal, Quebec, Canada, at age 94.
     He appeared on the census of 1911 in the household of Rev. Alfred Henry McLeod at Gladstone, New Brunswick, Canada.⁶ Randolph Phillip McLeod appeared on the census of 1921 in the household of Rev. Alfred Henry McLeod at Wolfville, Kings, Nova Scotia, Canada.⁷
Randolph Phillip McLeod was mentioned in the obituary of Blanche Bessie McLeod published on 3 January 1944 in Ottawa Journal, Ottawa, Canada.⁸
Randolph Phillip McLeod, deceased, was mentioned in the obituary of his daughter Joyce Elizabeth McLeod published on 3 March 2020.

     Carol Ann McLeod was born on 22 December 1941 at Montreal, Quebec, Canada.¹ She died on 7 November 1992 at Key West, Monroe, Florida, USA, at age 50.¹
     Her married name was Carol Ann Averette.

     Jean McLeod was born on 6 July 1933 at Montreal, Quebec, Canada. She died at Ottawa, Ontario, Canada.
     Her married name was Robesco.

     Edwin Adelbert Locke III was born on 24 August 1915 at Everett, Middlesex, Massachusetts, USA.^1,2 He married Yvonne D Neal, daughter of Lewis Walter Neal and Yvonne B Grenier, in 1944 at Quincy, Norfolk, Massachusetts, USA. Edwin Adelbert Locke III married Margaret Oliver Craig, daughter of James W Craig and Margaret Crane, between 1952 and 1958. Edwin Adelbert Locke III died on 25 July 1973 at Columbus, Muscogee, Georgia, USA, at age 57. He was buried after 25 July 1973.³ Edwin Adelbert Locke III filed for divorce from an unknown person on 20 January 1975 at Pasco, Florida, USA.
     Edwin Adelbert Locke III was also known as Ted.⁴ He lived on 17 April 1930 at Quincy, Norfolk, Massachusetts, USA.⁵ He appeared on the census of 17 April 1930 in the household of Edwin Adelbert Locke Jr. and Alice Eugenie Hebblethwaite at Quincy, Norfolk, Massachusetts, USA.⁶ Edwin Adelbert Locke III lived in 1932 at Quincy, Norfolk, Massachusetts, USA. He lived on 27 May 1936 at Merrymount, Quincy, Norfolk, Massachusetts, USA.⁷ He lived on 25 April 1950 at McCarway, Muscogee, Georgia, USA.⁸ His Social Security Number was 011-16-2061 before 1951 at Massachusetts, USA.⁹
Edwin Adelbert Locke III was mentioned in the obituary of published on 27 July 1973 in The Columbus [GA] Ledger, Columbus, Muskogee, Georgia, USA.¹⁰

     Yvonne D Neal was born on 18 March 1916 at Mount Vernon, Westchester, New York, USA.² She married Edwin Adelbert Locke III, son of Edwin Adelbert Locke Jr. and Alice Eugenie Hebblethwaite, in 1944 at Quincy, Norfolk, Massachusetts, USA. Yvonne D Neal died in 2004 at California, USA.
     She lived with Lewis Walter Neal on 19 September 1918 at West Roxburry, Suffolk, Massachusetts, USA.³ As of 7 January 1920, Yvonne D Neal was also known as Dorothy F Neal Name on 1920 US Census.⁴ She lived with Lewis Walter Neal on 7 January 1920 at Boston, Suffolk, Connecticut, USA.⁵ As of 16 April 1930, Yvonne D Neal was also known as Yvonne D Neal.⁶ She lived with Lewis Walter Neal on 16 April 1930 at Boston, Suffolk, Massachusetts, USA.⁷ Yvonne D Neal appeared on the census of 6 April 1940 in the household of Yvonne B Grenier at Boaton, Suffolk, Massachusetts, USA.⁸ As of 1944,her married name was Locke. Yvonne D Neal lived with Edwin Adelbert Locke III on 25 April 1950 at McCarway, Muscogee, Georgia, USA.⁹ Yvonne D Neal was also known as "Bavanni" Hindu given name while living in an Ashram (temple) in Cohasset MA.¹⁰ Yvonne D Neal was also known as Qui "Qui" is reported to mean Who. This name was reportedly given to her by the Dali Lama. She lived circa 2000 at Menlo Park, San Mateo, California, USA. As of circa 2000, Yvonne D Neal was also known as Qui Grenier In a letter to grandson Kenneth Wood, she used the name Qui Grenier in the return address. She From: William Forbes [mailto:swayambill@wlink.com.np]
Sent: Saturday, July 02, 2011 6:06 AM
To: genealogy@mywoodfamily.us
Subject: Fwd: Qui Grenier

Namaste, my name is William Forbes. I live in Kathmandu Nepal. I came across your Wood Family Genealogy Page while googling friends' names. I knew Bhavani/Qui from 1967 till her death. She was a very good friend.

I met Bhavani, as she was then called, at the Sri Ram Ashram, which was a psychedelic community on the Dietrich/Hitchcock estate in Millbrook, the headquarters of Timothy Leary's League for Spiritual Discovery. Bhavani was a founding member of the League, and a highly respected member of the group. She met Timothy Leary at the ashram of her guru, Srimata Gayatri Devi, in Cohasset, Mass, near Boston, where Leary was a Harvard professor. Bhavani had become a disciple of Gayatri Devi's in the 1950's. Yvonne had been spiritualy inclined since her youth and had mystical experiences. When she met her guru, the effect of this encounter overturned her life and she soon joined her guru's ashram Gayatri Devi was very impressed with with Yvonne. She gave her the name Bhavani Devi, and initiated her into the order of sannyas, which took other aspirants years to achieve.  Gayatri devi also made Bhavani her chosen successor.

Timothy Leary, who was keenly interested in the spiritual experience provided by LSD, became interested in it's correlates in the Hindu tradition and became a student of Gayatri Devi's. He also introduced some of the ashram inmates, including Gayatri Devi, Bhavani, and Swami Kalikananda (Fred Swain) to it. The guru did not take well to the substance, but Bhavani and others found a fulfilment of their aspirations for samadhi in it. This lead to some of Gayatri Devi's followers to questionong her authority and intentions. Bhavani left the ashram and joined Leary's community in Millbrook.

As I mentioned, when I met Bhavani, she was a senior member of the League for Spiritual Discovery, and the keeper of the 'sacrament'. Eventually she gravitated to the Sri Ram Ashram, and when the League was disbanded, she moved with the Ashram to Benson, Arizona, where she remained untill 1969. After that, Bhavani moved to San Francisco (Haight Street) for a couple of years. Then she lived in Palo Alto, Ojai, and finally in MT Shasta, where she passed away in 2004. i believe she was born 3/3/1918.

I knew Bhavani through all these years, and although I had moved to the Indian subcontinent, I visited the USA fairly regularly and saw Bhavani as much as I could. I wouldn't say she was my 'guru', she herself shied away from such labels, but she was a very good friend who was very fond of me, and shared with me her thoughts and insights. As an example of her self-image and attitude, I would quote what she said to Michael Hollingshead, an early psychedelic explorer and luminary, who credited himself with 'turning on the world', mostly by virtue of having introduced Timothy Leary to LSD. Michael was visiting the Ashram in Benson at the time. He asked Bhavani what her 'trip' was. 'Love', she replied. Michael then asked her if that meant that she tried to love everybody and everything, every day with all her might, to which she replied 'Yes, but I do it unselfconsciously.'

Even in her old age, she was an exquisitely graceful creature. She had great taste and always dressed beautifully and imaginatively. Her handwriting, which was always ornate and precise, never deteriorated with her advancing years. I never heard her sigh, or groan, when lifting her body from a chair or bed. She never complained about, much less described, her aches and pains, whatever they were. Occasionally she would observe that 'the body misbehaves', that's all.

Bhavani always read books on religion and meditation, and had a keen interest and understanding of the subject. She opened conversations with the phrase 'Isn't it interesting...' and she was interested in many things, from madness to divinity, and had a way of engaging people in her interests. In the last years of her life she was studying the classical texts of Mahayana Buddhism in translation. She had close association and correspondence with great Tibetan teachers such as Chogyam Trungpa Rinpoche and Namkhai Norbu Rinpoche. I don't think her name 'Qui' came from the Dalai Lama. She never mentioned that. She did say that she chose the name for it's philosophical/meditational qualities, and that her mother, who was a French speaking society lady with poor parenting skills, often forgot her daughter's name, and referred to her as 'qui,qui', which kind of means 'what's her name'. You could ask prof. Robert Thurman at Columbia University about this. He and his wife Nenna were close friends of Bhavani's, and are close to the Dalai Lama. I can send you his e-mail address, if you are interested.

Qui also loved nature. When she lived in California, she would spend her summers in national parks, camping austerely from her car, She loved the wild, untouched by human hand. I still have a tent she gave me when she came to Nepal. She intended to use it hanging out with Yogis and Lamas in the mountains, but a summons from the Welfare Department in California cut short here visit.

Qui never liked being photographed, and was very clever at avoiding it. I did manage to get a few photos of her. One is from her Ananda Ashram days. It was lying in a book of her's and I sneaked it out and copied it when she was napping. The second photo is from Ojai. The third photo is from her arrival in Kathmandu.

I hope this letter fleshes out the sparse information that you have on her in your family tree web page, which by the way, is very impressive. I'm happy to answer any questions you may have, if I can. Bhavani used to tell a story about those great aunts of her's in the Civil War. She said that one of them was found dead of starvation in her bed, with cookie crumbs strewn all over the covers. The slaves had run away and the poor lady didn't know how to cook or look after herself.

I want to say one thing to her children. Bhavani only gave them up after her husband remarried and could give them a family life. After they left her, she suffered terrible pangs of separation from them. For many months, in her meditations she felt searing pains in her womb, which she attributed to letitng go of her children. These bouts of suffering left her drained and exhausted, and she had to go and meditate in a field or grove so as not to draw attention to herself and disturb the ashramites with her cries and whimpering. She always kept a photo of her son, Wynn, near her.

Love & pranams, William Forbes on 2 July 2011.