My name is Lynn Marie (Fleming) Tucker, I am the granddaughter of Evelyn Burchett Jarvis. She is pictured in the 1949 
election poster for county court clerk of Carter County. My Momma is Phyllis Ann Jarvis Fleming. She was 13 at the time
the poster was made, the eldest of the 6 children and seated to the left of my Grandmother and holding my Aunt Patty. 
I had never seen this poster before and took a chance in emailing Glen Haney, the man whom posted the photo of the poster. 
I had hoped to get more info regarding my family. What I got was much more.

Although Mr. Haney bought the poster some 20 years ago and did not know my family, he showed much interest in the 
story I shared with him and with you now.
 
My Grandfather Hack Jarvis died in 1948 and all the info added to under the poster by my Great Uncle Bob Burchett 
is true. However, I will correct their names: Dorothy went by Dottie and Patricia is Patty Joy. 

Grandmoma really felt like she won the primary election and filed for a court recount, things were 
looking up for her until the "powers that be in the county" came to her Father Dad Burchett and asked him to ask her 
to stop pressing the issue. Being a woman in 1949 and having 6 children to raise by herself she dropped the recount 
request. 

Mr.Johnson who was the Democratic candidate for the County Clerk ran against Carl Jaynes the Republican. Mr. Clyde Johnson 
won the 1950 election. The results of the Primary is what my Grandmomma questioned. So my Grandmother turned her office over 
to Mr. Johnson, who then for the next several years sent her money out of his pocket each month for "those kids and her." 

Two years ago one of my cousins was cleaning out a building and fond a folder marked "Haskel Jarvis". In it 
were court papers that showed that my grandmother did win the election. I have since felt the need to find out what 
really happened to my family. 

A year after Grandmomma "lost the election", on my mother's 15th Birthday, my grandmother, having lost her house 
sent the older children to the Masonic Home in Louisville. The two youngest went the next year. My mother would go 
to each cottage at the Masonic Home every night and make sure all the children were in bed. She would read or sing to 
them. The children were separated into age groups. At Christmas or during the summer Grandmomma would come get them 
and they would stay with different Aunts and family. Grandmoma did remarry and the three youngest girls left the 
Masonic Home to live with her in Virginia. They were in high school then. My Aunt Dottie married her sweet heart form 
the home and left for California. Dottie sent for one of her brothers, "T.H.". He was in his early teens then.
He still lives in California today. Aunt Dottie passed away on "T.H."'s birthday, May 3, 2004. Aunt Dottie, 
My Aunt Kay, Aunt Lavonne and my mother all graduated from the Masonic Home. After my mother graduated she
went on to Moorhead State University, but did not finish her dgree. She married my father in 1954. 
My father was in the USMC and they traveled for 20 years until he retired to Charleston, SC (where I was born in 1970). 
My Aunts Kay and Lavonne live in Virginia. The youngest girl, Patty Joy, lives in Florida. We stay close. In Grandmomma's 
life there were two fires that took all but a handful of our family photos and memories. That is why I had to ask 
Mr. Haney to sell me the poster. He would not. He gave it to me.

The photo on this page is of my mother with that 1949 poster. I had it two weeks before giving it to her on Valentine's Day, 
which happens to be the day Aunt Dottie was born. I know little of the Jarvis side of my family. Grandmoma never really 
wanted to talk about it. My mother was 13 when her father died and it was 40 years until we got in touch with them again. 
I wonder about "what could been" a lot. But my mother is 71 and the BEST mother you would ever want to know. Her sisters 
and bother think of her as their mother. She took care of the family. 

What you cannot see on the web site posting on the poster is at the bottom it says "vote for mother and keep us children 
from being separated." People wanted to adopted the younger ones but Grandmomma said no. My mother made sure that while 
they were at the home as orphans they remained a family. I wonder how many people knew these kids and wondered what happened 
to them. I hope if any one can help us find out more about the past the will contact me. I can never thank Mr. Glen Haney 
enough. He would not take a dime nor give me his mailing address because he knew I would send him something. 

I am the proud Granddaughter of Evelyn and Hack Jarvis and daughter of Phyllis Jarvis the Best mother in the world.

"This picture was taken in 2003 the last time all the sisters were together before Aunt Dottie passed away in May of 2004. 
There are two family members that are not in the picture: my grandmother who had passed 2 months prior and my Uncle TH, the baby she was holding the poster.
He did not make the trip." 

"Looking at the picture sitting in the center is Lavonne, to the right is Kay, behind Kay is Phyllis.
In the center back is Dottie and to the left of Dottie is the baby girl, Patty, that Phyllis was holding in the poster."

"In the poster Lavonne is in front of Dottie and Kay is standing next to Phyllis who is holding Patty. We felt that this was the picture to 
post of the family since it was the most current with all the sisters and shows their loving bond. It was taken at Carter Caves right after 
Aunt Dottie had passed out keep sakes for her sisters. It was the last time they all had together in Kentucky. Lavonne stayed by Aunt Dottie's 
side till the last moment. She fought a good fight with the ovarian cancer and wanted all of us to remember her as we saw her here." 

"The next time all the sisters and their bother were together was in California at Aunt Dottie's Funeral. We will always remember her and that summer. 
I thank my Aunt Glenna Burchett for taking this picture that day."


 

Submitted by:  Lynn Marie Fleming Tucker


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