From Then 'til Now by Patty McGraw

From Then ‘til Now

I attended my first McGraw Reunion in July, 1969, at the John McGraw Grade School gym, a month before I married Mike McGraw.  

Mike told me about his family and their reunion, but until I had attended I had no clue what I was in for.  

You see, I suddenly realized I was in trouble.   I had never seen so much food in all of my life.  I was about to marry a man whose family were all good cooks and I, as the old saying went, couldn’t boil water!

So began my experience of learning to cook.  I watched and learned from my dear Mother-In-Law, Lois McGraw.

I remember watching her cook for the reunion.   She would start cooking the Saturday before the reunion.  She made Shake ‘N Bake chicken, macaroni salad, and baked beans.  Lois liked baking and would make the best desserts.  Her homemade chocolate pies, lemon pie, cherry delight and apple cake desserts were delicious.

From Lois, I learned to make Mike’s favorite dishes. Before she passed, she would call me and say come up and help me cook whatever she was cooking. She would say, “You need to learn how to make this.” I can truthfully say I have very fond memories of my Mother-In-Law.

During the 1970's, I watched as Mike’s Aunts prepared for the McGraw reunion. His Aunt Galena and Aunt Wilda would start baking cakes and pies early in the week for the reunion. 

At that time, Galena still had the store and Post Office in McGraws and was working. Wilda would walk out to her store daily to see how many cakes or pies Galena had made.  If Galena said ten, Wilda would go home and make eleven so she could say she had made more.  Thing was, sometimes Galena would tell Wilda she had more than she really had - that’s sisterly love and competition for you!

It would take several men and boys to help carry in the food Galena and Wilda had prepared for the reunion.

Mike’s Mom, Lois McGraw, his Aunts: Galena McGraw Kerns, Wilda McGraw Shumate, Naomi McGraw Sadler, and Rita Riley McGraw were all good cooks.  Their food was homemade from scratch and prepared with love.  I learned from the best and I did learn to cook!

Fast forward to July 19, 2020, fifty-two years since I attended my first reunion.  Instead of serving our usual reunion food, we will be sharing a virtual meal.  This will definitely be a first for everyone.  My Brother has attended our reunion twenty-plus years.  His comment about the virtual reunion was “We (he) couldn’t eat the food.”  Sorry, Steve!  

After this Covid-19 event, I would hope and pray that next year, the good Lord willing, we will once again meet the third Sunday of July, for the 68th McGraw Reunion.  I hope to see you in person in 2021.

Sincerely,
Patty McGraw

P.S. I will be cooking!

McGraw Reunion Reflections From the McCoys

We are combining 2 submissions into a wonderful tag-team post by First Cousins Alan and Rachel McCoy. We'll start with Alan's reflections and follow up below with Rachel's photographs!

McGraw Reunion Reflections from Alan McCoy

I am the son of Rosseey, grandson of Hallie McGraw, great grandson of HG. Was planning to come this year thinking that maybe I could figure in one of the prizes, coming from Massachusetts!

My first home was above Galena’s garage in Ravencliff but our family moved away while I was young.  We came back every summer for an extended stay and my memories of our time in McGraws is magical. My closest friends/cousins were Mike and Patty McGraw - Patty was my age-, Horace Blankenship-Wilda’s grandson-, and Gerald and Dennis McGraw.  Michael John, Gerald, Horace Eugene and I were fast friends and we had many adventures.  Home base was usually either Ed and Galena’s store or up the holler at what Grandad's house (I am old enough to have memories of Grandma and Granddad!). One of the things I loved was that we moved around from home to home as it really was a place where raising kids was a shared enterprise and the notion of kinship ran deep. 

Some fond memories: 

Fishing trips with Uncle Mote “Moteypote” Sadler on the Greenbrier or Indian Creek, He also had a great V nickel collection and mini balls that we loved to look at.  He taught me to shoot a shotgun out behind the house and got a good laugh as the kick from the gun set me back.

Delivering groceries to wonderfully remote homesteads with or for Ed and Galena. When I was sixteen and just barely had my license Galena asked me to take some groceries to a customer in her truck.  I told her I didn’t know how to drive a stick shift.  Her response, “It’s time you learned.”  So off I went.

Finding arrowheads in plowed fields.  The flat land beside Horace and Rita’s house was always good hunting. Hope you are well, Joe!

Hiking the railroad bed and crossing the trestles. Always an element of danger there.  As kids, Mike, Gerry, Horace and I camped out and crossed the big trestle up the holler at night. Don’t try this at home.

The food!!  I miss all the country cooking. Can’t seem to get my New England friends interested in green beans cooked country style.

For no good reason we used to hop a ride on the bread truck that went from McGraws to Saulsville and then make our way back on foot.  Don’t ask me why that was a big adventure. Maybe it was the lure of the  bright lights of Saulsville.

My first paying job was at about eight or nine years old when Dutch Shumate paid us to fill in potholes in front of the Donald Duck Supermarket… I got two quarters!  McGraws had two stores.

The swimming hole! Out behind the school was a great gathering place for all of us.  First thing was to check for snakes though.

All of the great storytelling. The McGraws of my grandparents' generation were remarkable storytellers and great humorists. 

Going up the holler to Daniel ‘Swepea’ Sizemore's house.  He had a pet groundhog who lived under the porch ( Buttercup?”) and a monstrous pig we used to get in the pen with on a dare.  Beautiful spot, I could go on forever.  Often thought of writing a collection of stories as there is so much rich material.

We stop down every so often.  Last time was last summer on our way to the McCoy Reunion at Chief Logan SP. Interesting to see the little park and the nature walk that has been created (near the school). Shoutout to whoever is behind that.  Wish the school could be put to good use.

Also came down a while back to see Mike when he was battling his cancer and we took this picture:

Best to everyone and looking forward to 2021!

Photos from Rachel McCoy

(Rachel is the daughter of Gene and Mary Ann McCoy. Gene was Rossey's brother and she was also a grandchild of Hallie and great-grandchild of H.G.)

These were taken in 1968. Galena bought a trailer to accommodate us McCoy’s and parked it in front of her house in McGraws.

Left to right: me, Jane behind Galena, Nancy Hash, Karen and Jean.

Below: a few others of me in the General Store

This photo was taken in 1972 by Mike McCoy, in front of Galena's house in McGraws. From left to right: Debbie (Ross' 1st wife), Karen, Drew, David McGraw (yes?), Alan McCoy, Ross (I'm on his shoulders), Jane & Jean. All of us kids of Gene & Mary Ann.

56 Years Ago Today in McGraw History: August 18, 1959

Today in McGraw History. . .

News from Ravencliff!

Even though this is from around the curve in Ravencliff, there should be some familiar names here!

Today In McGraw History. . .

Today In McGraw History. . .

From the Beckley Post Herald

June 30, 1972

When Galena retired, it was the first time since John McGraw established the first post office in current-day McGraws that a McGraw was not running the post office.

Robin McGraw, wife of Brian McGraw, the great-great-Grandson of John currently runs the office. (John>HG>Jack>Mike>Brian)

WIN this Quilt!!!

This beautiful quilt has been created, handmade and donated by Lynne McGraw Goroncy, the Great-Great-Granddaughter of John and Mahalia McGraw.
(John - H.G. 'Dad' - Luther/Perry - Carl - Lynne)
How can you win it?

Read the note from Lynne below!

"I designed my “Visions of West Virginia” quilt using Civil War replica print fabrics and blocks that were sketched by Tina Richmond for the Mountain Quilt Quest 2010.  My interest in quilting began 38 years ago with Great Aunt Galena McGraw Kerns being my inspiration.  When our family would visit her I would marvel at her quilts and just love to rummage through her scraps.  I remember thinking, how does one accumulate this much fabric?   Well, all these years later I know how!  So as a memory of Galena and to all the quilters in the McGraw family, I am donating this quilt as the door prize at the reunion on July 19, 2015.  The catch is you need to be present to win, so I encourage you to attend and get your free ticket and chance to win the quilt." -- Lynne McGraw Goroncy

We would like to take the opportunity to thank Lynne for this most generous donation.

In the spirit of Lynne's memory of Galena, we thought that this year we would have a quilt show at the reunion. We would like for you to bring your family's treasured quilts, afghans, needlepoints or other handicrafts that have been created and/or handed down through your family. After lunch we will have an opportunity to show the items and to learn about the people who created them. 

Remember to mark your calendars for July 19, 2015!

  

The only way to win is to be there!

Kerns-McGraw Marriage - 1937

In further celebration of the opening of our new online store, Kerns Grocery, we share with you Galena & Ed's Marriage License. Ed and Galena were married January 9, 1937, and were separated by Ed's untimely death in 1967.

Galena and Ed did not have children, but they live on in our memories, and in our online store. Remember to head on over to our website and check out our full selection of shirts. In addition to a McGraw family shirt, we have Glen Rogers High School and Milam High School shirts among many others.

www.mcgrawreunionwv.com/shirts.html