Rosetta was born 3 February, 1909 in Bernie, Stoddard, Missouri. She was the second child, second daughter born to Cleve and Cora Esterline. We all called her Aunt Rosie (pronounced Aint Rosie) as my momma would often say in reference to her older sister: "Yer Aint Rosie". My Grandmother, bless her heart, sure did give her children some long names. My mother often said "by the time momma got to naming me shed ran out of names". I dont know where the name "Urinah" come from. Its certainly not anything I would have thought to name my child, but Grandma must have had a fondness for it. Its unique. Ill give her that. Aunt Rosie married several times. Her first husband and the father of her children was Mr. Jake Whitehead. I haven't been able to locate their marriage record as of yet. She and Jake had several children together. The only two cousins I remember were her son Delbert Levi Whitehead and his brother Winfred Whitehead. Cousin Delbert's wife was Miss Frieda Street. I just found out this past week that Frieda wrote a newspaper column in the Van Buren Newspaper every week. There were several mentions of dear old Aunt Rosie and some of the other family members within. I have shared those clippings for your enjoyment under the Documents Heading on the tabs above. I learned a little bit more about my sweet Aunt Rosie through them. I remember she always called me her "Little Nelta". She couldn't pronounce my name.
I wish I had some pictures of Aunt Rosie besides the one I shared here. I remember her fondly. She would come to Bernie from her home in Van Buren, Missouri and visit all of her sisters. My Grandmother was living next to my Aunt Laura in her little house there in Bernie on Crumb Street at the time. It was treat when Aunt Rosie would come for a visit. We usually all gathered at Aunt Laura's house for a big meal and lots of gossip. I can remember setting out underneath the trees by the old red handled pump in my Aunt Laura's back yard and all of my Aunts and my Grandmother and my Mother were there. We would snap peas and beans from the huge garden that Aunt Laura grew. We would enjoy tall glasses of Instant Lipton Lemon Tea that she had made. She had these tall aluminum glasses that were very colorful and the drink stayed cold in them. Every time I drink Lemon Tea, Im reminded of that time. We would sit outside under the shade tree at Dusk and talk and gossip while we worked. I was a child, about 7-8 years old then but I remember those moments fondly. My mother would often bring an empty milk jug over there and fill it with the cool well water out of the pump. She enjoyed the well water more than city water.
Aunt Rosie and Mr Whitehead Divorced on 28 December, 1935 in Arkansas. By the 1940 Census she was living with her second husband that I am aware of. His name was Frank Huntington. They must have divorced shortly after that census was taken because on 16 July, 1946 she married a Mr. Fred Rapp. She may have been married other times as well but I've not found any documentation for others as of yet. Regardless of her later marriages she kept the last name of Whitehead until her death.
Like most of my family members on that side of the family, Aunt Rosie loved to attend church and work in the church. She attended the United Pentecostal Church. She use to love to go to the old Campground in Westphalia, Missouri and worked in the Kitchen there. I have fond memories of that old campground as well. The girls and the boys dorms were separated and there was no Air Conditioning, only fans. We slept in Cots stacked three cots high and in rows. The Dorms only had screened windows and doors and big Metal Fans with which to keep cool. But it was a blast. Something all the UPC kids looked forward to attending in the Summer. We had church services in the open in a big old pavilion that they called "The Tabernacle". If anyone got baptized it was in the creek that ran right down beside the tabernacle there. There were a lot of old fashioned services took place in that building. Everyone hated to see them no longer using it.
In the late 1980`s Aunt Rosie came for a visit and brought her pastor with her. They stayed in our home for three nights and days and he preached a revival for us. At that time we were attending the First Oneness Pentecostal Church there in Bernie, Missouri. The little church was located right by the railroad tracks there on Miller Street in Bernie. Our house was right down the road from. I remember walking back and forth to church many times from that old house. The church sold that building and built a new one out on Highway 25 there in Bernie. I have a lot of fond memories spent there in that little old church building. I had went to church there with my Mother and my Aunt Laura and Uncle George and my Grandma on and off all my life.
Aunt Rosie lived in Van Buren, Missouri in a little trailer that was attached to her son Delbert's house. I remember going to visit her a few times as a child. Aunt Laura and Uncle George would go up there quite often and sometimes my mother and I would ride along with them because at the time my Mother was not licensed to drive and I was too young.
Aunt Rosie passed away in 1997. I had married in 1987 and hadn't seen her for years when I got the news shed passed. I dont remember attending her funeral either. By that time I had three little kids so I was likely kept busy and couldn't have made the trip. I always smile when I think of Aunt Rosie. Im sure once you read her stories in the newspaper you will too. Check the story tab above for a funny story about my Grandmother and my Aunt Rosie when she was a little girl.