Hello and Welcome to U Day!
Name:
Una June Taylor
Vital Information:
Born in June of 1890 in Illinois. Died 8 May 1967 in California.
Relation to Me:
Una is my maternal great grandma.
Tidbits/Characteristics/Commonalities:
Una June is my Grandpa Phil’s mom and the daughter of Nancy Jane.
Una married William Featheringill at the young of 16. He was seven years her senior, and given her age, her mom, Nancy, had to formally agree to the union.
Una and William were married for several years and had two children together. Verna was born in 1908 and my grandpa Phil was born in 1913. While I have not found a divorce decree yet, I know that Una left William, moved to Oklahoma, and married Ben Curtis in 1921.
Una’s union with Ben gave them one daughter, Jane Ann, in 1923. Unfortunately, Una’s second husband died in 1930 of at the age of only 47. I don’t know yet how he passed.
At some point after Una’s second husband died, I believe she married again based on her final surname when she passed, but I have yet to find documentation for that marriage.
Una died and is buried in Redondo Beach, California.
Una was my Grandma Eve’s mother-in-law and while I know she planned to write more about my Grandpa Phil’s family, I’m not sure she ever did. There are still some documents floating around out there with cousins though, so I haven’t given up hope yet!
Anyhow, the one thing Eve did write was, “Una remains an enigma unknown.” and I feel that. For an ancestor so closely related, there is so much I simply don’t know about who she was or how she walked this Earth.
When I visited my Uncle Kent a few years ago he said that all he knew about her was that she was a “battleax”. I wonder who might have labelled her as such?
Was it her son, who she left with his father to begin a new life?
Or maybe it was her first husband, who she simply left?
Maybe she was a strong-willed woman who knew what she wanted and followed her bliss?
Or maybe she just simply wasn’t kind?
I may never know, but I still have hope I will uncover more in time.
In Your Research…
Have you found ancestors who were labelled by others with interesting terms? Given a nickname or simply described as XYZ?
Housekeeping
My theme for the 2025 A to Z Challenge is Kin! The first names of direct lineage kin, to be more specific.
I’m spending the majority of the month focusing on the first names of many of my direct lineage kin. I’ll include their full names, any vital information I’ve found in my research, their relation to me, any fun tidbits/characteristics/experiences, and any commonalities I may have gleaned between myself and them.
In a couple of cases, where I have not identified an ancestor whose first name starts with a particular letter, I will choose a unique middle name, a direct line surname, and/or ancestral lands/places of significance.
Pop over here to read my full theme reveal: A to Z 2025 Challenge Theme Reveal: Kin
Pop over here to visit our host and see what they’re up to throughout this year’s challenge: A to Z Challenge
If you’re visiting from the A to Z Challenge please leave a comment so I can visit you, too! If your comment bio doesn’t link back to your site, please feel free to add the link to your most recent post to the comment field so I can be sure to find you.
Thanks for being here! See you again soon!
Onward,
Melissa
Una – what a unique name!
There is much heart in the way you’ve pieced together her story, even with the mysteries that remain. I admire your dedication to honoring your ancestors, even when their paths are complex or not fully documented.
Tamara, thank you so much for your kind words. Family history is such a fun passion for me, a never-ending puzzle of people <3
There’s a cemetery in Redondo Beach? I mean, I suppose there would be, but I don’t believe I ever came across it. (I lived in Redondo Beach for only 6 months, so it’s not like I really explored it.)
Yes! Pacific Crest Cemetery at 2701 182nd Street.
“Established in Redondo Beach, California in 1902, Pacific Crest still remains family owned and operated. Nested in a family neighborhood, we are committed to securing serenity, care and dignity, and peace of mind for the immediate communities we serve.”
Now I just need to figure out how/why she made it to California!
Una is an unusual name. It does seem like it should be easier to understand our relatives that lived in the twentieth century, with more records and our twenty-first century access to the records. Interesting that she remains such an enigma.
Hi Joy, I still have hope that family records might remain of her. In the absence of those, there is always hope for future digitization of records.
Your great grandma sounds like an enigma. I hope you’ll find more about her with time. I like the name Una.
Thanks for stopping by my a-z post. Have a lovely day.
I like the name, too. I’ve only met one other Una in my life but she spells it Oona. Hope your weekend is going wonderfully!