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Leon [Lee] McCornack was the second child of Robert Pascal McCornack and Mary Milroy.
Leon was born at Oneida, Illinois. He died in Oklahoma City and was buried at Britton, Oklahoma. Lee married Verda Mae Brown on the 20 Dec 1898 at Britton. The Robert Pascal McCornack family was living at Britton at the time of the marriage. Verda was born on the 1 Apr 1878 in Morgan County, Indiana. She was the daughter of Eli Brown and Tamson McNichols. Eli was a school board member for School District No. 27 in Britton during the 1897 school year.
In 1911 Lee moved to a farm south of Mountain View, Oklahoma where he raised his family near Saddle Mountain. In March 1919, Lee attempted to expand his operation. He made a business deal to operate a 2200 acre ranch along the Washita River between Cloud Chief and Cowden. To help operate the ranch he had his half brother, Charlie Robert McCornack, to come out from Oklahoma City. Charlie and his family lived on the ranch which was known as the Driggers Ranch. Most of the ranch was rented from Indians. Charlie came by box car on the Rock Island line to Mountain View where his brother Lee helped him move to the ranch.
Lee and Charlie along with Driggers operated this ranch successfully for several years. The principle crops were corn and kafier. They had corn rows over one and one-half miles long. They worked with small mules and usually had several hired men at corn harvest time. They fed the corn to large herds of Duroc hogs and four year old steers. The corn ears had to be broken into two pieces because a steer would get a whole ear of corn lodged in his throat and choke.
In the 1920's when the livestock market crash came, Lee and Charlie had nearly 200 steers ready for market. They had fed up their whole years crop but had only sold three railroad cars of hogs at the time of the crash. They were forced to take a huge loss on the steers and as a result the operation was forced into bankruptcy and the ranch dissolved. Lee returned to Kiowa County and continued to farm on a smaller scale.
i. -dau. b. 23 Jan 1900; d. the same day.
ii. Fay Etta McCornack. b. 22 Aug 1901; d. 2 Nov 1987.
Fay Etta (Faye) married Francis Spencer on 30 Jun 1928. He was born on the 6 Dec 1893 in Oklahoma City. Francis' father had made the 1889 Oklahoma City run and homesteaded a farm. Francis and Fay helped operate the farm. Fay helped operate a court [motel] for a number of years. In later years she worked in the restaurant business. Francis died on the 3 Dec 1978 and was buried in the Resurrection Cemetery in Oklahoma City. In later life, Faye and Francis lived at 4700 South Sante Fe in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma.
iii. Reuben Roosevelt McCornack. b. 13 Sep 1904; d. 9 Mar 1951
Reuben was born in Choctaw, Oklahoma. He graduated from the University of Oklahoma with a degree in law. He practiced law in Oklahoma City for about five years before going to Arkansas City, Kansas in 1943. Reuben was active in civic affairs and was a member of the Chamber of Commerce. He was the President of Coffeyville Automobile Dealers Association. Reuben was operating the McCornack Motor Co. at the time of his death. Reuben married Jo O'Neal in Feb 1928. They were divorced on the 23 Aug 1930.
Reuben's second marriage was to Mary Lenore McCormick on 8 Jun 1935. She was born on the 18 Nov 1907 at Lomax, Kansas. She graduated from Kansas State University in 1929. She was the president of the Kansas Federation of Republicans 1968-1969. She currently lives in Abilene, Kansas. After Reuben's death, Mary married Francis Brown Duffy on 15 Aug 1954. Reuben died in Coffeyville, Kansas and was buried in Arkansas City.
In the early 1930's, Rueben was involved with the oil interests of the McCornack family. The following is excepts from various letters written by Reuben.
iv. Robert Eli McCornack. b. 6 May 1906; d. 10 Nov 1965 at 59.
Robert was a heavy equipment operator. He married Verma Frances Leverich on the 10 Jun 1928. She was born on the 8 Nov 1911. She died 26 Nov 1960. Robert's second marriage was to Kay Stevens. Robert and Verma are buried in the Resthaven Cemetery in Oklahoma City.
v. John Ray McCornack. b. 12 Sep 1912; d. 30 Jul 1927 at 14. John Ray was killed in a auto/bicycle accident and was buried in the Britton Cemetery in the northern part of Oklahoma City, Oklahoma.
Margaret McCornack was the third child of Robert Pascal McCornack and Mary Milroy.
Margaret was raised by Nathan and Isabella Milroy after the death of her mother. She married John Rufus Diehl on the 20 Dec 1898, the same day her brother Leon married Verda Mae Brown. John Rufus and Margaret were married in Nathan Milroy's home located northwest of Victoria or about two miles north of the John Knox Church.
The wedding was described as follows:
"Promptly at 12:00 a.m., Miss Jennie McCornack took her place at the organ and struck the keys for the wedding march, while everyone anxiously awaited the coming of the bridal party which soon descended the long stairway and entered the parlor where they took their places on a beautiful rug. Dr. Rugh stepped forward and in his phrasing way soon pronounced them man and wife. The bride looked pretty in a golden brown dress trimmed with a cream silk and braid. She carried a bouquet of cream roses. The groom was dressed in the conventional black. They took the evening train to Bedford, Pennsylvania the home of the groom."
John Rufus was born on the 27 Sep 1872 near Charlesville, Pennsylvania. He was the son of Francis Marion Diehl and Sarah England. They started housekeeping on the William Patton farm in the Maxey neighborhood in Knox County. After a few years they moved to a farm one-half mile east of Victoria where they raised their family. John Rufus was killed in an auto accident near Milaca, Minnesota on 22 May 1939. John Rufus and Margaret are both buried in the Victoria Cemetery in Knox County, Illinois.
i. Grace Diehl. b. 16 Jan 1901; d. 13 Nov 1991,.
Grace was born in the rural Victoria, Illinois area. Grace attended Hedding College 1918-1919; Western University 1919-1921; University of Illinois, AB 1927; State University of Iowa, MS 1937. She started her teaching career at Etherley Grade School near Victoria, Illinois, then she taught at the Victoria Grace School and the Oakland, Illinois High School. She was also a general science and biology teacher in the Galva, Illinois Community High School.
Grace Diehl married C. Walter Christianson on 7 Aug 1959 at the Victoria Methodist Church. Walter was born 18 Nov 1913 near Oneida. He was the son of Axel F. Christianson and Nannie Johnson. He was employed as the manager of a pump wholesale business in Galva. Walter's first marriage was to Grace K. Sandquist. She died on the 15 Oct 1957.
Walter was very active in a number of civic organizations including the Red Cross, Galva Lodge 243, American Legion and the Galva Camera Club. After his marriage to Grace Diehl, Walter and Grace took a tour of Africa to film the wild animals. Walter died on the 16 Apr 1973 and was buried in the Galva Cemetery.
Grace lived in the Galva where she was very active in Church and Community Activities. On January 20, 1991 a 90th birthday party was held for Grace at the First United Methodist Church in Galva with about 250 people in attendance. Grace was very helpful in documenting the McCornack Family History. Her last address was at Galva, Illinois 61434.
ii. Jennie Mae Diehl. b. 6 Aug 1904; d. 30 Nov 1957 at 53.
Jennie attended Western University. She was a elementary school teacher in Knox County, Illinois. Jennie married Ray M. Rice on the 17 Jun 1925 at her home south of Victoria. Ray was born on the 28 Dec 1901. He was the son of Carl Rice and Meta Ray. He worked as a farmer. Jennie was killed in a car accident. Ray lived till the 11 Oct 1965. Jennie and Ray are buried in a cemetery at Williamsfield, Illinois.
iii. Robert Stuart Diehl. b. 27 Apr 1907; d. Dec 1978 at 71.
Robert married Doris Maud Chaplin on the 22 Sep 1932 at Costa Mesa, California. She was the daughter of Edgar H. Chaplin and May Rose Hodgetts who were both born in England. Robert moved from Victoria, Illinois to Santa Anna, California in 1929. He worked as a retail supervisor in the dairy business in Orange County. Robert was buried at Corona del Mar, California.
Doris Diehl m2 Brigadier General John Edward Leary, US Army, on the 9 Jan 1982. He died in Mar 1983. Last known address: Doris Leary, Fallbrook, California 92028.
iv. Mary Lorraine Diehl. b. 19 Jan 1913;
Mary was born in Victoria, Illinois. She married Keith O. Johnston on the 15 Oct 1932 at the Methodist Chapel in Evanston, Illinois. Keith was born on the 27 Jul 1910. He was the son of Taylor and Bertha Johnston. Keith was killed in a auto accident on the 30 Nov 1957 and was buried in the Victoria Cemetery. Mary was employed as a house mother at Northern University at DeKalb, Illinois where she has started to work in 1964. Last known address: Mary Johnston,, Galva, Illinois 61434.
Jennie McCornack was the fourth child of Robert Pascal McCornack and Mary Milroy.
Jennie was raised by John and Elizabeth Andrews after the death of her mother. She attended Brown's Business College in Galesburg, Illinois. She married John Howard Litton of Altona, Illinois on the 5 Jun 1904. He was born 1 Feb 1872 and died on 20 Mar 1945. He was the son of Ezra and Rhoda Litton. He worked as a rancher in Colorado where he lived for over 40 years. He became a successful pioneer fruit grower on First Fruit Ridge, at one time operating three orchards. Two years before his death he sold his home orchard, named Nekoma Orchards after his birthplace in Illinois, and moved into Grand Junction. Both are buried in the Municipal Cemetery in Grand Junction, Colorado.
i. Thomas Gene Litton. b. 14 Apr 1924;
Thomas married Aileen Marie Krebbs on the 18 Jun 1945. She was born on the 4 May 1925. Thomas was the owner of the Litton-Mayflower Moving Service. They live in Grand Junction, Colorado. Last known address: Thomas Litton,., Grand Junction, Colorado 81503.
Mae McCornack was the fifth child of Robert Pascal McCornack and Mary Milroy.
Like Jennie, Mae was raised by John and Elizabeth Andrews. She married John Peter Gordon on the 14 Apr 1904. He was the son of Alexander H. Gordon and Mary E. Olmsted and was born at Victoria, Illinois.
The wedding ceremony was performed in the presence of some fifty relatives and near friends in the home of John and Elizabeth Andrews. At the appointed hour, the bridal couple entered the parlor unattended to the strains of the Lohengrin wedding march, executed by Miss Jennie McCornack, and took positions in front of a bank of flowers and potted plants in the northwest corner of the parlor, where they took the marriage vows. The ring ceremony was used. The bride wore a beautiful gown of Persian Lawn trimmed with fibre and ribbon. After the conclusion of the ceremony a three course dinner was served. Many of the guests were served on lap boards covered with white and a monogram "M -G" in one corner.
After the wedding they began housekeeping on the Gordon farm near Victoria. In 1944 they removed from Victoria to Excelsior Springs, Missouri where he was the owener and operator of the Pickwick Apartments. James Peter Gordon was born on 24 May 1882 and died on the 21 Oct 1960 at the age of 78. He was buried in the Crown Hill Cemetery in Excelsior Springs. Mae lived 18 additional years and was buried beside her husband.
i. Mary Elizabeth Gordon. b. 19 Jun 1906; d. Dec 1976 at 70.
Mary married Mauritz Kasparson on the 14 Apr 1930. He was born on the 2 Nov 1898. He died before 1982. Mauritz worked for the Rock Island Railroad. Mary and Mauritz lived in Trenton, Missouri.
Peter McCornack was the sixth child of Robert Pascal McCornack and Mary Milroy.
Peter's mother died two months after he was born. Family recollections indicate Peter was accidentally smothered while sleeping in his bed at an age of five months.
Sketchy records indicate Peter was born and died in Sioux County, Iowa.
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