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Nicole Smith - Mississippi Settlement Descendant - Graduates

Manfiest,LA (May 2003) Nicole Smith of Manfiest, LA and great, great niece to the late Joe V. Ainsworth, graduated from Harrisonburg High School on May 20.

Nicole is the daughter of Robbie Smith and Sandy Humble Smith; granddaughter of Melvin Humble and Carolyn Ainsworth Humble; great grandaughter of Elbert Ainsworth and Willie Mae Banks Ainsworth.

She was the receiptent of a $21,000 schoraship and also the Danforth Award. Nicole will attend Northwestern State University, Natchitoches, LA.

Joe V. Ainsworth is the late husband of Lucille Dickinson Ainsworth. Lucille is one of our correspondents and a prolific writer and researcher. See her column, LIVING IN THE PAST LANE, on the Joan Reeves site.

-- rankinotes

The Dukes Came to Town!

Shreveport, LA (April 10, 2003) - Don Duke and his wife Alyne Warnock Duke came to town early April. Richard Johnston and Donald Rankin met them for breakfast on April 10 and enjoyed getting acquainted and made a photo or two.

Don is son of Iola Johniken and Floyd Samuel Duke and the grandson of Alonzo and Elmira Welborn Johniken and was born at Pelican.

The Dukes have two children. Dona Lynn Lewis is 48 and lives in Rowlett, TX. Her husband is Emmett Wayne Lewis and they have two children. Chad Wayne Duke Lewis is 22 and is in his 4th year of a 5-year Electrical Engineering program at Texas Tech. His sister, Angela Lynn Lewis is 20 and is finishing her sesond year at Oklahoma University. She plans to go into some phase of medicine and plans to transfer to the medical school at Texas Tech this fall.

Their other child is Mary Beth Jacobson and is 45. She and her husband, Eric George Jacobson, live in Northwest Houston. They have twins, Lara Alyece Jacobson and John Samuel Duke Jacobson, who will be 16 on May 3. They are finishing their sophmore year at Cy Ridge HS in Northwest Houston.

Don and Alyne live in Texas City, Texas. They are gracious people and it was an honor meeting with them.

Go to this LINK for the 100th birthday account of a niece of Alonzo Johniken

-- rankinotes

The Exodus Has Occurred

Click to Enlarge Photo
Pelican, LA (September 1, 2002) - Dan and Gertude Rankin have moved to Oswego, Kansas. They are now settled into their new home near Beverly and Walter Keener and family.

After just 21 years at the Pelican homestead property and the "small motel" built there in 1981, the sound here around DeSoto Parish is a "huge vacuum noise" with the space left after their leaving.

The house seen in the picture here was home to Dan from 1934 to 1944. His years at the Johniken homestead site totals 31 years.

They'll be missed in this part of the world and our loss is Kansas' gain. The picture on the left was taken in 1981 shortlty after the construction of the new house had begun.

For a larger version of this picture, click the thumbnail above.

-- rankinotes

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