My American Family 1865-1965

By: Diane Maxwell

Narrated by: Virtual Voice

See America grow up through the eyes of its people. Enjoy a multigenerational saga that weaves through 100 years of American history. Follow four different families as they merge into one. Progress through the end of the Civil War, to train, riverboat, and automobile travel, to farming, an Indian school, both World Wars, and early California life, including the Hollywood movie industry. Real names, dates, places, and events lend to the authenticity of this story that relates our ancestors’ experience in the United States.

In 1865, Bates Burnsworth walked home from the Civil War to rebuild his life in Gurnsey, Ohio. He resumed working at his father’s lumber mill powered by a water wheel. But when big city mills modernized with steam engines, Bates’ livelihood became obsolete, forcing him to make life changing decisions.
Meanwhile in the Dakota Territory, The Markway family lived a comfortable life and celebrated their German heritage. When their daughter, Nellie, journeyed on the Great Northern Railway to visit her aunt in Seattle, she met Bates’ son, Jerome. A romantic relationship ripened into marriage. They settled in Missouri and later Oklahoma.
In Tennessee, the Maxwell family had come from Scotland to homestead an acreage near Dyersburg. Riverboats dominated their life as challenges were overcome with ingenuity and hard work. After the Great War, their son, Jack, met a young lady, Effie, from Kentucky. Her life had been full of tragedy and Jack eased her circumstances. He worked for the Army Corps of Engineers, causing the couple to lead a nomadic life full of adventure along the waterways of the mid-west.
The Burnsworths and Maxwells both ended up in Southern California in the 1930s. Life was easy as Los Angeles bloomed around them. WWII created emotional tension but both families grew and thrived. Effie worked for 20th Century Fox studios, becoming good friends with Hollywood stars.
Rita Burnsworth and Jack Maxwell, Junior, met on the streets of Long Beach after the war. Jack flew charters out of Van Nuys and Long Beach and took Rita on a wild ride over Yosemite Park for their honeymoon. Jack designed and built his own home on a lot just outside the Los Angeles County line in Orange County. They began a family of their own, all while experiencing the bumps and excitement of a burgeoning community.