Cloe's Catalog Clippings

This is a wonderful collection of newspaper clippings that were cut and pasted into an old catalog by Cloe Collings Myers.  Thank you to Harriet Weatherford for sharing this family heirloom and thereby preserving the hours or work Cloe must have spent putting it together.  See the biography below written by Harriet.

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 Here is a short biography on Cleo written by Harriett Weatherford:

Martha Cloe Collings Myers ("Cloe") was born on the family farm north of Bellmore in Parke County, Indiana on September 12, 1888. She was the daughter of Jacob and Mary Frances Payton Collings. Cloe remained unmarried until late in life, and until that time when she was no longer able to care for herself, she lived on the farm.  In addition to caring for her elderly parents, Cloe took in her brother Byard Guy Collings’ one-year old daughter, Naomi Alberta ("Alberta") after Byard Guy’s wife, Claudiea Cleo Hazlet Collings died. About five years later, in 1922, another of Byard Guy’s daughters, Edith Blanche, came to stay with Cloe to attend school with Alberta. 

Cloe was an active member in the Parkville Christian Church and the social life around it. She gave piano lessons to bring in extra money for the growing family. Cloe married her “childhood” sweet heart, Robert Myers, when she was 65 years old. Family stories relate that Cloe was smitten with Bob when they were young, but that her parents didn’t approve of the relationship and forbade her from seeing him. The young couple apparently did manage to secretly meet for double dates when Cloe was supposed to be acting as chaperon for other couples, but with the strong disapproval of Cloe’s parents the relationship could not continue. Bob went away, married and had children.  In 1953 he returned to Parke County, visited Cloe, and they were soon married. Cloe was 65 and Bob was 77 years old. 

Cloe’s house was warm and welcoming. Family potluck dinners were a regular occurrence.  Cloe’s contribution usually included a fresh chicken, carrot salad, picked beets, and the world’s best sugar cookies. Cloe often treated the family to a short piano recital at these gatherings .Even as Cloe’s fingers became arthritic and the piano out of tune, her family enjoyed hearing Cloe play. 

Cloe evidently read the area newspapers and clipped obituaries, marriage announcements, and other articles of interest to her. We think that she kept these clippings together and later glued them in a catalog for safe keeping and her future reference.  In a letter to a niece, she mentioned that she couldn’t imagine how she could get along without the book as it “settled a lot of arguments.” 

Martha Cloe Collings Myers died in Rockville, Indiana on August 26, 1968.  She is buried next to Bob in Mt. Moriah Cemetery, Parke County, Indiana.