"Della Mae Flaningam was born on 6/13/1882 in Macoupin Couny, IL, toGeorge Wesley Flaningam (1857-1924) and Flora Etta Rinker 1864-?. Hermother Flora abandon Della Mae when she was about one year old for‘another man, a scandal in those days’. (I believe this marriage mayhave been as Flora was pregnant, as between their marriage of October23, 1881 and Della Mae’s birth in June, 1882 that is just over 30weeks. Oops)
George couldn’t not raise her on his own so he asked his mother, MaryAnn VanGundy and his father Alfred Flaningam to raise her as Mary Annhad a child late in life, when she was 46 years old. So this childLilly Mae Flaningam as only 2 years older than Della Mae, her aunt butraised as an older sister to Della Mae. Della Mae insists they weremean to her all her life and she couldn’t wait to get out of the housebut who can say….
This Flora Etta Rinker is another gal that is a mystery. She latermarried a man named Edward or John Edward Coatney and had severalchildren, including a child that died. But relations of the Coatney’shave told me that John Edward Coatney married a woman names Flora EttaPainter. I believe they are wrong and it is Flora Etta Rinker. Firstof all, marriage documents confirm it but also, John Coatney and FloraCoatney lived in Litchfield IL which is where Flora Etta Rinker’sparents moved to at the same time and lived out their life. And Ican’t find a marriage document for Flora Etta Painter to this man,just my person."
