Elvis Treme R.I.P. March 1999 to 19 Dec 2012

Garry and I lost a beloved member of our family, our cat, Elvis. Since this website is devoted to my family, I've decided to mark the passing of my very sweet old swashbuckler of a cat.

Elvis came into our lives late one night in May 1999. We were living in an apartment, which was filled with abandoned strays that I had been feeding. For no reason at all, I peeked out of the curtains and saw the loveliest fuzzy gray and white kitten licking the concrete where the food had been. It broke my heart and it was love at first sight.

I spent the summer using food to tame him. He was big and loud, and he had sharp claws. But he was always just out of reach of humans, seemingly wanting to be closer. In September, we had a storm coming through Tampa and I didn't want him out in the weather. So I scooped him up and brought him in. My older cat Ziggie was not pleased. But they quickly settled into a working truce.

Over the next few months, the kitten came in and out of the apartment as I was able to lure him in. We hadn't given him a name until Garry came home one day and asked, "So, is Elvis in the building?" I don't know who I was fooling by not giving him a name. He was always going to be my cat. Thus began my time with Elvis.

Elvis was stubborn. Everything was his way or no way. When we moved into the house in 2001, I kept him inside for a month. It was a long, noisy month as we listen to non stop yowling about how much this cat wanted to be outside. We hadn't built the screened patios (lanai in Florida) yet but we noticed that everyone in the neighborhood let their cats out without any problems. When we let him out, Elvis quickly established domain over our yard and several others around us. He became the scourge of Lake Saxon Drive.

He loved to hunt. We've had our share of dead birds, squirrels, and snakes. He cleared up a long standing mouse problem for a neighbor, who was most grateful for the service. I couldn't argue with him much because he ate everything he killed. As he got older, he no longer killed anything. He'd just bring his catches home and let them go in the back lanai. I've released an assortment of panicked birds and squirrels and one terrified rabbit.

As Elvis got older, we realized he had dyspepsia in his hips and that arthritis would be a problem for him. Otherwise, as the vet noted, Elvis was in perfect health. He remained that way for many years until recently, when we found him in the garden, unable to walk. He had developed an abscess (cause unknown) and we took him back and forth to the vet for treatment.

We ended up keeping Elvis in the house again for two weeks because we had to give him antibiotics. Garry and I discussed keeping him in permanently. The question became who would we be doing it for? Us? Elvis? In his usual fashion, Elvis let us know his feelings on the topic. He wanted out!

So we let him back out and everything seemed fine. Last Saturday, while trying to get Elvis to eat, I flipped the kitty door closed. Garry went out later and opened it for him. He went trotting across the yard like he always does and plopped down in the garden in a favorite spot. That was the last either of us saw of him. We knew that he was coming in and eating because his food, treats, and crunches were disappearing. We kept calling and looking and hoping but no Elvis.

Then, this morning, when I went out to put feed in the bird feeders (we have a fenced area for them), I spotted his body on the side of the house. We're not sure what happen to him. The vet said it could have been any number of things. We didn't have him autopsied. We didn't see the point. Sometime over the next few days, he will be cremated. Believe it or not, it's legal in Florida to be buried with cremated pets. I plan on going off to the great beyond with Ziggie and Elvis tucked on the right side of my feet...where they both wanted to be at night.

I'm going to miss my handsome boy Elvis, just like I still miss my sweet girl Ziggie. If you've read this post to this point, thank you for indulging me in honoring the life of Elvis Treme, a four footed friend, a hell of a character, a cat who lived his life on his own terms. I loved him dearly.

Elvis Treme

R.I.P.

March 1999 to 19 Dec 2012

The Murphy Connection

While I was at RootsTech, I bought a copy of Roots Magic. I had to have a learning plan. I decided against importing a gedcom of the McKee family tree because it is a huge file...and mostly complete. It's clean as a whistle but I didn't want to have to try to learn new software on such a large database (almost 2,000 people). Also, I needed to be able to build a file; that is, make entries to the database so that I learned how Roots Magic handles data.

What I decided to do was to begin with the Murphy family. Here's the connection.

• Margaret Susannah McKee married George Ardell Leemon and they had Mary Agnes Leemon.
• Prudence Murphy married Robert Luke and they had James Alexander Luke.
• Mary Agnes Leemon married James Alexander Luke and they had Marguerite Murphy Luke.
• Marguerite Murphy Luke married Peter Dumas Treme and they had James Brice Treme (my father).

The Murphy family moved to Illinois around the time that Illinois became a state in 1818. Later census entries note that many family members were born in Tennessee. I've yet to find a location in Tennessee; however, I haven't tried that hard either.

I decided that the Murphy family was small enough that I could start with them and learn Roots Magic along the way.

So you're going to see me take a break from posting about McKee descendants, while I explore the Murphy line.


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My Grandmother's Funeral

The boy is Billie June Luke and the woman is Mary Agnes (Leemon) Luke. They are the son and mother of Marguerite Murphy (Luke) Treme, the person just buried. Marguerite was my grandmother. You can find Marguerite on Find A Grave (47660066). This poignant photo was taken by Lillie May Luke, Marguerite's older sister and a shutter bug. My aunt had Brownie camera and she snapped pictures constantly. Great aunt Lillie is part of the reason that I started doing family research. She was always interested. I had a casual interest until a distant cousin sent me a box filled with my aunt's memorabilia, including a "My Family" book in which my aunt had made numerous entries. My aunt's book gave me a jump start on putting together a family tree that includes more than 1,000 people on the McKee line alone. Billie, my uncle, was the oldest of Marguerite's three children. The other two children were Joy Treme and James Treme, my father. The widowed Mary Agnes raised her grandson after the death of his mother. Billie was born out of wedlock and Mary Agnes seems to have been the only person willing to take him in. It was 1932, Depression Era, and based on a few saved letters, Billie and Mary Agnes live lives of quiet desperation. Billie had his first after school job at age 8. He was told he would have to earn his way in the world and that he did. Billie joined the Navy at 18, well into World War II. He was justifiably proud of his service. He was the recipient of several awards and medals. From this rough start, Billie ended up a very successful person. He worked in the aircraft industry in California, and did quite well. Somewhere along the way he learned to play a guitar and was in a band. He was good enough that he did a bit of studio work. Billie never had any children of his own. He seems to have been far too wounded by his early years. He grew up at a time when society judged and nobody let him forget the circumstances of your birth. Speaking for myself, I never cared about the circumstances of Billie's birth. I loved him for who he was...wounds, warts, and all.

Too Odd for Words

The St. Petersburg Times, Sunday, 6 February 2011, page 15 A includes an article on pet cemeteries that include burials for humans. According to the story, most states have no statutes that bar having cremated human remains interned with those of a pet in a pet cemetery.

When I think of all the Find A Grave entries I’ve made, I don’t think that I’ve ever run into an internment that was in a pet cemetery. As a genealogist, I’ve often had to think outside of the box, but I have to admit that on my own I wouldn’t have gotten outside enough to look for a person in a pet cemetery.

I have to confess that I can look across the room right now and see the little box that has the cremated remains of one of my cats…my little Ziggie. She’s been in the same spot for almost two years as I ponder what I want to do with her.

Recently, I’ve settled on having her tucked in my coffin at my feet and buried with me in a people cemetery. However, it never occurred to me to have her added to my headstone as this article infers. Tucking a cremated pet into your coffin is legal in Florida courtesy of a state legislator who wanted to be buried with his beloved golden retriever. Being a power broker, he had a law passed. As a result, I can go into the beyond with Ziggie under foot where she always was.

I’ve got to say that it tickles me to no end that people in the future will be looking at my gravestone trying to make heads or tails of who Ziggie Tremé might be. I still have one more cat—Elvis—and if I can, I’ll add him too on the other side of my feet. So there will be a third being on my gravestone for people to ponder—Elvis Tremé.

I guess the upshot of all of this is that genealogists need to start tracking what is happening in pet cemeteries too. Who knew? The whole situation is just too odd for words.

More Luke Ladies

From left to right, Sylvia (Mifflin) Luke, Mary Agnes (Leemon) Luke, and Marguerite Murphy (Luke) Treme holding Mary Elizabeth Luke.

Mary Elizabeth is the daughter of Aril Webster and Sylvia (Mifflin) Luke.

Luke Ladies

Marguerite Murphy (Luke) Tremé (left) with mother, Mary Agnes (Leemon) Luke, seated, and older sister, Lillie May Luke in DuQuoin, Perry County, Illinois


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