I
managed to find one of Roy’s grandchildren, the daughter of Roy’s son Claude. She knew that her grandfather had
been killed in an accident, but knew nothing about the Lewis Hine photo, and had never seen the newspaper article, so I sent
them to her. She was very interested, because had never seen a photo of her grandfather. She told me this about her grandmother
Bythia (Roy's widow):
“She
was a very proud woman who stood about 4' 11". I remember never seeing her in any shoes
but spiked heels, or early morning slippers."
She also told me this story about
her father Claude:
"My father told us this story about his father
Roy’s funeral. It seems he overheard an uncle advising his mother to put the five children in an orphanage, because
she would not be able to take care of them. So my Dad ran away to live with another uncle, in Gaffney, and worked in his grocery
store in exchange for board. Of course, my grandmother Bythia never took the advice about the orphanage. My dad told us that
soon after, he saw his father's ghost come to his bedside and tell him to go home and help his mother raise the younger
children. So he did, and continued to help his youngest sister, Louise, even into her adult life, because it was very hard
for his mother to raise five children by herself. My father was the sweetest and most caring person I've ever known."