| This is a story that has to be told. Every family has it's dark secrets and skeletons in the closet. I have been told different stories about my Grandfather since I was a young boy. I have recently confirmed these stories through meeting family on the internet. Between piecing together what they were told and what I was told the story took on a life of itself. I owe so much to some cousin's who have contacted me and shared information that it's a debt I can never repay. I would like to thank Vicki,Susan,Linda,Lori,and Lee. |
| This first photo is of the Stump family.This is my grandfather, William Stump and his wife, my Grandmother, Hattie Lee Lovell (Ratcliff) Stump. The children from left to right are; the boy with the hat on is Ward Ratcliff, one of Hattie's sons from her first marriage. Next to him and in front of William is Burnett Stump, my father. |  |
| William is holding my uncle Frank Stump.Directly in front of Hattie is Addie (Bunch) Ratcliff and next to her is Hava Ratcliff. As you can tell Hattie is pregnant with my uncle Robert Stump. |
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This next photo of the Stump family has a different member.The boy on the left is Little John Stump, he is a son from William's first marriage to Mary Francis Collins. In this photo you can really tell that Hattie is pregnant. |
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This is were the story gets to be a tragedy. This photo I had reservations on putting on the
internet because it has brought out so many emotions in me. I can't even begin to tell you how and what I felt when I saw this photo. This is my Grandfather William laying in the road after he had been shot by my uncle Maynard Ratcliff. Maynard is standing in the background of this photo. He only lived about ten minutes after being shot. The pillow under his head is the story for me. My dad often told my mother that when William was shot that his mother Hattie made him go get his bed pillow for under William's head. My dad was only about 4 at the time and he loved his pillow. He cried uncontrollably because he didn't want to get his pillow but his mother made him get it. |  |
| I won't get into the details of what and why it happened.When you have children from
two different marriages together and a new family started there can be a lot of friction to
say the least. I know Maynard had enough and took dramatic and drastic measures
to end the problem. Below is a copy of part of the newspaper article about Maynard. This was in the Roanoke Times,Roanoke,Virginia,Friday morning May 5th. 1928. |
