The flowers at the entrance to the Methodist Church seem more beautiful each summer than the summer before.

This week I'll write about more C's.

Jennie Smith (Carpenter) was a friend of Herman Wagner's. She was born on June 6, 1867. She came to Mancos in 1883 with her father, H.M. Smith, who had first settled in Mancos in 1876. She was one of the first white women to visit Mesa Verde. She took an active role in the welfare of Mancos and was the local representative for the American Red Cross for many years. She married Samuel Carpenter in 1895. He was a local attorney and in 1886 became superintendent of the Montezuma Valley Irrigation District. He died on March 20, 1936. Jennie passed away on May 18, 1948.

George M. Carr was born in 1856. He married Mary A. Whitsell in December 1895. For years he helped Muldoon Kelley publish the Mancos Times. He was later connected with Mesa Verde National Park. He passed away on Feb. 17, 1923, and Mary passed away on Nov. 12, 1948.

I remember Elwood Carroll and his mother, Elizabeth Carroll. She was born as Elizabeth Slade on Feb. 24, 1871. She was 102 years old when she died on Nov. 21, 1973. She married Wilson McConkie in 1886. After his death, she married Willard Carroll in 1893. Her son, Elwood, was a frail child, and the doctor said for many winters that he would not survive until spring. After two surgeries, Elwood died of a heart attack at the age of 67 on May 2, 1971. Elizabeth had two daughters, May and Nina and two more sons, George and Willard.

A woman with an awesome tale of survival on the Texas frontier was Nancy Caviness. She was born in Missouri in 1828. She married Henry Caviness who died in 1887. They came to Mancos in 1879. Nancy lived the last years of her life on a ranch in Thompson Park and passed away on March 20, 1894. Her son, James, married Elizabeth Robinson in 1879. He ran a saloon on South Main and settled with his wife and children on the family ranch in Thompson Park. He passed away on Jan. 27, 1916.

Earl Chadd was born on Feb. 2, 1922. He attended the Mancos schools and later served with the U.S. Army during World War II. He passed away on Jan. 5, 1985.

Darrel Ellis is a longtime historian of the Mancos Valley. Email him at [email protected].