Carnival of Genealogy – Nancy Jane and Other Cars that we Loved…
by Sherry Stocking Kline
April 1, 2011
My mom and two brothers, Gary, Dorothy & Fred Stocking - maybe dressed for church, with "Nancy Jane" before I was born.
Cars were an important part of our lives on the farm. They took me to school, helped herd dairy cows, took us to town for groceries, to the elevator for supplies and nickel pepsi’s, and made ‘blood runs’ (high speed trips) to the parts store when the combine or tractors broke down.
Nancy Jane…
Our cars had personalities (some more ‘congenial’ than others) and Mom always, always, named them “Nancy Jane.”
“Nancy Jane, you start now, we need to get to church,” she might say as we hurried off to church on a cold morning.
“Nancy Jane, don’t you dare get stuck,” she’d say as we slid sideways down slippery, muddy unpaved roads to and from our home.
It always seemed to me, growing up, that after Mom called the car Nancy Jane in a firm, encouraging, and sometimes scolding voice that the car made an extra effort to do exactly what Mom asked.
After she spoke to it, ‘Nancy Jane’ nearly always came through for us.
Do I talk to my vehicles?
Surely you jest! Of course I do! How else are they going to know what’s expected of them!
“Come on, Baby, we gotta go pick up the granddaughters from school….”
Posted in Carnival of Genealogy, Childhood Memories, Farm Life, My Memories | 
Tags: Childhood Memories, family history, Memories, Photographs
love to see photo’s of other Stockings.
Thank you for stopping by! I love to see photographs of other “Soxes” also! Be interesting to see how we ‘relate’ as I have yet to ‘meet’ a Stocking that isn’t related! Have a wonderful weekend!
What a cute story! Does the name, Nancy Jane, have any family significance?
Thank you, Jasia! It was kind of funny I guess, as I don’t recall any of my friend’s mom’s talking to their cars like that, and while my sister-in-law’s name was Nancy, I think that mom was already calling the cars that when she married my brother!
P.S. My mom just got up from her nap (she is 99 years and 3 months old!) and so I asked her why Nancy Jane, and she confirmed that she was naming the cars that before Nancy came into our family, and “no, she doesn’t know why, and doesn’t think there was any particular reason for the name,” except that I would guess that at that point, there wasn’t anyone by either of those names in the family.
I yell at my car as well. Maybe I should it a name, too!
I’m wondering if you’re at all related to the Kline’s in my blog. If so, what a neat coincidence!
You have a great website, http://www.findingkline.wordpress.com, Courtney! I would have said, No, we weren’t related until I noticed that you had Lebanon roots, and so perhaps we are? My husband’s ancestors came from the Venango & Clarion county area of Pennsylvania, but the family’s that he came from were LARGE, and that surely increases the possibility. I will check back on our family tree, but the immigrant name you mention doesn’t ring any bells right now! Let’s just adopt each other and keep in touch, as perhaps our trees will merge back in Germany!
I can’t remember my family having names for the car; however I do have one for the car I drive now….Queen mobile….LOL and unfortunately, it is well past time for a trade in. Thanks for sharing your story.
Another Fred Stocking? Not me in pix.
No, not you in the picture! I am sure there are several Fred Stockings! The one in the photo is my big brother! I hadn’t arrived on the scene yet, and it was some time later before I did! I’m glad you stopped in to say “Hi!” Now I’m wondering which of the original George Stocking’s branches that you hail from?! Good to ‘meet’ you…
Sherry
[…] Carnival of Genealogy – Nancy Jane and Other Cars that we Loved…Mar 31, 2011 … by Sherry Stocking Kline April 1, 2011. Gary, Dorothy & Fred Stocking – maybe dressed for church. My mom and two brothers, Gary, Dorothy … […]