M#14.1 DEBORAH AUSTELLA RAMSEY ("STELLA")
There are many rewards living with a Libra woman. She'll never open your mail. It simply wouldn't occur to her to be so dishonorable. She'll never reveal business secrets to friends or embarrass you in front of your boss. In fact, she'll probably charm him into submission too, with the same smile she used to melt your heart when you first met her. There will be moments when you'll wonder if she's an angel or a devil, but the angels fight on her side more often than not.
You won't complain for lack of physical proof of her love because she's as sentimental as old lace, and as affectionate as any woman has a right to be. Although she's sincere about her billing and cooing, those sweet glances, tender touches, warm hugs and frequent kisses are also a pretty effective smoke screen for her hidden masculine drive.
Your home may look like a magazine ad...the colors will harmonize and the furniture will be in good taste. Pictures will hang straight and meals will be served on time. You can also count on cloth napkins, good china, flowers on the table, and a balanced menu. Taking into consideration her clever mind and sparkling wit, there's not much more you could ask for. Being a woman is a lifetime occupation for her. The masculine side of her will rarely disturb you unless you are one of those impossible males who go around shouting like Henry VIII. Your Libran mate will definitely say more than yes or no on a subject. She likes to talk. But she's also a flattering listener, when you have need for a good audience. This woman is both tough and soft at the same time, and it's not every female who can manage that delicate balancing act. Her sweet manners and smooth ability to cool your fevered brow can lead you to think she's weak and helpless, fluttery and feminine when a crisis erupts. She is composed of nine parts steel. Pay no mind when she keeps letting you win at chess. One of her most valuable assets is her ability to hide her sharp, keen mind behind utter femininity.
The children will be loved and tenderly cared for by the Libran mother, but in all honesty, they will come in second to her mate. The youngsters will be sweet and clean as infants, neat and polite as adults. The Libra mother is normally gentle, yet quite firm when the need arises. Her children are never neglected or ignored. One of the first things she'll teach them at prayers is 'God bless daddy'. She'll never permit them to be disrespectful to their father." (Sun Signs by Linda Goodman)
"The portrait you paint for yourself is heroic, and towers above the world you inhabit. To live up to the level of your inner picture is a lifetime job requiring energy, courage, and considerable sense of the drama of existence.
Private satisfactions aren't very important to you. You are less introspective than most. You want to see tangible evidence of success, and like it best if the rest of the world can see it too. You are a bit of a showoff, but since you are utterly honest with yourself, you can laugh at your own vanities, even when they remain important.
You want valuable possessions, well-groomed children, good clothes, accomplishments and evidence of accomplishments that others can applaud. Your desires are simple and your methods of getting them are direct; you know what you want and are willing to sacrifice for them. You won't, however, sacrifice personal honor or integrity, which are the intangibles that do matter to you.
You see, hear and experience with the legalistic attitude of a judge. Anything that stands before the bar of your senses isn't likely to get off easily, for you interpret critically what passes before your eyes, and not always kindly. As a result, when you give expression to your judgment, you may earn the reputation for having a sharp tongue.
Your powers of observation are acute. You have the eye of an eagle and a kind of permanent awareness of what is going on around you makes it impossible for anyone to put anything over on you. Your sixth sense tells you what the other five missed. Criticism is part of your process of taking in the world, and you never take in much of it without passing judgment in the process. You observe accurately, but not always charitably." (Astrology for the Millions by Grant Lewi)
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All that I know or have been able to learn of my great Aunt Stella can be summed up in the preceding astrological personality profiles, and a few short paragraphs from family members. And a couple of documents.
She probably favored her mother, Sarah Melissa, in appearance, more than any other of her sisters. She was pretty in a plain-looking way. Stella had dark hair and she wore it up with a knot in it. She wore little or no makeup, and "she wasn't jolly like her sister Rose". Her home was across from the park, there, in Elkins.
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Deborah Austella Ramsey was born 22 October, 1875, the oldest of the seven children of Philip and Sarah Melissa Ramsey. She was named after her maternal grandmother. Stella was about 22 years old when she married Perry L. Poling in August of 1897.
Perry was the son of Jacob and Nancy Poling, and the grandson of Daniel Poling. In addition to Jacob, Daniel, who was born in 1796, also sired Silas in 1838. Jacob was born in 1849 and in 1871 he married wife Nancy A., who was born in 1855.
Stella celebrated Perry's birthday in September, commemorating his birth in 1872.
Stella bore Perry one son, Roscoe L., in April 1898. Roscoe grew up to marry Hazel Kaiser and became the father of sons Roscoe, Jr. and Richard. Roscoe, Sr. was regarded as a strict parent. Son Richard apparently moved on to live in the Pittsburgh area. Hazel died in Barberton, Ohio, and Roscoe Sr. died six months later in January 1957. he was buried in Charleston, West Virginia. Roscoe Poling, Jr. was said to be the father of Nancy Jo Poling. Allegedly, Roscoe, Sr. passed away in his fifties.
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Donna Lenora spent her baby years with her Aunt Stella, probably visited frequently by mother Gay. It could be assumed that although the emotional climate might have been on the strict side Donna's early years would have been as comfortable as possible under the circumstances.
Aunt Stella died July 20, 1922 of diphtheria, attended by her physician, N. P. Beitt. Her illness lasted nine hours. She was laid to rest in Maplewood Cemetery where her mother was interred.
Thus in three pages I paint a picture that was Deborah Austella Ramsey Poling. God rest her soul.
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