[dropcap]G[/dropcap]randma Bier was a tiny woman with a big legacy. Edna Elizabeth Chapline was born on 06 May 1894 in Wheeling, West Virginia. She was born premature weighing only 2 pounds. Her parents, Wilber Cross Chapline and Maude May (Nixon) placed her in a shoe box and used a coal stove to keep her warm. It was amazing that she survived infancy.
She never physically matured to the full height of her contemporaries. She only reached a height of four feet and eleven inches. When I was a young teenager giving her a hug I had to bend down slightly.
She kept her house in order with the presence of a giant. It was a large family to keep in order.
My Grandpa Bier had been married to Emma Sauber and had a daughter Virginia. Emma passed away and Grandpa married my Grandma Bier. By the time Grandma Bier started having kids my Aunt Virginia was already an adult out of the house.
Grandma Bier had 8 children and 7 pregnancies. This tiny woman, less than five feet tall having eight children, let alone a set of twins is amazing.
The children of Edna Bier:
- 2. Elizabeth M. “Betty” Bier
was born Aug 1, 1920, Wheeling, Ohio County, West Virginia, United States of America. - 3. James Landon Bier was born Feb 17, 1922, Wheeling, Ohio County, West Virginia, United States of America.
- 4. Morgan Clarke “Pap Pap”Bier, Sr. was born Nov 18, 1923, Wheeling, Ohio County, West Virginia, United States of America.
- 5. Mina Clarke Bier was born Nov 18, 1923, Wheeling, Ohio County, West Virginia, United States of America.
- 6. Wilma “Billie” Bier was born Feb 03, 1926, Wheeling, Ohio County, West Virginia, United States of America.
- 7. Carol Sarah Landon Bier was born Jul 29, 1928, Wheeling, Ohio County, West Virginia, United States of America.
- 8. Alice Paisley Bier was born Mar 10, 1934, Wheeling, Ohio County, West Virginia, United States of America.
- 9. Mary Martha Bier was born Jan 21, 1937, Wheeling, Ohio County, West Virginia, United States of America.
The year that my Aunt Carol was born was the same year that my Aunt Virginia gave birth to her first child, Phyliss L. Jaynes. Grandpa Bier became a grandpa for the first time in 1928 and a father for the sixth time.
Grandma was always there for her family. By the time my mother wanted to get married Grandma politely told my mom to test drive my dad out and live with him first. She had already nursed so many of her descendants through the pain and heartbreak of divorce. She did not want my mom added to that list.
Anytime someone was in need she would be there with advice, hugs and homemade cinnamon rolls. She would hop any plane or travel any means necessary to get be with family for any event happy or sad that she could make it to. Even when she was dying she was more worried about comforting her family than anything else.
The Roots of My Family
Edna Chapline Bier knew how to love and cherished her family. She left us lessons of love but she also left us her diary. A story of us all that was published (The Roots of My Family) and is part of the inspiration for my stories.