Iva Book History

(Six years ago, my children and I went on a tour with my mother to see her childhood haunts. As we drove to and from there, she named the people who used to live in the houses surrounding the area. Back in the 30s & 40s, most people settled in one place their entire lives as did their children after them. I took these pictures that day. Here is a little about my mother, Iva Book, to go with them.)

Iva Book's childhood home  

Iva Book was the daughter of Jesse and Zola (McClure) Junk. Zola worked hard to care for her family but she was especially famous for baking bread, raising violets on her sun porch, and making beautiful quilts. Jesse, besides contracting many carpentry jobs, worked on the Tuscarora Tunnel of the turnpike. In later years, he grew hard of hearing which was blamed on the noise level when he worked in that tunnel. Back then, they didn't wear ear protectors.

Iva had two siblings, John and Glen. She and her brothers played in the woods above their house constantly. She appropriated any broken dishes for playing house in the woods. Her brother John lived most of his life at Cisney Run where his wife ran their general store and he worked other places as a carpenter. Brother Glen, also a carpenter, lived most of his life in Carlisle area.

Iva Book outside of former McCulloch Mills School     

Former McCulloch Mills Presbyterian  Church

Iva married John Sheesley in 1946. She moved into his family’s home where they all lived until a year later when his parents built a house down the road. John had been farming the farm from high school on while his dad, George Sheesley, had worked a job as an engineer on the railroad. After George and his wife, Emma, moved, John and Iva bought the farm. They had two children, Gary and Sandy (me!).

Iva kept house, cooked for the farm help, and helped some with the barn work. She loved to sew and made almost all of her family's clothes. Hanging clothes on the clothesline happened regularly even after she acquired a dryer. The couple had an orchard and a big garden. In the summer the family canned pears, peaches, cherries, and tomatoes They also froze peas, corn, and green beans.  

After John passed away, Iva married Roy Book from Port Royal. They stayed on the farm but rented it out for others to farm. Roy worked most of his life as the mill manager at Goodman’s Mill in Port Royal. He passed away in 2001.

Today, Iva Book, now 88, is still active and also loves to make quilts. She, as her mother before her, makes her quilts to give away. They each made at least one for each child and grandchild. In addition, Iva works with other ladies to make 200-300 each year for their church to give to the needy. And she still hangs her clothes outside!