BARNETT-L Archives

Archiver > BARNETT > 2009-04 > 1240618083


From: "Garry Bodell" <>
Subject: Re: [BARNETT] Searles/Craft Predicament
Date: Sat, 25 Apr 2009 00:08:03 +0000


I apologize for not including dates with my earlier post. Here is what I know:

Gary Craft/Searles (my father)
b. 12-18-1947 (place unknown)
changed name to Searles when adopted by Raymond and LaVerna Searles.

Edward Craft and Betty Nell White (parents of Gary Craft/Searles)
(all I know is that both were born and have lived their whole lives around Punxsutawny, PA and that Betty's mother was LaVerna's sister)

Clark Barnett (father of LaVerna and grandfather of Betty Nell White)
b. 8-17-1888 in PA
d. 4-1977 in PA
occ. blacksmith
m. Mabel Kennedy abt 1907

LaVerna L. Barnett (adopted mother of Gary Craft/Searles and aunt of Betty Nell White)
b. 3-21-1921 (place unknown but could be in PA)
d. 2-16-1984 in Jackson, MI
m. Raymond D. Searles (date and place unknown)
* Name spelled sometimes as Lavonna.
* According to obituary, she had 5 brothers and 2 sisters, all from PA


I hope this clears up some of the questions that were raised.

Oh, and thank you to those that sent replies and info already.

Signed, Garry

------Original Message------
From: Garry Bodell <>
To: "" <>,"" <>,
"" <>,"" <>,"" <>,
"" <>
Date: Sun, Mar 22, 2009 07:53 AM
Subject: Searles/Craft Predicament

I hope someone can help me. My father, born Gary A. Searles, and his brother were, according to both of them, sons of Edward Craft and Betty Nell White. My father (and I think my uncle too) was adopted my an aunt of either of his parents, LaVerna Barnett, and her husband, Raymond Searles. They are from around Punxsutawney, PA, but my father and his adopted parents moved to Jackson, MI. I can't ask Raymond or LaVerna anymore, both being deceased, or my father and uncle, they don't claim to know anything else. Dad did mention once that LaVerna's father, Clark Barnett, was an elected official for an indian reservation in PA, if that helps anyone.

Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Gary Searles Jr.

This thread: