Walter Green Lay

This photograph is of the two hand painted pictures of Walter Green Lay and Minnie Alice Calder shortly after their marriage. The photo on the right is the actual photo! (retrieved from personal collection)

This photo was taken at the Norwood home near Science Hill, Kentucky. (left to right, top to bottom) Dallas Edward, Vera Evelyn , Lela May , Gladys Belle, Flonnie Marie, Eula Velma and Clara Rose (retrieved from personal collection) This photo is one of the many houses that the Lay family lived in. This was located on Norwood Road in Science Hill. It has been razed after a fire.

“Grandpa had an extremely good sense of humor. When we were children, he would tell us jokes and funy stories while we were visiting. He liked to hee-haw like a donkey for us because we laughed so much when he did that.”

The photo on the left was taken at Walter and Minnie’s home on Campground Road off of Route 27 near Science Hill, Kentucky. The picture on the right was taken during 2009. (retrieved from personal collection)

"Grandpa and Grandma would travel down to Science Hill to visit “Pop and Mom Lay”. They would stay two or three days during each visit. I remember the last time as a child that I was able to go with them to visit Mom and Pop. Grandpa Stone took Pop and myself fising. Pop Lay was very old at the time and because of his age he had a hard time getting down the embankment at Lake Cumberland to the edge of the water. I remember Pop cussing up a storm because of his difficulty clambering over the rip rap on the embankment. Finally by the time he reached the bottom and took out his fishing pole and put it into action we were packing up the other equipment to leave. Pop told me that there are no reasons for an old man like himself to go fishin’ anymore. I don’t believe that he ever went again."

On an outing at Cumberland Lake, Pulaski Co. Ronnie Stone, Walter Lay, Eldon Stone, and Eula Stone; Walter Lay fishing at Cumberland Lake. (retrieved from personal collection)

“Mom always had a rock garden in front yard and she was very proud of it! Mom Lay would always take time to show us the different flowers and plants while we visited.”

Walter and Minnie Lay; photo on right: Top: ?, ?, Gladys, Eula, ?, Minnie, Christine, Rose, Leroy Lay, Dallas Lay ; The Lay family home located at Circlesville, near Science Hill, Ky.(photos retrieved from personal collection)

“When we would visit Mom and Pop in Science Hill, we slept on the roll out couch in the front room. Their house was just a couple hundreds yards away from the rail road tracks in Science Hill and when the train would pass through the depot at night, the engineer would play “Jesus Loves Me’ on the train’s whistle as it rolled through town.” While I was laying on the roll out bed, I was able to hear the song being played in the darkness. It sounded so beautiful…”

The left hand picture is the last Lay family home which was located across from the cemetery in Science Hill, picture was taken during 1955.; The hill top in the distance is Holtzclaw Knob which is where Walter Lay owned and operated a rock quarry (retrieved from personal collection)

“Walter traded in his horse and buggy for a horseless carriage around the year 1916. He bought a Model T Ford. He stated that the reasoning behind buying the car was that he wasn’t going to live long anyway! He received some quick lesson on how to drive the new contraption and down the road he went! During an outing while driving around a mud hole, he tipped the car over on its side. Luckily he wasn’t hurt. The car having 24 inch wheels; it was easily up righted”

This picture was taken during the year 1937 at Science Hill, Kentucky. 1. Earl Leroy Lay; 2. Minnie Alice Calder; 3. Walter Green Lay; 4. Christine Lay; 5. Unknown; 6. Blanche Lay; 7. Dalla s Edward Lay; 8. Roger Lay; 9. Gladys Belle Lay; 10. Unknown; 11. Dick Jones; 12. Billy June Jones; 13. Lela May Lay; 14. Clearance Swearingen; 15. Ned Jones; 16. Clara Rose Lay; 17. Edwin Cope; 18. Flonnie Marie Cope 19. Eula Velma Mize (Lay); 20. Patsy Swearingen; 21. Constance Molee Lay; 22. Eldon Cope; 23. Danny Gordon Mize (retrieved from personal collection)

“Later in his life, Pop Lay sold and traded watermelons. Because of the police telling him that he was too old to drive, Pop would take melons in a wheelbarrow to a general store located in Science Hill. He sold the watermelons to the store owner for a meager fifty cents. Upon Walter’s return to the same store the next day, Pop spied one of the watermelons that the store owner had bought from him the day before. The store owner sold him the watermelon for eighty cents. The time that He came back to the store, he brought the same watermelon with him. The store owner asked him if he wanted to sell the watermelon. Of course “Pop” said, “yes!” He promptly sold it for a dollar to the store owner. He was happy as a lark because of the sale, and in a couple of days he walked back up to the store. He bought the watermelon for a buck and a quarter and replied, “we’re going to get rich selling this watermelon.” He was the talk of the town for quite a long time concerning that watermelon.

The 1958 Lay family reunion which occurred at the home of Minnie and Walter Lay in Science Hill Ky. 1. Donnie Gastineau, 2. Ronald Eugene Stone, 3. Unknown, 4. Unknown 5. Unknown, 6. Unknown, 7. Unknown, 8. Unknown, 9. Leanne Leigh, 10. Barbara Leigh, 11. Vicki Will, 12. Unknown, 13. Unknown, 15. Unknown, 16. Unknown, 17. Gene Cope, 18. Wayne Shadoan, 19. Dallas Edward Leigh, 20. Vera Evelyn Leigh, 21. Constance Abbott, 22. Walter Green Leigh, 23. Minnie Alice Leigh, 24. Dixie Gastineau, 25. Unknown, 26. Patsy Swearingen (Pickett), 27. Debra Pickett, 28. Troy Abbott, 29. Glenda Swearingen, 30. Sandra Shadoan, 31. Dick Jones, 31. Idealia Leigh, 32. Shelby Swearingen, 33. Betty Gastineau, 34. Noel Shadoan, 35. Billy June Jones, 36. Lela May Lay (Swearingen), 37. Joe Steirs, 38. Bill Long, 39. Gladys Belle Lay (Jones), 40. Alma Gastineau (Long), 41. Flonnie May Lay (Cope), 42. Edwin Cope, 43. Eula Irene Lay (Stone), 44. Eldon E. Stone, 45. Danny G. Stone (Mize), 46. Clara Rose Lay (Will), 47. Calvin Will, 48. Christine Mary Lay, 49. Downey Houze, 50. Patricia Stringer Lay, 51. Earl Leroy Lay, 52. Roger Lay, 53. Unknown, 54. Betty Leigh, 55. Floyd Pickett, 56. Roscoe Gastineau, 57. Clarence Gatineau, 58. Unknown, (retrieved from personal collection)

A story told by Mr Godby at the ”mom and pop” store in Science Hill was about Walter and his new car. The weather had been especially bad in Pulaski County at the time of the story. Water pipes were freezing, car engines were seizing up due to the cold. Pop had complained about the cold and how it had effected starting his car to Mr Godby. Mr Godby had told him that he needed to keep the oil from freezing in the car and this would prevent the slow cranking when he started the engine. This would solve his problem concerning the hard starts. Well, Pop got back home and he had quickly gathered some wood. He then placed the wood under the car’s oil pan and lit the wood which created a small fire under the engine. This almost caused the engine to catch fire because of the grease and the oil spattered on the bottom of the car. This caused a lot of laughter at Godby’s store and within the small community of Science Hill. Pop being a good sport had a good laugh too!

Minnie relaxing at her home; Walter eating his favorite chocolates in his favorite rocking chair at his Science Hill residence. (retrieved from personal collection)

Photo of the Leigh-Wright brick company. This was located next to their home and where they manufactured bricks. The picture was taken during 2009. (retrieved from personal collection)

Walter and Minnie celebrating their 50th wedding anniversary at their home in Science Hill, KY; Walter posing next to his prized stuff fox at his residence near Science Hill. (retrieved from personal collection)

Picture of the last residence of Walter and Minnie Lay in Science Hill, Kentucky. 2005. It is located across from the main cemetery in Science Hill. (retrieved from personal collection)

Pictures of the residence of Walter and Minnie Lay located on Norwood Road near Science Hill, Kentucky. (retrieved from personal collection)

Walter clowing around home as the chef! This the Eubank School located at Eubank, Kentucky. Walter Lay helped build the school by laying the blocks. (retrieved from personal collection)

The obituaries for Walter Green Lay and Minnie Alice Calder. (retrieved from personal collection)