Edna Lorraine Hodgson Neel

Lto r- Mildred E. Neel Billings, Gerald W. Billings Sr., Judy Billings, Edna Lorraine Hodgson Neel

Edna Laurine Hodgson is my great grandmother. She lived most of her life in New Mexico coming there before it was even a state in 1908, when she was 14 years old.  She was a great seamstress and made beautiful quilts, one of which is shown here.

My uncle, Roland Billings, once told me that he remembers going with Edna to quilting group functions and playing under the quilting frames, while the ladies stitched.

My Dad, Gerry Billings, remembers that Grandma Neel made the best Vanilla Wafer Banana Pudding ever. In doing research on this "pudding" if found that  by the 1940's Nabisco company who make Vanilla Wafers was publishing the recipe for banana pudding on the side of it's Vanilla Wafer boxes. This may or may not have been where she got it. 

Here is the link to Nabisco's Original recipe, http://www.backofthebox.com/recipes/desserts/original-nilla-banana-pudding.html . 

Make a batch up and enjoy in memory of Grandma Neel.

My Aunt, Diane Billings remembers Grandma Neel as "speaking softly and always seemed to be in the kitchen cooking whenever we were visiting in Albuquerque.  She had a set of beautiful pink depression glass dishes that I loved."

Well, that's a start, more to come!

Why another blog?

Families are like fudge… mostly sweet with a few nuts. ~Author Unknown



Why another blog you are asking yourself, or I don't have time to read another blog. Well please allow me to introduce this blog and I hope you may want to follow it. 
My name is Judy Billings and I love love Family History. I have been actively working in this great pursuit since I was 13, I will not tell you how old I am now but let's just say the half century mark has come and gone a few years ago. This blog was created for the generations that did not have the opportunity to know these ancestors personally and for those who did but want to remember and hear the stories of cousins, siblings, etc. Over the years I have been fortunate to become the keeper of a great deal of family photos, and I want to share those with all of you. If you have any stories, memories or information you would like to share please send them to me auntjudysattic@gmail.com and I will post them.  Please, please share this Blog with your family members that you think would like to see it. The more that follow the better. You can send them this link http://branchesonafamilytreeneel.blogspot.com so they can follow the blog which will only be published once a week that way no one will be overwhelmed. I hope you enjoy these Branches on a Family-Tree Neel Family posts.

Judy