Evelyn Stokes Wright of Hayes has packed a lot of living into her 76 years on Earth, and there’s no sign that she plans on slowing down anytime soon.

Retired from two jobs that together spanned over 45 years, she continues to stay busy as a genealogist and church volunteer. She recently recalled her childhood growing up in Gloucester.

Wright’s earliest memories are of sitting at the long dining table in her grandfather’s big old five-bedroom farmhouse on Low Ground Road in Bena. Life was very much a family affair there, with her grandparents, Benjamin and Mariah Buckley Stokes; parents, Harry and Mabel Stokes; single aunt, Addie Stokes; two first cousins, Elwood and Kathryn Stokes; brother, Harry Jr.; sister, Joan Marie, and Evelyn all living together.

Across the street, Evelyn’s Aunt Minerva lived with her five children, the youngest of whom, Frances, has been Evelyn’s lifelong best friend.

Benjamin Stokes had a large farm that he worked with the help...