Laura Rachel (Helms) McGee (1932 - 1996)

Ancestors Descendants

Biography

This profile is Genealogically Defined.

Laura Rachel Helms was born October 10, 1932, on the Alvis Baucom family farm in Goose Creek Township, Union County, North Carolina, to Martin Helms and Seena Adeline Baucom. She was delivered by her grandmother Laura C Baucom, a midwife, who told her that she had been born with a veil over her face. ^[1][2][3]

Raised attending Shiloh Advent Christian Church in Union County, North Carolina, Rachel was baptized on 22 July 1945. She remained a member of the denomination and found a congregation where the family was living as often as possible, including in Tampa, Florida, and San Bernadino, California. When she was unable to find her denomination, she would attend Baptist churches.^[4]

Rachel attended Unionville High School, Unionville, Union County, North Carolina, where she was a member of the National Beta Club. The class made a senior trip to Washington DC and Rachel told of being sick with bad tonsils for much of the trip. She graduated on 23 May 1952 and left home shortly thereafter. She lived for a time in Charlotte and then moved to Florida where she was receiving mail at General Delivery Station F, Jacksonville, Duval County, Florida on 31 March 1954. ^[5]

In the spring of 1954, her brother Jackson Dewey Helms was a member of the Student Squadron at Lowry Air Force Base, Denver, Colorado. One of the other members of the class, Charles McGee, asked in the barracks if anyone had a sister he could write to.

Laura Rachel Helms (R) and two of her sisters

Jackson had a picture of three of his sisters. Charles liked the looks of Rachel and began writing to her. Their correspondence culminated in marriage when Rachel accompanied her parents on a trip to Colorado to meet their first grandchild, a son born in early August to Jackson and his wife. The family arrived on approximately 29 August 1954. On September 3, Charles and Rachel were married in a ceremony performed by Daniel L Newman, Chaplain USAF. She never again returned to the family home in Union County, North Carolina, for more than short visits.^[6][7]

Over the next 20 years, the couple had three children. The first child, and the couple's only boy, died during labor and was delivered stillborn. The cord was wrapped three times around his neck.^[8] Charles, who had not reenlisted following the death of the baby boy, had already re-entered the Air Force when their daughter Deborah (better known as Debi) was born.^[9] Daughter Margaret was born 2 years later.^[10] Rachel and the girls accompanied Charles to his Air Force duty stations in Germany, England, Japan, and Okinawa. In 1973, Charles was assigned to Homestead Air Force Base in Homestead, Dade County, Florida, to serve the last year of his final term. Not wanting his family in the Miami area, he settled Rachel and the girls in a rental house next to Peggie, his mother.^[11]

The one sport that Rachel loved was basketball. She once told her daughter, Debi, that she was such a huge fan because it was the only sporting event she could attend during high school. She had fond memories of basketball games because it was a time when she was allowed to leave the farm and enjoy some time with her friends. When the NBA franchised a team about 30 miles from her home near Orlando, Florida, Rachel immediately became an enthusiastic fan. If the Orlando Magic was playing, you could find her in front of the TV or at the stadium.^[12]

Following her cancer diagnosis in late 1995, the family pooled funds and bought four aftermarket season passes. Someone made sure she was at every game she felt able to attend. Arrangements were made for her to meet one of the players and she was thrilled to spend a little time and have her picture taken with Nick Anderson.^[13]

Rachel died February 17, 1996, at 1320 Braebury Drive, Leesburg, Lake County, Florida, and is buried in Lone Oak Cemetery, Leesburg, Lake County, Florida. Beyers Funeral Home of Leesburg handled the arrangements and Rachel's brother, Rev. Thomas Helms, officiated. ^[14][13]

Sources

1. ↑ "North Carolina Birth Index, 1800-2000," database, (FamilySearch Record: VC95-W98 : 8 December 2014, accessed 23 March 2022), Laura Rachel Helms, 1932; from "North Carolina, Birth and Death Indexes, 1800-2000," database and images, Ancestry (http://www.ancestry.com : 2005); citing vol. 17, p. 97, Union, North Carolina, North Carolina State Archives, Raleigh
2. ↑ North Carolina, Union County, Register of Deeds Office, vol. 17, p. 97, Standard Certificate of Birth, Laura Rachel Helms, 10 October 1932; Privately held by Debi McGee Hoag, Leesburg, Florida. [Her Birth Certificate includes information as follows: her father was 25 and her mother 26. Both were born in Union County, North Carolina. Laura C Baucom signed the birth certificate as the attendant. Laura Rachel was crossed out on her birth certificate and Rachel Laura was written in. She always said that the name change was done because the Air Force always uses first names and she had always been called Rachel. Her grandmother was called Laura. According to WikiPedia, a veil or caul at birth was said to bring good fortune to the child.
3. ↑ Social Security Act Application for Account Number, Filed 24 November 1950, Laura Rachel Helms; Privately held by Debi McGee Hoag, Leesburg, Florida. [Given names did not change until September 1954. Lists her names in the original order and provides her parents' names. See also Ancestry Record 60901 #35908285 : accessed 9 November 2022)
4. ↑ Ephemera inherited from Rachel (Helms) McGee, 1996; Privately held by Debi McGee Hoag, Leesburg, Florida. [Baptismal Certificate dated 22 July 1945 found inside High School Diploma cover; Bible School Certificate dated 8 July 1949; Vacation Bible School Certificate from Central Baptist Church, Urasoe City, Okinawa, Japan dated 11 August 1972. See the list of residences on her husband's profile for an idea of how difficult finding congregations would have been.
5. ↑ Ephemera inherited from Rachel (Helms) McGee, 1996; Privately held by Debi McGee Hoag, Leesburg, Florida. [Beta Club Certificate; Picture of 1952 Senior Class in front of the Washington Monument; Interviews with Rachel Laura Helms McGee by Deborah Ann McGee Cundiff Hoag; High School Diploma dated 23 May 1952; Letter from Rachel to her mother Seena Helms, 31 March 1954.]
6. ↑ Ephemera inherited from Rachel (Helms) McGee, 1996; Privately held by Debi McGee Hoag, Leesburg, Florida. [Interviews with Charles Ervin McGee and Rachel Laura Helms McGee by Deborah Ann McGee Cundiff Hoag; Letters between Rachel and Charles March 1954 - August 25, 1954.
7. ↑ Charles McGee and Rachel Laura Helms, Colorado Marriage License; Privately held by Debi McGee Hoag, Leesburg, Florida. [Their 1954 Marriage License states that neither had been married previously. The marriage was witnessed Merle Helms, Rachel's sister-in-law, and Jimmie Black, an Air Force buddy of Charles.]
8. ↑ Baby Boy McGee, 1957 California Certificate of Fetal Death, found in Rachel's papers after her death; Privately held by Debi McGee Hoag, Leesburg, Florida.
9. ↑ Deborah McGee, Florida Certificate of Live Birth; Privately held by Debi McGee Hoag, Leesburg, Florida.
10. ↑ Margaret McGee, Florida Certificate of Live Birth; Privately held by Debi McGee Hoag, Leesburg, Florida.
11. ↑ See Charles' profile for details of his military service.
12. ↑ Personal knowledge of Debi Hoag, daughter, conversations with and observation of Rachel McGee, 1988-1996.
13. ↑ ^{13.0 13.1} Personal knowledge of Debi Hoag, daughter, who helped make the arrangements.
14. ↑ Rachel Helms McGee, Florida Death Certificate; Privately held by Debi McGee Hoag, Leesburg, Florida. [Her Death Certificate lists her date and place of birth, her parents' names, her husband's name, and her burial location.]

Note: All sources for Rachel are in the Special Collection of Deborah McGee Cundiff Hoag, Leesburg, Florida 34788. Documents will be digitized and placed online when privacy statutes have expired.

• Additional Ephemera:
  • Reading Circle Certificate for 1945, 1948, and 1949.
  • Social Security Card - Rachel Laura McGee
  • Letter to "Mom and all" dated October 14, 1954
  • Hospital Invoice/Receipts - baby boy
  • Story of Our Baby - baby book of Deborah McGee
  • Passport - Rachel Laura McGee
  • Observer-Journal (Union County, North Carolina). Obituary of Rachel Helms McGee. 20 Feb 1996
  • Letter to friends from Charles, Deborah & Margaret telling of Rachel's death dated February 25, 1996
  • Headstone Picture, Block L, Lone Oak Cemetery, Leesburg, Lake County, Florida
  • Memorial Card - Rachel McGee
  • Memorial Book - Rachel McGee
  • Recollection of Deborah Hoag - 7 December 1995 was the diagnosis date of Rachel's Glioblastoma Multiforme (brain tumor). I remember the date because as Momma came out of the anesthesia the nurses were asking her questions to determine how alert she was. They asked her what the date was and she replied that it was Pearl Harbor Day. The nurse had to find out if that was correct.

DNA Confirmations

• Paternal and Maternal relationships are both confirmed by an autosomal GEDmatch comparison between Debi (McGee) Hoag , GEDmatch kit # TN9500362, and Jackie Helms, GEDmatch kit # A772129, (compare kits), her 1st cousin 1x removed. Their most-recent common ancestors are Martin Helms and Seena Baucom, the grandparents of Debi (McGee) Hoag and great grandparents of Jackie Helms. Predicted relationship from GEDmatch: 1st cousin once removed, based on sharing 402.6cM cM across 19 segments.
• The relationships to father Martin Helms and daughter Debi McGee Hoag are suggested by a 74.2 cM autosomal DNA match between Debi McGee Hoag GEDmatch G293623 and her maternal third cousin once removed Julia (Bell) Lansberry GEDmatch M071333; another cousin match is needed for triangulation.