Leatha Mae “Laurel” Ward Burton was born on 22 May 1908 in Herrin, Williamson, Illinois. Her parents were Charles Joseph Ward and Leatha Jane Wells. After their marriage in 1898, Charles and his wife Leatha quickly became the parents of a large family and Laurel, a middle child, soon found herself with six brothers and six sisters. Laurel married Lonnie Burton on 4 October 1924 in Herrin at the young age of 16. The young couple both had come from an extended family who had a history of working in the local coal mines. Laurel didn’t want her children to have to work in the mines as many of the workers developed “black lung.” In order to give their family a better life, Laurel, Lonnie, and their young children migrated from Illinois to Los Angeles, California in the 1930s.
The above picture was taken on her first day of school in Herrin, Williamson, Illinois.
