Grandma Mary

[DuggarsTheEndIsNear]

I've always wondered about more of the details surrounding Grandad's brain tumor. I know we didn't see a lot as a viewer and that brain tumors can be aggressive, but he certainly did seem to go from normal to on his death bed very quickly. I wonder if he got the best care possible. I felt for him when they were wheeling him around on an office chair. Couldn't they spring for a wheelchair??

My grandfather went from diagnosis to death in 4 months when it was discovered he had a brain tumor.

[DuggarsTheEndIsNear]

Didn't the Duggars own a house but sold it before the TTH was ready, and then ended up needing to rent the church house for awhile?

I think JB assumed that the TTH would be ready, it was years behind schedule (damn Duggar Time), and JB had already sold their original home and needed a place in the interim. If not for TLC, they'd probably still be renting.

That's their story, but I really don't know how much of it I believe is true. I mean, to have Jinger born in that house means they were 9/10 years away from completion. Being that far behind, you'd think that anyone would say "hmm this isn't a good time to be selling a house so we can move into the new house."

Also, weren't they living on part of the car lot before they moved to that house? I could have sworn I read that somewhere.

[NoJulius]

Didn't Mary admit that sometimes she didn't know how to afford food for her two children due to financial problems?

Given that, I see why she would be supportive for pimping out the whole Duggar Family on TV.

I remember GM comforting Jinger (at Jessas Wedding? when Jubilee died). So she definitley is an adult where the kids can cling to and seek comfort from. Thankfully for them!

And I don't think that anybody forced her to live with her son's family. She is a mature woman, she can choose for herself where to live. And we can only speculate, why she moved in with the Duggars.

[halcionne]

That's their story, but I really don't know how much of it I believe is true. I mean, to have Jinger born in that house means they were 9/10 years away from completion. Being that far behind, you'd think that anyone would say "hmm this isn't a good time to be selling a house so we can move into the new house."

Also, weren't they living on part of the car lot before they moved to that house? I could have sworn I read that somewhere.

I'm confused. Which house are they saying Jinger was born in? And who said it?

[DuggarsTheEndIsNear]

I remember a scene where JL openly stated that he didn't think JB and DQ should have the number of kids that they did, but I missed the part about him discussing it with DQ's dad, as well. I think a lot of original material has been scrubbed and polished. People have also mentioned exceptionally skinny horses at the Bates' house, but I can no longer find those scenes on youtube. It could also be that I haven't looked hard enough or got bored watching and missed it. :lol:

Put me in the camp that thinks JL and Mary knew at least something about Josh's serial molestation issues. Part of me wonders if that's her motivation for staying closer -- maybe she wants to keep an eye on things.

DQ has always seemed so distant from her parents. I'm curious about what they knew.

Impressive that both JB and DQ tell their kids they have to honor their parents forever and instantly obey, but chose to completely disregard their own parents' very good advice about their excessive breeding. No double standard there.

I said it before and I'll say it again, I really don't think that Mary moved in to keep an eye on the girls and make sure they were safe. She didn't move in until JL died, which was in 2009. Josh was married in 2008. The events we know about happened in 2002/3. By the time she moved in, Josh wasn't likely to be a threat to the girls anymore because he had his own house. If she was going to move in to protect anyone from him, wouldn't she have moved in with him to protect her great granddaughter?

No. Mary did not move in to protect the girls. She had other motives for moving in, which I don't know, but it wasn't because of abuse. If it was, she would have moved in earlier OR she would have made damned sure the police and DHS thoroughly investigated her son and daughter in law.

[DuggarsTheEndIsNear]

I'm confused. Which house are they saying Jinger was born in? And who said it?

The house the church loaned them. They talked about it in the special where they moved out.

[RosyDaisy]

Just a thought. Maybe we need to re-think our opinions about all of the adult Duggars. Nobody thought the internet rumors about Josh were true until InTouch released the police reports. I'm not giving any of them them the benefit of the doubt, including Grandma Mary.

[freedomjesusfootball]

They were shown in an early special moving from their original home (where jinger was born) to a different small house. The second small house was the loaner. Then when that was going to be demolished TLC stepped in to help them finish the TTH, and they moved again.

[NoJulius]

I said it before and I'll say it again, I really don't think that Mary moved in to keep an eye on the girls and make sure they were safe. She didn't move in until JL died, which was in 2009. Josh was married in 2008. The events we know about happened in 2002/3. By the time she moved in, Josh wasn't likely to be a threat to the girls anymore because he had his own house. If she was going to move in to protect anyone from him, wouldn't she have moved in with him to protect her great granddaughter?

No. Mary did not move in to protect the girls. She had other motives for moving in, which I don't know, but it wasn't because of abuse. If it was, she would have moved in earlier OR she would have made damned sure the police and DHS thoroughly investigated her son and daughter in law.

I think she moved in for her own convenience because she didn't want to live alone. Thats's all

[DuggarsTheEndIsNear]

They were shown in an early special moving from their original home (where jinger was born) to a different small house. The second small house was the loaner. Then when that was going to be demolished TLC stepped in to help them finish the TTH, and they moved again.

From the Duggar Family Blog:

Fast-forward 23 years. Jim Bob and Michelle had 16 children and were expecting their 17th. Before moving into their current, 7,000 square-foot home, the Duggars had lived for more than ten years in a house on Johnson Road that had three bedrooms and two bathrooms. When they moved out, their Johnson Road house was demolished for the expansion of First Baptist Church of Springdale.

[halcionne]

From the Duggar Family Blog:

The blog has omitted the rental house they lived in after the Johnson Road house became unavailable. I'm watching 16 children and moving in right now, but I haven't gotten to the part where they discuss it yet.

Fun fact from part 2: JB thought the TTH would be done in months, but it's been three years. M wants it done before Hannie is born in three months, meaning this was filmed in July 2005--if they started three years ago it was 2002, dun dun DUN!

[lascuba]

So the house they were living in when the specials started was loaned to them? Meaning they weren't paying rent? I swear, if I could pull it off I'd be seriously tempted to join up a fundie church and schmooze myself into all the freebies.

I remember that a big part of the moving in special was them moving out of that house and moving into the short-term rental---a bunch of friends/church people helped them do it. The showed old house being demolished....one of the little boys was crying, and a crew member asked Jinger how she felt about see the house torn down and that's when she said she was born there.

[polecat]

Restaurants are public accomodations and subject to occupancy regs. Your private home by and large is not. It has to be constructed in accordance with the local building codes, which include fire codes and exit paths etc. and there are usually local regs pertaining to maintenance and upkeep and health and safety, but you can usually stuff as many people into it as you want. Local laws can vary, of course. Some jurisdictions start worrying about parking, utilities, etc. when homes are stuffed with too many people.

Now rental housing is often subject to occupancy rules. There is usually a maximum of 2 persons per bedroom.

Many communities impose these laws on homeowners as well. It just depends on the city/municipality.

[halcionne]

So the house they were living in when the specials started was loaned to them? Meaning they weren't paying rent? I swear, if I could pull it off I'd be seriously tempted to join up a fundie church and schmooze myself into all the freebies.

I remember that a big part of the moving in special was them moving out of that house and moving into the short-term rental---a bunch of friends/church people helped them do it. The showed old house being demolished....one of the little boys was crying, and a crew member asked Jinger how she felt about see the house torn down and that's when she said she was born there.

This must've been in one of the 14 kids specials, as I'm halfway through part 4 of 5 on 16 kids and they're gearing up to leave the rental house for the TTH. The house number on the rental house was 1715. The Johnson Road house was 2101 according to the police report (someone on FJ found a slightly different house number and before/after satellite pics of the church expansion--if you look up 2101 on google maps, there's still a slab there).

ETA I'm now watching "Raising 16 Children" and they're talking about the first house. They say they sold it to the church for expansion.

[Nic]

This must've been in one of the 14 kids specials, as I'm halfway through part 4 of 5 on 16 kids and they're gearing up to leave the rental house for the TTH. The house number on the rental house was 1715. The Johnson Road house was 2101 according to the police report (someone on FJ found a slightly different house number and before/after satellite pics of the church expansion--if you look up 2101 on google maps, there's still a slab there).

ETA I'm now watching "Raising 16 Children" and they're talking about the first house. They say they sold it to the church for expansion.

Every time I hear talk of their church it sounds so nebulous and a bit dodgy.

[withaj]

Does anyone know anything about Grandma Mary's childhood? Does she/did she have siblings? Parents' names? Where, specifically, she grew up? I know her maiden name is Lester, and I've been trying to do some research, but no luck so far. I haven't been able to find any parents' obituaries naming her. Can't locate her family through her in the 1940 census because she wasn't born yet.

[halcionne]

Every time I hear talk of their church it sounds so nebulous and a bit dodgy.

Their church certainly is nebulous and dodgy, but they sold their house to Cross Church, which is a megachurch by my standards. Head pastor Ronnie Floyd is president of the SBC, which is a big fucking deal. Cross church used to be called First Baptist Church of Springfield, but when they opened satellite campuses they changed the name. Floyd and the SBC are still pretty dodgy, imo, but not Duggar dodgy. :shock:

[withaj]

Behold Dixie Jean Keener (Lester), mama to Grandma Mary. Taken from the 1938 University of Arkansas Yearbook (!!!!!) during which she was apparently Second Battalion Adjutant for their women's military support organization.

[princessmahina]

Behold Dixie Jean Keener (Lester), mama to Grandma Mary. Taken from the 1938 University of Arkansas Yearbook (!!!!!) during which she was apparently Second Battalion Adjutant for their women's military support organization.

Color me impressed. I wonder how much the Duggar girls know about their apparently badass great grandmother.

[withaj]

Color me impressed. I wonder how much the Duggar girls know about their apparently badass great grandmother.

I know, right? Probably very little. She died in 1993 but did live in the Springdale area at the time, I believe. Her husband died in 1982. More to come on him as well!

[SassyPants]

Damn, when each generation of your family becomes less and less accomplished, mostly due to parental restrictions on education and the poor role modeling of work ethic, it's seriously time for self reflection.

[NoJulius]

:pink-shock: Wow!

What would she think about the Duggar way of life?

[ShadowyOne]

Behold Dixie Jean Keener (Lester), mama to Grandma Mary. Taken from the 1938 University of Arkansas Yearbook (!!!!!) during which she was apparently Second Battalion Adjutant for their women's military support organization.

I am very impressed with your Google-fu! Of course, I just realized that you may have used Ancestry or similar, but kudos nonetheless.

[Nic]

Their church certainly is nebulous and dodgy, but they sold their house to Cross Church, which is a megachurch by my standards. Head pastor Ronnie Floyd is president of the SBC, which is a big fucking deal. Cross church used to be called First Baptist Church of Springfield, but when they opened satellite campuses they changed the name. Floyd and the SBC are still pretty dodgy, imo, but not Duggar dodgy. :shock:

Thanks for that confirmation. I read the recent Variety article that discussed that the only time that Cross Church people have seen the Duggars attend a service was the weddings. So the Cross and Duggars are similar enough that they feel comfortable getting married there, but they are different enough that they attend difference services? Is it a belief/ practice difference or is that Duggars want more control or they can't attend anything regularly or on time? It can't be because there is no room up in that huge ass balcony mega building.

[halcionne]

Thanks for that confirmation. I read the recent Variety article that discussed that the only time that Cross Church people have seen the Duggars attend a service was the weddings. So the Cross and Duggars are similar enough that they feel comfortable getting married there, but they are different enough that they attend difference services? Is it a belief/ practice difference or is that Duggars want more control or they can't attend anything regularly or on time? It can't be because there is no room up in that huge ass balcony mega building.

I don't know offhand why the Duggars homechurch (homechurched? There was talk on social media a couple months or so ago that the homechurch closed). Their beliefs are certainly more conservative than the SBC, which is saying something. I feel like the homechurch was doing a family-integrated kind of thing, ie, no Sunday school for the kids. Homechurch probably accommodated Duggar time, too. :roll: In any case, I don't know what the Duggars are doing on Sunday mornings right now.

Derick and Jill do seem to be members at Cross Church, inasmuch as they attend regularly and had Iz dedicated there. I don't know how megachurches work, but I don't think smaller churches will dedicate any baby whose parents asked for it, so I doubt a megachurch would, either. :think: