Editing Lorena Lane McNeil (section)

== Marriage, Family, and Life in [[Lily Dale]] ==
:''See Also: [[Letters of Lorena McNeil (Early Years)]]''
By '''1916''', Lorena had relocated to [[Passaic, New Jersey]], where she was working as a [[teacher]]<sup>8</sup>. That summer, at age 29, she traveled back to western New York to marry [[William Francis McClure]] on '''July 19, 1916''' in [[Dunkirk, Chautauqua County]]<sup>8</sup>. While the couple would eventually live in [[Lily Dale]], William was not originally from there. He had previously been married and had a daughter, [[Thelma McClure]] (later [[Thelma Berry]])<sup>9</sup>. This marriage made Lorena a [[stepmother]], in addition to her later role as a mother.

By '''1920''', the McClures were living in [[Cleveland, Ohio]]<sup>10</sup>, where Lorena continued her teaching career. The household included her husband [[William McClure]], their young daughter [[Fannie McClure]], and Lorena’s mother [[Fannie R. McNeil]]<sup>10</sup>. Lorena was then 35 years old, and her employment as a teacher is noted in both the '''1920''' and '''1930 [[U.S. Censuses]]'''<sup>11</sup>, where she is recorded as working in [[public schools]] while raising Fannie. Their 1930 home was located on [[East 84th Street]] in Cleveland—a modest, urban residential neighborhood.

By the 1930s, the family had relocated to [[Lily Dale]]<sup>12</sup>, a small hamlet known for its [[spiritualist]] community. [[William McClure]] worked [[odd jobs]] and tended their [[garden]], while Lorena continued to emphasize [[education]] and discipline in her letters to [[Fannie]]. Their home at '''3 South Street''' became a familiar setting referenced in [[family correspondence]] for years to come.

As [[Fannie McClure]] grew up, married [[Charles Alfred Swift]], and had children of her own, Lorena’s role transitioned from [[mother]] to [[grandmother]]. Letters from this period show Lorena as warm, opinionated, deeply interested in [[family matters]], and sometimes critical—but always invested. She offered advice, asked questions about the [[grandchildren]], and voiced disappointment when letters or visits were infrequent<sup>13</sup>.