Who are Serena and jeffrey in the Waltons?

Answer 1

Serena and Jeffrey are the grandchildren of Olivia's cousin Rose. Rose comes to visit with the grandchildren in season 8 in the episode 'The Kinfolk' and asks to be allowed to 'stay on a while' because they are effectively homeless as Rose took the children away from their alcoholic father (her son) and hit the road with them. Teething problems occur when Jeffrey misbehaves in the Walton house but it is discovered that he had been abused by his father when John Walton lifts his shirt to see welt marks across his back. Rose and the children stay on and she effectively fills the maternal 'gap' left when Olivia (Micheal Learned) exits the show for a period of time. Jeffrey and Serena feature regularly in series 8 but suddenly vanish in series 9 - this is explained briefly in the episode 'The Outrage' where Rose implies that her son gave up the drink, remarried and asked for her to send the children back to him. Jeffrey and Serena do not reappear in any further episodes.