Old Stones Undeciphered

Those Places Thursday: Inside The Bean Cabin

2012-03-01T12:07:00.000-05:00

These photos were taken on May 27, 2011 inside the cabin once owned by Clotilda (Vincent) Bean, the paternal fourth great grandmother of my husband Mike. The cabin was built in 1798 by Clotilda's husband, John and is now located in the Historic Old Bardstown Village in Bardstown, Kentucky. I photographed the plaques on the wall which further explain the history of the Beans and the preservation of the cabin. Click on any photo to enlarge.

The outside of the Bean cabin can be seen at this link: Irish Ancestors: Clotilda, Daughter of Lord and Lady Vincent. Clotilda's tombstone, portrait, and the family lineage may be seen at the link in the first paragraph above.

Wordless Wednesday: 1970 HS Graduation Portrait

2012-02-29T17:16:00.000-05:00

Lisa J. Wallen - Spring 1970
King Sr. High School (Tampa, Florida) Graduation photo

Tombstone Tuesday: Samuel and Louisa Darling

2012-02-28T18:40:00.000-05:00

McCray Cemetery
Wilkinson, Hancock Co., Indiana

Samuel Claude Darling was the son of Samuel S. and Mariah (Luthultz) Darling and the nephew of my great grandmother, Mary Elizabeth (Darling) Runyan. He married Louisa May Sullivan on January 23, 1909 in Henry Co., Indiana. They had two children: Wilbur Harold and Isabella Jane. Louisa was the daughter of Andrew and Isabelle (Johnson) Sullivan and was responsible for writing the lengthy obituary of my great grandmother, Mary Elizabeth.

Military Monday: Charles Wallen-U. S. Navy WWII

2012-02-27T13:33:00.002-05:00

My dad's first cousin, Charles Homer Wallen, Jr., enlisted in the U. S. Navy on March 4, 1943 at the age of 16. He spent from August 1943 until September 1946 in the Pacific theater of war and retired from the U. S. Navy on July 1, 1966.

Charlie aboard the U.S.S. New Jersey anchored at Oslo, Norway July 1947.
U.S.S. Wisconsin in the background.

Charlie and "Tojo" the monkey mascot
Leyte Gulf, Philippine, Is. 1945

Charlie was our second generation family historian, following in the footsteps of his aunt Sula (Wallen) Splitek. He and I worked daily on our family history from January 1, 1998 until shortly before his death on October 4, 2009, almost a dozen years together. We shared some great times.

In The Beginning...... Year 3: Cousins and More

2012-02-23T17:17:00.001-05:00

Today begins my third year in documenting our family history through blogging. The year of 2012 has started out with a bang and there are days I have to struggle to keep up with the momentum. I find myself behind on projects, both genealogy and non-genealogy, and I have yet to fulfill my goals of 2011. But that's OK, most of them can wait.

Blogging, social networks, and volunteerism on FindAGrave.com have certainly been a plus for running into cousins lately; cousins from both sides of my family who are thrilled to swap information and photos back and forth.

One new paternal cousin, *Ginny, upon finding my blog, immediately sent me an e-mail with a photo attached. The second I saw it, I knew I already had a photo with some of the same people in it. I dug mine out. It was a photo from my paternal grandmother's collection that was unidentified. We knew it was of family but...who?

My photo, previously unidentified.

Well, Ginny's photo was completely identified on the back. Her's was a photo of my paternal great grandfather, Andrew Melvin Townsend, son of Lewis and Mary Ann (Patterson) Townsend, and all his living siblings. You can tell by the clothing and background that it was taken on the same day as mine, and you can tell from a camera glitch near the bottom center, that it was taken from the same camera.

Back row L to R: Emma Jane, Lewis Oscar, Olive M., Andrew Melvin, Margaret Ellen; Front row L to R: Mary C., Theodore E., Sarah Elizabeth "Sadie"

My photo at the top has the three brothers and sister Sadie with unidentified women in the background. Those women are likely daughters or wives. Since I had no other photos of Andrew, I had no idea that the photo I already had was of Andrew and his brothers and one of his sisters. Now, I know! God bless cousin Ginny and God bless me!

Yes, my third year of blogging is starting out with lots of that mysterious stuff they call "serendipity". It could just be the power of the Internet. Or it could be something more....

*Ginny is the granddaughter of Lewis Oscar Townsend.

Wordless Wednesday: Wallen Siblings - Early 1940s

2012-02-15T16:02:00.000-05:00

Four of My Paternal Grand Aunts and Uncles

L to R: Homer, Myrtle, Sula, Hobert

Homer and Hobart are twins; Myrtle is actually a Livesay and half sibling, the youngest and the only one still living of my great grandmother's children. Myrtle will be 92 in October of this year. Sula was the first genealogist in our family. My grandfather Bill, and Sula's twin Tom, and their half brother Ross Livesay are missing from this group.

*Original photo comes from the collection of my paternal grandmother, Illinois Townsend Wallen, now owned and shared by my cousin Sharon Gerth.

Oliver's Diary: The Schools 1870 - 1905

2012-02-09T14:20:00.000-05:00

This week I received an e-mail from a fellow Rockcastle Co., Kentucky researcher who had started corresponding with me last year when he found this blog. His ancestors were from the same area of the county as mine and he still lives in the area today. He and I are familiar with many of the same family groups that lived in the same community. We have exchanged information, documents and photos.

(photo just for illustration)

In this latest e-mail he said he knew my paternal great grandfather, Oliver M. Wallen, was a teacher and he wanted to know if Oliver had ever taught at the "Rocksprings" school, which is still standing today. I was pretty sure the answer was "no" and, since I was busy, it would have been easy just to tell him so and be done with it. I knew that many of the names Oliver used for these schools were probably names of the current teacher at the time, or the name of the teacher that first taught there. However, it was an honest question and deserved a little more than a quick dismissal, so I decided to run a search for the term "school" in the transcription of the diary on my computer. I was surprised with what I found. Again I learn to "never say never".

(photo just for illustration)

First of all "school" is probably one of the most common words throughout Oliver's diary. There were "Select" schools, "Common" schools, "Subscription" schools, and of course "Public" schools. I finally had a list of 17 to 19 different schools to send off to this researcher, not that it was any help to him, but it was certainly worth it to me to save the list in case I ever needed to refer to it. Some of these were schools that Oliver attended as a boy, others are where he taught. I have included the teachers where named, and some of the general locations.

These are the schools mentioned, from the years 1870 through 1905, in Oliver's diary:

1) The Public school at Maretsburg (teachers Harvy Vanhook, M. B. Debord, Miss Ada Hunt)

2) Silas Martin's Select school (Maretsburg)

3) Miss Lucy Martin's Select school

4) The Old Tyree school (teachers William Bloomer, Jo Vanhook, T. J. Cress, W. A .B. Davis)

5) Unnamed Public school (teachers Mr. J C. Watson, Mr. S. D. Lewis, Miss Lucile Joplin, Miss Alice Lewis) (May be the same as #1)

6) The Mount Vernon (Public) school (teachers: Mrs. Rosalind Nesbitt, Miss Ella Joplin)

7) The Kirby school, "near Blue Springs on the Dry Fork of Skaggs Creek".

8) J. N. Brown's Normal school at Level Green (Jasper Newton Brown)

9) The school at Sand Hill

10) Sayer's school house

11) The Copper Creek school

12) The Caloway school (Caloway District)

13) The Estes school house (Pulaski Co.)

14) The Thompson school house

15) Mat Colson's school

16) Miss Ida May Adam's school

17) The Brown school house (may be the same as #8)

18) Milton Wheeldon's school

19) The Norton school house

After I made this list, I went back to recheck words in and around the word "school", and that's when I found it, just what my researcher friend was looking for: "the trustees in Rock Spring Dist (No. 71) gave me their school." This was the school year starting in the fall of 1894. I had missed it during the first search.

So, we have another school, making it 18 to 20 schools mentioned in Oliver's diary.

20) Rock Springs school

And no, the photos are not of Rockcastle county schools. They are photos from the time period that are no longer under copyright and are just for illustration....because I like illustrations!

Sunday's Obituary: Viola (Hayes) Parsons

2012-02-05T14:42:00.001-05:00

Mrs. L. D. Parsons, 50, Former Women's Dean At ETSTC, Succumbs

COMMERCE, Texas, Sept. 22---Mrs. L. D. Parsons, 50, of this city died in a Dallas hospital Monday. Funeral services will be held on Wednesday at the First Methodist Church here with the Rev. T. L. Huffstutler, Electra, and the Rev. Joseph M. Connally, Commerce, officiating.

Mrs. Parsons was the wife of L. D. Parsons, who last week became head of the chemistry department of East Texas Teachers College, where he has taught since 1929.

Mrs. Parsons at one time taught at ETSTC and was dean of women for several years. She was a charter member of the Woman's Missionary Society of the Methodist Church here and has served as president of the society several terms. She also was a member of the Psychology Club.

Besides her husband, survivors are two daughters, Mrs. T. L. Huffstutler Jr., Winston-Salem, N.C., and Miss Zinita Parsons, teacher at Mineola; one son, Binnion Parsons of Commerce; two half brothers, Arthur Hays and Walker Hays; and one half sister, Mrs. Bess Whittaker, all of Indianapolis, Ind., and one grandchild.

Viola was the niece of my paternal great grandfather, Oliver Morton Wallen. She was the daughter of his sister Mary J. (Wallen) Hayes. She had a sister Ora, who I believe to have been her twin, that died at about 3 and 1/2 years of age. When Viola's mother died just two years after her sister's death, Viola or "Ola" as she was called then, went to live with her mother's family. Viola made the trek from Kentucky to Texas with her uncle Oliver and his family, her uncle Jesse Wallen, and her great grandmother, Louisa (Tyree) Wallen. Louisa and Viola lived part of the time with another of Viola's uncles, Daniel Thomas Wallen near Gainesville, Texas where Viola started teaching school.

I know that Viola's children, Reba Maurine (Mickey) Huffstutler, Zinita Viola Fowler, and Binnion Deloss Parsons have all passed away in recent years, but I would love to hear from any of their families.

Wednesday's Child: Joseph W. Townsend 1877-79

2012-02-01T09:24:00.000-05:00

Tombstone of Joseph W. Townsend,
son of Uriah W.* and Mary Ann (Cameron) Townsend
Yolton Cemetery, Fayette Co., Illinois

Inscription on stone:

JOSEPH W.

Son of

URIAH W. & M. A.

TOWNSEND

Died

Aug. 3, 1879

Aged 1 Y. 11

M. 12 D.

Take this little lamb said He

And lay him on my breast

Protection it shall find in me

And be forever blest.

*Uriah W. was the brother of my paternal great, great grandfather Lewis; both sons of Joseph L. and Christianna (Wheaton) Townsend.

Tombstone Tuesday: Robert Patterson 1802-1873

2012-01-31T09:59:00.000-05:00

ROBERT PATTERSON

Died May 11, 1873

Aged 70 y. 7 m. 1 d.

Go home dear friends

And dry your tears,

I will arise

when Christ appears.

My paternal 3rd great grandfather, husband of Mary Root
buried Old Liberty Cemetery, Fayette Co., Illinois
photos taken by me on May 31, 2011

Close up of Robert Patterson Tombstone

Old Liberty Cemetery, Fayette Co., Illinois

Sunday's Obituary: Mary E. (Breckenridge) Newby

2012-01-29T10:59:00.000-05:00

Obit: National Road Traveler - February 25, 1950

Mrs. L. P. Newby

Mrs. L. P. Newby obit
National Road Traveler
25 Feb 1950

Mrs. Mary Elizabeth Newby, 92, widow of L. P. Newby of Knightstown, died early Friday in Anderson where she had made her home for the past four months. Mrs. Newby was a native of Henry County and had resided in Knightstown all her life.

Her husband was a prominent attorney and a world traveler of note and was prominent in Masonic circles, having served as grand commander of the United States of the Knights Templar. Mr. Newby made several trips to the Holy Land.

Surviving are a son, Floyd Newby, Knightstown attorney; two grandchildren, Lewis P. Newby of California, and Mrs. Elizabeth Williams of Anderson; four great grandchildren and two sisters, Mrs. Julius Thornton of the Masonic Home in Franklin and Mrs. Grace Albertson of Columbus. A daughter, Mrs. Floss Cooper, preceded her in death.

Services were conducted Monday with burial in Glencove cemetery, Knightstown.

Mary Elizabeth Breckenridge was the daughter of Robert B. and Julia Ann (Swain) Breckenridge and the wife of my maternal great, great granduncle, Leonidas Perry Newby.

Walter M. Runyan - He Wasn't Born on Wednesday

2012-01-25T12:12:00.001-05:00

Walter M. Runyan - age 3

Wednesday's child is full of woe.

Last week I posted a photo of the family of Jesse C. and Lena (Hudelson) Runyan but there was one child missing from that group, their first born, their only son Walter. Walter was born May 5, 1912 and while he was still living with his family in 1920, by 1930 he was institutionalized as an epileptic. What a heartbreak for his parents.

Before the turn of the century, epileptics were seen as a menace to society and were segregated from the rest of the population in asylums for the insane and later in institutions like the "Epileptic Village" of Newcastle, Indiana. By the 1950s there were medical advancements in the treatment of the disease and segregation ended.

In the 1930 census there were over 425 males listed in Epileptic Village, along with my mother's paternal first cousin Walter. It is interesting to note that the various sections of the village were called by numbered "colonies", a term also used for leper populations. The photo below is cropped from a damaged postcard and shows colony 2 of Epileptic Village.

Colony No. 2 - Epileptic Village, New Castle, Indiana

Walter died on Wednesday, October 15, 1958.

Military Monday: Lawrence E. Runyan Orders of Induction - 1918

2012-01-23T15:10:00.000-05:00

Order of Induction into Military Service of the United States

"From and after the day and hour just named you will be a soldier in the military service of the United States."

Letter of induction for Lawrence E. Runyan, my maternal grandfather
World War I - Camp Custer, Michigan

Original letter in my possession

To see a photo of all the inductees or draftees that appeared at the Newcastle, Indiana courthouse on this day, click on this link:

World War I Draftees - New Castle, Indiana Courthouse - 1918

To see a photo of my grandfather in his WWI uniform, click below:

Memorial Day Weekend Tribute

Sunday's Obituary: Leonidas Perry Newby 1945

2012-01-22T14:59:00.001-05:00

LEONIDAS PERRY NEWBY DIES: PROMINENT IN MANY FIELDS

Leonidas Perry Newby, aged 90, prominent citizen of this city, for years identified with the legal profession of the county and throughout the Middle West and active in its commercial life until his retirement 25 years ago, passed away in Indianapolis Thursday, Oct. 25, after an illness of many months. He was known internationally in the fraternal world as former Grand Master of the Knights Templar of the United States.

He was active in local banking circles, organizing the Citizens National bank of this city in 1888 and served as its president until he retired in recent years. In political faith he was a Republican, and served by appointment first, then election, as prosecutor, of the 18th judicial circuit, composed of Hancock and Henry counties. In 1892 he was elected to the Indiana Senate, and re-elected in 1896, serving with distinction.

Known throughout his life time as Perry Newby to a host of friends, the deceased was the son of Mr. and Mrs. Jacob Newby whose family migrated from North Carolina to Henry county in 1837. Perry was born April 9, 1855, near Lewisville, Ind. In 1872, his family moved to Knightstown. In his youth and throughout his life time his first ambition seems to have been for knowledge. As a small boy he performed janitor's duties in the Greensboro schools, and assisted a neighboring blacksmith, in order that he might attend school, and also assist his father's family of six children, of which he was the youngest boy.

At the age of 16 young Newby entered the Knightstown schools, and taught school during his high school years to earn expenses, attending school alternately. He was the first student to graduate from Knightstown high school, graduating with honors. He attended Asbury college for some months which is now DePauw university. He studied law in the firm of Butler and Swaim, later with J. Lee Furgason, in this city. He was admitted to the Henry bar in 1872, and after a brief partnership with Walter B. Swaim, in this city, he established his own legal offices. For a brief period he was part owner of a newspaper known as "The Knightstown Shield," but he sold his interest, continuing his active legal practice, and other commercial interests in this city and county. For 50 years he was local attorney for the Pennsylvania railroad.

In September, 1877, he was united in marriage with Mary Elizabeth Breckenridge. Both Mr. and Mrs. Newby were active in the Methodist church throughout his lifetime. He is survived by his widow, and two children, Mrs. Florence N. Cooper, and Mr. Floyd Newby, of this city; also by two grandchildren and four great grandchildren.

Funeral services were held at the Carlyle Butcher Funeral home in this city, Sunday afternoon, with the Grand Commandery, Knights Templar in charge, with commanderies of adjoining cities, assisting. Burial took place at Glen Cove cemetery.

Leonidas Perry Newby was made a Master Mason in Golden Rule lodge No. 16, F. and A. M., of Knightstown, in 1882, starting a career of personal fraternal service and honors in Masonic bodies through the Chapter, Council and Commandery of the York Rite, in which he in turn held all presiding offices which culminated in his election as Grand Master of the Grand Commandery of the United States, Knights Templar, in 1922, and in which capacity he served through 1925. During these years he traveled extensively visiting all provinces within his jurisdiction, the United States, Alaska, Mexico, Puerto Rico, the Canal Zone, the Philippines, Hawaii, and Canadian provinces. In addition he toured all the North African states, western Asia and South America. He toured Europe many times.

Mr. Newby received the honorary 33rd degree of Italy, in 1926, and the Legion of Honor of France and commission as a life officer therein, on March 30, 1926, from the President of France. He was made a commssioner to visit Europe to select the uses to which a $500,000 fund contributed by Knights Templar for European relief during World War No. 1 were to be put. On this trip he traveled with French and Belgian military escort and was at Metz when the armistice was signed.

For many years he helped support the International Monte Mario Methidist college at Rome, and served as chairman of its board of trustees.

A second, small death notice...

National Road Traveler - November 1, 1945

Obituary of L. P. Newby
National Road Traveler
November 1, 1945

L. P. Newby

Leonidas Perry Newby, age 90, widely known Knightstown citizen and internationally known in the Masonic world as a former grand master of the Knights Templar of the United States, died Thursday in a nursing home in Marion county following a long illness.

Leonidas was my maternal great, great granduncle, son of Jacob and Levina (Leonard) Newby. An equally lengthy biography written about him and published in 1906 may be seen here: Amanuensis Monday: Biography of L. P. Newby

For The Record Friday: Me and the Muzzleloader

2012-01-20T10:11:00.000-05:00

Firing the muzzleloader

OK..here it is, just for the record. This photo of me discharging a muzzleloader rifle, was taken on Thanksgiving Day 2011 at the home of my son Michael and daughter-in-law April, on the back of their property.

There was a lot of target practice going on that day, with various firearms and a fairly large group of family and friends waiting their turn to shoot. I love shooting but, because of the crowd, I decided to opt out and I went over to chat with my sister-in-law Rose.

Finally, when the muzzleloader (owned by April's father) was being fired, my son came to me and said "Mom, you have to shoot this, you know..." I don't think he finished the sentence, but I knew what he meant. He knew I took great pride and interest in my 18th century longhunter ancestors. (Read more here: Treasure Chest Thursday: Sons of a Trackless Forest)

In that moment, I knew very well that Michael was right, and I quickly chose not to pass up this opportunity to connect in this small way to those frontier kin, even if only in my own imagination.

And it was dang cool!

Thanks son!

Wordless Wednesday: Family of Jesse C. Runyan

2012-01-18T00:04:00.000-05:00

Back Row L to R: daughters: Viola, Thelma, Marguerite
Front Row L to R:
Father Jesse (my maternal granduncle), daughter Pearl, Mother Lena (cir. 1934)

Tombstone Tuesday: Clinton Allen and Pansy K. (Newby) Stevens

2012-01-17T13:44:00.001-05:00

Pansy K. Newby b. 2 Jun 1889 - d. 7 May 1953
daughter of Strother and Flora (Lindamood) Newby
(raised from infancy by Truman and Mary (Lindamood) Goldsberry)
Clinton A. Stevens b. 18 Mar 1886 - d. 27 Jul 1946
son of Jasper and Josephine (Burns) Stevens

Oak Ridge Cemetery, Springfield, IL
photo used with permission from FindAGrave.com volunteer BJJ

Sunday's Obituary: Pansy K. (Newby) Stevens

2012-01-15T08:48:00.001-05:00

My maternal great, great granduncle, Strother E. Newby and his first wife Flora A. (Lindamood) Newby may have divorced prior to, or shortly after their daughter Pansy was born. They were married in August of 1888 and Pansy was born in June of 1889. For reasons unknown, neither parent took responsibility of raising her and Pansy became an orphan. It was a blessing in disguise however, because Pansy's maternal aunt, Mary J. (Lindamood) Goldsberry and her husband Truman, their own children having died young, took Pansy in and raised her as their own and gave her a good education. I had already pieced many of the main events of Pansy's life together before coming across her obituary which confirmed what I already knew.

Obit: National Road Traveler - March 12, 1953

PANSY NEWBY STEVENS

National Road Traveler
March 12, 1953

LEWISVILLE - Mrs. Pansy Newby Stevens, a former resident of Lewisville, died March 4 at Springfield, Ill., where she had made her home since her marriage in 1918 to C. A. Stevens.

Left an orphan in infancy, Mrs. Stevens was reared in Lewisville in the home of her aunt and uncle, Mr. and Mrs. Truman Goldsberry. She was a graduate of the Spiceland Academy and Indiana University and later taught at Mt. Comfort and Springfield. At the time of her death she was art director in the Springfield State library. Her husband and an infant daughter, Mrs. Thomas Nelson of Springfield, a son, Chester Stevens of Evanston, Ill., and three grandchildren.

Funeral services and interment were at Springfield.

I think, in the second paragraph, some words got omitted and it should have read: Her husband and an infant daughter preceded her in death and she is survived by a daughter, Mrs. Thomas Nelson of Springfield, a son...., etc.". Pansy was also married in 1919, not 1918 and her actual date of death was March 7, 1953, not March 4.

You can read more about Pansy here from a previous post: Pansy: Daughter of Strother and Flora A. (Lindamood) Newby

Asylum Patient Saw Platt Kill Tyree 1885

2012-01-13T09:40:00.000-05:00

According to other newspaper articles, there was a close eyewitness to this 1885 murder. Yesterday I found it: another newspaper article about the murder of Jesse Tyree, my paternal 3rd great grandmother's brother, and it named the witness and told his story. Anyone who is, or knows an epileptic, knows they are not deranged in any way. Like the victim, this witness was an epileptic and considered a "lunatic", therefore his testimony could not be used in court. I have now accumulated over 30 newspaper articles concerning the murder of this man, Jesse Tyree, who was once a teacher and somehow ended up in the Eastern Kentucky Asylum for the Insane in Lexington, Kentucky.

Morning Herald: March 23, 1897

Morning Herald
March 23, 1897

AN ASYLUM PATIENT

WHO CLAIMS HE SAW PLATT KILL TYREE, DANGERIOUSLY ILL.

Jason Reed, a patient at the asylum, who claims that he was present when Arthur Platt killed Jesse Tyree, is very ill and may die. He was sent to the asylum twenty-five years ago suffering from epilepsy.

In his testimony before the Coroner's jury, Reed said that he knew Tyree and slept in the same room with him. He said he saw the shooting; that he was standing only a few feet from the victim when the shot was fired; that he saw Platt and Tyree coming from the dining room into the day room, Platt pushing Tyree and finally shoving him into a seat, that he heard Tyree beg for mercy, hear Platt say: "I'll kill you now," pull the pistol and fire; saw Tyree fall to the floor to his face, hear Mike McGlade tell Platt he was going to report the killing; saw Platt pack up his valise and leave hurriedly. His mental affliction will debar him from appearing in the witness stand against Platt.

You can read my original post on this intriguing story by clicking on this link: Jesse Tyree: Murder of a "Lunatic"

While Senator Newby Snored...

2012-01-12T10:00:00.000-05:00

One simply cannot become an attorney, a state senator, and a bank president (just to name a few of his myriad accomplishments), without being just a little more clever than a thief.

Article from the Indiana State Journal - March 23, 1898

SENATOR NEWBY SNORED

Indiana State Journal 23 Mar 1898

WHILE ROBBERS LOOTED THE HOUSE AND GOT A SQUARE MEAL

KNIGHTSTOWN, Ind., March 21. - Saturday night thieves entered Senator L. P. Newby's residence and thoroughly ransacked the back part of the house, and Sunday morning the kitchen and pantry were completely looted. Miss Floss Newby, the senator's daughter, had just arrived home from Greencastle and when she retired for the night her pocketbook containing $5 was left on the kitchen table. This was about all the valuables secured by the thieves. The intruders evidently expected big plunder. The senator had been to Indianapolis that day and he brought home with him on the evening train $4,200, $1,700 of which was in coin, the rest being in paper. The timelock at the state bank had been left open after closing hours for the reception of the money, and when the senator left the train he went straight to the bank and deposited the cash in the vaults. The robbers must have been in the house as much as an hour. They lighted a lantern and went about the rooms as if they were at home, sat at the kitchen table and ate oranges and threw the peelings upon the floor. Then they thoroughly examined several garments in a wardrobe and threw the clothing on the floor. They had a real good time while the Newby family was asleep. It is thought to have been the work of local talent.

Leonidas Perry Newby was the brother of my maternal great, great grandfather, John A. Newby. Click on the link below to read more about Senator Newby:

Amanuensis Monday: Biography of L. P. Newby

Wordless Wednesday: Bertha M. Newby

2012-01-11T07:38:00.000-05:00

Daughter of John Alby and Mary Louisa (Grunden) Newby, circa 1896.
First wife of Otto E. Armstrong. Died in childbirth with first child.

Tombstone Tuesday: Family of Leonidas P. Newby

2012-01-10T13:39:00.000-05:00

Leonidas Perry Newby was the son of Jacob N. and Levina (Leonard) Newby and the brother of my maternal great, great grandfather, John A. Newby. He married Mary Elizabeth Breckenridge in 1876 and they had two children: Florence "Floss" Newby who married (and divorced) Marsh P. Cooper, and Floyd J. Newby who married Mary H. Lewis. Floyd was attorney for the sale of the farmhouse owned by my maternal great grandparents, Charles Lee and Ida May (Trowbridge) Newby, in Spiceland Township, Henry Co., Indiana. and also the attorney signing the will of Millie (Trowbridge) McMullen, Ida May Newby's sister. I have in my possession a copy of the complete title abstract for the farmhouse from the earliest date to the 1970s, and an original copy of Millie's will.

All five Newbys below are buried in Glen Cove Cemetery, Knightstown, Henry Co., Indiana
(These photos were all taken by me in 1998)

Leonidas Perry Newby b. 9 Apr 1855 - d. 25 Oct 1945

Mary Elizabeth (Breckenridge) Newby b. 1857 - d. 17 Feb 1950

Florence "Floss" (Newby) Cooper b. 3 May 1877 - d. 17 Nov 1948

Floyd J. Newby b. 9 Jan 1879 - d. 14 Jan 1962

Mary H. (Lewis) Newby b. 26 Aug 1882 - d. 1 Jan 1978

Amanuensis Monday: Biography of L. P. Newby

2012-01-09T14:33:00.000-05:00

Leonidas P. Newby was the brother of my maternal great, great grandfather, John A. Newby.

This biographical sketch was transcribed from my personal copy of Hazzard's History of Henry County Indiana 1822-1906 Military Edition Volume 2 - George Hazzard, New Castle, Indiana 1906. [pgs. 1193 - 1196]. This sketch may also be found online at Archive.com here: Biographical Sketch of Leonidas Perry Newby

BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCH OF LEONIDAS PERRY NEWBY

LAWYER, POLITICIAN, PUBLIC OFFICIAL AND SUCCESSFUL BUSINESS MAN AND FINANCIER

The Newby family, of which Leonidas Perry Newby is a member, came to Indiana from North Carolina early in the nineteenth century. The early settlements of the ancestral branch of the family in North Carolina were in the counties bordering upon Albemarle Sound, such as Perquimans, Paspitank and Chowan. They were members of the Society of Friends, and certain Friends of the name in those counties are known to have been the owners of large tracts of land and many slaves, whom they treated with kindness and leniency. But when the Society of Friends or Quakers arrived at the conclusion that slavery was sinful and the holding of slaves an offense against the law of God, and late in the eighteenth century the yearly meetings determined that all Friends must liberate their slaves, they obeyed the behest and in carrying it out impoverished themselves, so that the family became widely scattered over the State. Early in the following century many families of the Newby relationship, which was and is a large one, sought the new country north of the Ohio River, and taking up the new lands in Ohio and Indiana, became sturdy pioneers of the two sister States.

The immediate family to which Mr. Newby belongs located in Henry County, Indiana, coming here from Randolph County, North Carolina, in 1837. Mr. Newby's father first engaged in the business of merchant tailoring at Greensboro. In those days the country merchants all sold goods upon long credits, and in fact could sell them in no other way. The system broke up most of the earlier merchants. Mr. Newby's father, whose name was Jacob Newby, and who was a most worthy man, being no exception to the rule. The head of the family, after the loss of his property, went back for a time to the cultivation of the soil for a livelihood, and the subject of this sketch was born upon a farm near Lewisville, Indiana, on April 9, 1855. Mr. Newby's mother was before her marriage Lavina Leonard, and both she and her husband were enthusiastic Methodists of the old-time, earnest and devoted kind, notwithstanding the fact that Jacob Newby's ancestors had been primitive Quakers.

Although Mr. Newby's father and mother were exemplary and industrious people, his father was never a robust man, and though he toiled often beyond his strength, both when farming or when working at his trade, he could accumulate but little, and found that it required all the strength he could muster to support his six children and keep the wolf from the door. Hence it was that Leonidas Perry, who was the youngest of the sons, was thrown upon his own resources early in life, a fact which largely accounts for his business success.

His first ambition seems to have been for knowledge---the attainment of a practical education---hence we find him as a small boy performing the duties of janitor for the Greensboro school to gain the means to supply himself with clothing and books and help the family along, while he was at the same time pursuing his studies in the school and keeping up with, and at times, leading his classes. During the summer months young Newby worked for the neighboring farmers and saved his earnings to aid him in his winter campaigns for knowledge. This course was persevered in until he arrived at the age of sixteen, when the family removed to Knightstown, Indiana, where he entered the high school. The Knightstown school was then under the very efficient superintendency of the late Professor Hewitt, with John I. Morrison as the leading member of the board of trustees, and was one of the foremost town schools in eastern Indiana.

Before he had reached the age of seventeen, Mr. Newby began to teach in the public schools of the neighborhood, thus gaining the means to enable him to pursue his studies in the high school, teaching and attending school alternately. While thus engaged he also began to read law, giving to it whatever time he could spare from his studies in the school or duties in the school room. He graduated from the Knightstown High School with honor in 1875, being its first graduate; but he continued certain lines of study with Professor Hewitt after his graduation and also continued his study of the law, and to keep up his expenses taught for three hours every day in the high school.

The time that was left to him for his legal studies was spent first in the law office of Butler and Swaim, of Knightstown, and later in the office of J. Lee Furgason, of the same place. He was admitted to the practise by the Henry Circuit Court in 1878 and in the same year formed a partnership with the late Walter B. Swaim and opened an office in Knightstown. This partnership with Swaim was terminated at the end of the first year, when Mr. Newby established an office of his own and has continued the practise single-handed ever since.

"The Bench and Bar of Indiana," a valuable and entertaining volume of more than eight hundred pages devoted to the biographies of eminent Indiana lawyers, edited by Charles W. Taylor and published at Indianapolis in 1895, says of Leonidas P. Newby:

"In 1880 he was elected prosecuting attorney of the eighteenth judicial circuit, composed of the counties of Henry and Hancock. His office, however, did not begin until nearly two years had elapsed after his election; but within three months after that event the prosecuting attorney then in office resigned, and Governor Porter appointed Mr. Newby to the vacancy, thus enabling him to hold the office nearly four years. One of his first cases on opening an office was the famous Foxwell murder case at Rushville, Indiana, in which he appeared for the defendant. The ability shown by the young attorney in this case received much favorable comment and so placed him on his feet as to give him a good start. In 1886, he was the leading counsel in the celebrated Anderson murder case at Williamstown, Kentucky, and received the credit of making one of the most able speeches ever made at the bar, in closing the argument for the defense. In the prosecution of this cause appeared Hon. M. D. Gray, the county attorney and now the commonwealth attorney for the judicial district; Captain Dejarnette, then commonwealth attorney and now considered one of the most brilliant lawyers in Kentucky; Col. J. J. Landerman, a noted politician and lawyer of Warsaw, of that State, and Hon. W. P. Harden, of Lexington, then the attorney general of that State, and now (1895) a candidate for governor. With Mr. Newby was associated Hon. O. D. McManama, afterwards judge of the criminal court of Frankfort, Kentucky; Hon. L. C. Norman, of Frankfort, now Auditor of State; Capt. John Combs, of Williamstown, Kentucky, and Hon. W. W. Dickerson, since a member of Congress and now a candidate for re-election. In the preliminary trial Hon. W. P. C. Breckinridge appeared for the defendant, but was unable to appear at the trial. "Mr. Newby has been employed in trial cases in all the Middle States as well as in some of the Southern, Western and Eastern ones and has held the greatest part of the practise in the southern part of Henry and the northern part of Rush County."

Since "The Bench and Bar" from which the foregoing is taken was published, Mr. Newby has succeeded the late Judge Joshua H. Mellett, of New Castle, as the Henry County attorney of the Pennsylvania Railroad Company and in conjunction with John L. Rupe, of Richmond, has charge of its extensive and lucrative legal business in Eastern Indiana, which added to his already large practise makes his income from his profession one of the best of those enjoyed by Eastern Indiana lawyers.

The Masonic Advocate, in an article in its issue for May, 1901, speaking of Mr. Newby's legal attainments and successes, said: "Brother Newby has single-handed built up a large and lucrative practise, not only in his home court, but throughout Eastern Indiana, where he stands as the peer of the ablest in his profession." The same journal in addition to the foregoing says: "He has never aspired to the bench but is, however, a favorite when acting as special judge and has frequently been called to the neighboring counties of late years, to hold special terms of court and try causes on change of venue, having sat as the trial judge in many important cases."

Mr. Newby has been a Republican in politics all his life and is always active in the support of his party and its candidates. He has often been a member of the Republican County Committee and, during two or more presidential campaigns, a member of the executive committee chosen by the Republican State Committee to act in conjunction with its chairman in the immediate direction of the work of the campaign.

Mr. Newby was nominated and elected to succeed the late General William Grose in the State Senate in 1892 and re-elected in 1896. His activities and services in that body were such that he soon took rank among the able leaders of the Republican party in the Senate and was for six years the president pro tempore of the Senate. He was also chairman of the judiciary committee for six years. He has been twice a candidate for the nomination by his party for lieutenant governor, but owing to the conflicting interests of candidates for the other State offices he was defeated in convention both times by very narrow margins. He is a hustler, a good mixer and possessed of a rare geniality which with his recuperative powers of mind and spirit enable him to come out of such political contests without having suffered loss of temper and with no sore spots to nurse and no political graveyard to fill. Hence he is a hard man to keep down and, as he is yet young and in fine health and full of mental vigor, he is likely to be heard from in the future.

Mr. Newby has been thus far in life very successful in business, having accumulated a snug fortune. He is the owner of a fine home in Knightstown and quite a number of rental properties as well as some valuable business blocks. He has also some good farms in the neighborhood of his home town in which he takes much pride and greatly enjoys the time which he can give to their oversight. He owns stock in and is president of The Citizens' State Bank of Knightstown and also of The Natural Gas Company, The Electric Light and other business organizations of the town. He is a stockholder, director and vice-president in and of The Columbia National Bank of Indianapolis; a stockholder in The American National Bank of the same city, and one of the largest stockholders in The Security Trust Company of Indianapolis and president of the New Castle Central Trust and Savings Company, and has many other important business interests in various parts of the State. He is also president of the board of trustees of the southern State prison or reformatory for young men and boys, which has rendered such signal service to the State in carrying out reforms in the prison management and making improvements to the buildings and grounds at a saving in money and to the betterment of the inmates as well as to the advantage of the people of the State.

Mr. Newby was united in marriage with Mary Elizabeth, daughter of Robert B. and Julia A. Breckinridge, of Knightstown, Indiana, September 20, 1877. Mrs. Newby's family is a good one noted for the integrity and energy of its members, her father, the late Robert B. Breckinridge, having been for many years a prominent business man of Knightstown. She is a lady of many accomplishments and graces and skilled in the arts of home-making and in dispensing the genuine courtesies of social life. The married and home life of Mr. And Mrs. Newby have been very happy, surrounded by comports and refinements and cheered by a large circle of friends. They are the parents of two children, an accomplished daughter, and a son, who is a member of his father's profession, of whom more will be said further on.

Mr. Newby is a member of several benevolent orders and other social and business societies; but the one society of his choice, in which he has taken most interest and to which he has devoted most time and talent, is the time-tried order of Free and Accepted Masons. He was made a Master Mason in Golden Rule Lodge, Number 16, Knightstown, having been initiated April 12, 1882, passed May 17, and raised June 7, of the same year. The Masonic Advocate traces his advances in and services to Masonry as follows:

"He was made a Royal Arch Mason in Knightstown Chapter, Number 33, receiving the preceding degrees during the months of August, September and October, and the Royal Arch, November 6, 1882. He was High Priest during 1898. He received the degrees of Royal and Select Master in Cryptic Council, Number 29, Knightstown, November 12, 1883. He was created a Knight Templar in Knightstown Commandery, Number 9, January 30, 1883, and worked his way up to Eminent Commander, which position he held during the years 1889 and 1890.

"In the Grand Commandery he started as Grand Sword Bearer in 1895 and by regular advancement became R. E. Grand Commander of Indiana at the recent Annual Conclave, and enjoyed the honor of representing the Grand Commandery in the Grand Encampment of the United States at the tri-centennial conclave at Louisville, Kentucky, in August, 1901.

"He received the grades of the A. A. Scottish Rite, including the Thirty Second Degree, at the annual convocation in 'The Valley of Indianapolis' in March, 1892, and became a 'Shriner' in Murat Temple, March 25, 1892.

"As secretary of the triennial committee of The Grand Commandery, Sir Knight Newby has rendered excellent service in providing quarters for the grand and subordinate commanderies of Indiana at the triennial conclave at Denver, Boston, Pittsburg, Louisville and San Francisco, whereby Indiana has always made a favorable showing with other grand jurisdictions and at a reasonable expense. As a member of the board of trustees of his home lodge and chapter at Knightstown, brother Newby took an active part in the erection of their fine Masonic Temple, which was destroyed by fire October 18, 1899, and also in the erection of the fine and massive new structure which now occupies the place of the old one and is such an adornment to the beautiful little city of Knightstown. As a Mason and as a citizen, in all the walks of life, he stands ready in a public-spirited way to do his full share in promoting the general god. Long may he live in his sphere of usefulness."

Such is the estimate of Mr. Newby as a Mason and a man, made by one who stands high in the "ancient and honorable" order. In addition it may be stated that Mr. Newby is now and has been for the past seven years Inspector General of The Knights Templar of Indiana, and is a life member of the Committee of Jurisprudence of the Knights Templar of the United States.

Mr. And Mrs. Newby have both traveled extensively in their own country and are familiar with many parts of the United States, and Mr. Newby himself has visited Cuba and other islands of the West India group, also Mexico and Central America, and gained much valuable information, and during the Summer of 1905 made a delightful trip to England and Continental Europe in company with Smiley N. Chambers, of Indianapolis, and others, from which he gleaned a great deal of pleasure and profit, and returned to again take up the responsibilities of life in the best county of the best State in the Union and in the town which to him is the best spot of the best county.

*Amanuensis: A person employed to write what another dictates or to copy what has been written by another.

Sunday's Obituary: Carrie Elmonta (Newby) Carroll

2012-01-08T18:38:00.000-05:00

Obit: Knightstown Banner - January 26, 1934 pg. 5 col. 2

Mrs. Will Carroll Dies

Mrs. Elmonta Carroll, age 66 years, wife of William Carroll, died at the family home in Anderson, Tuesday evening, following a lingering illness.

Funeral services will be conducted from the Shirley M. E. Church, Friday morning at 10:30 o'clock, with the Rev. Burkett in charge. Ritualistic services in charge of the Eastern Star lodge. Several months ago the family moved from Shirley to Anderson.

Surviving besides the husband are the following children: Loren Carroll, Anderson; Mrs. Hazel Mace, Anderson; Russell Carroll, Indianapolis; Mrs. May Edmondson, Knightstown; Mrs. Lois Gandy and Mrs. Mary Dugan, Red Key. Ten grandchildren also survive. Mrs. Carroll was a sister of L. P. Newby, this city.

Carrie Elmonta was the sister of my maternal 2nd great grandfather, John A. Newby. Besides the children surviving her listed in the obituary, she also had a daughter Ruby Elvira Franklin who died in 1932.

Those Places Thursday: Farm of Wm Walling III 1878

2012-01-05T18:10:00.000-05:00

Farmhouse - Hendricks Co., Indiana

This is the farmhouse that sits on the property that my 3rd great granduncle William Walling III owned in 1878. The site is just a little over 2 miles S.E. of Stilesville, Franklin Twp., Hendricks Co., Indiana. Is this the actual house he lived in? Did he build this house? I like to think so. It is certainly an old home and isn't it a beauty with it's new coat of bright yellow paint? (You can click on the photo to enlarge it.) I took this photo on June 3, 2011. I suppose I could end up hearing from someone..."Hey! You have a photo of my house on your blog!". Yeeks!

William III was the son of William Wallen Jr. and Elizabeth Bloomer, and the brother of my 3rd great grandfather, Jesse B. Wallen. Sometime in 1862 William Jr. left Kentucky with two of his sons and their families, those of William III and his wife Nancy (Roberts) Walling and those of Daniel and Lucinda (Tyree) Walling. The Wallens from this family that remained in Kentucky, always spelled their name with an "en" ending. Those that left for Indiana spelled theirs with an "ing" ending.

Excerpt from the People's Guide: Hendricks Co., Indiana

I used The Peoples Guide to Hendricks Co., Indiana, a Franklin Township plat map, and Google Earth to pinpoint this property.

Sometime before 1885, William and Nancy Walling left Indiana and went to Sumner Co., Kansas and then on to Kay Co., Oklahoma and celebrated their 50th Wedding Anniversary there in Tonkawa in 1909. See their 50th Anniversary announcement here:

Wordless Wednesday: THE TONKAWA WALLINGS

Daniel and Lucinda came back to Rockcastle Co., Kentucky and divorced a few short years later. Lucinda took the two youngest of their three sons and went to Rawlins Co., Kansas and homesteaded there. Daniel went back to Indiana and married Nancy McCloud, daughter of George W. McCloud, in 1877. Nancy had a son, Conrad, out of wedlock in 1871 and I've always thought he might be Daniel's son. More on this family in a future blog post.

All Accounted For: William M. Wallen's 16 Children

2012-01-02T17:50:00.001-05:00

I hit a milestone today and my toes are tappin' to that Genealogy Happy Dance tune. As the third generation to work on this, I finally have all the children of my paternal great, great grandfather, William M. Wallen, and most all their spouses and some children, accounted for and listed on Find A Grave.

Long before computers, my grandaunt Sula Wallen Splitek, wrote letters, made phone calls and visited relatives trying to gather information on all her grandfather's children and who they married. Out of the 9 children by his first wife, only 3 ever married and had families. All Sula's first cousins died fairly young. William had 7 more children by his second wife. 1 died in infancy and the rest all married, but Fannie died before she had any children. Sula did give us last names of the male spouses of these half cousins, albeit some were spelled wrong, but she didn't have any of their first names or any children. That's what I had to work with. As you can see, this memorial for William was created in 2001. Today, it is complete.

William M. Wallen Find A Grave Memorial
Click on top and bottom halves to enlarge or see the memorial at the link below.

http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GRid=5653667

Read more about Sula at this link
Sula (Wallen) Splitek - Our Family History Trailblazer

Sunday's Obituary: Isaac Owen Wallen 1955

2012-01-01T08:04:00.000-05:00

Isaac Owen Wallen was the son of Isaac Newton and Mary Frances (Sutton) Wallen and the nephew of my paternal great, great grandfather, William M. Wallen. Isaac married 1) Pearl McClain on October 8, 1905 in Ardmore, Chickasaw Nation (now Carter Co.), Oklahoma. He married 2) Freddie Alice Webb on May 29, 1924 in Sulphur, Murry Co., Oklahoma. There were no children from either marriage.

This obituary was transcribed and sent to me by my fourth cousin Connie - great, great granddaughter of Isaac Newton and Mary Frances Wallen. Her ancestor was Andrew Jackson Wallen, brother of Isaac Owen Wallen. Connie has the clipping in her possession and says she thinks it came from a Sulphur newspaper.

"Funeral services for Isaac Owen Wallen, 71, well known Murray county resident since 1910, were conducted from the First Free Will Baptist Church here Thursday morning of last week at 10 o'clock with Rev. Vard Wood officiating. Wallen, who was well known as a peace officer here for many years, passed away suddenly at his home Tuesday of last week, November 22 at 7:45 p.m.. Wallen was born in Denton county Texas on April 12, 1884 and moved as a small boy to Indian Territory, residing first in Carter county. Before coming to Murray county in 1910, Wallen served as a deputy sheriff in Carter county. For about 20 years, Wallen was employed on the staff of Platt National Park here and he later served a number of additional years as Chief of Police in Sulphur and was also a member of the Sulphur Fire Department. He was a member of the East Side Free Will Baptist church and the Odd Fellows Lodge. In addition to his wife, Mrs. Freddie Wallen, of the home address, he is survived by one sister, Mrs. Lillie Hulsey, Waynoka, Oklahoma and several nieces and nephews, including Raymond Wallen and Mrs. C. R. Wilson of Sulphur. Interment was in the Oaklawn cemetery with the Dunn Funeral Home in charge of the arrangements. Members of the Odd Fellows Lodge served as active and honorary pall bearers and members of the Sulphur Police force were also honorary bearers. Throughout his long residence in Murray County, Mr. Wallen acquired a wide circle of friends and acquaintances, all of whom were grieved by his passing."

New Year's Wishes for 2012

2011-12-31T17:45:00.000-05:00

Best wishes for 2012 to all my family and friends!

Christmas Nativity: Early 1950s Family Heirloom

2011-12-22T08:49:00.000-05:00

This nativity scene has been around almost as long as I have. Mom told me that, because she didn't have the money to buy the whole set right away, she saved her money and bought the pieces a little at a time. She purchased the stable, Mary, Joseph, baby Jesus and the manger the first year and each year after that Mom purchased another piece. These figurines were bought at our local Ben Franklin store, a "five and dime", within walking distance of our home. Over the years, Mom added the Angel, the Three Wise Men, the standing camel with the colorful saddle, and the three tiny chalkware sheep. That was it, that's what we had. Mom and I re-glittered the star several times when I was a child and Mom even had extra straw for the roof in case it needed replenishing. I still have that little vintage bag of extra straw.

When I got married and had children of my own, Mom decided to pass the nativity scene on to me, and I have displayed it proudly each and every year.

I have always enjoyed antique shopping and I was forever visiting antique malls and flea markets looking for vintage items. One Saturday, when visiting the Wagon Wheel flea market, I spotted the vintage figurine of the Shepherd Boy carrying the lamb on his shoulders. I remember how excited I was to purchase it, and that satisfying feeling I had when I made a place for the old figurine in the nativity scene the following Christmas. After that, I was on a mission to look for more pieces from the same time period that would match the rest of the collection.

Over a period of about six more years, I purchased the rest of what you see in the photo: the burro, the camel laying down, the standing brown camel, the oxen laying down, and the donkey laying down. Some are plastic, some are chalkware, but they are all from the same time period. Most still have the little purple ink stamp on the bottom that gave the original price which was usually between 15 and 39 cents each.

There has never been a year since the early 1950s that this nativity scene has not been on display. Sure, there are some dings and missing paint on some, but each figurine is cherished. Every year, I wrap each one carefully in tissue and pack it away under the guest bed...never in the attic where most of the other Christmas items get stored and where it gets hot. I want this nativity scene to last a long time and I hope it will always be cherished as much as I have cherished it. I will pass it down someday, to someone who will love it as much I have.

Sunday's Obituary: James John Trowbridge 1933

2011-12-18T14:19:00.000-05:00

Death of James J. Towbridge

Knightstown Banner
May 5, 1933 pg. 8 c. 1 & 2

James J. Trowbridge, age 82 years, died at Charlottesville last Friday morning at 8:30 o'clock of a complication of diseases, coupled with heart trouble. He is survived by one son, Arthur Trowbridge, at whose home he died; a daughter-in-law and one grandson also survive.

Funeral services were held from the late residence at 10 o'clock Sunday morning, conducted by Rev. Omer Hufferd. Burial was at Curry's Chapel cemetey, in charge of O. M. Wilson, undertaker.

Those out-of-town attending Mr. Trowbridge's funeral Sunday, were Mr. and Mrs. Joe Miller; Mrs. Genoa Holland of Knightstown; Mr. and Mrs. Lawrence Runyon and daughter of New Castle; Mrs. Charles Newby and son Charles of Spiceland; Mr. and Mrs. Joe Emay, of Dunreith; Miss Ina Harrison; Mr. and Mrs. Claude Downey and son George of Fountaintown.

James John Trowbridge was the son of William Bradford and Julia Ann (Duncan) Trowbridge. He was married to a distant half-cousin, Sarah Elizabeth Trowbridge, daughter of John and Phoebe (Cook) Trowbridge. (Phoebe Cook married two distantly related men named John Trowbridge. Sarah is daughter of the first husband, I am a descendant of the second husband, John Calvin Trowbridge.)

Relationships to out-of-towners mentioned above:

Mr. and Mrs. Joe Miller - Joseph F. and Estie (Trowbridge) Miller, Sarah Elizabeth's niece and her husband.

Mrs. Genoa Holland - mother of Estie. Genoa's first husband was Albert Franklin Trowbridge (brother of Sarah), and second husband was Edwin Holland.

Mr. and Mrs Lawrence Runyan and daughter - my maternal grandparents, Lawrence and Fern (Newby) Runyan and my mother, Janet Runyan.

Mrs. Charles Newby and son Charles - Ida May Newby and son, Morris Henry (mistakenly listed as Charles), my great grandparents, parents and brother of Fern Runyan.

Mr. and Mrs. Joe Emay - not sure.

Miss Ina Harrison - sister of James and Sarah's daughter-in-law, Myrtle (Harrison) Trowbridge (wife of Arthur Manuel Trowbridge).

Mr. and Mrs. Claude Downey - another sister and brother-in-law of Myrtle Trowbridge.

Sunday's Obituary: Loren Yancy Newby

2011-12-11T19:32:00.001-05:00

Obituary Knightstown Banner dated Apr. 25, 1924 pg 1, col. 3

Death of L. Y. Newby

Loren Yancy Newby, aged 73 years, died at his home in this city, Saturday morning at 4:30 o’clock of leakage of the heart. He was born in Greensboro, Ind., but had lived most of his life in Knightstown. Besides his widow he is survived by two children—Gurney Newby, of Gary, Ind., and one daughter, Mrs. Pearl Pollitt, of Gwynneville. Mr. Newby had been sick for some time. He was the son of Jacob N. Newby, removing from Greensboro to Knightstown in 1872.

L. P. Newby, of this city, is a brother, and Mrs. Will Carroll, of Shirley, a sister of deceased.

Mr. Newby was an active man until a few months ago. For several years he was a poultry buyer for the W. G. Brosjus company and also for Midkiff Brothers.

The funeral was held from his late home Monday afternoon at 2 o’clock, conducted by Rev. Hartsuck, of the Friends church. Burial was made at Glencove cemetery in charge of C. F. Baxter, undertaker.

Loren Yancy "Yank" Newby was the son of Jacob N. and Lavina (Leonard) Newby and the brother of my great, great grandfather, John A. Newby. He was married to Mary Florence Evans in 1877. He had one son, Carl Geurney b. 1881 who married Fame O. Haas, and one daughter, Alma Pearl b. 1879, who married 1) William O. Smith and 2) Harry L. Pollitt.

Pansy: Daughter of Strother and Flora A. (Lindamood) Newby

2011-12-05T15:58:00.005-05:00

Strother Newby was my maternal great, great granduncle. Just recently I received two articles from the The Knightstown Banner concerning his death and I learned more about Strother from those two articles than I ever would have dreamed. (See the articles and transcriptions at this link: The Gruesome Demise of Strother E. Newby - 1915.)

Pansy Newby circa 1913

The second, very short article, held a real surprise for me. Strother had a daughter, and her name was Pansy. In 17 years of research I had not found documented evidence that Strother had any offspring, other than his son Everett by his first wife. Pansy eluded detection probably due to the fact that Strother and Pansy's mother Flora divorced and, for whatever reason, Flora's older sister Mary and her husband Truman Goldsbarry took over Pansy's upbringing. Pansy had been born in 1889 and her mother remarried in 1891. No amount of research has turned up anything on Flora or her second husband after their marriage, at least not yet.

Corporal Truman Goldsbary

Pansy lived with her aunt and uncle until they died. It is hard to tell how much interaction she may have had with her father or her Newby aunts and uncles during those years. She lost her closest family within a period of four years. Aunt Mary died in 1913, her father Strother died in 1915, and her uncle Truman died in 1917. Mary J. (Lindamood) Goldsbarry had given birth to three children but apparently they all died young. Pansy is listed living in the Goldsbarry household in 1900 and 1910 as their niece and the only child. Truman and Mary Goldsbarry are buried in the Lewisville Cemetery in Lewisville, Henry Co., Indiana where they resided all their married lives. Truman was a civil war veteran and his photo appears in my very own antiquated and quite rare copy of "Hazzard's history of Henry County, Indiana 1822 - 1906".

Oddly, Truman's youngest brother died a similar death to that of Pansy's Father. Alexander Goldsbary was crushed under the wheels of a train in 1902.

The Goldsbarrys saw to it that Pansy received a good education. She is found in the yearbooks of Spiceland Academy and Normal School as early as 1900. Pansy is later found listed many times in the 1913 "Arbutus", a yearbook of Indiana University. Pansy was quite involved in all aspects of school life. Listed under her photo in the Arbutus - Latin; Y.W.C.A. Cabinet, '12-13; Women's League Board, '13; Student Council; Strut and Fret; Student Staff; Secretary English Club; Socialist Club; Franchise League; and Class Prophet. Pansy graduated from Indiana University in 1913 with a Bachelor of Arts in Latin. The photos of Pansy are all taken from this issue of the Arbutus.

In the Indiana University Bulletin, Vol. 15, issue 5, pg. 179 - Pansy is listed as a 1913 graduate, teaching English and Latin at a high school in Pennville, Jay Co., Indiana.

In the school year 1918-1919 Pansy took over the Journalism class and supervised the publishing of "The Register", the school newspaper, at Morton High School in Richmond, Indiana. This information was found in the school memory book "The Pierian", June 1921, pg. 64.

On September 1, 1919 Pansy married Clinton A. Stevens, also a teacher, and shortly afterwards they moved to Springfield, Illinois where they both taught school. On his death record (1946), Clinton was listed as Principal of Douglas school.

Pansy is mentioned in the Indiana University Alumni Quarterly, Vol. 1, pg. 192 as a graduate and again in Vol. 7, pg. 128 as "Mrs. Clinton A. Stevens" who was teaching English at the high school in Springfield, Illinois.

Strother's son Everett by his first wife, Rhoda Ellen Musselman, was born in 1875. Like Pansy, it seems that Everett may also have been raised by someone other than his parents. Strother and Rhoda were divorced by 1880 and Everett was living with a Kemper family at that time. Everett married Maude A. Crose in New Castle, Indiana in 1908 and they had two children, Raymond Virgil and Viola May. Everett moved his family to California and died there in 1941. He was divorced from Maude at the time of his death.

Note: Truman's surname Goldsbary is spelled with two rs on his tombstone and is often spelled with an e instead of an a in other documents.

Sunday's Obituary: Roy L. Trowbridge 1911 - 1969

2011-12-04T07:45:00.000-05:00

Roy L. Trowbridge

Obituary: Knightstown Banner - pg. 8, col. 3 - dated April 10, 1969:

Roy Trowbridge, 58 Henry Co. Native

Roy L. Trowbridge, 58, of Charlottesville, died suddenly Sunday morning at Hancock County Memorial Hospital.

Obituary of Roy L.
Trowbridge
Knightstown Banner 1969

Born in Henry County he was the son of Arthur and Mabel McNew Trowbridge and had lived in Charlottesville since 1944. He was a member and Elder of the Charlottesville Christian Church.

Mr. Trowbridge was employed at the Columbia Barber Shop since 1947 and was a member of the Barbers Union and secretary of Local 212. He was an Army Air Force veteran of World War II.

Survivors include his wife, Irene; two daughters, Marsha and Pamela Trowbridge, at home; a half sister, Mrs. Julia Landes; two half brothers, William and Dude Badgerow, all three of Michigan.

Services were held Wednesday at Pasco Memorial Mortuary with Rev. John Rhoades and Rev. David King officiating. Burial was in Glen Cove Cemetery in Knightstown.

My maternal great grandmother, Ida May (Trowbridge) Newby and her sister, Millie (Trowbridge) McMullen, were particularly fond of Roy's father Arthur, their half-nephew. (See Art's obituary at this link: Sunday's Obituary: Arthur Manuel Trowbridge 1944. I would love to hear from descendants of Roy's daughters, Marsha and Pamela.

The Gruesome Demise of Strother E. Newby - 1915

2011-12-01T16:03:00.004-05:00

Strother was the son of Jacob N. and Lavina (Leonard) Newby and the brother of my maternal great, great grandfather, John A. Newby. He was born in Henry Co., Indiana in 1849 and he was married three times and divorced twice. It is likely Strother would soon have been divorced for the third time had death not claimed him first. Strother married Rhoda Musselman in 1874, Flora Alvin Lindamood in 1888, and Laura Agnes (Colley) Haugh in 1894. Laura Agnes' daughter who is mentioned herein, was Lulu M. Haugh, wife of Lawrence Merton Hiatt.

Streetcar photo via The Commons
on Flickr

When I first saw this shockingly descriptive article, my first thought was: "Why didn't my mother ever mention this terrible incident?", but of course Mom probably never knew a thing about it since the grisly accident took place about 10 years before she was born and may not have been talked about in her family.

From the Knightstown Banner, dated May 7, 1915 - pg. 1, col. 1.

MAN GROUND TO PIECES

Former Knightstown Man Instantly Killed by Street Car in Indianapolis. ---Brothers Reside Here.

At an early hour Thursday morning last Strother Newby, sixty-six years old, a brother of L. P., John and L. Y. Newby, was killed by an outgoing East Washington street car, near New Jersey street, Indianapolis. He had spent the night at an East Washington street hotel and was crossing the street when he was killed. Newby formerly lived in Knightstown and was well known by our older people. By reason of two or three accidents which had happened to him during the past ten years, he was a cripple and moved about by the aid of a crutch and cane. The body was horribly mangled and crushed by the car wheels and death was instantaneous. The car was running at a high rate of speed and after the accident ran more than one hundred feet before stopped. A large crowd collected and it required several policemen to force the people back from car tracks. Newby's head was crushed, his skull being fractured on both sides, his body was cut to pieces, his left foot was severed from the body and his right foot was left hanging by a thread. The car was in charge of Russell Nevitt, conductor, and Clinton Hart, motorman. They were among the first to reach the body which was left a few feet behind the car when it stopped. The latter was so overcome by the sight that he almost fainted and would have fallen but for the assistance of those near him. Newby and his wife, Mrs. Agnes Newby, had not been living together for sometime and she had been staying with her daughter, Mrs. Lawrence Hiatt, at 223 South McKini avenue.

Add caption

Richard A. Poole, coroner of Marion county, said: "There was nothing to prevent the motorman from seeing this crippled and deaf old man, who was crossing the track. He was walking with cane and crutch, making it instantly apparent that he was feeble and that caution should be exercised. In addition, the car ran for more than 100 feet before it was stopped after striking the man, indicating that it was running at excessive speed. The old man was dragged along beneath the car and literally cut to pieces by the wheels."

One witness declared the car ran 125 feet after striking Newby before it stopped and that the gong was not sounded.

Clinton Hart, the motorman, said that his car was running at a speed of not more than six miles an hour. His gong was sounded, he said. The cripple walked into the street with his head down and paid no attention to the approach of the car, according to Hart.

Newby's funeral was held from the parlors of Blanchard & Moore, funeral directors, Friday afternoon at 2 o'clock, burial being made at Crown Hill.

On the same date, but on page 4 of the Knightstown Banner, I found a second column about Strother's death and funeral. Until this article, I was not aware that Strother had any offspring, other than his son Everett by his first wife. It seems he had a daughter, Pansy, by his second wife Flora.

L. P. Newby, John A. Newby and L. Y. Newby, three brothers, of this city and a daughter, Miss Pansy Newby of Lewisville, were at Indianapolis Friday afternoon to attend the funeral of Strother Newby, who was killed by a city street car Thursday morning on East Washington street. However, the daughter, by missing a city car was too late for the funeral, and she reached the cemetery just as the grave was being filled up.

Strother was buried without a tombstone in Crown Hill cemetery in Indianapolis, Marion Co., Indiana.

Strother's daughter, Pansy, was born in 1889. Her mother, Flora, married George W. Keiser in 1891 and I do not (yet) know what became of Flora after that. Pansy is found living with Flora's sister Mary J., wife of Truman Goldsbarry, in 1900 and 1910. Pansy married Clinton A. Stevens in 1919 and moved to Illinois where the couple had at least two children: Chester A. Stevens and Margaret V. Stevens. I would love to hear from descendants of this family.

Click here to read more about Pansy (Newby) Stevens

Sunday's Obituary: Myrtle (Harrison) Trowbridge

2011-11-27T08:23:00.000-05:00

Myrtle (Harrison) Trowbridge

Daughter of George Washington and Martha Elizabeth (Gunn) Harrison, wife of Arthur M. Trowbridge, step-mother of Roy L. Trowbridge. Myrtle was born Sep. 14, 1887 in Sedgwick Co., Kansas and died in Whiteland, Johnson Co., Indiana.

Obituary: Knightstown Banner pg. 1, col. 3 dated April 7, 1955.

Former Charlottesville Resident Dies At Whiteland

Obituary of Myrtle Trowbridge
Knightstown Banner 1955

Mrs. Myrtle Trowbridge, 67, a former resident of Charlottesville, died Thursday, March 31, in the Johnson County Memorial Hospital. A resident of Whiteland, she was the widow of Arthur Trowbridge.

Funeral services were held Saturday afternoon from the Burkhart Funeral Home in Greenwood, and graveside services were conducted at 4:15 p.m. at Glen Cove Cemetery.

Surviving are a step-son, Roy Trowbridge, Greenfield barber; two sisters, Ina Harrison, Fountaintown, and Mrs. Claud Downey, Fairland; two brothers, Homer Harrison, Indianapolis, and Clay Harrison, Greenfield.

Click here for Sunday's Obituary: Arthur Manuel Trowbridge 1944

Thanksgiving Day Thursday

2011-11-24T07:51:00.000-05:00

THANKFUL!

Today is Thanksgiving Day and I am thankful for the immigrants, the new Americans, who struggled for freedom and a better way of life so that their descendants could live and prosper in a country free from tyranny. I am thankful for those that continued that struggle and for those that protect our freedom today. I am thankful that I live in what is, and always has been, the greatest country in the world, America!

And always, and every day....

I am thankful for the Sacrifice and the Promises of God.

Wordless Wednesday: Art Trowbridge and Family

2011-11-23T06:10:00.001-05:00

Wedding photo of Arthur Manuel Trowbridge
and Mabel (McNew) Trowbridge (parents of Roy L.) - 1904 Indiana

Roy L. Trowbridge - b. March 25, 1911

Left to right: Roy L. Trowbridge, his step-mother Myrtle (Harrison) Trowbridge,
and his father Arthur M. Trowbridge - circa 1922 Indiana

Photos from the collection of my maternal great grandmother, Ida May (Trowbridge) Newby.

Sunday's Obituary: Arthur Manuel Trowbridge 1944

2011-11-20T08:02:00.002-05:00

Art Trowbridge was the son of two distantly related Trowbridges. His mother, Sarah Elizabeth Trowbridge, was the half sister of my maternal great grandmother, Ida May (Trowbridge) Newby. His father was James John Trowbridge. In her will, Ida May's sister Milla, divided her household goods equally between her sister Ida and her nephew Art. Art married Mabel McNew, daughter of Moses Elwood and Harriet C. (McDougal) McNew, and they had one son, Roy. Art and Mabel divorced and Art later married Myrtle Harrison, daughter of George Washington and Martha Elizabeth (Gunn) Harrison.

Knightstown Banner, pg. 1, col. 6 - June 16, 1944

Former Charlottesville Barber Dead

Arthur M. Trowbridge, 62, nightwatchman at the Johnson County highway garage, was found dead in the office of the barn by his wife Sunday. The Johnson County coroner pronounced death was due to a heart attack. Mr. Trowbridge formerly operated a barber shop in Charlottesville where he was well and favorably known. The survivors are the wife and one son, Ray [sic] Trowbridge, serving with the armed forces somewhere in Australia. The funeral services were held Tuesday morning at ten o'clock at the home of Henry Widvey in Carlottesville. Burial was made in Glencove cemetery.

Grandpa Wallen's Stolen Chevrolet Touring Car 1926

2011-11-19T13:25:00.001-05:00

1925 Chevrolet Touring Car

Thanks to this online Decatur Review newspaper, now I even know what my grandfather drove when my dad was 5 years old, cool!

Apr. 11, 1926 - Decatur Review

William J. Wallen, R. R. 5, "Homewood Place," reports that his Chevrolet touring car was stolen Saturday night while he was in town. The car's license number is 155-533.

Apr. 23, 1926 - Decatur Review

CERRO GORDO MAN HELF FOR CAR THEFT

Had Auto Stolen From W. J. Wallen - April 10.

J. D. Allison of Cero Gordo was arrested in Grant Park Thursday, having in his possession the automobile stolen from W. J. Wallen in Decatur on April 10. There was another man with Allison, but he got away. Allison is wanted in Piatt county for jumping his bond in another case and he will be tried there first. He denied taking the car, crediting the theft to the man who escaped. The latter's name was not learned.

The automobile stolen from Wilbur Etchison on April 4 was found in Vandalia Thursday.

1925 Chevrolet Touring Car

The Lake Decatur Four, WJBL Radio Quartet

2011-11-18T17:01:00.001-05:00

Decatur Herald
Dec. 20, 1930

PLAN PROGRAM TO BOOST SALVATION ARMY BASKET FUND

William Wallen of Gushard's, radio department, and the Lake Decatur Four, radio quartet, are sponsoring a musical entertainment next Tuesday evening for the bnefit of the Salvation Army's Christmas basket fund. Admission to the entertainment will be 10 cents and 25 cents. All proceeds will be urned over to the Salvation Army.

The Lake Decatur Four, who are Mr. Wallen, Melvin Bateman, Floyd Myer and Donald Linton, singers over WJBL, head the program. Bryan Bradshaw and Mr. Hudson will play duets on Hawaiian guitars. They also are WJBL stars. Robert Black, pianist, will offer piano numbers. Paul and Scott Gessaman and William G. Shepherd will present a musical comedy act. Jackie Carroll will whistle. Bill and Mell, harmony team from WJBL, will sing.

I never had a chance to know my paternal grandfather, William Jesse Wallen. He and my grandmother divorced when I was very young and he moved away, married another woman, and never kept in touch with us. I don't remember ever seeing him, even one time. My mom said I did, but I was just a baby.

Decatur Herald
Sept. 14, 1930

Two years after I started into genealogy, my dad's first cousin Charlie tracked me down and we became research partners in our Wallen family history. My dad was still alive then and was tickled pink to hear I'd teamed up with Charlie, he hadn't seen Charlie since they were kids.

A few years after my dad died, I was talking with Charlie on the phone and he mentioned that my grandfather used to sing. It was the first I ever remember hearing about that. I asked my mother what she knew and she beamed and said, "Yes, Bill could sing! He had the most beautiful tenor voice and he used to sing in a quartet!". Of course, since that time I've heard more from other members of the family about my singing grandfather. Imagine my delight when I discovered these newspaper articles from old Decatur, Illinois newspapers today!

Gushard's was a dry goods store in Decatur. I didn't know until I found these two articles today that my grandfather worked in the radio department there.

Full page ad in the Decatur Herald for Gushard's Dry Goods Store
September 14, 1930

I know I've said it before but I'm saying it again:

I LOVE digging through old newspapers!

The Killing of Brack Thacker 1908

2011-11-13T11:51:00.000-05:00

Brack Thacker was the step brother of my paternal great grandfather, Oliver Morton Wallen. His killer was 60 year old John Calvin Graves who had been a neighbor for many years. Oliver mentions J. C. Graves numerous times in his diary. Sometimes J. C. wasn't particularly amiable, sometimes he was. I think he might have been a bit cranky after he got older.

Mt. Vernon Signal
Aug. 7, 1908

"John Graves shot and instantly killed Brack Thacker near Graves home Wednesday morning. Graves is a well-to-do farmer, and is about 60 years of age, the deceased was about 25 years. Bad feeling had existed between the parties for some time. The circumstances immediately preceding the trouble as told us by Coroner John Taylor, who held the inquest over the body of Thacker, are these: Graves and his son, Rome, were at their barn and Thacker, who lived nearby came to Mr. Graves' peach orchard, climbed a tree and was knocking peaches, when Graves told him to get down. Thacker did so, got his shot gun and started toward the barn where Graves and his son were working with a crippled mule. What words took place just before the shooting we are unable to say. The only eye witnesses were Thacker's wife and Rome Graves, yet Mrs. Thacker says she run in the house just before the shooting took place. Graves came to town Wednesday afternoon and surrendered and is now under guard. His examining trial is set for to-day."

Later, we have the outcome of the trial:

Mt. Vernon Signal
Aug. 28, 1908

"John Graves had his examining trial Monday for the killing of Brack Thacker a few weeks ago, and was discharged on the grounds of self defense."

Twice in Oliver's diary he speaks of disagreeable encounters with J. C. Graves and his double barreled shotgun:

John C. Graves

"May 23, 1900 – Got up in the morning and found Ben Price’s mules in my meadow. These mules were running on Mr. J. C. Graves’ pasture and them and his mules had been getting in the meadow. I went down to see Mr. Graves to get him keep the mules out, we got mad and fought. I got the best end of the fight but did not hurt Mr. Graves very bad."

"June 4, 1900 - ....Came home and went to turning ground for millet on some land that papa and I had rented from Mr. J. C. Graves. Mr. Graves came out with a D. B. shotgun and ordered me to quit the field but I plowed right on."

Other times all seemed well between the neighbors.

I do believe Brack (aka Robert) Thacker may have had a few screws loose. Two years before he was killed, he tried to commit suicide over lost love...

Mt. Vernon Signal
Aug. 3, 1906

"Robert Thacker, aged about 22, a step-son of W. M. Wallen, having been disappointed in love, decided that life was not worth living and attempted to end his life by firing a bullet from a 32 caliber revolver in his right breast, the bullet passing through the lung. The last report stated that he was in a very critical condition, but would probably recover."

And then there was the time, just a couple of weeks before Christmas in 1907 that Brack was fined $25 for disturbing religious worship.

Within a year after his death, Brack's mother and my great, great grandfather, William M. Wallen, packed up their family and moved to Beeville, Texas.

Time for a change of scenery....and neighbors, no doubt.

Sophia Thacker Wallen and Son: The Step Family

2011-11-12T13:33:00.000-05:00

My paternal great, great grandmother, Serena (Sutton) Wallen died in 1886 and left 8 children for her husband, William M. Wallen, and his mother, Louisa (Tyree) Wallen, to care for. Serena's parents were both dead by this time, as was William's father.

In the diary of William's oldest son Oliver, my great grandfather, Oliver stated that in February of 1887 his father left their little community in Wabd, Rockcastle Co., Kentucky and went to work for a surveying company in Pineville, Bell Co., Kentucky and then, in 1889, he wrote his father was in Clay Co., Kentucky working for W. W. Duffield, a civil engineer. A bit of research produced several biographies on William Ward Duffield, previously a Civil War General and a Michigan State Senator (1879-1880) who had graduated from Columbia College in New York City in 1843 with a degree in civil engineering. According to Duffield's biography, he was engaged to make important surveys in Kentucky in the counties of Bell, Harlan, Letcher, Leslie, Clay and Perry during the decade from 1884 to 1894, so I think it is safe to say that William was working for W. W. Duffield in Bell Co. in 1887 as well as in Clay Co. in 1889.

While William was away from his children he would send money home to them for clothing and school. In 1892 William married Sophia "Sofa" Thacker, daughter of William and Elizabeth (Britton) Thacker. Sofa was born in Clay Co. and was the same age as her new step-son Oliver, both having been born in 1870. Sofa already had a son that, I assume, was born out of wedlock, named Brack Thacker. Brack was born in 1885 when his mother was only 15. An article from the Mt. Vernon Signal in the early 1900s suggests Brack's first name may have been Robert.

After William's marriage to Sofa, according to Oliver: "from that time he never helped us any more so Jessee and I had to look after the children". Unfortunately, he forgets to give Grandma Wallen credit for the huge part I'm sure she played, since all the children were living under her roof. Aunt Myra Sutton, the children's maternal spinster aunt, moved in with them in order to assist in the children's care.

It is unclear exactly when William moved back to Wabd with Sofa and Brack. He was still in Clay Co. in the fall of 1894 when Oliver says his father got the promise of a teaching position for Oliver's brother Jesse at a school "in Clay Co. near where he lived". Oliver's daughter Sula (Wallen) Splitek, my grandaunt, was the first to do research on our family and Sula thought William and Sofa's children were all born in Rockcastle Co. However, Minnie Wallen was born in 1893 so it is very likely she was born in Clay Co. and it's certainly possible her sisters Martha, born in 1895, and Fannie, born in 1897, were born there also. Oliver doesn't mention his father again until January 2, 1900 when he says "Went to Papa's and got a scalding tub...", indicating his father was again living in Wabd. Unless I missed something, even the newspapers don't mention William again until 1902.

William and Sofa had six known children, Minnie b. 1893, Martha b. 1895, Fannie b. 1897, Virginia b. 1900, Samuel b. 1903, and Louise b. 1905. Then, I discovered this year that there was a seventh child. According to the Mt. Vernon Signal, dated February 28, 1902: "The little child of Wm. Wallen died on the 23rd." This doesn't tell us the birth date or the sex of the child and I have found no other record of his/her birth, death or burial. It is my opinion that he/she was very likely born between Virginia and Samuel in 1901 or early 1902.

Oliver only mentions Sophia twice in his diary. On two consecutive days, July 16th and 17th, 1902, when he and his brother Willie were sick: "Papa and Sofa came out." and: "Papa and Sopha went home." He mentions Brack three times in context with doing certain chores together. Never once does he mention the births of his half siblings or the death of the child in 1902. I don't believe the lack of mention was deliberate or that there was any animosity towards his step family and half siblings; in fact, I don't get that impression at all. Oliver simply failed to mention many important life events in his diary.

Oliver and the rest of the family, including his grandmother, aunt, and an orphaned niece, left Wabd, Kentucky and headed for Kempner, Texas in 1905. William and Sofa and their children moved to Beeville, Texas after Sofa's son Brack antagonized a neighbor and got himself shot and killed in 1908. Details of the incident and a brief look into the temperaments of the killer and the victim will be in an upcoming post.

Veteran's Day: Honoring The Patterson Patriots

2011-11-11T14:29:00.000-05:00

In honor and recognition of 6 patriots, the sons and grandson of Robert and Mary (Root) Patterson of Fayette Co., Illinois, who served in the Mexican and Civil War.

Civil War Infantry - U. S. National Archives

JOHN PATTERSON
Mexican War
Private, Co. E, 3rd Illinois Infantry

Civil War
Corporal, Co. F, 130th Illinois Infantry - Camp Butler

DIED Sept. 5, 1863 at Carrollton, LA

ROBERT PATTERSON, JR.
Mexican War
Private, Co. E, 3rd Illinois Infantry - Camp Butler

DIED Nov. 6, 1846 at Carmago

DAVID PATTERSON
Civil War
Private, Co. I, 106th Illinois Infantry

Sep. 17, 1862 - July 12, 1865

GEORGE PATTERSON
Civil War
Private, Co. F, 130th Illinois Infantry - Camp Butler

Private, Co. F, 77th Illinois Infantry

Oct. 25, 1862 - ? (Taken prisoner - Camp Tyler, Texas)

HENRY R. PATTERSON
Civil War
Private, Co. F, 130th Illinois Infantry - Camp Butler

Private, Co. H, 130th Illinois Infantry

Oct. 25, 1862 - ? May have died during service.

ROBERT W. PATTERSON (son of John, age 15)
Civil War
Private, Co. F, 130th Illinois Infantry

Private, Co. C, 130th Illinois Infantry

Private, Co. F, 77th Illinois Infantry

Feb. 27, 1863 - Aug. 15, 1865

Robert Sr. and Mary (Root) Patterson were my paternal 3rd great grandparents. Their daughter Mary Ann (Patterson) Townsend was my great, great grandmother. These men were her brothers and nephew.

Happy Veteran's Day to ALL U. S. Veterans and thank you for your service and sacrifice to keep America free.

Those Places Thursday: On the Steeples of Louisville

2011-11-03T11:45:00.000-04:00

Bud Melvin - St. Peter's steeple

It wasn't all that easy to identify this church. All I knew was that it was a photo of Charles Walter "Uncle Bud" Melvin up there, working on the side of the steeple. (Click photo to enlarge.) I thought the church was most likely in Louisville, Kentucky since that is where Bud lived but it could just as well have been in southern Indiana or Ohio. No one in the family could remember.

I dragged the photo file to Google Images in order to let Google find it for me but I had no luck with that so I continued doing my own searches there. I made search after search on three consecutive days and on the third day I was finally successful in finding a drawing that matched the photo and the church web site that went with it. Sure enough, it was in Louisville on Jefferson street; St. Peter's United Church of Christ. (Click here to compare the drawing of St. Peter's United Church of Christ done by Mr. Forrest Steinlage, member of St. Peter's). Nowhere did I find another actual photo of the outside of that church, even after I had the name to search with.

I don't know the exact date of the photo. The square photo with the scalloped edges (cropped from my photo here because of damage) would lead me to believe it was taken in the late 1940s or early 1950s. By 1930, and likely much earlier, Bud had become a Tuckpointer, or a Stone Mason who specialized in tuck pointing. I am not certain when he decided to specialize in steeple work as a Steeplejack as well.

Bud Melvin - Churchill Downs

An undated newspaper clipping tells how Bud and his crew re-installed one of the twin spires of Churchill Downs that had been damaged by lightening. From this clipping, which is probably from the same time period as the photo above, I would suppose that Bud, who was born in 1896, was doing this type of work for his entire working career, certainly through middle age.

First Unitarian Church
1947

In another clipping, dated November 1, 1947, Bud and W. T. Shackelford are shown doing repairs to the steeple of the First Unitarian Church on S. Fourth street in Louisville.

Finally, I have a photo of Bud and his sister Myrtle, dated 1957. As you can see from the advertisement on the side of his car, Bud, age 61, is still in business. I would assume by that time his crew was doing the high steeple work. However, Bud's grand nephew, my husband Mike, is still climbing scaffolding and high ladders at the age of 64, much to my dismay. I think it's time to let his crew do that.

C. W. "Bud" Melvin and his sister Myrtle 1957

Reddick Cemetery Revisited: A Lesson Learned

2011-10-28T15:03:00.000-04:00

Rusty iron gate at the entry to Reddick Cemetery

In 1999 my mother and I visited the Reddick Cemetery in Rush County, Indiana and it was a lovely visit. I wish I'd had a digital camera back then and was free to take more pictures. But, alas, my film was limited so I didn't take all the photos I would have liked to have taken. Too bad.

My husband and I returned this year, one dozen years later, and I was appalled at what I saw. At first things looked good. All was green and nicely mowed. Then, I saw that the groundskeeper had moved stones, piled them up against trees and against other, larger tombstones. Both of my family tombstones were removed from the graves and I never did find them. I was mad. I was sorry to the deepest part of my heart that I'd even decided to return. It would have felt better not to have known.

I am so thankful that in 1999 I photographed the tombstones of my maternal third great grandmother, Martha (Brown) Cook and her young daughter Elizabeth Ann. (Click here: Tombstone Tuesday: The Cooks of Reddick Cemetery) I'd even found and photographed the footstone of Martha's husband, Giles Cook, that had been pulled up by some idiot and used to prop up another tombstone. That made me mad at the time, but I was glad that I had at least found the footstone because his headstone had been removed since the time the reading of the cemetery had been done, many years before. So much sacrilege!

In fact, Giles' footstone was the only one of my family's stones remaining, or at least that I could find, so this time I took better photos of it from different angles.

The problem is, even if Martha's and Elizabeth Ann's tombstones are found, or if I were to purchase new replacement stones, who's going to know exactly where the actual graves are to return them to? My old photos don't quite give me the exact placement.

I won't forget that. It's a good lesson about taking photos in a cemetery....always take more photos than you think you'll need. You'll never be sorry that you have too many photos.

Those Places Thursday: Salisbury Court House

2011-10-27T17:08:00.000-04:00

Salisbury Courthouse built 1811 (Front)

In the early 1800s Salisbury was a small Indiana settlement to the south of Richmond and Centerville in Wayne county. This log courthouse was Wayne county's first seat of justice and was built in 1811 and used until 1818 when the county seat was moved to Centerville. It was dismantled and reconstructed in 1952 and was finally moved to it's permanent location in Centerville in 1998. It is the only original log courthouse still standing in the Northwest Territory. Salisbury no longer exists.

Salisbury Courthouse built 1811 (back)

My interest in this courthouse was due to the fact that my maternal third great grandfather, Giles Cook, lived on a farm near Salisbury, Indiana in the early 1800s. Eventually his family, including two of his mother's brothers, decided to move west. They sold their household effects and purchased six oxen and a Carolina Wagon (a smaller version of the Conestoga Wagon). Unfortunately, just prior to the move, Giles' father was on his way home one night when he stumbled into a creek "having about one foot of water and, not being in full possession of his senses, failed to get up; he was found dead of drowning the next morning."

Well, I suppose "not being in full possession of his senses" was a polite way of saying he was drunk...that's the only thing I can imagine that would cause a man to drown in one foot of water!

After her husband's death, his wife sold the farm and, it is said, some of her sons left for the Kansas gold fields.

My ancestor, Giles Cook, stayed in Indiana and bought a plot of land (88.2 acres) to farm in Rush county where he later married my third great grandmother, Martha Brown.

The photos of the courthouse were taken by me on June 5, 2011. The story of the preparation to move west and the drowning of Giles' father comes from the diary of Giles Cook's great granddaughter, Ardesta Jane Duffy b.1905.

Wordless Wednesday: Charles Walter (Bud) Melvin

2011-10-26T14:43:00.001-04:00

"Uncle Bud" 1916, age 20
my husband's maternal granduncle
son of Michael R. and Edna (Metcalf) Melvin

Louisville: Plight of the Melvin Children 1908-1919

2011-10-25T14:55:00.000-04:00

U.S. orpans 1913 - From the Library of Congress

This is the record of Susan Marie Melvin's stay at the Louisville Industrial School (click to enlarge) and is just one page of a dozen or so that I received on her and her siblings from Louisville a few years ago. Although the text is short in length, it tells a clear story on what went on during the childhood of my husband Mike's grandmother Florence Polly and her siblings. I often think how different Mike's family was from mine; his lived in the big city and mine were farmers from rural areas. Being poor in a large city was a meaner life than being poor in the country, at least that's the way it appears to me.

I'm sure Michael R. Melvin was a decent guy when he wasn't drinking. His father, Nathan Melvin, was a Civil War veteran and a good one apparently, since he was promoted twice in less than a year. His mother was Elizabeth Gollaher, daughter of Austin Gollaher who was a childhood friend of Abraham Lincoln. Michael was the youngest of five children. He married Edna Metcalf in 1893 when he was 21 and she was just 18. By 1905 Edna had given birth to Bessie, Bud, Ruth, Susan, Florence, and little William who died within 2 days of birth. In 1908 Edna was pregnant again when Michael deserted his family and left them with no means of support. In June of that year all the children, with the exception of Bessie, were removed to the Louisville Industrial School to be cared for until they each turned 21 years of age. The school, formerly called "Louisville House of Refuge", was created to house orphans and delinquent children. (Click here to see many old photos of the L.I.S. and some of the orphans). The Melvin children were neither orphans nor delinquents.

Sisters Florence and Myrtle Melvin
and "Mr. B..."? - circa 1919

Four years later, in August of 1912, the children were early released to their mother and the following year Edna was able to obtain a divorce from her husband. However, Michael refused to stay away and ended up beating his wife to the point she had to be hospitalized and so, in November of 1913, the younger children were once again placed in the Industrial School. Bessie, Bud and Ruth were free to work and contribute to the family welfare but Susan and Florence had to go back as well as their youngest sister Myrtle who had apparently lived at home since her birth in February of 1909.

Michael R. Melvin died slightly less than a year later on October 25, 1914 from cancer of the stomach. His death certificate says he was a distiller. Sounds like he had plenty of access to liquor which was unfortunate for his wife and children, and likely had much to do with the cause of his death.

As can be seen from the Louisville Industrial School record above, Susan Marie Melvin contracted the flu and died from pneumonia in 1919 before she was old enough to leave the school. Florence, my husband's grandmother, was paroled to their sister, Mrs. Bessie Church, later that same year and Myrtle was paroled to their other sister, Mrs. Ruth Moore, at the same time. It is unclear why the children were not returned to their mother at this time. Edna had remarried in 1915 but it appears it was a short marriage and she finally married again in 1921 to retired police officer, Thomas Jesse Price.

Despite their hard childhood, Bessie, Bud, Ruth, Florence and Myrtle were a close knit family and all managed to become responsible, hard working, and apparently, well balanced citizens in the end.

Wordless Wednesday: Silas J. Metcalf - Cooper

2011-09-28T08:46:00.000-04:00

Barrel making - Silas Jefferson Metcalf (center) - circa 1890 - 1900 Larue Co., Kentucky

Photo courtesy Lou Lucas 1998, copied from her collection.

Tombstone Tuesday: Silas Jefferson Metcalf

2011-09-27T13:58:00.000-04:00

S. J. METCALF

CO. D.

37 KY. INF.

Riverview Cemetery, Nelson Co., Kentucky

Maternal great, great grandfather of my husband Mike, father of Edna Metcalf Melvin and approximately 19 others by three wives. See more at this link: Amanuensis Monday: The Will of Silas J. Metcalf.

Amanuensis Monday: The Will of Silas J. Metcalf

2011-09-26T14:17:00.000-04:00

Silas J. Metcalf
Copied from photo
owned by Lou Lucas, in 1998

Silas Jefferson Metcalf was the maternal great, great grandfather of my husband Mike. He was born in Nelson Co., Kentucky on August 11, 1818 and died April 6, 1906 in Larue Co., Kentucky. He was the husband of Mary Emily Cundiff and the father of Edna (Metcalf) Melvin-Price. Silas served on the Union side in the Civil War, 37th Kentucky Infantry. He was married three times: 1) Ellen Jenkins, 2) Margaret Jane Gollaher (daughter of Benjamin Austin Gollaher and sister of Elizabeth Gollaher Melvin) and 3) Mary Emily Cundiff. Silas had approximately 20 children by the three wives.

Last Will and Testament of Silas Jefferson Metcalf

I S. J. Metcalf, of the County of LaRue, State of Kentucky, do hereby make this my last will and testament, hereby revoking all wills heretofore made by me.

I hereby will and direct that my funeral expenses and other just debts be paid as soon after my decease as possible.

Whatever else may remain after complying with above request, I hereby will and bequeath to my son-in-law Thomas B. Howell.

And lastly I hereby nominate constitute and appoint my said son-in-law Thomas B. Howell as executor of this my last will and testament and request that he be permitted to qualify without security and not requested to return an inventory and appraisment nor make any settlement of my estate.

This 28th day of October, 1905.

S. J.
his X mark
Metcalf

Witnesses:

J. Ekra Rapier

James E. Rapier

At a county court begun and held at Hodgenville, Kentucky, on the 23rd day of April, 1906, an instrument of writing purporting to be the last will and testament of S. J. Metcalf Decd. was produced in open court and offered for probate which was fully proven by the oath of James E. Rapier one of the subscribing witnesses thereto, who testified that he attested said will at the request of testator in his presence and in the presence of J. Ekra Rapier the other subscribing witness thereto, and that J. Ekra Rapier attested said will in his presence and in the presence of testator at his request and that testator signed said will in their presence, and that testator was of sound mind and capable of making a will. It is therefore ordered that such be established as the last will and testament of S. J. Metcalf Decd. and the same is ordered to record as I have truly recorded the same together with this certificate in my office.

Given under my hand this 27th day of April, 1906.

W. A. Robinson, clk.

By Chas. Walters, D. C.

Wordless Wednesday: Little Uncle Bud

2011-09-21T15:41:00.000-04:00

Morris Henry "Bud" Newby circa 1900

brother of my maternal grandmother, Fern Newby Runyan

Sunday's Obituary: Elijah Darling 1915

2011-09-18T07:36:00.000-04:00

Elijah and my great grandmother, Mary Elizabeth Runyan were twins, born on May 28, 1859. They were two of 10 children born to Samuel and Beulah (Smith) Darling and the first two to be born in Indiana. They had 5 older siblings that were born in New Jersey. Elijah married Onedia C. Morris, daughter of Hillary and Mary (Keesling) Morris, on August 11, 1884 in Henry Co., Indiana. Elijah and Onedia had 10 children, two daughters died in infancy.

DEATHS
ELIJAH DARLING.
[Special to The Daily Courier.]

Death of Elijah Darling
Daily Courier - July 8, 1915

KENNARD, Ind., July 8.--Elijah

Darling, age fifty-six years, one of the

best known residents of Kennard,

died suddenly from heart trouble to-

day at 1 o'clock p. m. Mr. Darling had

been picking cherries during the

morning and had complained of a pain

in his shoulder. Mrs. Darling was

bathing his arm with liniment when

he expired. He is survived by his

wife and eight children. Howard

Darling and Mrs. Florence Wilkinson,

a son and daughter, are residents of

Newcastle.

The funeral arrangements have not

been made.

Tombstone Tuesday: Euna Ellen (Wallen) Norton

2011-09-13T12:02:00.000-04:00

ELLA WALLEN

Wife of John Norton

born Sept. 25, 1883* - died July 28, 1907

Skaggs Creek Baptist Cemetery, Rockcastle Co., Kentucky

*Tombstone birth year is an error.

Euna Ellen "Ella" Wallen was born September 25, 1881. Her sister Lucy was born August 15, 1883. From the diary of Ella's brother, my great grandfather Oliver:

February 17, 1905 - "...Jess, Ella and I are all that is left of Mamma's children. Ella lives in Rockcastle Co., Ky. Jess is here with me. O. M. Wallen Born July 12, 1870. Jessee Uriah Wallen Born Oct. 17, 1878. Euna Ellen Wallen Born Sep. 25, 1881..."

The name "Euna" was a name used often in my family. The first I know of was Euna (Delaney) Sutton, Ella's maternal grandmother. Ella's maternal aunt was Euna Ann (Sutton) Lawrence, her grandmother's sister Isabel (Delaney) Reynolds named a daughter Euna Ellen and another sister, Mary Ann (Delaney) Lindsay, named a daughter Mary Euna and I think there are others. It is also one of the most misspelled names: Una, Unah, Uny, Unice, Eunice, etc. The quote from Oliver's diary shown above is the first I found it correctly spelled and, much later, after following Euna Ann Lawrence out west, I found it spelled correctly in her death records.

Ella died just 6 months after her brother Oliver and Jess died 10 years later. Their father outlived them all by 5 more years. Their mother and all 9 of her children died of TB in one form or another.

Amanuensis Monday: The Will of Millie McMullen

2011-09-12T11:03:00.000-04:00

Milla Jane (Trowbridge) McMullen
b. 26 Oct 1869 - d. 26 Mar 1905

Milla Jane (Trowbridge) McMullen

Millie was born in Rush Co. Indiana in 1869 and died 35 years later in Knightstown, Henry Co., Indiana. She was the daughter of John Calvin and Phoebe (Cook) Trowbridge, sister of my great grandmother Ida May Newby, and wife of Henry McMullen. Millie had no descendants.

The copy of Millie's will that I have in my possession, is the original copy given to my great grandparents, Charles Lee and Ida May (Trowbridge) Newby in 1905 by the family attorney, Floyd J. Newby, first cousin of Charles.

Last Will and Testament of Millie McMullen

I, Millie J. McMullen, of Knightstown, Henry County, Indiana, being of sound mind and disposing memory, do make and publish this my last will and testament.

Item 1. I hereby will, devise and bequeath to my sister Ida M. Newby, wife of Charles L. Newby my farm in Henry County, Indiana, containing 33 1/2 acres more or less described as follows: - The west division of the West half of the northwest quarter of section 25, township 16 north of Range 8 east bounded as follows: - Commencing at the Northwest corner of said quarter section and running thence south on the west line thereof 162 rods and 12 1/2 links to the Southwest corner of said quarer section; Thence east 33 rods and 1 5/6 links; Thence north 162 rods and 12 1/2 links to the north line of said quarter section at a point 33 rods and 1 5/6 links east of the place of beginning; Thence west to the place of beginning.

Also all that part of Lot number 66, in section number 2 in Glencove Cemetary at the Town of Knightstown, Henry County, Indiana, that remains unused after my death.

The said Ida M. Newby shall pay to my nephew, Arthur M. Trowbridge the sum of $500.00 in cash either from the proceeds of the sale of the property devised to her in Item 1 herein or any other manner she may elect.

The said Ida M. Newby shall pay all my just debts, my funeral expenses and the costs of the probate of this will.

The said Ida M. Newby shall receive all money and other personal property which I may possess except that which is otherwise willed and bequeathed by me herein.

Item 2. I will and bequeath my household goods to Ida M. Newby and Arthur M. Trowbridge to be held by them equally.

Item 3. I hereby will and bequeath to my nephew Arthur M. Trowbridge mentioned in Item 1 herein the sum of $500.00 in cash to be paid to him as mentioned in Item 1.

Item 4. I will and bequeath to my niece Mary Fern Newby, daughter of Charles L. Newby and Ida M. Newby my gold watch and chain.

Item 5. I hereby constitute and appoint Ida M. Newby as Executrix of this my last will and testament.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand and seal this the 22nd. day of March, 1905.

Millie J. McMullen

Signed and acknowledged by the said Millie J. McMullen as her last will and testament in our presence and signed by us as witnesses in her presence this 22nd. day of March, 1905.

A. L. Stage

Floyd J. Newby

More information and photos on Millie and her husband Henry can be found at this link: Henry and Milla Jane (Trowbridge) McMullen

Amanuensis: A person employed to write what another dictates or to copy what has been written by another.

Austin Gollaher and The Lincolns at Knob Creek

2011-09-07T09:25:00.000-04:00

Benjamin Austin Gollaher
copy made for me in 1998
by Lou Lucas

I was going through my old files of articles and photos that were copied for me back in the summer of 1998 by Lou Lucas and I found an old typewritten transcription of a 1953 newspaper article that I'm pretty sure came from her. I looked around on the Internet and when I was satisfied that this article was not already in circulation, I decided that because it's such an engaging interview, I would carefully transcribe it again and post it here for all those Abe Lincoln and Austin Gollaher researchers. Much of the information herein has been told in other articles, but some details are new. Once again however, the date of 1889 and Austin's age of 91 years do not match up with what we know. Austin Gollaher was born in 1806 so he could not have been 91 years of age in 1889. I think the last two numbers of the year were transposed in The Citizen or transposed by whoever transcribed it, and should have read 1898.

From The Citizen, Brinkley Arkansas, Thursday, February 12, 1953:

Seldom told tales in the life of Abraham Lincoln.

Yellowed with age and with edges frayed from much handling through the years, a clipping from "The LaRue County" paper printed in 1889 has lain within the leaves of the family bible in the home of Mr. and Mrs. Austin Melvin near Hunter, Arkansas, several decades.

The principal of the article was Austin Gollaher, maternal grandfather of Mr. Melvin. It was passed on to Mr. Melvin by his mother and has recently come into the possession of one of his daughters, Mrs. Otis Freeman of Hunter. Mrs. Freeman is a sister of Garvin Melvin and Beckham Melvin of Hunter, Nate Melvin and Mrs. John Nelson of Brinkley, Mrs. Green Devasier of Palestine, Arkansas and Mrs. Lee Johnson of near Owensboro, Kentucky. All these last names are great grandchildren of Mr. Gollaher.

There is a picture of the aged Mr. Gollaher included in the article but which cannot be reproduced on account of its dimness due to the age of the paper.

Mr. Gollaher relates some interesting incidents seldom told in the life story of one so great as was our former president, Abraham Lincoln. Being a boyhood friend of Abe Lincoln, Mr. Gollaher was enabled to give first hand information as to his early years of poverty and hardships. This gives us a more sympathetic understanding of the courage of this youth who overcame the obstacles of an early life and emerged triumphant to the highest honor our country bestows; that of President of the United States.

Uncle Austin Gollaher
--------------------

The boyhood playmate of President Lincoln, is nearing the end of life's journey.

In an humble log cabin, surrounded by the vine clad Muldraugh's Hills, in a quiet and obscure part of LaRue County, lives the venerable playmate of Abraham Lincoln - Mr. Austin Gollaher - or "Uncle Austin" as his Larue County friends delight in addressing him, whenever they meet him at his home to talk over with him the scenes and incidents of his simple childlife when he was a playmate of the lamented Lincoln.

"Uncle Austin" is again a child and a very feeble one physically. The old gentleman is now rapidly rounding out his term of earthly existence. Ninety-one years of active life has well nigh worn out the machinery that has so long been subject to the orders of his active hand, and he lies in bed a helpless man, to be waited on as if he were an infant.

The Herald takes pleasure in producing this week a splendid picture of "Uncle Austin", which is made from his latest photograph, taken only last week as he lay in bed at home.

Mr. Gollaher has become widely known in almost every state in the Union by reason of the fact that he is the only living playmate of President Lincoln. Hundreds of our daily papers printed his picture and columns of matter, detailing the incidents of his younger life, while the great Magazines - The Century, Scribners, and others have found pages of matter about him sufficently interesting to be given space. It is not true, however, that Mr. Gollaher related all that has been published. Far from it. Much that has been printed was related by him. The remainder of it is simply the over-ripe of the energetic imagination of the newspaper correspondents. Mr. Gollaher is a very plain, dignified old gentleman, who has never attempted to arrest public attention by giving publicity to his companionship with Lincoln, nor would he under any circumstances misrepresent or ever exaggerate the intimacy of the acquaintanceship he enjoyed with Lincoln as a boy.

Mr. Gollaher has been a strong man mentally and physically. His large bony frame, upon which there is now not enough flesh to keep it warm, shows that in former years he was a powerful man and his very large head, high, full forehead and expressive eyes indicate great natural ability and had he enjoyed opportunity of improving his natural talents had some fortunate circumstances called him from obscurity, he would have reached far beyond the average prominence accorded man and would have been one of our most noted and useful citizens. But satisfied with a pleasant, easy going life, and not of an adventuresome spirit, he enjoys the only pleasant memories of his acquaintance with Lincoln and the respect and esteem of all who know him.

Several years ago when the Century magazine was preparing for publication his story of Abraham Lincoln, its editor came to Hodgenville for the purpose of securing data for the work. He drove out to the home of Mr. Gollaher, secured a photograph of him and spent some time in pleasant conversation with him. Upon his return The Herald asked him his opinion of "Uncle Austin". "Why", he said, "I was delighted with the old gentleman and was favorably impressed." He said that his great brain power needed only development and opportunity to have made him a great man and that his gentle manners and carefulness of narration impressed on him the fact that every word he uttered was the truth.

Mr. Gollaher has spent his entire life in his present neighborhood and has scarcely ever been far from his birthplace, living a quiet, retired, satisfied life.

Years ago there were living in Larue County several men who remembered the Lincoln family distinctly and some of them could recall the incident of President Lincoln's birth, among whom were Judge Cessna and Abe Enlow, but they have passed over the river of death, and, as stated, Mr. Gollaher is now the only one who has any personal knowledge of the Lincolns and their Larue County home.

In a recent interview Mr. Gollaher was asked where the Lincolns lived when Abe was born, and when he moved down on Knob Creek, where Mr. Gollaher lives.

"When his family moved down on Knob creek", he said, "I was eight years old and Abe was five. It was immediately after they moved that we began going to school together. The Lincoln family moved to a house that stood where Mr. Nick Rapier lived a few years ago, and my father lived on a farm not far off, which he moved to in 1812. Our house was on the upper prong of Knob Creek. The house where we went to school together most of the time stood on the pike about where Mr. Jesse Dawson used to live; but the first school house where we attended school together was just across the creek from there, at the foot of the hill. Abe's father bought this piece of land on Knob Creek for $200, but he did not make any money and could not pay for it. He had to give it up and then the Lincolns moved away.

"When the Lincoln family moved down on Knob Creek, where had they been living?"

"They moved down there from a farm near Hodgenville, which everybody now calls Lincoln springs."

"Was Lincoln born at the old Creal place which you said the Lincoln family moved from when they came down on Knob Creek?"

"Yes sir. My information is that Abe was born there at the old Creal farm. In fact, I am satisfied that he was. Mr. Wm. Cressna," he continued, "who was the father of Judge Cessna, and who was well acquainted with the Lincolns when they lived on the Creal farm, told me that Abe was born there. The way he happened to tell that Abe was born there was in speaking of how poor the Lincolns were, and he appeared to feel very sorry for them, and for Abe's mother especially. He had been informed by some of the neighbors that Mrs. Lincoln was actually suffering for something to eat. He went over to the Lincoln house to see about the matter and found that the report was true. She was really in need of the necessities of life and he told her he would get her something to eat. He took her a sack of wheat and something to eat the next morning when they told him that a baby had been born to Mrs. Lincoln the night before and Mr. Cessna said that the baby was Abe.

Mr. Gollaher stated that he and Abe were thrown together more than with the other boys in school and that he grew quite fond of him, and he believed that Abe thought a great deal of him. In speaking of various events of minor importance that he remembered to have occurred in their boyhood days together, Mr. Gollaher remarked: "I was once the cause of saving Lincoln's life." Upon being urged to tell of the occurrence, he said: "We had been going to school together one year, but the next year we had no school because there were so few scholars to attend, there being only about twenty in school the year before. Consequently, Abe and I had nothing much to do, but as we did not go to school and our mothers were pretty strict on us, we did not get to see each other often. One Sunday morning my mother waked me up early saying that she was going to see Mrs. Lincoln and that I might go along. Glad of the chance I was soon dressed and ready to go. After my mother and I got there Abe and I played together all through the day."

"While we were wandering along the branch - Knob Creek - Abe said: 'Right up there,' pointing across the branch, 'we saw a gang of partridges yesterday and they are there yet. Let's go over there and get some rocks and kill some of them.

"But the branch, which was then a good deal swollen, was too wide for us to jump across, and if we waded we would get our breeches wet, and I knew that my mother would whip me if she caught me with my breeches legs wet for she would know that I had been wading the branch. Finally we saw a narrow foot log which some men had thrown across to cross on and we concluded to cross it. It was narrow but we were determined to get over after the birds.

"Abe said, 'Let's coon it.' I went first and made it all right. Abe got about half way across when he got scared and began trembling. I hollered to him, 'Don't look down, nor up nor sideways, but look right at me and hold tight.' But he fell off into the creek and the water was about seven or eight feet deep. I could not swim and neither could Abe, and I knew it would do no good for me to go in after him. So I got a stick, a long water sprout, and held it out to him. He came up grabbing with both hands. He clung to the stick that I put in his hands and I pulled him out on the bank almost dead. I got him by the arms and shook him good and then rolled him on the ground, when the water just poured out of his mouth. He was then soon all right.

"We were both afraid our mothers would see our wet clothes and we knew what would happen then, so we pulled them off and laid them on the rocks in the sun, which was as hot as it ever is in August, although it was then in June. We talked the matter over while our clothes were drying, trying to think of some plan by which we could keep our mothers from finding out about it. Finally I told Abe that the only way to do was never to tell anybody at all. 'For,' I said, 'if you should even tell another boy, he might tell his mother and she would tell your mother and you would then get whipped; and your mother would tell my mother and I would get whipped, too.' So we promised each other that we would never tell anybody about it, and we never did for years. I never told anyone about it until Lincoln was killed."

"Was Lincoln a bright boy at school; did he learn fast and study hard?"

"Oh, yes," he replied. "Lincoln was an unusually bright boy, and went right along in his books as fast or faster than anyone in the school; and he studied hard, although he was young. He would get up spice-wood bushes and hack them up on a log and put a few of them in the fire at a time to make a light for him to read his books by. It did not make a very good light, but it was all he had.

"Lincoln was not a good looking boy. He was ugly and awkward. He was rather bony and rough looking. Abe's mother was a rather slim woman and of over medium height. Tom Lincoln, his father, was not tall. Abe did not favor him much. Tom Lincoln had a full face and was heavier than Abe."

In answer to a question as to whether Lincoln had any brothers or sisters, the old man brightened up and said: "Oh, yes, he had a sister. Her name was Sallie and she was a very pretty girl. She was older than Abe. She went to school whenever she could but that was not often."

After a rather pointed question Uncle Austin engaged in a low chuckling laugh and smilingly replied: "Yes, Sallie was my sweetheart. She was about my age, and, like all boys, I claimed her for my sweetheart. I guess that was one reason why I thought so much of Abe," he then admitted. "But when the Lincolns moved to Indiana I did not get to tell Abe or Sallie either good-bye. I wanted to go tell them good-bye but my father would not let me. When they moved away Abe was about twelve years old and I was fifteen."

"The next time I heard of Lincoln was several years afterward. I heard that he would make rails during the summer, and with the money he earned would send himself to school in the winter."

"The next time I heard anything of him was when he was nominated for president. I told the boys that no matter what happened I was going to vote for him if it was the last act of my life because I had played with him when a boy and I was glad that he had gone up in the world and I did vote for him."

"I am the only person now living in the country that ever went to school with Abe. There were others around here but they are all dead now."

"After Lincoln was elected President he inquired of Dr. Jesse Rodman about me when Dr. Rodman called on him at Washington, and I wanted to go see him, but I did not think I could spare the money. I always thought I acted a fool for not going. If I had gone there to see him he would have done a good part by me. He might have made me Judge of one of the Kentucky Courts."

Austin Melvin, mentioned in the news article's first paragraph, is the brother of Mike R. Melvin, my husband's maternal great grandfather.

This is the sixth and final post in a series of six daily blog posts on Benjamin Austin Gollaher. Previous posts on Gollaher (done before this series) can be seen at the links below:

Boy Hero Saves Life of Young Abe Lincoln

The Reconstruction of Abraham Lincoln's Birthplace

Tombstone Tuesday: Mary "Polly" (Price) Gollaher

2011-09-06T09:06:00.002-04:00

Mary, wife of B. A. Gollaher 1804-1873
Photos take by me in 1998

Original tombstone, broken in pieces

Pleasant Grove Cemetery, Larue Co., Kentucky 1998

Newer, double tombstone of Mary and her husband Austin Gollaher

Pleasant Grove Cemetery, Larue Co., Kentucky 1998

Pleasant Grove Baptist Church

White City, Larue Co., Kentucky 1998

Austin and Mary were the maternal 3rd great grandparents of my husband Mike. Mike descends from their daughter Elizabeth (Gollaher) Melvin, wife of Nathan L. R. Melvin. While these photos were taken in 1998, we were there again earlier this year photographing mostly Melvin tombstones that I did not yet have in my collection from this cemetery.

This is the fifth in a series of six daily blog posts I am doing on Benjamin Austin Gollaher, the maternal 3rd great grandfather of my husband Mike. Previous posts on Gollaher (done before this series) can be seen at the links below:

Boy Hero Saves Life of Young Abe Lincoln

The Reconstruction of Abraham Lincoln's Birthplace

Uncle Austin Gollaher - The Breckenridge News

2011-09-05T08:44:00.004-04:00

From The Breckenridge News - March 2, 1898

UNCLE AUSTIN DEAD.

_____________________

Abraham Lincoln's Playmate Dead, Aged 93, Near Hodgenville. He Was Known Far And Near.

_____________________

Hodgenville, Ky., Feb 22--, After an illness which kept him confined to his bed for over a year, Uncle Austin Gollaher, the playmate of Abraham Lincoln, died at his home near here this morning. His death was due to old age and general debility.

He was ninety-three years old. A few months before his death his mental faculties became much impaired, but until that time his mind was exceptionally bright and he conversed freely.

It was his great delight to relate the experience of his saving Lincoln from drowning and he considered this the greatest accomplishment of his life.

When this country was young Mr. Gollaher taught school in the Muldraugh Hill section, and though his book learning was very limited, his naturally strong intellect enabled him to perform schoolroom duties in a manner that gave satisfaction to the patrons, and there are many old citizens living in this county who went to school to him in the '40s.

He was the father of six children, his grandchildren number twenty-six, his great grandchildren forty-five, and his great, great grandchildren sixteen. Mr. Gollaher's entire life was spent in the hills of Larue county.

The old man had become widely known in almost every State in the Union by reason of the fact that he was the only playmate of Abraham Lincoln. He was a very plain, dignified old gentleman, and never attempted to arrest public attention by giving publicity to his companionship with Lincoln, nor would he under any circumstances misrepresent or even exaggerate the intimacy of the acquaintanceship he enjoyed with Lincoln as a boy.

Mr. Gollaher had been a strong man mentally and physically. His large, bony frame shows that in former years he was a powerful man, and his very large head, high full forehead and expressive eyes indicated great natural ability, and had he enjoyed the opportunity of improving his natural talents--had some fortunate circumstance called him from obscurity, he would easily have reached far beyond the average prominence accorded to man, and would have been one of our most noted and useful citizens. But, satisfied with a pleasant, easy-going life, and not of an adventurous spirit he enjoyed only the pleasant memories of his acquaintance with Lincoln and the respect and esteem of all who knew him.

Uncle Austin was the maternal 3rd great grandfather of my husband Mike. At the time of this writing, two of those sixteen great grandchildren mentioned in this article were Mike's great aunt, Bessie Elizabeth Melvin, and his great uncle, Charles Walter "Bud" Melvin.

This is the fourth in a series of six daily blog posts I am doing on Benjamin Austin Gollaher. Previous posts on Gollaher (done before this series) can be seen at the links below:

Boy Hero Saves Life of Young Abe Lincoln

The Reconstruction of Abraham Lincoln's Birthplace

Sunday's Obituary: Austin Gollaher Dead!

2011-09-04T07:31:00.002-04:00

LINCOLN'S PLAYMATE
PASSES AWAY IN LARUE COUNTY.
__________

HODGENVILLE, Ky., Feb. 22.--Un-

cle Austin Gollaher, the boyhood play-

mate of Abraham Lincoln, died at his

Morning Herald
February 22, 1898

home, near this place, this morning of

paralysis and old age. He had been

lingering between life and death for

over a year. Had he lived a month lon-

ger he would have been ninety-three

years old. Until recently Mr. Gollaher

retained his mental vigor and convers-

ed freely about his and Abe's ups and

downs, when they were boys together

in Larue county; but a while before his

death his mind became greatly impared.

He always referred to the time he saved

Abe from drowning in Knob creek as

a great episode, and never tired of tell-

ing the story to his friends.

Benjamin Austin Gollaher was the son of Thomas and Judith Gollaher.

This is the third in a series of six daily blog posts I am doing on Benjamin Austin Gollaher, the maternal 3rd great grandfather of my husband Mike. Previous posts on Gollaher (done before this series) can be seen at the links below:

Boy Hero Saves Life of Young Abe Lincoln

The Reconstruction of Abraham Lincoln's Birthplace

Abe Lincoln: Quotes From Old Man Gollaher 1897

2011-09-03T07:48:00.004-04:00

From the Morning Herald - March 26, 1897

LINCOLN AT SCHOOL.

A Schoolmate of the President Tells of His Early Life.

Mr. George H. Yenowine contributes a paper on "The Birthplace of Lincoln" to St. Nicholas. Mr. Yenowine quotes the following from an old man named Austin Gollaher, who went to school with the emancipator: "Lincoln was an unusually bright boy, and he made good progress in his books--better than almost any one else in school--and he studied very hard, although he was young. He would get spice wood bushes and hack them up on a log and put a few of them in the fire at a time to make a light for him to read his books by. It did not make a very good light, but it was all he had at night. Young Lincoln was never good looking. He was angular and awkward. His mother was a rather slim woman of medium height. Tom Lincoln, his father, was tall. Abe was not very much like him, for Tom Lincoln had a fuller face and was of a heavier build."

In answer to a question as to Lincoln's brothers or sisters, the old man brightened up and said: "Oh, yes, he had a sister. Her name was Sally, and she was about my age. That was one reason why I thought so much of Abe. But when the Lincolns moved to Indiana I did not say goodby to either of them.

"I next heard of Lincoln several years afterward. It was said that he would make rails during the summer and thus earn money to go to school. Then I heard no more of Lincoln until he was nominated for president. I told the boys that no matter what happened I was going to vote for him if it was the last act of my life, because I had played with him when a boy, and I was glad he had gone up in the world, and I did vote for him!" said the old man.

There is a wonderful old book , "The Boyhood of Abraham Lincoln" written by John Rogers Gore and published in 1921 about Lincoln's boyhood and it was compiled from the narratives of Gollaher. Mr. Gore was with the LaRue County Herald at the time and he interviewed Gollaher over a period of 4 or 5 years before Austin's death in 1898. It can be read on line at the Internet Archives. Our copy is the modern paperback reproduction done by Bibliolife.

This is the second in a series of six daily blog posts I am doing on Benjamin Austin Gollaher, the maternal 3rd great grandfather of my husband Mike. Previous posts on Gollaher (done before this series) can be seen at the links below:

Boy Hero Saves Life of Young Abe Lincoln

The Reconstruction of Abraham Lincoln's Birthplace