Samuel Grunden: Racism in Mercer Co., Ohio

In 1835 Augustus Wattles, a native of Connecticut, purchased 190 acres of land in southern Mercer Co., Ohio and, just a few years later, founded a school, the Emlen Institute, for the support and education of colored boys of African and Indian descent. By 1838 Wattles had purchased a total of 30,000 acres in Mercer county and proceeded to found a settlement to be colonized by freed blacks from Cincinnati and Philadelphia.

Emlen Institute

This large influx of coloreds was objected to by the white residents of the area and a number of disturbances broke out, reaching a climax in June of 1846 when word reached the neighborhood of the coming of 400 more blacks, the freed slaves of John Randolph of Roanoke, Virginia.

The freed slaves arrived in Cincinnati and were transported by canal boats as far as New Bremen. Whites from Auglaize and Mercer counties assembled together and every able male citizen of the township of New Bremen joined in forming picket lines, refusing to let the boats land. The would-be settlers had no choice but to turn back. This organized group of whites was led by Silas Young and Samuel Grunden.

When I first read this story I was startled by those two names.  My ancestor was Samuel Grunden and he lived in Mercer Co., Ohio during that same time period! I also knew that two sons of Philip Young had married into the Grunden family, also in Mercer Co., Ohio, and that the two families were close.

With further research, I realized that my ancestor was too old to have been the Samuel Grunden who was vice-captain of this resistance group. Samuel was nearly 70 years old in 1846. The vice-captain was likely his son Samuel Jr., brother of my ancestor Joseph. *(Please see update at the end of this post) I am not yet sure how the captain, Silas Young, is related to the Young family connected to mine, but I have little doubt that he is connected in some fashion.

Severe racial friction finally took it's toll and the Emlen Institute closed it's doors in 1857.  In 1866 many of the freed slaves left for Liberia, South Africa, while another portion of them was successful in making a settlement in Montezuma in Franklin Township.

Cleveland Plain Dealer
3 Dec 1916

It's an interesting story and it doesn't end there. In 1907, descendants of the slaves of John Randolph tried to regain the land that was purchased for their ancestors. It was a 10 year battle which they eventually lost.

This is just a very brief summary of the story of the Wattles Negroes and it's briefness is not meant to marginalize these lives or the efforts of Augustus Wattles and others, but rather to bring attention to what I think is probably a lesser known story of racial conflict that took place before the civil war. 

While I'm not proud that members of my family were involved in this racial stand-off, it is history, and it is what it is.

Sources:

Winter, Nevin O. "Mercer County." A History of Northwest Ohio: a Narrative Account of Its Historical Progress and Development from the First European Exploration of the Maumee and Sandusky Valleys and the Adjacent Shores of Lake Erie, down to the Present Time,. Vol. 3. Chicago: Lewis Pub., 1917. 513. Print.

"Kansas Bogus Legislature - Augustus Wattles." History of Western Ohio and Auglaize County, with Illustrations and Biographical Sketches of Pioneers and Prominent Public Men,. Columbus, OH: Press of W.M. Linn & Sons, 1905. Kansas Bogus Legislature - Introduction. Web. 04 Feb. 2011. http://kansasboguslegislature.org/free/wattles_a.html

Mathias, Frank F. "John Randolph's Freedmen: The Thwarting of a Will" The Journal of Southern History Vol. 39, No. 2 (May, 1973), pp. 263-272 Published by: Southern Historical Association Stable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/2205617

Woodson, Carter Godwin. "Vocational Training." The Education of the Negro Prior to 1861: a History of the Education of the Colored People of the United Sates from the Beginning of Slavery to the Civil War. Belle Fourche, SD: Kessinger, 2004. 294-95. Print.

*Update: I have to admit to a bit of sloppiness on my part at this point. I assumed Samuel Sr. was too elderly at nearly 70 years of age, to be vice-captain of such a group. Had I checked my own notes I would have seen that Samuel Jr. was in Clinton Co., Indiana before and after this incident took place, so it is extremely unlikely that he was at all involved. Unless there was another Samuel Grunden in the area, it would have indeed been Samuel Sr. who led this group along with Silas Young. (Kudos go to cousin Phil Grunden, descendant of Samuel Jr., for bringing this to my attention!)

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Military Monday: Pvt. James Alexander Grunden

Pvt. James A. Grunden 1841-1906

James A. Grunden was the son of Joseph and Martha (Dungan) Grunden. He was the brother of my maternal great, great grandmother, Mary Louisa (Grunden) Newby. This photo was in our collection as an "unknown" for many, many years, until I accidentally met my cousin Frances, James's great granddaughter. To my amazement, Frances had a duplicate of this same photo! This discovery was one of the most startling cases of serendipity in my early days of genealogy.

James was a private in Co. B. of the19th Indiana Infantry and a part of the famous "Iron Brigade". His outfit went through the worst: Gettysburg, Antietam, and many other big battles.The Iron Brigade suffered the highest number of battle deaths during the war. 115 men made up Co. B. when they left Richmond, Indiana in 1861 and only 10 of those men returned in 1865. James was one who returned.

James can probably attribute his survival to an accident that happened early in his service. One night while standing guard, his musket accidentally discharged, blowing off the forefinger of his right hand. This wound would prevent him from ever using a musket, so when he returned he was assigned to driving an ambulance. James drove the ambulance for nearly four years.

Some of James's story is told in On Many A Bloody Field: Four Years In The Iron Brigade by Alan D. Gaff. There is another photo of him in uniform on page 364 that was donated to the author by my cousin Frances. Frances had a large oil painting done from that photo which is now proudly displayed in her home.

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Sunday's Obituary: Thomas A. Grunden 1876

Thomas A. Grunden was born circa 1837, son of Samuel A. and Margaret (Deity) Grunden. He married Arvilla Mulford on July 11, 1869 in Butler Co., Ohio. There were three children from this union: Charles, Arthur, and Carrie. Thomas was a nephew of my ancestor Joseph Grunden. He fought in the 35th Ohio Infantry on the Union side in the Civil War and was crippled by a bullet wound during the battle at Chickamauga, Tennessee.

Battle of Chickamauga
Library of Congress [public domain]

Cincinnati Daily Gazette, January 12, 1876

Thos. Grunden obit, Cincinnati Daily Gazette 12 Jan 1876

Thos. Grunden, a well-known citizen and a soldier of the old 35th Ohio Regiment, died, after a brief illness, at his residence, on Monday night. He leaves a family in straitened circumstances. 

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Wordless Wednesday: Bertha M. Newby

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

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Tombstone Tuesday: Serendipity in Centerville

Joseph Grunden 1812 - 1855

I'll admit it, finding the tombstone of Joseph Grunden certainly falls under the definition of "serendipity". A definition of serendipity is when someone finds something that they weren't expecting to find....something they discover, by accidents and sagacity, that they were NOT in quest of. In the simplest of words, it means a "happy accident". 

But how many of these instances of serendipity can happen within a 20 day period before you get suspicious? I lost count of how many happy accidents I had on our trip through Kentucky, Illinois and Indiana earlier this year. Most probably had to do with tombstones but there were others, and then there was that one "accident" that didn't even have anything to do with genealogy. But I digress, so back to the tombstone of my maternal 3rd great grandfather, Joseph Grunden.

I already had a photo of Joseph's tombstone given to me by my very dear cousin Dorothy Hildreth (now deceased) about a dozen years ago. There is another photo of it on Joseph's FindAGrave memorial. I'd seen the photos at least a hundred times. I didn't need a photo and I just wasn't prepared to go looking for the tombstone. I didn't  have a clue as to the whereabouts of the cemetery anyway and I gave it no real thought. Somewhere in Centerville.

My husband Mike and I were through Centerville, Indiana along Route 40 three different times. On the first visit on Sunday, June 5th, we took our time and drove around looking at the wonderful historic homes and enjoying the rich history which is prevalent in all the small towns along the Old National Road. We spied a huge antique mall and thought we would come back to it, browse around and maybe eat our sandwiches in the parking lot before we moved on towards Richmond. I wasn't in Centerville to do genealogy. My ancestors had been there for only a short time on their move from Ohio. Joseph died there and afterwards his wife, Martha (Dungan) Grunden moved her family further west to Knightstown in the next county.

As we passed by the antique mall we saw straight in front of us a large cemetery. Out of curiosity we drove up to it. Did I mention it was large? I puzzled...was this the cemetery where Joseph's stone was? What WAS the name of that cemetery he was buried in? I said to Mike: "I'm not walking that whole cemetery looking for one stone that I already have a photo of." So, we slowly drove by and came to the next cross road. The large cemetery was on my right and as I looked to my left I saw another smaller cemetery a block away. I had a good view of it and even from that distance I immediately spotted the tombstone of Joseph Grunden. I knew it was his stone. It had a distinct shape because a large corner was broken off. I couldn't believe it! As we drove closer we saw the cemetery sign, "Centerville Cemetery". Aha, my memory of the cemetery name came back. This was it alright! I hopped out of the car with my camera in hand and walked straight up to that tombstone, Joseph Grunden's tombstone, broken and perfect.  I took my very own photo, paid my respects, took a few more photos of the whole cemetery, and we went back to that antique mall.

Tombstone of Joseph Grunden, Centerville Cemetery
Centerville, Wayne Co., Indiana

It was suspiciously odd in my opinion, that that stone stood out to me, among all the others, from that distance....like it had a halo around it or something. It stood there and beckoned to me like a lighthouse. "Come here, little girl."

Just a happy accident.  

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Tombstone Tuesday: Ed and Maude (Rhodes) Newby

Edward J. Newby b. 30 Nov 1881 - d. 10 Aug 1944

Son of John A. and Mary Louisa Grunden Newby

Maude L. Rhodes Griffney Newby b. 31 Jul 1884 - d. 13 Jan 1955

Daughter of John Peter and Martha E. Pendergrast Rhodes

Glen Cove Cemetery, Knightstown, Henry Co., Indiana

*Tombstone photo property of Find A Grave Volunteer Susan Clemons - Used with permission.

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Amanuensis Monday: Obituary of Ed Newby 1944

EDWARD J. NEWBY

April 17, 1918 - August 10, 1944

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

Ed was the youngest sibling of my maternal great grandfather, Charles Lee Newby. The following obituary was published in the Knightstown Banner on August 18, 1944 pg. 1, col. 4., Knightstown, Indiana

                                  Death Claims Well Known Resident

     Ed J. Newby, a well known life resident of this city, passed away early Friday morning at his home on South Washington street following an illness of several weeks. Death was due to a heart ailment. He was the youngest son of the late John A. and Mary Grunden Newby and was born November 30, 1881. He was married to Mrs. Maud Rhodes Griffney on April 17, 1918. He was a member of the local Methodist church. Surviving besides the widow are a nephew, Morris Newby of Lowell, Ind., and a neice, Mrs. Fern Runyan, of Indianapolis. The funeral services were conducted from the Wilson Funeral Home, Sunday afternoon at 2:30 by Rev. Ernest A. Addison. Interment was made in Glencove cemetery.

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Surname Saturday: GRUNDEN [Part 1]

Samuel Grunden was born 6 Mar 1777 in Pennsylvania and died 20 Jan 1852 in Mercer Co., Ohio.

We know very little about Samuel's parents but the story from Walter, a great grandson of Samuel, that he told in 1947 was that his (Walter's) father, John Snyder Grunden, said they always told him the family lived in Pennsylvania and their cabin burned and the father and mother ran away and left three children and the neighbors raised the children. Walter's brother Samuel later told a similar story: 

"So far as I remember I was told of a Grunden's cabin burning years and years ago, and there were three children which the parents put in another cabin and they (the parents) disappeared and the neighbors raised the children and they never did hear from the parents. Don't know if they were killed by Indians or not. One of these children was Grandfather's father. One of the children was a girl. Her name was Hannah and I think she married a Long. This must have happened in Pennsylvania".  

[The above snippets of the Grunden family story were passed on to me by my mother's 4th cousin and one of my dearest family genealogy cohorts, Dorothy Hildreth of Laramie, Wyoming (now deceased).]

We know that Samuel's father was Thomas but do not know anything about Thomas's wife. On page 470 of the "History of Van Wert & Mercer counties, Ohio" by R. Sutton & Co., 1882, it says that Thomas was in the Revolutionary War but no record has been found. An excerpt from the book "William Adams, 1594-1661, of Ipswich, Massachusetts, and some of his descendants: A history of the ancestral Adams lineage of Madeline (Adams) Whitehead ... Wilson, Mapes, Cochran, Whitehead, and Eaton" by Kenneth L. Bosworth 1996 states that this Grunden family had emigrated from the Alsace-Lorraine region of France. Other than this book, I do not yet have documentation on that. We also know from research that the little girl in the story, Hannah, did indeed marry a Long (Armel Long), so that part of the story certainly pans out.

In Huntingdon Co., Pennsylvania, Samuel married Margaret Anderson, of Scot-Irish ancestry. Samuel was in the War of 1812. Sources listed as: Bible of Samuel Grunden; Grave Registrations War of 1812."

Samuel and Margaret had 9 known children: Mary, James David, Rebecca, Samuel A., Margaret, Thomas, Joseph (my ancestor), Hannah, and Anderson.

Joseph Grunden married Martha Dungan, daughter of John and Sarah Dungan of Butler Co., Ohio and Joseph and Martha's daughter Mary Louisa was my great, great grandmother and this is where my Grunden line daughter's out. Louisa married my great, great grandfather, John A. Newby.

Click here to see Part 2


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Amanuensis Monday: Obituary of Frank Newby

FRANK NEWBY 

December 10, 1870 - May 7, 1929

About Amanuensis Monday: John Newmark, who writes the TransylvanianDutch blog started a Monday Blog Theme called "Amanuensis Monday". John defines "amanuensis" as "a person employed to write what another dictates or to copy what has been written by another."

Frank was the son of John Alby and Mary Louisa Grunden Newby and the brother of my maternal great grandfather, Charles Lee Newby. Frank never married. My mother vaguely remembers the funeral of a family member, a man with a long white beard, that died when she was about 5 years old. The only family member that died at that time was Frank. Mom would have been 5 years old in less than a month so it is likely Frank who's funeral she remembers.

Knightstown Banner - May 10, 1929 - pg. 1, column 1

                                     Death of Frank Newby

     Frank Newby, aged 58 years, died at the home of his brother, Ed Newby, in Raysville, Tuesday morning at 1:40 o'clock, following a short illness. Mr. Newby was afflicted with cancer of the stomach. He was the son of John and Mary Grunden Newby, and was born in Henry county. Deceased was well known about Knightstown and had many friends here. 

     Funeral services for Mr. Newby were held at Glencove Chapel, Thursday afternoon at 2 o'clock, conducted by Rev. Ernest A. Addison, pastor of the Christian Church. Burial was at Glencove cemetery, in charge of Charles F. Baxter.

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Amanuensis Monday: The Will of James Anderson 1810 Huntingdon Co., Pennsylvania

JAMES ANDERSON d. March 1810

About Amanuensis Monday: John Newmark, who writes the TransylvanianDutch blog started a Monday Blog Theme called "Amanuensis Monday". John defines "amanuensis" as "a person employed to write what another dictates or to copy what has been written by another."

James Anderson's dates of birth and marriage are as yet unknown. His wife was Margaret Mitchel. James and Margaret's daughter Margaret Anderson married Samuel Grunden on April 27, 1802 in Huntingdon Co., Pennsylvania. Their son Joseph married Martha Dungan January 3, 1835 in Butler Co., Ohio. Their daughter Mary Louisa was the subject of my blog: Surname Saturday: GRUNDEN.

The Will of James Anderson:

[Will is in the Register's Office of the County of Huntingdon Book No 2, Page 59.]

"In the Name of God, Amen I James Anderson of West township Huntingdon County and State of Pennsylvania being Weak in body but of sound Mind Memory and Understanding blessed be God for the same but considering the uncertainity of this transitory life Do make and publish this my last Will and Testament in Manner and form following to wit -     Principally and first of all I command my Immortal Soul into the hands of God who gave it and my body to the Earth to be buried in a Decent and Christian like Manner at the Discretion of my Executors herein after named and as to such Worldly estate Wherewith it hath pleased God to bless me in this life I give and dispose of the same in the following Manner to Wit.

     In the first place I give and bequeath to Margaret my Well beloved Wife my large Bible and three other books of Divinity such as she may chuse off my books and One bed bedsted and beding suteable for said bed and one cot and the third of the Dresser furniture and My Silver Shoe buckels her Saddle and all her body clothes.  And also to be supported off my Real Estate in a suteable Manner till the same is sold--

     In the Second place I give and Bequeath to Rebecca my Daughter four Dollars Current Money of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania.

     In the third place I give and Bequeth to Elizabeth my Daughter four Dollars Current Money of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania 

     In the fourth place I give and Bequeth to Silas my Son four Dollars Currant Money of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania

     In the fifth place I give and Bequeath to Ann my Daughter four Dollars Current Money of yhe Commonwealth of Pennsylvania

     In the sixth place I give and Bequeth to Margaret my Daughter four Dollars Current money of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania

     In the Seventh place I give and Bequeath to James my Son my Silver Kneebuckels one pare of Silver Sleeve buttons anf four dollars Current money of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania

     In the Eight-place I give and Bequeath to Mary my Daughter four Dollars Current Money of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania

     In the Ninth place I give and Bequeath to Thomas my Son one pare of Silver buttons and four Dollars current money of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania

     In the tenth place I give and Bequeath to Joseph my son one pare of Silver Sleeve buttons and four dollars Current Money of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania

     In the Eleventh place I allow my Executors herein after named to Sell my Real and personal Estate within two Years after my Decease or at any time they may think proper to the best advantage and when said Estate is sold and all my Lawful Debts is paid the remainder I allow to be Equally Divided betwist my wife James Thomas and Joseph my Sons

     In the twelfth place I do allow that the aforesaid Bequethments shall be paid within four years after my Real and personale Estate is Sold

     In the thirteenth place I give to Joseph my Son my New Great Coat and the rest of my Body Clothes to be Equally Devided betwixt James Thomas and Joseph my Sons

     In the fourteenth and last place I nominate constitute and appoint James My Son and William Johnston to be the Executors of this my Will hereby Revoking all other Wills, legacies and bequeath bt me heretofore made and declairing this and no other to be My last Will and Testament.

     In Witness Whereof I have hereunto set my hand and seal the Second Day of February in the year of our Lord Eighteen hundred and ten. "

                                                                    James Anderson  (Seal)

     Signed, Sealed published pronounced and declared by the said Testator as his last Will and Testament in the presence of Us who in his presence and at his Request have subscribed as Witnesses 
William Johnston, Thomas Johnston, William Johnston, Jr.       

Tradition is that the Anderson family was of Scots-Irish ancestry. James' father Thomas Anderson who married Ann Allison is said to have been born 1727 in or near the town of McGuire Bridge, County Fermanagh, Ireland; died about 1799. [Family Archive Viewer, CD19 Egles Notes & Queries of PA, 1700-1800, Annual Volume 1899, Notes and Queries - XXXIV, The Learning Company, Inc, Nov 10, 2002.   Burial Records From the Old Presbyterian Churchyard, Bedford, Pa.]

Maguiresbridge is a small village in County Fermanagh, Northern Ireland. In the 2001 Census it had a population of 774 people. It lies within the Fermanagh District Council area. The town is named after the bridge over the Colebrooke river, first built by the local Maguire family. 

                                                                                           

The Scottish Anderson Tartan
This is the tartan I wear regularly to Celtic events & Highland Athletic Games
It is said to be the only tartan with seven colors; all others have six.

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Surname Saturday: GRUNDEN [Part 2]

MARY LOUISA GRUNDEN NEWBY

My maternal great, great grandmother

Daughter of Joseph and Martha Dungan Grunden, granddaughter of Samuel and Margaret Anderson Grunden

Years ago when I would google "Grunden", 95% or more of the hits would turn up sites written in German. There might only be a dozen to two dozen hits in all. Now, the Internet world has leaped huge, gigantic leaps and there is no end to the hits on this surname. On Facebook alone there are over 300 Grundens listed. And if you put in the alternative spelling of Grundon, you get well over 100 more listings.

Mary Louisa Grunden married John Alby Newby on July 18, 1863 in Henry Co., Indiana. They had five children: Gertrude M., Charles Lee, Frank, Bertha M. and Edward. Louisa died February 3, 1893, just five months before her first grandchild was born, my grandmother Mary Fern, daughter of Charles Lee and Ida May Trowbridge Newby. Seven years after her death, John married the widow, Julia Ann Langdon Morris and Julia was the only grandmother my grandmother or her siblings ever knew. When I received John Newby's obituary and lengthy memorial from the Knightstown Banner I learned that Mary Louisa had been an invalid for 12 years before she died. I have not found an obituary for her but there was a death announcement from the New Castle Courier, February 10, 1893, page 8 column 3: "Mrs. John Newby died at her home here on Friday from dropsy. The funeral services occurred at the M.E. church on Sunday."

John and Louisa are both buried in the Glencove Cemetery in Knightstown, Henry Co., Indiana. No stone has been found for either one of them.

Glencove Cemetery - screen capture using Google Earth and Jing

Click here to see Part 1

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Death Announcement: "Charles Newby Is Dead"

CHARLES LEE NEWBY 1868 - 1937

My maternal great grandfather 

Son of John Alby and Mary Louisa Grunden Newby 

Husband of Ida May Trowbridge

Courier Times - Knightstown, Henry Co., Indiana

Saturday, May 8, 1937 (page 1, column 8)

Charles Newby Is Dead

 ___________________

Dunreith Man Dies From Apoplexy at Son's Home.

___________________

(By Special Correspondent.)

     DUNREITH, Ind., May 8, -- Charles Newby, 73, well-known retired farmer who formerly lived north of here, died Friday afternoon at the home of a son, Maurice Newby, in Lowell, Ind., according to word received by friends.

     Mr. Newby's death was sudden, it was understood, although he had been in poor health for some time. A stroke of apoplexy was given as the cause of death.

     In addition to the son, survivors are two daughters, Mrs. Lawrence Runyan of east of Dunreith, and Mrs. Charles Boyer of Knightstown. The body probably will be returned here for funeral services and burial but arrangements were not complete.

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Knightstown Banner: John Alby Newby - 1923 Obituary And Memorial

~John Alby Newby 1842 - 1923~

John A. Newby was my mother's maternal great grandfather. He died the year before she was born. I was fortunate to obtain both of these very informative articles from the local newspaper in Knightstown, Henry Co., Indiana, The Knightstown Banner.

March 2, 1923 Page 1, Column 2

Death of John A. Newby

    Following an illness of pneumonia of only a few days, John A. Newby, aged 80 years, one of the well known men of Knightstown and an old pioneer resident of the town, died at his home in North Washington street shortly after midnight last Tuesday morning. Mr. Newby came here in the early days from Greensboro and had probably lived here in the neighborood of 50 years. He was a carpenter by trade. Mr. Newby was the youngest old man in this part of the country, as until his last sickness he had been physically able to ply his trade with other craftsmen.

    Surviving are his widow and three sons - Charles, Ed, and Frank Newby, of Knightstown. He also leaves two brothers, L. P. and L. Y. Newby, of Knightstown.

    The funeral was held yesterday (Thursday) afternoon at 2 o'clock from the Methodist church, of which the deceased was a member, conducted by Rev. Ice, the pastor. Interment was made at Glencove cemetery in charge of Undertaker C. F. Baxter.

March 9, 1923 Page 2, Column 4

IN MEMORY JOHN A. NEWBY

    John A. Newby was born near Greensboro, Indiana, March the 26th, 1842, and died at his home in North Washington street, Knightstown, Ind. Tuesday, February 27th, 1923, being twenty-seven days less than eighty-one years of age.

    He has lived nearly all of his life in this vicinity and has been well known. He was the son of Jacob and Levina Leonard Newby. Much of his early life was spent on the farm, but later he followed the carpenters trade. He has always been an industrious man, never afraid of the hardest kind of work, and a faithful workman.

    When a young man he married Mary Louisa Grunden, at the place which afterwards became Wilkinson. There were six children born to them, their first died in infancy, two daughters lived to womanhood, married and have preceded their father in death, leaving three sons living - Charles, Frank and Edward.

    His wife was an invalid for twelve years and then was taken leaving him with the three children. He held his family together until each established a home of his own, except Frank, who has remained with his father.

    Twenty-two years ago he was married to Mrs. Julia Morris, who survives him. She too, has been almost an invalid for several years. He was always thoughtful and patient, finding real pleasure in any service he could render to his own or to a friend. Many deeds of kindness can be recalled by his many neighbors showing his thoughtfulness. He was so fond of flowers and he and his wife found joy in growing them and sharing them with their friends.

    He was a member of a family of seven children, but three of whom are now living, Leonidas P., Loren Y., and Mrs. William Carroll, of Shirley. A step-son and one step-daughter, and nephews, nieces, grandchildren and one great grandchild are among the sorrowing relatives.

    For probably forty years John Newby has been a member of the Methodist church, a faithful attendant, and a respected consistent member. Not only will his family miss him but the citizenship of Knightstown will miss his coming and going and his always pleasant greeting.

_________________________________

  

    The relatives of Mr. John A. Newby desire to express their sincere gratitude to the many friends and neighbors who so kindly assisted them during his illness and funeral.

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