Treasure Chest Thursday: Mom's Watercolors

1993 Florida State Fair Ribbon Winner

Cougar Watercolor

Watercolor Artist: Janet Runyan Wallen (1924 - 2010)

My parents were both artists and two weeks ago Treasure Chest Thursday was about my Dad's wood carvings so this week I thought I'd share a few photos of my mother's watercolors. These are just a few out of hundreds of paintings of my mother's that are now dispersed among family with the exception of those she sold or donated to the Life Enrichment Center for their fund raisers. Mom painted mostly Florida wildlife including marine life, animals, birds, plants and flowers. She won many ribbons and awards over the years and her paintings have been displayed in libraries and hospitals all over the Tampa Bay area. She did not start painting until the late 1980s after she retired from work.

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Wordless Wednesday: Lowell Grade School Basketball Team 1936-1937

Boys Basketball Team - 1936-1937 School Year

Lowell Grade School, Lowell, Lake Co., Indiana

My maternal granduncle, Morris Henry Newby standing upper row on left

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Tombstone Tuesday: Charles Alexander & Josephine Bean Logsdon

CHARLES ALEXANDER LOGSDON  
b. 14 Apr 1856  d. 1 Nov 1938
ANN JOSEPHINE "JOSIE" BEAN LOGSDON  

b. 15 Aug 1858  d. 17 Dec 1907

St. Charles Catholic Cemetery, Marion County, Kentucky

My husband's great grandfather Charles was the son of William B. and Alice McIlvoy Logsdon.  Charles married Ann Josephine "Josie" Bean, the daughter of Ignatius Eulogius "Logan" and Margaret Warren Bean, on September 24, 1878. Children: Mary Alice, Joseph Herman, Josephine "Josie", Mary Agnes (Sister Baptista), Charles Benedict, Joseph Leslie, Margaret Marie, and Mary Lillie. 

Over a dozen years after the death of Josephine, Charles married Mary Genivieve "Jennie" Bickett, a woman nearly 25 years his junior. They had one child, Thomas, who was stillborn on 22 Feb 1922. 

Charles' birth certificate gives his birth year as 1856 instead of 1857 as shown on tombstone.

  

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Amanuensis Monday: James Sherman Martin Writes Own Obituary

James Daniel Sherman Martin

June 27, 1864 - February 12, 1946

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 S. Martin was the brother of my great great grandmother Ursula Ann Martin Davis Burnett. Their parents were James Monroe and Susannah Grabeel Martin. James was married to Sarah Elizabeth Testerman, daughter of John T. and Celia Bloomer Testerman. He and Sarah lived their entire lives in Pulaski Co., Kentucky. The obituary and poem below, written by James himself, was transcribed and copied for me by Kathy Martin, wife of my cousin Larry Martin, great great grandson of James. I have copied Kathy's transcription verbatim.

Obituary of James Sherman Martin

"Aug. 9, 1945 - Obituary of James Sherman Martin son of James M. and Susana Grabeel Martin. Born June 27 1864. Married to Elizzie Testerman March 20th, 1884. Born to the union were five children, two girls and three boys. Susan Ellen now Susan Ellen Lampe. Addie Lewis Oneal. Isaac Bradley, James Thomas, and Charles Ross. Four children living to date, with Isaac Martin departing this life Oct. 27, 1945. 21 grandchildren, 18 living and 3 dead. 27 great grandchildren all living. Met my Lord in full pardon of my sins on the second Monday in Aug. 1882, united with the Mt. Pleasant Baptist Church near that date, and was baptised on Brush Creek the following Sunday after uniting with the church by the Rev. John Carmicle. My membership remaining at Mt. Pleasant Church until Dec. 1888, when I moved my membership to Pleasant Hill Church at Woodstock. Have tried to live a christian life for 63 years. Have met with temptations, trials and persecutions on the way. But all praise to my blessed Savior & Lord, by His grace & according to His mercy I have been able to overcome through Him that died for my sins, & arose for my justifications. He has blessed my soul many times with the presence & power of the Holy Spirit & then He has chastised me for my neglect of His work & service. But praise His name, when I like the prodical son, came back to Him, He like a loving Father met and blessed my soul again and now I can only say in my closing days like the Psalmist of old, let everything that hath breath, praise the Lord. Praise the Lord of my soul. My closing testimony to all. J. S. Martin"

A farewell poem for friends 

composed by James a short time after he wrote his obituary

"To my Christian friends anywhere - Aug. 25, 1945

My Christian friends in bond & love

Thru Him who lives & reigns above

Who came to earth His life to give

And shed His blood that we might live

My years to date is eighty one

My race on earth is almost run

My Christian life is sixty three

My wearied soul will soon be free

And then I'll sore to worlds on high

To meet my loved ones in the sky

For e'r I dwell in Heaven above

Where all is joy & peace & love

As promised by His saving grace

We'll see our Savior face to face

And in His love our souls shall rest

And we shall be forever blessed

His nail scarred hand & riven side

As on the cross He bled & died

He gave His life for you & me

And gave His blood to set us free

O, blessed thought O, glorious hope

As thru this world we sadly grope

That in His blood there's power to save

And give us life beyond the grave

And now I pray:

Dear Father hasten that glad day

and free our souls from this lump of clay

and our bodies rest till you bid us rise

to meet our Savior in the skies

When we can meet on Heaven's shore

to feel the sting of death no more

When in His presence there to dwell

to never say no more, farewel

Yours in Christ, J. S. Martin"

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Sentimental Sunday: Grandbabies At The Beach 2004

Taryn Alexandra and Caleb Austyn 

Summer 2004

Children of my daughter Hallie

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I (Couldn't Possibly) Write Like....

I suppose I'm another sucker for such gimmicks...or is it a gimmick? I dunno. I happened on lindalee's blog I Write Like......who? and I just had to go and give the "Analyzer" a try! But of course, I had to test it several times.

First, I put in most of the text I'd written myself from my blog 1920s Beeville, Texas: Shades of the Klu Klux Klan and was told:

I write like
H. P. Lovecraft

I Write Like by Mémoires, Mac journal software. Analyze your writing!

From Wikipedia:

Howard Phillips Lovecraft (August 20, 1890 – March 15, 1937) was an American author of horror, fantasy, and science fiction, especially the subgenre known as weird fiction.

Great....."weird fiction"! Heh, heh. Whodathunkit?


Then I tried a section from yesterday's Treasure Chest Thursday post and was told I write like the Author James Joyce. Not bad..."an Irish writer and poet, widely considered to be one of the most influential writers of the 20th century." But then I tried another paragraph from the same blog and was told I write like David Foster Wallace. Huh? Who's that??


I'm really tempted to just keep on testing it to see how many Authors I write like. Personally, I think I just write like ME...according to my mood of the day.


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Treasure Chest Thursday: From Diamond Came Gold

 UNCLE TOM
My all time favorite Find A Grave discovery

Above photo courtesy of Shalina Thomas

Diamond Cemetery, Stephens County, Oklahoma

Above photo courtesy G. William Whitworth, Jr.

Daniel Thomas (D. T. or Uncle Tom) Wallen was the fifth and last child born to my paternal third great grandparents, Jesse B. and Louisa Tyree Wallen, (born 1861 not 1871 as shown on stone).  He and three of his siblings, Oliver, Isaac, and Lucy left Rockcastle Co., Kentucky around 1882 for Texas and promptly disappeared. That was back fifteen years ago in my research and the Internet was not quite as easy to navigate as it is today and so I preferred staying back in Kentucky where I was comfortable and where my own great, great grandfather William M. Wallen remained until he too left for Texas many years later. I knew these other four would surely turn up sometime in the future, which of course they all did. William was the oldest of the siblings and would probably inherit his parents Kentucky homestead. Of the remaining siblings, D. T. was the youngest, barely 20, and the only one of the four Westward bound that was not married with family. William's son, my great grandfather Oliver Morton Wallen, wrote a few excerpts in his diary concerning his uncle:

1894 - "In March I bought 50 acres of land joining Grandma's farm for $50.00, of D. T. Wallen." 

Jan. 17, 1900 -" Went to papa's, worked some in a new ground. Wrote two letters after dinner, one to D. T. Wallen and one to Guy Griffith.  Jan. 18 - Went to Mt. Vernon. Sent D. T. Wallen $10.00."

And after Oliver also went to Texas:

Aug. 2, 1905 - "...After noon went to Uncle Tom Wallen's rock query 11 N. W. Sanger..."

I didn't think Uncle Tom would even have a marker. After all, he was never married and had no known descendants and much of the time he lived in a tent in the rock quarry where he made a living. So, when I was making a rather broad search of Find A Grave using the Wallen surname, I was stunned to see "D. T. Wallen" in the list I pulled up. "D.T." was the name besides "Uncle Tom" that he was most known by. Of course, I wasn't sure it was really his tombstone until I clicked on his name and saw the cemetery was in Stephens Co. Oklahoma. The birth date was off by 10 years and I never really knew his death date. The State and County were what hit me! Now it all made sense! The thing that threw me off in earlier years was a letter copied for me by my distant cousin Connie Borgren that was to her grandmother from a lady in Gainesville, Texas.

"January 17, 1961

Yes, we knew uncle Tom Wallen since very early childhood.  He came to Texas from Kentucky and was a rock mason.  In fact he lived in a tent in the rock quarry near Clear Creek.  Later Uncle Tom's mother, Grandma Wallen came with her Granddaughter Viola Hays, to live with him.  It was through Viola that I knew them best as I went to school to Viola in the terms 1912-13 and 1913-14.  She married in the spring of '14 and left here.  It must have been either in '13 or '14 that her grandmother passed away for I do remember that she was not here when Viola married.  Uncle Tom built concrete cellars all over this country.  Which still stand as a memorial to him.  Infact we have one here in our yard.  When he got too old to work, he went to live with his niece Mrs. John Anderson in Sulphur, Okla., as you perhaps know. Mrs. E. W. Grundy, Gainesville, Texas"

Now, Mrs. John Anderson (Rebecca Ellen Sowder Anderson, daughter of Lucy Wallen Sowder) did not live in Sulphur and I knew this from the census. She and her family lived in Stephen's Co., Oklahoma for well over 30 years. However, there were other nieces and nephews that lived in Sulphur which is in Murray Co., Oklahoma so I thought Mrs. Grundy was probably mistaken in who the elderly Uncle Tom ended up living with. It turns out it wasn't the person Uncle Tom went to live with, but the county she lived in that Mrs. Grundy was mistaken about! Earlier census data showed his residence as that of Rebecca Anderson's half sister, Louisa Sutton Gregory. Louisa resided in the Texas counties of Denton and Cooke. Those counties were close to the rock quarry which was in the vicinity of Era, Texas northwest of Sanger. Regardless of who he ended up living with, I assumed Uncle Tom would be buried with no marker so, imagine my surprise in finding his tombstone in the Diamond Cemetery in Stephens Co., Oklahoma! My thanks to Jean for adding his memorial to Find A Grave and again for transferring the memorial to me. 

I'd love to find out more about Uncle Tom's rock quarry and I have used Google Earth to try finding it but I was unsuccessful. It could be abandoned by now. There are many rock quarries in the vicinity but none near Era which is almost exactly 11 miles N.W. of Sanger as my great grandfather described. Maybe if I actually went there.......

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Tombstone Tuesday: Alice M. Logsdon 1852 - 1872

Alice M. Logsdon Born July 2, 1852 Died Feb. 7, 1872

Daughter of William B. and Alice McIlvoy Logsdon

St. Charles Catholic Cemetery, St. Mary, Marion Co., Kentucky

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Amanuensis Monday: The Will of Nathan Brashears - 1817 - Fairfield Co., Ohio

Nathan Brashears 1769 - 1818

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."

1817 Will of Nathan Brashears

December 3rd 1817 In the name of God, Amen. I, Nathan Brashears of Fairfield County, Madison Township, State of Ohio, being weak in body but of sound and perfect mind and memory, blessed be Almighty God for the same, do make and publish this my last will and testament in manner and form following, that is to say, first I give and bequeath unto my loving wife all the lands and tenements which I now possess and am now living on during her widowhood, eleven or twelve acres excepted on the east side of said land with the improvements thereon which I grant the use of to Henrietta Mahoney during her natural life provided she lives on the premises herself and lives unmarried. I further give and bequeath unto my loving wife Elizabeth all my goods and chattels of what ever kind or nature after all my just debts are paid and all funeral expenses paid. I hereby appoint my loving wife Elizabeth sole executor of this my last will and testament hereby evoking all other former wills by me. Made in witness whereof I have hereunto set my hand and seal this the third day of December in the year of our Lord one thousand eight hundred and seventeen.

Nathan Brashears

Signed, sealed, published and declared the above named Nathan Brashears to be his last will and testament in the presence of us who have hereunto subscribed our names as witness in the presence of the Testator.

John Lyons

Samuel Friend

HB Furthermore I grant to my loving wife Elizabeth all the privilege of the water belong to the said eleven or twelve acres of land on the east side of said land where I now live given under my hand and seal December 3rd 1817.

Nathan (his mark) Brashears

John Lyons

Samuel Friend

Fairfield County Ohio at a court of common pleas held at Lancaster in and for the county aforesaid on the 23rd day of March 1818 the foregoing past will and testament is proven by John Lyons and Samuel Friend the subscribing witness thereto on which it is ordered to be recorded.

Attest Hugh Boyle Clk

Nathan Brashears was born in 1769 in Frederick Co., Maryland. He married Elizabeth Scheidenhelm. They were my fourth great grandparents. Their daughter Nancy Ann married James Owen. Nancy and James' son David Brashears Owen, married Sarah Samantha Miller. David and Sarah's daughter Mary Ellen Lucretia Owen married Andrew Melvin Townsend who's daughter Iva Illinois "Noy" Townsend married William Jesse Wallen. Noy and William J. were my paternal grandparents.

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Treasure Chest Thursday: Dad's Woodcarvings

1984 Florida State Fair Ribbon Winner
Hawk - wall relief woodcarving

Wood Carver: Robert L. Wallen (1921-2000) 
Above is just one of dozens of carvings my father did that are now dispersed among family. Dad carved mostly American Indians and wildlife both in wall relief and in the round (busts and full figure carvings). He won many ribbons and trophies over the years. Below is a photo of  Dad at a local art show with some of his carvings. My mother would also have a spot nearby displaying her beautiful water color paintings.

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Wordless Wednesday: Fresh Hope From A Victory Garden

Proof that Victory hopes are well-grounded!

Pictured: my mother Janet E. Runyan, age 18 (1942)

Lewisville, Henry Co., Indiana

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Tombstone Tuesday: John Calvin Trowbridge 1843 - 1909

John Calvin Trowbridge, 
my maternal great, great grandfather. 

Son of Isaac and Tabitha Morgan Trowbridge, 
husband of Phoebe Cook.

February 7, 1843 - May 1, 1909

buried Raysville Cemetery
Wayne Township, Henry Co., Indiana

For lineage and photo of John C. Trowbridge see my blog: Trowbridge: Our Distant Connection To Kings And Emperors

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Amanuensis Monday: The Will of Achsah Jackson Davis 1877 Pulaski Co., Kentucky

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."

~Achsah Jackson Davis 1796 - 1877~

James and Achsah Jackson Davis were the paternal great grandparents of Sarah Frances Davis Wallen, my paternal great grandmother.

Will of Achsah Davis (typewritten will - copied here verbatim):


August the 16th 1877


I, Achsah Davis will and bequath all my House hold and kitchen property to James R. C. Lathim and Sarah M. Hamblin my beloved grand sone and daughter first to James R. C. Lathim my clock and table and bedstid wool wheel and hatchel Then to Sarah M. Hamblen my press and bedstead and bead and bed clothes and brass Kettle and worping spools little wheel & check reel and I wish the two children James R. C. Lathim and Sarah M. Hamblen to divide my pot vesels and cupboard ware between themselves allso the claim I have on the Government I wish James R. C. Lathim and Sarah M. Hamblen to divide equal between themselves and the chairs is to be equal divided the waggon I will to James R. C. Lathim and the farming tools This is my last will and testimony to which I set my Seal and commit my soul to heaven.   
                                                            
Attest                                                                Achsah    X    Davis
Josiah Brady                                                                her mark
H. P. Broyles
G. W. Burnett


State of Kentucky
Pulaski County


I, E. W. Porch, Clerk of the Pulaski County Court, do certify that the foregoing writing purporting to be the last Will and Testament of Achsah Davis deceased, was produced in open court at the regular November Term 1877 of the Pulaski CountyCourt, and proven according to law by the oaths of Josiah Brady & G. W. Burnett, two of the subscribing witnesses to said writing, and was adjudged by the court to be the true last Will and Testament of Achsah Davis deceased, and ordered to be recorded as such, and that I have recorded it and this certificate in my said office.
Given under my hand, this 22nd day of November 1877.
E. W. Porch, Clerk


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Sentimental Sunday: Short Quote By John Hancock

In Honor of our Ancestors who fought for the Freedom and Independence of America!

"There, I guess King George will be able to read that."

John Hancock, Remark, July 4, 1776 after signing the Declaration of Independence.

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Charles Walter "Uncle Bud" Melvin: Navy - World War I

~Charles W. Melvin 1896 - 1974~

Son of Mike R. Melvin and Edna Metcalf

Top: William Moore (married Bud's sister Ruth Bell)

Bottom left: Tom Kelly, right: Bud Melvin

Circa 1914

WWI Registration Card

B

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William B. Logsdon NOTES: Deeds And Tax Records

~William B. Logsdon 1799 - 1882~

Madison and Washington Co., Kentucky

Silver Creek in Kentucky


~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

NOTES: Deeds and Tax Records
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

     DEED - MADISON CO, KY

1824 - Sold to William Logsdon from John Robinson (land)

     DEED - MADISON CO, KY

30 Sep 1826 - Sold to William and Lawrence Logsdon from Samuel Hagins and

wf, 50 acres Silver Crk.    [Deed Bk  "R", p205]

30 Sep 1826 - To William Logsdon from  John Robinson, 35 acres Silver Creek, Madison Co.

     DEED - MADISON CO, KY  - Vol 5, p315

07 May 1834/08 May 1834 - between William Logsdon and Nancy, his wife, of Madison Co, KY of the one part and Norris Harvey of said county.  For $100.00 sold to Norris Harvey, land lying on waters of Silver Creek beginning at three sugar trees on Rudolph Marches line near a branch

thence up said branch with the meanders thereof till it strikes Thomas Willis? line thence west with said line to his corner on Rudolph Marches line thence south with said Marches line to the beginning supposed to contain 15 acres.  Signed william and Nancy Logsdon.  (Norris Harvey

married Nancy Baker  step-daughter of Elisha Logsdon & dau of Susannah Baker Logsdon).   Another date 06 Nov 1834.   [Deed Bk  V, p315]

     DEED - MADISON CO, KY

28 Feb 1837/19 Aug 1837 - Between William Logsdon and Nancy his wife of the one part and Bazel Logsdon all of Madison Co, KY, for $850.00. William sold to Bazel land on waters of Silver Creek bounded by James Logsdon's land and south side of Greens Branch.  Signed William and Nancy Logsdon.    [Deed Bk "X", p124]

     DEED - MADISON CO, KY - 1835-1840, pg 122

29 Feb 1837/19 Aug 1837 -  Between William Logsdon and wife Nancy, Lawrence and wf Sally, of the one part and James Logsdon of the other part, all of Madison County, KY.  For $850.00 land sold to James Logsdon on waters of Silver creek containing 38-1/2 acres, bounded on south bank of Greens Branch and Lawrence Logsdon's land.  All four signed in full (Sally signed as Sarah).   [Deed Bk "X",p122]

===================================================

William Logsdon was Taxed in Washington Co, Kentucky from 1837-1850.

     [Source: Washington Co, KY Tax Records 1837-1850]

1837 & 1838 - 1 male over 21, 304 acres, residence: Washington Co, Ky.

1839 - 1 male over 21, 204/150 acres

1840 - 1 male over 21, 339 acres Beach Fork

1841 - 1 male over 21, 70/204 acres, 6 children 7-17 yrs.

1842 - 1 male over 21, 204/124 acres Beach Fork, 6 children 7-17 yrs

1843 - 1 male over 21, 204/104 acres Beach Fork, 6 children 7-17 yrs

1844 - 1 male over 21, 398 acres, 6 children 7-17 yrs

1845 - 1 male over 21, 328 acres, 5 children 7-17 yrs

1846 - 1 male over 21, 328 acres, 4 children 7-17 yrs

1847 - 1 male over 21, 320 acres, 4 children 7-17 yrs

1848 - 1 male over 21, 378 acres, 4 children 7-17 yrs

1849 - 1 male over 21, 378 acres, 4 children 5-16 yrs

1850 - 1 male over 21, 388 acres, 5 children 5-16 yrs

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