Henry W. Hovis: The Second Half of The Story.

Now to finish up what I have on Henry Hovis. I need to back up to 1905 for the newspaper items. I found a couple more.

On November 15, 1905, The Columbus Republican reported: "Louis and Henry Hovis left for Columbus and other points with a big load of baskets Monday."(14) I believe that Louis is Lewis H. Hovis, Henry's older brother. I cannot be certain.

Jackson County Banner on January 15, 1908, has what to me is a cryptic entry. "The protracted meeting at Hickory Grove, which was conducted by Rev. Moses Henderson and Henry Hovis, of Kurtz, closed January 5th with thirty-four additions."(15) Perhaps "Hickory Grove" is a church? Or are we talking about land? I know that early in his and Elizabeth's life together they were connected to a church called the Martin's Grove Church. Mysterious entry. I haven't found anything about Hickory Grove.

Again: In the 1910 census Henry is renting a place on Henderson Creek Road. He is 68 and still listed as Basket maker.(16)

May 24, 1916, the Jackson County Banner has a column called the Norman Station Statistice in Owen Township. In it, there is a bit about Henry: "Henry Hovis, from Williams, visited J. T. Mullen last week."(17)

Where is Williams and does Henry not have a place of his own?

In the May 2, 1917 issue of the Jackson County Banner an article says: "Henry Hovis, of Norman Station, was in the city Thursday on his way to Shoals in response to a message announcing the serious and probably fatal illness of his oldest brother, John Hovis, who is 8O years of age and one of the best known men of that section. His afflictions are due to his advanced age and complications that usually attend men of his age when stricken. Bedford Mail."(18) (Shoals is southwest of Bedford, Indiana in Martin county)

The Jackson County Banner issue of March 7, 1917: "Henry Hovis, of Norman Station, was the guest of his daughter, Mrs. A. L. Conner, and children Saturday and Sunday.(19) That would be Mrs. Alfred Lincoln Conners nee Martha Jane Hovis.

On  the 7th of June, 1919, Lewis H. Hovis, the Louis of the earlier article, died, in Brown County, Indiana.

In the 1920 Van Buren Township, Brown County, Indiana Federal census, Henry Hovis, age 78 (line 74) is listed as a Brother-in-law and living with Mary C. Hovis age 59 and children. She is Henry's brother Seth's wife, I believe.(20)

In July of 1924 I found Henry in Becks Grove: "Henry Hovis, is visiting his niece, Mrs. Sarah Sutherland, for a few days."(21) I don't know yet who this is.

Here again, Henry is visiting. In the Jackson County Banner, August 20, 1924: "Henry Hovis of Norman Station spent a few days last week with John Williams and wife."(22)

December 4, 1924 in the Brown County Democrat I found Henry in bad shape. "Henry Hovis, 83 years old, of Van Buren township, infirm and in a helpless condition, has been placed in our county infirmary for care and keeping."(23)

Then this little bit was found. I don't have a clue how this came about. I have checked for another Henry Hovis in the area and there are none. The Jackson County Banner on March 10, 1928, says: "We are very sorry to hear, of the sickness of our postmaster, Henry Hovis, of Cortland. We hope for his speedy recovery."(24)

What? The postmaster? How can this be. He is 88 years old at this time. This needs further investigation!

In the 1930 census taken at the Brown County Poor Asylum in Nashville, Indiana, Henry is listed as an inmate. He is 90 years old. It is the Poor House census.(25)

Henry's death certificate lists his date of death as June 11, 1935. He is 94 years, 11 months and 10 days of age. He is an invalid, listed as a basket maker and farmer. The cause of death was listed as Senility. He was buried in an unmarked grave in Green Lawn on June 12, 1935 in Nashville, Indiana. The informant was George Hovis, which I believe was the son of Lewis Hovis.(26)

So ends the story of Henry W. Hovis. Will I be able to fill in the holes in the narrative. Probably not. But I will always be looking for more.

#Hovis #genealogy 
----------------------------
Sources:
14. The Columbus Republican. November 15, 1905. Page 8.
15. Jackson County Banner on January 15, 1908. Page 1
16. 1910 US Census. Sheet 5A, Pleasant Run Twp. Lawrence county, Indiana. 
17. Jackson County Banner, Brownstown, Indiana. May 24, 1916. Page 5.
18. Jackson County Banner, Brownstown, Indiana. May 2, 1917. Page 4. 
19. Jackson County Banner, Brownstown, Indiana. March 7, 1917. Page 3.
20. 1920 US Census. Sheet 3B. Van Buren Twp. Brown County, Indiana
21. The Tribune. Seymour, Indiana. July 30, 1924. Page 2.
22. Jackson County Banner. Brownstown, Indiana. August 20, 1924. Page 6.
23. Brown County Democrat. Nashville, Indiana. December 4, 1924. Page 1.
24. Jackson County Banner, Brownstown, Indiana. March 10, 1928. Page 8.
25. 1930 US Census. Sheet 4B. Brown County Poor Asylum. Nashville, Indiana. 
26. Indiana Board of Health. Certificate of Death 17718. Brown County, Indiana. Ancestry.com.

52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks - Week 4

Invite To Dinner

Well, on the surface that seems like an easy one. My first thought was my dad. He kept telling me that when he retired he would tell me all about his young life then. He never retired. He couldn't sit still, always had to be up and doing. So we never had that talk. Then, there is my Grandmother. How I still miss her every day. What I wouldn't give to see to her again.

Seriously though, I have quite a number of females with no birth name. They are not connected to a family. I would like to give them their name and family. I would have to have several dinners, or maybe a banquet. How often do you get the woman's view of how hard it was back then. She cared for the house, had the children, and cared for them, made sure her husband did not go hungry or without clothes. A lot of the old obituaries and death notices list a woman as Mrs. So and So. Not by her name or birth family. I'd love to give them their place, a name and family. I'd like to know what their lives were like. It's easy to assume they what they did, but I bet it was quite different than we think.

Or perhaps I could choose Rudolph Brock, one of my immigrant ancestors. It boggles my mind thinking about leaving what you know and going to a place that is unknown. Leaving behind almost everything, including your extended family, and starting over. It's a very brave thing to do. That would make an interesting dinner, for sure.

On the other hand, it would be very entertaining to have dinner with at least one of our founding fathers. Hear what they think of what this country has become.

I can't choose just one.


#52Ancestors #genealogy #Brock

Henry W. Hovis: Trying To Put It All Together.

Henry W. Hovis was my third great-grandfather.

Henry W. Hovis photo from the Lilly Library.

The family oral tradition stated that Henry was a basket-maker, fiddler and a circuit rider, or traveling preacher. Let's see how close that is:

Henry was born June 1, 1840 in Noble County, Ohio. His parents were Henry and Sarah Hoke/Hogg Hovis. He was the 4th child of 9. He moved to Indiana with his parents when they moved there around 1850. In the census, 1850 and 1860, his father was listed as a farmer. On July 9, 1864 in Nashville, Indiana, Henry married Elizabeth Ellen Bohall. She was born on June 17, 1844 in Jackson County, Indiana and her parents were George David and Catherine Draper Bohall. They are of the famous "Bohall basket" family. 

Henry and Elizabeth had 4 children: Mary C., Seth, Margaret "Maggie", and Martha Jane. Of those, Maggie is my second great-grandmother.

Now to follow him around as best I can through the sources.

In the 1870 census, in Jackson County, Henry and Elizabeth live next door to Elizabeth's parents, George and Catharine Bohall. This is the first census that shows them as a family. Henry and Elizabeth were both with their parents before this time. Henry is listed as a farmer.(1)

In the 1880 census Henry and family has moved to Saltcreek township in Jackson County. Henry is 38 and still listed as a farmer. There are no family members living nearby.(2)

In the 1886 History of Jackson County Henry and Elizabeth are listed as members of the Martin Grove Church. It's located about 3 miles northest of Clearspring. Henry is listed as an Elder. The church was organized March 15, 1878 so it is less than 10 years old when the book was written. (3)

On May 20, 1897, in the local paper, Jackson County Banner, there is a small entry that states: "Elizabeth Hovis vs Henry Hovis, divorce denied, each party to pay their own costs." This was a surprise to me. Why was it denied? Did they change their minds?(4)

On July 22, 1897, same paper: "Mrs. Henry Hovis died Saturday night. Funeral services were held Sunday at the Bagwell Graveyard." This was all I could find on her death. Elizabeth died July 17, 1897.(5)

The following month Henry sells his land to Wm. Adams. 80 acres. At least part of it. Jackson County Banner, August 26, 1897 states, "Henry Hovis to Wm. L. Adams, 80 acres Salt Creek township-$450."(6)

Then on March 2, 1899, Jackson County Banner article:
"The north-west fourth of the south east quarter and the south-west fourth of the north-east quarter, all in section 34, township 7 north, Range 3 east, containing 80 acres.
Mortgaged by Henry Hovis and Elizabeth E. Hovis, his wife, on the 11th day of November 1893, and forfeited for the non-payment of Principal and Interest.
Amount of Principal $160 00
Amount of Interest    22 60
Amount of Damages      8 20
Amount of Cost         8 80"(7)

Would he be able to sell off part of mortgaged land? I had made a note that Henry had a land grant? Not sure about that, but it was 160 acres. That would mean he had divided his land in half. Perhaps he only mortgaged half.

In the 1900 Federal Census, Henry is living in Van Buren Township, Brown County. On line 76: Henry Hovis, son, aged 58, living with Sarah, 86, who is listed as the head, his mother. She also has a "servant", Margaret Hendershot, 18, living with her. Henry lists his occupation as Basket Maker. The census was taken in June.(8)

The Columbus Republican, Columbus in Bartholomew County, September 20, 1900, "Rev. Henry Hovis, the basketmaker, has taken up his stay with Rev. John R. Wilson of South Salem, and they will preach and make baskets together."(9)

Transformation from farmer to basket maker to preacher/basket maker.

Again, The Republic states, March 18, 1903: In an area called GRAND VIEW, "Henry Hovis continues to make baskets for the farmers of this and surrounding communities."(10)

The Republic, a newspaper in Columbus, Indiana on October 19, 1900 stated: "Rev. Henry Hovis is still with Rev. John R. Wilson of South Salem, and working away at his trade, that of basket maker."(11)

On October 15, 1903, published in The Republic: "Drs. Ralphy and Campbell, of New Bellsville, removed a large tumor from the shoulder of Rev. Henry Hovis one day last week. Mr. Hovis is in a fair way to recover."(12)

In the 1910 census Henry is renting a place on Henderson Creek Road. He is 68 and still listed as Basket maker.(13)

This is about my half-way point in the Henry Hovis saga. He is just all over the place. I cannot find that he even has a home to go to, except for the rental in 1910. He was only 57 when Elizabeth died. Certainly young enough to remarry.

#Hovis #genealogy 

-----------------------------------------------------
Sources:
Photo: Lilly Library  Frank M. Hohenberger Photograph Collection 1928. 
1200 East Seventh Street 
Bloomington, Indiana 47405-5500
http://www.indiana.edu/~liblilly/
 1. 1870 US Census. Page 4, Grassy Fork Twp. Jackson county, Indiana. 
 2. 1880 US Census. Page 33A, Saltcreek Twp. Jackson county, Indiana. 
 3. 1886 History of Jackson County, Indiana. Brant and Fuller. Page 422. 
 4. Jackson County Banner, Brownstown, Indiana. May 20, 1897. Page 5.
 5. Jackson County Banner, Brownstown, Indiana. July 22, 1897. Page 8.
 6. Jackson County Banner, Brownstown, Indiana. August 26, 1897. Page 4.
 7. Jackson County Banner, Brownstown, Indiana. March 2, 1899. Page 5.
 8. 1900 US Census. Sheet 1B, Van Buren Twp. Brown county, Indiana. 
 9. The Columbus Republican, Columbus, Indiana. September 20, 1900. Page 8.
10. The Republic, Columbus, Indiana. March 18, 1903. Page 4.
11. The Republic, Columbus, Indiana. October 19, 1900. Page 2.
12. The Republic, Columbus, Indiana. October 15, 1903. Page 2.
13. 1910 US Census. Sheet 5A, Pleasant Run Twp. Lawrence county, Indiana. 

52ancestors 52weeks Week 3

Longevity

I've actually had several ancestors that can claim "longevity" as a blessing in their lives. I have many ancestors that lived well into their 90's. But I will post one that is hard to believe.

Many years ago I was sent a copy of an advertisement for a product called Peruna, Dr. Hartman's remedy from another Brock researcher. I think it is from about 1899, at least according to my math. It features a cousin of mine named Isaac Brock, or known to us Brock researchers as Texas Isaac. He claims he was born March 1, 1788 in Buncombe County, North Carolina, and is a citizen of McLennan County, Texas.  It also says he is 111 years old. He (Isaac) says "I attribute my extreme old age to the use of Peruna." I'm going to assume Peruna is a tonic of some sort. A miracle elixir which can cure whatever ails ya.
There is a drawing of him, shown above, but it's a bad "newspaper picture". Still, I don't think he looks 111. But I don't know anyone else to compare it to.
It says of Isaac:
Born before United States was formed.
Saw 22 Presidents elected.
Pe-ru-na has protected him from all sudden changes.
Veteran of four wars.
Shod a horse when 99 years old.
Always conquered the grippe with Pe-ru-na.
Witness in a land suit at age of 110 years.
Believes Pe-ru-na the greatest remedy of the age for Catarrhal Diseases.


I know all of this is true because he signed his name to the document. His seal of approval. I got to find me a bottle of this stuff! LOL!

The Waco, Texas papers state that Isaac died September 3rd, 1909 at 122 years, 6 months and 2 days in China Springs, Texas. They wrote about him a lot. And so they should. He seems to have been an amazing character, no matter what his age.

Well, as you may have guessed by now, all is not as it seems. Isaac's daughter, Sallie, had written to the courthouse in Buncombe County, North Carolina to see when her father was born. They sent her the information for his uncle Isaac, that was born March 1, 1788. Texas Isaac did not know that the information was not his. 

The family has determined since, that Texas Isaac Brock was born March 1, 1805 in Buncombe County, North Carolina. He worked in the gold mines in Georgia, learned to be a blacksmith in Alabama, served 4 years in the Civil War, and had a blacksmith shop in Waco, Texas. He outlived 2 wives, had 16 children, and died at the ripe old age of 104.

Yep. Peruna works. Texas Isaac lived a very long, honorable life. I'm proud to be his family.

#52Ancestors #Brock #genealogy #longevity

November 2018 Will Be The 100th Anniversary of WWI

This year, in November, we will celebrate the 100th anniversary of World War I., though, celebrate is not really the word I think of when I think of war. I've been transcribing the obituaries and stories from the newspapers for some time now and I have to say I can only do three or four at a setting because it is so intensly sad. I feel as a parent, a sister and a citizen each of the deaths, even though they are not related to me. I was transcribing some articles from WWII and in one, a young man is missing and he has a brother in the war. I pulled up the next one and started typing. It  was the announcement that his brother had been killed in action. Then I pulled up the next one. They had found the first young man's body and declared him killed in action. This is what their family faced in one week. They were only days apart. I had to take a long break.

I am the Coordinator for the Jackson County and Bartholomew County (Indiana) INGenWebs. As coordinator I work hard to put up data and helpful information for genealogists researching those two counties. I have been working to put up stories and obituaries of our war dead. I want to do more for the anniversary in November of this year for the WWI soldiers. I would love photos for each of the soldiers. That is a tough one. But I am going to give it a try.

Say, since this is the year, perhaps focusing your attention on the WWI soldiers in your file would be a good idea. Flesh them out, write the stories and find the data. That is what I am going to do. I am going to make sure that I have all of the data I can get on my WWI soldiers, on the county sites and in my file. And, gee, maybe you could share that data, just in case someone else has been looking and can not find it. There are many places to do so. Your blog, FB or the GenWeb site for the county your ancestor lived in. There are lots more places I'm sure.

These soldiers should be remembered, honored, and deserve to have their stories told.

#WorldWarI #INGenWeb #JacksonCounty #BartholomewCounty

52 Ancestors 52 Weeks Week 2

Favorite Photo

This week the prompt is "Favorite Photo". It wasn't hard for me to pick one. This one is my most favorite. It was taken about 1909. The little girl in the photo is my grandmother, which I wrote of last week, Della Mae Alexander. She was almost 5 in this photo. In the buggy is her baby brother, Merrill Harris Alexander, who is sleeping peacefully.

Little Della does not look so happy. Of course, getting a photo in those days was not a fun thing. You had to be perfectly still for a long period of time. I'm surprised that there are not more photos from the period, of children screaming. I've read that having to sit still so long for the photograph was the reason few people were smiling in them. The photographer would ask that they not smile. It's hard to hold a smile for that length of time and not have it turn into a grimace.

Anyway, it's a great photograph of my grandmother as a child. But, there is a back story to this photograph that makes it even more special to me. Grandma did not like the photo. She said she could remember that being taken like it was yesterday. When she put on her stockings her finger tore a hole in one and she knew when she got home and her mother discovered what she had done she would be in trouble. All she could think about was the whipping she was going to get later.

When I look at this photo I want to take that child into my arms and hug her. I'm so happy that I have a photo of her at that age, yet, it's not the happiest of pictures when you know the story.

#52Ancestors #photographs #Alexander #genealogy

Getting a Jump on the Year

Well, I am trying to start the year off right. At least starting it with the intent to get a lot done. I have, for the first time in a very long time, gotten a subscription to Ancestry.com. I had intended to do it though, later in the year, but, how can you pass up a 50% off subscription? I couldn't. So I am committed. Let's see how much this subscription helps me move forward. I will be putting up a basic tree in a couple of weeks (2000 or so individuals).

It has been so long since I have even used Ancestry, that it looks alien to me. It looked much different in the "old days". :) It will take a while to learn the new way of searching.

Hint: Getting back into blogging is on my list of things to do.

#genealogy #start

52 Ancestors, 52 Weeks - Week 1

I have wanted to do this for a few years, but was unable join the project at the time of it's starting until this year. Thanks Amy Johnson Crow for this project.

The prompt for this week is Start. I immediately thought, so, how did this family history thing all start? It was my grandmother's fault. Her name was Della Alexander Jaynes, and she made me want to know where I came from. She was always telling me about her family. She always had a story that was spell-binding to me. She gave me my love of books, and we spent many hours in the library. She took care of the family graves, so I spent many hours with her making sure family graves were tidy.

She even gave me my name, which is actually Sherida. A friend of hers lost a child named Sherida, and I was named for her. The only place I saw my name while growing up was on a gravestone. I suppose most children would be creeped out by that but I was fascinated. Last year Newspapers.com started carrying our local paper and my daughter gave me a subscription as a gift. I looked the girl up. She was as beautiful and talented as my grandmother had said. She died of scarlet fever. It was all very sad.

Anyway, that was the beginning of my interest. In the mid-seventies, I started collecting more than stories. I began to put the pieces together and writing it down. Unfortunately, I did not know what I was doing. I learned as I continued, which made for a very messy file. A couple years ago I started Thomas MacEntee's "Do-Over", and I have a much nicer and better sourced file that is coming along nicely. I am going to put the file on Ancestry for the first time, very soon. I hope to make great strides this year.

This post is all about "Start". How I started and since I am number one in my file it is also about me. I am a cancer survivor, so far. I am 4 1/2 years out from a bone marrow transplant for Myelodysplastic Syndrome (MDS). I have cGVHD (chronic Graft versus Host Disease), which is my body battling itself. It has been severe, but I am still here. The heavy meds that I had to take have taken their toll. I am in a wheelchair and not able to go like before. There is a good chance that will change in time. I want no pity. I have watched as many have died. I am very blessed. How many of you know someone, have heard of someone or are battling cancer? That is all I hear anymore. In the time from my diagnosis and treatment, my step-sister was diagnosed, treated and died from breast cancer. I'm 63, she would have been 52 now. My cancer was caused by the chemical benzene, hers from her family history.

Well, I also have time to work on my file right now, which is a good thing, right? I am a quilter and a crafter with many projects that I want to do. I am also the County Coordinator for the Jackson County and Bartholomew County, Indiana GenWeb sites that I am constantly working on. So I stay busy.

I have two daughters, a great son-in-law, and three grandchildren, all teenagers now.

From this point on it will be about my ancestors. At least 52 of them. 

#52 Ancestors