Grandpa's Banking System

 

I went to YouTube the other morning and something caught my eye. The name of the video that YouTube had 'suggested' for me was, "Where to Hide Your Cash When Banks Collapse". It reminded me of a funny family drama that was often mentioned at family gatherings and vacations. Grandpa would laugh, but he didn't change his ways. 

My Grandfather, Jim Jaynes, got his family through the Depression, and this was no small feat. The way things are looking today sometimes makes me think about how they did it, and will we experience such a thing. 

Grandpa was one of the many people who lost everything in the depression. To survive he walked 2 miles on the train tracks every day to get to his work at the ice plant in town, and 2 miles back home after work. They were living in the country, and the train tracks were the shortest route to get into town if you had to walk. He not only took care of his family of 5, but his parents as well. He worked from sunup to sundown, Grandma sewed and gardened, so they got on ok. Grandpa just never, to his death, trusted banks again. 

When they finally moved to town, Grandpa bought two pieces of land and built a house on one, which they lived in until he had the second one built. It was to be their forever home. And what did Grandpa want in his forever home? A great big safe sitting in his bedroom. For some reason he thought bigger was better, which seems to be a common male thought. I don't know why. At any rate, it overwhelmed the room. 

Now, I never saw this thing shut and locked. He had lost the combination when I was a baby. This meant he had to pay to have someone open it. Then he had them fix it so it wouldn't lock again. He was a plumber who dealt in cash, he owned several rental houses which he bought with cash, everyone knew he only took cash. When he sold a property, it took a couple of days longer to close so they could get the cash together. Part of the money went into the safe. It seems he didn't like everything in one place, so he had a "second safe". It was called a coffee can, which he would stuff with cash and bury in the back yard. Yes, the obvious did happen. He buried a can and forgot where. He looked for a long time. As a matter of fact, everyone had a go at looking for it but no one ever found it. We did not know how much was in the can, and if we had, there probably would have been a bulldozer taking all the top soil off the back yard. It has all rotted away by now, I'm sure, both the can and the paper bills. The people who live in the house now have no idea that they have really rich soil in their back yard.

On a side note, just to prove how safe it all was, they never locked their doors. Not until the 1980s when they were in their mid 80s and began to have health issues. According to Grandma, it had something to do with not being able to find the keys. 

Those times are gone forever. 

This is a double post. My blog is now:    FamilyTwigs – TwigTalk – Talking about genealogy, family, creating and recording my personal history, wholeness, and all the things that come in life.  This will be the last double post.

A New Tool - One Tiny Step.

 This is a post from my new blog on WordPress. I am moving. Here is a link to the post there. 

 

I tried FamilySearch Full Text Search for the first time. I really wasn't sure it could help me, or with what. I've been looking and listening to video and print articles about AI, not at all sure I wanted to even try to do anything with it. The Full Text Search seemed safe to start with. I am glad I tried!

I have been looking for the marriage record for Charles Pinkney Beard and Beatrice Brown for so long. Years ago someone replied to me on a message board that they had been in Etowah County, Alabama looking for something and ran across this document. All they could remember was that the note attached was signed by her father who was R. F. Brown. That was all I knew about her family. 
The note:
Judge J. W. Penn - Judge of probate.
You are hereby authorized and permitted to issue marriage license for the marriage of my daughter Beatrice to C. P.  Beard. My daughter is between sixteen and seventeen years of age - under the legal age - but any consent to the marriage is hereby given and you are authorized to issue the license there for - This Aug. 24-1907
attest E.G. Hanner[?]
           L.E. Harris[?]
Attalla Ala
Aug. 24-1907                                    R. F. Brown

There are two names I am having trouble with. They use initials so often in the south, it drives me nuts. Someone wrote the note for her father, but that would most likely be his signature.

Charles and Beatrice were married at the residence of Judge J.W. Penn. 

Beatrice gave birth to my grandmother, Bizzie Lee in 1909, and she died on October 1, 1911. There simply isn't a lot of information about the Brown family. Charles married again and had several children.

So, I have been looking for an R.F. Brown for years to no avail. My only other information about the family came from family. They have said the Brown family moved from Georgia to Alabama, and after Beatrice died they moved to St. Clair County, Alabama. There was a son named Robert or that was her fathers name, which is not very helpful. I did learn something though. Her mother, I hope, went with her and is listed as P.L. Brown. Again with the initials!  So it seems I am looking for a R. F. Brown married to a P. It's really sad that P is so big to me!

Now, if only I could find her death certificate. :(

I tried FamilySearch Full Text Search for the first time. I really wasn't sure it could help me, or with what. I've been looking and listening to video and print articles about AI, not at all sure I wanted to even try to do anything with it. The Full Text Search seemed safe to start with. I am glad I tried!

I have been looking for the marriage record for Charles Pinkney Beard and Beatrice Brown for so long. Years ago someone replied to me on a message board that they had been in Etowah County, Alabama looking for something and ran across this document. All they could remember was that the note attached was signed by her father who was R. F. Brown. That was all I knew about her family. 

The note:

Judge J. W. Penn - Judge of probate.
You are hereby authorized and permitted to issue marriage license for the marriage of my daughter Beatrice to C. P.  Beard. My daughter is between sixteen and seventeen years of age - under the legal age - but any consent to the marriage is hereby given and you are authorized to issue the license there for - This Aug. 24-1907
attest E.G. Hanner[?]
           L.E. Harris[?]
Attalla Ala
Aug. 24-1907                                    R. F. Brown

There are two names I am having trouble with. They use initials so often in the south, it drives me nuts. Someone wrote the note for her father, but that would most likely be his signature.

Charles and Beatrice were married at the residence of Judge J.W. Penn. 

Beatrice gave birth to my grandmother, Bizzie Lee in 1909, and she died on October 1, 1911. There simply isn't a lot of information about the Brown family. Charles married again and had several children.

So, I have been looking for an R.F. Brown for years to no avail. My only other information about the family came from family. They have said the Brown family moved from Georgia to Alabama, and after Beatrice died they moved to St. Clair County, Alabama. There was a son named Robert or that was her fathers name, which is not very helpful. I did learn something though. Her mother, I hope, went with her and is listed as P.L. Brown. Again with the initials!  So it seems I am looking for a R. F. Brown married to a P. It's really sad that P is so big to me!

Now, if only I could find her death certificate. :(

Beautiful Night Lights

 This post was posted at my New Blog, FamilyTwigs - TwigTalk. I will be double/posting here only a few more times before completely moving to the new domain. Thank you.

In November of 2025 my daughter took these photos behind her house. She could not see anything with her eyes, but they kept saying you could see them here. Here is in southern Indiana, about an hour north of Kentucky. So she took a photo with her phone. This was the result. She took several photos. some had a lot of green, but this one was my favorite! I have always wanted to see the lights. There was to much light pollution where I live, so I didn't get a photo but I am loving this one.

Tags: Northern Lights, Photo

National Women's Month-Louisa Jane Alexander Wilson

 This post is about my second great grandaunt, Louisa Jane Alexander. She was born on September 1, 1846, in Jackson County, Indiana. Her parents were John Henry Alexander and Mary Frances Carter. Mary was also known at Frankie in her early days. The marriage was the second marriage for both of them. 

The first problem I ran into while trying to keep track of Louisa and her siblings was the 1850 census. She and her sister were missing. I found her parents and a baby Isaac right where they should be.  Louisa and Mahala were missing for several years in my research. Then a gen-friend emailed me about the 1850 census. She had found Mahala Alexander, 5 years old and Louisa J. Alexander, 3 years old and in the house of a Nancy Hutchinson in Brownstown, Indiana. In 1860 they were both back in the home of their parents. I have not connected Nancy to the family yet and the only recognizable name in her household is an Elizabeth King. Louisa 's grandmother was Sally King Alexander. Maybe a connection, maybe not. 

On October 27, 1867, a 21-year-old Louisa married Ephraim Cole Wilson in Brownstown, Indiana. Ephraim had been a corporal in the Union army. Their marriage produced five children, Minnie Belle, Orland C., Dillard, Willard, and Pirtle.

In the 1870 census, Louisa and Ephraim are farming out in Jackson County, Indiana. I thought I had lost them as I could not find them in the 1880 census. I am sure they did not go out of county or state, so I am going to keep trying to find them in 1880. It must have been during this time that the changes were taking place, a change of career for Ephraim, and the beginning of a family business. 

In 1900 I found them living on Spring Street in Brownstown, Indiana, not out in the county. Ephraim was listed as a Livestock Dealer. Living with them are son Pirtle, 18, who is listed as a butcher. Clyde is there listed as a son but is really a grandson. He is 10 years old. Orlean, 27-year-old son, his wife Kate, and baby Hubert are there too. Orlean is also a butcher. This was the beginning of something that is still going on in the Wilson family in 1841, in Brownstown. 

By the 1910 census, Ephraim and Louisa are still in Brownstown on Bridge Street. He is no longer working. Grandson Hubert is 10 and still with them. His mother Kate (Moreland) died in 1901. Perhaps Louisa only cared for him while his father worked. His father Orland had remarried in 1906, and I know that the new wife (Rebecca Cummings) worked with him at the Wilson Market.

Ephraim died on January 31, 1915. His death certificate says he died of Chronic Cystitis.  He was 68 years old. His obituary says he was sick for some time. He and Louisa had been married for 49 years. I can only imagine her grief. 

Five years after Ephriam's death, in the 1920 census, Louisa is 72 and still living in Brownstown. Herbert is still with her at age 19. This is going to be the last time she will be in a census. 

She dies in 1926 at the age of 79 of heart disease. She had been ill and bed-ridden for 9 months. She was living at the home of her eldest daughter, Minnie Eisele, when she died. She was buried beside Ephraim in the Fairview Cemetery there in Brownstown.

I think a part of her and Ephraim still continues. If you take a trip to Brownstown, Indiana, you can still do business with a Wilson. You see, you will find on Bolles Street, a little place called Wilson's Slaughtering & Processing (established 1892). It's nice to know it continues.

 SOURCES for this post:

1. "United States Census, 1850, database with images, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:MHJV-TCN); Nancy Hutchinson; Brownstown, Jackson, Indiana; Dwelling 769, Family 772, Line 2. 

Hutchinson, Nancy 43, Rebecca 14, Elizabeth King 45, Malaha 5, Louisa 3.

2. "United States Census, 1860"

Alexander, John 1860 U.S. Census

Jackson County, Indiana Hamilton TWP

Series: M653 Roll: 268 Page: 761

Dwelling 840 Family 819

Alexander, John 41, Francis 55, John H 17, Mahala 16, Louisa 13

3. "Indiana Marriages, 1811-2007," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:VZQR-YSL : 21 January 2016), Ephraim Wilson and Louisa J Alexander, 27 Oct 1867; citing Jackson, Indiana, United States, various county clerk offices, Indiana; FHL microfilm 1,314,625.

4. "United States Census, 1870", database with images, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:MXXB-1DT), Ephram Wilson; Owen Township, Jackson, Indiana, United States; Dwelling 806, Family 806, Line 20, Page 117.

Wilson, Ephraim 24, Louisa 24, Minnie B. 6mos.

5. "United States Census, 1900", database with images, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:MM1T-QGT), Hubert Wilson in entry for Epherum Wilson, 1900; ED: 66, Sheet: 12, Line: 1, Dwelling: 241, Family 254.

 Wilson, Epherin 54, Louisa 54, Pirtle 18, Clyde 10, Orlean 27, Cate 27, Hubert (grandson) 1.

 

 6. "United States Census, 1910", database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:MKP3-CJX), Ephrim Wilson, Brownstown, Jackson, Indiana, United States; citing enumeration district (ED) ED 58, Sheet 14A, Dwelling 194, Family 196, NARA microfilm publication T624 (Washington D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, 1982), roll 357; FHL microfilm 1,374,370.

Wilson, Ephraim 65, Louisa 63, Hubert (grandson) 10.    

7. "United States, Census, 1920", , FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:MF7G-3VY : Wed Jan 22 17:07:45 UTC 2025), Entry for Louisa Jane Wilson and Hurbert Wilson, 1920.   

Wilson, Louisa 72, Hubert (grandson) 19. 

8. "Article; Newspapers.com"; Jackson County Banner, Brownstown, Indiana, Obituary - Louisa Wilson; 28 July 1926; Page 5.

9. "Indiana Archives and Records Administration"; Indianapolis, IN, USA; Death Certificates; Year: 1926-1927; Roll: 10 Ancestry.com. Indiana, U.S., Death Certificates, 1899-2017 [database on-line]. Lehi, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2015. Registered No. 20 [23655];

Brownstown, Brownstown, Jackson, Indiana.

Death; July 25, 1926 Informant: Mrs Geo. Eisele Cause: Heart Disease

    

10. "Find a Grave", database and images (https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/197824694/louise-jane-wilson), memorial page for Louise Jane Wilson (1 Sep 1846–24 Jul 1926), Find a Grave Memorial ID 197824694, citing Fairview Cemetery, Brownstown, Jackson County, Indiana, USA; Maintained by The Lone Ranger (contributor 47228659).       

              

Let's Go On A Journey

 I'm time-traveling through another box of treasures! This time it's a fun journey.

In the summer of 1959 I was 5, and my brother was almost 3. The two of us and my Mother boarded a bus and headed for California. It was 3 days and 3 nights on that thing, with the exception of the bus breaking down in the desert, which I believe was in New Mexico, as there was a bunch of post cards my mother had bought there, and it is the only place she bought anything on the journey there and back.

We were going visiting to my mom's oldest sister, Louise Jaynes Pearson.They lived in San Bernardino. But, I believe we visited my grandaunt, Gladys Alexander Taylor in Los Angeles as well.  We went to Disneyland and the ocean and the cousins were nowhere to be seen, so I am pretty sure we were in LA at that time.

We went to Disneyland!!!! It had opened in 1955.

 The above book had an insert.

 

She even kept the ticket stub. This is the front.

 This is the back. Look at that price. Can you even park for that now?!

 

 

 

I learned many things during my visit. Playing with my cousins in their yard I learned not to go barefoot as walking in the grass was painful, hot, dry, sharp grass crunching loudly. There were ants that bite and it hurt! I was born a water-baby so we visited the ocean. The water, even to a child was dirty and as warm as bath water. The sand was too hot to walk on barefooted. I didn't like anything California but Disneyland and I missed my Dad terribly.  

For Your Information: There is a commercial that says, because of her use of excessive exclamation points, they had changed something. First time I heard it I told my daughter that was me. Not speaking face to face, it's hard to show excitement. So if I use excessive exclamation points you will know I am excited!!!

 

Treasure From 1913

 

I found it! The one photo I had not been able to scan in all these years. It had been on my mothers wall for so long. I kept telling her that I needed to scan it, and she would reply that she'd take it down one of these days for me to scan. That day never came. In the many boxes that wore packed up after the death of my step-father, I had no idea which one it was in. My sister brought me another box to go through yesterday. When I opened the box, there it was on top. I cried. And then I released it from its prison and immediately squashed it in the scanner! Oh, I did dust it first. It was really dusty.  

 

 

 This photo was taken in 1913. I believe it was taken at the door of the train station. Everyone traveled by train at the time. In first grade my class went on a field trip riding the train. Anyway, starting on the left is Merrill Harris Alexander, age 4, the middle girl is Gladys Faye Alexander, age 6, and the tall girl is my grandmother, Della Mae Alexander, age 9. I just want to hug Grandma, her little face is so serious. The blond bookends were pure Alexander, Gladys is all Martin. They were a dark headed bunch, and it all went to Gladys. Grandma Mom, Olive Martin Alexander, was a very exacting woman. The girls show it. I do believe she finally met her match in Merrill. He was her first boy. His knickerbockers were crooked, and his little traveling coat, well, I bet it was a fight to get his picture taken with his coat belt that way, his way probably. The belt was supposed to fit below his waist but not quite so low or bunchy. His smile might be triumph. Little rebel! The girls, of course, are perfect.

 

This photo is not only special because my grandma is in it, but also because this is the first photo I have of Gladys as a child. I only have one of her and it is a really bad photo of her as an adult. She married and moved to California long before I was born. I never met Merrill either as he died at age 22 of appendicitis. 

 

Just me rambling on about one of my treasures. 

 

 

 

Lost Is Found

 Going through some of my mother's things I found a couple of CDs I had left there many years ago. I had shown her some things in the family tree, and I left the things behind as I had it all on my computer at home.  One thing was a copy of my photo album on my computer in 2003.  The other thing was my copy of FamilyTree Maker 9. It was owned by Broderbund when I bought it, and it was the last copy I bought. I loved the program but I didn't love Ancestry (they bought FTM).  

She didn't have a computer long. She said she didn't like it, but I think she was intimidated and a little afraid of it! She was not really interested in Family History. She would tell me the stories though.

Now I have Family Historian and I am quite pleased with it. It does have a learning curve, but I am ok with that. Everything is where I would want it to be, and I'm very comfortable with it. I am still learning things about the program, but still pleased. My old brain needs a workout anyway! I recently found a program by Nick Walker called Ancestral Sources that makes source entry easier in Family Historian. It is a free program. There are videos for both programs on YouTube and the Family Historian site and I use them often.

Family Historian. Ancestral Sources by Nick Walker. 

My Dad Was a Water Witch

 My Dad was a dowser, a water witch. People would be waiting for us to come to visit the family so he could find them a new well. Dad was born in Alabama. He and his family moved North when he was a teenager. Most of his family are still in Alabama. So anyway, he would go off and find water. I remember running along behind him sometimes, watching. I was fascinated. My Mother, on the other hand, tried to hide it from everyone 'back home'.

Dad would just find a forked branch and cut it when he got to the place. Then he would walk the place. Well, I won't go on as it could get quite long. It took a long time, as he would continue to walk in a north/south and east/west directions.  He liked being right, and he liked going up against technology to prove it!  The last time I know of him going witching was in the mid 1980's.  He was finding his own new well. They had pretty good tech then and he bragged that he was less than an inch from the what the tech said! 

 

The 'fixed' photo!

The first part of January I posted on Bluesky that I wanted to know if anyone knew someone that could fix a photo for me. I got a nice response!

The photo had lain in the bottom of a box. I didn't know there was one in existence. It is not a great photo and it was scratched bad. My post on Bluesky was answered by a Dr. Christophe (@offrez-une-genealogie.fr).  I am so happy that he was able to make the photo clearer. Well worth the money!

Rufus Lee Brock, Jr.
1931 - 2006

 

I Don't Know If I Am Ready

 December 31, 2024, my step-father died. He was 87, and missing my Mother so much. She died just 14 months before him. The Coroner said he had a massive heart attack, which makes sense as his heart was broken. He was gone before he hit the floor.Thankfully he did not suffer.

It snowed and got bitterly cold after that. I love snow normally. This time was different. At one point there was somewhere between 10 - 15 inches of snow out my window. Today it is raining, but cold, and I think the snow that is still hanging around is icier than it was. We're waiting for another bitter wave of temps coming at us.

So, what might be the most disturbing and scary year of my life, and I am almost 71, has begun. I've always thought of the new year started on my birthday. I mean, technically that seems reasonable since it really will be a new year for me. So I have a few weeks before I count it. January is just a trial run. A window into my future.

How has this January new year started? A funeral, drones and aliens, bitter weather, fire, and now fear. Many of my ancestors fought and some died to make and keep this country free. Most of my family are all in and happy about what is coming. To me it makes for a lonely time as I have been on the other side of the situation. I have lost my faith in the people of this country. I am resolved to believe that in the end, truth, decency, freedom and justice will win. I hope I live to see justice done!

What have I done so far?  I grieve. I deleted my Instagram (Threads), and Facebook. I haven't had Twitter for a long time. There is no longer any news channels in my house. I look online for reputable news sources.  I do have Bluesky and Mastodon.  I BLOCK TROUBLE and it brings such peace.

I've also gotten all of my bag patterns made into books, making it so much less messy to create one project, than having pattern pages everywhere.

 In family history: I use Family Historian and have a different way of working. Better organized, thanks to Drew Smith ("Organize Your Genealogy"). I have a folder full of sources to do, a folder of sources to scan, a folder to transcribe, and WikiTree to work on. Want to make a dent this year. Let's see how it goes.                                          

 

 

 

WikiTree Symposium - Coming Soon!

 

The WikiTree Symposium is coming!! FREE Symposium, by the way. November 1-3 is full of genealogy presentations! I like to make a list of speakers I want to see. Usually, I just watch the names on my list, but this year it will probably be on all day for 3 days. I'll be sure to listen to the ones on my list, but also hear a little of them all. Can't sit down for 3 days, but I can catch some. A lot of speakers focus on newbies, which I am not. I've been working on my family history since the late 70's, so newbie does not apply. 

Here is the Schedule for anyone that wants to plan their first November weekend. 

Some of my favorite speakers are:

Melissa Barker. She is the archivist for Houston County, Tennessee. Every time I listen to Melissa I learn something new. Every time. She has a blog called A Genealogist In The Archives

Drew Smith. Always a fresh learning experience. Organize Your Genealogy, Drew's book, "Organize Your Genealogy", got me in shape. I spent a year using his book to organize, finally.

Cheri Hudson Passey has an interesting presentation. She is always interesting.

And then, of course, Thomas MacEntee. Mr. Genealogy himself. He needs no introduction.

WikiTree Time!

 I really love WikiTree. It is almost time for WikiTree Day Symposium again. I attended last year and I really enjoyed it.  I enjoyed the speakers and did learn a lot. The site is free!   November 1-3.

Register here. 

Took Poison!

 While this may be a sad story to start with, it does have a happy ending. It also brought very good memories to my mind about another matter altogether. But first, let's learn who the article is about, and how he is connected to me. 

The article speaks of George A. Manning. His nephew, John Harvey Manning was married to my great-grandaunt, Roxie Mae Martin. I never met John but knew Aunt Roxie.

I'll let the article tell the first story. As always, the transcript is below.

Took Poison

Prisoner in Jail Came Near Ending His Life.

George A. Manning, who said his home was at Ewing, was found on the street Thursday afternoon very drunk. The marshal arrested him and took him to jail to sober up. Just as council adjourned Thursday night Frank White who was being detained in jail to testify as a witness in another case gave the cry of alarm. Policeman Elrod unlocked the door and White told him that Manning had taken poison and was dying. And his condition then did seem hopeless for he was certainly near death's door.

But Dr. Graessle was right there, having just come down from council meeting, and he administered an antidote and went to work to save Manning's life, if possible. His efforts were successful and in the course of an hour or two he began to get better. Friday morning Manning was up and anxious to leave town though he was feeling pretty sore and very much ashamed. He went to North Vernon where he said he had a brother.

Manning confessed that he had been carrying the poison for a month but never had the nerve to take it before. Why he should have taken it no one knows. There was certainly no good reason for it.

Don't worry about George. He got it together, married and died at 78 of heart disease in Houston, Texas. So, for him, it all turned out ok.

When I read that Dr. Graessle had saved George I was flooded with memories. He is the doctor that delivered me and my brother. I remember my mother taking me to checkups in his office as a child. He would set me up on his big desk and check me out. Then he'd tell me I could get candy from the jar that sat on that desk while he talked to Mother. When we were very ill, he would come to the house and check us out. After he was done with us, he'd sit at the kitchen table with my parents, have a cup of coffee, smoke his pipe and talk. He always had his pipe. My last year in High School I worked as a nurse's aide on weekends at the local hospital. His wife was ill and he would come up to see her all the time. You could smell him coming. He always smoked his pipe, and it was a lovely smell, rich, probably expensive tobacco. I would be busy and suddenly he was right in front of me. When I'd look up he'd say, "Ah, you're Madelyn's daughter!" He always remembered his babies. Everyone loved him. The last time I saw him was in 1973. He died in 1977. His memory lives on. 

Dr. Harold Peter "Bud" Graessle

1893-1977

Sources:

Newspapers.com; Took Poison; The Tribune, Seymour, Indiana; Friday, march 17, 1905; Page 2.

"Indiana Marriages, 1811-2019", , FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:VZQ1-7SX), Entry for George A Manning and Lucinda Beck, 24 Aug 1895.

"Texas Death Index, 1903-2000," database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:VZDJ-GXW), George A. Manning, 28 Jul 1940; from "Texas, Death Index, 1903-2000," database, Ancestry (http://www.ancestry.com : 2006); citing certificate number 33226, Harris, Texas, Texas Department of Health, State Vital Statistics Unit, Austin. 

Oh No! He Got Popped!

 I spent a lot of time googling with this one.  Bastardy is just what you'd think it was. I have had a lot of trouble finding anything about a popper. I do believe that it could solve our little gun problem though. 

This story is about a man named Solomon Wineinger. He is not a blood relative, but one of those marry-in types.  Anyway, here is the story from the newspaper from Jackson County, Indiana in 1883. Translation below graphic.

Outwitted and Outrun

Last Friday a warrant was issued by Justice W. L. Boyatt for the arrest of Solomon Wineinger, of Owen Township, who was wanted to answer to a charge of bastardy. It was placed in the hands of Constable George R. Hamilton, who found his game at Ewing and pounced down upon him. While escorting him up to town, Wineinger begged the Constable not to walk so fast, saying he had heart disease and several other ailments, and was liable to fall prostrate at any moment. the pace was therefore slackened until they reached the head of Walnut Street, when quick as lightning Wineinger darted around the corner and started down the old Stilwell ferry road. The Constable followed him and commanded him to stop, and then pulled his little popper and popped away, but heedless of the popping Wineinger flew along with the fleetness of a deer, soon leaving the officer hopelessly in the rear. Since then, nothing has been heard of Wineinger's whereabouts.

Now, in 1883 Solomon was about 35 years old. He had served in the Civil War as a young man. He was not married, so far as I've been able to find. It sounds like this incident is not his first rodeo. I have not found anything to say that he was caught in the end. I'll keep looking, but I know in 1888 he married a Louisa Jane Blythe. Not in Jackson County, by the way. He was next door in Lawrence County. He and Louisa had 8 children, as far as I could find in the neighboring county, but he was buried in Jackson County.

I have searched for a picture of a popper to no avail. I did find a clacker, a rattle and lots of whistles. Seems policing was noisy in that time period. It was also not deadly. Police were respected and respectful. I do think this article makes a case for Family DNA testing.

I bring a little light and truth to an old gangster movie line. 

"Hey boss, you want I should pop him?"

And you thought it meant something else. 

Source: 

*Newspapers.com; Jackson County Banner, Brownstown, Indiana; Thursday, July 5, 1883; Page 4.

*"United States Civil War and Later Pension Index, 1861-1917", FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:NH8R-RML), Solomon Wineinger, 1886.

*Find a Grave, database and images (https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/129055936/solomon-wineinger), memorial page for Solomon Wineinger (4 May 1848–23 Jan 1943), Find a Grave Memorial ID 129055936, citing Mount Zion Cemetery, Medora, Jackson County, Indiana, USA; Maintained by Alicelth (contributor 47131242).

Survival

 Francis Marion Jack, "Frank", my third great granduncle, was born on September 14, 1844, in McMinn County, Tennessee, he was the son of John Jack and Mary Ditmore. In 1869 he married Margaret E. McNabb. I found a little death notice for him. I don't know the papers name, I haven't been able to find the original pdf it was in though I do have a lot from the Daily Athenian in Tennessee, I am not sure this is from that one. I'm sorry for the source sin, forgive me. I do know the date is December 14, 1925.The transcription is below the graphic: 

Sultana Survivor

Dies At Englewood

ENGLEWOOD, Tenn., Dec. 14 - (Spl.)--Frank M. Jack, one of the four last survivors of the ill-fated Sultana, which was sunk near Memphis in the Mississippi river during the civil war, died here Saturday. Mr. Jack was one of the best-known citizens in this section of the state. 

Funeral services for Mr. Jack were conducted by the Masons of the Peabody Lodge of Coghill yesterday. Mr. Jack is survived by five sons and three daughters.

This little blurb tells me a lot. First of all, the Sultana was taking Union soldiers home at the end of the war. He was Union. (making him a Union Jack? opps)  I've found he was in Company K, 3rd Regiment, Tennessee Cavalry. He had 8 children living at the time of his death. I found all but one. He was a mason. Just for the record, where else would Mr. Peabody be but Coghill Lodge? Sorry. That was funny if you're old. I am.

The Sultana is the worst boat disaster you have never heard about. Why? On April 15, 1865, Abraham Lincoln was assassinated.  The boat was carrying the news of that as it traveled down the river heading to Vicksburg, Mississippi. On April 26, 1865, John Wilkes Booth was killed. (I know, supposedly.) The Sultana blew up on April 27, 1865. The wooden steamboat had the capacity of a crew of 85 and only 376 passengers.  At the time of the explosion, she was carrying 2, 128 passengers according to some researchers. The captain, James Mason, bribed the chief quartermaster at Vicksburg to take on soldiers.  The government paid $2.75 per soldier and $8.00 per officer. He took on 1,400 recently released Union prisoners from the prison camps at Cahaba and Andersonville. Many soldiers were mustered out at Vicksburg, and they were also aboard plus his paying customers. The war was over, and they were finally going home.  At least 1700 died, most likely more but we will never know for sure. It was close to Memphis, Tennessee at the time it blew up. It was spring and the water was cold. Some died from drowning, some by hypothermia, but most from the explosion and fire. Frank was one of the few that made it home. 

Karma bites. Captain James C. Mason died with his boat. No one has been held accountable.

Source:

Sultana on Fire; Public Domain (https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Sultana_Disaster.jpg?uselang=en#Licensing)

Spiritualism and John Alexander

 

John H. Alexander was my second great grandfather. He was born in 1842, the son of John H. and Mary Frances (Carter, Lucas) Alexander.  At the time this article was written, he was about 36 years old and married to Amanda Atkins. They had 3 children at this time, Sarah, Charles aka. Ed, and John Everett. They would go on to have 3 more children, my great grandfather being one.

I was delighted and really amused when I found this. Particularly when you know the smorgasbord that is my family.

To start with, Spiritualism has existed for thousands of years, but the modern spiritualist movement in the U.S. began in the 1840s in New York. Indiana has had a large community of spiritualists since the very early days. New Harmony, Indiana and Camp Chesterfield, Indiana are still going strong. The article below is self-explanatory. Transcription below the clipping.

Modern Spiritualism.

Our good friend, JOHN GORBET, sent us the particulars of discussions which came off at the Gorbet school house on Thursday and at the Hays school house on Friday, upon the proposition that "Spiritualism is the work of the devil." John Gorbet and other advocated the affirmative and John E. Murphy and others the negative. At the first meeting, Chris Runger presided, while George Weddle and Joseph Banks officiated as Judges. At the second meeting, John Alexander was called to the chair, and Michael Isaacs and Wm. Hays chosen as Judges. In both cases, the Judges decided unanimously for the affirmatives. Mr. Gorbet also sent numerous scriptural references upon which his arguments were based, thus showing that he was well fortified with biblical authority to sustain the affirmative proposition. 

It sounds like they were having some fun with it, at least I hope so. I would have loved to be in the debate! I love 'poking the bear'. I'd have been on the losing side, though perhaps it would not have lost if I had been there. 

Little did John know his grand-daughter would come to be very close to her father-in-law who was a Spiritualist, Medium and Table-walker, and still be a very devoted Christian.  

This is not the first time John Alexander and William Hays were mentioned in an article. They were often together. I believe they were good friends, though that can never be carved in stone. My great grandfather was born in 1880. His name was William Hays Alexander. It can never be 'set in stone' sure, but I bet I'm right.

Source: Newspapers.com; Modern Spiritualism. Jackson County Banner, Brownstown, Indiana; Thursday, February 7, 1878; Page 4.

An Explosion of Death

 

This is just another GenWeb story.  I've been trying to get new data on my newest adoption, Leslie County, Kentucky. The first thing I decided to tackle was the Leslie County Mine Fatalities. So, I always take a peek at how I did it in the other counties so that things stay uniform. First discovery of the day is: I misspelled fatalities on the other two sites. So, I was ready to begin after I fixed that dumb mistake.   

Coal was called "Black Gold". Leslie County is deep in Appalachia, real coal country. It really is "black gold" only to the mine owners. To the miners it was "black death".  If you could live to retirement age, there was the looming diagnosis of Black Lung.  At least 16% of miners suffer from that in their retirement years.  Most of the time mining was the only job around. 

I transcribe from the government list the names of the men that died in mine accidents up to about 2005 or 2006, date of death and cause of death. When I got to December 30, 1970, I just kept typing a different name, same date and same cause. Explosion. It went on for 38 entries. I could not leave that. I just googled December 30, 1970 mine explosion, not even saying where.  It was the Hurricane Creek mine disaster just outside the town of Hyden, in Leslie County, Kentucky. The mine was inspected in November and found to have so many problems it should have been shut down. But, jobs, you know. The inspector told the owner that it would be shut down if they did not have everything fixed by the December 22nd inspection. I could just imagine a wink, wink, nudge, nudge. That inspection did not happen. Not enough inspectors, of course. The men knew it was going to be a disaster at some point. They had etched their social security numbers on their belts so they could be identified. In the end, for most of the bodies, that was exactly how they were identified. In a court of law, the owner, Charles Findley, was found guilty of the deaths in the mine. He paid a fine and walked. There is a lot on the Hurricane Mine disaster online and it is easy to find, so I won't go on and on.

Sometimes, what I do is so emotionally exhausting. This was one of those days. The men are aged from 16 to 60. Several sets of brothers, including a set of twins. 

In some cases, and this was one, I make it a point to read aloud each name, so that for a moment they live again, and know they are not forgotten.

Walter Bentley

Billy J. Bowling

Grover Bowling, Jr.

Teddy Bush

Fred Collins

Kenople Collins

Lonnie Collins 

Alonzo Couch 

Holt Couch 

Howard Couch

Carl Ghent

Alfred Gibson

Lawrence Gray

Theo Griffin

Lester Harris

Delbert Henson

Price Henson

Walter Hibbard

George Holland

Ben Hoskins

Frank Hoskins

Kermit Hubbard

Jim Jones

Rufus Jones

James C. Minton

Lee Mitchell

Russell Morgan

Earl Phillips

Stanley Roberts

Arnold Sizemore

Wilbert Smith

Jeffie Spurlock

Albert Wagers

Armond Wagers

Arnold Wagers

Elmer White

Andrew D. Whitehead

Denver Young 

We're all family, really.

The Character of Samuel Allman

 I write this time about my fourth great grandfather, Samuel Allman. He was the son of Philip Jonas Allman and Lucinda VanDeveer. He was born in Virginia.

He first married Rebecca Ann Hatton in 1835 in Bartholomew County, Indiana. Together, they had 6 children: Mary Ann, aka. Polly Ann, John William, Minerva, Nancy Ellen, Philip and Rufus. Mary Ann is my third great-grandmother. Rebecca died in 1851. He then married Mary Jane Hall in 1852.  They had 6 children as well: Sarah, Pernette, Samuel A. Jr., William Riley, Joseph and Lucinda. I grew up and had relationships with the descendants of William Riley Allman. Oddly enough, I did not know how we were related until I began researching. My mom and dad were married by the son of William Riley, and I was first married by his grandson. I know, it's a "strange but true" thing. It was a small town. Even more strange, his grandson was a new preacher, and we were his first marriage, and of course, failure. Hope we didn't dent him. 

Any-whoooo, this is about Samuel, well, actually Sam. He was an extremely interesting man. Ancestry has his dates a mess and a photo of his grandson, Samuel Martin in place of an actual photo of Sam Allman. Sam Martin was the son of Mary Ann Allman, Sam Allman's daughter. and again, my third great-grandmother. I'd love to sit and listen to her father tell his stories. I bet he had good ones! This article will give you a sense of who he was. I have transcribed it below the clipping.

Unfortunate Sam Allman. (January 29, 1873)

The cabin of Samuel Allman, on the other side of the river, took fire one night recently, and burned to the ground, together with all the furniture and bedding in the same. with nowhere else to go, Sam turned his live stock from his rude stable, and with his family has occupied it ever since. A subscription paper was passed around last week for the relief of the distressed family, and quite a number of our citizens contributed liberally. Sam Allman is a poor man, but his character for honesty is above reproach. With his unshorn face and unkempt hair, Sam presents an uncouth appearance. "Too proud to beg and too honest to steal," "his rags and tags" he does not "try to conceal," and it may truthfully be said of him that he "belongs to the shabby genteel."

As illustrative of the character of Sam Allman, we will relate a little anecdote. One day a few years ago, before the jail on Walnut street was destroyed by fire, as Sam was passing that edifice, some of the prisoners ventured to tantalize him. Sam felt that he was insulted, and pausing, he looked up to the grated window, and thus addressed himself to his deriders: "Boys," said he, "poverty is no crime, else I expect as how I mought be peeping through iron bars myself. I tell you what it is, I'd rather be a mighty sight poorer and worse off than I am, and go to bed hungry every night, with an honest conscience to make me sleep sound, than swap places with the best one of ye - ye trifling spalpeens and dishonest vagabonds. The next time I come along this way, I shall bring my rifle, ready cocked and primed, and I'll tell you what it is, the first one of you that opens his mouth at me will drap, and the coroner's jury will give a verdict, 'shot plumb through the right eye by Sam Allman, who never misses his mark.'" Sure enough, Sam carried his trusty rifle the next time, and walked slowly past the jail, taking the middle of the street that the prisoners might have a good view and that he might have a good range; but no taunts greeted his ears, and therefore Sam was not compelled to shoot a prisoner "plumb through the right eye," which he undoubtedly would have done had he been again insulted. 

Sam was listed as a farmer in every census. The bottoms are still the most fertile area of the county. The yearly floods enrich the soil. I think he was a very rich man. His children were all devoted to him, all 12 of them. Mary Ann had 2 children with her first husband, and she named them Samuel and Rebecca. He was respected in that small town, and many of his descendants are still there, living good lives.

Transcription of his death notice.

Death of Samuel Allman. (November 16, 1876)

It is with regret we chronicle the death of SAMUEL ALLMAN, who for many years resided in the bottoms on the west side of the river. In appearance he was a perfect picture of the original back woodsman. His rifle and his dog were his inseparable companions. As a marksman he was the equal of David Crocket or Daniel Boone, and it was but seldom that his game did not drop at the pull of the trigger of his faithful gun. Throughout life, he remained a poor man, and a rude log cabin has been all the home he and his family have ever known. Yet he was happy and contented, perhaps far more so than many who fared better in this world's good. He was a strong Democrat, and it grieved him that he was not able to come to town on election day to vote for Tilden and Hendricks. He was possessed of a good disposition and was strictly honest. He was about 60 years of age.

Just for the record, I love Perry Mason. You know, the early black and white show. There is this one episode which always makes me think of Sam. I don't know the name of it, but it has a character that is like what I imagine he was. He has his rifle ready, his dog Hardtack at his side and is very honest and 'old world'.  Of course, Perry was his lawyer, so he did not do it. Just funny how sometimes a character in a movie, tv show or book reminds you of an ancestor. Well, it does me. I might be nuts, though. 

-A little explaination:

spalpeen:  Irish word, means a rascal.

Tilden and Hendricks ran against Hayes and Wheeler in 1876. Didn't go well for them. 

Sources:

Newspapers.com; Unfortunate Sam Allman: Jackson County Banner, Brownstown, Indiana; Wednesday, January 29, 1873; Page 5.

Newspapers.com; Death of Samuel Allman: Jackson County Banner, Brownstown, Indiana; Thursday, November 16, 1876; Page 5

Why Family History?

 I am the coordinator of 5 USGenWeb sites.  Basically, I am a web mom. I try to get new data up as I can. Submissions are few and far between. At least a year ago I added Find-A-Grave, Gold Star Veteran, and sometimes other links to the list of WWII casualties on one of my sites. I had started on the second county list some time ago, and I finally got back to finishing it off. 

It is harder to do right now, as my feelings are raw and painful, even full of fear, knowing how things may soon be. We are standing at the precipice. Do we continue to soar, or do we take a step off the steep cliff into chaos and darkness.  We have choices, one choice does not understand freedom or making a sacrifice for the freedom of ourselves or others, the other choice is service, respect and the fight to stay free. One wants to jail or kill those who disagree, the other is freedom to disagree and still be friends or family. Democracy in fact. But the friends and family thing has disappeared, the circles have been broken. Can we fix it?

I have several ancestors that fought (for the right side) in the Revolutionary War. You know the one? People with a dream of freedom, throwing off that suffocating kingly blanket, standing free, on their own. They did this without a standing army, having faith that their descendants would live free. They fought valiantly, not even sure that they would live to see the results of their actions. But they had faith that they were fighting for a just cause. If the dream had failed, the Revolution lost, we would never have known having choices.

All of the wars we have fought were for the same reason. In hindsight some were indeed sketchier than others. But our boys went in fighting to keep us or others free from tyranny. Today it suddenly occurred to me that if we step off that precipice, they all will have died for nothing. They just postponed the darkness, that's all. If WWII had been lost, if our boys had said, nope, not gonna fight, life would be different. The enemy would have come here. Its goal was the world.  Its darkness is slowly seeping into our bright future, it takes a little freedom here and a little there, dimming the light of freedom. 

 Every family is touched by war at some time. Being a family historian, you can see the broken branches that war caused. You know the struggle so many went through to get here, to be free to make their own choices, to bring light to the darkness of their lives. You've recorded the sacrifices families made because they believed in the dream of democracy. All people need to know their family history. It's very important, now more than ever. 

The Good and the Bad

 I've come to one of those things I've seen people ask if they should record or not. I've always thought that it should be recorded, whatever it is, because it is truth. You record the good things, why not the bad.

I've been transcribing obits and articles from the newspapers. It is a great way to "flesh" out the people so that they are more than just the names. I have a collection of 'real' clippings plus a lot of digital clippings from newspapers online. I usually put them in a Surname folder, or in some cases, a folder specifically for one person.

I finally decided to get this one folder that I had been putting off transcribing, done. The folder was full of articles about the life of a cousin who died some years back. My thought was that I could not be fair or be so angry and upset that it would show in my handling of his entries. I did not clip all of them, as there were so many over the years, most just repeats of the time before. He got a lot of 'press'.

He was 7 years older than me, so cute and nice when he was little. Everyone loved him, including me. He was just a kid, no different from any of us. No hints of what was to come.

It seems to have started when he was 17, at least it was the first time he was caught. Illegal possession of alcoholic beverages. Next, he had to be patched up after a big fight. Then reckless driving.

He married the first time at 19. It was the end of August, and they had a beautiful wedding. September, he had a hit and run, he pleads guilty and is fined. Same month they have a huge, post-nuptial shower. Lovely. Then in early October he is arrested and charged with public intoxication, minor in possession of alcohol, disorderly conduct, resisting arrest, minor entering a tavern, fake ID, carrying a deadly weapon and malicious trespassing. Released on bond, and before November he is arrested for reckless driving and auto theft. They gave him a choice; go into the military or go to jail. So, 2 charges dismissed, the others will be here waiting, and he's now a private. The army will straighten him up, right?

December brings his first divorce.

So, cousin is so nice, charming really, he's smart, quick-witted. The army knows his record and why he is there. At this time Vietnam is going on and our young men are fighting and dying. What do they do with him? Well, they make him the big guy's personal driver. Yea, well that didn't go so well. He spent some time in the brig, if it is called that. Then a dishonorable discharge. In April, less than 2 years after his entering the army, he is here at home and again arrested for intoxication, stealing a car, reckless driving. A month from this, he'll be 21. He will also serve time.

This was his life, from age 17 to the day of his death. He had several wives, I only know the names of the first and last one, whom he spent a couple of decades with. He became toxic, everyone avoided him if they could. He had the last laugh, though I don't know of anyone that thought it was funny. People were quite angry. His wife told them he was in the army during the Vietnam War. You can guess what happened. He did not deserve the honor he was given. Perhaps his wife did not know, and knowing him, he probably had "war stories".

How does this happen to a person? He had an older sister, who is still alive. She's fine. His parents did not drink, and they tried to help him. He was a wonderful young person, you always hoped he'd be there, until one day you had to avoid even saying hello to him.

These two days of transcribing his folder has been full of both loving and painful memories, leaving me with such sadness. Every family experience the good and the bad but seeing it all laid out in black and white, mingling with memories, it's a journey that leaves a mark. I've finally felt grief, not for his passing, but for the life he didn't get to live.

His name is not mentioned here. If family reads this, they will know who I am speaking of. His articles will be locked away in my program for descendants to find sometime in the future. They would find them anyway, but without the knowledge that he was loved. I hope by that time addiction is no longer a problem families must live with. Is it nature or nurture? I don't think it's either. Is there a lesson to be learned? I don't know. I know it is just luck that the only person he hurt was himself.

Medical researchers keep coming up with a pill for just about anything. Ridiculous things. Do they address addiction? Nope. Maybe because alcohol is a multi-billion-dollar business. Addiction needs to be addressed now.