Mother's Day Memories

Sunday is Mother’s Day. Setting aside a time to honor mothers possibly dates back to an ancient Greek Festival which honored Rhea, the mother of gods and goddesses. Anna M. Jarvis organized “Mother’s Work Day” about 150 years ago and after her death, her daughter continued the program until President Woodrow Wilson proclaimed 9 May 1914 as the first official Mother’s Day. Since then, mothers all over the world, but especially in the United States, have been receiving Evening in Paris cologne.

What? Isn’t it traditional to give all mothers those little blue bottles of cologne? When I was a child, a trip to the dime store the week before Mother’s Day was absolutely necessary. Once there, I plunked down my 25 cents and received that little blue bottle, which was clutched against my chest so I wouldn’t break it before I got home. On “The Day,” the special gift was handed over to Mother, who accepted it with a smile and said it was just what she wanted, which is amazing since she also received the same gift at Christmas and for her birthday! She must have received enough of those blue bottles to stock the dressing table of every woman in our small town.

As we both grew older, other gifts replaced Evening in Paris - usually flowers and a dinner in a nice restaurant. But we often commented on those little bottles of cologne. I asked her one time if she minded receiving the same gift for every holiday. “Why, no. I loved every one of them.”

Mother is gone now but memories of her and those long-ago Mother's Days linger. I can still see her smile and can almost capture the scent of Evening in Paris. After being unavailable for years, I understand the cologne is back on the market. Maybe I’ll drop a hint to my children that I would like a little blue bottle for Mother’s Day.

Will of Robert W. Foster 1895

Several weeks ago we looked at the will of Blount Hodge of Livingston County, Kentucky. Today I want to share with you the will of Robert W. Foster, whose very interesting will was written 7 September 1895, just one week before his death. R.W. Foster never married and that is quite evident in the way he outlines his last wishes regarding his house. Even more interesting, though, is that it appears he had a fear of being buried alive. But first, a little background on this very interesting man.

R.W. Foster, who was born in Oldham County, Kentucky 7 September 1817, came to Crittenden County shortly after 1850 and built a home in the Hurricane community. He had one brother, Anthony, who settled in Missouri and a sister, Susan, who married Willis N. Threlkeld as his second wife, and lived in Crittenden County.

Willis N. Threlkeld lived only a few years after marrying Susan, but they did have two children, Foster and Clara Threlkeld. After Willis Threlkeld’s death, Susan and her two children moved into the home of her brother, R.W. Foster.

Susan must have done a good job of running the household as in his will, R..W. Foster gave his “Sister Susan Threlkeld the controlling privilege of all house hold affairs during her natural life ...” To his nephew, Foster Threlkeld, he left over 600 acres of land in two tracts near the Ohio River. To his niece, Clara Threlkeld Brown, he left land in Hardin County, Illinois. Foster and Clara also received cash, notes and stock.

R.W. Foster’s will begins to get interesting when he gave instructions for the repair of his home: “I exact [sic] that my Room shall have the ceiling renailed, and above the base boards replastered, also my Room Nicely papered. I also must have my fire place repaired with good fire brick and done by a good Experienced Mason. This repairing must be done before winter of 1895.”

He goes on to discuss his burial: “I must also have one lot bought at the new cemetery at Marion Ky for my burial. I also exact [sic] that I be Kept out of the ground when dead until it is positive fact that I am Dead. I also want my funeral preached by the Revend. Preacher Miley.”

From the date the will was written and the date it was produced in court, it is most likely that R.W. Foster was ill, perhaps on his death bed, when he left these final instructions. His fear of being buried alive is very clear and I am surprised he did not request a coffin with a little bell inside that he could ring if he was still breathing when placed in the coffin.

It makes you wonder what caused this fear ... did he know of someone who had been placed in his coffin while still alive or ... what?

R.W. Foster died 14 September 1895 and is buried in Mapleview Cemetery in Marion. Buried beside him is his sister, Susannah Foster Threlkeld (16 February 1826 - 4 August 1911).


Sources:
Obituary of R.W. Foster, Crittenden Press, 19 September 1895.
Crittenden County Will Book 1, page 285.
Crittenden County Genealogical Society.
Crittenden County, Kentucky Cemeteries, Marion, Kentucky Vol. V (Evansville, IN: Evansville Bindery, 2006) 174.

Webster County News 1906

If there are no extant newspapers for a particular time period, try searching in other area newspapers. The Henderson, Kentucky newspapers were particularly faithful in reporting community news from Union and Webster counties. The following items on Sebree (Webster County), Kentucky are taken from the Henderson Daily Gleaner, Friday, 16 July 1906, page 6.

Died, on Monday morning at his home, Mr. Ewing Clark. Mr. Clark was born in Hopkins County, Ky Dec. 25, 1838, and has been a resident of this place for 25 years. He was a member of the Primitive Baptist Church. He leaves a widow, almost blind, and four children, Richard Clark, of St. Louis; Mrs. Sam King, Wheatcroft; Mrs. Zacie Eakins, Lisman; Mrs. Will Doyal, Providence; besides four brothers and one sister, who are Aaron Clark, Earlington; Rev. D.F. Clark, Nortonville; Green Clark, Morton's Gap; Rev. Melton Clark, Rich Hill, Mo; Mrs. N.B. Page, Chelsey, Ky. All attended the burial except his son Richard and brother Melton, who could not get here. Rev. W.N. Clark, a nephew, of Earlington, was also present. Mr. Clark was a good neighbor and a kind an affectionate husband, a dutiful father, and has left many friends to mourn his departure. He suffered patiently for about five months. The funeral, by Rev. J.C. Hoskinson, of the Methodist church, at the grave, closed with a touching and pathetic prayer by his nephew, Rev. W.N. Clark, after which he was laid to rest in Springdale Cemetery.

Mr. Oscar Cecil and wife and babe arrived in our town from Evansville Tuesday and are welcome guests of Mrs. Cecil's parents, Mr. and Mrs. General Shelton.

Mr. W.D. Purtle and bride came over Tuesday to visit his mother, Mrs. Mary Purtle. They will return to their home in Evansville today.

Mr. Clyde Edwards and wife left Tuesday for Petersburg, Ind., to visit Mrs. Edwards' old home and relatives. Clyde has resigned his position with the Sebree dry goods store and purchased an interest in the photograph gallery of Mr. Leander Groves.

The Sebree canning factory opened up for work Monday afternoon and began canning blackberries.

On last night there was an ice cream supper given by the Christian Endeavor at the home of Mrs. Sadie Bailey.

Mrs. Ewing Clark will leave tomorrow for Providence, where she will make her home with her daughter, Mrs. Will Doyal.

Willard Library - The Tri-State Treasure

Have you started thinking about summer vacation? Do you plan to include research in your trip? I have a suggestion for a trip to a great facility for genealogical research. Willard Library, located at 21 First Avenue, just off the Lloyd Expressway in Evansville, Indiana, is planning their annual Midnight Madness 16-20 June 2008. If you are lucky, you might even catch a glimpse of the resident ghost, the Grey Lady. For information on Willard Library, go here: http://willard.lib.in.us/location.html

The Special Collections Department, where all those books, CDs, microfilm, and computers are located, will be open from 9 a.m. to midnight on the above dates. In addition to extended hours for personal research, a number of workshops will be held on a variety of topics. In addition, A representative of Evansville Bindery will be available by appointment to discuss Publishing Your Family History. A special event during Midnight Madness will be the Red Bank Reunion Band performing a concert on the lawn. All workshops and the band concert are free, but it will be helpful if you make reservations to insure seating. I’ll post more information about Midnight Madness on this blog a little later. You may also call 812-425-4309 or email lmartin@willard.lib.in.us for additional information.

I want to mention some of the holdings of Willard Library’s Special Collections. The library may be located in Indiana, but the collection reaches far beyond the Hoosier state. The book and CD collections consist of county and state records throughout the United States plus a large selection of family histories. Many Indiana, Kentucky and Illinois county records on are also on microfilm.

Former readers of the Western Kentucky Journal may remember that several articles were published in the WKJ of western Kentucky people who married in Vanderburgh County (Evansville), Indiana. If you have been unable to find a marriage in western Kentucky, you might just find what you are looking for in the Evansville marriage records. This is especially true if you are searching for people from the Kentucky counties of Henderson, Union, Webster and Hopkins. The database of Evansville marriages can be searched here: http://willard.lib.in.us/marriage/index.cgi

The Evansville newspapers are also often overlooked when searching for information on western Kentucky ancestors. Death notices and even community news are often reported in the Evansville Press or Courier.

To be most effective, you must expand your research to include resources outside western Kentucky. The place to look might be Willard Library.

H.B. Lyon

Matthew Lyon wasn’t the only famous person in the Lyon family. Lyon County, Kentucky was named for his son, Chittenden. Another son, Matthew Lyon Jr., had a son, Hylan Benton Lyon, who became well known also - but for a different reason. H.B. Lyon’s fame resulted from his activities as a Confederate general during the Civil War, during which he orchestrated the burning of a number of courthouses in western Kentucky, including those in the counties of Trigg, Christian and Caldwell. According to Selections From Sam Steger’s Historical Notebook, “After the war, Caldwell Countians were assessed a heavy tax to rebuild the county courthouse. This tax was unpopular and it was a common conception in later years that when Gen. Lyon had business in Princeton, he was most cautious not to be caught in town after dark.”

Gen. Lyon was a graduate of West Point and afterward served in the United States army on the frontiers of Texas and Mexico. At the commencement of the Civil War, he cast his lot with the South and was promoted to the rank of Brigadier General.

Following the war, H.B. Lyon was connected with the state penitentiary at Frankfort and served on the commission that eventually established the branch penitentiary at Eddyville, Lyon County. The last years of his life were spent in retirement on his farm two miles from Eddyville.

Gen. Lyon was married three times: In 1863 he was married to Laura O’Hara, in 1869 to Grace Machen and his last marriage was to Ruth Wolfe. On 25 April 1907, at the age of 71 years, he died on his farm and was buried in Eddyville Cemetery. According to his obituary, survivors included his wife Ruth; three sons and three daughters, Capt. Frank Lyon of the United States Navy; Mrs. Grace Kevil, of Princeton; Hugh, Ernest, Maybelle and Loraine, who remain at home.

Pause As You Pass By

Death isn’t funny, which is probably why we need to laugh at it now and then. Don’t we all sing along with the Munchkins when they chant “Ding Dong, the Witch is Dead” in the Wizard of Oz? Haven’t we all joined in singing “Ring Around the Rosy” when we were children? That song actually refers to the bubonic plague, you know.

Death pursues us from the moment of our birth and we all know that someday, somehow death will catch us. So, why shouldn’t we have the last laugh. Hence, the epitapth.

There are actually a number of different types of epitaphs - from the factual to the cautionary to those that tell a story and then there are the epitaphs that are just plain funny.

Thomas Jefferson’s epitaph is factual and, as he requested, reflects the things that he had given people, not what people had given him. His epitaph reads thus:
THOMAS JEFFERSON
Author Of The Declaration
Of American Independence
Of The Statute Of Virginia
For Religious Freedom
And Father Of The University Of Virginia
Born April 2, 1743 O.S.
Died July 4, 1826

Notice that it does not state that he was President of the United States of America.

It is easy to identify cautionary epitaphs - they have a lesson to convey. The most well known of the cautionary epitaphs is the following:

Traveler, pause as you pass by
As you are now, so once was I
As I am now, so you shall be
Prepare for Death and follow me.

A briefer version of this epitaph says the same thing, but in fewer words:

Death is a Debt
By Nature Due
I’ve paid my Shot
And So must you

Tombstones with cautionary epitaphs often have artwork to replect the same theme. These tombstones usually date from the 1700s or very early 1800s and often have a skull and crossbones, Father Time or an hour glass showing time has run out. One reason for such graphic artwork is that many people could not read at that time, but they surely could get the message from the artwork on the tombstones.

Many of these tombstones were made of slate, which often look as sharp and easy to read as when they were erected. Many examples of these tombstones can be found in the old church graveyards in older cities in the East and Southeast. Few, if any, will be found in western Kentucky graveyards as our area was settled much later.

Epitaphs on the tombstones of children fall into an entirely separate category. Often the grave markers for young children will have a lamb resting on top of the tombstone or may have a cherub on the front of the stone. The epitaphs are usually very poignant.

Most of the tombstones found in western Kentucky are factual with the following being recorded: name of the decedent, date of death and often the date of birth or age at the time of death. Sometimes you will find one that gives more information, such as the tombstone of Esther Love, who is buried at Piney Fork Cemetery in Crittenden County. Esther Love’s epitaph says:
My Name was Esther Love, Daughter of Wm. & Nancy Calhoun of Abbeville, South Carolina. Esther was born Sept. 30, 1765 and died Mar. 2, 1844. It goes on to say “My Husband Wm. Love, Killed by the Harps Aug 1799. Blessed are the dead which died in the Lord.”

As you can see, the last line or two was below ground level when the photograph above was made in 1990. The last time I visited Piney Fork, this stone was in sad shape.

Other epitaphs will tell a story and you might have to listen closely to get the meaning. My all-time favorite epitaph is the following:

He found a rope and picked it up
And with it walked away
It happened that to the other end
A horse was hitched they say
They took the rope and tied it up
Unto a hickory limb
It happened that the other end
Was somehow hitched to him.

A perfect example of the “down right funny” epitaph is the following, which is said to be found on side-by-side grave markers in an old Pennsylvania church yard:

Grieve not for me my husband dear
I am not dead, but sleeping here
With patience wait, prepare to die
And in a short time, you’ll come to I.

On the husband’s tombstone is written:
I am not grieved, my dearest life
Sleep on, I’ve found another wife
Therefore, I cannot come to thee
For I must go and live with she.

All joking aside, death isn’t funny, but if we can create a little laughter in the midst of sadness, it may be easier to deal with the death.

Murder in Livingston County, Kentucky 1807

John A. Gooch took the oath of the office of Deputy Sheriff of Livingston County, Kentucky on 1 July 1805. Less than two years later, on the 7th of March 1807, Gooch was shot and killed by Robert Trimble Jr. What prompted Trimble to shoot Gooch has faded from memory, but it is known that the Commonwealth of Kentucky charged Robert Trimble, William Trimble, and Lewis L. Portee with the murder of Gooch. The trials of two of the defendants took place at Centreville, which was then the county seat of Livingston.

Some details of the case can be found in Livingston County, Kentucky Miscellaneous Files 1807, Accession #A1986-289, Box 1, Kentucky Dept for Libraries and Archives, Frankfort, Kentucky.

Commonwealth of Kentucky
vs
William Trimble and Lewis Portee
Murder

William Trimble and Lewis L. Portee ... was taken on the 24th day of March 1807 ... by John G. Lofton, one of the Commonwealth’s Justices of the Peace in & for Livingston County by warrant to my custody & possession with a command ... to commit them to the jail upon a charge of having with Robert Trimble Junr. on the 7th day of March 1807 at the house of George Brown in Centreville feloniously killed and murdered John Gooch, late Deputy Sheriff of Thomas Gist, late Sheriff of Livingston County, by shooting and William and Portee in my custody or in the Jail or prison safely to keep and further to be dealt with as the Law directs and until discharged by declaration of Law ... [signed] David Kline, Jailor.

May term 1807 Livingston Circuit Court: The Grand Jurors Impannelled and Sworn ... present that Robert Trimble, yeoman, and William Trimble, yeoman, and Lewis L. Portee, yeoman, not having the fear of God before their Eyes, but being moved & seduced by the Instigation of the Devil the 7th day of March 1807 at the house of George Brown of Centreville ... with force in and upon the body of a certain John A. Gooch, late Deputy Sheriff of said county ... feloniously, willfully, voluntarily and of their malice aforethought an assault did make and that ... Robert Trimble, a certain pistol of the value of four dollars, then and there charged and loaded with gun powder and a leaden bullet, which pistol Robert Trimble in his right hand ... upon the right side of the belly of John A. Gooch ... did strike, penetrate and wound John A. Gooch ... to the depth of six inches and breadth of one inch of which sd. mortal wound John A. Gooch instantly did die and that William Trimble and Lewis L. Portee ... was present aiding helping and abetting comforting assisting and maintaining Robert Trimble ... The Jurors upon their oaths do say that Robert Trimble, William Trimble and Lewis L. Portee feloniously, willfully, voluntarily and of their malice aforethought ... did kill and murder contrary ... and against the peace and dignity of the Commonwealth of Kentucky. [signed] John Gray, attorney for the commonwealth.

Apparently, Robert Trimble did not remain in Livingston County to face the jury. The following comes from the Danville, Kentucky Mirror, 10 April 1807:

Murdered: In Centreville the 7th inst. captain John A. Gooch, of the above town, of a pistol ball shot by Robert Trimble. The amiable, generous and humane disposition of this young man, endeared him to every person of his acquaintance. He has left an amiable young widow. All his acquaintaince laments his untimely death, and the citizens of Centreville and others of Livingston county, pledge themselves to make up and pay a reward of $200 to any person or persons who shall apprehend the sd. Robert Trimble, and lodge him in any jail in the United States, or that shall secure him so that he may be brought to punishment.

Robert Trimble is a young man about 5 feet 11 inches high, straight and heavy made, about 23 or 24 years old, regularly featured, but in general of a downcast look of his eyes and eyebrows, dark hair and eyes. [signed] Hiram McDaniel, Enoch Prince, Robert Leeper, James Richey Sen., David Kline, Joshua Scott, Jesse Ford, Robert McConnell, A. Gooch, Moses Shelby, Horatio Merry, Isaac Bullard, [?] Armstrong, James Deacon, Robert Hodge, George Brown.

The Jury returned their verdict:
"We of the Jury ... find William Trimble Guilty of Manslaughter and do adjudge him to be confined in the jail & penitentiary house for the space of two years. [signed] Robert Love, foreman.

"We of the Jury impanneled for the tryal of Luis L. Portee Charged with murdering John A. Gooch do find him Not Guilty. [signed] W. Birdsong, foreman."

Robert Trimble was not found.

John A. Gooch left a young widow and one child, John S. Gooch, for whom Moses Shelby was appointed guardian. An inventory of his estate, filed 29 April 1807 provides a glimpse into his life: One home spun suit; one coat; pantaloons & waste coat; several lots of clothes, including "another lot of clothes in which the deceased was murdered;" one fine hat band and buckle; two umbrellas; one Helmet & Horse Sword; Scale, protractor and dividers for Surveyors; a hymn book; surveying book; one writing desk and two pocket books; two trunk locks and two horses. Because slaves were considered personal property, "one Negro Boy named Stephen betwixt fifteen & sixteen years old" was appraised at $450. One has to wonder what John A. Gooch might have achieved if his life had not been cut short.