State of Health - Livingston County, Kentucky 1912

In 1912, the Livingston County, Kentucky Board of Health consisted of Dr. J.V. Hayden, Salem; Dr. A.A. Casper, Carrsville; Dr. T.M. Ratcliffe, Tilline and the Hon. W.I. Clark, County Judge, Smithland.

The following letter detailing the state of health of Livingston County was sent by F.G. LaRue to the State Board of Health. It can be found in Bulletin of the State Board of Health of Kentucky, Vol. II, No. II, March 1912, Biennial Report 1910 and 1911, digitized by Google  and located in Google Books, accessed 2019.

“Smithland, Ky., January 10, 1912       To the State Board of Health:

Gentlemen: - Within the last two years, we have had three outbreaks of smallpox,  in all eight cases, five at Ledbetter, with 137 exposures, all vaccinated, no deaths.  Three cases near Newbern with five exposures, all vaccinated, no deaths. One case at Bayou, with twenty-three exposures, all vaccinated, no deaths. All treated by the writer.

“We have had three cases of diphtheria in the last twelve months, one near Grand Rivers, one at Vicksburg, and one at Smithland, with one death. Four thousand units of antitoxin used every six hours, with one thousand units used as immunizing doses, to all exposed.  One case at Salem, reported today; Dr.  J.V. Hayden in charge. We are having the hearty co-operation of the entire corps of fiscal and county officers, the laity acquiescing in same, which adds greatly in the efficiency and satisfaction of the work.

“I have been health officer of Livingston County for a period of eight years and at present draw an annual salary of $250.00.

“All of which is respectfully submitted.         F.G. LaRue, County Health Officer.”

Published 26 March 2020, Western Kentucky Genealogy Blog, http://wkygenealogy.blogspot.com/

Tombstone Tuesday - Martha E. Dumm

Mother

Martha E. Dumm

Dec. 13, 1873

May 28, 1901

Buried Ferguson Cemetery, Livingston County, Kentucky. Tombstone photographed 4 Dec 2013.

Martha E. Goldsby married Charles Dumm 29 July 1889 Pulaski County, Illinois.[1]  According to the 1900 Livingston County, Kentucky census, Charles and Martha E. Dumm, along with their children, George H., age 6, and Edwin E., age 3, were living in the household of Sarah E. Martin and her son, William D. Goldsby. [2]  Sarah Emmeline Martin's death record identifies her as the daughter of John Bruce, born Tennessee.[3]

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[1] Illinois County Marriage Records 1800-1940, Charles Dumm and Martha E. Goldsby, Ancestry.com, accessed 2019.

[2] 1900 Livingston County, Kentucky census,, Smithland, p. 8, E.D. 0053, Ancestry.com, accessed 2019.

[3] Kentucky Death Record #12877, Sarah Emmeline Martin, born 7 June 1845 Tennessee and died 29 Mar 1929 McCracken County, Kentucky.

Published 24 Mar 2020, Western Kentucky Genealogy Blog,  http://wkygenealogy.blogspot.com/

Runaway Notice 1830

The following runaway notice appeared in the National Banner and Nashville Whig (Nashville, Tennessee) on Friday, 26 November 1830, page 1.  These  notices were often in newspapers published in towns along the rivers. News traveled along the rivers as news travels via internet today. 

Captain Joseph Miller was born in Ohio and built his first steamboat, the Red Rover, in Pennsylvania in 1827.  He was shot and killed at Trice's Landing, Tennessee in 1846, age 55,  and is buried in Nashville City Cemetery. His daughter, Nettie, married Ben F. Egan, nephew of Benjamin Barner and Sterling M. Barner, commission merchants of Smithland, Kentucky. Capt. Miller also owned land near the Smithland Cemetery at one time.

Published 19 March 2020, Western Kentucky Genealogy Blog, http://wkygenealogy.blogspot.com/

From Fiction to Fact?

In my family, my great-grandfather, James Pinkney Joyce (born 1835 Lawrence County, Tennessee – died 1881 Hardin County, Illinois) served in the Union Army during the Civil War. He left Tennessee with his family, traveled to New Madrid, Missouri, where he enlisted in the 2^nd Illinois Cavalry. 

Here is where there is a crimp in the data.  Every relative who knows of James P. Joyce, “knows” he traveled at night and when he stopped, he turned his wagon around, facing south as if indicating the family was going in that direction. He was facing conscription and should not, by military rules, have been going North toward the federal army. I first heard this account from my father, who seemed to be the “keeper of stories” in my                  Joyce family.  The same story was repeated to me by other family members through the years.

My question to you is do traditions ever truly go from just traditions to fact and, at what point does that happen?  Is it when the majority of people decide it must be fact or is it not until you find documentation indicating it truly happened?

Just to mix things up, how do you reconcile that it may be only partially true?  For example, I found an account of another family that states James P. Joyce’s family apparently traveled to New Madrid County with him, but from there they were under the protection of another family as they traveled on to Hardin County, Illinois.    Does this throw us back to square one?  Your ideas and/or suggestions are appreciated.    The goal is to find the truth.

Published 12 March 2020, Western Kentucky Genealogy Blog, http://wkygenealogy.blogspot.com/

Lyon County, Kentucky Board of Health 1910 - 1911

Interesting tidbits of information show up in the most unexpected places!  The following information of the health condition of Lyon County, Kentucky was found in the Bulletin of the State Board of Health of Kentucky, Vol. II, No. II, March 1912, p. 449, Biennial Report 1910 and 1911, Google Books, accessed 2019.

The Lyon County Board of Health in 1910 – 19l1 consisted of Dr. J.H. Hussey, Eddyville; Dr. W.G. Kinsolving, Eddyville; Dr. C.H. Linn, Kuttawa; Hon. T.P. Gray, County Judge, Eddyville.

D.J. Travis, M.D., County Health Officer, wrote a letter to the State Board of Health:

“Gentlemen … During the year 1909 a very interesting incident occurred in this county and I am referring to it on account of the important bearing it has had and is having on the work of our county board.

“In April, 1909, there occurred an unusually extensive outbreak of smallpox in the town of Kuttawa, in Lyon County, two miles from Eddyville. Our county board at once adopted the rules of the State board as our chart for preventing the spread of the disease. We quarantined against Kuttawa, and one Mrs. Allison, who had her residence in Kuttawa, and was operating a millinery shop in Eddyville, in violation of the quarantine, brought her infant son from Kuttawa to Eddyville. The county board directed her to return with her child to Kuttawa or be subjected to thirty days isolation. She returned to Kuttawa and the board, upon learning that she had stored the cast-off clothing of the boy in her store, disinfected the storeroom and stock of goods. She afterwards brought suit in the circuit court against the county board of health and the sheriff who had executed the board’s orders. The case was finally disposed of in the Court of Appeals by an opinion of Judge Settle, on the 24^th day of July 1911. The case is entitled Allison vs Cash, etc. and the opinion appears at page 245, S.W.R. 137. This action and the court’s final determination of the questions involved has gone a long way towards settling for all time the question of the power of a county board to take necessary steps to suppress a contagious epidemic. Our board was represented by Hon. N.W. Utley …

“In February, 1910, we had an epidemic of measles with about three hundred cases and four deaths the fatal cases being complicated with pneumonia. No action was taken by the local board to suppress the outbreak. We had one open meeting at which the subject of general hygiene was discussed to the general benefit of the community.

                                                                                Respectfully,

                                                                                     D.J. Travis, M.D.

                                                                                                County Health Officer”

Published 5 March 2020, Western Kentucky Genealogy Blog,  http://wkygenealogy.blogspot.com/