Tombstone Tuesday: Nancy Crawford Bray (b. 16 Feb 1801 d. 12 Mar 1902)
Nancy Crawford Bray was born on February 16, 1801 in Virginia (possibly Greenbrier, which is now West Virginia). Her mother died when Nancy was but seven years old — family histories and newspaper articles record that she helped raise her three young brothers. Her father, William, moved his family to Ohio in the early 1820’s, possibly 1823.
On November 7, 1823, Nancy Crawford married a Baptist minister, Harrell Bray, in Gallia, Ohio. The Justice of the Peace, Samuel Denny, was related to Harrell’s mother, Elizabeth Denny Bray.
The children born to Harrell and Nancy were (as best I can determine, although one source said they had ten children): Elisha, Elizabeth, Louisa, William, Harrell, Jr., Nathaniel, Nancy and Reuben.
According to the 1830 census, the Bray family lived in Starr, Hocking County, Ohio. Census records for 1840 weren’t found but it’s possible the Bray family had already migrated to Dallas County, Missouri. A newspaper story referred to Harrell Bray participating in the 1841 founding of Buffalo, Missouri (county seat). He helped survey the town site and Nancy prepared meals for the camp (referring to Nancy as an “energetic woman”), according to the article.
Polk County, Missouri marriage records indicate that Harrell performed marriages in early 1841, and he received a land grant for 80 acres in Dallas County on April 10, 1843. Apparently, Harrell was bi-vocational – a Baptist minister and a farmer. However, in 1849 Harrell got a case of gold fever. Gold was first discovered in early 1848 and by the end of the year hundreds of people made their way west to seek their fortunes.
Harrell headed to California sometime after the 1850 census (enumerated on August 10, 1850), leaving Nancy and his children behind. In 1853, Nancy began her journey to California. In 1901, the Guernville Republican told her story:
This undaunted woman who had braved the perils of Missouri frontier life, started westward at the head of an emigration train. Instead of oxen for draft animals, as was the custom, she had 15 cows shod in leather boots for the protection of their feet and drove them in two teams, guiding one team with her own hands. The cows furnished milk enroute and were sold for large sums of money when they reached California. They were worth far more than the gold nuggets which were dug and washed up.
The newspaper article said that the Bray family joined the local First Baptist Church around 1855 or 1856 and the next two censuses indicate that Harrell had returned to farming. The 1860 census recorded that Harrell and Nancy and four of their sons (Harrell, William, Nathaniel and Reuben) were living in Santa Rosa, Sonoma County, California. A young Elisha Bray, 9 years old, was enumerated with them and I assume that perhaps he was their grandson.
In 1870, Nancy and Harrell were enumerated with their son Reuben in Santa Rosa. Two of their grandchildren, Samuel and Joseph Culbertson (daughter Nancy’s children) were present in the same household. Nancy was only 16 years old and married to William Culbertson (age 27) in 1860 and bore at least twelve (possibly thirteen children) of her own.
On February 2, 1877, just two weeks before Nancy’s seventy-sixth birthday, Harrell passed away. According to the Guernville Republican, Nancy had an accident, injuring her hip in 1881 or 1882. At the time the article was written, she had been confined to the County Hospital for nineteen years. “She refused to leave this place, fearing that in death she might be separated from her husband who is buried here”, according to the article.
Nancy was enumerated in the 1880 census with her son Elisha (56), a widower. In 1900, Nancy was counted as a resident (boarder) of the Santa Rosa Poor Farm – her son Elisha was a boarder in the same facility at the age of 77 on June 18, 1900. On July 19, 1900, Elisha passed away and was buried in the same cemetery (Santa Rosa Rural Cemetery) as his father.
The day of her 101st birthday, February 16, 1902, Reverend Gason and members of the First Baptist Church planned to visit, honoring her with a reception, “most likely the last honor which they will be able to bestow in her lifetime.” At that time, she was reported to have been too weak to leave her cot, but the reception would be held in a corner of the women’s ward. She was in “full possession of her faculties” and eager to greet her guests and celebrate her birthday that day.
A few weeks later, on March 12, 1902, Nancy Crawford Bray passed away and was buried next to her beloved husband. Nancy had 114 descendants – ten children, sixty grandchildren, forty great-grandchildren and four great-great grandchildren. What a life Nancy Crawford Bray must have lived! She outlived her husband and at least two of her children.
I randomly selected Nancy Crawford Bray for a tombstone article several weeks ago, and of course, my rule is that I don’t research known relatives or ancestors for these articles. I unexpectedly found a connection with the Bray family and my Grandmother Okle (Erp) Young’s family.
Harrell Bray was the son of William and Elizabeth Denny Bray. One of William’s brothers, Isiah Bray, married the daughter of my fourth great grandparents Johnathon and Belinda Taylor Brinson, Phoebe Brinson in Kentucky. Phoebe’s sister, Hannah (married to Singleton Earp), is my third great grandmother, so that would make Phoebe my second great grand aunt (if our calculations are correct). Phoebe would be Harrell Bray’s aunt by marriage, and thus Nancy a niece by marriage. The Brinsons lived in Pulaski County, Kentucky as did many other ancestors (Earp, Stogsdill, Sears, Chaney and Simpson).
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Motoring History: The Great Race of 1908 – New York to Paris (via Alaska and Siberia)
The first decade of the twentieth century had already seen its share of automobile races, beginning with the Gordon Bennett Races in France, sponsored by James Gordon Bennett, Jr. who owned the New York Herald newspaper. At the beginning, races were city to city (Paris to Lyon was the first) and after the 1905 the race was known as the French Grand Prix. William Kissam Vanderbilt, Jr. established the first American race event, the Vanderbilt Cup, held on Long Island from 1904 to 1910 and then on to Wisconsin, Santa Monica in 1912 and to San Francisco in 1916.
The races became progressively more daring. In 1907 the Peking to Paris race was held, spanning two continents and over ninety-three hundred miles. That race proved to the world that the automobile craze was not a fluke; however, the next major race would further convince all skeptics of the automobile and its capabilities. Audaciously, after the 1907 race, another race was proposed and this time the race would begin in New York City in the dead of winter and end in Paris, France – via Alaska and Siberia.
The Great Race of 1908
The Great Race of 1908, sponsored by the New York Times and Le Matin, a Paris newspaper, consisted of six teams (though thirteen had actually entered): one from the United States, one from Italy, one from Germany and three representing France.
This article is no longer available for free at this site. It was re-written and enhanced, complete with footnotes and sources and has been published in the June 2018 issue of Digging History Magazine. Should you prefer to purchase the article only, contact me for more information.
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Surname Saturday: Doolittle
Doolittle
The surname Doolittle is of Norman origin and gradually Anglicized over time. One of the members of William of Normandy’s expedition was named “Du Litell” or “de Dolieta” (which meant “of Dolieta” a location along the Normandy coast). Rudolph of Dolieta, the Norman nobleman is likely the progenitor of most, if not all, Doolittles in England.
In the fourteenth century, mention is made of Robert Dolittel who received a royal pardon. In the sixteenth century, records mention the names “Dolittle”, “Dolitell”, “Dolitill”, “Dolitle” and “Doolitlie”. In the early seventeenth century the name “Doolittle” begins to appear. Anthony Doolittle, a glover, was married and had three sons and mentioned as an “honest and religious” citizen. His son Thomas was ordained as a Presbyterian minister, and a non-conformist which would be later be referred derisively to as “Puritan”.
Some sources suggest that “Doolittle” was an English nickname for a lazy man. However, the man featured in today’s article was undoubtedly not lazy. He appears to be the first Doolittle to immigrate to New England and is considered the progenitor of most of the Doolittle family in America.
Abraham Doolittle
Abraham was born in either 1619 or 1620 and possibly a descendant of Reverend Thomas Doolittle. Abraham married Joane Allen (or “Alling”) and soon afterwards set out for New England. Records indicate Abraham’s presence in Boston in 1640, but he like many others, heard good reports of the fertile lands in what would become Connecticut. Sometime before 1642 the couple arrived in New Haven and built a home. (Note: Although I use the evolved surname of “Doolittle”, Abraham actually used “Dowlittell” as noted in early colonial records.)
Abraham quickly established himself as a well-respected citizen. In 1644, although he was perhaps just twenty-five years old, he was appointed the chief executive officer of the colony. Not only did Abraham deal with issues of concern to his fellow colonists (land, trade, public defense), he also had dealings with the Indians. His participation in New Haven civic affairs was notable as well – according to one historian when an individual of that day was prominent in public affairs it was guaranteed that he was of the highest moral character and an asset to his community.
His wife Jane died and in 1663 he married Abigail Moss, the daughter of John Moss. He and John Moss would later participate in the founding of Wallingford, Connecticut. It is believed that Abraham was the first white man to explore the land beyond the Quinnipac River. Wallingford was incorporate as a town on May 12, 1670.
Again, Abraham plunged into the civic affairs of his town, appointed to almost every position available in the town over the next twenty years until his death in 1690 – including treasurer, surveyor of highways and selectman. In 1673 he was appointed sergeant of the “first traine band” and thereafter bore that title. On February 15, 1675 he was appointed to a committee which would found the town’s first Congregational church.
Records indicate that Abraham served his community continuously until just before his death on August 11, 1690. His grave stone is still standing and quite interesting – a stone about four inches thick and perhaps a foot high and wide, which has his initials, age and date of death etched on it.
Theophilus Doolittle
Theophilus was the youngest son of Abraham and Abigail Doolittle, born on July 26, 1678 in Wallingford. Theophilus was only twelve years old when his father died and when he became of age he received his share of Abraham’s land, becoming a farmer.
On January 5, 1698 he married Thankful Hall, daughter of David and Sarah Rockwell Hall. Theophilus and Thankful named their children: Thankful, Sarah, Henry, David, Theophilus, and Solomon Doolittle. Interestingly, the name Thankful was carried forward as Thankful Doolittle married Timothy Page and they named on of their daughters Thankful, who married Asher Thorpe – and of course, one of their daughters was named Thankful Thorpe.
I believe Thankful is quite possibly a distant relative of mine (note: as with the Tombstone Tuesday articles, I usually just pick a random surname to research). Although I haven’t traced out the entire Hall line, the information so far seems to point to my ancestors as part of the line descended from John and Jane Woollen Hall of England who immigrated and settled in Wallingford, Connecticut. Thankful’s father David was a son of John and Jane Hall.
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Feuding’ and Fightin’ Friday: Boyce-Sneed Feud (Because This Is Texas) – Part One
A woman was at the center of this feud in early twentieth-century Texas, a love triangle in which two wealthy cattle ranchers fought over who would win her back – the husband or the lover. The feud might have started, innocently enough, years before when the two men, John Beal Sneed and Albert Boyce, Jr., vied for the attention of Miss Lenora (Lena) Snyder while attending Southwest University in Georgetown, Texas.
John Sneed won her hand in marriage, but after twelve years of marriage Lena wanted a divorce – and with good reason in her estimation as she had been carrying on an affair with none other than her husband’s college rival, Albert Boyce, Jr. Sneed, a cattle buyer and lawyer (Princeton graduate) reacted by committing his wife to a sanitarium in Fort Worth to treat her “moral insanity”. One source related that Lena was treated with calomel (mercury chloride). It had been common practice in the nineteenth and into the first part of the twentieth century to treat people in the advanced stages of syphilis, which typically would be accompanied by mental illness.
This extensive, four-part article is no longer available at the web site. It will, however, be republished in a future issue of Digging History Magazine, complete with footnotes and sources. In the meantime, I invite you to check out Digging History Magazine. Since January 2018 new articles are published in a digital magazine (PDF) available by individual issue purchase or subscription (with three options). Most issues run between 70-85 pages, filled with articles of interest to history-lovers and genealogists — it’s all history, right? 🙂 No ads — just carefully-researched, well-written stories, complete with footnotes and sources.
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Ghost Town Wednesday: Jollification, Missouri
On September 4, 1848, a forty-acre tract of land in Newton County, Missouri was sold by Frederick Hisaw to John and Thomas D. Isbell for $300. Upon this land the Isbells built a distillery and grist mill (Jolly Mill), perhaps with slave labor, according to local lore. In the 1840 census, Thomas Isbell owned four slaves, but one family history indicated that his slaves were not skilled at carpentry, so slaves belonging to neighbors were used.
By the 1850 census, John was listed as a “distiller of spirits” and the value of his property was $5,000 (quite an appreciation!). Thomas was nearby living as a farmer with a property value of $1,500. In March of 1852, Thomas and his wife Rebecca sold their portion of the land to John for $2,000, perhaps retaining a small plot for themselves. Thomas died in 1855.
By that time, a small town had sprung up around the mill and the town was named “Jollification”. Listed on the 1850 census were carpenters and masons, so perhaps these individuals helped build the town. On the next census, John’s neighbors were merchants, grocers, clerks, millers and blacksmiths, indicating the town was well-established by 1860 – three general stores, dram shop, blacksmith shop, post office and church. Wagons headed to southern Kansas and the Indian lands beyond came through Jollification, a place to rest and restock supplies – and what frontiersman could resist some “spirits”. John Isbell was said to be one of the wealthiest men in the county.
In addition, John owned eight slaves in 1860. There were over one hundred slave owners in Newton County in 1860, and of course, slavery was a hotly debated topic at that time. The 1820 Missouri Compromise was repealed in 1854 as part of the Kansas-Nebraska Act and the nation was about to explode and split apart.
So as the Civil War neared, John Isbell was said to be quite wealthy – but then something curious and unexplained occurred. No one seems to know just why, but John mortgaged his property (totaling approximately $13,000) and left the area. In 1870, John was enumerated in Newtonia, Newton County, Missouri as a “retired manufacturer” at the age of 52. By 1880 John, at the age of 62, was again a miller. There were quite a few battles fought in Newton County during the Civil War. Newtonia was the site of two significant battles, one in 1862 and the other in 1864. The Second Battle of Newtonia was the last major battle fought west of the Mississippi River.
Some of the village of Jollification was burned, according to some accounts by either “baldknobbers” or “bushwackers” (vigilantes). However, the distillery was spared. Other activity recorded in Jollification during the war consisted primarily of merely “passing through” Jollification, although a few incidences occurred in 1862. On May 7, 1862 a rebel was killed in Jollification, in July a Missouri Cavalry unit (Union) killed 10 guerillas and on October 3, after the first battle of Newtonia, several Union prisoners were held in the Jollification blacksmith shop.
After John Isbell left, the mill and distillery had fallen into disrepair from neglect. After the war ended, George Isbell (perhaps a cousin of John’s) purchased the property for $200 at an auction. George had the property repaired and began to operate the mill and distillery once again. In 1875 George ceased operations of the distillery in protest of Federal taxes on whiskey, but continued to operate the mill until 1894 when he sold it to his nephew George Isbell Brown. The mill site would be referred to in Newton County records as the “Jolly Mill place”. George Brown may have planned improvements on the property but he sold it in 1895 to A.C. Lucas and Son who called it “Jolly Rolling Mills”. Ownership next passed to W.F. Haskins and in 1983 a nonprofit organization was formed to preserve the mill site. It was added to the National Register of Historic Places in October of 1983.
So how did the town gets its name? In the April 20, 1870 edition of the Neosho Times, the story is related how the editor of a rival newspaper learned about the town’s naming. The editor was told that a local man, Able Landers, would visit the distillery every Saturday. After he exchanged corn for whiskey he would gather the men around and call for a “jollification”. After drinking and fighting, the old man invariably using the word “jollification,” the name was applied to the town. However, the editor of the Times strenuously disagreed:
This statement in regard to the place getting its name is most assuredly erroneous, and not only that, but an outrage on old man Landers, who was one of the most high-minded, respectable citizens of the county, and was never known to come to town for the purpose of raising a jollification, which can be substantiated by numerous friends. Two fights only occurred near the distillery, neither of which he was involved in, and it is asserted by his friends that he had nothing to do with naming the place.
Jolly Mill Park is located about an hour southeast of Joplin near Pierce City, Missouri. Some artifacts and historic buildings, including the mill, remain. Looks like a beautiful place to visit!
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Tombstone Tuesday: Lawson Cemetery – Hickman County, Tennessee
The first thing that intrigued me about this cemetery were two gravestones which are said to have been carved by the decedents’ son. They are unique in that the faces of his parents are carved into the back of each tombstone – the primitive art is striking.
Thomas and Elizabeth Warren Lawson are both buried in the Lawson Cemetery in Hickman County, Tennessee, along with several other Lawsons and Warrens (Elizabeth’s maiden name). Elizabeth died on September 7, 1883 and Thomas died shortly thereafter on December 21, 1883. According to various sources, their oldest son, Shadrach Warren, carved their headstones. The hand prints on the back of Thomas’ stone are said to be the hand prints of his grandchildren, Shadrach’s children, Callie Leona, Etta Lou and Lillie Eveline. The stones were carved from grindstone taken from Grindstone Hollow near Hassell’s Creek.
This article was incorporated in a feature article, entitled “Are You One of Those Kind of People?”, published in the October 2018 issue of Digging History Magazine. Should you wish to only purchase the article, contact me.
I invite you to check out Digging History Magazine. Since January 2018 new articles are published in a digital magazine (PDF) available by individual issue purchase or subscription (with three options). Most issues run between 70-85 pages, filled with articles of interest to history-lovers and genealogists — it’s all history, right? 🙂 No ads — just carefully-researched, well-written stories, complete with footnotes and sources.
Want to know more or try out a free issue? You can download either (or both) of the January-February 2019 and March-April 2019 issues here: https://digging-history.com/free-samples/
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Surname Saturday: Lawson
The Lawson surname has “truly ancient origins”, according to The Internet Surname Database (ISD). Originating in the Holy Land, it was brought back to England and Scotland by the crusaders of the twelfth century in the form of “Lawrence”, and the baptismal name “Lawson” means “son of Lawrence”. The earliest form of Lawrence used was simply “Law” and considered an endearing name.
According to ISD, there were at least seventeen coats of arms and all could be traced back to Richard III and “The War of the Roses”. The arms suggested a “loyal person who lived by the sword, having no estates to support him.” The Lawson surname appears to have been localized in the north, specifically Yorkshire, Lancashire, Cumberland and Westmorland.
The names of Christopher and Thomas Lawson are found on a list of names of individuals living in Virginia on February 16, 1623. This was an important census, for on March 22, 1622 the Jamestown Massacre had occurred, and approximately one-third of the settlers of Jamestown were killed in a series of surprise attacks by the Powhatan Indians. Following are stories of other early and notable American Lawsons and a nineteenth century Lawson with an interesting background as an aviation pioneer and the founder of his own religion.
Epaphroditus Lawson
Epaphroditus Lawson was the son of John and Sarah Rowland Lawson. His exact date of birth is unclear – ranging from 1600 to 1610 according to most sources. It appears that Epaphroditus and his three brothers, Rowland, Richard and Christopher (not sure if this is the same Christopher mentioned above) all immigrated to America.
Epaphroditus was mentioned as a witness to a land transaction on July 20, 1633. Thereafter, there are several records indicating that Epaphroditus had extensive land holdings and business dealings. According to Ancestors of Jimmy and Rosalynn Carter, Epaphroditus had business dealings with an ancestor of President Jimmy Carter – John Carter, to whom Epaphroditus, according to his will, owed money to at the time of his death.
Epaphroditus married Elizabeth Medestard and they had one child, Elizabeth. Although Epaphroditus and Elizabeth had no male children, his name continued when his brother Rowland named his son after his uncle. I also found other lines who were related to the Lawsons – Epaphroditus Lawson Waring and Epaphroditus Lawson Fort.
John Lawson
John Lawson was born in England on December 27, 1674 to parents John and Isabella Love Lawson. John Lawson was highly educated, likely schooled by the Anglicans and later at Gresham College near the family home in London. A friend later encouraged John to travel to America, suggesting that Carolina was the best country to visit. James Moore, a resident of Charles Town, who was in London at the time seeking the governship, granted John free passage on his ship. They arrived on August 15, 1700.JohnLawsonOn December 28, 1700 he set out on a 57-day expedition of the Carolina back country, accompanied by five other Englishmen and four Indians (three men and one woman). He possessed a keen eye for details and recorded a vast amount of information during his journey.
After traveling about 550 miles he came to the Pamlico region, and there he built a house and continued to explore. Later he helped found the town of Bath, established on March 8, 1705 by an act of the General Assembly, and becoming North Carolina’s first incorporated town. He was one of the town’s first commissioners and helped layout the town.
In 1709 John sailed back to England to oversee the publication of his extensive journal, A New Voyage to Carolina. In the book he included his journal notes, observations of the Native American population and drawings of animals and native plants.
John Lawson had also co-founded the town of New Bern with Christopher deGraffenreid. Arriving back from England on April 27, 1710, he brought with him three hundred Palatines who would settle the town of New Bern. Relations with the Indians were deteriorating, but John proposed a trip up the Neuse River in the summer of 1711 to see how far the river was navigable and whether it might lead to a shorter route to Virginia. John assured deGraffenreid that they would be safe.
When they came upon the Indian village of Catechna, they were captured. The Indians refused to release them, thinking that deGraffenreid was the Governor – an important capture. A late-night dispute arose as to whether the prisoners should be bound, but since a trial hadn’t been held as of yet, Lawson and deGraffenreid were free to move about the village. The next day, the king of the village brought food, described by deGraffenreid:
Toward noon the king himself brought us some food in a lousy fur cap. This was a kind of bread made of Indian corn, called dumplins, and cold boiled venison. I ate of this, with repugnance indeed, because I was very hungry.
When the trial was held, Lawson and deGraffenreid were questioned as to the purpose of their journey and why they had not informed the king of their intentions. Apparently the king was upset that his people had been mistreated, specifically by Surveyor-General Lawson, but Lawson defended himself, and it was decided that the two prisoners would be set free the next day. The next day, however, Lawson quarreled with the king and according to deGraffenreid, “this spoiled everything for us.”
When they attempted to leave, they were seized, a council of war was held and both were condemned to death. deGraffenreid “turned toward Mr. Lawson bitterly upbraiding him, saying that his lack of foresight was the cause of our ruin; that it was all over for us; that there was nothing better to do than to make peace with God and prepare ourselves betimes for death; which I did with the greatest devotion.” When they arrived at the war council, deGraffenreid approached an Indian who he described as dressing like a Christian and speaking English. He took the Indian aside and persuaded him to plead his case before the chiefs. Lawson and deGraffenreid were “bound side by side” to wait the judgment of the council.
Christopher deGraffenreid’s pleas for mercy were heard and his life would be spared, “but the poor Surveyor-General would be executed.” How he was executed, deGraffenreid was not certain. Some at the time said that Lawson was killed by having his throat cut with a razor from his bag, others said he was hanged or burned.
Alfred Lawson
Alfred William Lawson was born on March 24, 1869. During the early days of professional baseball, Alfred pitched around the league (Boston Beaneaters and Pittsburgh Alleghenys) but never made an impact. He managed in the minor leagues and founded his own league known as the Union Leagues of Professional Ball Clubs of America – it failed within one month.AlfredWLawsonAlfred’s next entrepreneurial endeavor was publishing an aviation magazine, “Fly”, to stimulate interest in aviation which was then in its infant stages. After moving to New York City, he renamed the magazine “Aircraft” and published until 1914. Alfred learned to fly in 1913 and eventually became an expert pilot. After advocating aviation for ten years, Alfred Lawson built his first airplane in 1917 and founded Lawson Aircraft Corporation.
Although he attempted to build a plane for military use (World War I), the plans fell apart. After the war, Alfred began a project with the goal of building the world’s first airliner. In 1920 an 18-passenger biplane airliner was demonstrated on a two thousand mile tour. The positive publicity allowed him to secure additional financing for his next project, a 26-passenger model called Midnight Liner. Unfortunately, on its maiden flight, the plane crashed and was never repaired. He later developed plans for a 100-passenger airline which was never built by his company. Alfred received the Winged America award later and cited by Scientific Age magazine as the “world’s leading passenger aeroplane builder.”
During the Depression years, he developed a theory of “direct credits” and wrote a book on the subject. He proposed that the government rather than banks should provide loans to individuals and businesses. Under his system, the people would have direct ownership of the money system.
The most interesting thing I found about Alfred Lawson, however, was that he founded his own philosophy or religion – Lawsonomy, which combined physics, religion and economics. He was a vegetarian who developed a theory which combined diet, hygiene, rest and exercise that he believed could potentially allow a person to live to the age of two hundred – he called it “Lawsonpoise”.
He lectured and wrote books which attracted a following, so much so that he decided to found a school. The University of Lawsonomy was founded in Des Moines, Iowa in 1943, and the first group of seventy students grew vegetables (eating them raw) and flowers and studied Alfred Lawson’s writings.
The state of Iowa had designated the university as a non-profit organization, but in 1952 the IRS disagreed and revoked that status and demanded payment of back taxes. Lawson closed the school. He died in 1954. Alfred Lawson was definitely “one-of-a-kind”, a person with some “far-out” beliefs. One science writer later remarked that Lawson was “one of the nation’s unintentionally comic figures.”
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Ghost Town Wednesday: Nicodemus, Kansas
The American West has hundreds of abandoned ghost towns, but east of the Rockies some refer to towns that may still have a few residents as “quiet towns”. These towns have diminished over the years as residents moved away to bigger cities, post offices and schools closed and buildings fell into disrepair. Today’s ghost or “quiet” town has an interesting history with its founding in the post-Civil War Reconstruction years.
After the Civil War and Reconstruction, ex-slaves were eager to leave the South and strike out on their own in a new place. In 1877 an Indiana land developer, W.R. Hill, and a black minister, Reverend W.H. Smith, formed the Nicodemus Town Company. Smith became the town’s president and Hill the treasurer. How the name of the town originated is not exactly known, although some believe it was named after a slave who came to America and later purchased his freedom.
Did you enjoy this article snippet? Yes? Check out Digging History Magazine. This article has been updated significantly with new research and published in the July-August 2019 issue of the magazine. The magazine is on sale in the Digging History Magazine store and features these stories (100+ pages of stories, no ads):
- “Drought-Locusts-Earthquakes-B-Blizzards (Oh My!)” – Perhaps no state is possessive of a more appropriate motto than Kansas: Ad Astra per Aspera (“To the stars through difficulties”, or more loosely translated “a rough road leads to the stars”1). By the time the state adopted its motto in 1876, fifteen years post-statehood, it had experienced not only a brutal, bloody beginning (“Bloody Kansas”) but had endured (and continued to struggle with) extreme pestilence, preceded by severe drought and even an earthquake in April 1867. In the early days being Kansan was not for the faint of heart.
- “Home Sweet Soddie” – For years The Great Plains had been a vast expanse to be endured on the way to California and Oregon. Now the United States government was making 270 million acres available for settlement – practically free if, after five years, all criteria had been met. The criteria, referred to as “proving up” meant improvements must be made (and proof provided) by cultivating the land and building a home. For many their first home would be a dugout, a sod-covered hole in the ground.
- “Wholesale Murder at Newton” – It’s called “The Gunfight at Hyde Park” or the “Newton Massacre”. One newspaper headlined it as “Wholesale Murder at Newton”, another called it an “affray” and another a “riot”. Whatever, it was bloody, and one of the biggest gunfights in the history of the Wild West, more deadly than the legendary gunfight at the OK Corral.
- “Kansas Ghost Towns” – It might be more appropriate to call this Kansas ghost town, established by Ernest Valeton de Boissière in 1869, a “ghost commune” (Silkville). Nicodemus. There was something genuinely African in the very name. White folks would have called their place by one of the romantic names which stud the map of the United States, Smithville, Centreville, Jonesborough; but these colored people wanted something high-sounding and biblical, and so hit on Nicodemus.
- “The Land of Odds: Kwirky Kansas” – For some of us the mention of Kansas invokes memories of one of the classic films of our childhood, The Wizard of Oz. With a tongue-in-cheek reference this article highlights some of the state’s history and people in a series of vignettes – some serious, some not so serious (the real “oddballs”) in a light-hearted fashion. A rollicking fun article covering a range of Kansas “oddities” and “oddballs”, including one of the most dangerous quacks to have ever practiced medicine, Dr. John R. Brinkley.
- “Mining Kansas Genealogical Gold” – One of my favorite “adventures in research” is to discover obscure genealogical records or perhaps stumble across a set of records at Ancesty.com or Fold3 which turns out to be a gold mine of information. This article highlights some real gems available at Ancestry.
- “Chautauqua: The Poor Man’s Educational Opportunity” – During an era spanning the mid-1870s through the early twentieth century, Kansans, like many Americans across the country, anticipated the summer season known as Chautauqua, an event Theodore Roosevelt called “the most American thing in America”. By 1906 when Roosevelt made such an astute observation the movement had evolved into a non-sectarian gathering, where “all human faiths in God are respected. The brotherhood of man recreating and seeking the truth in the broad sunlight of love, social co-operation.”
- And more, including book reviews and tips for finding elusive genealogical records.
Since January 2018 new articles are published in a digital magazine (PDF) available by individual issue purchase or subscription (with three options). Most issues run between 70-85 pages, filled with articles of interest to history-lovers and genealogists — it’s all history, right? 🙂 No ads — just carefully-researched, well-written stories, complete with footnotes and sources.
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Tombstone Tuesday: John Baptiste Priquet (Saratoga, Wyoming)
John Baptiste Priquet, according to his death certificate, was born in Paris, France on April 18, 1843. Curiously, his gravestone (added later) says that he was born in 1846 and various family research sites indicate an April 14, 1846 date as well. His daughter’s signature is on the death certificate, thus I would assume she would have more intimate knowledge of his correct birth date… more on the death certificate later. Through the years of census records, his name was spelled, variously, Priquet, Priquette and Prickett.
According to census records, John immigrated to America in 1854 and at some point became a citizen. I found no immigration records, no census records for 1860 and 1870 and thus no record of his parents (likely due to misspelled names which hindered an accurate search). Various family histories indicate that John migrated to Idaho Springs, Colorado around the age of twenty-one. Whether he served in the Civil War is unknown. If the year was 1864, that was the year of the Sand Creek Massacre and as a previous Tombstone Tuesday article indicated, there was a mining boom in Colorado around that time.
The family of the woman he met and married, Adaline Melissa Schenck, migrated to Idaho Springs from Boone County, Illinois sometime after the 1860 census. At the time of the 1860 census, Melvin and Sarah Ann (Lanning) Schenck had four children, ranging in age from 3 to 15 – Adaline was 8 years old. Melvin and Sarah Ann were married on February 14, 1844 in Boone County, Illinois.
It may not have been long after the 1860 census before the Schenck family headed to Colorado – one story said they traveled either with Mormons or as Mormon pioneers. Sarah Ann passed away on March 11, 1862, aged 35 years and 5 months. She was buried in what is now the foothill town of Evergreen, Colorado. The solitary grave is now on private property and surrounded by a small fence, left undisturbed all these years.
One genealogy researcher had thought that perhaps Melvin had died in 1860 (or perhaps soon after their arrival) at Pikes Peak. If that was the case, and Sarah died in 1862, their children were left as orphans. In 1870, Melvin and Sarah Ann’s son James was living in Golden City, Jefferson County, Colorado in the home of William Trotter, a hotel keeper. James’ occupation was listed as a 25 year-old hotel cook. According to one family tree, John and Adaline were married on April 4, 1867.
In 1866, John Priquet & Co. was assessed a tax of $3.60 for nine head of cattle. Unless John worked as a miner on the side he was a farmer or rancher.
In 1880 the census enumerated a family of six living in the Idaho District (Soda Creek) of Clear Creek County. John’s occupation was listed as “log hauler” and their four children at the time ranged in age from 1 to 11. The births of their children up until 1880 were as follows with six live births and two deaths:
Joseph Riley – b. August 18, 1869
Mary – b. February 6, 1871 (died February 12, 1871)
Sarah Ann – b. February 26, 1872
Wilbert Henry – b. April 6, 1875 (died May 4, 1875)
Leone Leota – b. May 4, 1876
William Lorenzo – b. July 7, 1878
The 1890 census records are unavailable but family historians believe that sometime in 1900 the family moved to Saratoga, Wyoming, after that year’s census. The 1900 census enumerated on June 15, 1900, lists the remainder of their children born after the 1880 census:
Etta Mable – b. August 23, 1880
Oscar Melvin – b. August 14, 1882
Claud Antoine – b. August 28, 1884
Carrie Felicia – b. September 24, 1886
Gertrude Valoria – b. May 24, 1889
The family was still living in Colorado in what then was called Idaho Springs. John was a wood hauler and sons William, Oscar and Antoine were “wood choppers” – presumably operating a family-run lumber business or sawmill.
It is not clear if John’s entire family migrated with him to Saratoga. Family history seems to indicate that all but perhaps Sarah Ann (who had married James H. McDonald in 1890) left with John and Adaline. In 1900, Sarah Ann was living in Cimarron, Oklahoma – one of her children was named “Idaho” and another “Arizona”. John and his sons cut wood at the Ferris-Haggerty Mine, one of the richest mines (copper) in Carbon County, Wyoming.
Joseph is said to have had an argument with his father around 1901, wherein he left Saratoga, moved to Montana and on to Oregon and never to be heard from again by his family. Claud Antoine passed away in 1903 (details unknown). According to the Saratoga Sun (April 8, 1907), William Priquet was instantly killed in a stagecoach accident at the Cow Creek Station of the Saratoga-Encampment Stage Line. The stage, stopped to water the horses, had three passengers. Two male passengers had stepped out of the coach and the female passenger remained inside. A sudden and sharp clap of thunder spooked the horses and:
Priquet caught the wheelers by the bridles and grabbed for the lines of the leaders, but stumbled into a depression in the ground. The leaders trampled on him and both wheels of the coach passed over him, crushing his skull, breaking his collar bone and his right leg below the knee. Death was instantaneous.
Deceased would have been 29 years of age the 7th of next July and was the eldest son of Mr. and Mrs. John Priquet of this place. He was a young man of excellent character and habits and was esteemed by all who knew him. His death fell with crushing force on his family and was a severe shock to the entire community.
By 1910, the remaining children had married and left home, except 24 year-old Carrie. John, Adaline and Carrie were still living together in Saratoga. John’s occupation was listed as “teamster”. Carrie was listed as “Hello Girl Telephone”. Carrie was said to have been crippled all her life (her nickname was “Tadpole”) and by the 1930 census she had married James Mauk (she still worked for the telephone company).
On May 7, 1913, Gertrude (who had married Fred Myers in approximately 1908 or 1909), died as a result of Bright’s disease and heart dropsy ten days after the birth of her son. She was laid to rest beside her brother William and her infant who had died two years before her death.
I found no 1920 census records for John and Adaline, although they were both still living in Saratoga. Their daughter Leone had married David Davis and was living in Littleton, Colorado when apparently her father (and perhaps her mother) were visiting since her name is on John’s death certificate. Find-A-Grave lists John’s year of death as 1925 (and for whatever reason, his birth is listed as being in 1846 in Gilpin County, Colorado – clearly incorrect information). John’s death certificate tells a tragic story, although I found no record of any compelling circumstances which lead to his death:
Death Certificate for John BapOn March 15, 1927, at age 83 years, 10 months and 27 days, John Baptiste Priquet died as a result of a revolver wound to the head – a suicide. His daughter, Leone, signed the death certificate as informant. He was buried in Saratoga Cemetery on March 17. After John’s death, Adaline’s health declined rapidly. Her last three years were spent as an invalid. In 1930 at the age of 79, she was living with James and Carrie Mauk in Saratoga. Adaline passed away the following year.
There were several gaps in John and Adaline’s history, but they most certainly experienced tragedies in their lives. Adaline had likely lost both parents after her family came to Colorado, perhaps leaving her and her siblings orphaned in a place of strangers. They experienced the death of both their very young and adult children and the estrangement of their oldest son Joseph. Whatever were the circumstances of John’s death, I could find no information – it even appeared in family histories to gloss over the fact that he committed suicide or that he died in Colorado rather than Wyoming. John and Adaline’s remaining family members, except for daughters Sarah and Leone, remained in Carbon County after the deaths of their parents.
I ran across a great story while researching this article. A blogger, known as “The Traveling Genealogist”, wrote an article in 2011 for Mother’s Day about Sarah Ann Schenck’s grave in Evergreen, Colorado. The blogger had some of the same questions I had – did her husband Melvin die at the same time but buried elsewhere or in an unmarked grave? Why did they come to Colorado from Illinois? In 2013, a commenter thanked him for finding his long-lost ancestor! I also hope my Tombstone Tuesday articles might help someone find some overlooked or missing piece of information – making all the time spent researching and writing the article more rewarding and well-worth the effort.
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Surname Saturday: Pimple
This was a difficult surname to research – what with the Google results of “blemish control advice” or “family history of acne” interspersed and all. I came across the surname “Pimple” on a list of Revolutionary War soldiers last week when I was researching the “Pierson” surname. Along with Shadrack and Meshack Pierson, Private Paul Pimple from Pennsylvania received 200 acres of land for his war service. Private Pimple was injured while serving in the war and was pensioned in 1788 – 1835 pension records indicate he received an annual compensation of $60.
I found two other similar spellings of the name as well — “Pimpel” and “Pimpl”. I would assume that the ancestral homeland of Paul Pimple would be England or Wales. However, I do not know whether that was the original spelling or perhaps it was “Pimpl” and the “e” was added later. Information about the origin of the surname was hard to come by and even today it appears that the name is certainly not a common one.
A search at Find-A-Grave of the entire United States yielded only 36 records (that is to say, those are the only ones recorded at Find-A-Grave as I’m sure there are many more but this was just a quick search for a point of reference). According to Ancestry.com the surname “Pimple” was most concentrated in Colorado in 1920. The search conducted at Find-A-Grave bore that out as there were far more entries for Colorado, specifically in Boulder and Logan County and all were buried in Catholic cemeteries. Wisconsin represented the next highest number of graves in the data base, followed by Kansas with two and one buried in Iowa, and again all buried in Catholic cemeteries.
My research of records indicated that both the Pimpel and Pimpl surnames belonged to immigrants from Austria, Germany, Bavaria or the Czech Republic (Bohemia). It also appears that some of those immigrants changed their name to “Pimple” at some point. One immigrant, Wendelin Pimpl, appears to have added the “e” after he was naturalized in Minnesota – subsequent census and land records add the “e” (original “Pimpl” surname on his father’s gravestone, however) – more on Wendelin and his family later.
I ran across, surprisingly, names of people who were of Indian (the country India) origin with the surname “Pimple”. I checked a database of Indian surnames and found Pimple listed as being associated with the Yajurvedi sub-caste (whatever that means, I don’t know).
Historical information about this surname was hard to come by – even Ancestry.com didn’t offer much help. While there were several family trees, the majority had no records or sources attached. What I did find were lots of military records – through the years there were many who served in the military with the surnames Pimple, Pimpl and Pimpel. Here are a few:
Paul Pimple – Revolutionary War (Pennsylvania)
Jacob Pimple – Revolutionary War (Pennsylvania)
Paul P. Pimple – Civil War (Pennsylvania)
Joseph Pimple – World War I (Colorado)
Edward Earl Pimpel – World War I (Kentucky)
Lawrence Pimpl – World War I (Wisconsin)
Reverend Edward M. Pimple – World War II Prisoner of War
Jeanette Pimple – World War II Cadet Nursing Corps (Wisconsin)
I’m sure these were hard working individuals who answered the call to serve, and no doubt either immigrants or children and grandchildren of immigrants. Edward Earl (along with a relative named Henry) were employed as “varnishers” or “varnish sprayer” when called to serve in World War I. Reverend Edward M. Pimple was a Japanese prisoner of war, held in the Franciscan House (Shanghai), along with fifty-five other Catholic clergymen. Jeanette Pimple, the single daughter of John and Elizabeth (Yousten) Pimple of Almena, Wisconsin was twenty-two years old when she joined the Cadet Nursing Corps on July 1, 1943.
Jeanette was the granddaughter of Wendelin Pimple who immigrated to America from Bohemia (Austria) in 1855.
Wendelin Pimple
Wendelin Pimpl was born in Rojau, Bohemia, Austria on July 23, 1852 to parents Reimund and Kathrina (Wudinger) Pimpl. In 1855, Reimund brought his wife and three children to America. It appears that the family migrated to Wisconsin, and the first reliable census records I located were for 1870 in Calumet, Fond du Lac, Wisconsin. Their names were “butchered”, to put it mildly, but then again census takers notoriously weren’t the greatest spellers. I did find Wendelin in the 1860 census but not with his parents. Wendelin’s name was misspelled several different ways over the years:
Wendell (1860)
Windalen (1870)
Wendlin (1900-1920-1930)
Babdlin (1910)
Kenndell (1940)
Wendelin was naturalized as a United States citizen in Sterns County, Minnesota (date unknown). In the 1900 census, Wendelin’s wife Theresia was “Tracy”. Wendelin had married Theresia in 1884, so the 1900 census is the first one where most of their large family (twelve children) are enumerated. One family tree lists the children of Wendelin and Theresia as:
John Frederick – b. 1884
Elizabeth – b. 1885
Katrine – b. 1888
Christina – b. 1890
Theresa – b. 1891
Jacob – b. 1893
Frank – b. 1895
William – b. 1897
Emma – b. 1899
Ottilia (Della) – b. 1899 (twins)
Edith Marie – b. 1901
Edward Joseph – b. 1905
In 1900 Wendelin was a farmer living in Cedar, Nebraska. By 1910 the family had returned to Wisconsin, living in Almena, Barron County. This 1914 map shows a modest farm of 80 acres belonging to Wendelin:
In 1920 the family still lived in the same location; however, in 1924 Theresia passed away at the age of 61 on April 16, 1924. Their sons John, Jacob and Frank had all registered for the World War I draft, and they all registered for the World War II draft as well. Youngest son Edward enlisted in World War II on June 16, 1942. One other note of interest while perusing Edward’s records – the Wisconsin christening records list his race as “Colored (Black)” although his parents are listed as being born in Europe. As mentioned earlier, Wendelin’s granddaughter, Jeanette (daughter of John), enlisted in the Cadet Nursing Corps.
According to census records, it appears that Christina, Otillia, Emma and Edith never married. John married and had a large family and was employed as a merchant (with a sixth grade education), Jacob worked as a farmer (sixth grade education), Frank worked for Jacob in 1940 and was single (apparently never married), and Edward and Emma were living with their 87 year old father “Kenndell” in 1940.
Wendelin Pimple died on October 13, 1946 at the age of 94. Seven of his children are buried in the same cemetery (Sacred Heart) in Almena, Wisconsin. Unmarried daughter Christina is buried in Logan County, Colorado.
Death by Pimple
The Pimple surname is not common but it piqued my interest to see what I could find. I hope you enjoyed the story. As I said, it was hard to research the “Pimple” surname using Google – some subjects are more difficult than others no matter which search engine you use. I ran across these obituaries of young people who died, well, by pimple:
Died of Blood Poisoning – Daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Joseph Washburn of DeKalb Poked Pimple which Resulted in Death
Mr. and Mrs. W. S. Washburn left this morning to attend the funeral of Mr. Washburn’s niece, the 21-year-old daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Joseph Washburn of DeKalb, who died Monday as a result of blood poisoning. About a week ago Miss Washburn had a slight pimple on her forehead which she picked with her finger and brought the blood. Poisoning developed later and which resulted in her death Monday. (Gourvenor Press – August 14, 1907)
Ruth Edna Arrendell Casey – died Sep 10 1928; cause of death – infection from pimple on nose
Newspaper Unknown – September 15, 1924
Forest C., son of Mr. And Mrs. L. C. Cordell of near Cantrall, died at the St. John’s hospital in Springfield, Monday afternoon, September 15, 1924, at 12:45 o’clock, aged 13 years, 9 months and 13 days.
Death was caused from an infection of a pimple on his lip. He had been ill only about five days. The family have the sympathy of the entire community in their sad bereavement. Death has taken from them the only son just as he was entering upon the age of usefulness and at a time when his interest in his school work was the pride of his parents.
Minnie Hummel was born on July 10, 1877 in Schuylkill County, Pennsylvania. She died on February 22, 1898. Her death was due to ‘picking a pimple’ and she developed blood poisoning.
Of course, while I meant to end this article with a bit of tongue-in-cheek, it was quite unfortunate that these individuals lived in a time before effective antibiotics and treatments had been developed. Just another reminder of what our ancestors endured and what history can teach us.
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