Alice Pyburn

The autograph book of
Lovina Jane Record Carson

Alice Pyburn's entry in Lovina's autograph book.

Alice Pyburn was born in Missouri, the daughter of A. J. Pyburn and Agnes Pyburn.  In 1870, the Pyburn family was living in Polk, Taylor County, Iowa where Alice's father was listed as a grocer on the 1870 US Census.  By 1875, the Kansas State Census shows the family living in Winfield, Cowley County, KS, where Alice's father was listed as an attorney.   By 1885, the Pyburn family had moved to Arkansas City, Cowley County, KS. After that, I lose track of Alice.

I did find a reference to Alice's father in the June 16, 1881 Winfield Courier.  A. J. Pyburn was one of many who contributed $2.00 to a relief effort for the victims of the Floral Cyclone which had struck the previous Sunday.

Laurilla M. Record Bernard Groom

The autograph book of
Lovina Jane Record Carson

Laurilla M. Record Barnard Groom was an older sister of Lovina Jane Record Carson, my great great grandmother.  Laurilla was born 24 May 1844 in Rensselaer County, NY, to John A. W. Record and Esther B. Hakes Record.  (Source: the Bible of Esther Hakes Record Reed)  


On 4 Sep 1858, Laurilla married Andrew Bernard (I've also seen it spelled "Barnard") in Peoria County, IL.  They were married by John C. Folliott, Justice of the Peace. (Source: State of Illinois, Peoria County certificate signed by R. Steve Sonnemaker, Peoria County clerk, obtained 2008 through http://www.cyberdriveillinois.com/) I have not been able to find out much about Andrew Bernard except that on one genealogy query board, he was referred to as "the Frenchman."  The 1880 US Census taken in Cowley County, Kansas shows that Laurilla or her second husband, William Groom, told the census taker that William Bernard's father Andrew (William was Laurilla's son with Andrew Bernard) had been born in Frances. Then on the 1900 United States Census for William, a son of Andrew and Laurilla's, Andrew is listed as being born in Canada with an "Fr" out to the side.  In the 1910 and 1920 US Censuses for Andrew's son, William, Andrew's birthplace is listed as "France," but by the 1930 US Census, William has listed his father Andrew's birthplace as being New York.  So who knows?


Laurilla and Andrew had three children, Adella Bernard, born 1860 in Illinois; William Bernard born July 1861 in Illinois; and Julia Bernard, born in 1863 in Illinois.  Laurilla's husband, Andrew, passed away sometime between 1863 and 1870 because the 9  Jun 1870 US Census taken in Peoria County, Illinois, shows Laurilla living with her second husband, William Groom.  By the 1875 Kansas State Census, Laurilla and William Groom, along with Laurilla's three children from Andrew Bernard and her first child, Carrie, with her second husband William Groom have moved to Richland Township, Cowley County, KS, and were farming according to census reports.  This is also where Laurilla's younger sister, my great great grandmother, Lovina Jane Record Carson, was living with her husband Thomas Riley Carson.


Laurilla had two more children with William Groom in Kansas: Harriet and Stella.


Laurilla's second husband, William Groom, passed away on 8 Mar 1892 at Wilmot, Cowley County, KS.  He is buried at Floral Cemetery, Cowley County, KS.  A picture of William Groom, passed down to me by my late paternal grandmother, appears below.  A picture of William's and Laurilla's headstone is beneath the picture.  The headstone picture was taken by me on an October 2007 visit to Cowley County, KS. (A very interesting account of the Groom family of Cowley County, KS appears at http://www.eccchistory.org/groom.htm.  William Groom is mentioned but it is mainly about one of William's brothers, Samuel Dabney Groom and his descendants.  It is well done and there are identified pictures.)


The 1895 Kansas State Census shows that Laurilla and her  mother Esther B. Hakes Record Reed are living together in Richland Township, Cowley County, KS.  The 1900 US Census shows Laurilla working as a nurse, still living in Richland Township, Cowley County, KS.  Her mother, Esther B. Hakes Record Reed, and Laurilla's grandson, Harley Hiday, are living with her.  Harley was the child of Laurilla's and Andrew Bernard's daughter, Adella, who had married Ransom Hiday.


The 1905 Kansas State Census shows that Laurilla had moved to Winfield, Cowley County, Kansas.  Living with her are a woman, 26 year old "E. R. Groom" and Laurilla's grandson Harley Hiday.  Laurilla's mother, Esther B. Hakes Record Reed, is not listed as living with Laurilla even though Esther did not die until April 1905.  The 1905 Kansas State Census says that it lists all people living at a residence as of the first day of March 1905.


In 1910 Laurilla is living on East 9th Avenue in Winfield, Cowley County, Kansas.  Living with her are her daughter Stella Groom Crowe, Stella's husband, Ruben Crowe, who works as a house painter, and Laurilla's grandson, Harley Hiday, Adella Bernard Hiday's son.  (I have not been able to locate Adella or Ransom Hiday on any census reports after 1900 and I'm beginning to wonder if they had passed away within a short time of each other.  This is just speculation.)


Laurilla will not appear on any more census reports because she passed away in 1914.  She died 27 Apr 1914 in Winfield, KS.  (Source: cemetery visit made in 2007 by this blog's author.)


(Laurilla's grandson, Harley, born in 1890 passed away in 1917 and is buried at Graham Cemetery, Winfield, Cowley County, Kansas.  A picture of his headstone can be viewed at www.findagrave.com.  He was a member of Air Service Sig. Corps, U.S.A.)  


I do not have a picture of Laurilla M. Record Bernard Groom, but I do have a picture of one of her granddaughters.  This picture was given to me by my father through his mother. Clara Bernard was a granddaughter of Laurilla's and Andrew Bernard, through their son, William Bernard.

William Groom, the second husband
of Laurilla Record Bernard Groom.

Clara Bernard, a granddaughter of
Laurilla M. Record Bernard Groom.

The headstone for Laurilla M. Record Bernard Groom
and her husband William Groom.  They are buried at
Floral Cemetery, Cowley County, KS
This picture was taken by me in Oct 2007 and also
appears on www.findagrave.com.

Thomas D. Givler and Sarah Givler

The autograph book of
Lovina Jane Record Carson

The following is what I learned about Thomas D. Givler and his wife Sarah Givler.  They signed the autograph book of my great great grandmother, Lovina Jane Record Carson.


By 1 Mar 1875, Thomas D. Givler and his wife Sarah are living in Richland Township, Cowley County, KS, according to the 1875 Kansas State Census. Thomas was born in Ohio and his wife was born in 1848 Pennsylvania. Mr. Givler is a farmer. 


Thomas D. Givler was the son of David Givler and his wife Mary J. ?. He was 10 years old when the 1860 Federal census was taken. He, his siblings and parents were living in Decatur Ward 1, Macon County, IL on 4 Jun 1860. Thomas’s father is listed as a merchant with $2,000 in real estate and $1,500 in personal property. Both of Thomas’s parents were born in Pennsylvania. 


Sarah Givler’s maiden name was Larkin as evidenced by the 1880 US Federal Census. In that census N. J. Larkin is living with the Givlers in Richland Township, Cowley County, KS. Mr. Larkin is 61 and is listed as father-in-law of the head of the household, Thomas D. Givler. Mr. Larkin was born in New York State. Mr. Larkin also signed Lovina Jane Record Carson’s autograph book.  He will be discussed in more detail in a separate posting.  


The 1880 US Census shows the Givlers as having two daughters, Nellie and Amie. Thomas Givler is a farmer as is Mr. Larkin. In 1900 the Givlers have their daughters Nellie, age 27, and May, age 23, living with them. Nelson J. Larkin is still living with them at the age of 81. He is listed as widowed and his occupation is a fruit grower. Their daughter, May, is listed as a teacher.



The 1920 US Federal Census, taken 12 Jan 1920 by George A. Wilson shows Thomas D. Givler, age 70, and his wife Sarah, age 71, living in Richland Township, Cowley County, KS.


Sarah Larkin Givler, aged 82, outlived her husband and her friend, Lovina Jane Record Carson, as evidenced by her appearance on the 1930 US Census, taken 16 Apr 1930, in Windsor Township, Cowley County, KS. 


Husband Thomas Givler passed away in 1929.  His headstone can be view at http://www.findagrave.com/   Sarah is living with her daughter May Givler Brown and her husband Henry E. Brown and her grandson Thomas.  Sarah Givler died in 1936 and is buried in Wilmot Cemetery, Cowley County, KS.  Her headstone can be viewed at http://www.findagrave.com/


According to a plat map of Richland Township, Cowley County, KS, dated from 16 Feb 1891 to 12 Dec 1894, provided by my late great aunt, the farm of Thomas Givler covered three quarters of a section of land. His father-in-law, Nelson J. Larkin, owned the southwest quarter of that section. The Givler family lived just south of Lovina Jane Record Carson and Thomas Riley Carson.

Susan E. Crank

The autograph book of
Lovina Jane Record Carson

When I first saw this entry in in my great great grandmother's autograph book, I thought it was an entry made by a man, "S. E. Crank."


S. E. Crank, (Susan E. Crank) Wilmot KS, 2 May 1880.   According to the 1880 US Federal Census, taken 12 Jun 1880, S. E. Crank was the 30 year old niece of 43 year old John Groom.  She is listed as housekeeper on the census. They are living in Richland Township, Cowley County, KS. 


S. E. Crank was born in August 1849 in Missouri; her parents were born in Virginia. According to the 1850 US Census, S. E.’s father’s name was Richardson Crank; her mother’s name was Catherine. Catherine was the older sister of John Groom and William Groom, who was the second husband of Laurilla Record Barnard Groom, the sister of Lovina Jane Record Carson. Her uncle, John Groom, was born in Virginia. His occupation is listed as farmer. 


In the 1885 Kansas State Census, S. E. Crank and her uncle, John Groom are still living in Richland Township, Cowley County, KS. The 1895 Kansas State Census shows that she was still living with her uncle John Groom and keeping house in Richland Township, Cowley County, KS.  In 1900, Susan E. Crank is listed as a farmer in Richland Township, Cowley County, KS.  Living with her is her 30  year old nephew, James F. Crank.  James was born in Illinois. 


By 1 Mar 1905, 55 year old S. E. Crank owned a home in Winfield, KS. Two 24 year old people were living with her by the names of Mamie Booth and A. D. Stuber (male.)  I have not been able to locate any more information about Susan E. Crank after the 1905 Kansas State Census.

"Did you ever remember seeing an airplane?"

This is an excerpt of an interview my father did with his mother in the early 1980s.  My grandmother was born in 1900 and was raised near Wilmot and Grand Summit, Cowley County, Kansas.


“CLT:  Did you ever remember seeing an airplane?


PBHT:  Yes, I remember an airplane that landed in the meadow south of the house and that was quite a curiosity.  I don’t remember whether he had airplane trouble or why he landed there.  I just remember seeing him land and, of course, it wasn’t too long before he had a group of sightseers around him.  I didn’t go down there because I was just a little ole kid.


CLT:  Did Grandpa say (ALH) say anything about it?


PBHT:  Well, he went down there.  He went down to see what was going on, but I don’t recall what happened or why he (the pilot) landed his plane.  It’s a wonder he ever landed it because that was rough ground.


CLT:  It did have some gullies down in through there.


PBHT:  Yes.  That’s the first airplane I can remember.  Very few airplanes flew over that part of the country.  That was such wide open spaces out there.”

* * * * * * * * * *

When I think of my ancestors I think of them growing up in black and white or sepia tones, but, of course, I know that isn’t true which brings me to this little piece.  All the pictures in the film are real, either taken by me or in my possession, it’s just how they are used that is the fiction.

Airplanes were a curiosity at the turn of the 20th century.  Birds and kites, and maybe the occasional hot air balloon were the only things that were flying high in the sky during that time.  Now we are accustomed to satellites, airplanes, jets, helicopters and space shuttles leaving earth’s surface.  In fact we are so accustomed to flying that I will always remember the eerie quiet that filled the skies in the three days following Sep. 11, 2001. 

Old photographs have been passed down to me from both sides of my family tree.  The lightning shots and single shot of an airport (ca 1916) were taken by my maternal grandfather while he lived in Omaha, Nebraska.  He dearly loved his camera.

The picture of the group of people standing around an airplane in a pasture is from my paternal side of the family tree.  The picture includes my great grandfather.  This picture was taken close to Grand Summit, Cowley County, KS.  The house shot is of my great grandfather’s house in Grand Summit.   

The motion shots were filmed by me in the 21st century in Oklahoma.  The strange light photographs are actually of the moon and Venus taken by me last year (2009).  I didn’t realize I had my camera on an incorrect setting, but I liked the outcome anyway!

The song, “Come Take a Trip in my Airship” by J. W. Myers was recorded on a wax cylinder in 1904.  It is in the public domain and can be found at www.archive.org.

Airplanes overhead were so rare between 1900 and 1920 that a sighting of one would be written about in newspapers. The article clip is from the July 2, 1919 Emporia Gazette which can be found at www.genealogybank.com.   In full, it reads:

“Airplane Flew Over Emporia.  An airplane flew over town about 8 o’clock yesterday evening.  It came from the east and was seen over Melvern before it came to Emporia, according to Santa Fe officials.  The pilot flew near the ground while he went over Emporia but did not stop.”

When researching my family tree, I actively try to imagine what it must have been like for my ancestors when they walked this earth.  This little film is a result of my imagining.

S. W. PHOENIX and AMELIA PHOENIX

The autograph book of
Lovina Jane Record Carson

 

According to a copy of the plat map of Richland Township, Cowley County, KS, dated from 16 Feb 1891 to 12 Dec 1894, provided to me by my late great aunt, there is a Phoenix Ins. Company in the Town of Floral, Richland Township, Cowley County, KS. The Phoenix family also owns ½ of the southwest quarter of Section 8 of Richland Township, Cowley County, KS. The railroad runs through their property.


The 1875 Kansas state census shows S. W. Phoenix, his wife Amelia and son Mark residing in Richland Township, Cowley County, KS. One of the questions on that particular census was from where did the residents migrate. The Phoenixes had moved to Kansas from the state of Michigan. 


The 1880 US federal census shows S. W. Phoenix and his wife, Amelia, living in Richland, Cowley County, KS. Mr. Phoenix was born 16 Jul 1836 in Pennsylvania. The census indicates that S. W. Phoenix said that his father was born in Ireland; S. W. Phoenix’s mother was born in Pennsylvania. He and his 45 year old wife Amelia have an 11 year old son Mark, born in Michigan 1 Jul 1869 (www.findagrave.com) 


(Living next to the Phoenix family are William M. Miller and Arrena Howell Miller who were the parents of Julia Ann Miller Holt, the mother of Alfred Lewis Holt who became the husband of Harriet Esther Carson, the daughter of Thomas R. Carson and Lovina Jane Record Carson who owned the autograph book. According to the plat map of Richland Township, Cowley County, KS, dated from 16 Feb 1891 to 12 Dec 1894, provided to me by my late great aunt, this information is correct. The Phoenixes owned 160 acres of Section 34, Richland Township west of the Millers.  Bleu) 


An 1888 picture of Mark Phoenix can be seen at www.eccchistory.org/wilmot.htm.  He was member of The Pickwick Club of Wilmot, KS.  He is standing on the back row, second from left.  His wife, Clara Stephens Phoenix, born 21 Jan 1866, is standing to the right of Mark.

Also living with the Phoenixes are 22 year old William Yandiwalker, born in Michigan, and 21 year old Evelyn Yandiwalker, born in Indiana. William is a hired hand and Evelyn is a servant living with the Phoenixes.

According to the 1850 census 2 year old S. W. Phoenix lived in Waterford Township, Erie County, Pennsylvania with his parents Aaron and Nancy (Skinner) Phoenix. On 4 Jan 1877, the Winfield Courier noted that “jolly Sam Phoenix” had been elected Master of the Floral Grange. According to the Winfield Courier, dated 1 Nov 1877, S. W. Phoenix acted as secretary for the Republican committee of Richland Township.

Mrs. Amelia Phoenix was in the choir as of 1 Apr 1877, according to the Winfield Courier. 9 Aug 1878, S. W. Phoenix threshed wheat with a Westinghouse Vibrator. The Vibrator needed a team of 10 horses to run it. The 1885 Kansas State census shows the Phoenixes still residing in Richland township, Cowley County, KS. They have 3 children. 

The Phoenix family moves from Cowley County, Kansas, sometime between 1885 and 1900.  The 1900 US census shows S. W. Phoenix and Amelia Phoenix living with their son Mark and his family in Surface Creek, Delta County, CO. By 1910, Samuel W. Phoenix is dead, having passed away 13 Jan 1907 (www.findagrave.com).  His wife Amelia lives with their son Mark, who is also now widowed, and is living with his young son and two daughters, and a boarder by the name of William Austin.  (1910 US Census) Mark’s wife, Clara Stephens Phoenix, died 13 May 1909. (www.findagrave.com)

Amelia passed away 14 Apr 1918 and is buried in Cory Cemetery, Delta County, CO.  A picture of her headstone appears on www.findagrave.com.  Mark Phoenix is buried there also, passing away on 15 Sep 1958.

EMMA GROOM, daughter of Samuel Dabney Groom and Lucinda Thompson Groom

Emma (Louisa) Groom (1862-1935) was the youngest daughter of Samuel Dabney Groom and Lucinda Thompson Groom.  She was the niece of William Groom who was the second husband of Laurilla M. Record Bernard Groom, sister of Lovina Jane Record Carson.


In 1870 seven year old Emma Louisa Groom was living in Hallock, Peoria County, IL, with her birth family.  Some time between 1870 and 1875, Emma and her birth family made the trip south to Cowley County, KS, settling in Richland Township, as evidenced by the 1875 Kansas State census.


Emma lived with her birth family until around 1906.  At that time 42 year old Emma Louisa Groom married Indiana born, 46 year old William Sample (1910 US Census).  It was the first marriage for both. (1930 US census)  William was a mail carrier with a rural route in Cowley County, KS.  They lived at Rock Creek. By the 1930 US Census, William had retired and the couple were still living at Rock Creek, Cowley County, KS.  They owned their home but did not own a radio.  


Both Emma and William died 5 years after the 1930 US census was conducted.  They are buried at Wilmot Cemetery, Cowley County, KS.  Their headstone can be viewed at www.findagrave.com.


Emma was 17 when she signed the autograph book of Lovina Jane Record Carson.

AMANDA E. GROOM

The autograph book of Lovina Jane Record Carson

Amanda E. Groom (Amanda Ellen Groom) was the daughter of William Groom and Mary VanDorn Groom. Amanda was born 6 Apr 1859.  


Amanda's mother, Mary VanDorn Groom, died 15 Sep 1860.  The 1870 US Census shows that Amanda E. Groom was living with her aunt, Mary Groom Hutchison who was an older sister of Amanda’s father, William Groom, and Mary’s husband, John, in Chillicothe, Peoria County, IL.   Also living in this household were Adella, William and Julia Bernard, soon to be Amanda's step siblings by virtue of her father William’s second marriage to Laurilla Record Bernard   sometime after 1871.  Laurilla's first husband Andrew Bernard had died sometime before 1870.  Laurilla was an older sister of Lovina Jane Record Carson.


Amanda E. Groom signed Lovina's autograph book in 1875.  She was living Richland Township, Cowley County, KS by 1875, as evidenced by the date of the autograph and also the 1875 Kansas State Census.  


In 1885 Amanda married James Richard Mathews. (1900 US Census)  Amanda and her husband farmed in Richland Township, Cowley County, KS for at least 20 years.  I have not been able to locate them on the 1910 US census, the 1915 Kansas State Census or the 1930 US Census.  The 1920 census shows that the couple moved to 8th Street, Winfield, Cowley County, KS and lived with a cousin, Susan Miller.  Amanda’s husband, James Richard Mathews, was listed as a “meat cutter” under occupation.  The 1925 US Census shows the couple still living at East 8th Street.


A search at www.findagrave.com reveals that Amanda passed away in 1939. Her husband James Richard Mathews predeceased her by seven years.  The couple are buried in Wilmot Cemetery, Cowley County, KS.  There is a picture of the couple’s headstone posted at that website.  


This picture of William Groom was given to me by my paternal great aunt and is in my possession.

The headstone of William Groom and Laurilla Record Barnard Groom
Floral Cemetery, Cowley County, KS.  Taken by me in October 2007.

Introduction to The Autograph Book of Lovina Jane Record Carson

The signature of Lovina Jane (Record) Carson

My paternal grandmother's grandparents,
Thomas Riley Carson and Lovina Jane Record Carson

The frontispiece and outside cover of  the autograph book of
Lovina Jane Record Carson

Once upon a time there lived a little girl named Pansy.  Flower names were popular as the 19th century turned into the 20th.  Pansy grew up, married and had children.  Eventually her children begat children, and one of those begats was me.  My name is Deborah, or Debbie.  “Debbie” was a very popular name in the middle of the 20th century.


On my 32nd birthday, Pansy, known to me as Mema, gave me her grandmother’s autograph book.  This posting introduces Lovina Jane and her autograph book.  Subsequent postings to this blog will feature one autograph and information that has been gathered about that particular person who signed Lovina's autograph book. (Lovina was a popular name in the middle of the 19th century.)

Lovina Jane Record was born June 2, 1853 in Rensselaer County, New York.  She was the eighth and final child of John A. W. Record and Esther B. Hakes Record.  Around the age of 3, Lovina and her family moved to Peoria County, Illinois, settling in the vicinity of West Hallock, Peoria County, Illinois.  It was there that Lovina’s father, John Record, passed away May 31, 1861.  He is buried in the West Hallock Cemetery.  

Lovina probably met her future husband, Thomas Riley Carson, a native of Illinois, through her mother’s third husband and Thomas’s grandfather, Thomas B. Reed.  Lovina’s mother Esther married Thomas Carson’s grandfather, Thomas B. Reed on Jan. 30, 1870, and she and Lovina moved in with him.  (More information about Esther B. Hakes Record Button Reed appears in a previous posting on this blog.)

When Lovina met him, Thomas already had his own farm.  His father Wilson Carson died in April of 1870.  Wilson left a will leaving all of his property, real and person, to his wife, Harriet Reed Carson.  Then, on November 1 of that same year, Thomas’s mother, Harriet, passed away.  Her death must have been sudden.  There was no last will and testament.  That left Thomas and his little sister Alice.  Great aunt Mary once wrote, “. . . though he was just in his teen years, about 16, he (Thomas Riley Carson) went ahead and worked the farm like a grown man.” 

On May 23, 1872, Lovina Jane Record and Thomas Riley Carson were joined in marriage by Nathan Wardner in West Hallock, Peoria County, Illinois.  And sometime between the birth of their first child, John Wilson Carson, in 1873 in Peoria County, Illinois, and the 1875 Kansas state census, the Carson family moved to Cowley County, Kansas, settling in Richland township.

Scanned image of the marriage license for
Thomas Riley Carson and Lovina Jane Record Carson

According to Richard Kay and Mary Ann Wortman’s History of Cowley County, Kansas, Volume 1, (an excellent book especially if you have ancestors who lived in this particular county), Cowley County was part of the Osage Diminished Reserve.  All of Kansas Territory had been opened to settlement in 1854 except for that reserve.  Osage Indians had used today’s Cowley County as a hunting ground since the 1600s.  Today’s Cowley County was opened to settlement in 1870, the treaty being ratified by the Osages on Drum Creek on October 29, 1870.    Surveying began in 1871 and the land office in Cowley  County was not opened until July 10 of that year.

  

The first mention of Thomas and his windmill was made in the Winfield Courier on October 18, 1877.  “T. R. Carson, of Richland Township, made us a call on Tuesday.  He says the wheat in his section is very fine, completely covering the ground with a green carpet.  He is a young farmer who uses brains as well as muscle in his farm operations.  His windmill is one of his machines and is used principally in pumping water for his stock and saves a great deal of labor, but can be put to a variety of uses.  He is agent for the sale of such mills.”

The homestead of
Thomas Riley Carson and Lovina Jane Record Carson,
Rock, Richland Township, Cowley County, Kansas

“One of the finest stock farms in Cowley!“ trumpeted the Winfield Courier, dated Jan 15, 1885.  In  a little over 10 years, Thomas and Lovina had built a wonderful homestead and they had three children -- John Wilson, Lillie, and my great grandmother, Harriet, with whom to share it. 

 

Women lived in the shadows of their husbands in the 19th century.  When I talk about Thomas, I speak also about Lovina.  Wives labored alongside their husbands, in addition to raising the children and household tasks.  I imagine that when people came to Lovina’s and Thomas’s farm, she asked them to please sign her autograph book.  The earliest signature in the book is dated 1875 so one can make the assumption that Lovina began keeping the autograph book in Cowley County.  Perhaps it was given to her as a goodbye gift from friends and family in Peoria County, Illinois.

(The pictures featured in this posting have been scanned from originals which are in my possession.  The scanned copy of the marriage license was obtained from 

http://www.cyberdriveillinois.com/   The Winfield Courier articles were found at http://www.ausbcomp.com/~bbott/index.html)

A Snapshot of the Holt Family on 11 Jun 1880

Eliphaz Holt and Julia Ann Miller Holt Holt with youngest son, Alfred Lewis Holt.

This is a snapshot of the Holt family on 11 Jun 1880, Richland Township, Cowley County, KS, according to Source Citation: Census Year: 1880; Census Place: Richland, Cowley, Kansas; Archive Collection Number: T1130; Roll 18; Page: 10; Line: 6; Schedule Type: Agriculture. This information was gathered and is presented by Bleu, a great great granddaughter of Eliphaz and Julia Ann Miller Holt. The picture of the Holt family is courtesy of a great grandson of Eliphaz Holt and Julia Ann Miller Holt Holt. The pictures of the Holt headstones were taken by Bleu during an October 2007 trip to Wilmot Cemetery, Cowley County, KS.

According to Betty Bals Holt, the wife of Aubrey Sheldon Holt, who was a grandson of Julia Ann Miller Holt and her first husband, Calvin Rogers Holt, a first cousin to Julia’s second husband, Eliphaz, Julia Ann Miller Holt Holt and Eliphaz Holt moved to Richland township, Cowley County, KS, in 1873.

On 11 Jun 1880, Eliphaz Holt was 56 years old and Julia Ann Miller Holt Holt was 48. Their youngest child, Alfred Lewis Holt, had just been born that previous November -- he was six months going on seven months old. The other children at home were Alfred’s older siblings, Noah (1869), Cora (1873), and Dick (1875). Calva (1866), John William (1864), and Emberson (1860), the children Julia Ann had had with her first husband Calvin Rogers Holt, were also living with them.

Charles Blackman (1861) and John Grant (1864), two of the ten children that Eliphaz had with his first wife, Sally Kendall Holt, who died in 1867, also lived with them. (Source Citation: Year: 1880; Census Place: Richland, Cowley, Kansas; Roll T9_377; Family History Film: 1254377; Page: 565.2000; Enumeration District: 178; Image: 0685.) It was a full house!

(Sally Kendall Holt, Eliphaz Holt’s first wife, was the daughter of Logan Kendall and Sarah Kendall. Logan Kendall and Sarah Kendall were married 10 Aug 1825, Gallatin County, KY. Together they had three daughters: Sally Ann, Nancy, and Emizette. After Logan Kendall died, Sarah Kendall married Drury Holt II, the father of Eliphaz, by his first wife Sarah Cassell (1802-1839), on 26 Jan 1840, Bedford KY.)

When the census taker came around on 11 Jun 1880, he found the Holt family tilling 175 acres of grassland. They tended 2 acres of orchards and permanent pastures. Twenty acres was kept as woodlands and there were 245 acres which were marked as “unimproved” or “old fields.”
Seventy-five acres were planted in Indian corn. The family harvested 3,000 bushels the previous year. They harvested 480 bushes of wheat from 45 acres. Fifteen acres had been mown and there were 20 acres of hay. One-half acre was planted in sorghum from which 40 gallons of molasses were made.

Their farm, including land, fences, and buildings, was valued at $4,000. There were $500 worth of farm implements and $500 in livestock.

The Holt family owned 12 cows all together, milking 6 cows. Three calves had been born prior to 11 Jun 1880. Julia Ann churned 300 pounds of butter the previous year and gathered 250 eggs from their poultry flock of 36.

Eighteen ewes were waiting to be shorn and seven lambs were born. The Holts raised 23 swine that year.

Eliphaz plowed and tilled the soil and the family visited other people in the area courtesy of five horses. They did not own any mules.

* * * * *
Transcriptions of old newspapers items that refer to Eliphaz Holt:

[REPORT: "L. J. N." - NORTH RICHLAND.]

Winfield Courier, April 1, 1880. (Two months before the census taker came)

One law suit, E. Holt vs. N. K. Park, closed last week, and another is on hand, N. K. Park vs. E. Holt, on account of the running at large of stock. Both parties have plenty of Kansas rails (rock) on their farms to fence in all their stock, and the costs of these two suits would build a good many rods of fence, too, and avoid law-suits between neighbors. L. J. N.

* * * * *

REPORT FROM "M. C. SELTER." - POLO ITEMS.

Winfield Courier, June 3, 1880. (Eight days before the census taker came.)

I understand that W. McCormick is in the field for nomination for Judge. MAC is a worthy gentleman and would grace the bench.
G. D. Varner has built him a new house.
Mr. McPherson has been appointed postmaster at Wilmot, vice Mrs. S. M. Phoenix, resigned.
If McPherson will accept the nomination of J. P., our township will elect him.
Mr. E. Holt is decorating his farm with a stone fence, enclosing his fine orchard.
J. W. Weimer has a very fine flock of sheep; so has Frank Blue.
　
Source: http://www.ausbcomp.com/~bbott/cowley/oldnews/papersup/cour9.htm
　
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WILMOT WAIFS. "T. R. C." (Thomas Riley Carson)

Winfield Courier, Thursday, August 20, 1885.

We learn that Mr. [Eliphaz] Holt has rented his grain and stock farm to Mr. J. R. Thompson for a term of one year, and will take up his abode in the suburbs of Wilmot, having already purchased 5 acres of land from the Wilmot Town company. He expects to erect a residence thereon this fall.

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Julia Ann Miller Holt Holt and her second husband, Eliphaz

Meet Julia Ann Miller Holt, the mother of Alfred Lewis Holt, and Eliphaz Holt her second husband and my paternal maternal great great grandfather. Julia lived from 1840 - 1901. Julia was my paternal maternal great great grandmother. As a school aged child, I corresponded with their son, my paternal maternal great grandfather, Alfred Lewis Holt, until his death in 1966.

Julia Ann was the second child of William M. Miller and Arrena Howell Miller. She was born in Daviess County, Indiana and she passed away in Cowley County, Kansas at the age of 60. The 1900 US Census shows Julia's occupation as farmer in Richland Township, Cowley County, KS. Her husband Eliphaz had been dead three years at the time of the 1900 US Census. (I will write more about Eliphaz at a later date.)

Julia Ann Miller Holt was first married to Calvin Holt in 1859. Calvin and Julia Ann had four children. Calvin died on 15 Apr 1866, the day before Julia Ann gave birth to their fourth and final child. His corpse lay in the house as she was giving birth to Calva Merle Holt.

Julia Ann then married my paternal maternal great great grandfather, Eliphaz Holt, on September 7, 1867. This marriage produced four children. Alfred Lewis Holt was the youngest child of this second marriage. (Calvin Holt and Eliphaz Holt were first cousins.)

My Great Aunt Mary Holt Hatchett, a granddaughter of Julia Ann Miller Holt, wrote to me on October 31, 1981:"Grandpa and Grandma Holt (Eliphaz and Julia Ann) are buried in the northwest corner of the Wilmot cemetery. . . . I don't know why I didn't know about the Indian strain in Julia Ann's relatives until just recent years. My father said at one time that people called her "Mammy" . . . that was Julia Ann's mother. You probably got her real name from Betty (Holt), Arena Howell, I believe.My father (Alfred Lewis Holt) had told Aubrey (Holt) that Grandma Julia Ann (Miller) Holt was dark but her pictures don't show it. I don't know how much Indian was in her mother but I understand she was part Indian."

Then, Betty Bals Holt, wife of Aubrey Sheldon Holt, a half first cousin once removed of my father wrote to me on January 25, 1995:"Dorothy Dearth who lives in Wichita and helps out at the Midwest Historical and Genealogical Society Library . . . told me her ancestor was John Miller, half brother to William (Miller - Julia Ann Miller Holt's father). She (Dorothy) had heard that he was part Cherokee Indian and I have heard several ways that Julia Ann was one-fourth Cherokee, so it must be the Millers, not the Howells. (I suppose it could be both)."

A copy of a genealogy family sheet sent to me by Marilyn Holt Hahn of Atlanta, KS, postmarked May 15, 2006 shows Julia Ann Miller as being one-fourth Cherokee. It does not indicate from what side of her family Julia Ann Miller Holt inherited this ancestry.

My Great Grandfather Alfred Lewis Holt had this to say about his mother in a genealogy he wrote for me in January 1966:"Julia Ann, his wife and my mother, was his (Eliphaz Holt) equal in every way, so I hope their pictures can be buried with me in my grave. Julia Ann passed away May 26, 1901, next day after her 61st birthday."

The following is a transcription of a letter written by Julia Ann Miller Holt to her oldest child by her first husband Calvin Holt, Emberson Holt. It has been transcribed exactly as written with no corrections in punctuation and or spelling. (The information in parenthesis was added by me.)

"January the 10 1885, Friday morning

Dear Son I hope you are well. Alfa (Alfred Lewis Holt who was 6 at the time of this writing) missed the chills 3 weeks this time and I hope he is done with them the rest of us are well except Cora She fell on the ice last Friday coming home from school and bent her wrist or we are not certain but it is broken it is sweled badly though she goes to school she only missed 2 days we have lots of company Jim Read and Annie and Willie Holt and his wife came last Saturday and stayed till Wednesday (?)nerables (?) was here Sunday and several others Albert and Lizzie Sunday knight and yesterday Willises folks Nan Tommy Ben and Calvey vick and Sam Dody & Mamy, Jon and Nora was here and Minnie Stuber come home with the children from school and Last knight Mr. Hooker and Rosa come from Burden and couldn’t cross the creek and stayed all knight we have had snow and rain and cold for along time and now there is mud how is it there are you married yet I hope you will get a good woman and then you must treat her good tell me where she lives and what her given name is and who her mother was and before you get her make the contract with her to come to Kans why didn’t you say you thought I made you a new coat out of your old one I was ashamed to send that comfort it was so dirty but it was nearest the rite size to go in the trunk was your trunk broke any I can’t find the key any where I saw a ? in the rafter but no key there we have got our house plastered it cleared off the knight wrote to you before and stayed nice a few days ben has plastered his house I am going up there to day to help make Della a coat Alfa wants me to write about him he got made at me the other day and said he wished Emma (Emberson) was back here to scold me and he always wants me to read about him don’t write any more without writing about him I read a lot to him once that you would come home and run a race with him and in the next letter you wrote like not comeing and hurt him ben has come after me. Write soon

/s/ Julia to Emberson

Esther Hakes Record Button Reed and Her Three Husbands

Meet Esther B. Hakes Record Button Reed, my paternal maternal third great grandmother. She is the imposing looking woman at the very top of this posting. About two years ago I purchased a book about the genealogy of the Hakes family. Harry Hakes penned it as 1899 turned into 1900. I found Esther and her birth family in it and I was able to put a lot of information from that book into the family tree software. Mr. Hakes apparently traveled to England to investigate the family tree. When I saw Esther's name, though, I noticed that he had her married three times - once to a Record, once to a Button, and once to a Reed. He also knew that she was living in Kansas so through someone, he was keeping in touch. I thought Mr. Hakes had made a mistake about her marriage to Mr. Button. This was new information for me. Esther had an older sister named Permelia Hakes who had married Ellis Button. (I thought Harry Hakes had confused the two sisters.)

Together Ellis Button and Permelia Hakes Button had 6 children. They were married around 1828. Permelia was 17 at the time. They both lived in Rensselaer County, NY. Their first child was born in 1829. Time passed. Sometime between 1850 and 1860, Ellis and Permelia made the move out west to Illinois. The 1850 census shows them living and farming in Berlin, Rensselaer County, NY. The 1860 census shows them in Medina, Peoria County, IL. Sometime between 1850 and 1860, John A. W. Record and Esther Hakes Record made the same decision to move to Illlinois. The 1850 census shows John A. W. Record and Esther Hakes Record living and farming in Berlin, Rensselaer County, NY. The 1860 census shows them living and farming in Hallock, Peoria County, IL. In 1861 Esther's husband, John A. W. Record died. In 1861 Permelia Hakes Button died.

On February 9, 1865, Ellis Button and Esther Record applied for a marriage license in Peoria County, IL. (See the scanned image of their marriage license just below Esther's picture.) By the time the 1870 US census rolls around, though, Ellis Button is living by himself with two of his children from his first marriage. The 1880 census shows Ellis Button as "divorced" and living with his youngest son Sanford and Sanford's wife in Hallock, Peoria County, IL.

In 2008 I obtained copies of the probate file of my paternal maternal 4th great grandfather, Thomas B. Reed from the Illinois State Archives. (Illinois is a great state for genealogy researching.) Thomas was the maternal grandfather of Thomas Riley Carson, my paternal maternal great great grandfather and Lovina Jane Record Carson's husband. (Lovina was Esther's youngest child.) Thomas B. Reed also was the last husband of Esther B. Hakes Record Button Reed. (Family trees can be so confusing!)

In the probate file was a prenuptial agreement (see scanned image pictured just below the marriage license image) that Esther Hakes Record signed before she and Thomas B. Reed married on 30 Jan 1870. (Esther signed it as "Esther Record." There is no mention of "Button.)The agreement stated that should Thomas B. Reed die before Esther, then the estate of Thomas B. Reed would pay Esther $2,000 and she would have no further claim to the estate. There is also a copy of the receipt in the file showing that she did receive $2,000 and relinquished any further claim to his estate. All of his property and belongings went to the children who survived him, also his grandson Thomas Riley Carson. The executors of his estate were Eliza Reed Preston, his daughter, and her husband James Preston.
(Eliza Reed Preston, a daughter of Thomas B. Reed and a third great grand aunt of mine, and her husband James Sylvester Preston are pictured in the final image above.)

Thomas B. Reed's wife and my paternal maternal 4th great grandmother, Frances Wilkinson Reed, died 5 Jul 1869 in Peoria County, IL. Thomas then married Esther B. Hakes Record Button, who is my third great grandmother on another limb of my paternal maternal tree, on 30 Jan 1870. So between 9 Feb 1865 when Esther and Ellis Button, the husband of her deceased sister, got married and 30 Jan 1870 when Esther and Thomas B. Reed, the grandfather of her daughter's (Lovina Jane Record Carson) husband, got married, Esther and Ellis Button divorced.
I'm still trying to find out how to find divorce records although I don't believe I will have any luck. I will write more about Esther at a later date. She lived for 90 years, almost spanning a century. She was an interesting woman.