Note to reader: These “Stories for the Boys” posts are specifically written for my grandsons- Ashton, August, Theodore, and Foster- so they will have stories about my husband and I.You may read on, but my intended audience is four little boys who stole my heart. Banned Books Week is coming up next week.I’m a high school librarian and I’m celebrating our freedom to read at my high school library. Banned Books Week signs in Jay High School library- made by me and your Papa Bart and two students who helped me. My mom (your Nanny Kay) was a school librarian.My dad (your Poppa Roy) was also an educator and loved to read, too.When I was a child it was a normal occurrence for my mom to read a few chapters of a book to my brothers (your great-uncles, Cortney and Jared) and I at bedtime.I don’t know how old I was but I was old enough to remember.I’m guessing I must have been about 11 or 12 because I remember my youngest brother (Jared) being about 5 or 6. Anyway, I loved those years.I had a favorite reading place for when I read by myself (in between the couch and wall- oh to be THAT skinny again!).I don’t remember our school library at Jay Elementary School but I’m sure we had one.I must have had plenty of books at home since I don’t remember using the school library. When I had kids, I read to them at bedtime, too.The last time I read to my kids, my son (your dad/uncle Derek) was in high school and my daughter (your mom/aunt Shaina) was in middle school.We read A Barrel of Laughs, A Vale of Tears by Jules Feiffer.We laughed and we cried.It was the perfect book for that moment in our lives.I have two copies of that book sitting on my bookshelf just waiting for you boys to grow up enough that we can read it together.And speaking of banned books, when my kids were in elementary school we started reading The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn together. The Huck Finn book on display at Jay High School library for Banned Books Week (along with the reason it was banned/challenged). We didn’t finish this book but we had a good time.To be honest, we didn’t get past the first use of the ‘n’ word.They were aghast that a book would actually use that word so we had a good long discussion about how society changes and what was once okay is no longer fine.We talked about tolerance and what we should and shouldn’t do or say.It was productive and it was enough for elementary-aged kids.My kids grew up with a fondness for Mark Twain’s dry sense of humor. Although I don’t remember my school library, I do remember using the public library.I remember way back when we got the books by mail-order.Man, I loved browsing through those book catalogs! I bet my parents never got to see one because I always had it.When I was older and the public library expanded I remember going to Delaware County Public Library in Jay, Oklahoma.I remember my mom taking me and I remember the librarian.She was quite intimidating.I have one strong public library memory from those years that affected my life.My mom and I had gone to the public library.I picked out a book the public librarian thought was inappropriate.She told me I couldn’t check out that book.My mom, God love her, stood up to that librarian.My mom told her I could check out any book that woman had in her library.That did a lot for my self-esteem.I have no idea what book I checked out that day.What I do remember is that my mom stood up to that librarian and her censorship.Also, my mom trusted me to select my own books.As a school librarian, I always keep her actions in mind and do my very best not to censor a student’s reading choices.I try to always trust the student.If a child checks out a book that’s too hard, does it really matter?What if that child wants to read that book so badly that they sit down with the book and a dictionary and they learn new words and keep learning new words until they understand what that book is saying?Wow!And if they don’t want to read it that bad?No big deal.They’ll soon bring it back and get another.What if a child picks up a book with themes above their head?Still no big deal.As an adult I’ve re-read enough of the books I read as a child/teen to understand that I did not fully realize what I was reading.The things that needed to go over my head, did go over my head and I was no worse for reading the book.Kids are smart.We need to trust them to choose their own books and let *them* decide when they’re in over their head. One more library story for my boys and then I’m done for now.My husband (“Papa” to you boys) never read as a child.He just wasn’t interested.When he was in high school he heard about the Lord of the Rings series by J. R. R. Tolkein.He wanted to read those books.He went in to his high school library (Jay High School where we both graduated) and he told the librarian he wanted to check out the first book in the series.She told him it would be too hard for him and he needed to choose an easier book.But once Papa Bart gets something in his head he doesn’t back down.He found that book, convinced her to let him check it out, and he read it.Then he went on to read the rest of the series.The way he’s always told me the story is that those were the first novels he ever read.No one can say when another person will learn to love reading.You learn to love it when you find books you’re interested in.He just didn’t find “his” book until high school.I hate to think what would have happened if he’d listened to that librarian. So boys, if you ever have someone in your life who doesn’t believe in your abilities enough to let you read what you want to read, then believe in yourself.All of you boys are so smart.Some of you like to read more than others but as long as I’m around I’ll keep finding you books you love until you learn to find them on your own. I believe in you, Ashton! I believe in you, August! I believe in you, Theodore! I believe in you, Foster! Now go read so you can learn amazing things and take on the world! Papa and Grandma love you boys so much. Until next time, Grandma Lisa @ Days of Our Lives blog
This time last week we were celebrating Independence Day in the U.S.. I planned this post for that date but I was having internet problems last week. Eliza is the ancestor I was working on back on February when my posts got derailed. She is my paternal 2nd great grandmother. July is Eliza’s birthday month. Her death date anniversary was 25 February 1934. I’ve written about Eliza here with a follow-up to that post here and I published a photo here that I believe might be Eliza if you’d like to refresh your memory about her before going on.Eliza was born in Roubidoux, Texas County, Missouri in July of 1871.Her dad, Quincy, was 46 years old and her mom, Elizabeth (Quincy’s second wife) was 26 years old. Roubidoux doesn’t exist as an official place anymore but before it became a ghost town, it was located in the Salem Plateau region of the Ozarks at the confluence of the east and west forks of Roubidoux Creek, about 12 miles northwest of Houston, Missouri (the county seat). The above map shows the location of Roubidoux, Missouri. Their post office was established in 1850 and was in operation until 1953.The town was named after the creek but the creek was named after Joseph Robidoux, a French explorer.The township of Roubidoux does still exist and has since 1845 which happens to be the same year that Ashley County was renamed as Texas County, Missouri.Texas County was the largest county in Missouri and was named after the state of Texas which was the largest state in the Union. Before Eliza was born her dad fought in the Civil War for the Confederacy.Most men in Texas County were Confederates and were more concerned with the question of secession than that of slavery since there were very few slave owners in Texas County in the 1860’s. Eliza married at a very young 16 years old to Samuel Morris WILLIAMS.I haven’t yet found proof of what happened to Samuel but theories abound from the oft retold family story that he was killed by a train in 1905 to the theory that he abandoned Eliza and their children and ended up marrying another woman.In any case, Eliza had been single (or widowed) about 3 years when she married John Charles F. SNEARY in 1908.John was a local widower who had been married twice before he married Eliza.In 1910, John and Eliza were living at 1300 North Monroe Street in Enid, Garfield County, Oklahoma. I wanted to give you a map so you could see where they lived but my internet still isn’t up to par so I’ll let you Google that on your own. Another interesting thing I found in the 1910 census is that Eliza said she had given birth to 11 children and only 9 were living at that time.My grandma always named 12 children that were born before 1910 and then she named one being born after 1910.I also have information saying that Eliza and John had a baby together.I think the two deceased children Eliza was referring to were the twins, Lorinzo Dall and William Sherman.I am uncertain what happened to Ruel, the baby born after Martin.He lived to at least age 2 when he was listed in a census entry in 1915 in the state of Kansas.I do know that in 1915, Ruel was censused with the last name of WILLIAMS even though family oral history says Eliza and Samuel were not together after 1905 and I have documentation showing that Eliza married John SNEARY in 1908.I suspect that Ruel was the baby that Eliza and John had together and that the census taker made a mistake.However, I have no proof of that.The family did live in Iola, Kansas in 1915 with Ruel and the other children and Ruel doesn’t show up on any more census entries with the family after that 1915 census.One additional fact is that their SNEARY baby is buried in Iola, Allen County, Kansas. When the SNEARY baby died, the family was living at 625 S Second St in Iola, Kansas. Again, I wanted to give you a map but the internet isn’t cooperating so you’ll have to Google that one on your own again. The last thing I recently discovered about Eliza was in a census entry that was taken when Eliza was about 5 years old.This census was an 1876 Missouri state census.It is the one piece of documentation that I can find that connects Eliza’s mom with the surname TYREE (spelled many different ways including TIRY).My grandma always gave four surnames for Eliza’s mom- TYREE, MOODY, STEVESON, and BELL with the BELL name being her married name from her marriage with my ancestor, Quincy BELL (Eliza’s dad). (Don’t forget there is also that pesky photo with the last name HENNIG that I believe may belong to this family!) I have never been certain which is a maiden name and which are married names or even if all these names belong to the same family. In any case, back to my discovery- the 1876 census showed a Mary A. TIRY living with Eliza’s mom.The census does not say whether Mary is Eliza’s half-sister, cousin, other relation, or no relation at all.I am assuming that Mary is closely related though since the TYREE name is a name associated with Eliza’s mom. Above, the 1876 Missouri state census showing a Mary A. TIRY living with Quincy and Emely BELLE (a misspelling of the BELL name). Over the 1910’s and 1920’s, John and Eliza moved around and slowly worked their way back to Upton Township in Texas County, Missouri where Eliza died in 1934.She is buried in Oakland Cemetery in Success, Texas County, Missouri with John SNEARY.My grandma always described John as a good man- very kind and loving- and a good grandpa to her.I’m glad to know that after a hard life full of loss that Eliza was able to end her life with a good man who took care of her and the children and grandchildren. Hopefully it won’t be much longer before I finally make a breakthrough on Eliza’s mom’s family and get all those names sorted out. Until next time, Lisa @ Days of Our Lives blog
Laura Riter with her daughters including my granny on the far right.
I started this post a couple of years ago but never found the time to finish it.Laura’s birthday is today.She was born in 1887.I thought this might be the perfect time to go ahead and publish this part of her story.Laura is my maternal great grandmother- my granny Bates’ mom. I’ve written about her before on my blog at https://honeysuckle-farm.com/laura-ann-bullock-riter-the-consummate-mom-and-grandma/.
Sometime around the 1930’s-1940’s Laura worked in Hiwasse, Benton County, Arkansas at a canning factory.She hulled strawberries and got them ready to process.She used this tool to do her job: The engraving on the metal says, “Indepent/Marion, Ind./Supply Co.”. That huller is still in the family and it’s a very unique kitchen tool.I’ve tried looking it up online and have never found an image of one like it.This tool was used to seed and cap the strawberries.
The Law and the Era
Shortly after the first known cannery was opened in Hiwasse in 1920, new legislation (Act #140) was enacted allowing canning factories to hire women and work them for more than 9 hours a day.The change in the law also provided for women to receive time and a half overtime and made provisions for fair pay and for redress for women who were doing “piece work”.Working the strawberries for the canning factory was considered piece work since the women were paid by the bucket for the work they did.(Fayetteville Daily Democrat, 13 June 1921).Within a year, newspapers were making a big deal about hiring women to work in the canning factories. There was such a shortage of workers for the canneries that they were eager to dip into their new supply of female workers. One newspaper article entitled, “Big Demand for Women at Canning Factories” stated, “men will not peel apples” and, “women are faster”. (Fayetteville Daily Democrat, 26 Aug 1922) Newspapers.com clipping.
In the early 1920’s Laura was in her 30’s.In 1928 she lost her husband and had a house full of children to care for.She chose to work rather than marry again.It was in this climate, with the first world war safely behind us, laws having been changed to assist factories, and in the beginning years of the Great Depression and the Dust Bowl Era, that Laura went to work.
The Canneries: Her Potential Employers
I always thought (and was always told) that Laura worked for Allen Canning Company.Once I started researching, I began to question which company she worked for or whether she might have worked for multiple companies with Allen’s being the last she worked for.There were several canneries that operated in Hiwasse in the 1920’s through 1940’s: Gentry Marketing Association’s cannery which was later sold to Allen Canning and then later sold again and known as Hiwasse Canning, a different company operating as Hiwasse Canning (two separate canneries operated under the name Hiwasse Canning), and Appleby Brothers cannery.
Fayetteville Canning Company
In a 1919 edition of the Texas Trade Review and Industrial Record, I found one sentence stating that Fayetteville Canning Company had plans to establish a canning factory in Hiwasse, Arkansas.I was never able to establish whether they did, in fact, build a canning factory there.I’ve never seen any other mention of this anywhere so possibly this canning factory is the one mentioned in the next section or possibly it never came to fruition.
W. E. Cherry and Hiwasse Canning Factory
W. E. Cherry seems to have been the first known canner in Hiwasse.He started his factory about 1920 in Hiwasse.In addition to owning the canning factory, he was also the first (although temporary) Chairman of the Hiwasse Berry Growers’ Association, an organization which he helped organize.This fact leads me to believe that Mr. Cherry’s cannery probably canned strawberries, although I have no proof either way.Here is a 1921 article about the Hiwasse Canning factory owned by W. E. Cherry: Newspapers.com clipping
Since I couldn’t find much online, I decided to call Shiloh Museum and ask if there was anything they had that wasn’t included in the online exhibit that might be relevant to my blog post.I spoke with Ms. Rachel Whitaker, a Research Specialist at Shiloh Museum.She was so kind as to search their holdings and get back with me (the same day!). Ms. Whitaker found a listing for W. E. Cherry’s cannery in Hiwasse in The Hiwasse History Book. This book includes an ad showing that Mr. Cherry’s cannery handled blackberries, tomatoes, and green beans.
Appleby Brothers’ Canning
The Appleby Brothers had a cannery in Hiwasse also.(Fayetteville Daily Democrat, 10 Apr 1923).You can see an image of Appleby Brothers’ canning label at the Shiloh Museum website’s online exhibit in the “Canning Label Gallery” linked above. I know for certain that Appleby canned strawberries because there is an ad in the 6 Apr 1940 edition of The Northwest Arkansas Times advertising for 300 people to cap strawberries.Strawberry canning season typically lasted from April to early June.In Brooks Blevins’ book Hill Folks, Mr. Blevins noted that the Appleby Brothers- George and Charles- also organized a “strawberry growers’ association” in the area.Although I found the 1940 ad for Appleby Brothers, in Rachel’s research, she found that Appleby Brothers’ properties were auctioned off as noted in the 10 August 1939 edition of the Northwest Arkansas Times newspaper. In addition to the information listed above, Rachel also found that Appleby’s cannery in both the 1921 edition of the Marketing and Industrial Guide: Directory of Manufactures and the 1922 edition of the Canner’s Directory.Appleby’s was also mentioned in Brooks Blevins’ book Hill Folks.
Gentry Marketing Association’s Cannery
Gentry Marketing Association was created by and for the local farmers who supplied produce to the canneries.It was a surprisingly strong and united group.The farmers took care of one another, advocated for fair prices for produce, staved off outside big businesses who were coming in and trying to take away profits and produce from the farmers and canneries, and successfully marketed the produce and products of Benton County, Arkansas. The association owned its own canneries and one of those canneries was in Hiwasse.If the cannery had a name, I’ve never found it.This plant was sold off a couple of times in the latter half of the 1940’s.In 1946 it was sold by the Gentry Marketing Association presumably to Allen Canning (then called Allen & Son of Siloam Springs).
Allen Canning
Earl Allen founded Allen Canning in 1926.Mr. Allen “established a solid reputation for his honesty in dealing with growers, forging relationships that would benefit the company for years to come”.(http://www.referenceforbusiness.com/history2/5/Allen-Canning-Company.html)Mr. Allen apparently only owned the Hiwasse factory for a couple of years from 1946-1948.
When Allen Canning was still in business in Siloam Springs, Arkansas they had a large Popeye statue that stood outside their office. Here is my brother standing with the Popeye statue:
In 1948 Allen Canning sold the plant to Frank Brandhuber and Hill Diven and it was called Hiwasse Canning.My mom says that my grandparents (her parents- the BATES’) and great-grandmother (her maternal grandmother- Laura BULLOCK RITER) always referred to working for Allen Canning.A few years ago before Allen Canning sold out to Sager Creek (who then sold out to Del Monte), my mom called them and asked if they had any photos or historical materials pertaining to the canning factory in Hiwasse and the people who worked there.They did not have anything.She says they referred to the Hiwasse factory by name and she thought they said they bought the canning factory from Appleby Brothers.So perhaps Allen Canning had two different stints in Hiwasse.I’m not sure.I could go to Benton County Courthouse and try to look up deeds but that would delay publishing this blog post and who knows when I’ll get a chance to go there.I’ll leave that task for another day and another blog post.For now, I’m going to publish what I have.Perhaps it is meant for someone else to find those records.
Hiwasse Canning
It isn’t surprising that a member of the Diven family purchased the factory from Allen Canning.Members of the Diven family were heavily involved in various canning companies in Benton County, Arkansas during this time period.(Joplin Globe, 28 July 1929)They even took their business into Texas and had canning factories there.Unfortunately, not much is known about Brandhuber and Diven’s Hiwasse Canning company- or at least not that I could find in my research. Ms. Whitaker at Shiloh Museum was unable to find any information about Hiwasse Canning either.I can only assume that since Brandhuber and Diven called their factory Hiwasse Canning that by this time, Mr. Cherry’s Hiwasse Canning factory had already closed.
Working Conditions
I want to be sure you understand what kind of conditions Laura worked in at the canning factories.Here is a link to an audio clip from Shiloh Museum’s online exhibit talking about the oppressive heat and how you couldn’t get away from it when working in the cannery.There was no air condition. https://web.archive.org/web/20151218192523/https://shilohmuseum.org/podcasts/004bowmn.mp3 Whenever you think you have it bad at work, just think about Laura in the heat and humidity of an Ozark summer working in a canning factory that produced more heat on top of the already oppressive heat and humidity outside.I really encourage you to listen to some of the audio clips the museum has online to get a feel for the conditions Laura worked in.Just as a reminder, you can find those audio clips here https://web.archive.org/web/20150926002836/https://shilohmuseum.org/exhibits/canning-listen.php.
Miscellaneous Information
There were other mentions of Hiwasse-based canning factories in newspapers of the 1920’s to 1940’s era but most of the time the Hiwasse plants were not named or identified in any way so it’s hard to say if there were more than the factories mentioned above in Hiwasse.
I made a trip to Hiwasse with my mom on June 23rd– just this week- in search of the location of the old canning factories.Mom suspected they were on Main Street.At the intersection of Old Main and Highway 72 were two very old buildings.One was a former gas station.The other building turned out to be the old Banks grocery store.
Virgil Banks Store ad for 1947 canning season. Newspapers.com clipping from The Journal-Advance newspaper out of Gentry, Arkansas, 20 February 1947.
The old Virgil Banks grocery store on 23 June 2017 in Hiwasse, Arkansas.
I began at the Hiwasse post office and asked if the woman working the counter knew where the canning factories had been located when they were still standing.She said she wasn’t from the area and couldn’t help me but she directed me to the Holloway family at the corner convenience store in town.Mom and I (and two of my grandsons who were with me that day) headed down the highway to the Hiwasse convenience store.The owner was very busy taking lunch orders so the girl at the counter directed me to an elderly gentleman sitting at one of the tables.I introduced myself to him and told him what I was looking for.He said his name (I think- it was loud and hard to hear) was James Adams.He said he’d only been in Hiwasse for about 15 years and couldn’t really help me but said I should go back down the street to the lawnmower shop and ask the people there.They would know, he said.I thanked him and left.We headed West again on Highway 72 back to the small engine shop in town.There, the lady at the counter directed me to a small office to talk to Jan.Jan was wonderful.She loves history and was more than happy to share with me what she knew.She said she moved to the Hiwasse area from South Dakota about 40 years ago.This is home for her now and she would never leave.She loves it here.She said there used to be a lot of old-timers here who told her all the history of the place but they were all gone now.She said when she first moved here, the canning factory buildings- there were 2- were still standing but they’re gone now.She gave me specific directions and told me what to look for to know I was in the right spot.Mom and I headed West again on Highway 72- maybe a block or so and turned South onto Sandusky Road- a little dirt lane that was barely noticeable.
As we were leaving the canning factory site I took a photo of the Sandusky Road sign. From the highway heading West it was completely covered by the tree. We guessed at where the canning factories had stood.As we were making a second pass down the dirt lane I noticed an older man sitting in his truck in front of a mobile home.Being from the country, I knew better than to pass him by.He’d be wanting to know what we were doing and what we were looking for.Things would go better if I stopped and introduced myself.Besides, I might get more information.So I stopped and introduced myself and told the gentleman what we were looking for.His name was Mr. Gallion and as it turns out, he is only a few years older than my mom.He knew of my mom’s family- the BATES’- and she was familiar with his family name as well.We talked for a while.He told me all that was left of the canning factories was one cement pad and the well house.These two things stand behind the yellow house about the distance of 1 and ½ city blocks south of Highway 72, on the West side of the road just past the big storage buildings (the storage buildings are on the East side of the road).I didn’t get a photo because there isn’t anything you could see except the yellow house and I didn’t want to take a photo of someone’s home and put it up on the blog.He told me that the Easley sisters- two elderly, unmarried women had lived in the mobile home we were all sitting in front of.Hattie Easley had been the Postmaster of Hiwasse back in the day and her sister Esther (?) Easley had been the teacher at the one-room school- Banks School House.
Thank-You’s and Closing Thoughts
Before I close, I want to thank my mom who almost always gives me the basics of the stories I tell about her family.Thanks to Rachel Whitaker at Shiloh Museum for assisting me with research in Shiloh’s collection.Thanks to Hiwasse residents who either helped me or referred me on to someone else who could help me: the lady at the Hiwasse Post Office whose name I did not get, James (?) Adams whom I spoke with at the Hiwasse convenience store while he was having coffee.The lady at the small engine repair shop who led me to Jan- another lady at the small engine shop who knew how to find the old canning factory sites and who shares a love of local history with me.And lastly, thank you to Mr. Gallion who took time out from eating his lunch to chat with us about the canning factories and the old families and places of Hiwasse.
Mr. Gallion talked of the old hotel that has since been torn down and of many of the other wonderful things about Hiwasse that are gone now.He lamented that newcomers just consider themselves part of the town of Gravette now.Only the old-timers still call this place Hiwasse.I guess that makes me an old-timer.My Papa BATES was born in Hiwasse so I grew up hearing stories about this place.To me, this will always be Hiwasse.I commented to mom that the day is coming when I’ll go to a place and ask about the old places, old families, and old times and no one will remember.That’s one thing that keeps me writing about these old places and people from times gone by.They’ll live on as long as someone remembers. So always remember- and always tell your stories…even if you think no one is listening. Until next time, Lisa @ Days of Our Lives P. S.- There is still work to be done in regard to this topic if anyone is interested in taking up the research.University of Arkansas Library Special Collections has records of some of the local canning companies that I’ve never looked at.I’m wondering if the David and Barbara Pryor Centerin Fayetteville, Arkansas contains any collections that would be informative to us about this topic.There are two Hiwasse history books that I hear would be beneficial to my research.Shiloh Museum has records that are not included in their online exhibit that I’d still like to see even if none specifically mention Hiwasse.Also, a visit to the Benton County Clerk’s office to look at land records would help shed light on which companies owned land in Hiwasse and when.There is so much research to do and I won’t live long enough to do it.Feel free to help me!
I’ve talked before about my 2nd great grandpa, George Columbus BATES, but not in much detail. George went by “Lum”, just like my grandfather Troy Columbus BATES did.
Photo of Lum and Mary Seely Bates with their 3 youngest children Charlie, Herman, and Vesta.
Lum had an apple orchard when he filed his homestead land entry paperwork. David COOPER and William T. LUCAS- a couple of his neighbors- were witnesses for Lum saying that Lum’s land was “rough timber land”.
Photo of David and Nancy COOPER. David COOPER was a farmer and ran a mill near Hiwasse, Benton County, Arkansas. He also had a supply store on the bank of the river there. He later became Superintendent of Schools for the Hiwasse/Dug Hill area.
The witnesses stated Lum settled on his acreage “in the latter part of September or first of October 1896” (Mr. COOPER) and “on or about October 1st 1896” (Mr. LUCAS). They testified that Lum had resided continuously on the land since he first got it and that he had not been absent from the property since he first made homestead. When the men were asked how much of the homestead Lum had cultivated and for how many seasons Lum had raised crops on the land, Mr. COOPER said, “It would average about 8 or 9 acres for 7 years” and Mr. LUCAS said, “He has cultivated 7 acres for 7 seasons”. Mr. COOPER gave details about the improvements Lum had made to the property saying, “1 box house, 3 rooms. 1 log house, 1 smoke house, 1 cistern, small orchard, perhaps 100 trees- $300”. Mr. LUCAS gave the following details about improvements Lum made, “1 3-room box dwelling, 1 smoke house, 1 log house, about 13 acres in cultivation, small orchard, 1 cistern, 1 chicken house- $300.”
Example of a corn crib from Homesteader Wannabe blog.
Example of a late 1800’s smoke house from Smoking Meat Forums.
Example of a circa 1900 log house from Discovering Russellville Arkansas blog. I imagine the “3-room box dwelling” looked very similar to this building.
Example of a large cistern under construction from Wisconsin Historical Society blog.
Example of a circa 1900 chicken house (with modern updates) from Leelanau Conservancy blog.
Mr. Cooper said the land was more valuable for “agriculture” and Mr. Lucas added it was more valuable for “orchard”. Both men testified that Lum had not mortgaged, sold, or contracted to sell any portion of the homestead land. Both men testified that they were not personally interested in Lum’s claim and that they believed Lum had acted in good faith in perfecting the homestead land entry requirements. There were additional witnesses- H. N. WILLIAMS and J. E. FERRELL, both of Hiwasse, Arkansas. Their testimony was not included in the file I received.
We Had Long Collected, Saved, and Harbored Old Memories
In Lum’s testimony he stated he was 46 years old and lived in Hiwasse, Arkansas. He stated he was born in the state of Georgia.
Lum’s birth certificate.
He stated he was the same George C. BATES who had made homestead entry #22919 at the Harrison, Arkansas land office on 17 September 1896 and a true description of his land was “NE quarter of the NE quarter of Section 32, Township 21N, Range 31W”. He stated he built a house on the land and established residence there about 1 October 1896 and had built a 3-room box house with 1 room being 15×16 and 1 room being 14×15 and the third room being 12×14. He stated he had built a log house sized 16×16, 1 smoke house, 1 crib, and 1 cistern. He had 13 acres in cultivation, 100 apple trees set, and an estimated value of $250 for his improvements. I must say, I’d love to have all these improvements for $250!!
Lum listed his family members living on the property as himself, his wife, and 3 children. His wife was Mary Ann SEELY BATES.
Marriage record for Lum and Mary BATES.
On 28 August 1903, the children that would have been living at home would have been the 3 youngest children- Charles Leroy, Herman Luther, and Vesta Josephine. The oldest child (my great-grandfather), Albert Lewis, had gotten married and moved out the previous year.
Another Season’s Hundred Days of Toil
Prior to completing the application process, Lum had to run a notice about the homestead claim in the Benton County Democrat weekly newspaper for 6 consecutive weeks.
Newspaper ad photo.
By Not Breaking, But Succeeding
And so, for the sum of $6 (plus a $1 “testimony fee” for his required testimony- gotta love the government, right?!) he completed his homestead application process for 40 acres in Benton County, Arkansas on 28 August 1903. The homestead was finally approved on 16 June 1904 and patented on 26 August 1904 and just like that Lum was the proud owner of 40 acres in Benton County, Arkansas.
Photo of certificate
On a day when I have more bandwidth or faster internet I will post a photo of where his land was in Benton County, Arkansas.
Silently Growing to Bear Fruit
About the time Lum started his apple orchard, the Arkansas Black apple was being cultivated. So in mine and my husband’s orchard, we planted an Arkansas Black in memory of Lum. It’s producing apples this year and we’re excited to be able to taste them. Maybe I’ll make an apple pie in honor of Lum and Mary and all they did and all they sacrificed to give me the life I have today.
By the way, I’ve been making plans to visit a distant cousin from the BATES family. I’m meeting with her soon and she says she has a photo of Lum standing in front of a wagon full of apples. I’m so hoping she can find it and bring it so I can have a copy. What a treasure! I think I’ll frame it and hang it in my kitchen. I sure am looking forward to apple season…
Until then though, take care of yourself and remember- an apple a day keeps the doctor away!
Lisa @ Days of Our Lives
In all the craziness of the last few weeks I haven’t posted a farewell blog post here. I need to let all of you know that this will be the final blog post on Livejournal. I love Livejournal but I’ve been wanting to include audio and video with my blog posts so I have moved the blog over to WordPress. One of the advantages of WordPress (other than audio and video capability) is that the URL now includes the name of my blog. You can find the new blog at Days of Our Lives Genealogy at WordPress.
After 10 years with Livejournal I feel a little sad about leaving. It’s been a good run here and Livejournal was a great host to begin blogging with. But we all grow and growth brings change and change…well, it isn’t always a bad thing. There will be a few growing pains along the way but there will also be some great new adventures that we couldn’t have had with Livejournal. So I’m looking forward to the future of the blog and I hope you’ll join me over at WordPress for the NEW posts. All of the old posts will remain here at Livejournal and will always be available and searchable.
I’ll close with an old poem that I learned in Girl Scouts with my childhood best friend. This is also a poem that I memorialized in a quilt block that went into a quilt for her on her 30th birthday.
Silver and gold,
Silver and gold,
Make new friends,
But keep the old.
See you at the new site,
Lisa @ Days of Our Lives
In my previous blog post I told you that I had made a new discovery about the events surrounding the death of C. J. DRAKE. If you’d like to catch up on C. J.’s story you’ll have to look at a couple of different posts since his story is intertwined with my great grandma Edith’s story. You can find out about C. J. here and here. I was doing some online research last week and was shocked to find a newspaper article saying there had been a judgment entered against C. J.’s dad in the amount of $2500 in favor of one of the young adults who was injured in the wreck with C. J. You can read the same article here:
Neosho News, 1956 article about a legal judgment resulting from the wreck that killed C. J. Drake.
(A few notes: the original cause of the accident was said to be that C. J. accidentally hit the gas instead of the brake when he was trying to slow down to negotiate a curve. In the BURLESON’s lawsuit they claimed C. J. was speeding when he crashed but seemed to say nothing about the gas vs. brake pedal incident. Also, the reporter had his facts mixed up. C. J. was not William’s son. This is what caused so much confusion for me last week.) For reference, here is one of the original articles about the accident.
1955 Neosho Daily News article about the wreck that killed C. J. Drake.
I was so shocked and saddened (and somewhat offended) that someone would have sued my great grandparents (who were grieving the loss of their son) over a car wreck that seemed to have been just a freak accident. If you recall, C. J. and the others riding with him were headed to a revival. They weren’t partying or drinking or participating in risky behavior. They didn’t seem to be making poor decisions. I was intrigued about the lawsuit and wanted to know more. I called my Dad and asked him if he knew Mark had been sued over the crash (because at that time I was trying to interpret the mixed up information in the article and was going on the assumption that it was Mark who was the primary Defendant). Dad was as shocked as I was. He said he always thought there were only four people in the vehicle- C. J. and Henry DRAKE (I’m pretty sure they were cousins- not brothers as stated in one of the newspaper articles) and their girlfriends, Lynda CONDUFF and Betty ARNOLD. Dad had never heard before that there was a fifth person (Carl BURLESON) in the vehicle and didn’t remember any BURLESON’s being connected to the DRAKE family. So we talked for a while and he said he had never heard anything about Mark being sued over the crash and couldn’t help me. I asked about older family members who might have known about all this but he didn’t think there would be any who could help me. Our ties to the Bill DRAKE line of the family ceased to exist a couple generations back. I did try to contact someone in that branch of the family via Facebook but have not received a response. So, we decided a trip to the courthouse would be necessary to sort this all out. This week I was able to go with my parents to the Newton County courthouse and get a copy of the docket entries which are all that is left of the case. So let me walk you through what I know of Case #13218, Carl Burleson, b/n/f vs. William J. Drake, et al. (The “b/n/f” stands for “best next friend”- a legal term for the adult male representing the plaintiff- Carl’s dad, Sherman BURLESON, in this case; “best next friend” was a legal requirement for minors and women in that era.) Before starting, let me tell you that I don’t know to whom the “et al” refers. Et al is a legal term indicating there were other people being sued along with William. I suspect that Mark was included and he was indeed having to deal with this lawsuit while also grieving the death of his son. The William DRAKE (whom everyone called “Bill”) named as the primary Defendant in this lawsuit was the son of Henry Arthur “Ned” DRAKE. (Ned played a part in another blog post story of mine about Ned’s and Poppy’s brother, Red.) Bill was also the nephew of my 2nd great grandfather, Poppy Lonzo (Alonzo Ervin DRAKE) and the cousin of my great grandfather Mark DRAKE (the father of C. J.). You might be wondering how Bill got involved. (I know I was!) It turns out that C. J. was driving Bill’s truck when C. J. crashed and died. Case #13218 was filed in Newton County, Missouri in the Circuit Court on 27 April, 1956- 4 months and 2 weeks after the accident in which Carl BURLESON was burned on his face and hands, Lynda sustained a broken leg, Betty and Henry received cuts on their faces, and C. J. died. It appears that everything was worked out very quickly because on the same date the Complaint was filed by the BURLESON’s, the case was also settled and a Judgment Entry made by Circuit Court Judge Robert Stemmons, Sr. The DRAKE family waived a jury and a trial on 27 April 1956 and the Judge entered a judgment in favor of the Plaintiffs (BURLESON’s) in the sum of $2500 plus court costs. For my family in that time frame, that was a ton of money. However they did it, it appears they had the money ready on that date and gave it to the BURLESON’s in court because the docket entry header states, “Judgment acknowledged. Satisfied in open court.” The docket entry also states further down that “…the plaintiff acknowledges satisfaction of said judgment in open court.”
Circuit Court case record Burleson v. Drake, Newton County, Missouri.
This lawsuit was never mentioned in the presence of my father. But then, my DRAKE family was pretty tight-lipped about personal matters. In doing some additional research on the key players in this lawsuit, I found a little more that I want to share with you- like this photo of Sherman BURLESON. Some of you reading this may have known him.
Sherman Burleson.
I also found a photo of Bill’s dad, Ned. Ned is my 3rd great uncle.
Bill Drake’s dad, Ned Drake (my 3rd great grand uncle).
I haven’t found a photo of Carl. I’ve read documents and family accounts of the BURLESON family that show that several members of the BURLESON family died in car accidents in the years following this lawsuit. I also learned of one other DRAKE-BURLESON connection. Bill DRAKE had a brother named Edward Ervin DRAKE- he went by Eddie. Eddie married Carl BURLESON’s sister, Edna “Ginger” BURLESON. They later divorced. I’m not sure Eddie and Ginger had any children together. All of this extra information made me wonder if this series of events- the car wreck in the borrowed truck, the subsequent lawsuit, and then Eddie marrying into the family who sued my family- is what caused the rift amongst the DRAKE family between Ned’s branch and Poppy Lonzo’s branch. Maybe not. It just makes me wonder. How much can two brothers take before they part ways? (Both Ned and Poppy, as well as Bill and Eddie.) How long before their kids- the cousins- stop talking to each other? Before their grandkids know of each other but don’t know each other…before their great grandkids- like me- don’t even know if the other branch still exists? How long does it take for a family to disintegrate? How much can a family take before they call it quits? Just some things I wonder about. I’m probably being way too dramatic about it, but these are the things I think about. If you’re reading this and you have more information about the wreck, the lawsuit, the family’s split, or anything else about the family- I’d love to hear about it. Like my ancestors, I DO know how to be tight-lipped. If someone tells me something and asks that I NOT post it to the blog or social media- I honor that 100%. I wish your family peace this week. I wish you strong family relationships that weather the troubled spots. I wish you siblings that speak to each other and cousins that love AND KNOW each other. Tell the people you love how important they are to you. Time is so short and tomorrow is not guaranteed. I’m sure C. J. had plans for December 14th and other days and weeks beyond the day he died. You never know. Live AND LOVE like it’s your last day.
The best laid plans of mice and men often go awry. ~ Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck (referencing Robert Burns’ “To a Mouse”) It’s been a few weeks since I last wrote a blog post- 4 weeks, to be exact (in case you were wondering). The last four weeks have been filled with work and medical appointments and babysitting grandchildren and getting taxes together and…well…all sorts of “real life” things like that. Of course, I did do some research in spare moments here and there. To be exact, I got stuck on Eliza Emoline BELL about whom I was supposed to write at the end of week 8. There were so many times I felt on the verge of a major discovery about her in the last four weeks and each time my hopes were thwarted. However, I made an exciting and accidental discovery about Charles Junior DRAKE whom I wrote about here and whom I mentioned here. I’m hoping to make a trip to a courthouse next week to confirm some details and then I plan to let you in on the story. Each time I revisit this story about Charles (“C.J.”) it makes me sad for my great-grandma Edith. I think I miss her more now than I ever have in my whole life. I was completely shocked by the information I found tonight and I can’t wait to share it with you if it turns out to be true. In the meantime I want you to think ahead to the month of April (it’s only a week away!). April is National Card and Letter Writing month. I’d like you to join me in April in sending out cards and letters. The internet makes it so easy to communicate with others and I love that, but I also miss getting a handwritten letter in the mail (or even a typed one). I’m pretty sure I pulled the big sister card a time or two when I was a kid so I could get to the mailbox first. I loved getting mail. So I’m inviting you to join me in April. How many cards and letters you send is up to you. As for me, I’ll be shooting for about 20-25. I probably won’t send that many but if I shoot high then maybe I’ll send out more than I would have if I made an easy goal. Also, check out some of the great stamps the Post Office has available right now:
Current postcard stamps.
Postcard stamps.
Current postal stamps.
Just a few of the new 49 cent stamps available right now at the Post Office or at their website. I love all the new stamps- old pickup trucks, national parks, famous people- all kinds of stamps and they are so cool! I used to collect stamps. I think today’s stamps are much cooler-looking but I can’t imagine stamp collecting is as much fun as it was before the sticker-type stamps came along. In any case, I’m going to be mailing cards and letters throughout April- some to friends and family and some to request genealogical records that I can share with you here on the blog. I’m really looking forward to it and I hope you’ll join me. If you can’t find the stamps you like at your local Post Office, be sure to order your favorites online. I’ve already purchased a book of the WPA poster stamps (very cool!) and my first letter will be a request to the National Archives and Records Administration requesting a copy of my grandpa’s WPA personnel file. (Who knew you could get a copy of the personnel file?!) So PLEASE- join me. Make someone’s day by sending them a letter or card. Tell someone thank you, wish someone a happy birthday, or catch up with an old friend. Request a travel guide for an upcoming vacation or just tell someone “great job”! If you can’t think of something to say or can’t think of someone to write to, visit your local nursing home and offer to write a letter on behalf of an elderly person who can’t perform the physical act of writing anymore. I’m looking forward to hearing about your April letter/card-writing adventures. I’m also looking forward to writing on the blog again- I’ve missed you all!
On this day in 1905, Levi Scott HUBBARD passed away. He was my paternal 4th great grandfather. I wrote about his wife here. As I noted in that previous post, it appears this family subscribed to the Campbellite faith (Church of Christ).
Portrait of Levi and Indiana (White) Hubbard.
A photo of Levi and his wife, Indiana, in their later years. AN ALL-AROUND GOOD GUY Levi’s obituary appeared in the 2 March 1905 edition of the Bethany Republican newspaper. It stated that Levi died at his home at the age of 88. It also provided information that Levi was an old settler and very respected in the community. I haven’t gotten to see the actual obituary- I’m working off a transcription from another researcher and I haven’t been able to find my own copy. According to the other researcher, the cause of death was “a stroke of paralysis”. Levi never quite recovered after the stroke. His funeral was conducted by Elder Johnson and he was buried at Hoffman Cemetery in Eagleville, Harrison County, Missouri. A notation on the FindAGrave website states that no marker currently exists for Levi. Levi made at least three appearances as a witness for friends and family testifying that he was acquainted with them and their situation. The first record of his official testimony was dated 15 June 1863 when he appeared on behalf of his widowed daughter, Mariah Jane HUBBARD HUFFMAN. Her husband, Hiram HOFFMAN, contracted measles while serving in the War of 1861 (now called the Civil War) and died. Levi testified that she was Hiram’s widow and that she had children under the age of 16 living with her that depended on her for their care including her daughter with Hiram (Adeline) and the son (James B. HUFFMAN) of Hiram and his first wife. At the time of the affidavit, Adeline was 2 and James was 6. In this pension file, both Levi and his wife Nancy (called Indiana) appeared. Levi appeared before Judge Hesseltine on 2 Feb 1867 on behalf of Mahala Fish, a long-time acquaintance of his and someone to whom he was related by marriage. He testified that she was indeed the widow of William Fish and that her son, Edwin, had been hers and her younger children’s sole source of support until Edwin was wounded and died while serving in the military during the War of 1861. Levi attested to Mrs. Fish’s worldly goods and finances. It was, in part, Levi’s testimony that helped her get a military pension so she could finish raising the 14-year-old child she still had living in her home as well as keep herself alive. It wasn’t just that Levi’s community thought him a good man at his death. Justice of the Peace Horatio F. Hesseltine of Harrison County, Missouri made a statement about Levi in a court document. Judge Hesseltine stated he was personally acquainted with Levi and Levi was “entitled to full faith and credit” of the court to appear as a witness. On 8 January 1875, Levi went back to court to testify on behalf of Mrs. Fish regarding the same information listed above. By that time, he had known her for more than 18 years, according to his testimony. In this later affidavit, Levi named two of her sons so I’m wondering if both sons were deceased at that point. I’m guessing that being a Campbellite would include a religious obligation to assist widows and orphans but from the way people talked about him, both in life as well as death, I’m guessing he would have helped her no matter his religious convictions. I love these affidavits because two of them contain Levi’s signature.
Signatures of Levi Hubbard.
Levi’s signatures. His signatures show evidence of aging. The second signature is shakier than the first. If you have an interest in Levi and you find information that isn’t included on the blog, I’d love for you to share it with everyone. For now, I’m signing off.
I just sent in my syllabus, class description, etc. for the workshop I’m presenting at the 2017 Family History Conference of Northwest Arkansas. You all should definitely register for the conference. 2017 schedule and registration is live now. You can register at this link: Family History Conference of Northwest Arkansas Registration. You get to choose which classes you want to go to but if you change your mind at the last minute you aren’t locked in to the class you chose. I love this conference for it’s flexibility! AND DID I MENTION IT’S FREE??? Here is the schedule of classes. You choose one class per time segment.
Family History Conference of Northwest Arkansas conference schedule, 2017.
You can go see the schedule for yourself at Family History Conference of Northwest Arkansas Class Schedule 2017. I hope to see you all there. Don’t feel obligated to come to my presentation (although I’d love to see you there). This is a great opportunity to learn new information and new skills at a local conference.
Welcome to Week 8 of 2017! There are only two scheduled posts this week. (Next week will be really busy on the blog, though!)This week I’ll be blogging about: Wednesday February 22nd:Levi HUBBARD, my paternal 4th great grandfather.We’ll be celebrating his death date anniversary. Friday February 25th:Eliza BELL, my paternal 2nd great grandmother.Eliza’s death date anniversary is the 25th. I hope you’ll join me in celebrating the lives of these two people this coming week.In the meantime, enjoy the Sunday snapshot of the week:
Woodmen of the World gravestones at Felicity Cemetery, Felicity, Clermont County, Ohio.
These Woodmen of the World gravestones are in Felicity Cemetery in Felicity, Clermont County, Ohio.I photographed them in October of 2015 on a short trip to Ohio to visit Bart (and do a little family history research). The Longworth’s are not related to us that I know of – Bart and I just like the Woodmen gravestones so I frequently photograph them when I see them. I promised to show some of the Woodmen stones to you when I did Milo’s blog post last week and today I found one of my photographs to show you. I hope you’ve enjoyed the beautiful weather this weekend.See you on Wednesday to talk about Levi (or sooner if I get time to do an extra blog post).
