charles davis - Honeysuckle Farm, LLC

Lost and Found, Part 2

Early Day Mooreland
I want to begin with a couple of photos that I was excited to find on a Facebook group called Preserving Mooreland, OK History.

ca 1902 - Earliest known photo of Mooreland, Oklahoma. — ca 1902 – Earliest known photo of Mooreland, Oklahoma.

Earliest known photo of Mooreland, Oklahoma, circa 1902.

Photo dating between 1902-1907 Mooreland OK
The above photo shows early day Mooreland about the time Nicholas died (circa 1902-1907). You can find this photo and others at Preserving Mooreland, OK History, in the Early Day Mooreland album.

Heirs of Nicholas REITER, Deceased
John Wesley RITER
John Wesley RITER was Nicholas and Sarah (DAVIS) REITER’s first known child. He was born in 1854 in Perry, Pike County, Illinois. John married Lottie(RYAN) DAVIS in 1892. She had two children from a previous marriage when she and John married. In 1900 the couple was living in Webster Township, Woodward County, Oklahoma with Lottie’s two teenaged children. Based on the address in the probate file plus a brief paragraph in a local newspaper, I believe he moved from Mooreland, Woodward, Oklahoma to either Florilla, Douglas County, Missouri or Mountain Grove, (not sure if it was Texas or Wright County), Missouri in March of 1904- just 7 or 8 months before his dad died.

Newspaper community note indicating that J. W. Riter moved. J. W. was Nicholas' son. — Newspaper community note indicating that J. W. Riter moved. J. W. was Nicholas’ son.

In 1910 they were living in Welch, Craig County, Oklahoma where Lottie died.

Notice of death of Lottie Riter, wife of John W. Riter ("J. W."). — Notice of death of Lottie Riter, wife of John W. Riter (“J. W.”).

John died in Sulphur Springs, Benton, Arkansas in the summer of 1928. I have not been able to find much information about John. Final accounting documents on Nicholas REITER’s estate show that of the funds that remained after debts had been paid, John W. RITER received $60.02.

Rachel D. (RITER) AKIN
Rachel RITER AKIN was born to Nicholas and Sarah (DAVIS) REITER in 1856 in Perry, Pike County, Illinois. Rachel married John AKIN in 1884 in Pike County, Illinois. Right after marrying, John and Rachel spent a short amount of time living in Kansas. Their oldest child was born there in 1885. The next child was born in Missouri in 1888. The third child was born in Kansas in 1890. Their last child was also born in Kansas in 1891. Some time after that, the family moved back to Illinois. John and Rachel stayed there until their deaths as far as I can tell. In Nicholas’ estate file, Rachel’s last name is spelled ‘AIKEN’. Her name is often also seen spelled like this: Rachael AKINS. Final accounting documents on Nicholas REITER’s estate show that of the funds that remained after debts had been paid, Rachel AKIN received $60.02.

William Sherman RITER
William Sherman RITER lived with or near Nicholas REITER until Nicholas’ death. He then traveled to Arkansas where he met and married Laura Ann BULLOCK. William and Laura (BULLOCK) RITER are my great-grandparents. William was a veteran of the Spanish-American war. He died in Arkansas at age 63 from blood poisoning. In Nicholas’ estate papers, William is referred to as Will. Final accounting documents on Nicholas REITER’s estate show that of the funds that remained after debts had been paid, William RITER received $60.02.

Jennie Hurst (RITER) FULLER
Lastly, there was Jennie Hurst (RITER) FULLER. Jennie was born in 1859 in Illinois. She married James Franklin FULLER (also referred to as “Frank” or “J. F.”) in 1887 in Kansas. James was born in 1857 in Michigan. James and Jennie lived near both of their fathers in 1900 in Oklahoma. Other FULLERs in the Woodward County, Oklahoma area in 1900 were Charley FULLER and Willis FULLER. Willis owned land considerably south of Woodward and Mooreland on Sharon Shattuck Road just East of Sharon. Charley owned land several miles to the southeast of Nicholas REITER and Chester FULLER. Chester’s land was separated from William RITER’s by one section and was to the east of William’s. (Chester Fuller’s Homestead Claim.) The FULLER’s have been difficult for me to trace and I am uncertain whether Chester, Willis, and Charley were family or not.
The terms of the estate sale are listed in the court documents. The sale was to be held at “Frank Fullers place two miles and one half west of Mooreland, Oklahoma Territory. On the 10 day of March A. D. 1905”. Frank’s brand was on some of Nicholas’ cattle that were sold. According to documentation in the probate file, the sale actually occurred 19 March 1905. J. F. FULLER was one of the successful auction bidders who purchased 2 of his deceased father-in-law’s cattle. The cattle he purchased had Mr. FULLER’s brand and he paid $46.50 for them. James F. FULLER filed a Creditor’s Claim against the estate for feeding and caring for some of the cattle. Final accounting documents on Nicholas REITER’s estate show that of the funds that remained after debts had been paid, Jennie (RITER) FULLER received $60.02.

Community note indicating the departure of John and Lottie Riter.

All the articles in this blog post came from either Newspapers.com, the newspaper archive of The Mooreland Leader, or the Gateway to Oklahoma History website at http://gateway.okhistory.org/.

Other Family Members of Nicholas REITER (most of whom are not mentioned in the estate papers)
The CHENOWETH’s in Mooreland, Woodward, Oklahoma in 1900 were distantly related to Nicholas REITER’s mother-in-law, Rachel CHENOWETH DAVIS. Charles H. CHENOWETH and Charlotte J. CHENOWETH owned land southwest of Woodward, Oklahoma. It’s possible that Charlotte J. is not Charles’ wife but perhaps a sister-in-law. I have not found anything to indicate Charles was ever married to someone named Charlotte but he did have a sister-in-law named Charlotte. Charles’ wife was Jennie and I did not find her ever called by the name Charlotte anywhere. Also living in the area was Amelia (DULING) CHENOWETH (widow of David M. CHENOWETH) who owned two sections. Her sections were directly south of Chester FULLER’s and were separated from his by one section.
Nicholas’ father-in-law, John F. DAVIS, was born in New York. The DAVIS families in the Mooreland area in 1900 included Judge John T. DAVIS, Charles DAVIS, Mack DAVIS- all of whom were closely related to each other- and Frank P. DAVIS. Short biographical sketches of John T. and his sons Charles and Mack are included in Part 1 of this Lost and Found blog post.
Charles DAVIS owed $2 to Nicholas at the time of Nicholas’ death and Charles paid the debt to the estate. If I’m reading the records correctly, there are at least two men by the name Charles DAVIS in the area at the time Nicholas lived there. There is one Charles DAVIS who lived in the same census district in 1900. This Charles lived closer to Nicholas’ son, John. I think it is likely that this is the Charles DAVIS mentioned in the probate file. It is my opinion that these DAVIS families are probably related somehow to Nicholas’ in-laws although I can’t say for certain at this point. Some of the estate documents were notarized by Frank P. DAVIS who was the director for Mooreland’s Security State Bank in 1904. You will find Frank’s biographical sketch below.

Friends and Neighbors Who Were Mentioned in the Estate Papers
Frank P. DAVIS was a notary public who notarized some of the documents in the probate file. Mr. DAVIS was born in Ohio in 1853. He and his wife Mary and their children were living in Webster Township, Woodward County, Oklahoma in 1900- the same township as Nicholas REITER. The DAVIS family left Ohio sometime after 1881 after their first child was born. By 1892 they were in Oklahoma. Mr. DAVIS’ occupation in 1900 was grocer. At one point, Mr. DAVIS also owned “a fine hall for opera and ball purposes.” (Facebook- Preserving Mooreland, OK History, post dated August 27, 2015.) Mr. DAVIS donated the land for Curtis Cemetery located four miles east of Mooreland, Oklahoma. He has several children buried there. The cemetery was established in 1901.

John H. LAWRENCE was one of the appraisers of the estate property. Mr. LAWRENCE also signed the final settlement documents in the case. He was a member of Mooreland Red Cross (1918). I have been unable to find any other information about him. There were other LAWRENCE families in the area including Naomi LAWRENCE and Jacob H. LAWRENCE who both owned property in the section north of Nicholas. In 1900, Naomi was living with her brother, Jacob, and their aunt was also living with them. They were living 7 residences away from Nicholas in 1900.

Alois S. JENISCH was another one of the appraisers. He also signed the final settlement documents for the estate of Nicholas RITER. Mr. JENISCH’s residence was separated from Nicholas’ residence by one other home in 1900. His homestead claim was in sections that are now bordered on the south by Highway 50B, just west of the Mooreland Cemetery. Highway 412 now separates the original JENISCH and RITER claims. Mr. JENISCH was born in Austria. Like Nicholas, Mr. JENISCH’s native language was German. Mr. JENISCH ran for County Commisioners’ Trustee on the Democrat ticket in the fall of 1904. He was Vice President of the A.H.T.A. Lodge No. 263. He was also the D.D.D.M. officer in the Mooreland Lodge, No. 128, IOOF along with Treasurer Jesse WYCKOFF (see his profile below). The IOOF met every Saturday night at Mr. DAVIS’ opera house.

Fred WELLS signed as a witness on the estate documents. I have not found any information anywhere about Mr. WELLS. The only WELLS in the 1900 Woodward County, Oklahoma census is James A. WELLS. He was boarding with the HURLEY family in Marum Township. He was working as a stock herder.

Jesse Almon WYCKOFF successfully bid on and purchased 7 of Nicholas’ cattle for $75.30. In 1900, Mr. WYCKOFF was single and boarding with the BOUYACOT family. He was born in Iowa. He was a grocer in 1900. Mr. WYCKOFF came to the Oklahoma Territory in 1899 by covered wagon and homesteaded a claim north of Mooreland. His “general merchandise” business- Boguss & Wyckoff- was the first business in Mooreland, Oklahoma. He had previously owned a grocery store. Shortly after going into business together, Mr. BOGUSS and Mr. WYCKOFF dissolved their partnership and Mr. BOGUSS returned to where he had come from. Mr. WYCKOFF formed another partnership right away with his brother, Henry Martin WYCKOFF, and they ran a general merchandise store. Henry WYCKOFF came to Oklahoma Territory sometime between 21 June 1900 and 24 August 1901. The WYCKOFF brothers also had a sister living in Woodward County- Ada “Addie” Nora MOODY, wife of Merrick Green MOODY. Sometime between May of 1899 and 12 June 1900, Merrick and Addie moved to Oklahoma Territory and in 1900, they lived in Webster, Woodward County, Oklahoma. Their other brother, John Elmer WYCKOFF, never left Iowa. By 1906 Mr. WYCKOFF was in a partnership with J. J. BOUQUOT buying and shipping livestock. Ms. Eda KNITTEL worked at the Wyckoff Brothers store for a while. She was in charge of the dry goods department. If you recall, Ms. KNITTEL later married Omer SCHNOEBELEN and helped him run the newspaper (see Lost and Found part 1). Ms. KNITTEL was in charge of the dry goods at the Wyckoff Brothers’ store. In addition to his business, Mr. WYCKOFF was the Treasurer of the Mooreland Lodge, No. 128, IOOF. He was also a Mooreland Red Cross member (1918). (http://discoveramericasstory.com/sample/mooreland-4.pdf; Facebook- Preserving Mooreland, OK History, post dated August 27, 2015.)

WYCKOFF business ad.

Julius C. (“J. C.”) TRIPLETT successfully bid on and purchased 4 of Nicholas’ cattle for $76.50. Julius was born in Illinois in 1844 according to the 1900 census. In 1868, he married Ella R. CODDINGTON and together they had at least 10 children. In 1900 they were living in Macedonia Precinct, Chase Township, Nebraska. I can’t find a specific year the family moved to Oklahoma but they were there by the time Nicholas REITER passed away in 1904. Ella passed away in 1919 and was buried in Iowa. A couple of years before she passed away (1917) the couple celebrated their golden wedding anniversary.

Julius passed away in 1926 and was also buried in Iowa. However, Julius’ estate was probated in Oklahoma so I know he was here when he died. An ad in a 1907 edition of The Mooreland Leader gives some indication of Mr. TRIPLETT’s line of business.

Ad indicating Mr. Triplett's line of business. — Ad indicating Mr. Triplett’s line of business.

Elijah Harrison RICHARD successfully bid on and purchased 6 of Nicholas REITER’s cattle for $133.00. Mr. RICHARD was born in 1822 in Indiana. He first married Hannah CURRENT in 1844 in Indiana. In 1862 there was an epidemic and Hannah, along with their children Sarah and Charles, died in the epidemic (influenza or typhoid- it is unclear which). In 1863, Mr. RICHARD married Elizabeth JONES. She helped him raise the 7 living children that he had with Hannah and together he and Elizabeth had 13 additional children. Mr. RICHARD moved to Oklahoma sometime between 1900 (in the 1900 census he was living in Kansas) and 1904 (when he bought Nicholas’ cattle). In 1906 the “Richard Brothers” were doing business in Mooreland selling millinery goods (and possibly more- I can only go off of the newspaper ad). I have been unable to determine if Elijah RICHARD was one oaf the brothers doing business together. In 1907 he was definitely selling real estate for a living. Mr. RICHARD died in 1910.

Elijah RICHARD.

Annie E. ELLIS successfully bid on and purchased 1 cow for $25.50. Mrs. ELLIS’ homestead claim was to the south and east of Nicholas’ and William’s claims. If I have found the correct Annie ELLIS, she was born in March of 1849 in Indiana. In 1900 she lived in Renfrow, Kay County, Oklahoma and later moved to Woodward County where she lived out the rest of her life.

Michael Jhan DUGGER successfully bid on and purchased 4 cattle for $55.30. Mr. DUGGER was born in 1849 in Tennessee. In 1875 in Clay County, Kansas he married Sarah Elizabeth KAISER (known as “Sadie”). They had four children that I could find. Their daughter, Belle, died at a young age leaving behind two very young children. Michael and Sarah DUGGER raised Belle’s children after Belle died, at least for a little while. I haven’t been able to find them in the 1910 census so I’m not sure if the DUGGERs raised these grandchildren to adulthood or if one of their children took over and finished raising the two children. In 1900, Mr. DUGGER and his family (including his two orphaned grandchildren from his daughter, Belle) lived in Sherman, Clay County, Kansas. In 1915, Mr. DUGGER bought Mr. Frank P. DAVIS’ home in the west part of Mooreland. Mr. DAVIS planned on moving to the Northwest. Mr. DAVIS was featured in Part 1 of this post. Mrs. DUGGER died in 1917. Mr. DUGGER died in 1923. They are buried in Mooreland Cemetery in Mooreland, Oklahoma. The DUGGERs seem to have been well-liked and respected in the Mooreland community.

Roy A. SMITH (one of the attorneys) filed a Creditor’s Claim against the estate. Mr. SMITH filed some affidavits in the estate’s case and an appeal in the land office to obtain patent to Nicholas REITER’s homestead which had been deeded to Peter MARTINSON. Receipts were included in the file for Mr. SMITH’s “appeal & contest”. Mr. SMITH was born in 1878 in Missouri. In 1900 he was living with his sister and brother-in-law and their family in Judkins, Woodward County, Oklahoma. He was a practicing attorney at that time and was single. I am not certain he stayed in Woodward County very long as I have not been able to find information about him. I have found that in 1902 he was appointed as a Notary Public in Woodward County. He and a B. B. SMITH were both attorneys working in Woodward County in the 1902-1903 time period.

Sherman Mix SMITH was the attorney who did the financial accounting for Nicholas’ estate. He was a collector of historical documents. He applied to be a notary public in Woodward County, Oklahoma. He was a Scottish Rite Mason and was the postmaster of Woodward, OK from 1910 until early 1914 Mr. SMITH was born in 1867 in Ohio. In 1900 he lived with his wife and kids in Chillicothe Ward 1, Livingston County, MO. Mr. SMITH married Emma Della ESTEP in 1894. He died in 1941 and is buried in Woodward, Woodward County, OK. His wife died in 1948 and is buried in the same cemetery as Mr. SMITH.

Harry E. FINCK was an auctioneer who helped sell Nicholas’ possessions at auction after Nicholas’ death. Mr. FINCK was born in Iowa about 1867. He married Mary May “Mollie” HARDMAN. In 1905, Mr. FINCK was hired to fix the road leading from the new bridge into Mooreland. In 1906 Mr. FINCK was selling Advance threshing machines with J. I. WHEELOCK and was the Manager of the Advance Threshing Machine Company in Mooreland. There was also an H. E. FINCK who was a confectionary. It is unclear if these men were the same person. Here is a Wikipedia photo of an Advance Thresher:

In 1906 Mr. FINCK served on a lot of committees. He was a part of the committee appointed at the business men’s meeting in February, 1906 to investigate the matter of incorporating Mooreland. His fellow committee members included William LAIRD (who is profiled below) and John DAVIS (who was profiled in the first part of this blog post). Mr. FINCK also served on the July 4th fair committee for at least one year along with fellow citizens John HOOVER, John T. DAVIS, Omer SCHNOEBELEN, and Dr. Harry COCKERILL (all of whom were profiled in part one of this blog post), as well as Frank DAVIS and Jesse WYCKOFF both of whom are profiled above. It appears that by 1907 Mr. FINCK had moved to Arkansas. In Pitkin, Washington County, Arkansas he raised raspberries and was described as a “farmer” and “horticulturist”. He later lived in Kansas. He died in 1936 in Rocky Ford, Otero County, Colorado. Mollie died in 1949.

William Franklin Laird notarized some of the documents in Nicholas’ estate file. Mr. LAIRD was born 17 February 1870 in Kentucky. As a young teen, he learned his father’s part-time itinerant photography business. He also worked his father’s farm because his father was not well enough to do it himself. Mr. LAIRD arrived to the Cherokee Strip in 1893 and was a participant in the land run of 1893. Mr. LAIRD’s land was in a section adjoining the section in which Nicholas’ property was located. He became a clerk and then manager of of mercantile and milling business until 1899. Mr. LAIRD married Myrtle B. in August of 1896. In 1899 he organized and was a partner in Alva Rolling Mills Company. He was connected to that business until 1903. In 1900, Mr. and Mrs. LAIRD and their son lived in Medford, Grant County, Oklahoma. The census that year indicates they had one child that died in addition to the one son that was with them at that time. Mr. LAIRD’s occupation at that time was “Lumber Dealer”. In September 1903 a charter was issued for Mooreland’s Security State Bank. Mr. LAIRD was one of the five incorporators of the bank. His residence in 1903 was Medford, Grant County, Oklahoma. In November of 1903, Mr. LAIRD was a cashier at the bank as well as a Director at the bank. In December of 1903 he was issued a notary license (presumably to conduct bank business) and in 1904 he became the director of the Security State Bank. In 1905, Mr. LAIRD was elected President of the bank. He was a member of the IOOF Mooreland Lodge No. 128 at that time (along with John DAVIS and Dr. COCKERILL, both profiled in part one of this blog post) and was appointed as a trustee for the new lodge building that was being planned. Also In 1905, Mr. LAIRD was appointed to a committee to “look after the purchase” of land for the Santa Fe Railroad which was planning to build through and serve the area of Mooreland. Also on that committee was Mr. John T. DAVIS who was profiled in part one of this blog post. Mr. and Mrs. LAIRD adopted a three-year-old girl that year as well. In addition to all these responsibilities he presided as “President” over the July 4th parade/festivities that year. In 1906 Mr. LAIRD retained his Presidency of Security State Bank. That same year, The Flour Mill Company was organized and Mr. LAIRD was appointed as President of that company as well. In addition to working at the bank, Mr. LAIRD clerked some auctions in the area for Mr. FINCK whose profile appears above. Mr. LAIRD seemed to have some political interests. He attended the 1906 congressional convention in Woodward along with Frank DAVIS (whose profile appears earlier in this blog) and several other men from the community. In addition to all of these duties that year, he was also appointed to a committee to see to the incorporation of Mooreland. He served on that committee with John DAVIS (profiled in part one of this blog post) and Harry FINCK (profiled earlier in this post). In 1907, Mr. and Mrs. LAIRD traded their land in Oklahoma for a walnut grove in Anaheim, Orange County, California. They departed Mooreland on April 15, 1907 en route to California. Soon after, he went into the real estate business in Kern County, California with partner J. B. McFARLAND. The 23 April 1909 edition of The Mooreland Leader states that Mr. LAIRD was the President of Pacific Slope Oil Company in Los Angeles, Los Angeles County, California, and that he had “oil land” in the Santa Maria oil district in California. In the 1910’s Mr. LAIRD worked as a promoter for an oil company. In the 1920’s Mr. LAIRD worked as a rancher, real estate dealer, and sanitation inspector. In the 1930’s he worked as a police court judge and it is said he never had a ruling overturned (although I’m not sure that would even be an issue for a police court judge). Mr. LAIRD was an active Mason and a member of many masonic organizations. Together Mr. and Mrs. LAIRD raised at least 8 children. Mrs. LAIRD enjoyed public speaking and even competed in local public speaking competitions. Myrtle LAIRD died in 1943 and has lodge-type symbols on her gravestone. William LAIRD died in 1961 in Bakersfield, Kern County, California. His gravestone has a lodge symbol on it also. Mr. LAIRD was a lifelong Republican.

Security State Bank, 1903.

Mr. & Mrs. Laird's wedding photo. — Mr. & Mrs. Laird’s wedding photo.

Mr. and Mrs. LAIRD’s wedding photo.

Mr. LAIRD.

Arthur L. OSGOOD was born in Illinois in May of 1876. In 1900 Mr. OSGOOD was 24 years old, single, and still living with his very large family in Bear Creek, Hancock County, Illinois. His occupation was listed as “farm laborer”. In 1910 he married Ida Lee WHEELER.

Arthur and Ida OSGOOD.

Mr. OSGOOD.

Throughout their marriage they took care of several different family members. They adopted twin girls – Helen and Ellen. They girls were born in 1918 but were not adopted until 1920. Mr. OSGOOD was active in the Knights of Pythias lodge- Palo Duro Lodge No. 166 at least during the years of 1911-1912. He may have also been involved with Shriners as he served on a Shriner committee in 1924. Mr. OSGOOD became a “monuments dealer” (gravestones). There is a receipt in Nicholas’ estate file billing $40.00 for Nicholas’ gravestone. Acknowledgement of all the other receipts showed up in court documents, however this particular receipt didn’t show up in any official document other than the receipt itself being in the receipt envelope. The company name on the receipt is Osgood & Gordon. The Osgood & Gordon Monument Company was located in Amarillo, Potter County, Texas. I’m guessing the headstone came from Amarillo by train. I loved the following ad where Mr. OSGOOD billed himself as “The Monument Man”.

It was a nice nod to the real monument men/veterans.

Mr. OSGOOD must have been well-connected in the community. I’m guessing the OSGOODs were Baptists as they hosted a large farewell party (200 guests in their home!) for members of a group from First Baptist Church in 1924. Additionally, Mrs. OSGOOD was elected Secretary of the Circle C group at the First Baptist Church in 1913. Mr. and Mrs. OSGOOD appear to have been active community and local business members. They participated in/sponsored various local events within the community throughout the years. In 1930 Mr. OSGOOD served as a pall bearer for the late former judge of Potter County, T. W. McBRIDE. Ida passed away in September of 1949. Mr. OSGOOD died in Amarillo in January of 1953. They are buried in Llano Cemetery in Amarillo, Randall County, Texas.

Nicholas REITER’s Close Neighbors Who Were Not Mentioned in the Estate Papers
There were neighbors of Nicholas’ who owned land joining his land but were not mentioned in the estate papers. If you are interested in knowing more about Nicholas’ close neighbors, you can research the following people. I’ve included a little information to get you started.

James Corwin WINEBURNER: There are multiple James Wineburner’s in Mooreland. I believe the James WINEBURNER in question was born in September of 1830 in Ohio. Mr. WINEBURNER married Sarah Elizabeth “Libby” MARSHALL in 1856 in Indiana. He owned property in the section north of Nicholas. Mr. and Mrs. WINEBURNER are both buried in Mooreland Cemetery. Libby died in 1908 and James died in 1910.

Jacob J. SMALLWOOD owned property in the section north of Nicholas. Mr. SMALLWOOD was born in 1856 according to his gravestone but according to the 1900 census he was born in May of 1852 in Indiana. In 1900 Mr. SMALLWOOD lived in Webster, Woodward County, Oklahoma and he was a farmer. He was living with his stepfather and mother, Henry and Catherine GARNER, and his siblings. Mr. GARNER was a brickmaker. Later in life Mr. SMALLWOOD was a wholesale shipper. In 1906 he used auctioneer house Long & Finck to sell his property. I haven’t found anything that identifies this FINCK (of Long & Finck) as being the above profiled Harry E. FINCK or a relative of Harry E. FINCK. Mr. SMALLWOOD married Nettie May CUMEFORT sometime around 1906. Mr. SMALLWOOD was a member of Mooreland Red Cross in 1918. He died in 1929 and is buried in Mooreland Cemetery.

Charles H. GARTEN owned property catty-corner to the northwest of Nicholas. He was born in August of 1860 in Kentucky. He married Lillie May LAWRENCE. Mr. Garten was still living in April of 1928. At that time he was the administrator of Leon GARTEN’s estate. He also lost his wife that same year. Mr. GARTEN died in 1952. Mr. and Mrs. GARTEN are both buried in Mooreland Cemetery.

Sherwood S. GUY owned property catty-corner to the northwest of Nicholas. He was born in June of 1866 in Illinois. He married in 1892. In 1900 he and his wife Harriet Louise “Hattie” BARKER GUY were living in Webster, Woodward County, Oklahoma. He was working as a locomotive engineer and she was listed as a farmer in that census. By 1905 the family had moved out of Woodward County. Mr. GUY died in 1940 and is buried in Shawnee, Pottawatomie County, Oklahoma. Mrs. Guy lived until 1966 and is also buried in Shawnee, Oklahoma.

Finalities
Nicholas’ estate was finalized and discharged on 28 December 1905. Finalization of his estate involved many people. I’m sure James and Jennie FULLER were probably glad when it was over. They had taken care of their fathers in the men’s final years and had dealt with both burials and both probates at virtually the same time. It must have been a relief to be done with it.
None of Nicholas’ immediate family remained in the Mooreland area. James and Jennie stayed the longest but by 1910 they were in Benton County, Arkansas near Jennie’s brother (and my granny’s dad), William.
I hope you’ve enjoyed getting to know the family, friends, and neighbors Nicholas had during the final years of his life. If you’re interested in doing your own research, I got my information from the following sources: Ancestry.com; Newspapers.com; gateway.okhistory.org; The Mooreland Leader’s archive database; Facebook; various small websites devoted to preserving the history of Mooreland and it’s early residents; Findagrave.com; and Google Books.

Until next time,
Lisa @ Days of Our Lives

The Commencement of My Davis Line as I Know It: Corporal John F. Davis, 1810-1863

“While a battle is raging, one can see his enemy mowed down by the thousand, or the ten thousand, with great composure; but after the battle these scenes are distressing, and one is naturally disposed to alleviate the sufferings of an enemy as a friend.” ~ General Ulysses S. Grant

Everyone has a few ancestral family lines that don’t go back very far. Information becomes harder to find after a certain time period. The farthest back I can go on my DAVIS line is John F. DAVIS. So for this week’s theme (“commencement”- and actually it’s one of the May themes that I missed) I’m going to talk about John, the beginning (commencement) of my DAVIS line as I know it right now.

John F. DAVIS was born in 1810. Most researchers say he was born in Onondaga County, New York. However, the 1860 census and his Civil War Draft Registration state he was born in Kentucky. The earliest record I can find about him is his marriage to Rachel CHENOWETH on 15 January 1835 in Perry, Pike County, Illinois. The 1840 census only shows the name of the Head of Household which, in this family, was John. The rest of the family members only show up as tic marks on the form. The 1840 census shows three John DAVIS families living in Perry, Pike County, Illinois in 1840. Only one is going by John F. In John F.’s household there were two adults (one male and one female) in the age “20 & under 30” category and two girls in the “under 5” category. The two young daughters were Sarah C. (my great-great grandmother and wife of Nicholas W. REITER whom I wrote about in this blog post http://happy-girl-24.livejournal.com/16813.html) and Chloe Jane.
In 1850, John and Rachel are still living in Perry, Pike County, Illinois. In addition to Sarah and Chloe, they had Jonathan, John, Nancy, and James in 1850. John’s occupation was “laborer”. Sarah, Chloe, Jonathan, and John were attended school that year. Three-year-old Nancy and 5-month-old James stayed at home with Rachel.

In 1860, John, Rachel and children- Jonathan, John, James, Nancy, Charles, Alpheus, Harvey, Horace, and Susan- were living in Perry, Pike County, Illinois. John was a farmer. Sarah had married Nicholas REITER 8 years prior to the census. Chloe had married John REEDER 2 years prior to the census. All the children from Jonathan down to Alpheus had attended school the year of the census. Harvey, Horace, and Susan stayed at home with Rachel. In this census there are a few details that are changed from the previous census. Those details are that John’s birthplace was listed as Kentucky and that children Nancy and James have been reversed in the order of children AND so have their ages. This census lists James as being the older (and being the age Nancy should have been) and Nancy being the younger (and being the age James should have been).

Don’t You Know There’s a War Going on Here?!

“Dear Brother & Sister I write these few lines to you to let you know that I am still alive…” ~ Letter from Thomas Barnett, Alton, Illinois

Kurz and Allison Siege of Vicksburg color lithograph. Found at www.loc.gov.
In July of 1863, John completed his Civil War Draft Registration. He listed his birthplace as Kentucky. He stated he was 51 years of age and was a farmer. He gave his physical description as: 6 feet 10 ½ inches high, fair complexion, grey eyes, and light hair. He listed his former military service as Company F, 99^th Regiment, Illinois Volunteers, Civil War. He listed his residence as Perry Township, Pike County, Illinois. He was a Corporal in Captain Eli R. SMITH’s Company F of the 99^th Regiment of United States Volunteers (Infantry). He was enlisted by Lemuel PARKES at Perry, Pike County, Illinois on 2 August 1862 to serve three years. He mustered in on 23 August 1862 at Florence, Illinois.

The timeline leading up to his death:

Battle of Port Gibson- I Hope God Will Remember Us In Mercy

“Such a day I never saw before. It made it so very Horrible to us because we had to go in and fight in the same place all the time, where the ground was already soaked with the blood of our comrades. But I hope God will remember us in Mersy.” ~Diary of Job H. Yaggy, Plainfield, Illinois

1 May 1863
Battle of Port Gibson (Mississippi).
Despite Union forces losing more men than Confederates, the Union won this battle. General GRANT had an elaborate plan to take Grand Gulf and deceive enemy troops in Vicksburg but had to make a change in plans when he was unable to gain a decisive victory over the Confederates on the first attempt. In the end, however, he was victorious. Wirt ADAMS’ cavalry (CSA) was the only one in the area. Major General John S. BOWEN (CSA) decided to perform a reconnaissance. BOWEN moved south from Grand Gulf and positioned troops just southwest of Port Gibson near Magnolia Church. The terrain the Confederates were in consisted of “one-hundred-foot-tall (30 m) hills separated by nearly vertical ravines choked with canebrakes and underbrush”. Just after midnight on 1 May 1863, the first shots were fired in the battle. You can read more about this battle at https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Port_Gibson or for a more detailed account: http://civilwartalk.com/threads/battle-of-port-gibson.85379/. You can also read more here and see photos of the Schaifer House and the Old Magnolia Church site: http://www.nps.gov/vick/learn/historyculture/battleportgibson.htm. Still interested? This blog has an article about the battle. Scroll down not quite halfway. https://mississippiconfederates.wordpress.com/category/mississippi-regiments/. For some great book recommendations, look at this site: http://www.illinoiscivilwar150.org/chronos/chrono1863.html.

Battle of Port Gibson drawing from http://www.nps.gov/vick/learn/historyculture/battleportgibson.htm.

Champion Hill, Hinds County, Mississippi – Grant’s Crown of Immortality

“… for a while the bullets came like hail stones but we soon got down onto the rebs and drove them up, took meney of them prisoners and left a great meney laying, killed and wounded…. This is called the ‘BATTLE OF CHAMPIONS HILL’ ” ~ Diary, Job H. Yaggy, Plainfield, Illinois
“Grant’s crown of immortality was won, and the jewel that shone most brightly in it was set there by the blood of the men of Champion Hills …… Six thousand blue and gray-coated men were lying there in the woods, dead or wounded, when the last gun of Champion Hills was fired.” ~ Major S. H. M. Byers, Fifth Iowa Infantry

16 May 1863
Battle of Champion Hill (Hinds County, Mississippi).
Wikipedia describes this battle as “the pivotal battle in the Vicksburg Campaign”. It began about 7:00 a.m. on the “beautiful and cool” morning of 16 May 1863. To give you some idea of the number of men present, the Confederates alone had a defensive battle line of men that ran about 3 miles long. The defensive line was along a crest of a ridge above Jackson Creek. At 1:00 p.m. Union forces took the crest. Confederate reinforcements showed up and the Confederate men trapped on the ridge utilized the one escape route that was left open to them. (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Champion_Hill; http://www.illinoiscivilwar.org/cw93-hist-ch4b.html) An excellent website to learn more about this battle is: http://battleofchampionhill.org/. Among other things it includes diary accounts.

Battle of Champion Hill drawing found at www.battleofchampionhill.org.

Map of Champion Hill battlefield area. Found at www.illinoiscivilwar.org.

Aerial view of Champion Hill, http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~abney/mshistory.html.

Battle of Big Black River Bridge – My Army is Starving

“I have been up to see the Congress and they do not seem to be able to do anything except to eat peanuts and chew tobacco, while my army is starving.”~ General Robert E. Lee

The Confederates who were able to retreat only made it to Big Black River. They spent the night there at the bridge and the following day fighting began again in what would be the “final battle before the Siege of Vicksburg”. (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Big_Black_River_Bridge). In front of the battle line, they placed trees with the trunks formed into sharp points as obstacles. The points were facing outward toward oncoming Union troops and the branches were facing inward. Typically the tree branches were interwoven with wire and/or other obstacles. (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Abatis). However, once engaged by Union troops, Confederates began withdrawing via the railroad bridge and a steamboat. To delay Union troops, the Confederates burned the bridge and steamboat after they crossed. Later that day, the Confederate soldiers arrived in Vicksburg, Mississippi. “Fewer than half of the Confederates who had fought at Champion Hill made it into the defenses at Vicksburg. This battle sealed Vicksburg’s fate: the Confederate force was bottled up at Vicksburg.” (Wikipedia, see link above.)

Photo of Big Black River Bridge after it was burned. Found at http://www.battleofchampionhill.org/history/big-black.htm.

Siege of Vicksburg – The Key in His Pocket

“Vicksburg is the key. The war can never be brought to a close until the key is in our pocket.” ~ Union President Abraham Lincoln

“Vicksburg is the nail head that holds the South’s two halves together.“ ~ Confederate President Jefferson Davis

“Vicksburg is taken Glorious more Glorious most Glorious…. I may live a thousand years and not see a more glorious 4^th.” ~ Letter from Francis W. Tupper, Minooka, Illinois

Corporal DAVIS most likely fought during the first part of the Siege of Vicksburg as his illness did not commence until about 25 May 1863 and the Siege of Vicksburg began on 18 May. The Siege was the final major action of the Vicksburg Campaign. After being aggressively pushed back by Confederates, General GRANT decided to besiege the city of Vicksburg on the day Corporal DAVIS became ill. Corporal John DAVIS was honorably discharged at a hospital in Vicksburg, Mississippi on 4 June 1863- one month before the Confederates surrendered at Vicksburg. (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Siege_of_Vicksburg) You can find a much more detailed account of the history of the 99^th Illinois Infantry here: http://www.old-new-orleans.com/ILLINOIS_CW_reghist.pdf or here: http://genealogytrails.com/ill/pike/milcivil99.html.

Corporal DAVIS was discharged due to chronic bronchitis and diarrhea. These conditions were contracted during his military service and in the line of duty. Military records state that he suffered from chronic diarrhea until the time of his death and that this was the cause of his death. He was able to make it back home to Perry where he died on 17 November 1863.

Rest in Peace – Then the Cries for Water Ceased; We Could Not Help Them.

“As private soldiers we considered that the day was lost but Grant said ‘No!’ As we had no Breakfast, dinner, or supper on Sunday, and were on guard Sunday night, we were about all in. Never-the-less we went after them on Monday morning. That Sunday night was the longest I ever experienced. I will never forget the cries of distress of the wounded who lay on the battle-field that night. They called for mother, sister, wife, sweetheart, but the most piteous plea was for water. One would be praying and another singing. Some one started the old hymn, ‘Jesus Lover of my Soul’, singing the first verse. Another sang the second, another the third, and still another the fourth. This continued until sometime during the night when it began to rain; then the cries for water seased. We hoped that many were refreshed. As the wounded lay between the battle lines we could not help them.

We were promised medals of honor for our service on this special work but we never received them…. I suppose that the order never reached head quarters.” ~ Memoir of George O. Smith, Monmouth, Illinois.

When Rachel filed for a widow’s pension the information listed in that packet stated John was born Onondaga County, New York, although he gave his birthplace as Kentucky on his draft registration. It took Rachel a year to get the pension approved and it amounted to $8 per month. The only children that Rachel listed on the pension documents as belonging to she and John were James T., Charles D., Alpheus B., and Harvey D. Since there were only a few of the children listed, I made some preliminary theories about why all the children weren’t listed. I hypothesized that the form listed the children still living at home with Rachel. Sarah and Chloe had already married and moved out. Jonathan and John were over age 18 and likely had already moved out of the home as well. Nancy was young but still old enough to have possibly been married and out of the home at the time of the pension process. Horace and Susan, the youngest two children, were also not named. Either they were deceased at the time of the pension application, or Rachel had been forced to give them up after the death of John in order to keep the rest of the family together and support them all. As I continued reading through the file, I found out why only certain children were listed. The only children that Rachel was supposed to list on the application were those children living at home AND under the age of 16 as of a certain date. She also had to sign a sworn affidavit that she had not given up any children for adoption nor had she abandoned the care of any of the children. So it stands to reason that Horace and Susan were deceased by the time Rachel filed the pension application.

Nicholas REITER (my great-great-grandfather, listed as ‘Nicholas RYDER’ in the pension file), who was then 36 years old, gave a statement in support of his mother-in-law, Rachel, in the pension documents. Nicholas apparently could not write as he had to make his mark in lieu of a signature. Sarah REITER (my great-great-grandmother, listed as ‘Sarah RITER’ in the pension file) also gave a statement in regard to the legitimacy of Charles being John and Rachel’s biological child. Sarah was 29 years old at the time of her sworn statement. In regard to his disability, the military records showed that he was first unable to perform his duties at Houston, Indiana in January of 1863 and was unable to perform duty at any point after that time although it appears that he stayed with his unit up until the Siege of Vicksburg. John himself attributed his illness to old age and exposure during the winter, according to the military’s statement. At the time he became ill, he was stationed at a camp near Vicksburg. He was described as being debilitated and emaciated at the time of the onset of his illness.

Life Lessons in Tenacity and Courage

“Courage doesn’t always roar. Sometimes courage is the little voice at the end of the day that says I’ll try again tomorrow.” ~ Mary Anne Radmacher

I can’t imagine what it would have been like to be 50+ years old, intermittently deprived of food, exposed to the elements, people dying violent and painful deaths all around me, marching from Indiana to Mississippi- ill, dehydrated, in pain, emaciated. I admire him for his tenacity. I am so glad for him (and for Rachel and the children) that he made it home before his death.

One year after burying her husband, Rachel lost her two youngest children. Seven years later she would bury another daughter (Sarah) and eight years after that, another daughter (Nancy). Rachel did not marry again. I am certain she was well taken care of in her fi
nal years because as late as 1880, four of her adult sons were still living with her and (presumably) taking care of her. Living with her at that time were Jonathan (a laborer), James (an engineer), Alpheus (a blacksmith), and Harvey (a blacksmith). She passed away in 1883.

I am thankful to have such incredible examples of tenacity and courage in the face of difficult life circumstances. Have an attitude of thankfulness this week for the privilege of coming from a long line of strong, courageous people!

Until next week,

Lisa @ Days of Our Lives

Tag: charles davis

Lost and Found, Part 2

The Commencement of My Davis Line as I Know It: Corporal John F. Davis, 1810-1863