Out Of Religious Persecution Rises A Family

Posted on January 7, 2024 by FHadmin

Although my Pellett family moved from Ireland to America in the colonial days, I learned many years ago that they might actually have been from France. In addition, I learned that our direct ancestor had supposedly barely escaped when his parents were persecuted for their religious beliefs.

The Old Bible

The information I received from a distant cousin, who was also a genealogist, stated that Rebecca Cole, daughter of George and Mary (Pellett) Kennedy and granddaughter of Francis A. Pellett (my 4^th-great grandfather, had read the following passage at a family reunion on August 9, 1900.

“Now we come to the mother’s side and I quote a few instances that my cousin sent dictated by Uncle Lorenzo Dow Pellett and from a copy of the record as found in grandfather’s old Bible.

‘As for the record of Grandfather Pellett’s family, we will send you a copy as it is in the old Bible. It will take you back some 5 generations, that is counting us as one, that is, grandfather’s grandfather and grandmother. One was burnt on the spit and one on the gridiron for their religion in France, and their son (George Pellett), our grandfather, was tied to a chair and left there to see them burn. He got worked loose and fled to Ireland. Grandfather came to America in 1795 . . . .'”

This leaves me with a very disturbing image in my mind. It is an awful way to die, but possibly worse to watch a loved one die in this manner.

The Investigation

The person who provided the information to me also provided me with her source of the information. However, she had no copy of the actual Bible page(s) that contained the story.

I kept expecting to see the story show up on Ancestry.com or other genealogy sites, but it has not. The only place that I have seen this story other than in the messages I received is in “Griffith John: His Ancestors and Descendants” compiled by Marijane (John) Zerphey. It is included in her manuscript as Francis was married to Mary John, daughter of Griffith John.

Unfortunately, her source is the same woman that provided me this information. Therefore, it provides no confirmation of the information.

Additionally, the whereabouts of the family Bible is unknown to me. At the time the story was read (1900), the old family Bible was in the possession of Lorenzo Dow Pellett, the youngest son of Francis A. Pellett. Therefore, it is likely that if the Bible is still in the possession of descendants of Francis Pellett that one of Lorenzo’s descendants has the Bible.

Thus, we turn to what we know about Francis and history to determine if this story is feasible.

Family History

Immigrant to America

Records do indicate that Francis immigrated to America in 1795 as stated in the statement Rebecca read. We know from Quaker records that he was in Ireland in 1793 and 1794. At that time, he requested to associate with the Monthly Meeting. Then, in 1795 he requests a certificate from the Meeting in Moate, Westmeath, Leinster, Ireland as he is preparing to move to America.

No specific reason for Francis’ immigration to America has been passed down in family stories. However, it seems reasonable to assume that his Quaker faith may have played a part in his decision to move. After all, at the time Penal laws forced everyone to support the Church of Ireland – even if they belonged to another church. In addition, one was required to be a member of the Church of Ireland to hold civil and military positions. A motivation of religious freedom was common and seems quite likely for someone who’s grandparents were killed for their religious beliefs.

Francis’ Father

Francis’ father is said to be George Pellett. It is unclear if his name being shown as George in the Bible reference means that George was his name or if someone added that commentary. In addition, some people list him with a birth date in 1739 and claim he was born in Ireland. However, I have found no records showing his name, birthdate, or birth location. I do have this information in my tree for research purposes.

From what is stated in Rebecca’s statement, I assume that at least his name was recorded in the old family Bible. If the story is accurate, Francis’ father would have most likely been born in France.

Other Supporting Evidence

Name

The name Pellett is of French origin. In Old French, the name would have meant a furrier coming from the word “pellet,” which meant fur. This reasonably supports that the family had likely lived in France at one time.

In addition, the name Francis means Frenchman. That said, many men were named Francis over the years without having any relationship to France.

The name George and other forms of the name are used in many countries including France.

Religious Persecution in France

France worked hard to eliminate Protestant religions. And, in 1715 Lois XIV announced that he had done so. However, Protestants continued to persist in France despite loss of rights and persecution. The penalties for being a Protestant included confiscation of all property, life terms for men working the oars on the galleys (ships), and prison terms for women. Minsters, when caught, were often executed. In the era between when Francis’ father was likely born and when Francis was born, it is estimated that a couple thousand people were persecuted in some form for their religious beliefs.

As terrible as this seems, it appears that criminals (which would include anyone who did not follow the correct religious beliefs) were still being tortured or executed by inhumane means into the 18^th Century. Torture was often used to gain confessions. Of course, once the person confessed, the punishment was often worse than the original torture.

In this case, both of Francis’ grandparents were burnt. This is consistent with an execution for heresy (having the wrong beliefs).

My Conclusion

I cannot prove this story true or false at this time. However, based on my research to date, I believe it is plausible that my 6^th-great grandparents in my Pellett family were burnt for their religious beliefs.

Still, I wil be keeping an eye out for that old family Bible. Seeing exactly what is written therein could shed more light on the history of the Pellett family.

Note: Featured image of the Bible with the angel is from pixabay.com. Created by Darkmoon_Art.

The Whispered Stories of Warren Jury

Posted on January 1, 2024January 1, 2024 by FHadmin

Grandma and Aunt Lydia never spoke about Warren Jury loud enough for anyone to really hear what they were discussing. Fortunately, their brother, Uncle Pat (my great-uncle) would talk. However, if either of his sisters heard him, he would immediately be hushed. Still, stories about Warren, a much younger half-brother of my Great-Grandmother Matilda (Jury) Peelle, circulated in the family.

Family Lore

The Stories

Family lore said that Warren was very spoiled by his mother Harriett (Warner) Jury. He was very demanding and he got whatever he wanted. One example that circulated in the family was that if he wanted chicken for dinner, you went out and killed a chicken no matter if you already had a different meal partially prepared.

His demands did not go away as he grew older. Instead, if anything, they grew stronger. There were stories of him having issues with multiple young women and demanding that they marry him. One story stated that a young lady’s father shot him and they brought him to the Peelle place (his half-sister’s home and the same home where my dad later was born) for the family to care for him. There was even a story that at some point he spent time in Lansing (state prison).

Of course, no one knew any of the details.

The Explanation

Some members of the family believed that his mother may have spoiled him because his two full siblings (her only children) had died in childhood. Warren had just been turning four when his older sister Harriet died and his brother Edgar had died many years before Warren’s birth.

Yet, other members of the family wondered if his mother hadn’t actually spoiled him, but instead had grown afraid of him because he had a bad temper.

Many Answers Lie In The Newspapers

The availability of newspapers online has led to the discovery of at least part of Warren’s story. The newspaper stories are a bit inconsistent. I have tried to capture what appears to be the most accurate version of events that may explain the family lore about Warren Jury.

Valentine’s Day

The Answer Is “No”

On Valentine’s Day morning in 1916, Warren Jury went to get the mail at his mailbox near the Gaulding’s house, which was about a half a mile from his own house. There he encountered Mamie Gaulding, William and Effie Gaulding’s oldest daughter.

The Gaulding family had moved from Johnstown, Nebraska to the Hiattville, Kansas area about three months earlier. When they moved in next door to Warren and his mother, Warren had immediately took a shining to Mamie. He had even courted her on at least a couple of occasions. And, he had even asked her to marry him despite knowing her for such a short time.

When Warren asked Mamie to marry him, she had put him off stating that she would answer him later. Well, it was Valentine’s Day and Warren saw fit to again ask Mamie to marry him. This time she stated that she could not marry him.

At that point, Warren became enraged and accused her father of not liking him. He threatened to “get the whole outfit.”

Notes

William is referred to as William, Frank, and John in various newspaper articles. No explanation has been found for this as neither name matches his middle initial. It is assumed that the incorrect names come from the fact that the family was new to the area and people simply got it wrong or confused him with someone else.

Mamie is referred to as Minnie in some early articles. It is assumed that this is a misunderstanding or misreading of her name.

Warren’s Response

Warren turned and went home. A short time later he went to Hiattville where he bought a box of .38 caliber cartridges at Wheeler & Hess’ hardware store.

Around 3:30 that afternoon, he returned to the Gaulding farm with his revolver and a pocket full of ammunition. He encountered Mr. Gaulding and Mamie in the yard near the well watering stock. He told Mr. Gaulding to put his hands up. And, it was while his hands were raised that Warren shot him four times without provocation.

One bullet entered Mr. Gaulding’s right shoulder. Another went through his right arm passing into his chest. Another one went into his chest just below that one. And, the fourth entered his torso just above his right kidney.

As this was unfolding, Mrs. Gaulding called to Mamie to come to the house. She ran to the house and with her mother tried to bar the door so that Warren, who was pursuing her, could not get inside. However, they were not able to withstand the pressure that Warren put on the door and he was able to force his way into the house.

Mrs. Gauilding tried to keep Warren from reaching Mamie. However, he was able to reach under Mrs. Gaulding’s arm and shoot his supposed sweetheart in her right arm just below the shoulder. Mamie got their shotgun, but was unable to load it as her right arm was useless. She also tried to call on the phone for help, but was unable to due to her injuries. Warren got a hold of the receiver and ripped it from the telephone.

The Next Encounter

At this point, Warren left and went to Baldwin Barker’s home. He asked that a doctor be called for Mr. Gaulding and Mamie. However, his story was that they had been kicked by a horse. (Not sure how he thought he would get away with explaining bullet wounds as injuries from a horse.)

Meanwhile, despite her injured arm, Mamie ran to William Rouske’s home where she alerted them to the incident. They sent out an alert for help.

On her way home, Mamie once again met up with Warren. Believing her life was in danger, she told him that she had decided to marry him as soon as her father was well. They walked back to her house where Warren (per reports) very patiently and gently removed the bullet from Mamie’s arm. Then he cleaned and began to bandage the wound.

Notes

The order of the getting the shotgun and trying to telephone are not 100% clear. It is also not clear where Mamie’s 5 younger sisters were during the initial encounter.

Articles refer to Baldwin Barker with the last name of Baker, but it seems quite sure that it was Baldwin Barker. As such, it appears that Warren went to the home that I grew up in to have the doctor called. I have confirmed that Mr. & Mrs. Baldwin Barker were living on that property in 1920, but I have not yet been able to confirm that they were living there in 1916.

At some point, Warren helped Mrs. Gaulding get Mr. Gaulding into the house. It is unclear if that occurred before he left to go to the Barker home or upon his return.

The Arrest

While Warren was busy bandaging Mamie’s arm, one of the constables slipped into the room and arrested him without incident. At the time, Warren’s revolver included 5 bullets and he had more in his pocket. He was taken to Pawnee. From there, a constable accompanied him on the train to the county jail in Fort Scott.

That night County Attorney Shepard, Sheriff Hartman, and Dr. Newman went to the home to investigate. Before he left Fort Scott, the sheriff informed the men not to question Warren until he returned from the investigation. However, that didn’t stop Warren from talking.

His initial statements were that the shooting was in self-defense. He claimed that Mr. Gaulding had come at him with a knife. He also claimed that he had only shot Mr. Gaulding two times before heading to the house to call for a doctor and that at this point Mamie was shot.

After being informed that the facts did not support a claim of self-defense since he went to town to get bullets and then returned to the Gaulding home, Warren signed a statement that said that he had planned to kill Mamie, her father, and himself. The reason for shooting Mamie’s father appeared to be that Warren thought her father was instrumental in Mamie refusing to marry him.

Life Hanging In the Balance

Warren was not initially charged as it was not clear if Mr. Gaulding was going to live or not. If he didn’t, it would be first degree murder. However, if he recovered, it would only be assault with intent to kill.

The intrigue of a possible murder case kept it in the news with frequent reports every time Mr. Gaulding improved or had a setback. At times, Mr. Gaulding ran a fever, was delirious, had difficulty breathing, and had a very high pulse rate. His doctors feared possible blood poisoning, performed surgery to remove one of the bullets, and performed surgery to deal with a significant hemorrhage. It was thought at various times that Mr. Gaulding was trending toward death. So intense was the news coverage of his condition that even his vital signs were published.

Support For The Family

During this time, the family suffered. The Gauldings had no sons to do the work around the farm. Additionally, Mr. Gaulding required around the clock care. So, everything was on Mrs. Gaulding and the oldest daughters’ shoulders. Mrs. Gaulding, it is said, went into premature labor and lost a baby. Mamie, the oldest, was herself recovering from the ordeal.

Several family members from out of the area came to help out and to see how Mr. Gaulding was doing. They reported that the family was exhausted.

Neighbors were helping out as much as possible, but when March arrived the neighbors had to focus more on their own plowing and planting. Still, they helped when they could. They got 50 men together to chop enough firewood for the family for the next year. Then Baldwin Barker oversaw 18 teams that gathered to plow 20 acres and sow 10 acres with oats. People in the neighborhood also donated to the family, held a pie supper with proceeds going to the family, and organized wolf hunts where proceeds from any wolves killed going to the family.

Realizing what the family was going through, the county eventually provided for a man to come and help care for Mr. Gaulding at the county’s expense.

Legal Jeopardy

A portion of Warren Jury’s signed statement. Source: The Fort Scott Republican, February 16, 1916 via Newspapers.com.

Life In The County Jail

While Mr. Gaulding was fighting for his life, Warren’s mother was selling Warren’s belongings, and Warren was sitting in the county jail uncharged waiting to see if his victim would survive. Despite admitting to the shooting, Warren never seemed to realize the gravity of his crime. He would make statements, such as, “I’m certainly glad I didn’t kill her” and “I didn’t mean to hurt him so bad. I guess I went a little further than I intended.”

Another prisoner claimed that Warren said that he would kill himself before he served a day in the state pen. Yet, his behavior while in jail was less than stellar. One day he “got sore and tore one of the iron slabs off the cage.” Apparently, he also spoke in a threatening manner and even stated that he was going to throw red pepper in the sheriff’s eyes.

The sheriff’s threat back was that if he didn’t behave that they would put Warren in a cell alone. This would cut him off from the other prisoners. Additionally, the sheriff stated that without improved behavior, his mother would not be able to make her lengthy twice weekly visits. He would no longer receive the pies, cakes, and other treats that she regularly brought to him.

Guilty Plea

Finally, Mr. Gaulding appeared to be on the road to recovery. So, the county attorney made the decision to bring the charge of assault with the intent to kill. The charge made Warren eligible for bail, which was set at $5,000. However, he remained in jail.

When it came time to enter his plea, Warren plead “guilty.” The evidence was stacked against him and he had confessed. Thus, a “not guilty” plea would have been useless. Likewise, a plea of “temporary insanity” would not have bought his freedom. In some states, pleading “insanity” or “temporary insanity” could keep a person from being sent to the state penitentiary with some people going to an asylum and others being acquitted. However, in Kansas the law at that time stated that people committing felonies who were deemed insane would still go to the state prison at Lansing. They would just be in a separate ward for the criminally insane.

On May 8, 1916, Warren Jury was sentenced to no more than 10 years in the state penitentiary.

A Plea Too Soon?

While awaiting transfer to the prison, Mr. Gaulding took another downturn and again doctors became concerned that he might not live. He was having trouble breathing and would choke. He had an abscess which needed to be addressed, as it could become fatal. Complicating matters was the fact that Warren had already entered a guilty plea to the lesser charge and could not be charged with murder if Mr. Gaulding died. An additional complication was that Mr. Gaulding refused to come into Fort Scott to the hospital for surgery. One of the doctors even offered to do the surgery without charge, but he continued to refuse.

A Deposition

Warren’s transfer to Lansing was delayed, in part, so that he could give a deposition in a lawsuit against him and his mother by their landlord Nellie Eiffert over money owed.

Still Sweethearts

On June 8, the day prior to him transferring to Lansing, Warren wrote a letter to Mamie stating that they would be sweethearts again when he got out. For some reason he seemed to think that no one, including Mamie, would object to him having a relationship with her. Although portions of the letter was quoted in the newspaper, the sheriff supposedly did not have it delivered to Mamie.

Warren Jury when he was in-processed at the Kansas State Prison in 1916. Source: Kansas State Archives, Topeka, KS via Rebecca Ball

Battle of The Petitions

You might think that the story would end once Warren was transferred to the state prison. However, that wasn’t the case. A month after he transferred to Lansing, his mother started a petition to have him paroled or pardoned. This alarmed the residents of the Hiattville area. They thought Warren was criminally insane and that he would kill members of the Gaulding family or others if he was released.

Their concern prompted the county attorney to petition to have Warren transferred to ward for criminally insane and have him committed for life. The request included the option to keep him imprisoned for the full 10-year sentence if the former option was not a possibility.

The petition included disturbing facts of the case and a history of Warren’s life prior to the shooting. Apparently, on another occasion he had gone to the home of a young lady with a shotgun intent on killing her. However, her brother intercepted him and his plan was foiled. (Was this the event where the family reported he had been shot?)

In addition, some months earlier when Warren had a falling out with Agnes Kelly, who he was courting, he had attempted to commit suicide using chloroform. However, he was unharmed in the attempt. The information concluded that Warren “is rather weak mentally.”

Upon completion, the petition was to be sent to the Hiattville area for signatures and was then planned to go to the governor and the state patrol board.

Discharge

None of the petitions appear to have resulted in a change in Warren’s sentence. The very next year, he was granted a temporary leave to attend the funeral of a close relative. And, in 1918 amid World War I, he was released from prison to join the Army. However, after he arrived at Camp Funston, he was found to be physically unfit for service.

Near the end of October 1923, his term was to expire. He received a citizenship pardon 10 days before it was to expire so his citizenship rights could be restored. (I have not found anything yet that explains why this was done.)

Afterward

Mr. Gaulding

Mr. Gaulding recovered from his injuries and lived another 25 years.

The Gaulding family moved away from the area in September of 1916. After that they bounced back and forth a few times between living in Missouri and Kansas. However, I found no record of them returning to Bourbon County.

Mamie Gaulding

Mamie married and had 3 children before dying in Wichita. She was only 26.

Warren Jury

After Warren got out of prison, he married Ada Marshall, a first cousin on his mother’s side.

When Warren was 37, he was injured in a mining accident in a local mine where he worked. He was in and out of the hospital, but eventually succumbed to his injuries. He is buried in an unmarked grave in the family plot at Pleasant Valley Cemetery in Bourbon County, Kansas.

Note: The featured image is from pixabay.com. Created by stefu.

My Start In Genealogy

Posted on December 26, 2023 by FHadmin

This week’s topic is to write about ourselves. But, writing about myself is a very difficult task. It is much easier to write about people in my family’s history whose stories I find fascinating. So, I compromised in a sense and wrote about the various people and things that got me interested in genealogy.

Sources Of Interest

My genealogy interest come from several different people. First, Dad was a history buff. He loved history, especially American History with the Civil War as a particular interest. He had also listened to his parents and other older folks talk. So, he knew many of the old family stories and local tales, which he enjoyed sharing.

As the family historian of her generation, Dad’s oldest sister O’Ella was also a contributor to my interest in genealogy. I was amazed at how much information she had been able to collect WITHOUT the internet. She also loved history. And, as the oldest of my dad’s siblings, she also knew many family stories and was happy to have someone listen to her.

Mom, on the other hand, didn’t formally research family. However, he had lots of scribbled notes about the family and she kept photos and clippings about everyone.

She diligently wrote names on photos. Often this also included the person’s parents’ names, and sometimes even the names of their grandparents on a photo. She also talked about family stories. The hardest part with her stories was that her, her mother, and her sisters tended to intermix talk of family, friends, and neighbors to the point that it was often hard to figure out exactly who was related and who wasn’t.

Unfortunately, my maternal grandmother did not label photographs. However, she contributed to my interest in genealogy by showing me information from a woman who was putting together a family history book for her father’s family. She also shared with me things she had given the woman to add to the book.

I never really discussed family history with my paternal grandmother. However, grandpa and her kept many old letters, postcards, receipts, and other documents. Many have led to discoveries about the family that I would have likely never uncovered otherwise.

Key Interest

But, one the biggest contributors to my interest in genealogy were the open-ended questions. Stories that were incomplete or where no one really knew what happened intrigued me. For example, did my great-great grandfather McCracken have a past or had he just beamed down from an alien space ship into the state or Iowa? Similarly, the insistence by some people that certain things were true when it seemed unlikely that was the case made me want to search for the truth.

Plus, I am a bit of a detective and I like a good word problem. All added together, I was drawn to genealogy.

Looking toward 2024

The blog will continue in 2024 . . . So, stay tuned!

Anecdotes Of The Mccracken Cousins

Posted on December 21, 2023December 21, 2023 by FHadmin

Cousins can be almost anybody. I could probably write about the guy at the meat store and be able to research and find out that he is a Nth generation cousin. However, when I think about cousins I think first about my first cousins. So, when the topic of cousins came up I decided to go to my first cousins. Rather than write extensively about any one cousin (Who would I pick?), I chose to write brief stories and memories of my McCracken first cousins.

Steve, Mark, & Stan

Steve, Mark, and Stan stayed on the farm during the summer. This was a shock to my mom, who had never had to feed teenage boys who were also doing physical work. She said that she could never make enough food and that she learned that if she wanted something, she better set some aside or it would be all be gone before she got one bite. This was especially true with Steve and ice cream as he loved it and could eat large amounts of it at one sitting.

Although I was tiny at the time, I remember riding up on top of the cab of “the Minesweep,” Dad’s big old farm truck with Steve and (I think) Mark. If Mom saw me up there, I am sure she was beside herself.

Steve and Stan didn’t even go into town with Dad that often prompting their mom to ask, “Aren’t you ever going to bring my boys home?”

But, one of Dad’s favorite stories was about Mark putting a hay hook, hook-side up, on the tractor seat. Ouch! Mark laughed about that story. Dad, not so much!

Mark, Steve, & Myself when they were staying with us

Sky & Vance

When our Grandma McCracken died, Sky, Vance, Ann, and I were together when the usher was seating the family. As Sky approached the row to be seated, the usher informed him that there wouldn’t be room for both him and his wife in that row. Sky was not quite 17. We assume the usher thought I was the wife as I was following him.

I guess I was robbing the cradle as I was 4 years older and apparently married not only to my cousin, but also to someone under age. In the usher’s defense, I do believe Sky had a mustache.

Of course, as brothers, Sky and Vance were often together doing things. When we went to visit one time when they were young, we found them waiting on the front porch. When we drove in, Vance informed us that they weren’t sure it was us. They thought it might be some bums.

And, there was the time with the two of them, the garage, and some fire, but we won’t go into that one!

Lee

Lee was eight years older than me, but oddly during each of our college years we unknowingly became friends with the same person. I am not sure how Lee met the person, but he happened to be best friends with my roommate’s boyfriend. The two of us became friends and were the maid of honor and best man for our friends’ wedding.

I am not sure how Lee and I figured out that we knew the same person. But, my sister remembers meeting the person when Lee brought him home from college with him many years earlier.

Ava & Glenda

As a part of her job at a radio station, Ava accompanied a group of people to Kansas City to see the Royals play. Well, Dad happened to go with his bowling team to the same game.

Well, Ava, as she always did, came up and gave Dad a huge hug. Dad never explained to the guys who this very pretty, young woman was that gave him a hug.

To add to the confusion, one night Glenda stopped by the bowling alley. What did she do? She gave Dad a big hug. Dad loved to tell the stories about the nice looking young women giving him hugs – and he liked that the guys had no idea why he was attracting these women.

14 of the 18 cousins at a family reunion in 1994

Cindy

When we were young Cindy loved to play olden days. She romanticized the years gone by and wanted others to join her in her fantasy world.

However, she was not nearly as fond of playing school, which was my favorite activity. Of course, it might have had something to do with the fact that I actually expected my pupils to do school work.

Doug

I was in junior high school when Doug was a student teacher at the high school on the same campus. Everyone ate at the cafeteria in the junior high school building. Thus, Doug would walk over with the other teachers to have lunch. When he did, he would always say, “Hi!” if he saw me.

Well, he was a nice looking young man and all the junior high girls – especially the popular ones – couldn’t figure out why this student teacher who was good looking would be talking to me. Well, he was my cousin! But, like Dad, I didn’t tell them because they didn’t need to know.

Gilbert

Gilbert (a.k.a. Gib, Gil) was in the Air Force for many years. He also loved the Lord and after he retired he became a member of the Christian Motorcyclists Association and provided ministry in prisons.

Jo

Mom was very confused when she first met Jo. Dad had talked about Jo and Karla, but he had neglected to tell her that Jo was a girl.

When Jo graduated from high school, my sister and I, who were much younger, had photos taken of us modeling her graduation cap and gown.

Heather

Growing up, Heather always wanted to be more grown up that she was. She was always pretending to be older. I remember going with her (my older cousin drove if I recall correctly) to Wichita State University to see people she knew when she wasn’t anywhere close to college age.

I imagine that perspective has changed now.

Karla

From a young age, Karla was really good with horses. I think she inherited that skill from grandma, who loved horses, especially her horse Beauty.

We didn’t use horses to farm like the previous generation, but Karla and I both worked in the fields baling hay. Interestingly, we both remember how patient the other ones’ father was when working with us. I do imagine there was more patience when working with a niece than when working with a daughter.

Aunt Ruby with Doug, Glenda, Gib, Steve, Stan, and Jo

Dallas

When Mom and Dad got married, Dallas, who was always full of questions at that age, asked Mom, “Why did you move? Did your house get too dirty?”

Carol

Carol and I shared the same flute. I don’t recall how I came to know she had a flute or even how I came to be interested in playing. However, I remember going to her family’s house to get it when I was in junior high.

I used it in band and took lessons from the high school band instructor. By the time it was retired, the case was held together with tape and shoe strings tied around it.

Correction: Carol informs me that it was actually her sister Glenda’s flute. For about 50 years I have thought it belonged to Carol.

A Voice From The Past

Posted on December 12, 2023December 12, 2023 by FHadmin

If you would have told me earlier this year that by the end of the year I would have had the opportunity to hear the voice of a family member born during the Civil War almost 160 years ago, I would have chuckled and told you, “Not likely.” But, believe it or not, it happened!

Collecting Records

I had communicated and shared records with Rod’s Dad’s first cousin Dean Thomson for years. However, from time to time Dean mentions something that we haven’t heard before. So, we decided that we needed to go through all of Dean’s records to make sure that we had all of his records. So, this year we decided to go visit Dean and scan/photograph any records that we did not have or where a better copy could be useful. Well, we found that to be a bit cumbersome and decided that it would be much easier to simply scan/photograph everything he had on our shared family lines. Given the volume of information, it was clear that one trip would not be enough no matter how quickly we went through his many notebooks. So we scheduled another visit.

On the second visit, Dean mentioned a tape that was in a box on the table. He told us that it was old (recorded 60 years ago) and that he wasn’t sure it would even play. However, he said that we could take it home and see if we could get it to play. It was a tape of a brief interview with Judge Sharpless Klinefelter.

The Tape

After we got home, we hunted up an old cassette player. It worked. And, the tape played. Judge Sharpless Klinefelter, Rod’s great-great grandfather, began by saying, “I was born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania in 1864.” Next year will be the 160th anniversary of his birth. Yet, here we were listening to his voice.

He was 98 years of age when he answered the questions about his ancestry, career, places he lived, his children, and more. His answers were brief and we had a 100 other questions that we would have loved to have asked him.

We already knew the answers to many of the questions, but it was so interesting to hear his account of his life in his own words. Just listening to his voice and realizing how much had changed between the time he was born and the time the recording was made was amazing. And, it has changed even more in the 60 years since he spoke those words.

Judge was born before slavery was abolished, although that occurred shortly after his birth. Additionally, women did not yet have the right to vote. He would go on to live through the flu epidemic, prohibition, the Great Depression, WWI, and WWII.

But this was also in the time prior to the invention of the automobile, the telephone, the refrigerator, indoor plumbing, electricity, and much more! He had lived long enough to see silent films, talkies as the early movies with sound were called, and television.

Clip of Interview

This is a clip of the interview with Judge Sharpless Klinefelter. It was originally recorded on cassette tape on January 27, 1963. Judge was 98 years of age.

The interviewer is Dean Thomson. The other voice heard on portions of the tape is Blanche Mabel (Klinefelter) Thomson.

Both Judge and Blanche would die the following year.

A Peek Into Judge’s Life

Based on His Interview with some added details

5-Generations: Judge Klinefelter; Blanche (Klinefelter) Thomson; Alexander Thomson; James Thomson; and James’ 3 children

His Name

Judge was named after his Uncle Judge Sharpless Klinefelter. Neither of them were ever a judge in the judicial sense. Still, he viewed the name more as a title than a name.

His Parents

Judge was born in 1864 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania to parents Joseph Gazzan and Caroline (Stetler) Klinefelter. At the time of his birth, his father was serving in the Union Army where he was a POW and was injured. His parents would have no more children.

His Wives & Descendants

Judge married Emma Ackermann in 1886 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. They had a daughter Blanche (who also speaks on the recording). Fifteen months after Blanche was born, Emma died giving birth to their son Daniel, who also died and is buried with Emma. Judge’s parents primarily raised Blanche.

Ten years after his first marriage, Judge married Lois Campbell. They had two daughters together: Carolyn Elmina, who married Elbert Shelton, and Hortense Lucile, who married Henry Dalson. Judge and Lois later divorced.

In 1920, Judge married Martha Edwards. They had no children. She died in 1936. Judge did not remarry.

Longevity

Judge mentioned that his great-grandmother [Elizabeth Mason (Stackhouse) Brooks] lived to be just a few months shy of 100 years. He must have inherited her longevity.

Famous Ancestor

Judge was aware that he descended from the man [William Hurrie] who rang what is now known as the Liberty Bell to signal that the Declaration of Independence had been signed and was going to be read at the State House in Philadelphia.

Politics

Judge remembered the politics of old. He mentioned the days when politicians would have parades. He said that his family had been Republican, but he said that he didn’t know if he was of any affiliation, but he did lean more toward the Republican side.

His Career

Judge was a carpenter. It was a skill that he learned from his father. He built or oversaw (foreman or building superintendent) the building of many homes and other buildings, including very tall buildings. His career took him all over the eastern half of the country where he built buildings as far north as Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania (and maybe further north), as far south as Florida, and as far west as Waco, Texas. He said that he basically went wherever buildings needed to be built.

Based on what he said and family stories, it is possible that the building he oversaw in Waco, Texas is the Alico Building, which is 22 stories high and was built in 1910-1911. That building withstood a direct hit of a tornado in 1953, while other buildings around it was destroyed. The building is still in use today and is on the National Register of Historic Places.

The Amicable Building (now Alico). Source: The University of Houston Digital Library – The University of Houston Digital Library: http://digital.lib.uh.edu (public domain)

Automobiles

Judge remembered the horse and buggy days very well as they were the predominant mode of transportation for over half of his life.

The surprising fact, however, is that Judge claims to have never owned a car or even driven a car. He would have only been in his forties when Ford produced the first Model T cars. I would love to have asked him, “Why he hadn’t owned or driven a car?” After all, it seemed like a car would have been very useful to him.

Retirement

In his retirement years, he kept busy doing smaller carpentry projects. One of these projects was to make children rocking chairs. He was active with projects until he was 99.