Author: FHadmin

A Man With Two Names

Posted on by FHadmin
My grandmother’s brother was Leland or Leonard – depending on who you ask. . .  And, no, the answer isn’t all that simple.
Leland (center) in Mexico. Appears to have been during his early military service as he appears very young.

The Early Years

Leland was born Leland William Thomas January 17, 1908 to James William “Will” and Sadie Ella (Ashby) Thomas in Vernon County, Missouri.  He joined three older siblings.  His mother would give birth to two more healthy babies before she died during childbirth when he was ten.  After Sadie died, her oldest daughter Dessie, my grandmother, took over running the household and helping raise her younger siblings.  (Photo at top: Back: Dessie, Verda,Delbert ; Front: Theo “Bud”, Oren, Leland.)

 

On December 31, 1926, before Leland turned 19, he joined the U.S. Navy.  He served just over 2 ½ years completing his service August 21, 1929.

 

His First Wife

A couple of weeks after being discharged from the Navy (September 3, 1929), Leland married Frances Marie Howell.  In the census the following year, Leland and Frances were living with Frances’ mother and sister. In 1933, they had a daughter Joan Berniece.  She was followed by a son Leland William Thomas Jr. in 1934.  At the end of 1936, they had a son John Carl that only lived two days.

 

One version of the story from another researcher is that it was around 1935 that Frances claimed that Leland, who she said was a traveling salesman, headed to California.  However, no evidence has been found to date of his being a traveling salesman, If he left in 1935 John Carl could not be his son,  and Leland would not make it to California for several years.  Another version of the story said that he left for California to join the Navy for WWII. This aligns with his timeline of reaching California. However, there is more to the story. . .

 

His Second Wife

In July 1936, several months before Leland and Frances’ son John Carl briefly visited the earth, He married Edith Lehr in Elkton, Maryland using the name Leonard Thomas.  It seems the name change and the out of state marriage may have been because Leland had not divorced Frances. 

 

Leonard and Edith lived in the general area of York, Pennsylvania for several years.  The year following their marriage, they had a stillborn daughter.  In 1941, a stillborn son would follow at only seven months gestation. They are not known to have had any children that survived childbirth. 

 

U.S.S. Seminole Image from 1960s. U.S. Navy, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

WWII

When WWII came about, Leonard joined the United States Navy Reserves.  He served from May 22, 1942 until October 21, 1945.  During his service he spent a significant amount of time in San Diego, where he was assigned to the US Navy Sub Repair Unit where he was a metalsmith.  He was attached for a time to the U.S.S. Griffin.

 

 On March 8, 1945, when the U.S.S. Seminole was commissioned, Leonard was assigned to the ship.  He sailed with the ship to do training in the Hawaiian Islands before heading to Okinawa.  Twice during this period, the ship had to take evasive maneuvers, not to avoid the Japanese, but to avoid typhoons.

 

Leland with his niece Ruby Pellett at a family gathering at Gunn Park, Fort Scott, Kansas.

After the War

After the war, Leonard and Edith lived in California.  To my knowledge, he never made an effort to see his children.  I can’t fathom leaving my children and moving a couple thousand miles away.  Our family knew about the children, but I don’t know if any pictures of them survived.  I did hear a story, however, that my grandmother had a picture of Leland and Frances and he wanted her to destroy it.

 

He continued to exclusively use the name Leonard as his legal name.  However, to the day she died, my grandmother called him Leland.  Meanwhile, to be completely different, Edith called him “Tom.”.  When I spoke to a distant relative a few years ago that had known Leonard when he lived in California, he was surprised to learn that his name wasn’t Tom.  It was the only name he had ever known.

 

Perhaps Edith called him “Tom” because she didn’t want to slip and call him Leland when referring to him in official communication or maybe it was simply a pet name.  However, between my grandmother’s insistence that he was Leland and the family’s knowledge of his first wife and children, Edith had to have known about his past.  It is unknown what version of the story he shared with her.

 

Leonard died March 1, 1960.  The military apparently figured out the connection between Leland and Leonard as the application for his military gravestone had his earlier service added onto the card with his WWII service.

 

Not Quite Done . . . One more mystery!

As if there wasn’t enough mystery in this story, another mystery showed up in the 1950 census.  In that census, Frances is with John Squares, a new husband (or they at least claim to be married). Her known children with Leland are in the household.  However, there are two additional children listed with the last name of Thomas who are listed as step children to her husband.  These are Robert F. Thomas, who was born in 1939, and Jacquelyn Thomas, who was born in 1943.  They are not children that John had with his prior wife and I have found no explanation for these children.

Leland’s Kids?

Could they be Leland’s and he went back and forth between Frances and Edith for a period of time? 

 

This option is definitely possibly for Robert.  Depending on the exact date of Jacqueline’s birth, it could rule this option out based on his WWII service dates.  At this point, it cannot be ruled out.

 

Half-Siblings?

Could Frances have gotten pregnant by another man and just used the Thomas name saying her husband was a traveling salesman and gone a lot?   

 

This is very possible.  It definitely wouldn’t have been the first or last time a woman whose husband was absent or even dead claimed him as the father of a child born out of wedlock.

Someone Else’s kids?

Could they be someone else’s kids entirely?   

 

This is possible, but if so, they were considered members of the family.  A death record for Leland W. Thomas Jr. mentions their names.  Unfortunately, a complete obituary, which might tell us more, has not been located.

 

The Locket

Posted on by FHadmin

 

“I looked at your picture today, you know I have four besides the one in my locket,

and it made me feel home-sick or love sick or something like that.”

 

The Letters

The words in the quote were written upside down on the top of a letter from Nellie Peelle to Joe McCracken in August of 1913. Joe, who was 20 years of age, had gone out of state to work in the fields, leaving his 19-year-old “girl”  Nellie behind. It was one of several letters that they wrote that summer. The letters between them were a mixture of everyday happenings and sweet romance.

 

Joe would discuss things along the lines of  his work and how far he was from a town.  Nellie would respond to his statements and tell him about local happenings, such as, the rain, church, or their friends.

 

Nellie always seem to give off a vibe of a very proper lady.  She never appeared to me to be as strict and rigid as her sister, but definitely proper.  This makes the romantic banter between them all the more interesting.

 

In their letters, both admitted that they were sweethearts and that they loved the other.  Nellie told Joe, “I sure do get lonesome on Sunday evenings or when I go somewhere.”   She also indicated that everyone knew she was his gal and that no one had tried to make a move for her in his absence.  She also told him never to change his looks, but she teased, “What are you going to do next sprout a mustache?  If you do I’ll_____________ (pull it out)” And, just about the time Joe’s letters seemed to be mundane, he would throw in a statement, such as, “I am as ever a boy that will always love you.”

Seven months after this letter was written, Nellie and Joe married.  Clearly, they were in love and it wasn’t just a matter of needing a mate or convenience.

 

Joe McCracken’s photo on the left. The right is Nellie (Peelle) McCracken, but Joe’s photo reflects over it.

The Search

It has been at least 15 years since I first read the letters between Nellie and Joe, my paternal grandparents.  When I read the statement about the locket, I wondered what it looked like and if it still existed.  I didn’t remember seeing my grandmother wearing a locket and I hadn’t heard anyone mention it.  Thus, the search was on.

 

Photographs

I first started going through photographs and enlarged any that showed a necklace with a pendant.  However, I didn’t find anything that clearly looked to be a locket.  One of the pictures from when they married showed a necklace of interest, but upon further research, it was determined not to be a locket.

 

Very faint photo of Nellie (Peelle) McCracken

What Does The Family Know

I asked my dad about the locket.  He didn’t remember a locket, but said that if it still existed, he figured that his mom had given it to one of his sisters.  His guess was his oldest sister O’Ella or his youngest sister Kay.  However, any of his six sisters might have had it.  Only one of his sisters was still living.  So, most of my questions about it were directed toward my cousins.  However, no one seemed to know anything about it.

 

In early 2009, I was talking with my cousin Ava about it. She said that she had her mother’s jewelry box, but she hadn’t looked through it and missing her mother who had passed a few years earlier she sounded hesitant to do so.  To my surprise, she messaged me sometime later and said that she had looked in her mom’s jewelry box and that she thought she had found the locket.  It had no chain, but the locket was intact.

 

Inside the locket was a photograph of a young Grandpa Joe. No doubt it was the very same photo that Grandma Nellie mentioned in her letter all those years ago.  On the opposite side was a very, very faded photo of Grandma Nellie.  The locket had survived and had indeed been handed down to her oldest daughter.

 

It was very fortunate that it was found before Ava’s passing and that it was transferred to me to preserve for future generations.  To someone not looking for it, its significance might have been missed.

 

Becoming An Heirloom

I don’t know exactly when Grandma Nellie got the locket.  Perhaps it was a gift from her family or her sweetheart.  But, the letter shows that it is now over 110 years old.  It is more than just an “old” item that the family owned.  The photos inside make it special and the letter documenting its existence makes it extra special.

 

 

The Immigration And Marriage of Phillip And Mary

Posted on by FHadmin

When a woman immigrates to America and marries within the month in the interior of the country, it begs many questions.

 

Rate of Travel in 1857. Source: Paullin, Charles Oscar, 1868 or 1869-1944, John Kirtland Wright, American Geographical Society of New York, and Carnegie Institution of Washington. Division of Historical Research. Atlas of the Historical Geography of the United States. Washington, D. C.: Pub. jointly by Carnegie institution of Washington and the American geographical society of New York, 1932. Public Domain.

The Marriage

Twenty-five days after Mary Herzberger arrived in New York, she married Phillip Helm  in Hollowayville, a small community in north-central Illinois.  If she traveled by train, Mary could have reached that part of Illinois in two to three days.  Mary and Phillip would have had three solid weeks for their courtship.  Note: The graphic at the right shows that the area where Phillip lived is close to the line between travel from New York taking 2 days and 3 days.

 

The quick courtship brings many questions to mind.  For instance, 

 

  • Did they know each other in Germany and she came to join him?
  • Was it an arranged marriage? 
  • Was Mary some sort of mail-order bride? 
  • Did they just meet and fall in love?
  • Did they just meet and each needed a spouse?

In an attempt to answer these questions, let’s look at Phillip and Mary’s lives before and after they married.  An analysis of each possibility to determine the viability follows.

 

Phillip

Phillip, whose formal name was Johann Phillip Helm, was born on October 13, 1824 in Edenkoben, Pfalz, Bayern, Germany.  He was the son of Johann Nikolaus and Anna Catherina (Doll) Helm.  Two days after his birth Phillip was baptized at the Evangelical Reformed Church (Evangelisch-Reformierte Kirche) in Edenkoben.  I haven’t discovered anything more about his life in Germany.

 

Immigration

In 1854, Phillip immigrated to the United States.  Note: A census states that he immigrated in 1857, but an immigration record that appears to be him is from 1854. 

 

It is not known why he chose to come to America.  However, by 1860, his occupation was farm labor.  At the time, he was living in Granville, Putnam, Illinois with the Peter and Catherine Albright/Albrecht family.  Peter and his wife were also from Germany.  However,  all of their children in the household were born in Illinois with the oldest being 15 years of age.  Thus, they had come to the United States well before Phillip.

 

Phillip continued farming as his occupation throughout his life.

 

Note: The spelling of Phillip also shows up as Philip, Philipp, and Phillipp.

 

 

 

Mary

Mary, formally known as Maria Katerina Herzberger, was born October 18, 1838 in Hessen, Germany.  Although there is speculation as to her parents’ names, I have not been able to confirm them.

 

Immigration

On June 6, 1861, Mary arrived in New York aboard the ship Cedar.  She was 22 years old and listed as a servant.  During the voyage across the ocean from Bremen, German, Mary, along with many others, traveled between the decks in an area designed to carry cargo.  In those days, the passengers seeking the cheapest passage to America would travel in this space.  Then, on the return voyage, furnishings were often removed and the area filled primarily with cargo.

Source: Norway Heritage collection under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.

The between-deck space wasn’t very luxurious.  The space typically had 6 to 8 ft. ceilings and was filled with multi-person bunkbeds and very little walking space.  The bunks generally had straw mattresses and passengers had to provide their own blankets and pillows.  If you were lucky, you got a bunk in the middle of the ship where less motion was felt.

 

Questions, But No Answers

Mary Came to Illinois to Join Phillip

Did they know each other in Germany and she came to join him?

 

Initially, when I saw a record that stated he immigrated in 1857, I thought it was possible that they had known each other and he had earned money for her passage.  With that immigration date, Mary would have been 18 and Phillip would have been 33 when he left.  It is a big age difference, but not out of the realm of possibility.  However, when I found additional records that showed that he likely came to America in 1854, it made me question this possibility a bit more as he would have been 30 and she would have been 15.  Still possible, but a bit less likely.  Also, it seems unlikely that Phillip would have waited seven years before sending for Mary.

 

Was it an arranged marriage? 

Arranged marriages did occur in Germany.  However, Germany appears to have been known over the years more for rules, limitations, and approvals required for marriage.  In this case, it would have been “arranged” in Germany, but performed in the United States.  This option doesn’t seem as likely as some other scenarios given that Phillip was 37 and Mary was 22 when they married.  I am guessing an arranged marriage would have come into play at an earlier age.

 

Was Mary some sort of mail-order bride? 

Prior to 1900, these types of relationships were often called “correspondence courtships.”  Personal ads, mutual acquaintances, or matrimonial periodicals were the conduit for the two people living some distance apart to be introduced to each other.  Sometimes they wrote back and forth for some period of time.  Other times, they simply decided to marry without much knowledge of each other.

 

Usually, the woman would travel to where the man lived.  And, many times, the man provided funds for the travel, especially if international travel was involved.  Given that a shortage of women existed in many frontier areas, it is very possible that Phillip sought a bride using this process.  And, the fact that they were both German would simply mean that he sought a woman who shared his culture, which was common in correspondence courtships.

 

Phillip very well may have had difficulty finding a wife as men generally outnumbered women on the frontier.  The only reason to question this possibility is that in 1860 he was working as farm labor, which implies that he likely would have had very few funds to put toward Mary’s passage.  Additionally, her immigration record states that she was a servant.  But who did she serve?  Was she a servant before she traveled to gain funds for the trip?  Was she a servant to someone on the ship?  Or, was she to become a servant upon arrival?

 

Mary & Phillip Met in Illinois

Did they just meet and fall in love?

I suppose Mary and Phillip could have simply met, fell in love, and married.  The time frame is very short, but Phillip was 37 and he probably wanted to have a wife and put down roots.  At 22 and new to the area, Mary may have looked like a breath of fresh air. 

 

In this case, the question that comes to mind is, “Why did Mary go to Illinois?”  Something had to have brought her to a small rural community.  Germans lived in the area, but something had to have motivated her to go so far across the county so soon after her arrival.  I have considered that perhaps she was a servant for someone who moved to the area, but I have not yet identified any other people on the ship that moved to the area.  Note:  Many of the names are very difficult to read.  Thus, making it challenging to go through the entire ship’s manifest.

 

Did they just meet and each needed a spouse?

This scenario is similar to the previous one.  However, it is more believable that they just wanted/needed a spouse and decided to marry than that they actually fell in love at first sight.  Phillip was likely looking for a wife and as a single woman in a foreign land, Mary likely would have wanted to have someone to support her.  Still, the question of what drew Mary to the Hollowayville area remains.

 

The Albright/Albrecht Family

In 1860, Phillip was living with Peter and Catherine Albright, Albrecht in some records.  I have considered that they could have arranged for Mary to come to Illinois to marry Phillip (i.e. an arranged marriage).  Another consideration is that they knew her family and she immigrated and planned to stay with them initially (i.e. fell in love or needed a spouse).  Mary could have also traveled there with someone who knew the family.  Any of these scenarios are possible.  I have not, however, found a connection between the Albright family and the Herzberger family.  That does not mean that one does not exist. 

 

I have also considered that Herzberger might not be Mary’s maiden name.  Instead, at 22, Mary could have been married and widowed or divorced.   In that case, the family might have known her by her married name and never have known her maiden name.

 

My Theory

I found no conclusive answers.  At this point, I believe it is most likely that they met in America and that the Hollowayville area was Mary’s original destination.  I lean toward her either coming there to marry Phillip or to stay with someone in the area.  What do you think?  Other theories?

 

Their Life Together

No matter what brought them together, Phillip and Mary enjoyed a long and fruitful marriage.  To this union 13 children were born.  Around 1885, with some of the children fully grown, the entire family moved to Nebraska.  Phillip and Mary lived in Otoe County, Nebraska the remainder of their lives.  Phillip died in 1907 at age 82 and Mary died in 1924 at age 86.  At the time of her death, they had 62 grandchildren and 27 great-grandchildren.  Three more grandchildren and countless great-grandchildren would be born after her death.

 

The featured image at the top of the page is of Phillip, Mary, and a portion of their children.  The photo at the bottom shows family at family gathering.

 

Career Woman

Posted on by FHadmin

My Great Aunt Lydia Peelle was one of  a small number of women in the early 1900s who moved to the city, went to business school, and pursued a career forsaking the traditional marriage path. 

 

Grocery Clerk

Although Lydia may have held a job prior to her 20th birthday, the first record of her working is in 1913 when she was clerking in Morrison’s store in Pawnee (Anna), KS.  It seems that she helped in the store off and on (July 13, 1913; October 1913 newspapers) and also worked for some time in Fort Scott (December 15, 1914 newspaper).  It appears that she had been working at Morrison’s store more regularly in May 1915, as the newspaper reported her absence from the store when she took a trip to Fayetteville, Arkansas.

 

Wichita Bound

In November 1917, Lydia threw a party as she was soon to depart for Wichita.  The oil boom had brought rapid growth and Wichita’s residents numbered approximately 70,000, which was a far cry from the few that inhabited Pawnee.

 

Despite having moved from a farm to the city myself, I can’t imagine the experience Lydia had moving alone in the early years of the 20th century  to what had to seem like a huge city to a country gal.  I do know that years later she worried about everything.  She even put cement on the locks on her windows in one house so that no one could get in.   I don’t know whether her mother put fear in her before she moved, she had a bad experience, or it was just her nature to worry.

 

Business School

Upon arrival in Wichita, Lydia attended business school before journeying into the working world. Over the coming years Lydia would move from residence to residence and from job to job, earning enough to support herself.

 

The Implement Company

In 1919, Lydia was a stenographer for Emmerson-Brantingham Implement Company at 218 S. Wichita.  She lived at 340 N. Market, with a less than 20 minute walk between her home and her job.  Note:  A map at the bottom of the article shows the locations mentioned in this article.

 

Inland Printing Company

By 1922, Lydia was living at 631 N. Topeka.  Her brother Passco “Pat” lived with her.  They were both employed by Inland Printing Company (410-412 E. Williams St.) with Lydia still working in the role of stenographer.  The plant was believed at that time to be the largest of its kind in the country, selling products across the country with the exception of to the New England states.

 

 

Lydia (top) with friends in Wichita

Central Electric Company

By 1924, Lydia and Pat had moved to 728 W. 3rd St.  That area is close to the Arkansas River and has been redeveloped.  Thus, this address no longer exists.  Lydia’s job was a stenographer for the Central Electric Company (133 N. Market/117 N. Market), which sold lighting fixtures. She had a 20 minute walk to work.  Later that year, Lydia shortened her walk to work by moving to 638 N. Market St.

 

The Accident

In November, Lydia had to take a break from work as she was hit by a car while walking to church with a friend one Sunday evening.  The accounts vary with one stating that she was hit as she crossed the street in front of St. Paul’s Lutheran Church at 925 N. Waco Ave.  However, a later article stated that Lydia was hit when she crossed the street at 8th and Market St.  The articles also provided different details as to her injuries with one stating that she broke her leg and the other stating that she suffered internal injuries and nervous shock. 

 

In either case, upon receiving word of the accident, her mother, Matilda (Jury) Peelle, rushed to Wichita to be with her.  Before the month was out, Lydia had filed a $5,000 lawsuit against the two couples in the car.  She claimed they were going 40 miles per hour and that she had been dragged about 100 feet.  I have not yet found any information regarding the resolution of this lawsuit.  I don’t know of any known long-term effects of this accident and don’t recall ever hearing anyone mention it.  However, she did return to this job as she was working there the following year.

 

The Texas Company

 

In 1927, she was still living at the same location, but had started working for The Texas Company.  You might recognize them better by their later name, Texaco.  At this time, Texaco was advertised as new type of gasoline.

 

Cities Power Company

Two years later, she had moved to 155 N. Poplar Ave. and changed jobs again.  She was working for a company that only been charted a few years earlier.  They provided water, gas, and electricity.  However, by 1931 KG&E had bought out at least a portion, and perhaps all, of this company.

 

Utility Garment Factory

In 1930, business was booming for Utility Garment Factory, located at 137 ½ Main St.  The growth in manufacturing and other business had driven the need for their product much higher than previous levels.  Lydia was a bookkeeper for the company.  She was now living at 1059 N. Topeka Avenue, where she shared a room with Helen Clark.  This rooming house was located near the north edge of the Ascension Via Christi St. Francis campus.  The house has been replaced with parking and access to a McDonald’s.  However, a big Victorian next door still stands.

 

Service Foundry

 

 

Service Foundry, which is also referenced as Service Brass Foundry and Service Brass and Aluminum Foundry, appears to have been Lydia’s next employer.  The foundry located at 331 N. Mosley made bronze monuments, brass and aluminum castings, iron castings, stoves, unique traffic signals, golf club heads, other sporting equipment, numbers for homes, etc.

 

Lydia is documented as working as a bookkeeper for the company for 10 years between 1933 and 1943. However, it is likely that Lydia was working there at least by 1932 as she gave Grandma and Grandpa a very unique ashtray  of George Washington made at the foundry.  It appears to commemorate his birth.  1932 was the 200th anniversary of Washington’s birth and many celebrations and events celebrating his life and contributions to the country were held.  It seems likely that this ashtray was Service Foundry’s contribution to that celebration.

 

Lydia also gave my grandparents two small busts of Will Rogers that were made by Service Foundry.  I would assume that they may have been made to honor him after he died in a plane crash in 1935.

 

During her tenure at Service foundry, Lydia lived at 928 N. Topeka and 128 S. Erie.  She lived at the latter address by 1935 and would remain in that house for many years.

George Washington

This artifact was missing for many years.  Dad said that we had a George Washington, but he had no idea what had happened to it.  I always assumed that it was a bust like Will Rogers. After Dad passed, we found it hiding in a cabinet.  We initially thought that this piece was a plaque or perhaps a piece that had not come out correctly.  However, we have since decided that it is likely an ashtray with George’s face on the outside (bottom) and the political image of the elephant, donkey, and the United States on the inside.

Will Rogers

This bust of Will Rogers is likely made after his death in 1935.   The bust is bronze and the base is aluminum.

 

My Dad’s youngest sister liked to throw  Will at her siblings when they bothered her.

 

The Internal Revenue Service

Towards the end of 1944, Lydia took out advertisements in the Wichita Eagle and the Wichita Beacon looking for a job as a bookkeeper or stenographer.  Her reason for leaving her previous job is unknown.

 

Her next job (or at least long-term job) was working as a clerk, typist, and stenographer for the Internal Revenue Service.  She worked for the IRS until her retirement February 28, 1960.

 

Lydia’s exact work location prior to 1953 is not known as the IRS offices were distributed between the Federal Building at 401 N. Market, the post office, and other office buildings in the area.  In 1953, however, all the IRS offices were consolidated in a new building at 412 S. Main St. (Main & Waterman).

 

She remained in her home on Erie Street (1182 sq ft., 2 bedrooms, 2 baths) until 1955 or 1956.  She then lived briefly at 1218 Jackson, before moving to 619 N. Oliver (712 sq. ft., 2 bedrooms, 1 bath).  Unless the IRS moved her to a different location, this house was much more distant to her work than her previous ones.

Retirement

By the time she retired, Wichita had become known as the Air Capitol of the World and had grown to a city of over 250,000 people.  Lydia left the city and returned back to her roots. 

 

Although she lived in Fort Scott, I did not get to know her well, as I was only nine when she died.  However, in my mind, Aunt Lydia perfectly fit my idea of an IRS employee.  She seemed very stern and rigid.  She knew exactly how things should be done and she would advise you on how to do it whether you wanted such advice or not.  The image I had of her also matched the image of multiple of the organizations to which she belonged.

 

She always had an image to uphold.  If a woman lit up a cigarette in her house, she closed the blinds so that no one could see that someone was smoking.  In a similar vein, despite the fact that she came and went on her own for years, she once asked my dad to check the house for men.  That day, he had driven her back to Wichita from Fort Scott.  When they arrived, she made her request and she was less than amused when he replied, “What do you want me to do if there is?  Hold him for you?” 

 

My older cousin once told me that Aunt Lydia had always been kind to her and that she thought Aunt Lydia was sweet.  Although I didn’t see this side of her, she did have a compassionate side as she was awarded a pin for volunteering 500 hours for Mercy Hospital.

Organizations

 

Lydia belonged to the following organizations:

 

NARCE (National Association of Retired Civil Service Employees) 

 

WSCS (Women’s Society of Christian Service) 

 

WCTU  (Women’s Christian Temperance Union)

 

Philathea Class of the Methodist Church

 

Prayer Group

 

Lydia lived  at 721 S. Crawford St. in Fort Scott until she died on December 19, 1969.   Apparently, she had a heart attack while walking to the Post Office to mail Christmas cards.

 

Map Of Lydia’s Life In Wichita

Where She Lived

(Purple Dots)

 

1 – 340 N. Market

2 – 631 N. Topeka

3 – 728 W. 3rd St. 

4 – 638 N. Market St.

5 – 155 N. Poplar Ave.

6 – 1059 N. Topeka Avenue

7 – 928 N. Topeka

8 – 128 S. Erie

9 – 1218 Jackson

10 – 619 N. Oliver

 

Church

(Green Dot)

 

St. Paul’s Lutheran Church

925 N. Waco Ave

 

 

 

Map Source: Google Maps

Where She Worked

(Blue Dots)

 

A – Emmerson-Brantingham Implement Company

      218 S. Wichita

B – Inland Printing Company

      410-412 E. Williams St (location could not be identified)

C – Central Electric Company

      133 N. Market/117 N. Market

D – The Texas Company

      (Unknown location)

E – Cities Power Company

      (Unknown location)

F – Utility Garment Factory

     137 ½ Main St

G – Service Foundry

      331 N. Mosley

H – Federal Building

       401 N. Market

I – IRS Building

      412 S. Main St.

Creating A Town

Posted on by FHadmin

As our country was being settled and the population grew across America, many opportunities for influencing the country, community, their families, and other arose.  One of those opportunities that you don’t typically find today was to influence the community by starting a town.

 

Flooded Farm – View From Old Gristmill. Unknown if this is the oldest mill or if this is actually from a later one.  If the earliest, it would be the Johnson property.  Source: The Indiana Album, Wayne C. Klusman Collection https://indianaalbum.pastperfectonline.com/

Wayne County, Indiana

In 1810, John Lewis’ family became the first settlers in an area northwest of Richmond in Green Township, Wayne County, Indiana.  The following year several more families, including William and Sarah (Adams) Johnson, moved to the area.  William and Sarah are the grandparents of Martha Johnson who married Passco Peelle, making them my 4th great grandparents.  They had left their home state of North Carolina  with a destination of eastern Indiana, as many others who would move to the area did over the coming years.

 

By 1818, signs of a community started to spring up.  That year William built the first gristmill in the area.  A Baptist Church gathering began about this time.  Included in its early membership was Eleazer and Ruth (Davis) Smith .  A few years later their daughter Rachel married William Johnson,  Sarah and William’s son.

 

Then, around 1820, a Methodist Episcopal Church was organized.  A community was forming.

 

Williamsburg

In 1830, William Johnson set aside some land for the creation of a town.  On March 16, the town of Williamsburg was platted at a location due north of Centerville and about 3 miles south of the Baptist Church.   A post office went into operation July 22.

 

Dry Goods & Grocery Store in Williamsburg. Source: The Indiana Album, Wayne C. Klusman Collection https://indianaalbum.pastperfectonline.com/

Over the coming years, many businesses and organizations would set up operations in and around Williamsburg.  The first merchant commenced business in 1831 and would be followed by many others including William’s sons Stephen and Samuel.  Other businesses in the area included more gristmills, saw-mills, a slaughter house, a hotel, a train station, an ice house, wagon makers, doctors, and the First National Bank of Williamburg.  The latter did not open until May 1, 1907.  It is unclear if the town had any banking facilities prior to that date.

 

Other church organizations were formed.  A Friends Meeting was also formed, but it only lasted for about 15 years before it dissolved and its members went to other nearby meetings.

 

In 1845, the United Brethren Church was organized.  William’s son Samuel and his wife were early members of that church.

 

Samuel also became one of the Justices of the Peace.  The area would also be the home to politicians, Masons, and Odd Fellows.  As a growing community, the town also joined with others in the area to support the Union during the Civil War.  Likewise, when the issue of temperance became an issue in the area, men from the surrounding area joined a debate on the subject.  Clearly, each side had a lot to say as the debate started at 2 p.m. and lasted until midnight.

 

School In Williamsburg. Source: The Indiana Album, Wayne C. Klusman Collection https://indianaalbum.pastperfectonline.com/

A Legacy

Unfortunately, William did not live to see the town take shape, as he died on August 1, only days after the post office was established.  He left his wife Sarah $100 in personal property, $100 in money, the dwelling where they lived, and one quarter of the profits from the plantation where he was living.  The remainder of his personal property, the mill, and the tract the mill was on was to be sold with the money divided among his heirs (Thanking him for specifically listing his children in his will, including his daughters married names.)

 

Sarah would live another 32 years.  She maintained her own household until she was at least in her mid-80s.  She died at age 97.  William and Sarah are buried at the New Garden Friends Cemetery.

 

Williamsburg Today

Williamsburg still exists today as an unincorporated entity with a population of over 1700 people.  It doesn’t have the stores and businesses it once did as travel to Richmond only takes a few minutes on modern highways.  However, the post office is still in operation.  It also has a community center, spiritualist church, and baseball fields.

 

Important Note:

Ezekiel Johnson moved to the area in 1838.  He was an M.E. minister and was from New Jersey.  Thus, a totally different Johnson family line in the same small town.

 

 

Featured Image Source: The Indiana Album, Wayne C. Klusman Collection https://indianaalbum.pastperfectonline.com/