One Gravestone, Three Ancestor Lines

Posted on September 11, 2024 by FHadmin

It is one thing to be related to almost everybody in the cemetery. It is another thing to be related to three of your mom’s four grandparents’ family lines through one person in that cemetery.

When you visit Lola’s grave at Clarksburg Cemetery, you are visiting with someone who ties my Carson, Pellett, and Ashby families together. And, yes, you are going to need a picture of the family tree for this one. Thus, a simplified family tree and explanation is provided at the end of the article.

Lola Mary Carson

Lola Mary Carson was the daughter of John Henry Carson. John was the son of William Henry Carson, who was the son of Henry Carson and Rebecca Fowler. Henry and Rebecca were the parents of my great-great grandmother Louisa Madeline Carson, who married George Andrew Thomas. They were ancestors in my mom’s maternal family line.

Lola grew up south/southeast of Fort Scott. In 1901, she was attending the Diamond School. At the same time, Lloyd Ashby, also attended Diamond School. Lloyd was the son of Grant and Elizabeth Ashby, who were my great-great grandparents.

Martha Marsh (top) with her siblings Otto, Gilbert, and Bertha

Lola’s life seemed to be full of friends and good times. However, she experienced sad occasions as well. On two occasions, Lola was called upon to be a pallbearer, which I found unusual as typically men are called upon for that duty. One time was for a nine-year-old girl and another time was for one of her friends. The young girl was Martha Marsh, whose older sister Bertha later married Henry Pellett Jr., brother of my grandfather Clifford Claney Pellett.

Rufus Ezra Pellett

Fortunately, the good times outweighed the sad times. There were numerous parties in the community. Some were family celebrations and others were gatherings of young people for no reason other than to have a party.

Courtship

It is unknown when Rufus Pellett first met Lola. However, they had both grew up in Drywood Township south of Fort Scott. In September of 1916, they were both at a party hosted by Ruth Jamison. The prior month it had been reported that Rufus was working at the brick plant at Oskaloosa, Missouri, which was several miles south of Garland. He may have been making a daily journey to work. However, he may have just been home for the party.

It is not known if he continued to work at Oskaloosa; however, he was also at Ruth Jamison’s party the following March. In late May, 62 of Lola and her sisters Gladys and Pearl’s friends surprised the Carson sisters with a party. Rufus was again among the young men in attendance. In late June, their paths crossed again at a party at the Lauber home and at another in the first half of July.

The first indicator in the news that they were a couple is when they spent time with Lola’s sister Bessie and her husband Walter Hurt. Only days later in early August 1917, Lola and Rufus married, bringing together the Carson and Pellett families.

Early Married Life

Initially, they lived on Seth Pellett’s farm, which was also known as the Will Carter Farm. The following year Rufus was granted a license for explosives. Apparently, the World War had prompted the approval of more licenses. It seemed that there were many small mining operations and likely Rufus was trying to take advantage of that opportunity. Oddly, Williams Hardware Company of Hiattville was also issued a license at the same time. I really wonder why a hardware store needed an explosive license.

Not sure if the explosives business didn’t work out or not, but later Rufus was described as a farmer. The following April, Rufus rented the O.O. Barker farm west of Garland. That year Rufus had two major milestones as he got a new binder and he turned 21-years-old. The birthday was, of course, another reason for a celebration.

A Near Disaster

Later that year, disaster nearly struck when Rufus opened an umbrella while driving a buggy. The horse was spooked and took off at a full run. At the bottom of the hill, the horse fell, overturning the buggy and throwing Rufus, Lola, their baby Nola, and Clarence Johnson to the ground. Rufus had a badly bruised back, but miraculously no one else was injured.

Rufus and Lola spent the following year living near Richards, Missouri before moving back to Ezra’s farm in 1921. I can’t imagine moving around every year with little kids. Granted, families did not have as much “stuff” in their houses. However, farmers had to move all their equipment and any livestock that they owned.

In 1922, Rufus and C. A. Hahn advertised that they were quitting farming and having a sale. Eleven horses, eight cattle, corn, fodder, timothy hay, and all farm implements were included in the sale. However, three years later Rufus was farming and he appeared to continue farming for the next several years.

Moving To Town

Rufus and Lola stayed on the farm until 1931 when they moved to Fort Scott where he worked for a time for the city water department. According to the Footprints of Bourbon County, the family moved to Waterloo, Iowa in 1942, where Rufus worked at a plant that did defense work in support of World War II. After the war, they moved back to Bourbon County. This seems to contradict city records showing Rufus in Fort Scott during at least a portion of that period.

After The War

The book also stated that they purchased Lola’s grandparent’s property, which is better known as the Catt property. It contained a rock home that her Grandfather Catt had built in the 1860s. The exact date of the acquisition needs to be researched. It was sometime after March 1, 1946 as Rufus and Lola were living in Pawnee Township on that date.

In June of that year, the family had another close call with disaster. As, Lola was cooking on the kitchen stove, she saw a flash of light and was knocked to the floor. A lightning bolt had entered the home creating a four-foot-wide hole. It had also damaged the upstairs floor before continuing to the kitchen where it put a hole through the center of a chair. Lola and Rufus’ son and his wife were also in the home. Luckily, the lightning missed directly hitting any of the occupants.

Lola and Rufus’ son had been born in 1923. He was their only son and last child, following their daughters Nola Marie and Mary Lillie. Their children were doubly related to me. Their relationship to me goes as follows: Rufus was the son of Ezra Mitchell Pellett and Lillie Pearl Carver. Ezra was the son of Seth M. Pellett and Aseneth E. Crawford, who were my great-great grandparents. And, Lola was related to me through Henry Carson and Rebecca Fowler as previously described.

In late 1966, about 9 months shy of his and Lola’s 50^th Anniversary, Rufus died.

William (Lloyd) Ashby

The year after Rufus died, William (Lloyd) Ashby, came to Kansas for a visit. Lloyd was a widower. He had married Emma Witt in 1915. They had both lived southeast of Fort Scott near Garland while growing up and then moved away. He had moved with his parents to an area south of Holly, Colorado, which might as well be called No Man’s Land as it is just dirt, rock, and sun. Emma, on the other hand, had moved to Hooker, Oklahoma, which was about as desolate. After they married, they had lived near Garland and he had been a clerk at the G.W. Million & Son store until they moved to California in 1919.

That visit resulted in a marriage between Lloyd and Lola. Grandma Pellett told the story of how they came to marry. During Lloyd’s visit, someone (maybe her, we are not sure on that detail) took Lloyd around to all the widow’s homes to visit. As the story goes, he stayed the longest at his old schoolmate Lola’s home. They married in Atascadero, CA just over a year after Rufus died. Lloyd was 75 and Lola was almost 71 at the time of their marriage.

Lola outlived Lloyd. He is buried at Atascadero, California. Lola returned to Kansas and is buried at Clarksburg Cemetery.

Lloyd was the son of Grant and Elizabeth Ashby. Their daughter Sarah Ellen “Sadie Ella” or simply “Ella” was my great-grandmother.

Coming Full Circle

To complete the connection, Grant and Elizabeth Ashby’s granddaughter, my grandmother Dessie May (Thomas) Pellett, was also the granddaughter of Louisa Madeline Carson and George Andrew Thomas (g-grand of Henry Carson and Martha Fowler) married Clifford Claney Pellett grandson of Seth and Asenith Pellett. My mom’s Conner family is the only one without a connection to that one gravestone!

The Connections Explained

The following chart shows the connections of these three people to me. Each family line is represented by a color group. The shades of each color are to help visualize the family line of key people in the article vs. my ancestors in those families. The male of the family is shown without the spouse due to space limitations except where critical to show the connection between families.

To read the chart:

The center line shows common ancestors between myself and the key people in the article.
The key people in the article are the top person in each column above the center line.
Ancestors of the people in the article are read from top to bottom.
My ancestors connecting to these families are shown underneath the center line.
Ancestors are read from bottom to top.
Key marriages are shown with a light yellow background.

Family Secrets

Posted on September 2, 2024September 2, 2024 by FHadmin

I find that many of the stories that I write are about family secrets or at a minimum – things that were taboo or just weren’t talked about in the family even if the intent wasn’t to keep them a secret. I find them very intriguing because as Paul Harvey would say they tell us “the rest of the story.”

Setting the Stage

Each family seems to have their own slant on what is or was acceptable to discuss and what is or was considered hush, hush. Many of the secrets in a family have to do with maintaining the family’s reputation. No doubt some of this changed over time as certain things became more acceptable to occur and/or more acceptable to discuss. However, even today there are things that families don’t discuss.

This article touches on some of the many secrets in the families that I research. Some of the stories have been written in detail, others will be written, and others I will avoid writing as they aren’t my story to tell.

If you think anything mentioned herein wouldn’t happen in your family, you are most likely incorrect. All families have secrets and things that aren’t discussed

Health

I found that some of the families didn’t want to discuss health issues in the family – no matter what kind of issue existed. It was many years before we knew the whole story about my husband’s father’s death. It was only after we got our hands on a copy of his autopsy that we learned what had occurred back in 1968. And, thankfully, they had written a very thorough report.

Mental Health

Mental health seemed to be more sensitive than physical health. My Grandfather Pellett, for instance, fell, injured his leg, got gangrene, and was hospitalized at the VA hospital for years. And, if you asked the family, that is the story that they would tell. However, they left out the part that he had what we would call PTSD from his time serving in World War I in France. That, it appears, is the primary reason that he was hospitalized for so many years. Read more . . .

In a similar vein, my husband’s grandfather’s first wife Lulu was in and out of the hospital for mental reasons. This occurred after her children were born and may very well have been related to post-partum depression, although I do not know exactly what her issue was. Never knew about it until I found multiple newspaper articles that mentioned it. I had assumed she was just at the state hospital because of her tuberculosis since they often placed patients with it in state facilities.

Reproductive Health

Women’s health issues were among the hush, hush topics across all the families I have researched. Miscarriages, hysterectomies, and the like were not to be discussed, especially in front of men or children.

I asked a member of the older generation once about why her parents had a 10-year gap between two of their children. I knew they had lost one child, but wondered if there were others or if something else had occurred. Well, that was the last time she communicated with me on any subject. Clearly, it was something she wasn’t going to talk about and did not like that I had asked.

So, little was the discussion about such things that Mom didn’t even tell Dad that she had a prescription for birth control pills. I assume the doctor gave it to her because he was greatly concerned with her having more children. Anyway, we found it after she had passed. She had never filled it, but she also had never thrown it away. She probably didn’t want anyone to see it in the trash. Of course, she was embarrassed by bra and girdle commercials when she was dating. So, . . .

Births, Adoptions, & More

The short first pregnancy seemed to be something that was often hidden. I have found this hidden so often that people in the last 50 years seem to think it is a recent phenomena. It clearly has existed over the generations. For instance, my mother-in-law’s oldest full sister was the result of a short pregnancy as was my great-aunt Lydia. In some cases, it is difficult to detect as they easily changed dates to make it seem as if everything was proper. Read more . . .

Adoptions were also sensitive and my husband experienced being told not to mention that a family member was adopted. Of course, people were also led to believe his cousin was actually his uncle as his grandparents raised their daughter’s child.

Similarly, my Grandma Pellett was so petrified of what people would think about her daughters having a child outside marriage that she had a fit when her daughter Ruby wrote on a postcard that she was bringing Babe home. Babe was a cat that she was getting, but Grandma Pellett was petrified that the mailman would read the postcard and think her daughter had had a baby. And, she had an even bigger fit when her granddaughter had a child too soon after her marriage.

On the other hand, in my dad’s family, it was perfectly acceptable to talk about my cousin Heather being adopted. However, when one of my cousins became pregnant outside marriage, she still felt the need to hide the pregnancy and give the child up for adoption. Meanwhile, my more distant cousins tried to convince me and others of a pregnancy outside marriage that would make us related to President John Adams. Read more . . .

First Spouses

Numerous first spouses were never mentioned or only minimally. In some cases, it almost seemed like a secret, but I suspect it just wasn’t part of the conversation. Lemuel McCracken and Louisiana (Matteer) Badgley McCracken are two examples. However, it seems that their entire lives were one big secret. Read more . . .

In other cases, I think it was a secret for whatever reason. One situation was Herman Kutzner and his first wife Ernstine. They had two daughters and then divorced. My mother-in-law never had the opportunity to meet her two half-aunts although her mother knew her half-sisters. Read more . . .

William Johnson Peelle’s possible first wife and child, is another example of a hidden story. If this story is accurate as it appears to be, it clearly was hidden. However, my aunts seemed to overhear something and created a new story. It wasn’t accurate as they clearly only heard piece parts of the story. Read more . . .

David Ellis was Lucy Ann (Storms) Ellis’ only husband, but he was treated a lot like a previous husband. Other than grandsons and great-grandsons named David, he is simply not mentioned in any documents or obituaries after the family left Indiana. A record exists for a David Ellis that died during the Civil War, but it is not clear that this is the same David Ellis. And, if it was, it would seem that the family would mention him as most families viewed those who served with great respect. What happened to him is at least a mystery and possibly a family secret.

Maintaining A Reputation

Marriage Secrets

Elizabeth Ashby’s name was always shown as Ashby and it was always thought that her maiden name either wasn’t known or an error was made and her married surname had been listed. With research, I learned that both her maiden and married surnames were Ashby. Recently, I discovered a letter where a relative explained to my aunt that her maiden name was also Ashby, but that her and her husband Grant were not related. I am sure that is what she had been told and fully believed. However, they were half-first cousins.

It was not a secret that Johann Phillip Helm married Maria Katherina about a month after she arrived in the country. However, the circumstances that led to that quick marriage appear to be a bit of a secret. Read more . . .

Secret Babies

I found two siblings that are descendants of my great-grandparents. They didn’t know they were related to us. They always believed their paper genealogy. I never knew about this connection and I am still working to find out exactly how we connect.

Run-ins With The Law

Great-grandpa William Johnson Peelle spent a night in the calaboose, per his own admission. However, it was written in his journals. My grandparents kept them in a desk that he had made. My dad and his siblings were not allowed to even touch the desk. Dad always figured this is one of the facts that his mom did not want her kids to know.

When Warren Jury was upset because the girl he had his eye on turned him down. He took matters into his own hands. It was all over the news, but the women in the family never spoke of the incident. Read more . . .

Arthur Callaway deciding to shoot Jake Helm made the newspaper and a court case ensued. Yet, the story as told doesn’t seem to add up. The story seemed to be swept under the rug even though my mother-in-law was present. In this case, it wasn’t family doing the shooting. Well, not exactly. Arthur was a cousin of Jake’s daughter Rosa’s husband.

Just Pure Tragedy

No one spoke out loud about Rebecca Jury and her tragic life. If it were not for newspapers and records, the family would never have known what was behind those whispers between Grandma McCracken and her sister Lydia Peelle. Read more . . .

More Secrets

There are more secrets that I have uncovered. Some that I will write about one day and some that I think are best left alone. Yet, I doubt that I am done uncovering secrets. Matter of fact, I am currently researching a genetic tie to a Bailey family. Before anyone gets excited – They are NOT related at least in any close way and likely not at all to the Baileys of Bourbon County. It appears that connection occurred during or before the Civil War and they tie into our Peppard ancestry. I hope to have more to share on that soon.

Woman Image by: Willgard Krause from Pixabay;

Helm Confusion

Posted on August 27, 2024 by FHadmin

A few years back, I went to a reunion for my mother-in-law’s family. I took charts (including the tri-fold shown above), my computer, and my scanner, with a plan to gather lots of family information. That is the day that it sunk in just how confusing the Helm family could be.

The Patriarch and Matriarch

In 1854, Johann (Phillip) Helm arrived in the United States from Edenboken, Germany. As far as it has been determined, he was about 30 years of age and single. By 1860, he had made his way to Granville, Putnam County, Illinois.

The following year, Maria Katherina “Mary” Herzberger, who was 14 years his junior, departed Bremen, Germany headed for New York City. Once she arrived in the United States, Mary quickly made her way to Illinois. In less than a month Phillip had taken her as his bride.

Phillip and Mary Helm with some of their children

Size & Timeline

Despite Phillip’s late start on a family, he and Mary became the parents of 13 children. Nine grew to adulthood. Their children gave them 72 grandchildren, although many were born after Phillip died and a smaller number after Mary died.

Despite numerous grandchildren having only single children or none at all, Phillip and Mary’s grandchildren gave them 145 great-grandchildren. Adopted and step-great-grandchildren, are not included in those counts.

As you can see, the confusion starts with a very large family. Add to that the fact that despite the children being born over a 17-year span, the grandchildren were born over a 51-year span. As the youngest of all the grandchildren, my mother-in-law’s earliest born first cousin was a grandmother when my mother-in-law was born. Members of the family who were her age were her cousins’ children and grandchildren.

Additionally, my mother-in-law had half-siblings that were 30 years her senior. The generation differences confused everyone.

Names

Naming Conventions

So, if the size and timeline of the family wasn’t cause enough for confusion, being German, the family had several naming conventions that added to the complexity of understanding who was who. First, it was not uncommon for people to have three or even four given names. Additionally, family members often used a middle name or a nickname as their primary name.

When my sister-in-law was in high school, she took her grandfather’s baptism record to the German teacher to have it translated. That is when the family found out that Jacob was his middle name, not his first name. They always thought his name was Jacob Phillip, but it was actually Phillip Jacob.

Repeating Names

In addition, this family loved to repeat names and sometimes parents even used the same or similar names within their own children. Phillip and Mary used the name Phillip with two sons and a form of it for a daughter. They also used the name Johann with two sons and Wilhelm/Wilhelmena with three children. It didn’t follow the tradition that I have seen in some German families where the first name for all the boys’ names is derived from the fathers and the first name for all the girls’ names is derived from the mother’s name.

In some later cases, the families just simply seem attached to a certain name. For instance, one family had four daughters named: Carol, Coral, Coralee, and Carolyn. In addition, they all had the middle initial of “A.” Talk about confusing!

More Name Fun!

To make it even more fun, names were inconsistently used and inconsistently spelled. The name Phillip, for instance, was primarily spelled Phillip, Philip, and Philipp. Sometimes it seems intentional, but in the end, it seems that it was just how it happened to be written.

All of the factors discussed lead to complexity when discussing the family. For instance, we had a long discussion about the picture that is shown at the side of the family tree chart. I had placed it as Frederick the son of Phillip and Mary. However, someone thought it was a different Frederick/Fred. A discussion of several people took place. In the end, we decided the photo was of the Frederick, son of Johann (Phillip) Jr. And, I must say that I am still not 100% sure.

Infographics

Discussing this family is very complicated. Sometimes it is even difficult to describe, for example, where the Katherina you are talking about fits in the tree. That is, even when you know. To demonstrate this issue, I created two infographics where the size of the words indicate how often they occur in the family.

The First Three Generations

The first shows the names of Phillip and Mary, their kids, grandchildren and the spouses. All of these people would have been a part of the discussion. It was always very important to ask if the last name was Helm because the Henry that is being discussed might just be someone who married into the family.

Note: To create the infographics, names that were similar, were forms of the other name, were nicknames for a name, were female/male versions of a name, etc. were standardized so that they could be counted together. For instance Marie, Maria, and Mary were recorded as Maria.

Phillip & Mary, their children, grandchildren, and the spouses

Four Generations And Counting

At the time of the reunion, the family in the United States had grown beyond the first three generations. All of the great-grandchildren had been born. Thus, taking a look with everyone who had been in the American Helm family and their spouses through this generation is reasonable since all of them were potential subjects of conversation. Many or most of the great-great grandchildren and a portion of the 3rd-great grandchildren had also been born. However, more research on the family is needed before they can be included in a graphic.

The graphics clearly show that some names were used in bulk. However, a shift definitely occurs in the great-grandchildren to more Americanized names. And, based on the changes in common baby names over the years, I suspect that a future view of the next generation will show yet another shift.

One final note . . . I plan to do a similar graphic with another large family, likely the Peelle or Pellett families. I know they will look very different in part because they have origins in the U.K. and have been in this country for 400+ and approximately 225 years, respectively.

The Tragedy of The First Wives Club

Posted on August 20, 2024August 20, 2024 by FHadmin

It seems it would be much easier to be the first wife. You are typically younger, you can set expectations, you don’t have to mother children that are your husbands (i.ie. avoid the “You are not my mother!”), and you don’t have the image of an earlier wife to get in the way of your relationship. However, in the past, being in the First Wives’ Club often meant that tragedy would strike.

Members of the Club

The Tragedy

Died at age 26. Lulu died of tuberculosis. Even before she died, she was away from the family multiple times as she struggled with mental health. Jake was over 50 when he remarried to Minnie Louisa Carolina Kutzner♥, who was nearly twenty years his junior. They had three children. This tragedy allowed for the birth of my mother-in-law with Jake’s second wife.

Sarah Ellen “Sadie Ella” (Ashby) Thomas ♥

Married

James William “Will” Thomas

May 30, 1902

Fort Scott, Kansas

Children

Dessie May, Delbert Roy, Oren Glenn, Leland/Leonard William, Verda Leola, Theo Melvin “Bud”

The Tragedy

Died at age 34, Sadie Ella died from childbirth complicated by hemorrhaging and myocarditis. She lost three children at the time of birth or shortly after, including a son that died two days before she did. Will did not remarry until their children were grown. He did not have any children with his second wife, Belle (Tremain) Woodard.

Della M. (Conner) Pellett ♥

Married

My McCracken lineage has always been something of a mystery. My great-great grandfather Lemuel Lawrence McCracken was so hard to trace that I joked – much to my aunts’ displeasure – that he must have been a horse thief. And, my great-great grandmother McCracken seemingly had no records either. Through a journey of discoveries over the past 30 years, I have discovered a bit about who they were.

The Family Stories

When I began this search, I had very little actual data beyond information about Lemuel and Louisiana’s children: Uncle Frank, Uncle Bill, Minnie, Ida, Great-grandpa Andrew, and Henry (he was an uncle, but I never heard him referred to in that manner). At least part of Lemuel and Louisiana’s children were said to have been born in Lee County, Iowa. And, it was known that his son Henry was raised by a family named Dudley. There was also a story about the baby crying when “they” tried to take one of the little ones home. So, they left the child. The alternate version was that they were leaving the child and the child cried when they left. Yet, most of this told us little about Lemuel and Louisiana.

Additionally, Aunt O’Ella had found the 1875 Kansas Census which listed everyone by their initials. It included a baby girl F.E. that none of the family knew about.

Louisiana

With regard to Louisiana, we were told her maiden name was Johnson, which was later found false. When she was unwell, the family headed toward other family. Dad thought they were going to Peoria, Illinois. Louisiana was said to have died along the way and the assumption was that she probably was buried along a trail somewhere.

Lemuel

The little known about Lemuel included that he supposedly knew or knew of the Gallea family. As such, the family spent their first night in Kansas at the Gallea property south of Cato. Lemuel was believed to have been a “Campbellite” (follower of the teachings of Thomas and Alexander Campbell). He was sent to Osawatomie to the state hospital late in life because he became too hard to handle.

Additionally, he was married again after Louisiana died. A single scratched photo of him and his subsequent wife existed in the family photos. A statement of “No relation, thank God” was written on the back with reference to his wife. It seems that the person who wrote that either did not think the woman was very becoming or did not care for the woman. I do not know who wrote those unkind words, but they certainly didn’t hold back on their opinion.

A lot of debate swirled around about where Lemuel was born and the history of the family. Everyone seemed to have heard a different story or at least believed a different story. I heard he was most likely born in Pennsylvania, in the old country, and even on the ocean. With regard to the history of the McCracken family the debate centered around if they moved to the U.S.A. going from Scotland to Ireland to the U.S.A. or going from Ireland to Scotland to the U.S.A.

However, not a single thing was known about where Lemuel or Louisiana were born, their siblings, their parents, or where their families actually originated.

After 30 Years

After 30 years of research, Louisiana’s parents and siblings have been identified, Lemuel’s ancestors are partially known, and their life together is reasonably well understood. Getting to the knowns of today has been a journey of discoveries. Some of the family information has been proven true and some false. Other pieces remain open since no information has been discovered to prove them true or false. Now, for Lemuel and Louisiana’s story . . . AND . . . The discoveries that led to their story.

Lemuel the First 20 Years

Lemuel was born April 12, 1831 likely in Ohio, but possibly in Pennsylvania. Autosomal DNA indicates he descends from the McCracken and Peppard families and Y-DNA shows a match to Peppard, he matches via a Y-DNA test to a Peppard. The implication is that his mother was a McCracken and his father was a Peppard.

His Father

Based on DNA, his father was one of the sons of Jonathan and Elizabeth (Gilmore) Peppard of Wayne County, Ohio or Jonathan himself. Those sons include: William, Issac, John, Francis, and David. I tend to lean toward the young unmarried sons (Francis and David) as the most likely father. However, it is important to note that John Peppard had a son die in Lee County, Iowa with the military and three other sons lived in Kansas. Is this relevant?

His Mother

It is assumed that his parents were never married and that he lived with his mother or her relatives since he used the name McCracken as an adult. His mother is a daughter or granddaughter of James and Rachel (Kelly) McCracken, who lived in Pennsylvania before moving to Columbiana and later Wayne counties in Ohio.

James and Rachel had multiple daughters that appear to be unmarried when Lemuel was born and could be Lemuel’s mother, including Susan, Rachel, and Nessie. They are also said to have had a daughter Tabitha that I have never found. In addition, his son Thomas, who died prior to the time of Lemuel’s birth, appears to have had daughters that were old enough to have been Lemuel’s mother. Three women identified as possible daughters of Thomas include Rachel, Julia, and Mary/Maria.

The census records prior to 1850 only show the head of the household. Thus, his name would not show up in the 1840 census. However, I searched for a McCracken household in Ohio with a male that was in the same age group as Lemeul and who was unaccountated for given the known children in the family. The only McCracken household in the state of Ohio in 1840 that meets these requirements is the household of Nathaniel McCracken. His daughters, however, couldn’t be Lemuel’s mother as they were not old enough. However, one of the strongest DNA matches is one of his descendants.

Lemuel does not show up in the 1850 census. He was somehow missed or his name was so badly written that it has been impossible to find him.

Remaining Mysteries:

Exact Location of Lemuel’s birth
- Ohio? Pennsylvania?
Lemuel’s parent’s names?
Did Lemuel have any siblings – even half-siblings?
- Eveline’s family believed that he had siblings or at least half-siblings and that they were in Kansas.
Research of Micheal Peppard to verify that he could not be the descendant of a McCracken needs to be done for full verification.
Any connection to John McCracken – the twin? (Read the story near the end)
A new Y-DNA match that is to neither the McCracken or Peppard families needs to be investigated

Related Discoveries

Autosomal DNA shows DNA matches to McCracken and Peppard.
- DNA matches to over 100 descendants of this Peppard family
- DNA matches to ~70 descendants of this McCracken family
- DNA matches to descendants of Rachel and Julia
Y-DNA shows a match to Michael Peppard. Hence, it appears his father was a Peppard, not his mother.
Will of James McCracken
Will of Thomas McCracken lists women making purchases that I believe may be daughters

Important Note

Numerous people believe that a John McCracken of Pennsylvania is Lemuel’s father. The John McCrackens that have shown up in trees and on the FamilySearch Tree are NOT Lemuel’s father. The confusion seems to have arisen because the man had a son Samuel about the same age as Lemuel who later moved to Kansas. DNA and a close look at the records show this man is NOT his father!

Lemuel’s First Marriage

Lemuel arrived in Lee County, Iowa around 1850 or soon after. Initially, he was listed in records alone and without anyone living nearby that appears to be related to him. It is as if he just headed west on his own. Some of James and Rachel (Kelly) McCracken’s descendants moved to Illinois and weren’t all the distant from Lee County. It makes one wonder if he moved west with them and then went just a bit further, crossing the Mississippi River.

On September 23, 1854, he married Sarah Dufer, who was the daughter of Hiram and Caroline (Gridley) Dufer.

On April 30, 1858, Sarah gave birth to a son Delormah/Delarma “Del” Lawrence McCracken (spelling varies from record to record). Some records refer to him as Del, but most records during his adult years refer to him Lawrence. Lawrence seems to age faster than the years actually pass with later records putting his birth year at an earlier date. The reason for this is thought to be the fact that he was younger than his wife Nancy Judy and the age changed for convenience and image. So, no he wasn’t born in 1853 as some people believe.

Proof of Lawrence, as he was generally called as an adult, being a son of Lemuel was found not only in the records, but also in DNA of his descendants.

It is assumed that Sarah died in 1858, but no record of her death has been found.

Remaining Mysteries:

Where did the name Delormah/Delarma come from?
What happened to Sarah?
Why did Lemuel come to Lee County, Iowa?

Related Discoveries

Minnie (McCracken) Munroe’s probate papers listed Lawrence McCracken who was unknown to the family. That led to the discovery of Lemuel’s first marriage.
About 20 DNA matches to Lawrence’s descendants.

Lemuel And Louisiana

Lemuel met Louisiana Badgley prior to 1859, as they married January 17, 1859. It was a second marriage for both of them. It is likely Louisiana needed a husband to support her and Lemuel needed a wife to help care for his young son and his household.

Louisiana’s First Marriage

Louisiana, who was the daugther of Mathias and Mary (Rogers) Matteer, had married James Badgley on May 20, 1846 in Watertown, Washington County, Ohio. She was only 16 and her father had to sign for her marriage, which was a key factor in determining that her maiden name was Matteer and not Johnson.

Mary Ann had been born 9 months after Louisiana married James. Two years later, Louisiana had given birth to a son Louis W. Badgley. It is unknown if James died in Ohio, in Iowa, or somewhere in between. However, it is likely that what brought Louisiana to Lee County, Iowa was that her father, his second wife Ann (Elizabeth) (Solomon) Westfall, and most of her siblings had moved to Lee County in the early 1850s.

Thus, they started their marriage the parents of three children: Lemuel’s son Delormah and Louisiana’s children: Mary Ann and Lewis/Louis.

A Growing Family

By early 1860, the family had grown with the birth of a son Lemuel Franklin/Francis. This hasn’t been 100% settled, but it was some form of the name Frank, which was the name he went by as an adult.

1860 Census

The only correct names the 1860 census had were the ones that I did not know anything about at the time. Assuming Lemuel was Samuel was a common error and not too surprising. However, someone must have had a strong accent since someone saying, “Louisiana” ended up being recorded as “Rosannah.” And, this wasn’t the only record to show Louisiana’s name as Rosannah.

At the time, they lived in Jefferson Township in Lee County, Iowa near the Montrose post office. Lemuel owned no real estate, but he had $350 in personal items. Since Lemuel was a farmer, his personal items probably consisted of furnishings, animals, tools, and a wagon. Mr. Luther Vanbergler (likely Van Berkalow) of Ohio, a day laborer, also lived with them. However, no familial connection has been found.

Civil War

At the end of October 1864, Lemuel was called to serve in the Civil War. Whether or not he served is unknown. However, it seems unlikely since he would have had several children at the time and none were old enough to manage the farm.

1870 Census

By 1870, the family was in Van Buren Township in Lee County, Iowa near the Warren post office. Just two years earlier, they had been near the Croton post office. This may have been in the same area along the Iowa-Missouri border. However, Warren is such a ghost town that isn’t even in the list of ghost towns in the area.

The three oldest from their prior marriages were no longer in the household. Mary Ann had married John Macklin, who was 12 years her senior and who had fought in the Civil War. By this time, they had moved to Adams County, Illinois near Quincy. Eleven of their descendants have been confirmed via DNA.

Delormah, who was only 12, was living with and working for a farmer nearby. And, Lewis was nowhere to be found. Since Lewis never shows up in any documents, it is believed he likely died sometime during this 10-year span. However, it is possible that he went to live with another family. Still, no DNA matches have been identified that match through him.

Remaining Mysteries:

What was the source of the maiden name Johnson?
- Did it come from the fact that Lemuel’s son William T. McCracken’s first wife Louretta Johnston was supposed to be a cousin of Louisiana?
- Was Louretta really a cousin to Louisiana?
Is Lemuel F’s middle name Franklin or Francis?
Did Lemuel serve in the Civil War?
What happened to Lewis?
Is Louisiana’s name Louisiana or Louisanna?

Related Discoveries

1860 Census listed the family as: Samuel, Rosannah, Mary, Lewis, Delormah, and Samuel McCracker. Yes, with a “r” on the end.
Minnie (McCracken) Munroe’s probate papers listed Mabel Hanson, Eleanor Kealen, Addie Brown, Martha Boswell, Bertha Neal, John Macklin, Lester Macklin, Margaret Armstrong, Mary Macklin, William Macklin, Otis Macklin, and Anna Macklin who were unknown to the family. That led to the discovery of Louisiana’s first marriage.
- Lewis/Louis was not listed in the probate papers, which gives reason to believe he died before adulthood.
1870 Census lists Sam, Samuel and Billie for Lemuel, Lemuel F., and Ida Belle.
A researcher claimed Louisiana’s name was Mattser. In proving that wasn’t true, I discovered it was Matteer.

William Thomas “Bill” McCracken and his first wife Louretta Johnston, who died in childbirth

Off to Kansas

In 1873, Lemuel, Louisiana, and the children that they had together: Lemuel Franklin, William Thomas, Andrew Johnson, Ida Belle, and Joseph Henry moved to Crawford County, Kansas. Lemuel’s son Delormah, who was only 15, stayed behind in Iowa. It is unclear why he did not join the family. Having him come along would have been one more mouth to feed. However, he was the oldest son and could have definitely helped with travel and with farming.

It is unknown exactly why the family moved to Kansas. However, at the time they moved, Louisiana’s brother Charles was already living in Kansas. He first moved to Allen County before moving to Howard County. That area later became Chautauqua County where Lemuel moved in the 1890s. It is unclear where he was in 1873 as he was in Howard County in 1872 and in Scott Township in Bourbon County in 1875.

It is assumed that he was still in Howard County when they arrived in Kansas as it was told that Lemuel and family spent their first night in Kansas with the Gallea family (who Lemuel knew/knew of). This property was located just south of Cato, which was on the Bourbon-Crawford County line.

Life In Crawford County

Lemuel and Louisiana’s last child, Francis E. was born in Kansas in 1874. She was likely named after Louisiana’s brother Francis, who died shortly before she was born. Sometime after 1880, her name was changed to Minnie Alameda. Why it was changed is unknown.

In 1875, Lemuel was selected as an alternate to attend the “Reform” Convention representing Sherman Township in Crawford County. The party was short-lived and no indications have arisen of Lemuel’s political affiliation after that date.

During the family’s time in Crawford County, Lemuel farmed. And, in 1877, he made a portion of his income threshing with L.R. Church for other people.

Remaining Mysteries:

Why did Delormah remain in Iowa?
How did Lemuel come to know of the Gallea family?
Why did Francis’ name change?
- What was her original middle name?
Henry, who used the name Joseph. Henry is listed in the 1875 census as R.H. or B.H. Is this an error or another name change?

Related Discoveries

The name Francis was listed in in 1875 Kansas census and the 1880 federal census

Louisiana Was Ailing

In 1878 or 1879, Louisiana was ailing and the family supposedly headed to where family lived. It is unclear whether they made it to their destination or whether they had to stop due to Louisiana’s deteriorating health. They ended up in Bates County, Missouri, which was north of Crawford County and just on the other side of the Kansas-Missouri state line.

McCracken and Badgley families were living in the county at the time they arrived. The McCracken families do not appear to have been related to Lemuel and they lived in another part of the county. However, the Badgley families had property in the portion of the county where Lemuel lived. It is not yet known if they were related to Louisiana’s first husband or not.

Louisiana’s Death

In August 1879, Louisiana died in Bates County, Missouri and is buried at Morris Cemetery, which is the creepiest cemetery that I have ever visited besides the one at the state hospital where Lemuel is buried. Morris Cemetery is at the end of a road that is about 3/4 of a mile long. There are no houses along the road except one right across from the cemetery. It is a beautiful location. However, someone could kill you there and no one would ever know.

Still in Bates County

After Louisiana died, Lemuel stayed in Bates County. Apparently, not all his friends and family knew he had moved given that he had a letter waiting for him in Crawford County, Kansas in March of 1880.

In 1880, he is living in Mt. Pleasant Township in Bates County Missouri. His four youngest children are with him. It is unclear where Delormah, Lemuel F. and William T. were at this time as they have not been found in the 1880 census records for any state.

In 1881, Lemuel paid taxes on what a property in Mt. Pleasant Township. It was in Section 30 Township 40 Range 31. However, it had an unusual description. It is believed that it is an area carved out by the river. It is unclear whether he owned this property or rented it. Records of paying tax on the property exist, but indications also exist that he may not have been the owner. See map in next section for location.

Remaining Mysteries:

Where was the family heading?
Why did they stop in Bates County?
- Did Louisiana die and they just stayed?
- Were they related to the McCrackens there?
- Were the Badgleys there related to Lousiana’s first husband?
Where were Delormah, Lemuel F., and William T. in 1880?
Were Lemuel F. and William T. with the family when they left Kansas?

Related Discoveries

A book at the Old Fort Genealogy just happened to have Louisiana’s burial location in it. This was prior to Find-A-Grave and other sites.
Old tax records at a museum in Bates County instead of at the County Courthouse

Another Wife

In the spring of 1881, Lemuel married Melissa (Eveline) Donley McKown Rhodes. Eveline had two prior marriages and had children from each prior marriage. Her children were Laura Luella “Ella” McKown, Felix Henry McKown, and Thomas Anthony Rhodes.

Location of Eveline’s Children

It is unknown where Eveline’s children lived. Thomas was just a baby. So, it seems likely that he lived with them. Of course, I always assumed that the baby in the story the family told about crying when they left or because they didn’t want to leave someone was Francis/Minnie as the youngest of Lemuel’s children. However, it could have also been Thomas.

Felix was 10 and Ella was 12. They had both been with Eveline in 1880. However, they may or may not have lived with them.

Location of Lemuel’s Children

It is unclear which ones of Lemuel and Eveline’s children lived with them. However, Louisiana’s daughter Mary Ann (Badgley) Macklin was 34 and was living with her husband and children in Adams County, Illinois at this time. Lemuel’s son Delormah married in Lee County, Iowa that same year. No evidence has been found that either Mary Ann or Delormah, or Lawrence as he was called as an adult, ever came to Kansas or Missouri.

There are no details on Lemuel F., who was known as Uncle Frank until 1886 when he is found in Adams County, Illinois. He appears to reside there for the remainder of his life.

William T. or Uncle Bill as he was known moved with Lem and Louisiana to Kansas, but is unknown if he left Kansas with them or not. He is next found in 1886 in Crawford County,

Kids In Bates County

Andrew Johnson “Andy” moved with Lemuel to Bates County, Missouri. He was with Lemuel in 1880. However, it is unknown where he was between 1880 and 1892, when he married in Crawford County, Kansas. His obituary says he grew up in Crawford County, but I know he was in Bates County at least for a period of time. He was very close to Uncle Bill and it seems likely they might have spent at least part of those years together.

Ida Belle moved with the family to Bates County, Missouri. I am not sure on the location of her marriage in 1888; however, she had a child in Illinois in 1890 and was in Adams County, Illinois in 1900. Although I have no evidence, I think it may be likely that she moved to where Mary lived when Lemuel and Eveline married.

I am not sure the exact year that Joseph (Henry) went to live with the Dudley family, but he was with them in Butler County, Kansas in 1885.

It also seems that Francis/Minnie may have went to live elsewhere, possibly with her half-sister Mary, who was old enough to be her mother. She definitely lived in that area as an adult.

Children of Lemuel and Eveline

There are no known children of Lemuel and Eveline; however, I heard a story from another researcher that they might have had a child that died. The story is feasible since Eveline was not yet 35 when they married. Additionally, records show that Eveline gave birth to six children. However, only three were living. It is possible that she lost three children with her first husband, but I haven’t uncovered specifics to prove this true or false.

The Missing Years

Very little is known about Lemuel and Eveline’s time in Bates County, Missouri. It isn’t even known if the first 12 years of their marriage was all spent in Bates County. One article indicated that they may have lived south of Nevada, MO for a time; however, they were known to be in Bates County in 1884, 1885, and 1890. In addition, October 17, 1885, they purchased the west half of the northwest quarter of the northwest quarter of Section 32 in Township 40 and range 31.

The property was purchased for $450 from J.C. and Anna Lucas. Interestingly, Lemuel’s name was listed as the purchaser. However, in 1893, when they sold the property, both Lemuel and Eveline’s names were listed as the sellers. This may have been because of a bank note on the property, which could have been in both names.

They sold the property to James Frazier on February 17, 1893 for $550. It was subject to a trust deed for $240 to Missouri State Bank, which the purchaser agreed to assume and pay. Lemuel signed the warranty deed with his mark. However, Eveline apparently could write and signed her own name.

Remaining Mysteries:

Which children lived with Lemuel and Eveline?
- If they didn’t, where were they?
- Was Francis/Minnie sent to live with Mary?
Did Lemuel and Eveline have any children?
- If so, what happened to them?
Did Lemuel’s children know Eveline’s children?
- If so, did they keep in touch?
When did Eveline’s husband Lewis Calvin McKown die?
What happened to Eveline’s husband William A. Rhodes? I found a man that matches what little is known about him in the Kansas City area.
- Is that him?
- Did he die?
- Were they even married?

Related Discoveries

An entire host of records related to wife #3
A tale of buried treasure that touches upon Eveline’s family

Green – Lemuel owned or lived here

Blue – Property of Badgley families

Chautauqua County

In 1893, Lemuel went to Chautauqua County, Kansas in preparation for a move to that location. While visiting the area, he visited with an old friend Mr. Robinson, whose wife was from the Porcupile family. It is unknown why they chose to move to Chautauqua County. Louisiana’s brother had lived in the area at one time, they knew the Porcupile family that lived in the area, and Louisana’s niece was in the area. However, it is unclear if any of these drove Lemuel and Evaline to move to the area or not.

Lemuel and Eveline purchased the east half of the southeast quarter of the northwest quarter of Section 10 of Township 34 (Summit Township) Range 10 east of the 6th principal meridian from Albert Straight. They paid $200 for the 20 acre property.

The January after they moved, an article referred to Lemuel and his son. It seems likely that the son was Eveline’s son Thomas. However, no name was given and no children were with them by 1895.

In The News

In December 1894, Lemuel added a new kitchen to their home.

February 1895 brought a cold snap to the area. During the cold weather, a fire started at Lemuel’s home. Fortunately, it was quickly noticed and able to be put out before it did any serious damage.

In February 1896, Lemuel joined the Buffalo Glee Club. No idea that he could sing and maybe he couldn’t as I only saw one mention of that activity.

In April 1896, Eveline was talking about getting a bicycle. As a result, the reporter thought the Lowe neighborhood where Lemuel and Eveline lived was becoming quite metropolitan.

The fall of 1898 was quite a busy time. Lemuel made 400 gallons of sorghum molasses, which he placed for sale. He was also one of several men providing feed to Comes and Bradley’s 750 head of cattle. He must have made a bit of money that fall since in November, he bought a new harness and new furniture.

Parties

The year 1899 was full of birthday parties. On April 12, some of Lemuel’s neighbors surprised him with a party. Everyone got their fill of cake. Then on Eveline’s birthday, a group of 44 gathered to celebrate with oysters, crackers, and cake.

Construction And Destruction

The year had brought many other happenings. In May, Lemuel built a new room for Billy Post. However, May 22 brought destruction when the worst hail storm that people in the area could remember hit the area. On top of hail damage to crops and houses, the storm also brought torrential rain. Lemuel had one “window light” broken, but others were not so lucky as they had many more broken. I assume a “window light” was another name for a window pane.

The summer brought work in the blackberry patch, selling hogs at the nearby town of Wauneta, and the purchase of two shoats (young pigs).

Company

Meanwhile the fall of 1899, brought company to Lemuel and Eveline. Andrew came for a 10-day visit. Other than Eveline’s son Thomas, he is the only child of either one that I have found a record of visiting them.

Allie Moody

While living near Sedan, Allie Moody, the young son of Allen J.Moody, lived with Lemuel and Eveline. How this came about is unknown. However, both families were relative newcomers to the area, they lived in the same area, and Allen’s wife had died. Thus, I suspect Allen needed someone to care for his young son.

The first time, Allie is known to have stayed with Lemuel and Eveline was around Christmas 1899. Both Allie and his older sister Roxy, who was on vacation from school, stay at the McCracken house. It was around this time that their father gave Lemuel and Eveline a silver syrup pitcher. I wonder if this was payment or gift for taking care of the children.

In 1899, Roxie had stayed with different families and attended school in Elgin and Sedan. However, at the time of the 1900 census, Allen and Roxie, who was a teenager, were living nearby with the Baker family. It isn’t clear why Allie didn’t also live there. It may have been an issue of money or space given the Baker family had several boarders.

Allen still made sure to see Allie often – even when he was wanted by the law for an altercation with another local man.

The Altercation

The issue with the other man arose when the other man was questioned by the father of some girls about coming to the wagon they were sleeping in one night. That man said that it wasn’t him and claimed he spoke to the girls and they said that it was Allen Moody. This story got out and Allen was quite upset at being accused. The other man claimed that one day Allen assaulted him and tried to kill him. It took the sheriff some time to locate Allen although he would sneak in to visit his son. Not sure if he visited his daughter or not.

Despite no witnesses, Allen Moody was found guilty and charged $10 plus costs. A portion of the costs were for witnesses to testify. Lemuel and Eveline were paid $5.15 each to testify, which seems like quite a sum for 1901.

Allen Moody, however, didn’t have the money to pay the fine and costs. Thus, he remained in jail. Before he was released, Allie, who was age 4, died at Lemuel and Eveline’s home of croup (laryngotracheobronchitis). Losing his son after losing his wife in July 1899 and being jailed must have been quite a blow to Mr. Moody.

Life is Changing

1900 started off with lots of activity at the McCracken household. Early in the year Lemuel was suffering from sore eyes. And, then Little Allie died in their care. With his dad in jail, Allie’s funeral appears to have been left to Lemuel and Eveline to arrange. It was held in their home. No burial location has been found for him, which may mean that the little boy was buried on their property.

After the Moody incident and death of little Allie, Lemuel and Eveline weren’t in the news quite as often. However, they remained well known in the area. They were even known in Sedan as in 1903 the notary indicated that they were personally known to him when they filed a Quit Claim Deed providing property to Benson Layson.

Oil and Gas

The 1900s brought people wishing to lease land for oil and gas exploration to the area. In 1904, Lemuel leased the gas and oil rights on his property to AW Cole and Stanley Bowers, who were in business together. He received $20 up front. The lease provided various rights and payments depending on if the company drilled and what they found.

Moving On

And, 1905 seemed to bring the last of Lemuel and Eveline’s out of town visitors in this location when Eveline’s son Thomas Rhodes and family visited for 3 weeks that April. And, in September, Lemuel took his last load of kaffir corn to the local market.

October 20, 1905 was the last big party at Lemuel and Eveline’s Chautauqua County home. That day they held a “social hop” for some of the young people in the neighborhood. Apparently, that wasn’t supposed to be the last big party. However, when people showed up for a party at their house right before they thought they were heading to their new home, they found them missing from the property. It seems they may have headed out for their new home and missed their own party. I sure wish that that article was more readable and we could know for sure.

Of Note

Lemuel was referred to as Daddy McCracken or Uncle McCracken quite often. I suppose it was because of his age since none of his kids lived there. So, it isn’t like others were calling him that unless it was due to little Allie living with them. On the other hand, perhaps it was just a friendly gesture or one used when the author couldn’t remember a person’s given name. On at least one occasion, I saw Eveline referred to as “Aunty.” I guess it was just a folksy way of talking about neighbors in the Lowe and Rogers neighborhoods.

Lemuel & Eveline (Donley) McCracken. The photo was taken by J.C. Avery of Sedan. He was in business the entire time they lived in the area, but I am guessing the photo was taken during the first five years they lived there (1893-1897). They likely traded for the photo as the photographer frequently advertised that he would trade photographs for hay, wood, and corn.

Remaining Mysteries:

Did Lemuel and Eveline live in Bates County the entire time prior to moving to Chautuaqua County?
Why did Lemuel and Eveline move to Chautauqua County, Kansas?
How did Allie Moody come to live with Lemuel and Eveline?
How did Lemuel and Eveline know the Porcupile family?
What was the story with the Quit Claim Deed to Benson Layson?

Related Discoveries

Many mentions of Lemuel and Eveline in the local newspapers. This location was the only one where they were regularly mentioned in the newspaper.
Photograph of them was taken at Sedan
The entire story of Allie Moody living with Lemuel and Eveline.

Chautauqua County, Kansas Map 1903. Source: www.kansasmemory.org

Green – Lemuel’s property

Yellow – Known associates of Lemuel

Tan – Where A J Moody boarded

Purple – Post offices associated with Lemuel

The Twins

Lemuel and John

John McCracken, not to be confused with the John McCracken that people mistakenly believe is Lemuel’s father, was born in 1811 in Washington County, Tennessee. Although both families have ties to Pennsylvania, no connection has been found between the two families.

Lemuel’s Last Years

Near the end of October in 1905, Lemuel and Eveline sold their property to Mort Christman for $300.

There are indications that they moved back to Missouri. However, it appears that they actually moved to near Farlington.

Andrew appears to have looked after them until Lemuel was hospitalized at the state hospital a month before his death. The family said that Lemuel was sent to Osawatomie because he was hard to handle. Meanwhile, the newspaper said that he was adjudged insane by two doctors and the case was presented at the Probate Court on January 18, 1910. However, the Crawford County Probate Office claimed they had no records for Lemuel for any date. I even had then check several spellings and the name Samuel.

After Lemuel’s Death

In 1910, Eveline was with her son Thomas in Texas. However, in 1912, Eveline received aid from Crawford County that was given to people who were poor. Then, in 1916, an article indicates she had been in Crawford County. It is unclear if she was still living there or if she had just recently been there on a visit. One of her descendants claims that she lived with Andrew McCracken between 1916 and 1918, but that remains to be proven.

It is also believed that she may have also spent time with her other children.

Nothing about Eveline or her children were found in any McCracken family papers with the exception of the photograph of Lemuel and Eveline. We had only a small one. However, multiple larger originals were passed down in Eveline’s family.

Remaining Mysteries:

Where are the court records regarding Lemuel’s hospitalization at Osawatomie?
What was Lemuel’s issue that had him declared insane?
Did Eveline live with Andrew and family?
- While Lemuel was hospitalized?
- For periods of time after Lemuel died?

Related Discoveries

Postcard acknowledging Lemuel’s death showing a relationship to Quincy, IL and L.F. McCracken.