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. 

 

 

 

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. 

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.

 

 

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.

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.

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.

 

 

 

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’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.