About 15 to 20 years ago, I was doing genealogy research for a friend that I worked with in Colorado. As I researched, I found myself 700 miles away in the same neighborhood where I grew up. And, before I was done, her family’s story included characters from not only her family, but my family and another friend’s family trees.
The Hogue Family
My friend had lived in Colorado all her life. We talked about her Hogue family line. She knew that her ancestors had lived in Iowa and moved to Arkansas before settling in Colorado. I dived in researching the family. When I got to her great-great-grandfather George Washington Hogue, I found a record in an unexpected place: Pawnee Township, Bourbon County, Kansas.
So many questions arose. What are the odds? What drew them there? Did our families know each other?
Footprints
I mentioned the family to my dad. He did not know of them, but said that he had seen the name Hogue in the book “Footprints of Bourbon County Families.” He was, of course, correct (photographic memory can be a wonderful resource). The man in the book was George’s son, John Wesley Hogue. The book had a photo of him and told a portion of his story.
John or J.W., as he was commonly known, and his family had travel via covered wagon to Ft. Scott in 1896, where he worked as a fireman. J.W. and his wife Amanda became involved in local organizations and he later became involved in politics.
Neighbors
Neighbors
By 1902, J.W. had moved his family to near Pawnee. According to the story, they lived on the Carpenter Ranch a couple of miles east of Pawnee. However, newspaper articles indicate that the family lived at two different locations in the Pawnee area. Examining the 1905 census I found them to be listed only a few houses from the Killian and Fisch families, which would have been southwest of Pawnee.
The following year, Grandma Nellie (Peelle) McCracken, her parents, and her grandparents moved to the Fisch farm and J.W. moved his family to the Carpenter Ranch. Thus, it appears the two families just missed being close neighbors by a matter of months. But, their paths still had plenty of opportunities to cross.
Johnson School
In 1904, John’s parents George Washington (G.W.) Hogue and his wife Dicy came for a visit. In November G.W. preached at Johnson School. This was the school that Grandpa Joe McCracken and his siblings attended and of which Grandpa’s father Andrew would be the director for several years. Andrew had rented “Grandpa” Johnson’s property just north of the school late the previous year. I wonder with great curiosity if this is the same man named “Johnson “that was said to have taught or given Andrew his special healing ability. (But, that is a story for another day.)
Loss Of A Wife
While in Ft. Scott one day, J.W.’s wife suddenly took ill and never recovered. Her funeral was held at the “old” Methodist Church at 3rd & National in Fort Scott. It was the last service held in the old church before it was torn down to make way for a new larger church. My husband and I married in the “new” church, as did my parents.
The Hotel In Pawnee
Following the death of his wife, J.W. moved from the Carpenter Ranch into Pawnee. At that time, he bought the hotel from W.E. Deesler, who is the grandfather of Doris Mayberry, our long-time neighbor and whose family tree I have also researched.
After a few years and with a new wife, J.W. exchanged the hotel for a small farm a half-mile west of Hiattville. The new owner said that he would keep the livery, which J.W. had run, but did not plan to run the hotel. Thus, the hotel was soon sold. The new owner was the Oscar B. Barton and his wife, who were the parents of Andrew’s niece Florence (McCracken) Barton’s husband.
Grandma & Grandpa Hogue
During the time J.W. ran the hotel and livery in Pawnee, his parents moved to the area. They seemed to be called Grandma and Grandpa Hogue by the locals. Grandma Hogue was known to visit Rocky Vale school, which sat just north of Dad’s property line. And, Grandpa Hogue preached there on at least a couple of occasions.
It was during a time between when Grandma (Peelle) McCracken and her siblings attended Rocky Vale and the time when Dad and his siblings attended. It wasn’t until 1920 that O’Ella, the oldest of his siblings, began her education at Rocky Vale. Three of the McCracken siblings would go on to teach there and Grandpa Joe McCracken would be the director of Rocky Vale for many years.
Alfred Hogue
During this time, there were also visits from other of Grandma and Grandpa Hogue’s children. One of them was my friend’s great-grandfather Alfred. Alfred and his family had moved around, but in 1913 they were living in Mulberry. However, it did not last for long as Alfred left late that summer to scout locations in Colorado for the family. He soon sent word for his wife and children to join him.
And, They Are Gone
J.W. exchanged his farm for Faust Restaurant and boarding house in Fort Scott. However, that venture only lasted a few months before he was also off to Colorado. Soon after Grandma and Grandpa Hogue sold out. It was said that they were heading back to Iowa, but if so, it must have been for a short stay as they were also soon living in Colorado.
Some of the next generation did stay in the general area, but the Hogue’s presence in Pawnee Township was suddenly greatly diminished. And, the interaction between our families would not, as far as I know, occur again until I met my friend many years later.