The Ghosts of Christmas Past

Christmas is a time of great joy -- families together, sharing memories as well as gifts and good food. Christmas is also a time to remember our loved ones who are no longer with us. I believe our loved ones never truly die as long as they are in our memories. We remember them especially during the holidays and wish they were here to celebrate Christmas with us once again.

Sometimes wishes come true.....

The following Christmas story was written by Frances Boren Haymond Nugent. She was the daughter of Lee Boren and Laura Belle Steward Boren of Fairland. When Frances was a small child (age 4), she was orphaned when her parents passed away at very young ages. Frances was raised by her grandparents, Margaret and William “Fred” Steward of Fairland. After Margaret died, Frances’ other grandparents, the Borens, helped raise her, too.

This story was generously shared by Frances’ daughter, Carolyn Haymond Bowden. She wrote that she thought her mother would like having her story published on this blog. She said her mother would be amazed by our way of communicating through blogs and emails. Thank you, Carolyn, for sharing this. It’s a wonderful Christmas gift.

THE GHOSTS OF CHRISTMAS PAST – 1914

(By Frances Boren Haymond who was aged 7 in 1914)

There was the Christmas at the little gray house across the street from the Methodist Church in Fairland. The year was 1914. Grandpa Steward and Hazel had moved from the brick house when Grandma Steward died in July 1913, and my mother Laura Belle Boren (had died) in April 1910. Hazel (Steward) was a senior in high school, I was in the 2nd grade.

Santa Claus left us many nice gifts. Brown leather leggings and a fur muff and neck piece for me and for Hazel a tiger skin hat and scarf, what else I don’t remember. I think we had candy, but not much, I’m sure.

Grandpa, Hazel and I were eating our Christmas dinner when the church bell started ringing fast and loud, very different from the slow Sunday morning ding-dong. We ran outside and saw that the house at the far end of our street was on fire. We ran down the street, Uncle Jim Steward’s house was down that way.

Men with buckets of water were trying to save the house, drawn to the bright flames that flashed out from one of the windows. It was not Uncle Jim’s house, but it was near and Uncle Jim and Aunt Eddie and cousins Ofa, Sumner, Fern, and Ivy (Steward) must have been visiting elsewhere for I don’t remember any of them staying with us as the house burned. (Note, “But Ivy says she remembers being there.”)

It was the first burning house I’d ever seen. Uncle Jim moved into the new house that was built later.

The rest of the day, even the walk back to our deserted Christmas dinner with Grandpa and Hazel has faded from my memory. I suppose I said a prayer before I slept. I always did. I was programmed to do so.

A wish fulfilled…..a glimpse into Christmas past with my Steward family. What a wonderful gift!

I would like to wish all of you -- my family and friends, and all who read my stories, a memorable and blessed Christmas. Remember to share your memories and keep the stories alive. They will be cherished by someone just like me……

Cemeteries - Restoring the Past

On a recent visit to Shelbyville, I went to the beautiful Fairland Cemetery to visit the family plot. This cemetery has been well maintained and always seems the same. No missing stones, no broken or cracked stones (that I know of), it is always a lovely peaceful place.

Other cemeteries in the county are not so fortunate. I also have ancestors in the old Brandywine Cemetery just outside Fairland. It was once a beautiful cemetery, but time has taken its toll and the number of broken and missing stones grows larger every year. Even though it is well-maintained and kept neat, the location of the cemetery seems to have helped its decline. It is off the main road and seems to have been vandalized many times over the years. It is a sad situation.

There is a new movement in Shelby County to restore many of these old, decayed cemeteries. The Webb Cemetery is currently being redone with the help of volunteers led by Julie Bielefeld. Julie and husband, Jon, restored the Lisher Cemetery. The Lisher Cemetery, filled with my ancestors who moved to Shelby County in its early days, is a small piece of heaven on earth. Every time I visit the cemetery, a great sense of peace and happiness fills me. This is how I want to feel when I visit the old cemeteries in Shelby County.

Unfortunately, there are so many who make me feel sad, frustrated and even angry when I see they have been vandalized. A reader told me that the Parrish Cemetery is in need of help, another said the Old Boggstown Cemetery was in bad shape. I know the small Williams Cemetery, not far from the big casino just north of Shelbyville is in serious decline. There are so many that need our help.

With genealogy becoming immensely popular today, the urge to travel and visit the homes of our ancestors is growing. Many people come to Shelby County to find their ancestors. I know the routine well! Researchers visit the Genealogy Library (Genie House) first. Next, they read the obituaries and find the details of their ancestor’s life and death. They discover where their ancestor is buried by checking the wonderful cemetery books that detail most (if not all) of the Shelby County burials. They usually ask the staff (and it’s a GREAT staff!) how to find the cemetery. Once they reach the cemetery, they are either awed or dismayed…..

If you would be interested in contributing a donation to the cemetery restoration project, or would like to volunteer for their next project, please get in touch with me. I’ll send you information on how to do both.

The restoration of the old cemeteries will continue to be discussed in this blog. Stay tuned for further updates.

Old Letters Are Treasures

Finding Clues In Old Family Letters

My Grandma, Ofa Steward Williams, kept a lot of family treasures. They weren't pieces of valuable jewelry or heirloom antiques - they were so much better. Grandma kept boxes of old family photos and letters. These are the treasures that genealogists dream of finding.

On many of my visits with Grandma, she would give me some of the photos and letters. She knew I was interested in the family history - I always asked questions about who was related to us and how??? I suspect there were some days when she wished I would stop! But she always seemed eager to discuss the "old days" and told wonderful stories about her family life as she was growing up in Fairland, just north of Shelbyville.

Her father was James Matthew Steward. He was a rural mail carrier until he retired when he became ill with T.B. He passed away when he was 60 years old, in 1932. He was my great-grandfather and everyone called him Pampaw or Pampaw Jim.

I recently found a letter that he wrote to his only son, Charles Sumner Steward who lived in Indianapolis. I think this letter is a wonderful example of the closeness Pampaw had with his family. It reminds me of what life was like before we had tv, computers, cell phones and all the other distractions that intrude into our lives every day. Before we had all of these gadgets, we had lots more time for our family and friends - and isn't that the way it's supposed to be?

This letter was written just after the passing of Pampaw's dad, William Frederick Steward, he died just a few weeks before, on December 22nd. The letter is so full of love and caring. It showed how very close Pampaw Jim was to his father AND to his son. It made me feel as if I had known Jim Steward, even though he was long gone before I was born. The old letters reveal so much about the writer - his personality, his love of family, even his intelligence (I never knew how much schooling Pampaw Jim ever had.)

So, save all those old letters (and emails) from your loved ones. Your future generations will be thankful some day that you did. I know that I am.

Here is Pampaw Jim's letter to his son, Sumner:

New Years Day 8:30 PM 1928

Dear Folks,

We have a jolly big fire going and Mom and I are resting in our big chairs comfortably, and hope you are, at this moment, as comfortable and safe from the outside cold as we are. We do enjoy your company so much, even if only for a little while at a time. I believe everybody had a good time today, and I hope all are safe at home now, feeling repaid for braving the elements of this bitter cold, by the pleasure they brought to the old home visit once again.

We are always glad to welcome you all back home, but you especially, Sumner, stand in a peculiar relation to your old Dad now, as I feel that you are the one man in the world I can tie to. I have confidence in others, and I like my friends, but my brothers are gone, my old Dad has crossed over, and I have only you.

I am proud of you, boy, and can truthfully and thankfully say I have always been. I hope when you look at me, as I have so recently had to look at my own father, you can pray the little prayer I prayed as I looked upon his face for the last time, and I hope I can merit it. "Oh God, make me worthy of him, help me to emulate his virture, forget his failure, and meet him again in a better home." His passing has been a hard blow to me, but nothing in life has ever plumbed the depths of my being as did your going nearly ten years ago, when you left home on that awful night - bound for war. I want to keep young in heart, always. I want to work and play, and to be worthy of the family and friends God has blessed me with, so I can always enjoy and interest them all as they come and go. I just got to thinking of things like this after you all left, and that's where you come in at. I can unload some my burdens on younger shoulders - on yours.

I am full of hope for the future and hope we all meet in many more family gatherings - but one never knows what the future holds. Wishing you both a happy and prosperous New Year, I am the same old

Dad

Honoring Our Shelby County Ancestors

Ways to Honor Our Ancestors

It is about that time of the year when we think about our family members who are no longer with us. With Memorial Day, Mother’s Day and Father’s Day in the near future, we wish we could find a way to remember them in a special way.

If you have ancestors in a distant county or state, it can be a challenge to find the time or a way to leave flowers on a loved one’s grave. We aren’t all able to travel to Shelby County to the beautiful cemeteries for each special occasion to leave a memorial.

I've learned some other ways to honor my ancestors -- although I do leave flowers whenever I get back to Shelby County. Unfortunately, I have so many deceased ancestors, I could fill my car with flowers and drive from cemetery to cemetery and probably never get all the flowers delivered in my brief visits.

Here are several different ways to honor your ancestors. Ways that they would appreciate. Ways that will make you feel good that you took the time to remember them.

Make a donation to honor them. Remember, ANY dollar amount is appreciated!

* The Shelbyville Genealogy Division of the Shelbyville Public Library needs donations. Send a check of any amount in your ancestors’ name and thank the staff for their excellent work. Their address is: 58 West Hendricks St. Shelbyville, Indiana 46176

* Make a donation to the restored Strand Theatre. Send a check of any amount, tell them you are honoring a family member. The Strand has become a true community center. Talk about bringing the past back to life! It is happening here every week. The Strand’s address is: 215 S. Harrison St. Shelbyville, Indiana 46176

*Join the Shelby County Genealogical Society.
This is a wonderful organization, working hard to put together historic books about the county. With each paid membership, a subscription to Fore Bear Pa's comes to your mailbox. It has many interesting old newspaper articles, photos, births, deaths -- all focused on Shelby Co. The membership fee is $15.00 a year. Their address is: P.O. Box 434, Shelbyville, Indiana 46176.

*Contact your ancestor’s church and request information on making a donation in their honor. Ask how to donate flowers for the alter to honor them on a special day.

*Share your genealogy!!! This will insure your ancestor’s place in immortality. There are many ways to share your genealogy. I will admit, I am donating ALL of my research and books to the Shelbyville “Genie House”. But, if your ancestors were in other counties, you might decide to donate your research elsewhere. The Indiana State Library has a HUGE section of family files, and I’m sure the Ft. Wayne Library must, too. Be generous with your research and help other family members get to know their ancestors. Be sure that you give yourself credit and copyright your work.

* Write a blog. Tell the world about your experiences with genealogy. Share your stories of joy when you make a big connection. Share your sorrow when the family legend about a sad event is discovered to be true. Let the world know you have a big wonderful family, in spite of a rotten apple or two (if you've found any!). Let the world know how proud you are of all of your ancestors.

As a final suggestion I would like YOUR suggestions about how you honor your ancestors. Please email me and I will add a second installment to this chapter. I KNOW there are many other family traditions that are observed, so please share them.

Our ancestors lived in hard times. They lived without all of the advantages we have today. Many of them fought in wars to defend our future rights and to make the world a better, safer place for us. We should honor them each and every day. We wouldn’t be here without them!

My Shelby County Families

Are We Researching the Same Lines? 

                                                                           

My Shelby County ancestors came from many areas before settling in the Shelby County area. Most of them were from Virginia, North Carolina, and New England. They were all moving to Indiana for more land and more opportunities for a better life. Indiana was the ideal spot for both.

The families I’m connected to in Shelby County are numerous. Since they were nearly all very early settlers, they married within their communities -- generally neighbors and church friends. In those early days (1820s and 1830s) there weren’t too many of the opposite sex to pick from who lived in the “neighborhood". Amazingly, those marriages were strong and lasted a life time. Divorce was very rare. Usually, when someone remarried, it was due to the death of a spouse.

So, here are my Shelby families -- somehow a list seems so impersonal. But to add all of the interesting facts and stories would fill a book! So, a list will have to do for now. I hope that this list will inspire you to contact me if you are also researching any of these Shelby County families. I am eager to hear from you -- we might be cousins!

Alphabetically, here are my direct Shelby County family lines -- I am also including wives’ maiden names as I feel they are also direct lines. (I know many researchers who do not research the female lines which is excluding half your family.)

Henricks / Hendricks -- David - b. 5 Sep 1788 KY d. 16 Mar 1859 Shelby Co. IN

Wife: Elizabeth McCormick - b. 12 May 1808 KY d. 13 Oct 1858 Shelby Co. IN

Imel -- Peter - b. 30 Mar. 1764 (sd. to be Germany, no proof yet) d. 3 Jan 1849 Shelby Co. IN.
Wife: Susannah Kirkwood - b. 1766 VA d. bet. 1820-1830 Wayne Co. IN

James -- Nicholas - b. abt 1785 VA - d. 1839 Shelby Co. IN
Wife: Martha (possibly Phillips) - b. abt 1790 VA - d. aft. 1860 in Saunders Co. NE

Lisher -- Lewis - b. 25 Sep 1805 NY or OH - d. 9 Aug 1871 Shelby Co. IN
Wife: Martha Jane Baker - b. 22 Oct. 1814 OH - d. 5 Jan 1855 Shelby Co. IN (After Martha died, Lewis married Cynthia Arnold Plummer) (The name "Lisher" was originially spelled "Larcher" in New England. When the family moved to Ohio, it became Lisher.)

Padrick -- Daniel - b. 1798 Currituck Co. NC - d. 27 May 1887 Shelby Co. IN
Wife: Margaret Casey - b. 5 Dec. 1898 Currituck Co. NC - d. 30 Sep 1843 Shelby Co. IN. (Daniel married three more times, divorcing twice. His last wife was Rachel Henricks from Rush Co. Between his first wife, Margaret and 4th wife Rachel, Daniel had 20 children!)

Rush -- James - b. abt. 1781 Madison Co. VA - d. 4 Jul 1877 Shelby Co. IN (I believe the death date on James’ stone to be an error. Comparing his ages listed in the census, it seems likely he was born about 1781)
Wife: Barbara Barngrover - b. abt 1785 VA - d. bef. 1837 Shelby Co. IN (After Barbara died, James married 2) Hannah Lloyd in 1837; 3) Mary Drogan In 1851; and 4) Nancy Pollard in 1859

Steward / Stewart -- John - b. abt 1794 PA - d. 19 Dec 1867 Shelby Co. IN
Wife Christena Pate - b. abt 1799 VA - d. 6 Mar 1873 Shelby Co. IN (The photo above is William Frederick Steward, his son James Matthew Steward, James' daughter, Ofa Steward Williams, her son Charles N. Williams - cica 1918-1919 in Shelby Co. IN)

Terhune - William R. - b. 24 Dec. 1871 Rush Co. IN - d. 12 Jun 1958 Shelby Co. IN
Wife - Grace Sanders - b. 13 Dec 1884 Shelby Co. IN - d. 3 Aug 1957 Shelby Co. IN. (William’s father was Wm. B. Terhune - b. 1829 Clermont Co. OH, he married Elizabeth Kerr - b. 1836 Dearborn Co. IN. The Kerr family came from Guilford Co. NC -- just 30 minutes from where I now live.)

Williams -- Daniel - b. abt 1790 VA or KY - d. 12 Aug 1877 Shelby Co. IN
Wife Mary Kimberlin - b. 15 May 1797 KY - d. bet. 1860 & 1877 not known where (Daniel’s father was Reece WILLIAMS who died in 1827 in Clark Co. IN. His mother was Lavina Jolly.)

Williams -- Jesse M. - b. 25 Nov 1840 Madison Co. IN - d. 6 Jul 1913 Marion Co. IN. (Lived in Fairland after the Civil War, raising his family there.)
Wife Margaret Cottrell - b. 19 May 1841 Madison Co. IN - d. 5 Jan 1907 Marion Co. IN
(Jesse’s father was Absalom Williams who moved into Indiana from Preble Co. OH in the early 1830s. His family was originally from Brunswick Co. VA)

Other related families (through marriage) include Poland, Parker, Stallard, Rohm, Fox, Harrell, Rigdon, Oldham, Young, Riser, Colclazier, Bishop, Jonas, Skillman, Means, Maze, Hardin, Boren, Haymond, Macon, Norvell, Tigart, Pickett, Muir, Clark, Wells, Nugent, Nail, Huffman, Howery, Alexander, Hankins, Armstrong, Moore, Drake, Cobler, Arnold, Paramore, Tolen, Mallory, Tillison, Wharton, Cayton, House, Kidd, Crum, Covy, Flanagan, Gillespy, Mather, Teeple, Miller, Bass, Lapham, Breedlove, Boring, Boren, Wilson, Parson, Reed, Hungate, Ridlen, Patterson, Cole, Melvin Williams, Owen, West, Parkhurst, Cossairt, Graves, House, Miley, and many, many more.

I have information on my direct family lines that extends much further back (especially the Terhunes, Lishers and Padricks). The Jesse M. Williams line is linked by DNA to a Charles Williams who died in 1692 in Charles City County, Virginia. My cousin and I continue to do research to find the links that tie Jesse to Charles. It seems that records in Virginia in the early days are very hard to find….!

If you find that you have a link to any of my ancestors, please send me an email. I am happy to share information in exchange for MORE information! My email address for genealogy correspondence is: jw62002@yahoo.com.

One last note about DNA testing: If you have a male family member who would take the DNA test for you, DO IT! The Williams DNA project is currently at 800 members and growing. We have over 100 matched groups. Please consider this if you have a common surname or are stuck with a "brick wall". I currently have a blog for my Williams DNA Group 8. It is "A Williams Family from Virginia to California" on Google's blogspot. I feel DNA is a big key in getting your research RIGHT!

Williams Research In Shelby County

.
I am a Williams.

I am a Williams who is connected to three different Williams lines that all converged in Shelby County.

By the time these families moved to Shelby County, the different lines are easily identified. My Dad’s family lived in Fairland and had moved there after 1880 (fairly late in Shelby County history). This is my primary Williams line. This is the line that is important to me because it meant so much to my Dad. He even took a DNA test when he was nearly 80 years old, hoping it would help us locate his Williams ancestors who came from Virginia. Because of his DNA contribution, I feel that he continues to live on. And that is not only important but is a real comfort to me.

My Dad’s Williams line came to Fairland from Madison County, Indiana. Jesse M. Williams, a Civil War veteran, sold his family’s land to move to Fairland where he and son, Newton E. Williams started a brick-building business. Newton stayed in Fairland, sold the brick business and had a nice business , owning grain elevators, until the Depression -- he lost everything.

The second Williams line is from my Grandma’s family. Her name was Ofa Steward and her parents were William Frederick Steward and Margaret Anne Williams.

Yes, another Williams!

Margaret Anne was descended from one of Shelby County’s early pioneers, Daniel Williams, who came from Clark and Scott Counties in southern Indiana. We know his parents were Reece Williams and Lavina Jolly - from Virginia. We want to know more. (When saying “we” - I am including my cousins who are also working on this Williams line.)

For the third Williams line, I suggest you sit down before further reading…….

Margaret Anne Williams (above) had a sister named Anna Laura (“Laura”). It was destined that Laura marry a WILLIAMS. Yes, a Williams married a Williams….. (BIG SIGH). Laura married Melvin Williams.

But wait! There‘s more! My grandma Ofa Steward's sister was Ivy Steward. And after Ofa married Jesse Carl Williams in Fairland in 1916, her sister Ivy married Carl E. Williams in 1923 in Shelbyville. The two sisters married men who were called “Carl Williams”. To make matters more interesting, Carl E. Williams was a descendant of Melvin (see above).

If you think this is confusing, YOU ARE RIGHT!! But each Williams family has a different history and none have yet to be linked except by their marriages in Shelby County.

It would be of great interest to find descendants of Melvin and Reece to take a DNA test and make sure that these are indeed three separate lines. If anyone is interested in doing this, please let me know. I will help you get signed up. ASAP. I need all the help I can get with all of these Williams lines.

Before I end this entry, I would like to encourage anyone doing family research in Shelby County to check out the excellent web site: Findagrave. Many volunteers have entered data about their ancestors on this site. The Shelby County cemeteries are nearly all displayed on the site. I recently began to work as a volunteer, posting obituaries and photos of my family - many are buried in Brandywine and Fairland Cemeteries. I hope you will consider adding your family information on Findagrave. It's a wonderful site.

Welcome to "The Genie House"

Researching at the Shelbyville Genealogy House

(Photo: Barb, me, Charlene and Judy at the Genie House)

The address is 58 West Hendricks St., just behind the Shelbyville Library. The house looks like a normal, residential home in one of Shelbyville’s charming downtown neighborhoods. However, once you open the door, everything is different, in fact, everything is wonderful!

Have you ever done genealogy research in a library where the shelves are nearly bare, where there is (if you’re lucky) one staff member who’s a volunteer, and after you leave there, you still have no answers? You feel like you just wasted your day and found nothing. It’s totally frustrating.

When walking into the Shelbyville Genealogy House (The Genie House), you are surrounded by books (thousands of books); microfilmed newspapers; filing cabinets full of family histories submitted by patrons; cemetery records, funeral home records; maps and atlases; and so many notebooks filled with printed obituaries that it is simply overwhelming. If this sounds like the perfect place to find your ancestors, IT IS.

Besides the abundance of research materials, the staff is the best! Each staff member is knowledgeable, friendly and happy to help with any research questions or problems. If I could draw a picture of the perfect genealogy research facility -- it would be the Shelbyville “Genie House”. To me, it is Genealogy Heaven.

I was there in April for nearly two weeks and brought home enough material to fill a filing cabinet drawer. I copied obituaries, found death dates from funeral home record books (thanks to Barb!), got some great Civil War veteran information from P.K. and learned that Charlene and I share more than one connection. Last year, I read an issue of Fore Bear Pa’s magazine (published by the Genealogical Society - another treasure in Shelby County) and learned that one of my ancestors was a criminal (he was a forger and a horse thief!). On another visit, found in a book of will records, I connected my Sarah Hendricks to her father, Hamilton Lapham. (He left her some land in another county.)

Another problem solved this year was determining the identification of “Eddie Belle” Stewart. Listed in the 1880 Census as the daughter of Edmond and Paulina Stewart, my cousin and I had never been about to track Eddie Belle. She seemed to disappear after 1880. However, listed in the Frazier Funeral Home Book I found the death of Anna C. Dunn in 1960. Anna’s mother was named Eddiebelle Stewart, the wife of William Clark (all listed in the funeral home records). From the Shelby County marriage records I was able to find the marriage of “Corinda E. Stewart” to William Clark on 14 Oct. 1884. How could we have ever guessed that Eddie Belle was really named Corinda E.? Mystery solved! (And a new family to research.)

Other special benefits of the Genie House are the friendships made there. Through Judy, Barb, PK, Charlene, Janet, Marge, and cousin Barb -- I have found a wonderful group of friends who have never failed to welcome me and make me feel like I’m still a “Shelber” (even though I moved from Indiana in 1967). They are all very special people and I’m so grateful for their friendship and for all the enjoyable times we have spent together sharing our research in the Genie House.

If you have ancestors in Shelby Co. Indiana don’t pass up the Genie House! It contains a goldmine of information with the friendliest and most knowledgeable staff I’ve ever encountered in my 30 years of researching.

Thanks to all at the Genie House -- I’ll be back!