World War II Memorial, Washington, DC

Celebrating the Fourth of July

Several years ago, during the week of the Fourth of July, I was watching (for the umpteenth time) The Patriot. This film is about the Revolutionary War in the southern states and tells about the bravery of the local militias.

I always hope that at least one tv station will show this film when the Fourth of July rolls around each year. This film makes me feel proud of the brave men and women who stood up for their young country and put their lives on the line.

However, we must also remember the many other wars we have been engaged in, defending and protecting our rights and freedoms so that we might live the way our ancestors planned (“life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness”).

In the 1944 editions of the Shelbyville Democrat, I began to realize just what sacrifices the young men of Shelby County had made during World War II.  It was quite overwhelming to turn each page of the 1944 obituary book and see the names of those young men who died for US. It must have been a terrible, dark time for the families who had sons, brothers, uncles, fathers, and yes, sisters and aunts in the service at that time.

Here are a few examples of the headlines from the Shelbyville Democrat during February and March of 1944:

Thurs. 24 Feb. 1944
CITY PHYSICIAN DIES IN ALGERIA – Capt. Harry D. Miller, Prominent Local Doctor in Army Medical Corps, Killed in Accident

Thurs. 24 Feb. 1944
COUNTY’S WAR CASUALTY LIST MOUNTS TO 16 – Clifford DeBaun, Seaman, Dead as Result of Burns Received in Pacific Battle

Thurs. 2 Mar. 1944
ONE KILLED, ANOTHER MISSING – Capt. Kimble Midkiff lost his life, Sgt. Clifford E. Henderson missing (Note: Cliff was an old friend of my Dad’s. Dad told me the Mr. Henderson had been a POW for much for the war.)

Thurs. 9 Mar. 1944
JOHN V. YARLING KILLED IN ITALY -- Son of Thomas E. Yarling Dies in Accident, Youth is 18^th to Lose Life in War.

Thurs. 16 Mar. 1944
CITY WOMAN’S NEPHEW IS KILLED IN ACTION – Pvt. Duard Henson was killed in action on February 7 (he was 19 years old).

Thurs. 30 Mar 1944
BODY OF LT. KERCHER RECOVERED FROM SEA – Burial will Take Place in Shelbyille

The obituaries continue throughout the year with many names and details of the brave service members from Shelby County who died during World War II. It is heartbreaking to read their stories, to know they were all so young. Many left widows with small children and grieving aged parents.

Sometimes I feel that World War II has been overlooked by recent generations. We are all caught up with stories from the Civil War and the American Revolution, those stories and records are all over the internet. Only recently have World War II records become more accessible.

I hope we will all remember our World War II family members and wave a flag for them this Fourth of July!!  And let us also honor and salute all those among us who have recently served so bravely in Iraq and Afghanistan. We have many American heroes, both past and present, to be proud of  --

THANK YOU FOR YOUR SERVICE!

(I will begin adding some of these obituaries to my blog – I think it is important to remember all of those who sacrificed their lives for our freedom.)

Ethel Williams Received A Civil War Pension

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Ethel Williams was a great-uncle that I never knew. In fact, I didn't  know he existed until I found a book titled:  A HISTORY OF WILLIAM WILLIAMS AND HIS DESCENDANTS by Isaac Williams. When I found this book in the library at Anderson, Indiana, it was about 1980. I had been researching my Dad’s family for a few years and could only go back as far as his grandfather, Newton E. Williams. This little book opened up a whole new world of Williamses for me!

My great-great grandfather, Jesse M. Williams, was born in Madison County, Indiana. He was a Civil war veteran, serving in the 47th Indiana Infantry, Company E. He received a medical discharge in late 1862 due to severe heart problems.

Jesse and his family moved to Shelby County in the mid-1880s. They lived in Fairland, where Jesse and his son Newton established a brick factory, then later a grain elevator. Newton stayed in Shelby County, raising his family in Fairland, while his parents Jesse and Margaret Cottrell Williams, later moved to Indianapolis and opened a grocery store.

Jesse’s son (Newton’s brother), Ethel (yes, an odd name for a male) was born 22 October 1874. When he was very young, he contracted diphtheria which left him an invalid for the rest of his life. It is written in his pension papers that he was partially paralyzed and could not speak. In fact, he was referred to as “idiotic”. It must have been a sad life for this Williams family.

After Ethel’s parents passed away, he lived with his niece, Margaret Williams Fox, in Wannamaker. In 1952, the family learned that Ethel was eligible for a “death benefit” pension because his father had been in the Civil War. I received all of Ethel's pension papers quite by accident when I ordered the pension papers for his father, Jesse M. Williams.

I ordered these pension papers from the National Archives. To my surprise, the Archives sent me a letter saying that the pension papers for Jesse were not in the Archives. To get them, I had to fill out forms from the Freedom of Information Act, which I had never done before. After submitting the required forms, I received a short letter telling me that the pension file was being copied and would  be sent from the Department of Veterans Affairs in Oakland, California. I thought all of this was very unusual. I had ordered several Civil War Pension records prior to ordering Jesse’s and never had an experience like this.

It took quite awhile, but when the pension papers finally arrived, they were very interesting. I was totally surprised that Jesse’s son, Ethel, had lived to be 89 years old and that he was receiving a Civil War pension at the time of his death – in 1964!

Another surprising fact was found when I researched Ethel’s death: I learned he was living on N. Pennsylvania Street in Indianapolis when he passed away. It was a nursing home then, in 1964. When I received this information, in 2007, my cousin Jon was living on N. Pennsylvania St. just one block from the former nursing home. He took a photo of the house for me – now a lawyer’s office. It is a lovely old house. I hope Ethel was happy there and not suffering.

While this is certainly a sad story, it is of great interest.  Ethel lived for such a long time and was still receiving a Civil War pension nearly 100 years after the war ended.

Recently, I saw an article on the internet that said there are two people in the U.S. who are still receiving Civil War pensions. After reading this, I did a little research and found that only invalid or disabled children of veterans are eligible for this type of pension. Ethel’s papers indicate that these pensions were approved by Congress as late as the 1950s for the children of veterans of the Civil War.

If anyone else has a similar story to share, or more details about these Civil War pensions, I would appreciate hearing from you. AND if anyone in the family has a photo or more information about Ethel, I would really love to hear from you.  I think Ethel was a very special ancestor.
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North Carolina to Shelby County, Indiana

Rockingham County, NC - highlighted in red

While researching some of my Shelby County ancestors who lived in Moral Township I found many families from that area who had migrated from various counties in North Carolina (where I currently live). An overwhelming number of the Moral Township families came from Rockingham County, North Carolina.

On a visit to the library in High Point, N. C. (which has a wonderful genealogy room) I decided to see how many of the Shelby County families had left behind records in both Guilford and Rockingham Counties. (Rockingham was formed from Guilford in 1785) The High Point Library is located in Guilford County and has a good collection of books from both counties. However, I ended up spending the day with the Rockingham County records – and didn’t get through all of them. I plan to go back soon and see what else I can “dig up”!

Before I went to High Point, I checked two good books about Shelby County for names to research. These books: The Genealogy of Moral Township, Shelby County, Indiana and History of Shelby County, Indiana by Edward H. Chadwick contain numerous family histories and biographies. In Chadwick’s book I found MANY families that had roots in North Carolina, not just the Moral Township families. I made lists and notes about the N.C. families and took them with me to High Point.

These families are just a few that I found in the early deed and will books for Rockingham County:

Cayton – Jacob, James and William
Cobler – Frederick, Christopher, Nicholas, Alsy, and Williamson
Coffee – Joshua
Coley - James and Maynard
Joyce – Alexander, Elisha, John, Thomas and Phebe
Martin – Peter, Richard, and  more
Means – Robert, William, and Elizabeth
Moberly – William, Thomas
Odell – Jeremiah, Jesse, John, and more
Smith – Drury, Thomas and more

I would like to recommend one book that I found in the Lexington, N.C. library. The title is: Early Families of the N. C. Counties of Rockingham and Stokes with Revolutionary Service, published by the James Hunter Chapter NSDAR of Madison, N.C.  This book is full of family histories and includes details of their involvement in the Revolutionary War. It has many familiar names that are also found in Shelby County.

The Means family information in the above named book is of special interest to me (I have several connections to this family). The book has an excerpt from an old letter written in 1870 by Dr. David Means, a grandson of Robert Means. It tells about Robert’s service in the Revolutionary War. The book also has an interesting extract from Robert Means’ will, probated in August 1822 in Rockingham County, N.C.

A few other families of interest in this book with Shelby County connections were Cobler, Coffey and Moore.

This will be an ongoing project – connecting our Shelby County families to their North Carolina roots. I hope you will find it as interesting as I do!

Obituary Sunday

Obituary from Shelbyville, Ind. Republican:

15 Dec. 1930

Death Enters Fairland Home

Mrs. N. E. Williams, Sixty-One

Ill for Ten Months Succombs At Home

Leaves Husband, Children            
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Sufferings of Mrs. Harriett E. Williams, sixty-one years old, wife of N.E. Williams, former trustee of Brandywine township, were ended in death at 8:30 o'clock Sunday morning in their home in Fairland. She never fully recovered from a leg amputtation which she underwent last April in an effort to prolong life.

Mrs. Williams was the daughter of William and Elizabeth Imel Rush. She was born in Sugar Creek township February 8, 1869, and her entire life had been spent in Shelby County.

Her marriage to Mr. Williams took place on March 11, 1888. All of the six children born to them survive. They are Mrs. W. S. Fox, of New Bethel; J. Carl Williams of Fairland; Meredith W. Williams of Edinburg; Edith, Geneva and French Williams all of the home. Three brothers, a half-brother and four sisters also survive: Robert Rush of Logansport; Percy Rush of New Orleans, La.; Alfred Rush of Fairland; Mrs. Ollie Means of Logansport; Mrs. L.C. Means of Dupont; Mrs. B. E. Norvell of Houston, Tex; Mrs. H. Taylor of Marion, Ohio, and James Rush of Frankfort. Mrs. Williams also leaves ten grandchildren.

Devoted to her family and to her friends and active as a member of the Fairland Baptist Church, Mrs. Williams was held in high esteem in her community. She was also a member of the Eastern Star chapter at Fairland, which organization will take part in the funeral.

Burial will be in the family lots in the Fairland cemetery following the funeral service to be held at 10:30 o'clock. Wednesday morning in the Fairland Baptist Church. Rev. Otto Hughes of Columbus, former pastor of the Fairland Church, will deliver the funeral sermon. C.F. Fix & Son are the funeral directors in charge.

Note: Harriett Smith Rush was the daughter of William Smith Rush and Elizabeth Imel Rush. She was my great grandmother and lived in the Fairland area of Shelby County her whole life. Harriett lost her leg to gangrene and never fully recovered from the operation, dying at age 61. 

Obituary Sunday

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My Great-great Grandfather "Grampa Fred"

Fairland, Shelby County, Indiana

Civil War Veteran Died At Fairland

William Fred Steward, Retired

Farmer, Passed Away Early

This Morning

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William Fred Steward, prominently known retired farmer and a veteran of the Civil War, died at 3:30 o'clock this morning at his home in Fairland following an extended illness due to senility. Mr. Steward had been in declining health for several months and during the past few days his condition had been extremely critical.

Funeral services will be conducted at 10:30 o'clock Saturday morning from the Fairland M.E. Church with the Rev. M.E. Able and the Rev. William Ryland officiating. Burial will be in the Brandywine Cemetery in charge of Ralph J. Edwards funeral director.

Mr. Steward had spent practically his entire lifetime in Shelby County and had been engaged in farming until he was forced to retire due to the condition of his health. He was born November 6, 1844, being at the time of death 83 years, one month, and 16 days old.

On Oct. 7, 1861, he enlisted in Co. G of the 29th Regiment and served continuously until Dec. 2, 1865. Before his first period expired on Dec. 2, 1863, he re-enlisted, serving the entire period of the war.

He was a member of the Fairland M.E. Church and had always been active in affairs of the church and of his home community.

He leaves a son, James Steward, a daughter Mrs. Carl Parker, 12 grandchildren, and 7 great-grandchildren, all of the Fairland community. Friends are asked to please omit flowers.

The Shelbyville Republican
December 22, 1929
(This obituary was written by James M. Steward, the son of William F. Steward)

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.