Grafted Together - Dillman and Wright

How the daily life decisions of our ancestors made it possible for two kids in Indiana to meet, marry and graft together their family lines. Some came from Germany, some from places yet unknown and some seem to have been in the United States before its inception as a country. Although they shared common joys, struggles and grief, they all had stories unique unto themselves. This is my attempt at telling those stories and honoring their lives so they will not be forgotten.

Wednesday, August 31, 2016

Wednesday's Child - Herbert Franklin Fouts

Herbert Franklin Fouts 1915-1916
Byrneville Cemetery

When the sun went down on October 4, 1915 the Oba and Agnes (Byrn) Fouts household consisted of parents Oba - age 35, and Agnes - age 34 and their four children; Otis-13, Helen-8, Bonnie-6 and Corwin-3.

By the time the sun set on October 5, 1915 that would not be the case.

Herbert Franklin Fouts was born at 10:10 a.m. on Tuesday, October 5, 1915. Herbert was the fifth (of six children) to be born to Oba and Agnes.

The joy that a newborn brings to a family would unfortunately be short lived. On April 11, 1916 at the age of six months, six days old Herbert died.

According to his death certificate Dr. Harry Engleman first started treating him on March 22nd with what was called Grippal Infection of the Intestines. In today's terminology-Influenza with gastro-intestinal complications which included vomiting, diarrhea and high fever. Herbert continued suffering from this malady until April 6th when he took a turn for the worse and came down with Bronchopneumonia. He died around 9 o'clock in the morning on Tuesday the 11th.

Herbert was buried the next day in Byrneville Cemetery, Harrison County, Indiana.

The following was published in The Corydon Democrat newspaper on Wednesday, April 19, 1916.

Death of a Little Child

On Tuesday morning, April 11, 1916,

at 9:45 o'clock the death angel entered

the home of Mr. and Mrs. Oba D. Fouts

and reaped the flower of the home,

Herbert Franklin age six months and

six days, who will spend eternity in

the garden of Eden.

May this little flower as it stands

and flourished on the banks of the

river of life which flows through the

paradise of God be the means of draw-

ing its parents and relatives to brighter

paths of truth and righteousness where

they may receive a crown of everlast-

ing life when they fall.

We comfort ourselves with the

thought that he is now at rest and one

by one we will soon begin to join him.

Asleep in Jesus peaceful rest

Whose waking is supremely blest,

No fear no woe shall dim that hour

That manifests the Savior's power.

Grandmother.

One hundred years later the sorrow this family felt continues to be palpable through the words of Herbert's grandmother.

Sources: Indiana, Birth Certificates, 1907-1940 (Ancestry.com); Indiana, Death Certificates, 1889-2011 (Ancestry.com); The Corydon Democrat. Corydon, Indiana. (NewspaperARCHIVE.com); Gravestone photo credit: Lisa Dillman Wright, October 2010.

Wednesday’s Child blog postings include photos of gravestones of children. A sad topic but posts can give life to the stories of these young souls.

Wednesday’s Child is a genealogical blogging prompt suggested by Thomas MacEntee at GeneaBloggers.

On This Day...August 31

Births:

1916 - Donald F Minor - Waymart, Wayne County, Pennsylvania (Khris's collateral relative)

Tuesday, August 30, 2016

Tombstone Tuesday - Benjamin Harrison

Benjamin Harrison 1805-1852

This is the grave marker of my maternal 3x Great Grandfather Benjamin Harrison. It is located in Byrneville Cemetery in Harrison County, Indiana.

It reads:

Benjamin

Harrison

Born Feb 22, 1805

Died Dec 25, 1852

The hand pointing up symbol on the stone has various meanings. Some of which include: 'pathway to heaven', 'the reward of the righteous', 'sudden death' or 'Heavenly reward'.

Tombstone Tuesday

Create a post which includes an image of a gravestone of one or more ancestors and it may also include a brief description of the image or the ancestor.

Tombstone Tuesday is a genealogical blogging prompt suggested by Thomas MacEntee at GeneaBloggers.

On This Day...August 30

Births:

1923 - James C Harrison - Shelby County, Kentucky (Lisa's collateral relative)

Deaths:

1908 - John Jacob Kern - Lebanon, Boone County, Indiana (Khris's collateral relative)

Friday, August 26, 2016

On This Day...August 26

Births:

1922 - Roy Maynard Harrison - Morgan Township, Harrison County, Indiana (Lisa's collateral relative)

Deaths:

1875 - Ruby Florence Harrison - Indianapolis, Marion County, Indiana (Lisa's collateral relative)

Thursday, August 25, 2016

On This Day...August 25

Births:

1730 - Elizabeth Holland - Queen Anne, Prince George's, Maryland (Khris's direct ancestor)

1829 - Nathaniel Kersey - Nicholas County, Kentucky (Khris's collateral relative)

1883 - Icy Myrtle Byrn - Byrneville, Harrison County, Indiana (Lisa's collateral relative)

1885 - Rose Ellen Obergfell - Newlon Junction, Richland County, Montana (Khris's collateral relative)

Deaths:

1841 - Thomas D Byrn - Harrison County, Indiana (Lisa's collateral relative)

1889 - Christena (Dillman) Wilton - Evansville, Vanderburgh, Indiana (Lisa's collateral relative)

Treasure Chest Thursday - Leo Harrison's High School Textbooks

Three books. Three small books. Each only about 4" x 6" in size. Almost one hundred years old. Tattered and worn; the titles hardly legible. Anyone else's eyes would see these as worthless. My eyes see them as priceless. Why? Because these books belonged to my maternal grandfather-Leo Harrison.

Leo Harrison was born near Byrneville, Harrison County, Indiana on January 27, 1906. He attended high school in the early-mid 1920's at New Salisbury High School in Harrison County. These were some of his high school textbooks. Quite different looking than the textbooks I studied from in the late 1970's.

And the titles...well they're also different from the titles I remember studying.

Lincoln's Addresses, Inaugurals and Letters

along with

Macaulay's Speeches on Copyright

Autobiography

Benjamin Franklin

The Odyssey of Homer

I did read this book, although I'm sure my copy was just a mass produced paperback.

My grandfather had also written his name with dates inside each of these books.

Leo's signature inside the Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin

Leo's Signature inside The Odyssey of Homer

Leo's Signature inside Lincoln's Addresses, Inaugurals and Letters

Not bad handwriting for a high school teen!

And inside the Franklin book, many notes were added in the margins.

Leo's margin notes inside The Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin

I find it interesting getting a small glimpse into what my grandfather was studying as a young man in the 1920's.

I've always loved to read and have always loved history. Put that together with the love of a grandchild for their grandparent and it's no wonder why I love these books so much.

Leo Harrison 1906-1980

(Leo Harrison - Lisa's maternal grandfather)

Treasure Chest Thursday

A post with the main focus being a family treasure, an heirloom or even an every day item meaningful to you or your family.

A daily blogging prompt from Thomas MacEntee at GeneaBloggers.

Wednesday, August 24, 2016

On This Day...August 24

Births:

1824 - Nancy Landiss - Indiana (Lisa's collateral relative)

1871 - Alice Jane Batman - Curby, Crawford County, Indiana (Lisa's collateral relative)

1880 - Hendrix Laughhunn - Crawford County, Indiana (Lisa's collateral relative)

Deaths:

1848 - Albert Stierle - Aasen, Villingen, Baden (Now Germany) (Khris's collateral relative)

1980 - Maurice Byrn - Georgetown, Floyd County, Indiana (Lisa's collateral relative)

Wednesday's Child - Agnes Ruth Byrne

Agnes Ruth Byrne 1917-1931
Byrneville Cemetery

On November 16, 1917 the Byrne family of near Byrneville, Harrison County, Indiana consisted of parents Robert and Ruby and their six children. But that all changed when at 12:20 a.m. on Saturday, November 17, 1917 Ruby gave birth to Agnes Ruth Byrne. Agnes was the eighth child born to Robert and Ruby; one child having been stillborn in 1902.

The Robert Blaine and Ruby Violet (Harrison) Byrne household now consisted of Robert-age 40, Ruby-age 37 and their children; Alliene-13, Vernette-10, Nellie-7, Jessie-6, Robert-4, Harriet-2 and newborn Agnes.

According to the 1920 Federal Census Agnes's family was living on a farm on Whiskey Run Road in Jackson Township near Byrneville. Robert was a Sawyer and Ruby was busy at home. In July of 1921, when Agnes was three-and-a-half she became an older sister when her mother gave birth to another child, a boy, Ward.

The family make up would continue to change over the course of the next several years. In 1924, when Agnes was seven her oldest sister Alliene married. Then in 1926 her sister Vernette married, followed soon after in 1927 when another sister, Nellie, married.

By April of 1930 when the Federal Census was taken the family was listed as renting a home at 713 Shelby Street in New Albany, Indiana which is about fifteen miles east of Byrneville. The household consisted of Robert, Ruby and their five youngest children.

This is a photo of Agnes (left) and her sister Harriet. I'm not sure when this photo was taken, but just by looking I'm guessing probably sometime around 1930. Harriet would have been around 14 years old and Agnes around age 12.

Agnes and Harriet Byrne, c. 1930

Then on a cloudy Sunday in March of 1931 a terrible accident happened; one that would change this family forever. Here is the write up from the New Albany Tribune, dated March 23, 1931.

By the graphic nature of the description of the accident I can only imagine the horror felt by the others in the car with Agnes. What they must have felt when they realized that she had died, their youngest sister, their 'Babe'.

However, some of the facts in the article are incorrect. According to the death certificate it was Agnes's right leg that was severed. Also, the ages given for Agnes's siblings are incorrect. Jessie was actually older than Harriet. At the time of the accident Jessie was 19, Harriet was 15, Robert was 17. Their cousin Leo was 25.

One more tidbit of information; one month earlier on February 21st, Leo and Jessie had been married in Jeffersonville, a city only a few short miles east of New Albany. I'm not sure why their names are listed as they are in the article. Even more pertinent to me; Leo and Jessie are my maternal grandparents. (Yes, I realize that the article says they were cousins; first cousins actually...but that's a story for another post.)

I can imagine the heartbreak as Agnes's family went thru her belongings, each keeping something to remember her by. I am fortunate to have a few of those items; passed down by my grandmother Jessie.

This is an over sized book entitle 'Little Housekeepers'. Agnes wrote her name on the front cover as 'Ruth Byrn'. Each page inside has a story that goes with what I call the 'Housework Chore' poem. You know the one:

Wash on Monday

Iron on Tuesday

Mend on Wednesday

Sweep on Thursday

Dust on Friday

Bake on Saturday

Rest on Sunday

She had colored inside on some of the pages.

There's also a Sunday School Attendance Chart. Each of the Lily blooms are stickers. Agnes received a sticker for each Sunday she was in Sunday School. The back of the card says, Agnes Byrne, Class No. 3, Teacher-Edmond Fouts, Jan-Feb-March. There is no year listed, but I'm assuming she was of elementary school age when she used this, so sometime in the mid-1920's. Her teacher Mr. Fouts was actually her brother-in-law, the husband of her older sister Vernette.

Then there's this; the math homework of a thirteen year old girl. Just a page of homework. But somehow, so much more. Notice the date-March 16, 1931. Just 5 days before she died.

Just a few pieces of paper ephemera; yet so much more. For me they are small snapshots into the life of a young girl; Agnes Ruth Byrne.

(Agnes Ruth Byrne - Lisa's maternal grand-aunt)

Wednesday's Child

Post photos of gravestones of children. A sad topic indeed but posts can give life to the stories of these young souls. A daily blogging prompt from Thomas MacEntee at GeneaBloggers.

Monday, August 15, 2016

On This Day - August 15th

Births:

1789 - Anna Kern - Rowan County, North Carolina (Khris's collateral relative)

1838 - Esek H Harrison - Byrneville, Harrison County, Indiana (Lisa's 2x Great Grandfather)

1842 - Nancy Jane Martin - Floyd County, Indiana (Lisa's collateral relative)

Matrilineal Monday ... Armentia Belle (Wiseman) Dillman

Armentia Belle (Wiseman) Dillman

My paternal great grandmother. She is one of the reasons I became fascinated with family history in the first place. Her life story seemed so tragic. Wife, mother of five children (one who became my grandfather); she died at the young age of 33. For reasons I've not entirely discovered her children for the most part were left to be raised by others.

She died over forty years before I was born; yet her life story had a huge impact on me. She was one of the first ancestors I decided to research when I started this genealogy journey so many years ago.

Although I still have 'blanks' in her life story, I have been able to find tidbits of information over the years to help fill in her story...

Armentia - Belle - as she was known, was born on April 9, 1886 in Leavenworth, Crawford County, Indiana. She was the fourth of six children born to Abraham Wiseman and his second wife Mary Olive Gleason.

The 1900 Federal Census for Ohio Township, Crawford County, Indiana shows Belle - age 14 - living in a household with her parents, Abe and Mary, along with 5 siblings. She had been in school for 6 months during the previous school year; she could both read and write.

Family history says that in August of 1904, at the age of 18 Belle married Clyde Taylor Dillman in Crawford County, Indiana.

On March 27th of 1906 Belle gave birth to their first child, Orville Wayne Dillman.

Then on December 21st of 1908 their second child, another son, Estel Elmer was born. Estel's birth certificate states he was born in Leavenworth, Crawford County, Indiana.

In The English News, one of the local newspapers for English, Indiana (about 15 miles from Leavenworth) dated April 23, 1909 I found this:

"Clyde Dillman and family left first of the week for Rockport to reside."

So it appears that in April of 1909 Clyde, Belle and their 2 children left Leavenworth and moved to Rockport, Indiana. Rockport is located along the Ohio River about 60 miles southwest of Leavenworth. Records show that they didn't live there very long; probably less than a year.

By the time of the 1910 Federal Census dated April 15, Clyde, Belle and the 2 boys were living in South Ellensburg, Kittitas County, Washington; a long distance from southern Indiana. Although I'm not entirely sure, I suspect they made the move for a job opportunity for Clyde.

My Grandfather Clyde Landiss Dillman always said he was born in Washington State. He celebrated his birthday as October 26, 1910. I've not been able to locate his birth certificate either in Indiana or Washington.

Again, they didn't live there long. By January 1913 the family had moved back to Crawford County, Indiana and Clyde was employed at the Leavenworth Button Mill. In December of that year another son, Howard, was born. (His birth certificate lists him as the 5th child born, with 4 living. So sometime between 1908 when Estel was born and 1913 when Howard was born, Belle must have give birth twice. Once, my grandfather, once an unknown child that must have died.)

Then in September of 1916, Belle gave birth to a girl, Reva Belle. So the family of Clyde and Belle now consists of 4 sons and 1 daughter.

The year was 1920. Belle and family were now living in Jeffersonville, Clark County, Indiana. She was now a busy mom with five children, ages 13, 11, 9, 6 and 3 living at home; four of those children in school.

By 1920 the influenza epidemic had been striking across the United States for over two years. Unfortunately, the family of Clyde and Belle weren't left untouched. Belle contracted the disease on January 29th which quickly turned to pneumonia. She died on Tuesday, February 3rd; she was 33 years old. She was buried on February 4th in Walnut Ridge Cemetery in Jeffersonville.

I found this article mentioning her death in the Clark County Republican, published in Jeffersonville, dated Thursday, February 5, 1920:

A few years ago I was able to visit the Walnut Ridge Cemetery located in Jeffersonville, Indiana. Belle's grave marker is located in the 'old singles section'; not in a family plot.

Armentia Dillman Grave Marker in Walnut Ridge Cemetery

It is a small stone; not in very good shape. It's rather hard to read due to the lichen growing on the stone.

Armentia Belle Dillman Grave Marker

It reads - Armintie B Dillman 1886-1920.

Belle Wiseman Dillman lived her short life as a daughter, a wife, a mother. My great grandmother; without her story I wouldn't have mine.

Thursday, August 11, 2016

Those Places Thursday...Kindley Air Force Base, Bermuda

Kindley Air Force Base

Bermuda

First operated by the U.S. Army Air Forces from 1943-1948 as Kindley Field. Then from 1948-1970 it was operated by the U.S. Air Force as Kindley Air Force Base. From 1970-1995 it was known as Naval Air Station Bermuda. It is currently the site of Bermuda International Airport.

My father, Larry Lee Dillman, was stationed at Kindley from April 1955-January 1957 while he was serving in the USAF. He served as a Radar Repair Technician being promoted in September of 1955 to NCO Staff Sergeant in charge of Radar Maintenance in the 1934th Airways & Air Communications Service (AACS) Squadron.

Those Places Thursday

Do you often think back to places where you lived and worked at one time? What about those places where your ancestors spent time? Post about “those places” with photos and stories on Those Places Thursday.

Those Places Thursday is a genealogical blogging prompt of GeneaBloggers.

Wednesday, August 10, 2016

On This Day...August 10th

Births:

1686 - Peter Hubbell - Colony of Connecticut (Khris's direct ancestor)

1923 - Margaret Anna Striby - Indianapolis, Marion County, Indiana (Khris's ancestor)

Deaths:

1895 - Casimir Seiter - Indianapolis, Marion County, Indiana (Khris's ancestor)

1908 - Harriet Melville (Harrison) Tibarghien - Sac County, Iowa (Lisa's ancestor)

Marriages:

1871 - Adam Kern & Angeline Rebecca Saunders - Boone County, Indiana
(Adam Kern - Khris's direct ancestor)