Recipes - The Gift That Gives For Generations

Don't you just love the gifts from grandmothers and great grandmothers that give for years to come. Today's photo challenge/prompt is recipe. I have the handwritten recipe for chocolate gravy that my great grandmother gave me that I talk and post about often, that is a treasure of mine. I'll probably pass it down to my son, because he is very comfortable in the kitchen and loves Chocolate Gravy - my girls don't care for it.

I recently asked for and was given hand written recipes from my maternal grandmother, Grandma Reba, one of which is the featured picture for today's prompt on Instagram. And one from her mother-in-law my great Grandma Bondell. Ashley will most likely get Grandma's buttermilk pie recipe because it's her FAVORITE pie ever!

I also have a few cook books that Mammy gave me before she passed away.  Written on the front cover of one of them that was so worn from use, she wrote me a little note. That cover has now completely fallen off because I have turned to this cook book several times since. These cookbooks were compiled by several of our area churches and the Women's Auxiliary and have recipes from Mammy, my Grandma Nall, and several of the ladies I remember from New Sulphur church.

Mammy and I would often watch Anne of Green Gables on AETN when it would air. Since she had me every other weekend for 12 years she saw herself as my Marilla Cuthbert and I was her Anne with an E.

Throughout this book there are recipes she has marked "good", "best", or "I like" beside and thought I'd include them as well.


Chocolate Pie by Sue Nall (Mammy)

1 1/2 c. milk
2 egg yolks
3/4 c. sugar
3 Tbsp. flour
dash of salt
4 level Tbsp. cocoa
2 tsp. butter
1 tsp. vanilla

Combine milk and egg yolks and stir over heat. When hot, add a mixture of sugar, flour, salt and cocoa, stirring all the time. When thick, remove from heat and add butter and vanilla. Stir and pour into baked pie shell.



In the same book she has the following pie crust recipe circled with "I like" written beside it.

Pie Crust

by Norma Brockman (She and her husband were close friends of my grandparents. They would host deer meat dinners and things like that at their "chicken house" and the Deacons and their wives would attend)

4 c. flour
1 1/3 c. Crisco
1 Tbsp. sugar
2 tsp. salt

Mix together:

1 beaten egg
1/2 c. cold water
1 Tbsp. vinegar

Pour this mixture over first mixture and mix well. Cover and let chill 30 minutes before rolling. Makes about 5 crusts to be used now or to freeze and use later. Roll and but in foil pie pans. Put in Zip Lock bags to keep in freezer until needed.



The following pie crust recipe is marked "good".


Never Fail Pie Crust
by Midge Elington

3 c. flour
1/4 tsp baking powder
1 tsp. salt
1 1/4 c. Crisco
1 egg
5 Tbsp. cold water
1 Tbsp vinegar

Sift together flour, baking powder and salt. Mix in Crisco. Beat egg with water and vinegar, thenmix into first mixture until a large ball is formed.

This will make 4 single crusts or 2 double crusts.



The following is my Daddy's favorite! Made by Grandma Nall

Egg Custard
by Willie Nall (Grandma Nall)

3 eggs
1 1/2 c. milk
3/4 c. sugar
1 tsp. vanilla
nutmeg and butter

Beat eggs, do not over beat. Add sugar, milk and vanilla, mixing well. Pour into unbaked pie shell. Sprinkle top with nutmeg and butter. Bake at 350 degrees for about 1 hour. Place pan of water in bottom of oven.

I can remember Mammy making the following. In her old cook book it is circled.

Orange Fluff
by Maggie Bagwell

1 large carton cottage cheese
1 box Cool Whip
1 box orange Jell-O
1 can Mandarin orange slices

Mix all together and serve.

Note: Can change last two items to whatever you want. (I think I remember her using green jell-o but I can't remember any specific fruit...it may be b/c she didn't use any I just can't remember.)

The following recipe is circled and marked "good".

Enchilada Dinner
by Wanda Meeks

2 pkg. hamburger
1 medium onion
1 can mushroom soup
1 can cream of chicken soup
1 can mild enchilada sauce
1 can green chilies
1 large can milk
1 pkg. Fritos
Cheddar cheese

Brown meat and drain, chop onion. Mix together in bowl crush Frito in bottom of oblong cake pan and pour ingredients over the Fritos. (Spoon mixture over the Fritos until covered.) Sprinkle grated Cheddar cheese over the top. Bake at 475 degrees F. for 15-20 minutes.



Chuck Wagon Beans
by Willie Nall (Grandma Nall)

2 c. pinto beans
1 large onion
1 hot pepper
1 lb. hamburger meat
2 or 3 Tbsp. chili powder
salt to taste

Cook beans until tender, adding enough water to make good soup. Add other ingredients and simmer until meat and onion are done and bean soup is fairly thick. If pressure cooker is used cooking time will be much less.


Graham Cracker Roll
by Sue Nall (Mammy)

48 graham crackers
1 box dates
1 pkg. miniature marshmallows
2 c. broken pecans
1 can condensed milk

Mix all ingredients well. Form into 2 rolls and roll in graham cracker crumbs. Place in waxed paper and chill. When chilled thoroughly, slice and serve.

Homemade Rolls
by Willie Nall (Grandma Nall)

1 pkg. dry yeast
1/2 c. warm water
2 tsp. sugar
1 c. warm water
2 c. scalded buttermilk
2 Tbsp. shortening
4 Tbsp. sugar
1 Tbsp. salt
flour

Put yeast in 1/2 cup warm water with 2 teaspoons sugar. Let set for a few minutes. Then add 1 cup warm water and enough flour to make good batter. Let set until it rises and is bubbly. Then add warm buttermilk, shortening, sugar and salt and enough flour for stiff dough. Mix well. Put into large greased bowl and let rise until double in size. Punch down and kneed until dough feels elastic. Make into rolls and bake at 400 degrees for 30 minutes.

If you don't have any buttermilk on hand, the following recipe for rolls was circled.

Favorite Rolls
by Lucille Johnson

2 c. real warm water
2 pkg. dry yeast
2/3 c. sugar
2 eggs
1 1/2 tsp. salt
2/3 c. shortening
6 c. flour

Mix together. Cover and put in refrigerator overnight as soon as made. Take out and roll out like biscuits to 1/4-inch thick. Cut with biscuit cutter and fold in half. Put lots of butter in pan and cover the roll in butter on both sides. Let rise. Bake at 400 degrees for 10 minutes. (I can remember Mammy using this recipe to teach me how to make rolls.)

The following recipe for cobbler has "good" written beside it.

Quick & Easy Peach Cobbler
by Lila Ruth Roles

1/2 c. butter
1 c. sugar
1 c. flour
1 tsp. baking powder
2/3 c. milk
1 qt. sliced fresh or canned peaches
2 tsp. cornstarch
3 Tbsp. apricot Jell-O

Melt butter in a 9 x 13-inch baking pan. Combine sugar, flour, baking powder, and milk in mixing bowl; mix well. Pour melted butter over sugar mixture. DO NOT STIR. Arrange peach slices evenly in baking pan. Add cornstarch and apricot Jell-O to peach juice and pour over peaches. Bake in preheated 325 degree oven for 30 minutes, or until done.

The following recipe for sugar cookies is marked "Very good. Makes lots".

Sugar Cookies

by Blanche Bradshaw (I remember she was always affectionately called 'Granny Blanche' - and was one of the more senior members of our congregation)

1 c. shortening
1 c. oleo
1 c. white sugar
1 c. powdered sugar
4 c. all-purpose flour
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. soda
1 tsp. cream of tartar
2 eggs
1 tsp. vanilla
small amount almond extract

Mix together and roll into balls. Flatten with glass dipped in sugar. Bake at 350 degrees about 12 minutes. May sprinkle with sugar and flatten with hand.

The following recipe for sheet cake has a check mark by it and the page is stained to show it must of been used often.

Cinnamon Chocolate Sheet Cake 

by Sue Taylor

2 c. flour
2 c. sugar
1/4 c. cocoa
1/2 c. shortening
1 stick margarine
2 eggs, slightly beaten
1 c. water
1 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 c. buttermilk
1 tsp. soda
1 tsp. vanilla

Mix sugar and flour together. Mix cocoa, shortening, margarine and water, bring to a rapid boil. Pour over flour sugar mixture. Beat until smooth; add other ingredients. Bake in oblong pan 30 to 40 minutes at 350 degree. Make frosting 5 minutes before cake is done.

Icing:
1/4 c. cocoa
1/3 milk
1 tsp. vanilla
1 stick margarine
1 box powdered sugar
1 c. nuts

Bring to a boil: milk, margarine, and cocoa. Remove from heat and add add sugar, nuts and vanilla. Ice cake immediately, while still hot.


The following recipe for cobble is marked "very very good"   It is also my go-to cobbler recipe. I sometimes substitute the flour, salt & baking powder for 1 cup self-rising flour. And if I'm using store bought canned fruit I don't add the 1/2-3/4 cup sugar.

Country Cobbler
by Shirley Spurlock

1/2 c. butter, softened
1 c. sugar
1 c. all-purpose flour
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
3/4 c. milk
2 c. fruit of your choice (blueberries, blackberries, peaches, strawberries)
1/2 to 3/4 c. sugar

Combine butter, 1 cup sugar, flour, baking powder, salt, milk; blend well. Pour into a deep, 1 1/2 quart casserole dish. Combine 1/2 to 3/4 cup sugar (depending on sweetness desired) with berries. Pour over batter. Bake at 375 degrees for 30-40 minutes.


Oatmeal Cake
by Sue Nall (Mammy)

1 1/4 c. boiling water
1. c. oats
1 stick margarine
1 c brown butter
1 c. white sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp. vanilla
1 1/2 c. flour
1 tsp. soda

Pour boiling water over oats and let stand. Cream sugars, eggs and margarine thoroughly. Beat well and stir in vanilla. Sift dry ingredients, add to creamed mixture, mixing well. Bake at 350 degrees until done.

Icing:
1 c. Pet milk
1 c. sugar
3 egg yolks
1/4 stick oleo
1 c. chopped pecans
1 1/2 c. angel coconut

Combine milk, sugar, egg yolk, butter and vanilla in pan. Cook over medium heat until thick. Add pecans and coconut. Beat until smooth and spread on cake.

The following recipe was hand written on an index card and taped to a plate as a present to me one year for Christmas from Grandma Nall. (I posted it in yesterday's blog as well)

Chocolate Gravy

3 cups of milk
1 cup sugar
4 tablespoons flour
2 tablespoons cocoa
1 teaspoon butter
1 teaspoon vanilla

Add dry ingredients together. Pour into milk and cook over slow heat until thick. If too thick add a little more milk. Real good on a cold day with hot biscuits and butter. If larger amount is needed double recipe.

My FAVORITE thing that Grandma Nall made was her Mincemeat Pie. YUMMY!! Recipe follows:

Pear Mincemeat
by Willie Nall (pg 31 of "Cook Book; Favorite Recipes From Our Best Cooks")
Fun Fact: This is a pie filling - a dessert. Because of the name 'mincemeat' the people who put the cook book together placed it under the heading: Main dishes - Egg, Casserole, Cheese, Pasta. Since I'm the only one in my family who cares for this, and while I'm not above doing so, I don't usually make entire pies just for myself; I have used it as an add-in to a warm bowl of oatmeal or on my pancakes. 

7lbs pears, cut up, not peeled
1 orange, not peeled, cut up
2 lemons, not peeled, cut up
2lb raisins, 1/2 ground, 1/2 whole
5 c. sugar
3/4 c. vinegar
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. nutmeg
1 tsp. cinnamon
1 tsp. cloves
2 lb oleo (this must be a typo - I think it should read 2 Tbsp)

Cook 30 minutes and seal in hot jars.

I wanted the above recipe for years and when I finally got it, I was so disappointed. It wasn't going to be an easy thing to make. I was discouraged and resigned myself to the fact that I would never again be able to taste one of my Grandma's mincemeat pies... Then a few years ago my son went to help my father-in-law move from his farm in Southwest City, Missouri, and he came home with an ice cream bucket full of wild plums. The urge to recreate another childhood memory of Grandma Nall and how she would make me plum jelly from the wild plums that grew in my daddy's fence row, overcame me and I plunged feet first into home canning. After that batch of jelly was a success and a few others to follow I broke out her recipe and canned 7 pint jars of mincemeat. I only have one jar left. So next year - I'll need to can some more.



Other memories of recipes I have are the fact that my Mammy would always snip out little recipes here and there that she found in magazines, newspapers, or even coupon flyers. She had a drawer in her kitchen that was loaded down with these snippets. I mean the drawer would hardly open!!  She loved to cook and try new things. I even have a recording she made for her mother where she talks about learning how to make peach cobbler in a crock-pot. It must've been when crock-pots were fairly knew.

My Mammy lived in Arkansas and her mother lived in Texas. Because of Grandma Jones' arthritis and failing eye-sight they would mail each other audio tapes instead of letters.

To have a listen click here.The crock pot story starts at about 1:25

Do you have any family recipes? Even if it's not handwritten is there a dish that you remember an ancestor making? I'd love for you to share them. I'm a bit like my Mammy when it comes to food. I love it. I enjoy trying new things and have a love for anything "old".

Also - if you read in the comments - @travelgenee is wanting old recipe's to use for a future blogging challenge of her own. Check out her post here.

1/06/2019

My cousin Angie Eagle shared this recipe from Grandma Nall from one of her cook books

Weathered Memories

I am still working on the post to go with yesterday's Instagram challenge but I thought I'd take a quick break to work on today's. It should be short and sweet.

Today the prompt set out by Genealogy Girl Talks is weathered and I have the perfect thing for this.




In 2014 my Uncle Mike and Aunt Lynn gifted me one of my most treasured heirlooms. My great grandfather's old wood cook stove. And for Christmas that  year, my husband had it restored. It sits on my back porch and I use it often. Turns out, according to my great aunt Dena, her dad purchased it from a store still in Farmington today, called Chicken Hollar, in the 70's because he didn't like the way gas made his biscuits taste. He passed away when I was only 4 and I don't have many memories of him at all. In fact, I really only have one, and I'm not sure if it's a real memory or something I think I remember because I was told about it so often. But I think I remember him being really sick with oxygen on and sitting in a chair as soon as you walk in the door. When I walked in he would invite me to come sit on his lap and he would say "There's my girl with the golden curls."

I was able to find the specs for his little stove online here. I really need to find a way to print this off.

Anyway - I have one specific memory attached this little wood stove and I tell it often, but just in case my children are anything like me, and end up forgetting my little repeated stories, I thought I'd write it down for them.

My grandmother, Mammy, wanted to start a tradition of having back-to-school camp outs with all nine of her grandchildren. I'm not sure we ever did it more than once. But regardless that one time was really fun and a memory I cherish.

My Mammy's house sat on the top of a hill and below it to the East they had a pond that I would fish in every chance I got and below the pond was the field where we set up camp. My grandpa, Bampy, brought in the flat bed semi trucks we used for hauling hay so we wouldn't have to sleep on the ground that most likely would've been covered in cow patties. They also brought in this wood cook stove. That night we had fried taters, and in the morning Mammy and my great grandmother, Grandma Nall, made us biscuits, sausage, eggs, hot chocolate and chocolate gravy.

Here is the recipe in Grandma Nall's handwriting. She gave this to me one year as a Christmas gift, taped to a little plate she had picked up at  Life Ministries, in Prairie Grove, where she volunteered. In case you have trouble with that first measurement it reads: 3 cups milk.

During that camping trip I remember when the sun started to set you could hear the big bull frog at the pond and how the boys went to catch it hoping for frog-legs. We sat around the fire, sang songs, told stories. I remember how cold it got at night despite the fact that it was August and how I loved falling asleep under the stars.

I would love it if my cousins would share their memories of this trip or any other memories they have.

Below are a few pictures of the cook stove after it was refurbished and a few of the meals I've cooked on it.

Even though I think there's room for improvement, I really do enjoy Facebook's feature to search through your old posts. In going back trying to find pictures to share I was able to come across the status updates that display the learning curve involved when obtaining the skill to cook on one of these things!

January 6, 2015

Goodness me, who knew there was such an art to getting a hot fire burning in a wood cook stove!! I've spent the past hour or so trying get a good fire going to no avail.... then I finally found my damper and I made a make shift chimney out of Laney's old dry erase board.... the white board is actually thin sheet metal. Now maybe with any luck I'll get this baby hot enough to cook a meatloaf in for supper. Maybe even boil the potatoes on it for our mashed potatoes. Wish me luck!

Same day, different post:

After fiddling with my stove all day without it getting hot enough to boil a pot of water, I think the consensus is that it's too cold outside to get my stove hot enough and my wood may be damp. It feels dry because it's so cold, but it may have moisture locked in it. I'm getting far too much smoke and not enough heat. I'm getting good coals and the occasional steady flame but its just not heating it all around. I'm nearly certain I'm burning oak, so the type of wood I'm using shouldn't be the problem. Also my flue may not be tall enough to draw the smoke.
Trial error, live and learn. I look forward to trying again on a warmer day.

Feb 15, 2015

Since I've been having so much trouble sleeping through the night... this time when I woke up, I decided to start a fire in the old wood cook stove. It feels pretty HOT... so hot it burns my hands to open/close the oven door... so I whipped up some drop biscuits in my old muffin tin and put Mam's cast iron skillet on the burners to warm up... fixing to head outside to make sausage gravy to go with those biscuits... wish me luck!

Feb 16, 2015

I think I decided my wood-stove problem was impatience. I don't think I let the fire burn long enough to burn the cold off the stove and I wasn't confident enough in my fire to close off the fire box door and keep all the burners on. Once I did that it got good and warm/hot - even on really cold days. I think I'm still going to look at Lowes for a better flu to draw the smoke up over the house, if for no other reason than I'm tired of smelling and breathing in smoke.

I eventually got the hang of it, but it does produce quite a bit of smoke at first before the fire really catches.

Anyway - I hope you've enjoyed this little part if my history. If you're a Nall cousin and  you have a memory associated with this stove, please oh please share it. Or any memory of Grandpa Nall. I've heard he was a gruff man.

If you're just stopping by  - I'd love to hear from you.

Until next time,
Becky.

P.S. Don't forget to stop by Days of Our Lives where my sister-in-law is blogging along side me.

Again - I have to love FB. Today in my "memories" a post showed up that had a few memories of Grandpa Nall. I'm going to place them here so they're easier accessed:

My Uncle Mike remembers, when he was 11 grandpa had him digging up stumps and Mike kept breaking the handle's so grandpa got Mike a rock bar said you can't tear this up well guess want he bent it in two days. He still has it to this day.

My dad's first cousin Angie shared this memory: Becky, I was pretty young when he passed. Not as young as you, I think I was 11. Most of my memories include watching the men working cows while we sat on the fence. One memory I have makes me laugh now but it wasn't funny then for me or Tracie. We were spending the night, and I think I was 4 or 5. We were getting ready for bed and I thought Tracie tripped me. (I now realize that I tripped on the bed but geez I was 4!) I cried and told on her. Papa spanked her. (Justice in my mind at the time) But hey, just proves Tracie McCoy is tough-she took a spanking from the Nall patriarch! It was the razor strap that used to hang in the bathroom. I don't think she stayed over there with me much after that!! I don't blame her.

Ancestor - What I Remember, What I've Been Told, And What I Have Found

I recently came across an Instagram photo challenge offered up by @genealogyphoto and since my sister-in-law over at Days of Our Lives has been trying to get me to start blogging again, I figured I would combine the two. So with each photo I post on Instagram I intend to come over here and type out a little something. While writing yesterday's post and linking stories to various ancestors mentioned, I realized I didn't have a post about my great grandmother, Bondell Bynum. She married my great grandfather Obie Zearl Melson on 04 Dec 1933. They are the parents of my maternal grandfather, Leroy.

The picture below is how I best remember her. This would've been taken in 1983 for their 50th wedding anniversary. I was only three at the time. Grandma only lived another 6 years after this picture was taken and not much changed about her in that time frame. The little crocheted dolls hanging behind her really stand out to me. There's not a lot I remember but two things that I remember most are her sitting in her chair crocheting and stacked beside that chair were always piles of TV guides. She would always do the crossword in the back and I would always take two consecutive issues and double check her answers. I remember her kitchen and the way it smelled. I remember the deep freeze pictured behind her and how it held Little Debbie snack cakes. I remember she always grew a garden. I remember her home seemed simple. I remember she was always doing something. Even if it was just crocheting while watching a TV program. I remember she had a finger that always stayed bent. I never knew why and just assumed it was arthritis but turns out it had been cut so badly it "drew up" and healed that way.

I remember her death was my first experience of losing someone close to me.



Since I don't have many detailed memories I put out a request to family to see what they remembered. My mom was the first to respond saying that my Dad, Steve, loved grandma's home cooked food. She said if you were to ever show up around meal time, grandma would be happy to feed you a home cooked meal. I can remember dad telling of how he was amazed by her watermelon rind jelly. He didn't know you could make jelly out of such a thing.

Mom also shared,

"We ran around with them a lot and spent lots of nights. She would take us to the grocery store and ask what we wanted. We always said SpaghettiOs® and a jar of pimento cheese. When we ran around she took a water jug and kept a plastic fold up cup for our drink. I have her sewing bench. She taught us how to knit, crochet and embroider."

When I told the story last year of my mom falling on broken glass when she was about 3, I believe it was Grandma Bondell's house that my Aunt Diane ran to.  They lived in Oark, Johnson County, Arkansas. Going back and reading that story reminded me of a conversation I had with my Great Uncle Tooter one time. He spoke fondly of Grandma Bondell and said she worked hard - physically - in the fields and garden. He really admired her. I always remembered thinking grandma towered over my great grandpa OZ. It may have just been that he was hunched over in his old age because looking at the above picture she is taller but not as tall as I imagined. It's funny the way a young mind remembers things.

My Aunt Diane said "Granny made the sweetest tea on earth in a white ceramic pitcher." and her daughter, my cousin, Christy, remembers playing with the fake horses her family would bring back to give Grandma from their vacations and sitting in the sun-room listening to wind-chimes, she also remembered the crocheted dolls saying "She had a doll toilet paper holder that was crocheted. I always played with it."

Now for the facts. Grandma Bondell was born 14 Dec 1918 in the community of Spadra, Johnson County, AR. She was the second child born to Kinchen Leroy Bynum and Ludia Belle Moore. Her older sister, Beatrice was just a year older than her. When Bondell was not yet two years old her mother died during complications giving birth to a baby girl that also didn't make it. They both died 02 Sept 1920 Sebastian County, Arkansas. Kinchen eventually remarried when Grandma was five. My grandma Reba thinks that before that, Beatrice and Bondell were raised by their grandmother Minnie Ora Moore. Kinchen's second wife was named Margaret. I'm not certain of her maiden name because her mother was always called Grandma Young, but Kinchen and Margaret's marriage license gives Margaret's last name as Welch, and in the 1930 census when they were living in Tulsa, Margaret said her age at her first marriage was 19 meaning she would've had to have gotten married sometime around 1917. I suspect Kinchen was her second marriage in 1923.

Here are a few pictures of Beatrice and Bondell when they were young.



And below is a picture of Grandma with her childhood friend Blanche Blaylock in Fort Smith 1928 and a portrait of just her when she was younger.

According to the 1920 and 1930 census records, Grandma grew up the daughter of a furniture man, and a beautician. In 1917, on his WWI draft registration, Kinchen gave his place of employment at the Ballman Cummings Furniture Company. On the 1920 census, Kinchen's employment is given as a laborer for a furniture factory and in 1930 living in Tulsa he's a shipping clerk at a furniture factory.

As stated earlier, Bondell married O.Z. Melson 04 Dec 1933 and her sister Beatrice married Dennis Vaught a few weeks later on Christmas Day.

I'm not sure what led to the next moment in Bondell's life but weeks after she and her sister married and left home, Kinchen filed for a divorce on 13 Jan 1934 it was granted a month later 12 February.

An interesting fact is that Grandma Bondell's marriage license said she 18. She was really only 14.



After a year and a half of marriage Bondell gave birth to a daughter, Betty June, born Tuesday, 6 Aug 1935. News made way to her dad Kinchen and on Saturday he was on his way to go see his first grandchild. Little did anyone know that tragedy would strike. Below is a transcription of the news article.

"Roy. K. Bynum of Hagerville, a farmer, 42 years old, was killed instantly last Saturday morning about eight o’clock, when a lumber truck ran over him on the Hagarville road about eight miles northeast of here.
Injuries suffered by Bynum included a fractured skull, broken neck, crushed chest and internal injuries, any of which would have caused death, Dr. James M. Kolb of this city, Johnson County Coroner, said the accident was unavoidable.
Dr. Kolb said he learned that Bynum had attempted to climb aboard the moving truck, when he fell and was crushed by the wheels. Two other men also boarded the truck, but escaped injury.
The driver, Carlton Hixon of Russelville, employed by the Birkhead Company, said he saw Bynum and the two other men as he passed, but did not know they attempted to get on the truck. He said he heard and felt a bump and stopped as he believed a tire might have gone flat or some part was broken. It was then that he discovered Bynum.
The body of Bynum was brought here by the Griffin Funeral Home.
Funeral services were conducted Sunday afternoon at 2:30 o’clock at the Lone Pine Cemetery. Rev. L.C. Tedford, pastor of the First Baptist Church of this city, officiated. Burial was made in Lone Pine Cemetery, with Griffin Funeral Home in charge of arrangements.
Mr. Bynum is survived by two daughters, Mrs. Beatrice Vaught and Mrs. Bondell Melson, both of Oark; his parents, Mr. and Mrs. John Bynum of Hagarville; one sister Mrs. Tom King, of Huntsville; and two brothers, Sidney Bynum of Tulsa, Oklahoma, and John Bynum of Oklahoma.
Pallbearers were Hebert Bean, Allie King, Benson Frost, Everett Pttts, H.P. Johnson, and H.F. Blackburn.”

The newspapers sure didn't leave much to the imagination back then. I was really surprised at the details given.

A year and a half later Bondell gave birth to my grandpa Leroy. He and Betty June are the only children I am aware of Bondell and OZ having.

Here is a set of school pictures of the two taken in 1947:



The 1940 census shows that Grandma Bondell completed one year of High School while Grandpa OZ only made it to 6th grade. Grandpa grew up in a very rural area, whereas Grandma lived closer to big cities like Fort Smith and Tulsa. I wonder if she was very "country" at all before she became married.

Even though her father and step-mother divorced, Bondell remained close to Margaret. I even have copies of a few "generational photos" that have Margaret and her mother in them.

Below is one of those pictures. On the far left is Margaret's mother, Nettie Young, then Margaret, Grandma Bondell, Grandpa Leroy, and my Aunt Diane circa 1957.
 

Sometime after the death of Kinchen, Margaret married a man named Earl Thompson. Whenever my family refers to "Grandma Thompson" they're speaking of Margaret.

When her children were young Bondell would work in the fields, milk cows, and cut pulpwood. Grandma Reba also shared a story of when my Aunt Michelle was a baby,

"We lived on the mountain (near Oark) and it came a deep snow. They couldn't get to work and couldn't get Shell's formula so Papa milked the cow every morning and brought it to us and we didn't buy formula again."

Grandma Bondell and Grandpa OZ also raised chickens for Tyson. Mom recalls they had about 3 or 4 houses when they lived in the Baptist Ford community near Greenland. Grandma Reba (Bondell's daughter-in-law) shared that Bondell also worked at Priebe and Sons, a chicken processing plant, in Clarksville up until they closed in January 1962. She and my Grandpa Leroy would ride to work together.

Northwest Arkansas Times - Newspapers.com

After they lost their job, a friend of my Grandpa Leroy's helped him get a job at the University farm and they all moved to Prairie Grove. Grandpa Leroy and his parents lived right next door to each other all my childhood, up until Grandma Bondell passed away. Later on Grandpa OZ remarried and moved about 10 miiles away to Strickler, AR with his second wife, Virginia. The old house place is still there. I should go and take pictures when the weather cools down so I don't have to worry about snakes or wasps. It's not in the best shape and will be gone before we know it.

I'll close with Grandma's obituary and include a picture of a few of us from the day of the funeral.

The Graphic, Clarksville, Arkansas, Wednesday, 5 April 1989
Mrs. Bondell Melson, age 70, of Prairie Grove died March 29, 1989 at her home.
She was a former resident of Johnson County and a Protestant.
Surviving are her husband, O.Z. Melson; one son, Leroy Melson of Prairie Grove; one daughter Betty June Young of Fayetteville; one sister, Beatrice Vaught of Clarksville; three grandchildren, Diane Walls of Hot Springs, Reine Moore of Siloam Springs and Michelle Smith of Prairie Grove; and six great-grandchildren.
Funeral services were held at 2 p.m. Thursday, March 30, at Roller-Cox Funeral Home Chapel with Rev. Amos Pledger officiating. Burial was in Oark Cemetery.

Pallbearers were Vince Walls, Steve Moore, Willie Smith, Stanley Vaught, Harold Hyler and Alfred Bently.”

Left to Right: My mom, Reine, her sisters Michelle and Diane. My cousin Brad, me, Christy and Preston.

Did I forget to mention that my sister-in-law is joining me in this challenge. I am so excited about that. While she's not on Instagram, yet, she is adding a little bit of her own style to this challenge by having clever little themes. She's done Salvation Sunday, Medical Monday, and yesterday Tracts of Land Tuesday. She is a great writer and so clever. Be sure to click over there and check it out!

A Prompt and My View

I have been terrible about blogging this year. I have discovered I prefer researching over writing. I've never been a confident writer but I am a fairly good researcher. My sister-in-law (who I envy when it comes to writing skills) has convinced me that what's most important is that the information is "out there". She has recently started writing short blog posts and that coupled with an Instagram genealogy #photoaday challenge I came across, has given me the idea to combine the two. For each photo challenge, I will TRY to write a short blog posts with a little more detail to accompany it.

Here is a photo of the challenge:

Here's my Instagram photo for today #MyView:

My favorite view inside my home is this little hutch given to me by my mother-in-law. The shelves are loaded down with family memorabilia from both my side and my husband's. In this post I hope to briefly lists a few of the items on this shelf and who they belong to. I won't go over all of them because a few items will be featured in more detail later this month as a challenge all of their own. The idea to display these things in this manner came from my mom. I have always envied her decorative style. I am more plain Jane, reserved, frugal, and have a hard time spending money if something isn't functional or meaningful. I had always noticed a little hutch area in her home that sat opposite the dinning room table. It housed several antique items and I always assumed they were flea market finds. It wasn't until she recently told me she had items belonging to my great grandmother, and that I was welcome to have them that I found out they had belonged to family. I went to her house to pick up  my loot and she started to unload her hutch. I felt a weird combination of emotions. I was overjoyed to be offered these items, yet I also felt awkward because I was told I could take anything I wanted. I wanted it all. I was going to leave her poor hutch completely bare. I was able to hold back and I only took what I felt I could display.


On the top shelf I have two canning funnels (one belonging to my great grandmother Willie Belle, and one from my great grandmother, Bondell). There's a citrus juicer, and large ladle that also belonged to Bondell. A prescription bottle (with the label still legible) belonging to my grandmother, Sue -- inside are matches. The prescribing doctor is also the doctor who delivered me, Dr. Billy Puckett.  Hanging from the shelf is a little stainless steel tea strainer. The coffee pot and stackable food carrier are not family heirlooms. They're just items I picked up at an auction and being made of stainless steel, they seemed to fit in.

Next shelf is a ceramic tea pot, an apron that belonged to my husband's grandmother, Jessie Bates, a few pieces of embroidery that Bondell had sewn, a tea cup and saucer belonging to Grandma Bondell's step-mother, Margaret. Bondell's mother died when she was very young so her step-mother was the only mother she really knew. There is an old mail scale and an enamelware bowl and an old Eagle oil can from 1923 that belonged to Bondell. She herself was born in 1918 so I wonder what the story is behind this little can. Did it belong to family before her? Or was it something she purchased?

Next shelf is an old ATLAS canning jar - with glass lid and rubber seal that belonged to my husband's paternal grandmother, Audrey. A sifter, belonging to my great-grandma Bondell as well as an old deep fryer basket filled with various utensils. A prescription for 'No Sprout' - I think this was used to keep stored root vegetables from sprouting. Can anyone verify? A biscuit and doughnut cutter and an old tin recipe holder. Stacked behind it are several cookbooks - mostly Microwave - that have Jessie's handwriting here and there beside a few recipes. And a spiral index card notebook with several handwritten recipes. Most are in my mother-in-law's handwriting but there's one or two that I think are Jessie's. And a few torn out pages from magazines and newspapers that had recipes --especially doughnuts. And a tea towel my sister-in-law made me the year we did Homemade Christmas. It has recipes from various family members printed on it.

I love this idea of displaying family heirlooms. Do you display any family heirlooms in your home? Do people know who or where they came from?


Here's a photo of my mom, her dad, his mom Grandma Bondell, and her step-mom Grandma Margaret Thompson... the baby is me.

Until next time (hopefully tomorrow),
Becky

Monday's Child

Monday's Child is Fair of Face

This will be a series stemming from this blog post.

*Disclaimer: Before the time of actual birth records it's hard to be certain what year an individual was actually born as you will see as you read along.

My 2nd great grandmother, Isabell Singleton Athey, was possibly born on Monday, April 1, 1872,  in Collin County, Texas, to Benjamin Franklin Athey and Martha Ann Singleton Hodge. She was named after her maternal line. Isabell for Martha's mother, Isabell Peach and Singleton for Martha's father, John Singleton Hodge.

Her siblings were:

• Benjamin Franklin Athey Jr.
• Susanna "Susie Anna" Athey
• Duran Peach Athey
• Martha Lavona Athey
• Emma Wilson Athey
• Henrietta "Etta" Athey
• John Dillard Athey
• Charles Monroe Athey
• Lucy Jane Athey
• Arthur Mart Athey

In the earliest picture I have of Isabell, or Bell, as I have seen several times, she looks to be about 5 or 6 years old. Then there's another where she appears to be in her mid to late teens.



According to Poem Shape, the term "fair of face" can not only mean a child is beautiful or good looking, fair can also mean auspicious or fortunate. So a "Monday's Child" would be beautiful and have a prosperous life. I may be partial but I think my ancestor was very pretty. Let's see if her life can be classified as prosperous.

To help us get the biggest picture of Isabell's life, I want to try to outline the events of those close to her (siblings/parents) as well.

BIRTH OF ATHEY CHILDREN

I will start with the birth of the eldest child, Isbabell's brother, Benjamin Franklin Athey, Jr.

Benjamin's obituary says he was born 6 Dec 1869 in Millwood, Collin County, TX. However I believe it was actually 6 Dec 1870 or 71. His parents were married 3 March 1871 in Kaufman County, TX. The Athey and Hodge family were enumerated together in 1870 but they weren't married and there were no babies listed in the household. He could've been born out of wedlock in 1870. If he was born in 1871 that would make Isabell's birth year of 1872 impossible, hence the disclaimer at the top of this post.

Isabell was the next child born on 1 April 1872, according to her Death Certificate. Census records show her birth year as 1876 (1880 census - making her a Saturday child), 1874 (1910 census - making her a Wednesday child), 1873 (1930 census - making her a Tuesday child). I have yet to locate her in 1900 or 1920 and there are no other records that indicate a birth date.

Next up is a sister, Susanna Athey. I just discovered her while researching for this blog. I don't know how I missed her all these years as she was right there with the family in the 1880 Collin County, Census. Her birth year is given as 1874 (1880 census), Sept 1872 (1900 census), 1873 (1910 census) she may very well have been older than Isabell.

Then there was Duran Peach Athey. His middle name comes from his maternal grandmother's maiden name. Duran was born on the 29th of December. Again, I can't be certain of the year. The 1880 census says 1878, 1877 (1910 census and death index), 1875 (1940 census), 1877 (WWI and WWII Draft), 1874 (Death Certificate)

Next, Martha Lavona Athey was born 2 May 1879 (1880 census and death certificate), 1880 (1920, 1930 & 1940 census)  *Fun fact - I am related to Martha on my paternal side and her first husband, Frank H. May is related to me on my maternal side.

Then there is Emma Wilson Athey who was born on the 15th of May 1882 (1910 & 1920 census), 1881 (1930 census & SS Death Index).

Henrietta "Etta" Athey was born 7 Dec 1881 ( Find A Grave memorial) 1883 (1900 census) 1882 (1910 census).

John Dillard Athey was born 12 May 1884 ( Death Certificate and Obituary) 1885 (1910 & 1930 census) 1883 (1920 census)  1882 (1940 census) 1889 (SS Application)

Charles Monroe Athey was born 25 April 1885 (SS Application & WWI Draft) 1886 (1910, 1920, 1930, Death Certificate, Find A Grave, & WWII Draft)

I'm not certain of the order of birth between the last two children. Lucy Jane and Arthur Mart.

Lucy Jane was born 27 May 1888 (1940 census, Death Certificate, Death Index and Find A Grave memorial), 1889 (1910 census) 1885 (1920 census) 1890 (1930 census)

Arthur Mart Athey was born 6 April 1888 ( WWI Draft) 1887 (1920 census) 1891 (1910, 1930, Death Certificate, Find A Grave Memorial, & WWII Draft) 1893 (1940 census) 1890 (SS Application)

The birth year of 1891 as an option for Mart brings us to the next big thing to happen in the life of Isabell and all her siblings, the death of their mother. The 1891 birth year would be impossible if the death date of his mother is accurate. She is said to have died 3 March of 1891 so there's no way he could've been born in April of that same year.

The only record I have for Martha Hodge Athey's death is her Find A Grave memorial. There is not stone showing a death date there and Death Certificates weren't required by the state of Texas until the year 1903. I wonder, considering Martha's age, 35 years, if maybe she didn't die due to complications with childbirth. Either of Arthur Mart, Lucy Jane, or an unknown infant who died as well. Most likely the later.

MARRIAGES OF ATHEY CHILDREN 

1891 The next big event to take place would be the first marriage in this Athey family. Susanna Athey married Mr. John A Clark on 4 Oct 1891 in Rockwell County, TX
1892
Benjamin Franklin Athey Jr married Miss Viola Bethel Beaver on 24 July 1892 in Collin County, Texas.
1894
Isabell Athey married a Mr. C E Moore on 2 Sept 1894 in Rockwell County, TX This C E Moore is a bit of mystery. I've heard his name was Charles or Charlie. He and Isabell had one son named Henry Edwin Moore so I suspect the 'E' stood for Edwin. It's also been said that Mr. Moore was Native American.
1897
Emma Wilson Athey married Mr. James Robert Byrd on 18 Sept 1897 in Rockwall County, TX
1898
Henrietta "Etta" Athey married Mr. M Chancey McGinnis on 9 Jan 1898 in Collin County, TX
1900 
Martha Lavona Athey married Mr. Frank H. May on 29 July 1900 in Collin County, Texas.

Their father Benjamin Franklin Athey Sr. died on 6 Sept 1900. Frank H. May was the temporary administrator of his Estate.
1901
March 1901 **Frank H. May was adjudged insane. This comes from a newspaper article found on Newspapers.com from The Democrat out of McKinney, TX for the date of  21 March 1901



** Turns out the above article contains a typo. The man actually adjudged insane was Thomas H. May b. 1870 from TN. I found the actual court records. He spent the 1910, 1920, & 1930 census as a patient in Terrell, Kaufman, TX as a patient and died in March 1935.

Also, from the same source on 10 Oct 1901 there is the divorce of Isabell from C E Moore, granted by Judge Dillard. In that same paper is the marriage of Isabell Moore to Mr. James Thomas Foster. Their marriage license is dated for the 6th of Oct 1901. The wording of the divorce article gives the date of her divorce as 5th Oct 1901

1904
Duran Peach Athey married Miss Emmer/Emma May Curry on 1 Feb 1904 in Bowie County, Texas and John Dillard married Miss Eliza Jane Jones on 8 March 1904 in Hunt County, Texas.

1905
Three marriages took place this year. Charles Monroe Athey married Miss Martha Valonia Askins on 12 July 1905 in Rockwall County, Texas, Lucy Jane Athey married Mr. Audrey DeWitt Smith on 29 October in Collin County and an abandoned/divorced Henrietta "Etta" McGinnis married Mr. Bert Clarence Robert 16 Nov 1905 in Collin County, Texas.

1911 Duran Athey's wife and infant daughter, named after her mother, died.

1914 Arthur Mart/Mark Athey married Miss Alice L Cain/Kain in Nacogdoches County, TX in June 1914. I can't find an actual marriage liscense/bond but there's an index and her name is transcribed as Alice King. Two dates are given for their marriage the 7th and the 14th. Alice died in 1931 and sometime after that Arthur Mart married Bertha Mae Watson Bobbitt.

1915 Martha Lavona Athey May remarries Mr. George D. Orman 8 January in Henderson County, Texas

1916 Susanna Athey Clark died 4 Oct 1916 in Van Zandt County, Texas

1917 Duran Athey remarries a widow, Miss Minnie Lee Jones Robbins, in Collin County, Texas.

THE LIFE OF BELLE ATHEY

Belle's father was a corn & cotton farmer it would seem from reading through his Estate Records. In one instance it said that "B F Athey along with his daughters Belle Moore and M L May, owned a growing crop consisting of about 37 acres of corn and cotton" In another paper is stated that Belle was a widow living with her father and she had a four  year old son, Henry Edwin Moore. There's not much as far as documentation on Isabelle's first  husband. In fact the only reference I can find is her marriage and that only gives his name as C E Moore - no age, race, or anything else. BUT I can tell you what a cousin of mine shared with me. She is the daughter of Isabell's daughter, Evie Mack Foster Alexander. Evie's husband Fred Alexander conveyed this to his duaghter:

"Charlie Moore was one half Native American (Cherokee) and was working for Belle's dad. She was very young and fell in love with him and married him, I think in Rockwall County. One day when uncle Henry was a baby (he was born in Rockwall), Charlie left home to go to the bank in Dallas and disappeared. After many years he was declared dead, and she married grandpa Foster. He was carrying money is what I was told, and they thought he was killed along the way. Anyway that's what daddy told me. Granny and uncle Henry were very close I think, because mother had a postcard written to her (granny) from uncle Henry while he was in the service during WWI and was very sick."

As shared above, in 1901 Isabell was granted a divorce and she married my 2nd great grandfather James Thomas Foster. J T Foster was the son of Malcolm Foster, and it's assumed Mary Knox as there is a marriage record for Malcolm and Mary. The first census James is shown in is the 1880 Collin County census which only gives initials. The wife of Malcolm is clearly given as N J Foster. If Mary died and he remarried there's no record that I have found. And no death record for either Mary Knox or "N J" from the 1880 census.


THE CHILDREN OF JAMES AND ISABELL

Not long after James Thomas and Belle were married she became pregnant with their fist child,

• Mary Ellen Foster was born in Simms, Bowie, Texas on the 28th of Sept 1902. She died soon thereafter. 
• Evie Mack Foster was born December 1, 1903,  Simms, Bowie, Texas
• James Arthur "Art" Foster was born June 7, 1905, Simms, Bowie, Texas
• Jodie Sidney Foster was born December 22, 1906, Collin County, Texas
  
  
• Wesley Lewis Foster was born March 25, 1908, Collin County, Texas
• Jessie Marion Foster was born January 30, 1910, Midland Texas he died not long after
• George Franklin Foster was born April 14, 1911
• Ivy May Foster was born October 18, 1913 she died as an infant but there is a picture of her with Evie Mack Foster 
  

• Willie Belle Foster, my great grandmother, was born January 30, 1915, Simms, Bowie, Texas
• Bessie Lee Foster, was born Christmas day, December 25, 1916
• Harvey Sims Foster, was born March 2, 1918, Bowie County, Texas
  

  

   Right to Left: Henry Edwin Moore, Arthur Foster, Jodie Foster, Wesley Foster, George Foster, Harvey Foster. 

Isabell's parents both died before she was even 30. Her first husband left and never returned leaving her to raise their only son. She remarried, gave birth to 11 babies and lost 3, I can't imagine how heartbreaking that would've been. Stories that survive about James Thomas aren't exactly fairy tales. He was a hard man, prone to temper fits. One story says that Isabell could give as good as she got. The story says an argument broke out between the two and they were so mad at each other that they took turns chunking their dishes out the door. At the end of the fight there was only one plate left. They had to use syrup bucket lids for plates for a time. At meal time Isabell would always give James the one last plate - maybe for spite? Anyway, new dishes were purchased before company came.

Again, Evie Mack's daughter shared this story of Grandpa Foster:

Grandpa had a BAD temper. My daddy, Fred Alexander, stopped him many times, I was told, from whipping the boys and old mules when they didn't perform as they should. My mother, Evie Foster, laid a pillow in a bottomless chair one time and put it at grandpa's place at the table. When he sat down to eat he fell through and everyone laughed. Mother said his face got red as he looked all around. Then his eyes fell on her and said "daughter you're the only one who would do this." Guess she was the only one who get by with it.

James Thomas Foster died in 1927 leaving Isabell to raise at least 4 children, the youngest being 9, all by herself.

Isabell delivered babies all around the country side including her own grandson, Charles (my grandpa). Her services were never hampered day or night by the fact that she had asthma. She would never take pay for the deliveries, but most surely some gave her eggs, chickens, butter, vegetables, or whatever they could. She passed away when my grandfather was only 6 months old on November 3, 1935. She was only 63 (if her birth  year was indeed 1872).

I'm not sure about you, but I don't find Isabell's life to have been what most consider prosperous. I'm pretty sure I ruled out 1872 as a birth year, anyway. From the existing records it's possible that she was a Saturday's child, who worked hard for a living, Wednesday's child, full of woe, or Tuesday's child full of grace. I can definitely see her as a Saturday's child and a Wednesday's child. What do you think?

Until next time,
Becky

*I've been terrible about keeping up with this blog, but my SIL has been plugging away. Be sure to stop by and check out her blog over at Days of Our Lives

Mother Goose And Genealogy

It's been some time since I've written a post, mainly because I was lacking prompts or story lines. Today I was reflecting on one of my favorite books as a child, The Real Mother Goose, when the idea came to me to use a Mother Goose poem as a prompt. I plan on finding an ancestor to fit each of these lines. I will compare their life to the adage and see if this poem warrants any merit.

Illustration by Blanche Fisher Wright

Monday’s child is fair of face,
Tuesday’s child is full of grace,
Wednesday’s child is full of woe,
Thursday’s child has far to go,
Friday’s child is loving and giving,
Saturday’s child works hard for a living,
And the child that is born on the Sabbath day
Is bonny and blithe, and good and gay.

First a little history about this poem which I found online from Poem Shape: The poem Monday’s Child, was first recorded in 1838, in A. E. Bray’s Traditions of Devonshire (Volume II, pp.287-288). This doesn’t mean that Monday’s child is a contrivance of 1838. Tradition (from which this proverbial poem springs) can be dated back, at least, to the 1570’s.

Today's post will just be an introduction where I'll lay out who I've chosen to blog about. Look for a post a day next week to correspond to the day mentioned. If I can't pound out one a day then definitely one a week on the corresponding day, of course.

Monday's child - Elizabeth Isabell Athey
Tuesday's child - Winey Lawson Newman
Wednesday's child - Benjamin Rufus Nall (I'm also a Wednesday child)
Thursdays' child - Ora Francis McClung
Friday's child - Clara Inda Evans
Saturday's child - Bondell Bynum
Sunday's child - Permelia "Mealy" Turner

Finding ancestors that were born on specific days proved harder than I imagined. I would've preferred a more even balance of males and females but this was the best I could come up with. It took forever to find a Sunday child.

Just for fun, what day of the week were you born on? How do you think your life has gone compared to this little poem?

What I Now Know

A little more than 10 years ago, my mother gave me three books that she had been given when genealogy was a hobby of hers: "House of Boyer" by Edith Boyer Suggs 1963, A hand typed and bound book simply titled "Melson Book" compiled by Andrew Melson 1973 and "The Patricks And Spadra Creek The Census And Statehood" by Heartsill Patrick King 1976.

I always understood how I was connected to the Boyers and Melsons but I could never find a connection to the Patricks. I knew from research that several of my ancestors lived in and around Spadra Township but that was the best I could come up with -- until this week.

If you've ever done genealogy research, especially if its ever become a hobby, or addiction, you understand how easy it is to jump from one line to the next and before you know it you easily have hundreds of surnames to try to keep up with. The family lines with the most records are usually the ones you spend the most time on so those without much information tend to get shuffled to the back and forgotten. That's how it was with my Lassiter/Lassater/Laster line. I knew from the "House of Boyer" and later from a marriage record that my 5th great grandmother was Nancy R Miysa Lassater and that she married Leander P. Martin on February 18th 1836 in Lawrence County Arkansas. And that was as far as I could get, so I moved on to more fruitful family lines.

On page 18 of "House of Boyer" it says that my 4th great grandmother, Parmelia Boyer married John Leander Martin who was the son of L. A (that's an error, his middle initial was P) and Nancy Laster Martin of Tenn.

The first record I have for John Leander Martin is the 1850 Spadra, Johnson County, AR census. He is 10 years old and in the household of a James H. and Sarah Lasiter, several young children with the name Lasiter and one other young boy with the last name Martin, an Abram who is 12.

This is because John and Abram's parents had already died. His father in 1840 and his mother, Nancy, in 1847.

James H. Lasiter was Nancy's brother. His wife was Sarah PATRICK - hence the mystery third book, "The Patricks And Spadra Creek The Census And Statehood" This book is written about the author's great grandmother Hannah Caroline Patrick King. On page 19 it mentions that in 1841 her older sister Sarah married James H. Laster. While this book is not necessarily about anyone in my blood-line it is a well written and very enjoyable read. This book let me know what life was like in the area where my ancestors lived, the hardships they endured and the mindset of that era. I highly recommend it, if you have ancestors from the Johnson County area during the years of 1830-1870.

I believe that the parents of Nancy and James H. Lassiter were Frederick Lassiter and Nancy Smith who were married in Gates County, North Carolina in 1802.




At this point in time I don't have any actual records proving that Frederick Lassiter and Nancy Smith were the parents of Nancy and James, as all of my genealogy research takes place from my computer and there are no records online for Frederick Lassiter in Johnson County available on Family Search or Ancestry other than the 1850 census where there is a Frederick Lasiter, living alone, 70 years old from NC in Horeshead Township, Johnson County, AR, and a Tax list for the year 1838. There is however in 1840 what could be a Frederick but its transcribed as Francis (looks like a cross between the two) living in Johnson County. The oldest male is 60-69 which fits my Frederick.

This line has intrigued me enough that I'm actually planning my first genealogy road trip. It is Spring Break for us and my husband took off work for the week - the timing is perfect.

I would love to find a Will or Probate Records for Frederick Lassiter, and Leander P Martin.

From what others have posted online, it is said that Frederick Lassiter and Nancy Smith were the parents of:

1. Abraham Laster - b. 1804     d. 1861    m. Nancy Puckett
2. Samuel Harrison Laster - b. 1806    d. 1883    m. Sarah "Sally" Barker
3. Penelope Laster - b. 1810    d. 1863    m. Dotson Belt
4. Nancy R. Laster - b. 1815    d. 1847    m. Leander P. Martin
5. James Hance Laster - b 1820    d. 1865     m. Sarah Ann Patrick
6. John H. Laster - b. 1822    d. 1865    m. Emily S. James
7. Sarah Miranda Laster - b. 1825    d. 1909    m. James Thomas Gillam
8. Elizabeth Jane Laster b. 1827   d. 1904    m.(1) James Calhoun Baskins   m.(2) Thomas M Baskins

It is also said that Frederick, his wife Nancy,  their son Abraham and his wife, and my ancestors Leander Martin and Nancy Lassiter are buried in an old cemetery known as "Old Harmony"  not to be confused with Harmony Cemetery also in Johnson County. (There is also a young Harrison Martin buried there who is believed to be a third child of Leander and Nancy.)

When trying to find out how to locate this cemetery so I could add it to my road trip I found the following:

"It was an adventure in itself finding the small overgrown and hidden cemetery. It is called Old Harmony Cemetery and is on the Harl Coffee farm. The headstones were either too old to read or too hard to get to because of the overgrowth"

That was posted in 2006 - so I'm hoping that is no longer the case.

In the meantime I can glean more information about this family by researching the "children".

Samuel Harrison Laster's Civil War records state that he was 45 in 1864 and that he was born in Gates County, North Carolina. That adds up to the above marriage record for Frederick Lassiter and Nancy Smith. All census records indicate that Samuel was actually born around 1806/7 - I wonder if he wanted to appear younger so that he would be accepted into the US Army.






In 1810 Gates County, NC listed under the household for Frederick Lassiter are the following individuals:

2 males under 10 (Abraham and Samuel)
1 male 26-44  (Frederick Lassiter)
1 female 10-15 (unknown)
1 female 26-44 (Nancy Smith)
1 female over 45 (unknown)

More information that groups these "children" with Frederick Lassiter is the census and marriage records of Wilson County, TN

In 1820 Lebanon, Wilson, TN under the household for Frederick Lasater are the following individuals:

1 male under 10 (James Hance Laster)
1 male 10-15 (Samuel Harrison Laster)
1 male 16-18 (Abraham Laster)
1 male 26-44 (Frederick Lassiter)
1 female under 10 (Nancy R. Lassater)
2 females 10-15 (Penelope and unknown - possibly Elizabeth who married Alexander Smith)
1 female 26-44 (Nancy Smith)

In 1824 there is a marriage record for Abram Lasseter to Nancy Puckett




In 1828 there is a marriage record for Samuel H. Lasater to Sally Barker



Other marriages taking place between 1820-1830 for individuals with the last name Lassiter are:

Rebecca m. William Crook in 1824
Mary m. Alfred Hite/Hill in 1825
William m. Polly Hill in 1828
Stanford m. Leah Fonch in 1830 (Stays in Wilson County. Born 1812 NC)
Elizabeth m. Alexander Smith in 1830 (This family ends up in Lawrence County, AR) making her a possible child of Frederick as well. She was born about 1808 in NC. But it is doubtful as I have just discovered an 8th child of Frederick and Nancy Smith Lassiter named Elizabeth Jane who married Baskins brothers, James Coulhoun and then Thomas Middleton (my 6th great grandfather).



In the 1830 Wilson, TN census under the household of Frederick Lasiter are the following individuals:

2 males 5-9 (John H and unknown)
1 male 10-14 (James Hance Lassiter)
1 male 50-59 (Frederick Lassiter)
1 female under 5 (unknown)
1 female 5-9 (Sarah Miranda Lassiter)
1 female 15-19 (Nancy R. Lassiter)
1 female 20-29 (Penelope Lassiter)
1 female 40-49 (Nancy Smith)

There is a separate household in Wilson, TN for both Abraham and Samuel that same census year.

At this point in time the strongest piece of evidence I have for Frederick being the father of my Nancy R. Lassiter is a Tax List for the years 1833, 1835 and 1836 that places him in Strawberry Township, Lawrence County, AR, where Nancy and Leander Martin were married in 1836.




He is the only Lassiter that shows in Lawrence County during that time period.

As I mentioned before in 1840, Johnson County, AR there is a possible record for Frederick Lassiter.

The ages for the individuals are:

2 males 15-19 (James Hance and John H)
1 male 60-69 (Frederick)
1 female 5-9 (unknown)
1 female 10-14 (unknown)
1 female 15-19 (Sarah Miranda)
1 female 50-59 (Nancy Smith)

Below is a screenshot - so you can decide for yourself.

The one I believe to be Frederick is right above Dotson Belt - who is his son-in-law. You can also see Abraham Laseter.

By 1850 Frederick is living alone, his wife Nancy having died two years earlier. He would live for two more years before joining her. As said before, the two are supposed to be buried in Old Harmony Cemetery.

One more piece of information before I bring this post to a close is the speculation** that this Frederick Lassiter fought in the War of 1812.

**It is no longer speculation. In the Bureau of Land Managment Land Grant files you can find the PDF image of Frederick's Military Warrant that states he fought he was a private in Captain Martin's Company Tennessee Volunteer Militia (Brice Martin)

A widowed Frederick also married the widow Delilah (Payne) Basham and there's a land record for her and his land as well that mentions his military service.

 FamilySearch provides the service cards for a Frederick Lassiter (spelled a variety of ways) that served in the War of 1812 in both Bradley's Reg't of Ten Vols and Hall's Reg't of Ten Vols. They are BOTH him.

The Tennessee Secretary of State has a website that explains the Regimental Histories of Tennessee Units During the War of 1812. The one that pertains to Frederick is as follows:

COLONEL EDWARD BRADLEY

DESIGNATION: 1st Regiment of Tennessee Volunteer Infantry

DATES: September 1813 - December 1813
MEN MOSTLY FROM: Sumner, Giles, Lincoln, Montgomery, Overton, Rutherford, Smith, and Wilson Counties

CAPTAINS: Abraham Bledsoe, Harry Douglass, James Hambleton, John Kennedy, William Lauderdale, Brice Martin, John Moore, Travis Nash, Thomas Haynie, John Wallace

BRIEF HISTORY:
This unit was originally under the command of Colonel William Hall during Jackson's excursion to Natchez. Bradley took over the regiment when Hall was promoted to brigadier general. Bradley's regiment then became part of Hall's brigade, along with Colonel William Pillow's Second Regiment of Tennessee Volunteer Infantry. This brigade participated in Jackson's first campaign into the Creek Nation. Bradley's regiment fought at the Battle of Talladega (9 November 1813) and muster rolls show many casualties from that battle, especially in the companies of Captains Abraham Bledsoe and Brice Smith.
The line of march for this first campaign followed the route from Fayetteville to Huntsville, then to Fort Deposit and Fort Strother. The troops were dismissed in December 1813. The number of men in each captain's company varied from twenty-nine to seventy-two soldiers.

If I make it to Johnson County this week -- I'll be sure to post what I find.

Until next time,
Becky