Tuesday, January 31, 2012

Tombstone Tuesday: Robert Patterson 1802-1873


ROBERT PATTERSON
Died May 11, 1873
Aged 70 y. 7 m. 1 d.

Go home dear friends
And dry your tears,
I will arise 
when Christ appears.

My paternal 3rd great grandfather, husband of Mary Root
buried Old Liberty Cemetery, Fayette Co., Illinois
photos taken by me on May 31, 2011
Close up of Robert Patterson Tombstone

Old Liberty Cemetery, Fayette Co., Illinois

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Sunday, January 29, 2012

Sunday's Obituary: Mary E. (Breckenridge) Newby


Obit: National Road Traveler - February 25, 1950

                          Mrs. L. P. Newby
Mrs. L. P. Newby obit
National Road Traveler
25 Feb 1950
     Mrs. Mary Elizabeth Newby, 92, widow of L. P. Newby of Knightstown, died early Friday in Anderson where she had made her home for the past four months. Mrs. Newby was a native of Henry County and had resided in Knightstown all her life.
     Her husband was a prominent attorney and a world traveler of note and was prominent in Masonic circles, having served as grand commander of the United States of the Knights Templar. Mr. Newby made several trips to the Holy Land.
     Surviving are a son, Floyd Newby, Knightstown attorney; two grandchildren, Lewis P. Newby of California, and Mrs. Elizabeth Williams of Anderson; four great grandchildren and two sisters, Mrs. Julius Thornton of the Masonic Home in Franklin and Mrs. Grace Albertson of Columbus. A daughter, Mrs. Floss Cooper, preceded her in death.
     Services were conducted Monday with burial in Glencove cemetery, Knightstown.

Mary Elizabeth Breckenridge was the daughter of Robert B. and Julia Ann (Swain) Breckenridge and the wife of my maternal great, great granduncle, Leonidas Perry Newby.


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Wednesday, January 25, 2012

Walter M. Runyan - He Wasn't Born on Wednesday



Walter M. Runyan - age 3
Wednesday's child is full of woe. 

Last week I posted a photo of the family of Jesse C. and Lena (Hudelson) Runyan but there was one child missing from that group, their first born, their only son Walter. Walter was born May 5, 1912 and while he was still living with his family in 1920, by 1930 he was institutionalized as an epileptic. What a heartbreak for his parents.

Before the turn of the century, epileptics were seen as a menace to society and were segregated from the rest of the population in asylums for the insane and later in institutions like the "Epileptic Village" of Newcastle, Indiana. By the 1950s there were medical advancements in the treatment of the disease and segregation ended. 

In the 1930 census there were over 425 males listed in Epileptic Village, along with my mother's paternal first cousin Walter. It is interesting to note that the various sections of the village were called by numbered "colonies", a term also used for leper populations. The photo below is cropped from a damaged postcard and shows colony 2 of Epileptic Village.

Colony No. 2 - Epileptic Village, New Castle, Indiana

Walter died on Wednesday, October 15, 1958.



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Monday, January 23, 2012

Military Monday: Lawrence E. Runyan Orders of Induction - 1918



Order of Induction into Military Service of the United States

"From and after the day and hour just named you will be a soldier in the military service of the United States."


Letter of induction for Lawrence E. Runyan, my maternal grandfather
World War I - Camp Custer, Michigan
Original letter in my possession

To see a photo of all the inductees or draftees that appeared at the Newcastle, Indiana courthouse on this day, click on this link: 

To see a photo of my grandfather in his WWI uniform, click below:

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Sunday, January 22, 2012

Sunday's Obituary: Leonidas Perry Newby 1945


LEONIDAS PERRY NEWBY DIES: PROMINENT IN MANY FIELDS

     Leonidas Perry Newby, aged 90, prominent citizen of this city, for years identified with the legal profession of the county and throughout the Middle West and active in its commercial life until his retirement 25 years ago, passed away in Indianapolis Thursday, Oct. 25, after an illness of many months. He was known internationally in the fraternal world as former Grand Master of the Knights Templar of the United States.
     He was active in local banking circles, organizing the Citizens National bank of this city in 1888 and served as its president until he retired in recent years. In political faith he was a Republican, and served by appointment first, then election, as prosecutor, of the 18th judicial circuit, composed of Hancock and Henry counties. In 1892 he was elected to the Indiana Senate, and re-elected in 1896, serving with distinction.
     Known throughout his life time as Perry Newby to a host of friends, the deceased was the son of Mr. and Mrs. Jacob Newby whose family migrated from North Carolina to Henry county in 1837. Perry was born April 9, 1855, near Lewisville, Ind. In 1872, his family moved to Knightstown. In his youth and throughout his life time his first ambition seems to have been for knowledge. As a small boy he performed janitor's duties in the Greensboro schools, and assisted a neighboring blacksmith, in order that he might attend school, and also assist his father's family of six children, of which he was the youngest boy.
     At the age of 16 young Newby entered the Knightstown schools, and taught school during his high school years to earn expenses, attending school alternately. He was the first student to graduate from Knightstown high school, graduating with honors. He attended Asbury college for some months which is now DePauw university. He studied law in the firm of Butler and Swaim, later with J. Lee Furgason, in this city. He was admitted to the Henry bar in 1872, and after a brief partnership with Walter B. Swaim, in this city, he established his own legal offices. For a brief period he was part owner of a newspaper known as "The Knightstown Shield," but he sold his interest, continuing his active legal practice, and other commercial interests in this city and county. For 50 years he was local attorney for the Pennsylvania railroad.
     In September, 1877, he was united in marriage with Mary Elizabeth Breckenridge. Both Mr. and Mrs. Newby were active in the Methodist church throughout his lifetime. He is survived by his widow, and two children, Mrs. Florence N. Cooper, and Mr. Floyd Newby, of this city; also by two grandchildren and four great grandchildren.
     Funeral services were held at the Carlyle Butcher Funeral home in this city, Sunday afternoon, with the Grand Commandery, Knights Templar in charge, with commanderies of adjoining cities, assisting. Burial took place at Glen Cove cemetery.
     Leonidas Perry Newby was made a Master Mason in Golden Rule lodge No. 16, F. and A. M., of Knightstown, in 1882, starting a career of personal fraternal service and honors in Masonic bodies through the Chapter, Council and Commandery of the York Rite, in which he in turn held all presiding offices which culminated in his election as Grand Master of the Grand Commandery of the United States, Knights Templar, in 1922, and in which capacity he served through 1925. During these years he traveled extensively visiting all provinces within his jurisdiction, the United States, Alaska, Mexico, Puerto Rico, the Canal Zone, the Philippines, Hawaii, and Canadian provinces. In addition he toured all the North African states, western Asia and South America. He toured Europe many times.
     Mr. Newby received the honorary 33rd degree of Italy, in 1926, and the Legion of Honor of France and commission as a life officer therein, on March 30, 1926, from the President of France. He was made a commssioner to visit Europe to select the uses to which a $500,000 fund contributed by Knights Templar for European relief during World War No. 1 were to be put. On this trip he traveled with French and Belgian military escort and was at Metz when the armistice was signed.
     For many years he helped support the International Monte Mario Methodist college at Rome, and served as chairman of its board of trustees.



A second, small death notice...

National Road Traveler - November 1, 1945

Obituary of L. P. Newby
National Road Traveler
November 1, 1945
               L. P. Newby
     Leonidas Perry Newby, age 90, widely known Knightstown citizen and internationally known in the Masonic world as a former grand master of the Knights Templar of the United States, died Thursday in a nursing home in Marion county following a long illness.




Leonidas was my maternal great, great granduncle, son of Jacob and Levina (Leonard) Newby. An equally lengthy biography written about him and published in 1906 may be seen here: Amanuensis Monday: Biography of L. P. Newby

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Friday, January 20, 2012

For The Record Friday: Me and the Muzzleloader



Firing the muzzleloader
OK..here it is, just for the record. This photo of me discharging a muzzleloader rifle, was taken on Thanksgiving Day 2011 at the home of my son Michael and daughter-in-law April, on the back of their property. 

There was a lot of target practice going on that day, with various firearms and a fairly large group of family and friends waiting their turn to shoot. I love shooting but, because of the crowd, I decided to opt out and I went over to chat with my sister-in-law Rose.

Finally, when the muzzleloader (owned by April's father) was being fired, my son came to me and said "Mom, you have to shoot this, you know..." I don't think he finished the sentence, but I knew what he meant. He knew I took great pride and interest in my 18th century longhunter ancestors. (Read more here: Treasure Chest Thursday: Sons of a Trackless Forest)

In that moment, I knew very well that Michael was right, and I quickly chose not to pass up this opportunity to connect in this small way to those frontier kin, even if only in my own imagination.

And it was dang cool!

Thanks son!

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Wednesday, January 18, 2012

Wordless Wednesday: Family of Jesse C. Runyan


Back Row L to R: daughters: Viola, Thelma, Marguerite
Front Row L to R:
Father Jesse (my maternal granduncle), daughter Pearl, Mother Lena (cir. 1934)



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Tuesday, January 17, 2012

Tombstone Tuesday: Clinton Allen and Pansy K. (Newby) Stevens



Pansy K. Newby b. 2 Jun 1889 - d. 7 May 1953
daughter of Strother and Flora (Lindamood) Newby
(raised from infancy by Truman and Mary (Lindamood) Goldsberry)
Clinton A. Stevens b. 18 Mar 1886 - d. 27 Jul 1946
son of Jasper and Josephine (Burns) Stevens

Oak Ridge Cemetery, Springfield, IL
photo used with permission from FindAGrave.com volunteer BJJ

More about this couple at this link: 

Pansy's obituary can be seen here: 

Would love to hear from Pansy's descendants!


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Sunday, January 15, 2012

Sunday's Obituary: Pansy K. (Newby) Stevens



My maternal great, great granduncle, Strother E. Newby and his first wife Flora A. (Lindamood) Newby may have divorced prior to, or shortly after their daughter Pansy was born. They were married in August of 1888 and Pansy was born in June of 1889. For reasons unknown, neither parent took responsibility of raising her and Pansy became an orphan. It was a blessing in disguise however, because Pansy's maternal aunt, Mary J. (Lindamood) Goldsberry and her husband Truman, their own children having died young, took Pansy in and raised her as their own and gave her a good education. I had already pieced many of the main events of Pansy's life together before coming across her obituary which confirmed what I already knew. 


Obit: National Road Traveler - March 12, 1953

                 PANSY NEWBY STEVENS
National Road Traveler
March 12, 1953
     LEWISVILLE - Mrs. Pansy Newby Stevens, a former resident of Lewisville, died March 4 at Springfield, Ill., where she had made her home since her marriage in 1918 to C. A. Stevens.
     Left an orphan in infancy, Mrs. Stevens was reared in Lewisville in the home of her aunt and uncle, Mr. and Mrs. Truman Goldsberry. She was a graduate of the Spiceland Academy and Indiana University and later taught at Mt. Comfort and Springfield. At the time of her death she was art director in the Springfield State library. Her husband and an infant daughter, Mrs. Thomas Nelson of Springfield, a son, Chester Stevens of Evanston, Ill., and three grandchildren.
     Funeral services and interment were at Springfield.

I think, in the second paragraph, some words got omitted and it should have read: Her husband and an infant daughter preceded her in death and she is survived by a daughter, Mrs. Thomas Nelson of Springfield, a son...., etc.". Pansy was also married in 1919, not 1918 and her actual date of death was March 7, 1953, not March 4.

You can read more about Pansy here from a previous post: Pansy: Daughter of Strother and Flora A. (Lindamood) Newby

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Friday, January 13, 2012

Asylum Patient Saw Platt Kill Tyree 1885



According to other newspaper articles, there was a close eyewitness to this 1885 murder. Yesterday I found it: another newspaper article about the murder of Jesse Tyree, my paternal 3rd great grandmother's brother, and it named the witness and told his story. Anyone who is, or knows an epileptic, knows they are not deranged in any way. Like the victim, this witness was an epileptic and considered a "lunatic", therefore his testimony could not be used in court. I have now accumulated over 30 newspaper articles concerning the murder of this man, Jesse Tyree, who was once a teacher and somehow ended up in the Eastern Kentucky Asylum for the Insane in Lexington, Kentucky.

Morning Herald: March 23, 1897

Morning Herald
March 23, 1897
                  AN ASYLUM PATIENT

WHO CLAIMS HE SAW PLATT KILL TYREE, DANGERIOUSLY ILL.

     Jason Reed, a patient at the asylum, who claims that he was present when Arthur Platt killed Jesse Tyree, is very ill and may die. He was sent to the asylum twenty-five years ago suffering from epilepsy.
     In his testimony before the Coroner's jury, Reed said that he knew Tyree and slept in the same room with him. He said he saw the shooting; that he was standing only a few feet from the victim when the shot was fired; that he saw Platt and Tyree coming from the dining room into the day room, Platt pushing Tyree and finally shoving him into a seat, that he heard Tyree beg for mercy, hear Platt say: "I'll kill you now," pull the pistol and fire; saw Tyree fall to the floor to his face, hear Mike McGlade tell Platt he was going to report the killing; saw Platt pack up his valise and leave hurriedly. His mental affliction will debar him from appearing in the witness stand against Platt.

You can read my original post on this intriguing story by clicking on this link: Jesse Tyree: Murder of a "Lunatic"

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Thursday, January 12, 2012

While Senator Newby Snored...



One simply cannot become an attorney, a state senator, and a bank president (just to name a few of his myriad accomplishments), without being just a little more clever than a thief.

Article from the Indiana State Journal - March 23, 1898

            SENATOR NEWBY SNORED

Indiana State Journal 23 Mar 1898
WHILE ROBBERS LOOTED THE HOUSE AND GOT A SQUARE MEAL


KNIGHTSTOWN, Ind., March 21. - Saturday night thieves entered Senator L. P. Newby's residence and thoroughly ransacked the back part of the house, and Sunday morning the kitchen and pantry were completely looted. Miss Floss Newby, the senator's daughter, had just arrived home from Greencastle and when she retired for the night her pocketbook containing $5 was left on the kitchen table. This was about all the valuables secured by the thieves. The intruders evidently expected big plunder. The senator had been to Indianapolis that day and he brought home with him on the evening train $4,200, $1,700 of which was in coin, the rest being in paper. The timelock at the state bank had been left open after closing hours for the reception of the money, and when the senator left the train he went straight to the bank and deposited the cash in the vaults. The robbers must have been in the house as much as an hour. They lighted a lantern and went about the rooms as if they were at home, sat at the kitchen table and ate oranges and threw the peelings upon the floor. Then they thoroughly examined several garments in a wardrobe and threw the clothing on the floor. They had a real good time while the Newby family was asleep. It is thought to have been the work of local talent.

Leonidas Perry Newby was the brother of my maternal great, great grandfather, John A. Newby. Click on the link below to read more about Senator Newby: 


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Wednesday, January 11, 2012

Wordless Wednesday: Bertha M. Newby


Daughter of John Alby and Mary Louisa (Grunden) Newby, circa 1896.
First wife of Otto E. Armstrong. Died in childbirth with first child. 


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Tuesday, January 10, 2012

Tombstone Tuesday: Family of Leonidas P. Newby



Leonidas Perry Newby was the son of Jacob N. and Levina (Leonard) Newby and the brother of my maternal great, great grandfather, John A. Newby. He married Mary Elizabeth Breckenridge in 1876 and they had two children: Florence "Floss" Newby who married (and divorced) Marsh P. Cooper, and Floyd J. Newby who married Mary H. Lewis. Floyd was attorney for the sale of the farmhouse owned by my maternal great grandparents, Charles Lee and Ida May (Trowbridge) Newby, in Spiceland Township, Henry Co., Indiana. and also the attorney signing the will of Millie (Trowbridge) McMullen, Ida May Newby's sister. I have in my possession a copy of the complete title abstract for the farmhouse from the earliest date to the 1970s, and an original copy of Millie's will.

All five Newbys below are buried in Glen Cove Cemetery, Knightstown, Henry Co., Indiana
(These photos were all taken by me in 1998)

Leonidas Perry Newby b. 9 Apr 1855 - d. 25 Oct 1945

Mary Elizabeth (Breckenridge) Newby b. 1857 - d. 17 Feb 1950

Florence "Floss" (Newby) Cooper b. 3 May 1877 - d. 17 Nov 1948

Floyd J. Newby b. 9 Jan 1879 - d. 14 Jan 1962

Mary H. (Lewis) Newby b. 26 Aug 1882 - d. 1 Jan 1978

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Monday, January 9, 2012

Amanuensis Monday: Biography of L. P. Newby


Leonidas P. Newby was the brother of my maternal great, great grandfather, John A. Newby.

This biographical sketch was transcribed from my personal copy of Hazzard's History of Henry County Indiana 1822-1906 Military Edition Volume 2 - George Hazzard, New Castle, Indiana 1906.  [pgs. 1193 - 1196]. This sketch may also be found online at Archive.com here: Biographical Sketch of Leonidas Perry Newby


BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCH OF LEONIDAS PERRY NEWBY

LAWYER, POLITICIAN,  PUBLIC OFFICIAL AND SUCCESSFUL BUSINESS MAN AND FINANCIER


     The Newby family, of which Leonidas Perry Newby is a member, came to Indiana from North Carolina early in the nineteenth century. The early settlements of the ancestral branch of the family in North Carolina were in the counties bordering upon Albemarle Sound, such as Perquimans, Paspitank and Chowan. They were members of the Society of Friends, and certain Friends of the name in those counties are known to have been the owners of large tracts of land and many slaves, whom they treated with kindness and leniency. But when the Society of Friends or Quakers arrived at the conclusion that slavery was sinful and the holding of slaves an offense against the law of God, and late in the eighteenth century the yearly meetings determined that all Friends must liberate their slaves, they obeyed the behest and in carrying it out impoverished themselves, so that the family became widely scattered over the State. Early in the following century many families of the Newby relationship, which was and is a large one, sought the new country north of the Ohio River, and taking up the new lands in Ohio and Indiana, became sturdy pioneers of the two sister States.
     The immediate family to which Mr. Newby belongs located in Henry County, Indiana, coming here from Randolph County, North Carolina, in 1837. Mr. Newby's father first engaged in the business of merchant tailoring at Greensboro. In those days the country merchants all sold goods upon long credits, and in fact could sell them in no other way. The system broke up most of the earlier merchants. Mr. Newby's father, whose name was Jacob Newby, and who was a most worthy man, being no exception to the rule. The head of the family, after the loss of his property, went back for a time to the cultivation of the soil for a livelihood, and the subject of this sketch was born upon a farm near Lewisville, Indiana, on April 9, 1855. Mr. Newby's mother was before her marriage Lavina Leonard, and both she and her husband were enthusiastic Methodists of the old-time, earnest and devoted kind, notwithstanding the fact that Jacob Newby's ancestors had been primitive Quakers.
     Although Mr. Newby's father and mother were exemplary and industrious people, his father was never a robust man, and though he toiled often beyond his strength, both when farming or when working at his trade, he could accumulate but little, and found that it required all the strength he could muster to support his six children and keep the wolf from the door. Hence it was that Leonidas Perry, who was the youngest of the sons, was thrown upon his own resources early in life, a fact which largely accounts for his business success.
     His first ambition seems to have been for knowledge---the attainment of a practical education---hence we find him as a small boy performing the duties of janitor for the Greensboro school to gain the means to supply himself with clothing and books and help the family along, while he was at the same time pursuing his studies in the school and keeping up with, and at times, leading his classes. During the summer months young Newby worked for the neighboring farmers and saved his earnings to aid him in his winter campaigns for knowledge. This course was persevered in until he arrived at the age of sixteen, when the family removed to Knightstown, Indiana, where he entered the high school. The Knightstown school was then under the very efficient superintendency of the late Professor Hewitt, with John I. Morrison as the leading member of the board of trustees, and was one of the foremost town schools in eastern Indiana.
     Before he had reached the age of seventeen, Mr. Newby began to teach in the public schools of the neighborhood, thus gaining the means to enable him to pursue his studies in the high school, teaching and attending school alternately. While thus engaged he also began to read law, giving to it whatever time he could spare from his studies in the school or duties in the school room. He graduated from the Knightstown High School with honor in 1875, being its first graduate; but he continued certain lines of study with Professor Hewitt after his graduation and also continued his study of the law, and to keep up his expenses taught for three hours every day in the high school.
     The time that was left to him for his legal studies was spent first in the law office of Butler and Swaim, of Knightstown, and later in the office of  J. Lee Furgason, of the same place. He was admitted to the practise by the Henry Circuit Court in 1878 and in the same year formed a partnership with the late Walter B. Swaim and opened an office in Knightstown. This partnership with Swaim was terminated at the end of the first year, when Mr. Newby established an office of his own and has continued the practise single-handed ever since.
     "The Bench and Bar of Indiana," a valuable and entertaining volume of more than eight hundred pages devoted to the biographies of eminent Indiana lawyers, edited by Charles W. Taylor and published at Indianapolis in 1895, says of Leonidas P. Newby:
     "In 1880 he was elected prosecuting attorney of the eighteenth judicial circuit, composed of the counties of Henry and Hancock. His office, however, did not begin until nearly two years had elapsed after his election; but within three months after that event the prosecuting attorney then in office resigned, and Governor Porter appointed Mr. Newby to the vacancy, thus enabling him to hold the office nearly four years. One of his first cases on opening an office was the famous Foxwell murder case at Rushville, Indiana, in which he appeared for the defendant. The ability shown by the young attorney in this case received much favorable comment and so placed him on his feet as to give him a good start. In 1886, he was the leading counsel in the celebrated Anderson murder case at Williamstown, Kentucky, and received the credit of making one of the most able speeches ever made at the bar, in closing the argument for the defense. In the prosecution of this cause appeared Hon. M. D. Gray, the county attorney and now the commonwealth attorney for the judicial district; Captain Dejarnette, then commonwealth attorney and now considered one of the most brilliant lawyers in Kentucky; Col. J. J. Landerman, a noted politician and lawyer of Warsaw, of that State, and Hon. W. P. Harden, of Lexington, then the attorney general of that State, and now (1895) a candidate for governor. With Mr. Newby was associated Hon. O. D. McManama, afterwards judge of the criminal court of Frankfort, Kentucky; Hon. L. C. Norman, of Frankfort, now Auditor of State; Capt. John Combs, of Williamstown, Kentucky, and Hon. W. W. Dickerson, since a member of Congress and now a candidate for re-election. In the preliminary trial Hon. W. P. C. Breckinridge appeared for the defendant, but was unable to appear at the trial. "Mr. Newby has been employed in trial cases in all the Middle States as well as in some of the Southern, Western and Eastern ones and has held the greatest part of the practise in the southern part of Henry and the northern part of Rush County."
     Since "The Bench and Bar" from which the foregoing is taken was published, Mr. Newby has succeeded the late Judge Joshua H. Mellett, of New Castle, as the Henry County attorney of the Pennsylvania Railroad Company and in conjunction with John L. Rupe, of Richmond, has charge of its extensive and lucrative legal business in Eastern Indiana, which added to his already large practise makes his income from his profession one of the best of those enjoyed by Eastern Indiana lawyers.
     The Masonic Advocate, in an article in its issue for May, 1901, speaking of Mr. Newby's legal attainments and successes, said: "Brother Newby has single-handed built up a large and lucrative practise, not only in his home court, but throughout Eastern Indiana, where he stands as the peer of the ablest in his profession." The same journal in addition to the foregoing says: "He has never aspired to the bench but is, however, a favorite when acting as special judge and has frequently been called to the neighboring counties of late years, to hold special terms of court and try causes on change of venue, having sat as the trial judge in many important cases."
     Mr. Newby has been a Republican in politics all his life and is always active in the support of his party and its candidates. He has often been a member of the Republican County Committee and, during two or more presidential campaigns, a member of the executive committee chosen by the Republican State Committee to act in conjunction with its chairman in the immediate direction of the work of the campaign.
     Mr. Newby was nominated and elected to succeed the late General William Grose in the State Senate in 1892 and re-elected in 1896. His activities and services in that body were such that he soon took rank among the able leaders of the Republican party in the Senate and was for six years the president pro tempore of the Senate. He was also chairman of the judiciary committee for six years. He has been twice a candidate for the nomination by his party for lieutenant governor, but owing to the conflicting interests of candidates for the other State offices he was defeated in convention both times by very narrow margins. He is a hustler, a good mixer and possessed of a rare geniality which with his recuperative powers of mind and spirit enable him to come out of such political contests without having suffered loss of temper and with no sore spots to nurse and no political graveyard to fill. Hence he is a hard man to keep down and, as he is yet young and in fine health and full of mental vigor, he is likely to be heard from in the future.
     Mr. Newby has been thus far in life very successful in business, having accumulated a snug fortune. He is the owner of a fine home in Knightstown and quite a number of rental properties as well as some valuable business blocks. He has also some good farms in the neighborhood of his home town in which he takes much pride and greatly enjoys the time which he can give to their oversight. He owns stock in and is president of The Citizens' State Bank of Knightstown and also of The Natural Gas Company, The Electric Light and other business organizations of the town. He is a stockholder, director and vice-president in and of The Columbia National Bank of Indianapolis; a stockholder in The American National Bank of the same city, and one of the largest stockholders in The Security Trust Company of Indianapolis and president of the New Castle Central Trust and Savings Company, and has many other important business interests in various parts of the State. He is also president of the board of trustees of the southern State prison or reformatory for young men and boys, which has rendered such signal service to the State in carrying out reforms in the prison management and making improvements to the buildings and grounds at a saving in money and to the betterment of the inmates as well as to the advantage of the people of the State.
     Mr. Newby was united in marriage with Mary Elizabeth, daughter of Robert B. and Julia A. Breckinridge, of Knightstown, Indiana, September 20, 1877. Mrs. Newby's family is a good one noted for the integrity and energy of its members, her father, the late Robert B. Breckinridge, having been for many years a prominent business man of Knightstown. She is a  lady of many accomplishments and graces and skilled in the arts of home-making and in dispensing the genuine courtesies of social life. The married and home life of Mr. And Mrs. Newby have been very happy, surrounded by comports and refinements and cheered by a large circle of friends. They are the parents of two children, an accomplished daughter, and a son, who is a member of his father's profession, of whom more will be said further on. 
     Mr. Newby is a member of several benevolent orders and other social and business societies; but the one society of his choice, in which he has taken most interest and to which he has devoted most time and talent, is the time-tried order of Free and Accepted Masons. He was made a Master Mason in Golden Rule Lodge, Number 16, Knightstown, having been initiated April 12, 1882, passed May 17, and raised June 7, of the same year. The Masonic Advocate traces his advances in and services to Masonry as follows:
     "He was made a Royal Arch Mason in Knightstown Chapter, Number 33, receiving the preceding degrees during the months of August, September and October, and the Royal Arch, November 6, 1882. He was High Priest during 1898. He received the degrees of Royal and Select Master in Cryptic Council, Number 29, Knightstown, November 12, 1883. He was created a Knight Templar in Knightstown Commandery, Number 9, January 30, 1883, and worked his way up to Eminent Commander, which position he held during the years 1889 and 1890.
     "In the Grand Commandery he started as Grand Sword Bearer in 1895 and by regular advancement became R. E. Grand Commander of Indiana at the recent Annual Conclave, and enjoyed the honor of representing the Grand Commandery in the Grand Encampment of the United States at the tri-centennial conclave at Louisville, Kentucky, in August, 1901.
     "He received the grades of the A. A. Scottish Rite, including the Thirty Second Degree, at the annual convocation in 'The Valley of Indianapolis' in March, 1892, and became a 'Shriner' in Murat Temple, March 25, 1892.
     "As secretary of the triennial committee of The Grand Commandery, Sir Knight Newby has rendered excellent service in providing quarters for the grand and subordinate commanderies of Indiana at the triennial conclave at Denver, Boston, Pittsburg, Louisville and San Francisco, whereby Indiana has always made a favorable showing with other grand jurisdictions and at a reasonable expense. As a member of the board of trustees of his home lodge and chapter at Knightstown, brother Newby took an active part in the erection of their fine Masonic Temple, which was destroyed by fire October 18, 1899, and also in the erection of the fine and massive new structure which now occupies the place of the old one and is such an adornment to the beautiful little city of Knightstown. As a Mason and as a citizen, in all the walks of life, he stands ready in a public-spirited way to do his full share in promoting the general god. Long may he live in his sphere of usefulness."
     Such is the estimate of Mr. Newby as a Mason and a man, made by one who stands high in the "ancient and honorable" order. In addition it may be stated that Mr. Newby is now and has been for the past seven years Inspector General of The Knights Templar of Indiana, and is a life member of the Committee of Jurisprudence of the Knights Templar of the United States.
     Mr. And Mrs. Newby have both traveled extensively in their own country and are familiar with many parts of the United States, and Mr. Newby himself has visited Cuba and other islands of the West India group, also Mexico and Central America, and gained much valuable information, and during the Summer of 1905 made a delightful trip to England and Continental Europe in company with Smiley N. Chambers, of Indianapolis, and others, from which he gleaned a great deal of pleasure and profit, and returned to again take up the responsibilities of life in the best county of the best State in the Union and in the town which to him is the best spot of the best county. 


*Amanuensis: A person employed to write what another dictates or to copy what has been written by another.

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Sunday, January 8, 2012

Sunday's Obituary: Carrie Elmonta (Newby) Carroll


Obit: Knightstown Banner - January 26, 1934 pg. 5 col. 2

                                                 Mrs. Will Carroll Dies

     Mrs. Elmonta Carroll, age 66 years, wife of William Carroll, died at the family home in Anderson, Tuesday evening, following a lingering illness.
     Funeral services will be conducted from the Shirley M. E. Church, Friday morning at 10:30 o'clock, with the Rev. Burkett in charge. Ritualistic services in charge of the Eastern Star lodge. Several months ago the family moved from Shirley to Anderson. 
    Surviving besides the husband are the following children: Loren Carroll, Anderson; Mrs. Hazel Mace, Anderson; Russell Carroll, Indianapolis; Mrs. May Edmondson, Knightstown; Mrs. Lois Gandy and Mrs. Mary Dugan, Red Key. Ten grandchildren also survive. Mrs. Carroll was a sister of L. P. Newby, this city.

Carrie Elmonta was the sister of my maternal 2nd great grandfather, John A. Newby. Besides the children surviving her listed in the obituary, she also had a daughter Ruby Elvira Franklin who died in 1932.

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Thursday, January 5, 2012

Those Places Thursday: Farm of Wm Walling III 1878



Farmhouse - Hendricks Co., Indiana
This is the farmhouse that sits on the property that my 3rd great granduncle William Walling III owned in 1878. The site is just a little over 2 miles S.E. of Stilesville, Franklin Twp., Hendricks Co., Indiana. Is this the actual house he lived in? Did he build this house? I like to think so. It is certainly an old home and isn't it a beauty with it's new coat of bright yellow paint? (You can click on the photo to enlarge it.) I took this photo on June 3, 2011. I suppose I could end up hearing from someone..."Hey! You have a photo of my house on your blog!". Yeeks!

William III was the son of William Wallen Jr. and Elizabeth Bloomer, and the brother of my 3rd great grandfather, Jesse B. Wallen. Sometime in 1862 William Jr. left Kentucky with two of his sons and their families, those of William III and his wife Nancy (Roberts) Walling and those of Daniel and Lucinda (Tyree) Walling. The Wallens from this family that remained in Kentucky, always spelled their name with an "en" ending. Those that left for Indiana spelled theirs with an "ing" ending.

Excerpt from the People's Guide: Hendricks Co., Indiana

I used The Peoples Guide to Hendricks Co., Indiana, a Franklin Township plat map, and Google Earth to pinpoint this property.  

Sometime before 1885, William and Nancy Walling left Indiana and went to Sumner Co., Kansas and then on to Kay Co., Oklahoma and celebrated their 50th Wedding Anniversary there in Tonkawa in 1909. See their 50th Anniversary announcement here:


Daniel and Lucinda came back to Rockcastle Co., Kentucky and divorced a few short years later. Lucinda took the two youngest of their three sons and went to Rawlins Co., Kansas and homesteaded there. Daniel went back to Indiana and married Nancy McCloud, daughter of George W. McCloud, in 1877. Nancy had a son, Conrad, out of wedlock in 1871 and I've always thought he might be Daniel's son. More on this family in a future blog post.



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Monday, January 2, 2012

All Accounted For: William M. Wallen's 16 Children



I hit a milestone today and my toes are tappin' to that Genealogy Happy Dance tune. As the third generation to work on this, I finally have all the children of my paternal great, great grandfather, William M. Wallen, and most all their spouses and some children, accounted for and listed on Find A Grave.

Long before computers, my grandaunt Sula Wallen Splitek, wrote letters, made phone calls and visited relatives trying to gather information on all her grandfather's children and who they married. Out of the 9 children by his first wife, only 3 ever married and had families. All Sula's first cousins died fairly young. William had 7 more children by his second wife. 1 died in infancy and the rest all married, but Fannie died before she had any children. Sula did give us last names of the male spouses of these half cousins, albeit some were spelled wrong, but she didn't have any of their first names or any children. That's what I had to work with. As you can see, this memorial for William was created in 2001. Today, it is complete. 

William M. Wallen Find A Grave Memorial
Click on top and bottom halves to enlarge or see the memorial at the link below.

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Sunday, January 1, 2012

Sunday's Obituary: Isaac Owen Wallen 1955



Isaac Owen Wallen was the son of Isaac Newton and Mary Frances (Sutton) Wallen and the nephew of my paternal great, great grandfather, William M. Wallen. Isaac married 1) Pearl McClain on October 8, 1905 in Ardmore, Chickasaw Nation (now Carter Co.), Oklahoma. He married 2) Freddie Alice Webb on May 29, 1924 in Sulphur, Murry Co., Oklahoma. There were no children from either marriage. 

This obituary was transcribed and sent to me by my fourth cousin Connie - great, great granddaughter of Isaac Newton and Mary Frances Wallen. Her ancestor was Andrew Jackson Wallen, brother of Isaac Owen Wallen. Connie has the clipping in her possession and says she thinks it came from a Sulphur newspaper. 

"Funeral services for Isaac Owen Wallen, 71, well known Murray county resident since 1910, were conducted from the First Free Will Baptist Church here Thursday morning of last week at 10 o'clock with Rev. Vard Wood officiating.  Wallen, who was well known as a peace officer here for many years, passed away suddenly at his home Tuesday of last week, November 22 at 7:45 p.m..  Wallen was born in Denton county Texas on April 12, 1884 and moved as a small boy to Indian Territory, residing first in Carter county.  Before coming to Murray county in 1910, Wallen served as a deputy sheriff in Carter county.  For about 20 years, Wallen was employed on the staff of Platt National Park here and he later served a number of additional years as Chief of Police in Sulphur and was also a member of the Sulphur Fire Department.  He was a member of the East Side Free Will Baptist church and the Odd Fellows Lodge.  In addition to his wife, Mrs. Freddie Wallen, of the home address, he is survived by one sister, Mrs. Lillie Hulsey, Waynoka, Oklahoma and several nieces and nephews, including Raymond Wallen and Mrs. C. R. Wilson of Sulphur.  Interment was in the Oaklawn cemetery with the Dunn Funeral Home in charge of the arrangements. Members of the Odd Fellows Lodge served as active and honorary pall bearers and members of the Sulphur Police force were also honorary bearers.   Throughout his long residence in Murray County, Mr. Wallen acquired a wide circle of friends and acquaintances, all of whom were grieved by his passing."



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