Judge Robert Leachman

It's like a little kid's matching game.

I have this photo album of Lewis Leachman's most of the pictures are not identified. I have his daughter, Pauline's scrapbook.

The photographer's mark says Anniston, Alabama. Never heard of it, not found any family in Alabama. And then Pauline's scrapbook has an obit for Judge Leachman who had gone to live with his daughter in Anniston.

I remember one time my Grandmother had gone to New Orleans or the Mississippi Gulf Coast on a trip. While shopping in a department store, the clerk was named Leachman. My

grandmother asked her what her grandparents names were and

she did not know! All she knew was Grandma and Grandpa.

I bet she was this guy's great great great great granddaughter.

Ida Lang and her big brother the Mayor

Ida Lang, my great grandmother, came to America from Switzerland with her sister Anna. They sailed from the Port of Bremen and arrived in New Orleans on November 15, 1870. Ida was 19 and her sister Anna was 24. They came with their brother, Ben who had come back to Switzerland from America to recruit colonists for Dallas.

Benjamin Franklin Lang was named after, yes, that Ben Franklin. His Father, Johann George Lang, was a teacher and his grandfather a Lutheran minister. His father wanted him to go into the ministry but Ben wanted to come to America. So, his grandfather gave him the money. To be a fly on the wall during that conversation!

Ben arrived in Galveston, Texas July 4, 1855. http://www.galvestonhistory.org/immigration-login.asp They were supposed to land in New Orleans but could not because of a storm. Basically they walked all the way to Dallas. It takes 5 hours now to drive from Galveston to Dallas; of course, some of that is Houston traffic with which they did not have to contend! Ben joined the utopian society of La Reunion. http://www.tshaonline.org/handbook/online/articles/LL/uel1.html

The colony failed in 1857 and most of the colonists moved to Dallas. Like most utopian societies it failed because everyone was sitting around having great thoughts instead of actually working. Not to be too cocky, that is probably the modern day equivalent of blogging when you should be cleaning the house or doing laundry or cooking, etc.

During reconstruction, Ben was appointed mayor of Dallas by Texas Governor, Edmund Davis. In 1870 he resigned to return to Switzerland to see his parents who were not in good health and to recruit colonists for Dallas. This is when he brought over his sisters Ida and Anna. After they landed in New Orleans they took a steamer to Shreveport, Louisiana then rode the train to Hallsville, Texas which is where the Texas and Pacific Railroad ended. Then the real fun begins … they WALK to Dallas. According to mapquest.com it is 137 miles from Hallsville to Dallas. In Dallas, where you-are-what-you-drive, it’s just funny to think about people actually walking TO Dallas. On December 3, 1870 they arrived in Dallas. To go about a quarter of the way around the world took 23 days. To go 530 miles, took 18 days.

In November 1872, Ben, who had changed his last name to Long, was elected mayor by popular vote. In 1874 he was appointed United States Commissioner.

On the 1870 Census, John Chiesa, also an immigrant from Switzerland, lives near Ben Long. Ida marries John Chiesa on May 20, 1873. I don’t know how they met. The Swiss immigrants had established social clubs and music clubs so I guess they met that way.

Ben was killed June 23, 1877 in a bar room fight over ten cents. The Morning Mail newspaper headline read “Oceans of Blood! A desperado on the war path – for two glasses of beer two lives are sacrificed, two others are jeopardized and a happy home turned into a house of mourning.”

I wonder how Ida felt? I have never read anything that gives her take on it. By this time she has two small children and has moved about 25 miles from Dallas with her husband and his brother to farm. Did she go the funeral? Would she have gotten word in time? Did someone ride out and tell her? Did they tell their Mother still in Switzerland?

Ida and John had five more children. He died in 1899. Their youngest was seven, the oldest 23. I believe she continued to run the farm. Ida died in 1918. http://www.dallaspioneer.org/stories/obituaries.php?ID=166
She and John and buried at Mill Cemetery. Their headstone says, “The righteous shall be in everlasting remembrance.”

This is Ida with her first grandchild, Joe Merrill.

Everyone should do this!

My great great grandfather , Bortolo Chiesa. Ahh... none of those nagging questions about exactly where he might have been born.

My husbands great grandfather, Charles Brooks. (The picture is a little hard to read, it says,"Company E, 155th Illinois Infantry.") None of those nagging questions about whether he served in the Civil War ... he was so young, Brooks is a common name maybe I have the wrong one?

Random info from my last two library visits

Sometimes you find something really cool at the library and sometimes you just don't. I think these are "don't" visits.

I have ordered 3 microfilms from Family Search. I am waiting and not very patiently (Patient doesn't go with my red hair. And btw, never pray for patience, I did that I few times and then wound up in the grocery lines from hell!)
The 3 microfilms I ordered:
Cemeteries of Carroll County, Kentucky
Marriage and death notices from Switzerland County, Indiana newspaper
Marriage records of Switzerland County

This started out as looking for Griffith and Huckleberry however the Lewis and Leachman families were in Carroll County, Kentucky and I just figured out my husband's Brooks family was in or near Carroll County.

Meanwhile I found a few things ....

Switzerland County Will Records
Lavina J. Griffith will dated 12/28/1893 received 5/21/1895
sons Nelson Griffith and Thomas Griffith both deceased

Thomas Sigmon will dated 10/31/1882 Received 2/5/1883
wife Rachel Sigmon, daughters Elizabeth Sigmon, Ann Eliza Protsman and Antoinette Protsman

Mount Zion Cemetery, Craig Township
William (1824 - 1888) and Lorinda (1823-1902) Brindley
(So let's assume if it says Lorinda on the headstone that is her name and not Lucinda.)
Same cemetery
Mary Malissa Madary wife of George D and only daughter of Wm and L. Brindley d 8/1/1887 aged 22 y 10 m 27 d

Eight Huckleberry (various spellings) marriages in Clark County, Indiana from 1891 to 1901. So then are the Clark County ones related to my Switzerland County Huckleberrys? Which at the moment consists of 2 people, Adeline, my great great grandmother and her sister Lorinda (not Lucinda.)

Sevier County Tennessee cemeteries
Evans Chapel ( Locust Ridge) Mary Shamblin Valentine 1827 - 1885
Aaron Profitt Cemetery Judy Shamblin May June no years listed

Hillcrest Cemetery Bradley County, Tenn
Shamblin , Ida Lee Duggan
Shamblin, Arthur N.
Shamblin, James C.
Shamblin, Vivia Ruth Goins
Shamblin, Chassie

from Carroll County, KY Vital Statistics
8 Lewis babies between 1852 and 1859. Proud parents Stephen and Matilda Lewis, John and Sarah Lewis, Merit and Sarah Lewis, TL and Malinda Lewis

Swiss Settlement of Switzerland County Indiana
In 1870 Joshua Griffith was elected County Treasurer for 2 years from 9/1/1871.
In 1874 Francis M. Griffith was elected County Treasurer for 2 years from 9/1/1875
Wonder if this is the same person as the Hon. F. M. Griffith pictured in Pauline's scrapbook?

Jacob Spangler, Marshall

My great grandfather, Jacob Spangler.

dated July 25, 1885

Carmel, Mack and Rosson Arney

When I find these old pictures, I tend to go off on a tangent. I wonder what their lives were like and what ever happened to them. This is Annew Carmel (born 1871), John Mack (born 1875) and Rosson M. (born 1870) Arney, my great grandmothers, half brothers. (Although does anyone still use the term half brother or sister, seems like now they are called step brother or sister. Didn't it used to imply whether you had the same Mother or the same Father?) So I guess they are my step, great, great Uncles?????

I don't know if they were red headed but their eyes look so light. I also wondered about their names I have never heard Annew, Carmel or Rosson as first names.

Rosson married Martha Johnson in 1895. Seemingly he lived his whole life in Barry County, Missouri and farmed near her parents. He and Martha had three children and at least three grandchildren. He died in 1957.

In 1893, Annew married Flora Taylor in Barry County, Missouri. They moved a few times but stayed in the general area. They had eight children and he died in 1956.

John seemed to move with his parents a few times. He married Martha Sepsy in Dallas County, Texas in 1901. They had nine children. John died in 1927; his youngest child would have only been three years old. According to his obit which I found in the Mesquite, Texas newspaper he is buried at Mills Cemetery in Garland. However I could not find a headstone for him. His brother, Archer Milton is buried at Mills Cemetery as well. Near Archer's headstone is a rock or a piece of a headstone. I wonder if that is John's.

Told you I went off on a tangent, but at least now I know something about them.

John Houston Cate

http://digital.library.umsystem.edu/cgi/t/text/pageviewer-idx?c=umlib;cc=umlib;xc=1;sid=49456db6a8a7b3e7870e1d1a55ec1343;q1=rogers%20souvenir%20history;rgn=full%20text;idno=umlc000020;view=image;seq=527

Don't you just love the internet?!?!?!

My husband's great great grandfather.

My first Revolutionary Soldier

I may have found my first American Revolutionary soldier. My great grandfather is Lewis Leachman, his mother is Pauline Lewis, her father is John Lewis and his father is Richard Lewis. Supposedly Richard Lewis was the soldier. I haven't quite confirmed all this so we'll see.

Dog rides a horse

I always thought this picture was pretty funny! My dog wouldn't do that in a million years.


My great uncle, Jonathon Benson (1890-1950)

James Henry Arney

Finding my great grandmother, Sabrina Florence Arney was really no problem. I remembered my Mother talking about her and I knew her name. Sabrina's father was another story. Sabrina was born in 1862 she married in 1876 (yes, I know she was 14 !!!). So that meant the only census she would be on with her parents was 1870. But there was no Sabrina, no Florence, no Flo ... nothing. I found two of my grandmothers photo albums with most of the pictures labeled. So then I at least had names of some of Sabrina's step brothers and sisters.

At the library one day I checked the Soundex for 1880 for Arkansas. They were hard to read but one looked like maybe it had some of her step siblings names. And then the fire alarm went off ... I'm like I can't leave now I may have found something!!!!! Henry Arney and his wife, Manna. OK that can't be right, Manna like from heaven.

I then began looking for Henry Arney and did he get around. They say we live in a transient society which implies that in the past people did not. However, I have tracked James Henry Arney through 8 states.

He was born in Tennessee, possibly Overton County. He marries Elizabeth Ware June 1861 in Greene County, Indiana. They have Sabrina Florence April 1862. We believe Elizabeth dies but I cannot find any other record of her. In 1863 Henry marries Minerva Jane Baker, daughter of Andrew and Mary Ann Baker (btw in 1843 Mary Ann gave birth to triplet boys, how often did that happen????) For the 1870 Census the Bakers and Arneys are all back in Carroll County, Arkansas except Sabrina. I heard a State of Arkansas archivist speak one time and he said if your relatives left Arkansas, went north and came back after the Civil War, they were Union sympathizers getting out of the way of the fighting. If they went south and came back they were Confederate sympathizers getting out of the way of the fighting.

Between 1890 and 1894, Sabrina, her husband Isaac Benson and kids, and at least one of her brother-in-laws, leave Arkansas for Dallas, Texas. On the 1900 Census, Henry and Minerva are in Dallas County. On the 1910 Census, they live in Ninnekah, Oklahoma with their son John and his family. Their daughter, Jennie Marvin also lives there.

I have a Bible of Isaac Benson's; it seems that the last correspondence received from anyone was kept in the Bible. I have a letter Henry wrote to his granddaughter postmarked 1909 from Ninnekah, Oklahoma. I assumed Henry and Minerva died in Oklahoma. I couldn't find anything but Oklahoma is tight with their records. They have very little online and very little released to the library for research.

So I was pretty surprised when I was at the library looking for Henry and Minerva's grandkids and I found the listings of Barbee Cemetery in Erath County, Texas. (This is near Dublin, http://www.dublindrpepper.com/. ) There they were, JH Arney born Nov 1835 no death date and Minerva J. Arney born August 12, 1843 and died August 13, 1913.

Later, I was looking up some of their other kids and found James Henry Arney Nov 18, 1837 to August 1, 1917 buried in Mt Vernon, Missouri. He his buried near his son, Annew. I believe Henry is buried in Missouri and not Texas. But I think the birth date on the stone in Texas would be more likely correct because he would have ordered it.

Later I found this picture, on the back it says it was taken in Comanche, Texas. I assume the woman to be Minerva and Henry one of the men on either side of her.

So that is my story of Henry Arney ... Tennessee to Indiana to Illinois to Arkansas to Texas to Oklahoma to Texas to Missouri.





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Why you don't go to a Pennsylvania Cemetery in March

Because everything is covered in snow, there is very little protection from the wind and you fall in holes up to your knees.

We will have to try this some other time.

Tyrolean Roman Catholic Church

The only Tyrolean Church in America, or so they say.

Don't know anything about Tyrol? Click here

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tyrol

Marriage of Lewis Leachman and Almira Griffith

From Pauline's scrapbook, the marriage of my great grandparents:

Married- At the residence of Wm. Griffith, near Vevay, August 25, Mr. Lewis V. Leachman and Miss Almira Griffith by Rev. W. E. Morris; Both parties from Carroll County, Ky. May many flowers of happiness be strewn along their pathway - Vevay Times.
Yes, but what's the use of doing things up that way; why did'nt you let us know beforehand, and have a real good old fashioned wedding, and invite all your friends, including the Democrat? These post nuptial congratulations are not as satisfactory to us, but they none the less sincere.

I believe William is Almira's Uncle. They married in 1887. By this time, Almira's mother had passed away.

Pauline Leachman's scrapbook

For some unknow reason, I have my Great Aunt, Pauline Leachman's scrapbook. The book itself is her brother's Atlas Science Tablet and she pasted newspaper clippings over the pages.
Scanning the whole book was my first thought, but it would take a while and some of the paper is so discolored I'm not sure it would scan. Here is a list of what I have, if you are interested an article, let me know.

Lewis Leachman and Shawnee, Oklahoma Masonic Lodge
Leechman brother in Falls City, Nebraska
Mrs. J. R. Stout or Fannie Belle Leachman obit
Robert T. Leachman obit
Mrs Sarah (Parker) Leachman obit
Letter written by George W. Scott to the newpaper in memory of Leonard Leachman
Dr. W. T. Leachman "no hope for recovery"
John T. Blackburn and Lula Craigmyle marriage
Mrs Mattie Leachman and Frank Lewis marriage
Mr Congdon and Cora Leachman marriage
Leonard Leachman and wife Pauline celebrate 63rd anniversary
Robert Blake obit
Mary Louise (Griffith) McCreary obit
Leonard Leachman obit
Pauline (Lewis) Leachman obit
Mrs W. T. Leachman not missing
Leonard and Pauline Leachman Golden Anniversary
Masonic Lodge #107 and 523 Dec 1940
Drawing cut from the newspaper of Hon. F. M Griffith
Grace Mankey and Mr. H. Leachman marriage
Helen Viola (Leachman) Welsh obit
Mary (Montgomery) Searcy obit
Gertrude Lacey and William Clark marriage
Asbury Ames obit
Judge Robert Leachman obit

Here are the two newspaper articles about Jake and Columbia's deaths. I so wish I had something from the Sherman paper. One of these days I need to try the Denison paper as well.

Amy

Mr and Mrs Jake Spangler

My grandmother's parents, Columbia DeShields Spangler and Jacob Spangler, died when my grandmother was quite young. The story she told me was:

Her Mother was very sick with something people get then and really don't now like TB or smallpox or scarlet fever or something. My grandmother was being cared for by a neighbor. They brought my grandmother back home and told her to say goodbye to her Mother because she didn't have much longer to live. After she died, her Father staggered into the front yard said, "I can't live without her, I just can't live without her" and dropped over dead. One of their sons lived some distance away and was coming home on the train. He read about the death of his parents in some newspaper before he ever got home. I think about that sometimes when I read in the paper, "Names withheld pending notification of family."

When I went home that day and told my Dad what she had said he was very surprised. My Grandmother rarely talked about it. My Dad said when he was growing up they had to go to church every Sunday but Mother's Day. Back then they gave out white or red flowers based on whether your Mother was still living or not.

My grandmother went to live with her second oldest brother, 21 years her senior. I always knew where she lived, I never thought about where her two brothers went to live. I found them on the census with their oldest brother. My grandmother always said if her brother hadn't taken her in, she would have gone to the Buckner Orphans Home (www.buckner.org).

I tried to find the story in the Sherman paper but there was a fire and there are no microfilmed papers from those years. I did find the story in both Dallas papers. The State of Texas does have a death certificate for both of them. Her cause of death in pneumonia, (which isn't exactly what my Grandmother told me.) And his is apoplexa, which I had to look up and it means like a stroke.

See the next post for the newspaper articles.

Amy

And so it begins

I began researching my Family Tree around 2003. I heard the best way to start was by getting your grandparents birth, death and marriage records. So, I did that and that got me started. I then found I could get a login from my local library and go on Heritage Quest and look at the Census records. So far, I have found a few cousins through Rootsweb.com that were also researching.

I also come from pretty descent line of pack rats so I have my Great Aunt's scrapbook full of mostly Leachman obits and a few news stories. My Aunt had a trunk with two old albums of pictures labeled mostly Bensons and Arneys. And then several boxes of unlabeled pictures. I have an album my Great Grandfather had. Most of the pictures are unlabeled but have the photographer's city state. I believe most of these are Leachmans and Griffiths maybe a few Lewis' and Huckleberrys thrown in for good measure.

After I started finding a few things, I had too much paper floating around so I put everything in notebooks. Then I decided I needed a "title" for my genealogy. I have red hair and green eyes and am very fair. ( I take offense to the term pale; that implies you are sick and I am not.) So I settled on "But ... you look Irish." Trust me, I get that alot. So far I have come back to Switzerland on a few lines so maybe I am predominately Swiss. Or maybe I am just Heinz 57 with red hair and green eyes. The Barbie pictured is Princess of Ireland that I bought a Target for $20.00 (Don't you just love Target?) She is the first Barbie I ever saw with green eyes and red hair, and not red like a crayon.

I will try to post a few of the more interesting ( well, to me anyway) finds. Thanks for dropping by. And as my great aunt used to say, "Don't wait til I'm dead to come see me again!"

Amy