May Scavenger Hunt: Find someone 80+ years old.

 (I can't for the life of me find my tombstone photo of John & Maria's grave, so I'm using one taken by the wonderful Karen Waddell for Find-a-Grave.)

For the May Scavenger Hunt -- "Find someone 80+ years old."

Well, how about two people 80+ years old? My Great-Great-Great-Grandparents - John Byrd and Maria (Moore) Byrd. John was 82 and Maria was 83 when they passed.

Settle on in, because this one will be a long one. I have plenty of information about my 3x Grandparents and their children - which they had QUITE a passel of!

John Byrd was born on August 27th, 1839, in Posey County, Indiana, to John Byrd and Susannah "Susan" Schweitzer. His parents were pioneers of the county and through them, I'm eligible to join the "Society of Indiana Pioneers." I'm ecstatic about that!

Maria Moore (her first name goes back and forth between Maria and Mariah) was born on March 31st, 1849, in Posey County, Indiana, to Solomon "Sol" Moore and Sarah Keeling. Both sets of her Grandparents are considered Indiana Pioneers -- Elihu Moore and Jane Nesler, & Littleton Keeling and Elizabeth Byrd.

(John and Maria were 1st cousin 1x removed through their Byrd line.)

John's and Maria's families were both from the area of Posey County known as "Black Township."

John and Maria said "I do" on November 24th, 1864 in Posey County. Sometime between the 1870 and 1880 censuses - they moved their family to the Smith Mills area of Henderson County, Kentucky.

Together, they had at least twelve children (that I've found. 12 is also the number of children Maria reports in the 1900 census.)

John was a lifelong farmer. From what I gather in census - the last farm they had, at least in the 1920 census, was on Trigg-Hooper Road. I'm not sure how long they lived at that farm. The 1900 census doesn't have the road listed that they live on. The 1880 certainly doesn't. I looked at the 1880 Land Atlas for Henderson County and wasn't able to find his name - so I'm guessing he wasn't prominent enough of a land owner, yet, to be listed.

John departed this life on January 2nd, 1922. He was 82 years of age. His cause of death was endocarditis, and contributory was chronic nephritis.

Maria in the 1930 census is located on "Sanderfur Hill Road" in the Smith Mills area living with her son, John.

Maria departed this life on May 15th, 1932. She was 83 years of age. Her cause of death is a bit difficult to make out on the death certificate but I believe it says senile gangrene which is a particular type of gangrene that happens to elderly people. I think the death certificate mentions it was in her leg and foot?

John and Maria are located in Smith Mills Cemetery with countless other members of the family. They're in the "older" part of the cemetery.

Even after John and Maria were gone - the Byrd siblings tried their best to stay close-knit. They had annual family reunions that were humongous. Even making the newspaper a few times.

(I found one newspaper clipping from July 4th, 1939, saying they'd had their reunion at Mesker Park and that over 100 attendees were there.)

They had at least 64 grandchildren through their 11 children that lived past childhood. The amount of great-grandchildren, trust me, is close to 200. And great-great-grandchildren? Geez. That number is likely 300-400.

I don't believe John or Maria were Catholic - I know Maria's funeral was held at the Smith Mills Baptist Church (states so in her obituary) but MANY of their offspring, and especially their Grandchildren, ended up members of Holy Name of Jesus Catholic Church here in Henderson.

About their children...

1. Charles "Charlie" Byrd; born October 25th, 1865, died March 25th, 1944. He married Laura A. Martin on August 6th, 1884. They're buried in Fairmont Cemetery.

2. William Martin "Bill" Byrd; born August 27th, 1867, died September 14th, 1946. He married Mary "Polly" Shanks on October 11th, 1887. They're buried in Smith Mills Cemetery. (His tombstone reads September 16th.. that's the day he was buried.)

3. Ida May (Byrd) Turner; born May 15th, 1869, died March 24th, 1964. She married John Henry Turner on January 1st, 1890. They're buried in Smith Mills Cemetery.

4. James Rusk Byrd; born July 16th, 1872, died September 4th, 1956. He married Anna Mae Bell on January 8th, 1896. They're buried in Fernwood Cemetery.

5. Jonathan Benjamin "Ben" Byrd; born October 27th, 1873, died November 8th, 1949. He married Sadie Goldsmith on April 27th, 1898. They're buried in Smith Mills Cemetery.

6. John Henry Byrd; born February 27th, 1876, died April 15th, 1948. He married Emma Mae Southard. They're buried in Fairmont Cemetery.

7. Easter Mae "Esther" (Byrd) McDonald; born September 9th, 1878, died July 28th, 1938. She married Charles Louis McDonald on November 20th, 1895. They're buried in Oakland & Fraternal Historic Cemetery Park in Little Rock, Arkansas. They were the parents of Floella McDonald - when Floella was 12 years old in 1927, she was found murdered in the Little Rock First Presbyterian Church. The culprit was the son of the janitor... but they lynched another man before figuring that out.

8. Rosa Lily (Byrd) Cartwright; born April 25th, 1882, died October 23rd, 1956. She married Marcus Edna Cartwright (he was a Civil War Veteran and 44 years her senior). She's buried in Park Lawn Cemetery in Evansville.

9. Carrie Annie (Byrd) LaRue; My Great-Great-Grandmother; born October 28th, 1884, died June 29th, 1955. She married Charles Clarence LaRue on April 27th, 1904. They're buried in Smith Mills Cemetery.

10. Sallie Maria Byrd; born April 11th, 1887, died January 16th, 1899. She was just shy of 12 years old. She's buried in Smith Mills Cemetery.

11. Thomas Harmon "Tom" Byrd; born August 26th, 1889, died June 11th, 1963. He married Margaret Cecelia Sauer. They're buried in Saint Ann Cemetery in Morganfield.

12. Verna Mae (Byrd) Southard; born January 29th, 1892, died November 5th, 1956. She married William Harrison Southard on June 14th, 1919. They're buried in Bellefontaine Cemetery in Mt. Vernon, Indiana.

Thank you for taking the time to go on this Byrd filled journey with me today!

Are you familiar with the name Floella McDonald? If not, you should be.

In April of 2018, I was working quite a bit on my LaRue/Byrd line. My DNA had just came in and I was making all these new connections and figuring out new sub branches of my tree. In doing so.. I came across something terribly saddening and heartbreaking. 

Has anyone ever heard of the lynching of John Carter in Arkansas in 1927? He was wrongly killed for the murder of a girl named Floella McDonald. Come to find out, the true murderer was the biracial son of a janitor at the church where Floella's body was found.

Floella, come to find out, was my 1st cousin 3x removed. Her Mother, Easter Mae (Byrd) McDonald was the sister of Carrie Annie (Byrd) LaRue - my 2x Great-Grandmother. 

Wow. I'm in utter shock. I had never heard of this story at all. Here is some information of it I found on Ancestry...

** In Little Rock, Arkansas, 1927, a racial riot erupted over the lynching of John Carter, a black man who was the fall guy for the homicide of a 12-year old white girl named Floella McDonald. 

The child was found in First Presbyterian Church. Originally, the blame fell on the church janitor who found the girl along with his biracial son. The men were safely moved to a Texarkana jail before a mob demanded blood. 

In a nearby city, a 38 year-old black man named John Carter had been accused of assaulting a white woman and her daughter. The angry white mob of 5,000 people found Carter, hung him from a pole, shot him and drug him through the streets. They took him to the black community and incited a riot, breaking into buildings, including a furniture retail store. The mob piled the wooden furniture and doors from the church together, set it on fire and burned Carter’s body at the intersection of 9th and Broadway. 

The Arkansas National Guard was deployed to stop the riot, and upon arrival, found one of the mob members directing traffic at the intersection with the arm of John Carter. Fortunately, the black community leader had encouraged black families to stay inside, avoiding a large death toll during the massive tension. 

Once the riot and killing of Carter went to trial, it was dismissed without indictment of anyone involved. The city was concerned about their national reputation in the media. They banned distribution of the black newspapers, The Chicago Defender and The Pittsburgh Courier, with fear that it would cause more tension. To make matters worse, the town was still in search of the killer of 12 year-old Floella McDonald. 

On May 19th, Lonnie Dixon, the biracial son of the First Presbyterian Church janitor, was tried and convicted of murder. He was sentenced to death. After being under watch by the Arkansas National Guard during trial, Dixon was executed a month later. There are current efforts underway to obtain a public marker at the intersection of 9th and Broadway to honor John Carter and pinpoint the tolerance of the Little Rock court system. A small display exists at the Mosaic Templars Cultural Center.

The First Presbyterian Church, Little Rock, where the body of little Floella McDonald was found in the bell tower. On April 12, 1927, a little white girl, Floella McDonald, disappeared on her way home from the library. For three weeks, family, friends, and officials searched for her. Finally, following a foul smell, the black janitor of the First Presbyterian Church found her body in the church’s bell tower. Her head had been bashed in with a brick found nearby. A teenager, Lonnie Dixon, the church janitor’s son, was arrested and charged with rape and murder. Many whites were angry and wanted to “get” Lonnie themselves. Several thousand people went to the jail and demanded that police turn him over. Instead, Chief Burl Rotenberry sent Lonnie to an out-of-town jail, to keep him safe.

No one was ever charged or prosecuted for lynching John Carter. A jury deliberated for only twelve minutes before convicting Lonnie Dixon of killing Floella McDonald. He was executed in the electric chair on June 24, 1927, his sixteenth birthday. **

I am absolutely astounded by this. This is such an incredibly sad and tragic happening. My heart hurts for Floella and her family, which is my family, and it hurts for John Carter and his family. In 1927, almost one-hundred years ago.. things were rough. Racism was alive and well. I'm very surprised that no one in my LaRue/Byrd family had ever heard of Floella McDonald. 

Sure, it happened in 1927, and it didn't happen here in Henderson where we, most of the Byrd descendants, live today... but still. You'd have thought this would have been talked about among the family for generations. I wish my Grandpa were still alive so I could ask him about it and if he had ever heard even just whispers about the event. 

My Great-Great-Grandmother Carrie undoubtedly had to have known about it, Easter being her sister and all. I'm sure letters were exchanged. How could they not have been? My Great-Grandmother, Lorene, would have been 13 years of age... old enough to know about what's going on in the family. I wonder if she was ever told about it. 

Finding this information has left an imprint on me for sure. This is over three years later and I am still stunned. I am still floored. I am still shocked and appalled. It shocks me that in 2021, the lynching of the wrong man is more talked about than Floella's murder itself. I rightfully understand why. Lynching the wrong man happened so often back in those times and it was wrong. Horrendously and terrifyingly wrong.. but still, I feel like John Carter is remembered in 2021, and Floella is not. They should both be remembered. Both were innocent people whos lives were cut short.

I honestly cannot fathom why Lonnie Dixon raped and killed 12-year-old Floella. A burst of rage? Jealousy? I guess we'll never know. The true motive died with him. She was only twelve. He was only fifteen. What kind of motive could he have possibly had? I guess some people are just born evil and maybe he's a prime example of that. 

May you rest in peace, sweet cousin. 

52 Ancestors 2021: Week 23: Bridge

For the topic of bridge, I could probably sit here and try to think up at least ten different things I could write about. I struggled at first - because really besides my Granddad being an Ironworker and working on buildings and bridges, I couldn't think of a further back ancestor to write about. I can't think of any ancestors that would have regularly crossed bridges going here and there.

But then I got to thinking... I do have a lot of river ancestors. On my paternal side -- the Jones' and the White's lived in Mississippi County, Missouri, very close to the Mississippi River. On my maternal side -- my Blanford's and LaRue's lived down in the Geneva, Smith Mills, and Alzey Bottoms areas which is very, very close to the Ohio River. 

I know infinitely more about my maternal side and being that I still reside here in Henderson County today.. I'll write about them for this topic. 

Now, for the literal "bridge," part of this... I'm not too sure how often my ancestors went over bridges. I know there was a ferry in the Alzey Bottoms at one time. There was McDonald's Landing and also an Alzey Landing at one time. I believe the ferry might have moved a person between McDonald's Landing (Kentucky side) and the West Franklin area (Indiana side.) The Alzey ferry, it would have took you to Indiana but into the country -- you'd have still had to travel to Mt. Vernon if that's where you planned to go. Most people probably would have travelled to Uniontown, KY, and crossed directly to Mt. Vernon via their ferry. 

I mention the ferry to Mt. Vernon because my Byrd ancestors came from Posey County, Indiana, to Henderson County, Kentucky, and you guessed it -- settled into the Smith Mills/Alzey/Geneva area. Let's start with the nearest generation -- my Grandpa. Grandpa Jady was born at the old Henderson Hospital (Washington St) here in Henderson on July 31st, 1936. They lived, however, out in the Smith Mills area. 

According to my Grandpa, they lived in three different places that burned before finally settling on what was called "The Latta Place," at the end of Star School Rd in Geneva. Surrounded by corn fields and bayou - I'm sure it made quite an interesting place to grow up through the 40's and 50's. 

His parents - Richard Jerome Blanford was born November 5th, 1913, in Union County, KY (probably somewhere near Morganfield.) Verna Lorene LaRue was born October 9th, 1914, in Smith Mills. 

By the 1920 census, Richard and his family lived on "The Burbank Rd," which is in the Geneva-Smith Mills area. In the 1920 census, Lorene and her family lived in Smith Mills with no road name listed. 

In the 1930 censuses -- Lorene and her family have moved closer to Corydon and in fact, Lorene graduated Corydon High School in 1932 (after she married Richard Blanford as a matter of fact.) Richard and his family, in 1930, live on Trigg-Turner Rd, which again, is in the Geneva area. 

The first census that sees Richard and Lorene married was 1940 -- again, they live on Trigg-Turner Rd. This area, even today, is "Blanford stomping ground." This house that they live in, in 1940, is probably one of the "three that burned." The 1950 census will be released in April of 2022 and I would imagine by that point, the family will be on Star School Rd at the Latta Place. 

Going another generation back -- Martin Blanford in the 1940 census has moved from Trigg-Turner to the "Corydon Smith Mill Rd." Charles LaRue and his wife, Carrie, live on the "Back Corydon Rd," and it lists them as Smith Mills, KY. 

At their deaths - I know Martin Blanford had moved into the city of Henderson proper when he passed in 1968 - but he actually died in Evansville.

I believe the family still lived in Smith Mills when Carrie (Byrd) LaRue passed in 1955... and Charles LaRue lived with his daughter and son-in-law, Richard and Lorene, when he died in 1980. Richard and Lorene had built a wonderful house at 6149 Trigg-Hooper Rd in Geneva. That, too, is where they lived when they passed in 1991 and 1995. 

Let's go another generation back -- to my 3x Grandparents, John Byrd (1839-1922) and Maria Moore (1849-1932). Both were born in Posey County, Indiana. They married there in 1864 - and by the 1880 census, they'd moved their family across the river to the Corydon area of Henderson County. By 1900, they were in the Smith Mills area. 1920 - "Smith Mills Rd," as they call it. In the 1930 census, the widowed Maria is listed as being on "Sandefur Hill Rd," in Smith Mills. 

John and Maria (Moore) Byrd, Charles and Carrie (Byrd) LaRue, & Benjamin and Mary (Lawrey) LaRue are all buried in Smith Mills Cemetery. (Ben & Mary are unmarked, according to family story.)

To this day, the Blanford's, LaRue's, and Byrd's are still prominent out in the Smith Mills area and do a lot of farming in the community -- a lot of that farming is impacted by the Ohio River and the close proximity of it. Some of them even farm on Diamond Island, or at least, they used to. Not sure if they still farm the island today or not. 

I remember many stories my Grandpa would tell, talking about how the flooding of the river impacted their harvest in this year, and that year. Farming here in Henderson County -- our soil is wonderful (or so I've been told) but, if you live close enough to the river... it really is a constant gamble and sometimes, you don't come out a winner. Most gardens in our county can withstand some rain but, having backwater or headwater from the river on top of your field, a foot or more deep, for sometimes a week straight... a lot of times, you can't come back from that. It'll be a complete loss. 

"The Latta Place," that I mentioned before, was on the bayou in Geneva -- and we all know the bayou was fed by the river and rainwater. I imagine at times, that fact made farming the cornfields around Latta Place a daunting task. There is a cemetery not too far away from the Latta Place -- it's kind of like the "Geneva Community Cemetery," but it started out as the Clay family cemetery... known today just as "Clay Cemetery." 

When you look at a map, it's hard to believe that the cemetery itself doesn't get flooded. When I first became curious of going out to that cemetery - I asked my Grandpa numerous questions. Apparently the road will occasionally flood, due to the bayou, to get back to the cemetery... but the cemetery itself won't flood. I was very surprised to learn this fact. 

There are many other cemeteries in the Alzey (especially), Smith Mills, and Geneva areas that aren't as lucky. Matter of fact - a lot of them have been lost to time due to the river. I believe it's the old "Alves family cemetery," that was lost during one of the big flooding events - most probably the 1937 flood took the last of it. The Alves family is an old one in our county with a lot of money and had a lot of land back in the day. A lot of them are buried next door to me in Fernwood Cemetery but before Fernwood came into existence (1852 was its first proper burial in its new location) the family would bury their deceased in the family cemetery in the Alzey area. 

The 1937 flood was probably the most detrimental to the Alzey area here in Henderson County and the Scuffletown bottoms (out near Spottsville/Beals). The city of Henderson, while it does have some low-lying areas in town that will flash flood... we have a motto: "on the Ohio, but never in it." The city proper (city limits) doesn't flood unless it's a torrential downpour (flash flooding) or the area right on Canoe Creek, which of course, is fed by the Ohio River. 

The "top" part of our county is impacted by the Ohio River, but we also have the Green River that cuts through the Eastern part of our county and impacts the Spottsville, Bluff City, Hebbardsville, Niagara, and areas surrounding them. Some of my ancestors lived in the Niagara area - but not too close to the river.. not enough to be impacted by it. But there, too, was a ferry there that I imagine they utilized quite often. 

That's a story for another day, of course. 

Some examples of why I love Remini's app so much!

I thought I would highlight here on my blog some of my favorite examples as to why I love Remini's smartphone photo app so much! You can enhance, colorize, and so much more. So far, my favorite feature is enhancing. It's helped clear up so many old photographs of mine. Here are some examples.

Above is my 2x Grandfather, French Mefford. Look at those ears! It's a wonder my Dad and I don't have car doors for ears! I ponder if it's a result of the heavy endogamy in the Mefford family tree. French's parents were 1st cousins... and his Grandparents were double first cousins. He was the son of George Washington Mefford and Amanda Hardison. (1874-1955)

Above is my 2x Grandmother, Emma Lillie (Turner) Mefford. She was the daughter of Phylander Turner and Lucy Knight. (1879-1964)

The full photograph cleared up. I've tried colorizing it.. but the colors just don't come out 100% right. Maybe one day someone will colorize it for me instead of me trying to use an auto-colorizer. 

Above is my 2x Grandfather, Charles Clarence LaRue. This photo is from when he was around 17 or 18 years old.. so roughly 1900, give or take a year. I've tried coloring this one too and it just doesn't turn out well. Charles was the son of Benjamin Hardin LaRue and Mary Philapine Lawrey. He was the husband of Carrie Annie Byrd and Sarah (Beck) Staser. (1883-1980). 

Above is my 2x Grandmother, Mary Janella (Nally) Thompson. This is a zoom in of her face from a photograph of her and her twin sister. But just look at how much clearer she is.. I'm in awe, I'm stunned.. She was so magnificently beautiful. I wish her beauty would have passed down to me. (1882-1972)

Above is Mary Janella's twin sister, Camilla (Nally) Thompson. Janella & Camilla married brothers -- John Rowan Thompson & Samuel "Sam" Thompson. Thanks to this zoom in and enhancement, we can see that Camilla had a large scar on her face. Assuming this isn't mirrored photography, and she's looking at the camera, it would be on her left side I believe. I ponder what happened? I've never heard stories of her having had a scar before. My Nana nor my Grandma ever said anything about it. I wonder if it had faded by the time my Grandmother was born? (1882-1962)

Janella & Camilla were the daughters of Henry Oliver Nally and Vandalia Gibson. They were second cousins with their Thompson husbands. The Thompson's were sons of Martin Henry Thompson and Elizabeth Levina "Lou" Nally. 

If you've never tried the Remini photo app, please do! It works absolute wonders on your old photographs. 

52 Ancestors 2021: Week 16: DNA

 

Charles Clarence LaRue was born on June 8th, 1883, in Henderson County, Kentucky, to Benjamin Hardin LaRue and Mary Philapine Lawrey. 

Carrie Annie Byrd was born on October 28th, 1884, in Henderson County, Kentucky, to John Byrd and Maria Moore. 

They were married on April 27th, 1904, in Henderson County, Kentucky. 

Together, they reared eleven children -- with three of them dying as young children. Through those eight children that lived to adulthood and had children of their own, they became the Grandparents of at least 63 grandchildren. I'm not even going to sit here tonight and try to count how many great-grandchildren, great-great-grandchildren, and now even great-great-great-Grandchildren that this wonderful couple has. 

Carrie was the first to pass on June 29th, 1955, at the age of 70; leaving Charles, or "Charlie" as he was known throughout the community, a widower. A few years later, he would re-marry to the double (or perhaps triple) widow and once divorced: Sarah Jane (Beck) Hallmark Roberts Wise Staser. 

"Miss Sarah" or "Miss Staser" as her step-children and step-Grandchildren called her - was born Sarah Jane Beck on October 9th, 1887, in Henderson County, Kentucky. She was the daughter of John P. Beck and Alice Logsdon. Her first cousin, Thomas Jesse Beck, married Charles LaRue's sister -- Laura Pearl LaRue. 

"Miss Sarah" married first to John Luta Hallmark on November 14th, 1903, in Posey County, Indiana. After having a passel of children, they divorced sometime around 1917-1918 and then she married a Roberts. I'm unsure what the first name of the Roberts man was...but he must have died shortly after their marriage. Sarah "Roberts" married again on August 17tth, 1921, in Posey County, Indiana, to Martin Van Buren Wise. He, too, died very shortly afterward. By late 1922 or early 1923, she married George Charles Staser, who he remained married to until his death in 1950. 

Miss Sarah, too, passed away before Charles on February 26th, 1976; leaving him a now double widower. Charles "Dad" LaRue eventually passed away himself on November 20th, 1980, at the age of 97.

Growing up, I've heard stories not just from my Grandpa Jady but from my Mom as well. Dad LaRue was quite a character from what I gather. He loved a good joke, a hard-to-solve puzzle or riddle, and could pull off a decent prank every now and again. Charlie loved to use his mind and apparently was interested in his family tree. An interest that he apparently passed down to several of his descendants, including myself. 

That finally brings me to why I'm writing about my Great-Great-Grandparents, Charles and Carrie (Byrd) LaRue for the topic of "DNA." 

I've tested through Ancestry and 23andme, uploaded for free to My Heritage, Family Tree DNA, GEDMatch, and Living DNA. There are LaRue/Byrd descendants on Ancestry, 23andme, My Heritage, and ftDNA. Counting up (so far) all of the descendants, including myself and my Mom, who have DNA tested... the number has come out to 39. 

39 descendants of Dad LaRue and Carrie Byrd have done their DNA on one (or more) website(s). I wonder what this couple would think of that today. I wonder what Dad LaRue would think about having all the descendants that he does. He apparently didn't realize he had half as big of a family as what he did. 

Charlie's father, Benjamin Hardin "Ben" LaRue was born in December of 1844, likely in Hardin County, Kentucky, to Josiah "Si" LaRue and Mary Castleman. He was one of at least eleven children. His parents, though, I believe died by the time Ben turned 10 or so years old.. How and why Ben LaRue ended up in Henderson County is a mystery to me... perhaps he came with relatives. Perhaps he came on his own. Perhaps he followed a Church congregation... I'm really unsure. But we know by September 3rd, 1867, Ben is living in Henderson County, as he married his wife, Mary Philapine Lawrey, here on that date. 

Growing up -- Ben told his children nothing of his parents or siblings -- or at least, not much. In the 1970's, Charlie's daughter, Lorene (my great-grandmother) wrote into a local newspaper for help finding family of Ben LaRue at the behest of her father. I believe she had some answers because my Mom remembers a road trip that she took, during the mid 1980's (after Charlie's death, unfortunately), with her parents and Grandparents, to go out west. Somewhere in Kansas, my Great-Grandma Lorene met some of her LaRue cousins. Most likely, they came through one of Ben LaRue's brothers. 

Today, I have a very good idea of what happened to almost all of Ben LaRue's siblings. His parents definitely disappear between the 1850-1860 census years.. so I believe they both died. Perhaps of an epidemic? Cholera perhaps?

Ben's brother's Samuel & Jim married the Burdine sisters and headed west for Arkansas.

Their brother, William, jumped around between Kansas, Missouri, and Arkansas after marrying a Burnett.

Their brother, Jacob, married three different times (two times to a couple Petty's) out in Kansas.

 It appears their brother, Squire, stayed in the Hardin County, KY, area and married a Stopher (Stofer) woman.

Their brother, David, also married a Petty girl and moved to Kansas. 

Their sister, Sarah, I believe died in 1864 -- likely buried in Hardin County, Kentucky. 

Thomas married a Talbot and moved to Kansas and apparently had nothing but a slew of daughters -- so I don't believe any of them passed on the LaRue name. 

Elizabeth, only appearing in the 1850 census and being 2 years old.. probably died around the same time her parents, Josiah and Mary, did. 

Lastly, Lydia, married a Burdine (brother to the Burdine sisters) and stayed in the Hardin County area. 

If there were any more children of Josiah and Mary between 1850 census taking and their deaths... I've never found them. Only the married children have I been able to find in an 1860 census. Even my 3x Grandfather, Ben LaRue, I cannot find in an 1860 census. I ponder if the youngest LaRue children (those under 18 and unwed at the time of their parents deaths) were placed in an orphanage or something similar. Perhaps this could be why Ben was apprehensive and reluctant to tell his children about any of his siblings or his parents. 

Ben LaRue is a widower by the time of the 1900 census -- his wife, Mary, likely dying in the 1890's. Ben, too, died by January 1st, 1901. I've heard that he and Mary are buried, unmarked, in the Smith Mills Cemetery. Dad LaRue, Carrie, and some of their children reside in Smith Mills Cemetery, too. 

For the last portion of this "DNA" topic -- I'm going to show you just how differently you and a parent can match the same person. DNA is such a random inheritance. You can match siblings of one another at completely different levels! For sake of privacy, I will be using initials only because all of these DNA matches are still living. Some of these cousins have only tested at 23andme, and so far, my Mom hasn't used her 23andme kit yet, so I don't know her cM numbers for those matches so I'll only be reporting my cM values for those. I will be separating these matches as to which child of Dad LaRue and Carrie Byrd that they descend from, starting off with the one I descend from. 

Verna Lorene LaRue, my Great-Grandmother
October 9th, 1914 / May 8th, 1991
Married Richard Jerome Blanford on July 11th, 1931
Mother of 13 children, only 8 of which had children of their own. Grandmother of 29. I couldn't begin to count up how many great-grandchildren and great-great-grandchildren Lorene and Dick have.

First and foremost, me and my Mom share 3,443 cM with each other. A number that high will always be a parent/child relationship unless you are an identical twin or you've accidentally done your DNA two times and then of course, you'll match yourself as "Self/Twin". 

D. B. -- Great-grandson of Dad LaRue & Carrie Byrd
Mom's 1st cousin -- 1,228cM
My 1st cousin 1x removed -- 565 cM

W. B. -- Great-grandson
Mom's 1st cousin --
My 1st cousin 1x removed -- 537 cM

L. C. -- 2x Granddaughter
Mom's 1st cousin 1x removed -- 651 cM
My 2nd cousin -- 331 cM

L. I. -- 2x Grandson
Mom's 1st cousin 1x removed -- 638 cM
My 2nd cousin -- 326 cM

S. H. -- 2x Granddaughter
Mom's 1st cousin 1x removed -- 660 cM
My 2nd cousin -- 291 cM

S. B. -- 2x Granddaughter
Mom's 1st cousin 1x removed -- 654 cM
My 2nd cousin -- 283 cM

L. H. -- 2x Granddaughter
Mom's 1st cousin 1x removed -- 455 cM
My 2nd cousin -- 248 cM

T. B. -- 3x Granddaughter 
Mom's 1st cousin 2x removed -- 108 cM
My 2nd cousin 1x removed -- 37 cM

Opal Lois LaRue 
March 22nd, 1922 / August 27th, 2006
Married Thomas Allen "Tom" Blanford on June 22nd, 1940
Mother of 14 children, Grandmother of at least 29 (There's a few of Opal & Tom's kids that I don't believe have ever been married or had children). 

These cousins would be DOUBLE cousins for those of us who are descended from Lorene & Richard. Why? Because Lorene & Opal are sisters -- Richard & Thomas were brothers. 

D. C. -- Granddaughter of Dad LaRue & Carrie Byrd
Mom's double 1st cousin 1x removed -- 1,067 cM
My double 1st cousin 2x removed -- 470 cM

J. C. -- Great-granddaughter
Mom's double 2nd cousin -- 483 cM
My double 2nd cousin 1x removed -- 265 cM

A. J. -- 2x Granddaughter
Mom's double 2nd cousin 1x removed --
My double 3rd cousin -- 191 cM

M. B. -- 2x Granddaughter
Mom's double 2nd cousin 1x removed --
My double 3rd cousin -- 103 cM

Bonnie Wyonia LaRue
March 25th, 1916 / March 19th, 2002
Married Martin Albert Ganno on April 21st, 1934.
Mother of 11 children, Grandmother of at least 30.

D. G. -- Grandson of Dad LaRue & Carrie Byrd
Mom's 1st cousin 1x removed -- 622 cM
My 1st cousin 2x removed -- 404 cM

B. B. -- Granddaughter
Mom's 1st cousin 1x removed -- 686 cM
My 1st cousin 2x removed -- 390 cM

J. B. -- Great-grandson
Mom's 2nd cousin -- 418 cM
My 2nd cousin 1x removed -- 253 cM

K. G. -- Great-granddaughter
Mom's 2nd cousin -- 295 cM
My 2nd cousin 1x removed -- 172 cM

J. B. -- 2x Grandson
Mom's 2nd cousin 1x removed -- 254 cM
My 3rd cousin -- 108 cM

A. B. -- 2x Grandson 
Mom's 2nd cousin 1x removed -- 190 cM
My 3rd cousin -- 71 cM

S. P. -- 2x Granddaughter
Mom's 2nd cousin 1x removed -- 141 cM
My 3rd cousin -- 33 cM

D. T. -- Great-granddaughter
Mom's 2nd cousin -- 
My 2nd cousin 1x removed -- 211 cM

T. M. -- 2x Granddaughter
Mom's 2nd cousin 1x removed --
My 3rd cousin -- 82 cM

Woodrow Wilson "Woody" LaRue
November 2nd, 1912 / November 11th, 1974
Married Mary Myrtle Culver on June 29th, 1930
Father of 9 children, grandfather of at least 26. 

R. L. -- Grandson of Dad LaRue & Carrie Byrd
Mom's 1st cousin 1x removed -- 582 cM
My 1st cousin 2x removed -- 318 cM

T. B. -- Great-granddaughter
Mom's 2nd cousin -- 395 cM
My 2nd cousin 1x removed -- 213 cM 

T. J. -- Great-granddaughter
Mom's 2nd cousin -- 293 cM
My 2nd cousin 1x removed -- 171 cM

M. B. -- Great-granddaughter
Mom's 2nd cousin -- 207 cM
My 2nd cousin 1x removed -- 112 cM

K. F. -- 2x Grandson
Mom's 2nd cousin 1x removed -- 136 cM
My 3rd cousin -- 60 cM

G. Z -- Great-granddaughter
Mom's 2nd cousin -- 768 cM
My 2nd cousin 1x removed -- 426 cM

Ann Bessie Louise LaRue
August 20th, 1918 / January 10th, 2008
Married Joseph Willard Buckman on October 3rd, 1940
Mother of 6, Grandmother of 21

J. B. -- Grandson of Dad LaRue & Carrie Byrd
Mom's 1st cousin 1x removed -- 588 cM
My 1st cousin 2x removed -- 419 cM

H. C. -- 2x Grandson 
Mom's 2nd cousin 1x removed -- 168 cM
My 3rd cousin -- 116 cM

K. C. -- 2x Granddaughter
Mom's 2nd cousin 1x removed -- 116 cM
My 3rd cousin -- 98 cM

H. C. -- 2x Granddaughter
Mom's 2nd cousin 1x removed -- 212 cM
My 3rd cousin -- 76 cM

A. C. -- Great-granddaughter
Mom's 2nd cousin --
My 2nd cousin 1x removed -- 215 cM

Shelby Clark LaRue
June 19th, 1905 / August 11th, 1979
Married Amie Lelia Blades on December 6th, 1940
Legal father of 3 children, and 1 child I discovered he had before he married through DNA testing; Grandfather of 6, +2 more if you count the grandchildren through the child he didn't know about. 

A. Y. -- Great-grandson of Dad LaRue & Carrie Byrd
Mom's 2nd cousin -- 303 cM
My 2nd cousin 1x removed -- 159 cM

A. E. -- 2x Grandson
Mom's 2nd cousin 1x removed -- 240 cM
My 3rd cousin -- 58 cM

S. W. -- 2x Granddaughter
Mom's 2nd cousin 1x removed --
My 3rd cousin -- 86 cM

Rosa Lee LaRue
December 31st, 1909 / January 19th, 1988
Married first to Benona Houston Alstadt Sr, second to Ray Alvin Miles.
Mother of 2 children (one by each husband), Grandmother of 3. 

C. A. -- Great-granddaughter of Dad LaRue & Carrie Byrd
Mom's 2nd cousin -- 248 cM
My 2nd cousin 1x removed -- 148 cM

D. D. -- 3x Granddaughter
Mom's 2nd cousin 2x removed -- 29 cM
My 3rd cousin 1x removed -- 17 cM

And then surprisingly... no descendants of Uncle Jimmy have tested, yet. 

James Alma "Jimmy" LaRue
March 22nd, 1924 / December 25th, 1988
Married Sue Catherine Mills.
Father of 4 children, Grandfather of at least 8.

I'm incredibly surprised no one from his line have tested yet.. or if they have, I haven't run across them yet (ruh-roh!) 

By the number of grandchildren I counted up... Dad LaRue & Carrie Byrd should roughly have 154 great-grandchildren. I would go out on a limb to say that it isn't impossible to say that Dad & Carrie might have anywhere from 250-300 2x Grandchildren (myself being one of them.) That number is absolutely astonishing to me. Mind boggling. Perplexing. Astounding. I would love to see the look on Charles & Carrie's faces, today, in 2021 if I were to tell them they possibly had 154 great-grandkids and as many as 300 great-great-grandchildren. I bet they'd be bewildered.

I'll wrap this blog up with a thank you for reading through all of this, and thank you to all of my LaRue/Byrd cousins for DNA testing at the various websites available. It makes this genealogist cousin of yours extremely happy! Please urge our other cousins to test if they possibly can, and if any of you need any help with your tests or test results... send me a message on my Facebook! 

52 Ancestors 2021: Week 12: Loss

 For this weeks topic, the first thing that comes to mind for me is the loss of children and just how many of our ancestors buried multiple infants or young children. So in this blog I'm going to discuss the children lost by three sets of my ancestors: Clint Mefford and Edith Bastin, Frank Bastin Sr and Ilena Singleton, and Charles LaRue and Carrie Byrd. 

First, Clint and Edith.

My Great-Grandparents, Clinton "Clint" Mefford and Edith, nee Bastin, were the parents of eleven children; only eight of those surviving past being a toddler or very young child. 

The first born child was named Billie on November 28th, 1927, in Muhlenberg County, Kentucky, likely near the community of Ennis. Billie is the only child that I haven't been able to obscure a death certificate for but his tombstone gives his date of death as March 27th, 1931. He's buried in Allen's Chapel Cemetery near his father, Clint, and other siblings. 

Billie appears in the 1930 census living with his parents and his younger sister, Mary Ellen (1929-2009). Aunt Mary told me years ago that all of the children died of the same thing, so chances are, young Billie died of bronchial pneumonia. 

After Billie's birth, Clint and Edith had Mary Ellen in 1929, Barbara Ray in 1933, Ima Jean in 1936, Glen Bastin in 1938 (my Granddad), and then came Clinton "Clint" Mefford Jr in 1940. 

Clint Jr was born on June 29th, 1940, in the community of Ennis, in Muhlenberg County, Kentucky. On his tombstone, his date of death is given as February 2nd, 1941, but according to his death certificate, it was February 1st, 1941. For Clint Jr, I do have a death certificate -- bronchial pneumonia / Influenza listed as the cause of death. 

The next child after little Clint was Wanda Lee Mefford, born on December 4th, 1942, again in the community of Ennis; and she died of bronchial pneumonia on January 1st, 1943, according to her death certificate. Again, her tombstone is off -- her birth date by two days and her death date by one. 

The dates on the death certificates are what I'm using as primary information, because the informant (and who helped fill out the certificates) was Clint himself so I believe he knew his children's birth dates and death dates. 

After Wanda Lee came Owen Lee in 1944, Vernon Lee in 1946, Michael Wayne in 1949, and Sharon Ann in 1953. To my knowledge, Clint and Edith never lost another child. It's tough to say why they were plagued by bronchial pneumonia between the years of 1931-1943. Why did only Billie, Clint Jr, and Wanda succumb from this illness? 

It's no doubt that probably the other children: Mary, Barbara, Ima, and Glen probably got sick with the same Influenza their siblings had. Why did they survive and these three didn't? I guess some immune systems are better than others. Age at the time of the influenza played a factor as well, I'm sure. 

Granddaddy Clint worked in the coal mines and Grandma Edith was a homemaker who stayed at home and took care of her home and family. It's tough to say if their living conditions helped the influenza thrive -- I wouldn't think so, as I've heard my Granddad Glen say numerous times, they didn't grow up poor by any means. The coal mining business was obviously very good to Granddaddy Clint and his wife and children, from what my Granddad Glen has said over the years. 

Regardless, in 2021, Billie has been gone for ninety years; Clint Jr for eighty years, and Wanda for seventy-eight. These are entire lifetimes these kids have been gone... Only one sister remains living that would have any recollection of Clint Jr or Wanda, and that would be my Aunt Barbara Palmer of Chicago. Sadly, none alive today would have any memories of little Billie, as he was the first to be birthed, and the first to pass away. It's up to someone like me, the family genealogist, to keep his memory alive. 

I will share this one old photograph of Granddaddy Clint, Grandma Edith, Aunt Mary (standing in the back), Aunt Barbara in Clint's lap, and Edith holding Ima Jean. My Granddad hadn't been born yet, but probably would be conceived within a few months of this photo being taken. 

Second, Frank and Ilena. 

My Great-Great-Grandparents, Franklin Payton Bastin Sr and Ilena Singleton had eleven children in total; but only seven that lived past infancy. 

Bessie was their first child born in 1896, then came Bernice Marie in 1900, Frank Jr in 1901, Jennie Merle in 1904, and Edith Mae in 1908 (my Great-Grandmother). In the 1910 census, Ilena says she's birthed 6 kids at this point and only 5 are living. So there is a child born between 1900 and 1910 that mustn't have a tombstone - could have been a miscarriage early on, even; so perhaps it never had a proper burial. It deserves to be counted as a child, though. It existed. 

Next came William Norman in 1912, and then came the three that died very shortly after their births. First was Arthur F Bastin, misspelled Auther on his tombstone. He was born on December 10th, 1914, in the Nelson area of Muhlenberg County, Kentucky, and died just two days later -- December 12th, 1914. The dates on his tombstone are incorrect -- they say December 8th and December 11th. The death certificate says he died of malformation. 

I'll note that his tombstone looks pretty rough -- and when/if I'm able, I'd love to be able to clean it with some D/2 Biological Solution. 

Arthur is buried in Nelson Creek Cemetery in the community of Nelson, in Muhlenberg County, Kentucky.

The next child that came was Carl D. Bastin, born on November 15th, 1915, and he died March 22nd, 1916. His death certificate is a bit hard to read but I believe the cause of death reads "lung cold followed by bronchial pneumonia." 

There isn't a photograph of his tombstone on Find-a-Grave so that tells me that nobody has found one, but I would imagine since his brother and sister have a tombstone, that he does as well. I probably just need to get down to that cemetery and prod around for the tombstone -- it could be broken and under six inches to a foot of dirt. 

The next to come along was Vernerd Lee Bastin, born on June 29th, 1918, and died on October 24th, 1918. Her date of birth is off by a day on her tombstone. Her name on her death certificate looks more like "Vernon" or "Verna" or "Vermie" as it's been transcribed, but on the tombstone, it's Vernerd. On the birth index, it's Vernon -- she's marked as female on the death certificate as well. The cause of death is listed as influenza and probably labor pneumonia. 

Her tombstone, too, could use some T.L.C. with D/2. The epitaph bittersweetly says, "not lost, just gone before." 

After Vernerd, only one more child was born to Frank and Lena -- Roy Ferguson in 1919. It's another tough nut as to why certain ones of the Bastin children passed away and not the others. Why three in a row? Were they born a bit sickly to begin with? Well, we know Arthur died of malformation...so could Carl and Vernerd also have dealt with being a bit malformed? Frank Bastin, too, worked in the coal industry and his wife, Ilena "Lena" was a homemaker. This was in the 1910 and 1920 censuses whereas by 1930, he gave his profession as farmer. 

It's been 107 years since Arthur passed away, 106 for Carl, and 103 for Vernerd. There isn't a soul alive today that remembers these three Bastin children, nor the one that was born and died sometime between 1900-1910. There's no written record for that child, no family bible mentioning him or her... it's up to me to keep the memory of Arthur, Carl, and Vernerd alive.

Third, Charles and Carrie. 

My Great-Great-Grandparents Charles Clarence LaRue and Carrie Annie Byrd had eleven children but only eight made it past infancy or young childhood. 

First they had Shelby Clark in 1905, then came his little brother, John Franklin, born October 28th, 1906, in the Smith Mills area of Henderson County, Kentucky. John makes an appearance with his parents and his siblings: Shelby and Rosa, in the 1910 census... but he passes away shortly after. He is buried unmarked at the Smith Mills Cemetery (according to family story.) As Kentucky doesn't have any death certificates in 1910, it's unclear what he passed away from.

The next child born was little Mary Ernestine on November 17th, 1908, and she died October 18th, 1909. Whatever took Mary Ernestine in 1909 could very well be what took little John Franklin in 1910. Mary, too, is buried unmarked in the Smith Mills Cemetery near her parents and other siblings. Given that so many of my ancestors have lost children to bronchial pneumonia or influenza -- I ponder if their deaths weren't because of that. 

The next kids to come along were Rosa Lee in 1909, Woodrow Wilson in 1912, Verna Lorene in 1914 (my Great-Grandmother), Bonnie Wyonia in 1916, Ann Bessie Louise in 1918, and then the next little one to pass away young... Francis LaRue. He was born on February 24th, 1921, and died September 30th, 1921. He is the only one to have a death certificate -- but still no tombstone in the Smith Mills Cemetery. 

On his death certificate, he's listed as dying of membranous croup -- that's familiar to me as my other Great-Grandmother Anna Elizabeth (Thompson) Sandefur also lost a sibling, Vannie Louise Thompson, to membranous croup in 1915. A contributory cause to Francis' death was cardiovascular, interestingly enough. At least, that's what the word looks like to me. Truth be told, I thought it said something like "cord laubaum" or something but I don't believe that's right. 

After little Francis came Opal Lois in 1922, and James Alma in 1924. Dad LaRue was a farmer in occupation, and the LaRue's didn't have a whole lot in the way of money, honestly. Their living conditions very well could have impacted the lives of their young children... but as I've said twice already in this post, who knows why death struck three of the LaRue children and just these particular three and not the others. 

When it comes to the children of Frank & Lena and Charles & Carrie -- they're all gone now. For the children of theirs who died young, there's no one left alive with a single memory of them. There aren't any pictures, that I'm aware of... there's no written diary entries mentioning them or anything, as far as I know. So it's up to me, as the family historian, to keep the legacies of these little tots going for generations to remember them. 

It's been 111 years since John Franklin LaRue died, 112 since Mary Ernestine died, and exactly one hundred years this year since Francis LaRue died. That's not just one lifetime ago... that's multiple lifetimes. Without tombstones, these LaRue children would be forgotten about if it wasn't for Francis' death certificate, John Franklin appearing in the 1910 census, and as for Mary Ernestine, I'm guessing we have a family bible somewhere in one of the lines of the family mentioning her birth and death or else...who would know about it? The Smith Mills Cemetery sure isn't the best for keeping records, that's for sure. 

I have several more ancestors who lost more than one child young... but these three stuck out to me to talk about for this blog. Not just because I had tombstone photographs, and not just because I had some death certificates... but it struck me as interesting that each lost three... or at least three were documented, in Lena's case, as there's the missing one between 1900-1910. 

Plus, I haven't had the chance to write too much, yet, on my Mefford or Bastin side. I know way more about my Mom's side of the family.. a lot of them being Catholic, the record keeping is much better. But my paternal side is ever bit as important and with time I intend to write more blogs about them. 

Thanks for reading my ramblings tonight, it means a lot. If you haven't joined Blogger/Blogspot yet, you can create a free account and 'subscribe' or 'follow' my blog here. You can also leave a comment if you'd like. Thank you all!