August Scavenger Hunt: "Find a Great-Grandparents grave."

 For the August scavenger hunt prompt: "Find a Great-Grandparents grave."

I'm finally sharing this on my blog in January -- and how appropriately on January 5th, 2023 - my Great-Grandpa's 110th birthday!

I don't have to go far for this set of my Great-Grandparents. Matter of fact, I can see their tombstone from my bedroom window. They're buried in Fernwood Cemetery here in Henderson.

Henry Lloyd Sandefur and Anna Elizabeth (Thompson) Sandefur.

Henry, or Poppy, was born on January 5th, 1913, in Henderson to Eugene Henry Sandefur and Ollie Lee Moss. He was the fifth of six children.

Poppy and his siblings grew up at 1421 Clay St (the Sandefur's lived in that house from about 1906 through the 1950's) - their front door was quite literally out the front door of Audubon School, which Poppy attended until about sixth grade or so. He used to hide his books out in the shed and hop trains - he'd go to Nashville for a day or two and return home.

Anna Elizabeth, called Liz by some, Lizzie by others, and occasionally Lizbet by her youngest brother (although usually just called Anna) was born August 18th, 1916, to John Rowan Thompson and Mary Janella Nally. She was the seventh of eight children.

Nana, as I call her, grew up in the Smith Mills area and attended Smith Mills School. I am not sure if she finished out school and graduated or not. If she did, I would have imagined she'd have graduated from Smith Mills, if so, it would have likely been 1933.

Nana and Poppy wed on August 25th, 1933, in Shawneetown. Nana was 17 years old and Poppy was 20... it was a shotgun wedding. Hence the elopement to Shawneetown.

They welcomed their first child, their daughter Carolyn, into the world on April 8th, 1934. By the 1940 census, they had a daughter and two sons (Donald & William 'Buddy'), and were living at 122 Burdette St. here in Henderson.

By the 1950 census, they had three daughters and two sons, living out at 1714 KY-416 (in Niagara). Back then, it was known as "Rural Route 2." They would have one more daughter about five years later.

After my Mom was born ('63) and my late Uncle Jay ('65), my Grandparents (Jady & Glynda) built a house next door to Nana & Poppy, at 1670 KY-416.

Poppy was a diabetic and also suffered severe heart problems. He passed away young on March 11th, 1970, at just 57 years of age. At the time of his death, my Nana didn't know where to bury him (as the spots near his parents in Fernwood were full.) Poppy's cousin, funeral director Paul B. Moss provided my Nana with the two plots - one for Poppy and one for herself. She tried to pay him back for the plots, and he wouldn't accept the money.

In the mid 1970's, Nana moved to town, and then my Grandparents moved to town as well. Nana lived for twenty some-odd years in Fair Acres until her Alzheimer's progressed far enough that we had to place her into a rest home (about early 1999.)

Nana passed away on October 2nd, 2001. I was in the third grade. I'll never forget coming home from school and getting the phone call about 40 minutes after I'd gotten home. That day and the following few days were without a doubt some of the worst in my life. I'll never forget her funeral - that was the hardest rain I've ever, to this day, experienced in my life. It certainly fit the mood. I felt like my heart had shattered into a million pieces and it was never going to be whole again.

My Nana was my very best friend. She had been my babysitter early-on in my life. After she went into the nursing home, my Grandma and I went every day, and I quite literally mean EVERY DAY to the nursing home to visit with her. Sometimes we'd go two or three times in one single day.

Nana is the entire reason I started doing genealogy. None of my friends knew any of their Great-Grandparents back then, so at just seven years old, I realized it was a rarity/oddity to know your Great-Grandparents.. (even if it's just one of them.) So I pondered if Nana ever knew any of her Great-Grandparents - unfortunately due to Alzheimer's, she couldn't answer that question (not accurately, anyway). My Grandma and I took to working on our family tree to figure out the answer. I've been hooked by the genealogy bug ever since. 2022 marks 22 years I've been doing genealogy. I owe everything to this beautiful, intelligent, wonderful, compassionate woman.

Some of you might remember my Nana, actually, because she was a bus driver for many years. I believe she drove a bus in the 60s, 70s, and into the early 80s. I know she drove the route out in Niagara but she might have substituted for other routes as well. She and Grandma Glynda would bowl with other bus drivers. I unfortunately didn't inherit Nana's bowling ball, but I did inherit Grandma Glynda's. It's certainly one of my prized possessions now.

I come from a family full of bus drivers, actually, lol. Poppy drove a bus as well. Their late daughter, Carolyn, drove a bus, and my Grandma - Glynda (Sandefur) Blanford also drove a bus. I believe one of the sons might have driven a city bus back in the day, too.

Thank you all for reading about my Nana & Poppy. It means a lot. ❤️

52 Ancestors 2021: Week 33: Tragedy

There are a lot of things my ancestors have been through that could be described as 'tragic' or 'a tragedy.' It's hard to pick just one or two instances to write about, honestly. Especially since I love for y'all to get to know each and every one of my ancestors on such an intimate level. Every time I write about them, as a matter of fact, I get to know them even better as well. 

One 'tragedy' that I could mention is the family story that my Great-Great-Great-Great (4x) Grandparents died in an accident on their journey back from Hoodsville, Arkansas to Henderson, Kentucky. 

Supposedly, Charles Tandy Sandefur and his second wife, Shilo Watson, died on August 23rd, 1852 and were more than likely buried beside the road they died on. It's possible a few of their children might have perished with them, but I'm not 100% sure.

In 1850, the family is living in the Hoodsville (now it's not even a town) area of Jefferson County, Arkansas. The 1850 census lists them --

Tandy Stanifer - 60
Stulo Stanifer - 38
James A Stanifer - 17
Peter W Stanifer - 16
Isobl Stanifer - 13
Phylo H Stanifer - 12
Susan E Stanifer - 10
Bennett P Stanifer - 7
Thomas W Stanifer - 4
Judia Ann Stanifer - 3
John Stanifer - 0

Charles Tandy Sandefur and Shilo (Watson) Sandefur definitely disappear between the 1850 census and 1860, so them both dying in between those years is certainly plausible. But as for an accident claiming their lives... why didn't it take a child? Did it? Let's take account of each child in the 1850 census with them and where they go from there. 

James Archilles Sandefur dies young in March of 1860 of bronchitis here in Henderson County, Kentucky. His occupation is listed as a storekeeper. He never married nor had any children. He was only 27 years young. 

Peter W. Sandefur disappears after 1850 -- BUT there is a Peter Staniford that mustered into the Civil War (Union Side) in Illinois and mustered out in Pine Bluff, Arkansas. Pine Bluff is Jefferson County, so this MIGHT be our Peter. I can't for the life of me find him in the 1860 or even 1870 censuses, though. 

Isabella Sandefur marries Wilkerson/Wilkinson Brewer on July 8th, 1852, in Jefferson County, Arkansas - she was 16 years young. They appear in Pine Bluff, Arkansas for the 1860 and 1870 census, and then Whiteville, Arkansas for the 1880 census. She disappears after 1880, as does her husband so they both likely died between 1880-1900. 

Philo Hilyer Sandefur returns to Henderson County, KY, where he marries Susan Rebecca Jarrett (half-sister of outlaw John Marion Jarrett) on February 3rd, 1860. They become my Great-Great-Great (3x) Grandparents through their son, Eugene Henry Sandefur. Philo lives out his life here and dies in the Western State Hospital on January 16th, 1915. In the 1900 census and 1910 census, Philo and Susan live at 1419 Clay St, Henderson KY, beside their son Eugene Henry Sandefur who lives at 1421 Clay St. These houses are directly across the street from the front door of the old Audubon School. 

Susan Elvira Sandefur disappears for the 1860 census, but she re-appears living with her half brother, William Henry Sandefur, in Henderson for the 1870 and 1880 censuses. She then disappears for 1900, 1910... until she dies in Louisville on December 20th, 1921. She was in the Kings Daughters Home and died of general senility. King's Daughters and Sons was a Home for the "Incurables." It was located at 1705 Stevens Ave. It was built in 1909 and used as the home for the incurables until it gradually turned into a nursing home. While digging for more information, I did find her under "Alvina Sanford" in the 1920 census for the King's Daughters Home... but still can't find her in the 1900 or 1910 census. 

Bennett Sandefur re-appears in the 1860 census in Henderson County, KY in the home of his older half-brother, Nathaniel Rufus Sandefur. He then disappears - so it's likely he died between 1860 and 1870. 

Thomas P. Sandefur makes it back to Henderson County, KY, where he's living with his older half-brother Henry C. Sandefur in the 1860 census. On December 4th, 1866, he marries Amelia "Ameny" Williams and they live here in the 1870 and 1880 census... then he disappears. Likely he died between 1880 and 1900. 

Ann "Annie" Sandefur ended up back in Henderson County, KY, for the 1860 census. She's living with her elder half-brother, Charles Tandy Sandefur Jr. By February 24th, 1870, she marries James H. Henry. She passes away on October 6th, 1874, and is buried out in Pleasant Valley Cemetery I believe. 

Lastly, John B. Sandefur, the youngest son, is back in Henderson County, KY by 1860 and living with his elder half-brother Nathaniel Rufus Sandefur. By July 24th, 1873, he marries Arabella "Belle" Williams. Sometime between their last child being born in 1885 and when John dies in 1901 - they moved to Chicago, Cook Co, IL. He died on April 24th, 1901, according to the death index.. yet strangely, Belle and Margaret live alone in the 1900 census and her marital status is "widowed." 

So it does appear that none of the children, or very likely none of the children, died in the accident that took Charles Tandy Sandefur and Shilo (Watson) Sandefur's life. Again, I really don't know if the tragic fate of their dying on the journey back to Henderson actually happened or not. With most of their children coming back to Henderson - it's a possibility they died here between 1850 and 1860. But with a few of their children staying in Arkansas and marrying young... it's entirely possible they left their children alone in the world. 

If they truly died the way they did, I do feel that's quite tragic. Charles Tandy Sandefur fathered at least five children that survived with his first wife, Martha Robards, before her death in 1831 at about 36 years young. Then he married Shilo in late 1831 and they had at least 10 more children that survived. Their eldest daughter together, Eliza Jane, stayed in Henderson and married her cousin, Bennett Sandefur, on March 13th, 1849. Eliza died sometime between the 1880 and 1900 censuses likely in Ohio County, KY, where they removed to and lived. 

Well, I hope this blog helped you get to know my 4x Grandparents and their offspring a bit. It certainly did help me to go over each one of them again. It's strange we always spend so much time on our direct ancestors but rarely ever look at our collateral lines. They can be the most interesting!

52 Ancestors 2021: Week 19: Mother's Day

 First and foremost, I want to apologize in the delay in my writing any blog posts. On June 7th, this laptop took a turn for the worst. It suddenly started saying, "no hard drive found," and I thought it was screwed, for lack of a better term. So on June 8th, I ordered off for a new laptop. 

From June 8th until July 2nd, I was using my Uncle's old HP laptop to try and get at least the bare minimum of genealogy done... but I grew more frustrated with it every single day. It was so slow that I wanted to pull my hair out every single time it tried to load a page. On July 2nd, on just a shites and giggles whim, I tried this laptop, and for some reason it was working again -- but the keyboard isn't. 

Alas, having worked an online job for years and years... I have a USB/wireless keyboard...so that's what I'm using to type on this laptop. My NEW laptop was meant to be here on July 9th... but it's delayed. I'm guessing Dell is having a hard time getting the parts from China, or Taiwan, or wherever they get their stock parts from. The new revised date is August 4th. 

Anyway... onward to the topic at hand: Mother's Day. 

--*--*--*--

I thought I'd take a moment to write about each of my maternal ancestors -- the ones I know are 100% at least and talk about my maternal haplogroup (DNA) as well. Upon doing my 23andme, I learned that my maternal haplogroup is H4a. 

From the best of what I understand... H4a is one of many haplogroups that is popular among England - which my Mother is heavily English. It, too, has a heavy presence in Sweden, Denmark, Norway, Finland, and other areas you'd consider "Viking territory." 

My hypothesis as to why our maternal haplogroup is H4a is the fact that Vikings, as you well know, raided and plundered England many many generations ago. They also started to intermingle with the English settlers... marry, have children, etc. I believe we descend from those Viking/English ancestors. 

My direct maternal line starts with my Mother, who was born right here in Henderson County and has remained here her entire life (she's 58 this year). Since she's still living, I won't tell you a whole lot about her in specific.. but beyond her, I'll try and speak a little more in depth about each of my direct maternal ancestors. My Mother takes after her father (James Allen Blanford Sr) and thus has a dark, "farmers tan" style complexion and icy blue eyes.

My Grandmother, Glynda Jane (Sandefur) Blanford was born at home on Letcher St. here in Henderson, Kentucky, on June 13th, 1941. She was the fourth child born to Henry Lloyd Sandefur and Anna Elizabeth Thompson. By the time she was a young girl, the family moved out to the Niagara community in our county. Very rural but very quaint. Sometime in 1961, she met my Grandpa while at the bowling alley with some friends. By March 31st, 1962, they married at Bellfield Baptist Church, which was my Grandma's church. My Grandpa was a Catholic.

My Grandmother was my genealogy partner until she got sick with what we believe was Parkinson's and dementia (not the Alzheimer's that her sisters tried to sell it as.) My Grandma passed away on December 8th, 2015. My Grandmother took after her mother with her dark brown eyes but had a pale complexion. Grandma and Grandpa are buried in St. Louis Cemetery here in Henderson. 

My Great-Grandmother, Anna (Thompson) Sandefur was born on August 18th, 1916, at home in the "Walnut Bottom" area of Henderson County, which in today's terms is known as Smith Mills. She was the seventh children born to John Rowan Thompson and Mary Janella Nally. On August 25th, 1933, she and Henry Lloyd Sandefur eloped to Old Shawneetown, Illinois, and married there. Nana, as I called her, is the entire reason I started genealogy. I was fortunate to know her in my youth and I had the curious question of, "did you know any of your Great-Grandparents?" However...she couldn't answer it. She, too, I believe, had Parkinson's and dementia that was stereotyped as Alzheimer's. Nana had an "olive complexion" as we call it. She had dark brown eyes. Nana passed away when I was eight years old, on October 2nd, 2001. Nana and Poppy were of the Baptist faith although Nana would have been raised Catholic. They are buried in Fernwood Cemetery here in Henderson.

My 2x Grandmother, Mary Janella (Nally) Thompson was born a twin of Camilla on October 20th, 1882, in rural Union County, Kentucky. It's likely they lived in the portion of Union County that is close to Smith Mills (which is Henderson County.) Definitely around the Highland Creek area. Her parents were Henry Oliver Nally and Vandalia Delia Gibson. On October 28th, 1902, Janella married her second cousin, John Rowan Thompson. They married in the Catholic church. She had blue eyes and an olive colored complexion, according to my Mom. Maw, as she was called, passed away on December 29th, 1972, of stomach cancer and arteriosclerotic heart disease, the latter she had for a number of years.. She and her husband are buried in Roselawn Memorial Gardens here in Henderson. 

My 3x Grandmother, Vandalia Delia (Gibson) Nally was the daughter of John Gregory Gibson and Mahala Caroline Busby, born on December 21st, 1856, in the outskirts of the Corydon/Cairo areas of Henderson County. Vannie, as she was called, married Henry Oliver Nally on January 28th, 1880, in the Old Highland Missionary Baptist Church.. that's surprising as I know the Nally's were Catholic -- but I'm going to go out on a limb and say the Gibson's were of Baptist faith. Vannie birthed two sets of twins... and twins apparently run in the Gibson, Nally, and Thompson families. I have unfortunately never been able to procure a photograph of my 3x Grandparents. Vannie passed away on July 5th, 1949, of arteriosclerotic heart disease of which she had for thirty years. Vannie and Henry are buried in the old Gibson Family Cemetery in Corydon. 

My 4x Grandmother, Mahala Caroline Busby, was born in January of 1820, in either Kentucky or Tennessee. In the 1820 census, her parents were listed in Sumner County, Tennessee, IF it's the correct people... but her parents married in 1813 in Henderson County, Kentucky. So, definitely born in Kentucky or Tennessee. She was the daughter of William Busby and Elizabeth Denton. By November 1st, 1841, Mahala was back in Henderson and married John Gregory Gibson. They had an absolute slew of children: 13 if I've counted correctly. at least 5 that died before the age of 20. They populated the county with Gibson's and the Gibson Cemetery with descendants. She and John Gregory are buried in the old Gibson Family Cemetery. 



My 5x Grandmother, Elizabeth Denton, was the daughter of Benjamin Denton and Priscilla Rebecca Wiggins; she was born on March 10th, 1790, likely in North Carolina. However, by December 28th, 1813, she lived in Henderson County, KY, where she married William L. Busby. They moved to Tennessee for a short time, where William died in 1830, and Elizabeth returned to Henderson County. Elizabeth herself passed away on March 13th, 1856, in Henderson County, and is buried in Talbott Cemetery in the Robards area of the county. That cemetery is horrendously overgrown and not taken care of. I wish I could see it cleaned up in my lifetime before Elizabeth's tombstone is completely erased from existence. The reason she's buried in that small cemetery of (quite possibly) only five graves is because her daughter, Celia, married a Talbott. 



My 6x Grandmother, Priscilla Rebecca "Celia" Wiggins was born in the year of 1755 in the Granville County area of North Carolina to parents Thomas Wiggins and Elizabeth Tabitha Cooper. On November 18th, 1772, in Granville County, Celia married Benjamin Denton. It is reported that Celia died in 1808 in White County, Tennessee. Her husband reportedly died there in 1810. I've never found an actual census record or land record of them being in White County, TN. Their descendants helped populate Henderson County with Denton's that are still in this county to this day! 

My 7x Grandmother, Elizabeth Tabitha Cooper, was born about 1735 and married Thomas Wiggins in roughly 1753 in North Carolina. On an application for the Sons of the American Revolution, they say she died around 1764 -- but I think she actually died closer to 1782. She's definitely deceased by 1796 when her husband, Thomas, re-marries to Frances Holman. Thomas passed away in either the last week of 1798 or the first day or two of 1799 as his will was probated on January 3rd, 1799, in Granville County, NC. 

Now, beyond Elizabeth (Cooper) Wiggins, I haven't made any DNA connections - which is normal with autosomal DNA. Autosomal DNA... unless you've got some heavy heavy heavy endogamy/intermarrying/inbreeding in the line, you aren't going to make matches with like 9th, 10th, 11th+ cousins. I have indeed made DNA matches with 8th cousins through Elizabeth Cooper & Thomas Wiggins. My Mom has made DNA matches through them as well. It is possible if my Mom does her mtDNA test over at FamilyTreeDNA, we might be able to make matches from further back this line.

So going off of folklore for the rest of this line... 

My 8x Grandmother is reportedly Elizabeth (Cannon) Cooper. She was born, roughly, in 1717 likely in Virginia. She married Benjamin Cooper Sr in 1734 in Surry County, Virginia. Elizabeth is said to be the daughter of John Cannon and Mary Price. Her husband, Benjamin, his will was written in 1759 and probated in 1761. It appears by the time he writes his will, that his wife, Elizabeth, has passed away... he does not mention a widow or spouse or wife. I believe their last child was born around 1753.. so it's likely Elizabeth could have died 1755 or sometime around then. 

My 9x Grandmother is said to be Mary (Price) Cannon. She likely would have been born around 1691 in Virginia and probably married around 1713 or just after. Her husband, John Cannon, was said to be born about 1688 and died 1734. I can't find any records mentioning them. The only records Mary can be found in are specific to her parents -- John Price and Jane Pugh/Pew. 

My 10x Grandmother is supposedly Jane Pugh (or Pew). She is said to have been born in 1659 in Henrico County, Virginia, the daughter of Jane Milner and Henry Pugh/Pew. It is said she married John Price in 1688 in Henrico Co, VA. They have at least five documented children: Mary, Elizabeth, John, Pugh/Pew, and Daniel. John died sometime around 1711 and Jane remarried Hugh Ligon. There were no children born to this union. Hugh is listed as being a descendant of the Plantagenets. Jane is recorded as dying on December 7th, 1713, in Henrico Co, VA. While Jane supposedly doesn't have any famous descendants -- she does have some famous relations according to her Find-a-Grave. 

My 11x Grandmother is said to be Jane (Milner) Pugh/Pew. She is supposed to be the daughter of John Milner and Elizabeth Rolfe. Elizabeth is said to have died in childbirth or the day after in 1635. She was born in Henrico County, Virginia. She married Henry Pugh/Pew in about 1658 in Henrico County, VA. Jane and Henry had at least four known children: Mary, Jane, Henry, and Elizabeth Ann. Jane, too, shows famous relations on Ancestry Beta, according to the manager of her Find-a-Grave profile. Jane is recorded as dying in April of 1709, in Henrico County. 

My 12x Grandmother is said to be none other than Elizabeth Pierce (Rolfe) Milner. Elizabeth is the daughter of THE John Rolfe (husband of Pocahontas) and his third wife, Jane Pierce. Elizabeth was born January 25th, 1620, in Jamestown, Virginia. Please note that she would have only been 15 years old when she married John Milner, who was at least 17 or 18 years old.. and she only had the one child with him: Jane Milner. It is said she died during or right after childbirth. John Milner was said to be of Nansemond, Virginia. 

My 13x Grandmother was Jane (Pierce) Rolfe, the third wife of the John Rolfe -- who had at least one child with Pocahontas. Jane was born about 1595 likely in England and died 1635, reportedly, likely in Virginia. She was the daughter of William Pierce of Virginia who is often confused with Pilgrim/Colonist William Pierce of Massachusettes. She married John Rolfe in 1619 in Virginia and had at least one child: Elizabeth, in 1620 in Jamestown. John Rolfe died in the Indian Massacre of 1622. Three years later, Jane remarried Captain Roger Smith. (To read more on William "Peirce" (Pierce): Click here. It is reported that Jane's first name was spelled "Joane" but it appears historians interchangeably use Joane and Jane. There is a marriage record for a John Rolfe and Joane Pierce in 1612 in New England records, but, we know they couldn't have married that early. In John Rolfe's will, made out in 1621 (he died in 1622), he appointed William Peirce as the guardian of his children. Apparently William Peirce and John Rolfe met in Bermuda after Peirce's ship, on which he was aboard, crashed. His wife and daughter were on a separate ship and arrived safely in Virginia ahead of him. 

My 14x Grandmother is said Joane/Jane, wife of William Peirce/Pierce, colonist of Virginia. It is likely that she, too, was born around 1580 and had their only child, Jane, when she was roughly 15 years of age in 1595. She was born in England, like William, and they married there. They did not sail for the new world until 1609. Joane and her daughter, Jane, arrived in Virginia safely as they were on a separate ship from William. William, however, crashed in Bermuda and that's where he met John Rolfe who would later marry his daughter. 

This is as far as I can take my direct maternal line. I'm really, really hoping that this information is correct. I would love to be a descendant of Jane (Pierce) Rolfe. It's depressing to not be a Bolling/descendant of Pocahontas, but ya know, being a descendant of John Rolfe is just as neat. 

Are any of you descendants of any of these people? Would you like to compare GEDMatch results maybe? My Mom and I both are on there. It's entirely possible we might be 8th cousin sand share a whopping 6 or 7 cM, lol. 

It's amazing to think a line of my family has been here in America since 1609 when America didn't even become "America" until 1776. I mean, 1609 is even prior to the Mayflower pilgrims landing at Plymouth Rock. So I can say my family has been here since pre-Mayflower... or at least one branch of it. Very cool in my opinion as a genealogist. 

52 Ancestors 2021: Week 17: Favorite Place

 

I've already written about my Grandparents house being one of my favorite places growing up, and I've written quite a few times about the Gibson Cemetery being the cemetery that really made me fall in love with old family cemeteries. I could probably write about how much I love our library and it's genealogy department, or maybe a restaurant I love to eat at. 

But I think the best thing I could write about for "favorite place," that also goes along with a "favorite ancestral home," is my hometown and where I still currently reside...

Henderson, Kentucky. 

Henderson was originally known as "Red Banks" to the Native American tribes that lived on this land. In 1775, a man named Richard Henderson tried to purchase over 17,000,000 acres of land between the Ohio, Kentucky, and Cumberland rivers in what is currently Kentucky and Tennessee. Known back then as the Transylvania Purchase (because their little outfit was known as the Transylvania Company.) 

Unfortunate for Henderson, the sale ended up resulting in only 200,000 acres to develop. Richard Henderson hired famed Daniel Boone to survey the country and select favorable areas.. Unfortunately, Henderson passed away before he could ever come west and see the land he'd bought. 

General Samuel Hopkins and Thomas Allin, a surveyor, came to Red Banks in the year of 1797. They began to lay out the plans of what would later be known as Henderson -- named for Richard Henderson and his dream of a town west of the Alleghany mountains. 

While surveying, Hopkins and Allin agreed upon wide streets, so fires could not easily jump across the street. Today, this allows Henderson to have slanted parking spaces everywhere downtown -- instead of parallel parking like in most downtown areas in other cities. 

While Richard Henderson is the namesake -- Samuel Hopkins is certainly the Father of Henderson. In 1792, before "Henderson" came to be.. not counting the local Cherokee population, "Red Banks" only had 62 free male inhabitants. By October 29th, 1799, after "Henderson" was created -- a census for the city reported a population of 183. The county as a whole had 423 residents, 207 slaves, and 412 horses. 

A post office was officially put in place in Henderson in 1801. Our zip code today is 42420 -- but a lot of downtown businesses and P.O. boxes use zip code 42419. Henderson continued to expand and by the mid-1850's, Henderson had grown to be the largest producer of tobacco in the world, most of it being exported to Great Britain at the time. 

At the beginning of the 1900's, Henderson was said to have had more millionaires per capita than any other city in the world. Tobacco was still booming... until the First World War. Great Britain implemented such a high tax on tobacco that it drove the business out in this area for good. Local farmers, even today, still grow a little tobacco but.. it'll never be the craze that it was from the mid 1850's to pre-First World War. 

In the 1920's, 1930's, and 1940's, Henderson garnered attention and was referred to as "Little Chicago" because of how much illegal gambling in nightclubs happened here. In the 1950's and 1960's, they began to clean up the town considerably and nightclubs became a thing of the past. 

Samuel Hopkins resided out towards the "Graham Hill" area of Henderson County, just outside of Henderson city limits, and is buried in his family cemetery there. His residence was known as "Spring Garden." The young daughter of naturalist, John James Audubon, is said to be buried there as well. 

Yes, Henderson garners most of its fame for being home to John James Audubon for the early part of the 1800's. Audubon owned a grist mill right on the Ohio River in downtown Henderson and today that area is known as "Audubon Mill Park." We are home to the John James Audubon State Park and Museum on the north end of town. 

Henderson was also home to famous blues musician W.C. Handy for much of his life -- so we celebrate him and his legacy with the W.C. Handy Blues Festival every June in Audubon Mill Park. Another famous musician, "Grandpa" Jones, a banjo player who made it big on such shows as Hee-Haw was born in Henderson County, in "Niagara" to be exact; a little community just south-east of the city proper. 

During the Civil War, Adam "Stovepipe" Johnson, a Henderson native, rose to fame for taking Newburgh, Indiana for the Confederacy with a "stovepipe" he fashioned to look like a cannon. He took Newburgh on a literal bluff. 

During WW2, most notably the Pearl Harbor disaster -- the man who got a lot of the blame unjustly placed on him, Admiral Husband E. Kimmel, commander of the U.S. Pacific Fleet, was born and raised here. The Kimmel Homestead was roughly between 5th and 6th Streets off of Green Street (our main thoroughfare through town.) 

We've been home to a few congressmen, senators, and the like. John Young Brown, A.B. "Happy" Chandler, James Franklin Clay, John Lloyd Dorsey Jr, Lazarus Whitehead Powell, Augustus Owsley Stanley, to name a few. 

We've had a few authors come out of our area like Debbie Dadey, Lucy Furman, Joey Goebel, Maralea Arnett, and more. 

Henderson is home to Metzger's Tavern, which proudly holds the title of the oldest continuously operating tavern in the entire state of Kentucky -- opening in 1887.

Henderson is situated on the Green River as well -- or at least, part of the county is. Green River meets up with the Ohio in what is known as the "Scuffletown Bottoms" very near communities such as Spottsville and Beals. It runs down through our county coming into contact with communities like Hebbardsville, Bluff City, and Niagara. The Green River, in part of the county, is the "divide" between Henderson County and McLean County. The Ohio River is the divide between Kentucky and Indiana. 

Henderson is also famous for being where Mother's Day was first celebrated in 1887. Mary Towles Sasseen isn't officially credited as the originator of Mother's Day -- no, the honor was stolen out from under her by a woman named Ann Jarvis. Sasseen was a schoolteacher here in Henderson County and it is recorded that she put together a Mother's Day program for her students as early as 1887. Her cousin, Susan Towles, was one of Henderson's most prestigious librarians. The Towles family was quite affluent in the area. 

Spottsville is home to one of only two revolving train bridges left operating in the world. 

Our "town square" which is called "Central Park" and is home to our county courthouse -- Central Park is the oldest park west of the Alleghany mountains. The park used to be home to the county jail and was even once the public lynching area. 

Henderson has many cemeteries with many notable and prominent people buried in them. I could write a different blog sometime about all of them. I could probably go on for hours about random facts about Henderson - like it being home to Ellis Park which was built in 1922, of course it's gone through a few name changes since then. 

I could also write a whole blog about all the schools in our area and the changes they've gone through since 1797. Same with the churches in the community, and all the little towns throughout the county. They all have their own interesting histories. 

I think I've given you quite a good glimpse at Henderson's history and how it came to be and what all makes Henderson special. Now I need to get down to the genealogical aspect of why Henderson is my favorite place ancestrally. 

My paternal side isn't from the Henderson area -- but my maternal side is. By the 1810 census, my 5x Grandparents -- Bennett Sandefur and Judith Bilbo had come to Henderson County, Kentucky. By 1813, my 5x Grandparents married here -- Thomas Watson and Rebecca Copeland. By 1812, another set of my 5x Grandparents married here -- Joshua Moss and Sarah Adkins "Sallie" Griffin. 

Some more of my early ancestors was my 4x Grandmother Joshua Jarrett who died here in 1849. My 5x Grandparents, Joel Gregory & Nancy Lester were here by the mid 1830's. Nancy died here in 1835 and Joel remarried in 1836. 

My 5x Grandparents, Daniel Hazelwood Jr and Susannah Smith were here by the mid 1830's.. Daniel dying here in 1836. My 5x Grandfather Hiram McDonald came here by 1825 from New York and married a local woman, Susan Hust; my 5x Grandmother. 

My 3x Grandfather, Ben LaRue, came here by the 1860's and married Mary Philapine Lawrey in 1867 - my 3x Grandmother. Her parents, Robert Lawrey & Elizabeth Hill were here by the 1860 census.

Of course, I've written about him several times before -- my 6x Grandfather Joel Gibson and his sons were in the Henderson County area between 1810 and 1820. I believe they arrived in 1813 to be exact. My 5x Grandparents married here in 1813 -- William L. Busby and Elizabeth Denton. 

The rest of my lines -- Blanford, Nally, Thompson, etc.. They're Catholic. They came to the Union County area, first, as part of a Catholic migration from Eastern Kentucky (the Nelson, Washington, Hardin county areas.) They're newer to Henderson County than the previously mentioned lines. 

My direct ancestors do have same family graveyards throughout the county. Joshua Moss and his wife are buried in one Moss Cemetery in the Niagara area and then my 4x Grandparents are buried in what's called the "W.J. Moss Family Cemetery" in Niagara. His name was William Jackson Moss. 

Daniel Hazelwood and his progeny are buried in the Hazelwood Family Cemetery out towards Hebbardsville. Of course, the Gibson Family Cemetery's (two of them) in Corydon where the Gibson Plantation was located right off of J. Gibson (named for Joel, I believe) Road.

Elizabeth (Denton) Busby is buried here in Talbott Cemetery in Robards. The rest of my lines are buried in either city cemeteries, church graveyards, or their graves are lost to time, sadly. A lot of my ancestors, even if I know where they're buried.. they no longer have tombstones or at least, not legible ones. 

My roots being here in Henderson County since 1810 -- it's no wonder that I love my hometown and really have no desire to leave here. A lot of my friends think I'm crazy for not wanting to escape this "hell hole" as some call it. The people here can sometimes be... urgh. I can say that, I'm related to everyone here, haha. But this place is so beautiful and has such a vast, rich history that.. I can't imagine ever leaving it. 

I wish there was a Pioneer Society of Henderson County. I'd love to join something such as that. I know we have a local Daughters of the American Revolution chapter, which I could absolutely join through Joel Gibson, but.. my family helped build this town into what it is today. I wish they could be recognized for their efforts. 

In some of the history books talking about Robards, it does mention my 5x Grandfather, Bennett Sandefur, as helping found the town along with Reuben Moss, my 4x Grandfather's brother. Jordan Moss, my 1st cousin 6x removed is also listed. Others like George Robards, George Eakins, Enoch Spencer, Thomas Rideout, Ben Wall, Nathan Smith, T.W. Royster, James McMullin, and Samuel McMullin Sr are also credited and I'm related to them as well.

George Robards was the husband of my 1st cousin 6x removed, Martha Moss. George Eakins was the husband of my 3rd cousin 8x removed, Sarah Elizabeth Melton. Enoch Spencer was the husband of my 1st cousin 6x removed, Abigail Denton. Thomas Rideout was the father-in-law of my 2nd cousin 5x removed, Martha Jane McAndrew. 

Benjamin "Ben" Wall was the husband of my 1st cousin 6x removed, Mary Sandefur Bugg. Nathan Smith was the grandfather of the husband of my 3rd cousin 4x removed, Mary Frances Wall. T.W. Royster (Thomas Wilkins Royster) was the father-in-law of my 2nd cousin 5x removed, Tabitha Jane Spencer. 

James McMullin was the father-in-law of my 3rd cousin 4x removed, Mary Emily Robards. Samuel McMullin Sr was the grandfather of the wife of my 3rd cousin 4x removed, Socrates Brackett. 

So when I tell you I'm related to everyone from Henderson County, Kentucky... I'm really not joking. My Ancestry tree is up to 94,719 people and it grows by at least a hundred people every couple of days. Before I started up my genealogy business in November of 2016, starting in 2011, I was on a personal mission to figure out how I was related to every single person buried in Henderson County. I started with the smaller family cemeteries and I just about had them all finished. I'd say, realistically, I got about 45% of the way done when I started up my genealogy business and no longer had time to compile my extensive research on each and every cemetery in the county (about four binders full so far.) 

I got a bit windier with this blog post than I intended, but I'm glad to have introduced you to Henderson, Kentucky, the place I'm extremely happy to call home. I'm very happy that my roots go as far back into the history of this great place as they do. I'll have to go much more in depth about some of the stuff I touched on in this blog at some point in the future. Maybe there will be a good topic sometime soon that some of this stuff will fit. :) 

Thank you for reading. If you enjoy my writing, please follow my blog, it would mean a lot to me!

52 Ancestors 2020: Week 4: Close to Home

 

This photograph, I colored with MyHeritage, was taken prior to 1951 -- so I believe sometime in the 1940's. This is my Great-Great-Grandparents, Eugene Henry Sandefur and Ollie Lee (Moss) Sandefur. 

Eugene and Ollie married  on May 18th, 1898, in Henderson County, Kentucky. In the 1900 census, they're listed as living at 1418 Clay St. In 1906/1907, they built the Audubon School where 1418 Clay St. had been, forcing Eugene & Ollie to move across the street to 1421 Clay St. 

In the 1910 census and onward -- that's where they reside. They had six children, one of whom died young after being kicked in the head by a mule. The official death certificate says "concussion of brain and inflammation of the same." 

1421 Clay St. stayed in the Sandefur family until sometime in the late 50's, I believe, when Ollie made the move to New Mexico to stay with her Granddaughter, the late Marie Luna. Eugene had passed away in 1951 -- Ollie passing in 1963. 

The reason I'm sharing this story as "close to home," is because I live less than a mile away... about a three minute car drive or a fifteen minute walk. Plus, because they lived there for so long, I feel like, they stayed "close to home" for decades. 

One of their sons, Russell Louden Sandefur, became the Fire Chief at the Audubon (City of Henderson) Fire Department and lived over by Letcher St. His address, in the 1940 census, was 118 Cottage Avenue, which is a little street that runs parallel to Letcher.

Their other son, my ancestor, Henry Lloyd Sandefur, also lived over on Letcher St. and that's where my Grandmother, Glynda, was born at home, on June 13th, 1941. However, in the 1940 census, Poppy and Nana were listed as living at 122 Burdette Street. 

Interesting enough, also listed at 122 Burdette St, was another of their sons -- Walter and his wife and daughter. The other children spread out a little bit more. Daughter Ruby lived in Harlan Co, KY by 1940 and daughter Hollie lived out towards the Smith Mills area of the county. 

Not far from my house, coincidentally enough, is Sandefur Dr. I'm not quite sure which Sandefur in my family that the street is named after. My Grandparents, Jady & Glynda (Sandefur) Blanford lived right across the street from Sandefur Dr.

So for this particular line of my family, we've stayed pretty close to 1421 Clay St. Even a generation before Eugene -- his parents, Philo and Susan, lived at 420 S. Green St, which is very near Clay St. By 1900, Philo & Susan lived at 1419 Clay St, and by 1910, Philo lived at 1449 Clay. 

As for Ollie, her Mother, re-married by 1900, lived at 1425 Helm Street, which is just the next street over from Clay. Ollie's Father, however, remained out in the county -- towards Hebbardsville. 

Clay St. and "East End" Henderson will forever be in my blood. The area has been called a lot of things over the years, but that area of Clay St. is most notably called "Audubon Heights." Now most people just call it "East End." It's a rather impoverished area of Henderson, sadly.. and rather drug laden. They've been trying their hardest to clean it up for decades... but it hasn't helped much. 

Still, at one point, the area thrived with its own grocery store, barber shop, and more. The staple employment of the East End used to be the Hosiery Mill on Washington Street.. that's long gone now. Where it stood is now (roughly) home to the Salvation Army and the Washington Station Apartments. 

52 Ancestors 2021: Week 5: In The Kitchen

 

The above photographs are from two separate occasions -- I believe the top photo was a summer get-together. Grandma, Uncle Charles (Grandpa's brother), Grandpa, my Mom, and my Dad. (Grandma & Grandpa are my Mom's parents). A lot of times during the summer we would have ribeye steaks, baked potatoes, and salad.

The bottom photo is from Christmas -- Grandma would always wear that sweater. You can see that it was Christmas by how many loaves of bread were there....for lots of ham sandwiches. Lots and lots of ham sandwiches.

Looking back in retrospect, I wish I had more photographs of us cooking in my Grandmother's kitchen before life threw us a huge curveball. Now my Grandparents are gone and we no longer have the house.. So many memories. So many holidays spent cooking in that kitchen. So many meals ate at that dining room table. So much coffee consumed. So many laughs, so many good conversations, and even some bad ones. 

Growing up, it was tradition to have holiday dinners at my Grandparents house. Easter, Thanksgiving, and Christmas, for sure. But sometimes we would have little get togethers for birthdays -- mine (February 12th), was always held at my Grandparents house. Sometimes we'd get together for their anniversary (March 31st), or sometimes we'd get together on a random Thursday in the middle of August. 

We'd usually go over and have a meal with them on their birthdays -- Grandma was born June 13th, and Grandpa was born July 31st. Sometimes we'd have a meal for my Mom's birthday, January 8th.. or her younger brother, his birthday being January 11th. Sometimes we'd go over for New Years Eve. 

It didn't matter the date.. it didn't matter what food was being cooked. You could always count on a pot of coffee going, a cookie jar full on the dining room table, and a lot of good conversation leading to laughter and smiles. For my Grandma, cooking was something she picked up from my Grandpa after they married. My Grandma's Mom -- Nana -- didn't allow her children into the kitchen with her, when they were young. 

Whereas, my other Great-Grandmother -- Lorene -- allowed her children into the kitchen. Not to mention, my Grandpa had picked up some cooking skills in the Army in and around 1960, prior to marrying my Grandma in 1962. Growing up, my Grandma allowed her kids into the kitchen, and when it came time, she more than allowed her Grandchildren into the kitchen with her. 

I would usually spend the night at their house the night before a big holiday dinner. Take Thanksgiving for instance.. Grandma and I would wake up sometimes at 5 o'clock in the morning to get the oven pre-heated and the turkey into the oven in time for it to be done by 11 AM. Sometimes the last guest wouldn't leave until 10 PM and we'd be cleaning the kitchen until midnight. It just depended on the holiday and who came over. We Blanford's, well, we love to drink coffee and talk. In fact, we probably talk a lot more than your average person. Probably why our jawbones are so thick...it has to compensate for how often we wag our tongues. 

Growing up, I've heard stories of the Blanford kitchen. My Mom said they used to keep urns of coffee and urns of sweet tea going. Matter of fact, you'd have to brew multiple urns a day. In the Sandefur kitchen, you'd have some unsweet tea, because Nana's husband, Poppy, was a diabetic. 

In the Blanford kitchen, you would find Lorene making a delicacy known as Jam Cake. Every southern family (or it seems more prevalent in the south) has their own Jam Cake recipe and most women will take their recipe to the grave with them. I thankfully have my Great-Grandma's recipe. 

In the Sandefur kitchen, you would find Nana making her signature Oatmeal Date Cake, or perhaps her 7-Up Cake. She was also rather famous for her zucchini bread. According to my Mom, Nana made a blackberry cobbler that was delicious. She would also make a homemade chocolate syrup for ice cream or to drizzle over hot brownies. 

Unfortunately, Lorene passed away before I was born... but my Nana lived until I was eight years old, in 2001. So Nana would come over for every holiday dinner at my Grandma's house until she passed. Until she wasn't able anymore, she would always help my Grandma make deviled eggs, banana logs, or Waldorf salad. 

Deviled eggs and banana logs kind of became the traditional "staple" at every holiday dinner. You might have ham for Easter, turkey for Thanksgiving, and ribeye steaks for Christmas, but one thing was for sure: you were probably going to have green beans, corn, mashed potatoes, deviled eggs, and banana logs. 

Another thing a Blanford kitchen never lacked... brownies or pie. Blanford's are notorious sweet eaters. My Grandpa's cookie jar was never barren. In fact, many times growing up, I helped my Grandpa make homemade apple butter, apple pie, pecan pie... I can still remember the smell of the kitchen when we'd cook together. It never smelled better than when we would make homemade apple butter. It was a family affair, too. 

Another thing we'd do in the kitchen/dining room was snap beans and can. I've canned a lot of green beans in my day, and other veggies like tomatoes and corn. We shelled a lot of purple hull peas and canned those, too. 

I firmly believe that's what is wrong with today's generation of kids...they don't snap beans or shell peas with their Grandma in the kitchen anymore...and boy does it show. They haven't been taken out into the front yard and told to pick a good switch from the tree and had their rear-end lit up enough either. Grandma's were infamous disciplinarians and my, oh my, my Grandma and Great-Grandma were good at it: they had previously been school bus drivers and we all know just how little crap they take. 

I have a million other things I could talk about, when it comes to food...but this topic was specifically "in the kitchen." One day, I'll write about the BBQ's and fish frying that my Great-Grandpa Blanford would do. He also had an apple orchard and made homemade apple cider. But those are topics for another day.

52 Ancestors 2020: Week 1: Fresh Start

52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks

Week One (January 1st - January 7th 2020)

Prompt: Fresh Start

Topic of Conversation: Outlaw, John Marion Jarrett, my 4th great-Uncle. 

The term ‘fresh start’ immediately makes me think of something like a divorce, a move across the country… in general, leaving your old life behind and starting anew. I could mention my 3x Grandmother and how after the death of her first husband, she moved from Sullivan Co, TN, to the Portland, OR area. I could talk about my 6x Grandfather and how he moved his family from Caswell Co, NC to Henderson Co, KY… but then I remembered the half-brother of my 3x Grandmother. 

John Jarrett was quite a character from everything I’ve been able to find out about him. He’s not the easiest person to research, actually. The man even let historians believe he and his family had died in a house fire in 1869… that was wrong. History wasn’t re-written until family historians like myself started researching him. I would have never researched him, honestly, if I hadn’t discovered he was the half-brother of my 3x Grandmother, Susan Rebecca (Jarrett) Sandefur. 

John Marion Jarrett was born on January 8th, 1833, to Joshua Jarrett and his first wife, Mary Elizabeth Dawson. According to documents, Joshua and Mary married on August 11th, 1828, in Nelson Co, KY. Mary Dawson was the daughter of Thomas Dawson and Nancy Sanders. After Mary died in 1838; it is reported that young John and his brother (who I haven’t been able to find) went to live with Mary’s parents. Joshua, however, re-married a woman named Martha Ann Washburn on March 29th, 1840, in Jefferson Co, KY.

They had at least one daughter — Susan Rebecca Jarrett. Martha died within a year or two later — around 1843. Joshua, at this point, moved to the Henderson Co, KY, area and married for his final time to widow Julia Harvey (Cheaney) Brooks. This marriage yielded no children. Joshua died sometime in 1849, in Henderson Co, KY, and in the 1850 census — you can see Susan is living with her step-mother, Julia.

Back in Nelson Co, KY, in the 1850 census, you can find John living with his grandparents, the Dawson’s. There isn’t another Jarrett living there. Sometime in about 1859, John Jarrett went to Jackson Co, MO for a visit. He came across the Younger family and ended up marrying Mary Josephine Younger — the sister of boys of the James-Younger gang. Within a year of the marriage to Josie, the Civil War broke out. John, supposedly along with an Uncle and some cousins, joined the Confederate Missouri State Guard. I haven’t found exactly which uncle and cousins this was… unsure if it was Jarrett side or Dawson. I haven’t found a Dawson or Jarrett in the Cass Co, MO area that fits the profile. 

When his enlistment term was over in December '61, John joined his brother-in-law, Cole Younger, who was riding with William C. Quantrill. During the spring and summer of '62 and '63, John was the Capt. of a group of bushwhackers riding under Quantrill and he participated in the battles of Prairie Grove, Arkansas; Lexington, Missouri; and Hartville, Missouri. Around late '64, John was one of a group, including Cole Younger, who were sent on a secret mission to the Pacific Coast to purchase two vessels for the Confederacy. The four year conflict ended before their purchase was complete.

John Jarrett and Cole Younger took their time returning to Missouri; it's unknown if either of them participated in the Liberty, Missouri, bank robbery in February '66; although, they most likely knew of the plans for it. John's first peacetime robbery may have been Lexington, Missouri; after which he began the formation of what would become the James-Younger gang. John's experience leading men during the war, which included Cole Younger and Frank James, would have made him the most likely candidate for Capt. of the gang until his departure from them in 1875. 

In my research, John was definitely with the group when they robbed the bank in Russellville, Kentucky, in 1868. It’s interesting that they came so close to Henderson, KY, where John’s half-sister, Susan, was living with her now husband, Philo Hilyer Sandefur — he also fought for the Confederacy in the Civil War and was taken as a prisoner of war at one point.

I believe it was sometime after this that the James-Younger gang came to the Henderson area. There's supposedly carvings in a cave in the Robards, KY, area that have Frank and Jesse James' names carved in it. It's very possible that they came to Henderson to rest and "hide out" after the Russellville robbery and was probably treated like family by Susan & Philo Sandefur. 

Now… John Jarrett, his wife, and children were supposedly killed in a house-fire in Missouri in 1868/1869. In fact, John Jarrett let most historians believe this. But considering there wasn’t any newspaper news of it happening… it seems even now to be a stretch to believe such a lie. The two big pieces of evidence that proves they didn’t die — first, the 1870 census. 

In the 1870 census, John Jarrett, wife Josie, and two children — Mollie and Jeptha, are living in Carroll Co, Louisiana. His occupation is listed as a farmer. Previously, John had been a skilled carpenter. A comment made by George Sheperd confirms that Jarrett was living in Louisiana in 1872. It was after this that John and his family migrated north to the Henderson, KY area. Then comes the second biggest piece of proof that he didn’t die in 1868/1869. The marriage certificate of his daughter, Edwards Rosella “Edna” Jarrett. She states she was born on February 6th, 1875, in Henderson County, KY. She states on the marriage certificate that her parents were “John M. Jarrette” and “Josephine Younger.”

Before the move to Henderson -- the James-Younger gang was a part of a robbery in Bienville Parrish, Louisiana in 1874. I'm unsure if John Jarrett took part in that, or not... but it seems too big of a coincidence that the gang ended up down in Louisiana, probably looking for John after his "death" in the house-fire in '68/'69. This would give credence to Jim Cummins having said that he saw John living in Louisiana in 1872.

It appears that John was with the James-Younger gang for a bank robbery in Huntington, West Virginia, on September 6th, 1875. That was, supposedly, his last robbery. It was after that, that he moved his wife Josie and his children out west to California. It’s reported that a few years after arriving, his wife and son Jeptha passed away. That left him with daughters Marion “Mollie” and Edwards “Edna.” A researcher can find John Marion Jarrette listed in the voting census for San Mateo, California, in 1876. 

I have never found an 1880 census for the family. I would think that they’re still in the San Mateo area in 1880. It’s very possible that John used a false name for the census or perhaps they were over looked completely. According to Jim Cummins of the James-Younger gang — John Jarrett died in the Frisco Mountains of California in 1891. Again, I believe John Jarrett wanted people to believe he died.

John’s daughter, Mollie, re-appears in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada marrying Hugh Forbes Keefer on December 20th, 1890. In the 1891 census for Canada — his daughter Edna is living with her older sister, Mollie, and Mollie’s new husband, Hugh. On May 8th, 1893, Edna marries Robert H. “Bob” Leatherdale. It is said that neither daughter ever had anything else to do with their father again. 

Jim Cummins also said that Jarrett had been arrested for a robbery in California and that one of his daughters testified against him. Cummins isn’t a very reliable source for information, but perhaps there was a piece of truth to that. That could have been the reason he headed for Canada with his daughters. Or that could have been what drove his daughters away from him…and then he followed them. 

It’s reported that John spent the rest of his life in the railroad or mining businesses. For the last fifteen years of his life, he lived in the Greenwood, British Columbia area, where he died on April 20th, 1906. It’s hard for me to believe that he moved to British Columbia, probably with his daughters, and then never spoke with them again. I’m unsure when Mollie passed away — but there’s record of a Marion Keefer dying in San Mateo, California in the 1930’s. That might be her. I’m unsure. 

His daughter, Edna, passed away on November 13th, 1959, in Vancouver, BC. Her obituary doesn’t state that she was the daughter of the infamous James-Younger gang member, John Jarrett. I’ve never found any children of Hugh Keefer and Marion “Mollie” Jarrett — but I know Bob Leatherdale and Edna Jarrett had a number of children. In fact, one of their daughters — Mae Edna Leatherdale — died tragically at 16 years old. She and three of her friends parked beside of a frozen lake and decided to go skating…all four ended up falling into the lake and drowning. 

Edna Jarrett married a second time, to Robert Pell, and had at least one son. It makes me curious if Edna’s children or grandchildren ever knew that they were descended from John Jarrett. I ponder if it was something she ever talked about. I ponder if they have any family heirlooms from him. A man like that… I imagine he had a gun or two. Maybe a piece of money from a robbery? 

We could probably sit here until the cows came home talking about theories on John Jarrett. But the truth of the man was this: he was an outlaw. He was a son, a brother, a husband, a father. He was a human being. No matter what he did during his life… over a hundred years later… his life makes one hell of a story.