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.)
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.
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