WOMENS HISTORY MONTH: Wars, Working, and Everyday Life

The families of Laney, Paris, Garoutte, Reynolds, Bisel, and James are on my mother’s paternal side. I found a lot of family history records, documents, and photographs on the Laneys and Garouttes, but not much is found about the Paris family line. 

Laney originated in Ireland in its original Gaelic form of O’Dubshlaine and was first recorded in history about 950 A.D. They emigrated to Springfield, Greene County, Missouri. From there, William Dayton Laney, my 2^nd great-grandfather, came to Barry County. He married Nancy Ellen Paris in 1878 in Greene County, Missouri. William was a noted preacher of the Gospel and one of Barry County’s early settlers. After he lost his eyesight in 1925, he retired. In 1929, when he turned 71, a dinner was held in his honor, and 51 of his children, grand and great-grandchildren attended. He died in 1938, and Nancy Ellen Paris Laney died in 1947. Here is a photo of them.

Paris is French and English, a variant of Patrice, Patricius, meaning nobleman. Nancy Ellen Paris Laney’s family is hard to trace; little is found about them. I can only go back to Kentucky; from there, they came to Republic, Greene County, Missouri. Nancy had three sisters and two brothers. Nothing recorded yet that I have found in researching them. 

Nancy Angeline Laney (my 2^nd great-grandaunt) married Andrew Preston Humble in 1894; their grandson, Edgar Leon Rauch, was a singer with the original Bob Wills and His Texas Playboys. Bob Wills founded Western Swing Music and was inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame in 1968. Leon was dubbed the last great vocalist, and another band member kept the music alive until 2018. Some of the Wills band songs are deep in the Heart of Texas and San Antonio Rose. Edgar was my 2^nd cousin, 2x removed. 

The Garoutte family name was originally from the Accoules, a part of Marseille, France. They descend from a Garoutte soldier who came with French troops fighting for the independence of America. After the war, he settled in New Jersey, then emigrated west, staying in the Springfield/Billings area in the Ozarks. My 3^rd great-grandmother, Sophia Garoutte, married John Laney, and they raised eight boys and five girls. One of Sophia’s daughters, Missouri Laney, married Zachary Biggs and suffered a troubled marriage. Biggs left her, and in the U.S., in the Federal Censuses, in 1900, she was listed as a widow. However, Biggs was very much alive and living in Oklahoma. Missouri was sent at age 57 to the Nevada Hospital #3 Insane Asylum, where she died in 1919 at age 66. They gathered for a Garoutte family reunion in 1900 in Billings, Mo. Here are photos

                 

Jane Reynolds, my 4^th great-grandmother, married Samuel J. Garoutte and had a large family. They stayed in the Springfield and Billings areas in Missouri. Thomas Garoutte, my 7^th great-grandfather, was a preacher who rode a circuit route for the Methodist Church. Henry Garoutte served in the Revolutionary War and carried supplies to the troops. The women were homemakers and raised large families. Here are photos of the Garouttes

                     

                                  

         

They established a Garoutte Cemetery in Republic, Greene, Missouri, where many of the Garouttes and Laneys are buried. 

I celebrate Women’s History Month with this side of my mother’s family. Not much was recorded about the women, but they assuredly kept the home fires burning when their men were off at war, worked continually about the farm, birthed many children, and withstood it all until they were called home. 

Resources:

MacLysaght, Edward. Irish Families, Irish Academic Press; 4th edition (January 1, 1998).

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Michael_Antoine_Garoutte

Home | Bob Wills' Texas Playboys (bobwillstexasplayboys.com)

 

 

WOMENS HISTORY MONTH: The Ghost Fiddler's Lonesome Song in Russell Cemetery

Ghost stories. Did you ever spend time telling ghost stories under the stars on a warm summer night? I remember all of us kids playing outdoors while the adults were in the house watching wrestling matches, playing cards, and enjoying shared company. One particular older cousin loved to tell us scary stories. In the dark of night, huddled on a blanket with our eyes as round as the moon, we listened to the spookiest ghost stories ever. Or so our young minds thought. 

 The Ozarks are known for legends, folklore, and magical stories of things that haunt us. It's best to avoid the hills and hollows, especially at night. This ghost story comes from my paternal side of the family. 

 In an earlier post, I wrote about Mary Jane (Russell) Utter, who was migrating to Missouri with her husband, Elijah Burton Utter, and the Russell family. When they stopped for a few days in southeastern Arkansas, she and a few others drank tainted water and died tragically. Those who died are buried in a cemetery there. Eventually, the wagon train continued and settled around Flat Creek near Cassville. 

One reason for their migration was to obtain free land for new settlers. Land has always been highly regarded, and if you own any amount, you are considered "well-to-do." The Russell family claimed their land and founded the Russell Family Cemetery. 

Old-timers believe you can hear a fiddler on certain nights in the cemetery. Elijah B. Utter, Mary Jane's husband, died in 1902 and is buried at Russell Cemetery. Here's a photo of his gravestone. 

This ghost story begins with Nancy Ellen Utter, affectionately known as "Nannie." She was the daughter of Mary Elizabeth (Hunt) and James Franklin Utter. Mary Hunt was my great-grandmother's sister. James and Mary Elizabeth were on Elijah's wagon train to Southwest Missouri. She was my first cousin, 3x removed.

 Nannie was the fourth of ten children, born December 2, 1863, in Indiana. When she and her parents migrated, she was thirteen years old. In the 1880 U.S. Federal Census for Cassville, Barry County, Nannie was found living with a neighboring family. She is listed as working as a servant. She was sixteen years old. 

 Two years later, in December 1882, there was a murder committed at a country dance at Russell's. Nannie was there when it happened. In fact, she was the cause of a fight that broke out. Newspaper accounts and other historical resources gave an account of the murder. 

It relates that Thomas Brattin was killed at a dance at Russell's, three miles from Cassville, by James Roberts. Roberts was defended by W.W. McConnel, who won his acquittal. The quarrel resulting in the murder arose entirely from jealousy because both men loved the same girl. 

 The March 27, 1884, Neosho (Missouri) Times newspaper also ran an article about the Roberts Trial. It stated that Roberts shot and killed Brattin at a country dance in December 1882. Brattin had been called by his brother, who was a constable, to aid in the suppression of a disturbance out of doors. From the version of the constable and other witnesses, the case seemed a remarkably strong one against the defendant, who was pictured by them as a rioter resisting a peace officer and killing one of his posse. That would have been murder in the first degree. But Roberts was found not guilty after a long, hotly contested trial; the prosecution was vigorous and able. The deceased had long been furiously jealous of Roberts' attention to his sweetheart, Miss Nannie Utter. He threatened to kill Roberts if he found them together again. At the dance, the girl and Roberts were seated together, talking, when Brattin came in. He showed jealousy and anger, and the girl cautioned Roberts, reminding him of previous threats. Brattin contrived to get Roberts out through another man who began the fuss that Roberts was trying to stop when Brattin assaulted him, the deceased first striking him with a pair of metal knucks in the face and saying he would kill him. The case went to trial, and the jury acquitted Roberts.  

The fiddler in the Russell Cemetery would be Thomas Haywood Brattin. He was 25 years old when he was killed, and he is buried in the Packwood Cemetery in Barry County, Missouri.  

Nannie Utter went on with her life. She married Walter Duffy in 1906, and they had one daughter, Mary Elizabeth, named after Nannie's mother. After Walter died, Nannie went to Webb City, Missouri, to live with Mary and her husband. She never married again, and she died in 1945 at 81. She's buried in the Carterville Cemetery in Jasper County, Missouri.

Here's a picture of the gate at the Russell Cemetery. 

 

The general public has discussed the story of the ghost fiddler haunting the cemetery for years online. It has also been written about in local genealogies, Find A Grave Memorials online, and local history books. However, the accounts contain a lot of misinformation.

I visited Russell Cemetery a few years ago. It is located on a remote stretch of paved road; no homes were nearby at that time. Large old Oak and other trees dot the manicured cemetery. Standing there among the headstones, some incredibly old, I imagined those long-ago summer nights when my cousins and I were out in the backyard telling and listening to ghost stories. Even if the ghost fiddler story is only folklore, I'm not brave enough to find out if I can hear the ghostly strain of that fiddle. I'll visit the cemetery during daylight hours only. 

Sources used in my research include: 

https://sites.rootsweb.com/~mobarry/index.html

Barry County, Missouri Genealogy • FamilySearch

Thomas Haywood Brattin (1857-1882) - Find a Grave Memorial

 

 

 

 

WOMENS HISTORY MONTH: Effects of Leukemia Took Her Life

 This is the story of my paternal grandmother, Delva Auldine Black. Her story is tragic. She had childhood leukemia at a time when little was known about it. This is a photo of Delva. 

But first, the story of Delva's father, Charles Edward Black. The old story passed down from the family is that he was married to two women simultaneously. He had two families in two separate states. Through family history research, I found evidence that it is a true story. He led a double life.

In 1903, Charles married Minnie Donham, and they had a daughter. In 1910, Charles married Luticia Hanlon, my great-grandmother, who lived in West Virginia. They had their first daughter a year later.

 During the years following, Charles is listed in the United States Census records as living in Pennsylvania and West Virginia simultaneously and married to both women. In 1920, he and Luticia moved to SE Kansas. Before 1940, the children somehow learned the truth. The truth came out, and the story was told to future generations. Minnie stayed in Pennsylvania, and the 1940 U.S. Federal Census lists her as widowed. Here is a photo of Luticia (Hanlon) Black, my paternal great-grandmother: 

Charles and Luticia came to Rocky Comfort, Missouri, in 1951, and they both died at the hospital in Wheaton, Missouri, in the 1950s. Minnie Donham Black died in Pennsylvania in 1955. All the children from both marriages are listed in Charles' obituary.

 Delva A. Black, my grandmother, was Charles and Luticia's daughter. She was the middle child in a family of five children. She died before I was two years old, but my mother told me many stories about her. She was born with leukemia and married Perry Utter in Hamilton, Kansas, and they had two sons.

 Childhood leukemia treatments were sketchy during the first part of the 20th century. During that time, X-ray therapy provided remission, but the cancer always returned. Radiation therapy was used to treat chronic cases but was not suitable for acute types. Medications were developed after World War 1.

 Delva and her family moved to McDonald County, Missouri, in 1950 to be close to their families. My mother told me this story: As Delva grew older, she became weary of "taking the treatments and didn't want to undergo anymore. One cold and snowy evening in January 1956, Delva called to tell Mom she wanted to see me. Even though it was cold, Mom bundled me up and took me to see her. Delva was very despondent and quiet, and Mom didn't stay long. The next day, Delva was found dead in her bed. Her death certificate reveals the cause of death was a self-inflicted gunshot wound. She was 39 years old. This photo is of Delva and her two boys, Ronald and Wayne. Ronald was my father. Taken about 1940.

 

Her death was mourned by all who loved her. Her obituary reads that she became depressed due to the loss of her mother in 1954 and her father in 1955. No other explanation could be given as to why she shot herself. She was baptized into the Methodist faith on Easter Sunday, 1948. She was a member of the Fraternal Order of the Eastern Star Chapter in Hamilton, Kansas. She transferred to the Wheaton Chapter No. 4, where she was a Worthy Matron and devoted member. She enjoyed fishing and cooking. I have a few of her hand-written recipe cards in my collection.

Depression and illness have always been a real problem. We don't know what people are dealing with. That's why counseling and therapies can help those who may need it. Delva's story is tragic, and although I don't remember her, I know that she held me in her arms and kissed and hugged me. I think of her often, and her story taught me never to take life for granted.

 

 

 

 

WOMEN'S HISTORY: March is Women's History Month

 I love genealogy. When the genealogy bug bit me in 2007, I fell in love with it and haven't recovered yet! I am fortunate to uncover tons of genealogical treasures. When I wasn't working, I scoured area courthouses, museums, historical societies, libraries, and cemeteries, met with people, and gathered photographs and documentation. I filled almost 20 three-ring binders full of family history research! Online sources such as Ancestry.com and Newspapers.com were a wealth of information. I used my paid membership to add necessary documentation to my work. I continue to use their services today.

In a "Man's World," my female family ancestors led interesting, unique, heartbreaking, funny, sad, historically-sound ways of living. My heart soared when I found the information I needed to fill in the gaps of my beloved paternal great-grandmother's life with the records I discovered. She helped raise my brothers and me; I knew a lot about her from living with her and the stories she told as we all went "walking around the block." Then, I devoted my writing time to uncovering more about all the women in my family lines. 

Each nugget of treasured facts is cherished as I build their life timelines and map their stories. I come from a line of strong, determined, Christian, and sometimes crazy women who lived life to the fullest. In the graphic below, my great-grandmother, Ollie Johnson Utter Martin Brier, stands in Kansas all gussied-up in her finest attire. She looks like she "had the world by the tail," as she would say. She was classy, from her bobbed hair and fur to her tiny waist and stocking feet. I hear the echo of her voice in my ear as I write her stories now for those who wish to read them.

In March, I'll post stories about influential women in my life. I've written about many of my ancestors, but there are many more who came before me of whom I must write about. I celebrate March as Women's History Month kicks off!