Family Resemblances

One reason I love looking at old pictures of family members is to see if there is any resemblance to living family members.  I like the idea that those genes just keep appearing to connect us to one another in a visual way.

Now, I don't know much more than the science behind genetics other than Gregor Mendel and his pea plants that I remember from high school biology, but in the genetic pool that we all come from, I know the possibility is there that an ancestor's nose, eyes, or hair color will find its way into one of my grandchildren.  In looking for these visual connections, I didn't have to look too far to find one such case that tells me that my father, my son, my grandson, and I all descend from my great-grandfather, Frank Clark.  That same gene is floating around in each of us.  I only wish I had a photograph of Frank's parents so I could tell if that gene came from the Clark's or from Frank's mother, Belle Stairs.  

Frank Clark

Me with my cousin Mike  - about 1959

                                

Timothy Koehler - 1984 - age 4

My dad, Bob Wayson,
 with my grandson, Liam, who is Timothy's son.

This month marks the thirty-third anniversary of my Aunt Edna Mae's death.  On September 5, 1977, she was shot and killed by her second husband, Dan Dodson in Benton, Arkansas.

Edna Mae Wayson was born November 3, 1941 in Dover, Kentucky.  She was the sixth child and second daughter of William and Juanita (Clark) Wayson.   She relocated to Benton, Arkansas with my grandmother and several of her siblings in the early 1960's.  It was there that she married her first husband, Tommy Raper.  They had three children, a boy and two girls.

It was during her second marriage that Edna Mae decided to pursue a career as a Licensed Practical Nurse.  Her career was short-lived.  Her life cut short.

May you rest in peace.  You are remembered, Aunt Edna.

The Mysterious Death of Miss Laura F. Judd

Laura Judd was the sister of Phoebe Judd Nower, my great great grandmother.  Laura was born in Mason County, Kentucky on the sixth day of September 1865.  She never married and remained close to her sisters all her life.  It has been said that Phoebe's daughter, Myrtle, loved visiting her Aunt Laura. 

Another sister, Joella Judd Coulter and her husband, John, had moved from Mason County to Missouri.  Around 1890, Laura must have decided to join them in the area.  According to Maysville, Kentucky newspapers during that time, Laura returned to Mason County often for visits with Phoebe.  One item in the June 3, 1895 Evening Bulletin stated that Laura was returning to Leavenworth, Kansas after visiting with Phoebe's family.  Her nephew, Ernest Nower, was accompanying her.  By 1900, she was living in Buchanan County, Missouri in the household of her sister and brother - in -law, Joella and John Coulter.  

It was in her sister's home that Laura met her mysterious death.  According to one newspaper source, Laura, during the night of July 4, 1909, accidentally drank carbolic acid which killed her.  Her body was taken to Dover, Kentucky for burial in the Locust Grove Cemetery.  On July 13, it was reported in the Daily Public Ledger that there was talk of the possibility of Laura being forced to drink the poison, however I could not find any other newspaper article mentioning this.  I imagine her friends and family could not understand her untimely death and were looking for an answer.   I think they had a difficult time believing her death at age forty-three.

Myrtle Nower Marries Frank Clark

Miss Myrtle Nower, only daughter of the late Mrs. Phoebe J. Nower of Dover and Frank Clark of Hebron, Ill., who has been visiting at Dover for some months, were married yesterday at Georgetown, Ohio.

3 October  1907                    
Daily Public Ledger        
Maysville, Kentucky

I found this marriage announcement on the Chronicling America web site.

The Nower Family

Last week I wrote what I know about Paul Nower and included a picture of him.  Over the weekend, my mother commented to my father and me that Paul really didn't resemble his sister, my great-grandmother, Myrtle, at all.  Looking back through all the entries of this blog, I realized that I have never posted the great photo I have of Paul's whole family.  The picture isn't dated and its actually a copy of the original, but looking at the dates of birth for each of the children, I am guessing that it was taken sometime in the 1890's.

The family posed for their picture in front of their home in Dover, Kentucky.  They were, what I suppose we would call, an upper middle class family in their small town.  During this time, Samuel was a constable in Dover.  His granddaughter, Frances, told me the story of how her mother, Ella Myrtle, was raised with affluence and even had a nanny who cared for her needs.  She said that Samuel was a banker, although, as of yet, I haven't found any evidence of that occupation for him.  I think the photograph is evidence of the Nower family's economic standing in Dover.  Everyone looks well dressed.  Samuel has a visible watch chain and the table looks like it is well made with, maybe, a marble top.

Beginning on the left in the front is Paul standing next to his father, Samuel Jackson Nower.  Mother, Phoebe Jane Judd, is seated beside her only daughter, Ella Myrtle.  Myrtle, as she was known, was born in Dover in 1884.  In the back, on the left, is Ernest William, who was born in Illinois in 1887.  Finally, there is Clarence Rigdon.  He was born in 1880.  A son, Samuel Judd, was born in 1888, but lived only five months.  

Paul Morse Nower

Born on the twenty-third of February 1890, Paul Morse Nower was the youngest son of Samuel Jackson and Phobe Jane (Judd) Nower.  The brother of my great-grandmother Myrtle Clark, Paul was my great-great-uncle.  If I had ever met him, I was too young to remember as he died in 1963 when I was just six years old.    

Paul was a Chesapeake and Ohio railroad man who worked as a conductor on a steam engine.  My father remembers his Great-Uncle Paul throwing candy to the children as his train passed through Dover, Kentucky, the caboose having a statue of a white bird on top.  

According to his niece, Francis Clark Johns, Paul was quite a character!  She remembers him as being very cheery and pompous, but very caring.  He once bought a Cadillac, even though he didn't drive, just to park it in the front yard so it would look good to the neighbors!

Paul grew up in Dover, Kentucky before moving, as a young man, to Covington in the same state.  He married a woman named Olive Copper, but the marriage was not long-lived.  On March 13, 1929, he married Nellie Grace Bess of Keyser, West Virginia.  His residence was still listed as Covington on the marriage license so it is unknown how the two met.  

Paul and Nell settled in Russell, Kentucky where he continued his work with the railroad.  On September 24, 1963, after an extended illness, Paul died in a Huntington, West Virginia hospital leaving Nell to mourn his passing.  Funeral services were conducted in Russell and his body was taken to the Greenbrier Burial Park in Hinton, West Virginia for burial.    

William M. or W. Wayson ???

I am now wondering if I have my great-great grandfather's correct name.  When I first located his and Ada Dean's marriage record, it was a transcription of the original.  Whoever transcribed it wrote M. as the middle initial.  Now that I have found the original, it looks like that "M" just might be a "W".  At least, it gives me something else to go on since I haven't been able to locate him anywhere prior to his marriage.  This record also gives his birth place as Greenup County, Kentucky so I might be getting closer!  

Click on the picture, take a look for yourself, and let me know what your opinion of that middle initial is.  The record is on Line 12.

Eli and Mary McGuire

I have been finding ancestors left and right ever since I found the parents of Charles Miller!  As you found out in my last post, Charles's mother was Elizabeth McGuire.  I have been researching her family and have discovered quite a bit.

Her father was Eli Seth McGuire.  I have found some other online family trees that have him as a Reverend, but I have not found any proof of that in my research.  

I have discovered that he was born in 1823 somewhere in Virginia.  He married Mary Knapp in 1843 and they lived in Mason County, Virginia, now West Virginia.  Eli served with the 13th Regiment of the West Virginia Infantry, K Company during the Civil War.  I have sent for his military records from the National Archive and look forward to seeing what documents will be included in the packet.  

Eli and Mary continue to live in Mason County, West Virginia until by 1885, they are found with their son, John and his wife, Sarah, in Bourbon County, Kansas.   They both lived in Kansas until their deaths in 1901 and 1921, respectively.  Both are buried in Bronson, Kansas.

William Alexander Miller

The following is what I have found so far on the family of William Alexander Miller, father of my Charles Wesley.  The family lived in Mason County, West Virginia, except for the short period of time they spent in Illinois where several of Charles's siblings were born.  I believe they went to Illinois with Elizabeth's parents, Eli and Mary McGuire and her brother, John.   The McGuire's went on to live in Kansas while William and Elizabeth Miller decided to return to West Virginia.  If you would like to know the sources that I used, please let me know and I'll be happy to share them with you.

Name: William Alexander MILLER
--------------------------------------------------
Birth: 1844 Place: Virginia
Death: ............................. Place: ...................................................
Burial: ............................. Place: ...................................................
Father: William N. MILLER (1812-)
Mother: Elizabeth Wright (1825-1898)
Marriage: 1866 Place: Mason, Mason, West Virginia


Spouse: Elizabeth J. McGuire
--------------------------------------------------
Birth: 1846 Place: Virginia
Death: 20 Jul 1895 Place: Point Pleasant, Mason, West Virginia
Burial: 22 Jul 1895 Place: Point Pleasant, Mason, West Virginia
Father: Eli McGuire (1823-1901)
Mother: Mary Knapp (1826-1921)


Children
--------------------------------------------------
1 M: Charles Wesley MILLER
Birth: 1 Dec 1867 Place: Point Pleasant, West Virginia
Death: 21 Sep 1947 Place: Mason County, Kentucky
Spouse: Mary Elzeta COCHRAN
Marriage: 17 Oct 1892 Place: ...................................................


2 M: Richard A. MILLER
Birth: 23 Jul 1869 Place: Mason County, West Virginia
Death: 30 Aug 1924 Place: Charleston, Kanawha, West Virginia
Spouse: Sarah Louise Kapp
Marriage: 1890 Place: Jackson, West Virginia


3 M: John M. MILLER
Birth: 1872 Place: Illinois
Death: ............................. Place: ...................................................
Spouse:
Marriage: ............................. Place: ...................................................


4 F: Mary MILLER
Birth: 1874 Place: Illinois
Death: ............................. Place: ...................................................
Spouse:
Marriage: ............................. Place: ...................................................


5 F: Alice MILLER
Birth: 1876 Place: Illinois
Death: ............................. Place: ...................................................
Spouse:
Marriage: ............................. Place: ...................................................


6 F: Rachel MILLER
Birth: 5 Jan 1878 Place: Mason, Mason, West Virginia
Death: ............................. Place: ...................................................
Spouse:
Marriage: ............................. Place: ...................................................


7 F: unknown MILLER
Birth: 24 May 1889 Place: Mason County, West Virginia
Death: ............................. Place: ...................................................
Spouse:
Marriage: ............................. Place: ...................................................


8 ?: unknown MILLER
Birth: bef 1889 Place: ...................................................
Death: ............................. Place: ...................................................
Spouse:
Marriage: ............................. Place: ...................................................
Status: ............................. Place: ...................................................


--------------------------------------------------
Last Modified: 11 Mar 2010
Created: 30 Mar 2010

Charles Miller's Father

I would love it if all my ancestors had unique names that stood out in census lists or that a search engine could really sink its teeth into, but...I don't.  Case in particular - the Miller's.  Do you have any idea how many Millers there must be out there?

I knew about Charles Miller, my great-great grandfather from my father.  He remembered visiting with him so he was able to give me some approximate dates and the names of his children.  Then Charles's granddaughter, Elzeta Mitchell Pfeffer, gave me more exact dates to go on, but no one seemed to be able to recall Charles's parents.  They only knew that they had lived in West Virginia.  Well, West Virginia is a big place with many Miller possibilities so I put Charles back in my file drawer where he stayed for a long time!

I brought Charles's file out the other day.  Since I no longer work, I have decided that it would be a good thing if I tried to organize all my family files into binders.  The Miller file was one of the first to be organized probably because it is so thin and the "overwhelm-factor" was low.  I guess Charles was tired of being cooped up in the drawer because, boy, has he led me down a fast road of discovery!

Using the West Virginia Vital Records Project, which wasn't available the last time I researched this family,  I found Charles Wesley Miller's birth record listed in the Mason County records!  Right there on the line next to his birth date of 1 December 1867 were his parent's names, William A. Miller and Lizzie Miller.   You will not guess what else was on that line!  Almost as a reward for my patience, the person listed as reporting the birth was Wm. Miller, grandfather!  Father, mother, grandfather, all in one minute of reading!  Then to top things off, as I looked further on the page, I noticed the same parents listed again!  Sure enough, there was Charles's brother, Richard A. Miller who was born two years later on July 23, 1869.  That explained who the Richard Miller was who lived next door to Charles and his wife in Dover, Kentucky in 1920!

Needless to say, I have taken my new found knowledge and added many names to my family tree which  I'll give you the details of in future postings.  In the meantime, take a lesson from me, sometimes that brick wall just needs to be put in a dark file drawer to rest while the Internet resources take time to grow!

    

Nora Wayson Moore

Nora Wayson Moore was the eighth child of William and Ada (Dean) Wayson.  She was born November 25, 1905 in West Virginia.  In 1920, at the age of fourteen, she lived with her parents in Pierce Township, Clermont County, Ohio.


In 1921, Nora could be found in Indiana which is where her sisters, Vannie and Haley were living.  While they were living in Fayette County, Nora did find herself in Grant County which is where she married Bradley Moore, brother to both Vannie and Haley's husbands.  It is not known whether she was actually living in Grant County, or only got married there.  


In 1922, while still in Indiana, Nora and Bradley became the parents of a son, Elmer.  The family left Indiana sometime after Elmer's birth and was living in Newport, Kentucky, not too far from Nora's parents, by 1930.  It was in Newport that Nora gave birth to her second child, Betty Moore in 1932.  


Like her sister Haley, the family moved to Elkhart, Indiana by 1947.  In 1950, Bradley died making Nora a widow.  She continued to live in Elkhart until her death in 1970.   She is buried in Prairie Street Cemetery, Elkhart.

This obituary was published in The Elkhart Truth June 25, 1970.

Haley Wayson Moore

Haley Wayson was born September 1, 1902 in Cabell County, West Virginia.  She was the seventh child of William and Ada (Dean) Wayson.  By age seventeen, Haley had joined her sister, Vannie, in Connersville, Indiana where she worked in a factory.  In the same year, Haley married Ethel Moore who was the brother of Vannie's husband, Martin.  


Ethel and Haley became the parents of two boys, Olin, born in 1921, and Michael.  By 1930, Haley and Ethel moved to Cincinnati, Ohio near her parents who lived in across the Ohio River in Campbell county, Kentucky.  In the 1940's, the family moved back to Indiana, settling in Elkhart, and in 1955, they located to a warmer climate, Bradenton, Florida. 


Haley became a widow in 1964 upon Ethel's death.  She continued to live in Bradenton until her death in 1991.

Guss Wayson

Guss Wayson, son of William and Ada (Dean) Wayson was born June 4, 1900 in Cabell County, West Virginia.  He was the fifth child born to Ada.  He spent his childhood in Clermont County, Ohio and then in the small town of California, Kentucky.  According to his mother's obituary, Guss was in Washington by 1947.  It is not known why he made his way to Yakima from northern Kentucky.

Samuel Nower Murder

Samuel J. Nower was only 22 years old when he was shot and killed in July 1836. Born in about 1814, Samuel was a son of Alexander Nower and Martha Morrison. At the time of his death, he was married to Sarah R. Judd, a daughter of Daniel Judd and Rachel Nower. The couple lived in Mason County, Kentucky.

In 1836, the Ohio River town of Dover, Kentucky had just been chartered. At that time, it was a bustling little town with boats stopping on their journey up the Ohio. On Saturday, July 9, Samuel, for reasons unknown, was in Dover. According to a newspaper article found in the Philadelphia Inquirer, Thomas Reeder shot Samuel. Reeder claimed it was in self-defense and was later acquitted of the crime.

Samuel did not die immediately as the newspaper article states that on Monday, July 11, he was still alive and that there was some hope for recovery. We now know that he did not live. Sarah was left a widow and her son, Samuel Jackson Nower, who was born in October of that year, never had a chance to know his father.