My Day as a Guest at Crane Naval Base

Beautiful Martin County, Indiana

My Day as a Guest at Crane Naval Base
____________________

by Carolyn Ann Howard

Its been over ten years from the date of writing this post that I visited Crane Naval Base as their special guest. I have to confess that I didn't handle the event as I should have. My apologies to any whom I offended. Let me explain.

I spent many hours during the year of 2012 researching and writing Blood of My Ancestor. It was personal. My husband of 27 years had left me for another woman while, at the same time, I lost my good paying office job. This is the point where I went back to being a musician, a profession I never should've left to begin with. That's another story. I also had started researching my family tree and had stumbled upon my 2x grandaunt Adaline Cannon Lyon. Her story is what inspired me to write Blood of My Ancestor, because it is her story. The book is now out-of-print. In my grief, I pulled all my books after my third husband died.

But at the time of 2012, I was newly divorced and was finally working to write my first novel! This is what I had wanted to be from my youth - an author. And now, I was going to achieve that.

While researching for Blood, I ran into roadblock after roadblock. I had no idea what a controversial subject my Aunt Adaline was in her home county of Martin, Indiana. The historical society - run at that time by the "old guard" - would not let me research her life. They jammed the door of the records room shut so that I couldn't get in. They hid the coroner's statement and his report of her murder. They refused to let me look at any newspapers they might have had. I had to use Lawrence County's historical society as well as Washington, Indiana's library to get the information I needed to write the book. I learned, after I published the book, what push-back truly was, for I was highly criticized for daring to write a story that exonerated Adaline's husband, Joel Lyon, in her murder.

Something else. Adaline's original tombstone had been taken down and a new one erected. The person who did this spelled her name wrong - Adeline. I learned from Dale Carnegie's book How to Win Friends and Influence People that a person's name is the most important word to them, and that you need to get it right. That is something I've always carried with me. Not only that, this same person purchased a stone for Adaline's murderer with the caption "Come to the Hidden City." The connotation was that this murderer was in heaven and that his death was tragic, because it was his father's doing - not Arthur - that Adaline was murdered. This is the belief held by many people, but Joel did not murder his wife. His son Arthur did. I have proof, and I do now have the coroner's statement.

After I published the book, I was forced to take all the criticism and hate that came with it. I grew stronger for it. And then someone who was not offended by the book contacted me. She said, "First of all, I loved the book." This wonderful person was the wife of one of the higher-ups at Crane Naval Base. Her question was: Would I come to the naval base for a luncheon and book signing? Especially since Joel's home had been, prior to the construction of the base, behind it's gates? My answer was yes, of course!

In the meantime, I had met a man from Shoals, Indiana, named Neal Sheetz. He was an employee of Crane Naval Base and was very popular there. He was certainly popular with me. We had a whirlwind romance and married after only knowing each a little more than a month. Living with him on his 80-acre farm in Martin County was a dream come true, and he and I together wrote my second novel, Pioneer Stories. I could not have written it without him.

I don't remember a whole lot from over ten years ago, but I know the the day before the book signing, I had become ill with flu-like symptoms. It was in March, and I was pushing Vitamin C like crazy, trying to make myself well for the next day. Neal didn't understand that it was just Vitamin C, and he thought I was over-medicating. He became quite angry over it. I honestly think that he just didn't want me to go, because it was a Friday, and he was off that day. In hindsight, he could've gone with me. My Martin County friend, Marie Hawkins, was there, so I know Neal could've gone, too.

I had to get up very early the next morning. I was still sick, but I got ready anyway. The drive to Crane Naval Base took a bit longer than I thought it would. I don't know why. Neal drove it every morning and every evening, and I certainly knew how long it took him.

The security is tight at the naval base. I had to park my car off-site and was picked up by Cathy, who escorted me onto the base. This sign greeted me:

The book signing event was first, and I started my slide show. This was my offense: the slide show. I called out the man who had switched my Aunt Addie's stone with a new one, and who had spelled her her name incorrectly. I should not have done this, and I'm very sorry for it.

A lot of people who worked from Crane came to the book signing. Many of them came just to see the person Neal Sheetz was going to marry. It was me! I don't remember how many books I sold that morning, but that wasn't important to me at all. What was important was that Addie and Joel's story was being celebrated by so many people - in the very area where their story had taken place!

The details of that day are pretty sketchy in my head. It's been so long ago now, and I've been through so much more since that day. I remember it being a wonderful, wonderful day. After the book signing was the luncheon, attended by many, and then I did a presentation. I don't remember preparing for the preparation, and I don't remember what I said. It's not like me to not prepare, and surely I did, because I had slides to go with my talk. However, I also was in a new relationship that was going very fast, and I was commuting from Shoals to Evansville for work. I didn't have a lot of spare time right then. But I do remember that by the time of the luncheon, I had become well again. Was it the Vitamin C?

The best part came after the presentation, however. A select few of us, my friend Marie included, were driven from the event hall to the property where Joel and Addie had lived. Cathy had researched and was able to find the property. We also visited the cemetery where Joel was buried with his first wife, Malinda, and their son, Arthur, the murderer of my aunt Addie. It was emotional. Writing Blood of My Ancestor was emotional, and I cried over Adaline's death quite a bit. And now, here I was, where Joel and Adaline lived together. The log home with it's two box additions had been on the very property where I was standing. It was a bit overwhelming.

And then, it was over. Just like that. After our van returned to the event site, Cathy took me on a tour of the naval base and the residences. I don't think she wanted the day to be over, either. But then, around 4:00, I said my good-byes. I couldn't believe the day was over. Just like that. Just like that, I was back in my car, driving back to the farm in rural Shoals.

I don't remember Neal's reaction to the day. I think he was proud that I was his fiancé, for he knew how many people had come to see me because of him. (And perhaps a bit of time away from work!) I was just as proud of Neal, and I was happy to meet so many of his work friends. The day was certainly magical, and I would love to be able to do it again.

I wrote this blog post for my daughter. As a genealogist, author, and keeper of many people's family stories, I know that once someone has passed, they take their stories with them if they aren't written down. And so, I have written it down.

Many thanks to Crane Naval Base and its employees for giving me one of the most precious memories of my life. It was a wonderful day, and I'm very grateful for it.

All photos were taken by Crane Naval Base personnel and cleared by security. I have permission for their use in my blog posts.

© 2024 by December Moonlight Publishing, LLC

Seaman John Raymond Lyon (1899-1918)

The Lyon Family of Martin County, Indiana

Seaman John Raymond Lyon (1899-1918)

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by Carolyn Ann Howard

John Raymond Lyon was born 03 Oct 1899 to Joel Campbell Lyon and his wife, Adaline Cannon Lyon. He was Addie's eldest son with Joel, born in Goldsberry Hollow in Brown Township in Martin County, Indiana. This land is now behind the gates of NWSC Crane, called Crane Naval Base by the locals. I know very little about Ray's life growing up, or why he decided to sign up for the Navy.

Ray suffered a devastating loss in 1903 when his mother was murdered in cold blood by her husband's eldest son, Arthur. Addie's three young children were all witness to the murder. Joel found Addie just minutes later. The Lyon family, however, save for Arthur, were tight-knit. Joel's daughters, Sarah and Gertrude, were instrumental in helping to rear the three young children that Addie left behind.

Indeed, it seems that all the young men in Goldsberry Hollow were close to one another. We know that Joel's second son, Ed, did odd jobs in and around the area, including in Shoals and Loogootee, Indiana. Ray may have learned machinist skills from helping his half-brother with these odd jobs. It may also be due to their father having been killed in the 1915 tornado that devastated the area of Goldsberry Hollow. The house where he lived with his father, nieces and half siblings was totaled because of that tornado.

Ray enlisted with the Navy as a Machinist's Mate (MM) 07 Jan 1917. According to the web site Careers in the Military, a Machinist's Mate had many jobs. Machinist's Mates operate, maintain, and repair ship propulsion machinery, auxiliary equipment and outside machinery. [1] This is just to name a few of what his duties were.

In April that same year, U.S. President Woodrow Wilson requested from Congress a declaration of war with Germany. Thus, the United States entered into World War One. After that occurred, Ray was assigned to the ship U.S.S. Rhode Island. According to Wikipedia, the U.S.S. Rhode Island became the flagship of the Battleship Division 3, Atlantic Fleet. The crew of the ship also underwent extensive training to bring everyone to combat readiness before being assigned to patrolling off the coast of Maryland, specifically Tangier Island. [2] Click on photos to enlarge

U.S.S. Rhode Island BB-17
Public Domain via Wikipedia

This is where Ray became ill. It was prior to the pandemic that began in or around March, 1918, but his illness was certainly a precursor to that pandemic. He got sick while on board and was taken to the Naval Hospital at League Island, Pennsylvania. I have searched on-line for pictures of this hospital and have been unsuccessful. The hospital itself didn't open until 1917, locating itself on the property of the Philadelphia Naval Yard on League Island. As the pandemic continued to grow, temporary structures and field hospitals were built. [3]

Ray died from lobar pneumonia 23 January 1918. He was 18.

His body was shipped home to Martin County, Indiana, and he was buried next to his mama in the Mt. Calvary Cemetery. Later, his sister Carrie petitioned for a military stone, which was granted.

John's Find-A-Grave memorial is here. (Link opens in a new window.)

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1, “Careers in the Military.” Careers in the Military, www.careersinthemilitary.com/service-career-detail/navy/marine-equipment-mechanics/machinist's-mate. Accessed 20 Nov 2022.

2. “USS Rhode Island (BB-17).” Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, 24 Oct. 2022, en.wikipedia.org/wiki/USS_Rhode_Island_(BB-17). Accessed 20 Nov 2022.

[3] “Naval Hospital League Island, PA..” Naval Hospital League Island, PA. - Navy Unit Directory - Together We Served, navy.togetherweserved.com/usn/servlet/tws.webapp.WebApp?cmd=PublicUnit&type=Unit&ID=22697. Accessed 20 Nov 2022.

© 2023 by December Moonlight Publishing, LLC

Blood of My Ancestor Family Reunion!

Beautiful Martin County, Indiana

Blood of My Ancestor Family Reunion!
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by Carolyn Ann Howard

Last year, 2019, I cooked up an idea and didn't know where it would end up. I was looking for ways to connect with the family I had found through writing Blood of My Ancestor. Some of the family members I heard from after writing "Blood" were the step-grandson of Earl Howard, the Brown family, who live in Evansville and are descended from the Cannons, as well as several descendants of my 4x great grandfather, Godfrey Howard. Although its good to be on Facebook with them, I was hoping for more! So I put the idea out there about having a family reunion, meeting together in Martin County, Indiana. I made a Facebook event page and sat back with anticipation watching to see if anyone would join. Click on photos to enlarge

When it looked like the event had some interest, I began to plan. What in the world would we do for two days in Martin County? Fortunately, I have friends in Martin County to help! Soon my plans came together, and the family reunion was all set! I didn't know going in, however, that it was going to be one of the highlights of my entire life!

Thursday evening, we all met together at Stoll's Restaurant (pictured above). Stoll's is located on the banks of West Boggs Lake in Loogootee, Indiana. Not only is the view gorgeous, but its also the best place to have a party like the one above. There's plenty of space to spread out and be comfortable, and they have something for everyone on their buffet. We had such a good time talking together!

Kenny and I stayed the next two nights in my friend Marie's cabin, and I think we were the last to do so as she sold the cabin in 2020.  The cabin is special to me, because this is the area my ancestors first lived when they came to Martin County in or around 1850. Staying in the cabin held so much meaning for me and Marie went out of her way to make sure we were comfortable!

This is the view from the backyard of the cabin. The cabin is located on what's called The Overlook, because it looks over the East Fork of White River. Its my belief that my Howard ancestors came into Martin County from the East Fork of White River. When they saw how beautiful the countryside was, they stayed!

The next morning, Friday, Kenny and I ate at Velma's Diner in Shoals, Indiana. Velma's is a wonderful breakfast place, a fine diner. From biscuits and gravy to eggs over easy, they have anything you might want for breakfast, perfectly made to order!

Kenny and I then made our way to NSWC Crane Naval Base. Yep! Southern Indiana is home to a naval base! According to the Indianapolis Star, 21 Jun 2016, Crane employs around 5,000 civilians and adds around $800 million each year to our state economy. The base came into Martin County in or around 1941 and took the land of about three of Martin County's townships. They fenced off a lot of where my ancestors lived, including Goldsberry Hollow, where Joel Lyon lived with his wife, my grandaunt Adaline.

Fortunately, I had also learned because of Blood of My Ancestor, that the soldiers and staff at the naval base are gracious and kind. They had even reached out to me after I wrote "Blood" and threw a huge all-day event to celebrate the book! Because of this, I knew the odds were good that we'd be able to do cemetery visits as part of the reunion.

There are somewhere around 29 cemeteries behind the gates of the naval base. When I emailed them about a group of us taking a tour, the offer was made that we could tour three of the cemeteries.  I chose Boggs Creek, West Union and Williams. Seven of us gathered at the naval base. Two others joined later, just for the Boggs Creek Cemetery tour.

I was super nervous, just on edge. I had six people counting on me to make it worth their while for all they had put into being a part of this reunion. The couple from Evansville, Indiana, Laura and Bill, were staying at a hotel in Washington, Indiana. Ann, from Pennsylvania and Greg and Mary from Wisconsin were staying in Jasper. What if it turned out that they had wasted their time? What if it turned out they were bored to tears? My anxiety level was through the roof!

We made a caravan to follow the two soldiers who had been assigned to us. We were told we could take pictures in the cemeteries only. Kenny and I followed behind the soldier's truck. Bill and Laura rode with us. Ann, Greg and Mary rode together in behind us.

Crane Naval Base is HUGE!!! It took us forever to get from cemetery to cemetery, and my anxiety level was still great. Was everyone having a good time? Was anyone bored with all the driving?

When we got to Boggs Creek cemetery, the decision was made to only allow the two people who had joined only to go to this cemetery. To get to this cemetery, you must climb a very steep and long hill. The soldiers decided one would take the extra couple up in the truck and, warning us that the road wasn't very good to

the cemetery, we were told to wait behind with the other soldier. They told me I could join in going up to Boggs Creek, but I decided to stay behind with the others. It was a good decision. For August, it was a particularly pleasant morning, and it was so much fun talking with my extended family. The soldier talked a little about how he had asked to be assigned to Crane, but he gave very little away. Greg would laugh later, saying that he made a very good soldier indeed, being a man of few words.

I don't have any family members buried in Williams, but it is one of the larger cemeteries and so I thought it would be fun.

This is an interesting stone in Williams Cemetery.

After we were finished with our tour of the three cemeteries behind the gates of Crane Naval Base, we traveled by caravan back to Loogootee to enjoy lunch together. I knew by this time that the two-day reunion was going to be successful, although I still didn't realize how much it was going to mean to me in the end.

All pictures in this blog posting are from the Carolyn Ann Howard Family Collection. The photos of the cemeteries in Crane Naval Base were taken with permission.

© 2022 by December Moonlight Publishing, LLC

The Contrived "Sin" of My Great Grandmother, Eva Carroll Painter

Benjamin W. Carroll Family Line

Eva King Carroll Painter (1870-1934)

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by Carolyn Ann Howard

My great grandmother, Eva Painter, was what my Uncle Willis called "a very nice person."  She was born in 1870 most likely near Birdseye, Indiana. Her maiden name was King. Click on photos to enlarge

Eva King Carroll Painter
Carolyn Ann Howard Family Collection

Eva was the second wife of Hickman Carroll. Hickman Carroll's sister was Sarah Carroll who married Jacob Painter. Hickman died. Sarah died. And so Eva married Jacob Painter, her brother-in-law. From what I understand, my grandmother Grace, Eva's daughter, was L-I-V-I-D!

But why?

My father, from my recollections, said it was because of the relationship, in that they were "related" as in-laws. My grandmother was strictly Pilgrim Holiness and for a while, this thought held up. But now, after having scanned through Holiness doctrine, I find nothing in it that states a member can't marry an in-law. There are some laws against what is called a consanguine marriage, which, according to Wikipedia, is a "marriage between two family members who are second cousins or closer." Although, according to National Institute of Health (NIH), this definition is a bit simple, we'll use the Wikimedia definition for our purposes here. 

The problems allegedly with this type of arrangement - marrying a cousin - is some evidence of birth defects in their offspring. It is illegal here in the United States in some states to marry a first cousin. It is perfectly legal, however, to marry an in-law.

My great grandmother, Eva, with her husband, Hickman, and their children
Carolyn Ann Howard Family Collection

Next, I checked the family tree to see if somehow Jacob Painter was blood related to Eva Carroll. I could find no evidence of any blood relations. So what was really going on here with Eva's daughter, Grace - my grandmother - and her anger at her mother marrying Jacob Painter?

My father told me that he believed his grandmother, Eva, was sickly. He said that his mother, Grace, had to take care of her brothers and sisters, taking over the cooking and other household duties, at the age of 12. And I can believe it, as my grandmother Grace was a power house in running a household. A widow when her youngest of seven children was just three years old, my father told me they had no bills growing up. No electricity, water, or phone bills!

Grace reared her children in the rural community of Alfordsville, Indiana, which at the time was a bustling community with its own school and general store. Many of the men of that town worked at the nearby Crane Naval Base, and a bus picked them up every morning. My father sings of a happy childhood filled with friends and neighbors, pick-up basketball games, and one school that served the entire community. He also dimly speaks of being forbidden food between meals - even a cracker - and how he fell down one day and hit his head, drawing blood and seeing stars, and was too afraid to tell anyone. He hid for hours until the dizziness passed.

Not having an income, except for a small pension from the Methodist Church, Grace grew and canned all their vegetables. It wouldn't surprise me if she made her own butter. She kept chickens but not a cow. Grace was an excellent cook, and we all stuffed ourselves with her yeast rolls and dumplings whenever we visited her at her final residence in Loogootee, Indiana.

Eva in her last days
Carolyn Ann Howard Family Collection

Eva's first husband, Hickman, died in 1920. I'm pretty sure Eva got the house they lived in, because I remember my dad talking about how his mother got the house when Eva died. Apparently this was a source of contention within the family.  Eva received a small settlement from her husband's death, about $600. She waited six years before remarrying her brother-in-law, and she might have jumped at the chance to improve her situation. Jacob Painter offered her, at the least, stability and at best, which I believe he was, a companion.

After marrying Jacob Painter, she moved in with him in French Lick, Indiana. Did her house in Newton Stewart stay empty? I don't know. But there, in French Lick, in 1930, she watched as her 26-year-old daughter, Esther, died. Once shrouded in mystery, we now know she died from typhoid fever. Her obit states she was rejoicing and singing hymns as she died, which I doubt. I take little comfort that Esther was, at least, with her mom as she died.

Three years later, Jacob Painter died. My great grandmother Eva was then shuffled back to her daughter and son-in-law's home in Union, Indiana. My father, who was born in 1929, remembered Eva living with them. Eva died shortly after her husband, two days before Christmas Day, 1934. Her obit states, "She was sick a number of weeks but bore her suffering patiently till death relieved her and her spirit took its flight." That sounds like something my grandmother would have written.

My grandmother Grace perhaps had the last word. Using the weather as an excuse to keep Eva's body from being taken to the cemetery in Newton Stewart, to be buried with her first husband, Hickman, Grace had the body taken to Loogootee, IN, where she had a plot of six graves. Already buried in that plot were her sister, Esther, and a daughter who died as an infant. Newton Stewart would've been about a drive of 1 hour and 15 minutes today. Loogootee was not much better at an hour from Union, Indiana. Perhaps the roads were better? Perhaps, in the end, Grace wanted to keep her beloved family close?

Whatever the reason, my grandmother took total charge. Her mother is buried next to her and the name on the stone? It should've been Eva Painter. Instead, it says Amanda Carroll, using Eva's legal first name and the last name of her first husband. Such are the nightmares of a genealogist!

Jacob Painter is buried with his first wife, Hickman's sister, Sarah, in Wickliffe Cemetery, Crawford County, Indiana.

© 2022 by December Moonlight Publishing, LLC

Three Sons of the Civil War

Johann Gottfried Hauer (John Godfrey Howard) Family Line

 

Abraham Howard II (1837-1862)
Eleazer Howard (1836-1906)
William Edwin Howard (1845-1929)

Three Sons of the Civil War

____________________

by Carolyn Ann Howard

This blog post was updated 29 Apr 2022.

My 3x great-grandfather Abraham I had three sons who fought in the Civil War: Abraham II, Eleazer, and William Edwin. Civil War soldiers had it rough, living in very primitive conditions out in the elements. Sometimes they were without shoes. Many times, without food.

We know that Eleazer and Abraham II were close, for in or around 1855, they went to Iowa together and, while there, lived in the same house. I don't know why they went but perhaps it was for work, as the railroad was going through Iowa at that time. The two men might have traveled in a wagon train along with the Raney family and others from Martin County, Indiana. What an adventure! Eleazer and Abraham II would have been most useful in the wagon train, being able to make repairs, hunt game, fend off bandits, and make good company. I wonder if they were fun and funny. Their descendants were, so I'm quite sure they were, too.

They may have also gone to Iowa to escape the shenanigans of their brother, Henry. He had married Elizabeth Smith, daughter of Samuel Smith. He had two children by Elizabeth. These two were born in Henry's native New York - a mystery as to why they weren't born in Indiana. When Henry came back home to Indiana, his two children in tow, Elizabeth was gone - disappearing from the family tree altogether. Henry then married his Martin County neighbor, Nancy Crays. After much searching, I still can't find Elizabeth Smith Howard after 1858, but of this I'm sure: the two stepchildren didn't care much for their stepmother. The feeling was mutual.

Whatever reason for Eleazer and Abraham II's exodus to Iowa, they weren't there for long. Abraham soon married Eliza Jane Raney and they had a son, Abraham III. Six months later, Eliza died. After that, Eleazer and Abraham II made their way back to Martin County, bringing with them the infant child. Click on photos to enlarge

A Crucial Delay - Antietam
Public Domain, courtesy of Wikimedia Commons

Abraham II was the first to enlist: 07 Jun 1861 at Camp Vigo in Terre Haute, 14th Indiana Infantry, Company A. This was the first regiment in Indiana organized for three years of service. Their first march was to Indianapolis, and then onward to Clarksburg, West Virginia, eventually landing in Virginia in 1862. It was at this time that Abraham II was hospitalized in Strasburg. From 12 May to 23 Jun, Abraham's company marched 339 miles as part of the Army of the Potomac.

In September, the 14th Indiana took part in the Maryland Campaign, which included the Battle of Antietam, the bloodiest battle of the Civil War. According to Wikipedia, Colonel William Harlow's report stated that Abraham's regiment fought for four hours under heavy fire within 60 yards of Confederate forces. Abraham took a mortal wound in the thigh and died on the battlefield. His death was likely extremely painful, and yes, I imagine he cried for his mother.

14th Indiana caring for the wounded after Antietam
Public Domain courtesy of Wikipedia

Battle of Antietam
Courtesy Wikimedia Commons, Public Domain

After Abraham's death, his mother, Mary Ann, adopted Eliza and Abraham's son, Abraham III. 
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Eleazer Howard was in the Army for just a brief period of time, 13 Mar 1865 to 30 Jun 1865, serving with the 24th Michigan Infantry, Company H. This company originally mustered in on 15 Aug 1862; Eleazer joined toward the end of the war. I incorrectly assumed, at first, that he must have been drafted, having joined so late in the war. His Civil War records that my father obtained, however, state that he was a volunteer. During his brief deployment, he sustained a debilitating injury that affected him the rest of his life. The injury was recorded on a "Claimant's Statement of Service" filled out by Eleazer. He stated that his injury occurred at Camp Butler, Illinois, sometime in Apr 1865. Eleazer tells this story:

[I] was on Provost Marshall Staff and, in quelling a disturbance of parole soldiers, was hit on the hip with a club or brick or something else.

Eleazer doesn't signify right or left; however, on his "Declaration for Increase of an Invalid Pension," he states he has "a lame hip, which causes much suffering. My left side troubles me bad."

After his service, Eleazer went back to his native New York and took Julie Vader as his wife.

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William Edwin, who sometimes went by his middle name, was mustered in on 21 Nov 1861 at Camp Joe Holt in Jeffersonville, Indiana, 49th Indiana Infantry, Company K. He was only 16 and service was for three years. Unlike Abraham II, who lost his life, or Eleazer, who suffered a debilitating injury, William Edwin seemed to come through the war physically unscathed. He mustered out at Louisville, Kentucky 13 Sep 1865.

According to my father's records, the distance marched by the regiment during its term of service was 8,000 miles. Its most notable battle may have been The Siege of Vicksburg, which occurred 18 May - 04 Jul 1863. Abraham Lincoln referred to this event as "the key of the war." According to the Wikipedia article, "[the siege] cut off the Trans Mississippi Department... from the rest of the Confederate States, effectively splitting the Confederacy in two for the rest of the war."

Siege of Vicksburg
Public Domain via Wikipedia

William Edwin didn't return to Martin County and most likely stayed in Louisville or Fayetteville, where he met his wife, Annie Bragg. She lived with her parents. After they were married in 1869, the young couple moved to Michigan.

According to my dad's records, Annie, in 1923, stated that she has had "the constant care" of her husband. She must "aid him to dress and that his mentality is declining." She stated that his general condition is fast declining, "owing to his age and condition of a hip, which he fractured in 1914." This was on the application for William Edwin's pension from his Civil War days. Although he was not able to dress himself or "even put his stockings on or lace his shoes without assistance," Annie had help. William Edwin and Annie's youngest daughter, Grace, never married. She lived with her parents until they died. She was a stenographer and so likely was a huge help to her parents not only in the aid of her father but also in paying bills. Their other children, Charlotte and Frederick Warren were frequent visitors in their adulthood.

This blog posting would not be as informative without my late father's research and his acquisition of records that are now in my possession.

In memory of my parents, Rev. William "Lester" and Mary McLean Howard.

© 2022 by December Moonlight Publishing, LLC

Dead Ends in Genealogy - I've Hit Another One!

Johann Gottfried Hauer (John Godfrey Howard) Family Line

Dead Ends in Genealogy - I've Hit Another One!

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by Carolyn Ann Howard

Nobody likes to be stuck in their family tree, but I most certainly am - all the time - and if you're my cousin, so are you. I wish our ancestors would have left more bread crumbs for us to pick up. And probably if you had asked them at that time, they would've scoffed at their great-grandchildren wanting to learn more about them.

What is frustrating about the world of genealogy is how complacent we - all of us - become with so-called "facts." I'm just as guilty as everyone else. For example, my family ran around in circles for years trying to solve the Joanna problem.

Here's the Joanna problem: Abraham Howard's first wife was Joanna. Joanna died young and after that, Abraham married Mary Ann Toles. Then I met my wonderful cousin, Greg, who is also from Abraham's line. And guess what? I realized his family was using the same equation for Abraham's brother, Elias. Elias's first wife was Joanna. Joanna died young and after that, Elias married Katy Vader.

Mystery solved and look how easy, but it wasn't easy until Greg told me it was. Abraham's first and only wife likely was Mary Ann Toles. Mary Ann outlived her husband. Joanna's stone in the graveyard says she was the wife of Elias.

How did this get so mixed up? Just that we're human and make up stories about everything, even if those stories are wrong.

One so-called "fact" is that Susanna Harwick's parents were Magdalena Meyer and Conrad Harwick. My theory is that they're likely related somehow, but these two just aren't old enough to be Susanna's parents. It's not that that it isn't a possibility, but it feels quite doubtful, especially since we have the baptismal records, and they just don't match up. I spent the last few days working on a theory that Conrad Harwick was Susanna's brother, but I couldn't prove it and came to yet another dead end.

Ancestry uses algorithms to suggest potential parents to their users. Because so many people have Susanna's parents as Magdalena and Conrad, these are also Ancestry's recommendations for her parents. But it's just an algorithm. Nothing more.

Another route I've been working on is Godfrey Howard's friendship with the Brust family. What an interesting time to have lived, pre-Revolutionary War. I have read that some in the Brust family were loyalists, which means they were loyal to the crown, Great Britain. Godfrey was a Hessian soldier from Germany who was hired to fight in the Revolutionary War on the side of the U.S. After the war was over, many of the loyalists fled to Canada. Hessian soldiers also were outcasts. Did this friendship lead the two families together to escape their labels? Click on photos to enlarge

1767 Map of Rensselaerswyck
Public Domain, via Wikipedia

Stephen Van Rensselaer III
Public Domain, via Wikipedia

I've also been reading, studying, and trying to understand Rensselaerwyck. This is the area where Godfrey Howard originally lived in New York. It was a large tract of land given to the Van Rensselaer family. The Van Rensselaer family then leased the land to farmers and were kind and generous landlords. Did Godfrey lease land from the Van Rensselaer family? I have yet to find any evidence that he did, but it is an extremely interesting study. Hopefully it doesn't lead to another dead end!

© 2022 by December Moonlight Publishing, LLC

Our Mysterious Howard: Elizabeth Nancy Smith Woody

Johann Gottfried Hauer (John Godfrey Howard) Family Line

Elizabeth Nancy Smith Woody Howard (abt 1832 - aft 1858)

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by Carolyn Ann Howard

This post was updated August 30, 2021.

Elizabeth Nancy Smith Woody Howard has been such a puzzle for Howard family researchers. One of the reasons is that her last name was Smith. What a difficult name to research as it is one of the most common last name in the Unites States. Another reason is my immediate family's unusual history in Pilgrim Holiness, taking it a notch further. It sometimes feels that the criteria for being a part of this line is that the entire family must be holy, including our ancestors.

I don't believe our Howard line was particularly holy, including Abraham Howard I, Abraham Howard II, nor his son Henry, who was Elizabeth's husband. And by saying this, I'm not saying that these Howards were BAD people. Not at all! I just don't think they went to church, that's all. But perhaps that has nothing to do with our story, because Elizabeth is mysterious. We know very little about her, and it doesn't appear anyone else knows much about her, either. Again, Elizabeth Smith isn't a unique name.

Abraham Howard I was born in Grafton, New York. As a young man, he moved with his family from Grafton to then Genesee County, New York, now Wyoming County. Not his entire family but his father and mother, and his brothers Jacob and Elias. Jacob and Elias both became involved in The Free Will Baptist Church of Dale, New York and are listed next to each other in the 1850 census. Not so Abraham. Abraham settled in nearby Attica while the rest of his family stayed in Middlebury. It was said in a letter from the Middlebury Historical Society that Jacob and Elias were much more involved in church "than the other ones."

Abraham I broke with his family in his move to Martin County, Indiana, firstly settling in Shoals and then shortly later in Loogootee. Abraham and his wife, Mary Ann, along with their children, except for Joanna, arrived in Martin County in or around 1854.

When Ancestry came along, with their advanced tools, I linked Elizabeth Nancy Smith with Morris Woody, a potential first husband. It didn't feel like it could be true, but if so, she had 3 children with him, Samuel, John and Henry. Is it telling that her youngest son has the same name as her potential second husband? Unfortunately, I have Elizabeth's son Henry born the same year as Henry Howard and Elizabeth Smith's oldest, Ella, so, of course, that can't be correct, yet still, something doesn't quite add up.

When I started my public Ancestry tree, I once again linked Elizabeth Nancy Smith with Morris Woody, because, in essence, it fits. Even so, I almost deleted all the Woody's. But something stopped me and now more than ever, it feels that this union really happened.

Elizabeth Smith and Morris Woody married in 1850. In the 1850 census, they lived with Elizabeth's father, Samuel and mother Temperance Roberts Smith, in Spice Valley, Lawrence, Indiana. Living with parents after first getting married was common place at this time. Their first son, Samuel, was born about 1850, John in 1853 and Henry in 1856. However, the tree overlaps as Elizabeth married Henry Howard in 1854.

According to the 1870 census, Elizabeth and Henry's daughter, Ella, was born in New York in 1856. Their son, Emory was born in 1858 in New York.

I doubled my efforts to locate Henry Howard in the 1860 census. I looked through all the relatives and all their 1860 census records and did not find him. I couldn't find Elizabeth, either. I then decided to look at the Perry County, Martin, Indiana 1860 census. The rest of the Howard family is there as is Samuel Smith, Elizabeth's father. But here we see that Elizabeth's father is no longer married to Elizabeth's mother, Temperance. He is instead married to a different Elizabeth. I realized then I have Temperance's death date as prior to 1860 and the ages and names of the children all add up. Abraham Howard is family number 60, Samuel Smith 61 and there at family number 64 is the Crays family. Henry married Nancy Crays in 1861.

One last conundrum about our mysterious Elizabeth. On her Martin County marriage certificate to Henry Howard, her name is listed as Elizabeth Smith, not Elizabeth Woody. Although in that time, you could tell people any name you wanted. No background checks! No secure IDs!

When younger, I'd listen to my father banter about our genealogy and many times he would ask, "Did Elizabeth Smith die?" And I would think, "Let's not jump to conclusions!" But... maybe she did. Perhaps she died in childbirth with Emory. Childbirth was one of the number one causes of death in women at that time. And, after her death, Henry would've been forced to reunite with his Martin County family in order to have childcare. Click on photos to enlarge

Shoals Overlook
Courtesy of Marie Hawkins

I don't know why Samuel Smith brought his family from Lawrence County to Martin County. Abraham and Samuel go all the way back to when the Howard family first landed in Martin County, as he sold Abraham land along the gorgeous Overlook at Shoals, overlooking the East Fork of White River. But in the 1860 census, Abraham Howard and family are no longer in Shoals and Samuel Smith and family are no longer in Spice Valley. Instead, the two families are together just outside Loogootee. Henry and Elizabeth are nowhere to be found, and my family has been searching through census records for years without success.

Was this a scandalous love affair between Henry and Elizabeth? I think yes. Was Henry in on it? I think yes. He may have even been the instigator. Or she. What did his father Abraham and her father Samuel think? What did her husband Morris think? We may never know the answer, but if we had the answers, it would make a great story!

One reason it feels this was a scandal is that the couple went to New York. We know this, because their two children were born in New York. Were they banished there by their family? Were they banished there by the community? Did Henry's second wife, Nancy Crays, know about this? Well, Henry came back to Martin County with two children, so she knew at least that he likely had been married once.

In the 1860 census, Elizabeth's first husband Morris is living with the Dickerson Family in Spice Valley, Lawrence, Indiana. The three children are living with the William Woody family in Halbert Township, Martin County, Indiana. In the 1870 census, Morris Woody had married Nancy Chastain, had a little girl, Ellen, and the three boys are back together with their father and stepmother.

Henry married Nancy Crays in 1861. He did not fight in the Civil War and most likely never left Martin County again. He died in 1872 of tuberculosis. Upon his death, his daughter with Elizabeth, Ella, moved to Vincennes with her grandmother. We do not know Emory's fate. The last we hear from him is on the 1870 census with his step-family.

© 2022 by December Moonlight Publishing, LLC

Do Not Believe Your Family's Twisted Story

Benjamin W. Carroll Family Line

Do Not Believe Your Family's Twisted Story

____________________

by Carolyn Ann Howard

This post was updated 30 Aug 2021

My family tree has more twisted stories and lies. This is the one thing that saddens me about genealogy, but undoubtedly, every tree is filled with lies and varying degrees of twistedness simply because we're human beings each with our own filters.

Blood of My Ancestor was written to set the story straight about Joel Lyon's role in the murder of his wife and to clear his good name. He had previously been falsely accused of murder by my family and other families as well. Joel was the husband of my 2x grandaunt Adaline Cannon.

The story of Joel Lyon that my family likes to spin starts with "Joel was Catholic and Adaline was Protestant." This was happy news for the author in me, because it meant I'd get to write about the differences between Catholic and Protestant and to do so in a positive light. Because Adaline most likely would not have been taught about Catholicism in her girlhood, this became a great part of their story. Imagine her curiosity with Joel to begin with and then to learn his faith was so much different than hers.

About a month ago, I learned that even this, this small piece of the story another grandaunt had written down on paper was false! Author Beth Willis, who has chronicled so much of the history of Stockholm, New Jersey, from whence Joel came, told me that Joel was most likely Methodist. I posted this on Facebook -- like, can you believe it? And Joel's granddaughter replied:

I know that my grandfather was Methodist, because as a kid I would ride with him to church sometimes. And I was baptized Methodist when I was a kid.

Seriously, though? The whole damn story written about Joel Lyon in my family's records was false to its very core. "Joel was Catholic and Adaline was Protestant" needs to be changed to "Joel was Methodist and so was Adaline." Then again, that one sentence would blow up the whole story that begins with Joel baptizing their new infant son as a Catholic behind Adaline's back.

I recently learned more about a different story that had only been heard in passing. The story was so crazy, it didn't even sink in. My father started the story by saying, "I understand that John Cannon was an atheist." John Cannon was my 2x great-grandfather. The story was so preposterous to me, I didn't even want to hear it, which made my father realize that it wasn't true. Thankfully, he stopped telling that story. Years later, my dear cousin said he had heard his father preach about how my great-grandmother, John Cannon's daughter, who birthed and reared my grandfather, was an infidel. An infidel!

I grew up in a legalistic household with lots of rules that must be kept in order to find favor with God. That upbringing made this word infidel conjure up feelings of vilification and shame. My great-grandmother, Hester Cannon Howard, however, was not an infidel. She was a member of the Methodist Episcopal Church and brought her children up the same. This was confirmed in her obituary that stated "from girlhood, she was a consistent adherent to the faith." We know that after she moved from Mount Calvary to within the city limits of Loogootee, Indiana, she attended the Methodist Church there in Loogootee. Prior to that, she attended Mount Calvary Methodist Episcopal.

I admit, sometimes I put my great-grandmother on a pedestal. Mostly, though, I just hold her in high esteem. Why not? She owned her own business and ran it successfully. She was a single mother, and she had spunk. Another uncle, one who had known her in real life, told me she had spunk. He said it with the most beautiful smile on his face. He was proud of her, for sure. Click on photo to enlarge.

Hester Howard on the left at her home in Loogootee, IN
Carolyn Ann Howard family collection

I have a theory how this story about Hester got started. You see, Hester had two boys with her husband, Billy, who died of tuberculosis shortly after their births. She was protective of them, and they of her. Her eldest son fought in World War I and, after that, he moved to Binghamton, New York, escaping her protection. Earl was 31 when he married, and he stayed in Binghamton the rest of his life.

Once Earl had moved, Hester only had her youngest son, Rodolphus, who went by Dolph, to help her on the truck farm, with their boarding rooms, and whatever needed to be done around the home. Hester's parents were gone, and her sister and best friend was gone - murdered brutally in cold blood. I'm sure Hester really relied on Dolph.

When Dolph turned 30, he married my grandmother, Grace Carroll. As was the custom in those days, the couple lived with my great-grandmother for about a year before setting up their own household. The two women did not get along. Not even a little.

I knew my grandmother well. She was excessively religious and felt rules needed to be followed in order to achieve holiness. Her father also was an extremely religious man. Her half-brother, John Carroll, was the founder of four Pilgrim Holiness churches in Martin County - Burns City, Mount Zion, Poplar Grove and Shoals, as well as the Pilgrim Holiness campground called "Singing Hill."

Singing Hill in Shoals, Indiana
Carolyn Ann Howard Family Collection

Rules were the order of the day. No pants for the girls. No dice. No playing cards. No board games. No laughter. Children do not talk. No make-up. No cutting hair. The rules were crushing. To make things worse, my grandmother attended the Methodist Church in Loogootee, and I knew these weren't Methodist beliefs, so it made absolutely no sense! The fact that her heritage as Pilgrim Holiness was never discussed led me to realize that she was a Pilgrim Holiness cleverly disguised as a Methodist.

In my grandmother's eyes, surely I'd be an infidel. I drink wine. I wear pants. I wear make-up. I use dice in my piano classroom to play music games with my students. It is doubtful that Hester drank or wore pants or make-up or even played with dice, but she had spunk and could stand up for herself, that is for sure. My uncle told me a man was harassing her, so she threw a tomato right in his face. He told me that with the same proud smile.

It's so easy to make up stories about the dead, whether those stories are true or false, good or bad. Your job as a genealogist is to sort through the data you have and make informed observations, backing that up as much as possible with eyewitness statements, newspaper clipping, and other documentation. It's also good to make sure everyone is innocent until proven guilty.

© 2022 by December Moonlight Publishing, LLC

Persimmon Pudding? Yes, Please!

Beautiful Martin County, Indiana

Persimmon Pudding? Yes, Please!

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by Carolyn Ann Howard

One of the first things I learned in my one year of living in Martin County, Indiana, specifically Lost River Township, is how important the persimmon tree is to the citizens of this fair county. Not just important but valued. Firstly, the trees are beautiful. Secondly, they're pretty good at predicting winter weather, and thirdly, their fruit makes a fine concoction known as persimmon pudding. The fruit can also be used to make cookies, cakes and pies. They can be dried or eaten fresh. They can even be used to make wine and beer. Native Americans used persimmons in gruel, cornbread and pudding. [1] Click on photos to enlarge

Persimmon Tree in Winter
Credit: James Heilman, MD
Courtesy Wikimedia Commons

 

The persimmon trees of Martin County are called American Persimmons and may have been brought to the area by those who came from the south, although I have read conflicting accounts of this. According to the Purdue Extension web site, the tree is indigenous to Southern Indiana. [2] Even so, I personally had never heard of a persimmon tree and the amazing gifts it gives until moving to Martin County in 2013.

Firstly, their beauty. Without too much text, just look at the pictures. Aren't they gorgeous? These pictures were taken after the leaves had fallen in autumn so you can clearly see the delicious fruit.

Persimmons in Nakagawa, Nanyo City, Yamagata Prefecture, Japan
Credit: Geomr
Courtesy Wikimedia Commons

The actual fruit doesn't mature until the fall, sometimes staying on the tree until winter. You have to be careful to make sure the fruit is ripe before picking it, or the taste will be bitter, and that's no good. If you're patient and wait until the fruit is ripe, it will be very sweet. Also, eating persimmons that aren't ripe can lead to phytobezoars, which require surgical intervention. So avoid those unripe persimmons! To make sure they're ripe, just shake the tree! If they fall out, you can be sure that they're ripe.

Persimmon Fruit
The ones in the back are not ripe. The ones in front are.
Credit: Jon Richfield
Courtesy Wikimedia Commons

Secondly, it seems they're good predictors of the winter weather. If you'd like to know what kind of winter that's coming, just look to the seed of the persimmon. Cut the persimmon open to get to the seed. Is it spoon (shovel)-shaped, knife-shaped or fork-shaped? If it is spoon-shaped, you'll have lots of snow, so get that shovel out. Knife-shaped, it will be cold... cold that cuts like a knife. If it is fork-shaped, it will be a mild winter with plenty to eat!

Persimmon pudding is an Indiana favorite. In my book Pioneer Stories, Maggie and her mother make persimmon pudding for Maggie's fiancé, John Ritter.

     Maggie put her baskets off to one side and went to one of the persimmon trees. Carefully she gave it a shake, and a shower of persimmon fruit fell from the tree. She squealed at the abundance. By the time the ladies were done gathering, their baskets were brimming over.

     Back inside the house, they began their work to process the persimmon into pulp. Mother gently cleaned the fruit in a bucket of water. Maggie took the cleaned fruit and put it into a colander. Using a pestle, she gently pressed the pulp out of the fruit and into a bowl. When she had finished her first batch, she had a bowl full of vibrant orange-red pulp and a colander full of skin and seeds. [3]

After that, the pulp is mixed with sugar, sweet milk and cinnamon and then placed in the oven. It's a very sweet treat!

Persimmon Pudding
Credit to Spablab via Wikimedia Commons

Persimmons are not readily available in most stores, though, because of their fragility. If you're wanting persimmon pudding but don't have a persimmon tree, you can plant one or you can buy persimmons on-line and make the pudding yourself. It's easy!

Directions

1. Combine persimmon pulp with sugar.
2. Beat in eggs. Mix in milk, then butter.
3. Sift or stir flour with baking powder, cinnamon, nutmeg.
4. Mix with persimmon mixture.
5. Pour batter into a well greased 9-inch square cake pan.
6. Bake in a 315-325°F oven for approx 60 minutes or until knife comes out clean. [4]

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[1] “American Persimmon.” Uncommon Fruit, uncommonfruit.cias.wisc.edu/american-persimmon/. Accessed November 20, 2018.

[2]  “Forestry & Natural Resources.” Indiana's Land Grant University, www.purdue.edu/fnr/extension/blog/2018/09/05/the-fruit-of-the-gods-from-an-indiana-tree/. Accessed November 20, 2019.

[3] Howard, Carolyn Ann. Pioneer Stories. December Moonlight, 2016.

[4] O, Rhonda. “Persimmon Pudding Recipe - Genius Kitchen.” Ammonium Bicarbonate - Kitchen Dictionary - Genius Kitchen, Genius Kitchen, 17 Dec. 2001, www.geniuskitchen.com/recipe/persimmon-pudding-15963.


© 2022 by December Moonlight Publishing, LLC

A Tour Through Scenic Martin County - Part Two

The Travel Blog

Beautiful Martin County, Indiana

A Tour Through Scenic Martin County - Part Two

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by Carolyn Ann Howard

Going through Loogootee, Indiana, the traveler goes down US 50. In the city limits, this street is Broadway. This stretch of road is also one of Indiana's Historic Pathways. And what a gorgeous drive it is. For our tour today, we start in Loogootee, Indiana. We're going to go past McDonald's on one side and Marathon on the other. So if you need gas or food, you might want to fill up here before continuing on US 150. Go slowly, we're getting ready to turn right.

The historic St. John the Evangelist Catholic Church is just a few blocks down, on the left. We're going to turn right, which is S. Kentucky Avenue. It is also where Indiana 550 parts ways with the United States Highways. We're going to travel about 9 miles down Indiana 550. Beautiful homes on this stretch of road. Beautiful farmland. If you pass a car on your way, be sure to wave. Martin County is one of the friendliest places in the world, and it's the habit of many to wave when they pass you on a rural roadway.

Indiana 550 has many twists and turns in it, so don't drive too fast. Besides, you don't want to miss any of the gorgeous countryside. When you pass over the East Fork of White River, you're almost there! But where? Hindostan Falls! Click on photos to enlarge

Hindostan Falls, low water
Photo credit: David Kurvach

Hindostan Falls
Courtesy of Marie Hawkins

Hindostan was a town first settled somewhere around 1818 with a population of around 1,200. When Martin County was carved out from Daviess County in 1820, Hindostan became the county seat. That same year, an epidemic ran through the community, killing many of the town's inhabitants, as well as a financial crises occurring after The Panic of 1819. Those not devastated with illness were devastated financially. By 1828, most of the town had been abandoned, and the county seat was moved to Mt. Pleasant.

The signs will point the way, for you'll need to turn off Indiana 550 onto County Road 55. A historical marker telling the story of Hindostan is on the corner of that junction. Just a few more minutes, and you're at Hindostan Falls! You might want to put your rubber boots on in order to explore, but be careful! The rocks there can be slippery.

Some people think the area is haunted. As someone sensitive to spirits, I have not felt any of the eeriness some people feel when they visit the ghost town. All I see is the beauty of Martin County!

Hindostan Falls is breathtaking. It is worthy of your visit while sightseeing through Martin County. 
A Tour Through Historic Martin County - Part One
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Some of the information for this article came from Wikipedia as well as the web page "Visit Martin County, Indiana."

Photo credit: By David Kurvach [CC BY-SA 3.0  (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0)], from Wikimedia Commons

© 2022 by December Moonlight Publishing, LLC

A Tour Through Scenic Martin County - Part One

The Travel Blog

Beautiful Martin County, Indiana

A Tour Through Scenic Martin County, Part Two

____________________ 

by Carolyn Ann Howard

Let's take Interstate 69 in Indiana to the Washington exit. Turn east onto United States Highway 150, one of Indiana's Historic Pathways. Running concurrently with US 150 is also US 50 and Indiana 550. Click on photos to enlarge

St. Peter's Catholic Church, Montgomery
Attribution: Chris Flook. See below.

This is fairly flat farmland. You must go through the small town of Montgomery on your way. One thing that stands out in Montgomery is the beautiful St. Peter's Catholic Church. Montgomery is also home to Gasthof Amish Village. After passing through Montgomery, you'll see more flat farmland. Its relaxing, peaceful -- but don't get too relaxed if you're driving!

Loogootee blooms very quickly. It's always thrilling to go around that curve and find yourself in Loogootee. You're still on 3 different highways but the city name for this street is West Broadway. As soon as you reach the city limits is a stop light. This is the intersection of the three highways with US 231. So now we're on a stretch of road where 4 different highways are running concurrently!

Hester Cannon Howard at her home in Loogootee
Carolyn Ann Howard Family Collection

You're also now in the heart of Loogootee. Everything a person needs is here. Restaurants, grocery store, churches, gas stations, banks, hair salons, pharmacies and doctor offices.

Don't go too fast passed SW 2nd street, though! If you'll look to the left, you'll see the place where my great grandmother lived. No, not Subway! This is where her house used to be a long time ago, now retail shops. She died in 1932.

We're going to turn left at the next light onto John F. Kennedy Avenue. We'll lose 50/150 but continue on 231. If we turned right, we would go into the McDonald's parking lot! This McDonald's is busy. We'll pass the Marathon Station, too, also busy. Loogootee may be small, but it is bustling.

We're not going to stay on JFK, though. We're going to veer to the right and go down Line Street to Goodwill Cemetery. This is where many of my relatives are buried. As far as cemeteries go, its beautiful. But then again, its Martin County, so, of course, it is!

Goodwill Cemetery
Google Maps

Moving on down the road, we come back to what was JFK Avenue and is now just 231 running all by itself. We're outside the city limits of Loogootee now. Still beautiful country! Farm land.

Soon, however, on our right, is West Boggs Lake. The lake itself is 662 acres. West Boggs Park boasts of 400 acres of play area, miles of multi-use trails, shelter houses, and lakefront beach. This hopping place has tons of fun things to do spring, summer and fall -- Zombie 5K, Chili cook-off, luau and Civil War reenactments, to name a few. Like to fish? This is your place. Like to hunt? This is your place. Like to play golf? Lakeview has a wonderful 9-hole golf course. When you've finished your game, you can eat at a popular Amish restaurant, Stoll's Lakeview Restaurant. Ask for a seat by the window, if available, and you can dine with one of the best views in the world.

After lunch, we'll head down 231 a bit more until we come to Day Road. We'll take a right and follow the winding road around until it starts to climb and climb. We're climbing up to Mount Calvary. Pretty soon, we'll come to a fork in the road. We'll continue onto Mount Calvary Road firstly and pull into one of the parking spots at Mount Calvary Cemetery and the old Mount Calvary Methodist Episcopal Church, now a residence. The Lyon/Arvin families have done a fantastic job of preserving this old cemetery, for which so many of us are grateful.

My great grandparent's grave at Mount Calvary
Carolyn Ann Howard Family Collection
Click on photo to enlarge

I don't know what it is about Mount Calvary. Perhaps its because this is where my Cannon family lived, but I love being on Mount Calvary. Maybe because it feels like home. How many times as a child did I visit here with my father, not understanding the significance of my ancestry? He remembers his grandmother's log cabin. He remembers the water pump in his great grandfather's yard. When writing Blood of My Ancestor, I could envision the baseball game they played at the church picnic and how my great-grandmother threw herself upon the grave of my great-grandfather after he had died so young.

If we back track a little from the cemetery, we can easily find Killion Mill Road, home of Lark Ranch. So much to do here: Corn maze, hayride, train ride, slide mountain, mechanical bull, orbitron, jumping pillow, barrel ride, corn cannon, animal farm and a zipline, just to name a few. Tickets are inexpensive, and this is good family fun.

My apologies, but I don't remember how to get back from Lark Ranch, so I must backtrack to Mount Calvary Road. Staying on Mount Calvary Road, following the road around, you'll see some of the most beautiful country you've ever seen and will finally end up back in the city of Loogootee and US 150/50.

This ends our short tour of Loogootee, but you can see the city offers so many amenities. It is a worthwhile place to visit and to vacation! A Tour Through Martin County - Part Two
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Photo Credit: Montgomery Catholic Church. By Chris Flook [CC BY-SA 4.0  (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0)], from Wikimedia Commons)

© 2022 by December Moonlight Publishing, LLC