My Husband’s Final Three Days

My Life with Kenny

Kenneth Wayne Farmer  (1960-2023)

My Husband’s Final Three Days
____________________ 

by Carolyn Farmer

The University of Louisville Hospital, as you may have guessed, is a teaching hospital. Doctors round each day with their students, and it felt like Kenny had a different doctor every single day while he was there. Every single day, the diagnoses and prognoses would be different. I would send a text out telling everyone what the doctor had said and quite literally, the next minute, another healthcare worker would tell me something completely different. I believe the disconnect was the copious amount of wine Kenny had been drinking. Drinking oneself to death is pretty common, actually. I know it now, but not then. Nor was this a diagnosis some wanted to accept, and I understand. Even so, alcohol abuse was listed on his death certificate as the contributing cause of his death. His severe outbreak of psoriasis didn't help.

Friday, March 17, 2023

U of L is BUSY. The Neuro ICU, where Kenny died, was a bustling hub of activity. Still, everyone there was sure to be quiet, because it was the Neuro ICU. People are trying to recover and noise can hinder that recovery, particularly those with neurological disorders.  And so I sat with my husband, as I had been doing the past 3 weeks, quietly reading and talking to him, even though he was unresponsive. Lunch was sushi in the cafeteria. I have a laundry list of foods I cannot eat, and I was ever so grateful for that sushi. Afternoons again were for quiet reading. Noise of any kind was strictly prohibited.

I cannot drive in the dark, because I cannot see in the dark. And this was a particularly dark March, I felt, not to mention that Louisville is an hour ahead of Evansville. I wouldn't be able to get on the interstate from my hotel to the hospital until nearly 7 am, because of the dark. Believe me, I tried. I decided to drive in the dark to the hospital one morning, and it was a disaster. I will never do it again. I nearly wrecked the car and thank God for his grace, I didn't, but I came awfully close. In the afternoons, I would leave the hospital around 4, so that I could be in the hotel room and settled before the darkness set in.

Saturday, March 18, 2023

Saturday morning, I received great news!!! After many back-and-forth conversations, Kenny was approved for in-home hospice care. I was told to immediately leave for Evansville, where hospice would meet me, so that we could get the bedroom set up with a hospital bed and everything else I would need to take care of my husband. I was very excited on the drive home. Kenny was going to be able to come home! How grateful I was that he had finally been approved. I was going to bring Kenny home!

I wasn't back in Evansville for a minute when hospice called. The hospital, they said, had changed its mind - again. And then the hospital called to tell me that Kenny had taken a turn for the worst. That meant getting right back into the car and heading right back to the hospital - another 2-hour drive. Fortunately my daughter and future son-in-law decided to come get me and take me to the hospital, so that I wouldn't have to drive any more that day. And that's what we did. We drove back to Louisville.

I also had reached out to one of our church's vicars, Jason, to see if he could come deliver what you might call "last rites." I knew for certain by this time that my husband's death was imminent, and it was going to take place in Louisville. Jason was pleased, he said, to drive to Louisville to minister to my husband. When Jason got there, it was a quiet jubilation, a true celebration of Kenny's life and Kenny's Lutheran faith. We prayed together, Jason quietly played hymns on his phone, he blessed my husband, and "gave" him last communion - which, of course, Kenny could not ingest, so Jason improvised the best he could. The nurse thought Kenny would die the minute they took him off high-flow oxygen. So, while Jason was there, she turned it off. But he didn't die. He started breathing on his own.

After two hours, Jason headed back to Evansville. Later, Stephanie, Chris, and I got a hotel room together. We would go back the next morning to the hospital.

Sunday, March 19, 2023

Just a repeat of the same. Sitting with Kenny. Listening to him breathe. Praying. But Chris had to work the next morning, so we, unfortunately, had to leave the hospital later that afternoon. I was dependent on Chris for my transportation; I had no choice but to come back to Evansville. We had gotten to Corydon - about 40 minutes from the hospital - when the hospital called to tell us to please come back, because Kenny's passing was imminent. And so, we went back, but he wasn't passing. We sat with him nearly two more hours, but he looked exactly the same as when we had left the first time. Chris was desperate to get back to Evansville, because of his work. And so, we left once more. Kenny was not alone, however, because thankfully his children had come to be with him.

Once I got back to Evansville that Sunday evening, I checked in with Kenny's nurse several times, and I was assured that Kenny was going to live through the night. The nurse was positive of it. And so, I reserved a hotel room for the next evening and planned to once more head to Louisville the next morning as soon as it was light outside. Unfortunately, Kenny passed that evening. The nurse called to let me know.

Evansville is essentially a small town and gossip travels fast, especially on social media. People were and still are angry at me with how I handled my husband's illness and death. Some also didn't understand that U of L has a no tolerance policy for visitors who, in their grief, get a bit out of hand. People were demanding answers from me, and I just didn't have them. On those last 3 days, all I knew was that my husband indeed was going to die, and that I was going to become a widow. I didn’t have room for anything else. Not only that, the hospital didn't have the answers, either. Again, so much of what happened was disconnected. One day it was like this, and the next day it was like that.

I loved Kenny very much. He came back into my life at a time when I really needed him. And he needed me, too. I can't tell you how many hours I held onto that man while he was crying over his second wife leaving him. He never got over it, but he did get through it. I know how much Kenny did for me and is still blessing me to this day.

We only ended up with 9 years together as a couple, but in those 9 years, we were truly helpmates to each other. I miss Kenny dearly and will continue to miss him the rest of my life. But I know where he's at, and I know he's safe, and I know we will be together again, even though, if I could have my way, Kenny would walk through the front door this very minute.

© 2023 by December Moonlight Publishing, LLC

Kenneth Wayne Farmer, My Beloved Husband

My Life with Kenny 

Kenneth Wayne Farmer (1960-2023)

My Beloved Husband
____________________ 

by Carolyn Farmer

I met my third husband, Kenny Farmer, in 1977 when I was 16. We had just moved to Evansville, Indiana, and I enrolled for my junior year at Benjamin Bosse High School. Kenny and I were both in the jazz band, and we were friends. Not great friends, mind you, as I almost immediately hooked up with someone after moving here. But friends nonetheless.

After graduation, he went the way of finding a career as a union electrician while I myself went onto college. And that was that. When Facebook came along, though, Kenny friended me, and we had a ball catching up - through Facebook - not only remembering all the things that happened during jazz band at Bosse, but also everything that had happened the past 40 years since. And once again, that was that.

It wasn't until 2014 that we found each other once again. My second husband had filed for divorce and Kenny's second wife had left him. We were both lost and were both seriously pretty beat up. It made sense for us to get together and try to help each other through. And that's what we did. And we had a blast - not only reminiscing about our high school days but also talking through an entire lifetime of things that had happened since. We were a good match. We both loved to sing. We both loved going to church. We loved the same kind of TV shows and the same kinds of foods. We found that we had the same sense of humor. We were both Trekkies, and we watched every single Star Trek episode ever made IN ORDER. Not once but TWICE. Our chemistry together just worked.

I was working at St. Mark's Lutheran as organist and choir director at the time we got together, and it was a very good job. Kenny was going to Redeemer Lutheran, and he asked if I would quit St. Mark's and accompany him full-time to Redeemer. I had to think about it long and hard, because it was a good sum of money that I'd be walking away from. But he promised he would support me financially, and with that, I joined Kenny in the music program at Redeemer. It was magical. Honestly, it really was. Watch Kenny sing a small portion of "This Little Light of Mine" in this short clip with the Redeemer choir. I am first row, way over in the corner, in a black sweater and white pants, standing next to my dear friend, Monica Karsten.

It wasn't long after that Kenny asked me to move in with him. My daughter needed a place to call home anyway, and this was the perfect solution. Stephanie could live in the house I own with her boyfriend, and I could live with my friend, Kenny. We had become inseparable as it were, so I was glad to be able to be with him day and night. This arrangement continued for a while.

It was during this time that I wrote my third and last novel. It was also during this time that Kenny and I started The Uplifters Choir.  Our goal with the choir was to sing at a nursing home at least once a month, particularly to the homes that care for the Alzheimer's patients. Kenny's mom had Alzheimer's by this time, so it was something very dear to his heart. The Uplifters Choir was a smashing success, and Kenny and I had so much fun just being with these wonderful people, going out to eat with them and singing together. (Click on photos to enlarge.)

The Uplifters sing Heaven Bound. Notice Kenny at about the 2:08 mark, and you'll see for yourself how much he loved to sing!

I was so proud that Kenny was a union electrician working out of IBEW Local Union 16. He spent most of his 38 years as an electrician at Mel-Kay Electric. I loved hearing the stories of the old days when Mel Kallenbach was the head guy, who had founded Mel-Kay Electric in 1951. Kenny always spoke with such nostalgia about how hard the "old guys" were on him as a young man. He looked forward to the days when he would be one of the "old guys." I didn't quite understand then how much his entire identity was wrapped up in being a union electrician. I understand it now, unfortunately, very well.

Kenny and I continued on with our life together, eventually marrying in 2017. 

We got a cat together.

We went to the IBEW/JATC dinners - what fun!

And this was our life together. We sang together, even at home. He cooked meals for me, and I cooked meals for him. He always lamented that we didn't get together in high school. He loved me very much, and I loved him back just as much.

Kenny was also very proud of the three books I had written, and he always accompanied me to all those events. He was such a great helper, setting everything up for me. Every single time.

In 2018, I decided I would like a last hurrah as an organist at a church. Concordia Lutheran Church on the north side of Evansville, at the same time, was looking for an organist. I applied, and Kenny and I started going there together. Their set-up was much different than Redeemer, in that the organist is on the same floor as the congregation and could be seen by most of the congregation. I have never been one to have a page turner, but Kenny wanted to turn my pages. So I let him. He enjoyed being seen, so he loved it. He would secretly record my playing on his phone. And everyone at Concordia absolutely loved Kenny, and we thrived there.

You can't see his face in this short video clip, but you can hear his beautiful voice. He is in the turquoise.

Before the pandemic hit, Kenny and I went to Martin County, Indiana, and spent the entire weekend with some of my cousins. It was truly a magical weekend.

And then the pandemic hit. Kenny and I were very careful, more careful than most, I think. We still got Covid together in December, 2020. He was sicker than I, but he recovered. To this day, I still cannot smell. My daughter - Kenny's bonus daughter - took care of us. She went to the store for us and made sure we had everything we needed. The price she paid was getting sick with Covid herself.

Kenny spent a lot of time with my daughter, Stephanie. He loved her fiercely and she loved him the same. He saved her 21st birthday party after having been dumped by her long-time boyfriend. He took us to Louisville, and we ate at Joe's Crab Shack. She usually came over on Sundays and spent the afternoon/evening with Kenny and I, and, after she enrolled in Ivy Tech to become a chef, she started cooking for us as well. We called it "Sunday Dinner," and Kenny looked forward to it every week.

Kenny was so proud when Stephanie graduated and became a bona fide Chef. (Note on the photo: I gained 20 pounds sitting on the couch with my husband!)

This is Stephanie's tribute tattoo in memory of the only man she called Dad. Kenny loved his big green egg, and he loved his tomato plants.

Somewhere around 2021, Kenny and I made the decision to leave Concordia, and we weren't sure where we were going to land. Of course, we wanted to go back to Redeemer, but again, we were the careful ones. We watched Redeemer on-line for a time, but then, finally, early in 2022, we went back in person. I also started to notice at this time a mental decline in my husband. He was getting confused at things that shouldn't be confusing. I would tell him a grand story with much animation, and he would answer with "OK." He had become forgetful, and, to that end, he started declining at work. His work. His 38 years as a union electrician, and he wasn't getting the job done anymore. He had become moody and was snapping at people, so much so, that they told him over the phone - and I heard it - that "nobody wants to work with you anymore." This upset him greatly.

I also asked him to change out light fixtures in the kitchen of the home I own. He couldn't do it. He was looking all over the house for the instructions on how to change the light fixtures out. A union electrician of 38 years was looking for instructions on how to change out a simple light fixture.

And then, in August 2022, Mel-Kay laid him off permanently. He just wasn't getting the job done. An estimator, for example, might tell the client that the job would take 2 days, and it was taking Kenny 5 to get it done. And they weren't very nice about it, either. It was pretty much "don't let the door hit you on the way out." And I get it. I know that a company has to make money, and that the estimates have to be correct or they'll lose credibility. Believe me, I get it. But how about this? Thanks for 38 years. We're having a retirement party for you on Wednesday after work. We'll provide all the food. And here's an engraved watch! A huge thank you and shout out for 38 years of service! Happy retirement, Kenny! You deserve it! How about that? There was nothing. It was "Here's your final check. Goodbye."

Kenny was devastated. He talked for three weeks on the phone to anyone who would listen about how wronged he had been. And then an offer to work for the city came through! All was saved! Or so it seemed for a little while. Kenny, however, was unable to pass the physical. And then, his psoriasis came back with a vengeance, and the doctor seemingly could not help him to get rid of it. He was doing light therapy, and all it was doing was burning his skin. He went to see our nurse practitioner, and I'm kicking myself to this day for not going with him, but he didn't like me going to the doctor with him. I have no idea what happened at that appointment, but nothing was done to help. Kenny was a very good actor, though.  If he wanted her to think that nothing was wrong, he could make her think that. With great ease.

But more than that, Kenny was drinking. A lot. In the mornings, he had started to pour glasses of wine, and sat on the couch all the day long, watching TV. This started occurring on a daily basis. From the time he got up in the morning to the time he went to bed, he would drink. Even in the middle of the night, I might get up to pee, and there he was, sitting on the couch, drinking.

Let me clarify, since I was told after his death that Kenny didn't drink wine but only beer. (I was also told that he didn't drink.) I'm a wine drinker. I love wine, and I don't like beer. Kenny and I would have a few glasses of wine together before bed, and so, he became a wine drinker. But this was different. He began to drink so much that he was drunk all day long. He would nap, and then get up and drink some more. He stopped eating. He stopped going out, except to buy more wine. He stopped doing anything except going to church. He always wanted to go to church, even though he could hardly muster the energy to even shower. I tried to make his favorite foods, but he just wasn't interested. I bought an RV hoping we could travel together since he was forced to retire. He was excited about it at first, but when it came time to actually doing the travel, he wasn't interested.

I pleaded with him. I begged. And then, when that didn't work to get him off the couch,  I decided that I would be the best wife I could possibly be under the circumstances and just love him the best I could, take care of him best I could, and to be kind no matter what. Even when he was so intoxicated, he was unable to get off the floor. And Kenny was fairly heavy. There certainly was no way I would ever be able to get that much dead weight off the floor. I would have to wait for him to sober up enough to get himself up. Besides, he was combative anytime I did try to help.

I started sitting down with him everyday in the afternoon and watching TV with him on the couch until it was time for bed. We watched the entire One Chicago series from the beginning, and I believe that's saying something! We watched Jeopardy on a daily basis. And Yellowstone. And Shark Tank. And he absolutely loved watching Pawn Stars. He was so looking forward to the third season of "Picard." I would tell him every morning what time I would be able to sit down with him and watch TV that particular day. And when that time came, he would holler to me saying, "Let's get to watching!"

And that's what we did every afternoon and every evening for months until the day I was forced to call an ambulance. He didn't want to go in the ambulance, either. He was very combative, yelling and resisting, that the paramedics had to restrain him. They were, at least, nice about it.

At first, when St. Vincent life-flighted Kenny to Louisville, I was hopeful that I would bring him home. After a few days, I realized the man I would bring home was going to be mentally deficient. I was ready and willing to take care of him no matter what. But after three weeks with no improvement whatsoever, the doctor told me they wanted to put him back on the ventilator for the third time, which was going to lead to a tracheotomy, and that he would never be able to eat again. Because the fluids kept building up in his lungs, they needed to continually suction the fluids off, which was obviously quite painful for Kenny. The nurse had to put the suction pretty far down his throat, and his eyes would get so big every time they did it - once every few hours. He would look at me with those eyes, and I felt like he was asking for help to make it stop. He had become nonverbal by this time, and the way he communicated with me was with his eyes. They continued to poke and prod him, pricking his fingers, trying to find ways to get blood from veins that kept collapsing. At one point, they came in and put leads all over his head, looking for signs of a stroke. I finally said no more. Hospice wholeheartedly agreed with me. It was hospice, with my permission, who took him off all the machines, and we allowed him to die with dignity.

The doctors were unsure of what was wrong with him. They knew his condition was caused by excessive alcohol consumption - sometimes Kenny would drink an entire box of wine in a single day - 170 ounces of alcohol. But exactly what was wrong, they were unsure. And I'm pretty sure that is consistent with a patient who has drank way too much alcohol for way too long. I was told time and time again, usually in amazement, about how full he was of alcohol when he was first admitted.

Early in his hospitalization, he had actually been taken out of the ICU and put onto a regular floor, but that only lasted a few hours. The doctors believed that the stress of what he was going through caused him to have a stroke, maybe even a series of strokes, but they could not confirm it. He was quickly taken back to the ICU after that, and that is where he would die, even though I begged them to let me bring him home. The two-hour drive, even in an ambulance, they said, would just be too hard on him.

I'm not sure exactly how relationships work in heaven, but Jesus did say that at the resurrection, people will not marry. I have made the decision, however, that I will not remarry. And when my last breath here on earth occurs, I do want to see Jesus. But I also am looking forward to being with Kenny again, singing together once more with my husband and definitely going to church together.

Kenny's last words to me were, "I will never leave you." He said those words to me right before he had the probable stroke that left him unable to speak ever again. And he was right. Kenny is still in my heart, and the memories I have of him will continue to be with me until the day I see him again.

© 2023 by December Moonlight Publishing, LLC

Seaman John Raymond Lyon (1899-1918)

The Lyon Family of Martin County, Indiana

Seaman John Raymond Lyon (1899-1918)

____________________ 

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.)

__________

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

Carrie Mae Lyon (1901-1972)

The Lyon Family of Martin County, Indiana

Carrie Mae Lyon (1901-1972)
____________________ 

by Carolyn Ann Howard 

Carrie Mae Lyon was born 29 July 1901 to Joel Lyon and his third wife, Adaline Cannon Lyon. Joel's other two wives were deceased by the time of his marriage to Adaline. Because of the brutal murder of Adaline in 1903, Carrie probably knew very little about her mom, even though she was present at the time of the murder, as an infant. My hypotheses is that she was reared not only by her father, who didn't marry again after the murder, but also by her stepsisters, Sarah and Gertrude Grace. Sarah and Gertrude were very close with their father. Carrie was born in a little hamlet called Goldsberry Hollow or "Holler" as the locals say. This was located in Brown Township in Martin County, Indiana. By the way, Adaline's murderer was Carrie's step-brother, Joel's eldest son, Arthur. He killed himself 5 days later.

The first census we have for Carrie is 1910. She was listed as living with her father there in Brown Township. Joel's daughter, Gertrude, was with them as "Gertie." She was listed as married. Indeed, she was also listed on the 1910 census Mitcheltree Township in Martin County, Indiana, along with her husband and two children, Alma and Mable. Those two little girls were also on the 1910 census with their grandfather, Joel. It has been my observation that neither Sarah nor Gertie had the ideal marriage nor the "traditional" type of household. It seems like, after their stepmother's murder, they felt obligated to care for the three babies she left behind. Carrie's brothers were also on the 1910 census - John and Everett.

Joel Lyon's 3 beautiful children with my grand aunt Adaline
Carrie is on the left
Photo courtesy of Beth Willis

I have often wondered how Carrie made it out of childhood without serious mental trauma, but I really think it was her stepsisters as well as her brothers who made it happen. It seemed to be one tragedy after another, for Carrie's father was killed when a brutal tornado went through Goldsberry Hollow in 1915. It not only took Joel Lyon's life, but it also leveled their beautiful home. And then, in 1918, her eldest brother, John, died from pneumonia at a naval hospital in Pennsylvania. He had been a sailor with the U.S. Navy. So, at the age of 16, she had already lost both of her parents, a brother, and a step-brother.

I don't know how she met her husband, Wayne Bogard. It might be that she was living in Washington, Indiana, after her childhood home had been destroyed from the storm. The children didn't rebuild, although I think it was her step-brother George "Ed" who ended up with it. I have a query in at the Martin County Historical Society concerning this and will update this blog as soon as I find anything out about that. It also occurred to me that her brothers did odd jobs in construction. Wayne Bogard also worked in construction.

Carrie Lyon with her brother Everett
She has the build of a Cannon, just like her mother did
Taken shortly after her marriage to Wayne
Courtesy of Jim Lyon Family Collection with many thanks

Carrie and Wayne were married in December 1918 in Washington, Indiana. In the 1920 census, Wayne was a "concrete worker" at "concrete yard." He would be in this line of work his entire life. It makes me happy to know that Carrie understood that her father was born in New Jersey. On her death certificate, the informant, which was one of her children, didn't know her mother's maiden name. He also stated that her father was Joseph Cline. He really was Joel Lyon. Carrie's mother-in-law was a Cline. There are 4 different Bogard households on their census page. Carrie was 7-8 months pregnant for this census. They lived at 1308 East Grove Street in Washington.

Wayne and Carrie's first child, Wayne II, was born 29 Feb 1920.  How happy her father, Joel, would have been to have yet another grandson. Joel loved children. Carrie would go on to have 6 children who lived to adulthood: Wayne II, Norman, Mardenna, Noel, Joan, and Wilma. Her daughter, Geneva, who was born 01 May 1926, died 11 months later of measles. What a sad occurrence for any mother. Measles vaccines weren't available until 1963.

Something very interesting occurred in the 1930 census. Wayne and Carrie Bogard were no longer in Washington. Indiana. They, along with their living children, were in Parker Township, Clark County, Illinois on page 3! Wayne was listed as a "laborer" on a "general farm". On page 5, we have Carrie's step-sister, Gertrude, living with her third husband, Andrew Barbee, and her daughter from her first marriage, Helen. Helen, who was born in or around 1912, had gotten scarlet fever as an infant that left her blind and hard-of-hearing. She had other disabilities as well, but I don't understand fully her condition. I do know that she was loved. On page 10 is Carrie's niece, Gertrude's daughter, Alma, living with her husband and their three children. I have no idea why Wayne and Carrie would have moved to Clark County, Illinois or what might have been occurring with Gertrude that may have needed their help.

Wayne and Carrie were back in Washington, Indiana by 1935, according to the 1940 census.

In 1939, more tragedy struck. Wayne and Carrie's son, Wayne II, ran over a bicyclist with his car, who died. In the Washington Herald of 07 July 1939, the accident was THE headline. "BOY ON BICYCLE FATALLY INJURED." It's been a long time since I took Highway 57 into Washington, Indiana. With the building of Interstate 69, it's just now a straight shot from Evansville. I don't remember a hill, either, but that, too, could've been leveled since 1939. At any rate, a bicycle was slowly going up a steep hill. Do you remember going up steep hills on your own bike? It's been a long time since I've been on a steep hill on a bike, but I remember swinging side to side first on my left and then on my right, just trying to get the momentum going. Wayne Bogard II just so happened to be behind that bicycle in his car with another friend, who was riding in the passenger seat. Wayne said, "[the bicyclist] was weaving slightly back and forth as he rode slowly up the hill," and the bicyclist came over in front of his car, and Wayne hit him. The boy died at the hospital a short time later. I'm sure Carrie was just beside herself over it.

When I was first married in the early 1980s, I worked at Target on the north side of Evansville, Indiana. To get home, I had to drive my little Datsun up a steep hill that ended with a stop light. I hated that stop light, because I'd have to be on my brakes and on the gas at the same time to be able to "go" when the stop light turned green and not roll backwards down the hill. It was very much of a jalopy, that car. I don't imagine the car Wayne was driving that fateful day in 1939 was much better, as cars were still quite new. I remember my late father talking about their car as a child in the 1930s and how they would have to get out and push it whenever they came to a hill. 

The deceased boy's mother filed a lawsuit against Wayne II for personal damages, asking for $5325. She was awarded $2500 after Wayne defaulted, not attending the trial. I'm guessing he was busy with his Air Force duties at the time, but I have no idea why he didn't attend. He may not even have been stateside at that time. All the information about the accident came from the Washington, Indiana newspapers, which are available at NewspaperArchives.com.

On the 1940 census record, we learn that Carrie only had a fourth-grade education. That is better than some in her generation. Wayne completed eighth grade. They lived on Veale Creek Road, and their home value was $2,000. Pretty good for 1940. In 2023, Washington has no Veale Creek Road, but on Google Maps, I see a Veale Creek Church and a Veale Creek Theater. The old Veale Creek Baptist Church Cemetery is on Indiana State Highway 257. On this census, Wayne was listed as a contractor of "building construction." His worker class was "own account," which means he was self-employed. Their eldest, Wayne II, was, as stated before, away from the home serving in the military. The next eldest, 17-year old Norman, was working as a gas station attendant. Mardenna, 16, was doing housework in a private home.

In 1941, Carrie's son, Noel, was hit by a car. Noel was 12 at the time. This accident was on the front page of the Washington [Indiana] Democrat. The headline that same day was "Soviets Slow Down Nazi Advance." What a terrifying time! The article stated that Noel hurt his knees and that the bicycle had some damage as well.

Then the unspeakable happened. Carrie lost her 43-year-old husband to heart disease. I couldn't find a long obit which floors me, as I'm sure the Bogards were prominent citizens of Washington. A short obit in the Evansville, Indiana newspaper yields no new information. Wayne left behind two daughters at home, 10-year-old Joan and 7-year-old Wilma.

In the 1950 census, Carrie is in Indianapolis, living with her daughter, Mardenna, along with Joan and Wilma. Clues as to how they got there, though, are not forthcoming. It may be that it was a family decision to move there, as Norman and Noel followed.  Wayne would eventually get there as well. A search on NewspaperArchive - because they are the ones that have the Washington, Indiana newspapers - give a few clues. In 1944, Carrie and Mardenna attended Wayne II's ceremony where he received his pilot's wings and commission. They returned home to Washington. In 1945, a short blurb states that Mardenna was back in Washington after visiting Wayne II in Texas.

Mardenna had married a soldier, Oral Collins, 13 Jul 1940. They were stationed in California, and she filed for divorce in San Bernadino 24 Jan 1942, right before the death of her father. She may never have gone back to San Bernadino after her father died, taking care of her mother instead. I'm sure this was a godsend to Carrie, and perhaps to Mardenna as well. One can't know for sure what goes on behind closed doors, but it doesn't appear that this marriage was going great. Ancestry, however, shows that Mardenna married Oral once more in 1957. Ancestry has documentation that she then married Louis Salvaggio  09 Mar 1958 and also Richard Hayes on 23 Dec 1958. Talk about a whirlwind! We'll have to dive into all that at a later date! So interesting!

Back to the 1950 census, Mardenna was listed as divorced, waiting tables in a cafe. Carrie was "at home." Joan, 17-years-old, worked in "hosiery manufacturing." The youngest, 15-year-old, Wilma was listed with no occupation.

And, once again, that's about it for documentation on Ancestry. How I wish we had the 1960 census records, too! I have a few city directory entries for Carrie, but all-in-all, it looks like she did really well, even though I'm sure she missed her husband greatly. Her two sons, Noel and Norman, were also in Indianapolis having started United Home Improvements, Inc., working as contractors. Ah! They followed in the footsteps of their father. Carrie started drawing her Social Security at 65, and I'm positive that she was surrounded by her family most of the time.

Carrie's son, Noel, in his obituary, it is stated that he had a boat in Cape Coral, Florida. Apparently the family frequented this location, and Noel never seemingly turned anyone down for a boat ride. How fun!

Carrie died 15 May 1972 in Indianapolis at St. Francis Hospital of heart disease. She was 70, and the last of her five siblings and step-siblings to go.

In loving memory of Joel Lyon (1853-1915) and Adaline Cannon Lyon (1872-1903). Their descendants are grateful, and Joel and Addie would have been very proud.

© 2023 by December Moonlight Publishing, LLC

Arthur "Edward" Pfingston (1882-1967)

 John Heinrich Pfingston Family Line

Arthur "Edward" Pfingston (1882-1967)

____________________

by Carolyn Ann Howard

Arthur "Edward" Pfingston was born, he stated on his World War II draft registration, on "Green River Island" in Kentucky in 1882. That already is interesting. Located on the banks of the Ohio River, it may have been, at one time, an actual island. Present day, however, it is home to Ellis Park Racing and is the area just before you cross the south bridge taking you over the Ohio River into Henderson, Kentucky.  The area before you get to the Twin Bridges feels like Indiana, but it is definitely Kentucky. In fact, in 1890, Indiana sued Kentucky for the land, resulting in a Supreme Court hearing. The Supreme Court sided with Kentucky, stating that the river's ebb and flow throughout the years had caused boundaries to be changed physically. [1] Click on photos to enlarge.

Looking North from The Twin Bridges
Ellis Park is in the background
The Ohio River is on the left
Photo Courtesy Google Maps
Proper Attribution Given

Pop, as he was affectionately known, was the son of John Lewis Pfingston and Emma Beach. Two years prior to his birth, in the 1880 census, John Lewis and Emma lived with quite a conglomeration of people. On the 1880 census, we have as head of the family William Beach, Pop's grandfather, listed as a farmer, along with his wife and 6 children. After that are 2 borders, whose occupation was "works on farm." Then we have Pop's father, John Lewis Pfingston, along with his wife and daughter. He was also listed as a farmer. Then Mary Reece, who was listed as a daughter, but she wasn't. She might have been a cousin. Then we have another boarder who "works on farm." The next family to be listed on the census is Lewis Beach, also listed as a farmer, along with his wife and children. That is why I think that the Pfingstons and the Beaches were working a huge farming operation. On a side-note, all of the adults are listed as being illiterate. Illiteracy was a huge problem at this time with the rural farmers, and they were embarrassed that they were unable to read or write. District schools would soon fix this problem for the younger ones.

The first document we have for Pop is the 1900 census record. The family was living in "Upper Henderson County." Pop's father, John Lewis, had done really well for himself, working his own big farm. They had 3 farmhands living with them. The two younger ones could read and write; the older one could not. However, each child has had 3 months of school, and everyone in the household, except for the younglings and the older farmhand, can read and write. Yay! Pop's dad rented the farm, but even so, he looks to be pretty successful.

On 02 Aug 1903, 21-year-old Pop married his second cousin, Flora Alice Vogt, who was 15. Their common ancestor was Pop's paternal great-grandfather, Johann Heinrich Pfingston. This man, according to other Ancestry family trees, came to Evansville, Indiana from Hannover, Germany. For my readers unfamiliar with my neck of the woods, Evansville and Newburgh, Indiana, and Henderson and the ghost town Scuffletown, Kentucky are all so close together, that today they are adjacent to each other. The only thing that separates the Indiana and Kentucky cities is the Ohio River. And so, the Evansville, Newburgh, Henderson and Scuffletown Pfingstons all are descended from Johann Heinrich Pfingston, as far as I have been able to tell. Flora, who was lovingly called Mom, and Pop's marriage announcement was posted in the Evansville Journal. It is quite likely that they lived with Flora's mom, as was the custom at that time. She lived, funnily enough, on Lover's Lane, close to Green River Road, very near to the Ohio River.

By the time of the 1910 census, Pop and Mom were in Scuffletown, Indiana with the rest of the rabble. It is funny how Pop's brother, John Louis Pfingston, spoke so fondly of the place where he grew up and how not so fondly my mother remembered it.

I've written about Scuffletown before on this blog, the main post being here. (Link opens in a new window.) It was a drinking town, a rowdy, rambunctious, drinking town full of riverboat men. My grandmother bragged about how much alcohol was sold in their store - well, it wasn't their store. They ran it, but it belonged, as did most everything in Scuffletown, to one man: Will Dempewolf. The Pfingstons ran the ferry that went back and forth from Scuffletown to Indiana at a place called Cyprus Beach, where the impressive Newburgh Locks and Dam now stand. And with that, many of my relatives on my mother's side were at Scuffletown, making their livings, laughing, learning at the new school, and, for my mother, somehow being traumatized. She took her refuge with Mom and Pop.

From L to R
Mom, my grandmother Anna Bell, my mom, Pop
On the front porch of my grandmother's house
In or around 1957
Carolyn Ann Howard Family Collection

Pop did what all young men were required to do in 1917, he registered for the draft. On his draft registration, he stated he lived in Reed, Kentucky, which is very close to Scuffletown. Since he was a farmer, this makes sense that he didn't live "in town." For his next-of-kin, he didn't list his wife but his mother, Emma. Interesting. His height was 5' 6" with brown hair and dark eyes.

Pop lost two sisters after this, Sally in November, 1918, and Hattie in February, 1919. I don't have any information on Sally, but Hattie died from peritonitis from a ruptured gall bladder, according to her death certificate. My mind immediately goes to the Spanish Flu anytime an ancestor has died between the years 1918-1920.

In the 1920 census, Pop and Mom were still at Scuffletown. The census record says "Point." That was another name for the town at that time. They are there with their children: Ellwood, my grandmother Anna Bell, Harry, and Owen. A daughter, Hazel, had already died in infancy. Poor Mom. Pop was still farming.

Pop's father, John Lewis, died 07 Jan 1924 at the age of 65 of stomach cancer. This was so common at the time. Canned goods, lack of refrigeration, and lack of government regulation over foods were just part of the problem. After his father's death, Pop's mom, Emma, moved permanently into the home of her daughter, Percie, who lived in Evansville.

In the 1930 census, we learn from that "E" in the column "work class," that Pop ran his own farm. The "E" stands for "employer." He's there on the census with Mom and just Owen. Anna Bell and Harry are married by now, but where is Ellwood? Here's the census record problem with Ellwood. In the 1910 census, it shows him as being born in the 1906-1907 time frame. But then in 1920, it shows him as being born in the 1916-1917 time frame. My only guess is that the census enumerator misunderstood Ellwood's age, that he was 15 and not 5 in 1920, and that his birth date of 22 Nov 1906 is absolutely correct. Ellwood wasn't there in 1930, because he was married and out on his own. (Click on photos to enlarge.)

L to R: Pop, Mom, Mom's Sister, Daughter Anna Bell
Carolyn Ann Howard Family Collection

Mom and Her Sister
1961
Carolyn Ann Howard Family Collection

Big changes were in store for the residents of Scuffletown, for it had been decided in 1932 to build a bridge between Evansville, IN and Henderson, KY. Most everyone was excited about the bridges, the Evansville Courier and Journal touting that, because of the bridges, "[Evansville] Now Nerve Center of Great Economic Empire." [2] According to Bob Schaub, quoted by Brad Awe in the University of Southern Indiana's Archives, Evansville's county of Vanderburgh contributed one-fourth of the cost needed to construct the bridges. Indiana put up another fourth. The bridge, in it's entirety, is located in Kentucky. The total cost of the bridge: $2,142,876. [3] 

I'm guessing the Twin Bridges might be what drove Pop Pfingston and his three sons to Evansville, for by 1933, they were all in a house together at 505 N. Weinbach Avenue. And it could be that they needed his farmland for the bridges. I'm just speculating here. I don't know what goes into building bridges and how much land is required. But I do know that Pop and his boys came to Evansville. The sons got jobs at the refrigerator factory called Servel. Pop had various jobs listed in the city directories that we have of that decade between the 1930s and 40s: laborer, carpenter, farmer. My feeling is that he was helping to take care of his mother, who lived with his sister, Percie, just a mile away at 1121 E. Virginia Street. She lived so close that he could've walked. I don't know which one of them owned the house on Weinbach, whether it was Pop or one of his sons.

Early in the year of 1937, the Ohio River overflowed, flooding our four sister cities, Evansville, Newburgh, Henderson, and Scuffletown. It has been said that this flood was the death of Scuffletown. Pop's brother, John Louis, worked tirelessly through the night transporting people and animals on his ferry from Scuffletown to Newburgh. His transcribed interview is here. (Link opens in new window.) According to a Wikipedia article on that great flood, the water at Evansville rose to 54 feet. I know that Pop had a boat, because he was an avid fisherman. I don't know if he kept it at his house, but I hope he did so that he could get around. What a heartbreak that must have been, especially the harrowing rescue his brother did at Scuffletown. (Click on photos to enlarge.)

Franklin Street Evansville After the Flood
Courtesy Historic Evansville via USI Special Collections

Pop in Boat
Carolyn Ann Howard Family Collection

Pop's mother, Emma, died 02 Oct 1937 at the age of 76 of myocardial degeneration or heart disease, another turning point for Pop, a substantial one really. In the 1938 directory, he was listed as a carpenter, but in the 1939, he was listed once again as a farmer. I believe his thoughts were turning back to Scuffletown. There seemed to be somewhat of a revival after the 1937 flood. Perhaps it was just nostalgia for all involved, but Pop did move back to Scuffletown. He was there in the 1940 census with Mom and also with his Uncle John Beach. Pop was listed as a "merchant" in the "grocery." John was listed as a "boatman" of "ferry." The Cypress Beach Ferry of John Louis Pfingston (also owned by Dempewolf) had been bought out by the Owensboro (Kentucky) Bridge Commission after the installation of it's own bridge across the Ohio River to Indiana. They wanted to reduce competition. The Bridge Commission protested the opening of the Scuffletown Ferry Company of Henderson, but they were shot down. Pop's son, Harry, was living with his wife - just them, no brothers - at the home on Weinbach Avenue. Ellwood had moved to Mt. Vernon, Indiana, to a farm. Owen was with his wife at their home 3318 E. Chandler in Evansville.

On Pop's 1942 draft registration for World War II, he stated that he lived in Reed, Kentucky. His emergency contact - and maybe it had to be someone outside of your own household - was his son, Harry, whom he stated lived at 505 N. Winebauch [sic, but I thought it was really cute]. He stated that he was a self-employed merchant at Scuffletown, Kentucky. He was 5' 5-1/2" tall, weighed 165 pounds with gray hair, gray eyes, and sallow complexion. He also wrote that his right arm was crooked. I wonder why. Maybe he broke it at an earlier age?

And this is where we run out of records, for the last is the 1950 U.S. Federal Census. I decided to comb the newspapers once more to see if I could find anything else. The only thing I did find was that Scuffletown again flooded in 1945. That may of been the end of Scuffletown for Pop and Mom and everyone else. In the 1950 census record, Pop and Mom are listed with their son, Harry, along with his wife and two children. They are located at Green River Road in Evansville close to Pollack Avenue, near the river. Pop was once more listed as a farmer and Harry was working at Servel Refrigeration. Both Pop and Harry were marked with "P" codes, which meant they worked for someone else. Harry was a foreman working 40 hours/week. Pop worked 30 hours.

And that's it for the documentation on Ancestry. But these are my great-grandparents, and I was born before they died, so I know a few things. Mom had rheumatoid arthritis, and her fingers were crooked and deformed, according to my mother. She died in 1967 of a rare condition called subarachnoid hemorrhage, a bleeding of the brain. It presents as a severe headache and help must be gotten right away. It was probably over quickly. Rheumatoid arthritis was given as a secondary cause of death.

Pop and Mom standing outside their cottage
Carolyn Ann Howard Family Collection

Back to the 1950s. I don't know the timeline or how it was maneuvered exactly, but my maternal grandfather - if I understand correctly - did something astounding. He purchased a tract of land across from where the new Newburgh Locks and Dam now stand and divided it. A parcel for a church. A parcel for Pop and Mom, two for Harry, and then another to the Mortimers. He moved a small cottage to the land for Pop and Mom to live in. Harry pulled a trailer in and built an addition on the back. I'm not sure if any money exchanged hands, but I'm guessing it did. My grandfather built his permanent home in or around 1953. Harry lost his job at Servel when they went out of business in 1957. Owen, who also worked for Servel, moved to California and Ellwood stayed in Mt. Vernon.

I don't have any memories of my great-grandmother Mom, but I have one of Pop. That was after he went to the nursing home. He wanted me to sit on his lap, and I absolutely refused. I was terrified of him, and as a probable 5-year-old at the time, it is totally understandable. Pop died 13 Nov 1967 at Baker Nursing Home in Boonville, IN from heart failure. He was 85.

© 2022 by December Moonlight Publishing, LLC

_____

[1] Twelve Mile Circle. “Green River Island.” Twelve Mile Circle - An Appreciation of Unusual Places, 07 Jan. 2022, www.howderfamily.com/blog/green-river-island/. Accessed 23 Dec 2022.

[2] Foster, Fred. “Bridges Enable Evansville to Fulfill Destiny.” Evansville Courier & Journal, 03 July 1932, pg. 6.

[3] Awe, Brad. “Twin Bridges over the Ohio River in Evansville, Indiana.” University Archives and Special Collections, University of Southern Indiana, https://digitalarchives.usi.edu/digital/collection/RLIC/id/25567/.

Theron Dodson Howard (1886-1943)

Johann Gottfried Hauer (John Godfrey Howard) Family Line

Theron Dodson Howard (1886-1943)

A Union Carpenter Who Moved Around A LOT!
____________________

by Carolyn Ann Howard

Theron Dodson Howard was born 09 May 1886 to Merritt M. Howard and Emma Dodson in Wyoming County, New York. The first census record we have for Theron is the 1892 New York State census. In this census, its just Theron and his parents. His father was listed as a carpenter.

In the 1900 U.S. Federal Census, Theron and his parents were at 35 Bank Street in Batavia. This address is now a parking lot. Amazingly, since pregnancy rates were high at that time, it is still just 14-year-old Theron with his parents. One might think that Emma had had several pregnancies that ended with a death, but, according to this census, she has had only one child, and that child was living. Theron's father, Merritt, was listed as a "day laborer." Theron was listed "at school." He was in the 9th grade.

In the 1905 New York Census, Theron was already 19! He was listed as a day laborer and his father as a builder. Emma was also on the census with them, listed as "housework."

By the 1910 U.S. Federal Census, the family was all still together and in a respectable neighborhood at 44 Tracy Avenue in Batavia. I doubt the house was purple back then, but it looks really nice. The parents Merritt and Emma were there and so was Theron and his new wife, Ethel Lizabeth Forbes. The patriarch, Merritt, was listed as a "contractor" of "house."  Theron's occupation was the same. Theron's new wife, Ethel, was listed as a "seamstress at home." Sweet! Also sweet was that Theron and Ethel had a new son, 2-year-old Edward Merritt Howard.

Present Day - 44 Tracy Avenue
Batavia, New York
Google Maps, Proper Attribution Given

The 1915 census is interesting in that Theron, Ethel, and Edward, aged 7, and new son Lawrence, aged 2, were living without Theron's parents. They were at West Main Street in Batavia. The parents were on Miller's Hill in Middlebury, New York. What happened?  I'm wondering if it had anything to do with Merritt's parents - Theron's grandparents - landing themselves in the poor house in nearby Bethany, New York. But no, they died in 1908 and 1909, so that couldn't be it, could it? Was there a beef between the parents and the son? I looked through all 11 pages of the Middlebury 1915 New York census, and it shows a lot of Dodsons and Howards there at the time. Middlebury was, after all, Merritt's hometown. On closer inspection, Batavia was just a stone's throw from Middlebury, so it wasn't all that outlandish. What is strange, though, is that Merritt's obit never mentions them living in Middlebury once they had moved away. Perhaps they were there visiting with friends when the census enumerator went by? Was he working as a contractor on some long-term project there and so just moved there temporarily?

On 12 Sep 1918, Theron did what all young men were required to do in the United States, and that was to fill out a draft card for the war. The young couple now lived in Leroy, New York, at 1 Elm Street. Theron stated that he was a carpenter working for John Adams. He was of medium height and build with blue eyes and brown hair. He was never drafted for World War I.

Present Day 1 Elm Street (on the left)
Leroy, New York
Google Maps, Proper Attribution Given

The father, Merritt - poor chap - died 01 Nov 1918 at the age of 57. Apparently, he had fallen off his bike and injured his head. Six weeks later, he was dead. According to his obit, he was working in Buffalo, New York, as a carpenter and died the next day after he had returned home. What a blow this must have been to the family.

Going back to Merritt's obit, though, it stated that he had lived in Leroy, New York "on Elm Street for some time." Wait a minute. In 1910, the family was together in Batavia. In 1915, Theron was in Batavia, and his father was in Middlebury. So the family moved together to LeRoy between the time of the census in June 1915 and May 1918. That is not "some time," is it?

In 1920, Theron hurt himself when he stepped on a needle that had become embedded in one of the family's rugs. Ouch! The needle still had thread in it, so the doc came over and tried to pull the needle out by the thread. That didn't work, because the thread broke. That needle must have been pretty deep. Poor Theron! He had to be taken to Batavia Hospital to have the needle located by x-ray and surgically removed. 

In the 1920 census, Theron was with his wife and two sons at 1 Elm Street. His mother, Emma, also lived with them. Theron was listed as a carpenter and his wife, Ethel, was listed as a dressmaker! The two boys were in school. Then, in 1921, he fell off a roof. He was working with another fellow, William Brown, when the ladder they were using gave way, and they fell 18 feet to the ground. Neither man had any broken bones or serious injuries. This occurred in Buffalo, New York.

In the 1925 New York State Census, everyone is still together at 1 Elm Street in Leroy. However, by 1930, they had moved to nearby Caledonia, New York. But then in 1935, they were back in Leroy! The census record states they lived at 54 Clay Street in Leroy, in a rented house. Theron was still listed as a carpenter and Ethel as a seamstress. 

Theron and Ethel's youngest son, Lawrence, got married in 1935 to a woman who was from Caledonia, Cecelia McLaughlin. The wedding announcement was short, so not much information there. It said that Theron and Ethel now lived on Lake Street in Leroy. That's so much moving around! Can you imagine moving that much? Their eldest son, Edward, was married in 1936.

Theron's mother, Emma, died in 1938. I could not find an obit. But this means that by the 1940 census, it is just Theron and his wife together.

In 1942, Theron once again filled out a draft card, this time for the Second World War. On this document, he listed his address as 522 24th Street, Niagara Falls, New York. Whew!! He listed his occupation as working for an Ordnance Plant in Model City, New York. If I understand correctly, this was an ammunition manufacturer for the U.S. Army. I'm pretty sure that he was a civilian working there. He has no military records associated with him on Ancestry, and they're pretty good about having at least some of those available.

But that's the end of the story for Theron, for he died 30 Apr 1943. The short obit doesn't state how or why, just that he died at St. Jerome's Hospital in Batavia, New York. His address, according to the obit, was 596 E. Main Street in Batavia. It also stated that he was a member of the AFL Carpenters and Joiners Union of Niagara Falls, New York. A union man! This might explain all the moving around.

Theron's wife, Ethel, died in 1964, but her story falls off Ancestry after the 1940 census. Her 1940 census record is the last document I was able to come up with at this time, save for an entry in the 1944 Batavia, New York City Directory. According to the directory, she was living at 12 Jackson Street and was employed at P. W. Minor & Son, a manufacturer of orthopedic shoes that is still in existence today. She died in 1964 and is buried with her husband in Grandview Cemetery in Batavia.

Buy Blood of My Ancestor
Buy Pioneer Stories

© 2022 by December Moonlight Publishing, LLC

Tracy Lee Howard, Myth Buster of the "Good Old Days" When There Was No Divorce Ever

 Johann Gottfried Hauer (John Godfrey Howard) Family Line

Tracy Lee Howard (1895-1947)

Myth Buster of the "Good Old Days" When There Was No Divorce Ever
____________________

by Carolyn Ann Howard

The link between Michigan and New York for the Howard family has yet to be determined, at least by me, anyway. Tracy Lee Howard is another one of those Howards who was born in New York and went to Michigan. Tracy, however, eventually went back to New York after his third marriage.

Tracy was born 15 Aug 1895 in Middlebury, New York, and I'm told that this is a wonderful place in which to live. I'd love to visit sometime. Tracy's parents were Francis David Howard, who went by Frank, and Josephine Eldora Gay. Almost 7 years separate Tracy and his brother, Gordon, who was born in 1888. On the 1900 census, Tracy's father is listed as a "day laborer." It shows that his mom had had 2 children with 2 living. It also shows that his parents had been married 17 years.

That myth soon becomes broken when on the 1910 census. Tracy's mom, Josephine, was listed by herself with just Tracy, having been married 27 years. Her occupation is "house work." Tracy's occupation was listed as "none." Surely at the age of 14 he was in school, right? Yes, that's right. We see on the 1940 census that his highest education was 4 years of college. Tracy's father is on the page previous to Josephine, living with John Johnson and his family as a border. It shows his marriage as 27 years also, and that he is a painter and paper hanger. This is what my paternal grandfather did as his side hustle. Tracy's brother, Gordon, was out on his own, would be getting married the next year, 1911, and moving to Perry, New York, close to Middlebury.

This is where Ancestry lets us down. I wish more family stories were published, because documentation is simply not enough to really get to know your ancestors. The next document we have for Tracy is his marriage license to Barbara Hill on 01 Jun 1916. He's not in Middlebury anymore, either. He's now in Detroit, Michigan, and there's no way to find out why using Ancestry. No information on newspapers.com, either. Nor Family Search. No one has him on Wikitree, either, and I am the one who, during this course of study, made his Find-A-Grave memorial. Nevertheless, that's where he was in 1916: Detroit.

A clue might be dropped for us in 1913, however, for that is when his father, Frank, divorced his mother, Josephine. It was extremely difficult to get a divorce in New York in 1913, even though Frank had been living on his own for quite some time. It could be that the Howard relatives in Michigan enabled Frank to come to Michigan to get the divorce. Josephine, in the meantime, was living with a man named Myron Shay. I wish Ancestry would let us have a "partner" feature. I listed Myron Shay as her husband, even though they were never married. I know absolutely nothing about the relationship they may have had with each other, just that they lived together. Myron died in 1926. I couldn't find an obit.

Frank filed for divorce in Bay County, Michigan, 08 Nov 1912. It was granted to him 09 May 1913. Frank rightly claimed his reason for divorce was desertion. One scenario might be that his son, Tracy, tagged along and just decided to stay. It may be that Tracy met his first wife Barbara Hill there. They were married 01 Jun 1916. Meanwhile, Frank went back home to New York.

Tracy registered for the draft in 1917. He listed his occupation as auto mechanic. Oooooo! Pretty new occupation there! He worked for the Winston Motor Car Company, and we might now have the reason he moved to Detroit, the car capitol of the U.S. Wonder how or where he learned his mechanic skills?  He tried to dodge the draft by claiming his wife as a dependent. As this was the beginning of the whole draft system in the United States, that was a valid and legal excuse. Those Civil War wives surely had a difficult time when their husbands left them behind to fight in that bloody war. On Tracy's draft registration, it stated that he was of medium height, medium build with light blue eyes and dark brown hair. A picture would have been nice.

The whole wife thing didn't work out, though, for he was eventually drafted but not before filing for divorce 19 Aug 1917. Divorce was pretty frowned upon in 1917, nor was there such a thing as a no-fault divorce. The reasons for divorce had to be sensational, and they were. The alleged causes given in this Michigan document were things such as desertion, adultery, and extreme cruelty. It feels like it was a pick-from-this-list type of situation, and Tracy chose "extreme cruelty." This tells us nothing about Barbara's personality. The marriage just didn't work out, and that's probably all there is to it.

Tracy entered the military with the final rank of private serving on an Aero Squadron at the Aviation Repair Depot. Being a mechanic, he would have had a lot to offer in working on the newfangled airplanes. I don't know what his Squadron Number would have been. On his application for a military stone, it states he was in the 878, but this squadron was located in Dallas, Texas. His military record that is on Family Search states 87th, but this also was located in Texas. Another military card again states 878. I guess he could've gone to Texas; I have no documentation otherwise. It's just that on the application for the military headstone, it says New York, which is marked out with red pencil and corrected with Michigan. It's so interesting, though, the history of flight in the United States and how many advances were made on this new technology just because of that war. On another note, his rank on the application was "sergeant," marked out by that same red pen and corrected to "private."

As I was proofreading this story, I decided to go back and look once more at the headstone application. I noticed for the first time that his enlistment date was 27 Mar 1918 and his discharge date was 28 Mar 1918. Hmmmmm.

Tracy's divorce from Barbara Hill was granted 05 Mar 1919, and, in the city directory, he is listed as a machinist. He married again 23 Apr 1920 to a young woman from his hometown in New York named Frances J. Kerwin. I can't find Tracy on the 1920 census records, so I'm guessing he was traveling when the census enumerator went by, moving back home to New York. After their marriage, they settled down in Buffalo, New York, and Tracy became the manager of Liberty Auto Repair.

Liberty Auto Repair
Carolyn Ann Howard Family Collection

What I think was Liberty Auto Repair
Courtesy Google Maps, proper attribution given

By 1923 things apparently weren't going so well at home. He eventually moved into an apartment above the shop, and Tracy's divorce from Frances was finalized in October 1925. I couldn't find the divorce records for this one, but the divorce was listed on Frances's marriage license when she married Arthur Snyder the following year. At first I was like, "Did Arthur even know she was divorced?" Because on their wedding announcement in the paper, she is listed as "Miss Frances J. Kerwin."

Funnily enough, Tracy had his first child when he was married to Frances. Virginia Mary Howard was born 19 Jun 1925. I have a feeling, though, that Virginia's mother was Tracy's third wife, Cecil McLouth. Again, Ancestry has no perimeters for this situation. We really don't know, do we? And so I listed Cecil McLouth as "unknown" mother, and I really hate that. Maybe I should just go ahead and change it to biological. Virginia claimed Cecil as her biological mother, and so probably should I?

I'm not sure why, but these two New Yorkers were married in Cuyahoga County, Ohio. Tracy stated that he had only been married once before. I wonder which marriage he was denying. It would have to be the first one, right? Because I'm pretty sure Tracy was with Cecil prior to his divorce from Frances. At least this time, however, the marriage seemed to take.

After their marriage, it appears they may have lived above the auto shop for a while. In the 1930 census, however, Tracy, Cecil, and their two young daughters were living with a Paul Lua and his wife in Niagara Falls, New York. The youngest child of Tracy and Cecil's, Lois Jane, is listed first of the family as Paul's niece. The other three are listed below that as "lodgers." Weird. I poked around a little bit to see if I could figure out who this Paul Lua was, but without any luck, and it's not something I wanted to spend a lot of time on. At any rate, by the time of the 1934 Niagara Falls City Directory, the family was in a comfortable home in the suburbs and Tracy was listed as a salesman. Of cars perhaps?

By the 1940s census, Tracy has moved up in the world and the family was living in a nice brick bungalow on Memorial Parkway in Niagara Falls, New York. Tracy was listed as an accountant.

That's about all the documentation Ancestry has to offer on Tracy Lee Howard. He unfortunately died in 1947 at the young age of 51. By the time of the 1950 census, Cecil had already remarried. Their two girls lived into adulthood, were married, and each had children of their own.

© 2022 by December Moonlight Publishing, LLC