Tombstone Tuesday . . . Mordecai Perry - 16th Indiana Volunteers

Once more I am writing about a man I am not related to, but this time I am related to his descendant.  Mordecai Perry is the 2x great grandfather of my brother.  As I have mentioned before, my brother, Dahl, is the original genealogist in the family and tried for years to interest me in the family history, now he tries to get me to talk about anything else.

Mordecai Perry was born in North Carolina 1831.  He married Harriet Halsey in Gates County, North Carolina the twenty-first of April 1852.  This was a marriage of two young people from southern families . . .  yet in the 1860 census they are living in Tipton county, Indiana. Only two years later, Mordecai becomes a Union soldier.

According to Hazzard's History of Henry County, Indiana, 1822-1906, Volume 1,  page 304, Mordecai Perry mustered in as a private in the 16th Infantry Regiment Indiana Volunteers, Company G, on August 12, 1862.  This was a three year enlistment, but he never finished it.   There was no slow start for Mordecai. The sixteenth Indiana was sent to Kentucky on August 19, only a week later, where they took part in the Battle of Richmond.  The Regiment lost 200 men killed and wounded along with 600 prisoners.  Then on to the Vicksburg Campaign.  How can you prepare a man for battle in only a week? Or did they just assume they would lose so many that it would be a wasted effort?

 Mordecai died of dysentery at Vicksburg, Mississippi  February 13, 1863, a short 6 months after his enlistment.  He is buried there, part of the Vicksburg National Military Park.

What called him to enlist?  Did he need money for his family? Was he swept away by the emotion of the times?  Did he have family back in North Carolina who fought for the Confederacy?  

His family remains a mystery . . . a brick wall that continues to block, aggravate and  frustrate my brother.  There are a lot of Perrys in North Carolina, but identifying the correct one has been elusive.

I'm Not Related to Johann Scheid

Long before I "found" genealogy, I was a seeker of antiques.  Weekends would often find me taking a detour through the local antique malls on my way to the grocery store.  The dates of two large antique markets were marked on my calendar. . .lest I forget.  I was particularly fond of "women's work" antiques.  My family shares meals at a round oak table I refinished, a spool cabinet sits next to the sofa with my morning coffee on it, a European armoire is handy for my sweaters and bath towels, a pie safe holds my cook book collection and my sewing room. . .  Yes, I have a whole room devoted to sewing . . . has a shelf around the top of the room lined with toy sewing machines and pincushion dolls. I even planned my kitchen remodel a few years ago to leave a spot for my oak dry sink cupboard.

This is but a fraction of the antiques that I live with. . . but you get the idea.  I don't remember that I ever purchased an item knowing the name of the previous owner except for a book here and there.  Then one day at the Allegan Antique Fair, I spotted it.  "It" is a grain painted immigrant chest.  Most amazingly, it has the name of the immigrant and his destination carved into the front. That day, I told myself I would only look for small (translation: cheap inexpensive) items, but this chest grabbed me.  I looked it over inside and out, walked away, randomly looked at other offerings in the booth, went back and just stared at it.  I pulled myself away and began to walk along the aisle past more booths.  Nope, I don't need it, I told myself.  Where would I put it, I told myself. It was not in my budget, I told myself.  Well, it could be a new coffee table, I told myself.  The family room would be perfect, I told myself.  Now, about that budget . . .   I'll figure it out later.  I turned back toward the booth, and walked up to the owner to begin a little bargaining.  In the end, he only came down 10% but he knew  I was going to purchase it even if he didn't come down a dime.

 The time period for grain painting was the first half of the 19th century so I am guessing that it is circa 1840.  

Johann Wilhelm Scheid

Translation: Immigrant to New York

The pine chest is impressive, and the top was made from a single board 21" wide with hand forged hinges and side handles.

This piece of someone's family history sits in my family room with a quilted runner protecting the top which has split from age and dryness.  It is too big for the room, but I don't care.  I love it.  I have posted on the message boards of Ancestry to see if there is a descendant who would like to see it.  So far, no one has contacted me.  I've found a Johann Scheid but not a Wilhelm, although I haven't searched with much intensity.  

So, for the time being, I'm taking care of Johann's chest.  I hope he was prosperous in this new land.  Is this a chest of a poor, a middle class, or a man of means? My uneducated guess is middle class, but that is just a feeling and nothing more.  Did he have a skill or trade?  Did he marry and have a family?   Now I browse antique stores infrequently, but when I do, I pause at the framed marriage certificates, the boxes of unidentified photos, and the signature quilts sad that they have lost their families.  

Do you care for the family history of another?  If so, take your responsibility seriously.

'Tis the Season . . . for Politics

Taken 1932 - Democratic Nat'l Conv.

Fa, la, la, la, la . . . la, la, la, la. With the Republican and Democratic National Conventions taking place, the political season is heating up to bonfire levels.  And since it only reaches this fever pitch once every four years, I thought this was the perfect time for a post about a politically inclined ancestor. . . my grandfather, Carroll Walker.

Carroll showed an interest in politics early in life.  He attended Kansas State Agricultural College, later to be Kansas State,  majoring in electrical engineering.  He had a passion for football that began when he was a member of the Frankfort high school team and continued through his college career.  These were the days of leather helmets and a wee bit of extra padding.   Although not the largest team member,  his passion and commitment were instrumental in his choice as captain of the Kansas Aggies 1906 team.

Click to enlarge and read content.

The College Annual for his senior year, tells us that politics was already part of his plan for the future.  It proclaimed, "The height of his ambition is to become United States Senator and in this we wish him well"

After his graduation in 1907, he returned to his hometown of Frankfort, Kansas and while working studied for the bar.  The day he passed the bar, he was appointed city attorney.  Do you think he had connections?  Can you still pass the bar without going to law school?  To the best of my knowledge, he never used his Electrical Engineering degree except for a brief employment with the Edison Light and Power Company in Wichita.

Grandfather Walker was a staunch Democrat and was chairman of the Democratic party of Marshall County for six years.  He started attending the state party conventions in 1912 - only five years after graduation.  Then in 1924 he was elected as a delegate to the Democratic National Convention in New York. 

Source: Kansas and Kansans pg. 1487

While I haven't yet found out about the 1928 election (The operative word is YET!), the Emporia Gazette, Monday evening, May 16, 1932 lists Carroll Walker, 5th district, Frankfort, as a delegate to the 1932 Democratic National Convention in Chicago.  This time he backed a winner in Franklin D. Roosevelt.  On January 13, 1933, the Hutchinson News printed the names of individuals selected for the Kansas State Inaugural Committee.  Carroll Walker was on that list

 In politics, loyalty often results in opportunities . . . if your candidate is the winner.  It seems this was the case for Carroll.  Sometime between 1933 and 1934, my grandfather was offered a position as a federal attorney working for the Internal Revenue.  He moved from Frankfort to Washington D. C. and then to St. Louis and Chicago before returning home to Frankfort. The 1940 census shows the Walker family living in University City, St. Louis, and Carroll lists his occupation as Chief Counsel for the Office of Internal Revenue.

The opportunity he dreamed of as a college senior to run for United States Senator never presented itself.  But . . . politics was a habit he couldn't shake.   So after returning to his hometown, and at the age of 69, when other men were collecting Social Security, fishing with grandchildren, and taking an occasional afternoon nap, Carroll Walker decided to run for city attorney . . . as a Democrat, of course.

We'll never know if he would have won, because on July 29, 1952 on a rain soaked road, his car collided with a truck, and Grandfather Walker died of a crushed chest. 

I don't remember my grandfather. . . not even a little bit.  From these records and articles, I have constructed his political life.  I expect more detail to emerge as I continue my family history journey.

Do you have a politician among your ancestors?  Please share.  After all . . . 'tis the season.

Thomas Gilshannon's Will . . . A Widow's Plight

Thos. Gilshanon born in County Meath Ireland

Summer is coming to an end for me.  School starts tomorrow, and, as usual, I didn't accomplish everything on my "to do" list, but it has been a wonderful summer with a successful research trip, an unexpected discovery of a cache of old photos and videos, a pleasant road trip with my husband, a few cleaning/organizing projects completed, and I still had time to knit!  It has been a most relaxing summer. 

 So what is left of interest in Thomas Gilshannon's will other than a bunch of bills.  Well, I found a few items of interest.  Let's look first at his obituary.  His obituary tells me that he had tuberculosis . . . for seventeen years!  I didn't know you could survive it for that length of time in 1888.

Clinton Daily Herald  Jan 25,  1888

Thomas' will was written five years before his death and only a year after his daughter, Nancy, also succumbed to the dreaded consumption.  He could see the end, and wanted to get his affairs in order. His choice of executor was not a deathbed decision.  Like Thomas, his wife Bridget did not read or write and would need someone to look after her interests after he was gone. There were still children at home to consider. Did G. A. Griswold do that?  You decide.

While G.A. Griswold paid everyone else, Bridget had to petition the court

 

In the District court of the State of Iowa in and for Clinton county.

In the matter of the estate 

of Thomas Gilshannon

deceased

Petition of the Widow for

allowance for 1 years support

Bridget Gilshannon, widow of said deceased state that now (no?) allowance has been made to her as such widow for her support for twelve months from the time of the death of said deceased.  That she is 66 years of age.  That the amount of personal property ^ of said deceased^ set apart to her as exempt from execution is $_______.  That the appraised value of personal estate of said deceased other than exempt property is $______.  She asks that she may be allowed the sum of $300 for her support as such widow during said period of 12 months.

                                                                          Bridgett Gillshannon

                                                                               Widow

                                                                          By Geo B. Young, her atty

 

The judge ordered it.

The executor complied . . . with payments

 

The lawyer's bill was $25

Note:  Thank goodness his name was printed in the upper left corner of the bill because I certainly couldn't read it.

I investigated, briefly, the identity of the executor of his will, and from what I can tell he was a farmer who had a nearby farm and I assume a trusted friend of the Gilshannons, but why wasn't a family member chosen?  So far,  I have not found a family relationship with G.A. Griswold.  What was the incentive for someone outside a family to agree to be an executor? Money? Friendship? Obligation?   There was a bill for $25.00 "commissions", and I assume this was what he was paid for carrying out the duties of the executor.

 

So. . . when all the bills and fees were paid and everything was settled, what monies were left for the widow and children? 

The Final Disbursements

Bridget received $204.39

. . . and each of the children receive $58.39

As you can see a probate record contains more than just a wil,l and these "extras" give you the story behind the will and can often lead your research in new directions.  One bill in this probate record referenced a lawsuit between Thomas and a man named Struve complete with the date.  That will go on my list for next year's research trip.  The bills may paint a picture of the life of the deceased, along with the time period they lived in.  

Don't just settle for a will, dig deeper and search for the entire probate record.  Surprises await. . .  

Postscript:  My research trip to Clinton would not have been as successful without the help of my Clinton angel, Mary.  She gave me addresses, hours of operation, local maps with ancestor addresses highlighted, location of various records, went to museums and historical centers to check out their holdings, and so much more.   If I try to list it all, I will forget something.  She was the reason I was able to accomplish so much. 

More Probate Information Beyond the Will

As a family historian, you always search for relationships and names to further your research.  While the will of Thomas Gilshannon names his wife and children, the probate gives additional information about where they lived at the time of their father's death and also the names of the spouses.  Since there is no federal census for 1890, a probate record for 1888 is about as close as you will get.  The location can help distinguish between individuals with a similar name and link them to a particular family.  Here is that record for Thomas Gilshannon.

 

The information contained in this probate record about his children, in birth order . . . his heirs at law on 17th of April 1888

Ellen Allen . . . aged 39 . . . resided in Clinton, Iowa

Thomas Gilshanan . . . aged 35 . . . resided in Whitney, Nebraska

Elizabeth Gilshanan . . . aged 33 . . . resided in Elk River, Iowa

Catherine Guerin . . . aged 32 . . . resided in Whitney, Nebraska

Bernard Gilshanan . . . aged 30 . . . resided in Aberdeen, Dakota

                                                               (It was still a territory at this time)

Mary M. Gilshanan . . . aged 22 . . . resided in Elk River, Iowa

Henry Gilshanan . . . aged 21 . . . resided in Elk River, Iowa

Note: His daughter Nancy died in June of 1882.  Nancy and Ellen were the children of Thomas and his first wife Ellen Guilfoil

Additionally it names the following spouses as heirs at law of deceased or interested in his estate:

James Allen . . . husband of Ellen Allen
Mrs. Thomas Gilshanan . . . wife of Thomas Gilshanan  (not much help)
Thomas Guerin . . . husband of Catherine Guerin
Mrs. Augusta Gilshanan . . . wife of Bernard Gilshanan

I have to assume that Elizabeth, Mary, and Henry were not married as of this date.  This gives quite a bit of additional information beyond the names in the will to research!!


Next post:   So. . .  what did everybody end up with when all was said and done?

Probate Records. . . More Than Just a Will

In a recent post I shared the will of Thomas Gilshannon, my 3x great grandfather who immigrated to Elk River, Iowa from Ireland in 1839.  The will was part of his probate record from 1888 but the fat probate file contained much more that just a will.  It details family relationships, and is a glimpse into life almost 125 years ago.  There were no restrictions on my handling of the probate records.  It is amazing that the paper was not brittle in the least, and I followed the lead of the clerk who, before she made a photocopy, bent the pages back to remove the crease. . .  gasp!  The clerks were pleasant and accommodating despite the fact that it meant a trip to the historic courthouse attic, reputed to be the resting place of more than an occasional bat, for the files.  I made sure to compliment them as they more than deserved my appreciation.

One common item I found interesting was that several of the bills and records were held together with this. . . .a straight pin!  The commonly used stapler did not come into common use for a couple more decades and the patent for the lowly paper clip was not until 1901.

The law of the time required the public posting of a notice as to who was appointed executor in three public place, including the front door of the courthouse.  Then come back to the court and swear that this had been accomplished.  Why was G.A. Griswold appointed executor, and what was his relationship to Thomas Gilshannon??  Was he a banker, an attorney, a friend or a relative?  Thomas, in feeble health, wrote his will five years before his death so the choice of executor was a decision that he gave considerable thought.

Published in the Weekly Mirror, Lyons, Iowa February 25th, March 3rd and 10th.

Notice of Proving Will

State of Iowa

Clinton County

  To all whom it may concern:

  You are hereby notified that an instrument in writing purporting to be the Last Will and Testament of Thomas Gilshannon, late of said county, deceased was on the 23rd day of January, 1888 (at January term of said court) produced and publicly read in open Court by the Clerk of said Court; that said Court Clerk then fixed the 17th day of April, A.D.1888 and during the next term of said Court to be begun and held at the Court House in the city of Clinton, in said county, on the 17th day of April, 1888 as the time for proving the same, at which time and place you can appear and contest the proving and allowing of said instrument as the Last Will and Testament of said deceased, if you desire so to do.

  In witness thereof, I, William Kreim, Clerk of said Court, have hereunto set my hand and affixed the seal of said Court at my office in the city of Clinton, in said county, this 17th day of February, A.D. 1888.

                                                     WILLIAM KREIM

                                                               Clerk of the District Court

A copy of the notice and the bill were submitted to the executor. The printer's fee was $6.00

There are many bills that are submitted to the executor and he needed to pay and then account for all of them.  Some are to fulfill the wishes of the deceased as set out in the will, some are required by law, and some are a practical result of a death in 1888.  Such is the following.

It appears that it cost $5.00 for a funeral team of horses and sleigh from John Doran who claimed to have the "Best Rigs in the City".

More in the next post. . .

Wordless Wednesday Olympics . . . in Honor of Ancestor Athletes

Carroll Walker KSAC

My grandfather, Carroll Walker, who was captain of the football team in 1906 at Kansas State Agricultural College which later became just Kansas State.

The 1907 (I think) Kansas State Agricultural College Football Team.  "Cap" Walker in suit, middle row, third from right.  Sadly, no names for the others - can you help?