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“The Stolen Boy” is a fascinating story that has been handed down through my family. The main character’s name is never revealed, but there are several details in the story that prove it describes the life of my 3X great-grandfather, Ambrose Bowen Epperson. I am almost certain that Ambrose is also the author of the story, although the evidence for that conclusion is a bit more circumstantial. I will be devoting a series of blog posts to a historical and genealogical analysis of the story. The text of the story will be shared exactly as I received it, including all misspellings and grammatical errors. The spring of 1831 found the brother, J, on the west side of the river on his father-in-law’s place, about three miles above the old boat house where he had built several boats when he lived on the east side of the river. The house was on an elevated piece of ground, and the field was in the bottom on the river between the house and the boat yard. So one beautiful morning, about the last of May, 1831, the brother, J, went to one of the neighbors on business and the little brother went to plowing in the big field about half a mile down the river. The little fellow was doing the best he knew how with one horse and small single shovel plow. He had not plowed more than two or three rows, when he discovered two men approaching the fence from the outside. They got up on the fence to watch for the little fellow to drive up to the fence. One was that old playmate of the Brother, S, whom we will call Bill, the other was not recognised by the little boy. Bill says, “Well, Nay (that was the little boy’s nickname) Don’t you know this man?” “No,” says Nay. “Well, this is your brother, S.” “It is?” says Nay. “Yes,” says Bill, “and he wants you to go home with him.” Nay says, “Bill, I can’t.” “Why?” says Bill. “Why, J won’t let me,” says Nay. “If we can get you started so J won’t see you, will you go?” Says S. “Oh no, I am afraid,” says Nay. Then Bill tried to coax the little fellow to go with the brother but to no purpose seemingly. Finally the brother S said, “Well, Nay if you will go home with me, you can see your brothers and sisters and I will learn you a trade, send you to school, and give you five dollars in money.” Then Nay was troubled in mind, his thoughts flew thick and fast – the thought of leaving his brother J, and his three children to whom he had formed so great attachment. His brother S and friend Bill certainly saw that he was in deep study and were waiting with the greatest impatience for an answer. After a great many encouraging words by both of them, Nay answered, Yes? I will go. Now the question was how to get Nay away without the family knowing it. Bill laid the plan as follows: they were to go to the house and stay there till after dinner and Nay was to keep on plowing till time to turn out and neither party was to intimate that they had seen each other. After dinner the two were to start away, bid all good-by, and come down to a walnut log that was near where they were standing. Nay was to go out after his horses like he was going to plowing again, but in place of getting his horse, he was to keep on around the stable and around a pond that was near-by, thence through a thicket of underbrush, so as to keep out of sight of any of the family, and to overtake them at that big walnut log, where they would be waiting. So it was understood and the two left the little fellow with his plow. By this time it was about ten o’clock in the morning. The little fellow had not gone more than a few rounds when it began to thunder and lightning and in a few minutes it began to rain. About eleven o’clock the rain began to fall heavy, so the little fellow concluded that he had better go home. When he got to the house, there were his brothers, J and S, and friend Bill. They shook hands as if they had not seen each other for years. It kept raining until about four o’clock in the evening. Then the brother S and friend Bill bid them all good-by and started. Nay had got his clothes dry by this time (shirt and pants). Now came another obstacle in the way: the sun shone out broght and clear, the children were playing out in the yard and the brother J was at work at some;thing about the house. How to get away he knew not but yet he saw that some;thing must be done and that quickly. In a few minutes he saw an opportunity to slip out to the stable unobserved. The he had the stable between him and the house. He kept on around the pond and through the underbrush. While in the brush he heard one of the children call out “Oh, Nay”, but he increased his speed and according to the arrangement sure enough he found his brother S and his friend Bill at the big walnut log. For the first time Nay began to inquire how they were to cross the river, for it was bank full and rising. They then informed him that they had left their horses at friend Bill’s father’s, a distance of three miles from the old boat yard, and come up the river to the bluff just yonder. “but”, says Bill, We have no time to spare. I will go to Smythe’s and tell one of the boys to go up tonight and tell J that Nay is gone so that he will not think that you are dornded int eh pond.” So the three met at the corner in due time. Down the river they went as fast as Bill and the paddle could take them. When they landed at the old boat yard there were about ten or twelve old neighbors waiting for them. Among the rest was one, Sam Smyth, who stuttered. He met them at the edge of the water, gathered Nay by the hand and called out, “Come on N-Nay my B-brave l-lad. Another man said, go on boys, we will take care of the canoe.” So they went to their friend Bill’s father’s to stay all night. But just about sundown, this Sam Smyth came running up to the house almost out of breath saying, Boys, somebody i-is h-hollowing over the river and c-crippled Jesus has gone to-to set him o-over. (this criplled jesus was a neighbor and the peopled named him Crippled Jesus). Now what was to be done, for the supposition was that it was the brother J. (to be continued) Inflation Calculator
Squire Epperson offered Ambrose several enticements to convince him to return to Kentucky with him. One of these “incentives” was $5 in cash. I thought that sounded like quite a bit of money for the time, so I decided to find out what the equivalent amount would be today. Using an online inflation calculator that is based on historical Consumer Price Index data, I learned that $5 in 1831 was equivalent to $112.16 in 2015. So if you imagine how a modern teenager (with little or no money) would react to being offered a $100 bill, it might help in understanding Ambrose’s temptation by the $5 his brother promised him. Sources: http://www.westegg.com/inflation/ Neighbors The plot to “steal” Ambrose seems to have been a neighborhood affair. The story recounts that 10-12 of their old neighbors were waiting at the boat yard for them. Only one of these neighbors, Sam Smyth (or Smythe), is identified by his full name. I checked the 1830 census of Jackson County for Smyth or similar surnames. There were several Smiths listed near John Epperson, but none named Sam. Sam may have been the son of one of these Smiths and not yet a “head of household”. Unfortunately, there is not enough information to identify any of the other neighbors. The nickname “Crippled Jesus” is intriguing, but I could not find any additional information about him. It’s a little surprising that the neighbors were so supportive of Squire’s plan to take Ambrose to Kentucky. In 1831, Ambrose was 13 years old and apparently able to help with farm chores such as plowing. I would think he would have been more of a help to John than a burden. Squire’s friend “Bill” seems to have been the main instigator of the plot. Perhaps there were extenuating circumstances that made him think that John would be better off not having to care for Ambrose. The Getaway When the 1830 census was taken, I believe John Epperson was still living on the east side of the river. Several of the people listed near him on the census had patented land near the original Epperson homestead, suggesting that he was still living in that area. By 1831, however, he had moved to the west side of the river. Squire, Ambrose and Bill first travelled three miles down the river by canoe, stopping at the boathouse where John had built his boats. I assume this was near the original Epperson farm, but I can’t be sure. From the boathouse, they went to the home of a neighbor (Bill’s father), where they had left their horses. While there they learned that someone, presumably John, was in pursuit! Sources: http://www.glorecords.blm.gov/search/default.aspx
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“The Stolen Boy” is a fascinating story that has been handed down through my family. The main character’s name is never revealed, but there are several details in the story that prove it describes the life of my 3X great-grandfather, Ambrose Bowen Epperson. I am almost certain that Ambrose is also the author of the story, although the evidence for that conclusion is a bit more circumstantial. I will be devoting a series of blog posts to a historical and genealogical analysis of the story. The text of the story will be shared exactly as I received it, including all misspellings and grammatical errors.
In the fall of 1826, the step-father took the two brothers and four sisters back to Kentucky and got them good homes among their relations and friends. This Stolen Boy went to live with his brother, J. Time rolled on and this brother, J, was hard run. He would buy boat loads of corn, pork, chickens, etc., build his boat and run down the river to market. No railroads in those days so the market was down on the Ohio or the Mississippi River. At one time this brother, J, had a boat load of marketing and somewhere near the mouth of the White River, the boat run on a snag and sank, so he lost all. That trip broke him up.
About that time, the oldest brother moved to Ohio, so J stayed in the same neighborhood and had so much bad luck and sickness – the old fashioned shaking ague – that he was very hard run for a long time. In 1829, one of the brothers, S, had worked out his allotted time at his trade in the town of F, in Kentucky, had set up the business for himself and commenced corresponding with an old playmate of early days and through him learned that his brother, J, had a hard time in Housier. So they put their heads together to steal the little brother (the subject of this narrative) knowing or believing that his brother, J, would never give up for the little fellow to leave him. In the spring of 1830, the brother, S, came over to Housier on purpose to steal the little brother, but the brother, J was gone down the river as a hand on a boat. Not knowing when he would return, the brother, S, would not attempt the theft that time. So he and his friend lay still until the next spring. (to be continued)
A Family Divided
In the previous excerpt, the author says that the two oldest brothers married and settled near their mother. This apparently refers to George Muir Epperson and John Barnett Epperson. After their mother’s death, the “Stolen Boy” (Ambrose), who would have been eight years old at the time, went to live with his brother John Barnett Epperson. The remaining children were taken back to Kentucky by their step-father. The fact that it says the step-father got them good homes with friends and relatives seems to indicate that the siblings did not all stay together in a single home. I can’t help but wonder why Ambrose was singled out by his mother to remain with his brother John. Perhaps Ambrose and John had a particularly close relationship. It’s also interesting that the mother didn’t ask her oldest son, George, to care for Ambrose. The reason could be as simple as George not being present before she died. Or perhaps there were family dynamics that led to her decision. George moved to Ohio not long after his mother’s death and is not mentioned again in the story. If the dates in the story are accurate, Ambrose should have still been living with John in Indiana when the 1830 census was taken. I did find a John Epperson (presumably the 20-30 year old male in the household) living in Redding Township, Jackson County, Indiana. In addition to a 20-30 year old female and two children under the age of 5 (one boy and one girl), there is a boy in the 10-14 year age range (the right age to be Ambrose).
Brother “S”
The brother referred to as “S” was almost certainly Squire Boone Epperson, the third oldest of the brothers. He was probably named for Squire Boone, a younger brother of Daniel Boone. Squire Boone was one of the first settlers of Shelby County, Kentucky where the Eppersons once lived. In 1829, when Squire Epperson first appears in the “Stolen Boy” story, he would have been about 19 years old. The phrase “had worked out his allotted time” probably means that Squire had served some type of apprenticeship to learn a trade. That is, he would have agreed to work for a certain amount of time in return his training. He probably would have received room and board and may or may not have been paid wages. Such an arrangement might have been a necessity for an orphaned teenager. Unfortunately I have not been able to determine what trade Squire Epperson learned in the town of “F”, or even what town “F” refers to. My best guess would be Frankfort, the capital of Kentucky, which isn’t very far from Shelby County. In the 19 Oct 1831 Frankfort Argus newspaper I found a notice of a letter for S B Eperson (sic) at the Frankfort post office. However, I could not locate Squire Epperson in the 1830 census. This probably means that he was living in someone else’s home at the time and was not considered a head of household. Sources: www.genealogybank.com
Flatboats
Early settlers in Indiana and other Midwestern states often had a surplus of agricultural products, but no nearby market for them. Their solution was to build flatboats and take the produce to markets downriver, often as far as New Orleans. Thousands of these boats made the journey each year, manned by young men like John Epperson. Abraham Lincoln made two flatboat trips to New Orleans as a young man, one in 1828 and one in 1831. It’s fun to imagine that John and Abe might have bumped into each other along the way! 
Alfred Waud [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons
Flatboats were rectangular craft, usually built of poplar or oak. As the name implies, the bottom of the boat was flat. The deck was partly or completely covered by a cabin to shelter livestock and the crew (in separation partitions if they were lucky). A average-sized boat might measure 16x55 feet, while large ones could be 100 feet long. Long oars called sweeps were mounted on each side and an even longer steering oar was located in the back. A 14x53 foot replica flatboat (below), built in 2009, can be viewed at the historic Netherland Inn in Kingsport, Tennessee.
By Thomas R Machnitzki (Own work) [GFDL (http://www.gnu.org/copyleft/fdl.html) or CC BY 3.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0)], via Wikimedia Commons
The cargo items mentioned in the story – corn, pork and chickens (probably live ones) – seem to have been among the most common products transported on flatboats, although many other types of goods were shipped as well. The journey from Indiana to New Orleans on a flatboat took one to three months. These boats were only practical for downstream travel, so they were usually dismantled and sold for lumber at the end of the trip. Many young boatmen returned to their homes on foot, since the price of steamboat travel was too expensive. This return journey took another three or four months, meaning that the men might be gone from home for many months.
Not all flatboat journeys were successful. Submerged trees, thieves, and other boats were common hazards faced on these trips. When John Epperson’s flatboat hit a snag and sank, the loss of so much cargo would have been catastrophic. It seems as if John could no longer afford to finance his own boat trips and had to resort to being a “hand” on other people’s boats. This would have been less risky in a financial sense, but also much less profitable. Sources: http://steamboattimes.com/flatboats.html https://www.nps.gov/parkhistory/online_books/libo/hrs/hrs6.htm http://indianapublicmedia.org/momentofindianahistory/rollingand-journallingon-river/
The “Shaking Ague”
The story refers to John Barnett Epperson’s illness as “the old fashioned shaking ague”. This almost certainly means that he suffered from malaria. Today, malaria is a disease we associate with tropical regions, but that was not always the case. Malaria is thought to have been introduced to the Americas as a result of European settlement and the slave trade and became endemic throughout much of the United States. Even in the late 1800s, malaria was a problem in the central and eastern United States, particularly in areas near waterways. The Eppersons lived and farmed very close to the White River. John also regularly traveled the rivers by boat, so he was probably at high risk of exposure to malaria-carrying mosquitos. Of course, at that time, no one knew that mosquitos were the vector for malaria. The connection to water and low-lying areas had been noted, but it was believed that unhealthy air in such places was to blame. In fact, the word malaria comes from an Italian term meaning bad air – “mala aria”. Mosquitos were finally identified as the culprit in the late 1800s and malaria was eradicated from the United States by 1951. Sources: http://www.cdc.gov/malaria/about/history/ http://www.cdc.gov/malaria/about/history/elimination_us.html “The Stolen Boy” is a fascinating story that has been handed down through my family. The main character’s name is never revealed, but there are several details in the story that prove it describes the life of my 3X great-grandfather, Ambrose Bowen Epperson. I am almost certain that Ambrose is also the author of the story, although the evidence for that conclusion is a bit more circumstantial. I will be devoting a series of blog posts to a historical and genealogical analysis of the story. The text of the story will be shared exactly as I received it, including all misspellings and grammatical errors. The Stolen Boy February 18, 1881 by Old Abe As nearly as I can ascertain, this boy was born near Christianburgh, Shelby County, Kentucky, in the year 1818. In the year 1820 his parents moved to Jackson County, Indiana, settled on Driftwood Fork of White River about 11 miles below Columbus, on the east side of the river. His father and older brothers managed to open out a good sized cornfield and erect comfortable buildings and were all living at home comfortably and happy until sometime in the summer of 1823. His father died and left nine children, five boys and four girls of which this stolen boy was the youngest, save two sisters. The widowed mother kept the children together as long as she could like all other good mothers, but in a little while the two older boys which is the natural consequences in most cases, became heads of families and settled near-by. In the spring of 1825 the mother married again and in the summer of 1826, she died leaving an infant of a few weeks old, as it was termed in those days, “away out in Indiana”. Just before she died she requested her second son, J, to take his little brother and raise him. J agreed to do the best he could. (to be continued) The Setting In 1820, Kentucky and Indiana were part of the western frontier of the United States. Indiana had only recently become a state (in 1816) and was in the process of being settled.  Made by User:Golbez. (Own work) [GFDL (http://www.gnu.org/copyleft/fdl.html), CC-BY-SA-3.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/) or CC BY 2.5 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.5)], via Wikimedia Commons The Epperson Family The most convincing evidence that the boy referred to in the story is really Ambrose Bowen Epperson will be discussed in later posts, but the information in this section is consistent with what we know of Ambrose’s life. Ambrose’s parents were John and Phebe (Muir) Epperson, who were married in Fayette County, Kentucky on 16 Jan 1804. Just like the parents in the story, they had nine children (five boys and four girls) who are listed below in what I believe is their birth order. George Muir Epperson, born abt. 1806 John Barnett Epperson Squire Boone Epperson, born abt. 1810 James Harvey Epperson, born 19 Jul 1811 Permelia Langley Epperson, born abt. 1814 Emily Epperson, born 22 Nov 1815 Ambrose Bowen Epperson, born 19 Jan 1818 Sarah Ann Epperson, born abt 1819 Marcy Epperson The names of these children are found in Edna Epperson Brinkman’s 1933 book “The story of David Epperson & his family of Albemarle County, Virginia : with supplementary notes on the Epperson family in America”. The information seems to have been supplied by descendants of Ambrose’s brother James Harvey Epperson. I also have a copy of a handwritten family tree (see below) containing the same names, that was sent from one of James Harvey Epperson’s grandsons to Ambrose’s son (my great-great grandfather) in 1914.  Interestingly, the siblings in “The Stolen Boy” story are identified only by a single letter (presumably an initial), although the full names of some other people are used. This quirk makes it more difficult to identify his siblings, but I am almost certain that the “second son, J” referred to in the story is John Barnett Epperson. I’m not sure why Ambrose (assuming he really was the author) would want to conceal the names of his siblings. There is so much other information in the story that could be used to identify him as the author, that this apparent attempt at anonymity seems pointless. The father in the story died in the summer of 1823. The only record I have found of John Epperson’s death seems to be consistent with that date. The 19 Aug 1823 entry in 1816-1836 The Executive Proceedings of the State of Indiana says that James Bristo succeeded John Epperson, deceased as a justice of the peace in Jackson County, Indiana. Phebe Epperson, Ambrose’s mother, is listed among the early members of Ebenezer Church, a Baptist church in Redding Township, Jackson County. According to the “Stolen Boy” story, she remarried in 1825 and died in 1826 a few weeks after the birth of another child. Not surprisingly for that time period and location, I have not found any records to verify this part of the story. From Kentucky to Indiana Christianburgh (actually spelled Christianburg), the place where the boy in the story was born in 1818, is a tiny town in Shelby County, Kentucky. Both the date and place are consistent with Ambrose’s birth on 19 Jan 1818 in Kentucky. In the 1820 census, there is a John Epperson listed in Shelby County, Kentucky, who is probably Ambrose’s father. Before 1850, U. S. censuses named only the head of household and identified other members of the household only by their sex and age range. The makeup of this household is consistent with what would have been expected for Ambrose’s family. The enumeration date for the census was 27 Aug 1820, suggesting that the family was living in Shelby County at least until that date. That is significant, since “The Stolen Boy” says that the family moved to Jackson County, Indiana in 1820. If that is true, they must have moved in the latter part of the year. Today, the shortest route between Christianburg, Kentucky and Jackson County, Indiana is about 85 miles and takes about two hours by car. In 1820, the trip would have taken days if not weeks. Lessons on Land Patents One of the things I enjoy most about genealogy is how it leads you to explore a variety of historical topics. While researching records related to the Eppersons move to Indiana, I learned a lot about how public land was sold at that time.  At the Bureau of Land Management General Land Office website, I found a land patent issued to John Epperson of Shelby County, Kentucky for 80 acres of land in Indiana. The location of this land matches the description in the story very well (more on this later). However, the date on the patent is 17 Dec 1821, a year later than the story places the family in Jackson County, Indiana. This could be simply because of the time it took for a patent to actually be issued by the General Land Office in Washington, D.C. To find the actual date of purchase, I need to check the tract book for the Jeffersonville, Indiana land office where the land was purchased. Online indexes are available for the tract books of four of the six Indiana land offices. Unfortunately, Jeffersonville is not included yet. I will need to used offline sources or wait for the information to appear online. Of course, the date in the story could be wrong. About 60 years had elapsed and the likely author was very young at the time of these events. It is also possible that the family lived in Indiana for a while before purchasing the land, although the fact that John’s residence is given as Shelby County, Kentucky seems to suggest otherwise. John Epperson’s land patent states that the land was purchased under “the Act of Congress of the 24th of April, 1820.” Known as the Land Act of 1820, it made important changes to the laws governing the sale of public lands. Prior to that time, purchasers were allowed to buy land on credit and pay in installments. The 1820 act eliminated that option, requiring full payment at the time of purchase. The act also reduced the minimum price of land to $1.25 per acre and lowered the minimum claim size to 80 acres. Thus, land could be purchased for as little as $100. Plots were initially sold at public auction and then later by private purchase. An account of the Jeffersonville land auction indicates that most land sold for the minimum price. It is noteworthy that John Epperson purchased the minimum 80 acres. Perhaps the reduction in the total cost of acquiring land is what led the Epperson family to make the move from Kentucky to Indiana.  The land patent gives the legal description of the land purchased by John Epperson (the W ½ of the NW ¼ of Section 27 in township 7N, range 6E), so we can precisely determine its location. The Bureau of Land Management site has a mapping feature to show the section the land was located in, but it doesn’t seem to have an option to view satellite images. I used Earth Point to search by legal description and then opened the resulting file with Google Earth. This gave me a high-resolution satellite image of the area where John Epperson’s land was located. The section in question was outlined in pink. I added the blue outline surrounding John Epperson's 80-acre plot.. As described in “The Stolen Boy”, the land is on the east side of the East Fork (also known as the Driftwood Fork) of the White River (visible on the left side of the image) about 11 miles downstream of Columbus, Indiana. While most of the surrounding area is rural, the land that the Epperson family once owned is now a petroleum facility of some sort. I have to admit I was disappointed that the land was no longer being used for agricultural purposes. It feels as if the connection to my ancestors has been lost.
Several years ago, a cousin generously sent me a copy of an amazing story that had been passed down through her family. Her father had received it in 1955 from his grandmother (my great-grandmother) Flora (Epperson) Short, as part of a collection of family documents. The story is intriguingly titled “The Stolen Boy” and bears the date 18 Feb 1881. The author identifies himself only as Old Abe.
Although the story is written in third person, the details it contains indicate that it is actually an autobiography written by my 3X great-grandfather, Ambrose Bowen Epperson. If you have read my previous blogs, you might recognize that name as the young man who was part of a riotous group that gathered “to disturb the peace…armed with divers sticks, stones and other offensive weapons.” Fortunately, Ambrose eventually matured into a respected family man, with a wife and six children. He and his family joined the westward migration in the mid-19th century. They were early settlers in Kansas Territory and had front row seats to the conflicts of the Bleeding Kansas era leading up to the Civil War. The story, written when Ambrose was 63, chronicles his early life in Indiana and Kentucky, as well as his pioneer experiences. “The Stolen Boy” story contains so much information of genealogical and historical interest that I plan to devote a series of blog posts to it in the coming days. As we work our way through the narrative, I will “set the scene” by providing background information on the places and historical events mentioned in that section of the story. I will also compare the details of the story to what is known of Ambrose’s life from other sources. Check back tomorrow for the first installment of “The Stolen Boy.” If you want to know when a new installment is posted, there is an RSS Feed button on the right hand side of the page. You can also receive notifications through Facebook by "liking" the KinSeeker Genealogy Facebook page.  My great-grandparents, James Milton Watson and Agnes Pearl Keeling, were married at Howe, Grayson, Texas on 23 Aug 1898 [1]. James was 25 and Agnes was 19. The photo shown here is a copy (made in the early 1960s) of their wedding portrait. Consistent with their wedding date, the bride and groom are both wearing styles typical of the late 1890s. Agnes has on a white, high-necked, floor-length gown. The photo is slightly overexposed, making it difficult to see details of the dress, but there appear to be ruffles on the bodice as well as on the slightly puffed sleeves. James is wearing a patterned jacket with a vest and trousers. His white shirt has a wing collar and he appears to be wearing a light-colored bow tie. I wish I had asked my grandma more questions about her parents. For example, I don’t know how they met. Family stories say that James moved to Grayson County, Texas from Anderson County, South Carolina sometime after his father died in 1893 [2]. His sister and her husband had moved to Grayson County a few years earlier. Agnes moved to Texas from Arkansas with her parents about 1885 [3]. I believe both families were living near Howe in the late 1890s. Did they meet at church? At a social event? Were they introduced by friends? Sadly, I may never know. James and Agnes had six children, including a set of twins. In the early 1910s, they moved to Hopkins County, Texas [4]. A few years later, they moved “out west” to Lockney in Floyd County, Texas [5]. James and Agnes were married for 51 years before James passed away on 13 Jan 1950 [6]. Agnes died 21 Sep 1963 [7]. [1] Grayson County, Texas, Marriage Certificates, J. M. Watson and Agness [sic] Keeling.
[2] Anderson Intelligencer, Library of Congress, 5 Apr 1893, p. 3 [3] Denton Record-Chronicle, 22 Feb 1944, p. 1 [4] Ancestry.com, U.S., Social Security Applications and Claims Index, 1936-2007, Record for Maurine Watson Thompson. [5] Ancestry.com, U.S., World War I Draft Registration Cards, 1917-1918, Registration State: Texas; Registration County: Floyd; Roll: 1953357. Record for Jim Milton Watson. [6] Watson Family Bible [7] Texas Death Certificates, Record for Agnes Pearl Watson  I am somewhat obsessed with online historical newspapers and regularly check several archives to see what new content has been added. When I find a newspaper from the hometown of one of my ancestors, I tend to ask myself whether it covers the dates that my ancestor lived in that place. A recent discovery reminded me not to limit my searches to those time periods.
A Google search for the name of my 3X great-grandfather Ambrose Epperson turned up a newspaper from Greencastle, Indiana, where I knew Ambrose had lived from 1833-1850. To my surprise, however, the newspaper was from 1939, almost 90 years after Ambrose left Greencastle! The article that included his name was a historical review of interesting court cases found in the Putnam County Circuit Court records [i]. In 1839, 21-year-old Ambrose apparently took part in a fight involving a group of men who “riotously did gather together to disturb the peace in a public place armed with divers sticks, stones and other offensive weapons in the said highway and did make a great noise and disturbance to the terror of the citizens of the state of Indiana”! Each man was fined $2 plus costs. I can’t wait to learn more about the circumstances that led to Ambrose’s arrest. This exciting find served as a good reminder that newspapers often print local history articles, as well as columns containing summaries of news printed in years past. Don’t limit your newspaper searches to the lifetime of your ancestors or the years they resided in a particular place. You might miss some great stories! [i] Brief Account of Unique Cases Presented in Records of Court, Greencastle, Indiana, The Daily Banner, 19 Aug 1939, p. 1, https://newspapers.library.in.gov  This four generation photo shows my great-great-grandmother, Nancy Adelia (Boyles) McCune holding her oldest great-grandchild, Robert Eldon Jones. Also pictured are my great-grandmother Cora (McCune) Pace and Cora's daughter Fay (Pace) Jones [1]. Robert Eldon Jones was born 16 Feb 1917 [2], so this photo must have been taken a few months after that. Nancy was a very young great-grandmother at only 56 years old! She was 15 when she married William Henry McCune on 29 Jan 1876 in Black Hawk County, Iowa [3]. A few months later, she and her new husband moved to Texas, a trip that took several weeks by covered wagon. By that time, Nancy was pregnant with her first child and suffered from morning sickness throughout the trip [4]. That child, Cora, was born on 11 Jan 1877, when Nancy was 16 [5]. Nancy gave birth to a total of 12 children, but only 5 survived to adulthood [6]. Nancy became a grandmother at the age of 33, when Cora gave birth to her first child [7]. Fay (Pace) Jones, was Nancy’s third grandchild, but the first to have a child of her own and make Nancy a great-grandmother. [1] Photograph (handwritten information on back), privately held by Teresa Shippy [2] Ancestry.com. Texas, Death Certificates, 1903–1982 (Provo, UT, USA, Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2013), Ancestry.com, Record for Robert Eldon Jones. [3] FamilySearch.org. Iowa Marriages, 1809-1992, [4] Myra Ruth (McCune) Smith, interview by Ardis (Smith) Fleenor, 1981; transcript privately held by Teresa Shippy. [5] Footnote.com. Death Certificate of Cara Mae Pace (sic) [6] Ancestry.com. 1910 United States Federal Census [database on-line], Census Place: Tulia, Swisher, Texas; Roll: T624_1592; Page: 13B; Enumeration District: 0211; FHL microfilm: 1375605 [7] Ancestry.com. U.S., World War I Draft Registration Cards, 1917-1918 [database on-line]. |
Teresa ShippyTeresa is the the owner of KinSeeker Genealogy Services. She has a Ph.D. in Biology and a lifelong fascination with genealogy. She been researching her own family history for over 20 years and loves helping others "find their stories." Archives
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