2022 Week #13 Sisters

My 3x great grandparents were Susan (Mitchell) and Richard Slavin. Together they had 7 daughters including my 2x great grandmother Katie (Slavin) Miner. According to family stories Richard did not buy Susan a sewing machine and so she divorced him because with 7 daughters she thought she deserved a sewing machine! He remarried and had another daughter and finally a son. So my 2x great grandmother Katie had 7 sisters and 1 brother. Quite the family. Below are a little bit about each of Richard and Susan's daughters and Richard and his 2nd wife Lucy's children. I'm lucky to have photos of many of them and have personally been to all but two of their graves. Sadly many of the daughters died at a young age. 

Caroline Virginia or Virginia Caroline "Callie"-  1859-1892

From her obituary it stated that she suffered an illness of blood poisoning for 30 days before dying. She's buried in the Greenwood Cemetery in Palmyra, MO. She was married to Arch Rightmire and had 5 kids and some step kids also.  

Mary Henderson "Molly"- 1861-1920

Mary's grave sits under this cedar bush and like 6 inches from a fence! So hard to take a decent photo! She's buried in Biles Cemetery near Lancaster, MO. It's out in the middle of a cow pasture. She married John Johnson and had 9 children and was about the only of her sisters to live a long life. It's thought that her mother Susan is also buried either her with her or at least in the same cemetery. 

Dora A. - 1864-1913

Unfortunately I don't have a lot of info on Dora. I did find a marriage license from Schuyler county online saying she married Anthony Jones on December 16, 1891. Beyond that I have no idea where they are buried and if they had any kids. 

Katherine Alice "Katie"- 1866-1913

I'm lucky to have this photo in a large oval frame. It hung in my grandmas spare bedroom so I saw it all the time growing up. When my grandma passed I snagged onto the picture along with about 6 other large family photos. 

Katie is buried in Zoar Cemetery right next to her father and close to 2 of her sisters Martha and Marcena. Katie was my 2x great grandmother and 2nd wife to Jessie Franklin Miner. She carried on the tradition of girls and had 4 daughters Blanche, Edna, Marie, and Cleo and she was step mother to Walter. Unfortunately she passed away at the age of 46 from Tuberculosis. 

Maggie B.- 1868-1894

Maggie is also buried in Biles Cemetery where Mary is.  Maggie died in childbirth with her first child. She was married to Charles Terry. 

Marcena L. - 1870-1901

Marcena buried in Zoar cemetery behind her father and sister. One day while visiting the cemetery we ran into a distant cousin putting flowers on her grave. He mentioned that since Marcena died young (possibly during childbirth) that "Aunt Katie" helped take care of her children. Marcena had 2 children also die the same year she did in 1901 an infant and a 2 year old. She was married to Henry Drake. 

Martha "Mattie"- 1873-1901 

Mattie is buried also in Zoar near her sisters and father. Like Marcena she died in 1901. Since her husband, Elijah Withrow, passed before that their son Edgar was raised by an Aunt and Uncle on his fathers side. 

Their half siblings are as follows:

Edyth- 1890-1933

Edith is buried in Shaul Cemetery in Ottumwa, Iowa. 

Oddity Denton "OD"- 1893-1960 

They called him OD or Oddie but his full name is Oddity Denton Slavin. They said since he was the first boy after 8 girls he was an oddity! He's buried in Centerville, Iowa in the Oakland Cemetery. 

2022 Week #12 Joined Together

Over the years I've developed a soft spot for my ancestors who either never married, were married but never had children, or who had children but none lived. Often times those individuals get overlooked or have no direct descendants to remember them. Another group of individuals that might get forgotten are the first wives or husbands of our direct descendants. Their story is so important to our own story and we are forever joined together even though we share no blood. Because of their deaths our direct descendant wouldn't have remarried and we would not exist today. It's a very sad thing to think about and that I always try to honor them and remember them as well. There are 2 ladies in particular who fit this description for me who I visit each year on memorial weekend and place flowers at their graves. 

The first is a woman by the name of Clarinda Patterson Miner. She was the first wife of my 2x great grandfather Jessie Franklin Miner. Together they had 3 children Cora, Walter, and Clay. Unfortunately Cora passed away in 1886 at the age of 2 and then Clay passed away 2 months after birth in 1888. Clarinda passed away shortly after Clays birth. Such a tragic few years for my 2x great grandfather. Having his wife and 2 children all pass away within a 2 year span and then having to raise his 1 year old son on his own. In 1890 he married my 2x great grandmother Katie Slavin and in 1891 my great grandmother Blanche was born. Jessie and Clarinda's son who survived lived a long life and married but never had any children of his own. Recently I've tried to do more research on Clarinda and am hoping I can find a photo of her. (Fingers Crossed)

Clarinda's Grave stone. It sits in a beautiful country cemetery. 

Cora and Clay share a stone with their mother Clarinda. 

The next woman is Delia Rogers Mullins. She was the first wife of another one of my 2x great grandfathers Matthew Mullins. They were married in 1893 and had a daughter Fern in 1894. Unfortunately like Clarinda and Jessie, Baby Fern passed away at the age of 1 in 1895. Then in 1898 Delia passed away. He then went to Osteopathy school and worked as a physician for a short time in Northern Iowa but the stories I heard it was hard for him to work as a doctor when his wife and child died. His sister Elva also passed away in between there in 1894 very tragically. (I'll tell her story another time). In 1910 he married my 2x great grandmother and in 1911 had my great grandfather. 

Delia's headstone in another beautiful country cemetery in northern MO. 

Fern's headstone sits next to her mother and next to her Aunt Elva. 

Our lives are so precious and so many things had to happen or line up just right for us to be here and that includes happiness, love but sometimes even death and tragedy. I challenge you to look up those first wives or husbands and remember and tell their stories too. 

2022 Week #11 Flowers

So many women and men in my family are known for their gardening skills and green thumbs. Most of them did it not only for pleasure but as a means for survival and providing for their families. I have mixed results when it comes to growing things. I love doing it and planning out gardens and decorating my house with plants and flowers. But I also have a touch of the black thumb and things tend to die on occasion. This week when I read the topic the first thing that I thought of was my Grandma Carolyn and the flowers that she grew. All around her house you would find all types of flowers and plants. When you walked into her house in the breezeway sat a table full of plants and she had plants scattered throughout her house. I remember carrying jug after jug of water around to water each of those plants. Before we sold her house I went around and took photos of some of the outdoor flowers. It was spring time when we were preparing her house to sell and so everything was blooming and I'll always treasure those photos as remembrance of her beautiful flowers. 

Lilly of the Valley 

Bleeding Hearts

Spirea- She used these flowers in her bouquet when she got married. 

These were my favorite growing up. I have no clue what they are called! 

Poppies

Iris 

This was the table in her breezeway. I took a few of these plants to live with me. 

Not exactly a flower but this was her gooseberry bush. She was known for her gooseberry pie. My sister and I would help pick and stem the gooseberries. 

These were her grape vines. She use to make grape jelly and grape juice with them. 

This is one of the plants from her Breeze way. Almost everyone in our family has a Christmas Cactus or 10. They mostly were starts of the plant below that belonged to my Great Grandma Blanche. This photo was one of the best blooms I'd ever seen from this plant and then right after it bloomed it died!! I was heartbroken. Luckily I had some starts off of it and have 3 cactuses from that plant. 

The Original Christmas Cactus! 

2022 Week #10 Worship

One of my favorite cemeteries and the spot I've considered as a final resting spot for my earthly body is the Zoar Cemetery located in southern Iowa just a few miles from the Missouri Border. This tiny country cemetery is filled with 40+ relatives of mine. Including 9 direct descendants! Another one of my favorite things about this cemetery is that it has a little 1 room church sitting on the grounds right as you come in the cemetery. 

Each year for memorial weekend they unlock the church and let people go in and sign the visitor book. They also have some information about the history of the church and cemetery. I love just sitting in the pews and imagining what it was like attending Sunday services there and hearing the music and singing. Although this isn't' the original church I still can't help but feel connected to this place. So many of my ancestors were instrumental in the building of the original church.

In 1860 a group of people laid out plans for a church and they erected a 24x30 building made of white oak logs. The floor was of oak boards from Yarnell's saw mill. The building had 4 windows 2 on the east and 2 on the west. The clapboards were shaved by James Hutchison (My 3x great uncle). The door was of native lumber and the hinges for the door were made by JR Withrow a blacksmith (My 3x great grandfather). Due to the Civil war the church wasn't dedicated until 1865. During those first 5 years It was also used as the school. 

The first person to be buried in the cemetery surrounding the church was buried in January of 1861. Shortly after the first person was buried Sarah Walter (2x great aunt) was buried in June of 1861. 

After 22 years in the log building they felt they were in need of a bigger and better building. The Building committee selected was "Nathan Adams, James Hutchison (3x great uncle), John Walter (3x great grandfather). This building was completed and dedicated on Christmas Day in 1882. Mentioned in the history of the church it said that John Walter (My 3x great grandfather) presented the Revered Charley Clark with a walnut cane that was made with a piece of the old church. 

The morning of October 6th 1935 the 2nd church building burned. October 7th a committee was formed to build another building. They were able to save the church piano and pews. In 1936 the 3rd church was build. It is the building that still stands today. 

Each year on the Sunday before Labor day they held Homecoming where friends and relatives came from far and near with well filled baskets of food. They would eat, sing, and listen to speakers. Each year Christmas programs were held lead by the surrounding school children. Sunday School was held each Sunday. The women of the church belonged to the Ladies Aid and worked serving lunch at farm sales to help raise money for the church. 

In 1960 they held the 100 year celebration. It was a full day of eating, singing, visiting, and singing to an electric organ. 

In 1965 the attendance of the church dropped and they could no longer keep their conference obligation. They were required to either move the church off the grounds or buy the church. It was purchased for $25.00. 

A quote describing the church and cemetery from Lenore Peckham "When you go to Zoar you usually sit in your car a minute just looking and loving the storybook quality of the view. There's a little white church with the great, dark pines behind, spreading their sheltering arms over the little burial ground. It is quiet here-- no sound to mar the beauty and peace, only the soft singing of the wind in the trees overhead. You go through the little gate, step off the walk onto the softness of the grass, and make your way among the ancient grave stones, lingering here and there to read the inscription-- you are stunned as you make out lettering, sometimes with difficulty....There, then the good old days. One thinks of creaking wagons bearing their beloved burdens. People walking behind with grief. Morbid? Perhaps, but true nevertheless. Life was hard in those days, and the old markers bear mute testimonies." 

Below are some of my direct descendants buried in Zoar. 

Daniel Hutchison my 4x great grandfather

Barbara and John Walter my 4x great grandparents. 

James Ross & Rebecca Withrow my 3x great grandparents

Richard Slavin my 3x great grandfather & Katie Miner my 2x great grandmother

Edward and Louisa Walter my 2x great grandparents. 

Sources:
History of Zoar Chapel Methodist Church - By E.E. Withrow (2x great Uncle) 

Zoar Church History Part 2- Mona Eddy Howard (Lady who Bought the church for $25)

Photos taken by Erin Mullins