#52 Ancestors Week 40 - October Birthday - James Skeen

Amy Johnson Crow at No Story Too Small has a weekly challenge to write the stories of your ancestors. This is week #40and the suggested theme is October Birthday. As it turns out I had quite a bunch of ancestors to pull from.  Two grandparents, two great grandparents all born in October. But I decided to feature my 4th great grandfather James Skeen.

James was born 250 years ago on October 26, 1765 either in Pennsylvania or Virginia. James' father bought 190 acres in Borden's Tract in the Shenandoah Valley in 1778. James was married in Rockbridge, Virginia, but by 1800 was in Blount County, Tennessee, where most of his children were born. He was on the tax lists in 1801 and patented land in 1809

James Skeen, 145 acres, Blount, TN
Early land records of North Carolina and Tennessee 1753-1931

He was on the move again buying 146 acres in Knox County Kentucky Oct 25, 1815. His children all married in Kentucky but they also were on the move by the mid 1830's. Their moves were into Lawrence County Indiana.  James joined them in Indiana and died there in 1834 at the age of 68.

James Skeen, died Feb 20, 1834
Aged 68 Yrs 4 Mo & 24 Da.
Buried in Shiloh Cemetery, Lawrence Co., IN

James Skeen certainly exemplified the pioneer spirit that many citizens had after the Revolution that kept them moving west.

#52 Ancestors Week 37 - The Big Six

Amy Johnson Crow at No Story Too Small has a weekly challenge to write the stories of your ancestors. This is week #37 and the suggested theme is  Large Families. While I do have a number of families that had 12 or more children and some with even more when there were multiple marriages. 


But the family that first came to mind when I saw the theme was my grandmother and her sisters.  It was a family with seven children, six girls and the youngest a boy.  The sisters were very close, born between 1892 and 1904, they did everything together as children. As they all married and raised families, they continued to get together at large family gatherings. 

There were gatherings for each of their birthdays, an annual Christmas dinner, and yearly reunions with the entire Bovenschen gang attending.  In the article above, it was the first time a gathering was missing a sister.  Grace had died in February of 1957.  Those reunions every two years continued through the early 2000's with grandchildren and great grandchildren carrying on the tradition.  

The reason that the six sister came to mind is because they called themselves the "BIG SIX."

Children of William and Gesena Bovenschen c.1950

Seated:  Bernice, Ruth, Grace, Helen

 , Standing:  Tress, Wayne, Anna

When I was young, I always enjoyed visiting my great aunts on their farms.  Food was always the center of attraction and each of them enjoyed cooking.  Years later we put together a cookbook highlighting the many recipes of the "Big Six."

#52 Ancestors Week 36 - Working for a Living - Coal Miners -

Amy Johnson Crow at No Story Too Small has a weekly challenge to write the stories of your ancestors. This is week #36 and the suggested theme is Working for a Living. Days.  


For many generations my ancestors were farmers. Even as they migrated from Virginia to North Caroline, Kentucky and on to Indiana, they earned their living on farms.  Even my German ancestors were farmers that moved to southern Indiana because it reminded them of their homeland.  Some of these ancestors were in in Indiana as early as 1820 and all branches were there by 1880.

The first coal mine in Greene County, Indiana was in 1859.  But it wasn't until the railroad expanded into the area that the coal industry took off.  by the end of the century there were 200 mines in Greene county.  The population of the largest town in Greene county was 3,000 in 1900 and by 1910 it had quadrupled. 

All of my Great Grandparents were farmers. Leright Houchin (1861-1911) was a farmer in the 1880 census but listed his occupation as miner in 1900.  All of his sons were also miners. My great grandfather Jasper Sargent (1857-1898) was a farmer but all four of his sons were miners. His oldest son was struck by a runaway coal wagon in the mine which badly broke his leg.  He contacted blood poisoning and died as a result. My great grandfather Fredrick Moehlmann (18638-1941) grew up in the city. While he was not a farmer he did work for the railroad his entire life. His only son was a miner in the early 1900's.  My great grandfather William  Bovenschen was a farmer. He had only one son and he was the only one of that generation that was not involved in mining.  William did however, sell his land to a mining company and coal was mined from his land.

My grandfather Alfred Moehlmann wrote the following about his mining experience:

"It was to the point that we were merely existing.  I worked occasionally when a farmer could use me.  I would earn a few dollars during the thrashing season, hay harvesting & corn cutting time.  Then a streak of good fortune came my way when I got a job in a coal mine. It was mainly a fall & winter job in what they called a wagon mine which supplied the local domestic trade.  This was hard work – The coal seam was from 32 to 34 inches high and we had a lot of water to contend with.  The cars held about a ton of coal and we had to push them quite a distance from the face of the coal to the place where they hoisted it out.  Two of us worked a room together and we got a dollar a car.  Seldom did we get over eight cars a day and there was blasting powder & fuse to buy.  Boots didn’t last long nor did working clothes but I did learn how to mine coal by the hand method known as pick-work – We had no cutting machines or loaders.  For a light we used a lamp on our cap, filled with hard like grease called Lard Oil.  A wick gave a dingy, yellow smoky light.  But the carbide lamp was introduced about that time and we used them as soon as they were available.  They made a much better light and were not nearly so heavy.  There was a lot of safety measures to learn.  Luckily, this vein of coal did not have gas in it, but in a small mine the ventilation was very poor.  The first thing was to be sure the roof or top was solid.  We would tap the roof with the flat side of a pick and if a ringing sound was made the top was safe but if a hollow or drum like sound, it indicated loose slate.  Then you had to make soundings until you found a solid place. You had to determine how much slate was loose and if you could support it with timbers or props or cross bars or if it would have to be wedged down and make sure that you were always under solid top.  While you were testing the roof you also usually had your lamp in your hand testing for “Damps”  Now damps was caused by a lax of oxygen in the air – There was Black Damps which you would find on top or near the roof.  To detect this you find the flame of your lamp extending far out in long and flickering flame that seemed to be reaching for something.  White damps were heavy and they would be next to the bottom or floor.  They were far more dangerous since they had no oxygen and would soon suffocate a person.  If you happened to be working and accidentally got in Black Damps you would soon get a terrific headache that would last for quite a while.  Fresh air was no immediate cure for it and you would suffer several hours.  You usually went to an entry when this happened for there always was more air there and you would not run the hazard of sitting down in White Damps.  That would be fatal unless someone found you quickly.  I also learned how to set timbers or props to support the roof, learned how to cut coal by hand, how to gauge a block of coal to be shot or blasted, set up drilling machine, make water proof cartridges for blasting powder, make “dummies” for tamping purposes and insert fuse in cartridge.  I also learned how to lay track and switches.  There is even an art to using a jack to put a wrecked or derailed car back on the tracks."  

My grandfather Thomas Sargent earned his mining certificate in 1911 at the age of 21 and mined all his life.

Certification of Qualification to Serve as Minor issued to Donald Sargent, June 1911
Qualifies the miner to work in any mine in the Indiana
from Sargent Family  Collection

You can see the fold marks in the paper.  This was folded into a small square with another piece of paper fold around it and was carried in Donald's wallet at all times. 

Donald Sargent
Arriving home on the mine bus c. 1940.
Sargent Family Collection

Even though Donald was a miner, he also always owned a farm. Here is a picture of Donald and his wife Bertha plowing their garden.

Donald & Bertha Sargent, farming c. 1930's.
from Sargent Family  Collection

So the coal mining changed the lives of my families as well as being a great economic boom to the area.  But it also brought tragedy. When my parents died I found a small metal tackle box that held all the papers from my grandfather Donald. But here is one of the things that he had saved:

Memorial Booklet from the Little Betty mine disaster.
January 28, 1931
Sargent Family Collection

I'm not aware of any relative who was among the 39 victims of the Little Betty Mine explosion, but I'm sure my grandfather knew many of them since he had been mining in various mines for twenty years. It must have been a sobering reminder of the danger in his line of work.

#52 Ancestors Week 35 - School Days - One Room Schools

Amy Johnson Crow at No Story Too Small has a weekly challenge to write the stories of your ancestors. This is week #35 and the suggested theme is School Days.  I have pictures of both of my grandfathers in front of their one room school houses. So I decided to take a look at both of them and their siblings and see how many years of schooling they showed in the 1940 census.

We are accustomed to compulsory schooling at least through age 17 these days. But in the late 1800's and early 1900's this was not the case.  Both of my grandfather's grew up in rural Indiana farming communities.

This first picture is my maternal grandfather, Alfred Moehlmann, at age 12 in his one room school house.

Adams School, Stockton Township, Greene Co., Indiana c. 1908
Alfred William Moehlmann age 12
Moehlmann Family  Collection

My grandfather wrote the story of his life and you can go here to see how he described his school days. After Alfred completed 8 years of common school he quit for a year and then went back and completed one year of high school before going to work in the mines. A couple of years later he attended a year of business school.

My maternal grandmother completed 8 years of school as did two of her sisters.  However, one other sister completed 3 years of college and taught at the local high school for many years. Another sister completed one year of college. The youngest sister completed 4 years of high school but later on went on to get her Masters and also taught school for many years. The only boy in the family also graduated from college. 

Here is the picture of my paternal grandfather.

Holt School in McCameron Township, Martin Co., Indiana 1898
Four of the Sargent siblings - Donald age 6, Asa age 12, Johanna age 10, Etha age 16
Sargent Family Collection

Donald Sargent went on to complete 8 years of common school and then in 1911 at age 16 got his certificate for mining. Donald older brother only completed 3 years of school. He was 10 went his father died and he became a laborer on the farm. Donald's younger brother completed just 6 years of school.  His other siblings all died before the 1940 census.

By the next generation, all the children graduated from high school. Although none of my aunts or uncles went on to college. Although my mother did go to a one year business school.  

Education has certainly come a long way. In 1910, 72% of all students attended a one room school house. By 1918 all states required an elementary education. And today lawmakers are talking about providing college education for everyone.

Single Life to Benedict - Part 10 - 1941 & 1942

It has been a while since I posted anything on Alfred's story.  There was a two week vacation, including a trip to Indiana, and then a return trip a couple of weeks later to attend a funeral. Have just had a hard time getting back into a rhythm.  The story is up to 1941 as Alfred continues:

"My father died on Easter Sunday 1941.  Seemed like 1941 a lot of things happened.  Harold was called to Allison's for a job.  Later that year Avery also got a job there – the boys were making a bigger salary than I was.  Late that summer Mom had surgery and Aunt Ruth again came to our assistance and took care of household duties.  It was a miserable hot summer that year. 

Jane graduated in 1942 and that fall went to Central Business College.  We took her up there on Labor Day.  It is to be remembered that World War II started for the U.S.A. with the attack on Pearl Harbor, Dec. 7, 1941 and of course our anxieties grew from day to day as we knew our boys would soon have to serve with the millions of young men being called.  I think it was in 1942 that Harold enlisted in the Navy.  I took him to Bedford to enlist and was thinking seriously of enlisting myself for I had information that mail clerks were needed and had a chance of getting an Ensign commission, however I found out for the first time I was “color blind.”

Jane finished school and got a fair job with the Capitol Paper Co.  Shortly after that Avery was drafted into the Army.  Mom recovered from surgery quickly and was doing a good job on our Farm Program.  She bought another cow and was raising veal calves, buying baby calves and letting them have practically all the milk – She raised as 3 calves with our cow and the calves brot from 30⁰⁰ to 40⁰⁰ each.  She also had a big flock of chickens that did real well in egg production.  Tunney was doing real well playing basketball and was one of the main stays on a better than average team for 3 years.  The war years were critical; we were allotted stamps for certain foods, gas, tires, etc. but we did not suffer.  In the mean time Jane got a better job with American Railway Express and was making a good salary."

Alfred just briefly mentioned the death of his father, Frederick August Henry Moehlmann, on 13 April 1941. There had not been much contact over the years.  But I do know that Alfred and his family they made the trip up to Indianapolis for the funeral, because my aunt who was fairly young at the time remembers the train ride to Indianapolis.  I did find an obituary that someone had saved but I don't know what paper it was from: 

Alfred's father, at the time of his death, was living in the same Indianapolis neighborhood where Alfred had grown up.  He never remarried and had lived with his widowed brother Lewis, a widowed sister-in-law, Minnie and spinster sister Matilda. The obituary says he had retired from the railroad 15 years previously.  The 1930 census listed his occupation as caretaker in a private residence.  In the 1940 census it was recorded that Fred was unable to work. The only picture I have of him is his wedding photo which you can see here. Alfred doesn't say much about his father, but one of his children relayed to me that they had gone to Indianapolis by train to see their grandfather who was very ill.  He died before they had gotten back to Linton.  So they left the next day and went back to his funeral.

Headstone at Concordia Cemetery
Indianapolis, Indiana

Alfred's son Avery graduates from Linton Stockton High School on 3 June 1941 and then goes to work at Allison's in Indianapolis, joining his older brother Harold.

1941 Commencement Exercise program from Linton Stockton High School
June 3, 1941, Avery Moehlmann's name is outlined.

The attack on Pearl Harbor occurred on Dec. 7, 1941 and Alfred is worried about his sons having to go to war.

Alfred and Helen's daughter Esther Jane graduated in 1942. and went to the same Business College that her father had attended in Indianapolis.

    

#52 Ancestors Week 34 - Benjamin Franklin Wood

Amy Johnson Crow at No Story Too Small has a weekly challenge to write the stories of your ancestors. This is week #34 and the suggested theme is find an ancestor on a Non Population Census Schedule.  I'm sure I have lot of Indiana farmers on the agricultural census. Unfortunately the Indiana schedules are not digitized.  So I have highlighting one of my husband's ancestor, Benjamin Franklin Wood.

Benjamin was born in 1810 in North Carolina. His father had been born in Maryland but by 1793 was in North Carolina.  He sold his property there in 1809 and went to Tennessee. His family joined him shortly after that. 

Not a lot is know about Benjamin. Most of his children were born in Alabama.  He is in the 1850 census in DeKalb County, Alabama.  DeKalb was created in 1836 just 10 days after the signing of the Treaty of New Echota where the federal government paid five million dollars for the Cherokee land which opened that land up for new settlers.In 1839 he received $6 as an heir of his father's will.  I have seen trees that show he was in Texas and participated in the Mexican American War. His daughter and son-in-law lived in Texas.  The 1850 census, court records in Cannon County, TN where he is disputing his father's will are two of the three documents I have for Benjamin.

The third is the 1860 Mortality Schedule in DeKalb County, Alabama.

Benjamin is listed on line 32:

Benjamin F. Wood, age 49, born in North Carolina, died in March, occupation was painter, died of typhoid pneumonia and had been ill for 15.

There is still much to learn about Benjamin. I do not know who he married.  Due to the age of his wife in the 1850 and the children listed, I believe he was married more than one. I believe he had eleven children, but have not had much luck finding information on most of them.  So the search is ongoing.

#52 Ancestors Week 29 - Musical - Houchins Band

Amy Johnson Crow at No Story Too Small has a weekly challenge to write the stories of your ancestors. This is week #29 and the suggested theme is Musical.  


I was on vacation and did not post this during the musical week.  However, I have this great photograph that I want to share.  

Houchins Coronet Band, Greenville, W.Va. c. 1897 - sons of Rufus and Clayton Houchins

Rufus and Clayton Houchins are brothers and their sons make up the Houchin Coronet Band. Rufus and Clayton are by 3rd cousins 3X removed. I just love this photo.

The Houchins Coronet Band was formed about 1897-98 in Monroe county,WV. It was started by nine members of the Houchins family there and included the sons of brothers Rufus, (born in 1829) and Clayton M.Houchins (born 1839). The band did not stay together very long but they did put on concerts that paid for the instruments.

I'm not aware of any other musical ancestors in my Houchin line. However, I do have a grandson that plays the tuba in the high school marching band.

#52 Weeks - Defective, Dependent & Deliquent - Henry Sargent

Amy Johnson Crow at No Story Too Small has a weekly challenge to write the stories of your ancestors. This is week #33 and the suggested theme is Defective, Dependent & Delinquent. The suggestion is referring to the 1880 special schedule that enumerated the blind, deaf, paupers, homeless children, prisoners, insane, and idiotic.

The 1880 DDD Schedule for Indiana is not online that I could find.  I did look at the 1880 census and found that my 2X great grandfather, Jacob Sargent, was listed with his wife and three youngest children.  Jacob’s 20 year old son, Henry, is shown as having consumption under the health question #15 which asks:

Is the person [on the day of the Enumerator’s visit] sick or temporarily disabled, so as to be unable to attend to ordinary business or duties?

If so, what is the sickness or disability?

This is going to have to be my defective listing. Consumption was the terminology at the time for tuberculosis. Henry died just five years later at the age of 25, in December of 1895. His brother Everett dies in 1889 at the age of 23. Jacob and his wife Nancy Jane had six children, only three married, and all died by age 41.

1880 Census for Jacob Sargent, McCameron Township, Martin Co., Indiana

You might have noticed that there is another disability listed on this page under James Sargent, several lines above Jacob. James is a brother of Jacob and he has “piles”, today known as hemorrhoids.

I decided to see what other disabilities were listed in Jacob's township. Of they 1111 people enumerated, I found the following:

Measles (8 children in two families), disease of heart, cholera (2), neuralgia (2), pleurisy, rheumatism, kidney disease, malaria (2), fever (3), ruptured, scrofula in eyes, gunshot, consumption (2), piles, phthisic (asthma).

In addition there were 4 that were blind, 2 idiotic, 2 insane, and 12 maimed. 

I was drawn in by the gunshot that was listed and I had to see if I could find out more about that.  The name was Joseph Smiley and I found the following newspaper clipping:

The only other info I could find on 24 year old Smiley was that he was married in January that same year to 19 year old Barbara Huff. Joseph Huff from the article must be some relation to her. 

I'm so easily led astray, but I enjoy the search!

#52 Ancestors - 32 - Well Almost

Amy Johnson Crow at No Story Too Small has a weekly challenge to write the stories of your ancestors. This is week #32 and the suggested theme is also 32. The suggestion was to highlight one of your 32 third great grandparents.
The generation of my third great grandparents was a challenge when I first began my genealogy journey.  Today I am happy to say that all but one has been identified.  Here are all the surnames:

Moehllmann, Wesserhuhn, Krentler, Rauscherbush, Tendick, Hollman, Kuches, Manglemann, Schmidt, Kueppers, Heitman, Memering, Ramacher, Hochwar, Sargent, Waggoner, Skeen, Percyfield, Adkins, Mahan, Williams, McBride, Houchin, Clifford, Smith, Davis, Mason, McClannahan, Ring.

As I mentioned, there is one "unknown" - Polly the wife of George Smith - has not yet been identified.  But were you counting the names? There are only 29 rather than 31.  So today I am going to introduce you to Heinrich Kuches or Kukes and Matilda Mangelmann.

Heinrich was born in 1810 in Kaldenhausen, Germany and Matilda Mangelmann was born in nearby Baerl about the same time. They married about 1830 as their first child, a son Diedrick, was born 23 December 1832 in Dusseldorph, Kries Moers, Rhineland, Germany. He was followed by a sister Katrina on 12 Aug 1838.  It is assumed that the mother died shortly afterwards as Heinrich remarried in September of the following year.

Much of what we know about Diedrick and Kathrina and their family comes from their grandson Alfred Moehlmann. He writes:

"Kathrina's father was a prosperous man and had a small farm.  She was heir to about 20 acres of land at Hochstrasse near Neukirchen and all her children were born there."

Katrina had married Peter Tendick on 14 Jan 1858 in Neukirchen. Katrina and Peter had nine children and in 1889 immigrated to the United States with seven of the children and settled in Greene County, Indiana.

Alfred writes the following about his grandfather Diedrick:

"Diedrick was a full brother to my Grandmother - Katrina Kukes (or Kukas) Tendick. Their father was Henry Kukes and they were born in Rhineland Province of Germany, near Dusseldorf, Kries Moers, Germany.  Now most of the details are those that I remember from my grandmother.  As far as I know, they were the only children.  I don't know what Diedrick was learning to be, but he was an apprentice to a man named Bovenschen.  Evidently later on he was drafted into the Prussian Army.  We do know that they conscripted for military service at that time. The camp or barracks he was serving in had to be close to their house, for my Grandmother said that their father would send her to camp with a basket of food at times.  She always mentioned one item for sure; that was light bread.  Now light bread was a delicacy there at that time - about the same as cake or pie was when we were kids.  Rye bread was their staple food.  Now Diedrick didn't like the military life or the Prussian system and he deserted the Army.  In order to leave Germany he had to get out on an assumed name to emigrate to America. He took the name of the craftsman he worked for - Bovenschen and kept it his entire life and raised his family by that name."

So Diedrick  had immigrated to the US in 1854 at the age of 21 and settled in Greene County, Indiana,where his sister and her family later joined him.  In 1862 he married Margaretha Schmidt and they had twelve children.

Matilda was the daughter of Katrina and Peter Tendick and married Frederick Moehlmann and had a son Alfred.. Diedrick and Margaretha had a son William who married Gesena Heitman and they had a daughter Helen.

Helen Bovennschen and Alfred Moehlamnn, my grandparents, married in 1921.  Helen and Alfred were second cousins. As a result the number of 3rd great grandparents are reduced by two to 30. Of course that number increases with each generation you go back. Five more generations back and I only need to research 960 people rather that 1024, assuming there are no other cousin marriages. 

#52 Ancestors Week 28 - Road Trip

Amy Johnson Crow at No Story Too Small has a weekly challenge to write the stories of your ancestors. This is week #28 and the suggested theme is ROAD TRIP. This topic of is appropriate for I just got back from a road trip to Indiana. I had the opportunity to take my genealogy on a short road trip as well. I had just a short time to visit the Martin Co. Historical Society in Shoals.  The society is housed in the old court house.  I got to do the happy dance as I found the transcript of the will of my 4th great grandfather, Joseph Sargent. He died in Martin County, Indiana in 1865 at the age of 84.

Joseph had taken his own road trip, since he was born in Caswell County, North Carolina but by 1796 his father had relocated the family to Russell County, Virginia. By 1805 they were once again on the move and were enumerated in 1810 in Somerset, Pulaski Co., Kentucky. It was there that Joseph was married in 1809. In 1817 he purchased property in Lawrence County, Indiana.

Google Map showing the travels of Joseph Sargent 

According to Google Maps, today we could make the journey from Caswell, NC to Martin Co., IN in just a little over 12 hours. For Joseph it happened over a 20 year period.  But I'm sure that his journey included traveling along the Wilderness Road carved out by Daniel Boone though the Cumberland Gap.

Wilderness Road
From Library of Congress

#52 Ancestors Week 27 - Independence - Thomas Adkins

Amy Johnson Crow at No Story Too Small has a weekly challenge to write the stories of your ancestors. This is week #27 and the suggested theme is INDEPENDENCE.  I'm highlighting the Revolutionary service of my of my 4th great grandfather, Thomas Adkins (1760-1845).

Since I wrote about Abner Adkins, my ancestor which is only halfway researched, I decided to highlight his father Thomas Adkins, an American Revolutionary Soldier. Thomas was born in South Carolina about 1760 and was living there when the American Revolution started At the age of 17 he enlisted.

Thomas Adkins served under Capt. John Templeton .He marched to Cambridge under Col. Lindsay and then to Augusta, GA, on to Briar Creek, where they had a very serious engagement and where they were defeated. They were repairing the bridge that ran through a three mile wide swamp, that the British had destroyed.  The work party had not been issued weapons and they were quickly surrounded by the British at three o'clock in the afternoon of 28 Feb 1779.  Many drowned trying to escape by swimming the Savannah River, some were shot.  About 200 men were taken prisoner.  As Thomas could not swim, he was taken prisoner.  He remained so for about six months.  On his escape, he rejoined his remaining outfit at Mock's Corner, SC.  He was discharged at the orders of General Greene. 

Plaque in Whitley county erected in 1976 for the Bicentennial of
 Kentucky of Revolutionary Soldiers

Thomas Adkins 1760-1845
Kaswick Cemetery, Whitley Co., KY

Thomas applied for pension on October 21, 1833 at the age of 73 while living in Whitley County, Kentucky. His pension file on Fold.3 has 123 pages. Many of those papers are his application and there are many from his widow's application after his death.  Although there are many witness statements all applications were denied for lack of proof of length of service. He had not kept his discharge papers.

Single Life to Benedict - Part 9 - Farm Life

"In the fall of 1939 we bought a farm on State Rd. 54 east of town from Sheldon Goodman.  It was the place that both Mom and I wanted and consisted of 42 acres.  I loved it out there – a good productive farm, well located on a good hard road, a lot of shade.  I really expected it to be our last move. 

Harold had 3 wrecks with the car the last one in the spring of 1940 and it was a bad one. 

I am a year ahead of my story for in the summer of 1938 I got my appointment on the Ohio & Evans R.P.O. 

Now in the spring of 1940 Mom came to Sullivan to meet me after a tour of road duty and when I noticed she had a Ford I asked her, how come – she said “ask him.”  It was then I saw Harold, a pretty dejected looking boy so I asked him what happened and he told me he wrecked the car the night befor.  I asked if anybody was hurt and he said no, then I inquired about the car and he said it was damaged badly.  We drove home and I think Mom for once was aggravated at me for she said, “Is that all you are going to say to him.”  I merely said what else is there to say, nobody was hurt, for which I was thankful and you can always fix a car or buy another one.  But the insurance company wanted to cancel me out and I pleaded I couldn’t do without insurance on account of getting to and from trains so they said if I would keep Harold from driving one year they would carry my insurance.  To this we had to agree.

There are a few instances that took place while we lived on the Bill Pope place that are noteworthy.  The first cow we ever owned, a Jersey, was bought when we first moved there.  The boys were big enough to do some work and the best potato crop we ever had was raised there by their efforts.  It was a hang-out for boys who came from town and from the Olive Branch community to play basketball.  I think it was here that not only our boys but all the boys welded an everlasting friendship and devotion for Randy Beasley, Coach, who was later killed in World War ll. 

We had a little incident with Jane while living here.  As normal for girls, she liked pretty clothes.  She asked Mom if she could wear silk hose to school (Black Creek).  We talked it over and Mom said she wasn’t hard on them so we consented.  On my first day off after school started that fall, Mom said the patrons did not like the idea because their girls wanted to do the same.  It must be remembered that the depression still hadn’t been licked.  We decided the chips would have to fall where they would – It would break her heart to deny her the privilege we had given her and we wouldn’t take it away from her.

I take a little pride in getting electric power in that neighborhood south of “Tuffy” Beasley.  I got a list of subscribers and took it to Bloomfield to the Public Service Power Co. and put my petition in the hands of an old Vandalia Coal Co. employee with whom I had worked and a very good friend of mine, Joe Jarvis.  About this time the petition was granted and the R.E.A was constructing lines in the Olive Branch area and the neighbors decided they wanted it.  Thinking it would be cheaper, so I had Joe to delay P.S.  Well we didn’t get R.E.A.  He informed me that I would have to get the P.S. to give up their franchise on the proposed line and get twelve petitions to file for service.  I got this done and although the money for the line had to be taken from what had been apportioned for an extension in Clay County we got on line. 

Before we moved I was sure that I detected something was wrong with Mom.  I asked her what she was keeping from me and she said she was afraid she had a rupture and was keeping it from me because we had spent so much on surgery and hospitals.  We had our examination and her fears were confirmed.

One of the reasons too that we bought the farm was that the boys would soon be out of High School and jobs were not too easy to get and we planned on turning what profits we made on the farm over to them if they would do the work.  We had it figured out that they could at least make their spending money.  Naturally we didn’t have the money to pay for the new house and I had to go in debt with a loan from the bank.  We had to do two things when we moved – put a partition in to make another bed room and install a furnace.  Well things worked out pretty good.  I bought a sow that farrowed 8 pigs; we had corn to feed them, for I got the corn crop in the purchase deal and Harold did a good job tending them and realized a little over $80⁰⁰ for them.  Shortly after this, befor going out on a tour Harold told me he didn’t like farming and wanted to get a job in Public works.  I consented and he went to Indianapolis and applied at Allisons.  He was up there a week and in the mean time I got home on Saturday and while in the barber shop I saw Gordon Miller and he said he would hire him on a job they were doing at Charlestown.  Harold got in at midnight and made arrangement to go Sunday, I think with Sammy Stockram.  High school days seemed to go by fast.  Harold was on the football, basketball and track teams, Avery went in for basketball and Tunney went in for basketball too.  I didn’t get to see very many games for I was on the road most of the time, having a 4 on and 3 off run.  Avery graduated in 1941, went to some kind of government training school teaching various trades."

Alfred Moehlmann Real Estate Transaction - 1939

Alfred and Helen's home farm is no longer standing. In it's place is a retail business - Shoe Show.

Location of Alfred Moehlmann farm on Hwy. 54 in Linton, IN.
Taken in 2012, now a shoe store.

Alfred refers to the R.E.A. in getting electricity, which stands for Rural Electrification Administration.

Bill Moehlmann Trying Out for Football - 1939

Bill Moehlmann Winner Free-throw Contest 1940

Alfred's son  Bill has been in the news during this time, mostly for his sports activities as tge as the above articles show. But the article to the left is about his having pneumonia in March of 1940. Surprisingly I found nothing in the newspapers about the numerous car accidents that Bill had.

Helen Moehlmann Hospital Release May 1940

Allison's is a company that started in 1915 as the Speedway Team Co. by James Allison to support his Indianapolis 500 racing activities. One day after the beginning of World War I James Allison's suspended all activities related to car racing and focused on supporting the war efforts. The company name was changed to Allison Engineering Co. After the war they began working on aircraft engines. In 1928 James Allison died and the company was put up for sale with the stipulation that it remain in Indianapolis. Today it is still headquartered there. By 1939 when Bill wanted to apply for a job at Allison's, the company was heavily involved in producing aircraft engines for the military.

So the boys are growing up. Two have now graduated from high school.