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Dorothy 'Ann' (Younkin) Gross |
Dorothy "Ann" (Younkin) Gross was born on Jan. 3, 1823 in Indiana, the daughter of Samuel and Rachel (Deitz) Younkin.
On July 25, 1841, the 18-year-old Ann was united in matrimony with 22-year-old John T. Gross (Sept. 11, 1818-1891). Their wedding took place in Butler County, OH, by the hand of justice of the peace Jonathan Pierson.
Together they bore a foursome of known daughters, Manerva Jane Gross, Ann E. Gross, Sarah Elizabeth Parish and Susan I. Shigley.
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| Pennsylvania-German greetings from Battle Ground near the Gross homeplace |
When the federal census enumeration was made in 1860, the Grosses lived on a farm in Tippecanoe Township, Tippecanoe County, IN. They received their postal mail in Chauncey, IN as of 1870, and that year, 12-year-old John Dunn and 22-year-old laborer Joseph Winsburg lived under their roof.
Ann passed away on April 1, 1872, at the age of 49. The remains were lowered under the sod of Battle Ground Cemetery in Tippecanoe County, IN. A stone marks the grave.
John lived for another 19 years. After or in conjunction with his married daughter Susan's move to Nebraska in 1886, he followed suit and lived next door. He succumbed to the spectre of death at age 72 on March 24, 1891. In an obituary, the Hayes County (NE) Republican said "He was a sincere christian and will be missed by all who knew him." Burial was in Valley Cemetery in Hayes County, NE. Inscribed on his grave marker was this passage from scripture, 2 Timothy 4:7 (King James Version): "I have fought a good fight. I have finished my course. I have kept the faith."
~ Daughter Manerva Jane Gross ~
Daughter Manerva Jane Gross (1842-1860) was born in Sept. 1842 in Ohio.
The family was plunged into grief at her death at age 17 years and 10 months on July 11, 1860.
The cause of her untimely passing is not known. Burial was in Battle Ground Cemetery in Tippecanoe County.
~ Daughter Ann E. Gross ~
Daughter Ann E. Gross (1844- ? ) was born in about 1844 in Ohio.
Her paper trail has faded into the misty haze of the past.
~ Daughter Sarah Elizabeth (Gross) Parish ~
Daughter Sarah Elizabeth Gross (1849-1936) was born in 1849 in Ohio.
She did not know how to read or write, and signed her name with an "X" on official documents.
On the Fourth of July 1867, she was united in wedlock with Civil War veteran James Harvey Parish (July 9, 1846-1913). Their vows were exchanged before justice of the peace Harrison Thomas at Lafayette, IN.
The groom was a native of Carroll County, IN who at the age of 13 in 1859 had moved to White County and a year migrated again to Tippecanoe Township, Tippecanoe County. He stood 5 feet, 9 inches tall and weighed 150 lbs., with a dark complexion.
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Sketch of James' wartime ankle injury National Archives |
During the war, on Aug. 7, 1862, James joined the Union Army. He was placed within the 72nd Indiana Infantry, Company K. While at Murfreesboro, TN on March 1, 1863, he was injured in a freak accident. A steam boiler he was trying to load onto a wagon fell on his right foot. He was treated by regimental surgeons Dr. Morrow and Dr. Sterne.
James spent the winter in a massive encampment in Alabama, at Gravelly Springs. There, under the command of Brig. Gen. James H. Wilson, some 13,500 cavalrymen were re-equipped and trained. At dawn on March 22, 1865, Army left Gravelly Springs to begin a sweeping campaign through Alabama and Georgia targeting enemy manufacturing and supply centers. Just before the mission began, James contracted chronic diarrhea which led to hemorrhoids and kidney disease. He is believed to have accompanied his regiment on that raid, culminating in major engagements at Selma and Columbus before concluding in Macon. The ailments plagued him for the balance of his years.
He received his honorable discharge in Nashville, TN on June 26, 1865.
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James' pension certificate National Archives |
His fellow soldiers Daniel C. Davis and Dennis Riley, who were longtime neighbors of the Parishes after the war, wrote in February 1878 that "his ankle on his right leg has been stiff and at times ever since the day of the injury which occurred we think in March 1863, it has been running or discharging matter."
He applied for a pension increase in 1888 on the grounds that he was suffering from rheumatism of the leg caused by the foot injury. Boyhood friend Matthew H.W. Minniear of Battle Ground wrote that the two "were boys together up to the date of his enlistment. He was then a healthy sound man... When he returned from the army in July 1865 he was suffering with chronic diarrhea and a lame back and also piles -- and suffered every year since with the same. The way I know these facts is that I have worked with him, he has worked for me and I have seen him almost daily during the whole period." The case was examined by a team of military surgeons and rejected on Feb. 3, 1899.
One of the surgeons' reports dated July 1890 described James as "fairly erect, smooth, soft skin, moderate flesh, trunk and extremities fairly symmetrical, light brown hair and lighter brown whiskers, regular features, average intelligence... the symptoms of injury of back are subjective only... Teeth worn, discolored, not well preserved."
James tried again repeatedly to receive a raise in his pension payments. Neighbors John Irwin, Henry G. Harper and John B. Wilson claimed in affidavits that they had often heard him complain of pain in his back, walk with a cane, and urinate for frequently that a man with sound kidneys should. He also received supporting papers in writing from Dr. Calvin E. Carney, Dr. C.W. Shill, James A. Henderson, Stephen M. Aiken, John D. Collins, Lewis Ward and Francis P. Heath.
Collins wrote in 1897 that "I have known James H. Parish for 35 years and served in the same Regt with him... In the month of February 1865 at a place called Gravel Springs in the state of tennessee that said [soldier] took a severe cold after which he complained of Rheumatism and kidney trouble - and I have heard him complain of said troubles ever since and he is not able tat the present time to do manual labor of any kind." His monthly pension increase was approved for a raise to $24 monthly in December 1909.
Henderson in September 1902 remembered that he and James had worked together and that "at times so badly disabled that he had to quit work -- not being a doctor I can only say what he complained of, and such signs of lameness as he exhibited. He would like down and hold his hands on his back and complain of plain pain and lameness."
The family's homeplace in 1906-1908 was on a small farm at Buck Creek, Tippecanoe County, a small community formerly known as Transitville. In August 1909, Sarah is known to have traveled to visit with her daughter Nancy Shaw near Battle Ground and attend a camp meeting there.
When the United States Census count was taken in 1910, the couple lived on a farm in Perry, Tippecanoe County, with 44-year-old bachelor son Charles under their roof. They sold the farm in the spring of 1913 and moved to Colburn.
The angel of death cleaved away James at the age of 67 on the fateful day of Oct. 28, 1913. That morning, he had traveled into Lafayette to see his son James, who was working on the local street railway. He made the trip to town on the interurban line and had a return coupon in his pocket. But he did not arrive back home, Ann spent the night worrying and in the morning came to report the disappearance to Lafayette police. That same morning, his broken body was found in the Montmorenci community, seven miles west of Lafayette, along the Lake Erie and Western Railroad, some 10 feet from the south track of the New York Central lines, midway between the two crossings. His hat was 50 feet away. Reported the Lafayette Daily Courier,
The face was bruised and no other injuries were discovered until the corpse was brought to the Soller-Harrington undertaking rooms... An examination disclosed a dislocation of the right shoulder, a fractured scapula and several broken ribs on the right side. Coroner Hannell said the injuries probably were caused by Parish being struck by a train. He does not think so many bones would have been broken by an aged man falling from a train. Evidently Parish was walking along the track and was struck by an east-bound train... He had a letter in his pocket addressed to his son, James Jr., at Buck Creek, and it is believed that he brought the letter here to deliver to the son. It was a notification from the Citizens' bank at Delphi that a note had come due. Parish had a sum of money in his pockets and the return ticket to Colburn.
Burial was in the local Colburn United Brethren Cemetery, with Rev. S.M. Hill officiating. The Lafayette Weekly Courier investigated and a few days later said that James on "Tuesday evening walked across the Main street levee with Marcellus Rawles, who was his comrade in the Seventy-second Indiana regiment in the civil war. When the two men separated in West Lafayette Parish continued on his way out State street. It is supposed that he walked to the railroad tracks and then started out on the tracks toward Montmorenci. It is possible that he became bewildered and thought he was going toward Colburn."
After his death, Sarah applied to receive her late husband's pension, and it duly was awarded. [Widow App. No. 1.017.010 - Cert. No. 768.871] She survived her spouse by 23 years, and in 1922 endured the shocking, sudden death of married daughter Cynthia Welch while on a visit to a doctor's office.
Sarah passed into the arms of the heavenly host in Colburn on Dec. 16, 1936, at age 86, in the home of a daughter in Colburn. An obituary in the Logansport Pharos-Tribune said that death had resulted from a three-week illness. Funeral rites jointly were conducted by Rev. C.L. Stroup and Rev. Roscoe Smith in the Colburn Methodist Episcopal Church.
Son Charles R. Parish (1868-1938) was born on April 8, 1868 in Lafayette. He was a lifelong bachelor and spent the majority of his life in Colburn, IN. When the federal census enumeration was made in 1900, Charles boarded in the farming household of Lemoyne and Mary Ramey in Tippecanoe, Tippecanoe County, where his occupation was marked as "Month Labor." In 1910, now in Perry Township, Tippecanoe County, he lived under the roof of his parents, continuing to furnish farm labor. He remained in his widowed mother's farm home in 1920 and 1930. Charles' final dwelling-place was in or near the town of Colburn. With him suffering from angina pectoris -- severe chest pain caused by insufficient blood flow to the heart -- the angel of death cleaved him away in St. Elizabeth Hospital on Sept. 29, 1938. Funeral services were held in the Colburn United Brethren Church, with burial following in the church's cemetery. His married sister Mrs. Fred Forth of Lafayette was the informant for the official Indiana certificate of death. An obituary appeared in the Lafayette Journal and Courier.
Daughter Mary Ann Parish (1870-1948) was born on April 8, 1870, in Lafayette, IN, on her brother Charles' second birthday. She appears to first have married Francis P. Heath ( ? - ? ), at age 28, on Sept. 28, 1897. The pair exchanged their vows in Tippecanoe County and lived in Lafayette. In June 1899, reported the Indianapolis News, "Some time ago Mary Heath brought suit for divorce from Francis Heath, charging cruelty, and making restraining order against collection of certain notes by defendant. She was persuaded by the husband to withdraw the suit. Now she renews it, alleging that he has collected the notes and abandoned her." News of their dispute also was published in newspapers statewide. Once the divorce was finalized, she did not wait long to remarry. On Oct. 19, 1899, in Tippecanoe, she tied the marital cord with Martin M. Van Camp (Feb. 1, 1850-1909), originally from West Virginia. He too was divorced and brought two stepchildren into his union with Mary, Golda L. Good and Willard Clow Van Camp. As of 1909, their address in Lafayette was 702 Erie Street, with him engaged in painting and contracting. He held memberships in the Local Union 80 and held a membership in the Grace United Brethren Church. They were together for a decade until his death at age 59 on Feb. 22, 1909. He was laid to rest in Spring Vale Cemetery, with Rev. J.A. Groves leading the funeral. In an obituary, the Lafayette Journal and Courier said he "had been in a feeble condition for two years and his death is attributed to paralysis... [He] was a man of sterling character." Then in 1913, she wed Fred Forth (1867-1947), an immigrant from England and the son of Edna P. Shaw. He brought two stepchildren into the union, Frederick Ralph Forth and Beatrice Lindsay. Their home for years was in West Lafayette, with Fred generating income in 1920 as a campus mailman of a university library and later as a custodian at the West Lafayette Library. The couple's address at that time was 1222 North Fourth Street. She held memberships in the Grace Evangelical United Brethren Church, local lodge of the Rebekahs, Daughters of Civil War Veterans and Auxiliary of the Sons of Union Veterans. Sadly, Fred passed away in 1947. His widow lived on for a year. The 77-year-old Mary Ann was burdened with chronic heart disease and an enlarged heart and succumbed to the spectre of death in Lafayette on Valentine's Day 1948. Burial was in Springvale, IN.
- Step-granddaughter Golda L. Van Camp (1878-1955) was born in 1878. She married (?) Good.
- Step-grandson Willard Clow Van Camp (1881-1954)
- Step-grandson Frederick Ralph Forth made his residence in Daytona Beach, FL in 1948.
- Step-granddaughter Beatrice Forth tied the knot with (?) Lindsay and settled in Fremont, OH as of 1948.
Daughter Nancy Alice Parish (1872-1949) was born in 1872 in Tippecanoe County. At the age of 18, in 1890, she married William E. Shaw (Nov. 9, 1850-1926), son of John and Sarah (McKinney) Shaw. Five offspring born into this family were Chester Shaw, Casper Shaw, Mrs. Dennis Hudgens, Velma Gates and Mrs. Wilbur Mennen. The Shaws were longtime farmers near Lafayette, Tippecanoe County, IN, four miles west of Battle Ground. They were members of the Cairo Methodist Church. Sadly, on March 30, 1926, the 75-year-old William died from the effects of hardening of the arteries layered by pneumonia and influenza. Burial was in Battle Ground Cemetery. The widowed Nancy remained in Lafayette. She died in St. Elizabeth Hospital at the age of 76 on April 18, 1949, with an obituary appearing in the Lafayette Journal and Courier.
- Grandson Chester Shaw lived at home with his widowed mother, four miles west of Battle Ground, in the late 1940s.
- Grandson Casper Shaw resided in the late 1940s with his widowed mother on their farm four miles west of Battle Ground
- Granddaughter (?) Shaw wed Dennis Hudgens and put down roots in Lafayette.
- Granddaughter Velma Shaw married (?) Gates. They lived in Lafayette in 1949.
- Granddaughter (?) Shaw tied the knot with Wilbur Mennen. Their dwelling-place in the late 1940s was in Battle Ground.
Daughter Delcenna Parish (1875-1883) was born on March 22, 1875. She did not survive childhood. The family was thrown into mourning when she died at age eight on Dec. 15, 1883. The cause of her demise may be lost to history. Her tender remains were laid to rest in Liberty Chapel Cemetery in Cairo, Tippecanoe County.
Daughter Cynthia Parish (1878-1922) was born on May 11, 1878 in Tippecanoe County, IN. In 1898, she married Lewis/Louis A. Welch (1873-1934). Four known children of the couple were Earl Welch, Ernest Welch, Roy Welch and Eva G. Gushwa. Their home in the early 1920s was in Perry Township, and they belonged to the United Brethren Church of Pyrmont. Shock and grief descended upon the family on the fateful day of June 11, 1932. Cynthia went to see her physician, Dr. E.B. Ruschli, in his office in the Lafayette Life Insurance Building. While in the office, she suffered a massive heart attack and died at the age of 44. Rev. Kenneth McCoy led the funeral rites. Interment of the remains was in Pyrmont Cemetery, Carroll County. An obituary in the Lafayette Journal and Courier said that she "was a highly respected woman. Her sudden demise came as a severe shock to the members of her family and friends." Lewis lived for another dozen years and appears to have wed again. During the Christmas season of 1933, he suffered a stroke of paralysis and lingered for two weeks. He died on Jan. 2, 1934 in the home of his daughter Gushwa five miles southwest of Delphi, IN. His funeral was held in the Pyrmont United Brethren Church, and his obituary appeared in the Logansport Pharos-Tribune. As so often happens at the death of a last parent-grandparent, the family decided to begin holding family gatherings. A "Parish and Welch" reunion was convened at the camp-meeting grounds at Battle Ground in July 1936. The Journal and Courier reported that a "bountiful basked dinner at noon and a general social time was enjoyed..."
- Grandson Earl C. Welch ( ? -1945) was born on (?) in Perry Township. On Dec. 23, 1922, he tied the knot with Agnes D. Ransdell ( ? - ? ). They did not reproduce but raised a foster daughter, Juanita Blaker. The pair settled in Attica, IN and were there in 1932-1934. For a quarter of a century, he was employed by Public Service Company, including a 10-year stint in the local branch office. By the mid-1940s, they moved to Lafayette at an address of 817 North Eighth Street. While at the Public Service offices, over the fateful noon hour of June 26, 1945, he suffered a heart attack. He was taken to his room in the residence of Mrs. Ray Perkins and died later in the day. His obituary was printed in the Lafayette Journal and Courier.
- Grandson Ernest M. Welch ( ? -1958) was born on (?). He relocated by 1934 to Petersburg, VA, where his uncle James Harvey Parish Jr. was making a home. He remained in the Petersburg area for decades and in 1952 lived in Colonial Heights, VA. Ernest was married and the father of a daughter. Sadly, following a lengthy illness, he died at home at the age of 56 on Feb. 16, 1958. His brother Roy and aunt Della Parish of Lafayette, and brother-in-law Reed Gushwa and niece Joyce Gushwa of Delphi, traveled to attend the funeral. An obituary was published in the Lafayette Journal and Courier.
- Grandson Roy G. Welch ( ? - ? ) was born on (?). He was a 1925 graduate of Monitor High School. On April 16, 1927, he wed Margie Moore ( ? - ? ), daughter of Reuben Moore of Greencastle, IN. The Lafayette Journal and Courier called it "a beautiful wedding," held in the parsonage of the United Brethren Church in Pyrmont, led by Rev. Stanley, "in the presence of immediate relatives.,, The bride was attractively attired in a light blue georgette dress with hat to match." Margie was a 1925 graduate of Greencastle High School. The newly-marrieds first lived on the farm of Roy's father east of Lafayette. As of 1934, they resided in Heath, IN.
- Granddaughter Eva G. Welch (1903-1952) was born on Dec. 4, 1903 in Tippecanoe County. At the age of 23, on Feb. 16, 1927, she married Reed Gushwa ( ? - ? ). Their trio of offspring included Paul E. Gushwa, Mrs. Kenneth Mears and Joyce Gushwa. The family lived near Pyrmont, IN in 1932 and eventually relocated to Delphi, IN. Deep sadness cascaded over the family on Dec. 19, 1952 when Eva died at age 49, of heart problems, in St. Elizabeth Hospital in Lafayette. The Logansport Pharos-Tribune printed an obituary. Son Paul was serving with the U.S. Army in Korea at the time of his mother's untimely death. Rev. Keith Smitley officiated the services, followed by burial in the Masonic Cemetery.
Daughter Clara E. Parish (1881- ? ) was born on March 27, 1881. Evidence hints that she died young, in the month of March. Her name is inscribed on a grave marker in Liberty Chapel Cemetery in Cairo, shared with her sister Delcenna, but whether she actually sleeps there for all time is not known.
Daughter Della Parish (1883-1967) was born on Dec. 29, 1883 near Battle Ground, Tippecanoe County. She does not appear to have been married. Della lived in Perry Township and Colburn, IN, followed by a move for good to Lafayette in 1901. For years, she shared a home with her sister Mary Ann Heath Van Camp Forth. Della earned a living as a housemother at the Acacia Fraternity House in West Lafayette until retiring. She held memberships in the Grace Evangelical United Brethren Church and Triumph lodge of the Rebekahs. She was gathered away by the spirit of death at age 83, in Lafayette's St. Elizabeth Hospital, on April 3, 1967. The remains were lowered under the sod of the local Spring Valley Cemetery. An obituary was published in the Lafayette Journal and Courier.
Son James Harvey Parish Jr. (1886-1955) was born on Feb. 27, 1886 in or near Lafayette, IN. At the age of 21, on Oct. 23, 1907, he entered into marriage with his first bride, Glee M. Hull (July 30, 1888-1912), daughter of John and Sarah (Underhill) Hull. The ceremony was held in Carroll County, IN, officiated by J.A. Groves. One known daughter born into this family was Mazie Larene Parish, who sadly is believed to have died young. The newlyweds lived in Ockley, Carroll Dounty in 1908 and in Lafayette in 1910, with James employed as a railway laborer. By 1912, they had moved into the village of Colburn, Tippecanoe County. James' world was upended when Glee was diagnosed with chronic kidney disease which led to "pernicious anemia" -- an auto-immune disorder caused by a lack of B-12 vitamin. After suffering for four months, death cleaved her away at age 23 years, 11 months and two days on July 2, 1912. The remains were laid to rest in Colburn. During World War I, he served in a bakers' and cooks' quartermaster corps. Later, he became widowed and settled in Petersburg, VA. When he was 36 years of age, on June 12, 1920, in Petersburg, he tied the marital cord with Mattie Lena Hulsey ( ? - ? ). The pair did not reproduce. They stayed in Petersburg for good, and in 1930 James earned income as a watchman in a nitrogen plant, while Mattie worked in a tobacco factory as a cigar maker. Their 21-year-old nephew Herbert Garrett lived under their roof in 1930. They were members of the Episcopal Church, and he belonged to the local lodge of the Eagles. During World War II, James obtained work as a cook at the station hospital at Camp Lee, VA, and Mattie was a practical nurse serving private families. The Parishes' address in 1955 was at 8 South Crater Road, and at that time James generated income as a clerk at the Hotel Chesterfield. Having been ill for six months, James suffered a heart attack at home and died at age 68 on Sept. 14, 1955. An obituary was printed in his old hometown newspaper, the Lafayette Journal and Courier. Burial was in Blandford Cemetery.
~ Daughter Susan I. (Gross) Shigley ~
Daughter Susan I. Gross (1853-1908) was born in about 1853 in Ohio.
In 1870 or 1872, at the age of about 17 or 19, she tied the knot with George Washington Shigley (Sept. 12, 1850-1936), a neighbor in Tippecanoe County, IN. (This name was mistyped in the notes of Donna [Younkin] Logan as "S. Higley.")
The pair produced a family of 11 children, of whom the identities of only five are known -- Lenora "Nora" Paxton, John Otis Shigley, Annie Valley Minnick, Hazel Shigley, Arthur Shigley and Laura Pearl Wyland.
The family in 1886 relocated to Nebraska and settled in the northeastern section of Hayes County, about 16 miles southeast of the town of Dickens. Susan gave birth to their daughter Annie shortly after arrival, on July 11, 1886.
Susan suffered from asthma. Sadly, upon contracting pneumonia, she passed away on Dec. 4, 1908. One obituary said that "Her last sickness was very sudden and unexpected as she had seemed to be improving for several weeks. She had suffered bery much at frequent intervals with the disease which finally caused her demise. We know not the hour when when our Lord will come to take us away to his own dear home and we trust that she has gone to that beautiful home for she was a kind mother, a faithful wife and a devoted christian, having united with the Methodist church at the age of nine years."
Another in the Hayes Center (NE) Times-Republican said she "has lived among us for twenty two years, being one of the first settlers of the Valley precinct... the funeral was held at the Valley school house and the remains laid to rest in Valley cemetery, which is on the homestead where she lived." Rev. D.W. Parker of Maywood presided over the funeral rites. Burial was next to her father.
As a widower, George lived on for more than a quarter of a century. His home in 1891 was near Maywood, NE -- in 1908 at White, Hayes County, NE -- in 1910 in Valley Township, Hamilton County, NE -- and in 1930 in Dudley, Fall River, SD. In January 1908, near tragedy was avoided his teenage daughter Hazel was bound and taken from their home and "criminally assaulted," but fortunately recovered, reported the Omaha (NE) Daily Bee.
In 1918, and then again in 1932 and 1934, he endured the untimely deaths of three adult children, first daughter Annie Minnick in childbirth -- then daughter Hazel Howell -- and finally son John from the amputation of a leg. When he traveled to Bingham, NE for a visit in March 1929 from his Idaho home, the Sheridan County (NE) Star said he "will be remembered by many friends here, as for years he was a landmark in this country." George's home in 1932 was in Edgemont, SD.
He died on March 31, 1936. Burial was in Alliance Cemetery in Box Butte County, NE.
Daughter Lenora "Nora" Shigley (1878-1960) was born on Feb. 1, 1878 in Lafayette, Tippecanoe County, IN. On Christmas Day 1891, she and James Adams Paxton (1870-1936) entered into marriage. He was the son of Joseph Keepers and Mary Ann (Tinsman) Paxton. Three known offspring in this family were Joseph Lloyd Paxton, Mrs. Carl Hembree and Mrs. James Roberts/David P. Jackson. They lived at Billings, MT one time followed by a move in 1915 to Ada, near Boise, ID. Their final address together was 2012 North 19th Street. James suffered a brief illness and died at the age of 66, in a Boise hospital, on Nov. 4, 1930. He was laid to rest in Morris Hill Cemetery in Boise, with Rev. William Crosby Ross preaching the funeral sermon. An obituary was published in the Boise Idaho Statesman. The widowed Lenora made a home in Boise, ID (1932), Medora, ND and in 1946 relocated to Pasco, WA. Her address was 1303 West Yakima Street, and she held a membership in the local Methodist church. Toward the end of her life, Lenora was admitted to the Colonial Manor Nursing Home. There, she died at the age of 82 on April 27, 1960. Rev. Randall Larson, pastor of the First Methodist church, presided over the funeral rites. An obituary appeared in the Pasco Tri-City Herald.
- Grandson Joseph Lloyd Paxton was joined in wedlock with Ellen Gover. They lived in Camellia Shores near Norfolk, VA at the time of his death in April 1958.
- Granddaughter (?) Paxton married Carl Hembree and dwelled in Pasco.
- Granddaughter (?) Paxton wed James Roberts and David P. Jackson and put down roots in Hammond, IN.
Son John Otis Shigley (1879-1934) was born on Feb. 6, 1879 in Indiana. He was twice wed. On Nov. 21, 1903, he first married Vessie/Verssie B. Foster ( ? - ? ) in Stockville, NE. They did not reproduce, and their marriage dissolved in divorce in 1916, with him bringing charges of "extreme cruelty and adultery." As a single man again, he dwelled in Bingham and Antioch, NE. On Dec. 14, 1921, he again was united in matrimony with Edith Almira (Thayer) Donohoe (1885-1962), also of Antioch. The ceremony was performed by County Judge Tash. They also did not reproduce. The pair settled at Lakeside, NE, where he was employed as a postal mail carrier. They are known to have hosted a Shigley family reunion at their home in July 1930, with sisters traveling to attend from Idaho and South Dakota. Sadly, at age 55, John contracted an infected leg. On Oct. 25, 1934, in an Omaha hospital, he underwent amputation surgery but did not survive the operation. His remains were lowered under the sod of Lakeside Cemetery in Sheridan County, NE. An obituary in the Omaha World-Herald said that he was survived by his father, brother Arthur and sisters.
Daughter Annie Valley Shigley (1886-1918) was born on July 11, 1886 in the Valley Precinct of Hayes County, NE, which may have been the source for her middle name. At the age of about 20, on Jan. 17, 1906, she wed William Clayton Minnick (1885-1963). Together, they produced a family of six. The known offspring were Gretchen Leon Traub, Ruth Mae Deinlein and Dorothy Valley Minnick. The family made their home near Maywood, NE. Then in April 1910 they relocated to Sheridan County, NE. With Annie expecting their sixth child in early autumn of 1918, the Minnicks moved back to Maywood. They were plunged into mourning when Annie died 24 days after childbirth at the age of 32, in Maywood, NE, on Oct. 29, 1918. An obituary was published in the Maywood Eagle-Reporter. The remains were interred in Valley Cemetery in Hayes County. Baby daughter Dorothy only lived for two months and passed on Dec. 5, 1918. William remained alone for three years until 1921, when he tied the knot with Julia Minnick (1880-1972).
- Granddaughter Gretchen Leon Minnick (1907-1967) married (?) Traub.
- Granddaughter Ruth Mae Minnick (1916-1979) wed (?) Deinlein.
Daughter Emma "Hazel" Shigley (1891-1932) was born on July 20, 1891 near Maywood, Frontier County, NE. As a teen, she lived near White, Hayes County, NE. When she was 17 years of age, on the night of Jan. 20, 1908, two men drove to her homeplace, abducted and bound her and carried her about a mile away, where they "criminally assaulted" her and left, said the Omaha Daily Bee. Blood stains and signs of a struggle around the house were found. Said the Bee, "A large posse of neighbors is searching for the men and if they are found serious consequences for them are sure to follow." Added the Hayes Center Times Republican, "This community was thrown into a state of intense excitement..." Hazel was discovered in a deep hole in a canyon, with her hands and feet bound. She told officials that she had been out in the barn and when returning to the farmhouse found a stranger inside the door, seated in a chair. He grabbed her by the shoulders, and she grabbed a whiskey bottle and swung, finding its mark and shattering it into pieces. She could recall nothing else. Hazel recovered from her ordeal. The following month, she and her married sister Annie Minnick attended a literary event in nearby Marengo. She made news again in the gossip columns of the Times-Republican in January 1910 when she bought a Singer sewing machine. In either 1910 or 1911, she and her father migrated to a new residence near Ellsworth, where she put down roots for the rest of her life. On Valentine's Day 1916, she married George Clinton Howell (Dec. 2, 1883-1947), son of Robert Jackson and Mary Alice (Hill) Howell and a native of Perecival, IA. He was divorced from his first wife in the early 1910s and brought a teenage stepson to the second marriage, Dennis Robert Howell. Together, they bore two sons of their own -- Pat Raymond Howell and Jim Hill Howell. They made a dwelling-place in Ellsworth, NE in 1918 and then moved to a farm 12 miles north of Bingham, NE in about 1921. Sadness blanketed the family when Hazel died in St. Joseph Hospital in Alliance, NE on May 28, 1932. Reported the Sheridan County (NE) Star, her relatives and "scores of friends [were] deeply grieved to lose one so deeply beloved." Another obituary in the same newspaper said she had been ill for nearly two years "and an inmate of the hospital nearly seven months. She was taken worse Tuesday of last week and the family were called and she never rallied, but was completely unconscious for the last twenty-five hours." Funeral rites were led by Rev. Larsen in the Bingham Church, and the choir performed "At the End of the Way" and "Beautiful Isle of Somewhere." George outlived Hazel by 15 years and wed yet again in 1937 to his widowed sister-in-law Macie Lovina "May" (Williams) Aliff Howell (1891-1969). He passed away in Edgemont at the age of 63 on Feb. 2, 1947. Burial of the remains was in Bingham Cemetery back in Nebraska. The widowed Macie relocated circa 1954 from South Dakota to Tacoma, WA. There, at age 77, she passed away on Feb. 23, 1969. Her remains were lowered into rest under the sod of Mountain View Memorial Park in Lakewood, WA. The Tacoma News Tribune carried an obituary.
- Step-grandson Dennis Robert Howell (1905-1953) was born in 1905. He does not appear to have reproduced. Dennis joined the U.S. Armed Forces during World War II. He settled in Denver but for the last few years of his life was in poor health. At the age of 48, he died in Denver in May 1953. An obituary appeared in the Alliance (NE) Times-Herald. Interment was in Bingham, NE.
- Grandson Pat Raymond Howell (1919-1964) was born on March 28, 1919 in Bingham, NE. He served his country in the U.S. Army in two different conflicts. During World War II, at Corregidor in the Philippine Islands, he was captured held for nearly four years in a Japanese prison camp. One of his fellow POWs was Ty Kokjer and they saw each other frequently during their confinement. After release, he came home for a 90-day furlough in Bingham and then re-enlisted. Then during the Korean War, he assigned to Company D of the 728nd Military Police Battalion. While in Korea in late 1952, he made a public appeal back home to support a Korean orphanage of 300 children whom he feared would not survive the winter without canned milk, dried foods, warm clothing, flea powder and games. He relocated to the Pacific Northwest and settled in Tacoma, WA. In 1949, at the age about 30, he tied the marital cord with Rita M. (Dec. 26, 1913-1989). They became the parents of a daughter, Laurie A. Clevenger. The Howells lived in Hawaii until about 1958 when they moved to Tacoma, WA. Here, he joined the employ of the U.S. Post Office at its 38th Street Annex. Pat held a membership in the Ex-Prisoner of War Association. The angel of death claimed him at age 45 on July 17, 1964. Burial was in Mountain View Memorial Park in Lakewood, WA. The Tacoma News Tribune printed an obituary. Rita survived as his widow for nearly a quarter of a century. She passed away on March 8, 1989.
- Grandson Jim Hill Howell (1927-2006) was born on Feb. 12, 1927. He served in the U.S. Coast Guard during World War II. Jim settled in Washington State in the mid-1950s and lived in Milton, WA in 1969. He passed away in Puyallup, WA on June 26, 2006. Interment was in the same grave plot as his stepmother Macie in Mountain View Memorial Park, Lakewood, WA.
Son Arthur Chester Shigley (1895-1942) was born on Dec. 9, 1895 in Maywood, NE. At the age of 19, in 1914, in Alliance, NE, he wed 20-year-old Anna Susan Lineback (1893-1959), perhaps the same woman known as "Anna Maud Bower." Known offspring of this couple were Ernest E. Shigley, Nemona Shigley, Mary Ellen Shigley and Verda Shigley. In 1917, when required to register for the military draft during World War I, the family dwelled in Ashby, NE, with self-employed as a stockman and farmer. The Shigleys dwelled in Sulphur City, AR in 1918-1919, where their youngest daughter was born, but later returned to Nebraska. He is known to have sold his house to Joseph Steggs in 1920 and to have moved to the town of Alliance, NE. He was there in the 1930-1932 timeframe, with him earning a living as a cookware salesman. Anna's divorced father lived under their roof in 1930. The couple was sued in a foreclosure action in March 1930 involving default in payment for sale of town lots in Alliance. In August 1933, Arthur lost a finger from amputation at the Ainsworth Hospital. The marriage unraveled, and Arthur moved out, going to Laramie, WY, where in 1937 he lived at 271 North Cedar and earned a living working for Laramie Hide & Junk Company. Anna sued for divorce in local district court in November 1937, citing cruelty, desertion and non-support, and the matter was granted in May 1938. Arthur only lived for four years after the divorce. For reasons not yet known, he was incarcerated in the Wyoming State Prison in Rawlins. Afflicted with tuberculosis, he died in the prison at the age of 47 on April 1, 1942. Interment was in Rawlins. Anna lived for another two-plus decades, continuing to use the "Shigley" surname. Her home in 1959 was at 316 Cheyenne Avenue in Alliance, and she supported herself as a clerk at the Alliance Hotel.She died on Oct. 23, 1959.
- Grandson Ernest Ellis Shigley (1915-1991) was born on Nov. 5, 1915 in Box Butte County, NE. Circa 1940, he graduated from a civilian pilot training course at the local airport in Alliance, the first of its kind in town. He went on to service with the U.S. Navy. Ernest wed Eula May (Dec. 12, 1915-1994). His home in 1959 was in Hutchinson, KS and in 1987 was in Klamath, CA. He passed away in Los Angeles at the age of 75 on Aug. 9, 1991. Burial was in Los Angeles National Cemetery. Eula only lived for another three-plus years. She was cleaved away by the grim reaper of death on Dec. 19, 1994.
- Granddaughter Nemona/Neoma/Naomi Hazel Shigley (1917-1987) was born on Jan. 5, 1917 in Ashby, NE. At the age of 16, on June 18, 1933, in Gering, NE, she entered into marriage with Keith Markoff ( ? - ? ). Their union endured the highs and lows of a remarkable 54 years. A pair of children born to the couple were Richard Markoff and JoAnn Tolstedt. Neoma's dwelling-place in 1964 was in Alliance, NE. Sadly, she passed away in a hospital in Scottsbluff on Aug. 10, 1987. An obituary appeared in the Alliance (NE) Times-Herald. Rev. Ralph Dyer presided over the funeral service, conducted in the First Christian Church. Burial of the remains followed in Alliance Cemetery.
- Granddaughter Mary Ellen Shigley (1919-1964) was born in about 1919 in Sulphur City in Durham Township, Washington County, AR, on the outskirts of Little Rock. Dr. C.E. Swift assisted in the birth. In 1934, at age 15, she tied the marital cord with Mathieu E. Butters ( ? - ? ). Together, they produced a trio of sons -- Robert Butters, Thomas Butters and William Butters. They lived in Nebraska and Colorado and migrated to St. Paul, MN in 1952, remaining for good. There, he was employed by the Bureau of Reclamation. Sadly, at the age of 45, Mary Ellen died without warning on July 12, 1964 while in Durango, CO. The body was shipped back to St. Paul for a funeral mass in Saints Peter and Paul Catholic Church, led by Rev. A. Figlerski. Burial was in Mount Olivet Cemetery in Denver, CO. The St. Paul Phonograph published an obituary.
- Granddaughter Alverda "Verda" Shigley (1921-2003) was born in 1921 in Nebraska. At the age of 10, she suffered a broken arm and intestinal injuries during an accident while riding a scooter. She "dashed in front of" and was struck by a speeding automobile, said one account, "and dragged a short distance at the intersection of Yellowstone and Eighth Street" in town, the driver a 17-year-old man, reported the Alliance News. "She was rushed to St. Joseph's hospital where she was treated by Dr. Johnston. She is badly bruised over the body..." Fortunately she recovered. She was twice-wed. Her first husband was (?) O'Neal ( ? - ? ). Then at the age of 26, in November 1947, she married a second time to 30-year-old Herbert G. Brosz (1917- ? ), also of Alliance and the son of Gustave Brosz. The nuptials were officiated by County Judge Penrose E. Romig. Verda made her home in El Paso, TX in 1964 and in Seattle in 1987.
Daughter Laura Pearl Shigley (1896-1992) was born on July 20, 1896 in Maywood, NE. As a youth she attended Maywood schools, completing her education through eight grades. In 1915, at age 19, she tied the marital cord with Russell R. Wyland (1892-1959). A foursome of children borne by this couple were Beulah Bradeen, Richard Wyland, John Aaron Wyland and Marion Wyland. Sadly, son John died in infancy in 1933. They moved to Edgemont, SD upon marriage, were in Antioch, NE in 1918 and back in Edgemont in 1932. They made another move in 1938 to Custer, SD. Sadly, Russell passed away in November 1959. Laura outlived him by 33 years and migrated to Oregon, remaining there until 1980 when she returned to Custer for good, sharing a home with her daughter Beulah. Her final residence from 1988-1992 was in the Colonial Manor Nursing Home in Custer. She succumbed to the spectre of death at age 96, in Custer, on Nov. 15, 1992. An obituary was printed in the Custer County Chief which said she was a lifetime member of the Rebekahs. Pastor Bill Savery led the funeral service at Custer Cemetery.
- Granddaughter Beulah Wyland (1924-2001) married Marvin Bradeen and lived in Custer.
- Grandson Marion Wyland wed Lucille and relocated to Salem, OR.
- Grandson Richard Wyland tied the knot with Alma and may have dwelled in Tucson, AZ.
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Copyright © 2016-2017, 2024 Mark A. Miner |
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Research for this page graciously shared by the late Merrill Vernon Younkin, the late Olive (Rowan) Duff and the late Donna (Younkin) Logan. |