Some Photos of My Father: John Leander "Tim" Clark

I grew up never seeing any photos of my father, John Leander "Tim" Clark, as a child.   The photos I'm going to share today must have been around but I don't ever recall my Grandmother, Mabel Rachel (Jones) Clark or my mother, Lucille (Corbin) Clark pulling them out and showing them to me.

John Leander "Tim" Clark, six months old, probably October, 1921.

I moved to Moscow, Idaho in August, 1977 to study toward a master's degree at the University of Idaho.   In 1978 I graduated with a degree in American History and Museum Studies.  We moved to Green Bay, Wisconsin in August, 1978 and became director of Heritage Hill State Park.   I have never lived in Maple Hill, Kansas since that time, but our family did make many trips to Maple Hill to visit relatives and attend weddings and funerals.

A few years after I moved away, my maternal Grandmother, Mildred Mae (McCauley) Corbin-Clark was hosting a family dinner on a Sunday when we were visiting.   After lunch, she brought out all of the Corbin, Lemon and McCauley family pictures that she had.   She was telling about her grandparents, aunts and uncles.   It was obvious that she knew who the people were in the photos, but there was nothing written down about any of them.    I said, "Grandma, why don't you take the time to write down the names and anything else you want to recall on the backs of these photos.   No one will know anything about them if you're not around."    My paternal Grandmother, Mabel Rachel (Jones) Clark and my cousin, Bonnie Lou (Thomas) Mitchell were also present, and both remarked that it was a good idea to do so.   I would remind all three as well as my mother, Lucille (Corbin) Clark, when I'd call and visit with them.   The next time I visited Maple Hill, everyone reported that they had completed identifying their photos.   I was so pleased and didn't think about it anymore until each passed away and I ended up with the majority of the old family photos.   It's for that reason, with the help of their identifications and notes, that I able to provide much of the information in this blog.    I urge each reader to do the same thing if you haven't already.   Identify your photos and provide a little contextual information

In the handwriting of Mabel Rachel (Jones) Clark, mother of John Leander "Tim" Clark, this photo identification reads:  "Tim Clark, age nine months.) 

My father was born on April 19, 1921, the son of James Peter "Jim Pete" and Mabel Rachel (Jones) Clark.  My paternal grandparents left the Maple Hill Central Office for two years, from 1920 through 1922.  My grandmother Clark told me that grandfather loved to farm and was unhappy about her working at the Central Office, so they agreed to rent the David Steward Farm about l.5 miles southwest of Maple Hill.  Grandmother Clark said that they had two years of poor crops and Grandfather decided it would be better to have a steady paycheck coming in, so when the Central Office became available again, in 1922, they moved back and took up residency in the Central Office.   

My Grandmother, Mabel Rachel (Jones) Clark, writes the following on the back of this photo:  "Tim Clark, age 2.5--Stewart Place.  His father didn't like the curls and Tim was always too big for his britches and also his Dad's boots!"     My grandmother told a little story about her father, Leander Emory (Lee or Deacon) Jones coming out to the Stewart Place when my dad was not yet two years old.   Mill Creek formed the southern boundary of the Stewart Farm and the fishing was very good.   Great Grandpa Jones took my dad to Mill Creek where they fished all afternoon.   Grandmother said when they returned to the house, Grandpa Jones took a big linen dishtowel out of his pocket.   My Grandmother asked why he had the dishtowel and he said, "Why, to tie Tim to a tree so he wouldn't fall in!"    Grandfather Jones was my Dad's hero.   Grandpa Jones loved to fish and hunt and he generally took my father with him wherever he went.  He was the town marshall at Maple Hill and did a lot of interesting things, all of which was a great adventure for my dad.

Grandfather Jones gave my Dad his nickname, "Tim."   Both my dad and his sister, Thelma Maree (Clark) Hedges were very large children at birth.   Aunt Thelma weighed over thirteen pounds when she was born.   My dad weighed 10 pounds and 6 ounces.   They were born ten years apart.  Aunt Thelma in 1911 and my father in 1921.    Grandfather Jones had been what people called "a rounder" in those days.   He liked to fight.   He was a good friend of Joe Willard, the world champion boxer, who was born in Pottawatomie County.  He was also acquainted with Tim O'Sullivan, who was a popular Irish boxer of the day.

When Grandfather Jones picked my father up out of his cradle and felt his weight, he said to my Grandparents, "He's a bruiser!    We'll have to call him Timmy."    That name stuck with my father and he was called Tim Clark from the time he was born until he died.

This photo was labeled: "Tim Clark, four years old."  The photo would have been taken in 1925.  It is taken in the lawn area between the Maple Hill Central Office and the stone building to the south.   Across the street is the old Jimmy Fife Confectionery and Bath.   I don't remember the stone building to the south every being a business but my Uncle Wilber "Jack" Herron told me that it was where he started his first barber shop in 1907.  During my lifetime I remember Mrs. Hattie E. Look Mullendore, (1872-1959) mother of Mrs. Esther Bronough, and Mrs. Edith BarnhillMy father, John Leander "Tim" Clark, eventually became quite tall for the time.  He was 6'3" and loved to play basketball.  This picture shows him with a ball in each hand.   My Paternal Great Grandfather, Leander Emory "Lee or Deacon" Jones, was very athletic and pitched on one of the very early baseball teams at Maple Hill.   My Grandfather, James Peter "Jim Pete" Clark was also a good baseball player and was fielded with Lee Raine, Shorty Raine, and others.   My father, John Leader "Tim" Clark, played baseball practically all of his life.  He pitched for Maple Hill teams until he was over 50 years old and then he umpired baseball games until his health began to fail in 1981.

This is a photo of my father, John Leander "Tim" Clark, taken in May 1939, the year he graduated from Maple Hill High School in Maple Hill, Kansas.   The photo is taken on the north side of the Maple Hill Central Office where his mother was the chief operator for 43 years.    I think I'll bring this blog to an end with this photo.    Personally, I think it is fair to say that my father lived and breathed all kinds of sports.   I can still picture him sitting in his recliner in the living room, a radio tuned in to different games on each shoulder, and watching a third on television.   When Dad wasn't personally participating in sports, he was hunting or fishing.   I phoned my brother Steven last week on his birthday, January 27, and asked him what he was doing.   "Quail hunting," was his reply.   I knew he was my father's son!    My dad loved quail and pheasant hunting and also took great pride in training his hunting dogs.  In the winter, he ran a trapping line and hunted raccoons.   In the summer, he was busy fishing and sometimes when to Mill Creek or the Kansas River every night.   We always had fish for our family and he literally gave tons of fish away during his lifetime.   Some twenty years before his death on April 24, 1982, he initiated the Maple Hill Fish Fry, which is still held on the last Saturday of each August.   He and a few relatives and friends would provide all the fish to eat, and everyone attending would bring a covered dish or two to share.   The event now includes around 250 people and is held in the Maple Hill City Park Picnic Shelter.

I'll include one more picture, which is rare indeed.   It was taken at a Lemon Family Reunion at Gage Park in Topeka, Kansas in 1950.   Why do I say it is rare---because my Dad would rather have a tooth pulled than attend a family reunion or any other kind of large gathering.  It was just his preference.   He didn't like going to public programs, school programs, or to church, or anywhere a lot of people were likely to be gathered.   He was happiest by himself or with his sons or one or two relatives or friends, fishing pole in hand or gun over his shoulder hunting.  Another exception would have been when his twin sons, Steve and Stan became involved in sports at Alma High School.   He loved watching their games, particularly basketball.

So before I think of something else to write about, I'll bring this blog to an end.   Happy Trails!



                                  

Grandpa Clark's Whippets

It seems my readers are afraid to write comments after my blogs, but they have no hesitancy in emailing questions.   I'm just glad to hear from them either way.

Several have asked what a whippet is and my easiest answer would be "a small greyhound like dog used for hunting."

This is a photo of a whippet.   It's obvious that they are extremely fast dogs.  They average 20-30 pounds and with the male being larger than the female.  They stand 18-22" high.    They average 6-8 pups per litter and they live to be 12-15 years.


Wikepedia provides the following:  Whippets were bred to hunt by sight, coursing game in open areas at high speeds. One can find numerous representations of small greyhound-like hounds in art dating back to Roman times but the first written English use of the word "whippet" with regard to a type of dog was in 1610.^[12] There is a picture by Jean Baptiste Oudry (1686–1755) of "Misse", one of two English whippets presented to Louis XV, in the Washington National Gallery and another, with her companion, "Turlu", by the same artist in the Musée National de Fontainebleau. However, some French sources, notably the Ministry of Culture, use the word "levrette" to describe Misse and Turlu. Levrette describes small greyhound type dogs like the whippet or the Italian greyhound. In the nineteenth century, whippet racing was a national sport in England, more popular than football. It is only beginning with this period that the existence of the whippet as a distinct breed can be stated with certainty. The age of the modern whippet dawned in 1890 when the English Kennel Club granted the breed official recognition, thus making the whippet eligible for competition in dog shows, and commencing the recording of their pedigrees. In the United States, the whippet was recognized in 1888 by the American Kennel Club. Early specimens were taken from the race track by dog fanciers of the time and exported all over the world. The whippet's versatility as a hunting, racing, exhibition or companion dog soon made it one of the most popular of the sighthound breeds.

I don't know how my paternal grandfather, James Peter "Jim Pete" Clark became interested.   I never heard any say, but my supposition is that it was a result of his interest in jack rabbit and coyote hunting.   I asked his wife, Mabel Rachel (Jones) Clark about the dogs once and her off-hand comment was:  "I don't know how he became interested by I used to think he loved those dogs more than me sometimes."    My father, John Leander "Tim" Clark was also a dog lover raising German Shorthair bird dogs and various kinds of coon hounds.   My mother would have likely agreed with Grandma Clark.    Father and son were great lovers of dogs.

James Peter "Jim Pete" Clark with three of his whippet hunting dogs.   The picture was taken in the back yard of the Maple Hill Central Office.   Note the plowed garden over his left shoulder.   I'll bet it was plowed with a horse and walking plow by my great uncle, Ed Miller.   Even though this photo is from the 1930s, Uncle Ed Miller was still plowing gardens with his horse when I was a boy in the 1950s.

I have heard my father, John Leander "Tim" Clark talk about going on the Saturday or Sunday afternoon rabbit and coyote hunts with his father and grandfather, Leander Emory "Lee or Deacon" Jones many times.   During the Great Depression of the 1930s, it was a great passtime for men and if you loaded your own ammunition, as they did, it didin't cost much.  So for what it's worth, that's a little more about whippet hounds.     Happy Trails!   

January 1955 Was An Exciting Month!

I was 11-years-old in January 1955, so I well remember the excitement that came at the end of the month.   My paternal grandmother, Mabel R. Clark, had hosted a Sunday gathering to celebrate the weddings anniversaries of her two children.  Thelma Maree Clark and John Franklin Hedges were married on January 22, 1928 in Alma, Kansas and my parents, John Leander "Tim" Clark and Lucille Corbin, had been married on January 24, 1942 in Topeka, Kansas.  

I loved going to Grandmother Clark's for big dinners because the food was always out of this world.  Grandmother Clark was the Paula Dean of her time.   She believed that a recipe wasn't a recipe unless it had 12 eggs, a pound of butter and four cups of sugar.   She was a very rich cook and these times when she had the opportunity to host both of her children occasioned pulling out all the stops!!  We gathered at her home, the Maple Hill Central Office, to celebrate on Sunday, January 23, 1955.  I don't remember who was there but the house was full of adults and children.

My mother, Lucille (Corbin) Clark was nine-months pregnant and expecting a baby any day.   Mom had gained a lot of weight with this pregnancy and was miserable.   She went for lunch but stayed only a short time.   My brother, Gary Wayne Clark, was born on January 25, 1947 and is 18 months younger than I.   Grandmother had made one of her famous three-layer chocolate cakes for Gary, and it had nine candles.

At that time, we lived only a block away, so it was easy for Gary and I to stay and play with our Hedges cousins.   I don't remember there being any snow on the ground but that was over 50 years ago so I wouldn't swear to it.   Gary and I stayed until we had leftovers for supper and then walked home.

Gary and I had not expected to have a brother or sister coming to the house when we were 9 and 11.  But we had always wanted a little sister so we spent a great deal of time talking about having a sister and even picking out a name.   We would name her Elizabeth and call her Peggy.  Mom and Dad had gotten rid of the crib they used for Gary and I so they had a new crib set up in their bedroom and all was in readiness.

This is a photo of my twin brothers, Stanley J. and Steven K. Clark when they were about four or five months old.  They were born on January 27, 1955 at Genn Hospital, Wamego, Kansas.  I hope I'm right about this: Stan is on the left and Steve is on the right.

Mom was having such difficulty moving around that either my maternal grandmother, Mildred (McCauley) Corbin or our cousin, Bonnie (Thomas) Mitchell were coming to stay during the day and help mom fix meals and do washing and all the other things that had to be done in a busy household.   They would fix supper and then go home.

On January 26, both pairs of grandparents, as well as Bonnie and Charlie Mitchell came to join in a birthday dinner for Gary Wayne.   Aunt Vivian (Corbin) and Uncle George Wild and Aunt Sarah (Corbin) and Uncle Les Justice dropped by after supper to have cake.   Grandmother Mabel (Jones) Clark was still the central office operator and wasn't able to get away.    We had a great time and played checkers after supper.    Everyone went home about 8pm.   Gary and I went to bed about 9pm as usual.   Mom and Dad were still up but getting ready for bed.

This is a photo of my mother, Lucille (Corbin) Clark and her twin boys, Stanley J. on the left and Steven K. on the right.   The twins were not identical in the medical sense, but even for family members, it was difficult in early years to tell them apart.

On January 27th, we awakened at the usual time to find Aunt Bonnie (Thomas) Mitchell there fixing breakfast.   She said, "Your Mom and Dad went to the hospital about midnight.   You get up and get ready for school.   I'll bet we'll be hearing from your Dad before long."    So Gary and I ate breakfast and talked about being able to meet our new sister, Peggy, before long.    School took up at 8:30am and we were both begging to stay home so we could get the news as soon as it arrived.   Aunt Bonnie was a "softie" and let us stay home.    About 10:00am, the phone rang and it was Dad calling from the hospital in Wamego.

"What do you think we have boys?"   Gary and I were both listening at the receiver and both of us said, "a girl of course!   How's Peggy?"    There was a pause at the other end of the phone and Dad said, "Well, we all got surprised.   We have twin boys!"

"Twin boys---oh no!!!    We wanted a sister."   Gary and I were terribly disappointed and handed the phone to Aunt Bonnie.    No one had known Mom was going to have twins.  

This is a photo of my father, John Leander "Tim" Clark, with his twin sons, Steve on the left and Stan on the right.   The photo is dated July 1955.   In the background is the screened-in back porch of the Maple Hill Central Office where his mother, Mabel Rachel (Jones) Clark lived and worked.  The building in the far background is the Mackie/Schulte Garage and the back porch of Edith Barnhill's home.   All were on Main Street, Maple Hill, Kansas.                                                                              

Dr. Orval Smith, a three-generation physician in St. Mary, Kansas was Mom's doctor.   She had visited him several times before the birth but he had not detected two heart beats.   He later told dad that it was often difficult to hear different heart beats with twins.  There was no such things as ultrasound in the backwaters of Kansas in those days.   Mom hadn't had any real complications so there had been no reason for xrays.    Twins came as a total surprise but they were healthy boys, each weighing over six pounds!    That explained why my mother gained nearly 55 pounds with their pregnancy.

L-R:  Mabel Rachel (Jones) Clark, Steven K. Clark, Lucille (Corbin) Clark and Stanley J. Clark.   These were the last grandchildren Mabel Clark had.     The photo is taken behind the Maple Hill Central Office, where she was chief telephone operator at the time.  This photo is also dated July 1955.

Dad said that he and Mom had not talked about boys names, Gary and I had convinced them it was going to be a girl and they really hadn't thought about boys names.   They finally agreed on Steven and Stanley but they couldn't come to agreement on middle names so they decided to just give initials.   Since Stan had been born first, they named him Stanley J. and gave his brother the next letter of the alphabet---Steven K.     Both were shortened to Stan and Steve.

Grandmother Corbin and "Aunt" Bonnie Mitchell had planned to paper Mom and Dad's bedroom while she was in the hospital.    In those days, with twins, you could stay for 10 days.   That project went on as planned but there was also a lot more scurrying around when it was necessary to get another crib and all the clothing that was needed for another baby.

My mother had four siblings, so you might think finding a crib was easy, but Uncle George and Aunt Frieda (Kitt) Corbin had a son, Ronald George, in 1954; my Aunt Joan (Corbin) and her husband Richard George Andrews had a son, Bruce Charles, in 1954; my Aunt Sarah (Corbin) and her husband Leslie Forest Justice had a son, Loren Lee in 1955; and my Aunt Vivian Mae and Uncle George Randolph Wild had a son, Randolph Corbin Wild in 1955-----so all family cribs were either in use or soon would be.    I don't remember if we bought a new crib or borrowed one from someone else, but by the time Dad brought Mom and the twins home, the bedroom was papered and there were two cribs set up for their use.

I was 11-years-old, so I think I would have remembered if they were fussy babies, but I don't remember them crying or fussing a lot.    They were both healthy, chubby little babies who were happy if they were dry and fed.    Gary Wayne and I soon forgot about having wanted a sister because twins in the family attracted a lot more attention!    We had lots of company as family and friends came to see the twins.

There was one unfortunate aspect of having brothers that were so much younger.   I was going to college the year the started to kindergarten.    I really didn't get to know them well because I was never home for any length of time while they were growing up.

Our Mom, Lucille (Corbin) Clark, passed away on January 5, 2011.   When the pastor came to help us plan the funeral service, I heard lots of stories about their youth that I had never heard before because I just wasn't there.

I telephoned all of my brothers for their birthdays this year.   Steven was quail hunting which is exactly what our dad, John Leander "Tim" Clark would have done on his birthday.   Stan was working and going out to lunch with friends.   Gary was lunching at home and getting ready to join Steve, Stan and their families at the Prairie Band Casino for dinner and some fun.     I wish I had been there to celebrate with them, but I wish them all a very Happy Birthday and many more.

I think I'll quit at this point and write blogs in the future about each of my brothers separately.    Happy Trails!

Ira and Luroncy (Silbey) Grandy - An Interesting Bit of History

Several years ago, the author happened to be in St. Charles, Illinois and I stopped at the DuPage County Historical Society.  St. Charles is both in Kane and DuPage Counties and is a suburb of Chicago, Illinois.  I used to pass through it when I made trips between Green Bay, Wisconsin and Lafayette, Indiana.   They had a very nice museum and their historical library catalogue was on-line.    I decided to try and find if they had anything about Ira and Luroncy Grandy and was surprised to find this article:

"Passing in Review: Reminiscences of Men Who Have Lived in St. Charles." 

Durant, Pliny A.St. Charles Chronicle, June 26, 1903, p. 1.

"In a humble frame house on the western outskirts of St. Charles, opposite the southwest corner of the old school house "green", there lived for many years Ira Grandy and his wife, also their children until the latter had grown up, married and gone away. The place was unpretentious and the family never possessed a great amount of worldly goods, but the inhabitants of the old home were rugged, hardworking, kindly hearted people, who were among the best known of all the residents of the town.

Ira Grandy was born in Waitsfield, Washington County, Vermont, in 1801, (actually January 23, 1802) and about 1824 married Luroncy Sibley, daughter of John Sibley, a native of Pittsfield, Massachusetts, who had located in St. Charles, Missouri in 1840 and who died here December 26, 1853. Mr. Sibley built the stone house, now the home of Mr. and Mrs. Lafayette Strader.

After their marriage, Mr. and Mrs. Grandy removed [from Vermont] to Genessee County, New York, and in October, 1853, came west to St. Charles. For some years they lived on a farm in Wayne, DuPage County, but most of their time was passed in St. Charles. They had many friends and there was no more hospitable home than theirs. Mr. Grandy, for the last twenty-five years of his life, was almost totally blind and it fell to the lot of his almost equally aged wife to care for him, a task which she dutifully and nobly performed.

Mrs. Grandy was a small, slight woman, but possessed of wonderful vigor, and no matter what the condition of the weather, her familiar form could be seen going on necessary errands, even up to the day before her death. She never forgot her old friends, and in her homely way was a benefactress to the community in no small degree.

She was noted for her knowledge of the curative properties of many roots and herbs and her salves and liniments were almost considered household necessities in many homes.

She was the mother of nine children, five of whom survived her. One of their daughters, Elizabeth married Frederick Parker an early resident of St. Charles, who during the  [Civil] war enlisted in a New York regiment and was mortally wounded in the Battle of Fredericksburg, December 13, 1862. His remains were brought to St. Charles for burial and rest in North Cemetery.

Another daughter, Kate, married Jessie Curran, who was a member of Company E., 127th Illinois Infantry, and was also killed at Vicksburg, May 19, 1863. Both these men had been worthy citizens and were brave soldiers, whose memory lingers fondly with those who knew them.

Mrs. Grandy'sGrandy was for many years a member of the Methodist Episcopal Church, and the funeral services for she and her husband were conducted there by Rev. William Craven, paster.

Both the old people had peculiarities, and there were people who looked upon them with considerable disdain, because of the fact; but I am sure that in spite of her grotesque ways, no warmer heart ever beat than that which for eighty years throbbed in the bosom of "Mother" Grandy."

I sure hit the mother load when I found that article, and I knew none of the information prior to reading it.    The knowledge of herbal medicines is usually something that is passed down from mother to eldest daughter or from grandmother to eldest granddaughter.   I have not found any reference to Luroncy Louisa (Silbey) Grandy's mother or grandmother but I will continue looking.   One never knows.

Happy Trails!

Was It Luroncy or Lurancy? Trying To Sort It Out

My maternal great great grandmother, Luroncy Louisa (Grandy) Lemon, had a very unusual first name.  In fact, I have never seen it anywhere else---except that her own mother was also named Luroncy.  

This is a photo of the author's maternal great great grandmother, Luroncy Louisa (Grandy) Lemon.

On several U. S. Census reports, it appears that her name was "Lurancy."   However I believe that the "a" is really an "o" and that the handwriting is just not easily distinguished.  I have heard several of my cousins talk about what she was commonly called.   Some say they remember "Lucy."   Some say they remember "Louisa."   Almost no one says that they remember her being called Luroncy.  My maternal grandmother, Mildred Mae (McCauley) Corbin-Clark told me that she remembered her grandmother being called Louisa.   She said her mother, Lucy Mae, always called her Louisa.   My grandmother Mildred was born in 1902, so she would have been 16 when Luroncy Louisa passed away, old enough to remember what she was called.

I have a copy of her death certificate from 1918.   She was living with her youngest daughter, my great grandmother, Lucy Mae (Lemon) McCauley-Bonta-Strong at Clements, Marion County, Kansas when she died.   Lucy Mae must have told the doctor who attended her that her name was Luroncy Louisa Lemon, as reported on the certificate.

Since all of Luroncy Louisa's children and grandchildren are all deceased now, it isn't likely that we'll get a definite answer to this question.   However I am certain that her real full name was Luroncy Louisa (Grandy) Lemon and since my grandmother Mildred called her Louisa, that will be my personal preference as well.    Here is the chart of her parents and brothers and sisters:

Ira Grandy - born January 23, 1802 at Waitsfield, Washington County, Vermont
                  - died April 29, 1885 at St. Charles, Kane County, Illinois
Married: Luroncy Silbey - born June 12, 1805 at Farmington, Middlesex, Massachusetts
                                         - died March 20, 1885 at St. Charles, Kane County, Illinois
Their marriage occurred on February 29, 1824 at Warren, Washington County, Vermont.   Note 1824 was a "leap year."   February 29 only occurs every four years, so they could only celebrate their anniversary on the actual day every four years.

Children of Ira and Luroncy (Silbey) Grandy:
Sorrell - (unknown)
John Ira Grandy - 1826 to 1902
Elizabeth Grandy - 1827
John Lewis Grandy - 1830 to 1902
Lorilla Grandy - 1831
Luroncy Louisa Grandy - 1835 to 1918
Kate A. Grandy - 1842


Luroncy Louisa Grandy married Stewart Montgomery Lemon on August 24, 1847 at Lake Geneva, Walworth County, Wisconsin.  There is no record of the Grandy Family living there, since they are in New York State on the 1840 Census and in Illinois for the 1850 Census.   Lake Geneva was a logging area during the 1840s and Stewart Lemon and Ira Grandy may have been working in logging camps but that information is purely speculation.

Stewart M. Lemon was 21-years-old when they were married and Luroncy Louisa Grandy was 13-years-old.  Since Charles Montgomery Lemon is their oldest child and he was born in 1851, Louisa did not have children until she was 17-years-old.

The U. S. Census in 1850, records that Louisa Lemon was either visiting or living with her parents, Ira and Luroncy (Silbey) Grandy at that time.  The census was taken on October 15, 1850 and she and her parents were at Wayne, DuPage County, Illinois at that time.   On that census, her mother's name is given as "Luroncy" and her name is recorded as "Louisa."   Since she is a married adult and provides the census taker the name "Louisa," I consider that another good reason to believe she called herself "Louisa" Lemon.

Happy Trails!

Family Stories: A Treasure but Beware!

I'm now 67-years-old.   I can't believe it really---nearly six score and ten!   It seems that it was only a short time ago that I was a child in Kansas, and just a few months ago that I was raising children, and.....well, you know the rest.  Now when I attend family events, usually someone says, "Nick, why don't you tell Grandma Lemon stories."  Or, "Nick why dont' you tell about the time Grandma Clark stopped the passenger train and saved 300 lives."

I am so glad that I was interested in family history 40 years ago when there were lots of older people around who were willing to share family stories with me.   Both of my grandmothers, Mabel Rachel (Jones) Clark and Mildred Mae (McCauley) Corbin were excellent storytellers and had an abundance of tales to pass along.   My cousin, Bonnie Lou (Thomas) Mitchell (Mrs. Charles) was also a wonderful storyteller.  When my maternal great uncle, Robert M. McCauley, came to visit, he also would spend a lot of time telling me about his parents and grandparents and also about my paternal great grandfather, Leander E. Jones, whom he worked for as a water boy on a steam threshing operation.

I do want to offer a word of caution.  I belonged to the American Oral History Association for many years.  Once, I attended their conference in Portland, Oregon where Dr. Walter Menninger, whose family were all famous psychologists in Topeka, Kansas and whom I knew personally, was the keynote speaker.  Those attending had high expectations but Walt gave them all a jar.   He cautioned that research indicated that people remember only about 25% accurately after only 20 years.  After 50 years, their memories are usually very distorted and they tend to remember events in terms of what made them happy and/or what made them sad.   They remember the tragedies and the weddings but they don't remember the in between.   Menninger cautioned oral historians that the information they were collecting was valuable, and provided a framework for history, but could never be relied on unless it had been written down in a diary-like manner within hours of the event.

I don't remember either of my grandfathers, or my father, really being interested in family history nor did  they tell stories that I remember but both grandfathers died when I was young.   My paternal grandfather, James Peter (Jim Pete) Clark died on Christmas Eve in 1948 when I was 5 and my maternal grandfather, Robert Corbin, died in April 1958 when I was 14.

I do remember Grandfather Corbin talking a lot about his service in World War I.   He and his brother-in-law (my great uncle) Robert M. McCauley, were both "doughboys" in France, and enjoyed visiting about their experiences there.  Did you ever wonder where that expression came from?

This is a photograph taken in 1920 in Wichita, Kansas.   L-R are Robert Corbin and Orsen Bonta.   Orsen was the step son of Robert's mother-in-law, Lucy Mae (Lemon) McCauley.  They served in World War I together.  Robert and Mildred Mae McCauley were married in Wichita, Kansas on June 12, 1920.   Mildred had just graduated from Business College there. 

The expression doughboy, was in wide circulation a century before World War I in both Britain and America, albeit with some very different meanings. Horatio Nelson's sailors and Wellington's soldiers in Spain, for instance, were both familiar with fried flour dumplings called doughboys, the predecessor of the modern doughnut that both we and the Doughboys of World War I came to love. Because of the occasional contact of the two nation's armed forces and transatlantic migration, it seems likely that this usage was known to the members of the U.S. Army by the early 19th century.

My grandfather, Robert Corbin, drove an ambulance pulled by mules.   It was very dangerous and he often talked about shells exploding all around.   Mules were used for several reasons.   Grandfather said that they didn't scare as easily as draft horses.  Horses would bolt when a shell hit nearby and often run away but mules didn't do that.   He would joke that mules were more likely to just sit down and not move when shells hit.    Mules were slower than horses but they had more stamina.   Mules could work at a slower pace all day long while horses would ware out and become lame.   Having said all that, Grandfather Corbin had nothing but disgust to say about the mules.   They were stubborn and often needed "coaxing" which I won't describe here for fear PETA would have me arrested :)

This is a photo of Mildred Mae (McCauley) Corbin and her brother, Robert M. McCauley taken in the author's dining room at Moundview Farm, Maple Hill, Kansas in 1973.

Grandfather's World War I records should be available on-line now, his service was 85 years ago, but I haven't been able to find them.   I suppose I'll need to get them the old-fashioned way and order them from the National Archives.   Towards the end of the war, in July 1918, Grandfather was picking up wounded near the front line when the Germans fired gas-filled shells.   Grandfather said he knew they were coming because they made a special whistling sound.   They all tried to get away but didn't have time.

Grandfather was gassed.   The mustard gas used was yellow in color and caused serious burns.   Many were killed because when they inhaled the mustard gas, it burned the inside of their lungs and caused either immediate death or a slow, agonizing death from asphyxiation.   Grandfather said that he didn't remember what happened between being gassed and waking up in the field hospital, he was just glad he had survived.   His lungs were damaged by the mustard gas but after several months, he was sent back to his father's home in Wichita, Kansas.



My great uncle, Robert M. McCauley was in the infantry and fought in several of the major battles in Europe.    I don't remember him having a specific role, or talking about anything other than being in the trenches where he fought with a rifle and bayonet against the Germans.   I wish I had written down the names of the battles when Grandfather and Uncle Bob talked about them, but I didn't. 

Grandfather Corbin smoked and the combination of the mustard gas damage and the tar from cigarettes eventually took their toll when he contracted lung cancer in 1957.  He died in April 1958 and is buried in the Old Stone Church Cemetery at Maple Hill, Kansas.

I have already related several stories from the Lemon Family, but there are two I have not yet mentioned and need to be shared.   Keeping in mind what Dr. Menninger said, we must remember these stories are from the mid- and late-1800s and have been passed down through several generations.   Without a doubt, the context and drift of the stories are true but the details have likely been lost.



L-R:  Lucy Mae (Lemon) McCauley-Bonta-Strong, Lucille (Corbin) Clark, the author, Nicholas L. Clark, and Mildred Mae (McCauley) Corbin.   Four Generations: my great grandmother, my mother, me, and my grandmother.

My great grandmother, Lucy Mae (Lemon) McCauley-Bonta-Strong was the youngest child of Stewart Montgomery and Luroncy Louisa (Grandy) Lemon.   She was born at Eldora, Hardin County, Iowa on December 8, 1873.  Her oldest brother, Charles Montgomery Lemon, had been born in 1851, twenty-two years earlier and the story I'm about to tell involves only the younger children of Stewart and Louisa Lemon born before 1861.    I heard this story from my great grandmother Lucy, and also from James and George Lemon, the sons of George Washington Lemon, who lived in Spokane, Washington when I visited them.

It was a cold winter day.   The family lived near Winona, Minnesota and the Mississippi River.   Stewart Lemon had a team of oxen and used them to pull huge logs down the frozen river to the saw mill.   He would often be gone for a week or two at a time leaving Grandma Lemon to care for the family in their little home in the woods.

A tintype of my maternal great great grandparents, Stewart Montgomery and Luroncy Louisa (Grandy) Lemon.  Judging from their appearances and age, I would guess this tintype was made in the 1860s.

Unlike now, when we go to the grocery story just about every day, Grandma Lemon would go to Winona once a month to get supplies and bring them back to the farm.   They had a team of horses and a large lumber wagon with a white canvass cover.   She would heat large flat rocks which she gathered along the Mississisppi and put them in the bottom of the wagon.  The rocks were covered with comforters, which were generally made of two wool blankets with cotton batting sewn inbetween.   She would wrap the children up the best she could, and put them in the wagon to try and keep them warm.

The trip to town was made without too much difficulty and she bought the supplies that were needed.   By the time she was finished, it was mid-afternoon and the sun was starting to go down.  As she headed the wagon home, she and the older children were singing to pass the time.   All of a sudden, she saw a huge bull moose standing in the road ahead of them.   She knew that these animals could be troublesome and she did not have a gun with her.   If a moose got mad and charged, it could easily use it's huge antlers to tip over the wagon.   Grandma Lemon had already lost one child, her namesake, Luroncy Louisa Lemon, in a wagon accident in 1852.   She knew full well how dangerous it could be, especially with a bull moose charging and pushing the wagon around.

The moose moved off to the side of the road and trumpeted loudly.  The horses were frightened and it was all Grandma Lemon could do to keep them from tipping the wagon over or running away.   The wagon inched forward and Grandma Lemon could see the moose pawing the ground and lowering it's head, a sign it was getting ready to charge.

Grandma looked in the back of the wagon and remembered that she had just bought a big can of black pepper.   She tied the harness reins around the brake on the wagon and climbed through the opening behind the seat.   The children were all frightened and crying but she now had a plan.   She would open the can of pepper and if the moose charged, she would wait until it was fairly close and then throw the pepper into it's face.



A tintype of the author's maternal great great grandmother, Luroncy Louisa (Grandy) Lemon.   This tintype always makes me feel very sad for some reason.  I would judge this to have been taken in th 1870s when times were very hard for Stewart and Luroncy Lemon.  Her face shows the effects of hard work and too much sun.   Lucroncy was only 13 when she and Stewart were married in 1847 and had 10 children over the next 26 years.   Life must have been very difficult.

Sure enough, the moose began to charge towards the wagon.   Grandma Lemon lifted up the canvass on the side of the wagon and prepared to throw the pepper.   The moose was a little faster than she thought and it reached the wagon and caught one of its antlers in a back wagon wheel.   It started to tip the wagon over.   Grandma and the children felt the read side lift off the ground as she threw the pepper into the moose's face with all her might.   It worked.   The moose began to bawl and shake it's head.   Then the huge animal began to sneeze and turn in circles.   It dropped the wagon and sneezed and sneezed.   Within a few seconds, the moose ran back into the woods, bawling and sneezing as it went.     And that's the story of how Grandma Lemon saved her family with black pepper!

And now a Grandpa Lemon story.   I've heard this story from my maternal grandmother, Mildred Mae (McCauley) Corbin, and from so many of my cousins.   Vernie and Bill Miller, sons of Margaret and William Miller told this story.   Sarah Jane (Caruthers) Yingling told me this story.  Charles Mitchell, son of William and Mary Jane (Lemon) Mitchell told this story.    So there can be little doubt that something close to this actually happened.

The Lemons moved their family from Winona, Minnesota to Norton County, Kansas during the mid-1870s.   My maternal great grandmother, Lucy Mae (Lemon) McCauley-Bonta-Strong was born in Eldora, Iowa in 1873 where the family worked in harvesting broom corn.   They moved to Norton County, Kansas in 1874 where they arrived in the midst of a horrible pandemic, The Great Grasshopper Plague. 

The ethic of the prairie in those days was to help one another.   Nearby the Lemon homestead, was the German Miller family.    They befriended the Lemons and helped them build a sod house on their claim.   The United States Government provided homesteaders with 80 or 160-acres of land, but the homesteaders had to build a house and improvements on the property within five years of filling out the paperwork at the land office.   

The U. S. Census in 1870 and 1880 lists Stewart's profession as "stone layer."    I've never heard how he acquired these skills and I've always wondered how he was able to do the work if he was disabled.   None-the-less, the story goes that Grandfather Stewart Lemon was dry laying stone fence in Norton County.   The State of Kansas payed a bounty of fifty center per rod (16 feet) of fence completed.  This was hard work and for not much money.   Many of these stone fences still exist however, and provided a way to fence off grain crops and gardens from cattle, deer and antelope.

One day, Grandfather Lemon dropped a large stone on his toe and crushed it.   The toe became infected and gangrene set in.    Grandma Luroncy urged Stewart to go to the doctor in the town of Norton.    So they hitched the team to the wagon and made the trip into town.   Grandpa Lemon talked to the doctor and he told him that the toe would have to be amputated immediately and that it would cost $25.   Grandfather Lemon laughed at him and said he hadn't seen $25 in years.

So Stewart and Luroncy returned home.   Stewart didn't say anything to Grandma Lemon, but he went directly to his sack of stone tools and took out a large chisel, used to cut and shape stone.   He got out his whetstone and began to carefully sharpen the chisel putting on the finished possible edge.   When he was finished, he walked by the back door of their sod house and caught Grandma Lemon's attention.

In one hand, he had a stone mason's hammer.    In the other he had the chisel.   He walked to a large stump at the back of the house where wood was split.   He hadn't been able to wear his shoe in several days so he removed his sock, put his foot up on the stump, put the chisel on his toe, raised his hammer and gave it a mighty blow. 


This is a photo of a set of stone mason's chisels. These were generally made in blacksmith shops by village blacksmiths.

Grandma had seen him walk by with the hammer and chisel and grabbed a can of flour and some lard from a bowl near the stove.   It all happened so quickly she barely had time to get there before the deed was done, but she found Grandpa Lemon on the ground.   He had been successful in removing his toe but had fainted from the pain.

Grandma Lemon tied a rag around his foot and stopped the bleeding as best she could, and then applied the grease followed by flour.   Fairly quickly, the bleeding stopped and Grandpa Lemon regained consciousness.   Some of the children helped her get him into the sod house and in several weeks, his foot completely recovered without any further infection setting in.

With that story, I think I'll bring this episode of stories to a close---but there are many more from different sides of the family which I'll share in the future.    Happy Trails!

The 1915 Robbery of Stockgrowers State Bank, Maple Hill, Kansas

I conducted many oral history interviews with my Grandmothers, Mabel R. (Jones) Clark and Mildred Mae (McCauley) Corbin.    While I was looking through the notes about the Rufe King murders, I saw attached to it the information my Grandmother Clark had given me about the 1915 robbery of Stockgrowers State Bank in Maple Hill.   These stories are interesting and worth repeating.

A 1910 photo of James and Mable (Jones) Clark.

"It was a very hot night in August.  The Stockgrowers State Bank was located directly across Main Street from the Central Office.   Jim (my grandfather, James Peter Clark) and I had only been running the Central Office for about a year.  The rule was that I would keep the switchboard open until 10:00pm.   After that, those who had phones were instructed only to make calls if there was an emergency.   I opened the switchboard again at 6:00am, although we were usually up at 5:00am so I would take any calls that came into the switchboard.

As I said, it was a very hot night and I had put on my night gown and robe and I went into the central office to close down the switchboard and blow out the kerosene lamp.   Jim had gone to bed at about 8:00pm as was his custom.   He had to get up early and milk cows so he always went to sleep about as soon as the sun went down.

I walked from our bedroom across the living room and into the central off and reached for the lamp.  Just as I did so, I heard a voice through the open window which was about three feet from the switchboard.   "Put out that lamp and go to bed.   If you come into this room again, I'll kill you."  Grandmother Clark said she did as she was told and went to the bedroom.   There was a window on the north side of the house within a couple of feet of the bed and it was open.   She saw a shadow cross the window and then the voice quietly said, "I'm watching.   Stay in that bed and don't try anything."  Grandmother said she did as she was told and Grandfather Clark did not wake up.

Within a few minutes, there was a terrible explosion that shook the entire house.   Grandfather Clark woke up and the man standing by the window fired a shot into the air yelling, "Stay in that bed and don't move or you're dead!"

Grandmother said it was all she could do to hold her young husband in bed but he did as he was told.   She said within minutes, there was a second explosion and it was clear that the bank vault across the street was being blown open and the bank robbed.

The second blast blew the vault door off and within a short time the contents were emptied.

This is a picture of Maple Hill, Kansas in 1910.   The Central Office is the white one-story structure on the left side of the street.  Directly across the street, is the one-story stone building of Stockgrowers State Bank.

My Grandmother Clark said that it was a very foggy night.   It was so foggy that it was difficult to see what was going on.   But as soon as the first explosion occurred, at least two open touring cars began driving up and down Main Street and other streets in Maple Hill and men with shotguns began shooting into the houses.   This was meant to keep people inside their homes and allow the robbers time to make their escape.

Grandmother said that the man at the window ran to one of the cars as it drove past the Central Office and disappeared.   Before long, all the cars were gone and the little town's people began pouring out into the streets.    Only a few people had automobiles at that time and most of them were not deputized to pursue the robbers nor did they really want to do so.   My Grandfather Clark didn't have a car at that time, nor did my Paternal Great Grandfather, Leander Emory Jones, who was the town's marshall.   So the robbers make a clean get away in the fog.

Although the case was investigated by the Wabaunsee County Sheriff, the robbers were never found.   Sometime during the 1970s, I interviewed Warner Adams, whose father Franklin Adams founded Stockgrowers State Bank in 1907.    Warner was a lad of 15 when the robbery occurred.   He said that about $2,500 in cash was taken and that it was not insured but his father covered the loss from his personal funds.  Warner said that it was mid-month and that the bank kept more money on hand at the end of the month to cash the pay checks of local ranch hands and other workers.   At the end of the month, there might have been $10,000 in the vault.    Warner said that he father and others had suspicions about who might have been involved but no evidence was strong enough to make charges.

In 1969, the author and his ex-wife bought the two-story frame house on Main Street belonging to Glenn and Mae Crayton.   It had been built by Dr. J. M. Kemper soon after the town's founding in 1887.   When we took the front siding off, we found several bullets lodged in the wood sheating.  The bullet holes had been plugged on the front side but were still in evidence on the back side and in the wood sheeting under the siding.

Maple Hill was a quiet little farming and ranching town of 250 people in those days, but exciting things did happen.

Our Connections To The Rufe King Murders

The Clark, Woody and Lemon families have several connections to the terrible murders committed by Rufus King in Maple Hill, Kansas.    I'm not sure I can do justice to this in one writing so I may divide it into others later.

I was always interested in history, especially when it was exciting history.   I would spend a lot of time talking to my older relatives and to other elders in the Maple Hill Community.   When they began discussing Rufe King, their conversations always became hushed and they used the darkest possible terms in their vocabularies.   I remember my Grandmother Mabel Rachel (Jones) Clark, who knew him and his wife Grace well, saying, "I don't remember anyone who wasn't afraid of Rufe King.   Even before we knew he was a murder of the most heinous kind, we feared him.   He just exuded anger and hate and was not to be trusted."    Those were very strong words coming from a woman who never deliberately hurt a fly in her life.

I have searched in vein for a photo of Rufus King, but I haven't found one.   I'd like to be able to see his face and judge for myself.   Even with the aid of computer search engines, I haven't been able to find one.

One of the murders committed by King, was that of John Woody.   Woody was the nephew of my paternal great grandmother, Mary Eliza Woody Clark.    At this point, I'm going to print a transcription of a newspaper article that my Grandmother, Mable Rachel (Jones) Clark kept:

John Anderson Woody was born to James Dosson and Alice Clark Woody in the Snokomo community on March 25, 1889. He attended the little stone school house on Snokomo road while he was growing to manhood. By the time John was 20 years old, he had saved enough money to purchase a new buggy and harness for the horses he owned.

On spring day in 1909, John disappeared and was not seen again by his family. It seemed the last person to see John was Rufe King, a man who owned the livery stable at Maple Hill, Kansas. Rufe told John's parents that John had sold him the horse and buggy and had taken the money to go to Oklahoma. Sometime later, Rufe Kind told the Woody's that he had a letter from John and promised to bring the letter to them so they could read it, but, he never did.

Ten long years went by. John's mother worried and wondered why she didn't hear from her boy.

Then one day, in the month of August, 1919, some children were playing around the sheds at the old livery stable in Maple Hill. They found a skeleton in an old gunny sack hanging in one of the sheds. Rufe King by this time had gone to Colorado to work for a construction company. The children reported the skeleton to their parents who reported it to the county sheriff. In their investigation, they dug up two more human skeletons. The first skeleton was that of a man from Rossville, Kansas whose name was Gutshaw. The other was that of an old jewelry peddler going through the county. The last body to be found was that of John Anderson Woody. It was buried under an old manure pile by the livery stable. They identified him by some dental work. The authorities had Rufe King returned to Kansas and his preliminary trial was held at Eskridge, Kansas. The public was so worked up over the murders that they were going to lynch Rufe King, so the authorities moved him to the jail in Lyndon, Kansas. They held the trail in Lyndon, and Rufe Kind was found guilt of three murders and sentenced to life in prison. He died, serving that sentence at the Kansas State Penitentiary, Lansing, Kansas.


That's a pretty good synopsis of the murders but there are more connections to our families.

At that time, my paternal great grandfather, Leander Emory Jones was the Maple Hill town Marshall.   My paternal grandfather, James Peter "Jim" Clark was a deputy Marshall, as was the second husband of my maternal great grandmother, Fred Bonta.  King was well aware that he was under suspicion in the murders and had taken his wife to Pueblo, Colorado where he was later arrested and returned to Alma.   The Wabaunsee County sheriff knew that emotions were running high.  He suspected that King might be lynched and called town marshalls and deputies from across the county to come to his aid.   My grandmother, Mabel Clark, told me that as central office operator, she received the call from the Wabaunsee County Sheriff, who asked her to locate the town lawmen and have them come to Alma, as quickly as possible to help guard King.

Grandmother Clark told me that King threatened her father, Leander E. Jones, and her husband, James Peter "Jim Pete" Clark with their lives.   He told them that if it was the last thing he ever did, he would see that they died.    My maternal Grandmother, Mildred (McCauley) Corbin, told me that her stepfather, Fred Bonta, slept with a pistol under his pillow the rest of his life and was certain that Rufus King would somehow make his death threat good.
A photo of the author's Paternal Great Grandfather, Leander Emory Jones.  As is in evidence from this photograph, Lee Jones was an interesting character.   His full-time employment was as the owner of a custom steam threshing crew.   However he also did day jobs for area farmers.    He was also an accomplished musician and played trombone in the NewburyPhilharmonic Band.  My maternal great uncle, Robert M. McCauleyWabaunsee County.

This is a 1910 photo of my Paternal Grandparents, James Peter, "Jim Pete" and Mabel Rachel (Jones) Clark.  I suppose you could say that my Grandfather's principal occupation was farmer.   He also was a horse trader and bought and sold horses.   One of his early occupations was the very same thing that Rufus King did---he and his cousin Lee Wilson owned and operated the Maple Hill Livery Stable.   The cousins, Jim Pete and Lee sold their business to Rufus King.   In addition, Jim and Mabel Clark purchased two pieces of property in Maple Hill, a house with large barn in the southeast corner of the city, and a two-acre pasture in the south central portion of town.  The house was just a long block's walk down an alley from the Central Office.   From those two pieces of property, they operated a small dairy business.   Grandfather Clark, and my father, John Leander "Tim" Clark, milked cows every morning.   The milk and cream was then delivered to Maple Hill homes by Jim and Mabel's children, Thelma Maree (Clark) Hedges and John Leander "Tim" Clark.

Here's a reprint of an article from the Kansas City Star of August 1919:
THREE SKELETONS UNEARTHED IN MAPLE HILL CASE

John Woody, Paxico Youth Found Sunday by Officials Near Livery Barn Formerly Owned by Rufus King

Maple Hill, Kas. - Another skeleton identified as that of John Woody, the missing Paxico youth, the third uncovered here in less than two weeks, was unearthed Sunday near the old livery barn of Rufus King.

The skeleton was found buried under about six inches of soil in the livery barn yard. The evidence indicates that the man had been slain in his sleep, as the body was apparently without clothing other than a night shirt. It was buried face down in the shallow grave.

Gold Teeth Gave Identity

Identification of the skeleton was made immediately by the boy's father, Dawson Woody, through means of two gold teeth and the youth's black hair. The father announced last Friday that he would be able to identify his son through the means used Sunday. Mr. Woody was present when diggers struck the skeleton of his son.

Maurice McNeill, assistant attorney general for Kansas, who has charge of the investigation and was present when the Woody boy's skeleton was unearthed, announced another murder charge immediately would be filed against king.

Was Choked to Death?

Woody probably was choked to death, according to Assistant Attorney General McNeill. The skulls of the other two men, whose skeletons were found on the King place were badly crushed and the officials were greatly interested before Woody's bones were found as to whether he met death in the same way. It is the theory now, however, that he was seized by the throat while asleep and strangled.

The unearthing of the third skeleton on what now firmly is felt was a veritable "murder farm" was shortly before 4 o'clock. The Woody boy's skeleton was found by diggers about thirty feet east of the spot where what is believed was the skeleton of the old jewelry peddler was discovered last Thursday.

Big Crowd was There

Although Sunday, it appeared almost the whole countryside was present to witness the somewhat gruesome scene, Men, women and children came in motor cars, in buggies and on horseback when it was learned the digging was to be resumed.

When it was announced the excavators had struck another skeleton, the awe stricken crowd filled the old barn lot and the street in front in an effort to view the grave and its contents. Those who were not present at the time of the finding soon managed to get into town. The Woody boy's skeleton was taken in charge by the sheriff and it is likely it will be taken to Alma where the other two are being kept.

Disappeared Ten Years Ago

The Woody boy disappeared about ten years ago while in the employ of King at the livery barn. Following his disappearance King, according to the youth's parents, said the boy had gotten in trouble with a girl and decided to leave. Horses, a buggy and other personal property belonging to the boy were in King's possession. He said he bought them from Woody prior to his leaving. Although suspicious of the story, the Woody family never caused an investigation.

A few months after the boy disappeared, King told his parents he had received a letter from him and furnished the family with the youth's supposed address. A letter was written, but was returned undelivered. From the day of his disappearance the Woody family had never heard from the boy, who then was about 21 years old.

Used Rifle Barrel to Slay?

The skeleton uncovered last week a few feet from where the Woody boy's grave was found Sunday in King's barn lot, is believed that of the old jewelry peddler, who like the Paxico youth and Reuben Gutshall suddenly disappeared.

Buried with the skeleton believed that of the old peddler was the barrel of a .22 rifle. The skull was crushed. It is the opinion of the authorities that the rifle barrel was the weapon with which he was killed. The skeleton was wrapped in a horse blanket and a rope was found around the neck. With the body was a cuff link made from a small shell similar the authorities declare to some that King had. Medical testimony before a coroner's jury was to the effect the skeleton was that of a man past middle age.

Had Gutshall's Team Too

Gutshall with whose murder King is now charged, disappeared in December, 1913. King the last to see him, explained Gutshall as in the case of Woody had gotten in trouble with a girl and left. The next day King had possession of the Gutshall youth's team and wagon. A day or two later he went to Gutshall's home and loaded up eighty bushels of corn and other possessions of Gutshall stating that he had bought the boy out paying him $160 for everything.

Last week while a shed on King's old home in Maple Hill was being cleaned out, a sack containing a skeleton was found. Later the bones were partly identified as those of the Gutshall youth by a brother, John Gutshall. The height, jaw bone and other marks, together with medical statements that the skeleton was that of a young man, were responsible for the part identification. It was then a complaint charging King with murder, was issued and the investigation which has resulted in the uncovering of two additional skeletons was started.

King's Hearing to be Thursday.

King was arrested near the foothills of Pueblo, Col., and returned to Alma, the county seat of Wabaunsee County. When the second skeleton was found the sheriff removed King to Topeka because of the tense feeling here.

King's preliminary hearing on the Gutshall murder charge is set for Thursday at Eskridge. In the meantime Richard J. Hopkins, attorney general for Kansas is seeking the wife of King. Her parents who live near Eskridge, have not heard from the daughter for some time, the authorities declare. In addition officials are seeking a woman who lived in the town near where King was arrested. What she may know, if anything, is not disclosed. (Kansas City Star, August 20, 1919)

This is a photo of the Romick Brothers Livery Stable, which eventually became the Maple Hill Livery Stable owned by James Peter Clark, Lee Wilson and eventually Rufus King.   As it says in the caption, the stable was the first building built on the new town site of Maple Hill in 1887.  Janice McClelland, daughter of George and Margaret (Romick) McClelland, allowed me to copy this photograph which was much appreciated.





There's another interesting family connection to the King murders story.   Sarah Jane (Carothers) Yingling, grandaughter of Charles Montgomery Lemon, was living in Maple Hill prior to the murders committed by Rufus King.   Her mother, Cynthia Jane (Lemon) Carothers, had passed away at Maple Hill in 1917.   Her father, Jerome Lee Carothers didn't know how he could care for or support their children so he decided to adopt them out.   His son, Ronald Lee Carothers, was adopted by Adam and Blance (Nutter) Turnbull of Maple Hill and his last name was changed to Turnbull.    His daughter, Sarah Jane, was much admired by Rufus King and his wife Grace who were childless.   Sarah told me that her father even let the Kings take her for a week or so at a time to see what kind of temperment she had.   The first of the bodies was discovered before the Kings had a chance to begin adoption proceedings and Sarah was saved the fate of becoming their daughter.

After retiring from the Maple Hill Central Office, my paternal grandmother, Mabel Rachel (Jones) Clark rented a little house about a block northeast of her old home in the Central Office.   My family was living in the house that she and her husband, Jim Pete Clark, owned in southeast Maple Hill.   That house was the last home owned and lived in by Rufus King and his wife Grace.   It was behind that house that the skeleton of Reuben Gutshall was discovered.   Several years after we moved and Grandmother Clark returned to her home, our cousins, Charles Montgomery and Bonnie Lou (Thomas) Mitchell bought the old King home.   Grandmother Clark and "Uncle" Charlie and "Aunt" Bonnie all knew the history of the house and where the shed had been located where the skeleton was found.   Grandmother and the Mitchells both had garden plots in the area of the shed and I remember them almost gingerly turning the ground every spring, hoping that they would not find some body part that had been missed or another complete skeleton.

Rufus King spent the rest of his life in the Kansas State Penitentiary at Leavonworth, Kansas.   Howard Adams, who was a native of Maple Hill, cashier and managing partner of the Stockgrowers State Bank and also represented the area in the Kansas Legislature, visited the penitentiary in official tours and said that every time he saw Rufus King, King would renew all of the threats against those in Maple Hill who he thought had played a role in his arrest and conviction.

There are other elements of the Rufus King Murders related to our families but I will leave those for another time.    Happy Trails!

Lemon Family Reunions and Pictures

Today, I'm going to write about and share some memories of the Lemon Family Reunions that were held in Topeka, Kansas over the years.   I don't really know when they began but one of the pictures I will share today is from 1936, so that could have been the first year.

The reunions were almost always held at Topeka's Gage Park and Zoo.   I remember at least one reunion that was held at the Oakland Community Park on Sardou Avenue.   For those of us who grew up in the little community of Maple Hill, at that time 25 miles west of Topeka, it was a real treat and thrill to get to go to Gage Park and Zoo.   The park had a fine zoo and is recognized world-wide today.   I think what most of us will remember were the large cement tigers that were at the entrance. 

This is a picture of the author, Nick L. Clark, taken during one of the Lemon Family Reunions at Gage Park about 1950, although there is no date on the photo.

This is a photo of the author's brother, Gary W. Clark and cousin Shiela Kay (Corbin) Hill taken at perhaps the same time as the photo above.  Gary was born in 1947 and Shiela in 1948.   Shiela is the daughter of George Samuel and Freda Kitt Corbin.  The Corbin's lived in Topeka, Kansas.

The reunions were always held on a Sunday afternoon to allow as many as possible to attend.  As the photographs will indicate, the numbers of those attending varied but were substantial.   All of those attending were the descendants of Charles and Mary Montgomery Lemon and his sons, William and Stewart Lemon.

I cannot say with certainty, but in all the years that I attended the reunions (late 1940s through 1970s) two people and their spouses were primarily responsible for organization and publication.   They were: William Stewart "Bill" and his wife Rhoda (Marion) Miller and his brother Vernie Victor and his wife Ruth Miller.  They were the sons of William and Margaret (Lemon) Miller and the grandsons of Stewart and Luroncy Louisa (Grandy) Lemon.

Vernie and Bill were wonderful gentlemen who made sure that everyone was in readiness and that the famililes had a good time.   Everyone brought food to share but many years Vernie and Bill and their wives brought ice cream bars or cups to share with everyone.   There were always games to play and Gage Park afforded many playgrounds and lots of fun amusements. 

I don't know when the last reunion was held.   I left Kansas in 1978, and I don't remember attending another reunion after that time.   Vernie and Bill passed away during the 1970s and no one else was willing to take on the task of planning the reunion and sending out the post card reminders.

Vernie and Bill Miller always had a photographer who took a family picture.   I don't remember them taking the photos themselves but perhaps in early years, they did so.   This is the 1936 reunion photo that was among the photographs given to me by my maternal grandmother, Mildred (McCauley) Corbin.   Mildred was the daughter of the youngest of Stewart and Louisa (Grandy) Lemon's children, Lucy Mae Lemon-McCauley-Bonta-Strong.   I am able to reconize only a few of those in this photograph.  I wish I could enlarge it so I could provide the names of those I know.  I don't recognize any of the children sitting on the ground in front.  However in the next row back, my great grandmother, Lucy Mae Lemon-McCauley-Bonta-Strong has on the black dress with a large white collar and a black straw hat (wearing glasses.)  To her right are her brother, James Greer and his wife Olive (Allen) Lemon.  Sitting to Olive Lemon's right is William Alexander Mitchell, husband of Mary Jane (Lemon) Mitchell (deceased).   My family always called William A. Mitchell "Uncle Billy" and sitting on his lap is the youngest of my aunts, Vivian Mae (Corbin) Wild.  I don't recognize the older, white haired lady sitting to the right of Uncle Billy, but to her right are William Earl and Alice (LaPage) Lemon and their daughter Ruth (Lemon) Leeper.  "Earl" Lemon was the son of Charles Montgomery and Sarah Jane (Rich) Lemon.  At the left end of the third row, standing, are my grandparents, Robert and Mildred Mae (McCauley) Corbin.   Grandfather Corbin has on a long-sleeved white shirt and light colored tie and my Grandmother Corbin has on a black or dark-colored dress with white collar.   Just behind them in the fourth row and just a little to the right are Rua and William "Bill" Clark.  Rua was the daughter of William Alexander and Mary Jane (Lemon) Mitchell.  Standing on the right of Bill Clark, are Ruth and Vernie Miller.  Vernie has the white hair parted in the middle.  Standing directly behind Ruth and Vernie Miller in the fifth row, are Virginia (Mitchell) and her husband Pete Kelling.   To the right of the Kellings are Bonnie (Thomas) and Charles Mitchell.   Virginia Kelling and Charles Mitchell were the children of William A. and Mary Jane (Lemon) Mitchell.     The last person on the right end of the fifth row, is my mother, Lucille (Corbin) Clark.    I wish I had asked mother to identify the others but alas, she passed away in January, 2011.

Shiela (Corbin) Hill, next is the author.  The next little boy partially behind the sign is another of the Frost boys but I don't know which.   I do not recognize any of the other children in front.   I am not certain about the couple at the left side of the first row, but I believe it is LaVerne Miller and his wife.  LaVerne is the son of William and Rhoda Miller.  LaVerne and his wife were killed in a tragic car accident in Colorado a few years later.  Crouched down in the middle of the second row are Ben Weiler and Vernie Miller.  Sitting at the left end of the third row, are William Earl and Ruth (LePage) Lemon.  I do not recognize the lady to the left of Ruth Lemon, but sitting to her right is Lova Weiler, daughter of James Greer and Olive (Allen) Lemon.  Sitting to Lova's right is Charles Mitchell and I do not recognize whose little girl he is holding.  Sitting to Charles Mitchell's right is Olive (Allen) Lemon, wife of James Greer Lemon.  Sitting to Olive's right is my uncle, Robert McCauley.  To Uncle Bob's right is his mother and my grandmother, Lucy Mae (Lemon) McCauley-Bonta-Strong.  To Grandma Lucy's right is Ruth Miller, wife of Vernie Miller.  I do not recognize the woman and baby sitting on the end of the row.

Standing at the left end of the fourth row, are Myrtle (Kitt) and Arnold "Kayo" Lemon holding their daughter Sally Lemon.  On the right of Myrtle and Kayo is Ronnie Frost, husband of Roberta (Miller) Frost and one of their sons.  Standing to the right of Ronnie Frost, is Richard G. Andrews, at the time, husband of Joan (Corbin) Andrews.   They were later divorced.  I do not know who the next three men are, but standing fourth from the right of Richard Andrews is George Samuel Corbin holding his son, Robert Frederick Corbin.  I do not know who the three men on the end of the row are.

Standing at the left end of the top row is Roberta (Miller) Frost, daughter of Vernie and Ruth Miller.  To the Roberta's right are George and Vivian (Corbin) Wild.   Uncle George and Aunt Vivian were married in 1951 and did not have children yet.  Vivian is the daughter of Robert and Mildred (McCauley) Corbin.  Standing to the right of Uncle George and Aunt Vivian are my grandparents, Robert and Mildred (McCauley) Corbin.   To their right is Pearl Iva (Behr) McCauley, wife of Robert M. McCauley.  To the right of Aunt Pearl is Joan (Corbin) Andews-Frazier and on her right is Freda (Kitt) Corbin, wife of George S. Corbin.  To Aunt Freda's right are Virginia (Mitchell) and Pete Kelling.   Virginia was the daughter of William A. and Mary Jane (Lemon) Mitchell.   To Virginia's right, is Bonnie Lou (Thomas) Mitchell, wife of Charles M. Mitchell.  To Bonnie's right is my mother, Lucille (Corbin) Clark, daughter of Robert and Mildred (McCauley) Corbin.  I don't recognize any of the four women standing on the right end of the row.

The Lemon Family Reunions were always fun.   I'm sure I share many fond memories with other cousins of these annual events.   If any readers recognize others in these photos, I wish they would share names with me through the comments section.

Happy trails!