The sun is shining brightly, I'm caught up with "stuff" and my psychological mood is appropriate for an attempt at unscrambling the Clark Family. I use that term because if you look on the genealogical websites, you will find countless combinations of names and dates for births, deaths, and marriages for our Clark ancestors. In addition, the names were repeated generation after generation which makes it difficult to keep them separated. I am certainly NOT going to tell you that my attempt will be absolutely without error, but I have spent a great deal of time over the last 30 years trying to do the research necessary to come up with the best possible information. So bear with me.
Generation 1. John Clark - Born September 3, 1659 - Surrey, England
Married: Alice Castillion - Born 1664, Surrey, England
Child: Castillion Clark - Born 1884 - England
(There may have been other children.)
Generation 2. Castillion Clark - Born 1884 - England
Died May 1729 - England
Married: May Baker
Born - 1690 - England
Died - 1722 - England
Children: Christianne - Born 1717 - England
Mary - Born 1719 - England
Charles - Born 1721 in Guilford, Surrey, England
Died 1785, Powhatan, James, Virginia
Generation 3. Charles Clark - Born 1721 - Guilford, Surrey, England
Died 1785 - Powhatan, James, Virginia
Married: Marianne Salle
Born August 20, 1731 - Manakin Sabot, Goochland, VA
Died May 26, 1780 - Virginia
Children: Sarah 1775-1861
Susannah 1777
Mary Salle 1779
John 1781
Charles 1784 - Huntingdon County, Pennsylvania
Jacob 1786
John Salle 1788 - 1829
James 1789
Generation 4. Charles Clark - Born 1784 - Huntingdon County, Pennsylvania
Died 1857 - Jackson Township, Clay County, Indiana
Married: Nancy Martin - Born 1790, Somerset County, Pennsylvania
Died about 1855, Clay County, Indiana
Children: Caroline Matilda - 1804 to 1874
Sarah - 1805
Susannah - 1807 - 1850
William - 1809
John Lardner - January 12, 1811, New Castle, Henry, Kentucky
Charles W. - 1815 - New Castle, Henry, Kentucky
Aug. 25, 1895, Snokomo, Newbery, Wabaunsee,
Kansas
Oliver 1819, New Castle, Henry, Kentucky
1870, Jackson, Clay County, Indiana
Generation 5. John Lardner Clark, Sr. - Born January 12, 1811 - New Castle, Henry, Kentucky
Died August 16, 1888 - Snokomo, Wabaunsee, Kansas
Married First: Mary Flora "Polly" Murphey - Born 1815 - Henry County, Kentucky
Died 1849 - Clay County,
Indiana
Children of this union:
Elizabeth - 1835 to 1911
Charles - 1836 to 1913
James E. - 1839 to 1908
Martin - 1842 to 1910
Oliver Perry - 1845 to 1888
Scion - 1848
Married Second: Sophia Marion Rice - 1851 - Jackson, Clay Co., Indiana
Children of this second union:
Samuel Lawrence - 1854 to 1928
Mary Ellen - 1855 to 1938
Caroline Matilda - 1858 to 1914
Lewis C. - 1860 to 1927
G. Sherman - 1865
Ulysses Grant - 1866 to 1955
Generation 6. James E. Clark - Born September 1839 - Jackson Township, Clay County,
Indiana
Died March 2, 1888 - Maple Hill Township, Wabaunsee,
Kansas
Married in 1860: Anna Larson or Lawson - Born October 1842 in Indiana
Died February 2, 1917, Maple
Hill Township, Wabaunsee Co.
Kansas
(There is disagreement over Anna's maiden name. I have not been able to verify it
personally. Perhaps some future researcher will find a marriage license or
obituary.)
Children of this union:
John "Johnnie" Clark - 1860 to 1918
William Clark - 1864 to
Alice Clark - 1867 to
Mary - 1869 to
Rachel - 1871 to
Arthur - 1874 to
Ellen - 1876 to (1880 Census says Ellen was born in Iowa.)
Jennie - 1880 to
Cora - October 25, 1885
Generation 7. John "Johnnie" Clark - born in October 1860 in Harmony, Jackson, Clay Co.,
Indiana
died on October 21, 1918, Maple Hill, Wabaunsee Co.,
Kansas
Married: Mary Eliza Woody on November 6, 1882 at Topeka, Shawnee Co.,
Kansas
born November 18, 1867, Plattsburg, Platt Co.,
Missouri
died January 10, 1900, Ponca City, Kay,
Oklahoma
Children: Annie Eliza born March 20, 1884 - Soldier Township, Shawnee
Co., KS
James Peter born March 15, 1886 - Shawnee County, Kansas
died December 26, 1948 - Maple Hill, Wabaunsee
Co., KS
(The marriage of John "Johnnie" and Mary Eliza Woody Clark, ended in
divorce in 1894. Mary Eliza Woody Clark was married a second time to
Louis Miller, but more of that in future blogs.)
Generation 8. James Peter Clark - born March 15, 1886 - Shawnee County, Kansas
died December 26, 1948 - Maple Hill, Wabaunsee Co.
Kansas
Marriage: Mabel Rachel Jones - March 15, 1910 - Paxico, Wabaunsee Co.
Kansas
born September 6, 1893 - Near Willard, Shawnee Co.
Kansas
died July 27, 1986 - St. Marys, Pottawatomie Co.
Kansas
Children: Thelma Maree Clark, born August 10, 1911 - Snokomo, Wabaunsee,
Kansas
died October 28, 1995 - Denison, Jackson,
Kansas
John Leander "Tim" Clark, born April 19, 1921 - Maple Hill,
Wabaunsee County, Kansas
died April 26, 1982 - Maple Hill, Wabaunsee
County, Kansas
Generation 9. John Leander "Tim" Clark - born April 19, 1921 - Maple Hill, Wabaunsee
Co., Kansas
died April 16, 1982 - Maple Hill, Wabaunsee
Co., Kansas
Married: January 24, 1942 - Topeka, Shawnee County, Kansas
Lucille Corbin - Born April 22, 1921 - Elbing, Butler County, Kansas
- Died January 5, 2010 - Topeka, Shawnee County, Kansas
Children: Nicholas Leander Clark - born November 16, 1944 - Topeka,
Shawnee, KS
Gary Wayne Clark - born January 26, 1947, Topeka, Shawnee
County, KS
Steven K. Clark - born January 27, 1955, Wamego,
Potawatomie County, KS
Stanley J. Clark - born January 27, 1955, Wamego,
Potawatomie County, KS
I am going to bring this writing to an end and save the narrative for future writings. I thought you might be interested in knowing that I have made entries for 1,373 Clark descendants in my Family Treemaker Genealogical Program for these nine generations.
Happy Trails!
Tuesday, January 17, 2012
Monday, January 9, 2012
The Corbins Experience The Loss of Children To Diphtheria
My maternal great grandfather and grandmother, George Washington and Sarah Ann (Todd) Corbin, experienced the loss of four of their children to diphtheria at young ages. They were living in West Liberty, Putnam County, Missouri at the time. I have some of their obituaries.
"From the Unionville Republican of July 29, 1896:
"Died, Pearly, daughter of Brother George Washington Corbin and Sister Sarah A. Corbin, departed this life July 21, 1896 at the age of eight years, of heart trouble resulting from diphtheria. The little girl was thought to be getting along nicely. She was up and ate her supper at the table the night before and thought to be nearly out of danger and before 8:00am, and the next morning was a corpse.
And thus we see that it is but a span from this to the other world, only divided by the small thread of life and that may break at any moment and launch us into the great moment and take us into the great beyond. Funeral services were held in the West Liberty Methodist Chapel, conducted by Rev. N. A. Nickerson, after which the remains were laid to rest in the Cemetery, until God shall call the sleeping dust to come forth and stand in the army of the first born and walk the golden streets of the new Jerusalem, city of our God.
Brother and Sister Corbin and their children Ira and Sylvia, have our sincere sympathy in this loss of their second child this year. May God help them to bear their burdens of grief."
Diphtheria is an infectious disease caused by the bacterium Corynebacterium diphtheriae. This disease primarily affects the mucous membranes of the respiratory tract (respiratory diphtheria), although it may also affect the skin (cutaneous diphtheria) and lining tissues in the ear, eye, and the genital areas.
Throughout history, diphtheria was a leading cause of death among children, and it was once referred to as the "strangling angel of children." Through the ages, several epidemics struck Europe, and even the American colonies were affected by an outbreak in the 18th century.
The diphtheria bacterium was first identified in the 1880s. In the 1890s, the antitoxin against diphtheria was developed, with the first vaccine being developed in the 1920s. With the development and administration of the diphtheria vaccine, the incidence of diphtheria has decreased significantly. Though it is still endemic in many parts of the world, respiratory diphtheria has now became a rare disease in the United States (with up to five cases per year). Furthermore, whereas diphtheria primarily affected younger children in the prevaccination era, an increasing proportion of cases today occur in unvaccinated or inadequately immunized adolescents and adults.
Diphtheria is caused by toxin-producing strains of the gram-positive bacillus Corynebacterium diphtheriae. There are four biotypes of the bacterium (gravis, mitis, intermedius, and belfanti), and each differs in the severity of disease it produces. Nontoxigenic strains are usually responsible for less severe cutaneous diphtheria.
The signs and symptoms of respiratory diphtheria are caused by the bacterium's ability to cause a localized inflammatory reaction of the cells lining the upper respiratory tract. In certain cases, the disease can become more severe and widespread, and it can involve other organs of the body as well.
Diphtheria is transmitted to close contacts via airborne respiratory droplets or by direct contact with nasopharyngeal secretions or skin lesions. Rarely, it can be spread by objects contaminated by an infected person. Overcrowding and poor living conditions can further contribute to the spread of diphtheria.
Humans are the only known reservoir of Corynebacterium diphtheriae. Infected individuals may develop symptoms of diphtheria, or they may become carriers of the bacteria with no symptoms (asymptomatic carriers). These asymptomatic carriers can serve as reservoirs for active infection and may transmit the disease to other individuals.
The symptoms of respiratory diphtheria usually begin after a two- to five-day incubation period. Symptoms of respiratory diphtheria may include the following:
This is a photo of George Washington and Sarah Ann "Sadie" (Todd) Corbin with their children taken in the late 1880s or early 1890s, prior to the deaths of four of their children from Diphtheria.
L-R: Sylvia Corbin, George Washington Corbin Ira Corbin (standing at rear) Ira Lee Corbin (standing at his father's knee, Sarah Ann "Sadie" (Todd) Corbin, she is holding Raymond Corbin, and Goldie Mae Corbin is standing on the right side. All three of the younger children in this photograph died.
This is a photo taken in 1899 and shows the four surviving children of George Washington and Sarah Ann "Sadie" (Todd) Corbin. Show L-R are: Sylvia Myrtle Corbin, Ira Lee Corbin, Edna Corbin and Robert Corbin. Robert Corbin was the maternal grandfather of the author, Nicholas Clark. I had the privilege of knowing all of these children, and all lived in Wichita, Kansas with the exception of Robert, who lived in Maple Hill, Kansas with his wife Mildred (McCauley
Sadie Corbin was never happy living in the home in West Liberty where four of their children had so tragically died. So she and George Washington moved to south central Kansas where they operated railroad hotels. One of them was The City Hotel in Freeport, Kansas. My cousin, Rita Corbin Cornett gave me this meal ticket from the hotel. The cost for three meals per day for one week was $4.50. I have looked for a photograph of The City Hotel but I have not been able to find one. I do have a photo of the house where the Corbin family lived at 1311 South St. Francis Street, in Wichita, Kansas.
The Freeport Methodist Church, Freeport, Kansas
As an aside, Freeport, Kansas is the smallest town in the United States that still retains a zip code and post office. There were three (3) residents in 2010. It is also the smallest city in Kansas to retain it's incorporated status and has an elected mayor and city council. There are some old brick buildings and the Methodist Church is still in use, but Freeport, as a city is probably taking it's last breath. Incidentally, George Washington and Sadie Corbin were Methodists and it's likely they attended this church since it was the only one in town.
Sadie Corbin died when the family lived in this home. Here is a short obituary that appeared in the Wichita newspapers: "Sarah Ann Todd Corbin, passed away on July 4, 1916 at her home,1311 South St. Francis Street, Wichita, Kansas. She died of complications from Typhoid Fever, and was ill for four days. She was 52 years, 11 months and 24 days old at death. She was buried in Maple Grove Cemetery in Wichita.
This is a photo of the George Washington and Sarah Ann "Sadie" (Todd) Corbin home in West Liberty, Putnam County, Missouri. The author took this photo while touring Corbin and Todd family sites with Todd cousin, Reva Todd Dixon in 1973.
This is a photo (L-R) of Sylvia and Edna Corbin taken in Wichita, Sedgewich County, Kansas. They appear to be young women so I'm dating the photo in the early 1920s.
This is a photo of George Washington Corbin and his daughter Sylvia, taken at their home at 1311 South St. Francis Street, Wichita, Kansas. Note that Sylvia has a black dress on and I'm wondering if this photo was not taken soon after the death of Sarah Ann (Sadie) Corbin. Sylvia Myrtle Corbin never married and while she did work from time to time, she suffered from mental illness. The family finally committed her to the Kansas State Hospital for the Insane at Larned, Kansas where she spent the last years of her life. I remember making the long trip from Maple Hill, Kansas to Larned with my grandparents and other relatives at least twice as a young boy. If memory serves me, Aunt Sylvia was released in the last year or two of her life and lived with her sister Edna Corbin in Wichita, where she died. Her funeral was held at the Maple Hill Community Congregation Church in Maple Hill, Kansas and the author was the vocalist for the service.
Ms. Corbin married Mr. Silvuis in the 1920s. He was in World War I, with Robert Corbin, Edna's brother and they knew each other and were friends. They were married several years before divorcing but I don't remember how many.
Ms. Corbin went to work for Kansas Gas & Electric Company in Wichita as World War Two began. They moved to California where there were better paying jobs but were divorced during World War II. Ms. Corbin took back her maiden name after the divorce. She went back to work for KG&E and retired from KG&E as chief telephone operator. She died in the home of her niece, Ms. Lucille Corbin Clark, at Maple Hill, Kansas and is buried by her brother Robert and sister Sylvia in the Maple Hill Stone Church Cemetery, Maple Hill, Kansas.
On November 18, 1941, Edna Corbin Silvis wrote her niece, Lucille Corbin Clark, a post card from 7103 Owensmouth, Canoga Park, California: Dear Lucille, your cards came this morning and sure enough, we have moved to Canoga Park, a suburb of Los Angeles about 25 miles out. Like it fine here. Wish you could all come to see us. Every thing is so pretty here. The flowers blooming and everything is green. Am downtown today, so decided to answer you right back so I'd get the promised letter. Don't forget now! Owen hasn't read your card yet but will write next time. Tell all hello. Lots of love. Aunt Edna. (Mother was living with her Mitchell/Lemon cousins, Pete and Virginia Kelling at 1145 Michigan Street, Topeka. She worked in their grocery store at the time.)
The photos above are both Edna Corbin. On the left is a baby picture taken in Unionville, which was the county seat of Putnam County, Missouri and on the right is a photo of Edna Corbin taken as she walked to work for KG&E in Wichita, Kansas during the 1940s.
I remember my Aunt Edna as a very snappy dresser. She had to dress nicely for her work at KG&E and she always wore "Taboo" perfume. She lived the last two years of her life with the author's parents, John "Tim" and Lucille (Corbin) Clark in Maple Hill. I can still remember the strong smell of "Taboo" when I visited. I was teaching at the University of Valencia in Valencia, Spain the summer she passed away (1975.)
This is a picture of Edna Corbin taken in Wichita, Kansas in the 1940s. I remember Aunt Edna always liked cats and had one or two in her apartment in Wichita. We either drive to Wichita for visits with relatives or we could also take the train on the Rock Island Railroad from Maple Hill to Wichita.
I'll end this blog with a photo of the Robert Corbin Family taken at Maple Hill, Kansas in 1936. L-R: George Samuel Corbin, Lucille Corbin (standing rear) Joan Corbin (in front of Lucille) Mildred (McCauley) Corbin (standing) Sarah Emma Corbin (in front of her mother) Robert Corbin (standing) and Vivian Mae Corbin (standing in front of her father.)
This is a 1997 photograph of the five children of Robert and Mildred (McCauley) Corbin: L-R standing are Joan, Vivian Mae and Sarah Emma. L-R seated are: George Samuel and Lucille. My mother will probably haunt me for using this photo which she always dispised. Aunt Joan is the only sibling alive at this writing.
Happy Trails!
"From the Unionville Republican of July 29, 1896:
"Died, Pearly, daughter of Brother George Washington Corbin and Sister Sarah A. Corbin, departed this life July 21, 1896 at the age of eight years, of heart trouble resulting from diphtheria. The little girl was thought to be getting along nicely. She was up and ate her supper at the table the night before and thought to be nearly out of danger and before 8:00am, and the next morning was a corpse.
And thus we see that it is but a span from this to the other world, only divided by the small thread of life and that may break at any moment and launch us into the great moment and take us into the great beyond. Funeral services were held in the West Liberty Methodist Chapel, conducted by Rev. N. A. Nickerson, after which the remains were laid to rest in the Cemetery, until God shall call the sleeping dust to come forth and stand in the army of the first born and walk the golden streets of the new Jerusalem, city of our God.
Brother and Sister Corbin and their children Ira and Sylvia, have our sincere sympathy in this loss of their second child this year. May God help them to bear their burdens of grief."
What is diphtheria?
Diphtheria is an infectious disease caused by the bacterium Corynebacterium diphtheriae. This disease primarily affects the mucous membranes of the respiratory tract (respiratory diphtheria), although it may also affect the skin (cutaneous diphtheria) and lining tissues in the ear, eye, and the genital areas.
What is the history of diphtheria?
Throughout history, diphtheria was a leading cause of death among children, and it was once referred to as the "strangling angel of children." Through the ages, several epidemics struck Europe, and even the American colonies were affected by an outbreak in the 18th century.
The diphtheria bacterium was first identified in the 1880s. In the 1890s, the antitoxin against diphtheria was developed, with the first vaccine being developed in the 1920s. With the development and administration of the diphtheria vaccine, the incidence of diphtheria has decreased significantly. Though it is still endemic in many parts of the world, respiratory diphtheria has now became a rare disease in the United States (with up to five cases per year). Furthermore, whereas diphtheria primarily affected younger children in the prevaccination era, an increasing proportion of cases today occur in unvaccinated or inadequately immunized adolescents and adults.
What causes diphtheria?
Diphtheria is caused by toxin-producing strains of the gram-positive bacillus Corynebacterium diphtheriae. There are four biotypes of the bacterium (gravis, mitis, intermedius, and belfanti), and each differs in the severity of disease it produces. Nontoxigenic strains are usually responsible for less severe cutaneous diphtheria.
The signs and symptoms of respiratory diphtheria are caused by the bacterium's ability to cause a localized inflammatory reaction of the cells lining the upper respiratory tract. In certain cases, the disease can become more severe and widespread, and it can involve other organs of the body as well.
How is diphtheria transmitted?
Diphtheria is transmitted to close contacts via airborne respiratory droplets or by direct contact with nasopharyngeal secretions or skin lesions. Rarely, it can be spread by objects contaminated by an infected person. Overcrowding and poor living conditions can further contribute to the spread of diphtheria.
Humans are the only known reservoir of Corynebacterium diphtheriae. Infected individuals may develop symptoms of diphtheria, or they may become carriers of the bacteria with no symptoms (asymptomatic carriers). These asymptomatic carriers can serve as reservoirs for active infection and may transmit the disease to other individuals.
What are the signs and symptoms of diphtheria?
The symptoms of respiratory diphtheria usually begin after a two- to five-day incubation period. Symptoms of respiratory diphtheria may include the following:
- sore throat,
- fever,
- malaise,
- hoarseness,
- difficulty swallowing, or
- difficulty breathing.
L-R: Sylvia Corbin, George Washington Corbin Ira Corbin (standing at rear) Ira Lee Corbin (standing at his father's knee, Sarah Ann "Sadie" (Todd) Corbin, she is holding Raymond Corbin, and Goldie Mae Corbin is standing on the right side. All three of the younger children in this photograph died.
This is a photo taken in 1899 and shows the four surviving children of George Washington and Sarah Ann "Sadie" (Todd) Corbin. Show L-R are: Sylvia Myrtle Corbin, Ira Lee Corbin, Edna Corbin and Robert Corbin. Robert Corbin was the maternal grandfather of the author, Nicholas Clark. I had the privilege of knowing all of these children, and all lived in Wichita, Kansas with the exception of Robert, who lived in Maple Hill, Kansas with his wife Mildred (McCauley The names and birthdays of the children of George Washington and Sarah Ann "Sadie" (Todd) Corbin are:
Sylvia Myrtle Corbin, born October 29, 1882 at Hastings, Adams County, Nebraska. Sylvia died on February 5, 1963 at Wichita, Sedgewick County, Kansas and is buried in the Old Stone Church Cemtery, Wabaunsee County, Maple Hill, Kansas.
Ira Lee Corbin, born February 26, 1884 in West Liberty, Putnam County, Kansas and died February 25, 1974 in Wichita, Sedgewick County, Kansas.
Pearly Elizabeth Corbin, born April 29, 1888 in West Liberty, Putnam County, Kansas and died July 21, 1896 at West Liberty, Putnam County, Missouri from diphtheria.
Goldie Mae Corbin, born November 18, 1889 at West Liberty, Putnam County, Kansas and died May 3, 1896 at Hastings, Adams County, Nebraska of diphtheria.
Raymond Corbin, born January 8, 1891 at West Liberty, Putnam County, Kansas and died July 28, 1896 at West Liberty, Putnam County, Kansas of diphtheria.
Hazel D. Corbin, born October 28, 1892 in West Liberty, Putnam County, Kansas and died July 25, 1896 at West Liberty, Putnam County, Kansas of diphtheria.
Edna Corbin, born March 11, 1898 in West Liberty, Putnam County, Kansas and died July 9, 1975 at the home of her niece Lucille (Corbin) Clark in Maple Hill, Wabaunsee County, Kansas. She is buried at the Old Stone Church Cemetery, Maple Hill, Kansas
Robert Corbin, born January 5, 1899 at West Liberty, Putnam County, Kansas and died April 16, 1958 at Topeka, Shawnee County, Kansas and is buried in the Old Stone Church Cemetery, Maple Hill, Wabaunsee County, Kansas.
Frankie Corbin, born July 19, 1901 in Oklahoma and died shortly there after.
Sadie Corbin was never happy living in the home in West Liberty where four of their children had so tragically died. So she and George Washington moved to south central Kansas where they operated railroad hotels. One of them was The City Hotel in Freeport, Kansas. My cousin, Rita Corbin Cornett gave me this meal ticket from the hotel. The cost for three meals per day for one week was $4.50. I have looked for a photograph of The City Hotel but I have not been able to find one. I do have a photo of the house where the Corbin family lived at 1311 South St. Francis Street, in Wichita, Kansas.As an aside, Freeport, Kansas is the smallest town in the United States that still retains a zip code and post office. There were three (3) residents in 2010. It is also the smallest city in Kansas to retain it's incorporated status and has an elected mayor and city council. There are some old brick buildings and the Methodist Church is still in use, but Freeport, as a city is probably taking it's last breath. Incidentally, George Washington and Sadie Corbin were Methodists and it's likely they attended this church since it was the only one in town.
Sadie Corbin died when the family lived in this home. Here is a short obituary that appeared in the Wichita newspapers: "Sarah Ann Todd Corbin, passed away on July 4, 1916 at her home,This is a photo of the George Washington and Sarah Ann "Sadie" (Todd) Corbin home in West Liberty, Putnam County, Missouri. The author took this photo while touring Corbin and Todd family sites with Todd cousin, Reva Todd Dixon in 1973.
This is a photo (L-R) of Sylvia and Edna Corbin taken in Wichita, Sedgewich County, Kansas. They appear to be young women so I'm dating the photo in the early 1920s.
This is a photo of George Washington Corbin and his daughter Sylvia, taken at their home at 1311 South St. Francis Street, Wichita, Kansas. Note that Sylvia has a black dress on and I'm wondering if this photo was not taken soon after the death of Sarah Ann (Sadie) Corbin. Sylvia Myrtle Corbin never married and while she did work from time to time, she suffered from mental illness. The family finally committed her to the Kansas State Hospital for the Insane at Larned, Kansas where she spent the last years of her life. I remember making the long trip from Maple Hill, Kansas to Larned with my grandparents and other relatives at least twice as a young boy. If memory serves me, Aunt Sylvia was released in the last year or two of her life and lived with her sister Edna Corbin in Wichita, where she died. Her funeral was held at the Maple Hill Community Congregation Church in Maple Hill, Kansas and the author was the vocalist for the service.Edna Corbin was married to R. Owen Silvis in the 1920s but I have not found a record. My mother, Lucille (Corbin) Clark, and niece of Edna Corbin, told me this information:
Ms. Corbin went to work for Kansas Gas & Electric Company in Wichita as World War Two began. They moved to California where there were better paying jobs but were divorced during World War II. Ms. Corbin took back her maiden name after the divorce. She went back to work for KG&E and retired from KG&E as chief telephone operator. She died in the home of her niece, Ms. Lucille Corbin Clark, at Maple Hill, Kansas and is buried by her brother Robert and sister Sylvia in the Maple Hill Stone Church Cemetery, Maple Hill, Kansas.
On November 18, 1941, Edna Corbin Silvis wrote her niece, Lucille Corbin Clark, a post card from 7103 Owensmouth, Canoga Park, California: Dear Lucille, your cards came this morning and sure enough, we have moved to Canoga Park, a suburb of Los Angeles about 25 miles out. Like it fine here. Wish you could all come to see us. Every thing is so pretty here. The flowers blooming and everything is green. Am downtown today, so decided to answer you right back so I'd get the promised letter. Don't forget now! Owen hasn't read your card yet but will write next time. Tell all hello. Lots of love. Aunt Edna. (Mother was living with her Mitchell/Lemon cousins, Pete and Virginia Kelling at 1145 Michigan Street, Topeka. She worked in their grocery store at the time.)The photos above are both Edna Corbin. On the left is a baby picture taken in Unionville, which was the county seat of Putnam County, Missouri and on the right is a photo of Edna Corbin taken as she walked to work for KG&E in Wichita, Kansas during the 1940s.
I remember my Aunt Edna as a very snappy dresser. She had to dress nicely for her work at KG&E and she always wore "Taboo" perfume. She lived the last two years of her life with the author's parents, John "Tim" and Lucille (Corbin) Clark in Maple Hill. I can still remember the strong smell of "Taboo" when I visited. I was teaching at the University of Valencia in Valencia, Spain the summer she passed away (1975.)
This is a picture of Edna Corbin taken in Wichita, Kansas in the 1940s. I remember Aunt Edna always liked cats and had one or two in her apartment in Wichita. We either drive to Wichita for visits with relatives or we could also take the train on the Rock Island Railroad from Maple Hill to Wichita.
This is a 1997 photograph of the five children of Robert and Mildred (McCauley) Corbin: L-R standing are Joan, Vivian Mae and Sarah Emma. L-R seated are: George Samuel and Lucille. My mother will probably haunt me for using this photo which she always dispised. Aunt Joan is the only sibling alive at this writing.
Happy Trails!
Tuesday, January 3, 2012
Todd Family History.....And No, Our Family Isn't Close Cousins to Mary Todd Lincoln!
Happy New Year to all my cousins, friends and readers! May 2012 be a great year for all of you!!
Today, I'm going to dispel a common rumor among our family concerning a possible relationship to Mary Todd Lincoln, wife of President Abraham Lincoln. For years, I have heard various of my Corbin and Todd relatives speak positively about this relationship, but not only has it been proven false through genealogical research, but through the new technique of DNA testing.
A Todd cousin in California, Richard McMurtry, took it upon himself to gather funds from Todd relatives and get a DNA sample from Todds all the way back in County Tyrone, Ireland. The DNA research proves pretty conclusively that Liberty Lawrenceberg Todd, who is my great, great grandfather, was not related to Mary Todd Lincoln. Here is a letter that I received from Richard:
This photo was taken in 2003. Lucille (Corbin) Clark is standing in front and L-R are: Gary Wayne, Steven K., Stanley J., and Nicholas L. Clark. Steve and Stan are twins.
Today, I'm going to dispel a common rumor among our family concerning a possible relationship to Mary Todd Lincoln, wife of President Abraham Lincoln. For years, I have heard various of my Corbin and Todd relatives speak positively about this relationship, but not only has it been proven false through genealogical research, but through the new technique of DNA testing.
A Todd cousin in California, Richard McMurtry, took it upon himself to gather funds from Todd relatives and get a DNA sample from Todds all the way back in County Tyrone, Ireland. The DNA research proves pretty conclusively that Liberty Lawrenceberg Todd, who is my great, great grandfather, was not related to Mary Todd Lincoln. Here is a letter that I received from Richard:
"Dear Todds of Pulaski County Kentucky and Greene County Indiana ,
Hope you are doing well and enjoying the transition from summer to fall!
I am writing to you to let you know that the final results of the DNA test of your cousin in Ireland have come in and because of this success with searching for Todd origins in Ireland , that a project to find your Todd origins in Scotland is beginning on Monday.
We were very surprised when we got a DNA sample from a family in Ireland whose origins were in the little Townland of Corlea, in the parish of Drumragh in the county of Tyrone in northern Ireland . This family is descended from a James Todd born about 1800, hence a contemporary of Anderson Todd b 1797 who came to Pualski Co as a young boy by 1811 and a contemporary of Robert Todd b 1796 who was born in Washington Co VA, went to Indiana and then went to Pulaski Co Kentucky as a man in his 40s in 1843.
Taking all the evidence together, we can say that Robert Todd b1796 is DEFINITELY NOT a brother to Anderson Todd and Anderson’s brothers in Pulaski County . The DNA evidence suggests that Anderson and Robert Todd are, contrary to family tradition, likely second cousins and that James Todd who remained behind in Ireland is likely a first cousin to either Robert b 1796 or Anderson b 1797. Given that they reconnected when they came to America , they must have lived close by each other to know each other well enough to seek each other out.
For those of us interested in the question of “where did the family come from”, it is very gratifying to have discovered the likely origin of your family. We can say with surety that you had kin in Corlea in 1828 and that it is likely that someone in or nearby, your Todd ancestors were born and raised , before leaving John Todd (father of Robert b 1796) and his family left Ireland for Virginia before 1792. The mystery of what happened to Anderson Todd’s father still remain, but despite that, we can place the family origin in or near Corlea.
A group of Todd researchers has been encouraged by the DNA results in Ireland to begin searching for Todd origins in Scotland using DNA.
This is a very ambitious project, but we have made such progress on the Irish Todd DNA Project that we are encouraged to keep going, finish up the sampling of Irish Todd families and then move on to Scotland .
The attached map shows with the small red circles where the Todds lived in northern Ireland in the early and mid 1800s. The large circles are for those families for which we have recruited DNA samples. As you can see from the map, we have samples representative of many of the regions of northern Ireland , including your cousins, the Todds of Corlea, Drumragh, Co Tyrone.
To complete the Irish work will cost about $390 additional; then we will need about $650 to get the first 5 samples from various areas of Scotland .
I believe that everyone interested in the family origins of the Todds would benefit by this DNA sampling because at long last we would have a good sense of where they lived in Scotland . We would know the origins of our Todd ancestry.
If you are willing to donate anywhere from $26 to $260 towards this project, please let me know. Never before (and probably not again) have we been able to bring together the combination of research skills and telephone outreach to be able to be successful with this project. It is a window of opportunity that may not come again, or may not come again for many years.
Anyone who donates will receive a copy of the final DNA report and a map showing where the Todds lived and what the DNA patterns were in each area.
Thank you for taking the time to read this and to consider supporting this valiant effort to uncover our Todd family origins.
Sincerely,,
Richard McMurtry
Todd Families In America
24010 Summit Road
Los Gatos, CA 95033
408-402-3641
Now here is our our Todd Ancestral Tree:
My Maternal Great Great Great Great Grandparents are:
William Todd (Born about 1750 in Ireland and died in 1831 in Pulaski County, Kentucky) and his wife Elizabeth are the parents of Robert, Anderson, Thomas, Henry and Andrew Todd. At least Robert, Anderson, and Thomas are believed to have been born in Washington County, Virginia.
My Maternal Great Great Great Grandparents are:
Thomas Todd (born between 1798 and 1799 in Washington County, Virginia and died in 1851, SangamonLawrenceberg, Hannah, Andrew, Mary, and Josiah Todd. These children were all born in Kentucky. Thomas and Mary Todd first lived in Rock Castle County, Kentucky followed by Pulaski County, Kentucky and then Sangamon County, Illnois.
My Maternal Great Great Grandparents are:
Liberty Lawrenceberg Todd (there are many variations of his name found in genealogical records and I do know how to varify his name, but I use what is found in my branch of the family) (born April 3, 1827 in Pulaski County, Kentucky and died March 18, 1896 in West Liberty, Putnam County, Missouri) and his wife Sarah "Sally" Ann Summers Threlkeld, whose birthplace or date is now known but who died August 28, 1898 in West Liberty, Putnam County, Missouri) and are the parents of William Thomas, Mary, Sarah Ann "Sadie", Alice, Lee Ander, Erastus and Henrietta Todd.
This is a photo of the Liberty Lawrenceberg Todd Family. I am indebted to my Todd Cousin, Susan Frazier Scott for this photo. The following is her caption: Standing from left to right is Sarah Ann, "Sadie", the woman beside her is unknown but I think it is either HannahWret or Mary, then Erastus, LeeAnder, Liberty, & William. No one seems to know who the two little girls are but the older people sitting are Lawrenceberg and Sarah Ann "Sally" Todd. Here is why I think the second lady standing at left is either Mary or HannahWret: from my records Alice age 23 and Alma age 17 both died in 1891. My great Grandma Tura Todd was born in 1892. I have a picture of LeeAnder, Phoebe, and Tura that I believe was taken the same time as this. Tura is 6 months to 1 year old in the picture.
This is a late in life photo of Liberty Lawrenceberg Todd and his wife Sarah Ann "Sally" Threlkeld. This appears to be a charcoal drawing of which I took a photo in about 1973. The original is in an oak frame and covered by glass. It is in the possession of Todd Cousins who continue to live in Putnam County, Missouri.
My Maternal Great Grandparents are:
Sarah Ann "Sadie" Todd (born July 11, 1863 in Laural, Marshall County, Iowa and died in 1916 in Wichita, Sedgewick County, Kansas) and was married to George Washington Corbin. They are the parents of: Sylvia Myrtle, Ira Lee, Pearly E., Goldie May, Raymond, Hazel D., Edna, Robert, and Frankie.
This is a photo of my great grandparents, George Washington and Sarah Ann "Sadie" Todd Corbin and their children. Sylvia M. Corbin is standing in the rear. Edna and Robert Corbin are standing in front of Sylvia and behind their parents. Seated L-R are George Washington Corbin, Sarah Ann "Sadie" Todd Corbin and their son, Ira Lee Corbin. This photo was taken in Freeport, Kansas where George Washington was the proprietor of the Freeport Hotel. I don't have an exact date but my grandfather, Robert Corbin was born in 1899 and he appears to be about 5 or 6 years old so I'm saying circa 1905. George and Sadie Corbin lost their "middle" children, Pearly, Goldie, Raymond and Hazel, to typhoid fever between May and July, 1896 while living in West Liberty. After their deaths, Sadie insisted that the family leave West Liberty and live elsewhere so they moved to Freeport, Kansas and eventually to Wichita, Kansas where she died in 1916.
Now here is our our Todd Ancestral Tree:
My Maternal Great Great Great Great Grandparents are:
William Todd (Born about 1750 in Ireland and died in 1831 in Pulaski County, Kentucky) and his wife Elizabeth are the parents of Robert, Anderson, Thomas, Henry and Andrew Todd. At least Robert, Anderson, and Thomas are believed to have been born in Washington County, Virginia.
My Maternal Great Great Great Grandparents are:
Thomas Todd (born between 1798 and 1799 in Washington County, Virginia and died in 1851, SangamonLawrenceberg, Hannah, Andrew, Mary, and Josiah Todd. These children were all born in Kentucky. Thomas and Mary Todd first lived in Rock Castle County, Kentucky followed by Pulaski County, Kentucky and then Sangamon County, Illnois.
My Maternal Great Great Grandparents are:
Liberty Lawrenceberg Todd (there are many variations of his name found in genealogical records and I do know how to varify his name, but I use what is found in my branch of the family) (born April 3, 1827 in Pulaski County, Kentucky and died March 18, 1896 in West Liberty, Putnam County, Missouri) and his wife Sarah "Sally" Ann Summers Threlkeld, whose birthplace or date is now known but who died August 28, 1898 in West Liberty, Putnam County, Missouri) and are the parents of William Thomas, Mary, Sarah Ann "Sadie", Alice, Lee Ander, Erastus and Henrietta Todd.
This is a late in life photo of Liberty Lawrenceberg Todd and his wife Sarah Ann "Sally" Threlkeld. This appears to be a charcoal drawing of which I took a photo in about 1973. The original is in an oak frame and covered by glass. It is in the possession of Todd Cousins who continue to live in Putnam County, Missouri.My Maternal Great Grandparents are:
Sarah Ann "Sadie" Todd (born July 11, 1863 in Laural, Marshall County, Iowa and died in 1916 in Wichita, Sedgewick County, Kansas) and was married to George Washington Corbin. They are the parents of: Sylvia Myrtle, Ira Lee, Pearly E., Goldie May, Raymond, Hazel D., Edna, Robert, and Frankie.
My Maternal Grandparents are:
Robert Corbin (born January 5, 1899 in West Liberty, Putnam County, Missouri and died April 16, 1958 at Topeka, Shawnee County, Kansas) and was married to Mildred Mae McCauley (born March 26, 1902 at Vera, Wabaunsee County, Kansas and died March 21, 1994, St. Marys, Pottawatomie County, Kansas). They are the parents of Lucille, George Samuel, Joan, Sarah Emma and Vivian Corbin.
This is a photo of my maternal grandparents, Robert and Mildred (McCauley) Corbin and their five children. L-R are George Samuel, Joan, Robert, Mildred, Lucille, Vivian and Sarah Emma. This photograph is from about 1950. The soul survivor of this photograph today is Joan Corbin Andrews Frazier, who will be 87 on January 25, 2012.
My Parents are:
Lucille Corbin (born April 22, 1921 at Elbing, Butler County, Kansas and died January 5, 2010 at Topeka, Shawnee County, Kansas) who married John Leander "Tim" Clark on January 24, 1942 at Topeka, Shawnee County, Kansas (born April 19, 1921 at Maple Hill, Wabaunsee County, Kansas and died April 26, 1982 at Maple Hill, Wabaunsee County, Kansas. They are the parents of four sons: Nicholas Leader, Gary Wayne, and twins Steven and Stanley Clark
Robert Corbin (born January 5, 1899 in West Liberty, Putnam County, Missouri and died April 16, 1958 at Topeka, Shawnee County, Kansas) and was married to Mildred Mae McCauley (born March 26, 1902 at Vera, Wabaunsee County, Kansas and died March 21, 1994, St. Marys, Pottawatomie County, Kansas). They are the parents of Lucille, George Samuel, Joan, Sarah Emma and Vivian Corbin.
My Parents are:
Lucille Corbin (born April 22, 1921 at Elbing, Butler County, Kansas and died January 5, 2010 at Topeka, Shawnee County, Kansas) who married John Leander "Tim" Clark on January 24, 1942 at Topeka, Shawnee County, Kansas (born April 19, 1921 at Maple Hill, Wabaunsee County, Kansas and died April 26, 1982 at Maple Hill, Wabaunsee County, Kansas. They are the parents of four sons: Nicholas Leader, Gary Wayne, and twins Steven and Stanley Clark
This is a photo of my mother and father, John Leader "Tim" and Lucille (Corbin) Clark taken on the day they were married, January 24, 1942. The photo was taken on the north side of the Maple Hill Central Office by Tim's mother, Mabel Rachel (Jones) Clark. They were married at the Oakland Methodist Parsonage by Rev. Kenneth Tuttle. I am ashamed to say that a photo of my mother and father with we four sons does not exist.
This photo was taken in 2003. Lucille (Corbin) Clark is standing in front and L-R are: Gary Wayne, Steven K., Stanley J., and Nicholas L. Clark. Steve and Stan are twins.This provides an outline of the Todd family and how it becomes connected to the Corbin Family. In future blogs, I will give my in-depth information about both.
Happy Trails!
Tuesday, December 27, 2011
More Pictures of Mabel R. (Jones) Clark Taken at the Central Office and a Story
Yesterday, I knew that I had a couple more pictures I wanted to use with the blog but I just couldn't find them. After a couple of hours searching through my pictures, I had some luck but one is still eluding me. I especially wanted to include pictures of the Maple Hill Central Office building/house where my grandparents, James Peter and Mabel Rachel (Jones) Clark lived from 1914 to 1958, with the exception of two years, 1919 to 1921. During those two years, they moved to the Stewart farm south of Maple Hill, where my Grandfather Clark farmed. My father, John Leander Clark, was born in 1921 when they were living there.
This is a photo of my Grandmother, Mable Rachel (Jones) Clark, standing on the south side of the Maple Hill Central Office, which was home to she and my Grandfather, James Peter Clark from 1914 to 1958. Grandmother loved to grow caster beans and moon flowers, both of which were usually in this location. Grandmother Clark was a large, tall woman and was always proudest when the caster beans exceeded her height. This picture was taken in about 1950.
Grandfather Clark wanted to try farming. He and a cousin named Lee Wilson, had purchased the Maple Hill Livery Stable on Main Street and had operated it for four years after it was owned by Rufus King, the famous murderer. One day in August 1921, Frank Shipp went to the farm and begged them to move back to Maple Hill and take over the Central Office again. Within a couple of weeks they made the decision to do so after the telephone company promised to make significant improvements to the Central office.
These are pictures of the moon flowers grown by Mabel R. Clark at the Maple Hill Central Office. The photos are dark because the moon flowers didn't open until after sunset, thus the name. My Grandmother had a small, black Brownie box camera that she always kept at hand and snapped photos. The first photo shows the screened in back porch at the Central Office. It was on the southeast corner of the house. I don't know when it was built on but I slept on a cot on the porch many times, as did other cousins. There was a door going into the kitchen and the bedroom from the porch.
The Central Office was at the southeast corner of 3rd and Main Street. My Jones cousin, Frank Shipp, who was for more than 40 years an employee of the telephone service in Wabaunsee County, told me that it had originally been a one story, two room house on a farm south of Maple Hill. The telephone company had purchased it before 1910 and moved it to Maple Hill, where they added kitchen on the south and a west room on the front of the house to provide a telephone office where the switchboard and switching equipment could be located. The Central Office room would eventually also include a phone booth for long distance calls and an office area where people could pay their telephone bills. Frank could not remember the exact year the house was moved to Maple Hill nor could he remember the name of the people who owned the farm where it was located. He was nearly 90 when that interview took place.
This is a photo of the Main Street of Maple Hill, Kansas looking south and taken in 1910 for a Bower's Post Card. The first structure on the left-hand side of the photo, a frame house painted white with two windows on the north side, is the Maple Hill Central Office. It does not yet have the front Central Office room added on. Also visible on the same side of the street are the blacksmith building of John Turnbull and the Livery Stable owned by the Romick Brothers as well as the grain elevator built by Fowler and Tod in 1887. Across the street is the Maple Hill State Bank founded by Russel T. Updegraff and the two-story store building belonging to David Stewart.
This is a photo of Elmer Emory Jones and his wife Fleta I. (Marney) Jones, taken in 1932 in front of the Central Office at Maple Hill, Kansas. Elmer, better known as Casey Jones, was the son of Leander Emory and Jeanetta Susanna (Reinhardt) Jones and was born in 1911. Casey Jones was a half-brother to Mabel Rachel (Jones) Clark and he and Fleta were frequent visitors at the Central Office. Casey and Fleta Jones lived most of their married lives in Topeka, Kansas where they owned and operated various businesses. Casey and my father, John Leander (Tim) Clark were good friends and hunting companions. I always knew them as Uncle Casey and Aunt Fleta.
The Central Office was the "hub" of the community and my Grandmother Clark served as the head of Maple Hill Central Intelligence :) She knew all of the comings and goings of her customers. When there was a funeral, Grandmother collected money for the community flowers and ordered them from Topeka florists. When there was illness or a wedding, or any other right of passage, Grandmother could provide information with the permission of the family. While some Central Office operators were known to listen in on calls and gossip or repeat information, Grandmother was never among them and held what she knew in strictest of confidence.
Her tenure was the longest of any Central Office operator, 43 years, and she was replaced by my mother, Lucille (Corbin) Clark, who served from 1958 until the telephone company became a part of Southwestern Bell Telephone and was converted to dial switching in 1962. My mother was a relief operator for Grandmother Clark as was her cousin Mable (Phillips) Herron, Irene (Leeper) Hoobler, and Irene Flannary. There were undoubtedly others. I should have had her make a list but didn't.
My Grandmother also held another special role in the community. When one of the town's doctors was out delivering a baby and needed assistance, he would call my grandmother. She would find my Grandfather, Jim Pete Clark, have him tend the switchboard, and she would go help the doctor deliver the baby. On seventeen occasions during her 43 years, there was a need to deliver a baby and the doctors were either out of town or already attending sickness and could not be summoned. My Grandmother Clark delivered those seventeen babies. I do have list of them and will write about that later.
This is a photo of my Grandmother, Mabel Rachel (Jones) Clark, when she became "Central Mabel" at the Maple Hill Central Office in 1914. She is sitting at the switchboard console in the telephone office.
A photo of Mabel Rachel (Jones) Clark taken about 1958 in the doorway between her bedroom and living room in the Maple Hill Central Office.
There was a porch on the south and east side of the Central Office that ran along the office proper and the kitchen. Grandmother stretched wire along the east side of the porch and planted a Virginia Creeper vine. The vine kept the west sun from coming into the kitchen. Every year, cardinals came to build their nests in the vine. Grandmother would watch over them and pamper them and incredibly, every year, neighboring cats would come and eat the baby birds. Grandmother would war against the cats, scalding them with hot water and every other manner of torture she could think of, but I don't ever remember a family of cardinals being raised to maturity in the vines.
My Grandmother was a large woman and incredibly strong. I remember one Sunday afternoon, she had asked her cousin, Mabel (Phillips) Herron to watch the switchboard and had picked my brother Gary Wayne Clark and I up to go for a ride. That was a very common Sunday afternoon thing to do in Maple Hill. Every time I visited Maple Hilll over the entire course of my life, I took my grandmothers, mother and cousin Bonnie Mitchell (and many others) on Sunday afternoon rides around Maple Hill, and through the Flint Hills of Wabaunsee County. On this Sunday, we stopped and visited with my Grandmother and Grandfather Robert and Mildred Corbin at their farm south of Maple Hill, and then we started back to town. The railroad crossing was very steep and went up 8 or 10' to the level of the tracks. Grandmother stopped and put the car in low gear before starting up the incline at the crossing, but she killed the engine just as the car pulled on the track. She let the front wheel roll off the raised gravel between the crossing and the rail and the front tire rolled off and came to rest against the rail. Had she had time, she could have probably started the engine and backed the car off the track. However, just as she started to do so, she heard the whistle of an approaching locomotive as it came around the curve heading east into Maple Hill.
This is a photo of L-R Mabel R. Clark and her cousin, Bernice Herron taken on the front step of the Maple Hill Central Office in 1935. Bernice was the daughter of Mable (Phillips) and Wilber V. "Jack" Herron. Mable Herron was Mabel Clark's first cousin through the Jones Family. Bernice Herron was later the principal of Maple Hill High School.
Grandmother didn't panic, and she didn't take Gary and I out of the big Dodge car. She just stepped around to the front of the car, grabbed hold of the bumper, picked the front end of the car up and rolled it back off the crossing. The train was whistling and whistling as it approached the crossing but it didn't seem to alarm my Grandmother. She said she wasn't scared until after the train had passed. Her strength in lifting that car off the rail and pushing it back off the crossing was always amazing to me. There are many other stories that I will share in future blogs.
At the back of the Central Office, was a large plot of ground that was first used for a vegetable garden, and then as Granmother Clark aged, it became a flower bed with tomato plants at the back. This photo shows Mabel R. Clark with her bed of bachelor buttons and larkspur and at the back, the large tomato vines. Growing on the clothesline pole are Heavenly Blue morning glories. At the left midground of the photo, is the south side of Earl and Alice Lemon's house and behind Grandmother is the Charles M. Lemon House. The home of her parents, Lee and Jeanetta Susanna Jones is in the right mid-ground.
This is a 1925 photo taken on the south side of the Central Office. Show is the corner of the front porch, the south kitchen wall and the back porch. Also shown is are the outhouses on the Central Office property and the Charles M. Lemon Property. In the photo L-R are baby Bessie Weeks, Betty Gilispie, and Tim Clark. Betty Gilispie was a Clements. Bessie Weeks was a Clark cousin of Jim Pete Clarks. Tim Clark was the son of Mabel and Jim Pete Clark.
This is a photo of my Uncle, John Hedges (husband of Thelma M. (Clark) Hedges and their youngest son, John "Johnnie" Hedges taken behind the Central Office and in front of the flower and tomato bed in 1950.
My Grandmother, Mabel Rachel (Jones) Clark, was a lovely Christian lady, a devoted wife and mother, and a servant to others all her life. She lived out her life in Maple Hill, and passed away at the age of 93 on July 27, 1986 and is buried beside her husband in the Old Stone Church Cemetery, Maple Hill, Kansas. I don't believe she had an enemy in this world. I hope I can end my life the same way. Happy Trails!
This is a photo of my Grandmother, Mable Rachel (Jones) Clark, standing on the south side of the Maple Hill Central Office, which was home to she and my Grandfather, James Peter Clark from 1914 to 1958. Grandmother loved to grow caster beans and moon flowers, both of which were usually in this location. Grandmother Clark was a large, tall woman and was always proudest when the caster beans exceeded her height. This picture was taken in about 1950.Grandfather Clark wanted to try farming. He and a cousin named Lee Wilson, had purchased the Maple Hill Livery Stable on Main Street and had operated it for four years after it was owned by Rufus King, the famous murderer. One day in August 1921, Frank Shipp went to the farm and begged them to move back to Maple Hill and take over the Central Office again. Within a couple of weeks they made the decision to do so after the telephone company promised to make significant improvements to the Central office.
These are pictures of the moon flowers grown by Mabel R. Clark at the Maple Hill Central Office. The photos are dark because the moon flowers didn't open until after sunset, thus the name. My Grandmother had a small, black Brownie box camera that she always kept at hand and snapped photos. The first photo shows the screened in back porch at the Central Office. It was on the southeast corner of the house. I don't know when it was built on but I slept on a cot on the porch many times, as did other cousins. There was a door going into the kitchen and the bedroom from the porch.
The Central Office was at the southeast corner of 3rd and Main Street. My Jones cousin, Frank Shipp, who was for more than 40 years an employee of the telephone service in Wabaunsee County, told me that it had originally been a one story, two room house on a farm south of Maple Hill. The telephone company had purchased it before 1910 and moved it to Maple Hill, where they added kitchen on the south and a west room on the front of the house to provide a telephone office where the switchboard and switching equipment could be located. The Central Office room would eventually also include a phone booth for long distance calls and an office area where people could pay their telephone bills. Frank could not remember the exact year the house was moved to Maple Hill nor could he remember the name of the people who owned the farm where it was located. He was nearly 90 when that interview took place.
This is a photo of Elmer Emory Jones and his wife Fleta I. (Marney) Jones, taken in 1932 in front of the Central Office at Maple Hill, Kansas. Elmer, better known as Casey Jones, was the son of Leander Emory and Jeanetta Susanna (Reinhardt) Jones and was born in 1911. Casey Jones was a half-brother to Mabel Rachel (Jones) Clark and he and Fleta were frequent visitors at the Central Office. Casey and Fleta Jones lived most of their married lives in Topeka, Kansas where they owned and operated various businesses. Casey and my father, John Leander (Tim) Clark were good friends and hunting companions. I always knew them as Uncle Casey and Aunt Fleta.The Central Office was the "hub" of the community and my Grandmother Clark served as the head of Maple Hill Central Intelligence :) She knew all of the comings and goings of her customers. When there was a funeral, Grandmother collected money for the community flowers and ordered them from Topeka florists. When there was illness or a wedding, or any other right of passage, Grandmother could provide information with the permission of the family. While some Central Office operators were known to listen in on calls and gossip or repeat information, Grandmother was never among them and held what she knew in strictest of confidence.
Her tenure was the longest of any Central Office operator, 43 years, and she was replaced by my mother, Lucille (Corbin) Clark, who served from 1958 until the telephone company became a part of Southwestern Bell Telephone and was converted to dial switching in 1962. My mother was a relief operator for Grandmother Clark as was her cousin Mable (Phillips) Herron, Irene (Leeper) Hoobler, and Irene Flannary. There were undoubtedly others. I should have had her make a list but didn't.
My Grandmother also held another special role in the community. When one of the town's doctors was out delivering a baby and needed assistance, he would call my grandmother. She would find my Grandfather, Jim Pete Clark, have him tend the switchboard, and she would go help the doctor deliver the baby. On seventeen occasions during her 43 years, there was a need to deliver a baby and the doctors were either out of town or already attending sickness and could not be summoned. My Grandmother Clark delivered those seventeen babies. I do have list of them and will write about that later.
A photo of Mabel Rachel (Jones) Clark taken about 1958 in the doorway between her bedroom and living room in the Maple Hill Central Office.There was a porch on the south and east side of the Central Office that ran along the office proper and the kitchen. Grandmother stretched wire along the east side of the porch and planted a Virginia Creeper vine. The vine kept the west sun from coming into the kitchen. Every year, cardinals came to build their nests in the vine. Grandmother would watch over them and pamper them and incredibly, every year, neighboring cats would come and eat the baby birds. Grandmother would war against the cats, scalding them with hot water and every other manner of torture she could think of, but I don't ever remember a family of cardinals being raised to maturity in the vines.
My Grandmother was a large woman and incredibly strong. I remember one Sunday afternoon, she had asked her cousin, Mabel (Phillips) Herron to watch the switchboard and had picked my brother Gary Wayne Clark and I up to go for a ride. That was a very common Sunday afternoon thing to do in Maple Hill. Every time I visited Maple Hilll over the entire course of my life, I took my grandmothers, mother and cousin Bonnie Mitchell (and many others) on Sunday afternoon rides around Maple Hill, and through the Flint Hills of Wabaunsee County. On this Sunday, we stopped and visited with my Grandmother and Grandfather Robert and Mildred Corbin at their farm south of Maple Hill, and then we started back to town. The railroad crossing was very steep and went up 8 or 10' to the level of the tracks. Grandmother stopped and put the car in low gear before starting up the incline at the crossing, but she killed the engine just as the car pulled on the track. She let the front wheel roll off the raised gravel between the crossing and the rail and the front tire rolled off and came to rest against the rail. Had she had time, she could have probably started the engine and backed the car off the track. However, just as she started to do so, she heard the whistle of an approaching locomotive as it came around the curve heading east into Maple Hill.
This is a photo of L-R Mabel R. Clark and her cousin, Bernice Herron taken on the front step of the Maple Hill Central Office in 1935. Bernice was the daughter of Mable (Phillips) and Wilber V. "Jack" Herron. Mable Herron was Mabel Clark's first cousin through the Jones Family. Bernice Herron was later the principal of Maple Hill High School.Grandmother didn't panic, and she didn't take Gary and I out of the big Dodge car. She just stepped around to the front of the car, grabbed hold of the bumper, picked the front end of the car up and rolled it back off the crossing. The train was whistling and whistling as it approached the crossing but it didn't seem to alarm my Grandmother. She said she wasn't scared until after the train had passed. Her strength in lifting that car off the rail and pushing it back off the crossing was always amazing to me. There are many other stories that I will share in future blogs.
This is a 1925 photo taken on the south side of the Central Office. Show is the corner of the front porch, the south kitchen wall and the back porch. Also shown is are the outhouses on the Central Office property and the Charles M. Lemon Property. In the photo L-R are baby Bessie Weeks, Betty Gilispie, and Tim Clark. Betty Gilispie was a Clements. Bessie Weeks was a Clark cousin of Jim Pete Clarks. Tim Clark was the son of Mabel and Jim Pete Clark.
This is a photo of my Uncle, John Hedges (husband of Thelma M. (Clark) Hedges and their youngest son, John "Johnnie" Hedges taken behind the Central Office and in front of the flower and tomato bed in 1950.
My Grandmother, Mabel Rachel (Jones) Clark, was a lovely Christian lady, a devoted wife and mother, and a servant to others all her life. She lived out her life in Maple Hill, and passed away at the age of 93 on July 27, 1986 and is buried beside her husband in the Old Stone Church Cemetery, Maple Hill, Kansas. I don't believe she had an enemy in this world. I hope I can end my life the same way. Happy Trails!
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