Tombstone Tuesday: A Daughter's Sacrifice For Her Mother - Georgia Ann Harrison Finn (1861 - 1923)

Georgia Ann Harrison Finn

Daughter of John Milton Harrison and Mary Jane Coppedge Harrison

Wife of John R. Finn

Copyright 2015, The Hopelessly Hooked Genealogist (B. Harrison, A Genie In Arizona)

Georgia was my grand-aunt.  According to oral family history passed down to me by my aunt, Lona Harrison Curtis; Georgia passed away from an apparent heat stroke while walking to go visit her mother at the St. James Soldiers' Home for invalids. Her mother, Mary Janes Coppedge Harrison (who was known simply as "Jane Harrison"), had suffered from some form of senility (possibly what we now know as Dementia/ Alzheimers today) and had been placed in the care facility then known as the Soldiers Home for Veterans and Dependents in St. James, Missouri. Previous to that, Georgia was her mother's primary caregiver. Once Jane Harrison had reached the point of needing a nursing home, Georgia walked several miles a few times per week to visit her mother there. The last time she made that walk was on a hot humid summer day in July. She never made it to her destination. 

Find A Grave Memorial # 62303110

Tombstone Tuesday: Benjamin S. Fore 1823 - 1893

Copyright 2013, The Hopelessly Hooked Genealogist (B. Harrison)

One of my 2x-great-grandfathers is Benjamin S. Fore,  born in 1823 in Kentucky and died 16 May 1893 in Phelps County, Missouri.  His wife was Sabra "Sabie" Stogsdill, (born 1828 and died 1912). They were married 1 Aug 1842 in Somerset, Pulaski County, Kentucky. Their daughter, Catherine Ellen Fore, was my paternal great-grandmother who married Valentine Allen. Catherine and Valentine's daughter Susannah Allen was my paternal grandmother who married John P. Harrison.

Benjamin S. Fore is buried in Jackson Cemetery in Phelps County, Missouri near other kin.  Benjamin came to Missouri from Kentucky in a covered wagon circa 1852, with his wife and their firstborn children.   Four additional children were born in Missouri.   Their first home in Missouri was a 2-room log cabin that later became known as the Ben Fore School.

There is a memorial page for Benjamin S. Fore on the Find A Grave website at http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GRid=30391985 .    The above photo is from Find A Grave, and was submitted by Jan and Harold Willis in 2008.

Black Sheep Sunday: Bushwacker Bill Wilson

               Copyright 2012, The Hopelessly Hooked Genealogist (B. Harrison)


William Wilson, otherwise known as "Bushwacker Bill Wilson", was my great-grand-uncle.   During the Civil War era in Missouri, he became somewhat of a legendary folk hero to the locals.    He was half-brother to my maternal great-grandfather, Valentine Allen.  They shared the same mother, my great-great-grandmother Frances Hudgens Allen.  Below is a photo that has been circulated in recent years by descendants and is purported to be a photo of Bill Wilson:

Whether or not this is a true and authentic image of the infamous Bushwacker Bill Wilson has not yet been proven or disproven.   However, my guess is that he was probably an angry-looking young man similar to the one depicted in this photo.   He lost a lot during the war, and was said to be hell-bent on revenge.  I have touched on the life of Bill Wilson in a previous post on my great-grandfather Valentine Allen.  Below is a quote from my own earlier blog post:

"Valentine 'Tine' Allen's half-brother was 'Bushwacker' Bill Wilson, son of Frances Hudgens and her first husband Valentine Wilson.   For those of you who may have seen the old Clint Eastwood film "The Outlaw Josey Wales", you will be familiar with the story of my Great-Grandpa's half-brother Bushwacker Bill, on whom the film's story is loosely based.  The Outlaw Josey Wales character is actually a composite of several known Bushwackers who lived in the area during the Civil War.  While it is true that some Bushwackers during the war were vicious murderers, such as the one known as "Bloody Bill Anderson"; others were regular family men who banded together to try to protect their families and properties during the War. Bushwacker Bill Wilson, my great-grandfather's half-brother, was one of the more sympathetic figures who actually became a folk hero in Missouri.   There was a book written about him by George Clinton Arther, entiitled: "Bushwacker, Missouri's Most Infamous Desperado".   The book is based on first-hand accounts of those who knew Bill Wilson.   The story goes that Bill was simply avenging the harm and atrocities that befell his family and property at the hands of renegade soldiers. Whether the "bad guys" were Union or Confederate soldiers is not entirely clear.   There was some wrong-doing on both sides during the war.   Missouri was technically a neutral state, but sympathies were dividied among families....some were for the Confederate cause, and others supported the Union cause.  It was not unusual for brothers within the same family to join up and fight on opposing sides during the Civil War. This happened within my own family tree.  I have not found a record that Tine Allen served in the military during the Civil War, though several other ancestors and relatives living in the area at the time did serve." 

Here is a quote from Eastwood's character in the movie based loosely on the life of my ancestor.  
 Josey Wales:   "Now remember, things look bad and it looks like you're not gonna make it, then you gotta get mean.  I mean plumb, mad-dog mean. Cause if you lose your head and give up then you neither live nor win.  That's just the way it is".  


As far as I know thus far, it has never been proven where or when Bill Wilson died and is buried.  Similar to the character of Josey Wales portrayed in the Clint Eastwood movie, Bill Wilson did in fact take an Indian wife.   He married Mary Ann Noaks, who had native American ancestry.  Some of the stories have Bill Wilson being shot and killed in Texas, and buried there.   Other stories have him returning to his home area in Phelps County, Missouri after the war, and living in hiding in the same remote hill-country caves he used during the Civil War when going about his bushwacking business. Some believe that he faked his own death in Texas and sent a letter to his wife supposedly from a third party, advising of his own alleged demise, to throw his pursuers off the trail. The letter was to be used by Mary Ann to "prove" his death.     There is supposedly a document signed by Mary Ann Noaks Wilson on April 15, 1865; a copy of which has been posted and circulated on Ancestry.com, in which Mary Ann gives her statements indicating that Bill Wilson enlisted in the Rebel Army when the war fist broke out, then returned in about a year and took the Oath of Allegiance to the United States Government; (as locals were required to do or be subject to arrest by the Union Army), then came home again and "Staid for only one hour and she has not seen him since".   Mary Ann was apparently arrested by Union Soldiers as being suspected of hiding and aiding her husband, and the document was her recorded statement alleging that she knew nothing about the whereabouts of Bill Wilson at that time. 





Below are photos of Gourd Creek Cave in Phelps County, Missouri; where Bushwacker Bill Wilson was known to hide out during and after the Civil War.       Here is a photo of the cave as it looks today, taken by cousin and fellow genealogy family-tree researcher Terry Cadenbach on April 24, 2012: 

Below is a photo of some of the extended Allen-Wilson-Noaks clan descendants and kin posing in front of the same Gourd Creek Cave, some time after the Civl War (circa 1870-1880).  The below family photo was published in the book, "Bushwacker: Missouri's Most Infamous Desperado" written by descendant George Clinton Arthur in 1938.  The book and it's contents are now in the public domain, as the author has been dead for more than 50 years. 

Bill wilson's wife  Mary Ann Noaks Wilson remarried and is buried at Brookshire Cemetery in Spring Creek, Phelps County, Missouri. She is listed on the Find A Grave website at www.findagrave.com under Memorial# 40032604.  Below is a photo of Mary Ann in her later years, with her second husband John Jackson, that has been shared by WIlson-Noaks-Jackson descendants:

Below is a photo taken by my family tree cousin, Terry Cadenbach, in 2012 of the  memorial marker placed in recent years by descendants of Mary Ann Noaks and Bushwacker Bill Wilson at the cemetery in Phelps County,Missouri.   Some believe that Bill Wilson rests there too, nearby to Mary Ann and her 2nd husband, in an unmarked grave. There are several very old monuments and stones in this cemetery, with mostly now illegible inscriptions.  One of those stones is surrounded by an old wrought-iron fence.   Some believe that could be the original final resting place of either Mary Ann Noaks Wilson (Jackson) or of Bushwacker Bill Wilson.  In honor of their memory, the below depicted memorial stone has been placed nearby in more recent years by an unknown descendant(s):

I had ancestors who fought for both the north and the south, on both the maternal and paternal sides of my tree. In fact, a few of my ancestors and kin in Missouri spent time in military prisons during the Civil War, simply for being suspected of being Confederate sympathizers.   It truly was a brother-against-brother and kin-against-kin conflict in American history and in my own family tree. 

MILITARY MONDAY: CIVIL WAR IN MISSOURI- GUERRILLAS AND BUSHWACKERS

Copyright 2011, The Hopelessly Hooked Genealogist (B. Harrison)

My ancestral roots in Missouri and Kentucky during the Civil War years saw many of my kin fighting in the war, sometimes on opposing sides, brother against brother and cousin against cousin.  In Missouri in particular, another problem was the Bushwackers and Guerrillas. A previous blog post I wrote dealt with the half-brother of my great-grandfather Valentine Allen, who shared the same mother with Bushwacker Bill Wilson (different fathers). While Bushwacker Bill was (and remains) a folk-hero of sorts, said to be avenging the harm that befell his own family during the war, not all Bushwackers were thought of fondly by the local folks...most in fact were considered ruthless outlaws.     

The following military report filed by Lieut. Col. Jos. A. Eppstein "describes a good bit of robbing and plundering" during the Civil War in the vicinity of Rolla, Missouri (where many of my kin lived) in early February of 1864. The report is located on Pages 280 – 281 in Series I, Vol. 34, Part IV of the Official Records of the War of the Rebellion:

“Headquarters District of Rolla,

Rolla, Mo., February 9,1864.

Maj. 0. D. Greene,

Assistant Adjutant General,"

"I deem it my duty to inform you that GUERRILLAS & BUSHWHACKERS are getting very troublesome in this district, in the last few days. I hereby advise you of some of their doings. One man by the name of Robert Wade, a good, inoffensive Union man, living 25 miles west of here, on Spring Creek, was attacked by a band of 7 rebels & received two mortal wounds near his own house. On receipt of this intelligence I sent a Scout (Patrol) with an ambulance & had him brought to this place. The man was buried today. The scout was not successful in capturing any of these scamps. On the 4th instant 1 private on duty as provost guard, on his way from here to Little Piney to serve a subpoena was captured by a party of 4 men about 7 miles from here. They relieved him of his horse & equipments, arms & a portion of his clothing & released him & allowed him to return. On the 6th instant an extra stage coach from Springfield was stopped & robbed of the mail 1 mile west of Little Piney. They stripped a soldier who was on the stage of his clothing & money & allowed them to proceed on their way. A party of laborers, employed by the quartermaster, were attacked, robbed of their provisions & dispersed while at work about 8 miles southwest of here."

"I have just been informed of an attack made upon a party of Union men on their way to this place with their teams; one of them was killed & one mortally wounded. I dispatched a scouting party after them immediately & will send another after them tonight in a different direction. I hope they will be successful in killing some of the gang before they return. This last gang numbered about 10 men & were DRESSED IN FEDERAL UNIFORM! This same gang ATTACKED & PLUNDERED another party of road repairers. You will see from the enclosed report of Major Fisher, from Waynesville, that his neighborhood is INFESTED with MARAUDERS in the same manner. By the report of Lieut. Bates you will see he was successful in killing 7 of them & wounding several more & capturing a lot of property. A Sergeant just in from Waynesville informs me that a small escort belonging to that post en route from Gasconade to Waynesville & 9 miles west of the latter place, were attacked & 1 man severely wounded & 1 captured. I shall be able to give particulars when a scout after them returns."

"This list of depredations will show that there is plenty of work for one small command to attend to. I have at the present time six scouting parties out in this district & shall endeavor to HUNT DOWN and EXTERMINATE these bands wherever they may be found, but I anticipate a continuance of these depredations as long as the weather will permit these bands to lie out in the woods. The country south of Springfield is nearly exhausted of all kinds of supplies. These bands are therefore compelled to rely on their ROBBING & WAYLAYING wagons on the roads for subsistence. We have a large number of rebel sympathizers living in this district, who are on every opportunity aiding & abetting these marauders, otherwise it would be impossible for them to do all this mischief. As this communication is somewhat lengthy, I hope that I have not intruded too much on your patience. I shall continue to keep you advised of things transpiring in this district during my term of command."

"Very respectfully, your obedient servant,"

"JOS. A. EPPSTEIN"

Lieut. Colonel, Commanding District.”

Sentimental Sunday: Remembering Minnie Allen 1871- 1878

Copyright 2011, The Hopelessly Hooked Genealogist (B. Harrison)

This Sentimental Sunday morning, I am remembering a discovery I made a while back when searching through Find A Grave records online, for headstone photos and burial locations on some of my ancestors.   I came across the gravesite for little Minnie Allen, daughter of my great-grandparents Valentine Allen and Catherine Ellen (Fore) Allen.  Here is a photo of Minnie's headstone, born 1871- died 1878, buried at Allen Cemetery in Phelps County, Missouri, USA:

                                                            

Finding Minnie's gravesite prompted me to recall a story related to me by my Aunt Lona, as part of the oral family history she held onto.  Whenever my elderly Aunt got an urge to share stories of the past and could find someone who might listen, she would talk about the family history stories that had been passed down to her.    From the time I was a little girl, I remember being fascinated by the stories of generations past that my Aunt could tell.  We lived across the country from my Aunt, so I did not get to hear her stories very often.  Little did I know at the time that I would one day grow up to be a full-fledged GeneAholic!  Now that my Aunt is gone, besides missing her terribly, sure wish that I had listened a little more closely to those family history stories she had to share. My Dad (her brother) rarely talked of such things, but it was my Aunt who kept the memories of the past alive and passed them down to the younger generation.

I found a mention of Minnie's death in a brief entry in the log of itinerent minister, Rev. John J Watts, from the Watts Collection  of birth, marriage and death records in Phelps and Maries County, Missouri, a partial transcript of which can be found online at http://www.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~mophelps/vitals/death/watts.htm.

"#6 Minnie Allen


Minnie, daughter of Valentine and Catherine Allen, born on Little Piney, Pulaski Co., July 28th 1871, died there Feb. 3rd 1878, aged 6 yrs, 6 ms. and 5 days, and Aug. 25th 1878, funeral services at his house by singing, prayer and remarks by Rev. J.J. Watts= Bro. T.E. Carr failed to come as expected. Relatives: Father and Mother, 2 brothers and 5 sisters survive. "

There was, of course, more behind this story.  It is a sad story.  Little Minnie died as a result of a tragic accident.   My Aunt remembered well hearing the story of what happened to Minnie,  as told to her by her own mother; "Susan" (Susannah) Allen Harrison, younger sister of Minnie.   Minnie Allen, not yet age 7 years,  was helping to tend to her younger siblings and the baby of the family early one winter morning, while the parents were out at the barn milking the cows.  Minnie was dancing around the room merrily singing and twirling, to entertain her little sisters, baby  Lula (age 5 months), and toddlers Susan (age 3) and Amanda (age 5).   No doubt the baby and toddlers were giggling at Minnie's antics.  Older siblings Sarah (13), Stephen (11), and Napoleon (9) may have also been in the little farmhouse, or perhaps they were out helping the parents at the barn with the morning chores.  Older children rarely were exempt from the many daily chores required to maintain the family farm, feed the livestock, and milk the cows. It was a freezing winter morning with a blanket of snow covering the ground outside, but a nice warm fire crackled in the fireplace inside the farmhouse cabin.  It was a typical large open fireplace with hearth,  also used for heating kettles of water and cooking as well as for a source of heat.   All was well as the little girls played merrily in the warm cozy cabin that bleak winter morning, until suddenly tragedy struck.  As will often happen when little children are playing and prancing happily about, Minnie lost her balance, tripped and fell...right into the flickering fire in the hearth.   Minnie fell straight into the flames.  Her clothes and hair caught on fire, and she raced screaming outside, calling to her parents to help her.  My great-grandparents came running up the hill from the barn, shocked at the sight of their little girl with hair and clothes ablaze, racing towards them, pleading for help.  They did everything they could to try to save their child.  They rolled little Minnie in the snow to douse the flames, picked her up an carried her into the cabin.  They tried their best to tend to the burns suffered by their mortally injured and dying child.  They tried to comfort Minnie, and her horrified little siblings who had witnessed the accident, but there was little that could be done. They had little with which to even ease their little daughter's pain.   After lingering for 2 or 3 days with severe burns over most of her body, that poor precious little girl succumbed and went to join the angels.  

Minnie rests in the Allen family cemetery, near her parents and other family members.  My great-grandparents Valentine and Ellen had already lost 3 other of their children to childhood diseases and epedemics, before this accident took Minnie from them. When doing genealogy, we are constantly reminded of the hardships and suffering our ancestors did have to endure on a routine basis.  Hardship and loss was a part of their daily existence. They went through so much.   It makes me feel ashamed to whine about my own trivial problems, whenever I think of all they went through.

I live too far away, across the country, to have the opportunity to visit Minnie's gravesite or the gravesites of other Allen kin buried there.  The best I can do for now, is to leave virtual flowers and a praying child-angel graphic on Minnie's online memorial on Find A Grave, and record a memorial to her here as well.   Rest in Peace, little angel Minnie Allen.  You are not forgotten.