MILITARY MONDAY: THOMAS CALVIN ALLEN, CONFEDERATE STATES ARMY

Copyright 2015, The Hopelessly Hooked Genealogist (B. Harrison)

Conferedate Flag from Mississippi, 

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THOMAS CALVIN ALLEN 

1845 -1899

COMPANY I, 12TH KENTUCKY REGIMENT CAVALRY

 CONFEDERATE STATES ARMY

 My maternal great-grandfather,

Father of Ida Mae Allen Crider, 

Maternal grandfather of Augusta Crider Harrison 

Military

1863- 1865

Age: 18 at enlistment

Kentucky and Tennessee - 

Civil War- Confederate Soldier, Co I , 12th Kentucky Regiment Cavalry. Enlisted in Hickman, KY. Surrendered with his company at Selma, Alabama in 10 April 1865. Pardoned with company. Source- widow's pension application filed in state of KY.

12th Regiment, Kentucky Cavalry [also called 1st KY & TN Rgt] - mustered into Confederate service at Verona, Mississippi, in September, 1863. General Lyon's Brigade. Action in TN, MS, AL. merged into the 8th Kentucky Infantry (Mounted) Regiment.

Marriage:  18 Sep 1877

Age: 32

Troy, Obion County, Tennessee, USA

Lucy stated on her widow's pension application in 1912 that they were married in Obion Co, TN. Marriage record is found there also. They lived in Kentucky before and after the war. 

Military Page on Ancestry.com, created by The Hopelessly Hooked Genealogist, 

B. Harrison 

Confederate Widow's Pension Application of Lucy F. Allen

Letter from Lucy Fannie Clark Allen's Widow's Pension File

Source: website at www.nps.gov/civilwar/search-battle-units-detail

Find A Grave Memorial

Compiled and Written by

The Hopelessly Hooked Genealogist

B. Harrison

(F.A.G. genie-in-az)

Direct descendant of 

Thomas Calvin Allen

James A Crider: Born circa 1834 in Gibson County, Tennessee, Died 1875 in Calloway County, Kentucky

            Copyright 2015, The Hopelessly Hooked Genealogist (B. Harrison)

 NOTE: This ancestory biography has been edited and compiled by B. Harrison, owner of the blog "The Hopelessly Hooked Genealogist- A Genea In Arizona" at www.hopelesslyhookedgenealogist.blogspot.com ; utilizing History Lines timelines and photos and her own personal documentation and photos from her research on this ancestor. 

James A "Jim" Crider was born about 1834, in Dyersburg, Gibson County,Tennessee, United States. He was my great-grandfather on the maternal side of my tree. His mother was Sarah "Sallie" Shults and was 24 years old when James was born. His father was David Crider who was 30 years old when James was born. James was the second of nine children. His older sibling Nancy Carolyn Crider was 5 years old when James was born. By the 1850 Federal Census, James' parents had moved the family to Graves County, Kentucky. James A Crider married Elvira "Ellin" Tennessee Thurmond on 3 Jan 1855 in Graves County, Kentucky. By the 1860 Federal Census, James and Elvira were living in Calloway County, Kentucky with their first child, Angeline J Crider. The 1870 Federal Census shows them living in Brinkley, Calloway County, Kentucky with their first 5 children. By 1875 they were living in Murray, Calloway County, Kentucky. James A Crider passed away on 17 Feb 1875 of pneumonia. His last child, my maternal grandfather Stephen Linn Crider, was only 3 months old when James died. James is buried at Elm Grove Cemetery, Calloway County, Kentucky; reference Find A Grave Memorial # 71154828. 
Following is a TIMELINE of some of the events occurring in the lifetime of James A Crider.

(Note- the full story and timeline with photos can be viewed on the History Lines website at:

https://historylines.com/story.jsp?person_id=HXI1384231CUA

www.historylines.com

Attatched below are some screenshots from pages of the History Lines story on this ancestor:

Copy of John P Harrison 1865 - 1942

 John P Harrison 1865 - 1942

Copyright 2014, The Hopelessly Hooked Genealogist (B. Harrison)

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The above is a link to a video photo montage on the life of my paternal grandfather John P Harrison of Maries County and St Louis County, Missouri.  A previous detailed article was posted about him in this Blog and can be found in the Blog archives.   John left behind few photos of himself. He passed many years before I was born. What I know of him is from researching his brief journal and his career with the FRISCO Railroad.

Below is a screenshot of page 1 of the HistoryLines timeline ancestor story that I created on the life of John P. Harrison. Additional information on his life can also be found in this Blog's archives (use the "search this blog" box option to the right side of page next to this article to search previous articles).  

TOMBSTONE TUESDAY: William Calvin Clark and Nancy Jane Hale Clark, Graves County, Kentucky

Copyright 2014, The Hopelessly Hooked Genealogist (B. Harrison)

Tombstone of William Calvin Clark (1833- 1900) and his 2nd wife, Nancy Jane Hale Clark (1844- 1947). They are buried at Farmington Cemetery in Farmington, Graves County, Kentucky.  Photo Credit:  The above image was added to the Find A Grave website by Craig Thweatt on 7/3/2010. (The surname "CLARK" is carved on the very top of the tombstone, but is not very visible in this photo).


William Calvin Clark was a 2nd Lieutenant in the Confederate Army, Kentucky Cavalry, Civil War. He also served for a time with the 28th Consolidated Tennessee Infantry, Company G.  His widow's Confederate Widow's Pension file is available through the Tennessee State Library Archives.  His first wife was Harriet Angeline Gray (these were my maternal 2x-great-grandparents). His first marriage to Harriet was said  to have "parted gracefully" after the birth of 4 children together:  Lucy Frances "Fanny" Clark (my great-grandmother), Calvin Beauregard "Bud" Clark, Aisilee Clark, and Joe Cephus Clark.  He went on to have at least 8 children with his next wife Nancy, whom he apparently met during the Civil War in Lawrence County, Tennessee.  (A separate blog post will explore the known details of his military exploits during the Civil War). 

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.

William Harrison's Farm: Finding The Original Homestead Of My Great-Great-Grandfather

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

The above photos are recent pictures (taken April 2013) of some of the original farm land owned by my great-great-grandfather William Harrison, circa 1853 to 1896 in Maries County, Missouri.  The photos were taken by my distant cousin, T. Cadenbach, who shares some Harrison ancestry with me and still lives in the general vicinity of our Missouri roots.

William Harrison's Land Patent:

 In 1853,  my ancestor William patented 40 acres in Section 20, Township 39-N, Range 7-W, 5th Meridian, Maries County, Missouri.  He later added to this land, and his brothers Lewis and Tyree Harrison owned adjacent farm lands and acreage.  With the help of a plotting tool utilized through Google Earth, and the legal description coordinates from the original land deeds, we were able to pinpoint the exact location of the original farms of these three Harrison brothers, as shown below. 

My cousin has recently met the current owner's of my ancestor's original acreage, who gave their permission for photos and further exploration.   The acreage is kept in immaculate condition by the current owners, and is still undeveloped rural farm-ranch acreage, much as it was back in my ancestor's time. The difference would be that the land is now far less forested.  Though many beautiful trees do remain, in my ancestor's era most forested acreage was cleared for planting of crops,  as well as later to sell the wood for railroad ties to the Frisco Railway. There is a large modern home now inhabited by the current owners.  However, remnants of historic buildings and foundations still remain, to be further explored and documented.  One of the brothers of my ancestor, Lewis Harrison, deeded part of his land that encompassed the Harrison family cemetery for the formation of what is now known as Rock Spring Cemetery. It is there that many of our Harrison ancestors and kin are buried.  We believe it may be the final resting place of our mysterious Brick Wall ancestor, the "Widow" Harrison and possibly her husband (parents of William, Lewis, and Tyree Harrison and their sisters) who may rest there in now unmarked graves.

Below is William's farm is it looks today (2013):

Below is William's farm, the only known photo of the old original old farmhouse, taken circa 1883.

The FRISCO : St Louis-San Francisco Railway, A Look Back In Time

 Copyright 2010, The Hopelessly Hooked Genealogist (B. Harrison)

The following is a great source for photos and information on the FRISCO Railway, from which my grandfather John P Harrison retired in 1935 at age 70, after 45 years of service, as a lineman and engineer based out of St. Louis.

http://thelibrary.springfield.missouri.org/lochist/frisco/frisco.cfm

A Remembrance: Legacy of John P. Harrison & The Frisco Railroad

                Copyright 2009, The Hopelessly Hooked Genealogist (B. Harrison)


PROFILE OF JOHN P. HARRISON, HIS LIFE AND TIMES WITH THE FRISCO RAILROAD

In honor of Father's Day just passed, I have decided to contribute an article on my paternal grandfather, John P. Harrison, 1865- 1942 . My grandfather died long before I was born. However, I have come to know the essence of the man through reading his journal, and from oral memories related to me by my father and my aunt.

John Pettis "Pinkney" Harrison was born 4 March 1865, in DeSoto, Missouri. His parents were John Milton Harrison (Union Civil War Veteran) and Mary Jane Coppedge, of Maries County, Missouri. John was born during the final years of the Civil War, shortly before the Confederate resistance ceased and the war ended.

In about 1894, John married Susannah "Susan" Allen of Phelps County, Missouri. He was about 29 years of age, and she was 19, when they wed. They became the parents of nine children, one of whom died in early childhood. At the time of their marriage, Grover Cleveland was President of the United States; Thomas Edison had just demonstrated the first moving-picture camera; and Hawaii had just become recognized as a republic.

John was a proud, hard-working family man. He came from Missouri farm stock, and had been instilled with a strong work ethic by his own parents. John grew up on a farm, but later earned his living with the "Frisco" railroad in Missouri, (officially known as the St. Louis and San Francisco Railroad Company). This railroad originally bore the name of the Atlantic & Pacific before the Civil War. John began his life-long railroad career with the "Frisco" in 1892, at the age of about 25, and approximately two years prior to his marriage to Susan. At about the time of his marriage, the railroads were embroiled in a nationwide strike and labor dispute overseen by the powerful American Railway Union. It is not known whether John was at that time among the 150,000 members of this union, but this strike surely affected his early career. John later became a member of the Brotherhood Of Linemen & Engineers union. In the year 1921, John's wage statement from the railroad indicates that he earned a total income of $2133.44 for that year. His children recalled that throughout John's career and union membership, there were many railroad labor disputes resulting in strikes and layoffs affecting John and his family. John worked hard and provided adequately for his wife and many children throughout his railroad career, though frugality was the norm. There were times of financial harship, especially during the Depression years.

John P. Harrison left behind a simple journal, entitled "Ledger", in which he briefly recorded the momentous events of his lifetime, as well as his employment record and history with the "Frisco". In this journal, John also recorded family records, recipes, and his favorite home remedies for medicinal purposes and houshehold repair. One of John's favorite poulstices was "A good Linement For Man Or Beast: To a pint of kerosene, add five-cents worth of camphor gum and let stand overnight. Add one half pint of sweet oil, shake well and it is ready for use. For burns, stiff neck and sore throat it has no equal. Fine for raw sores on man or beast".

Regarding his railroad career, John wrote in his journal simply: "Seniority on RR: Began as Fireman at Newburg, MO on Frisco from Aug 1, 1892 to Feb 4, 1895. - As Fireman at DeSoto, MO on Iron Mountain from Dec 15, 1895 to Feb 4th, 1900. Permoted (sp) and Engineer from Feb 4th, 1900 to about Jan 1903- the date I have not got. Then hired as Engineer at Cape Giradeau (MO) Oct 2nd, 1903. Resigned Oct 1, 1906. Rehired same place March 13th, 1907. Was taken out of service by same officials at Chaffee (MO) on Nov 23rd, 1923. Reinstated on Dec 16th (1923) with all seniority rights. Then taken out again same charges by officials at Springfield (MO) and reinstated with all seniority rights on 23rd January, 1924. Cut of Engineers about 1933, date I haven't got. Placed on crossing watchman job in St. Louis (MO) on June 27th, 1933, and retired at age 70 on pencion (sp) May 31st, 1935. " There had apparently been some kind of a labor-related dispute in which John was involved, during which time his credibility as an engineer had been questioned. Perhaps this had to do with a railway accident of some sort? We do not know. However, the issue was later resolved in John's favor, and his position and seniority were restored.

What is unspoken in John's brief account of his railroad career above, is that John and Susan Harrison raised their family during the years of the Great Depression. Their youngest children, one of which was my father Marvin Milton Harrison, had vivid memories of the hardships exprienced by John and Susan Harrison and their family during those Depression era years. John was apparently lucky enough to remain employed with the railroad and working steadily to provide for his family during most (but not all)of the Depression. Still, times were tough for everyone. My father, Marvin, recalls many meals consisting of "just beans and biscuits, and glad to get it". John was "taken out of service" for a period of time during the Depression, however we do not know if this was due to a union labor dispute, or due to financial cutbacks and layoffs experienced by the railroad. This did result in financial hardship for the family, at a time when John was in his sixties and nearing retirement, and John's wife was in seriously ill-health.

As yet, I have been unable to obtain copies the railroad company's records as this railroad is now defunct, and their records from that period of time were not preserved. However, we do have the records preserved by John himself. In his journal/ ledger, John recorded a receipt for financial assistance he received from his union brothers at the B. of L. E. during the Depression-era, on August 2nd, 1930. About 40 of John's union brotherhood had donated funds with the following message: "On account of sickness in his family for the past year, and having been out of service since June 20 (1930), and being in need of financial assistance, We the undersigned members of the B. of L.E. wish to contribute the amounts opposite our names to the relief of our Brother, John P. Harrison". John's wife Susan died 3 years later from a long-term illness.

John spent the majority of his railroad career as a Lineman and Engineer. Shortly before his wife's death, John was transferred with the railroad to St. Louis, MO for a position as a crossing watchman in 1933. There he ramined until his retirement two years later in 1935, at age 70. John was extremely proud of his life-long career with the railroad. He saved his retirement pension notice and tucked it into his journal/ ledger. John's last hand-written entry in his journal reads: "Thanks a lot. I am well pleased. Glod Bless the Frisco."

John also left instructions in his ledger for family to follow at his passing. John wrote: "This is my request to whom it may concern: at past the age of 70, at my death please don't bury me at DeSoto. I don't care to be buried there.- just anyplace else that is most convenient to you. And, please bury me in just a blue suit of over-clothes like I wore to make a living for my family. Don't let the funeral cost over $100, as that is enough to bury me when times is so hard as ever. (signed)- John P. Harrison, 2901 Caroline St., St. Louis, MO. John, ever frugal, later added a post-script as follows: "P.S.- I prefer to be cremated. That will cost $50. Don't care what is done with the ashes". John's family honored his final wishes. His ashes were interred at a cemetery in St. Louis, MO.

At the time of John's passing, Franklin D. Roosevelt was President of the U.S., and the nation was embroiled in WWII. I have no personal memories of the grandfather that I never met, but feel fortunate that my aunt preserved his ledger/diary so that future generations would get to know some glimpse of the character of their ancestor. It enables me to comprehend the emotional scars that the Great Depression left on the people who lived through it, including my own father; who like his father John P. Harrison was a frugal man to the end.