Family Memories of John Campbell Smith (1806-1888): Campbell Aunts and Uncles

Continued from Family Memories of John Campbell Smith (1806-1888): Grandparents

We will now state according to our best recollection what we know and have seen of my own uncles and aunts on mother's side of the house.

John Campbell (about 1765-unknown)
I think Uncle John Campbell was the oldest son. He had two wives, his first[1] had several children by my uncle and then took up or was married to another man. The last I heard of her she was residing in Lexington, Kentucky. I have seen some of her children and as they are my own cousins, the sons and daughters of mother's brother, I will speak of them.

Their names are as follows: Josiah, Robert, Martin, Susannah, and Betsy. These are all I remember now. I have been at Cousin Josiah Campbell's house. He had a wife and several children but I have forgotten their names.

Cousin Robert was a shoe and boot maker and was the man I learned my trade with. His wife was a very pretty woman; their children were Smithanna, Hester Ann, William, and the rest are not recollected. His wife's name was Betsy Smith, the daughter of John Smith, a hatter living in Columbia, Adair County.

Engraving of a painting by H. R. Ichter; this may be purchased from
FineArt America in several media

Cousin Martin, I think was bound to some trade but before he was twenty-one, he left and was not heard of for a long time. I think it was about the year 1828; he was living within about fifty miles of New Orleans engaged in the sugar making trade and was very wealthy.

Cousin Susannah or Sooky as they all called her was a very small and beautiful woman. She married James Overstreet, an extraordinary high man, and a hatter by trade. He fell down once and Uncle Philip Shuck [2] said he looked like about three panels of new fence.

Cousin Betsy married William Tucker. He was a man of common size.

Uncle John's second wife was a very pleasant woman and greatly beloved. We called her Aunt Becky.

One of her sons was named John and he was a very ingenious man, somewhat about my age. When he was a boy, he sent me a top or whirligig, which pleased me very much.

Uncle John was the man I was named for. He was a great hand to sing and I heard him sing a song that was called "soar apple tree." He said he had seen the day when he could sit down and sing from sun up to sun down and never sing the same song over. I can just remember the little fur hat he gave me for my name, or because I was his namesake. I think he also gave me a calico coat as was common in his day.

He used to partake of intoxicating draught, but I think before his death he left it off and joined the Methodist Episcopal Church. This is 1847 and he has been gone from the shores of time several years and we trust he is happy and that sooner or later we shall see him in that bright world above where sickness, sorrow, pain and death can never come.

Besides Uncle John there were of my grandfather Campbell's children, David and Robert, males; Molly, Betsy, Susannah (or Zannah as they called her), Margaret and Frances, females.

David Daniel Campbell (about 1785-unknown)
Uncle David married his cousin Betsy Campbell. They had six children that lived to be grown four daughters and two sons: Sarah, Susan and Polly had black hair but Lucinda had red hair. None but one of them ever married. But both boys married. Elexus married Ellen Laswell my mother's sister's daughter. I have forgotten whom Thomas the youngest son married, but I think she was a girl of some property.

Uncle David is still upon the land of the living or was last fall for he then visited my mother and promised to visit her once a year as long as they both lived as long as he is able to travel. I believe both him and all of his house are Presbyterians. When I was at his house (and I have been there twice), he seemed to be a man of God. When he arose in the morning, it seemed his first thoughts were turned to that God who had shielded and protected him through the night. No sooner had the son, that bright luminary of the day gilded the Eastern horizon then the family altar, which had long been erected was resorted to, and although it has been twenty years since my first visit and about eighteen since my last, the scene is yet tolerable fresh in my mind. About middle ways on one side of the house, at the foot of a bed there stood a table upon whose leaf was spread a clean white toilet[1] fringed around the edge; upon this was the family Bible and a book of hymns (or rather I believed they were Psalms). The family was conveniently seated around the room, my eldest brother and myself in among the rest. Aunt Betsy a little nearer the table than any of the rest except Uncle, who was then actually sitting in juxtaposition with the table having the sacred volume in his hands. He commenced and read a portion of God's word. We then mingled our voices together in singing the high praises of God, after which we kneeled before the God of our Fathers whilst Uncle led in prayer. Soon after this breakfast was ready and again God was sought unto for a blessing and after breakfast thanks were returned unto the Great Giver of all good and again at dinner and supper the like blessings of God were sought and thanks returned for his blessings and yet again before he suffered his family to retire to bed; or as Doctor Young would have before their thoughts were suffered to be locked up in health's restorer sweet prayer, supplication and thanksgiving ascended the hill of Salvation. How pleasant it is for a family thus to live, that when death comes, have nothing to do but step over Jordan and swell the praises of the redeemed. Some of them have already since the time of which I speak crossed the river of death. I think about half the family and the rest are swiftly hastening to its swelling billows. A few more battles for my only and venerable uncle and the victory will be gained. A little longer successful fighting and like St. Paul he may exclaim, "I have fought a good fight. I have finished my course. I have kept the faith henceforth there is laid up for me a crown of righteousness, which the Lord and the righteous judge shall give to me and not only me but all those that love his appearing."

Robert Campbell
Uncle Robert Campbell was cut off in the bloom of manhood at about the age of eighteen or twenty years. He served one term in the service of his country in her last struggle against Great Britain and the Creek Indians. I think he reached home and died in a few days. Oh, how uncertain is life; and how true the proverb that says in the midst of life we are in death.

Mary "Molly" Enos Campbell (1772-1864)
Twin of Elizabeth "Betsy" Campbell
And Mollie Campbell married Martin Jones and they had six children, four boys and two girls. The boys were named as follows: Jack or John, Louis, William and Stephen; the girls were Sally and Polly. Uncle Martin Jones was a small man and a cripple. He loved a dram, easily irritated and would fight. I have heard my father tell an anecdote or two about his fighting. He said in the neighborhood where Uncle Martin lived was a stout and overbearing man. This man and uncle fought and Uncle whipped him. Again he had another fight and the man he was fighting had hi down beating him unmercifully and father knowing Uncle had resolved never to holler, "Enough" though to encourage him to arise by hollering to him, "Rise, Martin, Rise." Martin responded feebly, "Too drunk, Billy." And father pulled the man off.

Uncle Martin was a good hunter and loved to joke. When he killed a turkey or a deer, he would be sure to try to have a laugh about it. One day he went out hunting and came in with a fine fat, he said the way he came to kill it was on this rise when he came in sight of the turkeys they were feeding along as is common for turkeys to do. One of them stretched up his neck and looking at him inquired, "Who is there?" Another looking answered, "Oh, it is Davy Campbell. Never mind him." But another looking cried out, "It is Martin, it is Martin," and away they went be he level his rifle and brought one of them down. And again one day he killed a deer and told the following story on his brother, Allen, who was engaged in digging sang.[2] About that time his gun fired and the deer fell.

Uncle Martin's death was somewhat mysterious. My father and he were traveling together when one night Uncle went to a house to get fire whilst father took care of the horses and prepared wood for camping. But Uncle overstayed his time and father went after him and fund him dead in the peach orchard near the house with a chunk of fire near him.

After Uncle Martin's death, Aunt Molly married a second time. Her second husband was named Philip Shook. He was a very large raw-boned Dutchman. He weighted about two hundred pounds, had a very coarse voice, and would eat as much (at least) as two common men. A good many anecdotes could be told on him but one will suffice. Father and he were coming home together one very rainy day. They had ridden some distance without a word being spoken. Father broke the silence, "Well, said he, "Philip my hat leaks." "Oh," said Uncle, "mine don't leak at all; it just pours right through," and broke out in his big laugh. I remember two of their children. They called them Sy and Phil. I suppose they were named Josiah and Philip. I heard from Sy last year. He followed boating up and down the Ohio River. He is said to be in good circumstances and a man of business.

The last I heard of Uncle Shook and his family, they were living in the state of Indiana. Whether Aunt Molly is yet alive or not I cannot tell. Her son William Jones lives in this state ten miles below or rather west of Shakertown. He and his brother Louis lived with my father awhile when they were boys. After they were grown William learned the wheelwright trade, and Louis went to learn the trade of the coppersmith. They were both small men but William was much the smallest and possessed a large share of the spirit of his father. They both met at a gathering somewhere and a fracas took place in which Louis was involved. William instantly drew his coat and exclaimed, "Try Big Dick." This circumstance acquired him the title of "Big Dick" ever after.

Elizabeth "Betsy" Campbell (1772-1864)
Twin of Mary Enos Campbell
Aunt Betsy Campbell was a very handsome woman. She married Allen Jones, a brother of Martin Jones, the first husband of Aunt Molly. I cannot say how many children they had but I will give the names of those I remember. There were two boys, Robert, and Martin and three girls, Nancy was the oldest. The names of the other two I have forgotten, but I know when I was about eight years old my oldest brother and myself were there for the first and last time I saw them. They were two beautiful young girls. There were some younger children than I have named, but how many I cannot say.

Elizabeth "Betsy" (Campbell) Jones; courtesy of
Ancestry.com, original source unknown

Cousin Robert Jones was a young man the first time I ever say him and the last account I had of him he was living in Missouri. He was a shoe and boot maker and I think learned his trade with Uncle James Jones, of who we will hereafter speak. Cousin Martin was younger than Robert. I sent him a top when I was quite a boy and about the time I was eighteen I went to Columbia, Adair County, Kentucky, there to learn the cordwaining[3] business with Cousin Robert Campbell. After I had been there a month or more Cousin Martin Jones came to Columbia and set in to learn the trade with Cousin Robert Campbell also. But he had not been there very long until his brother Robert came in from Missouri and wished to take him home with him. So Robert being a shoe maker his brother concluded to go to Missouri and learn the trade with his brother. This was a matter of some grief to me for he was a pleasant young man and our affections were knit together, but the nearest ties in this life are often broken. I have not heard of him since.

Nancy Jones the eldest daughter of Aunt Betsy lived at my father's a good many years. She was a remarkably handsome and industrious young lady. She married Enoch Couch. He was a very industrious farmer of Dutch descent. Both Allen and Aunt Betsy were both living in Indiana the last I heard of them.

Susannah "Zannah" Campbell (about 1780-after 1850)

Aunt Zannah, as we were accustomed to call her, but I suppose her right name was Susannah, married Mier Goings, perhaps his name was Jeremiah Goings[4], but I was taught to call him Uncle Mier. I do not recollect ever to have seen Aunt Zannah or any of her children and in fact I am rather of the opinion that she did not have any. I remember Uncle Mier coming to my father's house. I think he was a very active man. At least the most I remember about him was as follows: When he was at my father's, the branch or creek that runs between the house and spring was tolerably flush and the freshets that had been before had not only washed a considerable quantity of drift wood and trash against the old sycamore log that we were accustomed to walk on going to and from the spring. But had actually cut out a broad channel around the root of this old log, so that we were obliged to make an artificial bridge from the bank to the root of the old sycamore in order to get across the branch to the spring. Well, several of us were down there and the question was asked, "Who can jump across the branch to the opposite shore." Uncle Mier was the only man that ventured to try it. He jumped across. I think he had red hair or fair hair. I have heard mother say Aunt Zannah was a handsome woman but I have no recollection of ever seeing her. I think they lived in the state of Indiana and perhaps they are still alive. Be this as it may, there is an affinity between us that seems to twine around my heart and almost irresistibly makes me say while I write this, "Oh, that I could see them. Oh, that I could see them and safely guide them through this life to the Paradise above."

Frances "Franky" Gillespie Campbell (about 1784-unknown)

Aunt Frances, or Aunt Franky, as we called her was, I think the youngest daughter. She married for her first husband James Jones. He was a brother to Martin and Allen Jones, the husbands of Aunt Molly and Aunt Betsy. So we see by this record that three of my Aunts married brothers by the name of Jones. Uncle James was a shoe and boot maker and carried on business in Danville, Kentucky. He was a good workman and might have done will but for the intoxicating bowl, that foul monster, which has been the overthrow of thousands, was no doubt the exciting cause of the suicide of my Uncle. His death was on this wise. He had been for a long time indulging in the inebriating and soul-destroying fluid, and of course had neglected his business, involved himself in debt to some extent and afterwards booting off as it is sometimes called. One night he became restless and got up out of bed, went out of doors, came back again once or twice, sat down by the fire and ate some dried beef. Aunt Franky went to sleep while he was sitting there and when she awoke he was absent. She called him but receiving no answer she waited awhile expecting hime to come in again. But as he did not return she became uneasy and got up to see if she could find him. After having lighted a candle and perceiving he was not in her room, she went into another, perhaps the kitchen. To her great surprise and regret she there saw the form she so much loved suspended by a rope with one end round his neck in a running noose, he hands also tied and feet almost touching the floor. She shrieked. She cried aloud. It was all she could do. Her friends hearing her cries ran to her and cut him down, but alas it was too late. Life had fled apace. His heart had ceased to palpitate and his flesh was almost cold. This was truly a time a mourning, a time of thick gloom and affliction to my Aunt, living as she did some distance from any of her connections and having no children, her only hope in this life as it respected worldly pleasures was cut off.

She however settled up her business in Danville and my father brought her to his house where she resided several years. She was a remarkably small woman, weighing only some ninety odd pounds. She was called by some the "Widow Jones" but most generally speaking she as called "The Little Widow." She was a very pleasant lady, had good use of her needle whereby she could make her support and besides this she had some money let her after settling up Uncle's estate in Danville. How much I am not able to say but I think about two hundred dollars. This she loaned to Cousin Robert Jones and he had moved to the state of Missouri. The last I knew of the case he had not paid her neither principal not interest but it is likely before this time he has paid all the debt for it has been more than twenty years since I have seen either of them.

I suppose I was about fifteen years old when Aunt Franky left off living at father's and went home with Uncle Allen Jones. Since that time Uncle Allen moved to the state of Indiana and she went with him where I learn she has a second time joined in Holy Wedlock. The name of her second husband I have forgotten. He was a man of good circumstances and they were making out very well. But I learn they happened to the misfortune of having their house burned up. How they have prospered since I know not. The last I have heard of them they were living in Danville, Indiana. If Aunt Franky ever had any progeny I have not been informed of it. It is remarkable that the towns of Danville seemed to be the most fatal sport to her happiness. In the town of Danville, Kentucky, she lost in a most heart-rending manner the companion of her youth. In the town of Danville, Indiana, her property, the savings of many hard years of labor which no doubt was expected to make her easy and comfortable in her declining years. She had the fortification to see enveloped in flames. Oh, how uncertain is all our worldly comforts and how important it is not to trust in uncertain riches but to lay up for ourselves bags that wax not old eternal in the heavens.

I have given a short traditional account of all of Grandfather and Grandmother Campbell's children that I know except one, and that is my mother.[5]

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John Campbell Smith was born on 19 March 1806 in Barren County, Kentucky. He was a second generation Kentuckian as his grandparents had migrated west after the Revolutionary War. He is also the great grandson of Robert "the Elder" Mitchell (1714-1799), my five times great grandfather. Between 1848 and 1876, John wrote about his memories of his family. The document is the property of David S. Peden and was scanned using optical character recognition technology and then edited by Jack A. Laswell, Sr. I am indebted to them for making the electronic version available to other descendants of the Campbell, Enos, Mitchell, Shropshire, Smith, and Street families.

[1] The definition of toilet 19th century definition was a cloth which covered a dressing table.

[2] Sang is probably wild ginseng.

[3] Cordwainers are shoe makers who make new shoes from new leather.

[4] Jeremiah's surname was variously spelled Goen, Going, Gorn, Grings, Gowen, or Gowin in records.

[5] Margaret "Peggy" Campbell will be the subject of a future blog post.

Family Memories of John Campbell Smith (1806-1888): Grandparents
Robert Mitchell, the Elder
Kidnapped by Indians

Staged His Own Disappearance

Arthur Edwin Jenks disappeared on the night of 12 July 1934 in Fort Wayne, Indiana. Four days later his abandoned car was found on the side of a state highway, it's left front door torn by bullets and blood stained. Deputy sheriffs learned Arthur's wife, Lillian Mabel (Koch) had filed for divorce two days before he disappeared. What happened?

Arthur was born in Elkhart County, Indiana, to Samuel Edward Jenks and Bertha "Birdie" Krontz on 31 May 1906. He grew up in Butler, Indiana, was a high school athlete and graduated in 1924. At the time of his disappearance he was 29 years old and worked for the Wabash Railroad. Before marrying Lillian, he had been married previously and had a son.

Arthur Edwin Jenks class photograph; courtesy of
Ancestry.com

His second wife, Lillian, was questioned by the deputies and told them she believed Arthur had staged his own disappearance and abandoned car to cast suspicion on her. For whatever reason the deputies believed her but came no closer to solving the mystery until late August 1934. Arthur wrote to his parents and told them he was staying with a sister in Fort Wayne.

Lillian's divorce suit was heard on 12 September 1934. The court awarded her a divorce decree and restored her maiden name. She told the court Arthur "struck and cursed her numerous times during their marriage," which lasted twenty-one months.

That wasn't Arthur's first brush with divorce. He married Bessie Irene Matson on 8 December 1926 six months after she graduated from Waterloo High School. They had a son in 1928 but divorced in February 1932 after Bessie claimed "her husband had an ungovernable temper and frequently cursed and absued her, struck and beat her." Bessie was awarded $2 a week in child support. In August 1933 Bessie was back in court attempting to receive $40 in back child support.

Article from 30 November 1931 Garrett Clipper; image courtesy of
Newspapers.com

Arthur was not finished with marriage, however. He married Elizabeth Caswell, my grandmother's first cousin on 12 May 1936 in Peru, Indiana. Elizabeth was born in Missouri to Robert Caswell and Margaret "Maggie" Muir, who was the younger sister of my great grandfather, Robert Muir. Elizabeth grew up in Danville, Illinois, where her father worked as a miner. After their marriage Arthur and Elizabeth lived in Danville. They raised two children and Arthur worked at a variety of jobs, including in the coal mines, as a state policeman, and as a dock man at Merchants' Delivery.

Arthur Edwin Jenks died 1989; Elizabeth in 1995. They were interred at Lake View Cemetery in Hertel, Wisconsin, where their daughter lived, and share a headstone.

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After Bessie Irene Matson and Arthur divorced, she married Harley Earl Spence (1902-1974). After his death she married Peter William Urban (1901-1998). Bessie died 4 January 1998 and was interred at Waterloo Cemetery, Waterloo, Indiana.

Lillian Mabel Koch married Henry Clayton McKee (1900-1970) in 1941, but they divorced by 1943 when Henry married again. Lillian then married Frank Ellsworth Clouse (1891-1969). Lillian died on 14 October 1981 and was interred at White City Cemetery in Spencerville, Indiana.

The research for this story was conducted by Sarah Semple.

Nancy (Mitchell) Wilson or Nancy (Mitchell) Raines?

My father and his older brother married sisters. My aunt and uncle's children, my siblings, and I are double first cousins and share the same four grandparents. When they graciously agreed to DNA test, the company threw in the towel and merely labeled our predicted relationship as close family. But one of my double first cousins had a DNA match that the rest of us did not share. The common shared ancestor was our five times great grandfather, Robert Mitchell (1714-1799).[1]

I'm fortunate to know more about Robert Mitchell than is typical because several of his supposedly 13 children became prominent or well-known in their time, including my four times great grandfather, Rev. James Mitchell (1747-1841). However, those 13 children have caused issues in my family tree as I have Robert Mitchell and his wife, Mary Enos, with 15 children.

One of Robert Mitchell's confirmed sons, Stephen Mitchell (1749-c1806), married Katurah "Kitty" Wade and had eleven known children, the eldest being Nancy Mitchell. During a trip to the Bedford County courthouse, I found a marriage record for a Nancy Mitchell, who married a William Wilson. I assumed it was "my" Nancy Mitchell because Stephen Mitchell (father) provided the surety and she was married by Rev. James Mitchell (uncle). I could find no trace of Nancy and her husband after their marriage on 26 January 1802.

However, this new DNA match had a different marriage date and husband for Stephen Mitchell's daughter, Nancy -- a Benjamin Rains. Which husband was correct?

I renewed my search for William and Nancy (Mitchell) Wilson and Benjamin and Nancy (Mitchell) Rains and finally found a possible hint, which was a Find A Grave memorial for Nancy (Mitchell) Wilson.

The footstone of Nancy (Mitchell) Wilson's grave, indicating she was the
daughter of a Revolutionary War soldier; photograph courtesy of Marc Doty

The memorial page also included a reference to a book entitled The History of Hendricks County. On page 632 there was a biographical sketch about William Wilson and Nancy Mitchell:

William Wilson Family

"Early in the summer of 1835 William Wilson and his wife, Nancy Mitchell Wilson, and three of his married daughters, their husbands and families formed a colony of about 25 people who moved from Bedford County, Virginia, to Hendricks County, Indiana, and settled in what is now known as the White Lick neighborhood.

William Wilson and Nancy Mitchell were married on July 24, 1802, according to a certified document in the clerk's office at Bedford, Virginia. She was the daughter of Stephen and Katurah Wade Mitchell, who were married on March 18, 1783.

Nancy's father, Stephen, was a soldier in the Revolutionary War. He was the son of Robert Mitchell of Bedford County, Virginia, as evidenced in Will Record "B" of Bedford County Records.

Stephen Mitchell enlisted on December 26, 1776, as a private in the 14th Battalion of the Continental Regulars, commanded by Capt. George Lambert, who later rose to the rank of colonel. Later, Stephen became a sergeant and was honorably discharged on December 26, 1777. Col. Lambert's unit was part of Big. Gen. Weeden's brigade, which was part of Maj. Gen. Nathaniel Green's army, which was part of Gen. George Washington's Continental Army in 1777.

William and Nancy Mitchell Wilson were parents of:

• Katurah Wilson (b. 1804) did not come with her parents to Indiana
• Elizabeth (b. 1806) married Stephen Hylton[2]
• Patsy (b. 1808) married William Worrell
• Stephen (b. 1811) married Margaret McKinzie
• Polly (b. 1813) married Nathaniel Hylton
• Eleander (b. 1815) married Charles Larsh
• Celicia (b. 1817) married Isaac Nash
• Lucinda married Isaiah Free
• Theressa was born in 1832
• Alexander Wilson (b. 1825)
• John Wilson

In 1837, William Wilson purchased 80 acres of land east of the present site of the White Lick church. Three sons-in-law -- Stephen Hylton[2], husband of Elizabeth Wilson; Nathaniel Hylton, husband of Polly Wilson; and William Worrell, who married Patsy Wilson -- purchased land in the immediate vicinity.

The younger children of William and Nancy Wilson married after the family moved to Indiana. The marriage records of Hendricks County show that in 1841 Celicia Wilson and Isaac Nash were married; in 1842, Eleander Wilson and Charles Larsh were married; and in 1845, Lucinda Wilson and Isaiah Free were married.

Celicia and Isaac Nash established their home a few miles north of Brownsburg, Indiana, and reared a family of five sons and three daughters. The old homestead still remains in the possession of the Nash descendants.

Eleander and Charles Larsh moved to Marion County and Lucinda and Isaiah Free moved to Iowa.

Stephen Wilson, the only son to reach manhood, married Margaret McKinzie in 1831. Their daughter, Jane, was the last one of her family to bear the Wilson name. Her son, Thomas Legrand Harris, of Greencastle, Indiana, knows much of the family history.

In the White Lick Cemetery, which was originally the Wilson Cemetery, are gravestones recording the early deaths of many of the family. Some were victims of cholera and other diseases which swept central Indiana in 1840-1842. Two of William Wilson's sons, John and Alexander, died in 1840; Nathaniel Hylton died in 1841, Nathaniel's brother, Samuel, in 1842, leaving young widows and orphaned children. William and Nancy Wilson, William Worrell and Patsy, Samuel and Elizabeth Hylton, children and grandchildren are buried there."

While this is secondary evidence, at best, that my tree is correct, I am satisfied until my next research trip to Bedford County.

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[1] Robert Mitchell is the common shared ancestor according to Ancestry.com and my paper trail. However, the common shared ancestor could be a branch of my family tree I know nothing about.

[2] Stephen Hylton is incorrect; the hustand of Elizabeth Wilson was Samuel Hylton. The article uses the incorrect name initially and then changes Elizabeth's husband's given name to Samuel later in the article. Only Samuel Hylton was interred in the White Lick Presbyterian Cemetery

Robert Mitchell, the Elder

House Fire Reveals a Terrible Horror

The skies were cloudy and spitting a light rain on 12 January 1950 in Hammond, Indiana, when firemen responded to an early morning alarm on the southeast side of town. Inside a fire-swept bungalow were the bodies of four adults and two children. The deputy coroner, B. W. Tidlaw, told the press there was evidence of a murder suicide and "blood was all over the place." According to the Decatur Daily Review, Tidlaw revealed machinist Felix Samas, 33, killed himself  and apparently killed his wife, Kathryn, 26, and their two children, Felix Jr., 4, and 18-month-old Phyllis Elaine; and two roomers, Richard Norman, 23, and his bride, Shirley, 18.

Kathryn Coleman before her marriage; courtesy
of Ancestry.com member neonscarf

The bodies of Samas, his wife, and the children were found in one bedroom. The bodies of the Normans were found in a second bedroom. It was believed the murders were committed with a small caliber pistol and some butcher knives. The Normans and Mrs. Samas were stabbed and shot. In addition, Mrs. Samas had been beaten over the head and a portion of the butt of a .22-caliber pistol was found embedded in her head. The children were shot through the head.

Further investigation revealed the couple was estranged and Mrs. Samas was seeking a divorce. Felix lived Chicago and a 7-page letter written in red ink told the embittered husband's side of the story. The 13 January 1950 edition of the Terre Haute Tribune quoted from the letter in an article on page 17:

"I married my wife, Kathryn, while both of us were under the influence of liquor. She was 13...I want custody of my son, as I believe she is an unfit mother. We have a girl who is one year old. I don't want custody as I don't believe it is mine. I also want the baby and I to have a blood type to see if it is possible that I am the father....She claims I am violent, etc. -- This is for one reason only --  she thinks by having the police after me continuously I will not try to see my son, but judge gave me permission to see my son at our divorce hearing.

Terre Haute Tribune 13 January 1950 edition, page 17; courtesy of
Newspapers.com

Samas wrote that his wife had once been fined and put on probation for attacking her sister with a butcher knife. "I would like this incident brought out in court to show that my wife is the violent one and not I...I hired a housekeeper to help with the housework and Kathryn, my wife, would never take an interest in our family life any more...she liked the popularity of being the boss of the restaurant...Also I have always done the washing and the ironing."

Felix, Kathryn, Felix, Jr., and Phyllis were interred in Elmwood Cemetery in Hammond.

Felix Joseph Samas was born on 24 June 1917 to Justin Samas and Elizabeth Marie (Samas) Samas in Chicago Heights, Illinois. His parents were Lithuanian immigrants who were from the same home town in Lithuania and were probably cousins. Kathryn (Coleman) Samas was the daughter of George Coleman and Ollie May Woods and was born in Du Quin, Illinois. She and Felix married on 17 August 1941 in Cape Giradeau, Missouri. They lived in Hammond after Felix completed his Army service during World War II and owned a lunch counter-type restaurant, which Kathryn managed.

Felix Joseph Samas was the brother-in-law of first cousin twice removed, Bernice "Bea" Marie (Muir) Samas, who married Alexander Francis Samas about three years before this tragedy occurred.

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The research for this story was conducted by Sarah Semple.

Author of Five Books in One Volume

William B. Walter was born on 25 March 1815 in Emmitsburg, Maryland, to John William Walter and his first wife, Catherine (Dechart) Walter. He was their third child and a half brother of Aloysius Walter, Aunt Katherine's great grandfather. He was educated at Mount St. Mary's College in Emmitsburg.

William moved to Fort Wayne, Indiana, in 1844 at the age of 29. He married Euphemia C. Nettlehorst, daughter of Christian Carl and Helena (Schulte) Nettlehorst, on 5 March 1848. She had been born in the Kingdom of Hanover and immigrated to the U.S. shortly before her marriage. The couple had three known children.

In 1860 the family lived in Fort Wayne, where William taught school. His real estate was valued at $10,500 and his personal property at $1,500. By 1870 William was an attorney and his real estate was valued at $15,000 and his personal property at $5,000. He was a prominent citizen of Fort Wayne. In 1880 he worked as a real estate agent and his son, Charles was an attorney.

In 1894, William wrote a book entitled, Five Books in One Volume, which was published by R. C. F. Rayhouser. In it William pontificated about 5 questions:

1. The "great" school question: as intimately blended with that of Christian education, religion, and the safety of nations
2. Political questions: Loss of patriotism, our elective franchise, corrupt and unwise legislation, party strife and party spite
3. The direful liquor question: and the denominating influence of the liquor traffic as a source of corruption in political affairs as well as ruin to the bodies and souls of men
4. The great labor question: idleness and prodigality the of "hard times," economy and thrift unknown, and extravagance everywhere and in all things
5. Miscellaneous: embracing a wide range of subjects not treated under the foregoing heads.

The book contained a brief passage about William's ancestry:

"He is of German ancestry, his great great grandfather having been a Dutch Baron who emigrated to this county with Lord Baltimore and is said to have built the first house where Baltimore now stands. The old gentleman seems also to have owned lands at that place and leased them for ninety-nine years, as was the custom. There is said to be a fortune connected with these lands, but none of the heirs have avarice enough in their hearts to undertake the task of ousting the present occupants."

William B. Walter died on 15 December 1897 in Fort Wayne. He had outlived all of his children and was interred in the Catholic Cemetery in the same city. His wife died in 1903 and was interred in the same cemetery.

Children of William B. Walter and Euphemia C. Nettlehorst:

1. Elizabeth Agnes Walter born 13 February 1849 in Indiana; never married; died 2 October 1883; interred at the Catholic Cemetery in Fort Wayne.
2. Mary Josephine Walter born January 1851 in Indiana; never married; died 14 February 1868; interred at the Catholic Cemetery in Fort Wayne.
3. Charles W. Walter born 11 July 1856 in Fort Wayne; never May A. Doyle on 18 October 1882 in Kalamazoo, Michigan, one son; died 27 February 1887; interred at the Catholic Cemetery in Fort Wayne

The Confusing Life of Elspeth Jennings

Elspeth Jennings was born on 31 October 1895 in Norfolk, Virginia, to Edward Winston and Annie M. (Porter) Jennings. Her father worked with sheet metal at the Norfolk Naval Base. She was the second of two children, a granddaughter of Daniel Rose Jennings, who fought in the Civil War, and my third cousin once removed.

On 13 February 1913 Elspeth married Job Palmer Manning, Jr., son of Job Palmer and Ada (Cocke) Manning, Sr. He had been born on 18 June 1897 in Portsmouth, Virginia, and worked as a routing clerk for a railroad. The couple had three children. Elspeth was granted a divorce on 26 June 1920 for desertion. The decree stated there were three minor children. However, I have only been able to find two of them. Mystery No. 1.

The decree listed Job Palmer Manning, Jr., as a non-resident, which meant he no longer lived in Virginia. I have been unable to find a trace of him after the divorce. Mystery No. 2.

Divorce decree between Job Palmer Manning, Jr., and Elspeth Jennings;
courtesy of Ancestry.com

Elspeth's father died four months before her divorce was granted. His death certificate indicated he was married at the time of his death but his son was the informant. I have been unable to find a record of Annie (Porter) Jennings' death or any record after 1922, when she was listed in a Norfolk city directory as a widow. Mystery No. 3.

Snippet of Annie (Porter) Jennings' life story; courtesy of Ancestry.com

Sometime before 4 September 1930, I assume Elspeth married Alfred "Fred" Brodix Simmons as she had twin daughters in Evanston, Illinois, yet I have been unable to find her in the 1930 census. The person I believe to be her husband, Alfred B. Simmons was enumerated in Los Angeles, California, as living at the Palmer Hotel with a wife named Floy, who was born in Illinois. This Alfred B. Simmons has the correct year of birth, correct birth state, correct birth state for his parents, and a correct occupation. Mystery No. 4.

Snippet of Alfred Brodix Simmons life story; courtesy of Ancestry.com

Alfred Brodix Simmons was a interesting man in his own right. He was born on 9 Mar 1895 to Henry "Harry" Taylor and Caroline "Carrie" (Brodix) Simmons in Bloomington, Indiana. He was a mariner employed by China Mail aboard the S/S China. Starting in 1917, he lived in San Francisco and worked for his brothers's import export business. He made several trips to Japan, China, Hong Kong, French Indonesia, and India during that time.

Alfred Brodix Simmons' 1917 and 1920 passport photographs; courtesy of
Ancestry.com

After Alfred and Elspeth married they moved to Danville, Indiana, where he worked as an organizer in the insurance industry -- whatever that is. Elspeth traveled to Australia in 1939 to help her oldest daughter and two granddaughters move back to the United States after her husband was killed piloting a transport plane. By 1942 Alfred and Elspeth lived in Philadelphia and he worked for Empire Ordnance. They moved to Atlanta, Georgia, by 1950. He was the president of Simmons Pump. Five years later, he worked as a salesman at Ethridge & Vannerman Realty.

Alfred died on 21 August 1967 in Fulton County, Georgia; he was 72 years old. Elspeth (Jennings) Manning Palmer died on 4 February 1973 in Baldwin County, Georgia; she was 77 years old.

So my mysteries for Elspeth are as follows:

1. What was the name of the third child she had with Job Palmer Manning, Jr.? There is no missing sibling in the obituaries of two of Elspeth's daughters.
2. What happened to Job Palmer Manning, Jr., after his 1920 divorce? And where was he living at the time of the divorce?
3. What happened to Elspeth's mother, Annie (Porter) Jennings after 1922? Did she remarry? 
4. Was Alfred married to a woman named Floy months before he and Elspeth's twins were born? When did Alfred and Elspeth marry?

Inquiring minds want to know!

United Flight 129

Eugene Kimbrough Swallow was born about 1920 in Alabama. He was the youngest of three children and his father, Walter, rented the land on which he farmed. Sometime before 1930 the family moved to Illinois, living in Du Quoin, Peoria, and Galesburg. In 1930 his father was a mineral broker and in 1940, he was a coal loader. Brokering minerals appeared to have become a side business.

On August 25, 1942, Eugene Swallow married Virginia Louise Colvin, my fifth cousin once removed. They married in Greenwich, Connecticut, and by 1950 had three children of their own.

Eugene K Swallow, photo courtesy of swallow13984, Ancestry.com member

Eugene was a United Airlines pilot. At 6:07 p.m. on April 28, 1951, Captain Swallow, along with his first officer, a flight attendant, and eight passengers, departed Cleveland, Ohio, in a DC-3 aircraft for Chicago, Illinois, with stops scheduled at Fort Wayne and South Bend, Indiana. At 6:47 p.m. the flight reported over Toledo, Ohio, and estimated its arrival at   Fort Wayne at 7:32 p.m. Nineteen miles out, it reported in and was advised runway 22 was being used that evening and that winds were 5 to 10 miles per hour from the southwest.

DC-3 aircraft, photograph courtesy of Massey Air Museum

Seconds later, due to a thunderstorm, winds had shifted to west-northwest and increased in velocity to 40 miles per hour. The tower notified the crew of UA 129 to use runway 127. When the plane was east of the airport, the wind increased to 60 to 65 miles per hour, with gusts to 85, and heavy rainfall began, accompanied by lightening and severe static. The flight crew was advised of the change in weather. Due to low visibility, their landing approach was aborted.

At 7:32 p.m. the DC-3 struck the ground in a near level attitude. The plane broke up and the main wreckage came to rest in a wooded area several hundred feet from the initial impact zone. The International Civil Aviation Organization's Aircraft Accident Digest No. 2 Circular 24-AN/21 (95-98) stated the probable cause of the crash was "the severe downdraft which caused the craft to strike the ground in near level attitude."

The next day the Salt Lake Tribune article about the crash included an eyewitness report:

"Henry Facks, a farmer living near the scene, told a reporter the crash occurred during a severe windstorm. He said he saw the plane flip over in the air from about 1000 feet and plunge to the earth. Facks said he had gone out to see if his farm buildings were being damaged by the wind when he heard the low-flying plane."

27 June 2014 Update:  I received a message via Ancestry.com from Eugene Kimbrough Swallow's daughter-in-law.  She provided a few corrections:

• Eugene Kimbrough Swallow was born on 23 September 19191 in Gallion, Alabama. He was named for Judge Kimbrough, who hired Eugene's father as the overseer on his plantation new Gallion.
• Eugene was the second of three children:  Walter Calhoun Swallow, Jr.; Eugene Kimbrough Swallow; and Winifred or Winefred Swallow.
• His parents were Walter Calhoun Swallow and Winifred MacLeod.

The Bailey Girls

William Judkins (1880-1955) and Lilly Manson (Bradley) Bailey (1884-1949) had eight children of which three were girls -- Elizabeth Lucille (1912-1971), Sylvia Ruth (1915-2000) and Joanna (1921-2010. According to her brother, Maxwell, Joanna changed her name to Joan Evelyn in a special birth certificate issued by then Secretary of State, Cordell Hull. She was my Aunt Joan.

Elizabeth was her parents' fourth child and first daughter. She was born on the family farm in Saline, Michigan.  Sylvia was born three year later also in Saline.  In 1918 the family moved to Anderson, Indiana, where their father likely attended the Anderson Bible School and Seminary Training School. Anderson was also the headquarters of the Church of God's Missionary Board. William Bailey wanted to become a missionary and go to Africa.

In 1920 they drove to New York, and boarded the Cunard Line's RMS Aquitania. The family arrived in Southampton England on 3 Sep. They traveled by ferry to France and by train to Marseilles, crossing the Mediterranean by boat to Cairo and then onto Africa. The family landed in Mombasa and took a train to the Kenyan highlands where William Bailey began his missionary work in then British East Africa.  Joan was born at the Kijabe Mission Station in 1921.

The parents, Elizabeth, Sylvia, Thomas, Maxwell and Joan traveled back to the U.S. in 1929 via India, Singapore, Hong Kong, Japan, and Vancouver, arriving in Seattle, Washington, on 6 Nov 1929 aboard the cargo ship S/S Paris Maru. Maxwell said the journey took approximately six months.

Osaka Line's cargo ship S/S Paris Maru 

In 1930 the family was living in Troy Township, Ohio. In 1932, William and Lilly Bailey went to Africa again. Another family was asked to move in with the children, but they soon moved away, leaving Elizabeth in charge of her younger brothers and sisters.  Their parents returned in 1934 and divorced soon after.

Elizabeth married later in life to Ted Clayton Glatfelder and moved to Palmer Alaska in the early 1950s.  She ran an orphanage there and Ted worked as a sanitation engineer at Ft Richardson. In 1971 there was a terrible flood in Palmer, and Evelyn and Ted worked hard for days on end to clean up the debris. 

Matanuska River Flood, Palmer, Alaska, 1971. Photo courtesy of the University of Alaska Anchorage

Elizabeth had high blood pressure and got a nose bleed that wouldn't stop.  She died six days later in Providence Hospital in Anchorage.  She is buried at Valley Memorial Park in Palmer.  Ted later married Kathreen Estelle Gibson. She came to Alaska in the late 1930s, was 29 years older than Ted and lived to be 100 years old.  He was her third husband. He then married Tiodora Rodriguez and died in 1995. He is also buried in Valley Memorial Park.

Sylvia left Troy, Ohio between 1935 and by 1940 was married to Raymond Speake. They lived in Marbury, Maryland, all their adult lives. Raymond worked at a powder factory, which I assume is the nearby Naval Surface Warfare Center in Indian Head, Maryland. In the 1940s, it was known as the Naval Powder Factory.  In 1949, Sylvia's mother came to live with them.  She died a few weeks later.  All three are buried in Park Hill Cemetery in Marbury.

Joan attended Strayer Business College before marrying Arnold Richard Lange in 1942. 

Arnold and Joan Evelyn (Bailey) Lange, 1942

They lived in Washington, DC and had a daughter.  Then they moved to Lawrence, Kansas. Arnold worked for the Hercules Powder Company's Sunflower Ordnance Works in Sunflower. Hercules was a major producer of smokeless powder for warfare.

Hercules Power Company's Sunflower Ordnance Works in 1945. Photo courtesy of the Kansas Historical Society.

By 1950 they were back on the East Coast and built a home on Arnold's parents' farm. They had a son the same year. Arnold retired from the Naval Research Laboratory in 1987. By 1990, Arnold and Joan were living in New Oxford, Pennsylvania. Arnold died on Christmas Day 2003 and Joan died on 27 Jul 2010. Both donated their bodies to science.

I wrote this post because I got interested in the family history due to the differences in what the documentation said and family stories. I wrote about that here and here. I wrote about the Baily sons here and will be writing a future post about the parents.

The Bailey Boys

I got interested in Aunt Joan's family when the documentation didn't match the stories Mom remembered about her childhood.  I wrote about those differences here and here. In this post, I'll detail what I've learned about Aunt Joan's five brothers:  George Edgar, Homer Bradley, Paul Orrin, Thomas William, and Maxwell.

George Edgar and Homer Bradley Bailey were born in Delaware, Ohio in 1905 and 1907, respectively. Sometime before 1910 they moved to Washtenaw County, Michigan, where William Bailey bought a farm. Paul Orrin was born that same year, and Thomas William was born in 1917. In 1918 their father, decided to become a missionary and moved the family to Anderson, Indiana. He likely attended the Bible school and training seminary there.  In 1920, the family traveled by train to New York City and boarded a passenger liner for Southampton, England, on their way to British East Africa, and what is now Kenya.  Most of the family lived in Kenya until 1929. However, the three older boys returned to the U.S. earlier.

In 1924 George traveled back to England and boarded the White Star Line's RMS Majestic. He arrived in New York City on 24 Jun 1924 and went on to Anderson, Indiana.  According to Homer's journal, his parents had given George the name of a family with which he could stay until he got organized. When he knocked on the door, their maid, appalled at his state of attire and cleanliness, told him to go away. From then on George was on his own and remained aloof from the rest of the family his entire life. He lived in many western states, married at least twice, and had at least six children. In the early 1950s, George and his wife, Lillian (Krull) opened the Rancho hotel in Bakersfield, California. George died on 1 May 1979, but Lillian operated the motel for another 28 years.   One of his sons went on to become a very successful real estate developer.

Rancho Motel, Bakersfield, California.

Homer Bradley and his brother, Paul Orrin, remained in Kenya until 1927 when they, too, returned to the U.S. to attend the Bible school and training seminary in Anderson, Indiana.  Homer married Vivian Opal Lewis, the daughter of a Michigan preacher. They lived in several states during the Depression where he was also a minister. In 1933 their family returned to Kenya, where Homer was a missionary until 1948 or 1949.  They had six children, all of which were born in Kenya except two. Homer died 18 Oct 1978 in Denton, Texas.

Paul Orrin married Lydia Lois Tilton in 1931 and they four children.  Paul taught at Indiana University in Bloomington, Indiana.  In June of 1952, he was lost control of his car on a rain-slicked road and was hit head on by a large truck. He was killed instantly.

Thomas William and Maxell Bailey returned to the U.S. from Kenya in 1929, traveling through India, Singapore, Hong Kong, Japan, Vancouver, and Seattle, mostly aboard cargo ships. I've not been able to discover much about Thomas, except that in 1930, he was living with his parents and younger siblings in Troy, Ohio. When his parents returned to Kenya in 1932, they asked another family to move in with their children and take care of them while the parents were away. Thomas married one the daughters. Soon after, he, his new wife her the family moved away, leaving Elizabeth, the oldest sister in charge of her younger siblings. She was 20 at the time. Thomas died on 10 May 1986 in Hotchkiss, Colorado.

Osaka Line's cargo ship Paris Maru; the Bailey family traveled from Yokohama to Seattle on this ship in 1929

Maxwell's father registered his birth and forgot to include the middle name his mother had intended to give him. He married Lois Shaw, perhaps twice, and had four children.  He was a school teacher and taught in several states. He died on 11 Mar 2004.

Family Lore Debunked?

Every family has stories -- some good, some bad and some that are truly tragic. One of our sad stories was about Aunt Joan, Uncle Arnold's wife.  According to Mom, she was born in British East Africa (now Kenya), the youngest of eight children and her father was a Christian missionary. When the family was in Africa, her father left her mother and the children for a much younger woman, perhaps a nurse at the mission hospital, and was never heard from again. Her mother, Lilly Mary, had to find a way to get the family back to the U.S. and provide and care for all the children. It was always described as a very hard life.  After Aunt Joan finished high school her older sister paid for Joan to join her in Washington, DC, and attend business school.

So what's true and what's not?

What is true is that Aunt Joan and Uncle Arnold were married on 26 Aug 1942 in Washington, DC. They had two children, lived in a house they built on Uncle Arnold's parent's farm in Brandywine, Maryland, and in their elder years, moved to New Oxford, Pennsylvania. Uncle Arnold died on Christmas Day in 2003 and Aunt Joan died in 2010.

Uncle Arnold and Aunt Joan on the day of their wedding

It's also true that her father was Christian missionary, the family did live in Kenya, and Aunt Joan was born there.

Rift Valley Kenya, at the time of Aunt Joan's birth it was British East Africa

"Our Schalin Family," by Lucille Fillenberg Effa was published in 2003. In the sketch about his family Uncle Arnold said his wife's parents were Lilly Mary Bradley and William Judson and the family returned to Torch, Ohio from Africa.  I scoured Census records for days looking for some evidence of the Judson family in Ohio but couldn't find a thing.  Then I wondered why was his last name Judson when the rest of the family's last name was Bailey? Did Aunt Joan's mother remarry a Bailey and he adopted all of the children? Or was William Judson really William Judson Bailey?

The adoption trail led nowhere but looking for William Judson Bailey turned up some very interesting documentation. Here's what I was able to discover. There was a man named William Judkins Bailey; he was born on 19 Dec 1880 in Barnsville, Warren Township, Belmont, Ohio. His father was James Bailey. His mother was likely Pebe (Pary or Perry) Bailey. He did marry a Lilly Mary Manson Bradley and had eight children.  The youngest was Joan Evelyn Bailey, which would be my Aunt Joan. William Bailey was a foreign missionary and served the Church of God's Board of Missionaries based in Anderson, Indiana. And his youngest daughter was born in Kijabe, British East Africa. Additional research about the missionary movement in Africa proved there was a Christian mission in Kijabe at the time. So far so good.

But then I discovered this...

• The 1910 federal census indicates William and Lilly Mary Bailey had been married for about 6 years and were living in Pittsfield, Michigan. William's occupation was listed as farmer.
• On 27 Aug 1917 William Bailey applied for a passport. On the application, he stated he, his wife and seven named children would be traveling to British East Africa. They planned to depart from Seattle on or about 15 Jan 1918. He also listed his occupation as student, which I assume means he was attending the Bible and Seminary Boarding School in Anderson, Indiana, which is now Anderson University.
• On 12 Sep 1918 William Bailey completed a World War I registration card and listed his nearest relative as Lilly Manson Bailey.
• On 28 Jun 1920 William Bailey applied for a passport. On the application, he stated he, his wife, five children he named and two infant children would be traveling to England, Switzerland, Egypt, France, Italy, Palestine, and British East Africa. They planned to depart on or about 31 Jul 1920. 
• On 3 Sep 1920 William, Lilly and their seven children, ranging in age from 15 to 1, arrived in Southampton, England, aboard the Cunard Line's RMS Aquitania. The passenger manifest indicated they were headed to Nairobi, British East Africa.
• On 18 Jun 1924 George Edgar Bailey, William and Lilly's eldest son departed Southampton, England, aboard the White Star Line's RMS Majestic, arriving in New York on 24 June. He planned to return to Anderson, Indiana.
• On 4 May 1927 Paul Orrin and Homer Bradley Bailey, two of William and Lilly's sons, departed Southampton, England, aboard the White Star Line's RMS Majestic, arriving in New York on 10 May. They were headed to the Bible School in Anderson, Indiana.
• On 23 Oct 1929 William Bailey, his wife, and their five youngest children, including Joan, departed Yokohama, Japan, aboard the Osaka Line's S/S Paris Maru; they arrived in Seattle on 6 Nov 1929 after a brief stop in Vancouver, Canada. The passenger list indicates Joan Bailey was born on 26 Oct 1921 in Kijabe, British East Africa.

Osaka Line's cargo ship, S/S Paris Maru

• The 1930 federal census indicated William Bailey, his wife, and seven of their children, including Joan, were living in Troy, Ohio; Bailey's occupation was listed as foreign missionary. It also indicated that their son Homer attended and boarded at the Bible and Seminary Boarding School in Anderson, Indiana. Lilly Mary Bailey's father was also living with the family.
• On 7 Jul 1934 William and Lilly Mary Bailey, departed Cherbourg, France on the Cunard Line's RMS Aquitania, arriving in New York on 13 Jul; they were heading to Torch, Ohio.

So is the family lore complete bunk? Maybe not but the timing and details of the story appear to be incorrect.

• The 1940 federal census indicated Lilly Mary Bailey and her youngest daughter, Joan, were living together in Troy, Ohio. I have not been able to find William Bailey yet in the 1940 census. Mrs. Bailey indicated she was married.
• In 1942 William Bailey completed a World War II registration card. He was living in Spring Hill, West Virginia, and his nearest relative was Mrs. W. J. Bailey, who also lived in Spring Hill. That Mrs. Bailey may or may not be Lilly Mary. William Bailey also appeared to have left missionary work and was a building contractor. At the time he registered he was not working and wrote, "lull because of priorities."

So I don't know whether William and Lilly Mary stayed together as a married couple or not.  Lilly Mary died in 1949 and is buried in Park Hill Cemetery in Marbury, Maryland.  Her daughter, Sylvia lived in Marbury according to the 1940 census. She and her husband are buried in the same cemetery as Lilly Mary. William died in 1955 in Fresno, California and I have not yet found any burial information.

Aunt Joan's mother's tombstone at Park Hill Cemetery in Marbury, Maryland

I did found this tidbit in a source citation on a professional genealogist's Ancestry.com record for William Judkins Bailey from the "Journal of Maxwell Bailey," (December 1991; Clarksville, Ohio), owned by Leona Vlacancich.

"That log cabin was the home of Leonard Bailey, son of Joseph Michael Bailey, and grandfather of Gladys Root Daugherty. One of Leonard's brothers, the Bailey 'tree' will show was a William. He may be my Father's daddy. However, my Father's death certificate shows a James Bailey as his father. I'm sure this is incorrect. Goldie, Father's second wife supplied the information for the certificate and it's accuracy must be questioned."

So did William Bailey divorce Lily and marry Goldie? And was the Maxwell Bailey who wrote the journal one of his sons?

What do you think happened?