Black Sheep Sunday: Does this look like a nice man?

Fresno Morning Republican
Tuesday, January 13, 1925
Page two

I don't think so.  But he's my 2nd great grandfather, William Warren McAboy.  I've had this photo from William's obituary for about a year.  And every time I've looked at it I thought he must have not been a nice man.  Sadly, I think I'm right.

William was born in DeWitt County, Illinois on December 12, 1842 and was the oldest child of James Robert McAboy and Sarah Mann.  The family seemed to move a bit, from DeWitt County to McLean County and back again, before William mustered into army service in Battery F, Second Regiment of Voluntary Light Artillery in 1861.  At some point I believe he also served in Company F, 4th Cavalry Regiment Illinois.  I think I see another pension record in my future.

William was married to Rebecca Moriah Waller on January 10, 1864 in DeWitt County and life seemed good.  Together they had six children, the youngest of which was my great grandmother, Mabel McAboy (1883-1966).  William was a florist and gardener and in 1881 established a business (cost of $3,000) located in block 21, four blocks south of the Clinton public square.  It had three green houses, each 50 feet in length.  Either $5,000 or 5,000 plants were raised annually (conflicting information), and the business employed three people.

In 1883, one of the greenhouses caught fire.  The Clinton Public Newspaper reported on January 5, 1883:

At two o'clock last Saturday morning Mrs. W. W. McABOY was awakened from a sense of suffocation, and she awakened her husband. The bedroom was full of smoke, and when Mr. McABOY opened the door leading to the office of his green-house he was driven back by the smoke and flames. Mr. McAboy got out in the street and gave the alarm of fire, and then went back and tried to quench the flames. It seemed an age to Mr. McAboy before help came to him, but during the interval he did effective work in fighting the fire. After hard work the flames were subdued, but the wreck of flowers and glass in the green-house was great. One of the green-houses was nearly destroyed and the others were badly damaged. Mr. McAboy estimates his loss at between $400 and $500, and on flowers and seeds about $300. A kind friend went among the business men on Saturday and raised about $100 to help Mr. McAboy repair his losses. The fire caught in a barrel of soot that was in the cellar under the office. It is supposed to be a case of spontaneous combustion.

What a sad time that must have been and William was obviously well respected for his friend to raise $100 to help with his losses. 

But things changed and on September 13, 1889, the Clinton Public Newspaper had the following report:

A Brutal Father.

W. W. McABOY, the proprietor of the nursery, made a brutal assault on his son Emery on Tuesday about noon. The boy came uptown in the forenoon and went to see the game of baseball, and on his return home he had a racket with his father. McAboy threw some tomatoes at the boy and then picked up a chair and struck him on the head, cutting a bad gash. Mrs. McABOY was sick in bed and hearing the racket she screamed and fainted. The boy ran to his mother at once and seeing her condition he started out to get a doctor. As the boy was going out of the door, McAboy threw a tumbler at him, which struck him on the arm and cut an artery. The boy went over for Dr. HYDE to go and see his mother, and not finding him at home he came uptown for Dr. WILCOX. By the time he reached the square he was faint from loss of blood, and the consequences might have been dangerous had his wounds not been bound up at once. From his home up to the square he could be tracked by the blood spots on the sidewalk. Marshal MOFFET saw the boy and as soon as he learned the cause of his wounds he went to McAboy’s house and arrested him. McAboy not being ready for trial, his case was postponed till next Tuesday. The boy Emery is very industrious and attentive to his father’s business, working day and night. He is a perfect young gentleman and he has the sympathy of everybody. He is yet nursing his wounds, carrying his arm in a sling and his head is bandaged. For such a brutal assault on his own boy McAboy should be made to suffer the full penalty of the law to teach him a lesson. A fine would be no punishment as he is well able to pay it.


Uh-oh, looks like I was right and William wasn't a nice man after all.  Young Emery was 19 years old and his father assaulted him, over and over again with tomatoes, a chair, and a tumbler.  In the court papers I was able to obtain while in DeWitt County, the records show he was charged with "assault with a deadly weapon" and "the sheriff will hold the defendant to bail in the sum of one hundred dollars".  I cannot determine the outcome of the proceedings but I do see that not only was James "Emery" commanded to appear as a witness, but also his sister, Lilly.  Can you imagine the horror of witnessing your father assault your younger brother?

Things didn't get much better for William and Rebecca.  On January 10, 1890 the Clinton Public Newspaper reported that "W.W. McAboy left for California this week.  He has left his family in almost destitute circumstances.  Mrs. McAboy has been confined to her bed for several months, which is almost unendurable for her to bear.  The family has the sympathy of the community".  And then on March 7, 1890 "W.B. McAboy has returned from California.  He does not think that the land of climate is a perfect paradise, though a man might live there if there was not such a State of Illinois".   Now I'm not sure that the W.B. McAboy referenced on March 7 was really W.W. McAboy but I'm going to assume that it was because I know that William and Rebecca did end up in Fresno, California.  I like to think that William arrived in Fresno and realized he couldn't go on without his family and, thus, returned in March for them.  And in my positive world I believe they found a fresh start and lived happily in California.  But then I always like to see the positive in things.

William died in Santa Cruz on January 12, 1925 while living there with Rebecca.  What were they doing in Santa Cruz?  Was his health poor and he was hopeful that the cool ocean breeze would be a better climate than the heat of Fresno?  After his death, his body was brought back to Fresno for burial and, apparently, Rebecca remained there until her death almost 4 years later.  William's memorial. 

So while it seems that my gut was right in thinking William wasn't a nice man, he was still my 2nd great grandfather and another piece to my puzzle.  And we have to take the good with the bad.

I came, I saw, I conquered

What's a maroon, anyway?

We made it to Clinton, Illinois, home for many generations of my family!  What a thrill and I am so thankful we were able to spend some time there.

As suggested, I did my homework and contacted the DeWitt County Genealogical Society prior to our visit so I could feel fairly prepared for what was ahead of me.  The primary suggestion they had for me was, if possible, to visit on a Thursday as that was the only day volunteers were present and able to help.  As luck would have it, our road trip had us in Clinton on Thursday.

We arrived at the Vespasian Waner Library, home of the DeWitty County Genealogical Society at about noon on Thursday.  Imagine my surprise when we walked in and there were three people in the library.  Clinton is a fairly small town and I was surprised that three people were already there researching.  But I was even more surprised when I realized these people were volunteers and were all just waiting to help me research.  And boy did they help!

Charlotte was the first to ask "how can we help?" and I stammered something silly like "I'm looking for my family".  I mentioned the surname of Waller and she quickly jumped up and took me to a file cabinet while explaining "we have a file on them".  So it was a small file and half of it was copies of e-mails I had written to them but I sure was impressed with her memory.

Within minutes there were books and binders everywhere and all three of them were throwing questions at me.  When was he born?  Is this your relative?  What year did she die?  Were they married here?  More and more books arrived and then I stopped dead in my tracks - there in the probate book was Salmon Waller.  Deep breath.  Salmon (or Solomon) was the father of my elusive Emery Waller and my 4th great grandfather.  He is also the next punch I need on my DAR application ticket.  In fact, my primary goal while visiting DeWitt County was finding Salmon's burial site.  But I knew that there were several Salmon Wallers in my line as several of Salmon's ancestors named their children Salmon (who has the name Salmon, anyway?). 

I asked about the probate record - was it here, how difficult would it be to see, and some other ridiculous questions, I'm sure.  Charlotte explained that when the County digitized their records recently, they were going to throw out all of the corresponding material so the Genealogicial Society took everything, organized it, and put it in boxes downstairs.  Downstairs!  All I had to do was tell them which records I wanted to see and John would go downstairs and get them for me!  After another deep breath I said "this one, I want to see this one!" and off he went.  And about 5 minutes later he came back into the room, huffing and puffing just a bit, and presented me with Salmon Waller's probate record.  Another deep breath while I opened the file to see the specifics and IT WAS MY SALMON WALLER!!!!!  I had seen the digitized copy of his will online but there was more in this file.  Before I could even speak, Charlotte was off to the copy machine to make copies of everything in the file for me.  And the questions kept coming!  John grabbed microfilm and started scanning, Charlotte was copying, and Jan was looking in more books to find something - anything - that would be important to me.  It really was amazing (and almost overwhelming) to see these people scurrying around looking for treasures for me. 

We were almost finished here

It's going to take some time for me to really go through everything and figure out what I have but knowing these people are anxious to help is such a relief.  I can't say enough about these wonderful volunteers!

Oh, in pouring through the probate record when I got to the hotel the main piece of information I learned was that Salmon's wife was still living when he died and lived for some years afterwards.  And since Emery was the executor, I was able to see his signature on a few things!  But still no record of Salmon's burial site.

Next stop was the County Clerk's office to see if I could find the marriage record for my 2nd great grandparents, Rebecca Moriah Waller and William Warren McAboy, who were married January 10, 1864.  We walked into the office and a nice woman asked if she could help.  I explained what I was looking for, she took a few notes, and then said she'd be right back.  A few minutes later she returned with a piece of paper in her hand and asked if it was what I was looking for.  And there it was - the ORIGINAL marriage license from 1864.  Oh my!  I was tempted to throw a 10 dollar bill on the counter, stash the certificate in my bag, and run from the building but instead I acted all grown up and said "could I get a copy of this?" which sent her scurrying to get me the copy before I made a mad dash for the door.  When she returned I stared at the original again and remembered my handy dandy mobile flip-pal scanner in my bag and asked if I could scan it.  I should have practiced more with the scanner but I did what I could and will spend some time stitching it together when I have more time.  And then I remembered the camera in my bag and asked if I could take a photo.  I'm sure this lady thought I was nuts but she humored me and even helped me find a good spot to place the document to get a photo.  I know it's not perfect and I know I need to practice more with the scanner but here it is.

And it cost just 50 cents!

I also found a piece of information that isn't as exciting which I will share later.  It does remind us, though, that we can't discriminate as to what type of information we find and have to take the good with the bad.  Sigh.

This is the face of genealogy


This is the face of genealogy!

Mildred Loraine Gunzendorfer
Bertha Schwartz Gunzendorfer
1896

My paternal grandmother, Mildred Loraine Gunzendorfer Levy, and her mother (my great grandmother), Bertha Schwartz Gunzendorfer.


Mildred Loraine Gunzendorfer
Monterey High School
Class of 1915

Loraine was the Assistant Editor of the Yearbook, Monterey High School, 1915.


Loraine (Gunzendorfer) Levy
Sigmund Levy

My paternal grandparents, Loraine and Sigmund Levy.

I will never forget those who came before me.

What's in the Probate Record?



Emery Waller's Probate Record
Franklin County, Kansas
Filed February 10, 1893

I received the Probate record for my 3rd great grandfather, Emery Waller.  Emery has been an elusive ancestor and one I've been pretty focused on for the last few weeks.

What have I learned from his Probate record?  I'm really not sure yet.  It does show, via the Affidavit in Proof of Death, that his date of death was December 11, 1891 and that the document was filed in Franklin County on February 10, 1893 by George W. Waller, Emery's son.  And then there's a list of Emery's heirs in 1893, some of which I can identify and some of which are a complete mystery to me.

Here's what matches the information I have:

George W. Waller was the son of Emery and Clarinda Waller and was the only son to live into adulthood.  He was born in 1855 so he would have been about 38 in 1893.  The record shows he was 39 - close enough.

Elizabeth Waller was the eldest child of Emery and Clarinda and married John Asher Page in 1864 so Elizabeth would have been known as Elizabeth Page in 1893.  Check.  She was born in 1846 which would have made her 47 in 1893.  The record shows she was 52 - five years is a bit of a discrepancy but I'm not sure I'll worry about it.

The second child of Emery and Clarinda was Nancy Hannah Waller.  Hannah was born in 1848 and married Philip Holloway in 1866.  The Probate record shows her as Hannah Cass at 48 years old.  Again, the age is a little off (maybe these people forgot how old they were?) but showing her last name as Cass is perplexing.  I know that Philip remarried in late 1894 so I had assumed that Hannah had died prior to that.  But since she's showing up here as Hannah Cass, maybe they divorced and she married Mr. Cass by 1893.  Hannah and Philip were together in DeWitt County, Illinois in the 1880 census and when their only child, Maud, died in 1886, the obituary said she died at the "residence of her parents".  Maybe the death of their child tore them apart?  I need to do some more research on Hannah with some emphasis in Missouri since her place of residence in 1893 looks to be MO.

Minnie Waller, the youngest child of Emery and Clarinda, was born in 1857 so her age of 35 is about right.  She married James Jones in 1879 and then John Scully in 1892 - maybe her family forgot what her name was so just left it blank?  The residence of Colorado is curious as Minnie and John's son was born in Illinois in 1894.  I guess they could have been in Colorado in 1893 but it seems odd.  More research necessary.

When I first looked at this record, I initially thought that my 2nd great grandmother, Rebecca Waller McAboy, had been excluded.  My blood started boiling!  Then I looked down the page a bit more and spotted her - McAboy.  It looks like Morris McBoy but her name was Rebecca Moriah (or Maria) and in some places I've seen her referred to as Moriah.  If I squint my eyes a bit, I can imagine that the listing does indeed say Moriah McAboy.  Rebecca and her husband, William McAboy, moved to California in about 1890 and I would guess that if you were living in or around Kansas at the end of the 19th century, California probably seemed to be halfway around the world.  So I guess it's not surprising that it doesn't show her place of residence as they probably had no idea where California was.

And that's all I know.  These other people are a complete mystery to me.  It looks like two more daughters - Caroline Foster and Ellen Tinder (or Linder or Finder) in Illinois.  Could these be Clarinda's daughters from a first marriage?  And a couple of grandchildren - Pearl Sessions and Emma Willis.  The only clue that might help me is that Emery's sister, Mary Ann, married Edward Sessions and they had a son named Emery.  And as I look a little closer, Emery might also be known as Perle.  Mary Ann must have died quite young as Edward married Sarah in 1865 and guess what?  There is also a child named Emma who was born in 1860.  It appears that Emery/Perle and Emma were the children of Emery Waller's sister Mary Ann and Edward Sessions.  When she died did Emery vow to take care of her children?  Something more to research.

Last on the list is what looks like Mollie Bidle or something close to that.   Who was Mollie and why would they show a deceased person on the probate record? 

At the bottom of the page an estimated value is listed - is that $1,000 or $100?

The other two pages of the record is an Administrator's Bond and an Affidavit to Administer Estate.  The only 'new' information was the mention of George's wife, Mary, and a person named B. Campbell who is listed with Mary as 'sureties'.  Not sure what that means.  And the Administrator's Bond says:

Know all Men by these Presents, That we Geo W Waller, as principal, and Mary F. Waller and B. Campbell as sureties, are held and firmly bound unto the State of Kansas in the sum of two hundred dollars to the payment of which sum, well and truly to be made, we bind ourselves, our heirs, executors, administrators and assigns, firmly by these presents, sealed with our seals and dated this 17th day of Feb, A.D. 1883.  The condition of the above obligation is such that :  Whereas, the said Geo W Waller has been, by the Probate Court of Franklin County, Kansas, duly appointed Administrator of the estate of Emory L Waller, Deceased.

There seems to be some discrepancy in Emery's date of death.  My original non-documented date was December 21, 1890.....and the cemetery shows his death date as December 25, 1890.  It could be that he really did die December 21 and was buried on December 25, 1890.  That makes sense.  But I don't see how the cemetery could show he died in 1890 and the Probate record shows a year later. 

I think I need to study up on probates, estates, etc.  If anyone has any suggestions or can offer assistance, I'm all ears.

I found him!

Photo by dynamosquito

Get a load of this - I found Emery Waller!

The past week has been a flurry of activity and a wealth of information has surfaced.  So much, in fact, that I can hardly keep it straight in my mind.  Right now if you asked me to tell you the sequence of events that led to this discovery, I couldn't do it.

What I do know is that I found a probate record for Emory L Waller in Franklin County.  I contacted the Genealogical Society by e-mail and after clicking the "check mail" button a minimum of 1447 times, 36 hours later I'd received no response.  I know these people are volunteers and I know their hours are limited but geez, didn't they realize how important this was to me?  So I sent off a written request with the probate number and a check which I figured would more than compensate them for their research time and copying as listed on their web site.  Finally, the next day I heard from them! 

Debi, I am chair of the research committee of Franklin Co. Genealogical Soc. & received your request for copies of the probate records for Emory L. Waller, #6605.  There were 3 pages & I had copies made. If you will send me your address I will mail them to you.

EUREKA!  Of course I couldn't stand the suspense so I quickly sent him a message back and asked for the date of death.  His response - December 11, 1891.  Now that was interesting since my records showed his date of birth as December 11, 1813.  Sure he could have died on his birthday ......OR, their records could be incorrect.

Next stop, Find a Grave.  Now I'd already looked for him in Franklin County but I decided to just search on E Waller, Kansas and see what might appear.  And there it was - E L Waller in McPherson County with a death date of 1890.  This had to be him!  And in the same cemetery was Clarina Waller, death date 1885, which was too close to his wife ClarinDa to be a coincidence.  I was getting close!  So I hit the 'request a photo' button in hopes that someone would help me.  And within an hour or so, my request had been 'claimed'.  I was so close now I could taste it!

This afternoon the e-mails really started flying and I knew I'd hit pay dirt.  A kind gentleman from Find a Grave sent me a link to the cemetery that had all of the information for those interred in McPherson Cemetery.  Quick scroll to the W's......and there it was.  WALLER.  One more click and I was there - Clarinda and E L Waller, Block 14, Lot 15, Graves 7 and 8.  My 3rd great grandfather and his wife!  And there was a Cemetery Location Map included. PAY DIRT!
Within an hour, the e-mail from Find a Grave I'd been waiting for appeared - SUCCESS!  Someone had been to the cemetery and photographed the graves for me.  And so I give you Emery and Clarinda Waller.

 

Emery Waller
Photo by Art Hoch, Find A Grave




Clarinda Waller
Photo by Art Hoch, Find A Grave

 



















But wait, there's no marker for Emery!  My 3rd great grandfather, who served in both the Mexican and Civil War, is lying in an unmarked grave.  This is unacceptable for anyone, much less a veteran who gave so much to his country.  I'm going to contact the Department of Veteran Affairs to see if I can't rectify that.

I've concluded that Emery and Clarinda moved to Kansas in 1882 and were living in McPherson County in 1885 when Clarinda died.  Based on Emery's pension records, I know they were there July 7, 1885 and Clarinda died in November of that year.  From there Emery must have gone to Ness County and, eventually, to Franklin County where he died in either 1890 or 1891.  I'm guessing that after his death his family took his body back to McPherson County for burial with Clarinda.  And they either didn't have the money, or didn't want to spend it, on a tombstone.

So the journey is complete.  Or at least will be when I'm able to get Emery's grave marked.  While the Pension File didn't directly give me the information I was hoping for, I was able to find Emery's final resting place.  In Kansas, no less.  Who knew I'd find him there?  And finding Clarinda was a bonus because I really hadn't given too much thought to ever finding her.
 
I'm emotionally drained.

 

WHOA!



Photo by The National Guard

Stop the presses!  Step back, take a deep breath, and CONCENTRATE.  New information may have just surfaced.  My mind is reeling!

Emery Waller may have spent the the last years of his life and died in Kansas.

Kansas? 

When I received his pension records, I thumbed through it fairly quickly and thought that I may not learn anything new.  There are pages and pages of information about his disability - diarrhea and piles caused by eating green corn.  While I feel terrible that my 3rd great grandfather, Emery Waller, had to endure such pain, I was a little disappointed that I didn't find any mention of his wife, children, parents, or anything.  So I set the records aside until the next day.

24 hours later, I started reading a little more carefully.  There were requests to increase the pension (from $7.50 per month to $20 per month!), examination reports by physicians, statements from friends confirming that Emery served in the Civil War, etc.  Each statement said pretty much the same thing.  Blah, blah, blah.  And then, I spotted it - KANSAS.  What?  Emery was in Kansas?  I've always believed that Emery spent the end of his life in DeWitt County, Illinois and, most likely, died there.  But here he was in Ness County, Kansas all the way up to 1889!

I decided to google Emery Waller, Ness County and here's what I found from the Society of Ness City, Part I - Handbook of Ness Co., KS 1887

Col. Emery L. WALLER, who commanded the 4th Ohio Infantry in the Mexican War, and held a command in the western army in the late war for the Union, and whose associations with Generals Grant,, Shields, Logan, and others lend interest to his military life, has recently settled here for the improvement of his broken health and fortune, and pronounces the climate the finest and most healthful of any he has ever known.  Col. Waller has led an eventful life, rich in experience of many countries and is a brave, genial, sociable and entertaining gentlemen, whose opinions are worthy of the highest regard.  He has resided here since 1884, and believes in a grand future for this region.

So how 'bout that????

Now since Emery was born in 1813, serving in the Mexican War seems logical since he would have been about 33-35 during the war.  And since he enlisted as a First Lieutenant, and later as a Captain, during the Civil War, that makes sense.  And I know his health was poor in the 1880's because I read about it in his pension records.  Did he have experiences in other countries?  I don't know.  And what about living in Kansas in 1884?  I do know he was born in Ohio so it also makes sense that he served in an Ohio regiment in the Mexican War.

As I go through his pension records, I find him in McPherson county in 1882, 1883, 1884......and by 1886 he's in Ness County.  The last record I have for him in Ness County, Kansas was 2 Aug 1888.  Could he have died there?  But then I found him later in Franklin County 18 April, 1889.  Did he die there?

Early on in my research I made a note that his death date was 21 Dec 1890.  Sadly, even though the super smart Kerry Scott told me to cite stuff, I didn't do it and now I don't know where or how I came up with that date.  But if his last medical examination was in 1889, it is entirely possible that he died in 1890 in - gasp! - Kansas. 

So now I'm on a quest to find Kansas death records from 1889 and beyond.  And Mexican War records for the 4th Ohio Infantry.  But so far, I'm hitting a brick wall.  Any suggestions?

Research Trip

Photo by Ben Gallagher

I'm going on my first research trip!

Well, it's not exactly a research trip but I will be able to sneak in the better part of two days in DeWitt County, Illinois to look for dead people in cemeteries, libraries, historical societies, and who knows where else.

During a road trip next month, we'll stop for a few days in DeWitt County which is where several generations of my family lived.  In fact, Rebecca Waller was married here to William Warren McAboy and gave birth to my great grandmother, Mabel McAboy, in Clinton, Illinois.  I've been able to identify the final resting place for many of the McAboys and Wallers and am anxious to get to the cemeteries to find their graves (the photo volunteers on findagrave in this part of the country haven't been too responsive).  I also think that my 3rd great grandfather, Emery Waller, and maybe his father, Solomon Waller, might be buried here.

I'm looking for suggestions as to what I need to do to plan my trip. 

What preparation should I do before I go?  Who do I need to call before I arrive on their doorstep?  I have purchased the book Courthouse Research for Family Historians by Christine Rose - just need to actually open it and start reading ;-)

What should I take with me?  How should I organize it?  I'll have my little netbook with me and maybe some hard copies of specific people I want to research but what else?

Do I need a portable scanner?  I've looked at the flip-pal mobile scanner and a wand type scanner from Costco.  What do you have?  What do you like about it or not like about it?  Since my time will be limited and I'm technologically challenged, I'd like something easy to use that will provide me with a clear scan.  Or do I even need this?

How do I "find" my ancestors who might be buried there?  Where do I start?  I've been in touch with the DeWitt County Historical Society but they were unable to find my people.  Do I just show up at the courthouse and start going through records from the time frame they died?  In one case, I don't even know exactly when he died.

I've already done some pre-planning but I'd love any and all advice from the experts out there.  Let's hear it!