Posted in Monthly Dopamine Menu, Sunday Report

The Merry Month of May

Posted on by Jo Mayne Casey

I won a few pennies betting the Derby this year, finally breaking my losing streak – I actually bet the Winner to Win and am quite pleased. We’re off to a Great Start!

The month of May might have been named for the Roman Fertility and Spring goddess, Maia, or it could have come from the latin “maiores” which means “elders”. I think it’s the former, but we Elderly deserve our own month, a green one, not some gray wintry 30 days.

It is cold and rainy today, but our garden plants are fine with it. We have wisely waited to plant the sweet bell and banana peppers, but this should be our last cold snap. I am so excited about the garden this year because we have added a cattle panel trellis- Growing up the trellis are cantaloupe, butternut squash, sugar baby watermelons, burpless cucumbers – all except the sugar babies I started from seed! There’s also some King of the Garden butter beans I popped in the other day. and some sunflowers, too. We’ll fill in the sides with bush beans as soon as the weather permits.

May is Historic Preservation Month here in Eville and I’m going to try Again to go on the walking tour given annually through Oak Hill Cemetery. Oak Hill is chock-full of elaborate gravestones of local luminaries, including the folks who lived here at Sonnystone from 1923 to 1957–you remember the Smiths, don’t you? the ones who put the S on the chimney? Y’all know how I love cemeteries and this one is a gem. This is the last year that our local historian, Dennis Au, will be leading the tours, so I Must go.

There are many other Historic Preservation events scheduled, but several of them conflict with each other. Weird planning to have an Angel Mounds tour at the same time as the cemetery tour, or plan speakers at Willard the same time as Opening Night at Bosse Field. Come on, Evillians, work together here…

May 9 is the 17th birthday of my #2 Grandie, Nova. She will be participating in the National Archery Competitions in Louisville, KY on the 8th and the 10th, so we’ll have to plan a celebration a little off-date. She has had a good week-end this week-end – shot her personal best with the bow and arrow: 251; went to Prom with her handsome boyfriend, looking beautiful.

Nova and Aiden, Prom 2025

Mother’s Day, a commercial holiday that evokes guilt and loneliness, is celebrated on May 11. I’m not a big fan.

I think we’ll check out this month’s market auction in New Harmony on May 9-10. I’m in the market for furniture and that’s a good place to look. Besides, I like eating at the Yellow Tavern.

Shannon’s School of Dance Recital is May 17. Frankly, I usually skip out after I’ve watched the kids in the first half, but this year Nova is dancing in the second half, so I’ll have to sit still. It’s a wonderful program, honestly, but it is quite an extended sit for an ADD adult such as moi. They always have the best costumes, too.

Samantha — Tap
Samantha — Jazz

The Spring Antiques Show is scheduled for May 24 up in Darmstadt at the 4H. I’ll be there, too, and that’s Memorial Day Week-end, so there will be other festivities around the area. Our area tends to have beautiful weather all week before a planned event, then go wildly cold/wet/hot/ for the Day of. That’s Eville for ya…

Finally, my R cataract will be removed May 27 at 8:30am. By May 28, I should be able to look into my own eyes…

I shall try again to start the Garden Blog. I have been taking plenty of pictures, but no time to curate and publish. This month of greening and growing will inspire me, I’m sure. Gotta keep on growin’, right?

Peace

Posted in ......And they're Off!!!, Kentucky Derby

Run for the Roses #151

Posted on by Jo Mayne Casey

It’s going to rain all day in Louisville, KY. The dresses and the hats will still be bright and the juleps will bring joy to the crowd, but the backdrop of thunderclouds and mud is so disappointing. It’s hardly unusual, though. The First Saturday in May is always as fickle as the odds and I’ve worn coats and winter hats to the festivities several times.

After pouring over the statistics, pedigrees, colors of the horses, examining the trainers and jockeys carefully, and listening to plenty of podcasts giving expert picks, I have come to the startling conclusion that any of these horses could win. I know, I know it’s always like that, but with a completely washed out track (especially by race 12) the 3-year-old contenders’ history has not prepared them for deep mud.

So, it’s a horse race…a gamble. I’ve been consulting with my daughter and son-in-law, and though my girl-child is a born procrastinator and won’t make her mind up until 20 minutes to post, my son-in-law is more solid in his picks. His original choice of Rodriguez at the top had to change when said horse was scratched, but his final choices are #8, Journalism, #9 Burnham Square, #14 Tiztastic, and #17 Sandman. Those are some good picks.

I have figured out the way to Win this year and am so excited to present to you the JoJo Derby Wagering Scheme! I texted my grandies, asking them to pick a number between 1 and 20, not 10 (scratched), Their responses are brilliant and just as good as I could have deduced with all my study. Here we go:

Emma picked #8 – turns out that’s Journalism, the favorite, something like 6-5 odds

Nova picked #9 – Burnham Square, a fella I really like, going off at 16-1

Eliza picked #3 – Final Gambit, a Beautiful Gray horse, currently 15-1

Samantha picked #13 – Publisher, another good one, 30-1 odds

We’ve covered a lot of the field with those choices, but I want to point out #18 Sovereignty at 6-1 looks good and the #21, Baeva, just got into the race after Rodriguez was scratched and he could be The One at 18-1. Oh, and Baffert has one horse left in the race, Citizen Bull 13-1, a fine contender who pulled the unfortunate post position of #1, but on a day like today, anything is possible.

Okay, so it still is a lot of “Bet the Whole Field” strategy, but I’m really only going to wager on the Grandie’s Picks and maybe just one other…maybe…just one..

We’re staying home again this year — too cold for me to head out to Ellis Park’s Party, but I have my cute little outfit picked, complete with matching fascinator. We’re having fried chicken, potato salad, and pecan pie. I look forward to the pie as much as I do the race!

The Muddy Mess will be covered by Peacock and NBC, probably some other sports channels. I think they’re showing the whole race card over on Peacock, so you can make bets on how deep the mud will be by race #12. I stand by my “rain date” request.

And the Bourbon of the Day? Woodford Reserve.

Peace

Posted in Kentucky Oaks 2025

Kentucky Oaks picks

Posted on by Jo Mayne Casey

It’s Thurby in Louisville, KY and the excitement is growing. Thurby is a rebranded name for the Thursday before the Kentucky Derby where Churchill Downs celebrates Kentucky’s unique culture of bourbon, bluegrass music, and thoroughbred racing,

Back at the stables, the horses are prepping every morning, running a few furlongs to stretch their legs and show their ability. All eyes are on the favorites, but the whole roster is under scrutiny. There is rain predicted for both Friday and Saturday, so I expect a muddy track and these sprints give us little help in choosing who will ultimately triumph. I loathe watching the horses run in the mud and wish they would use rain dates, but they will delay and do their best to dry the track between downpours.

Tomorrow the Filllies run. The Kentucky Oaks is a prestigious Grade 1 stakes race for 3-year-old thoroughbred girl horses held annually at Churchill Downs. The winning filly is adorned with a garland of stargazer lilies, a tradition that gives the race its nickname. Inaugurated in 1875, the race boasts a lucrative $1.5 million purse, making it a highly desirable competition.

Unlike the Derby, which sees 20 horses racing, the Oaks runs only 14, making it a little easier to choose, This year’s favorites are #7 La Cara at 6-1, #11 Good Cheer 6-5, and #14 Quietside 8-1. I like all three of those gals and will probably box them. For a little longer odds, #2 Simply Joking 10-1 looks good, as does #6 Ballerina d’Oro 10-1, and #8 5G at 12-1. Baffert has a horse in, #9 Tenma 12-1, and I know never to ignore one of his trainees, There are only a few really long shots here (30-1), but with the track being sloppy, you never know.

The Oaks Race will be televised on Peacock, starting at 1pm tomorrow. They’ll show the whole race card!

This week has been so full of more appointments and the gardening has had to be worked in between, so I’m waiting until Saturday morning to decide who’s getting my wager in the Derby and what bourbon we’ll be sipping. As an added treat, I’ll let you know who my daughter and son-in-law have picked — they are generally in the money, whilst my percentages in recent years have been declining…like me…

I’ll be back Saturday morning, rain or shine.

Peace

Posted in Sunday Report

What’s goin’ on…

Posted on by Jo Mayne Casey

April has been its usual cruel self, teasing with warmth and sun, then raining all over my parade. We’ve accomplished quite a bit in the garden – new fence! new trellis! – I’m impatiently waiting for the wind to calm down and the warm to come and stay. But that’s Spring, isn’t it? I’m at my happiest when I’m working in the garden with Casey, so these days find me quite chuffed.

During my blogging break, I had several doctor appointments and some labs — all is well, but… It seems my cataracts are now ripe! I’ve been having increased difficulty seeing, but thought it was probably all in my head, so I’m grateful for the validation. We have scheduled the surgery on the right eye for May 27th and the left on June 10. Currently I keep reading glasses in every room of the house, around my neck, in my purse, in the car — I’ll be happy to donate them after the operation! The fancy lens I’m getting even corrects the intermediate vision, so I can even toss the special pair of lenses I use at the piano. I’m kind of scared of being able to see myself clearly in the mirror; right now I see a smeary blur with lipstick, but I suspect the details aren’t pretty…

I started seeing a chiropractor who is using myofascial release to unstick some neck problems I’ve had. He’s killing me, but it hurts so good. I think I’m getting more blood to my brain, too, but that may be my imagination. To be honest, it hasn’t helped my shoulder/neck at all, but I have hope that continued manipulation will work. I’m going a couple of times a week, eating a lot of ibuprofen. I really like the doc, so for now I’m trusting.

It’s Derby Week! and Baffert is Back! I’m just now getting around to studying up on the contenders and it looks like all my favorite trainers are represented. I’ll be putting out an Extra Extra Edition of The News on Thursday to discuss this year’s strategy, which will, hopefully, be more successful that my usual “Bet all 20 horses to show”. I am quite challenged by decision-making, even fretting over which bourbon to sip. Maybe a flight?

Check back this Thursday and see if I’ve made up my mind…

Peace

Posted in The Saga of Sonnystone Acres

Sonnystone Saga, Part Fini

Posted on by Jo Mayne Casey

 We are now on Part 6 of The Sonnystone Saga, the genealogy of our Old House. Here are the links to Part 1 and Part 2 and Part 3 and Part 4 and Part 5 in case you missed them. The Reed Family lived here for 60 years and it’s been a real romp re-posting their stories. I’m now ready to return to our normal programming, so don’t forget to stop by on Sunday to catch the latest news.

The Reeds: Coda

Minnie Reed Olmsted took possession of her family home, now known as Sonnystone Acres, in 1908 upon the death of her mother, Mary Inwood Reed. Mary was the last surviving child of pioneers William and Hannah Inwood, a family that had been integral to the British Settlement established in 1819. I have loved stalking the Inwoods…especially Uncle John and his kids…

In 1910, Minnie Reed Olmsted, 52, and her husband, Goodrich, 60, were living here at the Acres with a “boarder”, William Harper, 14. I believe he helped out on the farm, as their occupation was truck farming. Their oldest daughter, Emma, had married in 1906 and moved to New Albany, IN. Daughter Mary Ella, had married in 1908, and she and her husband, Oscar Hanning, owned a dairy farm on nearby Kratzville Road.

Minnie and Goodrich Olmsted…

Ada Reed Van Dusen, 50, and her husband, Louis, 52, were also empty nesters. Their daughter, Mary Irene, had married in 1901. Her husband was a butcher by the name of Louis Yokel. By 1910 Yokel had opened his own grocery and meat shop on the corner of Main and 7th streets, named Yokel and Sons. The family still lived on Stringtown Road, though, in a house across from present-day Old North UMC that we Almost bought just before we found Sonnystone. Coincidentally, I got to know Mary Irene’s daughter, Marjorie Yokel Copeland, and her grand-daughter, Carol Stremming, when I was attending Old North back in the 80s…

Sometime around 1910, Minnie’s son, Charles Elston Olmsted, and her sister Ada’s son, LeRoy Reed Van Dusen, set out for the West where they bought a farm/ranch in Prairie Springs, Idaho. Cousins! How adventurous!

As for the other Reeds in 1910, Thomas, 64, is still a drayman, still on Goodsell Street with a houseful. Living with him are his sons Harry and Inwood, Harry’s wife and three children, and his daughter, Sadie.

Jack Reed, now 68, is living out on Darmstadt Rd, boarding with Fred and Mary Kaiser. His occupation is “own account” which means he works for himself or has an independent income.

George Childs, 63, was the Postmaster of Chandler in 1910, where he and his wife, Anna, the schoolteacher, resided. Their son, Leslie, still lived with them and his occupation is listed as “gold miner”… Seriously. More likely, he was a coal miner.

Louis Van Dusen died in 1917 and Goodrich Olmstead died six months later in 1918. Per the 1920 census, the two widowed sisters, Minnie, 62, and Ada, 60, were living together here at Sonnystone. They list their occupation as truck farmers…always…

I can’t find a record of the death of Jack Reed, but according to my abstract he died around 1921. I’m not surprised that he wasn’t buried in the family plot. George Childs died in 1923 and he was interred with the rest of the family in Salem Cemetery.

In 1923, Minnie sold the farm and she and Ada Belle moved down the road to the old Van Dusen home. Minnie died in 1929 and her death certificate says that the coroner “took her remains” for an inquest. That would mean, I think, that she had died unexpectedly, perhaps in her sleep. It says he came to the scene at 7:30 a.m. and that the informant was Ada Van Dusen. Cause of death was “coronary lesion” — heart attack.

Ada Reed Van Dusen was the last survivor of the Reedmont days, living until 1943. She died at Regina Pacis Nursing Home.

In 1923, Sonnystone was given fresh life. The New Owners were George Davis Smith and his wife, Albion Bacon Smith. The Smiths placed the “S” on the chimney that inspired me to name the place Sonnystone Acres. They are responsible for the east addition and the garage-without-a-driveway, as well as the leftover kennel pens and the skeet-shooter hidden by brush on the edge of the woods. George and Albion were members of Elite Evansville Society, third-generation wealth.

Their fascinating family stories will take us back to the pioneer days of the British Settlement around McCutchanville and Mechanicsville again, but this time we’ll visit the bustling metropolis of Evansville before we return to “Stringtown Rd. 5 miles out”…

Stay Tuned…

Posted in Sunday Report, The Saga of Sonnystone Acres

Short Report and Part 5

Posted on by Jo Mayne Casey

Happy Easter and Passover and whatever Holy Day you celebrate today! We’re having an early breakfast with the Jrs and then spending the day in the garden. I hope your day is full of peace and love.

I hope to get the Garden Blog started up this Thursday and I’m excited to share the new features with you. The plan is to finish up the first six episodes of the Sonnystone Saga this Wednesday and have the second six-part season when things get boring again. I was stunned to discover that the Kentucky Derby 151 is two weeks away! Will I break my losing streak this year? I have hope.

 We are now on Part 5 of The Sonnystone Saga, the genealogy of our Old House. Here are the links to Part 1 and Part 2 and Part 3 and Part 4 in case you missed them. The Reed Family lived here for 60 years and require four separate posts to tell their story. It’s a real page-turner, so I hope that you will watch for the last installment to be posted this Wednesday. 

The Will

The will was signed and sealed on 12 January 1881.  John Reed died 14 January 1888, age 72. 

I wonder if his family were aware of the stipulations of John Reed’s Last Will and Testament before he died. The Will starts off quite normally:  Being of sound mind but failing body, Thank the Lord for his Goodness, pay all the debts, etc.  He leaves his beloved wife, Mary, all of his personal property and 1/3 of his real estate.  He dictates that she should keep all the income from all of the property for the first year.  Later in the Will, he names her as executor.

Then it gets convoluted, and of course, it’s about Jack.

“I give and devise unto my son, John Reed, a sum of money equal to 1/15 in value and amount of this devise shall be ascertained in the following manner to wit:  Within ninety days from my death, two reputable free-holders of Vanderburgh County, state of Indiana, wholly disinterested and not of kin to any of my devisees shall be selected, one of my said son, John, the other by Thomas Reed, George Childs, Minnie Olmsted, and Ada Belle Van-Dusen, to appraise the whole of the real estate of which I may die seized.”

I don’t think he trusts them..  There’s more…He says if any of them fail or refuse to select an appraiser then one should be chosen by his wife Mary along with the Vanderburgh County Court Clerk…and if they fail to agree with that choice, a third should be chosen and the majority rules. Old John was definitely expecting an argument!   So once they finally agree and get it appraised, John’s 1/15 is to be a lien on the property of the others and paid in a very specific manner

“Within ninety days from the day of my death and each of every ninety days thereafter on demand, the sum of twenty-five dollars, until the amount is fully paid; said sums so paid to be a credit upon my said son John’s legacy. “

He goes on to say that if the full amount isn’t paid within two years, interest of 4% should be paid to Jack.  If Jack dies before the full amount is paid, the rest is to be given to his grandchildren (Jack’s daughters) Alice and Mary Reed.  He also wills 1/15 of his real estate to Alice and Mary, to be held as joint tenants. No other grandchildren are mentioned.

Thomas Reed, George Childs, Minnie Olmsted, and Ada Van Dusen are each given 9/60 (nine sixtieths).  He stipulates that’s only if they give John his money.

Furthermore, he states:

“It is my further will that in case any of my devisees or legatees shall object to the provisions in this my will made for them and shall institute any legal proceedings for the purpose of setting this my will aside or in any manner interfering with the disposition herein made of any of my property, then and that case the devise of legacy herein made to the objector or objectors shall immediately become null and void and the share, or shares of the objector or objectors shall be divided equally share and share alike among those of my devisees or legatees who are satisfied and content with the provisions herein made for them.“

Phew! Old John was sure an enabler, wasn’t he? His son, Jack, was obviously a problem and my life experience makes me suspect there is alcohol involved, but general laziness seems to be present, as well. Why would you make your other children basically support the wastrel? I’m of the opinion he didn’t do right by his wife, either. Mary was only 64-years-old at the time of her husband’s death and he should have just left his entire estate to her and let her sort it out — but I suppose Mary would Not have been so generous to Jack.

In 1889, Thomas, George, Minnie, and Ada did go to court against Mary, the grand-daughter.  Her sister, Alice, had died before her grandfather.  Mary had claimed that the Will gave she and her sister Each 1/15 and that she was her sister’s legal heir. However, the case was found in favor of the plaintiffs and grand-daughter Mary was given only 1/15…which is what it seems to me that her grandfather wanted.  The land is partitioned off in that document, giving Jack’s daughter, Mary, about 14 acres, leaving 100 or so to the Big Four.

Sonnystone proper belonged to Mary Inwood Reed as part of her 1/3.  It consisted of the house and about 60 acres.  Thomas Reed and George Childs sold their share of the land to their sisters and George bought a place in Chandler, IN.   The Van Dusens and Olmsteds pretty much stayed in the homes where they’d always lived and continued to farm through the decade of the 1890s.

By 1900, Charles and Minnie Olmsted and their three teenagers were living at Sonnystone with Mary, age 77.  Louis and Ada Belle Van Dusen lived just down the road and Louis’s 84-year-old mother lived with them.  Both families had a servant living with them.  Both men are listed as gardeners…!

George and Anna Childs were still in Chandler.  George is listed as an “agent machines?”.  The machine part is pretty clear, but I can’t read the first word well. Son John, 25, was a schoolteacher like his Mom.  19-year-old son Leslie was a day laborer.

Thomas Reed was still on Goodsell Street, still working as a drayman.  He had a houseful: four children, Harry, 24; Ben (also called Inwood), 21; Thomas, jr., 18; and Sarah Belle, 13;  and one niece, Ella, 30 (daughter of cousin James Inwood, who had died in 1884).  But that’s not all..  Thom’s wayward brother, Jack Reed, 55-years-old, is also living with him, not working… What a guy…

Mary Inwood Reed died 17 April 1908.  Her death certificate states cause of death as senility.  She was 85-years-old.  The following month court papers were filed stating that Thomas Reed, George Childs, and Ada Van Dusen gave up all their claim to Mary’s property and giving it to Minnie Reed Olmsted.  It is the first time that I see the property listed as our address on Stringtown Road, though it is still a rural route.

Minnie Reed  Olmsted was now the proud owner of her family home, Reedmont, aka Sonnystone Acres.

Stay tuned…

 

 

 

 

 

Posted in The Saga of Sonnystone Acres

Sonnystone Saga – Part 4

Posted on by Jo Mayne Casey

 We are now on Part 4 of The Sonnystone Saga, the genealogy of our Old House. Here are the links to Part 1 and Part 2 and Part 3 in case you missed them. The Reed Family lived here for 60 years and require four separate posts to tell their story. It’s a real page-turner, so I hope that you will watch for the next installments to be posted on Wednesdays and Sundays.

Reedmont 1870-1888

When the enumerators returned to Reedmont, aka Sonnystone Acres, in 1870, John, now 54 years old, and Mary, 47, still had four of their children living with them:  Sarah Childs, 27; George Childs, 23; Minnie, 14; Ada, 12.

By the time of the 1870 census, Jack Reed was 28 years old and married to Jane Sutton.  His occupation is listed as “laborer” and he owns his own home in Evansville valued at $1100 with personal property $200.  Living with him are his father-in-law, William Sutton, a laborer, and his brother-in-law, Joseph Sutton, an insurance clerk.  Mr. Sutton and his family had arrived from England in 1853 when Jane was 11 years old.

John’s ex-wife, Sarah Inwood  Green, 50,  was living with her sons, William, 15, and Benjamin, 13, in downtown Evansville near the home of her brother, William.  She says she is a widow, keeping house.

Regarding the rest of the Inwood siblings, John had retired from farming and was also living in downtown Evansville.  John evidently thought a lot of the Reeds, as he named one of his sons Thomas Reed Inwood…very confusing because he and Thomas Reed are nearly the same age.  Uncle George Inwood is still living on the farm nearby Reedmont and has a servant by the name of Anna Davidson living with him and his wife,

The decade of the 70’s brought many changes, particularly weddings…

Thomas got the ball rolling in 1873 when he married — get this– his cousin, Amelia Inwood, one of his Uncle John Inwood’s daughters!  So Thomas Reed and Thomas Reed Inwood were cousin/brothers-in-law…weird…

In 1874, George Childs, 27, married Anna Georgianna Davidson, 22.  Anna is the same servant who had been living with Uncle George Inwood, but she is subsequently listed as a schoolteacher.

Early in 1878, Uncle John Inwood died and was buried in the McCutchanville cemetery next to his wife, Harriett.

1878 saw the wedding of the youngest Reed, Ada, who was also called Belle.  She was 18 when she married Louis Van Dusen, 22.  Louis was the son of Martin Van Dusen, a wealthy farmer who lived in nearby Kratzville.  His mother was Abby Olmsted, daughter of Judge William Olmsted, one of Vanderburgh County’s first magistrates.  Judge Olmsted, who had come to Evansville in 1818 from Ridgefield, Connecticut, was not “learned in the law”, but he was scrupulously honest, unlike many judges at that time.  He was also County Commissioner and a well-respected public servant.

In 1879, Minnie Faye Reed married Charles Goodrich Olmsted, Jr., a cousin of Louis VanDusen,  and another grandson of Judge Olmsted.  His grandfather wasn’t his only claim to fame, though.  His father, Charles,Sr. was 37 years old with four children when he joined the Union Army in 1861.  He was captain of the 42nd Indiana Volunteers, and by all accounts an excellent leader.  He died at the head of his command at the Battle of Perryville, KY.  He was a Hero to the residents of Vanderburgh County.  His widow kept his farms in Mechanicsville near Reedmont and raised the children there.  Charles, Jr. went by the name “Goodrich”…

The Reed-Olmsted nuptials were held right here at Sonnystone…

From the Evansville Journal

In 1880 John Reed’s property was a compound of four families.  John and Mary Reed lived in Sonnystone house with George and Anna Childs and their son, John Reis Childs; next door were the Van Dusens, Ada and Louis, and their daughter, Mary Irene; next door to them were Goodrich and Minnie Olmstead who were newly-weds.  All the men were farmers and Anna is a schoolteacher.

Thomas and Amelia Reed, living on Goodsell Street in Evansville, had two sons by 1880, Harry, 4, and Benjamin, 11 months.   Thom’s sister-in-law/cousin, Mary Inwood, (daughter of the late John Inwood) was also living with them, working as a schoolteacher.

Where’s Jack?  In 1880 Jack was living with his cousin, James Inwood, son of the late Uncle John.  He was not listed as a cousin, however.  Instead, his relationship to James was “servant” and his occupation was listed as “servant/farm laborer.  Jack is divorced.  His ex-wife, Jane Sutton Reed, and his daughters, Alice and Mary, were living with her brother, Joseph, and his family.

Jack seems a little troubled, doesn’t he?  He probably blamed it on the divorce…  I have reason to believe that he didn’t get along well with his half-siblings…

Jack’s mother, Sarah Inwood Green,  ex-wife /sister-in-law of of John E. Reed,  died in 1884 and was buried in the Inwood family plot at McCutchanville Cemetery.  I continue to look for her sons, the Green boys, to no avail.

In 1886, George Inwood, Mary’s last surviving brother, sold his farm adjacent to Reedmont and moved with his family to Kansas.

John E. Reed died on January 14, 1888 at the age of 72.  He left a Last Will and Testament that is a doozey…  It sits prominently at the front of the Abstract of Sonnystone, so it caught my eye immediately as I started my research.  Anytime you end a Will with the warning that anyone who objects to it should be disinherited you figure you’ve got a Feuding Family…

Stay Tuned…

 

Posted in Sunday Report, The Saga of Sonnystone Acres

Wee Sunday Report & Part 3 of the Saga

Posted on by Jo Mayne Casey

My favorite plant store opened yesterday and I was first one there! I’ve bought tomatoes and sweet peppers to baby until it’s time to put them in the ground. I’m going back today to get more tomatoes, as I am going to do some experimenting this year with partial shade…

You’ll learn all about it in a couple of weeks when I start the garden blog, Growing Every Season.

We are now on Part 3 of The Sonnystone Saga, the genealogy of our Old House. Here are the links to Part 1 and Part 2 in case you missed them. The Reed Family lived here for 60 years and require four separate posts to tell their story. It’s a real page-turner, so I hope that you will watch for the next installments to be posted on Wednesdays and Sundays. I could have worked it into longer posts, but I’m too busy right now to do much more than a cursory edit.

I hope you enjoy the tale and that you’re also enjoying Spring as much as I am! If you need me, I’ll be out in the garden!!!

Meet the Reeds

After twenty years living here on Stringtown Road, Jacob and Maria Miller sold their property to one Mr. John L. Reed and his wife. Mr. Reed was born in England in 1815, but Try as I might, I find no record of his parents or when he arrived in the area. In those days, the village of McCutchanville, just three miles northeast of the Miller farm, was referred to as the British Community, so it seems logical a Brit arriving in the area would gravitate there.

I know much more about the background of his wife, as her parents were among the earliest settlers in Southern Indiana. William and Hanna Inwood were from Godalming, Surrey, England. When they arrived in the USA in 1821, they already had three children: Harriett, b. 1815; John, b. 1817; and Sarah, b. 1820; and three more were born after their move to Indiana:  Mary, b. 1823; George, b. 1826; and William, Jr. b. 1828.  The Inwood family settled land between Stringtown and McCutchanville along the state road, now Petersburg Road and became prominent citizens of the village community.

So it happened that in 1841, John Reed married Sarah Inwood, the daughter of William, Sr. and Hannah.  John and Sarah had three children together:  John “Jack”, b. 1842; Thomas, b. 1846; and Mary J., b. 1849.  The 1850 census shows that the family lives in Kratzville, a small community near Stringtown.  John was working for a trucking service as a drayman (driver of a beer truck). He owns real estate valued at $1100.  The kids were ages 7, 4, and 1.

Something very unexpected occurred between 1850 and 1860…John and Sarah Inwood Reed divorced.

Divorced?! you say, Divorced in the 1850’s?!  Unheard of.  I don’t have record of the actual divorce as those are hard to come by, but I discovered — to my amazement — that divorce was not as uncommon as I thought in those years.  In fact, Indiana had such lax divorce laws in the 1850s that coming to the state was a popular quick way to shed your spouse.

From “The Indiana Magazine of History” : [From 1852 ] until 1873, Indiana used to have one of the most liberal divorce laws in the country, and unhappily married individuals flocked to the Hoosier state in order to bring their unions to a quick—and relatively painless—end. According to Garber, in those days judges were inclined to grant a divorce decree “as a matter of course in every case where the defendant did not appear and oppose it.” The applicant had only to provide “proof of residence” and swear under oath that there was “statutory cause” for their petition.

Still, Divorce was considered quite scandalous in polite society… It appears that Sarah Inwood Reed was the first to stray which was even more sordid.   Sarah gave birth in 1856 to a son named William Green and in 1858 had another son, Benjamin Green.  I have no clue who their Daddy was, though I’ve looked everywhere for him.  The only candidate I’ve found would be a married man!  I’ve not ruled it out…

As if that weren’t scandalous enough, guess who John took up with and married? Sarah’s younger sister, Mary Inwood Childs! Mary had married Stephen Childs in 1842 and they had two children:  Sarah, (ironic that she named her daughter after her sister…) b. 1843; and George, b. 1847.. I do not see a record of Stephen Childs’ death — or his life, for that matter, other than the record of his marriage to Mary, but let’s just assume that he died since the children were always with Mary.

The situation caused great family dissension as well as scandal, so John and his new wife, Mary, moved to Richmond, Indiana around 1855 or 56 and lived there for the next four years. While there, they had two children, Minnie in 1857, and Ada Belle, born 1859. Mary’s children, Sarah and George were living with them, as well as John’s sons, Jack and Thomas, but their daughter disappears during that decade.

So it was that in 1860, John and Mary Inwood Reed returned to Center Township, Vanderburgh County. Post office of McCutchanville, and moved back into the bosom of Mary’s family.  They named their estate Reedmont.  Mary’s brother, John Inwood, and his family lived on the farm just south of them.  Her brother, George, lived two farms north.  Welcomed back into the fold?  By some, perhaps, but the Inwood family reunions must have been a bit awkward…

The family had moved in by the June, 1860 census and it shows that the property is valued at $2700, personal property $120.  They had a full house:  Sarah Childs, 17; George Childs, 13; Thomas Reed, 14; Minnie, 3; and Ada (Belle), 7 months.  Jack., 18, is also counted as living with them, working as a farmhand.

John’s ex-wife, Sarah Inwood Green. and her two sons, ages 5 and 3, were living with her youngest brother, William, a grocer who lived in downtown Evansville.  Guess who else is counted as living there in the 1860 census?  Her son with John Reed, Jack, is listed as a drayman. It would seem Jack went back and forth between his parents, a sign of things to come.

I can’t find a record of Jack serving in the Civil War, though he was just the “right” age for it.  Thomas Reed was only 15 in 1861 when the War started, but he managed to get in at the very end, joining the Indiana 42nd Regiment, Company A in February of 1864.  The 42nd met up with Sherman to fight the Battle of Jonesboro and were part of the March to the Sea and the Siege of Savannah.

By the end of the war, all were back home and the decade of the 1870’s was a bright one for most of the Family of Reedmont.

Stay Tuned…

 

 

 

Posted in The Saga of Sonnystone Acres

Part 2 – First Family: The Millers

Posted on by Jo Mayne Casey

As noted in Part 1 of this series, Jacob and Maria/Mary Miller were the first folks to build a home here on the land we’ve named Sonnystone Acres.

Jacob Miller was born 1812 in the Electorate of Hessia.  It’s unclear when he came over from Germany and finding a Jacob Miller/Muller/Mueller in the plethora of German immigrants who swarmed into Vanderburgh County in those days is like finding a needle in a haystack.

What’s certain is this particular Jacob Miller was 26-years-old when he married Maria Klein in 1838.  He bought his first 20 acres of land in Center Township in 1840 and opened a blacksmith shop, one of many in Mechanicsville,  on the north corner of Sonnystone, near the State Road (now Stringtown Road).  Just up the hill, they built the original Sonnystone house, and the hand hewn logs that Jacob placed as a foundation are still there.

All five of the Miller Children were born here, every two years from 1840 until 1848. Henry was the oldest, followed by Conrad, John, Jacob Jr. and Mary. The children grew up helping on the farm, and enjoying the close community. They attended church and were educated in the schools of the time, likely down the road at Old North Chapel (built in 1832). None of the children followed their father into blacksmithing, however.

During the 20 years that the children grew up here, Mechanicsburg was a close community, but the population was dwindling and many businesses were relocating. After their son, John, died in 1860, the family sold their farm and Jacob, Sr. moved his blacksmith shop south of Pigeon Creek (in the area where Cedar Hall School sits today) closer to downtown Evansville, where his sons were working.

Oldest son Henry was working as a Post Office clerk in 1860, living down near the Ohio River. Conrad and Jacob, Jr. were working as sales clerks at a downtown dry goods establishment

When the Civil War started, Henry found work on the steamboats and was a  Union Army Captain by the end of the war.  I have record of Jacob, Jr. serving in the 136th Regiment of Indiana Volunteer Infantry, but none of Conrad’s service. The family actually prospered during the War years, as Evansville was a busy port, and Conrad and Jacob,Jr. were learning the business of dry goods. Sadly, Henry died in 1868, leaving behind a wife and three daughters.

By 1870 Jacob,Sr. had retired from the smithy and the couple were living with Conrad and Jacob Jr., all of them rather wealthy according to the census. 

In 1871, the two surviving Miller sons, who had grown up here on the farm, established a business together: Miller Brothers Dry Goods. Maria and Jacob must have been very proud of their sons! While I’m not certain, I believe their daughter married well and was living nearby when Maria passed in 1879, and Jacob, Sr. died in 1883.

In 1885 the Miller Brothers erected a building on Main Street that was the Largest dry goods store in the state at the time and for many years thereafter.

In 1886, Conrad withdrew from the business and moved to Boston and engaged in the same sort of business, becoming a successful merchant there. After Conrad left Miller Bros. Jacob joined in with W.S. Gilbert and the name of the business became Gilbert-Miller Dry Goods.

Jacob, Jr. never married, but has a lengthy biography in the aforementioned “History of Vanderburgh County” (1889) that gushes over his character and accomplishments. He served for a year in the Civil War, and was also a city councilman for several years.

In the meantime (1887), Conrad, age 45 and now living in Boston, MA,  married Anna “Annie” Jenness who is a famous lady that I’d  never heard of.  She was a “dress reformer” and I find her a fascinating figure, though only tangentially related to Sonnystone…

From Wikipedia:  Anna “Annie” Jenness Miller (January 28, 1859—August 1935) was a pioneering clothing designer and an advocate for dress reform, as well as an author and lecturer.  She basically loosened the corsets and invented “leglets” for women, making it easier for them to ride bicycles.  I think we call them pants today.    She was really cool, a member of the Massachusetts Women of Letters alongside the likes of Louisa May Alcott, Julia Ward Howe, Lucy Stone — and all of that was before she married Conrad (17 years her senior) at age 28.  You can read more about here here.

 

During the 20 years that the Millers lived at Sonnystone the area had faltered commercially.  Evansville’s population, which had declined between 1840 and 1850 to only 3,235, surged to 11,484 in 1860 and businesses there were growing strong.  The areas around Sonnystone –Stringtown, Mechanicsville, Kratzville, and McCutchanville — were mostly farms.

John Reed bought the estate from the Millers in 1860 and he and his family farmed here for 63 years.

The Reeds have a convoluted, rather scandalous, story to tell…

Stay Tuned…

 

Posted in The Saga of Sonnystone Acres

Introducing a New/Old Series

Posted on by Jo Mayne Casey

We weathered the windy weather well, but it was as scary as any I’ve witnessed. Now we’re on Day 4 of thunderstorms and interminable rain. I am not Inspired…

In order to spare you a report of the monotony of my life, I’m starting up a new/old series!  If you’re a long-time reader, you may have read my stories of the families who lived here on Sonnystone Acres.  It’s a 12-part collection, spanning 179 years, and includes biographies of several local founders.  I hope you will enjoy reading it…

The Sonnystone Saga:  Introduction

In 2003 we bought a falling-down old house on 4 acres of property.  We were new empty-nesters and had been looking for a fixer-upper with some land for a while. This one fit the bill and was less than a mile from the neighborhood where we’d lived and raised our children for 18 years.

We bought the house from a couple of 80-somethings who had lived here for 30 years. The lady was ill and he was old and it fell into disrepair.  They had no children and when the gentleman died a nephew moved her to St. Louis.  About a year after we moved in, we received a package from the nephew that contained the property’s original paper abstract, a collection of legal documents that chronicles transactions associated with the land, including references to deeds, mortgages, wills, probate records, etc.

The abstract is only about the property, and though its owners are named, it gives me no clue as to what was built here, e.g. homes, barns, businesses.  It’s full of measurements using chains and rods and stones that interest my husband, but I was more intrigued by the presence of a Last Will and Testament and a couple of court records, and recognized the surnames of some of the former owners who have streets around here named after them.

I had already been curious about the “S” on the chimney outside…what did it originally stand for?  (Smith)  There is a name carved in a stone step (with a boot-scraper embedded) that sits at our front door.  Who was that? (John E. Reed) The answers in the Abstract only led to more questions, and nearly 20 years ago I collected some info at our Historical Society. The venture was sidelined for years until I subscribed to ancestrydotcom, where I started a Sonnystone Acres Family Tree and uncovered all new info about the first three families, stretching from 1846 to 1957.

We’ll start, though, with the original land patent.  On March 26, 1821, the northwest quarter of Section 5. Town 7 south, Range 10 west, containing 169.2 acres according to Government survey was entered at the U.S. Land Office at Vincennes, Indiana, by William Hampton.

This land is located in Vanderburgh County, Center Township, specifically in an area once known as Mechanicsville.

From “A History of Vanderburgh County, from the Earliest Times to the Present”, published in 1889:

{referencing Center Township}: The principal village in the township is Mechanicsville, commonly called Stringtown, because its houses are strung along the road.  At a very early date, the point where the Petersburgh road left the State road was selected as a good place for a smithy and wagon shop. It was a busy place in early times…

Mr. Ira Fairchild, who came with his family from New York to Indiana in 1818, thus pictures the early days of this village : “In 1829 my father removed’to Mechanicsville and opened a blacksmith’s shop …  which was a famous institution in its day. This house was built of heavy hewed logs, 30×40 feet square, had five forges and worked a force of seven or eight hands. All the livery horses of Evansville were brought there to be shod, and all sorts of iron work was done. At this time Mechanicsville seemed in a fair way to outstrip Evansville in the race for position. Thomas Smith had built a saw-mill on Pigeon creek, and on the hill where he afterward kept tavern he carried on a cabinet shop, … and supplied the demand for furniture for miles around. The village also boasted of a well-kept hotel, a’ wagon shop, and country store, and was withal a place of very considerable local importance.”

In 1839, William Hampton and wife conveyed to John H. Craig 89.2 acres.  The next year, 1840, John H. Craig sold 20 of those acres to Jacob Miller and another 20 acres to Jacob Winkleman.  Mr. Winkleman sold his 20 acres to John Hardy in 1845.  In 1847, Hardy and his wife sold those acres to Jacob Miller.  Miller now owned about 40 acres of the original William Hampton land patent.

Jacob Miller and his wife Maria (Mary) were Sonnystone’s first residents.

Stay Tuned…

Peace