DAR?

Yes, My mother and I joined the DAR the other day.  Not only that but we joined the Cameo Society in the DAR.  My mother seems to be enjoying it and I really wish I could make it to the meetings – I joined the same chapter since really I feel more at home there.

What’s interesting is while talking about it, my middle son made a comment that made me realize he has no clue how much I care about my family history (and current family).  I have a super amazing family that has done a lot of things for the country, the family, and themselves.   Personally I’m pretty proud of the fact that I’m a farmer’s daughter that went on to college and not only got a bachelors degree but also a masters!  My mother was a coal miner’s daughter that lost her father at 3 years old.  Her mother (my grandmother) who was not only first generation American, English as a second language, and the only one of 10 kids to go to high school went on to own a bar for a short time and keep my mother and herself fed and housed.  My great grandmother came to the US with three kids by herself through Ellis Island to meet up with my great grandfather and kept having kids until she lost my great grandfather when my grandmother was 3.  She cleaned houses to support them all up until she wasn’t able to anymore and the oldest kids could take over.

On the other side of the family my father lost his mother at 13.  That side of the family has some amazing stories also that go all the way back to the founding of the country!  They even include Rev. John Corbly whose second wife and children were scalped by the Indians by Fort Garard PA.  I’m descended from wife 3 but his story is no less amazing with all the things he went through in his life – from being part of the forming of the first government to forming a section of the Baptist Church.

Personally, I’m pretty proud of the family I come from – I’m not sure the best way to instill in my kids that same feeling.

And It’s a Girl!

Yes we have added one more member to our family!  A girl this time.  Actually she’s an exchange student, but for this year we are a mixed family.  3 boys and a girl!

We are learning a lot this year, besides the experience of spending about 3 hours a day driving the kids one place or another in the car each day.  As crazy as this year has been and will be – I wouldn’t trade it.  I do have to wonder what Konnor thinks of the situation – one day we just suddenly added another teenager. I’m not sure what he will think also when she goes home.

Having an extra family member has definitely inspired us to do more fun things as a family this year.  Last weekend we ventured out to Jackson’s Orchard to try out the pumpkin patch and corn maze!  It brought back memories of my cousin Don’s pumpkins (though these were super small in comparison!) and his apples.  Konnor is hoping to ask dad to make him a corn maze.  I don’t think it will happen anytime soon (dad’s not really up to it anymore), but it does make me think I should talk to mom about if they have a patch of unused field that might work for next year.  Apparently Kentucky has a law protecting farms from being sued if they are engaged in agritourism – I really need to check if that’s true in Illinois too!  They are just now combining by the house at home so the timing could be perfect.

While at the orchard we got to take a hay wagon out to the patch.  I think my last hayride was in grade school with the cub scouts and the Flessners.  At least that’s the last one I really remember.  I DO remember though helping drive the tractor by the house while dad and company through hay onto the wagon.  I also remember being banned from participating after accidentally running over dad’s foot with the wagon and stopping the wagon ON his foot when he hollered at me to stop.  – My allergies were so bad that I was always delegated a task that involved me being in air conditioning (yep, they make International Harvester Tractors with cabs that are air conditioned and my dad had a big one!)

I really wish my kids would get a chance to know a little more about farming.

Kevin's First Pumpkin

Kevin’s First Pumpkin

Konnor at the Pumpkin Patch - Jackson's Orchard

Konnor at the Pumpkin Patch – Jackson’s Orchard

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

At the Pumpkin Patch

At the Pumpkin Patch

 

 

 

 

Growing up on a farm for Halloween is completely different though.  There isn’t trick or treating quite the way there is in a neighborhood.   Normally parents drive kids around to friends and family to show off costumes and collect some candy.  My parents probably won’t even bother to buy candy this year.   When we were kids I do remember my mother driving us in to trick or treat with the Peak family in Oakwood once or twice.  I don’t remember the trick or treating itself as much as just that we did it at least once.

Living in a neighborhood the kids will probably get enough candy this year to go into a sugar coma if they eat it all.  Would I change it?  No, not really – all in all I’m glad my kids get the chance to have both worlds. It would be nice if they were a little more ‘farm savvy’ but it’s great that they have a chance to experience some of both parts of life.

Bible Records

Ancestry has some bible records too.  I have had one bookmarked for a while that seemed like it should fit.  A John McArdle that was killed at age 50 while blasting rocks at Little Falls NY.  November 29, 1820.   I’ve kept it just in case but can’t find a person to match in my files.   I do have John McArdles in my file, but the death date and age range don’t match.  It’s always so exciting to find something with so much information that seems to be such a great find, and then so discouraging to not find a match.

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Collins McArdle Telegram

I’m sure this came from Karin also.  It’s a telegram from the early 1900s showing the death of Collins McArdle in Tonganoxie Kansas. It says he died ‘this PM.’ and I’d swear it says ‘Come Answer’  It’s signed Henry Gieb.  Reading documents like this is never easy. As time goes on they have yellowed or darkened with age making them difficult to ready.

Looking at my records Henry Geib was the husband of Lulu McArdle – Henry Geib was the son in law to Collins McArdle and Collins is listed as passing away in 1909 matching up with the telegram.  I have been trying to figure out the to on the telegram though.  It looks like it’s a Clarinda Keltner  – I did find a Claude Keltner so that most likely is the person.  Claude is the husband to Jennie Mae McArdle (also a daughter of Collins McArdle). Jennie Mae moved from Kansas to Oklahoma.

From all this I think this telegram was the method that one daughter (and Son in law) used to tell the other that their father had passed away….

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John and Alice McArdle (January 1, 1908)

Here’s another of the photos that I really wish I had documentation showing source.  I have it labeled with a date and name – so I suspect it’s another from Karin McArdle.   When I search my records I find a John McArdle and Nancy Alice McArdle that are children of Collins Tint McArdle.  I suspect these are the correct people. My file shows Nancy Alice being born in 1904 and John in 1905.  The picture is listed as 1908 so that would make Nancy Alice 4 and John 3.  From the pictures that looks about right.

 

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Collins T. McArdle – Postal Carrier

Collins was the first rural mail carrier in the Covington, Garfield Co., OK area – selling the route to John Fortnay, his assistant, sometime around 1920-1923 when he & his family moved to Vinita, OK.
Collins T. McArdle was born in Virginia, but lived most of his early life in Vermilion Co, IL. where my part of the family stayed. He moved his family to Leavenworth Co, KS in 1866. Collins took part in the Cherokee Strip Land Rush – taking along several of his sons & daughters. He & a few of his children remained on his claim long enough for his patent to be completed, then sold his land & returned to Leavenworth (Tonganoxie area), Kansas where he died in1909. Collins T. McArdle was my First Cousin 3X Removed.   (His grandfather was my 3rd great-grandfather)

My records list this as a picture of Collins T. McArdle.  It shows him in uniform getting ready to deliver mail.   I think the source of this picture is Karin McArdle.  Her husband is descended from Collins T. McArdle and she has done a lot of research on that branch of the family.

 

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