Progress Notes

Did you know that long ago walnut trees were a source of dye for the rural farm wife who had to sew and color the clothing for her family? I know I didn’t until I came across the following article from the Autogram:

Miller County Autogram

May 23, 1935

“They Cut Down The Old Coloring Tree!”

The old walnut tree which was a landmark on the Graham farm on the Saline, in 1850 when Alexander Graham and wife, Jane, settled on the farm, has been cut down and hauled away to the mill. A.H. Edwards bought the tree and cut it into logs, then it was hauled to St. Louis by C.P. Tellman and son (photos 01 and 02).

01 Arthur Edwards

02 Charles Tellman

The tree had a history all its own, for three fourths century ago our pioneers depended upon their own resources for making and dyeing cloth, and Mrs. Graham spun the wool and wove it into cloth and then colored the cloth. And the dye was secured from the old walnut tree for it was made from bark and peeled from the tree.

Mr. and Mrs. Alexander Graham were parents of Dave, Frank and Andrew Graham, and Dave now owns the old home place. It was with sadness that the family had the old tree carted away to make furniture, for it was a tradition in the family, a member of the family “tree,” so to speak.

According to the present owner of the farm, the tree had scarcely grown any at all since his parents settled on the place, and it still showed the scars left when it gave its bark to dye the linsey for making the family’s clothing.

Note: Read the following attachment to learn more about “linsey” (photo 03):

03 Linsey
Click image to read entire document in PDF format

Many sturdy trees in Miller County could tell interesting stories of old days if they could only speak. And the old walnut “coloring” tree had its part in the history.

In addition to learning about “coloring trees” and “linsey” this article also created for me some curiosity about the Graham family of Etterville. So I visited Robert (“Bob”) Graham of near Eugene/Etterville recently to learn more about his Graham ancestry. Robert and Mrs. Graham live on a large farm in a home which has a beautiful expansive view looking south for several miles in which you can see as far as the hills on the other side of the Osage River. Here are photos of Mr. and Mrs. Graham in their home and the beautiful view south looking out their front door (photos 04 and 05):

04 Mr. and Mrs. Robert Graham

05 View to the South

Robert told me that his father and mother were Obra and Rose Graham (photo 06); his grandparents were Andrew and Anna Graham (photo 07), and his great grandparents were Alexander B. and Gean M. (Jane) Marshall Graham (photo 08).

06 Orbra and Rose Graham

07 Andrew and Anna Graham

08 Alexander B. Graham Sr. and Jean Marshall Graham

Here is a detailed genealogical descendency of the Alexander Graham family which you can read via this attachment (photo 09):

09 Genealogy of Alexander Graham
Click image to read entire document in PDF format

In the story above about the “Coloring Tree”, the Dave Graham (Samuel David Graham) mentioned was a brother to Robert’s grandfather, Andrew Graham (photo 10).

10 Samuel David Graham and Alice Thaynes Graham

Here is a short biography of Alexander Graham, the first of this family to live in Miller County:

“Alexander B. Graham, Sr. was born October 22, 1826 in Scotland and died April 8, 1902 in Miller County, MO and was buried in Mt. Pleasant Cemetery. According to the research of Ida Marguerite Goodrick he was found in the 1880 census in Scotland with his father born in England and his mother born in Scotland. He immigrated to the United States in possibly 1857 arriving in Canada where he stayed for 6 months with his wife Jean, son Alexander Graham, Jr. and daughter who died and was buried there. He was called Sinney by his wife and the couple was known in their neighborhood as Mr. & Mrs. Sinney.”

Alexander Graham was quite an aggressive businessman in addition to his farming activities. He became very involved in the lead mining business in the county early on, especially the Curty mine. I had discussed this mine and Alexander’s interest in it in the previous Progress Notes of December 26, 2011.

If you want you can read more about Alexander’s interest in mining at the original webpage just cited or in this narrative attachment (photo 11):

11 Curty Lead Mine
Click image to read entire document in PDF format

The Robert Graham family has had a long history in Miller County north of the Osage River. However, Robert told me that as far as he knows his family is not related to the Graham families south of the river. I certainly appreciate the time he gave me to inquire into his family’s history and for furnishing me the family photos to scan for our webpage.

A few weeks ago I went over to the Ulman Post Office to pick up some old documents which were of some historical interest for research purposes. Currently, the future of the Ulman Post office is tenuous due to the government’s intention to close many of the small, rural Post Offices throughout the nation. The building in which it is located originally was the Ulman Bank, and the façade of the front of the building still has engraved the word “BANK.” Here is an old photo of the building taken in the early 1900’s which includes the officers of the bank at that time (photo 12).

12 Ulman Bank before the Post Office Arrived

Here is a current photo taken by Ginny Duffield (photo 12a):

12a A post office has been at Ulman (originally Ulman’s Ridge) since 1857,
but the small post office is being considered for closure with the data gathering
process underway by the United States Postal Service.
(Photo by Ginny Duffield)

Peggy Hake has written the history of the bank in which she includes the names of the officers who were standing in front of the bank in the order in which they appear in the photo. Here is Peggy’s narrative:

BANK OF ULMAN
By Peggy Smith Hake

I do not know for sure when the Bank of Ulman organized but it was 100 years ago, in 1907, the first building was constructed in the middle of the small village (once called Ulman’s Ridge before, during and after the Civil War years). NOTE: The post office at Ulman’s Ridge was in existence from 1857-1895 and the present post office was renamed Ulman in 1895.

In 1907, the Board of Directors of the Bank of Ulman included seven men:

1.     John B. Reed, who was a resident of the Ulman community. He was born in 1866 in Miller County and married Cora Markle in 1893. By 1919, he was the bank’s cashier.

2.     Walter “Wolf” Dawson, born in Missouri in 1850.  He lived in Equality Township, a few miles northeast of Ulman with his wife, Lena (Markle). She was a niece of John B. Reed and his wife, Cora Markle Reed. In an old Miller County Autogram, dated Jan 26, 1905, was found the following news item…”Wolf Dawson of Ulman says he may be getting old, but he’ll never get ugly!”

3.     Dr. George W. Duncan was a son of James and Sarah Duncan of eastern Miller County. His father was a native of Nashville, Tenn. Dr. Duncan and his wife, the former Myrtle Ramsey, lived in Iberia.
 

4.     Paul Nixdorf…his name was Anthony Paul Nixdorf Jr., born in Miller County in 1874. He was a son of Dr. Anthony Paul Nixdorf Sr., a native of Germany. Paul Jr. married Ida Cooper in 1901 and they lived near Pleasant Farm, Osage Township, a few miles northeast of Ulman. By 1919, he was the bank’s president.

5.     Bird T. Watkins was born in Miller County in 1858. He and his wife, the former Mary Ann Hughes, lived in Richwoods Township in the Hickory Point community in the Little Richwoods.

6.     Henry Bear, born in Ohio in 1837, came to Miller County with his parents when he was a young boy. Henry first married Lucinda Spearman and after her death, he married Virginia F. (Livingston) Castleman, widow of Benjamin Castleman. They lived in Glaize Township near Ulman at the turn of the 20th century.

7.     John Wilson was born in Miller County in 1852 and was a member of an early pioneer family of the county. In 1870, John married Susan Martin and they were residents of Glaize Township.

Today, 100 years after construction, the old Ulman Bank building is used as Ulman’s post office.

Note: Henry Bear, second from the right in the photo above, was a great great uncle of mine, brother to my great grandfather, David Christian Bear.

Now, as noted above, the bank building houses the Ulman Post Office. The history of the Post Office was presented in an article published by the Autogram in 1997 at the occasion of its 140th anniversary:

Miller County Autogram Sentinel
April 10, 1997

140 years

Celebration Saturday for Ulman Post Office

The Ulman Post Office is 140 years old, and a face lift and some modernization are coinciding with the celebration. An open house is planned from noon until 3 p.m. Saturday, April 12, by Postmaster Peggy Myers. Refreshments will be served (photo 13).

13 Peggy Myers at Ulman Post Office
Click image for larger view

A special cancellation will be available that day and for 30 days after the anniversary date. The cancelation features a line drawing of the old stone building housing the post office.

Also planned is a display of historical photos and other artifacts, many supplied by Debbie and Greg Huddleston.

Mrs. Myers said the remodeling work “just happened” to occur prior to the anniversary celebration.

The post office has been located in the old Bank of Ulman building on Route C for some time. The building now has new flooring, a new ceiling, a ramp from the parking lot to make the building handicapped accessible and some of the old quarter sawn oak wood work in the front lobby has had thick layers of paint removed. Mrs. Myers is still looking for suggestions on how to spruce up the painted front of the building. She still plans to paint the new ceiling.

Some work also was done on the building’s windows and entryway.

She did the wookwork refinishing in the front lobby. It took her about 12 hours work with striper, steel wool and a wire brush to get the cared oak decorations paint free.

Mr. Myers has been postmaster since October 13, 1984, taking over from Tennyson Patterson, who was officer in charge at the post office until her appointment. Patterson also served as officer in charge for about four months in 1983.

Mrs. Myers said the number of patrons served by the post office has grown steadily in the last 12 years. Route 1 has grown from 57 families to 84. HCR 15 serves 6a4 families and HCR 9 serves about the same. There also are a number of area residents who use post office boxes, and come into the post office several times a week or even daily to get their mail.

There have been two or three route extensions during her dozen years at the post office, she said, including adding patrons along a road off Route JJ, known locally as the River Road.

The Post office was established as Ulman’s Ridge in 1857. James H. Karr became postmaster on April, 1857. Karr was a deacon at the Brumley Baptist Hurch and lived in a two story cement house in Ulman, which was known as the old Barney Reed place, according to post office history gathered by Myers.

The name was changed to Ulmans Ridge, with the apostrophe removed, on October 16, 1893. On April 25, 1895, the name was changed to just Ulman.

Joseph S. Phillips took over as postmaster on July 19, 1859, and continued until December 18, 1861, when the post office was discontinued. It was reestablished on May 10, 1866 and Clayton S. Phillips became postmaster.

Other postmasters or those serving in a temporary capacity and their first date of employment were: Theodore B. Doolittle, November 20, 1866; William Coburn, December 13, 1877; Alonzo Reed, June 15, 1889; James A. Belshe, February 25, 1891.

John B. Norwood, October 16, 1893; Margaret Norwood, February 4, 1894; Barney Reed Jr., April 25, 1895; Taylor F. Sullivan, May 15, 1897; Nora C. Sullivan, April 20, 1898; Alonzo Reed, February 9, 1899; Nora C. Meyers, May 10, 1900; Fred L. Williams, July 31, 1902; Charles B. Bass, August 3, 1914; Mrs. Stella D. Pemberton, acting postmaster, August 1, 1943; Miss Julia Jackson, April 9, 1946; Mrs. Pearl J. Graham, acting postmaster, May 31, 1961; Mrs. Myna (Myrna) J. McGowin, March 26, 1963; officer in charge, March 10, 1963; Billie Ash, June 25, 1993; Patterson, officer in charge, June 8, 1994; and Myers, October 13, 1984.

Our museum over the years has been donated quite a few old family Bibles by relatives of Miller County residents of the past which once belonged to their ancestors. The Bibles almost always are of the King James Version, the only differences are in regard to how they are bound, their size, and their age. These old Bibles usually have a few pages in the middle of the book where family histories and other interesting information have been written; and that feature is what is the most interesting to me. Otherwise, very few are Bibles which would be considered “collectors’ items.” In fact, we have so many now that we can only accept Bibles which might be considered unique due to age or scarcity of that particular version. However, even if a Bible is not unique in some way sufficient for us to want to place it in our library, I always review the family histories and other information usually written in the middle of the Bibles which are brought to us.

One of the Bibles recently brought to us by Marilyn Rodden belonged to George A. Wall, a resident of Iberia, who had passed away in 1956. Here are a couple of photos of George and his wife Sarah at different ages in their life (photos 14 and 15):

14 George and Sarah Wall

15 George and Sarah Wall

Marilyn is the great granddaughter of George and Sarah Wall. She said the Bible had for years been in the possession of her mother, Phyllis Bond, who was George and Sarah’s granddaughter

This Bible was typical regarding the placement of blank pages in the middle of the book for the recording of family history data. As an example here are some scans of what was recorded in the Wall Bible (photos 16 - 20).

16 Bible Record - George and Sarah Wall Marriage
Click image for larger view

17 Bible Records
Click image for larger view

18 Bible Records - Births
Click image for larger view

19 Bible Records - Deaths
Click image for larger view

20 Bible Records
Click image for larger view

In our files I found a short article about George and his wife Sarah:

Local Couple Married 67 Years
Iberia Sentinel 1952 (photo 21)

21 Photo from article in Iberia Sentinel - 1952

On November 19, 1885, Mr. and Mrs. George Wall were united in marriage near Hawkeye, Mo., in the home of Reverend E. Strutton, and last week, on November 19, they celebrated their 67th wedding anniversary in their home south of Iberia on Highway 17.

Mrs. Wall is 86 and Mr. Wall is 88 year of age. Both of these people enjoy good health considering their age. A few years ago Mrs. Wall suffered a broken leg, but by holding to nearby by furniture she is able to go about her home.

This remarkable couple has remained young in spirit, and when guests call at their home they go away feeling they have had a most pleasant visit with a few extra laughs thrown into the conversation.

Friends who called recently in the Wall home were told about a kerosene lamp which is still in use. The elderly couple has never had electric lights installed in their home. Mr. Wall bought the lamp 59 years ago from the late John Casey, in Iberia. Mr. Wall gave Mr. Casey a cord of wood and in return, he received the lamp and 30 cents. The original chimney on the lamp was broken a few years ago, but it was replaced and the lamp is in use every evening. They have a collection of tin type pictures and among them was the picture of a man, a Mr. Greenstreet, who sold Mr. Wall his first horse.

The Walls have lived on their present farm for the last 63 years. They do most of their work and during the cold days a common sight is that of Mr. Wall storing his winter’s supply of wood out of the winter weather.

Mr. and Mrs. Wall have four children. They are Mrs. Harry Haus, Mrs. Joe Bond and Fred Wall of near Iberia and Arthur Wall of Lamar, Missouri.

Some additional information about George Wall is found in this obituary from our files:

Born in Hawkeye, Missouri, USA on 10 Mar 1865 to Anderson Wall and Mary Long. George married Sarah Elizabeth Boren. He passed away on 28 Mar 1956 in Iberia, Missouri, USA.

March 29, 1956
GEORGE WALL, 91, DIES AT IBERIA

A 91- year old Iberia area resident George Amos Wall, died last night at the home of a daughter, Mrs. Ellen Haus, near Iberia.

Mr. Wall was born March 10, 1865 in Pulaski Co., the son of Anderson and Mary Wall. He was married Nov. 19, 1885 to Miss Sarah Boren, who died Feb. 8, 1953.

Survivors are two sons, Fred Wall, Iberia and Arthur Wall, Lamar, Mo; two daughters, Mrs. Ellen Haus, Iberia and Mrs. Grace Bond, Iberia; one sister, Mrs. Minnie Willard, Richland; one brother, Louis Wall, Sand Springs, Oklahoma; seven grandchildren and 12 great grandchildren.

Funeral services will be held at 2 p.m. Saturday at an Iberia funeral Home. Burial will be in the Madden Cemetery.

Here is a photo of the tombstone of George and Sarah Wall (photo 22):

22 George and Sarah Wall Tombstone

Here are the death certificates for George and Sarah (photos 23 and 24):

23 George Amos Wall Death Certificate
Click image to view document in PDF format

24 Sarah Elizabeth Wall Death Certificate
Click image to view document in PDF format

One thing I learned recently is that the biggest Bible may not be the one which has the most family history. My mother’s Bear family had a number of Bibles but the most complete Bear descendency I found in the middle section of a small really well worn Bible which I had ignored for several years!

All members of the Miller County Historical Society receive a quarterly newsletter by mail. For those of you who read this website but aren’t members, copied here is our summer issue of the newsletter (photo 25):

25 MCHS Newsletter - Summer 2012
Click image to view entire document in PDF format

Our annual ice cream social is being celebrated this weekend, Saturday, July 14, from 11:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m.(photo). All the ice cream is homemade by Carl McDonald who has provided his expertise for the Social for many years. You won't be disappointed (photo 26)!

26 Ice Cream Social

Also, be sure and visit our large Civil War Display while you are here; you will find it fascinating!

That’s all for this week.

Joe Pryor

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