I missed some time with this due to health issues, but wanted to come back to it. I decided to just share one story today that my great-grandfather, John James RALEY decided to include about a relative instead of more of the ancestry overall. I love the stories. I have to admit that with the recent discussions regarding copyright within our blogging community I have had to give some thought to this journal and the implications. I do know that he wrote this so that he had a history of his family, and I know that he gave it to my grandmother, but I would have to trust that people can distinguish the facts which can easily be verified through documentation (as I have for my own sourcing) from his own writings, which need to be creditied to him, so with that in mind, I would ask someone to contact me if they need further information. With that out of the way, here is an interesting story:
" Uncle Benjamin Pierce way back in the years from 1850 to 1865 was right wealthy. It was said that he was easily worth $30,000 back in those days but he died a pauper and was buried by the good people of Boonville, Warrick County, Indiana. Uncle Ben bought and paid for his coffin several years before he died and took it home and kept it under his bed in his bedroom, and sometimes in the fall of the year he would gather and hull walnuts enough to fill the coffin and take them home and put them in it. He was buried in it when he died at the age of 89 years. He bought the coffin from the people that own the coffin factory on the corner of Main and Michigan Streets, Evansville, Indiana, got in it, laid down, stretched himself out, and told the man that he bought it from that the thing was just the right size for him."
Showing posts with label Amanuensis Monday. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Amanuensis Monday. Show all posts
Monday, May 10, 2010
Tuesday, April 27, 2010
Amanuensis Monday- John James Raley Journal April 2010
A day late I know, but health has kept me to a minimum of late, but I wanted to at least write a small entry from my great-grandfather's journal today to stay focused.
So, here goes: "My mother's people, my Grandfather John Cannan was of German descent, as the way he spelled his name would imply. Grandfather John Cannan had two brothers, George Cannan and William Cannan and one half-brother, Charles Cannan. They were all raised in Bell County, Kentucky. I do not know anything of their parents or where they are from. Uncle George Cannan, Grandfather John Cannan's brother, was born, raised, lived, and died a farmer in Bell County, Kentucky. He was near the 80th milestone of his age at the time of his death, which was on the 19th day of March, 1878, so I was told by my aunt Nancy Cannan, Uncle William Cannan's widow. I never saw Uncle George Cannan or any of his family, but I have understood from good authority that he had quite a large and interesting family of boys and girls and they are all well educated, and quite an intelligent set of folks. Some of his boys are lawyers, some doctors, and some stock dealers, and all are right well to do folks."
"Uncle William Cannan came down to Ohio County, Kentucky with grandfather when they were young men 21 or 22 years of age. I think it was about the year 1825, and bought up some 500 or 600 acres of land. Uncle William Cannan took quite a sum of money and left for the state of Illinois to buy land. That was about 1830. He was never seen or heard of by any of his people from the time he left. On one nice, pretty, sun shiney morning in the month of May 1830, up to the present time, Monday evening, July the 24, 1911, I will say that it has always been suppossed or thought that he was killed for his money. He had somewhere between $ 3000 and $ 5000 on his person when he left.."
Note: This obviously leaves me with a family story of intrigue that must be followed up with to determine if I can find out what really happened to what would be my 3rd? great uncle William Cannan around 1830 between Ohio County, KY and Illinois.
Happy hunting!
So, here goes: "My mother's people, my Grandfather John Cannan was of German descent, as the way he spelled his name would imply. Grandfather John Cannan had two brothers, George Cannan and William Cannan and one half-brother, Charles Cannan. They were all raised in Bell County, Kentucky. I do not know anything of their parents or where they are from. Uncle George Cannan, Grandfather John Cannan's brother, was born, raised, lived, and died a farmer in Bell County, Kentucky. He was near the 80th milestone of his age at the time of his death, which was on the 19th day of March, 1878, so I was told by my aunt Nancy Cannan, Uncle William Cannan's widow. I never saw Uncle George Cannan or any of his family, but I have understood from good authority that he had quite a large and interesting family of boys and girls and they are all well educated, and quite an intelligent set of folks. Some of his boys are lawyers, some doctors, and some stock dealers, and all are right well to do folks."
"Uncle William Cannan came down to Ohio County, Kentucky with grandfather when they were young men 21 or 22 years of age. I think it was about the year 1825, and bought up some 500 or 600 acres of land. Uncle William Cannan took quite a sum of money and left for the state of Illinois to buy land. That was about 1830. He was never seen or heard of by any of his people from the time he left. On one nice, pretty, sun shiney morning in the month of May 1830, up to the present time, Monday evening, July the 24, 1911, I will say that it has always been suppossed or thought that he was killed for his money. He had somewhere between $ 3000 and $ 5000 on his person when he left.."
Note: This obviously leaves me with a family story of intrigue that must be followed up with to determine if I can find out what really happened to what would be my 3rd? great uncle William Cannan around 1830 between Ohio County, KY and Illinois.
Happy hunting!
Monday, April 19, 2010
Amanuensis Monday- John James Raley Journal
Some of you know that I am fortunate enough to be in the possession of my great-grandfather's journal dated between July 1911 and March 1912. John James Raley wrote about the family history under such entries that he titled "My Fathers People", "My Mothers People", and "My Wifes Father" in the index, events in his life, including "I taught one school", Cannon's Hogs", and world events such as "Roosevelt was President", and "The Titanic.'
I started including some of his entries on this blog before I became aware of the Monday theme Amanuensis Monday that John Newark began on his blog TransylvanianDutch Genealogy and Family History. Amanuensis definition: a person employed to write what another dictates or to copy what has been written by another. This is an excellent idea and an avenue for ensuring that I stay focused on sharing other entries from this journal (300 pages) as well as other treasures that my ancestors left behind.
Today's entry
"I will endeavor to tell you a little something or as much as I know at least of my wife, Mrs. Carrie Raley's people, where they came from, their nationality, their business, and so on. They are German people and all of the older ones came from Germany. I cannot say that ever I saw a German person until I was in my 20th year, that was in the year 1874 on the 13th day of November. I went from my fathers up in Ohio County, Kentucky to my Aunt Cassa McCord in Warrick County, Indiana, to live with her and Uncle John Allen McCord, her husband. My wife, Mrs. Carrie Raley, is of German descent. I met her at my Aunt's, Mrs. Cassa McCord's, the wife of John Allen McCord, on their farm in Warrick County, Indiana, which is 3 miles northeast of Newburgh, Warrick County, Indiana, some time in the fall of 1874.
I went to my Aunt's on the 13th day of November, 1874, from Oho County, Kentucky, where I was raised, which is about 30 or 35 miles east of the city Owensboro, Daviess County, Kentucky, where I stayed and went to school to one Jessie Edgeington in the school house near old Sharon Church, made fires and fed Uncle's stock during the winter for my board, horse feed, washing, mending, and making. And the next spring, that is, on the 1st day of March 1875, I went to work on the farm for Uncle John Allen McCord. He gave me $13.00 per month and I did not have to work hard either. I had my own way about everything. I very rarely ever had to work on Saturday evening or in the rain or bad weather of any kind, as Uncle John made it a rule not to work on Saturday afternoon or in bad weather without there was something very urging.
I owned a horse and a good one too. He was four or five years old at the time. My father Jonathan Raley acted as my Guardian and at my Grandfather John Cannan's sale after his death on the 17th of April 1872, bought the Colt at $ 57.00. He was then three years old and an iron Gray. I got the Colt--$ 20.00 in money and 76 acres in land--- for my part of Grandfather's estate."
Note: John James Raley had inherited his mother, Deborah Ann Cannan's fifth of John Cannan's estate since his mother died when John Raley was only two months.
I started including some of his entries on this blog before I became aware of the Monday theme Amanuensis Monday that John Newark began on his blog TransylvanianDutch Genealogy and Family History. Amanuensis definition: a person employed to write what another dictates or to copy what has been written by another. This is an excellent idea and an avenue for ensuring that I stay focused on sharing other entries from this journal (300 pages) as well as other treasures that my ancestors left behind.
Today's entry
"I will endeavor to tell you a little something or as much as I know at least of my wife, Mrs. Carrie Raley's people, where they came from, their nationality, their business, and so on. They are German people and all of the older ones came from Germany. I cannot say that ever I saw a German person until I was in my 20th year, that was in the year 1874 on the 13th day of November. I went from my fathers up in Ohio County, Kentucky to my Aunt Cassa McCord in Warrick County, Indiana, to live with her and Uncle John Allen McCord, her husband. My wife, Mrs. Carrie Raley, is of German descent. I met her at my Aunt's, Mrs. Cassa McCord's, the wife of John Allen McCord, on their farm in Warrick County, Indiana, which is 3 miles northeast of Newburgh, Warrick County, Indiana, some time in the fall of 1874.
I went to my Aunt's on the 13th day of November, 1874, from Oho County, Kentucky, where I was raised, which is about 30 or 35 miles east of the city Owensboro, Daviess County, Kentucky, where I stayed and went to school to one Jessie Edgeington in the school house near old Sharon Church, made fires and fed Uncle's stock during the winter for my board, horse feed, washing, mending, and making. And the next spring, that is, on the 1st day of March 1875, I went to work on the farm for Uncle John Allen McCord. He gave me $13.00 per month and I did not have to work hard either. I had my own way about everything. I very rarely ever had to work on Saturday evening or in the rain or bad weather of any kind, as Uncle John made it a rule not to work on Saturday afternoon or in bad weather without there was something very urging.
I owned a horse and a good one too. He was four or five years old at the time. My father Jonathan Raley acted as my Guardian and at my Grandfather John Cannan's sale after his death on the 17th of April 1872, bought the Colt at $ 57.00. He was then three years old and an iron Gray. I got the Colt--$ 20.00 in money and 76 acres in land--- for my part of Grandfather's estate."
Note: John James Raley had inherited his mother, Deborah Ann Cannan's fifth of John Cannan's estate since his mother died when John Raley was only two months.
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