Letters to/from Darke County

From Squire Jefferis to his daughter Ida Jane

1862 Letter from "Kelly" in Cono, Iowa County, Iowa, to Abraham Byrd, Webster, Darke County, Ohio

Note: I believe that this letter was written by Austin Kelly, widower of Rebecca (Hottel) Kelly, and sent to Rebecca's uncle, Abraham Byrd, of Darke County. Austin and Rebecca Kelly and their son, Stephen, moved from Ohio to Iowa about 1853-4. Rebecca died soon after they arrived in Iowa and Stephen enlisted in the Union army in 1861, so Austin Kelly was a widower living alone when he wrote this letter. Additional information follows the letter.

Transcription of 1862 Letter from "Kelly" in Cono, Iowa County, Iowa, to Abraham Byrd, Webster, Darke County, Ohio

Cono January 26th 1862

Dear Uncle,
I know not whether I ever wrote you a letter or not. If I have written you before, still I feel that this will make none too many; and if I have not, I am certain this none too soon. It can not interest you to hear of all the vicissitudes that have lain in my path since you and I parted; but of all that befell me, the breaking of my right arm just below my shoulder, 19th of July 1859 was apparently a great misfortune, but such it did not prove to be; for in a few days I was able to write letters and was never past dressing myself and otherwise helping myself, and in a few weeks I recovered the entire use of it. to the war, the subject is an old one with us all, I shall say no more than that it has withdrawn many of our young men and other citizens from among us, my Stephen for one, he volunteered in the early part of July at Desmoines and is at Rolla, Missouri. I get letters from every week. He has good health and likes the service very well. I come now to a subject, (that of Rail Roads) on which I acknowledge myself prone to amplify; but then we remember that eight years back there was not a Rail Road within one hundred miles of here, we may well express surprise that for the last four months there has been one each side of us, both within hearing and one of them within sight. The nearest one was made last fall and passes 2 1/2 miles north of me and has two depots near me, one 4 miles off and the other 2 1/2 miles from me, due north. The other was made one year ago last fall; passes through Marengo and in its progress west, it passes 7 1/2 miles south of me, and there, due south 7 1/2 miles, there also is a depot: so that if Rail Roads are of any use, certainly this River Valley is favored beyond any place that I have ever seen. I have 160 acres due south, 2 1/2 miles this side the depot on the south Rail Road. Times are extremely hard and money scarce here, but a couple of young men who moved from Miami County here, were back to Ohio since Christmas and returned here last week, and they say that it is but little better in Ohio. There was a vast amount of surplus produce here, but the two staple articles, wheat and pork, both sold so low as not to pay expenses of production. The crop of pork was, both in quantity and quality, the best that I ever saw in any county, but sale of it was, by some farmers, pronounced a dead loss, but it seems to me that the loss would have been still plainer and greater if there had have been no pork to sell. Last winter was remarkable for the amount of snow that fell, but at present we have a snow almost as deep as any I ever saw in Iowa. The winter however is different than last; the weather was much colder last winter than this has been so far. It is just cold enough to keep the snow from melting, so that almost all the snow that fell this winter is now on the ground, amounting to 15 to 18 inches. Last winter was very blustry and cold and drifted the snow, so as to render many of the roads impassible. This winter the weather is calm and does not drift the snow, but as the snow falls, the roads are beat and broke, so the sleighing is constantly kept good. Yesterday a rabbit hunt was held on the opposite (the south) side of the river, sixteen men caught 101 rabbits. Two more hunts are talked of; one next Saturday in this vicinity, the other on next Saturday week on the south side, five miles above here, where they hunted yesterday. I written twice to James Bayman and got no reply; do urge them to write and write yourself. I am extremely anxious to hear of Mother since both she and I are certainly approaching the period when we shall hear nothing more of each other. This is a family letter for all to read and all to answer.

Kelly

Notes: I believe that "Kelly" is the last name of the letter writer and that the writer is Austin Kelly, widower of Rebecca Hottel Kelly. REBECCA HOTTEL/HUDDLE was born March 26, 1816 in Rockingham Co VA, the daughter of Frederick Hottel/Huddle and Magdalena Byrd. She moved to Fairfield Co OH in the Spring of 1830 and to Montgomery Co OH in the fall of 1830 with her parents and younger brother and sister, Levi and Katharine. She married AUSTIN KELLY August 1, 1833, in Montgomery Co OH. While her parents moved to Darke Co OH in 1835, Rebecca and Austin Kelly remained in Montgomery Co. Rebecca, and her brother and sister, Levi, and Katharine, were named as Frederick Huddle's children in his May 29, 1836, Darke Co OH will. He died on June 5, 1836. Their widowed mother, Magdalena Byrd Huddle, lived with Levi from 1836 until her 1866 death. Magdalena's brothers, Abraham Byrd and Jonathan Byrd, moved to Darke Co OH from VA about 1840. Abraham is the one to whom the letter was written. The 1850 Butler Twp Montgomery Co OH census shows Austin Kelly 46 PA, Rebecca Kelly 35 VA, Anna Kelly 23 OH, Stephen Kelly 9 OH, and David Mussey 5 OH. I suspect that this was a second marriage for Austin, that ANNA KELLY (c1827 - ?) was a child of his first marriage, and that STEPHEN KELLY (c1841-?) was a child of his marriage to Rebecca. A 1851 Butler Twp plot map shows A. Kelly very near the border with Miami Co. Since the letter writer compares conditions in Cono Twp to what they were like "8 years back", it is likely that that the family moved to Cono Twp, Iowa County, Iowa, about 1853-4. (Austin Kelly does not appear in 1851 or 1852 Iowa state censuses.) The area that was Cono Twp is now the part of Marengo Twp north of the Iowa River. IOWA COUNTY CEMETERY STONES & HISTORY 1844 - 1975 compiled by Pauline Lillie shows in Hixon (Dayton Cono) Cemetery, "Kelly, Rebeccah wife of Austin, d. Sept. 15, 1851, ae 39 yr." I wonder if the date was originally 1854 and the 4 was worn into looking like a 1. That would be consistent with the date I believe the Kellys moved to Iowa and with Rebecca's age at time of death. There is no listing for Austin Kelly or Stephen Kelly in that cemetery. The 1860 Cono Twp, Iowa Co, Iowa, census shows Austin Kelly, age 67 farmer from PA living by himself, with no mention of Stephen. As a 19 year old, Stephen could have been working and living somewhere else at the time of the census. The microfilms of the censuses definitely show Austin Kelly's age as 46 in 1850 and 67 in 1860. One of those ages must be wrong. The letter states that Stephen Kelly enlisted in the Union army at Des Moines, in early July, 1861, and was in Rolla, Missouri, in January, 1862. I have not yet found Stephen Kelly in Civil War records. A biography of another resident of Cono Twp in an 1880 Iowa County biographical history states that he enlisted and served in a Missouri unit, so Stephen might not have been in an Iowa unit. The 1870 Iowa census shows Austin Kelly age 76 living in the second ward of Iowa City in Johnson County. He must have married again, as he was living with Lucy Kelly age 60 keeping home and Anna Page age 22 school teacher, both born in New Hampshire. I cannot find Stephen Kelly in the 1870 or 1880 Iowa census. Perhaps he died in the Civil War.

Letter to: Mrs. Magdalene Huddle Webster Post office, Dark County Ohio

Note: This letter was written by "Samelia Berry" of Williamsville, Illinois, to Magdalena (Byrd) Huddle (Aug. 22, 1792, Shenandoah Co VA - April 27, 1866, Darke Co OH). Magdalena Byrd had married Frederick Hottel/Huddle (Sept. 21, 1791, Shenandoah Co VA - June 5, 1836, Darke Co OH) Aug. 8, 1814, in Rockingham Co VA. They moved to Ohio in 1830 and to Darke County in 1835. Frederick died a year later and Magdalena was living with her son, Levi Huddle, and his family, in 1860, when she received this letter. Although the letter begins "most beloved and highly respected sister" the later phrase "tell your brothers and also all your children to write to us" indicates that the term "sister" is used in the broad sense and that the letter writer was not necessarily a relative of Magdalena. It does appear that she knew Magdalena well and very possibly lived close to Magdalena in Darke County before she moved to Illinois. Any information on the identity of the letter writer would be appreciated.

Williamsville Ill, February 26, 1860
much beloved and highly respected sister after a long interval of correspondence between us I take up my pen this blessed sabbath morning to relate some of our troubles affliction and death yes death has truly visited our family circle again and taken our charley from our embraces o yes our dear son was taken away so sudden just two weeks and three days from the time he walked home from our soninlaws which is 2 miles distant was only confined to bed 1 week, he was much opposed to sending for a doctor we however prevailed upon him to do so the doctor said he had the intermittent fever he gave him medicine but to no effect we then sent for another doctor he pronounced it typhoid fever and inflammation of the lungs he blistered his side and head and gave a great deal of medicine I think he done every thing that could be done however we still think if he would have had a doctor right away when he came home perhaps he might have been saved but so it is we know god doeth all things right, my dear sister some times I think it is more than I can bear, you perhaps can sympathize with us, you too have been bereft of your offsprings therefore let us pray for each other that when done with the trials and conflicts of this inconsistent life we may soar aloft and on the other side of jorden meet our friends who have gone before there we will meet never to part any more . . . . Suain was a moral young man he attended preaching and sabbath school he was a promising young man when he was taken sick he talked but little was very patient everything we done for him was all right he slept a great deal some times he would appear somewhat flighty but when spoken to he would appear rational he remained in this position until about two hours before his spirit took its flight at which time he appeared to wake up and looked around at all of us and appeared as though he wanted to speak to us but could not he then raised his hands and also his eyes toward heaven waved his hands as in token of peace and happiness then with a smile turned to his father and with both his hands clasped his, that tranquil smile remaining on his countenance his spirit took its flight at 10 minutes past 12 o'clock pm.... he died the 29th of september and was buried the 1 day of october in a beautiful graveyard 2 miles northwest of springfield.... James and myself spent Christmas and new years at John Burtners found them all well also their soninlaw and his wife and little granddaughter a year old was there on a visit from iowa. we have not heard from henry kaufmans for some time green lives in the house with us josephine has just came home from martha's her little daughter is very sick mathews and sylvester has gone to bible class green and wife has just come from (preaking jame?) and myself have been home all day this leaves us all well and hope this will come safe to hand find you all well, we have not heard from any of you for a long time tell your brothers and also your children to write to us and we will try to answer, our best love and respect to you all goodby write soon
Samelia Berry .... Magdalene Huddle

1887 letter from Barry County, Michigan, postmarked NASHVILLE MICH OCT 24 and addressed to Mrs. Lewis McCrea, Webster, Ohio (Dark Co)

Notes: Mrs. Lewis McCrea was Ora Belle (Bayman) McCrea (March 30, 1862 - Nov. 14, 1939) and was addressed as "Bell" in the letter. She was the daughter of James Bayman and Katherine Huddle and married Lewis Andrew McCrea (Aug. 2, 1857 - Sept. 27, 1951) June 14, 1885, in Darke County.

The letter is not signed and consists of small handwritten pages. Along the side of one of those pages is the phrase "Amelia to Bell" This and the contents of the letter establish the letter writer as Amelia L. (Bayman) Koons (March, 1843 - 1920). Although I have no documentation to prove this, I believe that Amelia was a daughter of one of the brothers of James Bayman, and therefore a first cousin of Ora Belle, that Amelia's parents (or at least her father) died when she was young, and that she was raised by Ora Belle's parents. (Amelia was 19 years older than Ora Belle, so she had probably moved out of the household before Ora Belle was born.) Amelia Bayman married William Koons (Nov. 1843 - ?) Nov. 29, 1869, in Darke County. William and Amelia Koons moved from Adams Twp, Darke Co, Ohio, to Woodland Twp, Barry Co, Michigan, between the 1870 census and the 1880 census. This letter describes life in Michigan to their Ohio cousins. They had two children, James A. Koons (Nov. 1869 - 1902) and Eliza Koons (1871 - 1945) who are mentioned in the letter as Jimmie and Eliza. There is more information about the Koons family after the letter. Thanks to Joe Bosserman for helping me fill in the details about this family. --Bruce McCrea

Woodland, Barry Co Mich
Oct. the 9/ 1887
Dear Cousins, I am going to try to write a few lines to let you know that we are all alive and well and hope when these few lines reach you they may find you enjoying the best of health well this is quite a dreary lonesome day as it is a rainy day and it appears as though every body is at home and as quiet as church mice no noise whatever save the measly roosters which keep up racket enough to keep a person from going to sleep any way. I wish you folks were all here for dinner. we would have wild grape pie and Michigan rooster for dinner that is what Henry got to eat when he was out here I don't see why it is that some of you folks cant come out here any way every body else revelation can come to Michigan to see their folks but ours old Jery Katherman and wife Joe Holoday Abe Brumbaugh daughter & Preacher John Christian's wife were all out here part of the crowd started back to Ohio yesterday morning John Mumert and wife and old mother Reisor landed to Nashville last monday evening they called to see us a while last Tuesday after noon they all looked as natural as ever and all seem to be well pleased with Michigan and say we have a nice country now I think it is time for some of Koons folks to make their appearance in Michigan to see what they think of Michigan and of the folks. 0 say is there any hickory nuts in there this fall if so I wish you would send us some if not more than a bushel perhaps you can buy I dont want you to run all over the woods to gather them your self we would like a barrel if plenty and not too dear we would not like to pay over 50 or 55 cts a bushel if not plenty we can do with less if there is not any we can do with out if you do get why we will make it all right when we send the dried Apples. well this is sunday Evening and one week later than when I began this letter I began to write last sunday forenoon but quit to get dinner and before I got to writing again we got company we had 9 visitors so that ended my writing until this Evening for there is no time to write through the week and today had company again as usual Lewis Christians David Bigler old Jeremiah Katherman and wife and Fishers little girls were here old Father Katherman and wife are going to start home tomorrow morning they were around calling and biding the folks goodbye today well we heard that George Christians landed at Bradford safe and sound o yes Reverend Moses Turner went with them dont you Forget some of the folks are glad that he is gone we are too but some of the folks that he owed would of liked for him to of stayed until they would of got their pay any way but what Michigan loses Ohio will gain he tried to make some of the folks believe out here that his folks were pretty rich and that he had quite a lot of money coming to him in there too. I kind of thought myself when I was in Ohio the last time that old Dave Turner was pretty rich from the looks of their mansion they were living in up west of your Mothers that was a fine one and Mose had so much money that John Lehman had to send him money to come out here with and after he got here he had to borrow money to get clothes. well I have knowed the Turner tribe ever since I was a little girl and I never knowed any thing good about them either.

Woodland Barry Co Mich
October the 20/ 1887
Well this is Thursday and my letter not gone out yet so I thought I would write some more I did not think when I began this letter that I would be about it all fall. well I am pretty tired and not feeling very well I have a terrible bad cold and headache and dont feel very well myself. I have worked a little too hard this week by Eliza going to school it makes more work for me we washed ironed mopped Baked Churned Cooked for threshers that we done Monday and Tuesday and Tuesday evening between 7 and 8 o clock Lewis Christian Barn took a fire and burnt to the ground and we all run up there and by standing around there I took a terrible cold and I have not done much since that was the only building I ever seen burn and I dont want to any more that looked pretty hard they live about a half a mile from here it was a new barn 40 by 60 just built 3 years ago last June I helped to cook for the raising the week before I went to Ohio it is supposed it was set a fire by a tramp for there has been one laying around in the neighborhood for several days and the same fellow was seen running up the road after the fire broke out no one ever noticed it until the whole thing was in a blaze it appeared in about 20 minutes from the time the fire broke out there was over a hundred people there I never seen such a time and could not save any thing they got harness out for one horse and that was all out of the barn they got the buggy bob sleighs one plow and mower out of the buggy shed before that went he happened to have his horses in the pasture field if they would of been in the barn they would of burnt too for they never could of got them out his hay wheat oats some clover seed grain sacks Binder faning mill Evaporator harness cross cut saw all his forks a large straw stack every thing burnt to the ground I was there yesterday wheat and oats was burning yet and timber burning all around it. it looks hard he is left with a lot of stock with out shelter or feed and winter almost here he is a hard working man he is no Joe Christy the insurance men were there yesterday. he gets 7 hundred and 50 dollars but it wont near cover his loss. well I must tell you about wills luck he most always had bad luck to tell about but he has met with a little streak of good luck once he got 2 hundred and 81 dollars from the government a couple of weeks ago and thank goodness we did not have any debts to eat that up either he put that right out on interest to save for a rainy day he also gets $10 a month as long as he lives and he can have that increased and get more a month if he is a mind to that is some help to the poor any way. you wanted to know how Nan McMullin was a getting along she is quite a bit better but is not all right yet if she keeps her shoe laced right tight around her ankle why she can get around right well. the Dunkards had big Meeting just 1 mile from here last Friday and saturday there was none of us went but Eliza the rest of us did not have time to go and another thing we did not want to go. Ben Bashore and wife was here for dinner last Saturday they came here from Church. Bell what made your Mother send that money out here for to pay for that Molasses Jimmie bought that molasses and sent it to her we did not intend for her to pay for it when we send her a present again we dont want her pay for it again. so no more

FURTHER INFORMATION ABOUT AMELIA BAYMAN KOONS

Amelia L. Bayman was born in Ohio in March, 1843. According to what she told later census takers, both her parents were born in Ohio. In the 1850 census she was age 7, living in Wayne Twp, Darke Co OH with James Bayman age 28, Catherine Bayman age 24, and Levi Bayman age 6. The fact that she was age 7 and was listed after Levi Bayman age 6 confirms the information in the James Bayman family Bible that she was not a child of James and Catherine Bayman. James Bayman's parents, William Bayman and Mariah Kindle appear in the 1820 and 1830 Newberry Twp, Miami Co OH census. From the census data, it appears that James was probably the third of four or five sons. I suspect that Amelia was the daughter of one of James Bayman's brothers who died before 1850, but I have no documentation for that. I have not yet found Amelia Bayman in the 1860 census. On Nov. 29, 1869, Amelia Bayman married William H. Koons in Darke Co OH.

William Koons was born Nov., 1843, in Newberry Twp, Miami Co OH, the son of Henry Koons and Susannah Miller. During the Civil War, he was a private in Company C of the 66th Ohio Infantry from Oct. 19, 1861, to Jan. 20, 1863. William and Amelia Koons were in the 1870 Adams Twp, Darke Co OH census, but they had moved to Michigan by 1880 and were in Woodland Twp, Barry Co MI in 1880 and succeeding censuses. The 1880 census shows William Koons, age 36, farmer, Amelia Koons, age 37, wife, keeping home, James J. Koons, age 10, son, Eliza C. Koons, age 8, daughter, and Samuel Koons, age 34, brother, carpenter. The 1990 census shows William H. Koons born Nov., 1843, Amelia L. Koons born March, 1850 (The year is wrong) with 2 children both living, James A. Koons, son, born Nov., 1869, and Glenna Hynes, granddaughter, born Oct., 1897. This must mean that Eliza Koons married a man named Hynes. I could not find Eliza Hynes in the 1900 census.

A transcription from the Woodland Cemetery shows:

Koons:
Amelia, 1843-1920
James A., 1869-1902
William, Civil War Ohio

Hynes: Eliza Koons, 1871-1945
Greydon, 1903
Irene, 1909

It appears that James A. Koons died unmarried. Unfortunately, there is no one listed next to Eliza Koons Hynes who could be her husband.

A small handwritten sheet of paper that has been in my family for years now appears to be a list of the children of Eliza Koons Hynes:

"THE EIGHT CHILDREN OF THE HYNES FAMILY

MRS. HAZEL MCLAUGHLIN AND PATRICIA 221 NORTH AVENUE
BATTLE CREEK, MICHIGAN

MRS. MILDRED HAMMOND
HASTINGS, MICHIGAN, R. 4

MRS. GLENNA OPAL HALL
3471 HILLCROFT AVE, S.W.
GRAND RAPIDS, MICHIGAN

MR. MAURICE HYNES
719 N. HANOVER ST
HASTINGS, MICHIGAN

MRS. ELZORA FALCONER
HASTINGS, MICHIGAN, R. 2

MR. GREYDON HYNES
BATTLE CREEK, MICHIGAN, R. 1, BX 319

MRS. DORIS WORTLEY
431 AURORA ST.
FT MORGAN, COLORADO

MRS. GENEVIEVE MAKLEY
WOODLAND, MICHIGAN, R. 1

"THIS IS THE ORDER WE WERE BORN BUT OUR OLD HOME IS SOLD AND WE ARE SCATTERED YET GENEVIEVE THE YOUNGEST IS THE ONLY ONE NEAREST THE OLD HOME, ABOUT 3 MILES AWAY.

OUR LOVE TO ALL AND GOD BLESS YOU ALL. HAZEL THE OLDEST ONE."

Two 1874 Letters from Enoch Beery Seitz, Greenville to Anna Elizabeth Kerlin

1895 Letter from William Kendrick Kerlin of Greenville to his daughter, Anna Elizabeth Kerlin Seitz