Grandma's Poetry

Grandma's Poetry

This is the picture my grandmother left to me. Pictured is my grandmother, Faye Pearl Wagoner Cooley with her husband, Guy Manford Cooley. Grandpa Guy is holding my aunt, their firstborn, Miriam Elizabeth Cooley.

This poem was found in my grandmother’s Bible after she passed away. She wrote poetry most of her adult life. She and my grandfather, Guy Manford Cooley wrote poetry together. Several of their poems were sold for approximately $5 apiece to a company in Kansas City and were set to music. Aunt Miriam Cooley Funke had in her possession the framed sheet music. Grandpa Guy passed away in 1931 and grandma never remarried.  I asked her one time if she had a picture of grandpa since I had never known him. She told me she had many of them in her trunk and when she died she would see that I got one, but she couldn't bear to look at them so I’d just have to wait. She kept her word. I’d like to think that when she left this earth she found my grandfather waiting for her and they are together in a place like the one she described in her poem.

Untitled Poem

I've not another thing to do,
This whole big, live long day,
But lie here in my old white cot
And while the time away.
And so if you will listen,
Or care to hear at all
I'll tell you 'bout a picture
That is hanging on my wall.
Now, it's not a great big picture
Yet it seems to me quite rare
For joy and beauty, love and all
Seem to be hidden there.
The sky is of a golden hue
With just a touch of blue.
The sun shines thru the tree tops tall
And sparkles on a brook,
That winds around, and in and out
Thru meadow's rich and green.
And do you know, I think if I
Could only have my way,
And was allowed to have a day-
Bout where I'd like to stay,
I'd build a nook,
Beside this brook
Where I could sit and dream
About the brighter side of life
Which doesn't seem quite real,
But maybe if I had with me,
For every day and hour
Such wondrous things, that God has made
And could enjoy them all
The darkest clouds would pass away.
A rainbow bright appear,
And life would be a stream of joy
With not a trace of tears
And so perhaps, if I will try
To do and say each day
Such things as God would have me do
As I go my way,
I'll find a little golden key,
And I will unlock the door
To such a little spot as this
And I will call it "Home".

Written in her own hand by Faye Pearl Wagoner Cooley

Jane Winter Throm

Note: I originally published this in May of 2013, but wanted to update this with added research I have since discovered. I will highlight each of John and Jane Winter Throm's children in the next few weeks.

Back Row: Jane Winter Throm and Frances Winter Small

Front Row: Jessie Winter Garrison and Priscilla Knisely Winter

In February of 2013 I received an e-mail from a Throm cousin, Pam Lewis. Enclosed was this photo along with a couple others. It was one of those WOW moments in the genealogy hunt. Pam had gotten the photo from David Garrison. David is a grandson of Jessie Winter Garrison. Pam and I are great great grandchildren of Jane Winter Throm. The added WOW in this photo is the picture of Jane's mother and our great great great grandmother, Priscilla Knisely Winter. 

Our genealogy connection to this photo is as follows:

Gideon Sands Winter (1815-1879) married Priscilla Knisely (1819-1899)

Gideon and Priscilla were married 17 December 1839 in Decatur County, Indiana

Their firstborn, Jane Winter, was born near Slabtown, Decatur, Indiana on 18 October 1840. Jane married John Henry Throm 14 February 1862 in Ripley County, Indiana. Over the course of their marriage they lived in many different places; finally settling in Marysville, Marshall, Kansas. Following is the transcription of Jane's obituary.

Mrs. Jane Throm Dies at the Age of 90 Thursday

Widow of the Late John J. Throm Succumbs at Son's Home After Illness of Two Weeks

 Mrs. Jane Throm, a resident of Marysville since 1877, died at the home of her son, William Throm, Thursday evening, December 18, at the age of ninety years and two months. Death resulted from ailments incident to old age. She had been seriously ill two weeks. Jane Winter was born at Slab Town, Indiana October 18, 1840. She was married to John J. Throm March 4, 1862. They moved to Morristown, Indiana and engaged in the bakery business there for five years. In 1877 they came to Kansas and located at Marysville. Here they conducted a hotel and reared a family of seven children. After the death of her husband she made her home with her daughter, Mrs. William Lockwood at the Spotless Inn from July 12, 1918 until September 18, 1930 when Mrs. Lockwood moved to Denver. Since then she has been cared for in the home of her son, William F. Throm. The surviving children are Lindianola Lockwood, Denver, Colo,; J. E. Throm, Mattoon, Ill.; Gus Throm, Denver, Colo,; Wm. F. Throm, Marysville, Kansas; Joe  Throm, Kansas City, Kansas; P. E. Throm, Mitchell, South Dakota. One daughter, Belle Throm preceded her mother in death. Funeral services were conducted from the Guthrie Funeral Home Sunday afternoon at 2:30 o'clock with sermon by Rev. A. L. Day. A quartette consisting of Mrs. J. M. Wagner, Mrs. J. L. Brubaker and Messrs. William Parli and Glen Warders with Mrs. John Crandall as pianist sang. The body was laid to rest in the Marysville cemetery. Taken from the Advocate-Democrat; Marysville, Kansas; December 25, 1930 issue.

Most of the information in this obituary is correct. The one minor correction would be the middle initial of Jane's husband. His middle initial was H; his middle name was Henry. 

Facts: Jane Winter Born: 18 October 1840 Slabtown, Decatur, Indiana

Parents: Gideon Sands Winter and Priscilla Knisley (Nicely) Winter

Married: John Henry Throm 14 February 1862 Ripley County, Indiana

Children:

Lindianola Jane born 1863 in Indiana

John Elmer born 1864 in Morris, Indiana

Maurice (Morris) A. born 1866 in Morris, Indiana

Mary Belle born 1868 in Minnesota

William Fredrick born 1872 in LaCrosse, Wisconsin (my great grandfather)

Joseph Frank born 1874 in Dubuque, Iowa

Paul Edward born 1883 in Marysville, Marshall, Kansas

I've been able to follow the migratory path of this family via census reports and random newspaper articles. These are the only children I've been able to identify and they were all listed in Jane's obituary. Whether there were any children born between Joseph Frank and Paul Edward is unknown, but there is a 9 year gap between these two children.  Jane had been giving birth regularly at approximate 2 year intervals. Jane was 34 years of age when Joseph Frank was born and 43 when Paul Edward was born. Factoring in the decreased fertility as she advanced in years it still seems highly likely there were other children born between these two, but they possibly died in infancy. 

Allen and Rebecca White Harter

It's been 3 years since I initially started this blog. I really hadn't planned on letting so much time slip by without posting again, but life got in the way. Now I have the time and I want to see if this method of sharing family history will work better than all my previous methods. While they all helped me gain insight into distant ancestors they lacked the interaction I'm looking for. So here goes~~~

I've been working on the family structure of my great great grandparents Allen and Rebecca White Harter of Roann, Wabash County, Indiana. They intrigue me for some reason. Rebecca was the daughter of John and Rebecca Fisher White. She was born in Virginia on 3 July 1821. At a very young age she came with her parents to Preble County, Ohio. It was there she met Allen Harter who was born on 14 May 1817 in Lanier township, Preble, Ohio. He was the son of Daniel and Susannah Landis Harter. He and Rebecca were married in Preble County on 6 February 1840. Allen purchased 160 acres of land in Wabash County, Indiana on 25 June 1841. With the help of his brother, Abel Harter they moved to an undeveloped area of the United States and began their family. 

My great great grandmother's account of those early days can be found at:              http://files.usgwarchives.net/in/wabash/misc/reminisc.txt

When I first read this account I experienced a lot of different emotions in a short span of seconds. I was thrilled to be reading something written by this woman who gave birth to my great grandmother, Sarah Elizabeth Harter Cooley. My second emotion was one of being humbled. How did these people endure this kind of hardship, continue to survive and still have a positive outlook on life? In our modern world if the power goes out for a few hours or we don't have some modern convenience that we're used to we get uptight. My third emotion was one of wanting more. I'd just been handed a genealogy gem and I wanted more. It's finding this kind of evidence that motivates anyone who studies their family history. When we do it spurs us to search deeper. Allen and Rebecca were the parents of 8 children: Rebecca Ann, Eli, Daniel M., Catharine, Henry, Zeri, Sarah Elizabeth and George H. 

My great great grandparents passed away just a few short months apart in 1893. Allen left this earth in April and Rebecca followed in November. They are buried in Citizens Cemetery in Roann, Wabash, Indiana.  The photo I posted here of Allen and Rebecca is from the collection of my cousin, John Bradshaw. John's ancestor, Charlotte Ann Cooley Martindale and my ancestor, Guy Manford Cooley were siblings. They were two of the children of Jabez and Sarah Elizabeth Harter Cooley. I am deeply indebted to John for all of his help over these past few years. Without him I'd still be looking at some big genealogy brick walls.