LIFE & ANCESTRY OF
JAMES ORAN "JAKE" HARTSELL
AND
EDNA ALBERTA DIETZ
HARTSELL - DIETZ - GEISTWEIT - LECRONE - STORM - RANKIN - VAUGHN Families
Version 1: July 6, 2000
Version 2: Aug. 4, 2004
Version 3: Mar. 31, 2008
IMPORTANT: Information contained herein, although carefully prepared, should not necessarily be considered final or absolutely correct. Errors can exist in the source of the information, in second-hand accounts, and in conclusions drawn in this document. A document like this carries a risk of passing on the wrong information for generations to come. To try to avoid this, the Summary of Individuals gives facts and sources of information.
- James Dwight Hartsell ("JDH" in notes below)
James A. Hartsell
+------------
|1837-1910
| SEE ANCESTRY OF
James O. Hartsell JAMES A. AND
+------------+ SOPHRONIA HARTSELL
|1881-1953 |
| |Sophronia J. Walker
| +------------
| 1849-1926
Theodore D. Hartsell
1906-2000 |
|
Doris J. Dunn
1908-???? |
|
James D. "J.D." Hartsell
1910-2003 |
|
Harrel Dwight Hartsell (infant) John Henry Dietz*
1915-1915 |lived 5 weeks +------------
| George Dietz |1765*-1834* George Geistweit*
Beulah N. Sims +------------+ m. 1806* +---------------
1917-2004 | |1808*- |Elizabeth Geistweit*|
| | +--------------------+
H. Dean Hartsell Daniel Dietz | 1788*-1868* |
1920- | +------------+
| |1846-1927 |
| | | +------------
| | Louisa* Lecrone|
| | +------------+
| | -1858* |
| | (not Caroline*)+------------
|Edna Alberta Dietz
+------------+ *from Karen Deeds-Jarvie 8/18/2007 email
1885-1982 |
| +------------
| William Storm|
| +------------+
| | |
| | +------------
|Elvira Storm|
+------------+ m. 1848
1860-1932 | Samuel Rankin
| +------------
Elizabeth Rankin| 1804-1885
+------------+
|Nancy Vaughn
+------------
Descendants Chart
+---------------+------------------+ NEXT GENERATION |Theodore Deneen|Betty L. Webber | TO BE COMPLETED |Hartsell |Myrna J.Buechner | | |Joan L. Hansen | +---------------+------------------+ |Doris Juanita |Dorothy P.Leach | |Dunn |James W. Dunn | | |Thomas E. Dunn | +---------------+------------------+------------------+------------------+ |James Daniel |James Dwight |Kevin G. Hartsell |Erek J. Hartsell | |Hartsell |Hartsell | |Hailey Hartsell | | | +------------------+------------------+ | | |Sonja M. Weller |Colette Weller | | | | |Mark Weller | | | | |Gregory Weller | | | | |Joseph Weller | | | | |Benjamin Weller | | | | |Matthew Weller | | +------------------+------------------+------------------+ | |Robert D.Hartsell | | +------------------+ | |Edward A.Hartsell | | +------------------+------------------+ | |Keith D. Hartsell |Jason Hartsell | +---------------+------------------+------------------+ |Beulah |Shirley J. Davis | |Normalette |Carolyn R. Weigel | |Sims |Marilyn A. Davis | | |Janet E. Watts | | |Sharon R.Armstrong| | |Nancy A. Sims | | |Connie S. Dunn | | |Norma J. Collins | | |Donna K. Hyland | | |Judy D. Jewell | +---------------+------------------+ |Herschel Dean |Lois J. Penniman | |Hartsell |Barbara J. Ottun | | |David A.Hartsell | +---------------+------------------+
Photo below from "History of the Storm Family" by S. B. Storm, page 31.
From "Shelby County, Illinois, Marriage Index 1827-1854" (929.2 Shelby)
William Storm to Elizabeth Rankin, Dec. 16, 1848
From "Inscriptions of Shelby County, Illinois Cemeteries"
James A. Rankin, 1850-1918, Windsor Cemetery (died 12/21/1918)
(See 1850 Census below.)
/ William E. Rankin, 1866-1937, Windsor Cemetery
\ Martha E. Rankin, 1864-1949 (born Shelby Co. 11/1/1864), Windsor Cemetery
From "1830 Shelby County IL Census Index"
Robert Rankin
Samuel Rankin
From "1850 Shelby County IL Census Index"
p. 167: George Rankin, age 27, born Tenn. (b. 1823 - husband?)
p. 167: Elizabeth Rankin, age 16, born Illinois. (b. 1834 - wife?)
p. 167: James Rankin, age 1 mon., born Illinois. (b. 1850 - son?)
p. 180: James S. Rankin, age 25, born Tenn. (b. 1825 - husband?)
p. 180: Hanah Rankin, age 63, born Tenn. (b. 1787 - mother?)
p. 180: Sariah Rankin, age 23, born Tenn. (b. 1827 - wife?)
From "Here and There in Shelby County" (Illinois) by Beulah Gordon (JDH notes in italics).
P.43: The first settler in Ash Grove was Samuel Little who came in 1825, bringing all his possesions in an oxcart. He built a cabin on what was later known as the Samuel Rankin place.
P. 44: Robert Rankin, of North Carolina, settled on the J. P. Templeton place in 1825.
P. 45: In about 1832, Samuel Rankin, and his family settled in Ash Grove.
Mr. Rankin had been the overseer of a plantation in Virginia, but resigned because
the owner would not properly feed his slaves. Rankin lived to be eighty-one years
of age and raised two sets of children; eleven by his first wife, whose maiden name
was Nancy Vaughn; and two by his last wife. Of his first family, nine were
girls and six of them married Storms.
The oldest girl named Sally Ann, married Greenbury Storm. He was the first person
to be buried in the Ash Grove cemetery. After his death she married Adam Storm, thus
adding a seventh Storm to the Rankin family. Her sister, Emily, married James "Bat"
Storm, who was a full brother to Adam Storm; and to further complicate matters,
her sisters Betsy (Elizabeth), Harriet, and Nancy Jane, married three full brothers.
Betsy married William Storm, nicknamed "Beardy Bill"; Harriet
married Hiram Storm; and Nancy Jane married John Carroll Storm.
P. 75: Of business firms during 1860's, located in Windsor:
Samuel Rankin saloon in which Fount Sexton was bartender.
From "History of the Storm Family" by S. B. Storm, page 30-31 (JDH notes in italics).
Among those who came from Virginia ... was a young man of Scotch-Irish descent (Samuel Rankin) who was no relation (to the Storms). He went to Tennessee. We know almost nothing of his early history but he was to figure big in Storm history. It is said he had hired himself out on a plantation in Virginia as an overseer of slaves. He quit his job because the owner would not properly feed his slaves. In Tennessee he married Nancy Vaughn of a family that had always been prominent in the affairs of that state. Three children were born to them in Tennessee, Sarah or Sally, Betsey (Elizabeth), and Rebecca. Then he resolved to emigrate to Illinois. His wife's people were what was called in the South "Quality People". He was a "commoner". I do not know if it was a fact but he was very sensitive and perhaps only imagined they looked down on him, so he loaded up his wife and three children and household goods on pack horses and in this way came to Shelby County. He was born in 1804. I do not know the exact date of his entry into the state but he was a volunteer in the war against the Black Hawk. For a time he owned land next to Jackie Storm and must have lived there. He became wealthy, lived in Windsor, Illinois for a time and ran a tavern and bar there, but when he left the settlement he moved about three miles northwest where Kingman now lies. He had 400 acres of land here. It was a wild place. His nearest neighbor was Jackie Spain, three miles away, who for years was postmaster for that part of the county. My grandmother who was the oldest daughter once told me, "When we moved there, there was nothing but a pile of boards father had moved there. We cut two forks, which were placed in the ground. A pole was placed in the forks and the lumber leaned against the forks". A half faced camp, she called it. They lived in this till grandfather could throw up logs for walls of a house and cover with clapboards, then a doorway was sawed out and they moved in. It was not yet "chinked and daubed", had no floor nor windows but was better than the half face camp. One day a large timber wolf made a raid on their calf pen. The mother cow went berserk and there were stirring times around there. But in the end the wolf was driven away and the calf was saved. The berserk cow was as dangerous as the wolf. In all Nancy Vaughn gave to Samuel Rankin eleven children, two boys and nine girls. These were girls who could do all the kinds of work required of pioneers and were hardy and strong. They knew all about how to change wool and flax into cloth, to knit and spin, make linen cloth, make soap from wood ashes and cook before a fireplace. It is no wonder that Storm young men sought them out, as well as others. They must, these young Storm boys, have had something to recommend them also, for six of these young women married Storm men. The oldest Sally married Greenberry, who died of apoplexy and was the first to be buried in Ash Grove cemetery, March 2, 1852. Adam Storm's wife, whose maiden name was Sims, was a sister to William Sims and died leaving Adam with three small children. Sally Ann had been left with three small children. Mutual friends encouraged a wedding which took place. Only two of these six children lived, David and Samuel, sons of Sally and Greenbury, but Sally and Adam raised a large family of their own. Now Adam had a brother named James (Jim Bat) who married Emily Rankin, a sister to Sally, so here are double cousins, whose blood is the same as brothers and sisters. Then there was William (Beardy Bill), John, Carrol and Hiram. Brothers who married Betsy, Nancy, Jane and Harriet Rankin. Another set of double cousins. Then Henderson Storm a cousin married the youngest of these sisters, Julia Rankin. To make the two families even more closely related where there had been no relation before, Vincent a full brother to Greenbury married Lillian Rankin, a first cousin to these sisters. It would be hard to find a family composed of two entirely different families so closely related. The other of the Rankin family was David Rankin who move to Missouri in an early day and was never heard from again. The youngest of this family was Samuel Rankin who lived all his life in Shelby County, Illinois. It is a curious fact that his children who have not a drop of Storm blood in their veins have more relatives of that name than anybody, except the other three sisters, Rebecca who married Lewis Frazer, Martha who married Cal Morgan and moved away and Melissa who married Fount Sexson.
From "1830 Shelby County IL Census Index"
James W. Vaughn
From "Shelby County, IL, Marriage Index 1827-1854" (929.2 Shelby)
Albert Vaughn to Mary McDaniel, Sept. 4, 1834
Mary E. Vaughn to Archibald Butt, Apr. 22, 1841
Rebecca Vaughn to Jackson Moor, Nov. 16, 1837
We don't know yet if James Vaughn below was the father of Nancy Vaughn.
From "Here and There in Shelby County" (Illinois) by Beulah Gordon.
P.52: In 1836 or '37, there occurred in Ash Grove what was called by old settlers,
"The Mormon War". Hiram Smith, a brother to Joseph Smith, the Mormon prophet, preached
Mormonism in about 1832 or '33, at the residence of John Price. ... mob mostly from
Wabash Point ...
... Since it was supposed the mob would resist civil authority, the warrant was put in
the hands of Colonel James Vaughn of the militia, who was also a Baptist minister.
Vaughn collected about one hundred men and marched on the mob that had collected in a
grove of trees; and that numbered about seventy-five men, all of whom were strong and
well armed. Vaughn detailed three men to go and inform the mob that if they did not
surrender immediately he would take them by force. The mob sent back word that they were
willing for any constable to serve papers on them, but rather than allow the warrant to
be served by the militia they would die before they would surrender. Colonel Vaughn
rode in front of his men and said, "I will take them in short order if the majority
of this company is willing. All who are in favor of marching upon this mob who defy
the laws of Illinois, march to the front ten paces." After a short silence two men
marched forward. The rest stood still and laughed. In complete disgust the colonel
gave the papers to a constable in the company, wheeled his horse about, and rode off
at a gallop, leaving his men to disband as best they might. The constable served his
papers, after which the mob and the militia bought some whiskey and staged a
celebration. The case never came to trial and in a few years the Mormons ceased to
bother the community.
From notes by Theodore Deneen Hartsell
Daniel Dietz, born May 16, 1846, died July 9, 1927
Elvira Storm, born Oct. 24, 1860, died Dec. 15, 1932
From "Patron List of Shelby County, IL. 1875 Platt Book"
Daniel Dietz, Richland Township, farmer, born in Ohio; came in 1865 to Shelby County.
The family lived in section 18, Ash Grove Township. See map below in the Hartsell section captioned "Edna Hartsell's land".
Email from Karen Deeds-Jarvie, Aug. 18, 2007: Karen wants me to hold off on posting her e-mail for the time being because she dashed it off from memory and might need to "tweak" the facts a bit. But, since it is so important, I'll put it here, but use caution. Note that Karen says George Dietz married Louisa LeCrone, not Caroline LeCrone. See 8/29/07 email below.
Daniel Dietz (he and his father sometimes went by Deitz) was the son of George Dietz born 1/27/1808 in PA. He was named after his maternal Grandfather, the Rev. George Geistweit (who has a very renowned history). George Dietz was the firstborn son of John Henry Dietz and Elizabeth Geistweit. They married on February 6, 1806 in York, PA, when he was 41 and she was 18. I don't think Grandpa Henry ever intended to marry (many of his brothers did not), but the lovely Miss Geistweit was apparently hard to resist. Being the daughter of a REformed Lutheran minister, Elizabeth went against her father's wishes when she married a man who was only just Lutheran. They were somewhat shunned by the family on both sides, until eventually they decided to break away and move to Ohio in about 1829. I found them in the 1830 census with their daughter Mary and her husband living with them. Mary's baby Maria had only been born a few months earlier in PA. Anyway, Grandpa Henry only lived until 1834. He was 69 when he died. Elizabeth briefly remarried to a Jacob Seitz, but nothing is known of that marriage, which must have ended rather quickly, as she is with her children in subsequent census enumerations.
John Henry Dietz (2-5-1765 to 2-17-1834) and Elizabeth Geistweit (10-13-1788 (calculated) to 4-23-1868) were the parents of 8 children: George (1/27/08), Henry --my ancestor (9/15/09), Mary (1811), Samuel --the one who settle in Canal Winchester (1816), Leah (1818), John (1820), Daniel (1823), and Amos (1899).
[George Dietz] married Louisa LeCrone 2/8/1838. She died in Randolph County Indiana on December 18, 1858 at the age of 39y, 1M, 11 days. This union produced 7 children: Sarah (who married Adam Harmon), John (who we believe died before they left Ohio), Daniel (your ancestor), Ann Melissa (who married Henry Bartlett), Emily E. (who we lose track of after 1860, and who is not listed as an heir on her father's will), Phebe J. (who married Joseph Smith), and Emma (who married Lewis Johnson and later Aaron Stovall).
We believe we actually have a photo of Elizabeth Geistweit. We're 99.9% sure of it. If only they had put something more defining on the back of it. It just reads "Lizzie Dietz." By process of elimination, and the style of her clothing, and the fact that her features resembling my grandfather's, we're pretty sure of it. Also have pictures of other siblings and their children. My great-ancestor was the one who changed the name to Deeds. Elizabeth, as she traveled about, adopted whatever name was being used at the location. The correct spelling is Dietz.
End email from Karen Deeds-Jarvie, Aug. 18, 2007.
Email from Karen Deeds-Jarvie, Aug. 29, 2007: (Excerpts)
Louisa was the name on the headstone of Mrs. George Dietz. It's a broken stone in Randolph Co. Indiana. She was mighty young at the time.
The confusion with the names [Carolyn vs. Louisa] might have something to do with George's brother, John, marrying a Caroline Brenner. His brother Samuel married Caroline's sister, Elizabeth. Actually Samuel was married to a widow (when he was just a boy). Her name was Elizabeth Godfrey Howard. She brought two small children to the union: Leah and Henry. She and Samuel had two children (John and Sarah) before her untimely death. It wasn't a year before Samuel married Elizabeth Brenner (sometimes Brunner).
End email from Karen Deeds-Jarvie, Aug. 29, 2007.
Note Karen Deeds-Jarvie email above that it was Louisa Lecrone, not Caroline, who married George Dietz (in 1838).
From "Shelby County, IL, Marriage Index 1827-1854" (929.2 Shelby)
Isaac Corbin to Elizabeth Ann Lacron, Jan. 4, 1842.
From "Shelby County Platt book"
Robert LeCrone, Shelbyville Twp., Section 28
From "Inscriptions of Shelby County, IL Cemeteries"
Charles LeCrone, 1874-1930, Antioch Cemetery
Bernice LeCrone, 1904-1925, Antioch Cemetery
Sarah, wife of Daniel LeGrone (with a G), Sulphur Springs Cemetery
From "Shelby County, IL, Marriage Index 1827-1854" (929.2 Shelby)
William Storm to Elizabeth Rankin, Dec. 16, 1848
From "Patron List of Shelby County, IL 1875 Platt Book"
Wm. Storm, Ash Grove Township, farmer,
born in Kentucky, came to Shelby County in 1831.
Wm. A. Storm, Ash Grove Township, farmer,
born in Illinois, came to Shelby County 1844 (or born in 1844).
From "1850 Shelby County IL Census Index"
p. 154: John Storm, Sr., age 59, born Tenn. (born 1791)
p. 154: Kachel Storm, age 55, born Ken.
From "Here and There in Shelby County" (Illinois) by Beulah Gordon.
P.80: In 1875, William Storm -ours?- started a general store under the firm name of Storm and Weeks. In 1883, in company with Henry York and George Garvin, he bought out Shaffer's hardware store. In 1888, he sold his interest in this store to Tom Lefforge. In 1893, he bought out B.H. and T.W. Lovins who had conducted a hardware business since 1890. In 1903, he sold his business to Houke and Pinnel.
in 1848, William Storm married Elizabeth (Betsy) Rankin, daughter of Samuel Rankin. William had two brothers, Hiram and John Carrol. John was talented on the dulcimer.
James "Jake" Oran Hartsell: b. Oct. 22, 1881 Windsor, IL; d. Oct. 8, 1953 Windsor, IL
Edna Alberta Dietz: b. Dec. 23, 1885 Windsor, IL; d. Feb. 23, 1982 Windsor, IL
Married March 1, 1905.
James O. Hartsell was born and raised at the homesite outlined in blue on the map below. A photo of the house can be seen in "Ancestry of James A. & Sophronia (Walker) Hartsell"; under Pictures, click on "The Big House, about 1896". Edna A. Dietz was born and raised at the location marked with a red "X" on the map. The house was still standing around 1950 but was burned down on purpose to make more farmland.
James O. and Edna were married at her home. During their first year of marriage, James & Edna Hartsell lived about a mile east of his father's home (a mile east of blue box). They then moved to the location boxed in red, about the time of Theodore's birth (Feb. 27, 1906). They lived in the original house on the property for a year or two until their new house was built.
In the map above: The home of James & Edna Hartsell was in the top left corner of section 19. Again, a section is 1 mile square. The land labeled Edna Hartsell was the land they had since 1925, plus 23 acres that was added in 1932. All their land was in Ash Grove Township, except for the 20 acres in Richland Township. The 75-acre "Risley & Hartsell" land at the top middle of section 19 is 35 acres on the left (west) and 40 acres on the right (east). Unknown right now which Hartsell, but Risley is assumed to be Bertha Risley. The east 40 acres plus the 40 adjoining farther east is the original 80 acres that James A. Hartsell purchased in 1872. His homesite is shown. The 23 acres in section 18 was the homesite of Edna's parents, Daniel and Elvira Dietz. James & Edna grew up close to each other.
Notice the Dietz land in Section 13 of Richland Township.
From a letter by Edna Hartsell to JDH, Mar. 27, 1972 (JDH notes in italics):
- - - - - - - - - - - -
"I have a little land in Richland township, to the west.
You asked if our land was purchased or inherited, it was a little of both. When
Grandma Hartsell (Sophronia (Walker) Hartsell)
passed away (1926), the land was divided among the children. She
had some land down at Stewardson, too. That's a town, down south.
Each one got some ground, in two different places, so some sold out. Uncle Web
(William Webster Hartsell) got 30 acres east of our house, and Aunt Bert
(Bertha (Hartsell) Risley) got 35 acres west. We got 27 acres here,
and some at Stewardson, and so we traded our part at Stewardson to Aunt Bert for
her part west of us.
We bought Uncle Web's 30 acres east, in order
to have it all together. We still own some timber land, down at Grandpa's
(James A. Hartsell)
old home place (40 of the original 80 acres in NE corner of section 19).
We have 160 acres all together. I got 23 acres, in Ash Grove, when
Grandma Dietz passed away (Elvira (Storm) Dietz, in 1932).
I was told that Grandma Hartsell (Sophronia) inherited 600 acres
when Uncle Joe Walker passed away (1896)."
- - - - - - - - - - - -
Home of James O. & Edna (Dietz) Hartsell
Below is a photograph of the old oval picture of the farmhouse & barn as it looked not too long after the new house was built. The picture was colorized and lines were drawn around the windows & eaves of the house. Behind the house is the original house that they first lived in. The barn was built and used by former occupants. There is a story about Ralph Sims finding a board on the barn roof having the date 1868 or 1886. It was also said that the barn was already old when the new house was built, so 1868 sounds more likely. The new house was built around 1908. The muddy dirt road is in the foreground.
It would be interesting to know the previous owner of the land with the original house & barn.
The front of the house (on the left, with the porch) faced north.
The exact year the new house was built is unknown, but there are a few clues. Their first son Theodore, born February 1906, was young and walking because Edna had said "it was hard to keep track of him while the house was being built". She only said "Theodore", so Doris, born in January 1908 must not have been hard to watch, perhaps not walking yet. A tentative guess for when the new house was built is around 1908.
The picture was done by a professional and printed on a curved oval cardboard. As for the date the photo was taken, the trees should be a clue. As part of a program at Elm Flat School, the children were given a maple tree to plant. However, the trees, especially the center one, appear to be a fruit trees. There are no osage orange (hedge-apple) trees yet along the road. A tentative guess is that the photo was taken not long after the house was built.
The original house was torn down around 1937 before their son J.D.'s wife, Ruth (Dean) Hartsell, made her first visit to the farm. The barn began collapsing in 1972 and was down by 1978. The oak beams of the barn were put together with oak pins. The house has been kept up and remodeled, and was in good shape as of 2000.
Below are two enhanced computer scans of the original photo. The original is too big to scan all at once, so these are the left and right halves. The hand-drawn lines around the windows and eaves are on the original.
Enlarged scan of left half of oval photo.
Enlarged scan of right half of oval photo.
Back end of original house on the property, probably built in 1868.
As JDH's Dad relates, the original house was good sized and the front of it faced west. He said they called it "Shack's place". After the new house was built, the old one was used for storage, for coal, meat smoking, and a garage. The garage was in the SW corner and from inside you could see what used to be the living room.
Below: back of house showing porch as it was in 1975. A room was later added on at the porch area. The original back door was where the window is on the left in the porch area. The door was moved to the right when an indoor bathroom was put in. At the left is the entrance to the cellar, which was also accessible from the kitchen. They used to catch rainwater coming down the "V" of both roofs.
There is a picture of Edna at age 9 in the Dietz section above, "Daniel Dietz family, 1895".
There is a picture of James O. Hartsell at about age 15 in "The Big House, about 1896" photo mentioned above.
First automobile of James O. Hartsell when he was about 37 years old:
From an old ad by Bridges Pickup Poppers, Windsor, IL:
"The car illustrated above is a 1918 Dort touring car. It was made for a brief
period from 1915-1924 by Joshua Dort in Flint, Michigan. The 1918 Prairie Farmer
Directory of Shelby County lists the rural car owners and the makers of their cars.
... Dort owners listed were ... J. O. Hartsell of Windsor ... Although the car
is a rare name today, there were some 107,000 Dorts sold during its production years."
This means J. O. Hartsell had the car as of 1918. He was the only one listed in the rural area around Windsor. In an ad found elsewhere, the price of the car was $680.00. The top went up for shelter from rain, but there was no covering for the side windows.
Below is a photo taken about 1923 of the James O. & Edna Hartsell family. Taken at the east side of their house.
Below is a photo taken about 1945 of James O. & Edna Hartsell with most of their grandchildren at the time. Missing are children of H. Dean Hartsell. I (JDH) am the boy on the right, looking to the side.
James O. and Edna are buried at Ash Grove Cemetery, near where the driveway enters the cemetery.
The house in 1998
|
Another view of house, 1972.
|
The kitchen in 1975. Doorway to stairsto upstairs bedrooms. West door on left. |
Kitchen in 1972, another view.Edna and son "J.D". Picture quality to be improved. |
Downstair bedroom, 1975. First usedfor meat storage, then James & Edna's bedroom. Old pump organ on right. |
Main bedroom upstairs, 1975.Used by James and Edna. Large walk-in closet at left rear. |
In main bedroom, looking other way.Door on left is to north bedroom. Door on right is to east bedroom. |
In north bedroom, toward door, 1975.Old Victrola on left. Closet on right. |
East bedroom, enhanced sharply toshow furnishings. Sonja with hand on old baby carriage. 1978. |
The barn in 1972. Edna with great-grand children Kevin & Sonja. The back side was already collapsing. |
The main corridor of barn in 1975.Corncrib was behind lathe on left. |
1975. The mailbox in an old milk can.Looking east down the road. |
Childhood memories of grandson Jim Hartsell:
Grandpa and Grandma's farm was a special place for me. Partly because when I was young I was able to experience a little of what life was like in the years before me. I was born in 1939, so the memories probably go back to around 1945. I remember when it was World War II, and when my uncle Dean went off to war.
When I was young, the house had no indoor plumbing. Water was pumped outside and brought into the house for cooking. We would pump water outside into a big pan to wash up out on the porch. Grandpa and Dad would shave using a straight razor and a small mirror on the wall to the left of the west door in the kitchen. We used an outhouse, and yes, there was a Sears Roebuck catalog for paper. There was no TV, of course.
There was always electricity as far back as I remember. But, when my Dad was growing up, they used candles and kerosene lamps at night. That's the kind of smells they had indoors in the evening. Uncle Theodore was an electrical engineering student, and had wired the house around 19___. The telephone was a wooden box on the wall with a mouthpiece sticking out the front, 2 bells at the top, and the handset hanging on the side. Below the box was a large round battery. They would turn a crank to get the operator's attention, I think. It was on a party line, and each party had a certain combination of rings.
There was a wood-burning cookstove in the kitchen. Grandma would put the wood in, start the fire, and work on something else until the stove was ready. Round covers could be lifted out with a tool to tend to the fire under different parts of the stove. There was also an oven compartment, and I think a reservoir to heat water. In the summer it was plenty hot in the kitchen when the cookstove was fired up. Grandma would get up at 4 or 4:30 AM to get the fire going in the stove to "make breakfast for the menfolks". In the living room was a wood burning heating stove. They must have burned coal beside wood since they stored coal in the old house. That's another aroma to add to the scene, beside the obvious candles and kerosene lanterns. To heat the upstairs there were vents through the ceiling for heat to rise up through them.
We would sometimes help churn cream into butter using a large jar with a paddle inside, turned by a crank on top. Ice cream was also made using a hand- crank wooden bucket with a rotating container inside for the ice cream recipe. Salt was added to the ice that surrounded the container to make it colder. Grandma did all her baking from scratch without measuring the ingredients - she just knew how much to use.
At bedtime, my brothers and I would go up the creaking stairs, just like our Dad used to, to a sometimes hot bedroom. When Dad was our age, he carried a candle or kerosene lantern. The windows were small and didn't let much breeze through. When Dad was a kid, he said it was sometimes so hot he slept on the floor because it was cooler. The closets were covered by a curtain instead of a door.
I would sometimes "help" milking a cow, although Grandma could do it a hundred times faster. My favorite time was to watch Grandma "slop" the pigs from kitchen waste that was collected during the day. She would feed the chickens by scattering hard sweet corn that was ground up. When gathering eggs, she would reach under the sitting hen, quick enough that she didn't get pecked. Grandma's technique for beheading a chicken was to put the neck between two nails, then use an axe. Dad stepped on the head and pulled on the body. The chickens were plucked after dipping them in a bucket of hot water. There were cows, too, and we liked reaching over the fence to feed them grass and walnut tree leaves.
Grandpa's son-in-law Joe Dunn was a plumber. Around 1950 (?), Uncle Joe put in a sink-like arrangement in the kitchen, with a small hand pump that drew water from a cistern. This was the first indoor plumbing. I don't remember which came first, but a few years later Uncle Joe built an indoor bathroom, and running water in the kitchen. The indoor bathroom was built in the "mud room" where the back entrance was. The back door was moved to the right. He put in a sink and toilet, but there was no room for a bathtub. It also meant burying a septic tank nearby. I think Grandpa lived to see indoor plumbing at home, but his father never experienced it. Grandpa never saw TV. Also, a gas cookstove was put in to replace the wood-burning cookstove.
The cistern was just behind the house, on the south side. There was a curved concrete mound that supported boards on the top. This was apparently for ground water to seep into, and could be hand-pumped for use inside. It wasn't a true well. Some distance south of the house was a real well. I think there was a windmill, or at least there used to be. Water was pumped into a trough for the livestock. I remember vividly when Grandpa pumped some water for me into a rusty tin cup. It was ice cold.
Grandpa had his own special silverware that no one else used. It was old-fashioned looking with wood handles riveted together on both sides of the metal handle. On the vinyl table-clothed kitchen table there was always pinkish-orange depression-glass plates, glasses and cups.
As kids we loved the barn. We could climb all over and up into the hay mow. There were bales of hay that we would climb around and sit looking out over the farm. In the main corridor there were still horse harnesses hanging on the wall, along with a lot of old-fashioned tools and implements.
In the front yard there was a huge maple tree. Just east of that were walnut trees and various fruit trees. There were also fruit trees on the west side. The pig pen was a little more west, next to the road. East of the house was the outhouse, and southeast was the chicken coops. There was also a kitchen garden for vegetables.
By my time they used tractors, but Dad would tell us about when he used to plow using a horse. For the first cut he would line up on something at the end of the field with something on the ground closer to him to get a straight line. After each plowing across & back, horse and man would rest a bit in the shade. When my brothers and I were young we rode on the tractor once when they were cutting wheat. The wheat would go into the wagon, and the chaffe blew away in the wind. A fair amount of chaffe got on us, and being sweaty, it stuck. Misery.
The dirt roads were tarred to keep them from getting muddy after a rain, but it wasn't long before that they were just plain dirt roads. On a hot day you could smell the tar as you walked the road. Back then there were hedge-apple (osage orange) trees all along the road, plus a huge elm tree.
Everything was North - South - East - or West of something. The tree on the East. The room on the North. The door on the West side. Dad knew the direction just seeing shadows out of the corner of his eye. That's how they all talked, but us kids didn't know which way was North.
Grandpa and the other farmers wore long underwear under their coveralls during the summer. We were dressed cool, and couldn't believe how they were dressed in the hot, humid weather. Grandpa said when he became wet with sweat, it would cool him off.
From "Here and There in Shelby County" (Illinois) by Beulah Gordon.
P.68: The survey of Windsor was filed May 16, 1865, by Elias Smith for Messrs. Huggins and Ryder. The streets were laid out parallel with the railroad which angled one (mile) in every four miles. Streets in the later addition to Windsor were laid out at the same angle. Windsor was first called Illiopolis. Why it was christened Windsor is not known. (more to be added)
Photo below from "History of the Storm Family" by S. B. Storm.
DIRECT ANCESTOR DATA
Father:
Mother:
Scotch-Irish descent SBStorm
born: 1804 SBStorm
where: Virginia?
married:
where: Tennessee SBStorm
spouse: Nancy Vaughn SBStorm
occupations: overseer of slaves in Virginia SBStorm
owned tavern & bar in Windsor, IL. SBStorm
moved: From Virginia to Tennessee to Illiois SBStorm
In Shelby County, Illinois in 1830 1830 Census
volunteer in Black Hawk war SBStorm
died: 1885 Gordon (age 81)
buried:
children:
Sally Ann "Sarah" Rankin SBStorm
born:
where: Tennessee SBStorm
spouse: 1. Greenbury Storm SBStorm
2. Adam Storm SBStorm
died: Mar. 2, 1852 SBStorm
Elizabeth "Betsy" Rankin SBStorm
born: around 1828
where: Tennessee SBStorm
(See DIRECT ANCESTOR data in this section)
Rebecca Rankin SBStorm
born:
where: Tennessee SBStorm
spouse: Lewis Frazer SBStorm
Emily Rankin SBStorm
born:
where: Illinois SBStorm
spouse: James "Bat" Storm SBStorm
Harriet Rankin SBStorm
born:
where: Illinois SBStorm
spouse: Hiram Storm SBStorm
Nancy Jane Rankin SBStorm
born:
where: Illinois SBStorm
spouse: John Carroll Storm SBStorm
Julia Rankin SBStorm
born:
where: Illinois SBStorm
spouse: Henderson Storm SBStorm
David Storm SBStorm
born:
where: Illinois SBStorm
moved to Missouri; not heard from since SBStorm
Martha Storm SBStorm
born:
where: Illinois SBStorm
spouse: Cal Morgan SBStorm
Melissa Storm SBStorm
born:
where: Illinois SBStorm
spouse: Fount Sexson SBStorm
Samuel Storm (youngest) SBStorm
born:
where: Illinois SBStorm
lived all his life in Shelby County, Illinois SBStorm
Father: Mother: born: about 1810 spouse: Samuel Rankin SBStorm died: sometime after 9th child (David) was born SBStorm
Father: John Henry Dietz Karen Deeds-Jarvie Mother: Elizabeth Geistweit Karen Deeds-Jarvie born: 1808 Karen Deeds-Jarvie married: 1838 Karen Deeds-Jarvie spouse: Louisa Lecrone Karen Deeds-Jarvie
Father: Mother: born: about 1820 spouse: George Dietz died: 1858 Karen Deeds-Jarvie
Father: Mother: born: 1765 Karen Deeds-Jarvie married: 1806 Karen Deeds-Jarvie spouse: Elizabeth Geistweit Karen Deeds-Jarvie died: 1834 Karen Deeds-Jarvie
Father: George Geistweit Karen Deeds-Jarvie Mother: born: 1788 Karen Deeds-Jarvie married: 1806 Karen Deeds-Jarvie spouse: John Henry Dietz Karen Deeds-Jarvie died: 1868 Karen Deeds-Jarvie
Father: Mother: born: married: 1848 MarriageIndex(1) spouse: Elizabeth "Betsy" Rankin MarriageIndex(1)
Father: Samuel Rankin Mother: Nancy Vaughn born: married:1848 MarriageIndex(1) spouse: William Storm MarriageIndex(1)
Father: George Dietz TDHartsell(1)
Mother: Caroline Lecrone TDHartsell(1)
born: May 16, 1846 TDHartsell(1)
where: Ohio PatronList(1)
married:
where:
spouse: Elvira Storm TDHartsell(1)
occupation: farmer, Richland Twp. PatronList(1)
came in 1865 to Shelby County, Illinois PatronList(1)
died: July 9, 1927 TDHartsell(1)
buried:
children:
Ora Dietz (female)
born: 1883 DietzPhoto(1)
where:
married:
spouse:
died:
buried:
Edna Alberta Dietz
born: Dec. 23, 1885
where: Ash Grove Twp., IL
(See DIRECT ANCESTOR data in this section)
Elmer Dietz
born: 1889 DietzPhoto(1)
where:
married:
spouse:
died:
buried:
Norma Dietz
born: 1895 DietzPhoto(1)
where:
married:
spouse:
died:
buried:
Father: William Storm SBStorm Mother: Elizabeth Rankin SBStorm born: Oct. 24, 1860 TDHartsell(1) spouse: Daniel Dietz TDHartsell(1) died: Dec. 15, 1932 TDHartsell(1)
Father: James Alexander Hartsell well known
Mother: Sophronia Jane Walker well known
born: Oct. 22, 1881 well known
where: Ash Grove Twp.
married: Mar. 1, 1905 EdnaDietz
where: Ash Grove Twp.
spouse: Edna Alberta Dietz
occupation: farmer
died: Oct. 8, 1953 well known
buried: Ash Grove Cemetery, Shelby Co., IL
children:
Theodore Deneen Hartsell
born: Feb. 27, 1906 EdnaDietz
where: Ash Grove Township, Shelby Co., IL EdnaDietz
married: Aug. 15, 1931 EdnaDietz
spouse: Marcella Naef EdnaDietz
died:
buried: Ash Grove Cemetery, Shelby Co., IL
Juanita Doris Hartsell
born: Jan. 23, 1908 EdnaDietz
where: Ash Grove Township, Shelby Co., IL EdnaDietz
married: June 5, 1931 EdnaDietz
spouse: Joe Dunn EdnaDietz
died:
buried: Ash Grove Cemetery, Shelby Co., IL
James Daniel Hartsell
born: June 27, 1910 EdnaDietz
where: Ash Grove Township, Shelby Co., IL EdnaDietz
married: May 11, 1938 EdnaDietz
spouse: Ruth Dean EdnaDietz
died: Dec. 31, 2003
buried: Ash Grove Cemetery, Shelby Co., IL
Harrel Dwight Hartsell (infant)
born: Jan. 4, 1915 EdnaDietz
where: Ash Grove Township, Shelby Co., IL EdnaDietz
died: Feb. 10th, 1915 EdnaDietz
buried: Ash Grove Cemetery, Shelby Co., IL
Beulah Normalette Hartsell
born: Feb. 1, 1917 EdnaDietz
where: Ash Grove Township, Shelby Co., IL EdnaDietz
married: Aug. 28, 1939 EdnaDietz
spouse: Ralph Sims EdnaDietz
died: June 26, 2004
buried: Ash Grove Cemetery, Shelby Co., IL
Hershel Dean Hartsell
born: Feb. 8, 1920 EdnaDietz
where: Ash Grove Township, Shelby Co., IL EdnaDietz
married: Mar. 3, 1946 EdnaDietz
spouse: Mildred Godberson EdnaDietz
died:
buried:
Father: Daniel Dietz
Mother: Elvira Storm
born: Dec. 23, 1885
where:
spouse: James Oran Hartsell
died: Feb. 1982
buried: Ash Grove Cemetery, Shelby Co., IL
DietzPhoto(1) - written on back of Dietz family photo shown above.
EdnaDietz - notes by Edna Alberta (Dietz) Hartsell, Feb. 1971
Gordon - "Here and There in Shelby County" (Illinois) by Beulah Gordon
MarriageIndex(1) - "Shelby County IL Marriage Index 1827-1854"
PatronList(1) - "Patron List of Shelby County, IL. 1875 Platt Book"
SBStorm - "History of the Storm Family" by S. B. Storm
TDHartsell(1) - notes by Theodore Deneen Hartsell.