Birthdays from my family tree for the week of Nov. 16:
Nov. 16
Nancy Davis Wilson, (my 5G aunt-in-law on my mother's side) b. 1804 in Kentucky; d. May 20, 1879, in Madison Lake, Madison County, Ohio. Nancy married Daniel Wilson, brother of my 4G grandfather Jeremiah Wilson, on March 1, 1822. I don't know a lot about Nancy, but Daniel Wilson was a botanic physician — a doctor whose practice is based mostly on herbs and roots. He settled in Somerford, Madison, Ky., in 1837.
Daniel was probably the best known physician who has ever practiced there. He was a deacon in the German Baptist Church (Tunkors) and occasionally preached for them and conducted funerals.
Nancy and Daniel had at least one child, daughter Elizabeth Wilson. She was born in 1826 but died just short of her second birthday.
Nancy Elender Boggs Kidd, (my 2G aunt-in-law on my father's side) b. 1852 in Blaine, Lawrence County, Ky.; d. 1930 in Lawrence County, Ky. Nancy was married to Archibald Kidd, an older brother of my great-grandfather Edmund Kidd. They split their married life between Lawrence County, where she was born, and Morgan and Rowan counties, where Archibald was raised.
Etta Kidd, (my great aunt on my father's side) b. 1897 in Morgan County, Ky.; d. March 13, 1978, in West Liberty, Morgan County, Ky. Etta — "Etty," as her name was often pronounced — was the sister of my grandfather Elmer Kidd. Near end of her life, Etta lived in a house on the property of her niece Shirley and nephew-in-law Tillman. Sometime after the death of her brother Albert in 1969, Etta was joined there by her sister-in-law, Albert's widow Ludy Kidd. By that time, Ludy was wheelchair bound.
Etta never married and lived most of her life with her siblings — Mary Virginia "Vergie" Kidd Flannery, according to the 1940 census, and Myrtle, who also never married.
Marion Hall, (my first cousin three times removed on my mother's side) b. 1909 in Rowan County, Ky.; d. Feb. 3, 1956, in Perry, Lawrence County, Ky. Marion was the son of Albert David Hall and Martha Belle McClain Hall. He was a private in Company A, 22nd Infantry Regiment, during World War II and Korea. He won a Bronze Star and a Purple Heart, according to the application for his military headstone, but I don't know details of his military exploits.
Neither do I know a lot of details about his murder.
Marion was beaten about the head and shoulders by two assailants at the Starlite Theater, in Perry Township, Lawrence County, Ohio. He suffered lacerations to his face and died of shock. His death certificate says his injuries were suffered Feb. 3, 1956, and that he was "found" Feb. 24. I'm not sure what that means.
Marion was embalmed by Laurence A. Bowman. His burial was handled by Lane Funeral Home of Morehead, Ky., and he was buried at Lee Cemetery in Morehead. His death certificate indicates he was divorced.
Marion married Gladys Amanda Dennis in 1929. If they had children, I have no record of it. Likely, the split happened by 1944 — a photo of Gladys on Ancestry.com shows her holding a baby. Perhaps it is not her baby, but Gladys did remarry, to Abraham Eversole in 1945.
Norma Louise Williams, (my great aunt on my mother's side). Happy birthday, Aunt Norma. Love you and hope you have a great day.
Nov. 17
Jacob Kelly Day, (my 4G grandfather on my mother's side) b. 1796 in Tazewell, Tazewell County, Va.; d. Jan. 3, 1838, in Morgan County, Ky. Jacob married Susannah Cogswell Feb. 12, 1818, in Fleming County, Ky. They had 11 children, including Lydia Day Royse, my 3G grandmother. Their granddaughter, Martha Royse, married my 2G grandfather Abijiah Wilson, where Royse and Wilson blood mingled. (Wilson is my mother's maiden name.)
William Price, (my third cousin three times removed on my mother's side) b. 1872 in Madison, Ohio; d. May 6, 1873. William is the 2G grandson of Valentine Wilson, a wealthy Ohio landowner in the early to mid-1800s. His parents were John Price (1840-?) and Sarah Wilson Price (1844-?).
Nov. 18
Hamet Fultz, (my first cousin once removed on my father's side and my fourth cousin once removed on my father's side) b. 1912 in Kentucky; d. March 15, 1981. Hamet was the son of Edward Lambert and his second wife, Lula Belle Hamilton Kidd. Because Edward's mother, Eliza Louisa Leedy Lambert, and his paternal grandmother, Emaline Victoria Leedy, were both first cousins and in-laws, Hamet is a double relative.
Nov. 19
The gravesite of Homer Lee Wilson, with a plot reserved for his son Clifford.
Homer Lee Wilson, (my first cousin twice removed on my mother's side) b. 1932 in Louisa, Lawrence County, Ky.; d. Jan. 25, 2008, in Mansfield, Richland County, Ohio. I have at least three people in my family named Homer Lee Wilson. This particular Homer Lee is the son of my 2G uncle, Bun Clifford Wilson, and Bessie Brown Wilson. One of the great accomplishments and joys of my genealogical research is tracking down Homer Lee's children, whom I've never met in person. I've heard many stories about my grandfather's Uncle Bun, who likely lived for a short time with his brother Burl — my great-grandfather — on the farm where my mother would later grow up. Bun had a reputation as a prolific moonshiner and a man not to be trifled with. So my motivation for locating his living relatives was obvious — I wanted to hear their stories.
Come to find out, Bun's son had a great story, too — of a hard-working, self-made man.
As many people who hailed from the hills of eastern Kentucky, Homer migrated to Ohio, where he could find work. In 1955, he moved to Mansfield, near Cleveland, and worked for a number of years in a factory. Then, he opened Wilson's Garage, at first on the side, but then as a full-time occupation. In the years when he was working two jobs, his wife Lula "Tootsie" Mullens helped in the garage business and often performed repairs.
Wilson’s Garage later became known as Homer Wilson and Son Towing and was in business for 50 years. Homer also retired as a special deputy for the Richland County Sheriff’s Office. He enjoyed hunting, fishing, racing and gardening. Homer Lee was 75 when he died in 2008 at his home after a short illness. He was survived by his children, Mikle Curtis of Mansfield; Carol Clement of Jacksonville, Fla.; JoAnn Eckstein of Mansfield; and son Clifford Wilson.
Lula preceded Homer Lee in death in 2002.
Folks tend to think of genealogy as the art of chasing ghosts. But in my pursuit of the stories of Bun and Homer Lee, I made contact with all of the living children of Homer Lee and Lula. Mikle, JoAnn, Clifford and Carol not only connected me with family history but extended my family, as well.
Essie Trent Kidd, (my great aunt-in-law on my father's side) b. 1933 in Rowan County, Ky.; d. Feb. 1, 2008, in Morehead, Rowan County, Ky. Essie married Kenneth B. Kidd, son of Albert and Ludy Atlas Barker Kidd. Albert was the brother of my paternal grandfather, Elmer Kidd. It is possible Essie is related to the Trents who are in-laws on my mother's side of the family, but I've not established such a connection, if that is so.
Thomas Albert Caudill, (my fifth cousin once removed on my mother's side) b. 1942 in Ironton, Lawrence County, Ky.; d. July 1, 1999, in Santa Ana, Orange County, Calif. My mother has Caudills on both her mother and father's sides of the family. The clan hails from Letcher County and eventually spread into other parts of Kentucky. If you trace Thomas' line back five generations, you find a Caudill who also lived in Letcher County; if you go back six generations, you find a common ancestor, Matthew Caudill, the patriarch who took the Caudill family from Wilkes County, N.C., into Letcher County in the early 1800s.
But if you count in-laws, you don't have to go back that far to find a connection to Thomas' family and my mother's. Thomas was the son of Oswald Wesley Caudill ("Osbal" on some documents) and Wilma Maxine Hurt Caudill, and the brother of Leroy Caudill, my uncle-in-law. LeRoy married my mother's youngest sister, Vada (1953-1992).
Leroy and Thomas' wing of the Caudill family moved from Letcher to Greenup county, then to Ohio, then to California. Oswald and Wilma eventually made their way back to Kentucky, settling in Morehead, Rowan County, Ky., where another wing of the Caudill family had become prominent citizens.
Nov. 21
Mary Fannin Kidd, (my 2G grandmother on my father's side) b. 1833 in Morgan County, Ky.; d. May 5, 1879, in Martinsburg, Elliott County, Ky. Mary married my 2G grandfather Edmund Kidd. Among their children were my great-grandfather Edmund Kidd Jr. Mary was the daughter of David Fanning and Sarah Day Fanning. (Another of their daughters, Rachel Fanning, married John Jennings, patriarch of a family that also married into both the Kidd and Wilson families.)
Mary was married to Thomas Dehart before she wed Edmund. It is possible that Thomas was the father of Peter Fannin-Kidd, who was adopted by Edmund and raised as one of his own.
Nov. 22
Archibald Kidd, (my 2G uncle on my father's side) b. 1855 in Morgan County, Ky.; d. March 3, 1936, in Hamm, Rowan County, Ky. Archibald was the son of Mary Fannin Kidd and Edmund Kidd (my 2G grandfather), and the brother of Edmund Kidd (my great grandfather.)
His death certificate, as scanned online at Ancestry.com, records the death of Archie Kidd, age 80, widowed. His wife was Nancy Boggs and his father Edd. The cause of death was a stroke, and the informant was Sarah Slusher Jennings. (This would be his niece by marriage, the wife of Arch’s nephew John Milt Jennings. Milt was a grandson of the aforementioned John Jennings.)
James Nelson Caudill, (my second cousin twice removed on my mother's side) b. 1917 in Morehead, Rowan County, Ky.; d. Oct. 26, 1982, in Rowan County, Ky. James is descended from a line of Caudills that came to Rowan County from Letcher County. He is the grandson of John Maggard Caudill. John was the brother of the Rev. Henry C. Caudill, my mother's 2G grandfather.