Issue 5 - Freepages

The Everitt Family Newsletter
Issue Number 5
Published for the descendants of William C. and Mary (Lewellen) Everitt
July 2005
George Washington Everette:
Civil War Casualty
By Jeff Harmon (Franklin, Indiana)
B
y 1841, the family of
William C. and Mary
(Lewellen)
Everett
consisted of eight children
ranging in age from a young
toddler under two years of age
to a young woman of nineteen.
The Everetts had lived in
Vienna Township in Scott
County, Indiana for nine years
and were respected citizens of
the area as is evidenced by
William's election as road
supervisor for the township in
1833, a position to which he
would be elected to again in
1846. The year 1841 found
William turning 55 years of age
and his wife 39. It was also
probably the year of the birth of
their last child, George
Washington Everitt.
Little is known of this youngest member of the family. Information put together by Roberta Carter, wife of Everitt
descendant Morris "Mockie" Carter, tells
us that he lived in the "Rawl Feeler place"
which is the last house, now in a poor
state of repair, on the left before crossing
Interstate 65 on the way to the Everitt
Cemetery. She also paints a picture of
him with the few words "was a land pill
(does anybody know what that means?),
hunter, gambler, unusually stout" and that
he "died in jumping."
George was married on November 4,
1858, in Scott County to Miss America
Frances Wilson, the daughter of John
Wesley and Paulina (Barton) Wilson. He
was seventeen or eighteen years of age,
she fourteen or fifteen. On June 30, 1860,
the enumerator for the 1860 census
found George and America residing near
his arrest and transportation seem to imCharlestown in Clark County in the home
ply that he had deserted and been caught
of a Samuel Lewellen, likely a first cousin
and returned. His illness may have been a
on his mother's side. Their first child,
result of imprisonment.
Margaret Angeline, was born later that
George was initially buried at Greensyear on November 20, 1860. A second
boro, but his remains were later moved to
daughter, Laura Ellen, was born on Febthe Raleigh National Cemetery, 501 Rock
ruary 12, 1864 (see the "Whatever Happened
Quarry Road, in Wake County, North
To...?" column in this issue).
Carolina, where he rests in plot 5, 349.
He enrolled as a Private in Company E
The inscription on his white marble miliof the 140th Regiment of Indiana Voluntary headstone reads "349 / G. W. Everteers on September 14, 1864 at Columette / Ind."
bus, Indiana and was mustered into service with the Union Army on October 24,
1864 at Indianapolis. The spelling of his
name was recorded at this time as
"Everette". Muster records give his age at
muster as 23 years and give the following
physical description: dark eyes, hair and
complexion, 5'10". His occupation was
listed as farmer.
Records indicate that George died at a
hospital in Greensboro, North Carolina
on June 20, 1865. An application for a
widow's pension was filed by America in
1866 in which a couple of pieces of information shed some light on his death.
First, an Adjutant General's Office docuGeorge Washington Everette's headstone.
ment states that the Muster Roll of Company E, dated July
11, 1865, reports
that he died as stated
above and that "cost
of arrest and transportation $50.65.
Due U.S. one knapsack and one haversack." The "Widow's
Declaration for Pension" filed by America appears to attribute his death to a
disease contracted
while in service. The
statement that he
died "in jumping"
View of Raleigh National Cemetery, Wake County, North Carolina,
and the reference to
the site of G.W. Everette's final resting place.
Whatever Happened To...
Margaret Angeline & Laura Ellen Everitt?
Margaret Angeline and Laura Ellen Everitt, daughters of
George Washington and America Frances (Wilson) Everitt, were
born on November 20, 1860 and February 12, 1864, respectively.
Their father died in June 1865 at the close of the Civil War while
serving in the Union Army at Greensboro, North Carolina.
Their mother filed for a widow's pension, but married George
Washington Chappell in 1867 before she could begin to collect.
The Chappells had at least two sons, William "Chalkie" and
Jesse, before they divorced sometime in the late 1870s. In December 1879, Margaret and Laura are placed under the guardianship of their grandfather John Wesley Wilson. No further record
of them has been located. The family of John Wilson appears to
have moved to Seymour, Indiana sometime after the guardianship was awarded to him, and their mother had married a third
time, to Green Ballew, in August 1879, but the two daughters are
not found with either family after this point. Did they marry and
raise families or did they die young? Some Scott County residents
remember "Chalkie" Chappell, and his granddaughter believes
that she remembers him speaking of sisters and the name Everitt
but does not know what became of them. Does anyone have any
clue that might help find them?
- Jeff Harmon
UPDATE! Whatever Happened To...
Martha Elizabeth "Lizzie" Everitt?
Has Martha Elizabeth "Lizzie" Everitt been found? Our January 2005 issue "Whatever Happened To...?" focused on Lizzie
Everitt, the daughter of Oliver Eugene and Emma (Mitchell)
Everitt. Before that issue appeared, new information surfaced
that seems to indicate that Lizzie did not die young as believed
but may have lived to the ripe age of 88 and have had nine children and many descendants. After a rather difficult divorce, it
appears now that Lizzie's
mother, Emma and her parents, Charles G. and Nancy
(Boles) Mitchell, probably
took Lizzie to Illinois where
they remained for a few
years before moving to LaSame person? Teenaged Lizzie
Everitt seen at left; detail from
Porte County, Indiana
a portrait of Emil and Mararound 1904. On December
tha (Mitchell) Johnson shown
28, 1905 in Starke County,
at right for comparison.
Indiana, a Martha E. Mitchell, daughter of Charles G. and Elizabeth (Boles) Mitchell, married Emil E. Johnson. Her birth date and place was given on the
marriage license application as March 24, 1887, Scottsburg, Indiana. Scott County birth records list the birth date of Martha
Elizabeth Everitt as March 24, 1889.
Emil and Martha Johnson lived in LaPorte County where they
raised nine children; Charles, Howard, Gerald, Mona, Glenn,
Pauline, Paul, Ebert and Frederick. At some point, probably after
Emil retired, they moved to Arizona where he died in 1963. After his death, Martha moved to the Colona, Illionis area where
her daughter, Mona resided. She died on March 5, 1978, leaving
her daughter, four sons, twenty-five grandchildren and fortythree great-grandchildren to survive her. Her obituary states that
she was the daughter of Charles G. and Nancy (Boles) Mitchell
and gives her birth date as March 24, 1889.
It seems clear that Emma and her parents "hid" Lizzie in part
by identifying her as a daughter to her grandparents and as a sister to her mother. Its also possible that she was legally adopted
by her grandparents. Her daughter, Mona, while still living is un-
Emil and Martha E. (Mitchell) Johnson
able to assist with identifying her mother's photograph (see January 2005 issue) according to her granddaughter. More work is
needed to prove that Martha Elizabeth Everitt is indeed Martha
Elizabeth (Mitchell) Johnson.
- Jeff Harmon
If you have information on this issue's "Whatever Happened To...? question,
please contact Jeff Harmon by mail at 2980 S 600 E, Franklin, Indiana 46131,
by phone at (317) 736-6227 or by e-mail at [email protected].
2
The Everitt Family Newsletter
The life of Harriet Irene Murphy
By Ron Eberly (Front Royal, Virginia)
H
arriet Irene Murphy, 90,
granddaughter of Samuel Henry Murphy
and Mary A. Everitt passed
away July 20, 2004 in Williamsport, Indiana. Harriet was
born April 23, 1914 in Terre
Haute, Indiana to Milton Howard Murphy and Ora Glenn
Carlisle both of Scott County,
Indiana.
In 1910, her father was employed as a
fireman and later an engineer on the Chicago & Eastern Illinois (C&EI) railroad in
Terre Haute until he was laid off in early
1919. As a young girl, Harriet lived in Terre
Haute and attended kindergarten at the
Greenwood
School.
In early 1919,
Milton was offered
a job on his brother-in-law's farm in
Benton County, Indiana, so they
packed up a moving van and headed Harriet Irene (Murphy)
for Benton County.
Eberly Sneathen,
The van had a driv1914-2004.
er, so Harriet sat on her mother's lap, brother Elbert sat in the truck's seat and Milton
stood out on the running board and on occasion got to sit in the doorway of the cab
for the ninety plus mile trip to the farm on
roads that were unpaved and some that
were gravel. They left Terre Haute at 4:30 in
the morning and arrived at the farm after
sundown that evening, unloaded the truck,
set up the beds and moved in by kerosene
lamp.
Later, Harriet would be enrolled in kindergarten in Boswell, Indiana and rode the
school "hack" into school during the rest of
1919 and part of 1920. Milton was unhappy
with the hired hand position at his brotherin-law's farm and solicited employment
elsewhere landing a similar position on the
Glen Grames farm about five miles west of
the town of Pine Village and about three
miles from Rainsville. So in late 1920, they
Number 5, July 2005
up and moved once again.
Harriet attended grade school at the old
Hooker one-room schoolhouse about two
miles up the road from the farmhouse. She
and her brother walked to school each day
and back home in the afternoon - rain,
snow or shine. Harriet attended Hooker in
1920, graduating from there in April 1928 at
14 years of age. Harriet's mother Ora
Glenn and her grandmother Harriet
"Hattie" Christie Carlisle both were lovers
of poems. For her assignment on the last
day of school at Hooker she chose to recite
'The Wreck of the Hesperus," by Henry
Wadsworth Longfellow. In her memoirs she
indicates she stood tall and proud and rattled it off with out making a single mistake.
In the fall of 1928 Harriet once again
rode the school "hack" from the farm into
Pine Village High School where she started
her freshman year. In 1929 the family once
again moved this time into the town of Pine
Village. Although convenient for the kids, it
was the depression and Milton had to work
at any old odd job he could find to survive.
They didn't have the money to have the
electricity turned on and continued to use
kerosene lamps for light.
This move didn't last long and in 1930
they moved once again to a house three
miles south of Pine Village on State Road
55. Her father worked at cutting down trees
and selling wood, insurance, doing anything
he could to earn money for the family. Pine
Village was a place where jobs did not exist
unless you owned your own business or
were a farmer.
Harriet continued going to Pine Village
High School until her graduation in 1932.
She married her high school sweetheart, Allen "Dutch" Eberly in 1933 and had three
children by him; Joan, Tom and Ron. They
lived in Pine Village all their life, and their
children all graduated from Pine Village
High School.
Harriet was a painter, decorator, seamstress, cook, gardener, carpenter, electrician
and a jack-of-all-trades. In 1946 they bought
their first house in Pine Village for $2600
and she was still living in it when she took
sick and passed away 58 years later. Dutch
the carpenter and Harriet the supervisor
continuously remade that house into a wonderful place to live.
Dutch was drafted into the Navy in 1944
at the age of 35 and left for England with a
wife and three little children at home. Harriet needed to take employment and was
hired at the school as a cook for the noontime meal. She worked at this job from
1945 to 1951.
In 1951 she was called by Purdue University to come to work in the Memorial Union building as a maid which she accepted
at the salary of 85 cents an hour, 6 days a
week, $6.89 per day or $40.80 per week. In
1951 I was working uptown at Terrell's
Grocery in Pine Village and on Saturday
evening I cashed her paycheck for her. After taxes, social security insurance etc., she
cleared $28.60 per week.
Harriet was an extremely talented lady
who followed in her mother and grandmother's footsteps. She loved to sew, was a
master at crocheting, knitting, cooking,
writing, poetry, and collecting postage
stamps. She took up the piano in the early
1950s and couldn't get enough of it. Her favorite was Liberace and I remember in the
fifties watching his TV show and not being
allowed to speak during that half hour. She
never saw a flower she didn't love. Her yard
was filled with beautiful flowers every year.
In her 90th summer she could be seen sitting on the ground in the back yard weeding
her flower garden.
She lived through the tough times and
climbed the ladder to success the old fashion way - hard work! I like to remind my
children that I am the last of a generation
who once lived without a furnace, electricity, indoor plumbing and was number three
to get my bath on Saturday night using the
same water. We had an outdoor privy and I
never forgot what a used Sears and Roebuck Catalog was for! I could never begin
to imagine what it was like in Mother's
childhood days and growing up poorer than
a church mouse. She did pretty darn good,
never took a dime from any government or
local agency, church, or ask for help or assistance, she never owned a credit card,
saved the money and paid cash for what she
wanted to buy, never cheated anyone out of
a penny, and lived her life according to
God's Plan of Salvation. They certainly
don't make them like her generation anymore and she earned her place in heaven!
3
Family history abounds in Scott County buildings
By Robert H. Everitt (Indianapolis, Indiana)
Since 1975, Indiana’s Division of Historic Preservation and
Archaeology has been engaged in compiling the Indiana Historic
Sites and Structures Inventory. To date, 80 of Indiana’s 92 counties have been surveyed. Initial work on the survey of Scott
County began in 2002 and an Interim Report was issued in July,
2004, copies of which are available at the Scott County Heritage
Center and Museum for $15.90 each (including tax); if mailed,
there is a $1.00 handling and postage charge. Copies may be ordered by writing or calling the Museum at 1050 South Main
Street, P.O. Box 122, Scottsburg, IN 47170-0122 or (812) 7521050.
1,210 sites and structures were inventoried in Scott County
and the significance of each inventory entry was evaluated by a
professional architectural historian at Historic Landmarks Foundation of Indiana and was measured against the National Register Criteria for Evaluation. Properties were assessed in terms of O = Outstanding
their historic significance, architec- N = Notable
tural merit, environment, and in- C = Contributing
NC = Non-Contributing
tegrity and then rated in one of
four categories, shown in the chart.
Ten properties are attributed in the report to having belonged
to members of the Everitt family; a compilation of the
properties follows. From personal knowledge, this writer has
noted some other properties in the Report which have ties to
members of the Everitt family but are not so identified. In
future editions, we will discuss some of the other properties and
hope that readers of this newsletter will be able to add other
Everitt properties no longer owned by family members or tied to
other surnames and/or information and comments for future
publication in the newsletter. Please send any information to
Robert H. Everitt, 7510 Washington Boulevard, Indianapolis, IN
46240; e-mail [email protected] or telephone (317) 253-6738.
This information as it appears in the Scott County Interim Report by page number reference and the property number assigned; additional descriptive information added by this writer is
shown in italics.
Pg. 49, #05005, Jennings Township No. 1/Everitt School (O):
Bogardus Road & Oard Spring Rd.; Center-tower; 1909 (J. Fred Beggs,
contractor). The following caption appears beneath a picture of this
building also on page 49 of the Report: The Jennings Township No. 1/
Everitt School was built in 1909. The outstanding schoolhouse was used
for grades 1-8 and sat vacant from 1935-1955. In 1955, it became the
Oard Spring Community Center.
Pg. 65, #10037, Everitt-Copple Farm (C): 3509 Lake Rd.; Tplan/Queen Anne cottage; c. 1880; Outbuildings: pumphouse, transverse-frame barn. The following caption appears beneath a picture of
this house on page 64 of the Report: This Queen Anne cottage is part of
the Everitt-Copple Farm and features clapboard siding with scalloped
and straight-edge banding in its gables.
Pg. 74, #15099, Captain W. D. Everitt House (O): 357 Everitt Ln.;
4
I-House/Italianate;c.1870; Outbuilding: summer kitchen. The following
caption appears beneath a picture of this house also on page 74 of the
Report: The Captain W. D. Everitt House is an outstanding example of an
Italianate-style I-House. The brick house retains wood windows with segmental arches and a full-panel wood door with sidelights and transom.
At one time, Everitt Cemetery was on this property, but the construction of
I-65 separated it from the house. The Clark family, current owners and
residents of the house, have graciously permitted persons attending the
Everitt Reunion to tour this well-preserved home built by Captain Everitt
(1833-1912) upon his return from service in the Civil War.
Pg. 74, #15100, Everitt Cemetery (C): Frontage Road; c.1860present. Many persons attending the Everitt Reunion have visited this wellmaintained historic cemetery.
Pg. 75, #15101, Everitt/Nichols/Craig Farm (C): 4130 Lake Rd.;
Dormer-front bungalow/Craftsman; c. 1910; Outbuilding: Midwest
three-portal barn.
Pg. 78, #16034, 85-87 East Wardell Street, Everitt Building (C):
Parapet front; 1933-1940. This property on the southeast corner of the
Square in Scottsburg is now owned by Scott County and used as an annex
for county offices. It was the location of Everitt's Grocery from 1933 to
1976. Owners and operators of the grocery were William Henry Everitt
(1877-1955) from 1933 to 1947 and Robert W. (1909-1988) and Marietta Garriott Everitt (1909-2005) from 1947 to 1976.
Pg. 78, #16042, 80 South Main Street, T.H. Everitt Building (N):
Italianate; 1912. The following caption appears beneath a picture of this
building also on page 78 of the Report: The T.H. Everitt Building was
built in 1912 and has a crenellated parapet, decorative corbeling above
the name plaque, and rough-hewn stone headers over the windows. Thomas Henry Everitt (1857-1924) was a son of Captain W.D. Everitt. This
property is located on the west side of the Square and currently houses
the popular local restaurant, Jeeves & Company.
Pg. 78, #16055, 85 South First Street, Everitt Building (C): Twopart commercial block; 1959. This property was built by Thomas B. Everitt (1926 - ) and is located on South First Street on the east side of the
Square. A limestone name plaque bearing the inscription “Everitt Building,
1959” appears on the front of the building.
Pg. 81, #17024, Dory Everitt House (N): 620 Gardner St./US31;
English cottage; c.1937; Outbuilding: Garage. The following caption
appears beneath a picture of this house also on page 81 of the Report:
The Dory Everitt House was built c. 1937. The English cottage is clothed
with multiple materials: brick, cedar shingles, and rough stone. Its metal
casement windows have limestone sills. This property was the residence
of Charles Herman (“Dory”) (1892-1962) and Grace Eberts (18931968) Everitt. Family legend held that the bricks used in the construction
of this residence were paving bricks removed from streets in New Albany
or Jeffersonville.
Pg. 101, #20050, Glendy-Everitt Farm (N): 4787 Kinderhook Rd.;
Double-entry, center-gable I-House; c.1860; Outbuildings: chicken
house, English barn, transverse-frame barn. The following caption appears beneath a picture of this house on page 102 of the Report: The
Glendy-Everitt House, c. 1860, retains its original clapboard siding, including decorative wavy boards.
Source: Scott County Interim Report, Indiana Historic Sites and Structures Inventory. Published July, 2004, by Historic Landmarks Foundation of Indiana, Inc.
The Everitt Family Newsletter
Recent births and deaths
BIRTHS
Isabel Sydney Greene (8th generation) was born
Monday May 12, 2003 at Dayton, Ohio, and her
brother, Augustus Byron Green V was born Wednesday February 2, 2005, also at Dayton, Ohio. Isabel
and Augustus are the first two children of Augustus
(IV) and Emily (McClure) Greene. They are the
grandchildren of Douglas and Teresa (Sisson) McClure and the great-grandchildren of Ivalou (Stevenson) Sisson of Noblesville, Indiana.
Connal Jeffrey McKenna (8th generation) was
born Saturday November 27, 2004 at Indianapolis,
Indiana, the first child of Christopher and Crystal
(Sisson) McKenna. Connal is the grandson of Jeffrey and Linda (Burress) Sisson and the great-grandson of Ivalou (Stevenson) Sisson of Noblesville, Indiana.
his parents, his wife, Carla (Ballard) Brown, two
step-children, Eric and Melissa Brennan; and brother Brian G. Brown. Services were held March 29,
2005 with burial in Greenwood Cemetery, Greenwood, Indiana.
Marietta (Garriott) Everitt, 95, died Tuesday, April
5, 2005. Born June 30, 1909 at Scottsburg, Indiana. She was the daughter of William Eugene and
Clara (McCullough) Garriott and was married to
Robert Weldon Everitt (5th generation) on May 28,
1927. He preceded her in death on July 19, 1988.
Survivors include a daughter Jane A. Everitt; sons
William M., Robert H. and Thomas E. Everitt; eight
Ella Marie Rahe (9th generation) was born Tuesday, November 30, 2004 at Jeffersonville, Indiana,
the second child of Mark and Jennifer (Barton)
Rahe. Ella Marie has an older brother, Xavier Lawrence Rahe.
Madyson Nikole Richey (9th generation) was born
Monday September 13, 2004 at Louisville, Kentucky. Madyson is the first child of Joseph and Latonia (Smith) Richey. She is the granddaughter of Roy
and Paula (Collins) Richey and a great-granddaughter of Melvin and Mildred (Kiefer) Richey.
Lindsey Marie Seek (8th generation) was born
Thursday, April 14, 2005 at Silver Spring, Maryland. She is the second child of Adam Douglas
Seek and Renee Smith, granddaughter of the late
Louis ì Dougî Seek and Vanessa (Silver) Seek, and
great-granddaughter of Walter and Helen (Taylor)
Seek of Jefferson, Maryland. Her older sister is
Mackenzie Nicole Seek.
DEATHS
Ivan Lee Alsup, 79, died Tuesday, April 12, 2005
at his Underwood, Indiana home. He was born
June 9, 1925 in Scott County, Indiana, the son of
Clyde and Lydia Alsup. On January 17, 1948, he
married Geneva June Gibson (7th generation). He
served in the U.S. Marine Corps during World War
II. In addition to his wife, Ivan is survived by three
daughters, Teresa Spellman, Cheryl Robison and
Rhonda LaMaster, a sister, Edna Collings, seven
grandchildren and four great-grandchildren. The
funeral service was conducted on April 16, 2005 at
Scottsburg, Indiana, with burial in the Fairview
Cemetery near Underwood.
Terry Allen Brown (6th generation), 49, passed
away Friday, March 25, 2005 in Indianapolis, Indiana. He was born July 26, 1955 in Indianapolis to
Lowell and Norma (Tash) Brown. He is survived by
Number 5, July 2005
Harold R. Love (6th generation), 77, died on
Wednesday, February 18, 2004 at New Albany, Indiana. He was born February 3, 1927 and was the
son of George and Gladys (Babbs) Love. Survivors
include two daughters, Linda Lee and Joyce French;
a son, Rick Love; a sister, Mary Yost; six grandchildren and one great-grandchild. Funeral services
were held on February 21, 2004.
Nella Mae (Hitner) Martin (5th generation), 83,
died on Thursday, January 13, 2005, in New Albany, Indiana. She was the daughter of Thomas and
Edith (Mottweiler), having been born to them on
April 11, 1921 in Floyd County, Indiana. She married Dan Martin on April 10, 1948 and he survives.
Other survivors include a daughter, Ann Marie
Canter; sons, Ed and Bruce Martin; brothers, Albert
and Fred Hitner; sisters, Marguerite Tripure, Mary
Egle, and Dorothy Hubler; five grandchildren and
two great-grandchildren. A memorial service was
held on January 16, 2005 with interment in Tunnell
Hill Cemetery, Edwardsville, Indiana
Alana Zaynab Mount (8th generation) was born
Friday, February 13, 2004. Alana is the first child of
Guy (III) and Shannon (McClane) Mount and the
first grandchild of Guy Jr. and Caron (Berg) Mount
of Huntington Beach, California.
Brycetin Kole Richey (9th generation) was born
Monday, January 31, 2005 at Seymour, Indiana,
the son of Amy Richey, and grandson of Michael
Eugene Richey and Brenda (Collins) Richey Edwards.
John Johnson on February 14, 1977. He survives.
She is also survived by two sons, Roger and David
Stidham; daughter Pam Wehner; three sisters Joyce
Harmon, Phyllis Berger and Goldie Krause; seven
grandchildren and one great-granddaughter. Funeral services were held April 12, 2004 with burial
in the Oak Hill Cemetery near Leota, Indiana.
Marietta (Garriott) Everitt, circa 1915.
grandchildren and seven great-grandchildren. Services were held on Saturday, April 9, 2005, at Scottsburg, Indiana with interment in the Scottsburg Cemetery.
Ida A. (Jamison) Dempsey Haber, 77, died on
Tuesday, August 31, 2004, at Reno, Nevada. She
was born June 8, 1927, in Van Wert County, Ohio,
the daughter of Everett and Mary (Helt) Jamison.
On November 20, 1947, she married Gaylord
Dempsey (6th generation). He preceded her in
death. On Jan. 15, 1959, she married William
Haber. He also preceded her in death. Survivors include three sons, Kenneth and Jack Dempsey and
Jim Haber; one daughter, Kathy Robertson; 16
grandchildren; and 19 great-grandchildren. A
graveside service was held on September 3, 2004
at King Cemetery, Van Wert County, Ohio.
Holly Ruth (Board) Heinzman, 59, died on Thursday, August 12, 2004 at Whitestown, Indiana. She
was the daughter of Fred and Alta (Nicholson)
Board and was born January 9, 1945 at Anderson,
Indiana. She married Keith Heinzman (6th generation) on May 23, 1965. Besides her husband, she is
survived by two sons, Keith Heinzman Jr. and Kurt
Heinzman and one grandson. Funeral services were
held August 14, 2004 with burial in Cicero Cemetery, Cicero, Indiana.
Violet June (Tash) Stidham Johnson (5th generation), 68, died on Friday, April 8, 2005 at Scottsburg, Indiana. Born June 15, 1936 in Scott County,
she was the fifth child of William and Nellie (Dowling) Tash. She was married to Carl Stidham on
March 9, 1953. He died in 1996. She married
E. Eileen (Depew) Reed (6th generation), 77, died
on Tuesday, October 19, 2004 at Decatur, Illinois.
Born May 7, 1927 at Cerro Gordo, Illinois, she
was the daughter of Clarence and Edna (Vest) Depew. She was married on June 28, 1947 to Tom
Reed who survives. Eileen is also survived by sons
Tom and Dale Reed; daughters, Phyllis Wink and
Molly Lienhart; half-brothers, Don and Roy Poe;
nine grandchildren; eight great-grandchildren; and
one great-great-grandchild. Services were held on
October 20, 2004 with burial in Friends Creek
Cemetery, Argenta, Illinois.
Harriet Irene (Murphy) Eberly Sneathen (5th
generation), 90, died on Wednesday, July 21,
2004 at Williamsport, Indiana. Harriet was born at
Terre Haute, Indiana on April 23, 1914, the second
of three children of Milton and Ora Glenn (Carlisle)
Murphy. She was married to Allen "Dutch" Eberly on
January 28, 1933. Dutch died in 1971 and Harriet
then married John Sneathen on April 28, 1973. He
died in 1983. A daughter, Anita Rolan, also preceded her in death. She is survived by two sons,
Thomas and Ronald Eberly; one sister, Dorothy
Birge; eight grandchildren and eleven great-grandchildren. Graveside services were held at the Pine
Village Cemetery, Pine Village, Indiana, on July 24,
2004. (See related article on page 3.)
Bonnie M. (Weaver) Winslow, 64, died on Friday,
October 29, 2004 at Louisville, Kentucky. Born
April 5, 1940, in Kokomo, Indiana, she was the
daughter of Robert and Dorothy (Howell) Weaver.
She is survived by her husband, Robert Winslow
(6th generation); two sons, Bryan and Blair Winslow; a brother, Robert Weaver; and several nieces
and nephews. A memorial service was conducted
on November 1, 2004.
5
The Mystery Photograph
This issue's mystery photo is again one
that the identity is thought to be known
but more proof is needed. This photo is
a copy that is owned by Mr. and Mrs.
Robert Henry Everitt of Indianapolis, Indiana. It is traditionally believed to be a
photo of Bob's great-great-grandparents,
William Davis Everitt (later "Captain")
and Matilda Ellen Easum taken on their
wedding day in 1853. If this is the case, it
is the earliest photo known of our Everitt
ancestors. The identity was provided by
Bob's grandmother, Agnes (Alpha) Everitt, who was obviously acquainted with
William and Matilda, her husband's
grandparents, so the assertion of the
identity is given considerable weight. It
has the appearance of being a copy made
from a daguerreotype, which would be of
the correct era. Does anyone else have a
copy of this photo with more and/or different information?
- Jeff Harmon
Everitts serving in Iraq
Army Specialist Nathan Everitt, son of
Ligonier, Indiana, residents Jim and Lisa Everitt, has served in Iraq as a cannon crew member with the First Armored Division. He finished his first tour in Iraq on July 6, 2004 and
went back home to be with his family in Giessen, Germany.
He was scheduled to be back stateside in
November, 2004, for a short visit home before he and his family moved to Fort Campbell, Kentucky, in December. When he arrived
back in the U.S., it was practically three years
since his parents had seen their son, and they
had never met his wife or daughter.
Nate Everitt is a 2001 graduate from Fort
Sill, ranking fifth in his platoon and receiving
three marksmanship medal during his basic
training. Upon graduation he was stationed in
Germany, where he met and married his wife,
Angelique. His next step is to become a sergeant. They had a daughter, Angel, on July 15,
2003 while he was serving in Iraq. He will be
returning home a hero and fully decorated
with several medals while serving in Iraq. Nate
was one of the many present at the capture of
Saddam Hussein. Many times his parents lost
contact with him for several weeks or even
months as he was not allowed to disclose information to family about his whereabouts
and what he'd be doing while gone on a mission.
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Meanwhile, 22-year-old PFC Madeline
Everitt is with the U.S. Army, 50th Signal Bn.
at Camp Anaconda in Iraq. Madeline is the
daughter of Keith Everitt who lives in Berea,
Kentucky. Madeline is a descendant of Capt.
William Everitt, Rosecrans, Paul, and her
grandfather is Roy Everitt who lives in Huntsville, Alabama.
Madeline was born in Bogalusa, Louisiana,
on October 4, 1981. She was raised in her early years in Louisiana and St. Simmons Island,
Georgia. She was in middle school and high
school in Lexington, Kentucky. Madeline has
been to one Everitt family reunion in Scottsburg and has visited the family homestead and
cemetery.
Madeline's job is communications. She provides for satellite uplink, and field communications. She qualified well with the M-16 and
loves to drive the humvees. Her address is
PFC Madeline Everitt, B CO, 50th SIG BN,
APO, AE 09391. Madeline's email address is
[email protected]. She sent the following e-mail before leaving Kuwait in early
April, 2005:
Hi: I am in Kuwait. We have just spent the
last few days out in the field doing convoy ops
drill and weapons training. It is about 100 degrees here and the sand is like flour. I have
never enjoyed a shower so much in my life. I
am feeling the effects of wearing my flak vest
and all my equipment for the last few days. I
am sore and a little sunburned but doing all
right. You should have seen all the camel
PFC Madeline Everitt
herds. We had to stop training and either
chase them off with humvees or bribe the
herders with MREs. My very limited Arabic
has come in handy a few times convincing
them to move the herds. I will send pictures
soon. Although barren, this place has a unique
beauty, especially at night. Out in the desert
away from lights and noise the true beauty of
the night sky and its blankets of stars will take
your breath away. The sunrise is so different
void of any blockage from cities or mountains. We will leave Kuwait tomorrow and
head for Iraq. I am well. I miss you and love
you very much. Madeline.
The Everitt Family Newsletter
Getting started with genealogy & family history
By Tom Kephart (Marine City, Michigan)
The following article is adapted from a course I
developed and taught at a local community college a few
years ago. If you've always wanted to get started
documenting your own family history, I hope this article
will be of some help as you get started. We'll include more
in future issues. In the meantime, I'm willing to answer
specific questions about the process of genealogy if you
send me an email at [email protected]. Keep in
mind that I probably can't answer questions about specific
individuals, but I may be able to steer you in the right
direction.
The terms genealogy and family history are
generally interchangeable. The major difference is
that genealogy is harder to spell; it has an "a"
where you think an "o" should be.
Okay, that was the attempt at humor.
Actually, genealogy is simply the name given to
the study of family history. It includes skills from
many academic disciplines, including history, geography, library science, medicine and linguistics. To be truly successful at genealogy, a
willingness to dig for evidence like a detective and
a talent for finding needles in haystacks are useful.
There are as many reasons to begin tracing
your family history as there are people doing it.
Some of the motivating factors include a desire to
create a sense of history for children or grandchildren; an interest in history and your ancestors'
role in it; a curiosity about family legends and traditions; or an excuse to spend sunny Saturday afternoons at your local library, peering through old
newspapers, books and microfilms. Others have
religious reasons for their pursuit of ancestral data, and we have that motivation to thank for the
enormous resources that are available from the
Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, better known as the LDS (or Mormon) Church.
Whatever your reasons for pursuing genealogy
as a hobby or vocation, this is the "golden age" of
genealogy, with the growth of computerized record-keeping and online information sources. But
the basics of genealogy remain the same, and
that's what this series of articles will be about.
Broken branches
One of the yardsticks you can measure your
success as a family historian against is the number
of generations you can trace your ancestry
through. It's not uncommon at gatherings of professional genealogists to hear of family trees that
have been traced back to the Norman Conquest,
or the Renaissance, or the Crusades. Many American genealogists are happy to be able to document their ancestor's participation in the Civil
War or the Revolutionary War.
Circumstances don't always make such a
lengthy tracing possible, or sometimes even desirable. There are crooked, broken or missing
branches on almost everyone's family tree, but the
job of creating the tree is made especially difficult
by some very common historical occurrences:
Immigration and illiteracy - Surnames or
family names have changed over the years. DifferNumber 5, July 2005
ent areas of the world adopted surnames at different periods in time. For example, surnames
were commonly used two thousand years ago in
areas occupied or influenced by the Romans.
Other areas of the world were slower to begin using surnames, but they were coming into regular
use by the time of the Middle Ages, first by the
nobility, then by the gentry. After the fall of the
Roman Empire, Ireland was one of the first
countries to adopt hereditary surnames, and Irish
surnames are found as early as the tenth century.
Of course, the lack of fixed spelling to begin
with, combined with general illiteracy, also contributed to the corruption of surnames.
Slavery and other forced servitude - The
practice of forcibly removing people from their
homelands to a new location makes tracing ancestors extremely difficult, if not impossible. Often,
family names were lost in favor of the master's
name. This problem, while primarily an issue for
African-American families in the United States, is
also present in other types of indentured servitude, including children working in sweat shops
and adults selling themselves into labor in return
for goods, travel or other services.
Wars and boundary changes - When a region changed hands from one country to another,
names of towns and families were often changed
as well. Foreign invaders often used language to
control the population by changing the official
language of the invaded country. Many surnames
were then written phonetically in the newly sanctioned language, which dramatically changed their
spellings and created many spelling variations.
When the English overran Ireland after the 1600s
and made English the legal language of the land,
Gaelic surnames were either Anglicized or translated into English. For example, today there are
38 variations of the Anglicized name MacEnaney.
Patronymic naming systems - Many countries used systems of naming that were based on
the father's name instead of an inherited family
name. This practice is particularly prevalent in
Scandinavian countries. The patronymic name
suggests the name of the father or grandfather by
the use of some form of "of." In Ireland, "Mac"
means "son of," while "O" means "grandson of."
When "d'" or "di" is found in an Italian surname,
it signifies "son of." In Czechoslovakia, Pavlov is
the "son of Paul." This naming pattern can be
seen clearly in Sweden, where each subsequent
generation followed suit: Hans Peterson would be
the son of Peter; Hans Peterson's son would be
called Jan Hansen. (On the female side, the
daughter of Hans would be called Hansdotter.) A
similar situation can be found in the New World,
in naming patterns in Dutch New Amsterdam.
Some common patronymics are Robertson, Anderson, Williamson, and Johnson.
Adoption and orphans - Children given up
for adoption face a unique dilemma. Often the
birth parents have no interest in being located,
and current law protects their privacy over the
child's interest in knowing the information. Unfortunately, this not only affects the ability to
trace a family tree, but also can be an obstacle for
finding out information about possible hereditary
medical problems.
Planting your tree
A popular saying states that a long journey begins with the first step. So let's take the first step
along the road to tracing your family tree by writing down your own basic genealogical information, including first, middle and last names; gender, birthdate (bd) and birthplace (bp), your
father's name and your mother's name.
This is the basic set of information that allows
you to connect anyone on the tree to anyone
else… provided all of this information is available. Eventually, you'll hit "the wall," where one or
both parents' names are missing, and no more
connections are possible until they are discovered.
There is much more information that can be
maintained about every person in your tree. Deciding how much or how little information to
keep is a matter of personal preference. Some researchers like to keep a record of cause of death
and medical conditions, which later prove to be
useful references for family members. Others
keep careful track of occupations and employers,
educational and athletic achievements, military records, and so on. The type of information you
keep is up to you. The more detailed the information, the more interesting your family history will
be, but at the cost of having to maintain more
source documents and records.
In the next issue, we'll take a look at the options for
computerizing your records and how to find information on
the internet, which is miles and miles wide but sometimes
only an inch deep! Until then, good luck!
The Everitt Family Newsletter
Volunteer Staff
Tom J. Everitt
Ron Eberly, Keith Everitt,
Lisa Everitt, Robert H. Everitt,
Jeff Harmon, Tom Kephart
Proofreading
Doreen Kephart
Graphic Design & Layout
Tom Kephart
Printing & Mailing
Bev Taylor
Editor
Contributors
Mail address changes to:
Jeff Harmon
2980 S 600 E
Franklin IN 46131
[email protected]
Mail article and photograph submissions to:
Tom J. Everitt
10415 Pineaire Dr
Sun City AZ 85351
(623) 933-2399
7
The Everitt Family Newsletter
2980 S 600 E
Franklin IN 46131
Children of William C. & Mary (Lewellen) Everitt