Cumberland Plateau

Personal letters from 1930s offer clues into relative’s untimely death

Posted on March 24, 2014 by CharlieClaywell

Newspaper clippingMy paternal grandmother, Mary D. (Lewis) Claywell, lost two brothers — one when he was 10 and another when he was 24. Growing up, I often heard how my grandmother woke up in the middle of the night from a nightmare telling her 24-year-old Bennie was dead. Her fear was later confirmed when the family learned her brother had died in a logging accident while he was employed in a Civilian Conservation Camp in Idaho.

A few years before her death, my aunt Anna Lee (Mary’s oldest daughter), gave me several items related to Bennie including two personal letters. One letter, written about six months before he died, was addressed to a cousin, the other, written just a week before he died, was addressed to his mother. Both letters offer some insight into his life, but they also include information about the company he was assigned to and where he was living.

I have transcribed the letters to the best of my ability.

Letter to Mom

The envelope is addressed to Mrs. G.H. Lewis and is postmarked May 13 in Pritchard, Idaho. The postmark on the back of the letter is May 17, Forest Cottage, Ky. The letter was written on May 10, 1935. Bennie died on May 17.

CCC Co 587 F151
Pine Flat
Prichard, Idaho
May 10, 1935

Dear ones at home:

Florence Surratt

Ben’s mother, Florence

Here I am agin. Writing is all the Pass time I have so I’ll let you all here from me. How may this find you all. Well is my wishes as for me fine and dandy.

Yet its a snowing like everything here, its the first snow I have seen falling since last winter as a year ago so it seem like old Ky kindly but my thing — May and 5 ft of snow on the ground. Seems funny doesn’t it. But I am liking fine so far. What is everybody doing? Planting corn? Mother how is your garden looking? Don’t work to hard git old Edna and someone to help or to do your work, don’t you git out there and work like you use to.

Say mother send me ten dollars I want to git me some heavy close (sic) for it is real cold here. I want to git me a leather jacket and a pair of pants and a pair of slippers. With that 10 and the other 5 I’ll know I can git them if you all don’t need it. Mother do you ever hear from Martin? How are they gitting along? Send me his address

Well I guess I had better close and go to work

Mother don’t worry ans[wer] soon and all the news.

One that loves you all,

Ben

Two things about the letter, Martin is his older brother — and the money. Under the rules of the CCC program, Ben earned $30 per month. He received $5 and the other $25 was sent home — which is why he is requesting $10 that he will add to his $5 to buy winter clothing. Also, there was a severe winter storm in Idaho at the time he is writing this letter.

Letter to Gladstone Surratt

Six months earlier Ben wrote a three-page letter to his cousin Gladstone Surratt, who is about 20 years old at the time. In the 1920 Census, Gladstone is listed in the same household as Ben.

CCC Co 587
Morina Lake
Pine Valley Calif
Dec. 19 1934

Dear Gladstone: —

Gladstone Surratt

Gladstone Surratt

Will ans[wer] your letter I rec a few days ago was glad to here from you, how may these few lines find you, as for me just fine and dandy. Well they say you all have a big snow back there it makes me shiver to think about it, I have never saw any snow here yet. We can see a mountain covered in snow from the look out. Its about 90 miles from here, it sure looks pretty and the fall moutains are covered too but we have to look through field glasses to see them.

Well how is things rocking along back there. Are you going to git married this Xmas? Boy leave that off if you have got it on your mind.

Say Kid wait till I come home and we will have a real time. Don’t git disgusted and say you had rather be away from home for there is no place like home.

Say tell old Hue to kiss my foot and to be careful and not let Jim Jill (?) knock him in the head again.

Well I guess this is all this time. Think of me at Xmas and have a good time for me. Be careful and don’t drink for you can’t have a good time drinking.

Ans real soon and a long letter.

One that loves you,

Bennie

Categories: Appalachia, Cumberland Plateau, Family History, Genealogy | Tags: ,

Simplify genealogy research with Find A Grave website

Posted on February 20, 2014 by CharlieClaywell

stone_john_smithGenealogy research is built around the collection of vital stats because marriage, birth and census and other records help you verify a person’s identity. And death records are some of the more helpful records because death certificates often contain the name of parents and additional clues.

Beyond those records, of course, are the graves and tombstones. If your family has lived in America for any length of time, you will quickly discover that even though there are regions where they settled, it may not always be close to where you live. That’s one of the reasons why Find A Grave is such a valuable resource. It brings the tombstone to you.

When the site was founded by Jim Tipton, genealogists were not the target audience.

Jim created the Find A Grave website in 1995 because he could not find an existing site that catered to his hobby of visiting the graves of famous people. He found that there are many thousands of folks around the world who share his interests. What began as an odd hobby became a livelihood and a passion.

When you visit the site, you will immediately notice its barebones layout — and you will see the home page is divided into two groups. The left side is about famous people and their graves, but the right side is what most family historians will be interested in. At the time of this writing, more than 112 million graves were listed in the database.

The information is created by volunteers and at the bare minimum an entry will have a photograph of the tombstone. Many though offer quite a bit more. It is not uncommon for the entry to include a photo of the graveyard’s entrance and sometimes the entry will include a photo of the deceased and possibly an obituary.

When I look up my great-grandfather Joe Lee Claywell, I find his death certificate information, 1910 and 1930 Census records, and links to some of his children (including my grandfather). Sometimes, the entry will also include links to the person’s parents — like in the case of Ed Claywell (Joe Claywell’s father).

As with any research, always doublecheck and verify the information. If, you use this site more as an investigative tool than as a source of fact, it will help point you in the right direction.

The site’s original purpose is quite intriguing as well. You may be surprised by some of the tombstones of the rich and/or famous.

Categories: Cumberland Plateau, Family History, Genealogy, Tools for historical search | Tags: , ,

Am I related to someone famous?

Posted on February 12, 2014 by CharlieClaywell

When people learned I was tracing my family tree, many let me know they were related to someone famous — like Daniel Boone or Ben Franklin.

For the most part, I’ve found, that although I am connected to interesting regions of the country and intriguing eras of history — I’m not really related to the famous.

Both of my family lines were early American pioneers. The Claywells forged out an existence in Cumberland County, Kentucky in the early 1800s laying claim to land earned for Shadrach Claywell’s Revolutionary War service. My maternal line, who also served in the War, ended up in the same region possibily because the land resembled the homeland of their Scottish-Irish youth.

  • On the maternal side, the Beatys lived in the same region as a few famous people, like the Clemens — as in Mark Twain’s family. His father, John practiced law in Fentress County, TN and served in various official capacities like: Country Commissioner, Court Clerk, acting Attorney General and Postmaster of Pall Mall. The Clemens moved onto Missouri before Mark was born.
  • In, History of Fentress County, Tennessee: The Old Home of Mark Twain’s Ancestors, by Albert Ross Hogue, Hogue tells a story about Jim Crockett — Davy Crockett’s first cousin. When Hogue relays the story, he casually mentions that Jim’s father, William Crockett (Davy’s uncle), lived ‘in the pioneer days’ on what is now (early 1900s) the Jerry Beaty farm. Hogue adds, (without explaining how he verified this fact):
    • The Beaty’s, who are related to Crockett, also moved into this very neighborhood.
  • Probably the most famous man in the modern era from the Fentress County region is Alvin C. York. His WWI exploits were immortalized in a film starring Gary Cooper, which won two Oscars. York’s name is still very prominent in the region a century after his actions. My mother picked beans on York’s farm in her youth.
  • Jamestown, Tennessee — the county seat for Fentress County — is birthplace of the World’s Longest Yard Sale — which every August  passes through my hometown in southwest Ohio.

So am I related to anyone famous?345px-TaraConneratWillowGrove3

The closest I have found so far is: I am second-cousin once-removed from 2006 Miss USA Tara Conner. Tara’s great-grandmother Minnie Conner is my grandfather Charlie L. Claywell’s youngest sister — our common ancestor is Joe Lee Claywell (he is my great-grandfather, Tara’s great-great-grandfather).

Joe Lee had three children with his first wife Sallie Guinn (Charlie, Ruby and Jim). Sallie Guinn died due to complications of childbirth with their fourth child (Sallie L. who also died).

Joe later remarried (SallieWells) and they had five children: (Paul, Docia, Lucille, Glendon, Minnie).

Minnie is Tara’s great-grandmother.

Categories: Appalachia, Cumberland Plateau, Family History | Tags: , , ,