Mary Mathis, 1853-1929

Today you meet one of my 2nd Great Grandmothers, Mary Mathis.  Mary was born 171 years ago last week, on March 15, 1853.  She was one of 10 known children born to William and Elizabeth Jane (Ussery) Mathis.  The Mathis family was living near Vienna, in Johnson County IL when Mary was born.  Her parents had married there in 1847, both families having moved from Maury County, TN around 1845.  It’s quite possible that’s how Mary’s parents met… their families may have been traveling together!

Mary grew up in Johnson County, IL. No doubt she and her siblings ran wild in the woods near what we now know as the Shawnee National Forest… at least when their chores were done.  Her father was a farmer, so there would have been lots of responsibilities for her.

At the age of 17, she married Smith Rosan.  We have no idea how they met.  Smith was living in Perry County IL.  He had been a widower for a year when he and Mary were married on July 4, 1870.  Mary’s father had been in the Union army from August 1862 to August 1865.  By the 1870 census, William and Elizabeth Mathis were living in Perry County.  It’s not known exactly when they moved to Perry Co, but it was likely after the War.  Perhaps they attended the same church as Smith Rosan, or they were introduced by mutual friends.  

Smith and Mary (Mathis) Rosan, 1870's

Smith and Mary had 11 children.  Only 6 of those grew to be adults.  We know 2 of their children died before they were a year old.  The other three, we don’t even have names for. They also raised another child… their daughter Margaret, at age 16, had a child out of wedlock.  The 1900 census lists the child as a granddaughter, with Margaret married and living just a few houses away.

photo circa 1888... Mary and Smith on the front row with daughter Amanda, back row is Mary's mother and possibly Smith's mother, and daughters Rosie and Margaret

Smith died in 1897, and Mary immediately applied for a widow’s pension for Smith’s service in the Civil War.  She states that she has “one house and lot in the vicinity of the Perry County mines.” In looking at old maps, I believe the Rosans lived just north of St. Johns (which is just north of DuQuoin).  She was initially given $8 per month, then it went up to $12 a month in 1908.  By the end of 1926, Mary was begging the U.S. government for more money.  In her letter, she says… “I really need more money, as I am getting along very poorly.  I don’t have enough to keep me going and paying for my doctor bills and my living expenses.  I am a mother of eleven children and have worked hard all my life and now I am old, and have to have more money. If anything should happen to me, I wouldn’t have enough for expenses.  I am unable to do anything, work of any kind… In the winter, I have asthma and am not able to do much any of the time.  I have to stay with my children and they can’t afford to keep me all the time.”  Two months after she sent that letter, they responded… “I have to advise you that pension at the rate of $30 per month, which it appears you are now receiving, is the highest rate to which you are entitled under existing law.  You could have no title to an increase in your pension to $50 per month, for the reason that you were not the wife of the soldier during the period of his service in the Civil War.”

Reproduction of Smith and Mary's marriage certificate in 1897

Mary spent most of the rest of her life visiting and staying with her children and their families.  She died on December 5, 1929, while she was staying with her daughter Amanda.  She is buried in Tilden IL.  Mary was 76 years old.

Mary Mathis-Rosan, 1908

In the 1970’s, my grandma Flossine’s brother Nolan wrote a family history book.  It was typewritten, and photocopies were given to family members.  I am forever grateful that he did this.  His format was to simply write down his personal memories of each family member… grandparents, aunts, uncles, etc.  His page about his grandmother Mary, has personal details that we’d never know any other way.  Here are some to highlight…

1. She was called Granny Rosan.

2. “Whenever it was time for her to come to our house for a while, it was my unfortunate lot to have to sleep with her because we had only two bedrooms.  Even then she was an accomplished snorer and would many times wake me up with her snorts, etc.  All I could think of to do as a child was to pull her hair until she woke up enough to stop snoring long enough for me to get back to sleep.”

3. She was an accomplished knitter.

4. She could weave rugs on her loom.

5. She could not read or write, but eventually learned how to write her name, so she could sign her own pension checks.

6. She chewed tobacco… either the brand “Star” or “Horseshoe”.

7. She smoked tobacco… “She crumbled “Granger Twist” to smoke in her small clay pipe with the bamboo stem.”

8. She had a nervous twitch to one of her eyes that “was embarrassing because it made her appear to be winking at people.  She tried most all the patent medicines and gadgets to try to get rid of it, including a violet ray machine, but nothing was successful.”

9. She was just a little more than 5 feet tall.

Mary's gravestone in Tilden, IL

Rev. James Gore, 1865-1954

17th Pastor of Herrin FBC

1916-1919

Rev. James Gore

Born: September 17, 1865… St. Joseph, Missouri

Died: January 22, 1954… Tulsa, Oklahoma

James married Kathryn Hughes on September 2, 1896. 

They had 4 known children.

James was in the Class of 1896 and graduated from the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary in Louisville, KY.

James was a son of Noah Jackson and Mary C (Fly) Gore.  He had 4 known older siblings, and 4 known younger siblings.  James grew up on a farm in Missouri… his father and grandfathers were all farmers.  However, he felt the pull to go in a different direction with his life, and in 1885, James preached his first sermon.

His obituary states that James’ father Noah, was a Confederate army veteran.  We have not been able to find any military records for Noah at this time.  However, James’ Uncle William Fly (a brother of his mother), served in the Confederate army, as part of the Missouri Cavalry.  Uncle Fly fought at Gettysburg and was taken as a POW in Maryland.  Prior to the Civil War, Uncle Fly went West for the 1849 Gold Rush… but was unsuccessful.

Herrin FBC building, 1902-1917

Rev. James Gore, 1917

What happened while Rev. Gore was at Herrin FBC:

• Mrs. Gore reorganized and helped develop a functioning women's organization in the church, which would later be part of the WMU

• During a pastor’s conference and ladies meeting in December of 1917, the church building caught fire and was not able to be saved

• Church services were held at City Hall in a courtroom 

• Rev. Gore led the church in finding a new site and erecting a new building (the brick church that used to be by the hospital)

• From 1917 to 1919, Rev. Gore and many other men of the church, donated their days/months to working on the new church building.  Total cost to build was $50,000.

Rev. Gore resigned from Herrin FBC on September 28, 1919.  He then moved to Oklahoma.

Fun facts:

• In 1893, James ran the Cherokee Strip to find land for his sister.  

• In 1930, James officiated a wedding in an airplane, flying over Tulsa, OK.

Wilhemine "Minnie" Henrietta Ritter, 1873-1945

Wilhemine “Minnie” Henrietta Ritter was born 151 years ago this week. She was one of six known children born to George and Henrietta (Belk) Ritter. She is one of my Great Grandmothers. 

 Minnie was born on March 9, 1873, near Chebanse, IL. Her parents had been born in Germany. Her father George had arrived in New York City in July of 1865. He was a harness maker. Her mother Henrietta arrived in New York City in July of 1867. 

 Growing up in and around Chebanse… Minnie would have witnessed several firsts for the town. She wouldn’t have remembered it, but when she was a year old, Chebanse got their first water tower. She was 7 when they got their first fire department. She was 9 when the first telephone came to town. She was 11 years old when General John. A. Logan (of Southern IL and Civil War fame) came to Chebanse on his campaign for Vice President in 1884. I would imagine she probably remembered that for her whole life (whether or not she was on the grounds)… a crowd of 15,000 people attended the BBQ dinner at Milk’s Grove (due West of Chebanse and Clifton). I bet she also would have remembered the big snowstorm that hit when she was 12 years old. The town had to shovel the roads by hand. When she was 13, a tornado caused total destruction in a 4-mile wide path through Chebanse. 

1884 article about the Logan campaign stop

 Minnie married John D. Offerman on Nov. 23, 1898, when she was 25 years old. They moved to a farm southeast of Irwin (northwest of Chebanse). They would have 3 daughters, the middle one being my Grandmother, Leona. On the evening of July 17, 1903, a tornado hit their area. It did a lot of damage to surrounding farms, as well as their own. I assume they had a storm cellar that the family (John, Minnie, 4 yr old Mildred, 1 ½ yr old Leona) sheltered in that night. When the storm was over, John and Minnie had lost their house, barn, corn cribs, a windmill and their crops. Minnie was about 6 months pregnant at the time, with their 3rd child. 

1903 tornado article

the John Offerman home after they rebuilt

 The Offerman’s rebuilt and by the 1920’s, they owned a steam engine and a threshing machine. They operated a "threshing ring" which was a cooperative arrangement for harvesting grain crops. John's younger brother Henry ran the steam engine for him for several years. There were horse-drawn wagons bringing the cut grain stocks to the threshing machine in the yard behind the house. There were other horse drawn wagons for hauling the grain. There was the sound and smell of the steam engine and a huge stack of fresh hay. Best of all was the good country food prepared by the wives. Each wife in the threshing ring prepared food for the workers in their turn and each tried to outdo the others. I wonder what was Minnie’s favorite food to make? 

1924 John Offerman threshing machine

1924 Minnie doing laundry

 After being a widow for 3 years, Minnie passed away at the age of 72, on December 13, 1945. The state database lists her place of death as Otto Township, Kankakee County. Otto Township includes Irwin, the north side of Chebanse, portions of southern Kankakee, etc. Maybe she died in her own home… or in the home of another family member. I have not been able to locate an obituary yet, that might provide more details. She is buried beside her husband, at Evergreen Cemetery, in Chebanse.

Minnie's grave

Robert Kirkpatrick 1754-1835

Today I introduce you to one of my 6th Great Grandfathers, Robert Kirkpatrick.  He was a pioneer, soldier, husband, father, and hopefully, a friend to many.  He died 189 years ago this week.

Robert Kirkpatrick was born January 19, 1754, in the Camden District of South Carolina.  His parents are believed to have been Francis and Hannah (Ward) Kirkpatrick.  Francis and Hannah married very young, and had 5 known children.  Hannah was from South Carolina.  Francis and his family had left Scotland and come to the Colonies around 1746.

Robert married Mary Ann Campbell at the age of 17, in South Carolina, in 1771.  They had nine known children.  Their daughter Nancy, is my 5th Great Grandmother.

When the Revolutionary War began, Robert enlisted as a Patriot early on.  He was present at the Battle of the Great Cane Brake, along the Reedy River in the southern portion of present-day Greenville county, South Carolina.  The battle took place on Dec. 22, 1775, with a Patriot victory.  There were 1300 Patriots against 500 Loyalists that day.  In the Summer of 1776, Robert was part of a group sent into the Cherokee Nation.  Sadly, their orders were to destroy the Cherokee towns and villages.  Later, he was stationed at Ninety-Six for a while, and pursued Indians who were rumored to be joining the British.  In 1779, he was in a skirmish with the Tories near the Edisto River and assisted in pursuing “Bloody Bill” Cunningham.  It’s unclear exactly when Robert’s service officially ended.  We know that he served some of his time  in 3 month intervals… he’d volunteer, serve 3 months, go home… then repeat.  His pension records state that in total, he served one year and 7 months (over at least a 4 year time frame).

After the War, Robert and his family moved to Powell Valley, Virginia.  The exact year is unknown.  Family legend has it that Robert was captured by Indians while living there, and held prisoner for 5 months.  Part of the legend is that he pretended he didn’t understand what they wanted him to do… if they wanted him to weed their crops, he could chop down the crop as well as the weeds.  Perhaps he thought that if they believed he was crazy, they would let him go.  The story continues that after 5 months, he was able to escape and go home.  It’s said that his children didn’t recognize him with the long hair and Indian clothing, thankfully his wife did!

Powell Valley, Virginia

By 1790, the Kirkpatrick’s were living in Madison County, Kentucky.  Then in 1800, they were in Green County, Kentucky.  And by 1803, they were in their final residence of Jackson County, Tennessee.  I assume Robert was a farmer, but have no records to back that up.  

1830 Jackson County, TN census

In 1832, Robert applied for a military pension.  In it he states he has “a record of his age in his possession, which he took from his father’s Bible.”  He was granted $63.33 per year until his death.

page from Robert's pension record

Robert passed away on February 24, 1835, in Jackson County, Tennessee.  He is buried in Hix Cemetery (aka Old Kirkpatrick Cemetery), located along the Cumberland River north of Gainesboro.

Rev. G.W. Syfert, 1861-1942

 My church has a very well documented history.  We date back to 1865, when the members met in a log cabin.  I have been on the Historical Committee off and on for over a decade now, and am always looking for new things to showcase for our current members to see.

A year or so ago, I started a family tree for each of our early pastors.  I didn't go into many details at the time... just got the basics going.  I try to change the history display case once a month... and for this month, I chose to tell the story of one of our pastors.  I chose our 12th pastor, Rev. G.W. Syfert... here is his story (or at least the parts that I was able to find).

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Rev. George William (G.W.) Syfert

Born: June 6, 1861 in Beecher City, IL

Died: September 11, 1942 in Herrin, IL

Buried: Herrin City Cemetery

12th Pastor of Herrin FBC: 1901-1906

Rev. G.W. Syfert, thought to be around 1903-04

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G.W. Syfert grew up on a farm near Shelbyville, IL. His father owned 40 acres, with 3 horses, 4 milk cows, 10 sheep, and 19 pigs.  They grew wheat, rye, corn, Indian corn, oats, peas, beans, and Irish potatoes.  They also had an orchard. His parents were Nathan and Mary Ann (Dunaway) Syfert, both born in Ohio.

We don’t know when or where he first began his ministry work.  He appears in 4 census records as a Clergyman, Baptist Minister, Preacher and Minister.  His obituary states he was a Baptist minister for 20 years, and that he served part of that time in Herrin, Salem, Vandalia and Villa Grove.  In research, we learned that he also served at the Woodlawn FBC, Watson FBC, and at the Paradise White Church in Perry County, IL.  We do not know how long he spent at most of these churches.

In 1883, at the age of 21, he married Laura Jones, in Fayette County, IL.  They had one child, Walter.  Laura passed away in 1939, and G.W. married Anna Wilson in 1940.

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Sept. 26, 1903
From “The Standard”, a Baptist newspaper

"Herrin is a city of 5,000 people and is but a few years old. It is a great coal mining town.

The Baptists have had a country church there for fifty years and the city has grown entirely around the meeting house lot of six acres. It has sold half the land for a ward school and sold the old meeting house to the Methodists and has built a new church and parsonage.

Rev GW Syfert became pastor of this church about three years ago. Since that time he has added about 400 members to the church. One year he baptized more converts than any other pastor in the state. The church seats about 500 people and is almost always overcrowded. Bro Syfert does his own evangelistic work.

Both this church and Marion have raised more than double their apportionment this year for state missions."

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Church dedication program, 1903

Some important things that happened while Rev. G.W. Syfert was at our church: -- Held one of the greatest revivals in the history of our church in 1901. There were 140 conversions, 108 accepted for baptism, and 13 received by letter.

-- The church outgrew the building. Land was purchased and a new church was built in 1902. The name of the church was changed to First Baptist Church on January 18, 1902.

-- In January of 1903, the Sunday School was reorganized and all of the classes were graded for the first time.

-- In June of 1903, there was a small-pox epidemic. The church was closed for 3 months.

-- In 1905, the first music committee was appointed. A new addition and a baptistry were added to the church. Membership had grown to 675.

Wilhelm Henry Offerman 1868-1894

Wilhelm Henry (or William) was born in Otto Township, in Kankakee county, Illinois (possibly in Chebanse) on December 24, 1868.  He was the first child born to Heinrich Christian and Maria Sophia (Doscher) Offerman.  His brother John is my Great Grandfather.

Heinrich Offerman family, circa 1898 (William Henry is in the portrait)

Both the 1870 and 1880 census records list this Offerman family in Otto Township. Heinrich was a prominent farmer.  He and wife Maria Sophia were born in Germany and had come to America in 1867.  So William grew up farming, but at some point he learned how to operate a traction engine.  The article about his death calls him a Traction Engineer.

I looked it up… a Traction Engine, was a steam engine that could move on it’s own (not pulled by horses or oxen).  A real benefit on big farms!  One thing I read stated… “The steam engineer was a trained and skilled professional of the simpler unmechanized times.  The engineer was a breed of proud, strong and very important men who loved their work.”

Example of a Traction Engine, 1894

Sadly, the only other thing known to tell about William’s life… is how he died.  

Here’s what the Kankakee Daily Republican newspaper had to say…  “William Offerman, a young engineer, met his death in a horrible manner on a traction engine at 3 o’clock this afternoon in Otto Township.  The engine was hauling a corn sheller from one farm to another.  William Offerman was standing between the engine and the water tank running it, unsuspicious of the horrible fate in store for him.  The engine had reached the center of a wooden bridge across one of the small creeks in Otto, when the structure suddenly parted in the center.  The engine and water tank came together and the life of the young engineer was crushed out.  Death occurred instantly.  The men who assist in running the engine and corn sheller say that Offerman never uttered a cry.  His body is horribly mangled and still remained between the engine and the water tank when news of the shocking accident was brought to this city.  It was impossible to pull the machinery of the engine apart to extricate the mutilated remains of the unfortunate engineer without the assistance of a derrick or a large force of men.  Leon Hay brought the news to this city.  He notified the coroner, Jacob Willman, who immediately left for the scene of the accident.  The dead engineer is well known in Otto Township where his parents live.  He was 26 years old and unmarried.”

Technically he was 10 days shy of turning 26 years old.  William is buried in Mound Grove Cemetery, in Kankakee.