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