52.12: Misfortune; Catharine Murphy Reck

This post is part of a project called "52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks" created by Amy Johnson Crow.

The prompt this week is Misfortune. This dovetails with last week's Lucky story of William Harrison Reck.

As with most women in my family tree, I don't know a great many details about my great-great grandmother Catharine Murphy Reck. She was born on October 3rd, 1838 in Miami County, Ohio to William Henry and Mary (Sipe) Murphy.  She was the oldest in a family of 13 children that all lived to adulthood.

When she was 20, she married William Harrison Reck in Darke County, Ohio. He enlisted in the Civil War a few years later.  After the war, they moved from Darke County, Ohio to Henry County, Missouri for a few years, during which time my great-grandmother was born. I don't know what took them out there or why they returned, but by 1874 they were back in Ohio. In the early 1900s they moved to Riverside County, California with several of their children, where they died and are buried.

I have a letter Catharine wrote to her daughter after the death of William Harrison. I shared that letter in this post. From this, I can tell she was well-educated and had good penmanship. I have a few pictures of her, all with a calm, mild expression. Other than these bare facts, I didn't have a lot.

Catharine and William Harrison Reck had seven children. I knew one had died young but I did not know the circumstances. His name was Charles Edward Reck, born October 16, 1868 and died April 17, 1893 aged 24. He hadn't married or fathered any children.  There are no death records available for this time, so I figured I'd never find out more.

Then in 2007, another researcher sent me a newspaper clipping. The clipping is unsourced but has the date Jan. 29, 1976 written on it. It is a human interest piece about Bertha Mae Marchal and shares some of her memories.

Newspaper Clipping Jan. 29, 1976 Dateline Versailles
Interview with Bertha Marchal

The pertinent part is marked by a pen and reads as follows: 

"Another vivid memory occurred when I was 10. One day an explosion shook the schoolhouse. We thought it might fall down. Charles Haber of Greenville was the teacher. He went out and looked all around. When he came back, he said it had to be a bomb, but there was no damage."

"We found out later it was a boiler exploded at John Kelch's saw mill. Two young men, McClurg and Reck, were eating their lunch nearby. It boiled dry and blew up and they were blown to pieces."

"Again my nosieness got the best of me. I asked my sister to go along with me to see the place.  We walked back the long road to the edge of the woods and there we found Mrs. Reck picking up pieces of the bodies. I'll never forget that."

What a horrific story. 

Steam boiler being installed in a saw mill
Black & white photonegative, 4 x 5 in. State Archives of Florida, Florida Memory. 

More recently, with the abundance of digitized newspapers, I thought I might find out more about this event online. The story was indeed picked up and ran in newspapers across several states as a small paragraph. Not one paper got the names of the men correct. The earliest one referred to "Charles Peck" and then almost instantly it became "Harry Rex".  The other man was called by McClung and McClerg. If I didn't already know what I was looking for, I probably would not have found them.

The earliest report I found ran two days after the explosion:

Akron Daily Democrat 19 Apr 1893, page 1
From Newspapers.com

As the story traveled, details became more lurid. A New Orleans newspaper reported this:

The Times-Democrat of New Orleans 20 Apr 1893, page 8
From Newspapers.com

I am certain Catharine Reck was out of her mind with grief. But I wondered why this 54-year-old woman was out searching for her son's body, seemingly by herself?

As I learned more about Catharine's husband William Harrison Reck, I began to understand a little. Harrison Reck dislocated his shoulder in a fall from a horse in 1889. The injury plagued him to the point he was unable to get out of bed at times for several days. Also, by the time of their son's death, he was legally blind.

Their older children were married and out of the house. Charles Edward Reck was the oldest unmarried son, and I assume he still lived with his parents, supporting them as they aged and the father was unable to work as much as he used to. There were still three other siblings at home to support: my great-grandmother Jennie age 20, Martha age 18, and Perry age 15.

Catharine's husband was unable to help her find their son's broken body. She most likely wanted to shield the girls and Perry from what she knew would be a terrible sight. But she had to get her son and lay him to rest. I wish I had a picture of Charles to share here. This is Catharine:

Catharine (Murphy) Reck 1838-1915

52.11: Lucky; Harrison Reck

This post is part of a project called "52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks" created by Amy Johnson Crow.

The prompt for this week is Lucky; for next week it is Misfortune. I'll use these two prompts to tell you more about my great-great grandparents, William and Catharine (Murphy) Reck.

I blogged about William before; first about his Civil War service, and then some about his life after the war.

William (also called Harrison) Reck was 24 years old when he enlisted in 1861. He had married Catharine Murphy in 1859. At the time he enlisted, they had a son David, not quite two years old, and Catharine had just given birth to their son John less than one month before. He joined the 69th Ohio Volunteer Infantry. My earlier blog post highlighted some activities of this unit.

William Harrison and Catharine Murphy Reck

Last week, in March of 2018, I visited the Stones River National Battlefield near Murfreesboro, Tennessee.  Harrison Reck and his unit were in the thick of the fighting there. I read about the battle when writing my original post, but actually being there added a whole new dimension to my understanding of what these men went through.

The battle took place over three days. The men were encamped at the end of December 1862, knowing a battle was about to take place. They were ordered to have no campfires during this time. On New Year's Eve, though, the men were allowed to make fires in the morning, and enjoyed warming their hands and having some hot coffee. It was exactly at this time the Rebels attacked.

The men struggled to grab their weapons and form up. The fighting that day was incredible.  I studied the maps of where the different units were, and Harrison's Ohio 69th was very close to what became known as the Slaughter Pen. This was a rocky area with some deep crevicees where the Union soldiers hid and fired from.

The Slaughter Pen; my daughter is standing in one of the rocky cracks for scale

They became surrounded by Confederates and were ordered to retreat. As they came out of the rocks, it was easy for them to be picked off by the rebels. The rocks became slippery with blood, and bodies piled up. I am not sure Harrison was in this exact area but he was certainly near enough to know and see what was going on.

The Slaughter Pen was only a part of the horrors that day.  The Union was beaten down. New Year's Day finally dawned, though many men never slept that night. Both sides tended to their wounded and collected their dead. The Confederates felt certain they had won the day. However, due to the bravery of some units holding strong, reinforcements were able to arrive. The battle resumed the next day and led to a Union victory. Stones River was one of the bloodiest battles of the Civil War.

Harrison Reck's unit went on to other battles.  Chickamauga and Chattanooga. Missionary Ridge. Sherman's March to the Sea. Harrison, in spite of all the horrors he had to witness, was in some aspects a lucky man. First, he was a survivor. The second thing I learned at the Kennesaw Mountain Battlefield.

Outside the Visitors Center at Kennesaw Mountain

Visiting Kennesaw Mountain wasn't even on my travel radar that day. We were driving home from Florida to Indiana, and Kennesaw happened to be shortly past the halfway point, so that's where we stayed. I thought we might stop by the park so my daughter could earn a Junior Ranger badge. A little research the night before showed I had two ancestors who had fought there: Thomas Hilyard and Ansel Wilson; and a third whose unit was there: William Harrison Reck. However, Harrison had been placed in the Veteran's Reserve Corps a few months earlier.

The person working the desk in the visitors center was most helpful. I gave her my ancestors' units, and she looked up where they would have been camped and fought. She marked them on a map for me and photocopied some other pages of information.  When we got to Harrison Reck's unit, she looked up at me and confirmed that he wasn't actually there.  I said correct, he was taken out of active combat duty already. "He was really lucky," was her reply.  She said his unit was located at Cheatham Hill, where the heaviest losses were during this battle. "He probably wouldn't have survived this."

Harrison Reck, blind in his old age, with his cane

If you ever get a chance to visit sites like this in person, take advantage of it.  The staff is eager to share their knowledge. Walk the fields, look at the museums. Think about what your ancestor saw. It had to be a life-changing experience.

Stones River National Cemetery

52.10: Strong Woman; Haney Mozingo McKinney

This post is part of a project called "52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks" created by Amy Johnson Crow.

I have a confession: I don't keep a research log.

I can tell you in general where I went, probably the decade I went there. If I photocopied something (pre-digital days), I tried to write the name of the book on the copy. 

So, the actual day I first met Haney McKinney is lost to history. I was with my cousin Jane; we traveled to Frankfort, Kentucky, to the Kentucky Department for Libraries and Archives. Probably in the early 2000s. I think we went with the intention of researching our shared line, the Tarrs/Torrs.  We happened upon an index reference to some court cases involving that name, and requested to see them. Little did we know the treasure trove heading our way.

Jane and I share as common ancestors John Tarr and Hannah McKinney. The Tarrs, also found as Torr and Toor, are shrouded in genealogical mystery. As for Hannah, we didn't really know anything about her before her marriage to John which took place in Shelby County, Kentucky on October 19, 1804. We weren't particularly focused on her line.

The court case files brought to us were in archival boxes, the cases separated into folders. The folders we opened that day were of our ancestor, John Tarr, suing someone named Haney McKinney, and of Haney McKinney's countersuit. It turned out Haney McKinney was his mother-in-law, and they were scrapping over the estate of her son John McKinney.

As part of the case, Haney was awarded a dedimus by the court. I had never seen that word before. According to Merriam-Webster, it means a writ to commission a private person to perform some act in place of a judge (as to examine a witness).

Leaving her home in Shelby County, Kentucky, Haney McKinney traveled to Culpeper County, Virginia, a distance of over 500 miles. On March 25, 1806, she gathered testimony from several people at the tavern of Burtis Ringo. It is through these testimonies I learned about Haney's early life. I know of no other source for these stories. I'll let them speak for themselves, interjecting occasionally to clarify. The spellings are left intact.

"The following depositions was taken at the house of Burtice Ringo in the Town of Woodville in the County of Culpeper this 25th day of March 1806. To be read into evidence in a sute now depending in the Shelby Circute Court wherein Haney McKenney is plantiff and John Tarr Defendant in pursuance of the Anexed Commission and Notice."

The first testimony came from Haney's brother, John Mozingo.

"John Mosingo aged forty two years being duly sworn before us Daniel Brown & James Green Jnr. Two of the Justices of the peace for the county of Culpeper in the State of Virginia, deposeth and sayeth that about twenty two years ago John McKenny and Hany McKenny (who were then man and wife) did about that time part and as I understood by mutual consent and did also divide what property they then had by concent also and that after about Twelve months from the time of this parting the said Jno. McKenny left this part of the country and as I understood went to Greenbrier County. I have since understood that he and a woman which went off with him died. I further know that the property which the said Hany McKenny had out of the Estate of the said Jno McKinny was very little and that she had debts to pay which the said John McKenny had created and that she had very little left after paying them, and further this deponent sayeth not.

1st question by the plaintiff:
Do you not know that Hanie McKenny’s Father became security for her in the year that she parted with her husband for the purchase of corn.

Answer: I know he did

And further this deponent sayeth not.
John Mosingo    his  X   mark"

The next witness was Nancy Mozingo, married to Haney's brother Charles.

"Nancy Mosingo alias Williamson aged forty two years being duly sworn before us Daniel Brown and James Green Jr. Two of the Justices of the peace for the county of Culpeper in the State of Virginia. This deponent deposeth and sayeth I lived with John McKenny and Hany his wife at the time they parted and that they did by mutual concent part and divide their property and that the property which was left for the said Hany McKinny was three cows three yearlings and one calf. Two Hogs and one pig and  few articles in the house which in all were not in my opinion worth more than twenty shillings out of which property she was to pay the debts due by the said John McKinny, which were as follows Five pounds to Elijah Chich, Twenty six shillings to William Brodley which she had the cost of a petion to pay ____ Boon Between three and four pounds beside several other small debts for which she was warranted and had to pay, and further this deponent sayeth not.

Nancy Mosingo   her X Mark Alias Williamson"

Haney's brother George Mozingo testified:

"George Mosingo aged forty six years being duly sworn before us Daniel Brown and James Green Jr. two of the Justices of the peace for the county of Culpeper in the State of Virginia. This deponent sayeth that Haney McKenny had very little property left her at the time of her parting with her husband I know she had no horse kind nor do I believe she had a bed. She had some stock of cattle and hogs and to very little amount. I further know that she had several debts to pay which John McKenney her husband had contracted and that some of the property left with her was taken to satisfy one of them. I further know he left her little or no corn and that she was assisted by myself and others with that article on account of her distressed situation. I further know that by her Industry and care she acquired property to considerable amount before she left this country and further this deponent sayeth not.

George Mosingo  his  X   mark"

There are some other depositions, but they all agree with those given here. Haney Mozingo was married to John McKinney, I estimate around 1777. They had five children that I know of when they agreed to separate in 1784, most likely all under the age of six or seven. Although the testimonies say they split their possessions, it sounds as though Haney was left with the debts. She didn't have enough money left to buy corn to plant the next year's crop. Through a loan from her father, and help from her brothers and others, she was able to get through that year.

Haney Mozingo McKinney never remarried. She raised her children, moving from Culpeper County, Virginia to Shelby County, Kentucky around 1800. 

In the lawsuit that started all this discovery, Haney's son John McKinney had died, and her son-in-law John Tarr was settling his estate. Haney said one of the horses listed as inventory was hers, John Tarr disagreed. She was willing to put up quite a ruckus to get this horse back, and through that I learned a lot about her.

I have collected several other documents and sources for Haney McKinney over the years. I'll close with her final one, an indenture that reads like a will:

"This indenture made this 4th day of October 1819 between Haney McKinney of the County of Shelby State of Kentucky of the one part & John Skelton of the same County of the other part witnesseth that the said Haney for & in consideration of the sum of one Dollar to her in hand paid for & in consideration of  the natural love & affection which she hath doth bond to her grandson John Skelton hath granted bargained & sold & by these presents doth convey unto the said John & his heirs forever the following property to wit: Bena & Rose two negro girls together with all my house hold furniture & stock of every Discription & all & every species of Property belonging to me. & it is to be understood that said John Skelton is to give at my death to Charles Weathers the above named negro girl Rose or $300 in cash which ever the said John Skelton may choose. To have & to hold the said negroes & Other property to him the said John Skelton & His heirs & the said Haney McKinney for herself & her heirs hereby agrees to warrant & Defend said property against herself & her heirs & against the claim of all other persons whatever. If said John should die without lawfull Issue the said property is to Decend to Wilmoth Weathers heirs In witness whereof I have hereunto set my hand & seal the date above. Test Geo W. Johnston
                                                                                Haney McKinney {seal}"

This came from the Shelby County, Kentucky Deed Book Q, p. 168. 

Haney Mozingo McKinney led a hardscrabble life. Based on the number of lawsuits she filed, I'm not sure she was the most pleasant of people, but she was one strong woman I am certainly glad to claim as my ancestor.