William Anthony Murray

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William Anthony Murray
b. 5 July 1903, Sandcut, Vigo County, Indiana, to William Riley and Elizabeth Ellen (Bryant) Murray
d. 9 December 1995, Devils Lake, Ramsey County, North Dakota

m. 28 August 1931, Devils Lake, Ramsey County, North Dakota
Anna Mary Johnson
b. 21 May 1905, Yorton, Saskatchewan, Canada
d. 4 November 1998, Devils Lake, Ramsey County, North Dakota

Children with Anna Mary Johnson:

  • James Edward (1933-1933)
  • Lola Janice married Donald Mitchell Patnoude
  • Riley Emert (1936-2007) married Olive Jean Flowers
  • Howard Bryant married (1) Barbara Bratland, (2) Ruth Larson
  • Harlee Frank married Marilyn Toma

Submitted by:
Jennifer Cruse
Terre Haute IN
E-mail: jencruse@msn.com

Cleta Naomi Kuhns

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Cleta Naomi Kuhns
b. 31 December 1923, Ripley County, Indiana, to Oscar Franklin Kuhns
d. 18 June 2004, San Francisco, California

m. 13 November 1945, Polk County, Iowa
Wilby Lee Simmons

Cleta was born in Ripley County, Indiana, but little is known of her family before that. After her father died in 1931, she and her brothers and two sisters were sent to the Brightside Orphanage in Plymouth, Indiana. They stayed there for about four years and then were scattered into various group home and foster families.

Cleta and her siblings, Eugene Willard, James Lowell, Elsie Rose, and Mary Christine lost track of each other. Only after Cleta’s death did more details of her life become available to the descendants of these orphans.

Cleta attended Washington Township Grade School, Ripley County, Indiana, graduating with an 8th grade diploma on 9 Jun 1938. A Mrs. Dale Smith signed her report cards as her guardian. Her teenage diary, which has been passed down to descendants, is filled with typical memories of a teen in high school — bad hair days, first love and broken heart, listening to the Hit Parade and going to moves and the local fair with friends. Cleta graduated from Holton High School, 24 April 1942 and began her first job at the REMC office in Osgood which lasted until 1945.

On 26 Feb 1945, Cleta enlisted in the WACS and was stationed at Fort Des Moines, Iowa. Later that same year, 13 November, she married Wilby Lee Simmons, but they divorced on 15 October 1948. The couple had no children.

The military became her family. She served 23 months with the U.S. Constabulary Force at Heidleberg Military Post in Germany. She also served in Korea and Viet Nam. In the 1950’s she conducted WAC recruiting at Fort Preble, Boston, Massachusetts, and Portland, Maine.

Cleta received a Joint Service Commendation for meritorious service from 17 February 1961 to 29 November 1963, Joint Task Force Four, Atlantic Command, Fort Monroe, Virginia. A second Joint service Commendation Medal for meritorious service was awarded her while assigned to the Defense Intelligence Agency from January 1964 to Novembers 1966.

She is buried in Section 1, Site 1336 of the National Cemetery in Gustine, California.

Submitted by:
Anita Smith Jarman
Trenton NC

Francis Patrick Carr

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Francis Patrick Carr
b. 12 January 1907, Kokomo, Howard County, Indiana, to Patrick J. and Blanche Eve (Record) Carr
d. 26 January 1980, Houston, Texas

m/1. 30 November 1930, Kokomo, Howard County, Indiana
Madge A. Oden
b. 24 May 1912 Miami County, Indiana, to Walter and Margaret Maude (David) Oden
d. 25 November 1986, Fulton County Indiana

m/2. 21 May 1954
Effie Lee Newton

Children with Madge A. Oden:

  • Patricia Armilda “Patsy” (b. 1931)
  • Mary Catherine (b. 1934)
  • Johannah Kay (b. 1939)

Francis Carr’s father, Patrick Joseph Carr, was born in Ireland and came to Kokomo, Indiana, from Trenton, New Jersey, in the late 1800’s to open the Great Western Pottery and later the Kokomo Sanitary Pottery. He came as the kiln man boss. He married Blanche E. Record in 1905, and they had two children Francis and Agnes.

Francis was educated in public and parochial schools of Kokomo, Indiana, and graduated from Jasper College/Academy in Jasper, Indiana, in 1925. After graduating, he worked at the Hoosier Iron Works. There he became associated with the International iron Moulders of North America. In 1929 he was employed by the Continental Steel Corporation. He was an active organizer of the Steel Workers of Kokomo and ran for City Councilman in 1938.

He moved his family to Houston Texas sometime around 1942 and was employed by the Sheffield Steel Company. He returned to Kokomo, Indiana, around 1947 because his wife was unhappy. He divorced in 1948 and moved in with his mother Blanche and sister Agnes, working as a waiter at Ko-San Luncheon which was owned by his mother. He returned to Houston Texas sometime after 1950 and worked as a guard for a security company. He married Effie Lee Newton on May 21, 1954. They had no children. Around 1955 he was out of work again so he moved to Lafayette, Louisiana to work as a plant manager for a small manufacturing company. In 1957 the plant was downsized and he returned to Houston to look for employment but then went back to Lafayette to open a car wash financed by his mother Blanche. The car wash was unsuccessful and after it closed, he and Effie moved to Arizona briefly. He eventually moved back to Houston where he took a job as a security field director until his death on January 26, 1980. He is buried in Forest Park Lawndale Cemetery.

Submitted by:
Kathy Anne Coppola
Kokomo IN
E-mail: kcoppola@iuk.edu

Thomas George Herring

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Thomas George Herring
b. 21 January 1864, Huff Township, Spencer County, Indiana, to Johann and Sarbina Barbara (Distler) Herring
d. 20 October 1942, Herman, Washington County, Nebraska

m. 31 May 1910, Evanston, Spencer County, Indiana
Anna Kunigunda Wittman
b. 26 March 1878, Spencer County, Indiana, to John B. and Margaretha (Purtzer) Wittman

Children with Anna Kunigunda Wittman:

  • Adolph Ludwig (1911-1990)
  • Sarah Maria Sabina (b. 1914)

Thomas George moved with his family to Herman, Washington County, Nebraska, sometime after the1920 U.S. census and before 1930 U.S. census. He was a farmer in both Indiana and Nebraska. He is buried at Immanuel Lutheran Cemetery in Hooper, Nebraska.

Submitted by:
Marlene Polster
Crown Point IN 46307
E-mail: marlenepolster@sbcglobal.net

Katherina Wittman

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Katherina “Clara” Wittman
b. 1 September 1897, Spencer County, Indiana, to Johann B. and Margaretha (Purtzer) Wittman
d. 27 October 1998, Nebraska

m. 2 January 1921
Edward Fischer
b. 28 June 1895
d. 15 June 1979, Hooper, Dodge County, Nebraska

Children with Edward Fischer:

  • son (1921-1921)
  • Edna Marie married Irwin W. Panning
  • Mildred Margaret married Victor Bartling
  • Helen Clara (1926-1971) married Allen O. Mueller
  • Alice May married to Norman Bartling
  • Leroy Edward married Joyce Ann Eschliman

Clara was born in Huff Township of Spencer County, Indiana. She moved to Nebraska with her family around 1913. She was a farmer’s wife and lived the rest of her life in Nebraska and died there in 1998.

Submitted by:
Marlene Polster
Crown Point IN
E-mail: marlenepolster@sbcglobal.net

Amilie Pauline Wittman

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Amilie Pauline Wittman
b. 20 April 1893, Spencer County, Indiana, to Johann B. and Margaretha (Purtzer) Wittman
d. 3 August 1982, Hooper, Dodge County, Nebraska

m. 1 January 1914, Winslow, Nebraska
Charles Fredrich Busch
b. 5 January 1886, Hooper, Dodge County, Nebraska, to Henry and Lucinda (Geisler) Busch

Children with Charles Fredrich Busch:

  • Gretchen Margaret Lucinda (1915-2001) married Wilbert Ludwig Mueller
  • Laverne John Charles (1916-1998) married Doris Henrietta Hilgenkamp

Amilie was born in Huff Township of Spencer County, Indiana. She moved to Nebraska with her family around 1913. She was a farmer’s wife and lived the rest of her life in Nebraska, dying there in 1982.

Submitted by:
Marlene Polster
Crown Point IN
E-mail: marlenepolster@sbcglobal.net

Viola Compton

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Viola Compton
b. 25 October 1865, Montgomery County, Indiana, to John H. and Sarah Jane (Hatt) Compton
d. 1949, Robertsdale, Baldwin County, Alabama

Viola Compton was a woman born before her time. She was always interested in learning and passed the exam to become a school teacher at the age of 17. She began her teaching career in District 7 of Montgomery County, Indiana, in 1882.

In 1903 Viola attended Moody’s Bible Institute in Chicago where she obtained the education to fulfill her life’s work of Christian charity. Despite ill health and a growing hearing loss, she moved first to Tennessee, was active in Kentucky, and also North Carolina. In each place, she helped found various schools, churches and other charitable organizations.

Viola traveled extensively through Yellowstone, the Ozarks, Texas, and New Mexico. She wrote about her home, childhood, family, ancestors, and incidents that affected who she was. She compiled a very thorough Compton family tree and documented her work with photographs and the written word.

In 1934, age and ill health dictated retirement so she transferred the assets of her business to Milligan College in eastern Tennessee and moved south to live with her cousin, Judith Lee Pitman, in Baldwin County, Alabama. She died there in 1949 and is buried in the Pitman family cemetery about one mile from the house.

Submitted by:
Sandra Rackard
Mobile AL
E-mail: srackard@bellsouth.net

Alva Dow Cooksey

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Alva Dow Cooksey
b. 30 July 1899, Atkinsonville, Owen County, Indiana, to Samuel Lewis and Mary Cynthia (Criss) Cooksey
d. 25 November 1938, Danville, Vermilion County, Illinois

m/1. 1 February 1919, Tuscola, Douglas County, Illinois
Virgie Jewel Pate
b. 13 June 1900, Fort Ritner, Lawrence County, Indiana, to Rev. Virgil and Clara Isis (Allen) Pate
d. 25 November 1987, Danville, Vermilion County, Illinois

Children with Virgie Jewel Pate:

  • Clara Cynthia (1919-1961) married Elmer O. Long
  • Geneva Darlene (1922-1984) married Charles Raymond Cade
  • Margaret Evelyn (1925-1979) married Albert Elvin Crothers
  • Dorothy Fern (1928-2003) married Charles Wayne Cox
  • Dow Junior (b. 1930)
  • Hubert Paul (twin, 1934-1956)
  • Hugh Pate (twin, 1934-1934)

The Cooksey family came to Owen County, Indiana from Montgomery County, Virginia, in 1832. They lived at Atkinsonville, Patricksburg, and Vandalia, all in Owen County. About 1915, Samuel Cooksey and family moved to Newman, Douglas County, Illinois. In 1935, Alva Dow, Virgie, and family moved to Hoopeston, Vermilion County, Illinois.

Alva Dow was a successful farmer at Newman, Illinois, until the great depression. After moving to Hoopeston, Illinois, he developed diabetes and attendant health problems. Beginning to lose his sight, he began making brooms, a trade he had learned from his father.

Submitted by:
Dow Junior Cooksey
Danville IL
E-mail: dcooksey@insightbb.com

Virgie Jewel Pate

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Virgie Jewel Pate
b. 13 June 1900, Fort Ritner, Lawrence County, Indiana, to Rev. Virgil and Clara Isis (Allen) Pate
d. 25 November 1987, Danville, Vermilion County, Illinois

m/1.
Alva Dow Cooksey
b. 30 July 1899, Atkinsonville, Owen County, Indiana, to Samuel Lewis and Mary Cynthia (Criss) Cooksey
d. 25 November 1938, Danville, Vermilion County, Illinois

m/2.
William Arthur Musk

Children with Alva Dow Cooksey:

  • Clara Cynthia (1919-1961) married Elmer O. Long
  • Geneva Darlene (1922-1984) married Charles Raymond Cade
  • Margaret Evelyn (1925-1979) married Albert Elvin Crothers
  • Dorothy Fern (1928-2003) married Charles Wayne Cox
  • Dow Junior (b. 1930)
  • Hubert Paul (twin, 1934-1956)
  • Hugh Pate (twin, 1934-1934)

Children with William Arthur Musk:

  • Arthur Jyrone (1944-2007) married Penny Ann Edwards

Virgie was a descendant of the very first settlers of Lawrence County, Indiana – the Flinns, Guthries, Williams, Allens, and Plummers. She moved with per parents in 1915 to Newman, Douglas County, Illinois. Virgie and her husband, Alva Dow Cooksey, moved to Hoopeston Illinois in 1935.

Virgie was a homemaker and loving mother. Her husband died at age 39, leaving Virgie with five children still at home. She was a housekeeper in a hotel in Hoopeston to support her family, did sewing for others, always planting a huge garden and canning for winter. Every night she would read to her children and many of the neighborhood children. Her life was centered on her children, grandchildren, and great grandchildren. She was a faithful member of the Methodist Church, the denomination of her preacher father.

Submitted by:
Dow Junior Cooksey
Danville IL
E-mail: dcooksey@insightbb.com

Samuel Lewis Cooksey

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Samuel Lewis Cooksey
b. 6 June 1859, Owen County, Indiana, to John Wyatt and Mahulda Mahoney (Ellis/Allis) Cooksey
d. 9 July 1928, Hume, Douglas County, Illinois

m. 6 June 1883, Vandalia, Owen County, Indiana
Mary Cynthia Criss
b. 7 December 1867, Vandalia, Owen County, Indiana, to Henry and Juliette Frances (Roberts) Criss
d. 10 September 1944, Danville, Vermilion County, Illinois

Children with Mary Cynthia Criss:

  • Homer Wyatt (1883-1954) married Pearl Thompson
  • Ann Rosella (1890-1982) married Elmer Shunk
  • William Roy (twin, 1896-1958) married Delorus Daugherty
  • Lewis Ray (twin, 1896-1958) married Gertrude Kewitt
  • Gertrude Elizabeth (1897-1977) married (1) Elbert Blaisdell, (2) Edward Lykins
  • Alva Dow (1899-1938) married Virgie Jewel Pate
  • Edith Ethel (1901-1985) married Vance Baxter

In 1832, Vincent Cooksey, his wife Sarah Simpkins, and their infant son John Wyatt came to Owen County, Indiana from Montgomery County, Virginia. John Wyatt’s son, Samuel Lewis, was born in Owen County, Indiana in 1859. About 1915, Samuel, wife Mary Cynthia Criss, and family moved to Newman, Douglas County, Illinois.

Samuel and two of his sisters were students at the Indiana School for the Blind, where Samuel learned the trade of making brooms. In Owen County, he was township supervisor, farmed, and made brooms. Alva Dow couldn’t understand why his father could give complete strangers money to buy children’s shoes, but couldn’t always buy shoes for his own children.

At Newman, Illinois, three of the grown sons did the farming, the daughters did the housework, and Mary Cynthia looked after Samuel. In the early 1920’s Samuel bought a new automobile for the family and suggested that he give it the gas while his son steered!

Submitted by:
Dow Junior Cooksey
Danville IL
E-mail: dcooksey@insightbb.com