Forging Abby's Future

By Cyrus Dow Milton

Abigail Frances Forson has everything it takes to prosper in the 1880's in spite of being a woman. She is the match of any man physically. Education requires three years in Chicago. Fortitude helps her survive the death of both parents. Boldness is just the ticket as she relocates from Missouri to Albuquerque, NM. Her patience pays off as she finds a good man - or is he? Her Bible study leads her into many discussions with others and spiritual growth. Finally, a would-be bad man is no match for Abby.

• Language: English
• Publisher: New Harbor Press
• Release date: Nov 27, 2020
• ISBN: 9781393562054

Book preview

Forging Abby’s Future

A SEARCH FOR PERSONAL

AND SPIRITUAL FREEDOM

n

Cyrus Dow Milton

Copyright © 2020 by Cyrus Dow Milton

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods, without the prior written permission of the publisher, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical reviews and certain other noncommercial uses permitted by copyright law. For permission requests, write to the publisher, addressed Attention: Permissions Coordinator, at the address below.

Milton/New Harbor Press

1601 Mt. Rushmore Rd, Ste 3288

Rapid City, SD 57701

www.newharborpress.com

Forging Abby’s Future/Cyrus Dow Milton —1st ed.

ISBN 978-1-63357-345-1

Cover photo by Cyrus Dow Milton © 2018 showing two of three remaining buildings in Hickory, MO.

n

Foreword

What we say to our children when they are young can be very hard on them. In this case, the subject was slavery. The basic statement she’ll just end up as a slave to some farmer (see chapter one) happened to my maternal Grandmother as a young child in the early 1900’s. She was born in December of 1903, probably in northwest Livingston County, Missouri. She spent many of her growing up years in or near the little town of Hickory and graduated from Trenton High School in 1922. Grandmother passed away at the age of 101. She left behind a personal journal and several scrapbooks of her early days. It is from this early journal that I pulled many details and some of the story lines. When she was about eight her father remarked that she didn’t need any more school as she would just get married and end up as some farmer’s slave. This hurt her deeply. When she was just past nine, her mother died just a week after the fifth child was born, a far too common occurrence of the time. Her mother, born in 1884, never got past the second reader. My G-Grandmother is buried in the cemetery I describe in the early part of the book. It is just a few miles southwest of Trenton, MO and a mile or so from the crumbling remains of Hickory, MO. Hickory was a real village but never more than a whistle-stop for the Rock Island railroad and has long since been sidestepped by history. Three crumbling buildings are all that remains. The little Baptist church is still going well I understand. It was founded in 1869. My grandmother described how the church building used to have the front doors on the other end of the building. It had two front doors just as described in the book. The men and women sat on different sides of the building. Some of those old church buildings still have two front doors but the seating is more open in our liberated times.

My grandmother’s maiden name was Beaman and she taught school for a couple of years in that area. First, she taught at Happy Hollow school, which I think might be in northwest Livingston County, and later at Amick school which I think might be near the little town of Spickard in Grundy County. Grandmother always went by grandmother, never grandma, and she could be a little peevish at times. The grandmother McWilliams character reflects a bit of her also. The Forson and Marrs names are also in her side of the family line.

Real slavery was a major issue for many years following the Civil War. New Mexico people were primarily for the Confederacy although the Union had several forts located along the Rio Grande valley. The battle of Glorietta Pass was just east of Santa Fe, NM and very real. As a result, the people had to tread a fine line as they lived in that area when discussing or even mentioning the topic. As an example; Abby plays a duet with a young student. Battle Hymn of the Republic would have made a fantastic grand finale but it was a very pro-North and militaristic song. Hail Columbia was the accepted national anthem at the time but not so militaristic. It was never official. In other ways, slavery was more of a mental issue for many people. That included hard drinking sinners and soiled doves who were trapped in their lives far too many times.

The boarding house in Albuquerque is fictional and I doubt that one quite so sumptuous ever really existed anywhere. I let my imagination go a bit with it. Why not? I did see a boarding house in a very different state when I was in high school that had some of the features, especially the second-floor mezzanine.

I love history so writing this to place things where they really were in history was a bit tricky at times. It is a work of fiction but real history demands that some things just don’t change. The 1880’s were a time rich in dynamic growth of the railroads and the western US. On a recent vacation my wife and I traveled over some of the roads parallel to the ATSF in Kansas and saw the dramatic change in landscape as we traveled west. Our travel stayed just south of KC and skirted the north edge of Wichita before heading to Dodge City. The open prairies were awe inspiring and nothing like the landscapes of the old TV show Gunsmoke. Kinsley, KS, just east of Dodge City, has a wonderful little museum that was free. Some of the countryside is just as empty as it was then. Look past the farms and small towns and imagine that history is lurking just beyond with waving prairie grass, buffalo, and Native Americans fighting to maintain a way of life that has disappeared since the time of this novel.

What was trickier was getting the music to line up with the time frame. But the post-Civil War years were a time rich in growth driven by the railroads and the western expansion. That included music publishing, magazines and many other things. Pianos were a huge part of the music scene. Their musical versatility gave them a status no other instrument had. I thought about using one of the square grands for the recital but learned that they have a terrible reputation for sound quality.

Albuquerque, NM was originally going to be just a way stop for Abby but when the focus of the novel changed, it became the major location. It is a very large city today but a historically dramatic city with much to offer. The cultural clash of Hispanic, Anglo and Native American is still there and part of its charm as well as part of its problems. According to my research, a public-school system was not started in Albuquerque until 1891, four years after the time frame of this novel. I have no idea if any kind of subscription school ever existed but this book is only fiction. The Catholic church had a parochial school and a school open to the public in the earlier years. The public school was taught by friars. The University of New Mexico was chartered by the territorial legislature in 1889 and begun construction on the newly designated campus that year.

I enjoyed writing the book and doing the research. My past writing has been for sermons and also technical manuals and technical instructions for electronic and aerospace products. This is very different and much more fun. I got to spin a few yarns! I hope you enjoy reading it.

Cyrus Dow Milton – a pen name

n

Preface

This novel is a work of fiction as are all of the characters. The basic locations are real as are the railroads and other major locations but the characters and their immediate location are fictional. It began as a possible prequel to a novel my wife wrote. Well, it took on a life of its own so we’ll see if it stands on its own.

As this novel developed, I realized that it was speaking to young people. Growing up is hard. Learning what it takes to live in the adult world frequently means taking some hard knocks. In addition, those who grow up being taught a particular church’s theology often know little or nothing of other church theologies. There are more than 200 different churches in modern day America. The Catholics have their theology, the Baptists follow John Calvin, the Methodist follow some of Jacob Arminius and the Christian Church is a bit different than those. I invite anyone who reads this novel to investigate the teachings of their specific group and compare it to other teachings. Above all, read the Bible itself and know what it says. Just a note: The Catholics are not treated kindly because most Protestants of that time despised them. After all, getting away from the Catholic Church was a major reason for many groups to come to the colonies.

Forging is a metallurgical term primarily associated with iron and steel work but it is also a term for any project or action which requires heavy and hard work.

All Bible quotes are from the King James Version of the Bible which was the only Bible known at the time of this story. Various songs are mentioned and some lyrics are quoted. To my knowledge, all of them are correct for the time frame and currently in the public domain.

All photographs were taken by the author and remain his property. Copyright is extended for the publishing of this book.

n

The People of Forging Abby’s Future

Abigail Frances Forson – Abby begins our story as a young girl of 12 in northwest Missouri. Growing to womanhood, she grows into a changing world following the Civil War. She is forging her life as an independent young woman.

Miss Beaman – School teacher for Abby in the 5th reader.

Jake Grogan – father killed in War Between the States – would be bad guy.

Elspy Mary (McWilliams) Forson – Abby’s mother, Irish and petite like most women of the day.

Milton Forson – Abby’s father. Farmer and occasional blacksmith. A very big man.

Robert John Forson – Abby’s younger brother and namesake of Robert McWilliams, his grandfather.

Robert McWilliams and Nelle Fay McWilliams, immigrants from Ireland and cheesemakers in Chicago, Illinois. Parents to Elspy Forson and Fiona Forson as well as Matthew McWilliams and John McWilliams.

Charles Forson – brother to Milton and husband to Fiona (McWilliams) Forson. Cheesemaker in Chillicothe, Missouri.

Henry Marrs – wife, Sally Bea (Bowers) Marrs – Abby’s best friend from childhood. Children: Henry Jr. , Mary Elizabeth, Abigail Frances, Joseph Daniel

Matthew McWilliams with Hattie, Uncle and Aunt for Abby in Chicago.

John McWilliams with Pearl, Uncle and Aunt for Abby in Chicago.

Mr. John Trumbull, haberdasher owner and committee member, wife - Margaret Mary (Maggie); children: John Amos Jr., Sharon Elaine, Ronald Eugene.

Mr. William Wilson – committee member, lawyer, wife Moselle Leann; children-Lettie Kay, Carrie Louise, William Ray Jr.

Mr. Frank Hopper – committee chair, banker, wife Sarah June (Sadie); children: Frank Jr., Pearl Rose, Dorothy May.

Mr. Samuel Rosenstein, committee member, banker with Frank Hopper. Wife Deborah Mary. Children: Esther Ruth, Reuben Aaron, Joshua Eli

Clara Ann Walker – school teacher from central Texas, boarding house mate

Julie Kay Smith – fellow teacher, walking partner and friend, from Massachusetts, boarding house mate

Mary Ellen Watson – retired school teacher and boarding house proprietress

Lupe Garcia – cook at Abby’s boarding house. Also, Abby’s Spanish teacher.

James Edward (Buddy) Miller, Reuben Rosenstein, Frank Hopper Jr. – students for Abby.

James Thomas Moore – Works at Trumbull’s Mercantile, would be suitor for Abby, from Virginia? Mysterious man, what is he really? Time tells a different story.

Hazel May Moore – Jim’s sister.

Carrie Ann Fowler – boarding house mate, works at the bakery

Sheriff Baxter – Sheriff

Reverend Harold Moffat – Methodist pastor.

Chapter 1

n

1876 – A Punch in the Nose

Ka-Pow! Thud! Jake sat down hard on the ground. He sat there for a minute and then shook his head to clear it. Then he realized he was sitting on the ground. When he looked up – there was Abby with feet planted wide, glaring down at him with clinched fists and daring him to make a wrong move. By then Miss Beaman, the school teacher, had arrived and was asking what was going on.

Not again Abby. What happened this time?

Jake was trying to steal Tommy’s apple. Abby went straight to the point as usual.

Jake stood up slowly and pulled a dirty handkerchief out of his back pocket to blot at his blood streaming nose. Tommy stood to one side. Tommy was several years younger and smaller than Jake but not about to give in. I want my apple back. as he glared at Jake. Jake grudgingly gave it to him.

Miss Beaman lectured; Jake Sloan, that is the last time you will do anything like that at this school for a while. Stealing is not acceptable. You will need to bring your father with you if you want to come back. Even then, it may not be enough. I am advising the school board of your behavior.

Ahh Miss Beaman, I don’t have a father.

Well, who is the man that lives with you and your mother?

My father died in the war. Mama remarried. He’s my stepfather and we don’t like each other at all. My real name is Jake Grogan. I wish my real father were alive. Besides, Ol’ man Sloan’s been wanting me to help with the farming and thinks I’ve had enough schoolin’. I hate farming but I don’t like school either.

I understand. Bring your mother with you if you wish to continue. Turning to Abby, Miss Beaman advised, Abigail Frances Forson, go into the school house and we will talk more about this in few minutes.

Yes Miss Beaman. Abby trudged to the school house dejectedly.

Back inside the one room school house, Abby sat down at her desk with a long sigh. She just couldn’t help that she was protective of the younger children. Jake was a more than a year older than she was but she was bigger than Jake. She had always been tall for her age and now she also getting to be - well – big – all over. The strenuous work on her family’s farm added size to the muscles she already had. It wasn’t considered very lady like but in Abby’s case, she was going to have to live that way.

The school house was like most of the school houses of the 1870’s. It served children for an area within a moderate walking distance for them. That meant that only farmers within a few miles sent their children to this school. But a few miles still meant nearly 30 children from several families. Chillicothe, Missouri was the nearest town and people went to town only if necessary. The school house sat a few yards off to the side of a crossroads in a small valley known as a hollow in the local area. Big trees surrounded the building; oak, black walnut, maple and similar trees. The playground was bare dirt from the many feet playing on it but the surrounding area was green with short grasses. It was a simple one room frame building big enough to hold maybe 30 students and the teacher. The teacher boarded with a nearby farm family. The countryside was softly rolling hills with flat areas being more of an exception than a rule. Creeks cut through in deep small valleys.

While Abby waited for Miss Beaman to come in, she thought back to an event that happened a few weeks