Forebears and Antecedents: A Family History

By Clarke Church

Allen Clarke Church, who wrote and compiled this history, spend his primary school years on the North Shore of Chicago, went through high school in suburban Philadelphia, and graduated from Darthmouth College in 1950 with a major in English Literature. He served in the United States Army during 1946-47 as a member of Task Force Williwaw in the Aleutian Islands.
Following college, Clarke joined the Sales Department of The Procter and Gamble Company, and over the next 42 years worked in various sales management capacities in more than 50 countries around the world. His position at retirement from P&G was Vice President Sales for Canada and Latin America. During these years he and his family lived in Boston, Toronto, Brussels and Cincinnati.
In 1952 Clarke Married Jane Dillman, a graduate of the University of Pennsylvania, and together they have raised four sons, and are the proud grandparents of three boys and two girls. It is for these descendants, and those that follow, that this book has been written.
Mr. Church and his wife now live in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, and spend their winters in Very Beach, Florida.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Xlibris US
• Release date: Jan 4, 2011
• ISBN: 9781465325099

Clarke Church

Allen Clarke Church, who wrote and compiled this history, spend his primary school years on the North Shore of Chicago, went through high school in suburban Philadelphia, and graduated from Darthmouth College in 1950 with a major in English Literature. He served in the United States Army during 1946-47 as a member of Task Force Williwaw in the Aleutian Islands. Following college, Clarke joined the Sales Department of The Procter and Gamble Company, and over the next 42 years worked in various sales management capacities in more than 50 countries around the world. His position at retirement from P&G was Vice President Sales for Canada and Latin America. During these years he and his family lived in Boston, Toronto, Brussels and Cincinnati. In 1952 Clarke Married Jane Dillman, a graduate of the University of Pennsylvania, and together they have raised four sons, and are the proud grandparents of three boys and two girls. It is for these descendants, and those that follow, that this book has been written. Mr. Church and his wife now live in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, and spend their winters in Very Beach, Florida.

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Copyright © 2011 by Clarke Church.

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Contents

Preface

The Church Family

The Jones Family

The Allen Family

My Dad

The Clarke Family

The Cook Family

Mother’s Youth

Mother, Dad and Me:

1927-1940

Epilogue

Appendix

Exhibit 1

Exhibit 2

Exhibit 3

Exhibit 4

Exhibit 5

Exhibit 6

Exhibit 7

Exhibit 8

Exhibit 9

Exhibit 10

Exhibit 11

Exhibit 12

Exhibit 13

Exhibit 14

Exhibit 15

Endnotes

Preface

After several false starts, and much procrastination, I have finally, during the summer of 2008, started this project of writing about our family history. My interest in doing this was first kindled when I attended a Church family reunion at Garnett, Kansas in 1996. It was further stimulated by a Genealogical course I took in the late 1990s at the University of Cincinnati’s Learning in Retirement Program. However, our move to North Carolina, and the loss of son Steve, have focused my attention on more important priorities in recent years. Then, too, there have been many days where the prospect of playing 18 holes of golf has been more attractive than sitting at my desk for an extended period of time. But now that I’ve started out I hope to keep going for a while longer (health permitting).

The problem with writing about history is that it takes a lot of time. For every hour spent writing, many more are devoted to doing research, cross checking information, organizing material, etc. For this project I was fortunate to find quite a bit of information that was passed down to me by my parents and grandparents—much of it resting quietly in basement or attic storage boxes, and untouched for 30-40 years. This material included yearbooks, photo albums, scrapbooks, official documents (birth and death certificates, baptismal records, wills), as well as letters and newspaper clippings.

For anyone doing genealogical research the internet is also an invaluable source of information, and I have used it extensively. Various websites not only provide data themselves, but also tell you where to go and who to contact to get more information. These leads have been useful in the on the ground research that Ken and I did during our Illinois/Indiana trip in 2007, and that the two of us and Allen will be doing during our October, 2008 trip to eastern Kansas. Contacts on these trips include libraries, historical/genealogical societies, universities and newspapers.

Another major source of material for this narrative is my own memory. At age 81, and with some recollections stretching as far back as 75 years, this get tricky. But it’s all I have to substantiate many of the events in my life. Wherever possible I’ve tried to cross check my version of occurrences with other sources such as newspaper articles or internet data, but such verifications are seldom available. Likewise, I have found that there is sometimes disagreement between data found in our family archives and that available from outside sources—particularly on dates. Where this is the case, I’ve simply used my best judgment based on all the information at hand.

With regard to writing form, I am rationalizing any grammatical, construction and punctuation failures by citing the need to work as fast as possible. At my age, time is of the essence if I want to bring this project to a conclusion. Consequently, I am doing very little rewriting. My intent is to concentrate on substance, and let the style chips fall where they may.

And finally, though this endeavor is quite time consuming, it is also a lot of fun. Pursuing leads and facts from many different sources, and putting them together in some kind of logical context, is a stimulating intellectual exercise similar to that experienced in detective work. It is fun too because it has enabled me to become acquainted with ancestors I never knew, and to relive some cherished times with those that I did know and love. Hopefully, you, my dear descendants, will have an interest in carrying on with this project, and will receive from it the same joy and satisfaction that I have.

With my love,

Dad/Grandpop

Clarke Church

Chapel Hill, NC

September 27, 2008

The Church Family

Based on information which I obtained at the 1996 Church family reunion in Garnett, KS, our oldest relative traced to date is John A. Church of Pardon Parish, Manor of Geround, Essex, England. John was born in 1335 and died in 1396. The Magna Carta had been signed by King John just 120 years before John’s birth, and I can’t help but wonder if his forefathers played any role in bringing about this historic foundation for human liberties. I expect we’ll never know.

In any event, there is currently no record after John until Thomas Church was born sometime around 1770. Thomas became a sugar baker who owned a large wholesale business on Thames Street in London. He married Elizabeth Dixon, a daughter of Charles Sutton Dixon, who was Master of the Charter House in London. Five children were born to this union, one of whom was Henry Church, my great great grandfather. Henry was born in London in 1807. Based on these backgrounds, it appears that the Churches in early 1800 London, if not wealthy, were at least reasonably well to do.

In 1849, at age 42, Henry Church came to America and settled on a farm three miles south of Butler’s Point, Illinois (became Catlin in 1856). Records indicate that there were already a significant number of English emigrants in the area. Incidentally, Catlin is located in East Central Illinois, near the Indiana border, and about seven miles southwest of Danville, IL.

The next year, 1850, Henry’s wife, Sarah Puzey Church, who was five years his elder, emigrated from London with their three surviving children (they had had seven), and joined him on the farm. One of the children was Thomas Church, my great grandfather. Thomas, born in 1836, was thirteen years old when he came to America.

After five years on the farm, Henry and his family moved into the village of Catlin where he went into the grocery business. According to an account found in the Catlin Historical Museum, on May 21, 1857 Henry advertised in The Independent (local newspaper) that his store would sell groceries seven percent cheaper than stores in Danville and Georgetown. One hundred fifty years later Walmart has followed this same approach to build the world’s largest discount chain. Old Henry was onto something. Walmart’s success was achieved by creating a superior distribution system. Henry was able to cut prices because a new branch of the Great Western Railroad came through Catlin and he was able to obtain goods cheaper than his competitors (a superior distribution system).

Unfortunately, Henry didn’t live long enough to become the Sam Walton of his time. He died in November, 1859 at the age of 52. Several references in the archives indicate that strong drink was a significant factor contributing to his demise.

Henry’s wife, Sarah, my great great grandmother, continued to live in Catlin and died there in 1874 at the age of 74. Both she and Henry are buried at the Jones Grove Cemetery.

My great grandfather, Thomas Church, was 21 when his father died. He became the family breadwinner, and presumably took over the grocery store, possibly with the help of his mother and two sisters. He also went on to become one of Catlin’s stalwart citizens. When the town became incorporated as a village in 1863, Thomas was selected as one of the first five Trustees. An older first cousin, George William Frederick Church, also emigrated from London, was another of the first Trustees. Thomas later became Catlin’s third Postmaster.

Now before continuing with the Church Family saga, let us turn our attention to the family of our other Catlin ancestors—

The Jones Family

The Joneses can be traced back to Wales, where Richard (my great great great grandfather) married a Welsh lass (no record of her name or their birth dates) and later moved to London. There he spent the remainder of his life running a successful timber business. He and his wife also produced at least four children, one of whom was Henry, my great great grandfather. Henry Jones was born in London on May 25, 1804. He grew to manhood there, and at age 19 married Sarah Elizabeth Hough, also 19. Interestingly, Sarah’s birth date was July 13, but 123 years before mine.

While in London, Henry built, bought or somehow obtained a large and successful business which involved the manufacture and distribution of brass gas apparatus and fittings. He and Sarah also parented eleven children, of whom four died in infancy. Rebecah, born in 1831 lived 19 months; Henry William, 1834, 7 months; Henry Jr., 1839, 5 years, 1 month; and Frederick, 1841, 6 weeks. Imagine the heartbreak of losing four children in a span of eleven years. And yet this was not an uncommon experience for our forebears—one of the reasons for having large families.

We can only speculate about why, at age 45, Henry Jones decided in 1849 to sell his business and move his family to the American Midwest. Undoubtedly favorable reports back to England from others who had preceded him to the New World were a factor. As was the availability of very inexpensive land, which was not the case in England where large landholdings were controlled by the aristocracy. What we do know is that shortly after arriving at Butler’s Point (henceforth referred to as Catlin) Henry bought the Francis Whitcomb home and farm, and then in a brief period of time purchased other surrounding pieces of land until he had accumulated 3,000 acres. According to records found in the Illiana Geographical Society in Danville, Illinois, Henry’s land was valued at $5,000 in 1850. I don’t know if this includes the entire 3,000 acres, but in any event we do know that land was very cheap. This year (2008) prime Illinois farm land has sold for as much as $8,000 an acre.

A further hint as to Henry’s motive for relocating is found in the closing paragraph of the letter he sent back to his wife and family in London following his five week crossing of the Atlantic on the sailing ship, Hendrick Hudson:

" . . . . my children, for your sake alone have I crossed the Atlantic to place you all, if possible, hereafter in a comfortable position where you may be able to settle down in peace and happiness and beyond the reach of want."

Henry obviously felt that the future prospects for his children’s well being were brighter in America.

A complete copy of Henry Jones’ fifteen page letter to his family, dated June 10, 1849, can be found in the Appendix to this narrative (Exhibit 1). It is well worth reading. Not only is this a vivid description of the travails our ancestors faced in crossing the ocean (even in first class), but it also makes one wonder how my great great grandmother, Sarah, summoned the courage to bring her family across after reading about those travails. But come she and they did later in the summer as part of a group of 24 Englishmen headed for Illinois. In addition to Sarah, the Jones family group included the seven surviving children, ages 25 to 1, and Sarah’s mother, Anna Hough (also known as Eliza), age 76. Although they apparently encountered no significant problems during the crossing, it must have taken a severe toll on Anna because she died on September 16, 1849, shortly after arriving.

About two years after Anna’s death, Henry, her son-in-law, laid out the Jones Grove Cemetery (also later called the English Cemetery), and she was relocated from her temporary grave to become the first person buried there. Subsequently, this became the final resting place for many of our Catlin based Church/Jones ancestors. The cemetery is located just a short distance up the road from the original Jones family homestead. Jane and I visited it in 1997, as did Ken and I ten years later.

Great great grandfather, Henry Jones, must have been quite a man—almost larger than life in many respects. Physically, he was a big man, weighing over 300 pounds. And he also had big ideas, big plans, and a big heart. All of these qualities are exemplified by the 4th of July celebration that he sponsored in the mid 1850s. Following is a quote from Hiram Beckwith’s history of Vermilion County which describes this occasion:

soon%20after%20the%20railroad.jpg

Henry Jones continued to live in Catlin until his death on November 10, 1862 at age 58. During the 13+ years that he was there his principal occupation was farming, which is interesting given his previous life as a manufacturer in London. What did he know about farming, and how did he go about getting the work done? I suppose by hiring locals who did know what they were doing, and who were willing to drive the 14 pair of oxen that he had acquired to bust the sod.

Henry also had other commercial interests in addition to farming. Several years after his arrival in Catlin he and two partners started a tannery business. This flourished for a while but failed after a few years due to a shortage of bark in the area, and a shortage of labor to harvest the bark. Also, according to one report he started a mercantile business with his son, Richard, in 1856. What this involved is not specified, but we do know that later on Richard and his two brothers operated a general store in Catlin.

In his later years Henry gave some of his land to family members, sold off other pieces, and ended up with an estate of 900 acres.

Sadly, Henry was predeceased by his wife, Sarah, my great great grandmother, who died in 1856 at age 52. I expect that she was pretty well worn out after bearing eleven children over a period of 24 years, and relocating to a harsh new land without many of the conveniences she had been accustomed to in London. The move probably took a heavy toll on her.

As for Henry, I only wish I could have known him. He accomplished a lot in his lifetime, and I imagine that those dreams and desires for his children’s future well being that he expressed in that June 10, 1849 letter back to England were largely fulfilled.

THOMAS AND LOUISA

The fifth of Henry and Sarah Jones’ surviving children was Louisa (pronounced Loo-eye-za), who became my great grandmother. She was seven years old when she came to Catlin in 1849 with her mother, brothers and sisters. And what a change in lifestyle this move must have been for this little girl. According to family lore reported in a 1968 letter written by Florence Brinkley Toothaker, one of Louisa’s granddaughters, she (Louisa) was raised by a governess while in London, and only allowed to see her parents in the evening when she was dressed in a white dress to go downstairs. I expect that life in Catlin was considerably less formal.

Incidentally, a copy of Mrs. Toothaker’s letter, from which there will be further quotes, can be found in the Appendix (Exhibit 2).

How and when Louisa Jones met Thomas Church remains a mystery, but it was probably sometime after the Church family moved from the farm into the village of Catlin. Thomas, who was around 17 years old at the time of this move (1855), was probably working in his father’s grocery store. Perhaps Louisa accompanied one of her family on a visit to the store and first spied Thomas there. Or maybe their paths crossed at Henry Jones’ famous Fourth of July bash. Or, more likely, at one of the social events for members of the growing English community. In any event, Thomas and Louisa somehow fell in love, and were married on May 6, 1861. He was 22 and she 19. Their wedding date was three weeks after the Confederate army forced the surrender of Fort Sumter, effectively starting the Civil War.

Apparently the Jones family did not look favorably on the union of Louisa and Thomas. This bit of information is contained in Mrs. Toothaker’s 1968 letter mentioned above. Possibly this disfavor was due to the reputation which Thomas’ father, Henry Church, had for excessive imbibing. It may also be that the Joneses felt that their station in life was superior to that of the Churches (probably the case). Though Thomas later became a civic leader in Catlin, that hadn’t happened by the time of his marriage. Nevertheless, true love overcame all obstacles, and the marriage took place. One wonders though if this was a grand family wedding lavishly subsidized by Louisa’s father, Henry Jones, or did the loving couple quietly find a Justice of the Peace who would administer the vows. We don’t know, but I’m inclined to believe it was a rather low key wedding.

Whatever the feelings of Henry Jones about his daughter’s marriage to Thomas, he left her a sum of $10,000 when he died in 1862 (17 months after the wedding). This was quite a lot of money in those days, and must have been a great help to the young couple starting their life together. This information also via Mrs. Toothaker’s letter.

POLITICAL CLIMATE OF THE TIMES

It is interesting that nowhere in the family archives that I have accumulated is there any mention of the Civil War, or any indication that the Church or Jones families were at all affected by the war. And yet, Illinois was at the very center of political contention during the years leading up to the conflict. During the late summer/early fall of 1858 Stephen A. Douglas, a very prominent two term Democratic Senator, and Abraham Lincoln, his little known (outside of Illinois) Republican challenger, staged a series of seven debates at various locations throughout the state. The overriding issue being debated was the future of slavery—Douglas in favor of each state determining slavery’s right to exist (Popular Sovereignty), and Lincoln contending that the ultimate extinction of slavery was the only long term solution (A house divided against itself cannot stand). Though Douglas was reelected to the Senate in 1858, the debates made Lincoln a prominent national figure. He became the Republican nominee in the 1860 Presidential election, and went on to defeat Douglas for the nation’s highest office.

The 1858 Lincoln-Douglas debate site closest to Catlin was Charleston, IL, about 70 miles to the southwest. It’s possible, but not probable, that one or more of our relatives attended. More than likely, as recent immigrants, they were inclined to steer clear of such a contentious issue as slavery. But that didn’t mean they didn’t have their sympathies. The Church family’s Republican roots were no doubt first planted in those momentous 1850s on the Illinois prairie.

STARTING A FAMILY AND THE MOVE WESTWARD

After their May, 1861 marriage Thomas and Louisa wasted little time in starting a family. Their first child, Sophia, was born in April, 1862, and two years later, on March 9, 1864 my grandfather, Herbert Arthur Church, came into the world. After Herbert came Ellen Elizabeth (Nellie) in 1866, Ada Emily in 1868, Frederick Henry in 1870, and Sarah Ann in 1875.

As previously mentioned, during the years after his marriage Thomas became an active and prominent member of the Catlin community. In addition to operating the general store inherited from his father, he served as one of the town’s first Trustees, was appointed its third Postmaster, joined the Free Masons and became a Master Mason in 1859, and was a member of the Methodist Episcopal Church.

Despite all of these Catlin roots, in 1880, at ages 41 and 38, Thomas and Louisa picked up stakes and moved their six children to a farm in Lone Elm, Kansas. My grandfather, Herbert, was 16 at the time of this move.

What was the reason the family left Catlin? We don’t know for sure, but following is an account which Ken and I unearthed at either the Catlin or Illiana (Danville) Museum. The author is unidentified, but the informant was one of Louisa’s grandsons (she had 11):

An amusing story is told of why the family moved. Apparently Mr. Church and his buddies would have a few nights out and come home under the weather much to the disgust of Mrs. Church and her lady friends whose husbands were involved. They hatched up a plot that really was drastic, but it worked. They burned down the store. The informant says he remembers his grandmother (Louisa) telling this story with relish. After this happened the family left Illinois for Kansas, taking not only the family, but the daughters’ boy friends too.

Thomas apparently liked to have a good time with the boys, but as many a man has learned, before and since, the consequences can sometimes be painful and expensive.

What made the family choose Kansas for their emigration site, and why specifically, Lone Elm? (about 90 miles southwest of Kansas City). We can only speculate that friends or acquaintances had preceded them and sent back favorable reports. The grass is always greener on the other side of the fence has been a motivating factor for millions of moves throughout history. Sometimes it is, sometimes it isn’t.

Upon arrival in Lone Elm, the last of Thomas and Louisa’s offspring, Thomas Alfred Church, was born on July 29, 1880. He was 16 years younger than my grandfather, Herbert.

Although the distance from Catlin to Lone Elm is only around 600 miles, the logistics of making the move must have been formidable. Remember that the automobile and the airplane had not yet been invented. The alternatives available to the family were either horse drawn wagon/carriage or railroad. Since a railroad line was built through the Lone Elm area in 1870, it’s almost certain that the Church family came by rail. But what a trip it must have been! How many changes of trains were involved, and how many of their household furnishings did they bring along? After 19 years of marriage Thomas and Louisa must have accumulated quite a few things. And what happened when they got off the train in Lone Elm? Had Thomas made a prior trip and purchased a farm and a home for the family? At this point the answers to these questions are unknown.

Thomas and Louisa lived on the Lone Elm farm with at least some of their offspring for the next 25 years, until 1905, when they moved to Altoona, KS, about 40 miles to the south. He was 67 and she 63 at the time of this move. Their second son, Fred, was running a lumber yard in Altoona, and Thomas kept himself busy by helping in this endeavor. It may also be that both of the old folks welcomed the chance to get away from the non-stop demands of farming.

The Lone Elm farm stayed in the Church family for around 85 years—from 1880 until 1965. When Thomas and Louisa moved to Altoona, their youngest son, Thomas Alfred, took over and ran it until his death in 1936. His younger son, Thomas Andrew, who was 15 when his father died, eventually inherited the farm and kept it until the mid 60’s. I met Thomas Andrew (since deceased) at the family reunion in 1996. He was 75 years old at the time and had been living in Baldwin City, KS for many years.

Interestingly, my grandfather worked on the family farm as a boy and a young man, and my dad spent one summer working on it while in high school (probably 1916 or 17).

Following the above mentioned reunion I drove from Garnett, KS to Lone Elm to see what was left of the family’s long time hometown. The reality was—not much. A few deserted buildings were about all that remained of a once thriving community. The cemetery, however, was well cared for, and a prominent tombstone marked the graves of great grandparents, Thomas and Louisa.

Though Lone Elm has largely faded into the past, an interesting narrative of what life there was like