Monday, June 24, 2019

Marshall Illinois Marriage Announcements

Early village newspapers were really literary magazines. Front pages were filled with stories, poetry, advice, aphorisms, and what some took for humor—“How to Make a Cannon…Take a long hole and pour brass or iron about it.” What little news crept into front pages was from major cities, taken from other papers. Inside pages had local news, which for marriages was often poetic, gossip-filled, and sometimes scandalous (e.g., Samuel Tapscott and Susan Tingley, 14 Sep 2015 blog). The following marriage notices are from the Marshall Republican:



23 Apr 1909: In order to keep their friends from finding out the great secret Mrs. Lucy Swope and James Obrist went to Effingham Wednesday of last week and were married in that city returning home Thursday morning. This is the bride’s third adventure on the sea of matrimony and the groom’s first attempt at steering the matrimonial craft o’er life’s tempestuous sea.

27 Aug 1909: Monday morning the train on the Vandalia from the west due at 7:04 brought Mr. Jeff Walters and Goldia Mae Jacobs of Vevay Park Cumberland county to the County clerk’s office where they secured the papers authorizing them to trot in double harness and hied themselves to Judge Martin’s matrimonial parlors where they were soon made one. This was a runaway match but as soon as the knot was tied they turned right around and ran back again.

10 Sep 1909: Benton Willey, age 36 and Myrtle Gudgeon age 29, both of Terre Haute were married by Esquire Benson Martin in his matrimonial parlors at noon Wednesday. The groom was a former resident of this city and it is his first marriage. The bride is a bashful young creature, but has managed to survive the shock of two former marriages and seemed to enjoy the thought of a third matrimonial alliance.

12 Nov 1909: Saturday Austin Sweet, an attorney of Terre Haute met Miss Alma Shook of Yale, in this city. They secured a permit from County Clerk J.W. Fredenberger to trot through life in double harness. They then hunted up Elder John A. Sweet who tied the knot matrimonial for them. They had attempted to keep the marriage a secret from their Terre Haute friends, but on their arrival at their Terre Haute home Sunday they were greatly surprised at the reception given them by a number of friends who met them at the station.

26 Nov 1909: Grover Hybarger, son of Mr. and Mrs. Samuel Hybarger of Paris, who formerly lived here and Miss Bertha Sidenstricker also of Paris, were married secretly at New Castle, Ind., in July last. Mr. Hybarger was working at the time for the American Express company at Indianapolis and Miss Sidenstricker was visiting her brother there when they slipped away to New Castle where they were married. They revealed the fact to her brother, James Sidenstricker at Indianapolis but concealed it from their parents until recently when Grover was transferred by the American Express company to Paris when they divulged the secret and decided to set up house keeping.

20 May 20 1910: Sunday Abel Bennett, bachelor, and Mrs. Minnie Bennett, both of Orange township, were married at the home of Richard Keller of Orange township by Rev. T.C. Bailiff. The brides maiden name was Cox and we understand was the widow of a brother of the man of her second choice.


21 Jan 1910: A romance culminated here Tuesday when Oscar Mason of Mayfield, Kentucky, applied for a license to marry Miss Minnie Robinson of Parker township. Seven years ago Dr. John F. Kirksey of Mayfield, met and woed and won Miss Amanda Robinson, a sister of Mr. Mason’s bride and in a visit to her sister at Mayfield, Miss Minnie became a victim of cupids darts and capitulated to her southern wooer.

Sunday, June 23, 2019

Henny Penny


 I just heard yesterday of the death on 23 Jun 2019 of another Tapscott cousin, the gregarious Charles Henry Colvin, known to most of the family as “Henny Penny.”

Charles was a member of the Fauquier County, Virginia, Tapscotts, the only son of Henry L. and Viola (Tapscott) Colvin, and a great great grandson of Harriet Tapscott. Harriet, the progenitor of many of the Fauquier Tapscotts, is believed to be a granddaughter of Ezekiel Tapscott, via James and Elizabeth (Percifull) Tapscott (see blogs of 1/13/2013, 1/15/2013). That would make Charles and me sixth cousins.

Omitting passages naming some still living relatives, let’s let Henny Penny tell his own story (from a work in progress on Tapscott, Colvin & Nickens Ancestors by Nakia Lorice Long):

Hello family, This is Charles Henry Colvin, Nickname “Henny Penny,” My life started on 17 February 1934 at 1722 Montello Ave. N.E. Washington D.C. I attended Crummell Elementary School, Brown Junior High School, and Phelps Vocational High School for one and a half years, I transferred to Armstrong Technical High School where I graduated. While in High School I earned my Varsity Letter for playing baseball.

Upon graduating from High School I was employed by the Defense Department of the U.S. government from which I retired after 37 years of service. On December 1956, I was drafted into the U.S. army and served 2 years active duty, 2 years active reserve, and 2 years standby reserve duty before receiving my discharge. On 4 September 1960 I married Audrey Mae Whiting of Prince George Va. We had two children. . . . I retired in 1989 and moved to LaPlata, Md. Where I have been living since my retirement.

Charles’s death comes exactly five weeks before the 2019 Tapscott Reunion in Fauquier County (Mary Frances and I will be attending). We will miss you, Henny Penny.