Agnes Ferrick Gwinn Passes Away

Agnes Ferrick Gwinn, one of the last of the senior generation of our family in Iowa, passed away last month.

RIP Aunt Agnes

Elizabeth Gwinn Surbaugh Dies at 79

Elizabeth Catharine Gwinn Surbaugh was my great great great grandfather's sister. My working assumption was that Samuel and Mary Jane were the only children of Ephriam James Gwinn to come to Iowa, pre-civil war. But that was not the case. And Elizabeth's daughter, Mary Alice, married another line of Gwinns, spelled Guinn (as was common in the south), Robert A. Guinn, son of John D. Guinn of Tennessee. I know of the Tennessee Guinns, but not a lot. I'll have to persue this further.

A J Gwinn Visits Mother

A J GWINN VISITS MOTHER

I found this as I was looking for something else and it intrigued me. "A.J. Gwinn visited over Sunday with his mother, Mrs. Samuel Gwinn" There is no date on this copy, but the Statement of Condition for the Cambria Savings Bank is as of Sept. 7, 1918.

Mrs. Samuel Gwinn is Cynthia (or Sintha) Gwinn. Samuel had been gone about 20 years, yet Cynthia was still known as Mrs. Samuel. It wasn't necesarily bad, it was just the way of the time. It would be two more years before she could vote.

A.J. Gwinn was Andrew J Gwinn, Cynthia's eldest son, born on the trek from Virginia (the area is now part of West Virginia) to Iowa. It is interesting to me that the local paper did not feel the need completely name him. Typesetting was time consuming and anything that could reduce the number of letters needed was used. The community was small and everyone would know which of Mrs. Samuel Gwinn's sons was "A.J."

One last item: I've never heard of the Pleasant View area. The Chariton papers that I am more used to would have called this the Humeston or Leroy area, maybe Derby. I'll have to look into the term Pleasant View area. Perhaps coming from Humeston, smaller areas are defined, like Poverty Ridge or Rabbit Ridge in Lucas county.

Cynthia Gwinn Obit - Humeston New Era

MRS. GWINN DIES AT 91

Cynthia George Gwinn, daughter of John and Sarah Gwinn, was, along with her husband, Samuel Keller Gwinn, the first of our line to settle in Iowa. She lived a hard life in pioneer Wayne County, loosing six children between 1852 and 1892 and seeing one die in prison for killing her son in law.

Her headstone in the Gwinn Cemetery spells her name "Sintha" and I believe that is how she thought of herself. She lies next to her husband and near the seven children she buried in her lifetime.

I may have already published her obit from the the Chariton Leader but the Humeston New Era copy was harder for me to find so I added it, too. There is little difference between them.

Easter (Lowe) Thommen Obit

Easter Lowe was the Great Grand Daughter of my earilest Iowa ancesters, Samuel and Sintha Gwinn. Her father was Leland Gwinn Lowe, son of Irene Gwinn and Johathan Lowe. Irene was the daughter of Samuel and Sintha.

Byron D. (Deak) Gwinn Obits

Byron "Deak" Gwinn is notorious for shooting his brother-in-law, Liberty Snooks, to death for "Callin' Ma a liar." I've written about him before as I am fascinated by the story.

Here are two obits for Deak Gwinn. One is from the Humeston New Era, where Deak lived, and the other is from the Chariton Herald Patriot, the county seat where he was tried and sent to prison.

Missing from both is any mention of his wife, Ora nee Durland. I am very curious what ever happened to Ora.

Cleo Marie (Kent) Gwinn Obit

Cleo Marie Kent married Andrew Albert Gwinn on Feb 28th, 1931. Her sister, Zella Mabel Kent married Andrew's brother Willie Butch (Bill) Gwinn on June 22, 1935.

Many of thier decendents still reside in the Lucas County area.

Cynthia or Sintha Gwinn

Although she was called Cynthia Gwinn in her obit, I believe she thought of herself as Sintha. That is how her name is written on her headstone. Since her husband Samuel Keller Gwinn preceeded her in death by many years, I've always assumed she put up the headstone. Of course, it is also possible, perhaps probable, that she was also illiterate and could not spell her own name.

I'll leave the issue up in the air.