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.