Leota Boston Gwinn Dies

Leota Boston Gwinn was my Grandmother on my father's side.  I was 15 when she passed away.  Many of my cousins weren't old enough to ever really know her.  As it was, I never got to know her as an adult.  RIP Grandma!

Charlene and Andy Gwinn Like AE Milk

Anderson Erickson Dairy used to run these cute ads featuring local children and the children's testimony that they like AE Milk and Dairy Products.  Lots of us have been on these ads.  Charlene and Andy are my first cousins, once removed.  Their father was my grandfather's brother, Andrew Gwinn.  This was there time in the barrell.

Derby Events of Last Week

The original family settled about mid-way between Derby Iowa in Lucas County and Humeston Iowa in Wayne County.  While my branch migrated north about 30 miles, many stayed in the Humeston/Derby area.  Plus, my wife's family hails from north of Derby.  For these and other reasons, I like to check out the Humeton & Derby items in the local newspapers.

In the upper left, Genevieve D'Attilio is visiting her mother, Florence (Gwinn) D'Attilio and they have supper at the home of Mr & Mrs C.C. Gwinn.  CC Gwinn is Florence's fathter, Cyril Chatt, or Chat, Gwinn, who we learned in the previous article did not survive the week.

Midway, we have Mrs Leland Lowe spending the day with her daughter.  Leland Lowe is the son of Irene (Gwinn) Lowe, a sister to my Great Great Grandfather, Andrew J. Gwinn.

Then we have the birth of Diane Rochelle Exley.  Diane is a 3rd cousin to my wife.

LUCAS EVENTS REPORTED - November 1955:  Much of my family's history revolves around the coal mining town of Lucas, in Lucas County, Iowa.  This 1955 note reflects the passing of Cyril Chatt Gwinn, known simply as Chat, after a long bought with heart trouble.  He was 82.  Chat was my Great Grandfather's brother.
Also of note in the same article is the travels of my 2nd cousin, Bruce Taylor.  Bruce's Grandmother, Mrs. Ambrose Taylor, was my Grandfather Johnny Gwinn's sister, Maud.

Happenings Of West Jackson

It looks like my whole family was up to something in West Jackson in April 1956.  Jackson is a township in Lucas County, Iowa, West of the town of Lucas.  Homer Boston is my maternal grandfather and of course Mr and Mrs Ray Gwinn were my folks.  I wouldn't arrive on the scene for another six months.  The Gwinn's are all cousins or aunts/uncles.  Even Margarette Williamson would become my Aunt Margie, married to Uncle Jim Gwinn.

Audrey Marie (Clayton) Gwinn

There comes a time in every genealogist research - - at least I'd like to think that others have the same problem - - that you run into something that just doesn't fit your ordered image of how things are. It's the opposite of finding the puzzle piece that makes it all fit, it's finding a puzzle piece that just doesn't look like it belongs to this puzzle.

It started with the graduation list for Johnston, a suburb of Des Moines that is not far from where I work. There was a Gwinn on the list, but I couldn't tie him into my current family tree. Oh well, there are a lot of Gwinns in Iowa and if you loose one link, you can't tie in the current generation.

Well, second came an obit for Laura Gwinn. That caught my eye because I have a niece Laura and the ages weren't are off. But, of course, this wasn't my niece, it was the sister to the Johnston graduate. Being an obit, there were a lot of names, but none were coming up in my FTM.

Third came the attached obit for Audrey Marie (Clayton) Gwinn from the Corydon (Iowa) Times. The names were matching the two young people from before, but not anybody on my tree.

I have always assumed that the Gwinns in Iowa were decendents of Samuel Gwinn Sr and Elizabeth Graham Lockridge Gwinn, through there sons Ephriam and "Squire" John Gwinn. I was wrong.

Litterally at the same time my ancester, Samuel Keller Gwinn, was emigrating from what is now West Virginia to Wayne Co Iowa, Samuel McElhoney Gwinn was emigrating from the same area of Virginia to Warren Co Iowa. The two Samuels were 2nd cousins, once removed. McElhoney's Great Grandfather, James Gwinn was a brother to Keller's Grandfather, Samuel Gwinn Sr.

With all of these Samuels, it is difficult to keep everybody straight.

I have always wondered about the 1949-1950 migration of Gwinns from what is now West Virginia. I originally thought they had come west to the coal mines that were thriving in southern Iowa at the time, but I've found no record of them working the Iowa mines.

Could it be that they forsaw the trouble to come with the civil war and West Virginia's pivital role?

Easter (Lowe) Thommen

I have been accused reaching too far to be inclusive of family members. Easter Lowe Thommen was my second cousin, twice removed. If her lineage to me were all male and her last name was Gwinn, no one would think twice about her being included in my family record.

Sorry - that was my rant for this morning.

Easter Belle Lowe was the daughter of Leland Gwinn Lowe and Daisy Fern Thockmorton. Leland was the son of Jonathan L. Lowe and Irene R. Gwinn. Irene was a sister to my great great grandfather, Andrew J. Gwinn.

Amos Keller Gwinn Obituary

Amos Keller Gwinn, known as A.K. or simply K, was my great grandfather. My uncle Gerald Gwinn's middle name, Kay, is from A.K.'s "K". He was the 4th son of nine boys belonging to Andrew and Mary (Sayers) Gwinn. Two of his older brothers, though, passed away before he was born, Omar and an unnamed infant. The other six brothers, he had no sisters, lived to become adults and all survived him: Enos, Cyril, Arthur, Everett, Lloyd and Floyd.

Bert Gwinn Arrested

The history of the Lucas/Wayne County Gwinns is sprinkled with brushes with the law. I think any family our size must eventually have a few. This article hit the front page of the Chariton newspapper in 1928.

Bert Gwinn was one of these. Bert moved out to California and passed away in San Bernidino in 1997. I don't know much about his life. If you do, I'd love to hear from you.