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.

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.

Amos Raymond Keller Gwinn

Uncle Amos was always one of my Dad's favorites. I've been told that Dad was named for Uncle Amos, the Raymond becoming simply Ray. That being the case, I, too, am named for him, being a Junior to my dad's Ray. There are at least two more of the "Ray" line in the next generation, both girls with "Rae" for a middle name, one named for me, one for my dad.

With that said, here's the obituary of Amos R. Gwinn as it appeared in the Chariton Leader in 1969. Note that all references to "Austin" are in Minnesota, not Texas.

Chariton Leader
Tuesday, Dec. 23, 1969
Page Three
Obituaries
GWINN – Amos R. Gwinn was born may 30, 1911 in Lucas, Iowa, the son of Amos K. and Lulu Gwinn.
He attended school in Lucas where he resided until March 1936, when he moved to Austin. He was united in marriage with Winnifred A. Smith April 25, 1938 in Austin. Mr. Gwinn was an employee of George A. Hormel Co. 27 years and an active member of the Moose Lodge.
Amos Gwinn died of a heart attack en route to St. Olaf Hospital Dec 2, 1969.
Funeral services were at 1:30 p.m. Dec 6 at St. Olaf Lutheran Church, Rev. Harvey Johnson officiating. Interment was in Grand View Memorial Gardens with Worlein Funeral Home in charge of the arrangements. Pallbearers were Leslie Hansen, Charles Dockham, Frank Larweek, John Cahill, Sidney Heiny, Jack Green.
Relatives attending the funeral came from Lucas, Chariton, Des Moines, Derby, Woodburn, Iowa, Napa Calif., Blooming Prairie, Brownsdale, Fairmont, Lansing, Albert Lea, Minneapolis.
Mr. Gwinn is survived by his widow, two sons, Raymond Gwinn, Napa, and Michael Gwinn, Austin; two daughters, Mrs. Phillip (Mercedes) Nordstrom, Austin, Miss Sandra Gwinn of Owatonna; seven grandchildren; four sisters, Mrs. Frank Robins, Hot Springs, Calif., Mrs. Ambrose Taylor, Lucas, Mrs Ellen Gray, Chariton, Mrs. Phillip Roberts, Derby; three brothers, John Gwinn, Chariton, Andrew Gwinn, Osceola, Floyd Gwinn, Lucas.
He was a kind and devoted father and he will be missed.

Andrew Albert Gwinn Obituary

It's been a while since I posted. I ran across this yesterday along with some other older obits and thought it would be a great start to get back at it. Uncle Andrew was my Grandfather's brother. - Ray

Chariton Leader
September 24, 1985
Page 12
Obituaries
­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­
Gwinn
Andrew Albert Gwinn, son of Amos Keller Gwinn and Lulu Randolph Gwinn was born Feb. 21, 1909 in Lucas County, and passed away at the Mercy Hospital in Des Moines on Sept. 15, 1985, at the age of 76 years, 6 months and 25 days.
Andrew was united in marriage to Cleo Kent on Feb. 28, 1931 at Chariton, and to this union three daughters and two sons were born.
Andrew attended Chicquipin and Spring Hill schools. He was baptized into the Reorganized Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints in 1933. He has been a loyal member, and served faithfully in the priesthood office of Elder for many years.
Andrew farmed until 1944, when he and his wife bought the Ottawa Store. In 1947, he was employed by the Chariton Wholesale as a warehouse worker and then as a truck driver, until 1956. Andrew and Cleo operated the Ottawa Café and several cafes in Osceola, then moved to Chariton in 1972.
Andrew leaves to mourn his passing his wife, Cleo; daughter, Marilyn and husband Sonny Slack of Des Moines, daughter, Donna and husband Don Hall of Lucas, son, Alvin and wife Daisy of Independence, Mo., daughter, Charlene and husband Jim Morrison of Lucas, and son, Andy and wife Kay also of Lucas; 23 grandchildren; and 30 great-grandchildren. Also surviving are one brother, Floydie of Lucas; two sisters, Maude Taylor of Chariton and Maymie Roberts of Derby; a host of nieces, nephews and friends.
He was preceded in death by his parents, three brothers, John, Amos and Bill; and three sisters, May, Ellen and Laura.
Services were held Wed., Sept 18 at the Fielding Funeral Home in Chariton with Evangelist John W. Blackstock officiating. Burial was in the Chariton Cemetery. Pall bearers were Ellsworth Johnson, Herman Johnson, Wayne Watkins, Joe Smith, Neil Alexander and Trefor Jones.

Looking for Mrs. Gladys Agan

When Ralph Snook (son of Liberty Snook who was killed by his brother in law, Deak Gwinn)passed away, he was married to a Mrs. Gladys Agan.

I'd like to know who she was. What's here maiden name, who was 'Mr' Gladys Agan, and did she have any children.

Loose Stones in Gwinn Cemetery

I was out to the Gwinn Cemetery this week end to see how bad the storm damage had been from recent bad weather. The good news is that either we had little damage or someone beat me out there. The grass was very well cut and all this rain has finally got the grass growing over Dad's grave. We've laughed for years (Dad died in '94) that the reason grass wouldn't grow there is that the deer population has been coming by to urinate on it in revenged for all the deer Ray harvested over the years. I guess all this rain finally washed the urine out.

The bad news was that three US flags (leftover from Memorial Day or Flag Day, I assume) were damaged and on the ground. Two were salvageable and I will repair them and put them back out, probably in the spring. The 3rd was unrepairable. I will keep it until the opportunity arises to dispose of it properly, thru either the Boy Scouts or the American Legion.

There was also some damage to decorations arounds Uncle Jim's headstone. I repaired it as best I could, but some of the decorations weren't designed to stand the rigors of being left unattended in the 'wilderness'.

But that's not what I came to talk about today.

I was talking pictures, as I usually do. I know little or nothing has changed, but digital photography is free and I end up with different times of day, weather conditions, etc.

I came across the loose headstones stacked at the back (east end) of the cemetery. They're not new, we all know they're there. They've been there as long as I've been going to the Gwinn Cemetery.

Perhaps they caught my eye because there was one along the south fence that I hadn't seen before (see left side of photo, above). From the grass stains, I'd say it only recently became dislodged. Since I hadn't planned this cemetery trip, I had no tools nor did I have a listing to know where the headstone belongs. I set it back along the fence and will come prepared to look into it at a later date.

But I digress.

I am curious about the loose stones. According to the Wayne County Cemetery Book, dated 1978, supplemented in 1991, the loose stones belong to two families.

Mary J. CHERRYHOLMES, daug of J. & H.J. Cherryholmes Died June 15, 1874 age 10m 2d.

Asahel O. CULVER, son of O.V. & M.M. Culver Died Sept. 1, 1859 age 14m 15d

Lovina M. CULVER, daug of O.V. & M.M. Culver Died June 1, 1860 age 5m 28d.

Maria M. CULVER, wife of Orange Culver Died Jan 17, 1860. (the 1991 update shows this marker between rows 4 and 5 with the additional writing 'age 20 yr 2m 10d)

It is a pretty safe assumption that Maria and Orange Culver are the O.V. & M.M. parents of Asahel and Lovina. Can you imagine? Five or Six month pregnant Maria, looses her 14 month old son in September, gives birth to a daughter in December and passes away in January, then the daughter doesn't live to see summer.

I have not Culvers listed in the Gwinn family history and few others were buried in Wayne county. I wonder if this family was just passing through, close neighbors, who knows. Did Orange give up after this and leave, go defend Ft Sumpter, ...

Been A While

It's been a while since I posted. There've been two local family reunions: The Memorial Day reunion in Russell, IA and the 4th of July reunion in Williamson, IA.

Williamson is like our Christmas reunion in Lucas. For the older family members, it survives as a reenactment of what came natural in the "old days".

There used to be a 3-4 day celebration on the town square in Chariton, where my grandparents lived and most of the family, me included, grew up. The celebration is still there, but it is a shadow of its former self. Less the half the carneys show up and the equipment is old, unpainted, and worn out. The family atmosphere has been replaced by a bingo tent and a beer tent. Author Thomas Wolfe said it, "You can't go home, again." But I digress.

The family from near and far came the to fair. And when you got tired, or the kids got cranky, you'd end up out a Grandma's on the edge of town. Grandma always had a treat on the table for the kids and ice tea for the adults. She'd watch the grand-youngin's while the adults went back to the celebration. Actually, I think the older kids ended up watching the younger ones and reporting back to whatever adults were on hand in an unofficial supervisory hiearchy.

By the time the day was over, you've run into all the family that made to the fair, caught up on old news, and created some new. About dark, there was a fireworks display at East Park - They call it Yocum Park now - and most of the family went straight home from there. The out of towners might rack out on an in-towner's sofa and take off the next morning.

There was nothing formal about it in those days. Everybody just kind of showed up then they just trickled off and everything was back to normal.

It's not the same in Williamson. Williamson is close enough to Chariton to go see what is left of the fair, but it's too far away base out of it and come and go all day. We used to go to Red Haw or East/Yocum Park which are closer, but Williamson has the air conditioning!

Still, it's great to get together, albeit far more formal that before. Someone has to reserve the building and pay for it. I don't remember if anybody stuck around to help Grandma clean up after the festivities, but someone has to do it in Williamson. And the cooking is a shared function - pot luck, some times a theme, but not Grandma's cooking. It is great to watch as the younger family members grow and to listen to the older members.

We've lost four of the aunts and uncles, Betty, Rose, Ray and Jim, and one spouse, Evelyn. Of the other eight, you can count on six or seven to be able to make it. And there's 30 or so cousins (depending upon how you count us) ranging in age from 55 to 25 and who knows how many children and grandchildren we have. We now stretch across the continent. It's going to be things like our 4th of July tradition that keeps us together.

Sorry, this was meant to be a short note contrasting the Memorial Day and 4th of July reunions and I got to rattling on so much a the the latter that I forgot the former. Perhaps I'll discuss it in a short note, soon. This year's was particulary eventful.

Ray jr

Andrew Gwinn Obituary

Herald-Patriot, Chariton Ia, Thurs., Feb. 44, 1926

Andrew J. Gwinn

Andrew J. Gwinn was born in Greenbrier county, West Virginia on Aug 6, 1848 and departed this life at his home in Jackson township, Lucas County, Iowa, on February 8, 1926 at the advanced age of 77 years, 8 months and 1 day. In 18?? He came with his parents to Wayne county, Iowa, where he grew to manhood. On March 5, 1876, he was united in marriage to Miss Mary E. Sayers, who preceded him in death in May, 1917. To their union nine children were born, all sons, two of whom passed away in infancy. The seven sons who remain were all present to pay tribute to their father in bearing him to his last resting place.
About the time of his marriage he located on a farm in Union township, Lucas county, and spent the remainder of his life and reared his family in this county. He was among the first white children who roved the prairies of Wayne county, coming to said county in 1855. Thus we can truly say that another early pioneer has gone from his native land to the country beyond.
On June 23 1918, he made a profession of his faith in Jesus Christ and identified himself with the Baptist church at White Oak school house, and was baptized by Rev. G. W. Smith. He has since been a loyal advocate of the principles of the gospel of Christ, until he was released from this prison of mortality. His last illness was of five weeks duration and he bore his afflictions with such fortitude that he said he was ready and willing to go, without murmuring or complaining of his lot.
He leaves to mourn his departure besides his seven sons, three sisters, Mrs. Mada Davidson and Mrs. Irene Lowe, of Wayne county, and Mrs. Rachel Snook, of Derby, besides a host of other relatives and friends. Funeral services, conducted by Rev. M. S. Clark, were held at the family home on Tuesday, followed by interment in the Gwinn cemetery in Wayne county. The bereaved one have the sympathy of a large circle of friends.

TRANSCRIPTION NOTE: I have transcribed this obituary as faithfully as possible. There are discrepancies between this writing and my records. 1) I have Andrew born on July 6, 1849 in Eddyville, Wapello County, Iowa and moving to Wayne County later that summer. By 1955, the date indicated for him to move to Wayne County, two of his siblings, John H. and Virginia, had been buried in the Gwinn Cemetery in Wayne County. 2) I show his wife, Mary, as passing in April 1917, not May. I will check her headstone on my next trip to the cemetery. – Ray Gwinn Jr. GGGrandson.

I'm Looking for Some Pictures

I am putting out the call! I'd like to get a picture of the original Gwinn homestead that stood near the Gwinn Cemetery. I am told that it stood there until just a few years ago, so I am hoping somebody has a shot of it.

I am also looking for military photos of family members. Any military shot will do, but I am especially interested in that first picture every body gets in boot camp. The first shot of the young GI.

This is a good time to explain my standing offer on pictures. If you have family photos, slides, negatives and/or newspaper articles, I will:
1) Scan them on a good quality scanner - yes, I can scan the negatives and slides.
2) Give you the originals back.
3) Give you a CD with all your pictures one it. I can do several copies, as long as we don't get rediculous. I can also add some of my pictures to your CD, to fill it up.
4) I share whatever pictures I get, but if you have any you don't want shared, I will honor your desire and secure them in a "do not share" storage location.
5) I will clean up and print on photo paper a few pictures for you. Pictures of your choice, quantity, again, within reason.

The photos don't all have to be ones I am interested in, as long as some of the them interest me. I've done some work with oversize items and restorations with limited success. We can talk about that if you have something in mind.

I don't do this for money. My reward is in the copy of the photos that I keep for myself and preserve for the next generations.

L8R
Ray

Johnny & Leota's 40th Wedding Anniversary

A cousin asked me for a copy of this picture. I gave him what I had with me and a promise of a nicer copy when we meet again (see you in Lucas). This is a cleaned up copy from 40th wedding anniversary of my grandparents, Johnny Lloyd and Leota Francis (Boston) Gwinn. It was taken at the American Legion Hall in Chariton in 1970.

The descendents of John and Leota get together every year at Christmas in the Community Building in Lucas Iowa. This year's get-together will be on the 22nd of December. Though it is primarily for the descendents, all Gwinns within traveling distance are welcome to come and many do. Some just drop in to say, "Hi!". Others stay for (pot luck) lunch. Santa, I am told, will be arriving a little after 1:00 for the kids. So, y'all come!