15 September 1882, Greensburg Standard

Love this!

17 October 1939, Greensburg Daily News

]]> http://alittlebitfrench.com/2013/01/16/take-it-from-me/feed/ 2 losting18 sterling gdn 17 oct 1939 (1) http://alittlebitfrench.com/2012/12/27/theres-nothing-like-it/ http://alittlebitfrench.com/2012/12/27/theres-nothing-like-it/#comments Thu, 27 Dec 2012 21:40:57 +0000 Lori http://alittlebitfrench.com/?p=1213 ]]> Greensburg New Era, 3 February 1910

After the Laytons got out of the implement business, my grandfather opened a men’s store on the square in downtown Greensburg, which he operated for several years. My mom is an extraordinary gift wrapper – she says it’s because of all the practice she got wrapping gifts in her father’s store.

My great grandfather Charles Layton operated the Greensburg Implement Company from 1942 until the mid-1950′s. This advertisement appeared in the Greensburg Daily News in December 1945. The text reads:

“Our hearts are full of gratefulness to all our friendly customers who have been so understanding during wartime limitations in service and merchandise. Thanks to you! A Merry Christmas to you! And we will try to do our best for you always!

It was awesome.

I’ve driven through Columbus many times, but I only remember stepping out of my car there once, in 2005, when I was deeply enmeshed in historic theater obsession and I stopped to photograph the Crump.

Pac-Man?

This picture from 2005 makes me realize that I never see old cars like this since Cash for Clunkers.

My library recently entered into a reciprocal borrower agreement with neighboring Bartholomew County, which means I get a free library card in Columbus. So, I went there yesterday to get it. I don’t know how often I will make the 40 minute drive to use the Columbus Library, but I do like to collect library cards. I also wanted to check out their local history room. The Charles & Hazel Layton family lived in Columbus for a short time in the 1930′s.

Once my library business was complete, I spent some time walking around since it was a gorgeous day, and I was really surprised by how nice it was. Columbus has a lovely preserved historic downtown with lots of great old buildings, but it also has this amazing new building called The Commons with a giant indoor playground (just for kids, unfortunately), some neat public art, a performance hall, and community meeting space (free for non-profits). I was kindof amazed. Every town should have a space like this. It certainly would take the pressure off under-funded public libraries to provide meeting space for a whole community.

Columbus suddenly seems like a great place to live. I love Greensburg because it’s rural and quiet, and it’s also equidistant to Indy and Cincinnati, two Midwestern cities that are near and dear to me. Columbus, though, is a great little town, and it’s super close to other great places: Bloomington, Lake Monroe, and Brown County.

I could tell just by walking around how hard the city of Columbus works at making their downtown beautiful. It just looked really nice. It made me happy. They also have a Puccini’s, home of my favorite margharita pizza, which I most certainly did purchase and devour. (The food situation in Greensburg is really bad, so I got pretty excited about this.)

Anyway, here are some photos from my big adventure.

LOVE this building! Currently vacant, but someone seems to be in the process of renovating.

Pretty amazing old ice cream parlor: http://www.zaharakos.com/.
I had some ice cream, which wasn’t that impressive, but the place itself is wonderful. I’d like to go back sometime when it’s not quite so busy.

That whole corner section of The Commons is a playground. If you have little ones, bring them here!

Across the street is Kidcommons, the Community Children’s Museum.

I have visited many war memorials. I have walked through Arlington Cemetery, witnessed the changing of the guard at the Tomb of the Unknown Solider, and run my hand over the names on the Vietnam Memorial Wall. But I never once cried until I unexpectedly stumbled upon this relatively modest memorial in Columbus, Indiana. It’s made up of 25 limestone pillars listing the names of the 171 local veterans who died in America’s 20th Century wars. Carved into the limestone are letters written by these soldiers who died in combat.

I was not expecting this emotional turmoil on my leisurely Columbus stroll. I would like to re-visit sometime when I am more prepared.

They also have a pretty courthouse. (But it’s not like there’s a tree growing out of it or anything.)

I consider my new-found Columbus appreciation to be yet another positive side effect of living in the middle of nowhere. It suddenly looks, to these eyes, like a cultural mecca of the Midwest.

Levi Lee McKinley and Ida (Sullivan) McKinley were my great great grandparents. L. L., a carpenter, was born 7 December 1871 in Marion County, Indiana to John F. and Lucy (Kelly) McKinley. Ida was born in 1873 in Boone County, Indiana to Daniel and Mary (Davis) Sullivan. L. L. and Ida married at Lebanon in Boone County on 21 December 1890.

Ida Sullivan c. 1888, Indianapolis

L. L. McKinley, c. 1888, Lebanon

Ida died on 16 October 1938 in Elizaville, Boone County. She was buried in Elizaville Cemetery. L. L. was killed in a car accident a few miles north of Indianapolis on 3 July 1951. He was also buried in Elizaville Cemetery.

L. L. & Ida had four children:

Hazel (Layton)
10 December 1891 – 13 October 1980
Hazel was my great grandmother, the mother of my grandfather Joe Layton. I documented her family here. There are more photos of her here.

Mabel Fern
1893 – ?
I’m still working on tracking down Mabel Fern.

Glyda Ester (Easterly)
2 August 1896 – 9 July 1950
Glyda married Jerome Easterly in Marion, Grant County, Indiana on 12 September 1916. They lived in Massillon, Stark County, Ohio, where they had 5 children: Franklin Leroy, Jerome Stokes Jr., Mable Fern (Calvin Lint), Eunella (William Pannell), and Ida Jane (Walker). Glyda died on 9 July 1950 in Massillon. She was buried in Rose Hill Memorial Park.

Lowell P.
26 October 1898 – 24 May 1951
Lowell worked at the Anaconda Wire & Cable Company in Marion, Indiana for 14 years. He died after several years of declining health. He was buried in Elizaville Cemetery.

L-R: Hazel, Mabel, Ida, Lowell, L. L., Glyda.
c. 1909

Lillian Boicourt was born 19 November 1862 in Sardinia, Decatur County, Indiana, a daughter of Vermillion & Sarah Elizabeth (Gentry) Boicourt. Joseph Hammond Layton was born 27 September 1859 in Indiana.

This tintype of Joseph, taken shortly before his death, is the only photo we have of him. We do not have any photos of Lillian, or any of the children other than Charles. If you are a descendent of this family with photos, please contact me!

Joseph & Lillian were married 29 March 1882 in Jennings County, Indiana. They had two daughters before they moved to Minneapolis, Ottawa County, Kansas in 1885, where they had five more children. Their sixth child was my great grandfather, Charles Layton.

Joseph and Lillian probably traveled to Kansas with Joseph’s brother, Hiram, and his wife Martha. Census records show that Hiram and Martha didn’t settle in Kansas for long – they continued on to Colorado. Joseph and Lillian, however, returned to Indiana in 1894. Just before Lillian gave birth to her tenth child, Joseph died of typhoid on 8 December 1900 in Westport, Indiana.

Greensburg New Era, 13 Dec 1900

On 12 September 1905, Lillian married Colonel G. Lamar, also a widower. They had a daughter, Lulu Viola, in 1907. At some point, Colonel apparently left Lillian. She applied for publication of a non-residence notice, and on 8 July 1919, she was granted a divorce and custody of Lulu. She was ordered by the court not to remarry within two years. In 1920, Colonel showed up on the census in Kansas, living with his son, William M. Lamar.

Lillian died 6 January 1947. She was buried in Westport Cemetery.

Greensburg Daily News, 6 January 1947

Greensburg Daily News, 7 January 1947

Children of Joseph & Lillian:

Estella May
29 May 1883 – 9 November 1900
Estella died in Westport, Indiana at age 17. She was buried in Westport Cemetery.

Lora Lilas (Stearns)
13 January 1885 – 28 July 1949

8 February 1885, The Decatur News (Freedonia)

Lora married Frank Ernest Stearns 28 March 1907 at Vernon, Jennings County, Indiana. They lived in Jennings County and Jackson County (Seymour). Lora and Frank had six children: Glen,  Mildred (McClellan), Leslie, Mary (Hodnett), Archie, and Robert. Lora was buried in Westport Cemetery.

Greensburg Daily News, 30 July 1949

Clarence Elvin
26 January 1886 – 28 December 1896
Clarence was born shortly after the Laytons moved to Kansas. He died at age 10 after the move back to Indiana. His obituary in Greensburg’s New Era, 1 January 1896, read: “Clarence Layton, of Westport, aged about nine years died Saturday of brain trouble.” He was buried in the Baptist Church cemetery.

Wilbur Leslie
11 June 1888 – 28 May 1958
Wilbur married Goldie Anderson 20 February 1910 in Decatur County, Indiana. They moved to Muncie, Indiana, where Wilbur was employed as a Gear Cutter, and they later moved to Shelbyville, Indiana, where Wilbur was a farmer. They had five children: Lillian (Nail), Chester, Elma Louise (Brown), Vera (Clapp), and Phyllis (Wilson). After Goldie’s death in 1943, Wilbur married Ova Anderson, and they lived in New Castle. Wilbur died in Henry County after a cerebral hemorrhage. He was buried in Miller Cemetery, New Castle, Indiana.

Carrie Isabelle (Borgstede)
26 January 1890 – 27 May 1968
Carrie was born  in Ottawa County, Kansas. She married John Lewis Borgstede (b. 9 January 1881, Ripley County) on 23 August 1907 in Decatur County, Indiana. They had three children: Gladys, Merlynn, and Janice (Low). They lived in North Dakota and Muncie (Delaware County) before they eventually returned to Westport, Decatur County, where John worked at an auto parts factory.

Charles
29 July 1891 – 7 July 1965
Charles was born in Kansas. He married Hazel McKinley 26 December 1911 in Boone County, Indiana. They had four boys: Max, Dow, Joe, and Don. I wrote about Charles and his family in a previous post.

Greensburg Daily News, 7 July 1965

Roy Boicourt
6 September 1893 – 5 May 1959
Roy was born in Ottawa County, Kansas. He served in WWI and married Inez Loreen Huntington in 1923. They had two children: Ruth (Stephenson) & Lois (Hiday), and lived in Anderson where he worked for the Anderson Municipal Electric Plant. He was buried in Memorial Park Cemetery in Anderson.

Anderson Daily Bulletin, 6 May 1959

Elma Marie (Tumulty)
28 October 1895 – 15 April 1972
Elma was born in Decatur County, Indiana. She married Edwin William Tumulty 10 August 1916 in Decatur County, Indiana. They moved to Anderson, Indiana, where they lived the rest of their lives. They had two daughters, Phyllis (Johnson) & Donna (Jennings). She was buried in Memorial Park Cemetery in Anderson.

Franklin Lester
10 September 1898 – 28 March 1958
Frank was born in Decatur County, Indiana. He married Mary Leota Beach in 1923. They had two children: Paul & Frank, and lived in Anderson. Frank was the proprietor of a service station for 21 years, then worked at Brown Electric Company. He was buried in Memorial Park Cemetery in Anderson.

Anderson Daily Bulletin, 29 March 1958

Earl Joseph
6 January 1901 – 4 February 1965
Lillian gave birth to Earl 29 days after her Joseph’s death. He married Marietta M. Hessler in North Vernon, Jennings County, on 5 December 1936. They had four children: Betty (Gatewood), Norman Joseph, James Earl, and Helen Catharine (Graue). Earl was buried in Westport Cemetery.

Greensburg Daily News, 4 February 1965

I’ve known Mary pretty much forever, and I wrote a guest post for her around Christmastime last year. I read her blog every day. She writes honestly about her life and the things she loves. I particularly enjoy reading about the work she and her husband do on their 1952 bungalow, and I loved her Week of Fancy!

Rules of the Liebster Blog Award are that you pass it along to five other blogs with followers under 200. Finding blogs with followers under 200 is actually pretty hard. I found it to be pretty much impossible, and actually decided to just ignore that rule altogether. I don’t think The Academy will mind.

1. Bee Haven Acres
This is my favorite blog at the moment. Beverly grew up in the suburbs and made her way to the country, just like me. I love reading about her farm adventures, and seeing pictures of her many animals. She makes my dream seem possible.

2. Farm Folly
This blog is by a young couple who bought a farm house in Oregon and have spent the past couple years working on it. Another inspiring farm blog for newbies like me.

3. 1888 Diary of Minnie LeCraw
For genealogists, it’s very frustrating that some of the most interesting primary sources are locked up in people’s attics, rotting away. That’s why I love the 1888 Diary of Minnie LeCraw. Minnie was a school teacher born in 1866. The blogger is not ready to party with the diary of her ancestor, but she’s aware that it is a valuable resource not just for her family, but for many families like hers. This is a great way to share your family’s history and help others understand their own.

From the blog: “The diary has been passed down through the generations, giving many people a glimpse into small Midwest town life in the late 19th Century.”

4. Forgotten Old Photos
This blogger buys old photos at antique shops and garage sales, researches them, and is sometimes able to re-unite them with their families. If any of my family’s photos from long ago end up for sale, I hope they find their way to this blogger.

5. Forgotten Faces and Long Ago Places
“A collection of vintage photography and “orphan” photographs showcasing the past.” I can’t get enough of old photos – especially cabinet cards! Teresa has a beautiful collection.
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By the way, I’m struggling with my blog’s theme right now. I’m trying this one out, but I’m not sure I can handle all this pink.

I’ve been thinking this over for a while now, and I have decided that I’ve outgrown A little bit French.

So much in my life has changed since I started this blog last May. I still enjoy sharing my genealogy and local history adventures, but I also need a place dedicated solely to celebrating my progress and admitting my mistakes as I attempt to rebuild this Historic Hoosier Homestead. So, from now on, my farm adventures will move to a new home: www.landlove.wordpress.com. I will continue to blog at A little bit French, but it will strictly be a genealogy blog – what it was meant to be from the beginning. Specifically, it will be about my mother’s family since it is through her Great Grandmother Lillian (Boicourt) Layton that I am a little bit French.

Some of you may have noticed that starting this blog was really just a way for me to cope with a broken heart. For a while, A little bit French gave me a purpose when I felt I no longer had one. The decision to share some of my writing, for the first time in many years, was a big step for me. To everyone who has read, commented, liked, emailed, or subscribed, you cannot know what your gestures of support have meant to me, and how they have helped me to heal. This has been much more than a blog to me. It has been a way to work through my grief and to move on. Thank you for being a part of this difficult journey with me.

And now, onward, to new adventures!

Margaret & Kay Ewing