In total, I have 8 great great grandmothers, or as is more sophisticated to say, 2nd great grandmothers. The first ones I researched were the 2 grandmothers to my grandfather GJ Slayton (1904 - 1989). Yea, that's a mouthful. When I was born, GJ Slayton was already 63 years old. He had lived a long time and seen many things before I came along. The few things I learned about Papa came from his wife, Gladys or from one of his many daughters. Honestly, I never considered that Papa even gave a second thought to me. So, not knowing much about him or his family is not surprising.
I have to say that my grandfather on my mother's side, Leo Stephen Hayes (1913 - 1984), fared little better. Although I was so fascinated by him, Grandpa seemed so dismissive of me. I was a teenager with acne and an attitude when both my grandfathers passed. I knew my mother's parents moved alot. I also knew that at one time, they lived in Kansas in an old Victorian style home in a town where the other family members still lived. Genealogy in the 1980s was not as easy as it is now, so unless someone had direct contact with someone in another town, family connections could be lost easily. I love Ancestry.com. It has opened a door to a world for me that would've never been available otherwise.
My 2nd great grandmother on my mother's side - Josephine Carter Hayes (1854 - 1917) - was born December 22, 1854 in Big Blaine, Lawrence County, Kentucky.
She was the oldest of nine children born to James Harvey Carter (1832 - 1906) and Elizabeth Thompson Carter (1838 - 1894). At the age of 23, she married James Partington Hayes (1851 - 1925). The couple lived for the first 17 years of their married lives in Lawrence County, Kentucky before moving to Nickerson, Reno County, Kansas. The couple had 9 children. Josephine is buried in Reno County, Kansas as are most of her children. She had a daughter, Minnie Dove that died at the the age of three. Josephine also had one set of twins - Arnoldea and Arnoldus. In 1917, the Spanish Flu epidemic claimed Josephine, her daughter Arnoldea and her daughter in law Lottie Ellen (Shaffer) who was married to Arnoldus. The passing of Arnoldea and Lottie left 3 small children motherless. The sad reality is that at the time, the husbands were fighting in WW1. I am descended from Arnoldus and Lottie (Leo Stephen - Charlotte). Arnoldus lost his mother, wife and twin sister. The first recognition of a possible pandemic was report in January 1918, 2 months after these women's deaths.
In the United States, the disease was first observed at Haskell County, Kansas, in January 1918, prompting local doctor Loring Miner to warn the U.S. Public Health Service's academic journal. On 4 March 1918, company cook Albert Gitchell reported sick at Fort Riley, Kansas. By noon on 11 March 1918, over 100 soldiers were in the hospital. Within days, 522 men at the camp had reported sick. By 11 March 1918 the virus had reached Queens, New York.
The history of Reno County, Kansas:
Reno County was named for Major-General Jesse Lee Reno who fought in the Civil War and died in the line of duty at the Battle of South Mountain in Maryland in 1862.
Hutchinson is the county seat and the largest city in the county. Hutchinson was named after its founder, Clinton Carter Hutchinson. Mr. Hutchinson claimed to be a Baptist preacher and he stipulated that no alcoholic beverages could be sold or consumed on the property or the land would forfeit back to him. This also kept the town quiet. The early settlement of the county by Amish and Mennonites also contributed to the quiet history. The Mennonites and Amish are still strongly represented in the county.
Railroads were instrumental in the development of not only Kansas but Reno County. The railroads played a significant role in the development of some of the smaller towns within the county. The arrival of the Santa Fe Railroad established Hutchinson, Partridge, Abbyville, Plevna and Sylvia. The Rock Island and Frisco Railroads established some of the other small cities in Reno County.
As you can see, the railroads had a profound impact on town development in Reno County and most places in Kansas. Railroads provided transportation for people and goods from the more populous and prosperous eastern United States. Without a railroad, a town was without an efficient lifeline to the news and materials people demanded.
Salt was discovered by Ben Blanchard in South Hutchinson when he was trying to find oil in September of 1887. Mr. Blanchard was disappointed but several others took the knowledge and capitalized on it. Prior to 1923, those who took the salt from the ground used wells by pumping water down pipes forcing the water back up carrying salt with it. In 1923, Emerson Carey, who started the Carey Salt Company, dug the first mine in Reno County. Both methods of extracting salt are still used today. Many salt companies came into business and positively impacted the economy of the county.
Reno County industries include agriculture (wheat, corn, milo and soybeans among other crops), salt mining, hydraulics manufacturing, agricultural implement manufacturing, the manufacture of fire engines, ambulances and limousines, and grocery storage and trucking.
The main geographic features of Reno County include the Arkansas River and Cow Creek. The county is a part of the Arkansas River Valley. Parts of the county have a very sandy soil while other parts are of a heavier soil nature. The county does not have any major high points, however, there are sandhills in some areas covered by native grasses.
Reno County measures 1,256 square miles and is the third largest county in size in the state behind Butler and Finney Counties. There were 64,983 residents in 1990.
I have to say that my grandfather on my mother's side, Leo Stephen Hayes (1913 - 1984), fared little better. Although I was so fascinated by him, Grandpa seemed so dismissive of me. I was a teenager with acne and an attitude when both my grandfathers passed. I knew my mother's parents moved alot. I also knew that at one time, they lived in Kansas in an old Victorian style home in a town where the other family members still lived. Genealogy in the 1980s was not as easy as it is now, so unless someone had direct contact with someone in another town, family connections could be lost easily. I love Ancestry.com. It has opened a door to a world for me that would've never been available otherwise.
My 2nd great grandmother on my mother's side - Josephine Carter Hayes (1854 - 1917) - was born December 22, 1854 in Big Blaine, Lawrence County, Kentucky.She was the oldest of nine children born to James Harvey Carter (1832 - 1906) and Elizabeth Thompson Carter (1838 - 1894). At the age of 23, she married James Partington Hayes (1851 - 1925). The couple lived for the first 17 years of their married lives in Lawrence County, Kentucky before moving to Nickerson, Reno County, Kansas. The couple had 9 children. Josephine is buried in Reno County, Kansas as are most of her children. She had a daughter, Minnie Dove that died at the the age of three. Josephine also had one set of twins - Arnoldea and Arnoldus. In 1917, the Spanish Flu epidemic claimed Josephine, her daughter Arnoldea and her daughter in law Lottie Ellen (Shaffer) who was married to Arnoldus. The passing of Arnoldea and Lottie left 3 small children motherless. The sad reality is that at the time, the husbands were fighting in WW1. I am descended from Arnoldus and Lottie (Leo Stephen - Charlotte). Arnoldus lost his mother, wife and twin sister. The first recognition of a possible pandemic was report in January 1918, 2 months after these women's deaths.
In the United States, the disease was first observed at Haskell County, Kansas, in January 1918, prompting local doctor Loring Miner to warn the U.S. Public Health Service's academic journal. On 4 March 1918, company cook Albert Gitchell reported sick at Fort Riley, Kansas. By noon on 11 March 1918, over 100 soldiers were in the hospital. Within days, 522 men at the camp had reported sick. By 11 March 1918 the virus had reached Queens, New York.The history of Reno County, Kansas:
Reno County was named for Major-General Jesse Lee Reno who fought in the Civil War and died in the line of duty at the Battle of South Mountain in Maryland in 1862.
Hutchinson is the county seat and the largest city in the county. Hutchinson was named after its founder, Clinton Carter Hutchinson. Mr. Hutchinson claimed to be a Baptist preacher and he stipulated that no alcoholic beverages could be sold or consumed on the property or the land would forfeit back to him. This also kept the town quiet. The early settlement of the county by Amish and Mennonites also contributed to the quiet history. The Mennonites and Amish are still strongly represented in the county.Railroads were instrumental in the development of not only Kansas but Reno County. The railroads played a significant role in the development of some of the smaller towns within the county. The arrival of the Santa Fe Railroad established Hutchinson, Partridge, Abbyville, Plevna and Sylvia. The Rock Island and Frisco Railroads established some of the other small cities in Reno County.
As you can see, the railroads had a profound impact on town development in Reno County and most places in Kansas. Railroads provided transportation for people and goods from the more populous and prosperous eastern United States. Without a railroad, a town was without an efficient lifeline to the news and materials people demanded.
Salt was discovered by Ben Blanchard in South Hutchinson when he was trying to find oil in September of 1887. Mr. Blanchard was disappointed but several others took the knowledge and capitalized on it. Prior to 1923, those who took the salt from the ground used wells by pumping water down pipes forcing the water back up carrying salt with it. In 1923, Emerson Carey, who started the Carey Salt Company, dug the first mine in Reno County. Both methods of extracting salt are still used today. Many salt companies came into business and positively impacted the economy of the county.
Reno County industries include agriculture (wheat, corn, milo and soybeans among other crops), salt mining, hydraulics manufacturing, agricultural implement manufacturing, the manufacture of fire engines, ambulances and limousines, and grocery storage and trucking.
The main geographic features of Reno County include the Arkansas River and Cow Creek. The county is a part of the Arkansas River Valley. Parts of the county have a very sandy soil while other parts are of a heavier soil nature. The county does not have any major high points, however, there are sandhills in some areas covered by native grasses.
Reno County measures 1,256 square miles and is the third largest county in size in the state behind Butler and Finney Counties. There were 64,983 residents in 1990.
At the time of her death, 5 of Josephine's sons-in-law and 1 of her sons were fighting in WWI. During her life, Josephine witnessed the Civil War, the resettlement of Native Americans in her home state of Kentucky and in Kansas, the growth of industry in the Midwest, the invention of the automobile, the sinking of the Titanic and the beginning of WWI. The members of the family were business owners, church goers and many men belonged to the Masonic Lodge. I think about the Norman Rockwell vision of small town America when I study about my family members in Kansas.
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