Rabbit hunting--Long style

At the Long Family Reunion last week, Bill Long got out his grandfather Tom's rifle. It was Tom Long's turkey rifle which cousin Steve thought was engraved with his name:
But, "Long Tom" was actually a trade name although my great-grandfather was Tom Long AKA Thomas Henry Long.
Bill (red shirt) and Dave (white shirt) shared a story on why the 42 inch barrel of this 16 gauge rifle is bent. Although Tom Long used this to hunt turkeys, Elmer Dodson (on right) who was Tom's son-in-law's brother borrowed the gun to hunt rabbits. The rabbit went in a log so Elmer put the barrel in the log and fired, bending the barrel.
So I told my cousin Michael about this shotgun. He said, " I just wonder if that's grandpa's old shotgun?? The one he took with us when he took me rabbit hunting when I was just a young boy... He shot the rabbit from about 6 feet away from us with his shotgun - and all I remember was something blowing up and rabbit fuzz flying everywhere - Grandpa [Roy Long] said to me - Guess we were a little too close to that one... A special time with Grandpa I will always remember... And a funny one at that."

I asked Aunt Mary about Roy's shotgun but she said they had left it in DeSoto somewhere. It was double barreled and was pre-World War I. He let anyone use it. His nephew Junior McKay used to borrow it often. But, Roy lost track of it and no one knows what happened to it.

Long Family Photos

Bill Long on the right brought some photos which he is sharing with his cousin David Long on the left.
Bill's father George was the chief of the Fire Department in De Soto. He is on the far left. Next to him are Bill Coxwell, Jerry Coxwell, Hoard Lucas, ??? Hobson, Paul Brunkhorst and Bob Hopson.
Bill thinks this is his father, George Long's 8th grade graduation. He thinks the other boy may be Johnny Long, George's younger brother.
This photo shows Jane Long Maness seated with Mary Reiter Long. The woman behind is probably Nora Long Couch. The man in the dark suit is Jeptha Long and the man obscured in the back is probably Thomas Long (Nora, Jane and Jeptha's brother, Mary's husband). The man with the white shirt is Fred Reiter, Mary's brother.
George Long with Bill (on a calf?) Roy Long (George's brother and my grandfather) with his daughters Mary and Maxine.
The Thomas Long and Mary Reiter family: L-R Johnny Long, Curtis Long, Cecile Long, Clarence Long, Katie Long*, Fred Long*, Lecy Long, Roy Long, Lawrence Long and George Long. Estes Long* is missing. Those with * are the children of Thomas's first wife Cenith Wiley.

Bethlehem Baptist 1898-1899

I was very fortunate to be able to photograph some old records from Bethlehem Baptist Church in Jefferson County, Missouri.  Although I am related in some way to many of the people in the records, these records were beginning to "take over" this blog.  So, I have created a new blog devoted to these records, the history and cemetery of this church.  There will be some posts on this blog concerning my immediate ancestors and their siblings, but the 3rd cousins twice removed have been moved to my new blog: http://bethlehemjeffco.blogspot.com/

Bethlehem Baptist Records 1892-1897

Minerva McCulloch Manion 1836-1904

Double click on any of the documents and photos of Bethlehem Baptist Church to enlarge them, then use your back arrow to return to the page. Again, I'm missing a number of pages due to several factors: they weren't there, they were too faded to read, they had no information on them. Although Bethlehem Baptist is considered to be in Grubville, a new church appears in the community--Grubville Baptist Church, just a few miles down the road.
May 7, 1892 ". . .the case of Bro. L. Willson was taken up and laid over until next meeting on motion. The case of Sister Mary Williams. . .committee consisting of Len Williams, Minerva Manion and Josephine Manion to see the sister. Wm McKay moderator, Lewis Reiter, clerk pro tem" This is Louis Henry Reiter the son of my g-g grandfather Louis/Ludwig Reiter who emigrated from Germany. Josephine Manion could be the daughter of Minerva McCulloch and William G. Manion who was the son of Susan Graham.

Bethlehem Baptist Church 1887-1891

Samuel G. Medley, Baptist Pastor

These are from the Bethlehem Baptist Church near Grubville, Mo. There are many missing pages, but this time I didn't photograph them all. My camera battery was getting weak, so I didn't photograph pages that basically said, "We had no business and the meeting was adjourned." But there were some pages missing too.

Dec. 1886 ". . .who should constitute the presbytery. Bros. Steel, Cox, McKay and Frazier were named and clerk ordered to write to the brethern. . ."[George Steel and J.R.Cox---not sure which McKay nor Frazier]
Jan. 8, 1887 ". . .Deacon L. H. Lee offered his resignation as deacon of the church as he was getting old, could not hear [he was 74 years old]. The church requested him to remain as deacon which he consented to do. The church appointed a committee to visit Deacon Brown and ascertain the cause of his staying away from church and request him to come to church the next meeting. The committee Bros. S. Medley, Edsell, and Robert McKay. Bro. S.S. Bittick and his wife was granted letters of dismission from the church." [Jacob Edsell or James Edsell]
April 14, 1887 ". . .the committee made a report and brother Joseph Brown excluded from the fellowship of the church by request. . . Bro. Wm. Alwood was chosen deacon. . . Elder Wm. McKay and Bro. Short was chosen to assist in ordination. . ." Joseph Brown later became re-instated because he's mentioned in the minutes for Sept. 1888.

Bethlehem Baptist Minutes 1881-1885

These records are from the Bethlehem Baptist Church near Grubville, Mo. The tombstone above, for James W. Thompson who died Feb. 21, 1890, is in the cemetery there. The membership records for this period, show the condition of some of these documents and why there are pages missing. Click here.
Feb. 12, 1881 ". . .Owing to a violent storm there was no meeting of the Church on Saturday nor any preaching on the Sabbath. . ." George Steel, Clerk [married to Margaret Julia Graham's granddaughter Mary Mildred Lee]
March 12, 1881 ". . . The Committee in the case of Bro. Wm. A. Jones made a report and was discharged. Bro. Jones having written a letter to the Church in which he acknowledges his faults and asks foregivenes, the church forgave him and the case was dismissed. Bro. Jones also applied for a letter of dismission which was granted. The case of Mary Patton was next taken up but as the sister was sick, the case was continued. The clerk George Steel tendered his resignation. . .Bro. Stephen Pounds [Lucinda Graham's brother-in-law] was unanimously elected. . .Bro. Wayne K. Deffenbach applied for a letter of dismission which was granted. . .Bro. George Steel applied to the church for license to preach which was granted. . . The case of Sister Margaret Leeper [daughter of Arah Graham and Giles Sidney Lee] having obtained a letter from the church and having united. . ."