William Reed's Death

We've known for some time that William Reed (AKA William Farncombe) died by accident Feb. 24, 1891 (it is on his tombstone). I suspected fire because he was a blacksmith and that was confirmed by the funeral home records that just went on-line in 2009. They stated "accidental burning" as the cause of death. I felt pretty smug having guessed the cause of death until a cousin Catharine McComb contacted me. Here are Catharine's mother, grandfather and great-grandfather:

William J. Reed (Farncombe)

Easter with G.D. Morgans (late 1940's)

Dave and Harry Morgan remember Easter.

The photo above was made in 1945 in Louisiana. The rag rug is one that Eloise made---I wrote an earlier blog on it.

This Easter photo was taken at 304 Walnut in front of the Fry's home in Princeton, West Virginia. Dave is on the left; Harry is on the right.

Harry remembers: It is interesting that the 304 Walnut photo shows that Dad parked "Petunia" (Mom's name for the 1942 Chevrolet that Grandad Morgan sold to Dad...light green over dark green 2-dr sedan) facing the wrong way in front of the house....I do remember that morning, and posing with Dave for the picture...I do not remember the Easter Egg Hunt that preceeded that, however...Dad took the picture facing down Walnut Street toward the main drag... the Fry House is to your left.

This Easter photo was taken in 1947 at the corner of Harry and Ellice's house---"The Big House"---in Princeton, West Virginia. Dave, Harry, Grover and a dog that Dave thinks was "Big Red".

Harry remembers: The picture taken on the "Farm" was indeed taken showing the NorthWest corner of "The Big House", rather late in the morning I would judge..I don't remember that picture being taken (most probably Mom took it)....the baskets look familiar....Hmmmm.....I believe that the dog is one of two medium-sized black males (mixed breed, probably mostly Lab and Cocker Spaniel) that were on the Farm the entire time that I could remember living there...an older one that was Grandad's, and a younger one (most probably the one in the picture) named Lassie, that more or less belonged to Lowell. Dad told me the story several times, as recently as 2002, that Big Red was the Irish Setter pup given to him and Mom by Cedric & Irene, and stayed on the Farm when Dad went into the Army....a neighbor fed Big Red poisioned meat one day soon after Dad left to serve his Country....I do not remember him at all....I was too young....Dad said that Big Red would chew on the Finials at the end of the armrests of the Cushman Maple Rocker (part of the Cushman "Colonial" Living Room set that they bought soon after their marriages), the same set that I have inherited, and that his tooth marks are still on the armrests...and they are still there to this day! The suit and hat that Dad is wearing in the picture is one of my most enduring memories of him during those year just before we moved to Cincinnati....he would come home after a week or two on the road, and be wearing that hat as Dave and I ran over and jumped into his arms!!!!

60th Anniversary of Jefferson County Baptist Association 1913

I think the original photo hangs in Bethlehem Baptist Church in Jefferson County, MO. Rick Gannon, a cousin of mine, gave me a copy of the photo. It is a huge photo which I have photographed in sections. Double click on the photos to make them larger. Several of us have put our heads together to try to identify family members. We welcome corrections and more identifications.
We are fortunate to have a family reunion photo (1931)which has many of the same people in it. The man 2nd from the left in the front row is William Barber Ingalls who was married to Amanda Reiter (daughter of Louis Reiter, sister of Mary Reiter Long). She is also in the photo---one of the women above the upright fence post)

Inside Mary Reiter Long's Bible

Thomas Henry Long and Mary Reiter Long seated. L-R: Curtis Long, Cecil Long Dodson, Clarence Long, Katie Long Bruns, Fred Long, Lecy Long Guinther, Roy Long, Lawrence Long, George Long, John Long (Estie Long not there).

The Bible was apparently not just a source of inspiration but was used as a file drawer, also. . .unless she used slips of paper as book marks like I usually do. There were many things in her Bible that weren't exactly religious, but they are a slice of life in the 1920's and 1930's. (I've photographed some on the page where they were found)I've often heard my mother comment on how much people of the Depression loved Edgar A. Guest's poems.

There were several slips of paper with addresses as well. I think this hospital was in St. Louis. Another address was "6757 Schofield Pl." David Long informed me recently this was Lecy Long and Harry Guinther's address. There is a Schofield Av. in the University City area. I have notes that say my dad (LeRoy Long) lived with Lawrence in University City at some time to help pay the rent---he lived several streets over near Page and Pennsylvania.
Other fun items stuck in the pages are T.H. Long's subscription to a The Farm Journal, a valentine (no name on it), and a gift tag from George and Pauline Long.
Some receipts from the A & P grocery and one from a David Gillman Dry Goods in De Soto, Mo.

The paper above and below are from the Dept. of Agriculture (Nov. 1933) about an adjustment program for corn-hog producers. I thought that was an interesting chart below showing exports to Europe.
There were two clippings from the paper---one was an obituary for George B. Morse (born at Morse Mill) and the other a social update on who was visiting whom. The last one mentions Mrs. W. D. Alderson---I know an Alderson family had an adjoining farm. The other side is page 2 of an obituary but there are no names with it---just condolences "It was great consolation to his loved ones when just about a week before death relieved him of his sufferings he made a profession of his faith in Christ. . ."
This was my favorite---a dress pattern and a slip of paper that says "plow ____ no. 19". Such is the life of a farmer's wife!

Mary Reiter Long's Bible

This Bible belonged to Mary Celecy Reiter Long. Although she didn't write as much as my mother did in her Bible, she did have a few notes, but most were in pencil and are very faded and hard to read.
Here is her name. On another page very faintly written are:" Mrs. Mary Long De Soto, Mo. May 30, 1915" Then, written across the page is "4115 Castleman" which is in St. Louis. I'm guessing that was either Lawrence or Roy's address since they both lived in St. Louis.
There were all sorts of items stuck in the pages---the picture above has no writing on it. The Bible lesson below is September 1924.
There were a number of pages folded very neatly like the one below:Below: Mary Celecy Reiter and Thomas Henry Long

Come back in a few days for more of what was in Mary Reiter Long's Bible.