I was thinking about Cynthia the other day when I went through some papers. Frances married and moved to Pulaske County,
Indiana. I know I have records on her and Isom's families but haven't gotten to them yet.
Ready for a story?
While they were building the railroad from Indianapolis to Terra Haute, they built the plank road later known as the Turnpike (part of the US 40) on which Appler drove the Stage. The railroad crossed the north part of Rueben's land and the highway on the south. From 48 to 54 they rented the land out to farmers. When they left, a good piece was already left for DePauw University.
In 1848 the Mormons started moving through
Iowa and in 1850 the Government had completed negotiations with the Pottowattamie Indians for their land.
Mills County was organized in 1851.
In 1852, Appler accompanied Frances and her husband Edward Gillilland and their children to
Atkinson County Missouri. The next year, they went by boat up the
Missouri stopping at Bethleham in
Mills County,
Iowa which was later destroyed by the
Missouri in "the great flood" of 81. The Gillilland's stayed and Appler returned home to
Indiana.
It was 1854 when Appler and Sarah, son Rueben and daughter Candice took John and their mother Ruth and left for Burlington, IA and then followed the Mormon
Trail for southwest
Mills County,
Iowa where the native grass on the river bottoms was higher than a man's head on horseback. Two years later John returned to
Indiana to marry Mary Ann and they immediately returned to
Iowa.
In the war between the states, Tillman
Wright, son of
Isom - who remained in
Indiana - was with the Army of
Tennessee. Appler and nephew Rueben both represented
Iowa. Appler was Captain of his company but was released early for his health. John D. was with the 4th
Iowa Battery and had two daughters Mary and Ida. Mary died while her father was away.
Ida married Andrew
Stillwagon of
Nebraska City and had two daughters
Nell and Bess.
John D. and Mary Ann had two more children. Kyle D. married W.F. Hill of
Glennwood where they were both "founders" - so to speak - of the community. They didn't have any children, but I have very found memories of Aunt Kyle.
Fay was born in 1869 and joined his father farming. He married Etta
Estes in 1892 and had 4 children... Jesse Leone, John William,
Fayette, and Geneveive who died in early childhood.
Aunt Jesse married J.C. Throckmorton and had 8 children. 5 girls - Mary Shirley, Nancy Elizabeth, Patricia Jeanne, Peggy Jane, and Frances Geraldine. And 3 boys - J.C., Robert Clifford, and
Sherman W. Jesse was a school teacher and and all 5 girls also became teachers. They had a tough time of it during the depression. After Robert - the youngest - was born she developed a tumor as died shortly after. The furniture in the Childrens Room of the Glenwood Library was hers. My 9-year-old daughter is looking more like Jesse's pictures all the time.
Fayette was also a teacher. She married John Starbuck Crookham and lived in Council Bluffs. They had 3 children. Frances (Charles Walter - Pharmacist in Omaha), John S. Jr. and Joel W. John and Joel where both in Vietnam and later moved to Canada. I think John ended up in Washington but I'm not sure offhand.
The depression was hard on
Fay and John too and
Fay died with many debts. John continued the family farm (what was left of it) on the
Missouri bottomland until 1950 and moved to a farm just east of
Glennwood. He married Frances Strahan of Malvern,
Iowa and he served as the president of Goheen School. They had 2 children - Hester Anne (1923) married William
Phelps of
Hastings,
Iowa and farmed just outside of Swea City and Patrick (1929) married Delores
Gajdos of
Indiana and was an executive in the gas industry.
Anything else you'd like to know? What do you know about the rest of Richard Jr's family? I'm also at a crossroad with Richard Sr. Any information would be enlightning!
- James
Wright