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Dear Stovers,
I have a question I'd sure like the answer to!
I've always carried Bert Stover's birth date as June 23, 1876 and his date of death as March 2, 1940. Uncle Roy said he was puzzled by those dates; he thought it was June 22 and May 3, respectively.
Being a sticker for detail, I scrounged around in my semi- sorted piles, and found... confusion. My earliest record of Bert's birth shows June 23. I assume that I got that information from Grandma May. Bert's obituary in the Ravenna News gives his birth date as June 23; however, the date of birth on Bert's Selective Service Registration (1918) shows as June 22. Also, in 1898, A.J. Stover gave his son's birth date as June 22.
The Ravenna News obituary said that Bert died on March 2. However, a typed copy of Grandma May's obituary says that her husband died March 3, 1940.
The only thing I can think of is to take a vote. Can any of you help resolve this? Dad, does Bert's headstone give any dates? I have no record or recollection.
An eleven-page collection of paraphernalia about A.J. Stover is nearly complete. I had hoped to bring home some copies the weekend of the 27th. It was fun doing it. There are a couple of references to Bert's birth date in it, though, so will hold off until that detail is cleared up.
Bette Ewer Hinz wrote a nice letter in response to some questions. This is what she had to say:
"... I think your story refers to May's and my Great- grandfather, our Grandma Ewer Higgins' father. May never wanted to tell the story as I heard it but I'm pretty sure that my Papa [Abraham Lincoln Ewer] told me that his grandfather Walmsley (Charles) was the youngest son of an English Lord (only the oldest son was considered to be much good in those days.) [both Dorothy Stover Rodehorst and Roy Stover corrected from "Lord" to "Earl" - rrs] Papa didn't say he was a horse thief, but he was a drunkard and did something - or maybe just continually embarrassed the family in many ways, I don't know - so as you also heard, they maybe thought it would be good enough for this rebellious country to have to deal with such a person and shipped him over here where he found work and would work until he received the allowance which they regularly sent to him, then he would 'live like a Lord' until it was gone when he would have to go to work again.
"Grandma Ewer Higgins' brother, who was Papa's Uncle Charlie Walmsley was a small man, I can remember he visited us in the old house we lived in, I was about 5 years old then. [Bette was born in 1905 - rrs] At one time he was a coachman for some rich people. [See also the diary of an earlier visit by Uncle Charlie in the Joseph Clayton biography, plus photo of May Clayton at the reigns.]
"We never knew anything about Grandpa (Reuel) Ewer except what May wrote in her little booklet. Papa was born after his father's death and didn't talk about him.
"Papa used to tell me stories about someone he called Grandpap Murry [Murray? - rrs], but May and I could never figure out who that could have been. To me it sounded as if Papa must have lived with him before coming to Nebraska as it seemed Grandpap Murrie (or however the name is spelled) had a farm in Wisconsin near a big river where produce boats went back and forth with supplies. These stories may or may not be true - if I mentioned them to my brothers, they just laughed at me. When I told them to May, she didn't seem to believe them. Anyhow, Grandpap Murry was a giant of a man, he had double teeth all around and when Papa was cracking hickory nuts with a rock for a hammer and the nut placed in a hole in another rock, and Papa would maybe hit his finger and cry, Grandpap would say, 'let me see that nut' and crack it with his teeth. Grandpap was a Scotchman, they had a barn and horses and chickens and raised oats and ground oatmeal themselves. Grandpap would break some eggs into raw oatmeal and eat it! He had seven sons, big boys, and one time they got tired of doing just as he said and decided to give him a whipping and he licked them all! They sold eggs to the river boat and one time he took a case of eggs to them and they wouldn't give him his price, so he picked up the case and threw it into the woods.
"That all sounds like fairy tales pure and simple but it is what Papa told me and I believed him. Seems May had never heard of them when I asked her. I don't know of Papa would have lied to me or not; the only time he ever punished me that I can remember is for telling a lie... he didn't like liars."
Dorothy has some item that belonged to Grandpa Murray... I think a saltshaker?
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[As to A.L. Ewer and "Grandpap" Murray: I have a note in my big book of family sheets that Ambrose Murray "took in" Abe L. Ewer when he was a boy. Unfortunately, I did not document the source of that information. A.L. Ewer was born in November, 1861. Although his father, Reuel, died in a C.W. Hospital in August, 1863, it is unlikely that A.L. knew him. A.L.'s mother Ellen remarried to Higgins in 1865, but did not move to Nebraska until about 1872. Ellen did have a brother, Charles (Jr.), born 1837 in England. I've tried to connect "Murray" with Ellen's mother's maiden name "Malah," but I think that's a coincidence.
Late in 2005, David Ludwig did some research in Grant County, Wisconsin, and came up with an obituary from the Grant County Herald, Nov. 9, 1869, Pg 2a, Column 2:
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Died.—We learn that Wm. Murray died at his residence in Glen Haven on Wednesday morning last from the effect of injuries received the day before. It seems that on the evening of election day, while returning home his horse became unmanageable and ran away, throwing Mr. M. to the ground and severely injuring him.—He was found almost lifeless. late in the evening and taken home where he suffered until relieved by death the following morning. The deceased was about sixty years of age, was long a resident of Beetown, and for 35-years a resident of this county. — He was familiarly known as "Old Ironsides" and had many good qualities.
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We don't know if this is Abe's "grandpap," but maybe an adopted grand uncle. Thanks, Dave.... incredible. And lends credibility to Uncle Abe's "tales."]
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Any info to share regarding the daughters of Tom Hutchinson?
One of Elizabeth Ann Lucas' (Stover) brothers was a Doctor (?) in Bertrand, Nebraska. Is that right? E.A.L. had four brothers; Thomas had a drugstore in Wisconsin, the other three were John (Jr.), James, and Joseph. Any connection to the Robyn Lucas that V. Todd Stover is marrying?
Allen, do you know if W.W. Frederick spells his nickname "Billy" or "Billie."
'Til the next one,
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