“We are all down on the bridge.” Caption and photo by Irwin Briggs.The 1942 flood at John the barber’s house, past the Spring House. Photo of Irwin Briggs.Flooding on the Delaware River in front of the Barryville Methodist Church. Photo by Irwin Briggs.
Monday, May 18, 1942, Aida Austin was disappointed she could not get her cracked wheat bread at the A&P. She stopped in at Andrew Parker’s for a paper and saw Bertha Sullivan and her sister.
When Aida was at Randolph’s on Tuesday, she and Marge Parker had a long talk about the war.
Thursday brought quite the thunderstorm and flood along the Delaware River. Anna Leavenworth in Islip was relieved to talk to her sister Christina Hirsch in the evening and find out she was OK.
The paper on Saturday, May 23, reported terrible flooding in Honesdale, Pennsylvania, where Carl and Annie Walters and their son died in a flash flood. Annie Walters was a sister to both Bill Meyers Sr. and Joe Meyer.—From the upcoming Farewell to Eldred book.
Eldred-Austin Cousins at the Austin Farm on Proctor Road. Photo courtesy of Austin Family.
It’s been like Christmas here for several days. I did find a descendant of Justus and Mary Wells Hickok.
I have been pursuing for several years and I now have a third descendant of the Eldred-Austin Cousins (children of Augustus and Phebe Maria Eldred Austin) who wrote such lively letters in the 1860s.
Here are the Eldred-Austin Cousins whose descendants I have been searching for:
Alonzo Eugene and Isabelle Camp Austin (Descendants would be through Joseph G. and Olinda Austin Ayers.)
Mortimer Bruce and Mary Millspaugh Austin (Found!)
Henry and Net Austin Clinton (Their daughter married Francis Deal.)
Thomas J. and Addie E. Austin Thompson (Found!)
Edward D. Austin (Unknown if he married.)
Randolph and Tina Austin Laing (Unknown if they had children.)
Archibald and Rand Austin Paton (Found!)
James and Ida Belle Austin Brown (Unknown if they had children.)
I am hoping to have the whole manuscript (with well over 1,000 photos) for Book 3: “Farewell to Eldred,” 1920–1950, ready for Gary within a couple weeks. Typically it takes another 2 months before the book is ready to go to press.
Each chapter usually includes World, National, and Local News. Most chapters have information on the Boarding House Ads for the corresponding year. I thought my Halfway Brook readers might be interested in the chapter titles.
Chapter 1: Most Pleasant Time of All, 1920
Introduction to the people, the area, and the Boarding Houses.
Chapter 2: The First Real Sorrow, 1921–1924
The year 1921 was a sad year for the Austins. It was a time of sorrow for some other families as well.
Chapter 3: A Fortunate Occurrence, 1925–1926
Eldred Central was built, making it possible for my dad to go to High School.
Chapter 4: Lights, Toasters, Radios, 1927–1929
Electricity arrives at the Garfield Leavenworth residence.
Chapter 5: Better Life in the Country, 1929
This chapter features the Boarding Houses in 1929. Continue reading →
Do anyone of my Halfway Brook readers know if anyone with the surname Hickok still lives in the Town of Highland?
Asa and Esther Hinman Hickok and their five children moved from Connecticut to what was Lumberland in 1811. Their daughter Hannah married James Eldred (my ancestors) after his first wife died. Their son Justus seems to have been the only other descendant who stayed in the area.
Justus and Mary Wells Hickok’s children:
David and Mary Russell Hickok had several children.
William and Almeda Drake Hickok had several children.
Robert Land (d. 1918) and Charlotte Hulse Hickok.
William and Mary Hickok Stidd.
Charles (d. 1923) and Sarah DeHart Hickok.
Madeleine Farm, near where McKinley died in October 1918. Photo taken by Aida Austin when she visited France in 1923.
Montfaucon, France,
October 12–17, 1918
McKinley’s outfit arrived in the vicinity of Montfaucon on October 12. They suffered casualties from the heavy shelling of enemy guns the next day. That evening the 11th Infantry took up a position around Ferme de la Madeleine.
At the Battle of Romagne-sous-Montfaucon (October 14–17), the Americans launched a series of costly frontal assaults that finally broke through the main German defences of the Hindenburg Line.
The enemy waiting until the forward movement is commenced, throws down a terrific barrage upon our front so that the division going ‘over the top’ at daylight (October 14th) with the 9th Brigade (60th and 61st Infantry) on the right, and the 10th brigade, 6th and 11th Infantry on the left, is immediately plunged into a perfect storm of shell fire which inflicts heavy casualties in its ranks at the very outset of the advance.—Moss and Howland, p. 287.
McKinley is Hit It was our [11th Infantry’s] first day in the Argonne drive and we went over at 8 the morning of the 14th of October. We hadn’t gone far when we were held up by the German machine guns. They [Germans] were firing on us from three different directions and there wasn’t enough of the boys left to advance farther so we were forced to stop and dig in.
The Corporal of his squad being a casualty, [I] made [McKinley] Austin as I knew him, Squad leader and when we reached the hill which was Madelaine Farm, the German’s made it so hot for us we could not advance further. So I directed him to put his gun into action on the west of the hill.
Then I went on seeing the other gun put into action which was even more perilous and came back. Seeing him on the side of the hill I asked him if he had the gun in action. He said, no. He came back for a shovel. I paid no more attention to him then and went on to report to Capt. Dashiell who was killed later.—Sgt. John Popp letter. Continue reading →
Romagne-sour-Montaucon, France, near where McKinley Austin died was still devasted from the war in 1923. Postcard in collection of Aida Austin.Church ruins in France, 1923. Postcard in Aida Austin’s Collection.Romagne Bridge postcard in collection of Aida Austin.
It was a custom of families of servicemen to hang a service Flag in the window of their homes. The Service Flag had a star for each family member in the military.
Living servicemen were represented by a blue star, and those who had lost their lives were prepresented by a gold star.
This is the Austin flag with a gold star because of McKinley’s death, and a blue star for their son Raymond who also served during World War I.
The body of private McKinley Austin, who died in France October 14, 1918, arrived at the home of his parents, Mr. and Mrs. C.M. Austin, in Eldred on Saturday from Hoboken, N.J.
Young Austin was 20 years old and enlisted in the 11th infantry of the Machine Gun Company, and was called to France in May of that year. The funeral was held at his home in Eldred at 1:30 o’clock on Wednesday. Rev. Mr. Ether, pastor of the Barryville M.E. Church, officiating.—News article, September 16, 1921.
It is curious as to who asked that McKinley’s body be shipped back, as the family story had been that Aida Austin went over to France in 1923 specifically to bring the body back.
John Briggs, Freddy Dieckhoff, and Mary Briggs next to the Delaware River in winter.
My mom grew up in Barryville with the Delaware River viewable from their front porch. Here she is with her brother John and a friend Fred Dieckoff near the Delaware at flood stage when the ice is breaking up.
Eldred Retaliates over Yulan in Second Game this Spring.
The Eldred baseball team, undaunted by their defeat at the hand of the Yulan team on April 16th, again met the Yulan team on the Eldred diamond and defeated them by a score of 12 to 8.
Although the day was raw and chilly, with occasional snow flurries, many spectators turned out to root for both teams. The game was featured by the fast base running of Johnny Steward of the Eldreds. Both teams now have won a game from each other this season.
Yulan’s star pitcher “Speed B. Hazen,” having left his speed home, retired early in the game. Louis Hensel, having thoughtfully brought his speed with him, took to the pitching burden for the visitors making a creditable showing and would no doubt have won the game had the rules permitted more than eight men to assist him.
The Eldred Pitcher Timmerhoff and Catcher Myers, did splendid work considering this was the first game together.
A third game will be played on the Eldred diamond on April 30th. Game called at 2:30 p.m.—Republican Watchman 1921 or 1922.
