The Wedding, 1898

by Louise Smith Posted on March 20, 2012
Olinda (Linnie) Austin Ayers and her sons Joseph Garrish and Charles Haines Ayers. Courtesy of Katherine T.

In April 1898, Mort and Jennie Austin were invited to the extravagant wedding of Alonzo Eugene Austin Jr., son of Mort’s cousin, Rev. A.E. Austin. Rev. Austin assisted Dr. Hall, the bride’s father, in performing the ceremony.

Dr. and Mrs. Edward Hall request the honour of your presence at the marriage of their daughter Sara Frances to Alonzo Eugene Austin Jr., Tuesday Eve., April 26, 1898 at 8 o’clock p.m., 5th Ave. Presbyterian Church, 5th Ave. and 55th Street, N.Y.C.

Olinda Austin Ayers was the sister of the bridegroom, Alono Eugene Austin Jr. The New York Times wrote of the event which was attended by the Chinese Counsul in N.Y.C., who was mistakenly ushered to the wrong seat: Continue reading →

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October 19, 1898, William H. Wilson Marries Bertha Boyd

by Louise Smith Posted on March 18, 2012
Invitation courtesy of Melva B.

The Austins received an invitation to the marriage of William H. Wilson and Bertha Boyd, in October of 1898.

Bertha’s parents, James and Margaret Mills Boyd, were proprietors of Piermont Hotel, near Highland Lake. William Wilson was the owner of the Wilson store at the center of Eldred.

William and Bertha Wilson had a son Forrest Wilson, who I understand was nicknamed Pat.

Quite some years later, here is Pat’s stand near where the William H. Wilson Store once was. (The building possibly built by Charles Wilson, Pat’s uncle, is at the left.)

Pat's Stand in Eldred. Postcard courtesy of Kevin M.
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Prairie Mound Cemetery, Solomon, Kansas, March 11, 2012

by Louise Smith Posted on March 16, 2012

Continuing from my previous post for our search for the gravesite of Edith Emogene (Emma) Austin, my great aunt who died and was buried in Solomon, Kansas:

By the time we approached Solomon, Kansas, the rain had stopped and there seemed to be enough light left to take photos.

Entrance to Prairie Mound Cemetery. Photo: Gary Smith.

The cemetery was larger than I had realized and I hadn’t thought to print out a copy of the Parmenter stone so we would know what we were looking for. Gary drove around a bit and then we parked near a closed up shed/tractor barn. We each walked in a different direction.

It was about 41 degrees and windy, rather cold for a wimpy Arizonan so I bundled up, and headed for what I thought might be an older section. And there was the stone of Henry Parmenter Sr. and Henry Jr. (both mentioned in Echo Hill and Mountain Grove) and other Parmenters whose names I did not recognize.

Henry Parmenter Sr. stone. Photo: Gary Smith.

Continue reading →

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Solomon, Kansas

by Louise Smith Posted on March 14, 2012
Google map showing Solomon, Kansas, to the west of Abilene.
Google map showing Solomon and Prairie Mound Cemetery.

Both The Mill on Halfway Brook and Echo Hill and Mountain Grove include letters to and from Solomon City (now Solomon), Kansas, as that is where my grandfather Mort Austin, and his siblings Ell (James Eldred Austin) and Lon Austin lived and worked in the years on either side of 1880.

Ell and Lon Austin seemed to have gone west to get out on their own (there seems to have been some resentment towards their father and working for him) around 1878.

Ell eventually managed the many acres of farm land owned by Henry Parmenter (and in 1883) married Henry’s daughter Emma Parmenter Slocum. Lon (for a time) and later Grandpa Mort worked for Ell on that Parmenter farm. Continue reading →

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1897 Mort marries Jennie

by Louise Smith Posted on March 14, 2012
Wedding Certificate for Mort and Jennie Leavenworth Austin, signed by Samuel and Carrie Rusby, courtesy of Mary A.
    Seems Grandma and Grandpa Austin must have known each other for all their lives. The Austins lived on the hill at one side of town, the Leavenworth’s on other.—Melva.

In the hamlet of Eldred everyone knew everyone—whether they lived on the east or west side of the village. Mort Austin’s Uncle Irv, Aunt Laura Austin Clark, their sons, and some grandchildren lived on Clark Road north of the Leavenworth Echo Hill Farm House (west of Eldred).

Jennie Leavenworth’s uncle Gus Myers ran a Boarding House northeast of the Austin’s Mountain Grove House (east of Eldred) and near Highland Lake. Jennie’s uncle George, aunt Martha Mills Myers, and sons (cousins Charles and Martin D. Myers) had a lovely boarding house on the east side of Highland Lake.

My grandparents Charles Mortimer Austin and Jennie Louisa Leavenworth were married October 14, 1897 in Barryville, New York, by the Methodist pastor.

My mom had saved the wedding certificate and my husband Gary added the photos for Echo Hill and Mountain Grove.

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1897 William F. Proctor’s letter to Lon Austin

by Louise Smith Posted on March 8, 2012
Letter from W.F. Proctor to Lon Austin, 1897. Letter in the collection of Melva B.

Lon Austin and Mr. Proctor
As mentioned at the beginning of the Chapter 6, Uncle Lon (A.A. Austin) managed some Lochada property for the Proctors in the 1880s. Lochada, the Proctor’s home, overlooked Loch Ada (Haggai’s Pond). Their English Tudor residence had been designed by H.J. Hardenbergh, also responsible for the design of the Waldorf-Astoria.

I have read that Uncle Lon herded some 80 cows. In Melva Austin Barney’s collection were several letters to Lon Austin from Proctor family members. Two of the letters from William Fash Proctor indicated something was wrong with the butter that Lon was in charge of.

Another letter: Continue reading →

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1895 Wall Street

by Louise Smith Posted on March 6, 2012
Wall Street, New York, 1895. The Old Trinity Church is in the center. Postcard in the collection of Mary A.

Wall Street in Lower Manhattan, New York City, was the first permanent home of the New York Stock Exchange. The street runs through the historical center of the Financial District.

The street name was derived from the 17th century when Wall Street formed the northern boundary of the New Amsterdam settlement. Later a stronger stockade was constructed. In 1685 surveyors laid out Wall Street along the lines of the original stockade. The British colonial government dismantled the wall in 1699.

In the late 18th century, there was a buttonwood tree at the foot of Wall Street under which traders and speculators gathered to trade informally. The traders formalized their association with the Buttonwood Agreement, in 1792. This was the origin of the New York Stock Exchange.

George Washington took the oath of office on the balcony of Federal Hall overlooking Wall Street on April 30, 1789. This was also the location of the passing of the Bill of Rights.

In 1889, the original stock report, Customers’ Afternoon Letter, became The Wall Street Journal.—wikipedia.org.

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Other 1897 to 1899 costs

by Louise Smith Posted on March 5, 2012

1897 Work for A.A. Austin
3 hours with horse .60
4 hours with horse .80
half day with horse 1.00
6 hours with horse 1.20
A load coal 1.00

1898 work for A.A. Austin
Feed 2.50
Hay, straw 2.50
Horse half day .50
Horse 6 hours .60
Horse 7 hours .70
Horse one day 1.00
C.M.A. 4 hours .50
C.M.A. 1/2 day .625
Elbert 7 hours .75
C.M.A. 8 hours 1.00
Elbert 9 hours 1.125
Rob Clark 1 day 1.25
Half day, me and horse 1.00
Horse and me 7 hrs. 1.40
With team 3.5 hours 1.05
Team 1/4 day 1.25
Team 3/4 day 2.25
Team one day 3.00
Lumber 18.00
Team half day 1.50

1898 Work for W.B. Styles
One trip to Shohola 1.25
Water from Shohola .56
1 stove from Shohola 1.50
Road work 4.00

1899 Costs
Bridge toll .40
Half day work .625
A man to help .70
Team 1/4 day .75
7 hours .875
Half day with horse 1.00
8 hours 1.00
1 day work 1.25
Half day with team 1.50
Team of 7 hours 2.10
Trunks from Shohola 1.00
Road work 3.00
One load from Shohola 1.50
To Shohola for chickens 1.00
Trunk from Shohola 1.00
Trim trees, planting 12.00

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Groceries 1899

by Louise Smith Posted on March 3, 2012
C.M. Austin in account with Stephen S.J. Gardner. 1899 Austin Grocery Book courtesy of Mary A.

Groceries 1899
1 chip beef .25
2 cans cocoa .50
1 coffee .20
1 corn .25
1 dish .25
1 pk. flour 1.40
8.5# ham 1.02
11-3/4# ham 1.53
4 lamps complete 1.00
100 meal 1.05
2 maple syrup .24
5 bu. oats 2.25
1 overalls .50
1 dozen plates .90
4 sheets 2.20
1 shoes 2.00
1 soda .08
1 stew kettle .50
5# sugar .30
1 sun tea .50
3 tablespoons .20
1 yeast .05

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1898 Paine’s Celery Compound vs. Greene’s Newcure

by Louise Smith Posted on March 2, 2012

Addie Thompson, N.Y.C.,to Mary Ann Austin
November 24, 1898
Dear Aunt Mary,

…I have had a fearful cold on my lungs and a gathering in my head; have not got over it yet, although I am better, but the weather is so changeable every one seems to have colds. It is very cold tonight and looks very much like another snowstorm.

Do you want me to send you Paine’s Celery Compound? Our doc says that Greene’s Newcure is much better than the compound and shall I send Marie some Fellow’s Syrup? Or if there is anything else you want to have?

Tell Maria if there is anything else she wants for the dress or anything to write and I will send it to her.

How is Aida and Lon getting along? I hear that Walter has been up to the “Austin house.” How are the various members of the “Royal family” getting along? They have none of them called on dear Aunt Addie as yet…

Wishing you all a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.
Ever your affec. Addie

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