This is week 45 of my participation Amy Johnson Crow's, once a week challenge to blog about one ancestor a week, tell their story, biography, a photograph, an outline of a research problem — anything that focuses on that one ancestor. More about the challenge can be found at her Blog, No Story Too Small.
Catherine "Kate" Dove was born March 1837, probably in Rockingham County, Virginia to Joseph Dove and Eve Souder, the parents to my knowledge, were never married.
On January 21, 1858 Kate was married to Jacob Fawley, Jr., at Brocks Gap, Rockingham County, Virginia.
Kate and Jacob had two children, George W. and Martha L. before the outbreak of the Civil War. Jacob died in 1862 at New Market, Shenandoah County, Virginia.
In 1867 Kate had a child, Charles Gratton Trumbo, reportedly fathered by Zachariah Z. Trumbo. No official records for Charles' birth have been found, yet.
In 1870 Catherine and two of her children were living with her mother, Eve Souder Fulk, and her step-father George W. Fulk, reported by Warren J. Souder, deceased, in his book on the Souder family (published in 1997, see WorldCat), reported this to be a happy home (noted from Warren's unpublished work, shared in 1996).
On May 10, 1876, Cate gave her deposition before Robert B. Reagen, Commissioner, Circuit Court, Rockingham County, Virginia at the residence of the late John Riddle. The defendant in the case was Benjamin Trumbo, Zachariah's father. The deposition reads as follows:
Mrs. Kate Fawley, a witness of lawful age being first duly sworn, deposes and says:
Q: Where did you live in the years 1866-67 and 68?
A: My home was at Capt. Fulk's. During those years I was frequently at John Riddle's dec'd for three or four months at a time.
Q: What was the manner and conduct of John Riddle while you were living
in his family?
A: I don't think a man in his right mind would have acted as he did. I have seen him go off into a stupor while persons were talking to him-he would rouse up- talk intelligently a moment and then talk childish. Almost every time you passed him he would say "it will be a fine day if the wind don't raise." He would frequently repeat questions although they had been answered-four or five times in a few minutes.
Q: How did the family treat him-as a business man or as a person not to be intrusted with business?
A: I never heard them say anything to him in regards to business matters.
Q: Did you ever hear Benj Trumbo-the Defendant in this suit-say anything about John Riddle while you were living in the family?
A: I heard him say: he was more trouble than Beck.
Q: How old was Beck, and who was she?
A: She was about eighteen months old. She was his (Benj Trumbo's) daughter.
Further this Deponent saith not.
/s/ Cate Fawley
Trumbo family researcher Alva T. Wood, deceased, of Harrisonburg, Virginia told me that after Benjamin's first wife, Cynthia Ann Riddle Trumbo died, that Benjamin moved in with her folks along with his 7 children and stayed there until he remarried. This deposition is important because it states that Kate had lived in the same household (off and on) during 1866, 67 and 68 with Zachariah, during the time that she conceived their son Charles.
In 1880 Kate was keeping house for Herod Homan and had Charles living with her.
Family tradition tells us that sometime after 1880 Katie was committed to the State Hospital in Staunton, Virginia, where she wandered onto a rail road track and was killed by a train. Her son Charles, now an orphan, was raised by Herod Homan.
A request made to the Department of Mental Health, Mental Retardation and Substance Abuse Services of the Commonwealth of Virginia in the spring of 1995 for information about Katie during her commitment was denied. To quote: "The Department of Mental Health, Mental Retardation and Substance Abuse Services has set a statewide facility policy for responding to informational request for genealogical purposes. We will not disclose patient information for these types of requests due to the fact that provision of the information is outside of the DMHMRSAS mission and request of this nature involve the use of scarce agency resources to locate, copy, and refile records, microfiche/film, etc." Inquiries by other family members living in Virginia failed to produce any data on Katie.
Friend and research angel AM was able to access some Western Hospital records at the Library of Virginia in June of 2011 and found no mention of Katie. Thanks AM.
In January of 2009, Pat Ritchie, Brocks Gap Rockingham County Virginia family researcher and cousin, provided the following information, transcribed from the minutes from "UB Society Book" which is owned by Dale MacAllister of Singers Glen:
The following information is some notes from the actual minutes also recorded in the book, looking for Mt. Carmel or Brocks Gap names & information.
"Church Proceeding Singers Glen Circuit UB Church
for Conference year of 1889."
Feb. 11th 1890
Class examination Feb. 11th 1890
The class at Broadway Singers Glen circuit U.B. Church Va. conference met according to appointment in the Hall in Broadway Feb. 11th 1890. Called to order by Pastor J.D.D. After reading scripture Prayer and some remarks with reference to the interests and character of the meeting the roll was called and all members passed favor with the following references, name No. 10 Sister Kate Fawley had died in the year. So far as evidence could be gathered She died in Peace and hope of Salvation through Jesus Christ.
A request in 1995 for a death certificate from the Commonwealth of Virginia revealed no recording of her death during the years 1880-1883.
Another family story came forth that Kate had gone west and died there, possibly even committing suicide. That tradition continues that some family members had seen her headstone. This story seems to have begun around 1975 from descendants of Ambrose Trumbo and Chestina Gentleman Trumbo and somehow involved several descendants of Charles Trumbo and Anna Holsinger Trumbo. Some of Charles' descendants were suppose to know where Kate's headstone was. Alva T. Wood in her research checked with several of Charles' descendants and no one knows how this story began, and no one has any knowledge what so ever about Kate's demise.
Cemetery records for LaSalle County, Illinois were check, no reference to Kate was found, looking for surnames of Trumbo, Dove and Fawley.
Wish list for Kate: Death proof from a civil record set. Burial information. Since I am dreaming here, photo.
* Additional source data can be obtained by contacting me, see the right hand column for a yahoo email address.
** 52 Ancestors Weeks Button courtesy of Amy Johnson Crow.
*** I use many resources to research, FamilySearch.org is a free site. Ancestry.com is a pay site for which I pay, no discounts, etc. Fold3, is another site I subscribe to and pay for. None of these sites have asked me to review them, or use them. See my Disclaimers page for further details.
.
No comments:
Post a Comment