This week I have been digging into my own ancestral history. When I was younger my mom did quite a bit of genealogical research, which in turn makes this information incredibly accessible for me when doing my own research. So a few days ago I went over and my mom and I looked through albums upon albums of photographs and newspaper clippings. She was able to tell me about almost every picture in the albums; who was in them and what they were doing. There was a particular branch of the family that had so many hardships and losses that it was almost unbelievable. But there were the photographs right in front of me, proving that life really can be that horrendously cruel to human beings. It brought me perspective and helped me realize how hard life was and how much better it has become for us in the modern world.
I am about to share some of the amazing stories I discovered this week, while studying the origins of myself.
William and Elizabeth Deckard (my grandma's grandparents), or "Pappy and Lizzie", as they were locally known, were married on July 24th, 1881. They lived in Indiana for a short time before traveling by covered wagon to Camden County, Mo, to set up a homestead. They made this trip in the company of their small children, a sow and a milk cow. To their utter disappointment, there was no land remaining for them in Camden County, so they travelled on to Gasconade township, and staked a claim there. At this time William and Elizabeth had five children; Rhesa("Reese",10 yrs.), Ellis(9 yrs.), Adah(8 yrs.), Marshall(2 yrs.) and Edna(a nursing baby).
One afternoon in the spring of 1893, a visiting neighbor mentioned how delicious she found fried mushrooms to be. 10 year old Reese heard this conversation and said "I know where there are lots of mushrooms! When I get the cows up I will get some for supper." Unaware of the many different kinds of mushrooms there are, Reese, unknowingly brought home poisonous toadstools. Lizzie prepared them for supper. William, Ellis, Adah and Marshall ate several, while Reese, not liking their taste, didn't eat many. Edna was still a nursing baby at the time, therefore not old enough to partake of the food on the table. Lizzie was so busy seeing to the needs of her family that she ate only a few. After the meal was finished, Lizzie shared the leftovers with the cats. After eating the poisonous fungus the cats went into convulsions and died. Seeing this Lizzie cried "Oh! The children!)". By this time William was extremely sick and they tried to induce vomiting in the children, but were unsuccessful. A messenger was sent on horseback and a doctor arrived, doing everything he could, but by morning Ellis, Adah and Marshall were all dead. Reese and Edna(who turns out to be my great grandma) were the only children to survive along with both parents. (Just think! If Edna had munched some mushrooms with the others and died, my grandma, my mom and even I would not be here today!)
The couple went on to have five more children, beginning with Lenna in 1894, followed by Olive, Ruby, Emma(who died at 18 months) and Anna. They moved their large family to a farm near Antioch Church.
One day, while working out in the fields, Lenna(14 yrs) suffered an asthma attack and died(This makes me super grateful for my rescue inhaler and modern medicine!).
Tragedy struck once again on March 13th, 1920 when William and Lizzie took their grain to Mansfield for grinding. Lizzie finished her shopping and had to cross the railroad tracks to meet William at the Square Deal Mill. Before crossing she always watched the switching engine very closely. However a north-bound freight train No. 5 struck a death blow, instantly killing her. The south-bound freight train was doing some switching on the side track and it is thought Mrs. Deckard was watching the local and did not notice the approach of the through freight which struck her. She had nearly been off the tracks when she was killed. Another step would have taken her to safety.
Tell me that you didn't learn to appreciate something you currently posses or have access to while reading this.
Examples :
1. Not having to take a covered wagon and a few weeks to travel a short distance?
2. Abundant hospitals near you, so you don't have to send someone by horseback to find a doctor.
3. Modern medicine and inhalers!?
4. Being able to rent or buy a house and get a steady job, as opposed to having to find and stake a claim and work land laboriously to make enough money to put food on the table for your family.
5. The resilience of the human being. I mean come on, Elizabeth gave birth to 10 children, had to watch 5 of them die in front of her and still went on to take care of her remaining children and her husband. If that isn't a resilient human being, I don't think one exists.
After discovering the adventures and perils of my great great grandparents, I truly feel
Lucky to be Alive.
Ellis, Adah and Marshall were buried together in the New Grove Cemetery, Wright County, Mo. William and Lizzie and Lenna are buried there as well.
The bulk of this post was taken from a few sheets of a Wright County History Book as well as a newspaper clipping on the death of Lizzie Bender Deckard. Thanks to my mom, Susie Kilgroe for digging up this information all those years ago, and sharing it with me.
This is a photograph of Lizzie and William Deckard(my great great grandparents). The picture on the wall behind Lizzie is of Lenna, her 14 year old daughter who died from an asthma attack while working in the fields)
I actually found a picture of Ada, Ellis and Marshall! The three little ones who passed away from the mushroom poisoning. I am headed to visit their graves in January '14.
This is Edna (remember the baby who survived the mushroom incident?) all grown up and sitting with her husband Adrian Boggess.
This is Edna and Adrian and their family. The woman on the right in the back row is my grandma Janie(granddaughter of Lizzie and William Deckard)
This is my grandma Janie(Lizzie and William's granddaughter) and her husband, Earl Bruce.
This is my mom, Tamera Sue. She is the great granddaughter of William and Lizzie Deckard.
Now we have come down to me! Great Great granddaughter of two very resilient human beings, Lizzie and William Deckard!
