Joel Thomas

Rush Creek - 
JOEL THOMAS, farmer; P. O., Rushsylvania.  Joel Thomas was a native of Wales, who emigrated to America, and died in the city of Detroit, Mich., and Joel Thomas, his son, was a native of New York, but who, emigrating to Ohio, was one of the earliest settlers of Champaign Co.  He settled on "Pretty Prairie," in said county, and, with his father, followed driving cattle to Detroit during the war of 1812.  Joel Thomas, son of latter and grandson of the former Joel Thomas, was born Dec. 25, 1811, on "Pretty Prairie," Champaign Co., Ohio.  On the 1st day of July, 1838, he joined hands with Rachel Leonard, born May 26, 1816, in Washington Co., Pa., and these pioneers have passed through forty years of their country's history together.  They have had the following children, who were born as follows - Phebe Jane, born May 10, 1839; Mary Ann, Nov. 3, 1840, died when 11 months old; Sarah Ellen, born Jan. 17, 1843, died Jan. 8, 1866; George Washington born July 17, 1845; William L., Sept. 14, 1847; Elizabeth, Apr. 6, 1853, died Sep. 12, 1879; John B., born Apr. 6, 1853, and Angeline, Aug. 12, 1855.  Our subject was one of the pioneers of Logan Co., and of Rush Creek Twp.  He settled on the head waters of Miami, which was then a wilderness, and what is called Miami farm was paid for with money earned at the rate of three shillings per day.  The head spring of the Miami was on his farm.  He heard George McCullouch preach his first sermon, and heard Dr. Gray Eyes, the Indian preacher, preach in the cabin of his father-in-law, Ebenezer Zane.  He was an eye-witness to the terrific tornado of 1827, and has eaten bear meat in the cabin of Ebenezer Zane.  Although bowed with the infirmities of age, his memory is still rich with pioneer reminiscences, which he relates with the vigor of youth.  Of this family, three are dead, and the balance, all save one, are married and settled in different sections of the country.  Two reside in Hardin Co., one in Sandusky city, one in Livingston Co., Ill., and one, a son, remains at home.  Farming pursuits and stock-raising, especially horses, engross his attention in his declining years.
Source:  History of Logan County and Ohio - Chicago: O. L. Basking & Co., Historical Publishers, 186 Dearborn Street. - 1880 - w/ some illustrations and portraits ~ Page 702

Adam and Phoebe

 

Fleta thinks this is Adam Kinzer.

Fleta thinks this is Cora and Myrtle Mae Kinzer.  Cora is the older girl.

Adam and Phoebe Cox Kinzer

Gilbert Age 1

 August 1962 Betty 12 and Gilbert 1

Powell Cousins 1988

 

Flint Stone and the Cowboys

 

This is a group of neighbors working to round up Flint Stone's cattle. That is Flint's home in the background. The photo was taken sometime after 1945, likely around 1950 or so.  Flint Stone is the man in overalls on the left.  I am not sure of any of the others, but I think maybe the second from right is a Bishop. I also think the two on the right look like brothers.

This photo was taken at the same time as the one above and has some of the same people  in it.  Second from right is Willis Cotton Powell.  I belive the third from left on the paint horse is Watson Leathers.  The two on the left here I think are the two on the left above.  I think the man between Powell and Leathers is the man third from right in the phot above.

Flint Stone and his wife, Julia Fry Stone.

The Old Stone House.  Photo taken in 1983.

Tim

 Sometimes I get to thinking about an old photo and want to see it again.  That happened when my cousin Tim passed away.  We only had pictures of him when he was very young.  Well, here he isn’t old,  I’d guess he was 19 or 20.  Yesterday, I found his picture.  After this he went to th jungles of Vietnam and his life was never the same.  This is the way I recall he looked when I saw him last.  

Green Forest Arkansas, 1905 Decoration Day

 

Green Forest, circa 1905: “Green Forest Arkansas on Decoration Day.” A cemetery in the Carroll County town had a rural tradition that continues to this day, decorating graves with flowers. Townspeople had arrived in a number of black horse-drawn buggies. 

https://www.arkansasonline.com/news/2023/sep/16/arkansas-postcard-past/

Harness Escapes Tower

Nathan Harness Tells about 9/11/01

I asked Sister Fleta to help me with a question about who the Harness roofers were.  She helped me and this is a Podcast made by Mel’s son.  He was in Tower 2 when it was hit.

Timothy Rene Knight

Obituary

Timothy Knight, of Rackerby, California, the son of Chuck and Betty (Powell) Knight, passed away Monday, August 21, 2023, in California, at the age of 74.

Timothy was always in the woods and enjoyed hunting and fishing and well as taxidermy.

Timothy is survived by his brother Boby Knight, niece Penny Tilson and husband Mark, niece Jennifer Allen and husband Stanley, grandnieces Kylie Tilson and Shelby Allen, great grandnephew Randy Crisp.

He is preceded in death by his parents Chuck and Betty Knight and his wife Lori Knight.

Graveside service will be 10:00 a.m., Saturday, September 16, 2023, at Glenwood Cemetery with Pastor Michael Daniel officiating. Arrangements are under the direction of Nelson Funeral Service. Online condolences may be sent to nelsonfuneral.com. 

 

School Group

 This School Group photo was on the disk Robert Thompson sent me some years back.  The disk had a photo of Momma I had never seen.  Robert labeled this one Green Forest High School 1952.  Well, anyone  can see it’s an entire school group.  I shared it on the Green Forest History site.  Right away several older folks said that’s before 1952.  Dress is not right for ‘52.  It has a sign which I couldn’t read.  Well a smart lady cut that out and made it big to see if it had a year.  It did not, but the sign says Denver School not Green Forest.  Then, we decided it was 1930’s.  So, in thinking it’s 1932 and Robert read what was on the back wrong.  Virgie Cody was born in 1916.  So, she’s in the photo and 1932 would be about right.  So…Momma is in this group photo.  I think I see her.  She’d be probably 10 or 11.  Sisters can you pick someone who could be our Mother?

Two Princesses 2014

 

Couple of Photos

Debbie and Cocoa 1966

Helen in back

Cheryl, Penny Knight, Brenda Powell about 1970

Penny looks like her mother, Donna.

Jennifer Lou
 

Timothy Rene Knight

Timothy Rene Knight passed away August 21, 2023.  Tim was born August 10, 1949 in Alameda, California to Charge and Betty Powell Knight.  He is survived by his brother Bob Knight of Green Forest and two nieces.  Growing up we enjoyed visits of our California cousins with Uncle Chuck and Aunt Betty every summer.  My Sisters and I remember Tim fondly.

 

Our Powell DNA Matches, by the Numbers

 Because of Sister Betty, 14 descendants of Willis and Hazel Gaddy Powell have our DNA at Ancestry.com. That is 3 sisters, Betty, Fleta, Helen, 1 brother, Gilbert, 2 of Betty's children, 1 of Fleta's sons, 5 of Betty's grandchildren, 1 of Fleta's grandchildren, and 1 of Helen's grandchildren.

Seventeen descendants of Melton and Gerite Maples Powell have confirmed matches at Ancestry. 

Matches to Richard and Betty Cooper Powell vary for each of us.

Betty 37

Fleta 38

Helen 38

Gilbert 36

 Joe B 39

Matches to Charles Powell and Leah Goldman Powell are:

Betty 130

Fleta 105

Helen 116

Gilbert 94

Joe B 201

Wayne P 198

Matches to Charles Powell and Sarah Gholson Powell are:

Betty 98

Fleta 79

Helen 67

Gilbert 43

Joe B 150

Wayne P 224

I found these matches for each of these thru Ancestry's thru lines tool.  Thru only shows 5 generations, so that is the end of thru lines for the sisters.  But, Joe B and Wayne are each a generation behind us so they have another generation.

Matches to Charles and Elizabeth Powell:

Joe B 42

Wayne 60

One thing our DNA matches proove is that we are Powells back to 1740, and not Whalebone. Some nameless individual has speculated that our Charles Powell might be a son of Elizabeth and Duke Whalebone instead of Elizabeth and Charles Powell. Now we know.  I just wish we could share this discovery with our Cousin James Furry that gave us the Powell Bible record. He died in 2016, so maybe he knows more than we do about lots of things.

Powell DNA connection to William Whitlock Lyon (1765-1820) & Martha Powell 1762-1831)

 Our cousin, Wayne Powell, has two DNA matches to descendants of William Whitlock Lyon & Martha Cella Brown. And, the two matches share DNA with each other, further confirming the accuracy of the connection we have in our family tree between Peter Powell of Caswell County, NC and our Powell family

Wayne matches LR 20 cm.

LR's line back to our Powell family goes

Mother Charlotte T 1926

Nellie Virginia Manion 1906-1992

Mother of Charlotte T

Fannie Chance 1866-1953

Mother of Nellie Virginia Manion

Frances Lafayette Lyon 1833-1910

Mother of Fannie Chance

Robert Lyon 1786-1849

Father of Frances Lafayette Lyon

Martha Cella Brown 1762-1831

Charlotte Taylor 1926-

Mother of Linda Reynolds

Nellie Virginia Manion 1906-1992

Mother of Charlotte Taylor

Fannie Chance 1866-1953

Mother of Nellie Virginia Manion

Frances Lafayette Lyon 1833-1910

Mother of Fannie Chance

Robert Lyon 1786-1849

Father of Frances Lafayette Lyon

Martha Cella Brown 1762-1831

Mother of Robert Lyon

Charles Powell 1757-1785

Husband of Martha Cella Brown

John Powell 1731-1786

Father of Charles Powell

Charles Powell 1690-1744

Father of John Powell

Mother of Robert Lyon

Charles Powell 1757-1785

Husband of Martha Cella Brown

John Powell 1731-1786

Father of Charles Powell

Charles Powell 1690-1744

Father of John Powell

Wayne's line is goes back to Charles Powell 1690-1744 thru Elijah Powell, son of Charles Powell Jr. and Leah Goldman.

LR and Wayne share DNA matches with Sarah Jane Powell Bottoms, Lewis Powell, and someone unknown living Jimmie Powell.

Wayne's other DNA connection to  William Whitlock Lyon  is HL Qualls with a 48 cm match.  This connections is below;

HL Qualls

 Father of Qualls

Harvey Roland Qualls 1888-1940

Father of Harvey Lee Wilson Qualls

Parthenia Jane Benson 1846-1924

Mother of Harvey Roland Qualls

Frances Fannie Lyon 1817-

Mother of Parthenia Jane Benson

John Lyon 1790-1850

Father of Frances Fannie Lyon

Martha Cella Brown 1762-1831

Mother of John Lyon

Charles Powell 1757-1785

Husband of Martha Cella Brown

John Powell 1731-1786

Father of Charles Powell

Charles Powell 1690-1744

Father of John Powell

These two DNA matches help substan substantiate the connection of Peter Powell of Caswell County, NC and Macon County, MO to old John Powell of Caswell County, NC as we have this family line in our family tree. 

Gilbert

Only three remain

My brother Gilbert lived most of his adult life in the small town of Omaha, AR.  It has a very small population of 134.  Gilbert worked at a convenience store, gas station, tire shop there. In the small town tradition, Gilbert made many road trips, 10, 15 even 20 miles, out into the countryside to change flat tires for his customers and they did much business on credit. Not credit card credit like the big stores, but personal credit where purchases are tallied on a running bill and the customer comes in on payday with his paycheck. They cashed the pay check, keeping what the customer has run up on his 'tab' and the remainder is given to the customer.

One week, Gilbert was visited by the local policeman. Earlier in the day, he had answered the phone at the store to a very angry woman. It took a while to get the gist of her story. It seems she lived out on Sand Flat Road over by Alpena, 20 miles or so from Omaha, but, somehow, the source of her water is the same as the town of Omaha and she was having water problems. Seems a large construction company was daily drawing down the water, leaving her with limited water pressure. She was going to call the EPA and the Police to get a boil order started. Gilbert told her several times, he could not help her and she needed to call Omaha City Hall, which is next door to the store. She said she had tried that and no one answered the phone there. She called someone else and they gave her Gilbert's number. After going round in circles several minutes, with three customers waiting to cash their pay checks and pay their bills, Gilbert told her he did not care and hung up.

The Police came to visit Gilbert. They said the Sand Flat lady said he was rude and they asked if he was rude. Yes, he said, he was rude and he did not care. They said he could not do that, but he said, 'yes I can and I don't care.' 

Only in Arkansas do you get a visit by the home town police because you were rude to someone who called you because you happened to be next door to city hall. But, Gilbert is true to his raising. He did not care!

Visitor from Buckinghamshire

The three sisters had a cousin travel from Buckinghamshire, England, to meet us face to face.  Wayne Powell lives 20  miles north of London, England.  We found each other through family tree maker Y DNA.  His Y and brother Clayton’s Y are identical.  We are proud to have a new cousin!  Our connecting ancestor was born in 1774!  Sister Helen played hostess and she is not interested in genealogy.  Today she told me genealogy is about like gossiping!  I really didn’t “get” it!  We gifted Wayne a Powell Hardware and Powell Feed cap!  The sisters received shortbread in a Queen Elizabeth tin!

 

The Brown House at Carrollton

 by Patsy...

https://pattypenny.blogspot.com/2007/12/brown-house.html

I remember the day this photo was made. I was going to school at Denver and since mother had bought a car Richard and she went to Carrolton to visit our old home place.

I am sure this photo was made for daddy. When I came home from school and found that they had gone to Carrollton I was very jealous because I would have liked to go also.

This is the first home I remember.

Note by Fleta:  I always thought this was taken when the family lived at Carrollton.  Patsy says it was while Daddy was off on vacation on Iwo Jima.

15

 Clayton is 15 today and about 6’5” tall.

Sister Patsy's Words, May 3, 2006

 

Patsy in the middle between Fleta and Betty.  She has been gone 8 years.  We really miss her. I was looking at her blog and saw this post she made on her birthday in 2006.

Wednesday, May 03, 2006

Birthday

I am 68 years old today. A lot of people don't live that long so I am celebrating the fact that I have managed to live 68 years.My body has grown old but my spirit is still young.
I look back across the years and remember my mother and father and the way they cared for us as children and I would wish that everyone could have parents like I had. I am grateful for my 6 brothers and sisters and our connection by birth.
I think of my children and their children and know when I go to my reward they will be proof that I walked this earth.
In my life I went from riding in a horse drawn wagon to flying in a jet. I have seen so many new things come to market since I was a girl.The first radio daddy bought was powered by batteries. Now I watch TV and a satellite brings the picture to me.I remember when the only light we had at night was a coal oil lamp and now my yard at night is as bright as day because of a light on a pole in my yard.
Now I am just spending time until my life is over and I look forward to getting some answers to thing I have wondered about most of my life. Come to think about it 10 years ago I would never have believed that I could set in my room and type on a key board and some one on the other side of the world could read over my shoulder. Amazing are the changes that I have seen with my eyes. Who knows the wonders that I will behold in the time to come.

Patsy was always finding interesting things on the net. Many of her links have gone dead, but this one http://clairesgarden.blogspot.com/ from Scotland is still active.  

Patsy and Richard at Grandpa Powell's home.

Happy Birthday Betty Jean Powell

 Pictures I have seen.