SCREECCHHHH!!!!! BACKING UP TO HERBERT HOOVER!

Hoover’s Quaker Roots and Reflections on His Presidency

Ok -- Backing up to Monday, July 15, and Herbert Hoover's birthplace and presidential library and museum.  Sister Shirley was supposed to write this section of the blog but since she is doing ALL the driving and we are driving a lot these last three days I volunteered.  Actually my arm hurt from her twisting it and she wouldn't let go until I said I would do it!!!!

West Branch, Iowa was a little gem of a place and just about ten miles east of Iowa City.  Even though we had looked at the website, I wasn’t expecting to see so many restored buildings in the little village next to the Presidential Library and Museum.   Being there was also another touchstone for our Quaker heritage and gave us insight into Hoover’s character, behavior, and new respect for his presidency.

We started off with a walk to see President Hoover’s birthplace.  He was born in a very humble two-room house and often said it was proof that in America one could rise from humble beginnings to accomplish anything that could be dreamed!  The house reminded me so much of the place where our Grandmother Harrison was born in Mitchell County, Kansas in 1904, lived with her many siblings and regularly used a broom on the front yard to keep it orderly!  I don’t think Hoover’s house could have been more than 350 square feet.  

His father was a blacksmith and his shop is also there along with a schoolhouse and several other historical residences.  

Loved this poster advertising the goods that Hoover's father had for sale.  This is the great land acquisition movement that Walter and Melissa Caroline were involved in.  They moved in 1878 to Kansas from Indiana for land!

Unfortunately, Hoover’s father died at the age of 34 and four years later his mother died.  The children were all farmed out and Hoover was sent on a train (with two dimes sewn in his clothing) to Newberg, Oregon (another Quaker/Friends community) to live with an aunt and uncle. 

Hoover’s mother was a recorded Friends minister and often spoke in meeting.  I loved going to the traditional meetinghouse at West Branch with separate sides for men and women, partitions to be lowered for business meetings, and traditional facing benches for the elders.  As a former Quaker elder (before I became a United Methodist!) I enjoyed sitting on the facing bench in this meetinghouse reminiscing about the past 

The partitions raised for worship and lowered for separate business meetings.

and also thinking about my Quaker wedding at University Friends in Wichita, Kansas where representatives from our meetings sat on the facing bench with us and witnessed our vows. 

Facing Bench of a Quaker Meetinghouse
Elders from the Bride's Monthly Meeting
Elders from the Grooms's Monthly Meeting

Signing of the Marriage Certificate

It was good to think about Hoover’s heritage and the influence his Quaker teachings had on his performance in his international engineering career, his compassion for the starving in Europe  - particularly Belgium, and his hesitancy to show his emotion during the Great Depression to the American people.  I came away with the sense that if he had really been able to show that compassion and empathy (rather than stoicism), he might not have been so derided and blamed for economic realities which were shaped and in motion long before his presidency began.   To read more about Hoover go to:
http://www.hoover.archives.gov

Hoover as a recent Stanford grad --- job hunting!

Iowa in the Civil War - a special exhibit at the Hoover Presidential Library

This was one of the best interpretations we had seen of a state’s participation in the Civil War.  The signage was understandable, the battle maps were clear....

 and the quotations from famous people were meaningful and poignant

…..it could also have been the best display because we had already learned so much by the time we got there (from Chattanooga, Lookout Mountain, Stones River, the Battle of Franklin, Carnton Plantation, etc.) that we were suddenly beginning to understand the enormity of the Civil War and the huge impact it had on so many, many lives and for generations to come.  

We left knowing that our trip would not be complete unless we spent time at the Topeka Capitol during the week we are with our parents.  We have a need to see the paintings of John Brown and read more about him.  Every Civil War exhibit we have seen plus the National Underground Railroad Freedom Center have emphasized the important role that John Brown played in the Civil War and consideration that he was a martyr.  

We are so used to seeing these murals in our own statehouse that we need a fresh look to truly appreciate his story!

Next blogs????  The last three Little House on the Prairie sites that we visit: DeSmet, SD; Walnut Grove, MN and Burr Oak, IA.

Stay tuned!

ANOTHER DAY --- ANOTHER GEM!

July 16, 2013

If it’s Tuesday, it must be Sioux City, Iowa!!!!  After sleeping in a bit we hit the road for Sioux City, Iowa to meet up with my close college friend from Friends University, Pam Hoadley, and her spouse, Bill Deeds.  Pam was our wedding coordinator and although we have only gotten together a handful of times over the last 40 years, it takes about 30 seconds to re-sync when we do!!!!

Pam is now retired after a great career as a registered dietician, project planner, and coordinator of international programs (my description of her many talents and skills -- not hers!).  She is an active, active volunteer in her community and just returned from a United Methodist Volunteers in Mission (VIM) trip repairing damage from Hurricane Sandy.  For the last 14 years they have lived in Sioux City, Iowa where Bill is the Dean at Morningside College, a United Methodist- related university.  Their eldest son, Chuck, lives in Iowa City while their younger son, Mac, lives in Sioux City and we had a delightful time visiting with him.  He’s a great blend of his mom and dad….bright, service-oriented, and part of the hope I keep seeing in this new, thoughtful, intentional generation!

Taking a windshield tour of Sioux City helped us figure out where we were and how the three Sioux City’s fit together!  Of course we had to drive into South Sioux City so  we could add Nebraska to our state list.  After today – we will have visited 13 states on our trip! 

Our first stop was the Woodbury County Courthouse designed by George Grant Elmslie, a contemporary of Frank Lloyd Wright, and is a stunning example of  he Prairie School of Architecture.  The building was constructed from Roman brick and granite and finished in March of 1918 at a cost of $850,000. It also has a 157-foot-tall tower on top of the building and features sculptural work by Alfonso Iannelli over its doors. In 1973, the building was added to the National Register of Historic Places. It was declared a National Historic Landmark in 1996. 

  

Next we motored over to Morningside College for a great tour of the campus.  The transformation since Bill has been Dean is pretty astounding...new buildings...open gathering spaces...two visits from President Obama (one as a candidate and one as President)...innovative on-line graduate programs...expansion in their traditional programs...a return to a residential undergraduate campus rather than a commuter school...and an emphasis on service.  They are one of the few private colleges I’ve visited that actually seem to have PLENTY of land!

After great conversation, good food (grilled chicken, zucchini and spinach, and gelato and sorbetto) we settled in for some restful sleep and left at 6:00 a.m. for our very full “Laura Ingalls Wilder Day” --- northward to De Smet, South Dakota, then East to Walnut Grove, Minnesota and will “nap” tonight in Decorah, Iowa before touring our last Little House site in Burr Oak, Iowa tomorrow morning.  Stay tuned!

Thomas Harrison -- Planning Ahead!

I promised a few days ago that I would post this story -- so here it is!  You'll notice that it refers to this man as "Carter" or "pap".  Thanks to genealogy research by Donna Kuhlman of Bartholmew County, Indiana the mystery has been solved and the man's name was really Thomas Harrison.  The sons listed are correct.  He most likely died before 1840.  His son, William, died in 1834.  He most likely was an uncle of our Vincent (g4 grandfather).

It's pretty clear where our Harrison "planner" tendencies come from!!!

YE OLDEN TYME, "Pap Harrison," by Laura Fawcett Arnold, Dec. 1896
On the old George Cummings farm a few rods north of the public road which runs from "Carter's Chapel" westward to the river, about half way between Joe Anthony's woods and the bend of the road on the hill, stood an old log cabin.  It was less than half a mile east of the once famous "Arnold's Mills" after Lowell, and within its rude walls "old Pap Harrison" spent the last ten or twelve years of his life.  A single large oak or elm tree stood near the house and in pleasant weather the old man always sat in its shade.  He appeared in "the Forks" as that part of the country was called, in 1825 or 1826.  He came from South Carolina with his wife and three sons, Carter, Jr., William, and Caleb.  He claimed to be a preacher, and his Christian name was Carter, and it is said that he was a distant relative of President William Henry Harrison, and of Chicago's mayor, Carter Harrison.

He appears to have been a very queer, eccentric man, hard to live with and difficult to please.  One who knew him well says, "He was about medium size and always wore a broad brimmed hat above his grisly hair, and his eyelids were always red."  After their mother's death, his sons refused to live with him.  One returned to South Carolina, one went west, and the other lived near Columbus, Ind.  This left the old man alone and thence forward he lived entirely by himself doing his cooking and all his housework.  The neighbors said that he never washed a dish or cooking vessel, as long as he could remember what he used it for last.  Sometimes he forgot what had been cooked in some pots or kettles and then he washed them, but he never washed his churn.  He also made and mended his own clothes, and usually presented a very respectable appearance.  Another very remarkable and gruesome eccentricity as perpetuated by local tradition was his habit of always sleeping in his coffin.  This coffin was sufficiently roomy to answer his purpose and was constructed by himself.  Though history is silent on that point, he was probably buried therein according to his often expressed wish.

He was not good natured and quarreled with almost everybody.  For some reason he had a spite at the little town of Columbus and cursed it with his bitterest curses, predicting for it a worse fate than fell Sodom and Gomorrah.  He claimed to have seen the Devil several times and when asked what his satanic majesty resembled, said, "He was a nice looking old gentleman and wore a broad brimmed hat, he walked right past me."  He also said, "The Devil generally looks like the person seeing him."

Pap Harrison was a good carpenter and worked for those who needed his services, and being a good workman, gave satisfaction to his employers.  He always owned and rode a good horse, which was stabled in a shed against his cabin, where he had a log cut out, so that he could feed the animal without going out of doors.  One day a passer-by heard a strange neighing of some horse, but paid little attention.  This went on for several days, when fearing that something was wrong, a neighbor went over to the cabin and found the old man dead in his coffin.  From all appearances, people thought he had been dead about a week, for the poor horse had gnawed all the bark off of the logs of his stable.  The old man was buried under his favorite tree, on the very spot where he had sat so often.  This was probably early in the forties, for when the writer first saw the place in the fall of 1853, no trace of the cabin remained.  Only a lonely grave protected by a rail pen, under a noble old tree, in the midst of a pasture; the place always seemed forlorn and forsaken.  Later, the pasture was turned into a cornfield, and a storm blew down the old tree, but still the rail pen protected the lonely grave.  At last, during the early years of the war, in 1862 or 1863, the rail pen was taken away, the whole field plowed over and the grave of "old Pap Harrison" was lost forever.

Prostate Cancer Forum for Ladies Only - Iowa City, Iowa

Iowa City - July 15, 2013

This dinner was a dream in the making!  Early on in Dennis' illness I found this wonderful international on-line forum of women whose lives have been affected by prostate cancer.  They may have a husband, partner, brother, son, father, or friends who has this devastating disease.

They not only contribute information to the forum on research and clinical trials but they provide immeasurable compassion through a journey which, too often, leads to loss of their loved one.

I had the pleasure of serving as a U.S. host for over two years.  Other hosts are often from Canada, England, New Zealand, Australia and our moderator is from Ireland.  All are women whose lives have been impacted by prostate cancer.

Being in Iowa allowed four (two current and two past hosts) to get together for dinner.  These fabulous women drove in from Northern and Southern Iowa and from Ft. Wayne, Indiana.  We didn't stop talking for over two hours.  It was a wonderful gem of a moment on our trip and I'm so grateful that they made the effort to drive to Iowa City.  Love you all -- Susie, Sharon and Sherry!

Auntie Evelyn and more cousins! Lafayette, Indiana

Lafayette, Indiana

Mom has several brothers and sisters.  Only the five girls are still with us -- Lola, Mary, Evelyn, Roma and Patty.  They are AMAZING women of substance and have taught us so much.  They worked in education, the church, as early adopters of organic methods of growing our food,  nursing, newspaper publishing, dressmaking, retail, the postal service and so many other areas --- all while raising wonderful families.

Our Auntie Evelyn is only 18 months younger than our mom.....almost twins in so many ways.  She is Cousin Donna's mom and also mom to Steve, David and our dear cousin Carl.

We just couldn't stop hugging!  My early memories are of Mom and Auntie Evelyn's scheme to raise 100 chickens and then to butcher them for meat for their families and for their parents......a true Lucy and Ethel episode which ended up with elaborate schemes on how to get the job done humanely and contribute to the family budget!

David and Tasha and their four lovely children and three kittens hosted us for a gabfest.  Steve and Jan were able to join us and Auntie Evelyn was the star!  It was hard to leave and we just can't wait so long for another visit.

I could listen to Auntie Evelyn all day.....we talked about family, agriculture, family history, and our mom and how much we both loved her!  Good times!  Is it any wonder that Shirley and I are such close sisters with such great models?

 Shirley is an absolute pied piper with children!!!!

 Auntie Evelyn and Dave and Tasha's beautiful children: Little Dave, Elizabeth and Isabella, and Lillian  (Little Dave, Liz, Bella and Lily)

 Auntie Evelyn and the cousins.....

Dave and Tasha, Jan and Steve.....the brothers are 15 years apart in age....the care and love between them is a great model of how a family should care for each other.

Auntie Evelyn and Dave and Tasha's family --- Christmas newsletter???

Earlham and Levi Coffin and the Underground Railroad

Sunday morning found us dropping Cousin Donna at the Dayton Airport and heading back to Indiana!

Leaving Donna was bittersweet but we parted with serious promises to get together more and a sense of  sisterhood for the three of us that will never disappear.  And, what did we discover?  Shirley and Donna (who are only a year apart in age) have so many similar mannerisms and its like watching a young Mary and Evelyn together.  Donna and Kay are both United Methodists and absolutely made Lutheran Shirley dizzy comparing stories of annual conferences and their churches.  All three cousins shared their faith journey in a deep and loving way that will sustain us in the months ahead.

First stop in Indiana?  Earlham College and Earlham School of Religion (ESR) in Richmond, Indiana.  Earlham was first established as a boarding school of secondary education and turned into a college over time.  It had a strong anti-slavery witness and has always had a strong peace testimony.  In 1881, Indiana Yearly Meeting gave up its ownership of the college, conveying title to a corporation.  Dennis' sister's husband, Duane Hansen, is a graduate of ESR.  To read more about Earlham School of Religion go to:

http://esr.earlham.edu

The Peace Pole --- May Peace Prevail on Earth -- in many, many languages.


I don't think that Shirley and I had realized how much we would come in contact with our Quaker heritage on this trip.  It's been delightful!  In 1972 when Dennis and I were newlyweds we came to Lynn, Indiana just north of Richmond, Indiana to visit his sister and husband who were pastors of the Lynn Friends Church.  The Levi Coffin House in Fountain City (halfway between Richmond and Lynn) had just been opened and I was dying to go visit it.  But, I was outvoted....but managed to go see it 41 years later!!! LOL

Ok, it was a Sunday and it was closed but that didn't stop me from looking in the windows and walking around the grounds imagining how this federal style house could have have sheltered over 2,000 slaves in their quest for freedom.  If you'll go back in the blog to read about the Underground Railroad you'll see the Coffins featured there.

To read more, go to http://www.waynet.org/levicoffin/

Another great picture of Shirley and her school flag.

Barn at the back of the property.

Next it was on to the Hoover Presidential Library and Birthplace in West Branch, Iowa.   Shirley will tell you all about it.  But, let's just say our Quaker heritage journey continued.

Are we related to the Presidents Harrison????

Note to Family:

It’s a natural question to wonder if we’re related to the Presidents Harrison (William Henry Harrison and his grandson, Benjamin Harrison).  The answer is “Yes! Cousins!”

After working with our family genealogy for over thirty years, I was able to have our dad’s DNA done in 2010.  So many advances have been made in this research (and so many genealogists are accessing it) that I was able to link the results with the correct line of Harrisons who came from Cambridge, England to Virginia.

Peter Harrison was born at St. Andrews Cambridge, England in 1593.   He had four sons, William, Peter of Swavesey, Anthony of Over and Richard.

We are descended from Anthony of Over (1563 – 1620) and the Presidents Harrison (along with the Benjamin Harrison who was the Signer of the Declaration of Independence) descended from brother Richard.

Anthony's descendants lived many years in the Westmoreland, VA area before joining the great migration from Virginia to North Carolina to Murfreesboro, Tennessee in the late 1790's and then on to Bartholomew County in Southern Indiana in 1819.  In 1878, Walter Harrison and his wife, Melissa Caroline Harrison, went by wagon to North Central Kansas for land and a new life after the struggles of the Civil War.

And, now you know the rest of the story!

Kay