Sentimental Sunday – Remembering Clarence Conley

In the Georgetown (Texas) Public Library I found a book entitled Adamsville Through Their Eyes: History & Reflections compiled in 2008.  In it I found an article submitted by Wenona Conley, daughter-in-law of Clarence Conley, my mother’s uncle.

From it I learned some of our Conley family settled in Adamsville about 1919.  In the article, Wenona said that Will and Clarence moved from Evant [in Lampasas County] to Adamsville and built a cotton gin.  I remember my mother, Iva Conley Robbins, telling me about a cotton gin, but I don’t remember the location or who ran it.  Her father, Frank Conley, was the brother of Will and Clarence.  If I remember correctly, she told me she had a pet goat and it would follow her up the stairs of the gin into an area that would be like a loft in a barn.  Outside, below, were fairly high piles of cotton lint.  She would hide from the goat and when it would go to the edge looking for her, she would push it into the pile of fluff.  It’s a wonder the goat didn’t return the favor.

In the article Wenona stated, “Will and his wife Nora soon moved to Cherokee.”  Will’s wife was Violet Inman Conley, the sister of Nora Inman Conley who married John Franklin (Frank) Conley.  Brothers, Will and Frank Conley married sisters, Violet and Nora Inman.  Will and Violet, Frank and Nora, Iva, and Wilber did move to Cherokee, but were still listed in Adamsville on the 1920 Lampasas County, Texas Census.

Clarence and his wife, Willie (Carrigan) owned land between the Lampasas River and what is now U. S. Highway 281 about six miles north of Adamsville.  I did not know, “The Conley’s were the first in the community to have electricity generated by batteries before LCRA put in a line.”  I remember Uncle Clarence had what I called a horse ranch in Adamsville; I did not know he raised Welsh ponies and sheep.

One summer, when I was about eight years old, my Granny Conley, (great) Aunt Violet and Uncle Will visited my (great) Aunt Willie and Uncle Clarence.  He had horses from newborn to very old.  He loaded my cousins and me in his pickup and took us to a pasture to see the horses.  I grew up in Abilene and as a “city girl” was wearing my little white sandals with no socks – definitely not appropriate for walking in a pasture, but he told me not to worry because we’d be driving up close to the horses.  

We did walk around a little to get closer to the horses.  At some point I told him my ankle was stinging and I thought something had bitten me.  He knelt beside me and told me it looked like I’d gotten into some stinging nettle.  Of course I had no idea what that was, but he pointed it out and then broke off some milk weed and rubbed the white milk on my ankle to stop the stinging.  It was a plant that had a white, milky substance inside but I don’t really remember what it looked like. 

 

He told me there are lots of things in this world that can hurt us, but if we’ll just look, the Good Lord put lots of things here to help us.  He told me if I’d look around, everywhere I saw stinging nettle, I’d find some milk weed nearby.   Whether it’s factual or not isn’t very important to me now, but I believed him and of course, my ankle quit stinging.  What a special memory to have of him!  

Uncle Clarence’s son, Charles Allen Conley, was Wenona’s husband.  She states in the article that Charles spent the last 25 ½ years of his 40 year preaching career as pastor of the Adamsville Baptist Church.  I did not know that he served as an MP in the occupation of Japan in WWII.  I did know Uncle Clarence served in World War I.

I learned from the article that Uncle Clarence and Aunt Willie donated a portion of their land for the Hines Chapel Cemetery.  In a quick online search, I found the oldest known marker was dated 1885.  Perhaps I need to add another cemetery to the list of those I’m working on for historic cemetery status.

Halloween in the 1950's

Things were so different when I was a girl growing up in Abilene, Texas on ACC Hill.  It was called that because of the location of Abilene Christian College.  Most of the people who lived in that part of Abilene were associated with the college.

I remember the kids playing together and walking to friends' houses blocks away, riding our bikes, and having to be home by dark.  At Halloween, the kids who lived on "the hill" would walk blocks in the dark to go trick or treating.  The lady who did my mother's hair, Thelma Beall, lived about two blocks over and two blocks down from our house.  I would always try to trick her, but she would pick me out each year.  I tried hiding in the middle of a group of friends or hiding at the back.  I tried not speaking.  One year I even switched masks with a friend just in case my mother had given away what mask I would be wearing, but nothing worked.  She always picked me out of the group.

Those were simpler times.  We didn't have Halloween costumes; we had masks.  And what a time of innocence that was, too.  There was no fear about us roaming for blocks to go trick or treating.  There was no fear that someone would give children something harmful or harm them.  

Another memory that stands out is Mother making pop corn balls.  She had a white dishpan with a thin red line around the edge.  It was big enough to fit over both burners on the stove.  She would pour pans of popped corn in it and then pour the syrup mixture in to start forming the popcorn balls.  She wrapped them in waxed paper and tied them with a ribbon.  As I write this, I can picture her smiling as she made them and as she waited for the kids to start knocking at the door.  It did not take long for word to spread that Mrs. Robbins made popcorn balls.  I was so proud that everyone made sure to stop at our house.  The next year she made even more, but quickly ran out. 

John H. Robbins - Part III

Yesterday as I was finishing up my posts on John H. Robbins I omitted some things I intended to include, so they are being posted today. 

His obituary stated he had two daughters and one son living in 1916.  The 1880 Branford, New Haven, Connecticut census lists John, age 25 and wife, Emily, age 24 with William C., age 5, Annie E., age 3, and Lila E., age 2.  In the 1900 Stone Mountain, De Kalb, Georgia census, the number of children Emily had is difficult to read, but may be 8; the number living is 4.  Gladdis E. is the only child listed as living with them at the time and she was born in April 1899.

Annie E. Robins Dower, wife of John H. Dower, is buried in the Stony Creek Cemetery in Branford, New Haven, Connecticut.  The picture of her grave marker shows her name as Annie E. Robins, wife of John H. Dower, that she was born in 1876 and died in 1930. 

The 1900 Branford, New Haven, Connecticut census shows John was born in England in July 1875 and was a stone cutter.  He and Annie had been married 3 years and had 2 children, a son and a daughter.  The names are difficult to read, but look like Lovel, a son, age 2, and a daughter whose name begins with an E, age 2/12, which could be read as Edith M after seeing it on later census records.  The year of immigration for John was 1872; Annie immigrated in 1873.  The 1900 census showed John's brothers, Edwin and Harry, immigrated in 1873.

The 1910 census shows John and Annie are the parents of Lovell, a son, age 12, Edith, a daughter, age 10, and Richard, age 5.  Living with them is a sister-in-law named Gladys Robins, age 11.  A few entries prior on the same page has Howard G. Robins, Annie's brother, and family listed.  His occupation is assistant supervisor in a rail road office.

By 1920 the family is in Middletown, Middlesex, Connecticut.  John Dower is a granite cutter for a monumental company.  Edith is a developer for a Kodak Shop and Richard J. at 15 is an "elevator boy" at a bank.  Additions to the family are a son, Ralph E., age 8 and a daughter, Cecillia, age 2 years, 11 months.

Since John Dower died in 1923, Annie is listed as the head of the household on the 1930 Branford, New Haven, Connecticut census.  The enumeration date was April 24, so it is assumed she died after that date.  Listed with her are Ralph, age 18, Cecelia, age 13, and son, John, age 8.

Mystery Monday - More About John H. Robins

Last Monday I blogged about the mystery of finding John H. Robins in Llano, Texas and am fairly certain he is not part of my family line.  Even so, I looked at the other two news articles in The Llano News, and found out a little more. Since his death certificate had the date of death on September 13, the article published on September 11 seemed to precede his death.  However, when the article was found, it proved the date on the death certificate to be incorrect.  The following is a transcription of the article.

J. H. Robins Dead
Yesterday morning at 12:10 o’clock J. H. Robins passed away at his home a few miles from town.  Interment was made in the Llano cemetery yesterday afternoon following services by the pastor.

Mr. Robins was above sixty years of age.  He had been sick for a long time and all that human skill and patient ministering could do was done to bring him back to health.  But those efforts would not avail and the patient sufferer passed away.

The NEWS begs to add its sympathy to that of the many friends of the bereaved.

The obituary will appear next week."

Since this article was published on September 11, the date of death would be September 10, not September 13 as recorded on the death certificate.  The article also states he was buried in the Llano City Cemetery although there is no marker and no record of the burial in the existing cemetery records.  Based on this new information I have added his name to the Llano City Cemetery on findagrave.com and linked his first wife to that record.  I have not researched further to find more about his second wife at the time of his death.

The other article in The Llano News dated May 11, 1916 is as follows: 

Runs Into Telephone Pole. 
"Sometime Tuesday night or Wednesday morning the telephone pole that stands at the Corner Drug Store was hit by the heavily loaded truck of the Waco Quarry Company and was broken in two several feet above the ground.

The early risers on yesterday morning were much concerned over the looks of the pole as there was every indication that it had been hit by an avalanche, the like of the slides in the Panama Canal.  Investigation showed, however, that the young Mr. Robins in making the sharp turn with the heavy car was unable to turn quick enough and the collision was the result."

 Who was "the young Mr. Robins?"  Was he the stepson mentioned in the obituary since it stated the rest of the family was all in Connecticut or was one of his sons working with him at the quarry at that time?

Since last week's post I received a reply to my request for a photo of the gravestone for John H. Robins in the Stony Creek Cemetery in Branford, New Haven, Connecticut.  He has no marker there, but his first wife, Emeline is buried in Stony Creek.  Hers is a single marker in a curbed area with Robins carved in the curbing.  She is buried next to their son, William C. Robins, and his wife, Lilla M. Thomas.  I placed a note (on the memorial page for John H. Robins in the Stony Creek Cemetery that was transferred to me) indicating no marker was found and referenced his page in the Llano City Cemetery.  I decided to leave both entries in hopes of helping other researchers since the moves from England, to Connecticut, to Georgia, to Llano might not be that easy to find had I not come across his obituary.

John and Emeline's son, William and his wife, Lillian M., are listed on the 1900 Branford, New Haven, Connecticut census as being married two years.   He was age 25, born September 1874 in Connecticut and she was 30, born November 1880 in England.  They had a child, Florence E., born in September 1898 in Connecticut, who was listed as a son in the 1900 census, but as a daughter, age 11, in the 1910 census.  William's occupation was also a granite cutter.  Harry, Edwin, Ernest, and Howard were also easily located on the 1900 Connecticut census records, but none of them were listed as stone cutters.

Besides finding John H. Robins in the census records mentioned in last week's post, I found his parents and siblings in the 1880 Branford, New Haven, Connecticut census on page 58.  His father was John Robins, born in England and was the superintendent of a stone quarry.  His mother, Mary [Deeble], was also born in England as were his siblings: J Annie S, Harry L., Edwin D., and Sidney H.  Two siblings, Ernest G., about 8 and Howard G., about 5, were born in Connecticut.  A brother-in-law, John L. Deeble, age 38, born in England, was living with the family and was a stone cutter.

As time allows, I may pursue this family a little more, but since they don't seem to be part of my Robbins line, I think it's best I decide the mystery has been solved for my research interests.