Otto Vernon Elder (1899 - 1980)

The above 1932 letter fueled my interest in genealogy. My Uncle Otto received this letter from a Mr .Wheeler, grandson of Mary Elder Wheeler. Read how his aging grandmother recalled her 1790’s boat trip to Western Kentucky.

Uncle Otto had gone to work in St Louis following his 1923 graduation from the University of Kentucky. I took this photo in 1951 when he was visiting me while I was attending UK. The signs point to two venues of Sports Champions. Stoll Field was home to UK Football Coach Paul “Bear” Bryant. Across the street, UK Basketball Coach Adolph Rupp was settling into his “new” Memorial Coliseum.

Today, my brother and I, both UK graduates and Kentucky Colonels, keep up with UK sports at http://www.ukathletics.com/.

Site of Elder Drug Company

An earlier post (January 25) shows J. D. Elder in front of his 1914 drug store.

He later moved to this corner and took in his new son-in-law as partner.

Earlier posts show the historic homes of J. D. Elder (February 8) and

son-in-law J. H. Slaton (February 11).

The side view shows steps to the drug store's rear entrance,

and a door to a stairway to the offices of Dr. R. E. Cardwell.

For the current status of this corner of East Main and South Broadway, see: http://www.journalenterprise.com/articles/stories/public/200805/07/demolition05072008_news.html

http://www.journalenterprise.com/articles/stories/public/200803/19/pcc03192008_news.html

Read what Oscar-winning actress Diane Keaton recently said about preservation:

http://www.latimes.com/news/opinion/commentary/la-oe-keaton13-2008oct13,0,4080632.story

Heating With Coal

The article in my earlier post, Providence (KY) in 1912,
reported that Providence had seventeen active mines.
For a list of mines, go to:
http://www.coaleducation.org/coalhistory/coaltowns/coalcamps/webster_county.htm

As you would guess, homes were heated by coal.

An early photo of the Historic J. D. Elder House, (Feb 8th post),

shows its TWO chimneys.

A later photo shows the LEFT chimney replaced.

The fireplaces were sealed and natural gas heaters installed in the 1950's.

There was no longer a need for the detached coal shed.

The Historic J. H. Slaton House, (Feb 11th post),

had a furnace in the basement - with coal delivered through

a coal chute near the front porch steps.

On our farm in Union County coal was delivered through the window shown behind our horse.

Providence Company Stores - Then and Now

There were two coal company stores on South Broadway,

on opposite sides of Bank Street.

Ruckman Store Company and Providence Mining Company are described in the
1912 Enterprise articles above.

The color photo, taken by me in 2004, shows the Ruckman site and

the remaining half of the Providence Mining Company Store.

W. B. Snow

This continues my series of profiles of Crittenden County Natives.

This 1912 Enterprise story shows W. B. Snow as an assistant bank cashier.

In 1940 the Enterprise had this ad for his Providence Ice & Fuel Company.

Juriah's Children

In an earlier post I mentioned that Juriah and J. D. Elder moved to Providence with their

five children. There is apparently no photo of all five siblings together.

The top photo, taken shortly after they moved in September 1910, shows (L to R):
Mary, Anna, Carl and Otto. Sadly, Carl died a few months later.

The next photo, taken about 1919, shows, (L to R):
Mary, Anna, Otto and Stella>

The bottom photo, taken in 1961, shows (L to R):

Stella, Otto, Anna and Mary.

Juriah's Trunk of Quilts

Due to reader interest in my post "Juriah's Elder's Quilt Collection",

I've pulled two more unquilted tops from my

late grandmother's hump-back trunk.

Quilt lovers refer to such patterns as:

CRAZY QUILTS

Siblings Gathered at J. H. Slaton House

This photo was taken about 1928 at a Slaton Reunion.

LEFT to RIGHT:

Lula Slaton Duncan

Mattie B. Slaton Pride

Joseph Henry Slaton

Lillie P. Slaton Williams

Charles Nathan Slaton

Mary Emma Slaton Williams

------------------------------------------------------------------------

Joseph’s siblings traveled to the reunion from Crittenden and Union Counties,
Nathan’s family and neighbors were enumerated in Union County 1930 Census:
Dwelling , Name, Relationship, Color, Age
454 SLATON, Nathan Head W 36
Net Wife W 33
Virginia Dau W 10

455 BELL M G Head W 43
Octavia Wife W 42
Vernon Son W 16

456 RICHARDS George Head neg 55
Bella Wife neg 39
Agnes dau neg 9
Georgia dau neg 8
Edith dau neg 7
Betty dau neg 5
Maude dau neg 1 3/12

Virginia Slaton attended the nearby Pride Elementary School (segregated).

The Richards daughters walked to their segregated school in Sturgis. Their father was a day laborer on the Slaton brothers’ farms. During periods of racial unrest, George was allowed to leave work early, so he could walk home to be with his family before dark.
The turbulent integration of the previously all white Sturgis school in 1956 was reported nationally.

http://www.wm.edu/hsi/cases/segregation/segregation_documents.html

Four Generations Gathered at J. H. Slaton House

LEFT to RIGHT:

James Briston Slaton (1845-1935), Father of

John Thomas Slaton (1869-1941), Father of

Joseph Henry Slaton (1898-1967), Father of

James Davis Slaton, My Brother.

A. E. Orr

Continuing my series of profiles of Crittenden County Natives.

Source: Providence (KY) Enterprise, August 13, 1912.

Lumber Companies

Two of the Crittenden County Natives opened lumber businesses.

Top Article, Frederic Lemon.

Source: Centennial Supplement of the Providence Enterprise, July 18, 1940.

Bottom Article, F. A. Casner.

Source: Providence (KY) Enterprise, August 13, 1912.

Jim Slaton in the 5th Grade

An earlier post (Feb 16) , Juriah Elder Celebrates Grandson's First Birthday,

shows Jim Slaton at the Historic J. D. Elder House on Cedar Street.

Later his parents and Jim moved to the Historic J. H. Slaton House on South Broadway.

He attended the nearby Broadway School, where he is pictured in the 5th grade.
Front row, 3rd from right.

He would walk past the school enroute to the store.
See comments on this post.


The D. L. Ford mentioned in this story was one of the
Crittenden County Natives identified in my January 25th post.


Sources: Family Files and Providence (KY) Enterprises, 1940 and 1912.

Early Providence Drug Stores

In my January 30th post, Providence Department Store, you learned prescriptions could be filled in their GROCERY department. You could have gone down Railroad Street to Baynhams, an "exclusive drug store".

If you went up the hill, to the corner of Main and Broadway, you would find Niswongers, opened in 1883.

Source: Providence (KY) Enterprise, August 13, 1912.

Patriot William Elder Fought at Kings Mountain

William Elder (1750-1808) fought at Kings Mountain (NC) on October 7, 1780.

Also serving in the War for Independence were his six brothers, two not surviving.

Four of the surviving brothers took a boat to Kentucky, as discussed in my earlier post.

Source of above map: Page 308, The Complete Idiot's Guide to The American Revolution.

Will of Alexander M. Henry

Alexander M. Henry was born March 16, 1793 in Virginia.

He represented Hopkins County(KY) in the Legislature in 1826-27.

He moved to UNION County in 1830, and settled near Caseyville,

where he died in 1849.

In Item 10 he bequested to grandson ALEX "one horse saddle and bridle...".

ALEX, brother of JOSEPH DIXON HENRY, was one of the brothers named in my post:

Five Union County Brothers...

For more posts on SLAVES in WesternKentucky,

visit my favorite blog at

http://wkygenealogy.blogspot.com/search/label/Slaves

Juriah Elder Celebrates Grandson's First Birthday

Eighty four years ago today Juriah Simpson Elder posed with

James Davis Slaton on his first birthday. They are shown in

front of the well secured detached garage of the

historic J. D. Elder House in Providence (KY).

James was born there !

Happy Birthday James !

Henry Reunion - 1956

Descendants of Joseph Dixon Henry used to meet for a reunion every year.
The last one I attended was in August 1956.
Henry descendants adding their comments to this post can be part of

Henry Reunion - 2008

Providence (KY) in 1912

I copied this article from the old Providence Enterprise

I cited in my Providence Department Store post on January 30th.

A few words are missing at the fold !

Would you like to more items from that issue ?

J. H. Slaton House - Then and Now

History of J. H. Slaton House:

This frame house was bought around 1926 by Joseph Henry Slaton, a partner with his father-in-law, J. D. Elder, in the Elder Drug Company. The J. D. Elder House and their drug store site are both registered as Kentucky Historic Structures. The Slaton House is adjacent to the historic Hicks House site of today’s Parker Warner Museum.
Around 1944 Mr. Slaton sold the house to then Providence Policeman John Sigler. John Sigler, and subsequently his widow, lived in the house for many years - thus its frequent reference today as the Sigler House. The house was later owned by the Providence Board of Education.

John Thomas Slaton and wife Effie Henry, one of the eleven children of
Civil War Veteran Joseph Dixon Henry, are shown in front of the home

of their son Joseph Henry Slaton.

When I was born there it was designated 428 1/2 South Broadway.