My Garden of Stone

Felix G. Walker
My 2nd Great Grandfather.
Born in 1836 in Breckinridge, Co. Kentucky.


Felix married Rosina Pate in 1856. They had one son. Rosina died in 1857.


Felix remarried in 1858 to Margaret Lenora Pate (Not sure if the two Pates were related) . They would go on to have 5 children including my Great Grandmother, Mary Effie Walker.

Felix died in 1874 at 37 years old.  He was laid to rest at the Walker Cemetery, Breckinridge County, Kentucky.

Jacob S. Gedling


Jacob was one of 3 Gedling boys who fought in the Civil War. Samuel and Joseph came home, Jacob didn't.

Jacob enlisted as a Private on 16 August 1864 at the age of 18 in Company F, 8th Cavalry Regiment Ohio.

Jacob was captured by Confederate troop during the Battle of Beverly Virginia (Today West Virginia). http://www.historicbeverly.org/rossraid.htm

On the morning of Jan. 11, 1865, between 3 and 4 o'clock, the enemy under Gen.Rosser attacked and surprised the camp of the 8th Ohio cavalry and the 34th Ohio infantry, at Beverly, killed 5 men, wounded 20 and captured 583. The captured men were taken to Richmond, Va., where they were held as prisoners until Feb. 15, 1865.

Civil War Pension filed by Jacobs mother.....Or is it? I had her passing away in 1860....hmmmmmm?

Robert R Elder, a 1st cousin 2x removed.
Robert served in WW2 in the Marine Corps. Records show he was wounded but I have yet to find out when and where.

William H. Burgess.
William was in A Co. 12 Minnesota INF. During the Spanish American War. The 12th never saw action and only  got a far as Georgia.
William was a musician and the 1900 census shows him living in Bloomington, Ill. working as a Opera Singer.

I'd like to think that Great Grand Uncle William is in this photo.

(The Burgess family in on my Mother's side)

Charles Walker 2nd Cousin 2x Removed.

Charles was killed in Villiers Fossard, Normandy, France. 23 days after D-Day.

Charles F Walker

I hope Daddy has the answers now.

A few year back before my father passed away, I asked him about his growing up in Indiana. He told me ....

"I grew up in Kentucky".
 
"But I thought it was Indiana".

"Son, I lived with my grandpa and grandma 'til I was about 7 or 8"

"Why"

"I don't know".

Dad was living with his mothers parents in Cloverport Ky. when they took the 1940 census.

Rest of the family were in Cannelton, Indiana. (youngest brother Carl is on the next page of the census)

The country was coming out of the depression, Grandpa Paul made about $ 500 in wages the previous year with rent on the house at $12 a month. Was feeding 6 kids too much for them?

Dad's grandfather, Joseph Gedling.

Joe was hard working Kentuckian. He had worked in timber, as a boiler maker at the L&N Railroad shop. and as a Engine-man at  Lock and Dam 45 in Addison Ky. In 1932 Joe lost a leg in a work related accident for which he drew 30.00 per month from the Government.

Was grandparents Joe and Spicie better off to take care of Dad?  My Dad never had the answer and I don't think he ever looked or asked about it.

Great Grandfather Arthur Owen

Arthur is Grandma Zoll's Father

 

Arthur was born in 1877 in Kansas, The 1880 census shows the family in Island City, Union Co. Oregon.

On June 21 1900 he married Annie Blodgett Brodnax. She had married a James Brodax on May 11 1899. The 1900 census lists Annie as a Widow with daughter Clara living with her father, Phillip Blodgett in Round Mountain, Shasta Co., California. How James died is not known, I haven't found anymore information on him.

Arthur is listed as living next door to Annie in the 1900 census.

Arthur is listed as a Day Laborer in the 1900 census, A Teamster in the 1910, a Farmer in the 1920 and a Laborer with the California State Highway in 1930.

Arthur and Annie had 7 children, Bertha Mae, Frank L., Mary Alice,  Henrietta, Albert, Ernie, And Anna June.

 

Bertha Mae

 

Frank L.

Mary Alice with Mother Annie

Anna June

In 1945, Wife Annie passed away. She was laid to rest at the IOOF Cemetery in Crescent City CA. Sadly I found that her head stone has been  lost to time.

After retirement, Arthur spent his time building boats.

Arthur passed away 17 Sept. 1957.

He was laid to rest at the IOOF Cemetery in Crescent City, CA.

Old Family Videos

Gedling Side of the Family

Charles William Gedling 1904-1989, My Grandmother, Celestine Sadonia (Sissy) Gedling 1905-1989, Katherine Lucille Gedling 1909-1960, Carl O. (Smokey) Gedling 1911-1974.

 Joseph Renford Gedling Jr. 1877-1949. Father of the 4 above. My Great Grandfather.

Thank to Carlene Gedling Barnard for these photos.

Great Great Grandmothers

 

On the left is  Margaret Lenora Pate Walker Taul, Mother of my Great Grandmother, Mary Effie Walker Elder. Margaret was born  in Uniontown, KY. in 1840. In 1858 she married Felix Walker. They had 6 children with my Great Grandmother being the youngest. Felix Died in in 1874 and Margaret remarried the next year to Samuel Taul.  Margaret spent most of her life in Breckinridge Co. Ky and passed away 7 May 1926.

On the right is Martha Jane Beavin Elder, Mother of my Great Grandfather, John William Elder.
Martha was born in Meade Co. KY. on 24 Aug. 1840. In the 1860 census I found her working as a domestic for the Williams family in Spencer Co. Indiana.
Martha married Charles Coomes Elder on 16 Nov. 1862 in Breckinridge Co. KY. She passed away 6 June 1920 and was laid to rest at Saint Romuald Cemetery in Cloverport, Ky.

Thanks to Keith Dulac for the photo.

Great Grandparents John and Mary Elder

John William and Mary Effie Walker Elder with Father Frank Ward at St. Rose Catholic church in Cloverport, KY. on John and Mary's 67th wedding anniversary. 24 Feb 1953.

 

Mary Effie.

John William with his son Charles Layton Elder. Charles Layton moved his family to Kansas sometime in the  late 1920's. His first wife, Viola Mae Basham died in 1922 in Stephensport, Kentucky.

Charles then married Eva Katherine Gibson in 1924 and the family shows up in the 1925 Kansas state census.

Charles was a farmer, At the time of his death in 1968 Charles had 51 grandchildren and 44 great-grandchildren.

  Charles and his mother Mary Effie in 1938.

 

John William in 1937.

Thanks to my distant cousin Lyle DuLac for these photos.