Those Places Thursday - "On the waters of Pitman Creek"

Continuing from last week (which you can read here), this is a summary of property owned by my Great Grandparents Cicero & Allie Bell in Kentucky.  Following are the deeds we found in the Pulaski County Clerk's office in Somerset.  I've extracted just the identifiable information from them to help locate the approximate area on a map and compare to a recorded history (which you can read here).  The last deed we found in Wayne County was dated November 21, 1904.

Deed dated June 20, 1905, Deed Book 58 Pg 534

Ferguson, Kentucky - click to enlarge

J. A. and Georgie A. Wood and Elizabeth J. Richardson (widow) sell to Allie Bell - just Allie - for $190 with $90 down and 2 payments of $50 at 6% interest, "Beginning at a stake on the corner of Walnut street and railroad avenue...", then it describes a lot about 140 x 149 feet.  A note written at the bottom says, "The note for which a lien was retained in the above deed having been paid in full, we hereby release same.  This Aug. 12, 1906."    

Sounds like a town lot to me.  Where a store might be. On this Google map, you can find Sinking creek on the west side of Ferguson and the X is at Railroad Dr and Walnut Street (on Google, if you zoom in closer it's marked).  Even though Uncle Oren says in his recorded history at this point that they moved to Somerset, I think this deed describes property in Ferguson, on the south side of Somerset.  "The farm was sold and we moved to Somerset.  Here father bought a general merchandise store." 

Deed dated September 20, 1905, Deed Book 58 Pg 533

Elizabeth J. Richardson (widow), John A. & Georgie A. Woods sell to Mrs. Allie Bell - again just Allie - for $300 in 3 installments at 6% interest, property "Beginning on a stake on the south side of Walnut street the corner of C. S. Bell's lot..."  then to 3 different stakes at points SW, SE, NE and back to the beginning, measuring 120 feet by 140 feet if I read it correctly.  Some additional property adjoining the lot they bought in June, maybe where a new home was built.

Next Oren says, "After about a year in the store, my father was dissatisfied with that and wanted to go back to the farm.  So the store was sold."

The store might not have lasted a full year.  It was at this point in Oren's history that he said they moved to Illinois for a while.  Before our trip I found a couple of articles in online newspapers, this one from the Lexington Herald dated March 23, 1906.  Uncle Oren didn't mention this.  Maybe this move to Mercer county was a short one, then they moved on to Illinois.  Or it's possible that he only invested in this farm and never lived there.  His brother John was in Boyle County in 1904, adjacent to Mercer county, maybe only a few miles away.  There's a deed to get someday in Mercer County.  I especially like "a well-known merchant" here.  

Lexington Herald, Friday, March 23, 1906

After living in Illinois for a while, Oren said they moved to Ferguson.  "After a few months, his earnings were sufficient to take us back to Kentucky... The folks settled in a little village south of Somerset known as Ferguson. ...my father worked in the railroad shop and in his spare time, built a new home in Ferguson."   On an old Sanborn map of Somerset from 1914 I found a big railroad yard noted as being 2 and 1/2 miles south of the courthouse.  The new home he mentioned was possibly the reason for them buying that second lot.  Next in chronological order, the following deed is for the Dutton farm on Pitman Creek that is north of Somerset. 

Deed dated March 11, 1907, Deed Book 61 Pg 100-101

R. O. & Cordelia Heath sell to Allie Bell - again just Allie - for $1950 cash in hand paid. "Two certain tracts or parcels of land situated in [Pulaski County] on the waters of Pitman Creek...".  "Beginning on a black oak and two hickories the old Dutton corner...",  "containing 40 acres more or less...".  Second tract "Beginning on a stone in or near Joe Dutton's line...", "to a hickory, Dutton's corner...", "now McPherson's corner...", "containing 72 acres more or less...".  

This deed fits at this point of Oren's history:  "But after a while, my father preferred the farm rather than the shop, so he sold his new home and bought another farm.  This time north of Somerset, about a mile and a half out of town.  It was known as the old Dutton farm..." and he goes on to say  "...it was here that Virgil and Stanley were born."  Grandpa was born August 1, 1907 and Virgil was born September 7, 1909.

Wayne County Outlook, Thursday, April 4, 1907

Here's a clipping from the Wayne County newspaper that mentions selling a store again, a year after the previous clipping.  The "Dock Heath farm" here refers to R. O. & Cordelia Heath.  Crab Orchard Pike goes north from Somerset to Crab Orchard.  I wonder if one of the cottages is the home Cicero built while he worked in the railroad shop.  Notice Allie gets credit for the sale in the deed, but not the newspaper.  The following deed agrees with this clipping.  

Deed dated March 13, 1907, Deed Book 61, Pg 271-272

Allie  & C. S. Bell sell to J. E. Tomlinson and Beecher Smith for $1950 cash in hand paid, "Two certain lots of ground...", "on the waters of Sinking Creek...".   The first lot is described as "on the south side of Walnut Street, the corner of C. S. Bell's lot...", "being same deeded to Allie Bell by John A. Woods et al, on the 20th day of September 1905...".   The second lot bounded "on the corner of Walnut Street and Railroad Avenue...", "being same lot deeded to Allie Bell by John A. Woods et al. on the 20th day of June, 1905..." .  The two places in Ferguson were sold.

Now from Oren's narration:  "After about 4 years, they sold the Dutton farm and bought another one not far away.  The farm was known as the old Tom Meece place."  

Deed dated January 31, 1910, Deed Book 66 Pg 503-504

G. P. & Sarah B. Sallee and A. J. & Kate S. Crawford sell to Allie Bell (only) "for and in consideration of exchange of lands, deeded this day...", "on the waters of Pitman Creek...", "first tract 25 acres more or less, conveyed to parties of the first part by John T. Meece and others...", "three certain tracts of land adjoining the first tract and all now constituting one farm".    This deed refers to a previous deed where the Sallee's and Crawford's bought the land from John T. Meece in May, 1907.  

Deed dated January 31, 1910, Deed Book 69 Pg 350

Allie & C. Bell sell to G. P. Sallee and A. J. Crawford.  $1050.00, $300.00 paid down, with one payment of $750 at 8% interest, for "a certain tract of land in Pulaski Co. Ky, on the waters of Pitman Creek...", "beginning on a black oak & two hickories, the old Dutton corner...", "containing 40 acres more or less."  and a "Second tract adjoining above and both constituting one farm..", "in or near Joe Dutton's line...", ""to a stone, now McPherson's corner...", "containing 72 acres more or less...".   This deed refers to the deed conveyed to Allie by R. O. Heath & wife March 11, 1907.   A trade of the two farms. 

North of Somerset, Kentucky - click to enlarge

Click on this map and you can find Pitman creek to the right of Hwy 39, which was called Crab Orchard Pike back then.  At the top of the map you'll see Crimson Dr, and on Find A Grave, a map of the Vaught Cemetery (mentioned in following deeds) shows it at the end of Crimson Dr.  

From Oren's narration this is when they leave Kentucky again:  "In the summer of 1910, the folks were on the move again.  They rented their farm, the old Tom Meece place, and I joined them and we moved to Oklahoma...". 

Deed dated November 23, 1911, Mortgage Book M-19 Pg 371

"I Allie Bell & husband Cicero Bell... being indebted to The Citizens Bank of Somerset...in the sum of Three Hundred Dollars...I hereby bargain, sell and convey, by way of mortgage, unto said Citizens Bank, the following described property, viz.:  Being the same land conveyed to Allie Bell on the 31st day of Jany, 1910 by G. P. Sallee & etc....".  A note at the bottom is written:  "The debt for which the above mortgage was given having been paid in full we hereby release same completely.  This Dec. 12th 1914."  Just a little bit of bank business.

Deed dated December 21, 1911, Deed Book 75 Pg 145

Ben P. & Lela E. Hines and Walter & Desda Elrod sell to Allie Bell.  $350.00, $100 down and balance in 4 payments at 8% interest.   "on the waters of Pitman creek...", "on a poplar now down at corner of fence at Grave yard...", "to a stone Meece's corner in Gipson line...", "to a stone A. Vaught & P. J. Meece corner...", "containing 30 acres more or less."  So, this deed is for the farm they bought after living in Kansas, as Oren said:   "After a year, my father was ready to go back to Kentucky.  So, they moved from Ionia back to Kentucky."  This would be the last farm they would buy in Kentucky. 

Deed dated November 9, 1914, Deed Book 75 Pg 24

Cicero & Allie Bell sell to Mrs. Anna Kipp for $1450.00 cash in hand paid.  "on the waters of Pitman Creek...", "at a poplar stump at the Vaught graveyard, old corner, thence old line between this farm and the Hines farm...", "corner between this farm and the Gilmore farm where Gilmore farm calls for a stake...", "to a small hickory, where deeds call for a stone, the South-east corner of the tract bought by J. T. Meece from Gilmores..." .   The land from the deed dated December 21, 1911.  After this sale they paid off the mortgage from November 1911.  And back to Kansas they went.

Deed dated February 16, 1917 Deed Book 78 Pg 26

"..we Allie Bell and C. Bell who having deeded to G. P. Sallee and A. J. Crawford... on the 31st day of Jany, 1910... whereas a lien was retained in said deed to secure an unpaid balance of $750.00 and the debt having been fully paid, now we... do hereby name, constitute and appoint V. P. Smith of Somerset, Ky. our lawful atourney in fact, to release the said lien in the said deed to us, and to do all acts pertaining thereto, that may be necessary for the releasing and satisfying the said lien as fully as we might do ourselves were we present in person."  A Power of Attorney, signed by J. G. McLinn, Notary Public of Mitchell County, Kansas was sent to the Pulaski County Clerk, C. M. Langdon which he recorded on the 24th day of March, 1917.  By this time, Cicero & Allie had moved their family out of Kentucky for the last time.

Somerset, Kentucky

It's interesting to me that when Cicero & Allie are the Grantee's (buyers), the deeds are in Allie's name only.  When they are the Grantor's (sellers), he is named with along her.  There must have been a reason for that.  Another thing - I have always thought that Cicero's middle initial was C. not S., and I've never seen what the initial stands for.  Maybe it's Silas?  Cicero's Grandfather was John Silas Bell.

Uncle Oren's memory was fantastic!  I took his recorded history as a challenge to find these deeds.  Now I can piece together a better timeline of the places where my Great Grandparents raised their family.  I can better visualize, at least on a map, the approximate locations of their farms and the store.  With this information now maybe I can find out the name of the store.  This doesn't end here, but this is all for now.

Those Places Thursday - "On the waters of Meadow Creek"

Monday, I posted the transcription of Bell family history (you can read it here), including mentions of several places bought and sold by Cicero Bell 1900 through 1910 or so.  On vacation this summer, I was able to visit the court houses in Monticello and Somerset Kentucky to look for deeds for these properties.  I give full credit to my husband for finding several and helping me get them. My experience in court house work is limited since they aren’t open on weekends.  Our first stop was the courthouse in Monticello for the Wayne county deeds.

Deed dated August 28, 1901, Deed Book 35 Pg 173-174

The heirs of Berry Rogers were the sellers (E. R. & Mattie VanHoozer, R. & H. A. Meadows, D. B. & Margaret Morris, John & Lizzie Chrisman, H. C. Rogers, David & Diza Rogers, Hettie & Edgar Matchett, John & Martha Rogers, W. B. & Eliza Jane White, G. W. & Mattie Rogers, Lenora & Rilley Correll, Barbara & H. M. Eads, Noah & Catherine Rogers, B. R. & Mollie Creekmore).  They conveyed to Allie (Allie mentioned first) & Cicero Bell, land in Wayne County, Kentucky "on the Monticello & Burnside Pike".  This image shows the confusing mess of compass points that is the metes & bounds system to describe the tract of land.  So different from the square sections we're used to in Nebraska.  To determine the exact location takes much more time, effort and information than I have now.  But the names of their neighbors and some landmarks mentioned are worth noting -  John Simpson's corner on the north side of pike, the old Daugherty line, school house, Tate's corner, J. C. Rogers corner, Dick's line, C. T. Willhite's corner, Tolegate lot, a coal house. Those will help if I ever work more to find the locations. 

So, this matches well with Oren's history: "we moved to a new farm which was located on the turnpike between Monticello and Burnside... and settled near Mill Springs...  This new farm was known as the Rogers farm.  Here we lived for a period of about 4 years.  During that period, Ben and Ed were born." 

We found more deeds than I expected, but later I realized there were two we didn't find.  The sale of the first farm that had belonged to Allie and her first husband.  Also, we didn't find a sale of the Rogers farm, unless the following deeds sold off portions of it and the original description no longer applies.  

Deed dated November 12, 1902, Deed Book 33 Pg 293-294

Cicero and Allie Bell sell to G. M. Muncy and R. F. Sloan "for the purpose of a joint road running from the Pike over the lands of first and second parties hereto to the lands of C. T. Willhite on Meadow Creek".  Some of the description includes:  "Beginning at a cedar on the south side of the Pike, J. C. Rogers corner...", mentioning Roger's corner several times, and "to a Hickory sd Roger's corner on Tate line...".  

Deed dated November 12, 1902, Deed Book 35 Pg 363-364

C. T. & Elzira Willhite sell to Cicero Bell and J. W. Bell (his brother John) "land in the County of Wayne, State of Kentucky, on the waters of Meadow Creek".  The description includes "Beginning at a small Sourwood, Millers corner on Muncy line..."  and "in the middle of Meadow Creek, then down the creek with the meanders thereof..." and it describes every twist and turn of the creek.  Coming to "a stone on north side of sd creek (Shearer's corner), then Shearer's line...", "to a stake on sd line, Miller's corner, then Miller's line...to the beginning".  

Deed dated April 16, 1904, Deed Book 35 Pg 474-475 

J. W. & Lizzie Bell and County of Boyle, State of Kentucky sell to Cicero & Allie Bell their part of the land bought in 1902.  It is the same description of land.  Looks like John and Lizzie were living in Boyle County at this time.

Deed dated November 21, 1904, Deed Book 36 Pg 349-350

Cicero & Allie sell their Wayne County farm to J. W. Simpson "it being the same tract of land conveyed to said Cicero & Allie Bell from J. W. Bell and wife by deed date of April 16, 1904."  

Downtown Monticello, Kentucky

These were all the deeds we found listed in the index for Cicero or Allie Bell.  After we left the courthouse, we went right next door to the Wayne County Historical Society.  Knowing there was a slim chance, I asked a woman there if they could give us an idea where the land was and showed her the deeds and the transcription of Oren's history.  As she was reading, she gasped and told another woman that the deeds were for property on Meadow Creek.  It just so happened that the Willhite's and Muncy's were her family.  She was able to tell us about where the property was - south of Mill Springs if I understood her correctly.

Before we left Monticello, we took a quick tour of the Wayne County Museum, then went on to Mill Springs.  The Brown-Lanier House wasn't open, but we walked down to the Mill.  Then we just drove around that area for a little bit.  

Next I will post the deeds we found in Somerset.

Those Places Thursday - Grandma Bell's House

Obviously I'm not an architect, but that is the floor plan of my maternal Grandparent's house as I remember it.  Certainly not to scale or proportioned well.  It's the farm house Stan and Vi Bell moved into years before I was born.  I have vague memories of Grandpa there before he died.  Grandma lived there until I was in my teens, then she moved into town.  So my memories of this house are from my childhood.

The front door was on the North, the East side of the house faced the road.  There was an honest-to-goodness real American white picket fence that went most of the way around the yard.  The front porch was enclosed and pine wood lined the inside walls.  I remember the "secretary" desk that was kept in that room, I thought all the little cubbies in it were so cool.  There was a window between the front porch and the living room like the porch had been added on later.  

This was the living room.  Maybe the furniture was new here so they took a picture.  That looks like the sofa bed I slept in a few times.  It was a burgundy red color.  The guy who got cut off there sitting in the rocking chair is my Grandpa in his bib overalls.  That chair is either red or blue, there was one of each color and I have them both.  I also have the picture above the couch.  It's a "Helmscene" and lights up - you can see the cord.  It still works!  Grandma also had a lamp with a shade that had a forest fire scene which turned making it look realistic.  My sister has that.  The coffee table and end tables originally belonged to Grandma's brother and sister-in-law.  Each piece has a glass top; the coffee table glass has been broken and replaced at least once that I know of.  One of my brothers had this set for a while, then my sister, now a cousin has it.  

There's a bedroom behind the wall there and the kitchen is just to the right.  That's the fridge behind Grandpa.  There's a heating stove beside him and then another door into the kitchen.  For family dinners, a table was set up there in the living room.  Most likely a few people still ate in the kitchen.  The food, I'm sure, was fabulous, but food has never been my favorite thing.  I liked scalloped corn, and Grandma always had it.  Dinner rolls were what I was known for eating  and they were best at Grandma's because she had REAL butter to put on them!

I remember Grandma having a wood cook stove and using it some, but she also had a modern stove that she used more.  There wasn't much counter space, only about 3 feet, to the left of the stove.  The table was in front of a big window looking out into the back yard, left of that was the fridge.  Between both doors into the living room was the cook stove, then the sink was between the Pantry and bathroom doors.  That bathroom door was where I remember my brother getting a tooth pulled once.  Someone tied one end of a string to the closed door and the other end to my brother's loose tooth, then opened the door.  

Along with canned goods, paper supplies and the washer & dryer, the Pantry was where the bird cage was kept.  I had almost completely forgotten about Grandma's parakeet, I think his name was Sam.  She taught him to say "Sam (?) is a dirty bird."  She didn't have him very long.

The pool room was a bedroom before my time, but I only remember it with the pool table in it.  It was fun as kids to roll the balls around on the table - until one of them smashed a small finger that was holding onto the side.

The East porch was originally a screen porch which you can see a little of in the black & white photo taken in February, 1960.  (And a little of the picket fence).  But I remember it like in the color photo which was taken the day of the sale in September, 1991.  Grandma's old treadle sewing machine was kept in there I think.  Again, she had a modern sewing machine too.  I have a vague memory of playing the card game Crazy 8's in that room for some reason.  We used to play that game quite a bit, I don't know why my visual is of playing in that room.  For most of the years I remember, that room was used generally for storage. 


A porch swing hung from a tree in the yard on the north side of the house and a tire swing in another tree.  There was a barbecue that Grandpa had made, out of concrete I think.  Out in the southeast corner of the yard there was a can in the ground like a golf hole.  I don't remember ever seeing anyone practice putting out there.  We used to play croquet sometimes.

The house is gone now.  My cousin posted pictures on Facebook of it being torn down.  They were so sad to see.  It's been years since I was inside.  My crude floor plan may not be perfect. In my mind I know it's just an average Nebraska farmhouse.  In my heart it was not average, it was Grandma Bell's house.

Those Places Thursday - Bonaparte, Iowa

Bonaparte is an historic little town alongside the Des Moines river in the southeast corner of Iowa.  My ancestors, the Clemie's, lived in the area from about 1850 to 1865.  I was able to visit there on my way to Illinois earlier this month.  Many of the buildings in town are marked with "National Register of Historic Places" plaques, although sadly many of them sit empty.

Bonaparte's Retreat was a very nice quiet restaurant with antiques everywhere.  It had a great atmosphere, great food and great service. They don't play the song while you dine, but somehow I still got it stuck in my head.  The building was once a Grist Mill, the water wheel is still there.  We had lunch there on a Thursday and business was good.  

There was a very nice little park next to Bonaparte's Retreat, right along the river.

Unfortunately, this big old building no longer houses an antique store.  I hope this quaint little town can pull through its economic slump.

Those Places Thursday - Cumberland Lake

Somewhere along Hwy 127 I took this photo of Cumberland Lake in 1996.  Wolf Creek Dam which created Cumberland Lake was completed in 1951.  The US Army Corps of Engineers moved some cemeteries before the land was flooded, but they weren't aware of all burials.  Some were unmarked, others were on private land.  David Bell, my 4th Great Grandfather died in 1818 and was buried somewhere under what is now Lake Cumberland. David was married to Mary "Polly" Adair and their son John Silas Bell was Martha Bell's father, my 3rd Great Grandfather.