Toledo Blade
May 5, 2013Patricia Gangwer Mayeux, who worked for six university presidents at Bowling Green State University, passed away in Wood County Hospital on Wednesday, May 1, 2013, at the age of 91. She was admitted to the hospital on Tuesday, April 30, 2013, after becoming ill at her residence. She suffered for years from complications related to Parkinson's disease.
Patricia was born on December 16, 1921, in Wilsey, Morris County, Kansas and was the only child of Judson Earl and Lena Cora (Fay) Gangwer. Her father died when Patricia was a young adult and her mother passed away in Bowling Green in 1973.
At the age of 71, she married Murray Mayeux, a widower and father of six from Somerset County, PA in 1993. They met in an Elderhostel program at West Virginia University in 1992. He preceded her in death in Bowling Green on April 24, 2010. They lived at 877 Carol Rd. before moving to the Heritage Health Care campus in 2008.
Patricia was graduated from Emporia, KS High School in 1939 and from Emporia State University in 1946 with a major in Business and minors in English and French.
She began her career prior to graduating as Secretary to the President of Emporia State, a position she held until 1951, when she moved to Washington, D.C. There she served as an editorial assistant with the National Commission on Teacher Education and Professional Standards of the National Education Association, where she worked with Dr. Ralph J. McDonald, who became BGSU's fourth President in 1951.
Patricia started her long association with BGSU as Administrative Assistant to President McDonald on January 1, 1952, a position she held throughout Dr. McDonald's tenure. She briefly assisted BGSU President Ralph G. Harshman before returning to Washington, D.C. in 1962 to work again for the NEA. She then became an assistant to the Akron, OH Superintendent of Schools, Martin Essex in 1963.
She returned to Bowling Green in 1964, at the invitation of BGSU's sixth President, Dr. William T. Jerome, where she worked with Donald LeLong in the Office of Institutional Research and Planning. With the appointment of Dr. Hollis A. Moore as President of BGSU in July 1970, she became Administrative Assistant to the President and specialized in correspondence, data collecting and analysis, and speech writing.
Upon the death of President Moore in 1981, she worked with Interim President, Dr. Michael R. Ferrari, before becoming Secretary of the Presidential Search and Screening Committee. She then assisted the newly appointed BGSU President, Dr. Paul J. Olscamp, before retiring in 1983. Of particular interest to her was working with the officers of the Faculty Senate on revisions to the Faculty Charter. From 1983 until 1988, she served on a part time basis as a researcher in the Office of Alumni and Development.
Patricia was named an Honorary Alumnus of BGSU in 1988 and established a scholarship program for an outstanding student in the University's Creative Writing program.
She was a member of the First Presbyterian Church since 1957 and was a devoted member of the Shakespeare Roundtable from 1988 until she became an Associate member in 2001. She was also active in Wood County Hospital Guild.
There are no immediate survivors except for four living stepchildren. She was assisted in recent years by longtime, close personal friends and university colleagues, Anne Weaver, of Columbus, OH and Dick Edwards of Bowling Green and his wife, Nadine.
Patricia Mayeux often expressed deep appreciation for the loving support from the members of First Presbyterian Church, the many cards and notes from friends and former colleagues, and remembrances by members of St. Aloysius Catholic Church, where her husband attended, and by its Priest, Fr. Mark Davis. She was especially grateful for the excellent care administered by the staff of The Sterling House of Bowling Green.
Quotes by Dick Edwards, former BGSU colleague and now Mayor of BG: "Pat was a consummate professional. She was totally trustworthy. She never met a misplaced modifier or an incorrect punctuation mark that she liked. In terms of fact-finding, she could always find the proverbial 'needle in the haystack.' She loved BGSU and Bowling Green as a place to live and work. With her passing will go a huge amount of BGSU history, the purse my lips variety."
Quote by Clif Boutelle, Retired Director of Public Relations, BGSU: "I frequently worked with Pat and was always impressed with her efficiency. I never had to ask her too many questions as she always seem to anticipate what I needed for the stories we were preparing about the University. She also had a great deal of institutional memory that was quite helpful. She simply was a delight to work with."
The Alexandria Gazette Packet (VA)
May 6, 2010Murray Louis Mayeux, age 90, of Bowling Green, Ohio died Saturday, April 24 at Heritage Inn in Bowling Green. Mr. Mayeux is survived by his wife, Patricia Gangwer Mayeux, five children , John Charles Mayeux, Beatrice Mayeux Dewing, Michael Britt Mayeux, Lucie Ellen Mayeux, and Amy Louise Mayeux, and three grandchildren: Joy Elizabeth Dewing, Melissa Mary Dolan and Justin Dale Dolan. A funeral mass will be held on Tuesday at St. Aloysius Church, 140 S. Enterprise St. in Bowling Green.
Mr. Mayeux , a native of New Orleans, grew up in Marksville, La. He served in the Navy in World War II as a signals officer escorting merchant ships across the Atlantic. He achieved the rank of colonel in the Air Force Reserve while serving as industrial security officer for the Department of Defense in Washington D.C. He and his first wife, Elizabeth Britt Mayeux, met while studying at Catholic University in Washington DC and raised their five children in Alexandria, and in Brussels, Belgium where Mr. Mayeux was assigned to the NATO office of the US DOD.
He retired in 1979 and after the death of his first wife in 1990, he lived on his farm near Springs, Pa., where he joined the Lions Club in Salisbury. He moved to Bowling Green on his marriage to Patricia Gangwer in 1993. Pat and Murray were Friends of the Library and founding donors to Simpson Gardens. They volunteered with Bowling Green City Parks and Recreation Foundation, Bridge Hospice and Meals on Wheels. Mr. Mayeux was also active in the Exchange Club in Bowling Green.
State (South Carolina)
July 5, 1913Laurens, July 4 - News of the death several days ago at Winona, Miss., of Benjanin F. Ballew, a native of this city and for eight years sherrif of the county, from 1884 to 1892, has been recived in Laurens. He has been living in Mississippi the past few years.
30009. Judge Thomas Hickman Williams Barrett
Clarion Ledger
June 6, 1921Judge T. H. W. Barrett, well known and esteemed christian gentleman, died here today at 4 o'clock following an illness which had extended over almost a year but which serious for only about two months.
Judge Barrett, who was 77 years of age, was born near Jackson but has lived in Edwards for the past fifty years and has held the office of Mayor a number of times as well as having been Justice of the Peace of this district several times, He served all through the war between the states as a member of Ratliff's famous battery.
The deceased was a man who will be be missed by his host of friends and admirees since he was a prominent Mason, a consistent member of the Baptist Church and a man who was always interested in any movement to build up his community and state.
He leaves eleven children who live in different parts of the country.
51939. Judge Thomas Hickman Barrett
Barrett-Clower House, Gulfport
Before Katrina, the Barrett-Clower House at 424 E. Beach Blvd. in Gulfport was known as the oldest home in the city, being built in 1834.
Originally built by a family from Clinton, the antebellum home was one of a few vacation mansions built before the settlement of Gulfport.
In 1901, Thomas Hickman Barrett was appointed to Gulfport by the governor of Mississippi to serve as judge and bought the 3-acre homesite from the original owners. Catherine Clower Thornhill, granddaughter of Judge and Minnie Barrett, said her grandparents were first settlers here.
The home was later sold to daughter Olive Barrett and her husband, Thomas Simeon Clower, parents of Catherine, in 1930.
Covered with large oaks and magnolia trees, the property was dotted with many camellia bushes cultivated by Tom and Olive.
Though Katrina destroyed the large house, family and friends will remember the beautiful spiraling staircase and tall ceilings. The large, middle foyer was surrounded by massive bedrooms. The first and second floors presented large outdoor galleries extending the length of the home where the Gulf breeze was easily accessible and the view of the Gulf beautiful, according to Catherine.
Plans are pending for the future of the property, which is shared among five Clower heirs. Catherine, who lost her Southern style cottage next door to "4-2-4," where many family gatherings were shared between the two homes, said, "I knew after Katrina that my home was gone, but I plan to return to my birthsite."
Catherine remembered the plaque that hung at her cottage that simply said, "bon temps," the French expression for "good times." She will be sure the family who lost its heritage home will have a place to gather for many more of those good times.
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The Daily Herald
September 13, 1917
GulfportAt its meeting last Saturday the Harrison County Bar Association adopted resolutions in honor of Judge T. H. Barrett, which well express the esteem in whivh this citizen was held in Gulfport. The resolutions were ordered spread on the minutes of the circuit court, and the Daily Herald takes pleasure in reproducing them in full.
Death has again invaded the ranks of the Bar, and remove therefrom one of its brightest members. Thomas H. Barrett, Judge of the Circuit Court of this District died at San Antonio, Texas, on the 12th day of June 1917 after an illness of some months.
Judge Barrett was born in Hinds county, Mississippi, in 1875 - after attending the common schools of that county and also at Laurens S. C., he garduated from the Law Department of the University of Mississippi in 1896 and began the practice of his profession at Edwards in Hinds county where he remained until 1902, when he moved to Gulfport; at once taking high rank at the bar of this thriving place.
In 1910 he was appointed judge of the circuit court by Governor Noel, which position he held for one term, retiring in 1914 on account of his health.
In 1900 he was married to Miss Minnie Chichester, who with six children survive him.
Judge Barrett was an accomplished lawyer and an excellant judge, essentially fair and courteous in all his dealings with the bar and litigants and after his retirement from the circuit bench, he continued the practice of his profession in Gulfport until his death. He was a kind and indulgent father and an excellant citizen. Added to all these, he was a fine Christian gentleman and consistent member of the Baptist Church in which faith he had been reared.
Los Angeles Times
San Francisco, Nov. 1. (AP)Richard W. Barrett, chairman of the board of Athletic Control at Stanford University, died here today from an illness which developed after he attended a recent barbecue for former Stanford graduate managers. He was 57 years of age.
Barrett was associated with his brother, Don Carlos Barrett, in law practice here, and was also prominent in Republican politics. He had been for many years legislative representative for the San Francisco Chamber of Commerce.
The State
August 6, 1903Laurens, Aug 5. - The remains of Mr. Wistar N. Wright, whose death occurred at Pacolet Monday, were brought here yesterday afternoon for burial. The Rev. Robert Adams of the First Presbyterian church conducted the services.
Mr. Wright resided in this city, until about a year ago, for a number of years and was a most highly esteemed citizen. Several months ago he accidently stuck an awl in his leg just above the knee from which blood poisoning developed. He lingered, however, and friends and acquaintances here manifested much anxiety in his very sad affliction throughout his illness.
A widow, four sons, Thomas W. Wright of Inman, Perry and Cordelle Wright of Pacolet, and Dr. Barrett Wright of Atlanta, and two daughters, Mrs. Rhett Macomson and Miss Lucille Wright of Pacolet, survive him.
The State (South Carolina)
March 30, 1914Laurens, March 29, - ThomasW. Wright, formerly superintendent of the Laurens cotton mills and a well known mechanical engineer, was accidently killed at St. Petersburg, Fla., where he was superintending the installation of the city waterworks plant for a Northern concern. The body will be brought here for burial Tuesday. The particulars of his accidental death are unknown.
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The State (South Carolina)
April 2, 1914Laurens, April 1, - The remains of Thomas W. Wright, the well known mechanical engineer, whose untimely death from violence occurred at St. Petersburg, Fla., last Friday night, were brought to Laurens yesterday afternoon and interred in the family plot in the Laurens cemetery. The burial services were conducted by Rev. C. F. Rankin and the Rev. J. R. T. Major, pastors of the Presbyterian and Methodist churches, respectively. The body was accompanied from St. Petersburg by the mother of the deceased, his wife and two children, and two of his brothers, Dr. Barrett Wright of Montgomery, Ala., and C. W. Wright of Chessnee, Spartanburg county. Perry Wright of Anderson, another brother, and Mrs. M. R. Macomson of Spartanburg, a sister joined the family here.
C. W. Wright and his mother went at once to St. Petersburg upon being informed of the tragedy, leaving Spartanburg Friday night. They were joined at St. Petersburg by Dr. Wright Saturday night.
The Messrs. Wright brought the first paticulars known here of the circumstances of their brothers death. He was killed by a negro employee, who struck Mr. Wright with a piece of inch and a quarter pipe, following an altercation which arose over the negro's failure to carry out some orders as to the work being done. Mr. Wright was struck just behind the right ear, the blow rendering him unconscious. He was removed at once to the hospital, where he expired eight hours later.
Mr. Wright was superintending the installation of the lighting plant at St. Petersburg for the Erie City Iron works of Erie, Pa., and employed a large number of hands. The fatal difficulty occurred at the outskirts of the city and the negro was spirited away to another county at once.
Mr. Wright was the eldest son of Mr. and Mrs. Wister Wright and was born and reared here. When quite a young man he took a special engineering course at Cornell and was later offered and accepted the place of instructor of mechanical engineering at Clemson college, the first instructor in this department at that institution. Later he was superintendent of the Laurens cotton mills and a mill in Spartanburg and later one at Montgomery, Ala. For the past five years he has been with the Erie Iron works. He was 48 years of age. His wife was Miss Hariette Laney of Augusta, Ga.
Marriage Notes for William Perry Wright and Minnie Lee Dukes
MARRIAGE:
The State
November 30, 1900
Mr. Perry Wright and bride nee Minnie Dukes of Branchville, whose marria
ge occurred this week, are in the city visiting Mr. Wright's parents on East Main street.
Spartanburg Herald and Herald Journal
Obituaries, 1933MACOMSON, M.R.
62, Saxon, h/o Mae Wright Macomson, 6�16�33 p. 7_____
Unknown newspaperFuneral services for M. R. Macomson, 62, for the last 27 years superintendent of Saxon Mills, who died at a local hospital yesterday afteroon following an illness of three weeks, ...
Mr. Macomson was one of the best known textile officials in this section.
He is survived by his widow, Mrs. Mae Wright Macomson; four sons, Edwin, M. R. Jr., Wright and Perry Macomson, all of Saxon; three daughters, Mrs. Harry Ellerbee, of this city, Miss Margaret Mcomson, of New York City, and Miss Anne Macomson, of Saxon; one sister, Miss Macomson of High Point, N. C. and one granddaughter, Nancy Rhett Ellerbee of this city.
LEGEND OF THE SOUTH
A southern woman�s memoir of a by-gone era
By CORNELIA BARRETT LIGONWhen the South seceded from the Union in 1860, I, Cornelia Barrett Ligon, was a child of Dixie in my early teens. At the close of the war, in 1865, I was a woman. I had lived a thousand years in five. I can close my eyes and live over the verbal conflicts preceding the firing of the gun at Fort Sumter, which precipitated the war. I can see the battles raging, the dead and dying, andmost terrible of allthe wounded and maimed who lived to die a hundred deaths.
My father, Oliver Barrett, died in 1857. He left his family a large estate: plantations, a town house and other real estate in Jackson, Mississippi, Negroes, and gold.
My mother possessed a remarkable amount of executive ability for a southern woman, and when father died she spent most of her time on the plantation five miles from Jackson which was the hub of the estate. She had well-trained overseers, and things moved on fairly well under her management until the war came.
Newstead was the name of our plantation, though frequently it was referred to as the Barrett Plantation, when in 1835 my father brought my mother. Sallie Walton, home from Newton, Mississippia bride fourteen years old.
Newstead was a typical home of the early days. The rooms were large, and wide halls ran four ways. The ceilings were high and the windows reached to the floor. The huge white columns supporting the front gallery stood out like sentinels guarding the entrance. The banquet hall could comfortably accommodate fifty or more guests. Large fireplaces in every room readily took six-foot logs.
To the right of the home there was a guest house of two large rooms. On the left there was an office building, where officials of the plantation transacted their business and kept records. All buildings were painted white, while the window blinds were a dark green. A long, low brick-and-glass greenhouse rambled down near a white picket fence that enclosed the yard. Here the rarest of plants blossomed the year around. The house servants quarters were well to the rear of the home, as was the smokehouse, where delicious hams, sausage, and bacon were cured.
Stables and barns were far removed from the dwelling places, and the Negro quarters were quite a piece down a lane which led to the cotton fields. Their quarters were a miniature residential section within themselves.
I had a married sisterMrs. Perry Wrightwhose plantation, Eureka, was several miles from Newstead. My sister Lucy and I attended a private boarding school in Jackson and my brother. Thomas William Hickman Barrett, was a student at Mississippi College at Clinton. Although only fifteen years old, Brother Thomas joined the Mississippi Rifles and was among the first to go into active service. My brother remained in active servicewithout being woundedthroughout the war. When hostilities started our school in Jackson closed. Then my mother placed Sister Lucy and me in the Central Female Institute at Clinton.
With the call to arms, every southern man volunteered. All of our overseers joined the army, and soon followed the exodus of most of the slaves. With the coming of battles on our own soil, bedlam reigned. In 1863 the Federal Army moved repeatedly across the area between Jackson and Vicksburg and repeatedly visited Newstead.
When my mother would hear of the Federals approach she would send to Clinton, which was five miles from the plantation, for Sister Lucy and me. At first she would send one of our fine carriages, drawn by two of the most beautiful horses the South could produce. Later, when all of her fine horses were confiscated by the Yankees, she was compelled to send a little Negro with a wobbly old horse and a nude. I would ride the nude, much to the merriment of my school chums.
Sister Kate was not in good health, and once when news came that a raid was approaching. Mother went to see about her. The Yankees came sooner than was expected. I was left in the care of an old Negro servant, and when I looked out in the front yard and saw a cavalry squadron riding into the beautiful flower beds. I was frightened.
On seeing me, the captain rode up to our front steps with a civil greeting. I told him how sorry my mother would be about the destruction of her flowers and asked him to spare what was left of them. He immediately gave orders and the soldiers rode into the walks and driveways. Then the captain dismounted and came to where I was standing on the gallery. He asked me many questions in a gentlemanly manner. I was shy and reticent and he saw that I did not know the answers. Finally he asked me to give him something to read and I gave him a little Bible. He then gave orders to his men and they rode away without any further destruction.
But later on in the day other cavalry appeared, over-flowing both yard and a thirty-acre lawn which the house faced. Everywhere I looked I could see Yankee soldiers. Of course our yard and lawn were ruined. They did not attempt to enter the house, and in the meantime Mother returnedwalking. She had left in a carriage. but some Yankees took it away from her before she reached home. This cavalry was on somewhat of a reconnoitering expedition and alter surveying the entire plantation moved on, much to our relief.
When the drive to capture Vicksburg was beginning, my brother Thomas and a number of his close friends and relatives were in Withers regiment of artillery. They frequently paid us short visits, to be wined and dined in true southern style. Always we would invite our school girl friends to be on hand. My cousin, Jennie Walton, and my chum, Mollie Brock, were with me a great deal of the time. Mollies brother, Glover Brock, was in the same regiment with my brother and we girls looked forward to their appearance at any time, day or night.
One morning we awoke to find the Yankees on one side of the Jackson-and-Clinton road and our forces on the other, with Newstead practically in the center of the battlefield, facing the Southerners. The battle commenced at dawn. Minié balls whizzed overhead. Bands were playing on both sides, only to have their notes drowned out by the boom of the cannons. One minute there would be Yankees in our yard and the next there would be Confederates. Then both would clash before our eyesbayonets to bayonets.
Mollies brother rode up to see how we were getting along, and we brought him a drink of water. Before he finished drinking it, a band of Yankee soldiers came into the yard. He had to surrender or run. He chose to run and the last we saw of him he was leaning far over the side of his horse, going at full speed with the enemy in close pursuit, shooting as they went. My chum and I were distressed and wept bitterly. We were greatly relieved several days later when a message came telling us of his safety.
This battle lasted two days and at noon of the second day, when both of the forces were closing in, we received orders to evacuate the house. We were given military escort to a deep gully about a quarter of a mile from the house. Our refuge was shaded by an immense oak tree. En route to the gully, we heard cannon balls tear through the trees, snipping off leaves and twigs. Minié balls whizzed by, missing us by inches. There was a feeling of awe that pervaded the scene. Brother Tom was assigned as one of our escorts.
The Confederate forces had a cannon stationed in our yardthey had moved up that close by the second day. As we passed out the gate en route to the gully, I saw that they were getting ready to fire that cannon and I wanted to see it done. I slowed down a pace, looking over my shoulder, and not only saw it fired but took particular note of the young fellow who fired it. Furthermore the cannoneer saw me. I have carried a mental picture through the years of that sweet, daring smile that he threw me a mere second before the boom of his cannon rent the air.
Uncle Jerry, one of our servants, brought us water to drink throughout the day, risking his life each trip he made. Of course we had nothing to eat. No one thought of food. By six oclock that evening the armies had moved on toward Clinton and we returned to the house only to find it, as well as the guest house and office building, converted into a hospital. There were over a hundred wounded Confederates and a large number of Yankees.
Among the mortally wounded was a very young Yankee. He was placed on our front gallery to die. As I passed by him, he beckoned me to come closer and I bent over him to hear what he said. He asked me to write a letter to his sweetheart, to whom he was engaged to marry. I wrote just as he dictated, telling how he loved her and wanted her to remain true to him, and that they would meet in the Great Beyond. He asked me to send her the plain gold ring which he took from his finger and requested that I cut a lock of his hair and send that also. The scene was pathetic and tears rolled down my cheeks as I did what he requested. We made the boy as comfortable as possible, but he died that night.
I asked the young lady to please reply on receipt of my message so that I would be sure she received it, but it was six months before I heard from her. In her letter she expressed profound gratitude to me for what I had done.
With Newstead converted into a hospital, my mother rose to the occasion wonderfully. She set aside one of the large rooms in the house for us girls, and we were not allowed to come out except on special occasions.
While confined to our room, we girls made bandages and rolled them for the army surgeons to use on the wounded. On the third day, after the battle had moved on and the dead bodies had been cleared from the premises, my friends and I, in company with a surgeon, were allowed to carry supper to the wounded soldiers. The Yankees were profuse in their expressions of gratitude for the treatment they were receiving. On the fourth day the wounded had all been taken to Jackson, where hospital accommodations could be had. Jackson was now known as the Town of Chimneys, because in taking it General Sherman saw to it that most of the homes were burned, and tall brick chimneys rose into the air to mark the sites once occupied by houses.
Uncle Jerry and Aunt Melissie, their two almost grown children, a son and daughter, and three little orphans were all the Negroes left on the place when the Federal army moved on. After the departure of the wounded, we all went to take a look at the battlefield. Some of the dead were scarcely covered. It was a gruesome sight. Uncle Jerry brought a spade and went over the field covering those exposed. He had to dig trenches and re-bury a large number of the corpses.
At one time during the Federal armys presence in our vicinity, General Ulysses S. Grant and staff moved in and took possession of our entire plantation. General Grant established his headquarters in the front rooms of the house. He ordered that my mother be issued rations from day to day, according to the number that she had to feed. This was a bitter pill for my mother to swallownow we were virtually prisoners in our own home.
Our Negroes huddled close to us in wide-eyed fright and joined us in amazement at seeing the Yankee boys cook and wash dishes. For two weeks General Grant and his army ruled supreme over Newstead, living on the fat of the land. His men drilled every day. It looked as if the whole face of the earth was covered with blue soldiers. The ground was mashed to a pulpnot a blade of grass was visible. When they left they gave my mother rations enough to last three days. After that we had to root hog or die.
After General Grant had moved on toward Vicksburg, my mother received a message from our neighbor, Colonel H. O. Dixon, a veteran of the Mexican War, too old to join the Confederates. The message stated that he and his wife, also quite old, were under arrest at the headquarters which the General had established farther up the line and near Clinton. He asked that my mother lend them what assistance she could.
Our plantation had been swept clean of horses, mules, and vehicles, but my mother set out afoot to go to the rescue of her friends. She had won the respect of General Grant during his stay at Newstead and hoped that she might have some influence in behalf of the Dixons.
It was a walk of several miles to the new headquarters, but my mother was rewarded with an immediate interview with the old couple. They said that when the Yankees entered their home to plunder, Mrs. Dixon rushed to the piano and began to play Dixie. The Colonel took down his flag of the South and marched up and down the room, waving it. This was too much for the men in blue. They set fire to the house, threw the piano outdoors and split it into kindling wood. They arrested the old couple, threatening to send them north to prison.
Upon request, my mother was granted an audience with General Grant. She told him of the valiant service Colonel Dixon had rendered the country during the war with Mexico and pointed out their age and infirmities. The General shook his head and started to walk off as a signal of dismissal of the subject, but my mother grabbed his coat tail and refused to let go until her request had been granted.
General Grant had a sense of humor. With a chuckle he said, Take the old couple. Ill hold you responsible for them. Then he called a mounted guard to escort the three back to Newstead. We cared for Colonel and Mrs. Dixon until arrangements could be made for them to return to what was left of their own plantation.
The confiscation of our animals and food by the enemy was to be expected. It had, up to this time, been done under the supervision of army officersmy mother being treated with the utmost deference. However, after General Grant moved on toward Vicksburg, a lawless element began coming in behind the army to plunder and steal. One would have to see a raid of this kind to form a just conception of it. They would draw the water out of the cisterns and cut the ponds to drain them, with the hope of finding hidden treasures. A great many of the people of the South would take this means of hiding their gems and gold, only to lose them to the plunderers.
During one of these raids Sister Lucy, who was an ardent Rebel, defiantly waved a Confederate flag in the face of the soldiers and sang The Bonnie Blue Flag, which greatly incensed the men, and one of the leaders warned my mother to send her away before she was arrested. The next day Lucy was sent to South Carolina where she would be safe, for the time, with relatives.
If it had not been for Uncle Jerry and Aunt Melissie I do not know what would have become of us. It was like magic the way they made food appear. With the abandonment of crops, all effort was turned to growing food for our table. The woods close by still held wild life. Uncle Jerry was good at trapping and he somehow managed to keep a gun. We learned to like possum and sweet potatoes.
One morning Uncle Jerry came home leading a limping horse. Where on earth did you get that animal? exclaimed my mother. Wal, Miss Sallie, he drawled, one o dem bluebellied Yanks wuz bout ter shoot hit an I sez, sez I, better save dat bullityou mought need hit. Den I lowed Id nok im in de haid. Stead o doin dat, I hid im down in de swamp.
The horses leg was broken, but Uncle Jerry had done a good job of splinting it. Within a month that horse could walk with only a slight limp. It was a fine, beautiful beast and was the only one we had for use around the place for several years. Uncle Jerry named him Happenwell De Good Lord Provides For De Needy and called him Happenwell for short.
For the full four years of the conflict Newstead was more or less the social center for the young gallants friends of our friends, my brothers associates, and our relatives gathered here in large numbers. Once my brother sent us word to prepare a feast and frolic, that he was coming in company with General Stephen D. Lee and a number of his soldiers. We had a quantity of food prepared, thanks to Uncle Jerry and Aunt Melissie. There were even salads, cakes, and puddings. We did not know when the guests would arrive, so we had the banquet table spread but kept the food stacked in a large cupboard.
A number of my girl friends had arrived for the occasion and we girls and Mother were in the front part of the house watching for the boys when from the dining room came the clang, clang of the dinner bell. We rushed down the hall to see what it was all about. We found a dining room full of Yankee soldiers. The food was on the table and they were about to sit down to eat.
Mother, with quiet dignity, stepped to the door and said, Gentlemen, if any of you die after eating that food, I want those who survive to distinctly remember I did not invite you to eat it. Those soldiers looked sick. Some deliberately walked out, but a few tasted sparingly of the food, then left as quickly as they had come. Just what their mission had been, my mother never knew.
There was sufficient food left for our guests, and when they did arrive, near midnight, we had a most delightful time. However I was doomed to a bit of disappointment. On these visits from my brother and his friends, I hoped that among them would be the young cannoneer whose dashing smile had become an indelible reflection on my memory.
Modesty forbade my mentioning my desire to meet this young man. However I was greatly flattered on being informed that night of the fact that that selfsame cannon had been named The Cornelia Barrett in my honor.
The Cornelia Barrett was attached to Company A, ist Mississippi Artillery, Withers regiment, and Buxton Townes Ligon was the cannoneer. I made a beautiful silk Confederate flag and presented it to the officer in charge of the regiment.
It was almost a year before my fondest hopes were gratified. Buxton Townes Ligon, in the meantime, was promoted to lieutenant. We were having an impromptu open house when in he walked, wearing his new uniform. He was as handsome as a picture, and although he had grown a mustache and goatee since he had fired the cannon in the yard at our home, I recognized him at once and our first evening together was delightful. He told me that the night following the episode of the cannon, he slept on our front porch and dreamed of me all through the night.
Words fail me in my attempt to describe the awful confusion which existed during the last stages of the war when bands of stragglers began coming to Newstead. They came in large numbers to rob and loot, leaving things bare and desolate. At times our soldiers, if anywhere in the vicinity, would hear about it and rush to our rescue. Captain William Montgomery, a very dear friend of the familys, on several occasions brought his scouts to drive them away as well as to protect us from bodily harm.
During one of the most desperate raids on Newstead there was a Yankee Captain Lloyd who displayed considerable interest in me. One evening, when the servants had gone to their quarters and my mother and I were alone in the big house, Captain Lloyd rode up, dismounted, and hitched his horse at the gate. When we saw what he had done, we trembled with fearwe were at the mercy of that Yankee captain.
However, our fears were soon dissipated. Captain Lloyd bowed gallantly and informed my mother that he had come to protect usstragglers were beginning to plunder without authority from military headquarters. He was exceedingly pleasant and cultured. As the evening grew cool Captain Lloyd kindled a fire for us.
Sure enough, it was not long before three drunken soldiers blustered in, cursing terribly. Captain Lloyd ordered them to leave. They refused until he drew two big army pistols and told them that he had orders from headquarters to protect that home, and that if he was compelled to shoot, he would shoot to kill. Reluctantly these soldiers left.
As the evening advanced our confidence in Captain Lloyd grew. I stayed up quite late and entertained him played the piano and sang, and we talked a great deal about our southern life. He asked if he might correspond with me, and I wrote my name and address in his notebook, but thought nothing of it.
When the war ceased, Captain Lloyd wrote me from St. Louis and asked me to address my answer to Kansas City. Next I heard from him from San Francisco. In this letter he enclosed his photograph. My answer was to thank him for the courtesy. Then followed a beautiful love letter, in which he addressed me. I had no alternative but to answer that I was too patriotic to fall in love with a gentleman from the North. But I added that I would always cherish his friendship. He never wrote again. Ive aways been thankful that he allowed me to keep his picture.
The surrender of the South was a bitter pill to swallow, but it was good to have the war over. The coming home of the boys, even in defeat, brought occasions of great joy. Newstead once more became the center of social activities. Everyone tried to make the best of the situation. My brother brought home his friends, both old and young, and with them came Captain Ligon.
During the last battle at Vicksburg, shortly before the surrender, Lieutenant Ligon, while in action, saw his commanding officer shot off his horse. Just previous to that Lieutenant Ligons mount had been killed under him. It happened in the twinkle of an eyethe daring young officer, seeing the soldiers wavering and falling back at the loss of their captain, mounted the riderless horse, took command, and effectively beat back the enemy for that day. A commission as captain was offered him, but the war was practically over. However the title was his from that day on and stories of his daring feat spread rapidly.
Courtships were brief right after the war. I looked forward with great pleasure to every meeting with Captain Ligon. Once we were entertaining with a quadrille at Newstead and Captain Ligon was a guest. He chose me for his partner, not once but many times throughout the evening. The day following he asked my mother for my hand in marriage. Of course Uncle Jerry and Aunt Melissie had to be consulted. The old Negro mammy wiped tears from her eyes with her big homespun apron, but Uncle Jerry came right out with a piece of his mind. Capn Ligon, he said, Ise done rais dis here child. She aint fully growed yit. Soon I be daid an gone. Ifen yo dont treat er right, Ise gwinter come back an hant yo til yo dyin day.
American Civil War Soldiers
Name: Buxton Ligon
Side Served: Confederacy
State Served: Mississippi
Service Record: Enlisted as a 1st Lieutenant.
Commission in Company A, 1st Light Artillery Regiment Mississippi.
From Buxton's passport applications an US Counselar applications it appears that Buxton was in Mexico from June 1914 to May 1916, and from June 1916 to after 1920. He was once reported as working for Aguila Oil Company (British concern and later Island Oil Co. (American concern). He worked in Tampico, Mexico and was not married.
Galveston Daily News
January 14, 1961Services for Mrs. Kate Ligon McGarvey, 82, will be at 3 p.m. Saturday at J. Levy and Bro. funeral home. Dr. Will R. Johnson, pastor emeritus of First Presbyterian church will officiate.
Galveston Daily News
William Bowman McGarvey, 87, who as a city engineer supervised much of this city's utility construction, died Sunday night at John Sealy hospital, where he had been a patuent since March 4.
Mr. McGarvey joined the city in 1911 as assistant city engineer and held that post until 1929, when he became city engineer.
Of Irish heritage, his family came to this country sometime before 1790 and settled in Pennsylvania. His father, William McGarvey, was a steamboat man in Galveston and had a part in the recovery of the city from Federal troops during the Civil War.
After the 1900 storm the former city engineer worked for the grade raising contractors, who filled the old section of the city. Following this work he was employed by the Santa Fe railroad in Oklahoma, Kansas and New Mexico.
While employed by this city, Mr. McGarvey supervised construction throughout Galveston.
Houston Post Special
BEAUMONT, Texas March 26. - Sam McGrary, editor and proprietor of the Beaumont Evening Journal, died at his home on North Grand avenue in North Beaumont this morning shortly after midnight. Death was due to a complication of liver diseases, from which tumors had developed. Mr. McGrary was 42 years of age and leaves a widow and family of children.
He was the son of that pioneer of Texas journalism, Uncle Daniel McGrary, deceased some years, and it was in the office of the old Houston Age, run by Uncle Daniel, that young Sam got his first taste of newspaper work. Following his service in that office, he worked in a number of different towns in the state, going to Beaumont thirteen years ago and accepting employment on the Journal. Eight years ago he became editor and propietor of the Journal and has continued in that capacity ever since.
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Find A GraveSamuel Hopkins McGary was born on 7 October 1866 in Brenham, Texas, to Daniel Leonidas McGary and his wife Martha Jane Summers.
Sam was working for the newspaper in McKinney, Texas, when he met Lida J Stroup, a schoolteacher. They were married on 10 August 1891. After the ceremony, they left by train to Beeville, Texas, where he had a job at the newspaper there. Their first daughter, Edna, was born there. Then they moved to Houston where Samuel's father was editor of The Houston Age. Their second daughter, Annie Statira, was born in Houston. Then they moved to Beaumont, Texas, where their last daughter, Sammie, was born. Sam was owner and editor of the Beaumont Journal.
Meanwhile Lida had contacted tuberculosis. Her health did not improve and Lida died in 1897. Sam married Cornelia Ligon, 1899, and they had a son, Kirby Call McGary.
Samuel Hopkins McGary died from liver cancer, 25 March 1908, aged 42, at home in Beaumont, Texas. He was buried at Magnolia Cemetery with his first wife.
30015. Abbie Jennie Merrill Egar
Chicago Daily Tribune
October 20 1940
Grand Haven, Mich., October 19, [Special] -Mrs. James E. Wilkinson, 81 years old. wife of a retired Episcopal minister, died at her home here. She had taught 12 years at Akeley Hall, an Episcopal church school. She lived in Western Michigan 52 years.
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The News Gazette
October 29, 1940Word has been recieved here of the recent death of Mrs. James E. Wilkinson, which occured at her home, 415 Lake avenue, Grand Haven, Mich. Mrs Wilkinson was the wife of Reverend Wilkinson, rector of the Emanuel Memorial church here from 1901 to 1906.
Mrs. Wikinson, who was born Abbie Jennie Egar in Beloit, Wis., October 22, 1859, recieved her education in the East and at the University of Chicago. She was a daughter of an Episcopal clergyman, married a clergyman and her youngest son, Reverend John E. Wilkinson, is rector of St. John's church, Medinah, N.Y.
She leaves beside her husband the following children, Laurance Edgar Wilkinson, Chicago architect; Mary S. Wilkinson, librarian, Baltimore, Md.; Mrs. Donald Gerking, Indianapolis, Ind.; Mrs. James F. Munson, assistant editor, American Journal of Nursing, New York City, and Reverand Wilkinson.
Upon leaving Champaign, the family lived in South Haven, Ionia, Manistee and Niles Mich., where Reverend Wilkinson served as rector of Episcopal churches. At Niles, Reverend Wilkinson was retired and they returned to Grand Haven to live. In each community where the the family lived, Mrs. Wilkinson took an active part in the civic, intellectual and church life.
Mrs. Wilkinson first went to Grand Haven in 1888 with her husband to head Akeley Institute, Episcopal girls school that was later known as Akeley Hall. For 13 years, the Wilkinsons developed this school into one of the best known private church schools in the country. Mrs. Wilkinson was head of the English department as well as co-principal with her husband. She was one of the organizers of the Grand Haven Woman's club. While a resident of Champaign, Mrs. Wilkinson was a member of the Art Club, one of the community's oldest clubs. Upon leaving here, the club made her an honorary member.
Portrait & Biographical Record of Muskegon & Ottawa Counties, Michigan
1893, Chicago: Biographical Publishing CompanyJAMES E. WILKINSON, who is chaplain of the Akeley Institute of Grand Haven, Mich., was born in Essex County, Mass., February 9, 1857, and is a son of Thomas Wilkinson, a native of England. The father died in the Bay State in November, 1879. The mother of our subject bore the maiden name of Mary Stanclyffe, and was also born in England.
After attending the common schools of Massachusetts, Mr. Wilkinson whose name heads this record entered a preparatory school in Nashotah, Wis., and afterwards became a student in Harvard University, from which he was graduated, after completing the classical course, in 1884. He entered the ministry of the Episcopal Churh, and in the autumn of 1884 he became rector of St. Thomas Church, of Hamilton, N.Y., where he remained for sixteen months. He then went to Utica, N.Y., and became assistant minister of Grace Church, under Rev. C. T. Olmstead, remaining with him until April, 1888, when he came to Grand Haven, Mich.
Ere his removal to the West, Mr. Wilkinson was married, in January, 1885, to Miss Abbie Egar, of Rome, N.Y., a highly educated lady, whose culture and refinement would give her a leading place in any circle of society. Their union has been blessed with three children, a son and two daughters: Laurence, Mary and Elizabeth.
Having been appointed rector of St. Johns Episcopal Church of Grand Haven, Mich., Mr. Wilkinson entered upon the duties of that position in the summer of 1888, and in the autumn of the same year took charge of Akeley Institute, which was duly opened to the public on the 12th of September, with our subject as chaplain and his wife as principal. These positions they still hold. The land upon which the institute stands was donated by H. C. Akeley, now of Minneapolis, Minn., in memory of his daughter, who died in 1887. He was formerly a resident of Grand Haven, and was much interested in the growth of the city. The erection of the new building was due largely to the generosity of Bishop Gillespie, of Grand Rapids, who is Bishop of western Michigan, and the edifice was erected at a cost of $22,000. It is a handsome brick building, 40x130 feet, three stories in height, built in modern style, supplied with all the latest improvements and beautifully located on Akeley Hill, where it commands a fine view of the surrounding country.
This institution was founded for the education of young ladies, and the first year had an attendance of eleven boarding pupils and twenty day pupils. Since then the attendance has increased to thirty boarding students and fifteen day pupils. The classical languages are taught, also German and French, art, music and the sciences. Young ladies are there prepared for entering the universities. The professor devotes his entire time to the institute, and it has made a steady and healthy growth under his supervision, and bids fair to become one of Michigans great seats of learning for young ladies. Mr. Wilkinson is a genial, affable gentleman, whose excellent education and natural ability make him well qualified for the position he so ably fills. In 1888 he was granted the degree of Ph. D. He has direct charge of the history and mental science classes and the classics. His most estimable wife has the personal care of the young ladies and is principal of the institute.
51970. Laurance Egar Wilkinson
New York Passenger Lists
Ship Konig Albert from Genova arrived 10 Mar 1911
Ship La Lorraine from Le Havre arrived 31 Mar 1919
Ship Rochambeau from Havre arrived 3 Dec 1924
Ship Homeric from Southampton, England arrived 15 Oct 1930
Ship Lafayette from Plymouth, England arrived 5 Oct 1933
Ship Ancon from Port Au Prince, Haiti arrived 7 Dec 1936
51971. Mary Stanclyffe Wilkinson
New York Passenger Lists
Ship Fort Victoria from Hamilton, Bermuda arrived 31 Aug 1922
Ship Homeric from Cherbourg, France arrived 22 Jul 1926
Ship Ile de France from Le Havre, France arrived 25 Sep 1928
Ship Bremen from Southampton, England arrived 25 Jul 1935
New York Passenger Lists
Ship Bremen from Cherbourg, France arrived 1 Aug 1931
Ship Bremen from Southampton, England arrived 25 Jul 1935
Ship Bremen from Bremen, Germany arrived 4 Aug 1938Border crossings: From Canada to U. S.
Ship Saxonia: Port of Arrival: Halifax, Nova Scotia
Port of Departure: Southampton, England :Arrival Date: 12 Jun 1924
James Frederick Munson, Captain, US Marine Corp., died of pneumonia at US General Hospital, Plattsburg, NY.
51975. Edwin Templeton Barrett
Pennsylvania, Veteran Compensation Applications, WWII
Name: Edwin Templeton Barrett
Birth Date:8 Aug 1915
Birth Place: Greenville, Mercer, Pennsylvania, USA
Gender: Male
Residence Date: 17 Apr 1950
Residence Place:Pittsburgh, Allegheny, Pennsylvania, USA
51979. Francis Josiah Barrett Jr.
U.S., Department of Veterans Affairs BIRLS Death File
Name: Francis Barrett
Gender:Male
Birth Date: 28 May 1915
Death Date: 25 Dec 1985
SSN: 338244336
Branch 1: NAVY
Enlistment Date 1: 16 Mar 1941
Release Date 1: 27 Dec 1945
The Patriot-News (Harrisburg, PA)
April 28, 1991Nathaniel B. "Nat" Barrett, 71, of 19 Sussex Road, Camp Hill died yesterday in Holy Spirit Hospital.
He was an agent for Midwestern United Life and Penn Treaty insurance companies; a trumpet player who had played in the Navy and USS Missouri bands and was a member of the Johnny Nicolosi, Al Morrison and Bill Dayton bands; a graduate of Valley Forge Military Academy; a Navy veteran of World War II; and a member of Williamsport Local 761 and Harrisburg Local 269 of the American Federation of Musicians, the USS Missouri Association and Mechanicsburg VFW Post 6704.
Surviving are his wife, Helen K. Barrett; and a brother, Robert of Jersey Shore.
The Patriot-News (Harrisburg, PA)
August 14, 2007Helen K. Hawkins Barrett, age 88 passed away Sunday, August 12, 2007 at the Claremont Nursing Home. Born June 26, 1919 in Lock Haven, PA she was a daughter of the late Boyd and Nanna Dahl Keller.
She was a former employee of Sylvania Electronics and an organ teacher. Helen was a member of Lock Haven Lutheran Church and the Harrisburg Organ Society.
She was the widow of Nathaniel Blackwell Barrett and survived by a niece and a nephew.
Los Angeles Times
April 26, 1965Died: Barrett, James T., husband of Mrs. Sara M. Barrett, frather of James T. Jr., Charles E. Barrett and Mrs. Marie L. Coleman; brother of Frank and Arthur Barrett, also survived by 11 grandchildren.
Los Angeles Times
November 17, 1981Died: Barrett, Charles E., beloved husband of Marilyn E. Barrett, father of Gregory J., Mark E. and Kathleen L. Barrett, brother of James T. Barrett and Marie L. Coleman.
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette (PA)
July 23, 2007CLARK, Sarah Elizabeth Urling, 94, of Highland Park, died July 22. John A. Freyvogel Sons Funeral Home, Oakland. (CO)