Gazwell Kline was Grocery and Saloon Keeper

New Madrid Record

March 24, 1886

Funeral Notice:

                               Died in this city at one o'clock p.m. Wednesday, March 24, 1886.

Mr. Gazwell Klein

Aged 42 years, 11 months, and 15 days.  Friends of the deceased are respectfully notified that the funeral will take place from the residence of Mrs. Mosier in this city at 2 o'clock Thursday, March 25, 1886, to the Klein graveyard.  Services will be conducted by Rev. Webster Full.

(The Kline/Cline graveyard is now in the middle of the Mississippi River.  Gazwell Kline was the husband of Anna Eliza Blount Kline, and the above newspaper clipping was pasted in her Bible.)        ___  ___  ___ ___ ___ ___ ____ 

                                       

The funeral was held at Elizabeth "Tickell" Jones-Moore-Blount-Mosier.

.

Elizabeth Mosier, who died February 20, 1892, was a sister of Madison Tickell and Gazwell Kline's mother-in-law.  Elizabeth Tickell, the wife of Daniel Mosier, is buried in the Sikeston City Cemetery along with her daughter, Eliza Anna Blount Kline, her son-in-law, W. Henry Cline (his wife and Elizabeth's granddaughter Nancy Lena Kline), a grandson Webster, and a great-granddaughter Vera Cline Johnson.  Elizabeth has her maiden name on her headstone, which shows her date of birth as March 9, 1811.

NOTE:  William "Wilheim" Cline was born in  Darmstadt, Hesse, Germany, and his American family originally spelled their name Cline.  However, after the marriage of his granddaughter Nancy Lena Cline to her first cousin Henry Cline, Anna Eliza Blount Cline changed the spelling of her and her daughter's name to Kline.

William's only son, Gazwell, was born in or near New Madrid, Missouri, on April 8, 1843.  Some seventy-four years and fifteen days later, his great-great-granddaughter Tina Louise Harmon Havard was born on his birthday on April 8, 1960.  Even odder, six years later, on April 8, 1966, a second great-great-granddaughter Jeanelle Renee' Cline Shaw, was born.  Both these baby girls were the granddaughters of Curtis Henry Cline and Marie Ruth Price Cline.  Unfortunately, family tradition says that Gazwell died from either gallstones or appendicitis.

I found the 1863 Tax Assessment Report for New Madrid County, Missouri, listing non-serving men of eligible age who were not fighting in the War Between the States.  I then found Missouri taxed a $30 fee for non-service in 1863 on Gazwell Cline for not serving in the War.   I was surprised by this as Gazwell's father was a German-born immigrant to the USA.  In general, German-born immigrants firmly backed the Union cause.  It is also odd that this family had three or more slaves.  But, again, most German-born citizens were staunch abolitionists.  From these documents, he apparently declined to take sides in the American Civil War and continued to run the family grocery store.

We have little information on Gazwell Cline; however, I have a videotape of granddaughter Vera Cline Johnson telling the camera about her memories of hearing her Grandma Kline talk about her husband.  My Aunt Vera recalled her Grandma saying, "My husband Gazwell was a kind man and a gentleman.  He was good to me.  I could go into the store and take money out of the cash register, tell him how much I took, and he would just say, 'fine dear, have a pleasant day.' That was the way he was, even-tempered." Unfortunately, family traditions state he died of appendicitis.  Today, a simple operation would take care of that issue; however, in 1886, doctors had little knowledge of the surgery needed to remove his appendix.  He did just fifteen days short of his 43rd birthday.

Gazwell Cline (later changed to Kline) and Anna Eliza Blount married on January 23, 1868, in the Methodist Episcopal Church, South in New Madrid.  He was educated in private schooling in New Madrid and worked in his Father's Grocery and Dram store in downtown New Madrid.  His wife, Anna, was educated at the Nashville Ladies College in Nashville, Tennessee.  Gazwell and his wife had two children, Nancy Lena Cline and Robert Edward Cline.  Both were well-educated in private educational institutes in New Madrid.  Lena was fluent in English, German, and French and was an accomplished musician.  She played the pianist for the local Methodist Church.  Their son, Edward, graduated from the Kentucky University and Business College in Lexington, Kentucky, and was employed with N. W. Marshall and Company as a bookkeeper.  He died in 1894, just one year after graduating from college.  

Gazwell's daughter Lena married his wife's cousin, Henry Cline.  Family tradition says that it was at this time they changed the spelling of the last name from Cline to Kline.  So Anna Eliza Blount Kline's mother (Elizabeth Tickell Jones-Moore-Blount-Mosier) and her new son-in-law Henry Cline's mother (Sophronia Tickell Cline) were sisters.  This made my grandparents William Henry Cline and his wife, Lena Kline Cline, second cousins.  It also makes my family tree interesting.

Elizabeth Cline Verlague was a Pioneer Woman

Elizabeth Cline, the eldest daughter of William Cline and Nancy Cox Cline, married Theophilus Verlaque in 1856 at New Madrid, Missouri.  From land records I found in the New Madrid Court House, we know that they owned land there between 1856 and 1870, before moving to San Diego, California.  They are recognized as early pioneers of that county. 

New Madrid County, Missouri. Surveys, Concessions, Patents and Swamp Land Patents compiled by Jane Vann and Vera Ashley in 1992, show that Theopholis Verlaque received a Swamp Land Patent No. 118, for Sec. 36, Twp. 23, Range 13 in New Madrid County, Missouri, on October 6, 1857.  The couple bought land from W. W. Hunter, Admin. in 1860 as recorded in Book 20, Page 517, also sold property in the city of New Madrid to her father, William Cline, on 18 Jan. 1866, as recorded in Book 21, Page 288.  Family tradition says this is where William Cline’s Grocery and Dram Shop was located.  They again bought land from B. F. Boyce (by Sheriff Davis) in 1869 as recorded in Book 22, Page 226.

Theophilus and Elizabeth Verlaque family took several trips to France, where Theophilus still had family members. On an 1869 trip, both Elizabeth and her husband were listed in 2nd class cabins with their eldest two sons on this returning vessel.  Shortly after that, Theopholis and Elizabeth Verlaque sold land to her Uncle Matt Tickell in 1870 as recorded in Book 22, Page 429, before moving their family to San Diego, California.  Once in San Diego, the Verlaque family ran a restaurant, built a winery, and ran 2,000 sheep on the outskirts of San Diego.  Theophile and son Amos visited the Santa Maria Valley in the early 1880s.  The son Amos Verlaque purchased 2 acres near a good spring along the main wagon road to Julian.  In 1883, Amos built a general store and post office.  This was the first commercial venture in the new town first called Nuevo. 

 While the younger Verlaque lived and worked in the new town, his father continued to live in San Diego. A few years after the opening of the store, Theophile Verlaque decided to build a country house in Nuevo for outings from the city.

The country house, completed in 1886 and adjacent to Amos Verlaque's store, was said to be built in style reminiscent of his father's native Provence. The house had five rooms plus a basement with a 7-foot ceiling to serve as a wine cellar.  Verlaque family members operated the store until 1933. The building has housed many businesses since and is today the home of Catt Farm Supply.

Leona Ransom bought the house from Verlaque descendants with the intention of preserving it. Ransom's heirs donated it to the Ramona Pioneer Historical Society in 1984. The building, restored with period furniture, is now part of the society's Guy B. Woodward Museum."  The graves and headstones of the Amos Verlaque family are on the southwest corner of the property, immediately adjacent to the sidewalk.

The former Verlaque home also stands. Theophile Verlaque died in 1913, wife Elizabeth in 1926. Ownership of the Ramona house was passed down to three of Theophile's six children, remaining in the family until the early 1960s.  

The Theophile Verlaque country house, completed in 1886 and adjacent to Amos Verlaque's store, was said to be built in a style reminiscent of his father's native Provence. The house had five rooms plus a basement with a 7-foot ceiling to serve as a wine cellar.  The home is on display as a museum today.

Source:  

http://www.signonsandiego.com/uniontrib/20080608/news_lz1mc8wewere.http

Street address:  645 Main Street Ramona, California  92065 County / Borough / Parish: San Diego County National Historic Landmark: Year listed: 1991 Historic (Areas of) Significance: Event, Architecture/Engineering Periods of significance: 1875-1899 Historic function: Agriculture/Subsistence, Domestic Current function: Recreation And Culture Privately owned?: yes Primary Web Site: [Web Link] Secondary Website 1: [Web Link] Season start / Season finish: Not listed National Historic Landmark Link: Not listed

Civil War Era New Madrid, Missouri

In 1862, New Madrid, Missouri, had 85
businesses and two hospitals.

When 1st Lt. Louis Boedicker, 2nd MO. Art., Army Engineer, drew this map in March 1862. The Confederates still controlled New Madrid and Island Number Ten. The town was the county seat of government, it had 85 active businesses, two hospitals, and a thriving Port of New Madrid, and its citizens enjoyed freedom from the Union troops. Few people understand that Missouri saw more than 1,200 engagements within its boundaries when you count minor actions and skirmishes. Only Virginia and Tennessee exceeded this total. The movie "Gone With the Wind" implies that the Civil War was only fought in the Deep South. Missouri, Kentucky, and Tennessee citizens suffered much throughout the war. In my opinion, the high action in these three states was primarily because of the intense loyalty of its people to both sides. Even those citizens who supported remaining in the Union resented the invasion of Union Troops into Missouri and other border states.

Missouri was essential to the Union and Confederacy because of its strategic location on the Missouri and Mississippi Rivers, natural resources, and manpower.

Missouri experienced some of the most violent conflicts of the Civil War, and its people came to symbolize the tragedy of the nation's divisive struggle. The fighting in Missouri was unique in the American Civil War. They experienced arson, murder, robbery, torture, and more from Bloomfield to Commerce, Cape Girardeau, and Jackson to Fredericktown, Benton, Bertrand, New Hamburg, and Sikeston. Citizens in Southern Missouri received more violence than other sections of the state, but the Kansas City area also suffered heavily. Often, local deaths were not among the numbers tallied as war deaths. All Missouri citizens experienced events from destructive guerrilla fighting, murders of neighbors, raids, and the pursuit of outlaws through their property, to the hunting down of Southern sympathizers. This was topped by citizens fearing Federal scouting parties across the state. Growing up in Southeast Missouri, I felt the recurring hatred of one generation to the next but failed to understand what I witnessed. Anger was prevalent toward the Germans in northern Scott County, above Benton Hill, who turned in Southern sympathizers, and Blacks just because of the color of their skin. Rebuilding and recovery were slow following the Civil War. After one hundred years, flames of passion still flared up from time to time. The divisiveness appears to be softening, but much healing is still needed.

This map shows a few of the battles
 fought around New Madrid, MO.

One minor battle in Southeast Missouri was near Belmont, across the Mississippi River from a Confederate stronghold at Columbus, Kentucky. November 6, 1961, Gen. Grant moved by riverboat from his base in Cairo, Illinois, to attack the small outpost near Belmont in Mississippi County, Missouri. (As information, Belmont is only 37 miles from Sikeston and 36 miles from New Madrid.)  Grant landed his men north of the camp and marched to Belmont. Grant's troops overran the surprised Confederate camp and destroyed it. However, the scattered Confederate forces quickly reorganized and were reinforced from Columbus, Kentucky. They were counterattacked, supported by heavy artillery fire from across the river. Grant retreated to his riverboats and took his men back to Paducah, Kentucky. Both sides declared victory. The battle was relatively unimportant, but with little happening elsewhere at the time, it received considerable attention in the press, and a Union General engaged the Confederates was well received in the North.

In mid-February 1862, some seventy miles south of Cario, Gen. Grant's Union troops captured Fort Henry on the Tennessee River. A week after winning Fort Henry, Grant marched his troupes twelve miles cross-country to Fort Donelson on the Cumberland River. After five days of fighting, the Confederates asked for terms of surrender. Grant demanded "Unconditional Surrender" from the commanding officer, and he got it. Both these forts were near the Kentucky-Tennessee border, only 135 miles overland to New Madrid, and about 45 miles less using a ferry to cross the Mississippi  River. The solid wins for Union forces led to the promotion of Big. Gen. Ulysses S. Grant went from an obscure officer to the rank of Major General.

Once these forts fell to the Union, the town of New Madrid and Island Number Ten, which stood about ten feet above the Mississippi River water line and just north of New Madrid, became the confederate solid point for defending the Mississippi River. It was a long battle turned siege, lasting from February 28 to April 8, 1862. Unfortunately, there is not enough space on this Blog to address the critical role Island Number Ten and New Madrid played in the war. However, many books are available on Island Number Ten and New Madrid during the Civil War. I encourage you to read one or two to better understand their pivotal role in the American Civil War.  

After the Confederates surrendered New Madrid, its citizens left the town for anywhere they could find a family to house them or work to support their families. Businesses were forced to close their doors until the war was over. I read in a statement from the General who took New Madrid that the only people found in the town were old men, women, and a few public officials running the County Courthouse.

To conclude this segment, we look at what happened to William Cline's children, starting with the marriage of Elizabeth to Theopholis Verlaque in 1856.  

William Cline's Life in New Madrid

In 1979, I began searching for the immigration document showing the ship that carried my great-great-grandfather Carl Wilhelm "William" Cline from Germany to the United States.  I have yet to locate the elusive record, but I am getting much closer to discovering his birthplace and the Port of Destination and Passenger List.

Meissen China Mark
on back of Cline China.

We don’t know what other items William Cline brought over from Germany; however, we know he brought some Meissen china with the mark shown here.  This manufacture mark was on the back of the Cline Meissen China.  Research shows that China with this mark was made between 1773 and 1814.  Dad’s grandmother, Anna Eliza Blount Kline, told him she inherited the china from her husband’s family.  Most of the china was destroyed in the 1926 Cline house fire in Morehouse.   

I had the pleasure of opening the tin box with all William Cline's probate records in the New Madrid County Court House in 1988.  I found the inventory of his household which included a safe.  I can only speculate that the safe was used in his grocery business.    Other documents included the receipt for his funeral and an interested deed outlined below in 1857.    

Carl Wilhelm "William" Cline (Klein) was born on May 27, 1807, in Schwelm, North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany.  His father, Peter, was 18 and his mother, Maria, was 20 at the time of his birth.  This information was obtained from one of the many databases at the Morman Family History Center at Little Rock in 1995.  I found it while searching in the book, Germany Selected Births, and Baptisms, 1558-1898.  He immigrated to America and settled in New Madrid at about the time the state of Missouri was admitted into the Union on August 10, 1821.  He married Nancy Cox in late 1834 or early 1835. They had five children in nineteen years.

Without a written diary, it is impossible to know what the family life of William and Nancy Cline was in early Missouri.  Based on what we know from other historical documents written on the first half of the 1800s, most families lived in a small square log cabin, worked long hours hunting, fishing, and cultivating the land for a garden.  The women were responsible for helping her husband as he needed, made clothes for everyone in the family, tended to the cow and other farm animals, taught her children how to read and write, then cared for the family's spiritual needs as well. 

The 1840 Census of New Madrid County, Missouri, his name was "Clyne," and he was married with one son under the age of five (unnamed and died before 1850), and one daughter the age of five (Elizabeth).  

In 1850, he was still living in New Madrid County, he listed his occupation as a hunter, and was a landowner.  His family had added a second daughter (Mary Jane) in 1848.  This date for Mary Jane's birth is different than other sources, but as the Census is the closest primary source found, I deferred to this date of 1848.

Inside the tin box holding William Cline's probate records, I found a surprise.  There was a transfer deed inside where he sold two slaves to Shapley R. Phillips on 20 Oct. 1857, for sixteen hundred dollars.  One was a negro boy, fourteen years old, standing five feet two inches high, and called Shatrick.  The other, a female, was known by the name of Lilly, twenty-six years of age, and of a very dark complexion.  This was surprising because most German in Missouri were against slavery of any kind.  Perhaps the woman helped keep up the house and care for the children after William's wife died.  It is interesting that the sale occurred a year after his eldest daughter married and moved from his house.  The young boy could have been related to the woman and used to do odd jobs in the grocery store.  This deed and other legal documents show that the family had the means to live a good life.

In the 1860 Census of New Madrid, recorded William Cline as a widower with four children living at home.  It showed his occupation as a Grocer.  The trade listed confirms what family tradition always reported, that he owned and operated a grocery store and sold whiskey.  In reviewing the 1860 New Madrid Census Slave Schedule, I found William still owned one female slave, age twenty-eight.  Sadly, no names of the slaves are listed on Census Slave Schedules.
  
The 1870 Census of New Madrid County, Missouri records William Cline, age 61, a widower, living with his youngest child, Louisa Cline, age 15, in the town of New Madrid.  A lot happened between 1860 and 1870 in New Madrid.  We will look at just some of what happened next week.  Then, we will conclude this segment by looking at what happened to his children, starting with the marriage of Elizabeth to Theopholis Verlaque in 1856.  I believe you will find it interesting.

My Great-Great-grandfather's Hometown

Before looking at the Probate Record of William (Carl Wilheim) Cline, I want to cover his birthplace.  Trying to determine the hometown of our ancestors is not an exact science, or easy.  For example, in looking at five census records, representing over fifty years of William (Carl Wilhelm) Cline's life, his birthplace is listed as three different locations.  They all list Germany, but I want a more specific locality.  The 1840 and 1850 census records of New Madrid County, Missouri lists his place of birth as just "Germany."  The 1860 and 1870 census records show "Hesse, Germany," and the 1880 Census record of New Madrid County, Missouri shows "Rhine-Hessen."  This last census taker wrote "Darmstadt" in a blank space as well.  Ah ha, the actual place of his birth and youth was Darmstadt, Hesse, Germany, and is located along the Rhine River just north of Heidelberg.   

Hesse is one of the 16 Federal States of Germany.  It is located in western-central Germany, bordered by the German states of Lower Saxony, Thuringia, Bavaria, Baden-Württemberg, Rhineland-Palatinate and North Rhine-Westphalia.  I see it spelled as Hesse, Hessian, and Hessen but they are all the same location.

As background on the development of the Federal Republic of Germany, it is located in the heart of Europe. The nation-state now known as Germany was first unified in 1871 as a modern federal state and named the German Empire.  In the first half of the 20th century two devastating World Wars, of which Germany was responsible for, left the country occupied by the victorious Allied powers. 

With the advent of the Cold War, two German states were formed in 1949: the western Federal Republic of Germany (FRG) and the eastern German Democratic Republic (GDR).   The democratic FRG embedded itself in key Western economic and security organizations, the European Union (EC) and NATO, while the communist GDR was on the front line of the Soviet-led Warsaw Pact. The decline of the USSR and the fall of Communism enabled Germany's unification in 1990. 

In 1990, I remembered watching people from East Germany and other Communist countries fleeing in trains loaded to capacity into West Germany.  For days, I watched history unfold on the television screen.  People around the world viewed the event in amazement and excitement.  Knowing this was a significant event in history, I saved a magazine and newspaper highlighting this great moment in history.  It was a powerful moment in time that I will always remember.  It may have been more important to me because of my German-American heritage.

Of course, William Cline would not recognize either Darmstadt, Hesse, Germany, or New Madrid, Missouri today, but I am sure he would be amazed and impressed.  Sometime in the late 1980s, I visited the New Madrid Courthouse and located William Cline's probate records.  I copied everything, and it cost about $25 to have the Clerk of Court make the copies.  Holding those hundred-year-old pieces of papers in my hands was very special.  We will look at some of the personal documents next week.   

Digging Up Gold in New Madrid

Buried Gold Coin in
New Madrid, Missouri

              DIGGIN UP GOLD IN NEW MADRID

The New Madrid Weekly Record, dated October 7, 1882, tells a story about my great-great-grandfather William Cline and how he hid his gold coins shortly before his death on the 27th of September in 1882.   The article reads:

     "Digging Up Gold - Last Saturday morning, Mr. J. M. Broughton, Public Administrator, took charge of the estate of William Cline, deceased.  It was known that the old man had sold his farm sometime before his death for about $700; that he had received the money in gold, and it was believed he had buried it about his house.  Soon after taking charge of the estate that morning, Mr. Broughton, with Messrs. F. H. Dawson, R. G. Holloway, and Gazwell Cline commenced a search of the property.  Gazwell recalled that his little daughter Lena told him that her grandfather kept the smokehouse locked and would allow no one to go into it.  With this clue, the party determined to search there.  The dirt in the northeast corner showed that it had been disturbed recently, and commencing to dig, the third shovelful of dirt brought up a bottle containing $500 - 25 twenty-dollar gold coins.

     Next morning Messrs. R. G. Holloway and Gazwell Cline in compliance with Mr. Broughton's request examined the house.  They found a small wooden box lying on a slat in the bed formerly used by the deceased which contained $80 in gold and $20 in silver." [end of article]

This is part of my history and as I have said before, history and genealogy are inseparable.  I'm sure you have heard stories of people in the Civil War era and up through the Great Depression hiding or burying their money because they didn't trust banks.  William Cline immigrated to New Madrid, Missouri from Germany about 1831 and was distrustful of banks.  This article confirms the stories that people buried gold as true.  I encourage you to look through old newspapers, or online newspaper websites to learn more about your ancestors.  Next week, we will look at William Cline's probate records and an inventory of his personal property.  It gives us an idea of the lifestyle of people back in mid-1800 to 1882.

Curtis and his Big Boy Tomatoes

Curtis Cline loved to work with plants of all types.  The plant nursery business was perfect for him because he could grow exceptionally large healthy trees, shrubs, azaleas, and ornamental plants for Cline's Nursery, and feel gratified.  Dad also grew fruit trees and had a huge garden each year.  Curtis liked to experiment with different varieties of vegetables annually to see how they differed.  He grew eggplants, snap beans, peas, corn, peppers, green onions, and every year he had eight or ten tomatoes plants.

I once asked him why he grew all that food when he and mom ate out more than they ate at home.  He told me it was gratifying to provide food to people who could not afford to purchase fresh vegetables.  He said he enjoyed sharing with his sisters too, besides he always enjoyed eating some of what he grew.  I remember he always enjoyed eating corn on the cob.   He put on a lot of butter when he ate the corn.  When he finished eating six or seven cobs, he had butter all over his face.  My mother fussed at him for years about using a napkin during the eating process, but he just laughed and said, "Oh Marie, the corn is too good to be worried about how my face looks.  I use a napkin after I finish eating."

The newspaper clipping is undated, but it seems to me that it was taken sometime in the 1960s.  Dad was bragging that his Big Boy tomatoes plants were so tall he had to use a step ladder to reach the top.  The word got around to the Sikeston Standard, and they sent a reporter out to see if it was true. The picture shows that the tomatoe plants grew to about eight feet tall.  Everyone in the neighborhood, at church, the family, and the usual people in need, had tomatoes that year. He got a kick out of seeing the picture of his tomatoes in the Sikeston Standard newspaper.

Kulkel Burrs and Sticky Burr Grass

Kulkel burrs are
Painful to remove!

It is common to find Kulkel burr grass in older cemeteries in Southeast Missouri.  On my trip to Sikeston two weekends ago, I visited my parents' graves, as usual.  I then drove to the old Sikeston City Cemetery to visit my grandparents, an aunt, my great-grandmother and great-great-grandmother's graves.  Almost immediately upon exiting my car, it felt like something bit my leg.  When I looked down, I saw three Kulkel burrs attached to my sock.  By the time I was through in the cemetery, both of my feet were covered in Kulkel burrs, as shown in the above photo.   Removing these stickers is painful. It jolted me back in time to when I toured many sandy cemeteries and wrote about them between 1998 and 2006.  These sticky burrs are not something I miss about Sikeston or Scott County.  They grow best in poor soil of sand and earth.

The oldest grave in the Cline Family Plot within the Sikeston City Cemetery is my great-great-grandmother Elizabeth Cornelia Tickell-Jones-Moore-Blount-Mosier.  She was born 9 Mar 1811 on the Virginia-North Carolina border, and she died in New Madrid, Missouri on 20 Feb 1892.  The other burials inside the plot are her daughter, Anna Eliza Blount Kline, her granddaughter Lena Kline Cline, and her husband William Henry Cline, their infant son Henry Webster Cline who died at the age of thirteen months, on 21 December 1893.  Then many years later, Henry and Lena Cline's daughter Vera Daughterty Cline Johnson had her cremated remains placed there in 1995.  Vera's husband, Edward Johnson, was the inventor of the hydraulic brake mechanism applicable to the landing gear of airplanes.  He received Patent Number US 1, 870,289 on August 8, 1931.  

Ed Johnson was on the Pennsylvania railroad’s The Spirit of St. Louis passenger train testing a new invention.  He was seriously injured when the car he was riding in broke loose and rammed the locomotive of a stationary passenger train of the same line in the Columbus (Ohio) Union station yards at 9:35 o’clock on June 7, 1948.  Police and firemen identified ten seriously injured.  Most critically injured was E. D. Johnson, 45, of Jennings, Missouri, a mechanical engineer with the Wagner Electric Corporation of St. Louis.  He suffered fractures of both legs and a severe laceration of the lower abdomen.  He was taken to St. Frances Hospital.  Johnson was en route to Allentown, Pa., on business.   Edward Johnson died on June 19, 1948.  He asked to be buried in Falconer, Chautauqua County, New York with the Johnson family.  Vera and their two daughters, Ruth and Martha Johnson remained in the St. Louis area.  At the time of Vera's death, she requested to be buried near her parents and grandmothers in Sikeston, Missouri, the same as her husband had done forty-five year before her.

Vera and her husband Edward Johnson had a wonderful life up until the fatal train wreck.  Life presents us with many joys, but like kulkel burrs, sometimes painful things happen that pierces our heart.  Vera Cline Johnson never got over the loss of her bright husband and remained single the rest of her life.  When you walk through a cemetery, you will see beautiful works of art incorporated into headstones and many sad stories of people being taken too quickly.   Just remember, it is the painful parts of life that make us appreciate the minor and significant joys for which we are blessed.

Growing Old With Charm and Wit

 

Margaret Cline Harmon, Carol Rettig Carol,
 Dan Caldwell and Carl Holyfield take a
break for a picture at the Stoner home.

The Class of 1962 celebrated its 55th reunion September 30, in Sikeston, Missouri.  It could have been better attended, but for those of us there, it was enjoyable.  I talked with some classmates I had not spoken with much at previous gatherings.  Each one was interesting, and it was delightful to reminisce about high school days and learn what each was doing now.  Lloyd Stoner and his wife very graciously hosted the entire class at their beautiful home on Friday night.  I felt bad for them as they were so busy they could not enjoy the evening as the rest of us did.  We all appreciated them for the generious hospitality.  Friday night I was able to talk with many friends but Saturday night seemed to go too quickly. 

Most classmates were recognizable, although we all showed the signs of aging since seeing each other in 2007 and 2012.  Amazingly, after each conversation started, my mind pictured the classmate as they were in 1962.  Some were funnier now than back in high school, and one or two looked better than they did in 1962, in my opinion.   I wanted to hug every one of my classmates, but there just was not enough time to greet them all.  Over the years, I have learned that the flesh of our body deteriorates and is temporary.  In the end, relationships are all that truly matters.  There is a poem I read often and try to live by its words:

   "If I should live to a ripe old age,

     may I possess some bit of individuality,

     charm and wit that I will not be discarded

     when I am withered, worn, and weak,

     but sought after and cherished,

     like a fine antique."

I cherish the twelve years spent with my classmates at the Sikeston public schools, and hope to see them all again in five years.  It is relationships that shape our lives and bring happiness.  It seemed odd that long-time master of ceremonies Joe Bean was not there this year; however, Tom Nunnelee stepped up to the plate and moved the event along at a good pace.  Concluding the reunion by singing the Red and Black seemed to be the perfect ending.  God's blessings to every classmate!  

Red Pepper Initiation Banned? How Sad!!

Outgoing 1962 Red Pepper Officer
 and new 1963 Officers - First Row: 
Shirley Adams, Patsy McWilliams, 
Cassandra Corley, Rosie Litchford,
and Marsha Gibson

It was regrettable to hear the Sikeston Public School Board banned the Red Pepper Initiation a few years ago.  It was part of the school culture and was a tradition that girls looked forward to their Freshman year of high school.  I never heard of anyone harmed, or of any violence as part of the Red Pepper Initiation Day.  You were not required to join the Red Peppers, but for those who did join, initiation was considered a privilege.  It was worth one day of silliness.

First, you had to memorize the following songs.  Then you had to sing them to the satisfaction of the Red Peppers grading you for acceptance.

               All three verses of the “Red and Black.

All three verses of “The Star-Spangled Banner.”

There were a few other things that I have forgotten in fifty-five years, but these were the two biggies.

The INITIATION DAY was always on a Friday.  Green Peppers were required to have a Red Pepper sponsor to lead you through the day.  I remember I had to pull my sponsor in a red wagon where ever she wanted to go.  We were required to wear ridiculous costumes all day, even to classes.  Any Red Pepper could tell us to do something, and we had to do it.  It was done in fun and very few, if anyone, felt dehumanized.  It was fun for everyone, and it was required to be a cool RED PEPPER.  I remember two more things we were expected to do, even on the school grounds.  In talking with my friend and classmate Millie Bennett Nauman by telephone recently, and we recalled the following:

The First Requirement:  We had to drop to the ground when they said: “HIME is coming.” Then we had to put our noses to the ground so we could not see HIME.  Green Peppers were not worthy of seeing HIME before we became full Red Peppers.

The Second Requirement:  When asked by a Red Pepper, “Who is the Greenest Green Pepper?”  We had to respond with the following.  Millie reminded me that we also had to get down on our knees while citing this, and we had to turn in circles.  The proper response was -

Of all the Green Peppers Ever So Green

I am the Greenest pepper you have ever seen.

Then, when the school bell rang for school dismissal, all the green Peppers gathered in front of the “old” high school and waited for their sponsors.  We offered our sponsor a ride to the park in front of the business section, in the middle of town.  There, everyone enjoyed a big celebration and final initiation tricks.  Some green Peppers had eggs crushed on their heads, some had honey poured over their heads, then cornflakes smashed into the honey.  I was lucky.  I just had orange juice poured over my head, in addition to wearing a green Pepper all day, I also had to wear an orange around my neck.  It was not until that moment in the park that I understood why I had to wear the orange.  If my sponsor told me to eat either, or both, then I ate it.  At the end of that day, the green Peppers looked a mess, and they were tired. 

Then, the Red Pepper President blew her whistle signaling the conclusion.  Initiation was over, and inclusion began.  There were hugs, cheers, and congratulations.  We made the cut!  Most young ladies considered it fun and worth every moment of that day to become RED Peppers for three years.  Some may call this hazing, I call it character building.  Things given without effort is never appreciated as much as things earned.  

Gone, but not forgotten!

Dieting For My Reunion?

Margaret Cline -1962

Oh, what a difference 55 years can make in our appearance.  Today, my skin no longer fits my body properly, I have a big gap in my front teeth caused from TMJ, my waistline is much wider, my feet were crippled from a botched foot surgery in 2014, and I don't even want to talk about my arms or neck!   None of that bothers me, but the one new thing that does bother me is arthritis.  I no longer stand tall and straight but stand stooped, like an old person. However, most of the time, I still think youthful thoughts, much like I did in 1962.  In the end, our mind is the most important element in our bodies.  Especially its capacity to remember.  

Margaret Cline Harmon
2017

I look forward to attending my SHS's 55th Class Reunion next week in Sikeston, Missouri.  Labor Day, I gave serious thought of starting a diet to look better for the event. Then I realized it is impossible to lose thirty pounds in four weeks, so I forgot about it.  The Class of 1962 will share many memories when we meet.  None of us will see as well as we did when we graduated from the NEW Sikeston High School.  We can not hear as well as we did back then, and we will all be carrying more weight than in our high school days.  

All of our children are grown, and we have grandchildren, and a few have great-grandchildren.  Our formative careers have now ended.  The reason most of us will attend the reunion is for the shared memories of the time we were relatively worried free.  We can all remember when our bodies functioned perfectly and looked much better than they do now.   Most of us return to our class reunions to visit with our classmates, and recalling their personalities in 1962.  When talking to a classmate, it is common to see the other person as we saw them in high school.  We recall working together in different clubs, in the band, in sports, and in the choir.  The memory of getting up early to be at marching band practice at 7:00 AM  and after school club meetings are strong.  We have collective memories of fun, silliness, and serious moments together as a class, and individually.  

People return to various types of reunions for the feeling of inclusion, and the feelings and memories a place and people produce.  We remember the Bulldog Inn, the Cotton Gin and its smell, the Cow Bell, the Dunn Hotel, the Gay 90's Village, Kirby's hamburgers, the Malone Theater (when it was downtown), Nancy's Sweet Shop, SHS Championship Football, the Skating Rink, Wag's, Woolworths, and much more.  We even remember when Elvis performed at the Armory in Sikeston, not once, but twice.

Elvis Presley - 1955

This year, we will also mourn the loss of classmates - Bob Depro, Joan Happe, Nellie Karnes, Lonnie Dickie, and Phillip Payne.  Like life, this reunion will be filled with joys, fun, and sadness.  It is a time to appreciate each classmate for who they were, and who they have become.  I pray each returning member of the Sikeston High School Class of 1962 arrive safely, and that they return home with a spring in their step and humming "The Red and the Black."  Go Sikeston Bulldogs!