| Notes |
- Story about Vianna in her grandson Lucian White's notes from newspaper article about Lucian's skills making dulcimer.
* * * * *
The Kentucky hills and its people, especially his grandmother Vianna Hamm, are what White likes to talk about most. “Oh,” he exclaimed, “every boy should have a grandmother like that to tell him stories.”
It was right after the Civil War when the southern general John Hunt Morgan paid his last visit to White’s grandmother’s hunting lodge, White said. Morgan used to come there before the war for recreation and hunting and White’s grandparent’s hospitality.
Grandfather Hamm had gotten a land grant to run the lodge and the area was excellent for hunting fox, white-tailed deer and the like. Also had good fishing, White said.
Well Morgan was one of those generals who never did surrender. He became leader of an outlaw band and would ride in, steal horses and loot a place at the drop of a hat. If there wasn’t any loot worth having or he met resistance in taking it, he’d have his men set all the buildings on fire.
When they came riding into his grandmother’s after her husband had died, she was down in a cellar alone, White said. The outlaws were bent on stealing the horses from the corral but were unable to get them out. “For some reason the horses just ran around in the corral making a commotion.”
His grandmother ran up from the cellar and accosted the outlaws by herself. White said “John Hunt Morgan!” she shouted at the former general. “Is this the thanks you give me for slaving over a hot cookstove while you were out hunting?
Morgan just looked down from his big horse and motioned for his men to close the gate. “Come on boys,” he said. “her horse never were any good.” And they rode off.
* * *
Great Falls Tribune, Great Falls, Montana. Sunday, 20 April 1980. Section F, page 1.
[9]
- Sept. 20, 1889
Deed Book #2, page 376. Rowan County, Kentucky.
Know all men by these present that we the heirs of W.R. Hedges Deceased our names annexed do appoint and convey full power our attorney in fact for us our heirs and assigns to P.T. Hedges, of Vermilion County and State of Illinois granting him full power to sell, rent, transfer or convey all personal property and Real Estate belong to the Estate of W.R. hedges, Decd. In the County of Rowan and Bath and State of Kentucky and after paying all just debts against the said Estate to divide the remainder equally between the said heirs of the home survey in Rowan County, Ky.
Signed:
M.L. Steenrod
Joseph Steenrod
Isaac A. Hedges
Julia M. Hedges
W.H. Hedges
Sue Hedges
V.J. Ham
L.M. Hedges
R.S. Guilkison
Peter T. Crouch
Hattie L. Crouch
https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3Q9M-C377-497Y-F?cat=112267&i=199&lang=en
LKH note:
Peter T. Crouch was the son Mary Ann (Hedges) Crouch who was the oldest daughter of William Ribelin Hedges
.H. Hedges was son Addison W. Hedges who was a son of William Ribelin Hedges
[10]
- MHR note:
from Clara (Enix) Gearhart, October 1950.
Aunt Rosann (Hedges) Gilkison told me about a time when “Vian” married George G. Hamm, and they had a big gang around in hunting season, something like a resort hotel. They lived in a big “double” log house, with a long porch, about 40 or 45 ft. long. It had a big chimney in the middle, and fireplaces on each side. They had an “everlasting” spring in the yard, and a long gourd dipper with a hole drilled near the tip of the neck part, to hang it on a rail on the tree near the spring. Everyone who came by to drink from the spring used this dipper, of course.
One time Vian was getting a noon meal with that whole gang of men waiting to eat, and had her bread dough made up and on a big wooden cooking tray ready to bake (The trays were of white linden wood – light and as white as could be.) Vian turned her back, going about her work, when one of the great hunting hounds darted up and grabbed the dough in its mouth (it stuck together all in one mess.) and tore out into the yard with it and had wolfed it down, all but a bit, when they discovered it. Then Vian had to go to work and mix up about a half-bushel of flour into another batch, before the men could eat. (Clara went over to the Basfords, neighbors, and borrowed one of the old trays, tho smaller than the one Vian had used, to show Mrs. Reiner. Basfords’ tray was about 20 inches across the long way, and was sloped down into a bowl-like shape, the open top being in a rectangle, longer than side, with corners rounded a bit.)
[4]
|
1828 - 1911 (82 years)
[1, 2, 3] 
: Address
: Location
: City/Town
: County/Shire
: State/Province
: Country
: Not Set