Scríobh mo mhamó Kate McCormick Black, máthair mo mháthar, an stair seo. Níor athraigh mé an litriú ná an phoncaíocht den chuid is mó nuair a rinne mé tras-scríbhinn di. Tá na chéad abairtí maidir le Dougal agus Sylvester mícheart. Níl a fhios agam cá bhfuair sí an scéal sin. Níl a fhios agam cathain a bhreac sí síos an stair seo. Am éigin sna caogaidí nó sna seascaidí?
In ____ Scotland Dougal McCormick lived, he was a brewer and had two sons - Sylvester and John Dougal. We come from Dougal side of the family, but Sylvester came to the U.S. rather than stay in Scotland and work in the brewery. Came to U.S. and patented the first McCormick harvester and several other pieces (?) of machinery. Dougal McCormick came over later. He was a builder and contractor. My grandfather Chas. Valentine Mc is a descendent of his and was born in Jacksonville Ill. He married Lousanah Emeline ___ and they had four children Kate born 1837, Thomas Benton 1840, Chas. R. 1842 and Bettie 1844. I am not sure of these dates but I know Chas. R. is 1842. My father enlisted in the Civil war in 1862. Co. D. 114th Ill. infantry he fought in the seige at Vicksburg Miss. and his name is listed with all the other men who fought on a bronze plate now in the memorial building in Vicksburg. When mama, Rox, Tod, Earl & Billie were south on a trip they went to Vicksburg. Said the memorial grounds were beautiful. Well my father had smallpox last year of the war. Said as he lay there on his cot seeing one after another of the boys carried out dead, wondered when his turn would come. After he was well his commanding officer kept him to do office work. He was making out discharges for the men. Major said Mc it’s about time for yours to go through, my father said I put my [mine] in and you signed some time ago. I have that discharge that is written in his own hand and a 5 cent piece of paper money that was paid him at that time, called a shin plaster. Chas Valentine Mc was a big builder and contractor. He built the Jacksonville Ill. court house which is still standing and in use as court house, the Insane asylum and several fine churches that are in good condition. Grandma McCormick died while Chas & Tom were away in the service, she had T.B. Some time after that grandpa married her sister and he & his wife & a niece were killed at a train crossing, driving in a surrey (I guess with the fringe on top). Well my father married N____ (?) Wilson of Jacksonville Ill. and they had two boys Harry Herbert & Eugene. Whe Harry was about three his mother died of Tb. My father came to Kans brought Harry to live with Aunt Kate Naylor near Furley Kas. and Gene was a tiny baby so grandmother Wilson kept him. My father wanted to bring him to Kans. but grandmother Wilson thought it best to stay with her. Well my father staked a claim two miles from Aunt Kate and uncle Joe Naylor, and she kept Harry till my father married my mother Marietta Slaven. He broke sod with oxen and freighted lumber from Emporia Kans. with a pair of oxen. He used some of the walnut slabs for a roof on his sod house, after he built frame house these slabs were taken to plaining [planing] mill and made into fine lumber. I have a dresser now that uncle Tom Mc made of it. He lived on the claim till after grass hopper year I think in 1873 or 74. He and mama were married on March 1, 1876. Roxy was born Dec 10 1876. I was born Apl 16, 1879 Lou was born June 20, 1881. Billie born 1886. Murry 1889. Tod 1892. Claude June 4, 1895. Mamas people all lived in West Virgina was a little town of Ravenswood, near the Ohio river and mama was named for a town Marietta Ohio just across the river. Grandpa Slaven was born near Ravenswood, great grandfather Slaven once owned a lot of land in West Virginia. There were Henry, James and Mary. My grandfather James married Lucy Summerville and their [there] were three children Tom, Marietta and Willie, the little boy died in infancy, and when mama was three years old her mother died and she went to live with her grandmother Summerville. Uncle Tom with grandparents Slaven. Mama born May 29, 1858. Uncle Tom 1856, don’t remember date. He died Apl 1937. Mama died Oct. 17 1944. Pap died Oct 24, 1929. Summervilles one of the oldest families in Old Virginia, are related to the Summerville that was at the bottom of that Alaska road found about 10 years ago. [What’s that story?] Doss Summervilles son lives in Ravenswood now, has a dry goods store there. Well Granda pa Slaven and Uncle Henry Slaven both fought in the Confederate army. Uncle Henry was in prison a long time lost a leg, visited us on the farm 50 yrs ago had cork leg didn’t even limp. After the war Grandpa Slaven married Alpha Lent, and grandpa, grandma, Tom and mama drove to Kans from West Virginia in a covered wagon. They were 6 months making the trip, brought 2 teams of horses, some cows and mamas pony. She rode it a lot of the way to Kans. they got as far as Coffeville in eastern Kans and wintered there then on to Furley Kans in spring. I think they came to Kans. about 2 yrs after my father did, any way they were there before grass hopper year that ate up every thing clean. My grandfather traded his claim for what is now West Wichita, had 160 acres, on west side of river and South of douglas ave. Laid it out into town lots and made a lot of money for that time out of it. built a big house corner Maple & Sycamore, grandma lived in it till year she died 1926 then was torn down a filling station there now. They went to Eureka Sps Ark. brought back a lot of pine trees, and a few years ago I was past the lot and one or two of them were still standing, nearly 70 years old, believe it or not but is so.
