Showing posts with label Quillen. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Quillen. Show all posts

Saturday, December 29, 2012

Lysander Joslin Family - Index to Posts

Lysander and Lydia (Robison) Joslin are my 3rd Great Grandparents.

An Index Post is how I keep track of all of the blog posts that have been written on a family line. It helps keep me organized and allows visitors to easily find information on that family. This post will be updated as new blog posts are written on the family. Please contact me at kinexxions@gmail.com if you are researching this family or have additional information on them.

For information on Lysander's parents, siblings, and ancestors, please see Joslin Family - Index to Posts

See Robison Family - Index to Posts for information on Lydia's possible parents and siblings.

Lysander and Lydia were married in 1843 in Whitley County, Indiana and were the parents of 15 children, five of whom died young.
Children of Lysander and Lydia (Robison) Joslin:

1. Anna Eliza Joslin and William Klingaman
  • The Joslin Sisters Photograph January 13, 2008 [Photograph of Roxie Arminta Joslin Parkison, Anna Eliza Joslin Klingaman, Malissa Joslin Brubaker Bower, and Mandella "Della" Joslin Quillen.]
  • Greetings from... Iowa May 05, 2011 [A visit to McDowell Cemetery in Jefferson County, Iowa where Anna Eliza, William and several of their children are buried.
2. Mary Jane Joslin
3. Elcy Ellen Joslin
4. Malissa Joslin and William Brubaker (my 2nd great-grandparents)
5. Luther Marion Joslin and Phoebe Dorcas Elliott

6. Roxie Arminta Joslin and Jacob Henry Parkison Parkison
  • Baxter Springs November 27, 2007 [burial site of Jacob and Roxie Joslin Parkison]
  • The Joslin Sisters Photograph January 13, 2008 [Photograph of Roxie Arminta Joslin Parkison, Anna Eliza Joslin Klingaman, Malissa Joslin Brubaker Bower, and Mandella "Della" Joslin Quillen.]
7. John Lafayette Joslin was born November 30, 1855 in Whitley County, Indiana. He reportedly died in California, date unknown.

8. Esther Joslin
9. Minerva Fatima Joslin and William John Knight

10. Andrew Hanable Joslin and Elmina Himes

11. Lillian Arvilla Joslin
12. Ida Blanch Joslin Dressler Lewis
13. Della Joslin and James Downey Quillen
14. Elmer Joslin
  • Mary, Elcy, Esther, Lillian, and Elmer July 29, 2008 [gravesites in Adams Cemetery - Elmer was born June 4, 1868 and died June 30, 1868 in Jefferson County, Iowa. His gravesite has not been found.]
15. Elmus Robison Joslin and Catherine "Kattie" Kelly. Elmus was a twin to Elmer.


Originally Posted on March 3, 2008 :: Last Updated on May 10, 2011

Post date adjusted December 29, 2012 so that when a search for the surname is done on the blog this post will appear first the search list.

Posted by Becky Wiseman at 2:30 AM 0 comments
Labels: , , , , , , , ,

Tuesday, November 03, 2009

Tombstone Tuesday :: Marjorie Quillen

September 11, 2009 - Since it was dark the previous day when I went through the charming community of Overbrook, Kansas and because I was now back in the area to photograph tombstones from another nearby cemetery, I decided to see if I could locate the grave of little Marjorie Quillen.

According to an entry on Interment.net, Marjorie died on January 20, 1903 at the age of 14 days. Her parents were Mandella “Della” Joslin and James Downey “J. D.” Quillen. Della was was a sister of my 2nd great-grandmother, Malissa (Joslin) Brubaker. They lived in Overbrook for a few years before moving to Anacortes, Washington prior to 1907. While in Overbrook, J. D. was editor and publisher of the Overbrook Citizen. I wonder now whether any issues of the newspaper exist (on microfilm or otherwise) and if J. D. wrote of the death of his little daughter. For some reason I didn't even think of it while I was in Overbrook. A one-track mind, I guess.

I stopped at the library in Overbrook and asked it they had a publication of tombstone transcriptions. She said no, then when I asked if they had a diagram of the local cemetery, she said yes! And then brought out this huge book, which they called a “census” of the cemetery. Different terminology, but just what I was looking for.

Alas, the diagram of Overbrook cemetery that was published in the book bore no resemblance whatsoever to the various sections as they now exist. The drawing even had the librarian confused. The “census” did show that Marjorie was buried in the old section of the cemetery. The lady I was speaking with tried to tell me where that might be and I think that is the area where I went, but nowhere could I find little Marjorie!

I looked for over an hour, in the hot sun, and I walked up and down all the rows in what seemed like was the oldest section, to no avail. Then off in the distance I could see a young man on a three-wheeler driving down each of the lanes. Attached to the three-wheeler was a weed-eater. He stopped in front of me as I frantically waved my arms at him.

He had the nicest smile. He was very helpful but couldn't recall seeing a stone with the Quillen name on it, but he said he sees so many stones every week and even if he remembered the name he probably wouldn't be able to tell me where it was located. So for perhaps another 30 minutes we both walked up and down the rows, but little Marjorie was not to be found – at least not by me and not on that day.

There was a touching tribute to another little girl, Vivian Butell. She was older, having lived for four years from 1914-1918. I am sure that Della and J. D. would have liked to have left such a monument to their little daughter, but they were not wealthy folk. I envision little Marjorie's marker to be a small one, unassuming and unostentatious. I was somewhat saddened that her grave site wasn't found but that's the way it goes sometimes.

Marjorie wasn't found that day, but I must admit that I was overcome with emotion when I saw the lovely monument to Vivian Butell. The inscription read: Vivian Dau of / Dr. A U & Maud / Butell / 1914-1918

Posted by Becky Wiseman at 8:00 AM 0 comments
Labels: , , ,

Tuesday, April 21, 2009

Tombstone Tuesday :: Robert Quillen and His Wives

The remains of Robert Quillen and his second wife, Marcelle Babb, reside in a mausoleum at Cannon Memorial Park in Fountain Inn, Greenville County, South Carolina. He was the son of James Downey and Mandella (Joslin) Quillen and a grandson of Lysander and Lydia (Robison) Joslin. Robert was my 1st cousin 3 times removed.

For some reason, being in the mausoleum was a bit of a 'disturbing' experience for me. One of the custodians of the cemetery unlocked the building and went in with me to find the Quillen vault, and I'm glad he was there. It was dark inside, even with the lights on, and was just plain creepy. I get goose bumps just looking at these pictures and thinking about it. I have no such qualms about going to a cemetery and spending hours there. Perhaps it is the confined space of the building and the closeness of the remains that bothers me...

The Quillen crypt is the middle one in the photo above.

QUILLEN
MARCELLE BABB / JANUARY 16, 1898 / JUNE 9, 1971
ROBERT / MARCH 25, 1887 / DECEMBER 9, 1948

Robert's first wife, Miss Donnie Cox, is buried in the Fountain Inn Municipal Cemetery, Greeneville County, South Carolina in the same plot as his parents, J.D. and Della (Joslin) Quillen.

MISS DONNIE / WIFE OF / ROBERT QUILLEN / 1882 - 1922

Posted by Becky Wiseman at 1:40 PM 2 comments
Labels: , ,

Tuesday, April 07, 2009

Tombstone Tuesday :: JD and Della Quillen

Mandella Joslin, more commonly known as Della, was the 13th child of 15 born to Lydia Robison and Lysander Price Joslin in Whitley County, Indiana. Della was married to James Downey Quillen on July 30, 1884 in Barton County, Kansas. He went by James but more commonly was known as JD. Della and JD moved around quite frequently, residing, among other places, in Osage County, Kansas as well as Port Orchard, Kitsap County, Washington and Fountain Inn, Greeneville County, South Carolina.

Della and JD were the parents of five children:
  1. Leroy "Roy" Quillen (1885-1917) and his wife Anna had a daughter, Pauline, who was born about 1911. He died in Winlock, Lewis County, Washington less than a month before his 32nd birthday.
  2. Verni Robert Quillen (1887-1948), known as Robert, was a popular newspaper columnist in the 1930s and 40s when he resided in Greenville, SC. He was married twice and adopted a daughter.
  3. Lydia Elizabeth Quillen (1893-1983) married Berthier Henry "Bert" Deason. They resided in Greenville, SC. No children were born to them.
  4. Marjorie Quillen (1903-1903) was born on January 6th and passed away two weeks later on January 20th. She is buried in the Overbrook Cemetery, Osage County, Kansas.
  5. Della Lucille Quillen (1909-2000) was married to Donald Charles Agnew. He taught psychology and philosophy at several Universities and was president of Oglethorpe University in Atlanta, Georgia. They had two daughters, one of whom I have corresponded with.

JD and Della (Joslin) Quillen are buried in the Fountain Inn Municipal Cemetery, Greeneville County, South Carolina. In the photo above their graves are the last two flat markers on the far left.

DELLA JOSLIN / WIFE OF / J. D. QUILLEN / December 9, 1866 / February 7, 1943

J. D. QUILLEN / 1860-1919

Posted by Becky Wiseman at 2:53 PM 0 comments
Labels: , ,

Tuesday, July 01, 2008

Robert Quillen - An Independent Spirit

One of the most interesting men that I never met, and who just happens to be related to me (first cousin three times removed!), is Robert Quillen. And, in my opinion, as a free-thinker he meets the qualifications as an "Independent Spirit" which is the topic for the upcoming Carnival of Genealogy. Have any of my readers ever heard of him?

A contemporary of Will Rogers, Robert became known as "the Sage of Fountain Inn" and was nationally known as a paragrapher, humorist writer, newspaper columnist, and newspaper editor during the first half of the 20th century.

Born as Verni Robert Quillen on March 25, 1887 near Syracuse in Hamilton County, Kansas (near the Colorado border) he was the son of James Downey "J. D." and Mandella Joslin Quillen. His mother was the sister of my 2nd great-grandmother, Malissa Mariah Joslin Brubaker Bower, and they were two of the fifteen children of Lysander and Lydia Robison Joslin.

Robert's father was born in Missouri, his mother in Indiana. They married in Barton County, Kansas then moved to Syracuse in western Kansas, where J. D. published the weekly Syracuse Independent. In a few years the family moved back again to eastern Kansas, to the small town of Overbrook, where J. D. began publishing the Overbrook Citizen. Here Robert learned the printing trade, setting type and running the presses.

Early in 1904 J.D. decided to move his family to Washington state. But that March, just before his 17th birthday, Robert enlisted in the army, (without the consent of his parents and swearing he was twenty-one) as William Stewart. It was reportedly an attempt to heal a broken heart. In actuality it was probably rebellion against the sternness of his father. Robert was assigned to the 13th Cavalry Regiment and sent to the Philippine Islands. In June 1905, after deciding that military life was not his cup of tea and with some help from his father, Robert was discharged from active duty.

After his release from the Army, Robert traveled for a time, and ended up in Fountain Inn, Greenville County, South Carolina. He had some experience as a printer, gained from working with his father, so he launched the "Fountain Inn Journal" but that enterprise didn't last long. He met and fell in love with Donnie Cox, an "older" southern girl, five years his senior. As can be imagined, her family didn't approve of the young westerner but Donnie was in love with Robert too. Robert moved to Americus, Georgia taking a job as a print shop foreman. Robert pursued his romantic interest in Donnie and when her father finally relented to her wishes, they were married September 2, 1906, reportedly in Atlanta. They lived for a short time at Americus and then Ashburn, Georgia before joining his parents and siblings in Anacortes, Skagit County, Washington where his father was publisher of "The Citizen".

The Quillen family moved closer to Seattle where Robert and his father established the "Port Orchard Independent". In December of 1910, Robert and Donnie returned to Fountain Inn, South Carolina. The following February, Robert published the first issue of the "Fountain Inn Tribune" which he would continue to publish until his death. His parents and sisters joined Robert in Fountain Inn. A brother, LeRoy, had died in 1917. His father died in Fountain Inn on June 6, 1919. His mother passed away February 7, 1943 at the home of her daughter, Della Lucille Quillen Agnew, in Hartsville Township, Darlington County, South Carolina.

It was about 1920 that Robert's writing started getting noticed by prominent publishers and several articles were accepted by the Saturday Evening Post and the Baltimore Evening Sun. His special pages and editorials ran in those publications for several years. In 1922, Robert's wife, Donnie, passed away. By the end of the year he was married again, to Marcelle Babb. No children were born to either marriage, but Robert and Donnie had adopted a daughter, Louise, who became the inspiration for his columns "Letters from a Bald-Headed Dad to His Red-Headed Daughter" that were published in book form in 1933.

In addition to being a writer, editor, and publisher, Robert was also a humanitarian. It was said that if a child in the county woke up Christmas morning with an empty stocking, it was because he didn't know about it.

He was a bit of an eccentric, not only in his writings, but in his actions. Twice he sold his newspaper, only to buy it back again both times. In 1925, he erected a statue to Eve on the lawn of his home, which horrified the townspeople. It was simply an obelisk with the inscription "In Memory of Eve, the First Woman" and carved beneath was an apple with a twig and one leaf. In an editorial in his newspaper, he said: "Eve was a distant relative of mine, on my mother's side. The family has always been proud of her. She was the first lady of the land and the reigning beauty of her time."

Robert Quillen made his living as a commentator on American society. His columns covered virtually every aspect of life in America in the early-to-mid 1900s. Many of his columns were thinly veiled descriptions of the local citizens. One Fountain Inn man warned a new preacher, "Don't get mad at anything Mr. Quillen says. We're used to him and just overlook his queerness."

His opinions were not always widely accepted, in fact, they were often controversial, but his work was published in more than 300 newspapers in the United States and Canada when he died at the age of 61 on December 9, 1948 at Hendersonville, North Carolina. His syndicated features included "Aunt Het" and "Willie Willis," both humorous cartoons, as well as editorials, "Quillen's Quips" and other articles.

He once wrote his own obituary and printed it in the Fountain Inn Tribune, the weekly newspaper he published. He described the service and the last rites at the cemetery. Then he wrote, "When the last clod had fallen, workmen covered the grave with a granite slab bearing the inscription, 'Submitted to the Publisher by Robert Quillen'." The Greenville News added "There will be no copyright. The original work could hardly be reproduced."

A depiction of "Aunt Het", Robert Quillen, Robert with his adopted daughter Louise. Pictures on display in his study in Fountain Inn. Photo taken by Becky Wiseman on March 12, 2004.

The infamous statue "In Memory of Eve, The First Woman." Photo taken by Becky Wiseman on March 12, 2004.

Sadly, there isn't much to be found on the Internet about Robert Quillen. This article was compiled from numerous newspaper clippings about him that I received from the Greenville County Library, Greenville, South Carolina as well as an article in The South Carolina Historical Magazine (Vol 102 No 2, April 2001 pages 110-134 "The Wit and Wisdom of Robert Quillen, 1887-1948" by Marvin L. Cann). After receiving a copy of that article in September 2002 I was able to contact Mr. Cann. Most of the resources and photographs he used in the article were housed at the University of South Carolina. I contacted them and obtained several pictures of Robert and his family. However, I can't post them here since I don't have their permission to do so.

A recent search of the 'net brought up a new book published last year, "The Voice of Small-Town America : Selected Writings of Robert Quillen, 1920–1948" edited by John Hammond Moore. An article on Wikipedia appears to be excerpts from the Moore book.

A few of Robert's one-liners:

  • Acting is not being emotional, but being able to express emotion.
  • As we grow older, our bodies get shorter and our anecdotes longer.
  • Discussion is an exchange of knowledge; an argument an exchange of ignorance.
  • Great art is never produced for its own sake. It is too difficult to be worth the effort.
  • If we wish to make a new world we have the material ready. The first one, too, was made out of chaos.
  • There are glimpses of heaven to us in every act, or thought, or word, that raises us above ourselves.
Posted by Becky Wiseman at 10:20 PM 4 comments
Labels: ,

Sunday, January 13, 2008

The Joslin Sisters Photograph

The photo below is of four of the daughters of Lysander and Lydia Robison Joslin. It has been retouched to remove some writing that partially identified three of the four women. From that, and comparison of other photographs that have been identified, the ladies are:

  • at left, Roxie Arminta Joslin Parkison (1853-1941)
  • top, Anna Eliza Joslin Klingaman (1844-1885)
  • right, my 2nd Great Grandmother, Malissa Mariah Joslin Brubaker Bower (1849-1937)
  • bottom, Mandella "Della" Joslin Quillen (1866-1943)

The only daughter not pictured, that would have been living at the time, was Ida Blanch Joslin Dressler Lewis (1863-1937). There is a picture of Ida and her husband at the bottom of this post. A picture of Lysander and Lydia can be found in this post.

I received the scanned image from a fourth cousin, Jane (descendant of Roxie), in April 2000 about six months after we made contact via the internet. She received the image file from another descendant of Roxie.

We don't know where or when the picture was taken but Anna Eliza died in July 1885. Della was married at the age of 17 in July 1884, perhaps they got together then. Malissa was living in Whitley County, Indiana at that time while Anna Eliza lived in Jefferson County, Iowa. Roxie was probably still in Barton County, Kansas as was Della.

Posted by Becky Wiseman at 4:25 PM 0 comments
Labels: , , ,