By Jeff Harmon (Franklin, Indiana)

Oral traditions provideinsights into Everitt family history

W

W

The Everitt Family NewsletterIssue Number 6 Published for the descendants of William C. and Mary (Lewellen) Everitt June 2006

hile oral traditions are very

important to each new

generation of a family, they can

become modified over time, just

like the "pass the secret" game played by

children where the end story bears little

resemblance to the beginning. Two of the

most common oral traditions that people

run into doing their genealogy research

are the "a certain number of brothers

came to America from a certain country

in a certain year" and "we have Indian

blood" traditions. These stories are

passed along as oral traditions in infinitely

more families than in which the stories

can be substantiated. Neither of these

oral traditions, however, seems to have

found their way into the Everitt family.

The Everitt family's oral traditions are

more specific and for the most part

appear to fit with history. Some of those

traditions will be discussed here.

Some 35 or 40 years ago, the Everitt

family was lucky enough to have an in-law

with an interest in family history. Roberta

Carter, wife of Morris "Mockie" Carter, a

great-grandson of Captain William Davis

Everitt, transcribed a stack of letters

written during the Civil War to and from

Captain Everitt. Along with this work,

she also put to paper some of the oral

traditions about Captain Everitt's father,

William Conway Everett (referred to as

William B. Everitt in her work).

Besides record of his birth, the earliest

information we have regarding our

common ancestor is that, according to

the oral tradition put in writing by

story continues on page 6

William Cole's ancestors founded universities,governed colonies, signed the Magna CartaBy Beverlee Stuart-Borok (Temicula, California)

e know that most of

our ancestors were

simple farm people. In

most cases they were illiterate,

with very little understanding of

the world beyond the nearest

county. However, in most cases,

if we do a little digging, the

results can be very surprising.

William Cole, who married

Winna Jane Everitt, descended

from some very interesting

stock.It has been difficult to trace the Cole

surname beyond his grandfather, Stephen

Cole, in Jamestown, Virginia. But the

family of his mother, Henrietta Wheeler,

was much easier to research. William's

great grandfather, Ignatius Wheeler,

fought in the Revolutionary War.

William descends from English and

Scotch bloodlines. His second great

grandfather was Hugh Conn, whose

family was originally from Scotland and

migrated to Northern Ireland in the late

1600s. Hugh Conn was the first

Presbyterian Minister to hold services in

the colonies and he was one of the

founders of Princeton University. He

dropped dead in the pulpit while giving a

sermon on 28 June 1752. It is most ironic

that he had just uttered the words, "Death

may seize us the next moment."

William's fifth great grandfather,

Thomas Greene, together with Lord

Baltimore and 20 other gentlemen,

arrived in the colonies in 1634 on

one of two ships, the Ark or

the Dove. They left England

to evade persecution for their

staunch royalist and Catholic

beliefs. Thomas Greene was

appointed second provincial

governor of Maryland in

1647.

The most interesting line

would be that of William's

sixth great grandfather,

Thomas Gerard. He owned

property in Maryland before 1638. The

Gerard line is well documented and can

be traced beyond AD 1000. In 1215,

when King John signed the Magna Carta,

25 barons were appointed to make certain

that the king upheld his end of the

bargain. One of "The 25" as they became

known, was the direct ancestor of our

William Cole, citizen of Vienna

Townsh ip, Scott County,

Indiana.

sunday

september 16th

scottsburg, indiana

DETAILS ON PAGE 2!

The Everitt Family Newsletter2

"I know you. You're my cousin!" That

is how I was met at the door recently by a

person whom I had never seen before. I

knew who she was, because I was going

to her sister's home and was aware that

she was visiting there. But she did not

know I was coming to visit; so, how did

she recognize me? It must have been my

picture in the story about the last Everitt

Reunion in this Newsletter.

As I reflect on meeting cousin Evie, i

am reminded why we have family reun-

ions. Old and new family connections

help us reflect upon ourselves and past

family members. Statements such as: "I

knew your dad when..." or "Did you

know your uncle was my..." or "My mom

worked with your..." or "Was your grand-

mother the one who supposedly..." cause

us to know more about our past and give

us more family information to pass on to

future generations. This is not to under-

rate the fun which comes from visiting

with good people who just happen to be

related.

Speaking of reunions, the time has al-

most arrived for the Everitt Family Reun-

ion 2006.

WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW

Saturday, September 16, 2006

11:00 a.m.

Lake Iola Shelter

Scottsburg, Indiana

This year's Everitt Family Reunion will

feature:

- family tree displays

- a large group photo

- small group photos, if requested

- dinner at 5:00 p.m. (hambur-

gers/hot dogs/side dishes provided for a

minimal donation)

- a 15 to 30 minute talk on the latest

research on William C. Everitt by cousin

Beverlee Stuart-Borok from California.

WHAT YOU NEED TO BRING

- a dessert to share

- items for the silent auction

(money raiser for the reunion/news-

letter fund)

- old photos for copying, if not

previously shared

And, by the way, my cousin Evie, her

sister Oma, and I (amongst the few Ever-

itt family members in Oregon) are plan-

ning to attend the Reunion. We hope to

see you there, "cousin!"

EVERITT FAMILY REUNION 2006september 16, 2006 - scottsburg, indiana

By Tom J. Everitt (Shady Cove, Oregon)

The Mystery PhotographsThe mystery photographs in this issue are from

copies owned by Norma (Tash) Brown. Although

someone has gone to the trouble to copy these pho-

tographs, probably from tintypes, they did not take

the time to write the names on the backs and now the

identities are lost. Has anyone seen the originals or

other copies of these that have the names on them?

It is not certain that these are Everitts, but are among

many old photos that do contain Everitt images.

FOLLOW-UP! The mystery photo found in

Issue 4 has been positively identified. The two photos

had been posted on the RAY GenForum, an internet

web site for the discussion of Ray genealogy, at

http://genforum.genealogy.com/ray/. A descendant

of Rachel Ray through one of her sons saw the pho-

tos and sent in an e-mail stating that she also has the

same photo and on the back it is identified as Rachel.

All of you who are descendants of Thomas Christo-

pher Everitt, this photograph is of his mother-in-law! Rachel Higgins was born on December 17, 1804 in Kentucky and was married

to Thomas Ray on August 4, 1821 in Scott County, Indiana, the year following the formation of the county. She was the mother of

seven children. Two daughters, Louisa and Nancy, married Everitt brothers, James and Thomas, respectively. Rachel died at the age of

89 years, 2 months and 26 days on March 12, 1894 at the home of Thomas and Nancy, not far from the Everitt Cemetery. She was laid

to rest in the Zoah Cemetery next to her husband who had died in 1877.- Jeff Harmon

Descendents of William C. Everitt are noweligible for Indiana Pioneers membershipBy Robert H. Everitt (Indianapolis, Indiana)

An article in a prior issue of the Everitt

Family Newsletter discussed The Society of

Indiana Pioneers, an organization formed

in 1916, the centennial year of Indiana's

statehood, to "honor the memory and the

work of Indiana's pioneers". To become

a regular member of the organization, a

person must prove his or her lineage to a

person who was residing in the area now

comprising the state of Indiana during

the "pioneer period". At the time the arti-

cle appeared, the organization had deter-

mined that the pioneer period ended in

1825 for all of southern Indiana. Re-

search done by family historian Jeff Har-

mon up to that time confirmed that our

common ancestor, William Conway Ever-

itt, the earliest to move to Indiana, came

to Clark County, Indiana, "sometime in

the mid-1820's", but he was unable to

prove that the move took place in 1825

or before. A number of Everitt descend-

ants are members of the Society and have

been active in the organization, but their

membership was obtained by proving lin-

eage to a pioneer ancestor other than an

Everitt ancestor.

In 2005, the Board of Governors of

The Society of Indiana Pioneers revised

the eligibility rules and determined that

for 87 of Indiana's ninety-two counties,

the "pioneer period" ended in 1840. The

counties of Howard, Lake, Newton,

Starke and Tipton, all in northern Indi-

ana, were assigned later dates because

they were settled later. Soon after the

change was announced, an application

was filed to qualify Captain William Davis

Everitt (born 8 February 1833 in Clark

County, Indiana) as an Indiana pioneer.

All lineal descendants of Captain Everitt

are now eligible for membership by filing

an application and proving lineage to

him. Census records show that William

Conway Everitt and his wife were resid-

ing in Clark County, Indiana, in 1830, and

papers have now been approved which

designate him also as a qualifying pioneer

ancestor. Therefore, all direct descend-

ants of William Conway Everitt are now

eligible for regular membership in The

Society of Indiana Pioneers.

Among the activities for members and

friends of the Society are an annual meet-

ing held in Indianapolis in late October

or early November and spring and fall

trips - promoted as pilgrimages - to his-

toric sites in Indiana and/or adjoining

states. Past pilgrimages have visited the

New Harmony area, French Lick and

West Baden, and the Lewis & Clark Ex-

pedition sites in Clarksville and Louisville.

In May, 2006, the group will spend two

days in and around Springfield, IL, visit-

ing the new Lincoln Museum, the Lincoln

home and other sites of interest in Illi-

nois' capital city. The Society's Yearbook

is issued annually to all members, more

than 40% of whom reside outside the

state of Indiana. It contains articles on

the early history of Indiana, news of the

Society, a roster of members with brief

notes on their pioneer ancestors and a

complete list of deceased members. Also

available are two publications listing all

ancestors who have been proven to have

lived in Indiana during the pioneer peri-

od.

If you would like to pay tribute to your

early Everitt pioneer ancestors or if you

have an interest in early Indiana history,

you are urged to consider membership in

The Society of Indiana Pioneers. Annual

dues are only $20. For information on ap-

plication fees and procedures you are in-

vited and encouraged to visit the Society's

excel lent websi te at

www.indianapioneers.com. Webmaster is

Tom Kephart, husband of Doreen (Ever-

itt) Kephart, both of whom are also con-

tributors to the publication of this Everitt

newsletter. The Genealogist/Office Man-

ager can be contacted at the Society offi-

ces in the Indiana State Library at 140

North Senate Avenue, Indianapolis, IN

46204, Telephone 317/233-6588. You

should also feel free to communicate with

Robert H. Everitt, Secretary of the Soci-

ety, at 7510 Washington Boulevard, Indi-

anapolis, IN 46240, 317/253-6738 or rhe-

veritt@aol.com.

Whatever Happened To...George F. Cole and Mary Elizabeth (Cole) Doolittle?William and Winna Jane (Everitt) Cole were the parents of at

least five children. Of these, the two youngest are known to have

died in childhood as their graves are marked in the Everitt Cem-

etery. Another child, Eliza Jane, married Albert Hitner and they

are the ancestors of a large line of the Everitt family. What be-

came of the other two?

William and Winna Jane's oldest child, George F. Cole, ap-

pears in two census records, 1850 and 1860, but no further re-

cord is found of him. While his uncle, Thomas C. Everitt was

appointed guardian of two of his sisters after the death of their

parents, no guardianship record was found for George. Did he

die young? Was he buried in the Everitt Cemetery in a now-un-

marked grave?

Thomas C. Everitt was guardian of both Eliza Jane and her

sister, Mary Elizabeth. On June 11, 1867, Mary was married to

William M. Doolittle in Scott County, Indiana. This family has

not been found in the 1870 census and the last record of her to

be found is a mention of a divorce filed in Floyd County in Sep-

tember, 1872. Did she remarry or die soon afterwards?- Jeff Harmon

Number 6, June 2006 3

Recent births and deaths

BIRTHS

Zita Anastashia Everitt (8th generation) was born Wednesday, August 10, 2005 at Clarks-ville, Tennessee. She is the daughter of Natha-niel and Angelique Everitt and the sister of Angel Everitt. She is the granddaughter of Jim and Lisa (Reddick) Everitt of Ligonier, Indiana, and the great-granddaughter of Bob and Sharon Everitt of Anderson, Indiana.

Mackenzie Katherine Gross (9th generation) was born Wednesday August 17, 2005 at Jeffer-sonville, Indiana. Mackenzie is the daughter of Clayton Gross and Amber Richey. Grandparents are Ted and Kim (Mosier) Richey and great-grandparents are Melvin and Mildred (Kiefer) Ri-chey, all of Scottsburg, Indiana.

TyLynn Rene Judd (9th generation) was born Monday, June 13, 2005 at Jeffersonville, Indi-ana. She is the second child of Chris and Aman-da (Gibson) Judd of Scottsburg. She is the granddaughter of Joe and Debbie (Bridgewater) Gibson and the great-granddaughter of Leon and Carol (Wells) Gibson, all of Lexington, Indi-ana. TyLynn has an older brother, Dalton Andrew Judd.

Aiden Benjamin Kelley (9th generation) was born Thursday, April 28, 2005 at Phoenix, Arizo-na, the second child of Ryan Kelley and Stepha-nie Day. He is the grandson of Richard and Tamara Kelley and the great-grandson of Leo-nard and Beverlee (Stuart) Borok of Winchester, California.

Madelyn Machelle Kirklin (8th generation) was born at Abington, Pennsylvania on Sunday, March 12, 2006. Madelyn is the first child born to Jason and Amanda (Stevenson) Kirklin. Her grandparents are Tracy Dean and Kimberly (Marks) Stevenson and her great-grandparents are Don and Barbara (Layton) Stevenson of No-blesville, Indiana.

Nicholas Andrew Mele (8th generation) was born Tuesday, December 20, 2005 at Rockville, Maryland. Nicholas is the son of Andrew Mele and Katelyn Findlay. He is the grandson of John and Carolyn Findlay and the great-grandson of Walter and Helen (Taylor) Seek of Jefferson, Maryland.

Lillie Marie Owens (8th generation) was born Friday, April 15, 2005 at Seymour, Indiana. She is the second child of Desi Jr. and Crista (Miller) Owens. Lillie has an older brother, Logan. She is the granddaughter of Desi and Karen (Rich-mond) Owens, the great-granddaughter of Charles and Joyce (Williams) Owens, and the great-great-granddaughter of Lillie (Everitt Wil-liams) Daniel, all of Scott County, Indiana.

Brycetin Kole Richey (9th generation) was born Monday, January 31, 2005 at Seymour, Indi-ana, the daughter of Amy Richey. Brycetin is the grandson of Michael E. Richey.

William Marshell Robbins (8th generation) was born Monday, February 7, 2005 at Sey-mour, Indiana. He is the son of Chester and Jen-nifer (Shouse) Robbins. His grandparents are Chester and Marie (Gregory) Robbins of Under-wood, Indiana.

Lindsey Marie Seek (8th generation) was born Thursday, April 14, 2005 at Silver Springs, Maryland, the second daughter of Adam Seek and Renee Smith. She is the granddaughter of the last Louis Douglas Seek and is the great-granddaughter of Walter and Helen (Taylor) Seek of Jefferson, Maryland.

Jacob Scott Sharpe (8th generation) was born Friday, May 6, 2005. Jacob is the son of Corey and Julie (Seek) Sharpe. He is the grandson of Walter and Dorothy (Valimont) Seek and the great-grandson of Walter and Helen (Taylor) Seek of Jefferson, Maryland.

Trey Sheets (8th generation) was born Tuesday, October 5, 2004 in Hamilton County, Indiana. Trey is the son and first child of Kevin and Shan-non Sheets of Carmel, Indiana, the first grand-child of James and Kathleen (Reel) Sheets, also of Carmel, and the first great-grandchild of Au-drey (Heinzman) Sheets, of Westfield, Indiana.

DEATHSSigurd G. Carlson, 78, of Port Charlotte, Flori-da, died Tuesday, May 31, 2005. Born August 21, 1926, he married Althea J. Sturgis (6th gen-eration). She survives.

Elmer Clifford "Jack" Dempsey (6th genera-tion), 77, died Friday, March 11, 2005, at Van Wert, Ohio. He was born October 10, 1927, the son of Elmer W. and Louise A. (Davis) Dempsey. He married Marilyn M. Mengerink on July 26, 1946 in Van Wert. She died May 27, 1995. In 1996, he married Carolyn Sue (Reece) Harman, who survives. Other survivors include one daughter, Faith Bowman; a brother, Richard Dempsey; seven grandchildren and six great-grandchildren. Services were held on March 14, 2005 in Van Wert and burial was in Scott Cem-etery, Scott, Ohio.

Delcie (Matney) Taylor Everitt, 74, died Sun-day, September 11, 2005 in St. Cloud, Florida. The daughter of William Otis and Louella Grace (Faulkner) Matney, Delcie was born November 5, 1930 in Green County, Kentucky. Her second marriage, on February 14, 1956, was to Raleigh Claud Everitt (5th generation), who preceded her in death on March 17, 2001. She is sur-vived by daughter Susan Kraeger, two grandchil-dren and one great-grandchild. Funeral services were held on September 14, 2005 in Florida.

Robert Charles Everitt (5th generation), 84, died at Jeffersonville, Indiana on Wednesday, March 15, 2006. He was born in Indianapolis on February 4, 1922, the son of William Davis and Jessie Edeline (Jones) Everitt. Robert married

Mary Marie Amos on January 3, 1948 in Scott County, where he resided most of his life. He is survived by his wife, a son, Ronald L. Everitt and a daughter, Patti S. Everitt, three grandchildren and two great-grandchildren. Funeral services were held in Scottsburg on March 18 with burial in the Everitt Cemetery.

Warren Dale Everitt (4th generation), 89, of Austin, Indiana, died Sunday, December 25, 2005, at Columbus, Indiana. Mr. Everitt served during the defense of Pearl Harbor on Decem-ber 7, 1941. He was one of two Pearl Harbor Survivors in Scott County, Indiana, the other be-ing his brother, Arthur. Born February 28, 1916 in Scottsburg, Indiana, he was the son of Oliver Eugene and Oma Collins Everitt. On September 8, 1941, he married Bessie Lee (Danner) who survives. Other survivors include a daughter, Dorothy M. Briner; one sister, Della Anstee; one brother, Arthur Everitt; two grandchildren, Mi-chael and Ronald Briner and two great-grand-children, Skylor & Katelyn Briner. Funeral serv-ices were conducted on December 29, 2005 at Crothersville, Indiana. Burial was at the Everitt Cemetery. Warren's passing reduces the number of surviving grandchildren of Captain William Davis Everitt to just four.

Dorothy Imogene (Davis) Ewing (6th genera-tion), 80, died Wednesday, November 26, 2003. She was born on August 31, 1923 in Ar-genta, Illinois, the daughter of John H. and Lulu Amy (Evans) Davis. On June 23, 1957, she married James Wesley Ewing in Decatur. She is survived by her husband; son Raymond Ewing and wife Elaine; daughter Karen Baker and hus-band Danny; grandchildren: Christine Lewis, Traci Montanino, Dylan McAllister, Glenda Hoff-man, Cindra Manint; great-grandchildren: Dan-iel Gene Hoffman and Emma Sue Hoffman.

James Wesley Ewing, 89, died Sunday, August 8, 2004, in Decatur, Illinois. Mr. Ewing was born August 27, 1914, in Decatur. He married Doro-thy Imogene Davis (6th generation) on June 23, 1957, in Decatur, and she preceded him in death on November 26, 2003. He is survived by his son Raymond Ewing and wife Elaine; daugh-ter Karen Baker and husband Danny; grandchil-dren: Christine Lewis, Traci Montanino, Dylan McAllister, Glenda Hoffman, Cindra Manint; great-grandchildren: Daniel Gene Hoffman and Emma Sue Hoffman. Graveside services were held on August 12, 2005 at Fairlawn Cemetery, Decatur.

Lee John Fultz, 70, died Wednesday, May 3, 2006 at his home at Salem, Indiana. He was born October 10, 1935 and was married on Ju-ly 22, 1978 to Mary Kay (Winslow) Barrett (6th generation), who survives. He is also survived by two daughters, Cheryl Condra and Jennifer Fultz; and two stepsons, Ken and Kurt Barrett; three grandchildren and four step-grandchil-dren. Funeral services were held on May 6 at Salem with burial in Crown Hill Cemetery.

The Everitt Family Newsletter4

Number 6, June 2006 5

Marian Alice (Everett) Graves (5th generation) 79, of Avon, Indiana, died Friday, November 18, 2005. She was born June 25, 1926 at Indianap-olis, Indiana, the daughter of Truman and Daisy (Meredith) Everett. On Easter Sunday, April 9, 1950 she married Carl S. Graves who preceded her in death in 1996. Four children survive her: Mark A., David L., John S., and Karla Kay Alen-duff. She also leaves 9 grandchildren and 20 great-grandchildren. Funeral services were held Tuesday, November 22, 2005 at Pittsboro, Indi-ana. Burial was in Floral Park Cemetery, Indian-apolis.

John "Johnny" P. Johnson, 85, died Tuesday, October 18, 2005 in Louisville, Kentucky. He was born on January 17, 1920 in Harrogate, Tennessee. His second marriage was to Violet June (Tash) Stidham (5th generation) on Febru-ary 14, 1977. She preceded him in death on April 8, 2005. Survivors include three sons by his first wife, along with six grandchildren and four great-grandchildren. Funeral services were held in Scottsburg, Indiana on October 22, 2005 with burial in the Indiana Veterans Memo-rial Cemetery in Madison, Indiana.

Kevin Lamont Messenger (7th generation), 46, of Mount Union, Iowa, died Tuesday, June 7, 2005, from injuries sustained in an automo-bile accident. Kevin was born Jan. 25, 1959, in Noblesville, Ind., the son of John Edward and Tresa Ann Heinzman Messenger. He married Sandy Griggs on February 1, 2004, in Mount Pleasant, Iowa. Survivors include his wife; one son, Ryan Messenger; his mother, Tresa Green and husband Norman; his father, John Messen-ger and wife Geri; three brothers, Jeff and Shawn Messenger and Garry Green; five sisters, Debbie Craig, Stacy Whisenand, Linda Riffey, Kelli Klingerman, and Elizabeth Green; and his grandmother, Anna Riley. Burial was in Crown View Cemetery in Sheridan, Indiana.

Marjorie Naomi (Gaither) Tash Morris, 74, died on Wednesday, March 1, 2006, at her home in Jerseyville, Illinois. The daughter of John H. and Gail (Harrington) Gaither, she was born February 26, 1932, in Lawndale, Illinois. She married Lynn E. Tash (5th generation) on June 10, 1950, in Hardin, Illinois. He died Jan-uary 10, 1979. After his death, she married Ber-

nard "Rusty" Morris who also preceded her in death. Surviving are two sons, Phillip and Mark Tash; two daughters Linda Whitley and Suzanne Hildred; five grandchildren and eight great-grandchildren. Funeral services were held in Jer-seyville on March 4 with burial in Oak Grove Cemetery in Jerseyville.

Melvin Leroy Richey (6th generation), 70, died on Saturday, December 10, 2005 at Scottsburg, Indiana. Melvin was born on June 8, 1935 at Scottsburg to Herman and Nora Bell (Davis) Ri-chey. He married Margaret Ann Kiefer on August 15, 1955. Survivors include his wife; five sons, Terry, Roy, Teddy, Donald and Darrell Richey; a brother, Gerel Richey; four sisters, Albertine Shields, Anna Lee Knight, Bettie Sue Wickersham and Wilma Jane Harmon; 13 grandchildren; and ten great-grandchildren. Graveside services were conducted on December 13, 2005 at Scottsburg Cemetery.

Anna Pearl (Coverdale) Heinzman Bays Ri-ley, 84, died Wednesday, September 21, 2005, at her home in Algood, Tennessee. Born Octo-ber 11, 1920, in Hamilton County, Indiana, she was the daughter of William and Ina (Small) Coverdale. She was first married to Robert Glenn Heinzman (5th generation) in October of 1937. Survivors include two sons, Ron and Bill Heinzman; one daughter, Tresa Green; one daughter-in-law, Ann Heinzman; 16 grandchil-dren; several great-grandchildren; and three great-great-grandchildren. She was preceded in death by three husbands, Robert Heinzman, Norville Bays and Lewis "Lew" Riley; two sons, John and David Heinzman; and one grandson, Kevin Messenger. Funeral services were held on September 24, 2005 in Noblesville, Indiana.

Charles ì Chuckî M. Schumacher, 73, of Shady Cove, Oregon, died Thursday, April 13, 2006. Charles was born at Hinsdale, Illinois on June 7, 1932 and was the adopted son of Charles and Alice Schumacher. He was married on August 26, 1955 in Aurora, Illinois to Oma B. Roth (5th generation). He is survived by his wife, two daughters: Cheryl Chang and Kathy Toledo; a son, Larry Schumacher, two grandsons and one granddaughter. He requested cremation after death.

Derwood James Seek (5th generation), 79, of Silver Spring, Maryland, died on Sunday, Octo-ber 9, 2005. Mr. Seek was the son of Everett La-mond and Ellen Ruth (McMullen) Seek and was born on December 10, 1925. He was married to Alma Louise Thompson who preceeded him in death on April 4, 1973. They were the parents of three children; Charles Haywood Seek, James Edward Seek and Patricia Ann Seek.

Janet Sue Sheets (6th generation), 63, of West-field, Indiana, died Friday, September 30, 2005. She was born September 15, 1942 in Nobles-ville to James and Audrey (Heinzman) Sheets. Ja-net was born with Down's Syndrome and far ex-ceeded her original doctor's prediction of a 20-year life expectancy, as well as far exceeding the life span of her original doctors. Besides her

mother, who faithfully cared for her, she is also survived by her brother, Steve Sheets and neph-ews, Kevin and Jason Sheets and great-nephew, Trey Sheets. Funeral services were held Monday, October 3 with burial in Hamilton Memorial Park.

Edith Delores (Brattain) Tash, 89, died Thurs-day, September 15, 2005, in West Palm Beach, Florida. Born on February 29, 1916, in Hamil-ton County, Indiana, she was the daughter of Bert O. and Nellie Blanch (Sylvester) Brattain. She was married to Eldon Robert Tash (a double Everitt descendant, 5th and 6th generation), who preceded her in death. She is survived by one son, Eldon Robert "Buddy" Tash Jr. She was pre-ceded in death by one son, Bertin Charles Tash.

Boyce Thomas Wade, 91, of New Albany, Indi-ana, died Monday, November 28, 2005. Born January 27, 1914 in Greensburg, Kentucky, the son of James and Louella (McKinney) Wade, he married Mary Christine Lawson (5th generation) on October 5, 1935. She preceded him in death on August 1, 1978. Survivors include four sons James, Herbert, Charles and David Wade, and daughter, Margaret Ann Ruddick as well as 15 grandchildren and 25 great-grandchildren. Serv-ices were held on December 1, 2005 in New Al-bany, Indiana, with burial in Kraft Graceland Memorial Park in Floyd County, Indiana.

Sheldon Bernard Winer, 72, died Wednesday, August 17, 2005, in Coos Bay, Oregon. Shel-don was born on October 19, 1932, in Cleve-land, Ohio to Lena and Abram Winer, who were naturalized citizens who immigrated from Wilno, Poland. He married Evelyn Faye Roth (5th gener-ation) on March 25, 1967. She survives. They had no children. Funeral services were held Thursday August 25, 2005 at Grove City Ceme-tery in Blackfoot, Idaho.

SEND BIRTH AND DEATH NOTICES FOR THE EVERITT FAMILY NEWSLETTER TO:

Jeff Harmon2980 S 600 E

Franklin IN 46131

Marian Alice (Everitt) Graves, circa 1927

Janet Sue Sheets

story continued from front page

Roberta, "when eight years old went to

sea and became a waiter for a sea captain

on a ship". Essentially the same

information was given by Norma (Tash)

Brown, a descendant of Captain Everitt's

brother, Thomas. The only difference

being that Norma added the statement

that the reason he "ran away" was

because his parents intended to send him

to school to become a priest. The

recording of William, and his sibling's

births in Episcopal Church records

suggest the family to be church oriented,

and "Priest" is the term used by the

Episcopal Church. The proximity of the

family to the sea, living on the "Northern

Neck" along the Virginia Coast, also

lends itself to the tradition.

Roberta's writing goes on to state that

"He stayed for eight years, left ship, came

to Louisville, Kentucky, became a tailor,

then to Clark County, and then on to

Scott County." His migration to

Louisville by 1818, then Clark County by

1827 and finally to Scott County in 1832

is documented. Before coming to

Louisville, however, he served in the War

of 1812 from Richmond County,

Virginia. Assuming her time frames are

accurate, the period between 1802 and

1812 is not accounted for but it can be

assumed he was still in Virginia at that

time.

Why did William move to Louisville

following the War of 1812? Two oral

traditions may shed light on that

question. First, Roberta stated, "Some

member in this family was a big slave

holder - at one time holding about 800

slaves." Everitt descendant Robert

Guernsey has relayed that William was

staunchly opposed to slavery and, in fact,

refused his inheritance as "blood money".

His moving to a state such as Kentucky

where slavery was not as commonplace as

along the eastern shore of Virginia,

where plantations abounded, would not

be out of character then, nor would be

his later move to Indiana, a free state,

after the area became safe for settling his

growing family.

William's physical description was also

described by Roberta. He was described

as "quite small - light complexion" and

most interestingly; his weight was given as

70 or 75 pounds! This may not be too

difficult to accept when it is remembered

that several of his great-grandsons were

jockeys.

Another oral tradition, which varies

among different descendants, relates to

the spelling of the name. There is little

doubt that the original spelling of the

name in Virginia and early Scott County

was predominately "Everett". This is still

the more common spelling among all

Everetts in this country, while our line

uses the less common "Everitt" for the

most part. Why? At least two oral

traditions, neither related to the other, are

often repeated. Among the William Davis

Everitt family is the story that he,

"Captain Everitt" that is, received a Civil

War Pension check addressed and made

out to "William D. Everitt" or something

to that effect and, fearing that he would

not get his money if he attempted to

correct the error, just adopted the

spelling. Another story, told by a

descendant of Thomas Christopher

Everitt, maintains that the change was

initially due to confusion at the time rural

free mail delivery was initiated in the early

1900s. Being several William Everetts and

several Thomas Everetts, etc. it was

decided that some would use a different

spelling, thus a William Everett was

distinguished from a William Everitt.

Other spellings, such as Evritt and

Everette have also been seen for this

family. In the end, it was probably just a

matter of spelling it how it sounded and

general consensus.

Other oral traditions pertaining to the

Everitt family include 1) America Wilson,

the wife of George W. Everitt was part

Indian, 2) the home of Thomas C.

Everitt was called "Camis Hill" and is

where his father, William C. Everett, died,

3) Thomas C. Everitt served in the home

guard during the Civil War instead of the

regular army because of a "rupture", 4)

William D. Everitt carried mail prior to

the Civil War from Charlestown to

Brownstown, 5) William D. Everitt,

having lost a load of hay or straw off a

wagon, set it on fire, saying he wasn't

going to load it twice, 6) William D.

Everitt , while serving as captain in the

Civil War, was shot in the back of the

head. He had turned his captain's hat

backwards to avoid giving himself away

as an officer, but his unit was flanked and

he was shot from behind.

Are there other oral traditions out

there among the Everitt descendants

about William or members of his family?

Or do you have more or different

information about any of those discussed

here? If so, write them down. Better yet,

share them with us so we can share them

with others.

The Everitt Family Newsletter6

Oral traditions...

If you have information on this issue's "Whatever Happened To...? question,

please contact Jeff Harmon by mail at 2980 S 600 E, Franklin, Indiana 46131,

by phone at (317) 736-6227 or by e-mail at jhar33@aol.com.

Articles or article ideas should be sent to Tom J. Everitt

at 4299 Old Ferry Rd, Shady Cove, Oregon 97539-9789

Getting started with genealogy - part twoBy Tom Kephart (Marine City, Michigan)

This is Part Two of an article adapted from a courseI developed and taught at a local community college a fewyears ago. If you've always wanted to get starteddocumenting your own family history, I hope thesearticles will be of some help as you get started. In themeantime, I'm willing to answer specific questions aboutthe process of genealogy if you send me an email attom@kephartassoc.com. Keep in mind that I probablycan't answer questions about specific individuals, but Imay be able to steer you in the right direction.

To computerize or not

to computerize…The traditional paper forms for keeping track

of genealogy are the ancestors chart and thefamily record sheet. The ancestors chart showsfour or five generations (depending on the de-sign of the chart) of ancestors for an individual,while the family record sheet holds much great-er detail for a specific family (parents and chil-dren). The ancestors chart serves as the index,directing you to the more detailed family recordsheet.Unless you are truly computer-phobic, how-

ever, the best way to keep your family tree sort-ed out is by using a computer program. Thereare several popular programs for Windowsbased computers; among the best sellers areFamily Tree Maker and Legacy. FTM has thelargest share of the market, but either programwill do the job. For Macintosh users, there is Re-union. The Windows programs are generallybundled with 15 to 40 additional CDs with in-dexes, articles and other genealogy data, and re-tail for around $60-100.Data is generally sharable between users of

these three programs, using the generic .GEDformat (sort of a plain vanilla .txt format for ge-nealogy files).If you choose to computerize your genealo-

gy records, remember the most three most im-portant things to remember when storing im-portant information on a computer:

Backup, backup, BACKUP!!!

Whenever you close your genealogy pro-gram, make a backup copy of its data file. Getinto the habit and do it every time. Even better,use two disks (regular floppy disks or rewritableCD-ROMs should do the trick) labeled "A" and"B". Alternate using them so that even if one ofthem meets its demise, the data is still backed upon the other one. You may have to re-enter a lit-tle data; but it's better than re-entering every-thing.

Organizing and

preserving documentsYou will discover, not long into your journey

into family history, that other members of thefamily will decide that you are the person to

store Grandpa's old pocket watch, or AuntFran's collection of family photos from the1920's. This can often shed light on previouslyunknown or forgotten family details and addsimmeasurably to the texture of your family his-tory document, it also means you need to atleast learn some basic record-keeping skills tomanage your burgeoning library.Organizing your records and files by family

branch is the most convenient way to later ac-cess the original document for reference orcopying. Start with your parents' families, thenadd subcategories for their parents' surnames,then your great-grandparents' surnames, and soon. Investing in a small file cabinet early in yourresearch saves you a lot of organizing time later,when the small pile of paper has grown into apaper monster that threatens to take over yourliving or dining room!floor, n.1. Where valuable genealogy records are kept.

Whether you use a computer program tomaintain your family tree or not, it's also a goodpractice to number documents consecutively asthey come in. This allows you to use the samenumber in a bibliography so that the original re-cord is easy to identify.Old artifacts and documents should be han-

dled with appropriate care, of course. Scanningor making photocopies of fragile paper recordsis usually preferable to repeated handling of theoriginal, which can instead be preserved in oneof the archival-quality, acid-free plastic or acryl-ic containers available through genealogy supplycompanies. Be sure to avoid inexpensive plasticsleeves; the plastic they're made of often con-tains a small amount of acidic material that canactually do more damage to the document thanleaving it exposed. Also, keep your fragile docu-ments in a cool, dry place, if possible. Heat andhumidity will promote moisture and mildewdamage, especially if stored in plastic or vinylsleeves.The condition of some items may require an

attempt at restoration. If you are not familiarwith the techniques necessary to restore or pre-serve antiques or manuscript material, two op-tions are available. First, you can study a manualon restoration and determine if you are capableof restoring the artifact to your satisfaction. Iftime or skill limitations prohibit a do-it-yourselfproject, a second option is to call upon profes-sionals. Obtain the names of qualified personsby contacting area museums or historical societ-ies. Talk to neighbors or antique dealers whohave had good experiences with persons whorestore or prepare items for preservation.Important and irreplaceable photographs or

picture postcards can be duplicated, often inex-pensively. Artifacts, jewelry, clothing, and sam-

plers can be photographed. Correspondence,Bible pages, diaries, and journals not durableenough to be photocopied can be transcribed(in script or type). Every care should be takencare to insure that the original is duplicated ordescribed carefully in a permanent record.One of the best methods of preservation is

sharing. Provide other family members withitems from your collection that may be of emo-tional value, but are not critical to your genea-logical record. Any item that can be reproducedin some fashion should also be shared. Not onlydoes your benevolence lessen the risk of a ma-jor catastrophe destroying all family treasures,but your kindness may encourage others toshare with you.Finally, when these most precious of objects

need care beyond what you can provide, consid-er disposal. With whom will you entrust yourcollection of memorabilia and home sources?An unmarried son? A museum or archive? A lo-cal historical society? Whatever you decide, con-tact the recipient in advance to be sure the per-son or organization is willing to accept thecollection and to determine in what form orcondition it would be most welcome. Plan wise-ly. Leaving a collection of fragile glassware to aniece who plans to live in small apartments asshe pursues an acting career or to a library thatspecializes in printed matter may not be the bestdisposal decisions.In the next issue, we'll take a look at unraveling

family legends and where to look for genealogy "stuff."Until then, good luck!

The Everitt Family Newsletter

Volunteer Staff

Editor Tom J. EverittContributors Beverlee Stuart-Borok,

Robert H. Everitt,Jeff Harmon, Tom Kephart

Proofreading Doreen KephartGraphic Design & Layout Tom KephartPrinting & Mailing Bev Taylor

Financial SupportCarl and Jeanetta SeekMarilyn Chamberlain

Mail address changes to:Jeff Harmon2980 S 600 E

Franklin IN 46131jhar33@aol.com

Mail article and photograph submissions to:Tom J. Everitt

10415 Pineaire Dr

Number 6, June 2006 7

The Everitt Family Newsletter2980 S 600 E

Franklin IN 46131

Children of William C. & Mary (Lewellen) EverittWilliam C. EVERETT(8 Feb 1788 - Sep 1875)m. Mary C. LEWELLEN(1802 - May 1860)

Angeline H. EVERETT(22 Jun 1822 - 28 Jun 1863)m. Benjamin F. WHITSON(29 Nov 1814 - 2 Sep 1883)

James L. EVERETT(25 Jun 1824 - 4 Mar 1851)m. Louisa Jane RAY(7 Mar 1831 - 12 Oct 1868)

Winna Jane EVERETT(24 May 1827 - 21 Jun 1861)m. William B. COLE(about 1822 - 27 Nov 1863)

Thomas Christopher EVRITT(16 Feb 1830 - 20 Jul 1909)m. Nancy Ann RAY(4 Sep 1833 - 4 Jan 1912)

William Davis EVERETT(8 Feb 1833 - 11 Apr 1912)m. Matilda Ellen EASUM(7 Feb 1835 - 15 Jun 1928)

Edwin J. EVERETT(about 1835 - ?)

Sarah E. EVERETT(about 1838 - 16 Mar 1883)m. Stephen Samuel COLE(15 Apr 1826 - 24 Mar 1924)

Elizabeth J. EVERETT(about 1839 - ?)

George Washington EVERETT(about 1841 - 20 Jun 1866)m. America Frances WILSON(about 1845 - ?)