Compiled by Teresa
Martin Klaiber 2023
Thomas Dowdy was born
2 March 1895 in Wayne County, West Virginia, the son of Hugh Caperton and
Martha Jane Harris Dowdy. Before Thomas’ fifth birthday the family had moved to
Twin Branch, Lawrence County, Kentucky and by 1910 the family was living along
the East Fork in Boyd County.
The 1917 Military
draft describes Thomas as tall, thin, with black hair and blue eyes. Who can resist blue eyes? Thomas served, as a Private, in the U. S.
Army from August 1918 until December 1918.
At this writing I have no further details of his four months in service.
Thomas fell in love
with Sarah Crabtree, also from Lawrence County, Kentucky. By the time they were ready to marry, her
parents Harvey and Vina Holbrook Crabtree were living in Mingo County, West
Virginia. Many local farmers tried their
hand at coal mining and when the mines in our area of eastern Kentucky slowed
some moved to West Virginia; others to Jackson and Perry counties in Ohio. Thomas and Sarah were married 18 November
1919 in Mingo County. West Virginia.
They settled in with her parents and Thomas went to work coal mining.
On 14 August 1936
daughter Martha, at the age of 14, married Edgar Jay Diamond, age 16 in
Lawrence County, Kentucky. Both set of
parents were present. Edgar was the son
of John and Carrie Lee Diamond.
The Dowdy’s don’t
appear to own property but moved several times. By 1940 they are back on the
East Fork in Boyd County, at Bear Creek, renting, and Thomas is now farm labor
with daughter Martha, seventeen years old.
She is once again using her maiden name, Dowdy, and marked as single.
The World War II draft
has been nicknamed the “old man draft” and Thomas, by 1942, had gray hair. He
reported to the registrar, Dorothy Prichard, who helped him fill out the
card. He signed by mark and Prichard
made a comment under physical character as “knuckle knocked down on right
hand.” She was a precise registrar
giving his address as “one mile up Jerry Branch near the mouth of Trace”, Boyd
County. He told her he was working for
Emmit Crace on the Crace farm at that time.
Thomas’ nephew, Fred
Dowdy[i]
and wife Argie Triplett Dowdy settled on Long Branch, on property adjoining
where Klaiber Cemetery is located. Trace is just a few miles from Long Branch
“as the crow flies” (a great Kentucky expression). Thomas’s parents, Hugh and Martha Jane Harris
Dowdy, who died 1918 and 1928 respectfully, were deceased and buried in Hogan
Cemetery, on Route #3 in Boyd County.
Thomas J. Dowdy died
29 April 1969 in the VA Hospital in Huntington, West Virginia. His normal place of residence was cited as
Ashland, Boyd County, Kentucky. The
hospital gave his occupation as a saw mill operator and farmer. He died from bronchopneumonia and carcinoma
of the lung. The certificate said “Removal
to Big Garner Cemetery” with Carman Funeral Home at Russell in charge of
arrangements[ii].
The obituary in the Ashland Daily Independent stated he was
a retired farmer and had moved to “Ashland” 64 years ago from Lawrence
County. The only surviving person listed
in the obituary is his wife Sarah Crabtree Dowdy. The 21st Street Tabernacle in
Ashland provided the service led by Rev. Paul Diamond. The obituary correctly said burial was to be
in Klaiber Cemetery on Big Garner.
On May 2nd,
1969 Sarah filed a Headstone Application for Military Veterans. She gave her address as 709 Greenup Avenue,
Ashland. The form must be signed by the
person that will receive the military stone. Nephew Fred Dowdy, living just
down the road from the cemetery was the consignee. The contractor was the Columbus Marble Works
in Columbus, Mississippi. A follow up
application dated the 16th of May included the freight station at
Russell, Kentucky and that Herbert J. Greene would transport same.
Sarah died two years
later in January 1971[iii].
Her obituary in the Ashland Independent
stated that she had been in an Ashland nursing home. She was survived by two brothers, Charles
Crabtree of Columbus and Albert H. Crabtree of Ashland. Kilgore & Collier Funeral Home was in
charge of arrangements and burial was beside her husband in Klaiber
Cemetery. Sadly, no one made
arrangements for a stone to mark her grave.
