John Henry Harris. Whispers from the Grave; Klaiber Cemetery, Boyd County, Kentucky

 

Compiled by Teresa Martin Klaiber 2023

John Henry Harris was the son of Lawrence and Cynthia Collingsworth Harris, born in Johnson County, Kentucky, 2 March 1860. 

Family traditions have whispers of truths, some flamboyant, but mostly hearsay.  Thus a repeated story appeared in 2007 on a noted genealogy site stating that “John Henry Harris wandered into Rush, Boyd County, Kentucky and went to work for Evie’s uncle, Taylor Mayhew…” and that is how he met his wife.[i]

John Henry Harris was one of ten known children of Lawrence and Cynthia.  The family had moved to Johnson County from Floyd County before some of the family migrated to Boyd County.  By 1869 John Henry Harris’ older sister, Nancy, had married George W. Crum[ii] and resided on Bolts Fork of Boyd County.  One of Crum’s brothers, James Crum, would later marry, Susannah “Susan” Sexton, the daughter of Richard Sexton and Mary Lucas[iii].  Susannah was a grandniece of Marcus/Mark Sexton buried in Klaiber Cemetery.

By 1880 John Henry Harris and father Lawrence Harris, are residing next door to the Mayhew Family on what is now Long Branch Road, along with John’s sisters Sarah A. and Mary.  Indexing of census records is done by volunteers and unless the indexer is familiar with a local area many errors are made.  Thus the indices show Lawrence as “Lance” misread and easily overlooked.

John Henry Harris and Susan Evangeline “Eva” Mayhew were married 13 June 1886 on Williams Creek in Carter County at the “Pleasant Church”[iv].  Eva’s father, William Mayhew died 3 May 1890 and is buried in Klaiber Cemetery.  John and Eva resided with her widowed mother, Mary Mayhew in 1900.

In 1903 Taylor Mayhew, brother of Eva, was deeded the north side of Salmons Fork at the mouth of Long Branch to a corner with the property of Philip Howe from brother John D. Mayhew, all part of William Mayhew’s, then deceased, property.[v]  In turn, in November  Taylor had several transactions involving the north side of Salmons Fork which partitioned  William Mayhew’s property.  71 acres on the north side of Salmons Creek  was deeded back to siblings including one to John and his sister Susan E. (Eva Mayhew) Harris[vi].  All the property in turn reverted back to Mary “May” Ross Mayhew, widow of William C. Mayhew.

Ever confusing is the renaming of this part of the creek on early maps.  Today maps show Long Branch Creek going straight up Long Branch Road into Carter County.  But early maps and deeds show Long Branch Creek turning at the bridge (the mouth of Long Branch) and running up the lane past  what is now this compiler’s home, then past the Philip Howe aka Klaiber log one room house.  Long Branch Creek meanders through the bottom fields behind our home and then curves back  left where the head of Long Branch ends in the water shed in Carter County.  Salmon’s Fork was in fact the stream continuing up what is now Long Branch Road in front of then Mayhew property[vii].  The Philip Howe log home still stands behind our log home and is a Kentucky Registered Landmark.

Mary Elizabeth Ross Mayhew, mother of Eva died 8 September 1904 and is buried in Klaiber Cemetery.

John Henry and Eva Harris had six children by the time of William Mayhew’s death[viii].  John Henry Harris died on 11 March 1909 here on Garner.

 Eva, widowed with five of her children are still residing next to the Mayhew holdings.  By 1920 Eva had moved to Logan County, West Virginia where, son Charles was renting and working in the coal mines.

In the 1950’s Julina Sexton Klaiber, campaigned for funds to fix the road and  fence around Klaiber Cemetery. Among the responses was a letter dated  May 1956 “…Dear old friend and neighbor. I am Mae Harris daughter of John and Eva Harris, now Mrs. R. E. Bryant…”  The Bryant’s were living in Worthington, Franklin County, Ohio and donated for the care of the road.

 

 

 

 

 

 

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[i] Angie Harris Pelfrey, Ancestry.com, original submitted by NolaBull

[ii] s/o Reuben and Pricilla Mutters Crum

[iii] Carter County Circuit Court Bk 30/31 Divorce 1911

[iv] FHL 1842850

[v] KY Boyd deed book 40 p 2

[vi] KY Boyd deed book 4-0 p 4

[vii] Today what was then Salmons Fork runs along Blanton  and Stewart, Green and others property on the south and  across the road, Wright’s, Stewarts, Tolliver’s on the north.  Today the creek and road running into Carter County is simply all labeled Long Branch. While the turn at the county bridge at 22937 and creek running up the hollow is simply not named on most maps.  By experience this compiler can tell you that when there are heavy rains the water rushing from the water shed into Long Branch,, down the hollow and into the main Long Branch is not something for the faint of heart.   Long Branch flows between the old Howe/Klaiber one room and our log home flooding the lane and leaving  us to wait for receding waters.

[viii] Clarence Burns Harris m Ethel Rice; Flora Fain Harris; Elizabeth Ethel Harris m Ed McCormick; Ida Mae Harris m Robert Bryant; Mary Angeline Harris m Bert Allen Pelfrey

Henry Wiser Crum & Maggie Klaiber Crum: Whispers from the Grave; Klaiber Cemetery, Boyd County, Kentucky

 

Compiled by Teresa Martin Klaiber 2023

 

Because of the entwined stories, this blog  combines three individuals buried in our lovely cemetery: Maggie, Henry and their baby Sophia Francis Crum.  You can read the story of another son, John Allen Crum, buried in our cemetery in the last blog post.

Henry Wiser Crum was born 23 November 1862 in Floyd County, Kentucky, the son of Michael and Martha Lewis Crum.  By 1880, his mother, widowed, was living in Boyd County, Kentucky. 

When Wiser was twenty he was working on Williams Creek.  The Daily Independent, announced that Wiser had been terribly scalded by the blowing out of a valve while he was firing at W. Clere’s sawmill on 11 May 1882. There is a very detailed visual of firing at Best of Historic Steam Sawmill that you might enjoy on YouTube.

Recovered, Henry Wiser Crum married Margretta Ann “Maggie” Klaiber, 29 March 1887, in Boyd County.  Henry Wiser was still working at a sawmill, 25 years old. Maggie was born 15 May 1864 in Boyd County, the daughter of John Andrew and Mary Ann McBrayer Klaiber.  She was named for her grandmother Marguretta Maurer Klaiber, who is also buried in Klaiber Cemetery.

This photograph of a sawmill was found in the smoke house (Sexton/Klaiber farm) on Garner and we believe taken behind what we call the old dairy barn on the hill.  People in the picture have not been identified.  We assume it was run with the help of Henry Wiser Crum.

 

The Crum’s were married at Maggie’s home on Garner by the Rev. Mayson Branham.  James Higgins and John D. Mayhew, both residents of Garner acted as their witness.   The marriage was the talk of the neighborhood for decades.  Years later, as this compiler stood at their graves, John Henry Klaiber told how the older folks talked about the belling having been the loudest and biggest with people coming from Carter, Boyd and Lawrence County.  For my readers, who might not know about a belling; it is a serenade made up of banging of pots and pans, shooting of guns in the air, whooping and hollering, sometimes called a chivaree.

Wiser Crum was well known in the community and seven months after their marriage he was elected into the Mutual Protection Society, Lodge #1 in Boyd County.  This compiler did a three-part series on the Mutual Aide and the Regulators of Boyd County in March 2011.  As I stated then most were farmers and neighbors and did not see themselves as vigilantes, but felt that they were protecting their family, homes, and the community.

Henry and Maggie had five children, all born in a ten-year span: John Allen Crum (in previous blog), Henry Crum, Sophia Francis Crum, Everett Crum, and Delbert Crum.

Sophia, their only daughter was born about 1892.  Oral family history places her tiny death, two years later, as 1894.  During her brief life a picture was taken with her great grandmother Marguretta “Dutch Granny” Maurer Klaiber.  Sophia is in an unmarked grave, in Klaiber Cemetery beside her mother. 

 

Marguretta Maurer Klaiber and great granddaughter Sophia Francis Crum

 

 

The 1900 Federal Census shows the family residing on the East Fork, in Boyd County. They are renting and Wiser is farming.  In 1906 John Allen died of diabetes and was buried near his sister, also in an unmarked grave in Klaiber Cemetery. 

This fragile picture[i] was donated by Martha Klaiber Cox in 1980.  At the time of the photograph it was home to John Andrew and Mary Ann McBrayer Klaiber.  Martha identified Maggie and Wiser Crum and their three boys (standing to the right) which gives this composer the idea that it was taken just shortly after the death of their son in 1906.   Today the house location is on the right side of Long Branch Road and Deer Creek.

By 1910 Wiser, Maggie and boys are just across the line in Lawrence County farming.  They own the property but it has a mortgage. In the 1930’s Wiser sold 50 acres on the East Fork in Lawrence County to son Delbert[ii]. 

Taken 1927 at their home in Lawrence County, Henry Wise Crum and Maggie Klaiber Crum. Donated by Pam Wolfe.

Maggie Klaiber Crum (probably taken on their farm in Lawrence County from the Klaiber collection)

Henry Wiser Crum died 12 January 1943 in Lawrence County.  The doctor said he did not attend him but “after investigation it appears that the possible cause of death was Cerebral Hemorrhage.[iii]  He was buried in Klaiber cemetery beside two of his children.  A homemade stone marks his grave.

 

Maggie began to have failing health by December 1953.[iv]  She was placed in a nursing home in Ashland, Boyd County, Kentucky. Her death was 23 December 1955.[v] She was 91 and the cause of death was registered as senility.   She was laid to rest beside Wise and her two children.  Both she and her husband have identical homemade stones.  The standing letters are metal.  There are no dates.

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[i] Photograph in possession of compiler 2023

[ii] KY Law Dbk 87-375  also dbk 86-441 to him dated Nv 9 1933

[iii] KY Vital La Co Cert 1898

[iv] “mother has been thinking of her sister Mag-hope she is better” Sophia Burt, West Point INd to Julina Sexton Klaiber, 29 dec 1953

[v] Ky Vital Boyd

John Allen Crum: Whispers from the Grave; Klaiber Cemetery, Boyd County, Kentucky

 Compiled by Teresa Martin Klaiber 2023

John Allen Crum was the son of Henry Wiser Crum and wife Marguretta Anna “Maggie” Klaiber Crum. The 1900 Federal Census for Boyd County, Kentucky says he was born August 1890.  The 1900 Federal Census also shows that he had gone to school five months out of 12 (the census was taken 20 June that year) and certainly could read and write.  The family was living on East Fork labeled as district #2.  This compiler knows by looking at surrounding neighbors that the Crum’s were living on Garner.

John Allen Crum died before September 7, 1906.  The exact day is unknown.  But his obituary states he was 18 years and 24 days. In that case John Allen would have been born in September 1888. Either the census or the newspaper could be mistaken.  John’s sibling’s birth dates were questionable in the 1900 census as well.

Big Sandy News, 7 September 1906 page 3

John died from diabetes.  The term insulin (to bring down glucose levels) would not be utilized until 1909/10[i]. According to a blog post at Harvard, even as late as 1933, type 1 diabetes was a death sentence.  Insulin therapy did not begin until 1922.[ii]

Klaiber Cemetery has had many names over the years.  At the time of John Allen Crum’s death, the cemetery was surrounded by the land owned and maintained by Henry and Julina McCormack Sexton.  Their daughter Julina had been married to James Matthew Klaiber since April 1905 and lived on the Long Branch of Garner as well.  Thus John Allen’s obituary says the Sexton Grave yard on Garner.  It should not be confused with the Sexton Cemetery on Pigeon Roost.

John Allen’s grave was one of the first unmarked that the Klaiber family pointed out to me many years ago.  During a severe draught the outline of the grave can be seen beside his parents (grave marked 5a, no marker).

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[i] https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3749019/

[ii] https://www.health.harvard.edu/blog/people-type-1-diabetes-living-longer-201501087611#:~:text=Ninety%20years%20ago%2C%20type%201,into%20their%2050s%20and%20beyond.