Month: April 2010

Sept 1910

F. H. Ard moved his family to Hammonsville Sept. 1910. On April of that year F. H.’s wife Nellie had died of childbirth. The child died in July. I am not sure how he was providing a living for his family, but the grief stricken father moved to Hammondville with five children ages 7-18 to work as a tenant framer for his brother-in-law (husband of his dead wife’s sister).

They were:

Clemmie 18
J. W. near 16
Barnett 13
Auther 9
Mary 7Click here
Author: harold

Some of this repetion

The story and history of this little dwelling tell much about the F. H. Ard family. The little house is located about 200 yards north northeast of the main family home that F. H. and his five children moved to in September of 1910. Of course as I have mentioned before, F. H. was only a tenant farmer (sharecropper some say) at the time he still lived in the main house on the farm. The cabin must have been a tenant’s house. I doubt that it was old enough to be slave quarters.
From late 1910 to late 1915 the only people living in the house was Jess Dixon (Carl’s Father), that I know of, but not necessarily the only one. J. W. and Ara married in December of 1915 and moved into the cabin. Nellie (first grandchild of F. H.) was born November, 1916 and her brother was born in October 1918. But shortly thereafter his mother Ara died and J. W. , Nellie and he moved back into the home with their whole family. James Samuel died a few days later. It appears that as J. W. and Nellie moved out, Barnett and Roberta who had been living with the whole family, moved into the cabin. About 1 1/2 years later Lucille was born while they were living there.

Sometime in the year of 1921 ( Manley has checks that indicate 1919) they purchased the farm they were living on. My understanding was they paid $10,000 at a very high interest rate. This action created a differ plan of action for the family but he cabin still had a big role to play.

October 1921 J. W. married Mary Highbaugh. Barnett and Roberta was living in the cabin so Mary & J. W, moved into the main house until they could build a house on the farm (permissible since they now own the farm). Sometime during the next year the house was built for J. W. & Mary. I have no exact date when they moved but I am sure sometime in 1922, Mary, Nellie & J. W. moved into the house on the southern most part of the farm. Barnett and Roberta and Lucille was still living in the cabin. Sometime the next year or so Barnett started building a house on the farm about 1/2 mile north of J. W.’s house. Arthur was still at home and did not marry until September 1928 when he moved into the the cabin. In between Barnett and Arthur , Leighland and Mary Skaggs lived in the cabin. They are not part of the family.

Arthur and Ethel lived in the cabin until Allen was born . I do not know how much longer. They built a house on the northern part of the farm and James was born there. They moved from the cabin sometime between late 1931 and late 1933. When Mary married Roy Cruse, they moved to Illinois and Manley was born there. Manley was the only member of the third generation that that was not born on the farm. Of course, Coman’s parents were living on the farm when he was born in Glasgow, Ky. Mary and Roy moved back into the cabin sometime before March of 1936. They lived there when Vivian and Edward were born. They moved away from the farm sometime before F. H. died February 1941. I do not have any recollection or information of anyone living there between Arthur and Mary. Nor do I think anyone lived in the cabin after. Mary and Roy moved out.

This is the story of the small two- room structure, built on a rock foundation with the sheeting put on vertically, and its importance to the F. H. Ard family. We must remember that four members of the family lived in this little dwelling and eight of seventeen members were born there.

Nellie & James Parent: J. W.

Lucille Parent: Barnett

Charles, Ruth, Allen Parent: Arthur

Vivian & Edward Parent: Mary

Also Tom Skaggs were born there during the period of time discussed. He is not part of the family but are part of the history.
Author: harold

This is the disease that killed Ara and James Samuel. Aunt Mary told me every pregnant woman died and their child also in Hammonsville.

Spanish Flu
Author: harold

5 years into the Hammonsville move J. W. (second child first son) got married, guess what, he moved into a little house on farm. He live there for 3 year having two children. When his wife and youngest child died, he and his oldest child moved back into F.H.’s house.

Less than one year later Barnett got married and move into the same house that J.W. had just moved from. Oct. 1921 J. W. married again but no place to go he and his wife move into F. H.’s house. His father-in-law started building him a house of the southeastern part of the farm.

They were no longer tenant farmers (explain later). Shortly thereafter Barnett build his home a few hundred yards north of J W, house on the old Hammonsville Road.

1928 Arthur got married again he move into house that J.W & Barnett. In mid 30’s Mary,”Little Mary”, got married and moved to Illinois, but stayed only one year, then moved back to the house the other three married siblings had lived. Fast forward to 1947 when the last member of the third generation was born. 5 members of the 2nd generation, 4 spouses of 2nd generation, 14 children in the 3rd generation and one(1)spouse 2 children of the fourth generation were living on the the farm that F.H. came to in 1910. Only one (1) descendant was living away from that farm 1947 although it was divide up into four or five parts it was still the same farm.

These statements are from my memory as they were relayed to me by others not necessarily family members and very easily challenged. I encouraged all family members to do so.

Comment # 1

one member of the family that is not a member of this web page made a comment that I wish to post. J.W. Barnett, and Arthur were very silent on the matter which we are talking. The information we get are from spouses of those and Mary,”Little Mary”,. I had very little contact with Clemmie. what I am saying is that Manley, Vivian, Eddie, and Eva may have greater Ard perspective than all of us.

Comment # 2

The portion that there was 26 members living on the farm in 1947 was incorrect. At on time all 29 members was ling on the farm

Author: harold

Many will say Uncle Barnett was curious . The whole family yielded to his needs and wants. That may be true, but I am here to say we may not have seen all of Uncle Barnett. While Daddy and Uncle Auther was hard workers, the first to the barn to take care of the daily chores, the first to the field, all of which made them seen and indicated their leadership skills. Uncle Barnett was a blacksmith and loved to work in his shop. He was always there for the family if they needed anything.

One of those times I remember. In late August,1949 we were cutting tobacco on daddy’s farm. Of course as all will remember we would cut the tobacco in the afternoon and haul in the AM. I was 8 yeas old and I could cut some of the small growth of tobacco.

At noon, when it was hot, we would not go back to the field until it became a little cooler. One day at noon Daddy and I went out to Uncle Barnett and Daddy ask him to make me a tobacco knife. As I remember he was very happy to accommodate us. I remember watching him make that old fashion tobacco knife.

This is similar, not exact
Author: harold

Sometime in the late forties Uncle Barnett built a tobacco barn near the old road. Of course all the males in Ard family that could put on his own overalls were there if not in school. One day when nobody was around but J.W. and Uncle Barnett. Uncle Barnett removed his coveralls and showed J.W. some irritating skin malformations. J.W. told Uncle Barnett that he would see a doctor before sundown if he had those. Uncle Barnett said they could not help him (I think he was right). Shortly thereafter Uncle Barnett started going to Louisville for radium treatments. This went on for about one year. I do believe Charles took Uncle Barnett most of the time, but Ralph took him once or twice and some members of Uncle Arthur family may have took him some. I say this because it was a Ard family function when he went and all things were considered.

It must be noted that his treatment was projected to his body, but not his face because it would blind him if it got near his eyes. The last treatment, I believe was in the middle of December of 1949. To the best of my mind I think two of the insidious malformation came over his eyes, just above the eyebrow about the end of 1949. I hardly have any memory of events from the first of 1950 until my birthday, Feb. 27th, on my birthday Uncle Barnett and Aunt Roberta came to our house to investigate a mechanical building to hold barrels of gasoline. J.W. had built it without the aid of Uncle Barnett, which was very strange for them because Uncle Barnett was the one they came to for all mechanical items. That was the last time Uncle Barnett drove his automobile.

By time uncle Barnett had showed J.W. his disease until my 9th birthday the Ard family had three more members David Dale, Coman, and Patricia. I remember many hours spent the next four months at uncle Barnett’s house playing with David and Patricia. I remember the house was keep spotless. Keeping this place sanitary took lots of work. Shortly there after I remember Uncle Barnett was smoking cigarettes via a holder. I had purchased a cigarette holder in the form of a curved pipe I was going to give it to him, but mother told me it was too late. However I did show it to him. I held it close to his face for him to see, he had to remove the tears from his eyes many times before he was able to see the little pipe. The sores had begun to cover his eyes. From the middle of March to his death I was at his house almost daily. It was easy to see these skin malformations were covering his face. The pipe incident was in March and his eye were being covered, but not completely. By the first of April his eyes were covered. He lay on a lawn (beech) chair by the stove. One day I assume late April or early May Ralph dropped me off there and he was on the porch in that chair. That day his eyes had been covered several days before and his nose was being covered also. They had put hollow stems up his nose so that he could breath through his nose. He seemed to be enjoying the sun. By the first days of June the skin malformations had cover his whole face from forehead to below the chin on his neck and from ear to ear with the exception of a small hole for his mouth. At that time he was fed with a baby bottle and nipple that had been cut off.

The spring of 1950 they had started building the new road through that part of the country. KY ST HWY. 357. The spring had more rain than common. The construction was disrupted many times by the rain. This cause some problems for Uncle Barnett’s medical treatment. On or about June 19th, Aunt Roberta and my mother saw insect larva on the skin malformations on Uncle Barnett’s face. Now there were no phones in this area at that time nor were the road passable that day. Dad hooked up the mules and went as far north as it took to get in a car to take him to a phone then get a doctor in to see Uncle Barnett. I assume that was Uncle Arthur. I think the road was passable north of the Gaddie road that day. Sometime in the AM of the 20th Dr. York, from Canmer, came in to see Uncle Barnett. I do not think he told them anything but, “he could not help” I clearly remember Dr. York riding in J.W.’s road wagon pulled by team of mules (Pete & Slim). Later that day an ambulance (Horace Dixon & Lawrence Rogers) came and got Uncle Barnett to take him to the hospital in Louisville. The ambulance was pulled from the Gaddie road to Uncle Barnett’s house and back via an earth moving equipment from the road construction (the operator let me ride beside him on the way back).

The Hospital was able to kill the larva , but the conversation that I heard from Aunt Roberta, Lucille, and Charles was not a very pleasant hospital stay. I heard many thing about that hospital stay . The one I remember the most is the the exchange that Charles told about doctor that gave Uncle Barnett the treatment and Uncle Barnett. Charles, and Aunt Roberta (told my mother) thought he was rude. As the years have past I have thought his action could have been a cover for a bad performance.

Uncle Barnett came home on 23rd he was given a hospital bed. He never used his lawn chair again. I never went into the room where he laid in the hospital bed . I was in the yard and on the porch. I could see him through the door. Early in the morning of the 28th of June he died. Many of the Ard family were present, I was not. Now the rains had let up so the hearse could get in and out with no trouble. The wake was held at the house where he had died and the funeral was in the old wooden structure at Three Forks Bacon Creek Church and burial in Hammondsville Cemetery and 30 yards from the funeral place. I remember the glass over the body for viewing. I have never seen a casket like that again and I sold funeral supplies for 5 years
Author: harold

F. H. Ard
1868-1941

F. H. was buried about 5- 6 hours before I was born. All that I say about F. H. has come through at least one or more persons. It is so easy to for us to pick up on someone’s glaring defects of character. While we must take some time to evaluate their attributes. Some of the things I have heard about F. H. was his control of his children especially Clemmie. Another was his altercation with Eligh Cruse and Grace Crouch. These things are easy to spot and make good conversation around a pot bellied stove.

From this point on I will look for the bright spots in F. H.’s life. I have heard or remember what I heard very little about F. H. before 1910 when he and his family moved to Hammondsville. On April of that year F. H.’s wife Nellie had died of childbirth. My information on the child is mixed and I will not comment. I am not sure how he was providing a living for his family, but the grief stricken father moved to Hammondville with five children ages 7-18 to work as a tenant framer for his brother-in-law (husband of his dead wife’s sister).

Everything I hear from family and others was that F. H. taught his off springs a work ethic that was a conversation piece in Hammondville. That included all. Aunt Clemmie became the matron of the household. Some say that F. H. objected highly to her considering any marital leaning. Aunt Clemmie never married.

Some may say that F. H. held onto his children to a fault. I think he did. It was for his own financial, emotional, and social reasons as well as those same reasons for his children.

Author: harold

Some things about the F. H. Ard Family

My fraternal Grandfather, F. H. Ard, was born in Barren County (1868) and moved to southeastern Hart County after marrying a Hart County girl, Nellie Burd. My grandfather moved to the Hammondville area in the fall of 1910. Sadly, Nellie had died of childbirth in April of that same year. F. H. lived on a farm owned by his brother-in-law. In 1921, F. H., my father, and his brothers purchased that farm. All lived and died there.

At the time the Ards moved to Hammondville, the community had one educated individual: Dr. Mark Lively. When a new mailbox was set at the lane to my grandfather Ard’s home, one neighbor saw the name F. H. Ard and went to ask Dr. Mark what A-R-D spelled. Dr. Mark replied quickly, “Not a damn thing.” Years later, I learned its meaning, though while I was in Hartford, CT waiting on a plane that did not arrive. I was shuffled off to a motel to wait for another the next day. One of the passengers was an Irishman who was telling me not to hold his heritage against him. When I told him my ancestors were Irish, he asked my name. I told him, and he was elated. He said, “It was translated as high in old Gaelic”. I understood that to be a greeting, “Hey or HI” but what he meant I am sure was now: high, towering, tall, big, loud, height, high place, fell, incline, district, region, direction, compass point, pole as stated in Kelly’s Dictionary

The history of this family is filled with sadness. The most talked to me was an event started in 1915. My father married Ara Gardner. In 1916, they had a daughter, Nellie. In 1918 they had a son; both the mother and son died of the Spanish flu. This illness hit the whole world for about three weeks, killing 20 million people, according to World Book Encyclopedia.

About 1929 J.W”s brother, Arthur, was living in the very same house as the above mentioned scene. Arthur and his wife lost an infant son.

As I started my search I noted in 1910, “Nellie” F. H.’s wife died of childbirth and the child died 3 months later. Also, F.H. and Nellie lost another infant child in 1906.
Author: harold