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Letter: Jim's article brings memories, stories Comments re article 73307 JIM: Winter of 1917-18 was a real ripsnorter by Paul Patton The recent articles about the winter of 1917-18 brought to my mind stories which I heard my parents tell about that severe winter. My dad was 14 years of age in 1917 and he told us about the harsh weather, the deep snows and the waters of Green River being frozen so solid that he and his father could drive a loaded wagon across the river near the community of Dunnville. My mother had just celebrated her eighth birthday while living in the Barnett's Creek community in Adair County when the snow began falling on the night of Dec. 7, 1917. At about this time her grandfather, Civil War Veteran Abraham Brown became ill and died on Dec. 21. The accumulation of several snows which fell throughout December and on into January, 1918, along with the below zero temperature made it an extremely difficult time to have a funeral and burial. When the day arrived for the funeral, the casket was placed in a horse drawn wagon and taken from the home to the Riffe Creek Meeting House in Casey County for the funeral and then the burial in the near by cemetery where other members of the Brown family had been buried. My mother had been with her grandfather every day of her life. He walked her to school each day and returned for her in the afternoon, For the first few weeks of school he even spent the entire day at the school because she would not stay unless he stayed with her. When she was called to come to the recitation bench for a lesson he, a man well into his 80's had to go sit by her side, otherwise, she refused to do as instructed. He would not visit any of his relatives unless my mother could go with him. She even slept with him until he was taken ill in early December. As the old saying goes, "he had spoiled her rotten." She was heartbroken when he died and wept because she thought she would not be allowed to go to the funeral because of the bone-chilling cold. However her parents dressed her in her warmest clothing and wrapped her in quilts and placed her in the wagon beside her grandfather's casket to make the journey to the church for the funeral. Added to the grief of the family was a double tragedy that came in the life of one of Abraham Brown's daughters. Nancy Brown Blair and her husband, Josephus Blair, had been living in the Garland community but had moved to Iowa earlier in 1917. Somehow, they were able to travel from Iowa to Adair County, for Abraham Brown's funeral, even in this bad weather. They had probably embarked upon this journey several days prior to her father's death on the 21st. and soon after their arrival in Adair County a message was delivered to them telling them that their son, Estil Blair who was serving in the army and stationed at Camp Cody, New Mexico had died from influenza on Dec. 20th. Her grief was almost unbearable, losing her father and her son only one day apart. Estil Blair's body was brought to Columbia where he was buried in the Columbia Cemetery on Dec. 27, 1917. The second tragic thing that happened to the Blairs was on the day of her father's funeral at Riffe Creek Meeting House. As she was leaving the church following the funeral, word was brought to her and her husband that their home which they still owned at Garland had burned to the ground. The snows of many winters have blanketed the graves of Abraham Brown and Estil Blair and every member of their generations. The stories are kept alive and remind us of strong people like the Browns and the Blairs who weathered the storms of life and left us an example worth following. This story was posted on 2015-02-19 16:45:45
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Have comments or corrections for this story? Use our contact form and let us know. (AD) - Many Reunion organizing efforts are also advertised in our REUNIONS category in our CM Classifeds. These are posted at a very low cost. See RATES & TERMS More articles from topic Local History:
The Road Situation in Adair County, 1912-1913, and the First County Road BJF: Remembers grandmother tell about 1917-18 winter JIM: Winter of 1917-18 was a real ripsnorter Steve Dowell: Looking for photos of Dode Dowell QUERY: Information about W.C. Barrett's name JIM: Dr. J.C. Gose, beloved Adair Co. citizen, died Feb. 4, 1945 Freshet at Plum Point was portent of Great Flood of 1913 Ben Finn: Billy Joe Fudge story reminds of visits to Dr. Howard Mike Watson: Early history, Cane Valley, KY Tommy Melson: rubberrized roofing a Johns Manville product View even more articles in topic Local History |
 
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 Provided by the Adair Co Fiscal Court and the Adair Co. Emergency Mgt. Agency 
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