My Weekly Reading
Every week I will try to place a newspaper article of historical and/or genealogical interest on this page. Please come back and enjoy the history. You might find one of your ancestors mentioned here.
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This week's article is from the Wednesday March 25, 1903 issue of the Mt. Sterling Advocate.
FLEMING COUNTY NEWS
(Democrat)
"Two boys, Cap. Jones and Avery Emmons, were arrested on a warrant charging them with seining in Fleming creek, contrary to the law.
The oldest inhabitant does not remember a March without a snow, frost, freeze or a windy day up to the 19th. The leaves are coming out, the fruit buds swelling and the wheat and grass looking more like the last of April.
Morris Evans, County Surveyor, in the 26th year of his age, died at his home near Plummer's Mills, Tuesday afternoon, the 17th inst. He was called upon to establish the line between the Poor Farm and some adjoining land, and while so doing, took dinner with the keeper of the farm, A. B. Saunders, and while there contracted the disease. Another death resulted from smallpox, old Miss Parks, aged about 84, who had long been an inmate there, died from its effects. The 12 cases at the Poor Farm were progressing as favorably as could be expected.
Quite a colony of people has left Ewing for the purpose of seeking new homes in the State of Washington. The Carlisle Mercury gives this account of their start. A crowd of between two and three hundred persons at Ewing Station assembled to bid farewell to a company of about twenty young men who started for the State of Washington with a wiew of permanently locating. Religious services were held in the depot and the scene of parting was pathetic and tender. The eyes of many fathers, mothers and sweethearts were bathed in tears as their loved ones bade adieu."
April 22, 1887
Maysville Republican
Cincinnati and Southeastern Railway
A schedule was published which included north and south bound train. "No. 5 Hillsboro 11:45 a.m., Poplar Plains 12:10 p.m., Flemingsburg 1:00 p.m., Johnson, 1:25 p.m. Trains Nos. 1 and 5 connect at Johnson for Cincinnati, Paris and Lexington. Trains Nos. 3 and 7 connect at Johnson for Maysville. Trains Nos. 2 and 4 for Flemingsburg, Poplar Plains and Hillsboro." The southbound train scheduled 1 hour and 20 minutes for the trip from Johnson to Hillsboro.
May 2. 1887
Maysville Republican
WILL BE SOLD
The Air-Tight and Great Windy Railway to Change Owners Next Saturday
.The Circuit Court of the United States has ordered a sale of the Cincinnati and southeastern Railway-better known as the Covington, Flemingsburg and Pound Gap-to satisfy a claim of the Union Trust Company of New York
The sale will take place at Covington on Saturday next, but if anybody about here wants to buy it beforehand they should address Richard P. Ernst, special Master Commissioner.
The property to be offered embraces all the rights, franchises and appurtenances belonging to the said Railway company, extending from Covington, through the counties of Campbell, Pendleton, Bracken, Mason, Fleming, Robertson, Rowan, Bath, Menifee and Morgan, to the town of West Liberty, together with the right of way and all the real and personal property of said Railway Company used and appropriated for the operating and maintaining of said railway, and also the income arising from the said road and property.
Maysville Republican
February 11, 1888
DEAD
Colonel Thomas A. Curran, at Dover Last Sunday
Thomas A. Curran, died at 6 o'clock at his home at Dover Sunday evening. He was born at Claysville, Harrison County February 28, 1827. He was educated at the Kentucky Military Institute and Transylvania University and was admitted to the bar at Maysville in 1850. He practiced for a short time at Newport and then moved to Cynthiana Harrison County here he was elected County Attorney in 1854. In 1857 Mr. Curran purchase the Maysville Eagle and edited and published it for three years. In 1860 he moved to Dover, Mason County, his present place of residence. He was in the army for one year, serving as Captain in the Sixteenth Kentucky Volunteers.
Mr. Curran was a passenger on the steamer Magnolia, which on March 18, 1868, near Cincinnati, burst a boiler, caught fire and was blown up with gunpowder. Thirty-five persons were killed outright and Mr. Curran, with several others, was horribly burned and injured for life. He was elected in 1880, Commonwealth's Attorney for this district and served six years. He married in 1853, Miss Hannah Chambers Fox, and is the father of four sons, one of whom is Harry C. Curran of Maysville.
The remains of the late Thomas A. Curran will be buried this afternoon at Dover at 8 o'clock. The St. Lawrence will leave Maysville at 11:30 today at which time a number of the friends of the deceased will go down.
MR. CURRAN'S CAREER
A brief sketch was given in THE REPUBLICAN yesterday of the late Thomas A. Curran, who died Sunday at Dover. He was the son of Stephen B. Curran, of Harrison County, a substantial and prosperous merchant of Claysville, who went to the Legislature in 1849, in the same year in which Emery Whitaker first represented Mason. There grew up between these two gentlemen a warm friendship which lead to an intimate acquaintance, at one time, between Judge Whitaker and the younger Curran. The latter began the practice of law with favorable prospects in his native county, but was induced soon to remove to a larger place. He continued to change his residence until he found himself in Maysville, in the ownership of the Eagle, of which he remained n charge for three years. The remainder of his career was outlined yesterday.
The terrible accident which he sustained on board the Magnolia ruined his health and prospects for life. He never was able afterward to apply himself continuously to business and during the latter part of his term as Commonwealth's Attorney, to which he was elected in 1880, was unable to leave his home. This accident came in the prime of life, and but for it he might have acquired a reputation more extensive in his profession. Personally, Thomas A. Curran inherited and cultivated admirable qualities, so that he never lacked for friends. He was known universally to be a gentleman and being happily married, his home was a most hospitable one.
December 12, 1999 From The Maysville Daily Republican June 6, 1887
BLOOD IN FLEMING
A man Attempts the Murder of His Wife, Two Sons and Himself
."John Field lives in the Huddleston neighborhood about half way between Mt. Gilead and Flemingsburg in Fleming County. He is a man of about sixty, has a wife and two grown sons, and until the difficulties stated below, was in good circumstances.
Ferris Bright was a neighbor, and Field had become his security for quite a good sum of money. Bright broke up and the holders of his paper looked to Field for the payment of this debt. In the adjustment of the debt, Field's property got into possession of his sons. After the financial difficulties had benn overcome, Field's next move was to regain possession of his property, which was resisted by his sons.
This threw matters into court and got up a family feud, the result of which was the separation of Field from his wife and sons. Thus they lived until recently, when he returned to the famil roof-tree. Just how they got along together we do not know, but matters took an ugly shape Saturday night about 12 o'clock.
Reprots differ, but of the several that we have heard we give the following. About the hour named, Field shot his wife and his two sons and then sought to end his own life by cutting his throat. Our latest advices say that all parties are still living, though the recovery of the wife and one son is doubful." (See follow up article for Dec. 26, 1999).
Maysville Daily Republican
June 7, 1887
Died at Ninety-Nine Years
"Polly Day, wife of Thompson Day of Hillsboro, died on the 3d inst. (June 3, 1887) at the advance age of ninety-nine years. She was probably the oldest woman in Fleming County, and had lived with her husband, who is her senior by some six months, and who still survives her, for more than sixty-seven years. The morning of her death she got up and while washing her face, told her daughter that she felt badly (sic) and afterward said she must lie down. She passed into another room, lay down on her bed and immediately ceased to breathe. She was a daughter of John Lyons, one of Fleming county's earl settlers and was connected with the late Mrs. Julia A. Tevis of Shelbyville, widely known as an educator. The interment was at the Flemingsburg Cemetery on Saturday."
Maysville Daily Republican
June 10, 1887
"THE FIELDS TRAGEDY"
Condition of the Unfortunate and almost Murder Family
"The Flemingsburg Gazett gives these later particulars of the tragedy near Helena, Dr. McDowell was called Sunday. He found Lewis in the most critical danger. The ball lodged in his brain has not yet been removed. Mrs. Fields will recover. Will, who has a ball lodged beneath his ear, suffers very much, but will probably recover.
The old man's wound was sewed up Monday morning, but he was so "disgusted" with his attempts at murder that he did what he could to smother himself to death Monday night. Trouble has driven him to insanity. He is nearly seventy years old, born in Holland, and came to this country when fifteen years of age.
Mrs. Fields is sixty odd years old. She has sided with the two belligerent sons against her husband for some years. Last fell she applied for a divorce, but Judge Cole declined to hear the petition. Lewis is about forty years old and Will is probably thirty.
The feeling against the two wounded boys is very bitter, as their treatment of their father was what drove him at least to the brink of insanity, where the awful deed was committed and now its horrors have about entirely overwhelmed his reasoning power.
(This is the only knowledge I have about this story. These circumstances are probably known to some of the descendants of these unfortunate people...MH).