Newly Discovered Writings Take Us on a House-to-House Stroll Through 1890s Carrollton, Kentucky — Part 1

A Howe-Salyers descendant in Iowa recently found a treasure: dozens of loose pages full of Sarah Eva Howe's handwritten memories of 1890s Carrollton — landmarks, people, events. Sarah wrote this "Book of Recollections" (as she titled it) in the 1940s, beginning with her memories of 1890, when she was about 6 years old – the age she is in the photo below.

This post begins a series that includes transcriptions of those pages. Be warned. Sarah is not always kind in her descriptions of folks she remembers, and she recalls attitudes that are considered inappropriate today. Please consider that my disclaimer.

My clarifications of meaning and my uncertainties about interpreting her handwriting are noted in brackets.

To follow the story of our early years in Carrollton, it seems best to describe Carrollton ... straight through town, from the river (the Kentucky) on to the “Ghent road” [the road that is now Highland Avenue/US 42.] This was crossed, as now, by the numbered streets; Sycamore Street lay south of it, and Seminary beyond that; farther than Seminary seemed as the “farthest isles of the sea.” 

Sarah and her little brother Chandler, c. 1889

Seminary boasted few homes. I suppose Capt. Adcock’s was there, tho the family only swam into my ken when I remember “Daisy” as being in the 8th Grade, tho I heard Mildred mention “Aunt Leotah” and “Uncle Anson,” and I knew the latter at our church and in the drug store (Miss Sue’s brother, he was) and of course they lived there. The big house across the street, facing on 7th St., I forget who lived there, but the house next to it, afterwards Kirby’s, was our Methodist parsonage, considered really preposterously far from the church in those days when the parsonage was supposed to be next door. I think the Ginns lived next door even then. Mr. James Ginn was a ... politician, Democrat of course, tho Harrison was President when we went there — the county politics were Democratic. I think Mr. Ginn was county clerk for a long time. Mrs. Ginn was quite a prominent worker in temperance societies, which were soon quite a feature of our life. They had two boys, Bob and Earl. Bob was studying either medicine or dentistry — I remember hearing them say nobody would think of having him, he was too young, tho he was called “Doctor.” Earl I knew real well later, tho he was at least 5 years older than I.

The Methodist minister at the time was Brother Nugent, from Mississippi, a fine pastor but not an interesting pastor; his wife and he both had lovely Southern accents; she seemed greatly his inferior in character, being very “gossipy,” of which more “anon.” They had one boy, Clarence (“J.C.”), who was indeed a splendid fellow and well liked by everyone (sometimes, alas, not the case with “preacher’s boys” of the day). 

These were on 7th St. near Seminary — I don’t know whether Mr. And Mrs. Forbes were already living at the other corner or not, but I believe they were, as Theodore was already in school then. Mrs. Forbes was a daughter of Theodore Bates of Worthville, a really good family. Mr. Forbes was a pillar of the Presbyterian church and wore what is known as Dundreary or mutton chop, whiskers — one of the few who did. (Of course, the fact that he was prominent in the 1st National Bank when all our family were completely tied up with Carrollton National made him anathema to us; added to this, it was reported on good authority that he had refused to attend the Methodist Church after one visit, saying he “found no food for his soul” there. (Imagine the reaction of the Howe family!)

Sarah's handwriting about Mr. Forbes and his mutton chop whiskers and connection to 2st National Bank

... a story told of him by Miss Lou Sanders. When they were together in the first grade, he gave her a card on which he had written “Be my Valentine” (she says it took her years to realize why he didn’t buy a real one or put a stamp on it as most of the other boys did). 

Coming down to 6th Street (I believe there was only one house between, afterwards occupied by Miss Carrie Moreland, who lived there when she died by burning with splashed gasoline) on the corner was the low, long house occupied by the Gullions — who were the current editors of the Carrollton Democrat. (Their entrance was on 6th St.) They had three boys: Allen, a very precocious, bright boy four years older than I, Carroll, one year older, and Walter, almost a year old in 1890. Mrs. Gullion was such a wonderful, outstanding woman that she deserves a page or two all for herself, and I shall have it later. This was Mr. Ed Gullion, and Mrs. Gullion was a Hanks, of the famous Kentucky family, and especially the Carroll County branch. All of them were all members of the Christian Church. Mr. Gullion’s father, from “the Ould Sod,” was Wyant O’Gullion (Allen’s middle name was Wyant.) Ed Gullion’s brother Emmett was a fervent Methodist and longtime member of our church. He lived farther out 6th Street ... His wife was a Campbell, from a prominent Northern Kentucky family. She had a sister who was almost a dwarf, who lived with her, a great wonderment to us children; the two daughters, Mildred and the baby Louise, were raised in the “faith” of their mother, Baptist. 

Indeed, the church lines were so sharply drawn that some spoke with regret of “mixed marriages” between Baptists and Methodists, and indeed it did often cause family quarrels and dissension. As to the few Protestant-Catholic marriages, these were considered real tragedies. One such marriage, however, was managed with some skill — simply by the husband announcing that all his children were to be raised in the Methodist church — and sticking to it. This was the family that lived catercorner on 6th Street (2nd from the corner) from the Ed Gullions — Fred Kipping and his wife, who had, when we moved there, two grown sons, both married, and two married daughters and two small sons, one six years, the other four years older than I — Charlie [Kipping] and Oscar Geier [Kipping], named for his cousin, the young druggist of M.A. Geier and Company. These all were faithful attendants, with their father, of our church — their placid Catholic, sunny-faced mother (Miss Kraut[?] from Madison, she was the aunt of Mrs. [?] in Lexington) seemingly never protested (no use anyway).

Across from the Kippings lived the Pryor girls and their mother in a rambling old frame house. They were the wife and daughters of a famous Civil War fighter (Confederate, of course). I don’t know of any house then built between 6th and 5th, but on the corner of 5th was the old low brick occupied by the Bergs, the old jeweler, his wife and two daughters, Julia and Tillie. Julia married (by 1890) Will Schuerman, and Tillie (the older, I believe) [married] one of the Dean boys, cousins of Miss Sue Browinski, and they lived out in the country on the Dean place, near Dean’s Woods, where we had the Sunday school picnics, now all a part of Butler Park. 

This portion of a modern Carrollton map illustrates the segment of the town Sarah describes in her writings. Based on her description of the 1890s, the Methodist Church and the Christian Church were in their present locations, marked on this map. (Google Maps)

I think the Grobmyers were living in the big house on the corner then, and over on the other side the old Seminary took up the whole square. When we went there in 1890 it was a ghost school, the whole student body, high school and all, having been moved out to the new 6th St. one. The big yard, surrounded by a high iron fence, was used to pasture cows and for different kinds of ball games and children’s antics. The old frame house on the corner opposite Grobmyer’s I have no remembrance of, but I know it must have been there, with some one we knew living in it; there was no house between it and the Christian Church (newly built) on 5th St.  

Grobmyer home on 5th in Carrollton. With permission from Phyllis Codling McLaughlin, who published the image (courtesy Carolyn Glauber) in Carroll County (Images of America series, Arcadia Publishing)

Across from that church was the small brick occupied by Mrs. Grobmeier (they were cousins of Cass and Ed but spelled their name differently). It was this family (one of the boys was Arthur’s father and married Miss Katie Seppenfeld) and one [boy named Tim?] married Emma Brink and was Jeannette’s father. . . . This Mrs. Grobmeier was washing for the Seppenfelds when [some in the Seppenfeld family] took smallpox in the early '80s. Mrs. S. didn’t tell Mrs. G. about the illness but sent the bedclothes to her to wash as usual. Two Grobmeier children [caught smallpox and] died; the others also had it. For that reason Mrs. G. held out for years against the marriage of her son and Miss Katie. There was a baby of the family, Laurence, who went to school with me for several years, tho he was several years older. 

In those days the Catholic school children — after confirmation — came over to the “White school,” as they sometimes unthinkingly echoed the joking name given it by the Protestants. They were several years behind the corresponding grade generally, and I can still see the eager, obedient, slightly dull big boys and a few larger girls, in among our small fry in the 4th and 5th grades: George Abel (the twins’ father), Laurence, Eddie Donnely (Maggie’s brother) and others.

Also we had large children from the country schools, who sometimes started in the spring after their terms ended in February. Stella Carrico, who I am sure was Paul’s aunt or near relative, was in the second grade with me.

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To Be Continued