On September 10, .. I visited the library in Iola, Allen County, Kansas where I was able to find cemetery transcriptions and newspaper obituaries for some descendants of Minerva Fatima (Joslin) Knight, daughter of my 3rd great-grandparents Lysander and Lydia (Robison) Joslin.
Minerva Fatima Joslin was born January 7, 1859 in Whitley County, Indiana. At the age of 17, on March 16, 1876, Minerva was married in Whitley County to 20 year old William John Knight. The minister who married them was Price Goodrich, the brother of Minerva's grandmother, Abigail (Goodrich) Joslin. The next year Minerva and William moved to Barton County, Kansas along with her parents and the majority of her brothers and sisters. (Her sister and my 2nd great-grandmother, Malissa Joslin Brubaker, was the only sibling that remained in Whitley County, Indiana.)
A William Knight was found in Beaver Township (page 490) in the 1880 census with wife Mary (this is presumed to actually be Minerva). Also listed with William were two daughters, Mary A. age 1, and Nina G. age 5/12. These fit the ages of their first two children, a son Merlin Andrew was born in October 1878 and a daughter, Nellie Gertrude was born on December 22, 1879. If this is really the right family, the census enumerator sure had some difficulty with their names! (A third child, Hale Vernon would be born August 12, 1896.)
In May 1899, Minerva and William were living in Keighly, Butler County, Kansas (when her father died at her home on May 1st). However, the family was found in Reeder Township, Anderson County, Kansas (page 305) in the 1900 census. Listed was William (head of household), his wife Minerva, 3 year old son Hale, and a boarder, William Beck.
They must have moved to Iola, Allen County, Kansas soon after the 1900 census as that is where William passed away on January 2, 1902 at the age of 46. After William's death, Minerva was married to J. N. Storey (date and place of marriage not yet known) and reportedly died on May 12, 1905 (also at age 46) in a wheelchair on the street in Hot Springs, Arkansas. I was unable to find an obituary for Minerva in the Iola newspaper. I haven't checked the Hot Springs newspapers yet. After their deaths, their young son Hale lived with his sister Nellie and her husband, Bert Sutton. Minerva and William are both buried in the Old Cemetery in Iola, Allen County, Kansas.
The notice of the death of William John Knight was published on January 6, 1902 in the Iola Daily Register.
W. J. Knight, who lives in Brooklyn Park, and who has been employed as a carpenter at the Standard Acid Works, dropped dead from heart failure as he was preparing to begin work at 7 o'clock this morning. The doctor and coroner agree that death was instantaneous and the remains were taken to Culbertson's undertaking rooms.
Mr. Knight seemed to be in his usual good health when he appeared at the works this morning. He greeted his fellow workmen pleasantly and at the sound of the whistle laid his had on an upright beam, preparatory to ascending to the place where he was working. Then the blow came and without an outcry he sank to his knees and then to the floor. Several men saw him fall and hurried to his side. Apparently he was dead when they reached him, but they carried him to the open air and did what they could in the hope of reviving him. Dr. Coffman was telephoned for and soon arrived on the scene, but could do nothing and he stated that Mr. Knight must have died almost as soon as he reached the ground. Coroner F. D. Teas was notified and viewed the remains, later authorizing the removal to an undertaking parlor.
Large center stone with father and mother stones to the left and right. In the Old Cemetery in Iola, Allen County, Kansas.
Knight (across top of the stone)
W. J. KNIGHT / 1855-1902 / AT REST
MANERVA F. / HIS WIFE / 1859-1905
Another stone, that of a great-grandson, is set in the same plot, in front of and to the left of the “Father” stone. Ronald was the son of Helen Sutton and her husband, Gerald Curtis.
RONALD STEVEN / CURTIS / APR 1, 1943
William and Minerva (Joslin) Knight had three children:
1.
Merlin (Merle) Andrew Knight was born in October 1878 and died March 8, 1930. He was married on October 26, 1899 in Butler County, Kansas to Carrie Thompson. She was born in August 1881 and died in October 1971. They had four children: Harry, Leota, Ruby, and Opal Knight.
2.
Nellie Gertrude Knight – will be the subject of a future post.
3.
Hale Vernon Knight was born August 12, 1896 in Butler County, Kansas and died on January 30, 1947. He was married to Alma (maiden name not known) about 1918 and they had three children: Hester, Hale and Mary Knight. An online obituary for Alma (The Wichita Eagle dated May 23, 1992) stated that she died May 20, 1992 at the age of 96 and was a retired teacher. Survivors included a son Hale of Everett, Washington and a daughter Mary K. Merrill of Harlingen, Texas. Also six grandchildren and nine great-grandchildren.
I cut one Iris and took it inside to get a full view of it. From the petals tip-to-tip the flower is a little over 8" across. Several of the plants are "twins" with two blooms at the top of the stalk. There are 12 plants and most of them have 3 to 4 blooms coming on. Absolutely Gorgeous! flowers to feed the soul...
Little Miss Dutch Maid in the prairie.
Selling junk.
Like in most cities in the Netherlands during Queen's Day, there are designated areas and streets that one can sell their (used) wares. And well, some even offer blind date matching services.
Selling manicure services as well.
Dyed orange hair and a Netherlands flag boa are popular outfits for the day.
It was the first time in many years that it didn't rain during Queen's Day. 20C! These macho tattooed guys are definitely enjoying the day.
Street games - you hit the button and the girl in bikini goes down the tub of water.
'Zin in een vluggertje?' literally means 'Want a quickie (sex)?' but this one means a quickie chess game =)
I know, I know... I am almost 42 (in a few weeks) and I should not be wearing outfits like this. Just trying to be trendy for a day since I have no orange to wear. I don't think I will wear something like this next year.
I love this umbrella and I found a cocktail stall! Finally mojitos!
This man is just so cool. Orange bra is it.
Doing the rumba. Cuba here I come (in 2 weeks!).
Hollow Man has gone orange.
Boating is popular during Queen's Day. Unlike in Utrecht, in Amsterdam it gets hectic on the canals (read: boat traffic).
Best in channelling 'Oranje' and 'Nederland'.
'Hi, I am Miss Netherlands and we have lots of tulips!'
Best in creativity: Orange eyelashes for the win!
Live music of course. They are in every corner. Can you imagine the noise blaring from every corner, I mean everywhere? I am so getting old.
This man is brave enough to wear a (orange) ribbon on his head.
More boating fun on Utrecht's Oudegracht.
Today was the first time I felt well enough to ride a roadbike since havinggotten sicklast month. It was only 26 miles, but it felt great to have my full lung capacity and energy back.
Continuing with the Italian theme, I took Francesco - my fixed gear stallion. How happy he was, basking in the precious minutes of sunshine in between thunderstorms.
Riding a fixed gear roadbike is an experience that fills me with a special kind of enjoyment - I think because it combines the sensations of walking and flying (fly-walking?).
I was worried that I might be too out of shape to make it, but I had forgotten how comfortable Francesco is. The 26 miles of pedaling felt like a stroll in the park. Although, I have learned by now that even if I feel "fine" riding fixed gear while I am actually doing it, it does take more out of me than a free-wheel bicycle. I usually sleep longer after such a ride, and sometimes I am sore the following day.
One thing that has improved my comfort level with fixed gear cycling considerably, are these "fixie" Power Grips. I wrote about the standard Power Grips here, and since my initial review I have become addicted to these things. The fixed gear version differs from the standard model, in that it makes it easier to insert and remove your feet while pedals are in motion. I cannot tell what it is about the design that makes this possible, but none the less it seems to work. I insert my right toe at the starting position and start cycling slowly while nudging the left pedal with my left toe - then swiftly insert the toe into the left grip on the first stroke. After some practice this became a familiar and instinctive sequence of movements - though it definitely helped that I was already comfortable using this system on a free-wheel bike prior to trying it on a fixed gear.
Now that I am able to use foot retention on this bicycle, I am no longer apprehensive about cycling over bumps and potholes or going downhill at high speeds. The experience is pretty much perfect and very enjoyable. One thing in particular I have noticed, is how easy it is for me to ride "in the drops" - Francesco almost seems more stable when the handlebars are held this way than higher up. Is that possible?
And another interesting thing: I find it much, much easier to get out of the saddle and pedal standing up on Francesco than I do on my other bicycles. Is it the fixed-gearness that is facilitating this or the geometry? As I've mentioned before, I have a terrible sense of balance, and that is what I believe normally prevents me from pedaling while standing up. But on this bicycle, it seems not to matter.
It rained on and off for the duration of our ride, and the colourful leaves strewn over the trail turned into a mess of a slippery carpet. Was I so excited to be riding Francesco that I began to imagine things, or is it easier to ride in slippery conditions on a fixed gear bike? I have read comments about traction before, but I admit that I don't understand them. Could somebody explain it in layman's terms?
As I prepare for some more pruning of my bicycle overgrowth, it is clear to me that I "need" a fixed gear roadbike. So while I am now considering selling my Trek- which has been fun, but not essential - I will definitely be keeping the Francesco Moser.
In the long run, however - maybe a couple of years from now - I will probably want to replace it with a "real" fixed gear bicycle. Mainly, this is because the Moser's bottom bracket is not as high as it should be - and even though my lean on turns is not aggressive enough to warrant worrying about pedal strike yet, it would be better if this wasn't even a potential issue.
But for now,Francesco is my dashing Italian gentleman and I thank him for my happy feet.
