I think Hester Kirk’s mother, or grandmother, was a Morrow. Morrow’s came from Lake Champlain, NY, in 1814, to near Clarksville. Mrs. Morrow, a Quaker, told her sons to take enough men to run the Redcoats north into Canada and away from Lake Champlain. Earlier, they had lived in the Delaware River Valley, and had been hounded by British soldiers during the Revolution. Morrows brought China dishes, which I now have, in saddle bags from Lake Champlain.
When Elihu married Matilda, he moved into her Tower House. She had designed it after Zephaniah offered to build it to help her recover from the death of a child. Built in 1886, I think, it was the first house in the area with an indoor bath tub and rain water stored on the second floor from the eaves. The toilet was outside. Mom remembered going there to take a bath. When Elihu moved to the Tower House, his son, Daniel, was living in the house where he was born with his three sisters; Hattie who married a Furnas, Mary who married a Gilliam, and Kathryn who married a Heston. Daniel soon met and married Wilhelmina Hahn. When she moved in, Daniel’s sisters left.
Daniel and Wilhelmina Hahn Underwood, my grandparents. Wilhelmina Hahn, from Blanchester, attended Lebanon Normal School before starting to teach at the one-room school on the south side of now SR 73, just south of Katy’s Lane, about 1900. The first day, Robert ”Cotchum” Collett, jumped out the window and over the fence and headed for home. Grand Mama saw him leave and jumped out and over and brought him back. When the boys kicked as high as they could and made a mark on the school wall, Grand Mama out kicked them.
Cotchum, who built the nice house on the south side of SR 73 maybe 1/2 mile east of Jonah’s Run Church, was the long-time national secretary of Sigma Chi, our son Daniel’s fraternity. He is also likely the “Collett” who was making eyes at Ruth Anna Underwood, Matilda and Zephaniah’s daughter. Though she wouldn’t say anything to embarrass anyone, Mom told me Matilda sent Ruth Anna to an eastern Quaker Boarding School, so as to get him away from “those Colletts, some of whom drank alcohol.” Last year, Ruth Anna’s granddaughter gave me Ruth Anna’s beaver bonnet.
Although Quaker Grand Papa never attended Jonah’s Run, Aunt Kitty, Grand Papa’s sister, walked to Jonah’s Run Baptist Church, and she studied for missionary work at Chicago Northern Baptist Seminary, but never got an assignment. She was a longtime JR member, and my Sunday School and piano teacher. I wonder how many times she put the same pennies in the JR church collection that I helped Dad, the longtime JR treasurer, count on the desk I now have, and Mom used to pay her for piano lessons. I now realize my parents, plus my Braddock and Furnas cousins’ parents supported Aunt Kitty by having their kids take piano lessons from her. I still remember her saying she put her last pennies in the SS collection.
(Dad replaced his father as Jonah’s Run Treasurer. I replaced Dad. Jonathan Collett, my g-g grandfather, was the first treasurer in 1838.)
Grand Papa did go with Aunt Kitty to a church Box Social where he bought the new school teacher, Miss Hahn’s lunch basket. Grand Mama stayed with three Collett sisters on Denny road, just SE of the school. She was upstairs sewing her corset when Daniel Underwood came calling. A Collett sister came upstairs and told Grand Mama that Mr. Underwood was there. “He must be here to see you,” Grand Mama responded. “No, he’s never come to see any of us. He’s here to see you,” the Collett woman said. They were soon married. I have a picture of them on their honeymoon at Niagara Falls. Mom said Grand Papa could touch his fingers when he put his hands around Grand Mama’s waist.
William and Esther Underwood Doster, my parents.
Howard
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