Tav's Genealogy and History Stuff

On the evening of Feb. 3, 1898 a fire broke out in the cigar factory of James H. Flora in downtown Paxton. The alarm was raised but due to equipment fitting problems with the nearby hydrant and mismatched tools it was forty minutes before the first water was put on the fire. By this time the fire had spread to the harness shop to the north and to the jewelry store to the south. It was over an hour before the fire was under control. And it had spread fu rther to involve five buildings. Another line was brought in from a block south on the cold winter night and the fire was eventually extinguished. The five buildings were completely destroyed along with their contents and the owners having great loss. The burned buildings were cleared away leaving a big empty double lot at a prime location downtown. Some of the business leaders of the city gathered at the Paxton Hotel to discuss the situation. They came up in with a plan in August 1895 to build, ironically, a new hote...

Abel O. Tavenner, the last Confederate veteran living in Pike County, Ohio, receiving a medal from the United Daughters of the Confederacy in 1931. He had become aged and infirm and a local school teacher appealed to the UDC for relief. The teacher took it upon himself as AOT had been a longtime school board member as well as supporter of others in the the community. The UDC not only provided him with a small pension but gave a scholarship to his two granddaughters, Lorna and Catherine Reeves. AOT served in Co. E, 8th Virginia Infantry from Loudoun Co., Virginia. He was captured at the Battle of Gettysburg on July 3, 1863 during Pickett's Charge. He eventually ended up at Point Lookout Prison in Maryland where he remained for the rest of the war. He came to Ohio after the war and settled in Pike county in the 1870's. He lived in Sunfish Twp. until he passed away not long after this ceremony on Jul, 16, 1932. He's buried at White Oak Cemetery along side his beloved wif...

While growing up Dad would tell us stories about his service in the US Navy when something triggered his memory. Several times he told the story of his small part in repairing the engine on the MS Gripsholm. It was a Swedish ship that was used to repatriate Americans back to the US, return foreigners to their countries of origin and return POW's. The US government had leased it from the Swedish-American Lines for most of the war. After V-E Day in 1945 Dad was returned to Norfolk, Virginia from England. Like everyone else he had been celebrating the victory with gusto. He was anxious to return to Paxton, which he left in 1943 and hadn't been back since. While he was in England in 1944, his mother had passed away from breast cancer after a long battle. So much to his surprise and anger he was given orders to ship to Palermo, Sicily where he would be doing a variety of mechanical repair work. He worked on an argon factory, raised sunken ships, fixed railroad engines as well...

This is my two Swedish ancestors with their granddaughter, Mildred Ruth Josephine Finfrock. Gustaf Adolf Johnson, son of Johannes Jonasson and Maja Stina Larsdotter, was born on 5 Jul 1825 at Hulu, Lommaryd, Jönköpings län, Sweden, was christened on 8 Jul 1825 in Lommaryd. His family moved to Blackarp, Vireda, Jönköpings län, in 1838. He died on 7 Jul 1908 in Paxton, Ford Co., Illinois at age 83, and was buried on 9 Jul 1908 in Glen Cemetery, Paxton, Ford Co., Illinois. He emigrated from Blackarp, Vireda, Jönköpings län, Sweden on 6 May 1853 to North America. He travelled with his sister Anna Sophia Johannesdotter, her husband Andrew Johanesson and his sister Fredrika Johannesdotter. They arrived at Boston, Massechusetts aboard the SS Lexington on 20 Sep 1853. The family then travelled to Montmorenci, Tippecanoe Co., Indiana where they engaged in farming until about 1860. They all moved to Beaver Township, Iroquois County, Illinois at that time where there was an established Swe...