Ollie Miner Seymour's Bread Recipe

As promised in my previous post I am going to share a recipe from our family. This recipe comes from a family cookbook that cousin Natalie Toler Smigel put together a few years ago. She collected recipes from kith and kin and put together an amazing cookbook, which included old family photos. Family and friends who bought the cookbook have been enjoying many tasty recipes for years, especially from the desserts, candy, and dessert sections (which, by the way, take up one-half of the book).

The following recipe was written by Natalie and starts out:

"This is the original 'secret family recipe' as given to me by Grandma. She noted that she had read lately that yeast doesn't rise as well when dissolved in milk so she used warm water and added dry milk with the flour. Here are the directions as modified for our 'modern' kitchens."

Ollie Miner Seymour's Sweepstakes Prize Winning Raisin Bread

2 c. scalded sweet milk 8 c. sifted flour
2 pkgs yeast 1/4 c. shortening
3/4 c. sugar 3/4 tsp. salt
2 well-beaten eggs 1 c. raisins

"Dissolve yeast and 1/4 c. sugar in 1/2 c. warm water. Let set until it bubbles. Add 1 1/2 c. water (room temp.), 2/3 c. powdered milk, 1/4 c. shortening or butter (melted but not hot), 1/2 c. sugar and 1 c. raisins. Then add 4 c. flour (sifted) and 3/4 tsp salt. Add 2 eggs (beaten and at room temp.). Mix in 3 - 4 additional c. sifted flour and knead until smooth (about 5 minutes). Let raise until double in bulk. Punch it down and let it raise again. Punch down and divide into balls; let rest 10 minutes. Roll out and make into loaves. Place in greased pans. Let it double in size and bake in 350 degree oven for about 40 minutes. This is a rich, sweet dough and browns very easily. I [Glenna] have trouble keeping it from becoming too brown. Smaller loaves don't need to be baked as long." Natalie Smigel

So there you have it. The cat is once again out of the bag. If you bake this bread let me know how it turned out. I've never baked this bread, but will someday soon. I'm more used to making sourdough bread; which reminds me that I need to try and resuscitate my sourdough starter. I haven't fed it in some time during its hibernation in the refrigerator. I'll let you know how that turns out.

Ollie Anne (Miner) Seymour 1882 - 1937

I think over the next few posts I will cover the history of the Miner branch of the family. This family is well researched to the original immigrant to colonial American, and even further back to England. I'll start out with my great-grandmother, Ollie Anne Miner

Ollie was the youngest daughter of George A. Miner and Elizabeth Susan Dennis.She was born 22 Jan 1882 in Morgan Co., Ill. George and Elizabeth had 11 children that survived to adulthood. There were seven girls and four boys. According to a letter I have that was written to my grandmother Glenna (Ollie's daughter), George was very protective of his daughters and really didn't approve of any of the men the girls chose to marry. I guess some things really never change. Here are a couple of photos of Ollie as a young woman.



This photo is captioned on the back Ollie Miner and Edith Johnson. I haven't figured out who Edith is yet, but the two look like they are true friends. They probably broke many a young man's heart.

She married Dale Taylor Seymour on 30 Jan 1905 in Morgan Co. I believe at that time weddings were most often performed at someone's home. It is probably likely that Ollie and Dale were married at either the Miner or Seymour homes. I believe this is probably her wedding portrait.

Sometime after that the couple moved to Colorado. They lived in Englewood and Glenna was born while they resided there. Glenna's birth certificate has them residing on the 3000 Block of South Acoma Street in Englewood. Dale worked as a conductor for a streetcar company, as well as at a lumberyard. Here is a photo of him at work as a conductor.

The couple returned to Morgan County and lived rest of their lives there. Two boys were born to the couple, Taylor and Nelson. Here is a photo of the entire family, probably taken around 1915.

Ollie became a blue-ribbon winning cook. Her breads, cakes, and pastries won an incredible number of prizes at the Morgan County Fair and Illinois State Fair over the years. Can you imagine how difficult it would be to bake such high-quality goods on a wood- or coal-fired stove? It's difficult enough to bake decent bread in a modern oven! This talent for baking was inherited by her daughter Glenna, as well as granddaughters and great-granddaughters. All won prizes at the county and state fairs for their baked goods. I have a recipe for her bread that I will post at another time.

Ollie died much too early, at the age of 55 on 20 Mar 1937. Here is an image of her obituary.



I really would have loved to have known Ollie. She really strikes me as a loving and fun person. She had a deep Christian faith that she passed on to her children, as well as that ability to bake delicious things to eat. What a wonderful inheritance to pass on to future generations.

The Gunboat Lafayette and Siege of Vicksburg - 1863

My great-great-grandfather Alexander served on the gunboat Lafayette during the Vicksburg campaign of 1863. According to a certificate that Alexander had made for his wife Mary, he served on the Lafayette, which was manned by soldiers from Company H of the 101st Illinois Infantry. However; his official Civil War records state that he was assigned to Company G of the 101st. This would mean he would have served on the ram Switzerland during the run past the Vicksburg fortifications on April, 16, 1863.

This confusion can perhaps be cleared up by looking at the official war records of the 101st Illinois Infantry. Part of the regiment ; Companies B, C, E, F, and I; had been captured at Holly Springs, Miss. in Dec. 1862. The other part of the regiment; Companies D, G, H, and K; had been guarding a railroad and were not captured. The companies which were captured were paroled by the Confederates. These companies were formed into a separate battalion and sent home. Companies D, G, H, and K were formed into another battalion and temporarily attached to the 14th Illinois Infantry until March 1863. It is interesting to note that the 14th Ill. Inf. was the unit Alexander had originally joined in 1861.

According to the official history the battalion was broken up in March 1863 and the companies assigned as follows: "Company "K" assigned as provost guard at General Grant's headquarters, Company "G" to ram "Switzerland," Company "D" to "Rattler" and "Cricket," Company "A" to "General Bragg," Company "H" to "Lafayette," so serving until September, 1863." The official history also states that the 101st served with the Ram Fleet, Mississippi Squadron from March to June 1863.

On the night of April 16, 1863 Admiral David Porter took 12 ships past Vicksburg. He directed that the ships hug the east bank directly under the guns and cannon that defended Vicksburg. This was a very wise move because the Confederate artillerymen could not depress their guns enough to get an accurate shot at the Union vessels. Veterans report that they were close enough to hear the Confederate artillery officers giving the commands to fire!

Only one vessel was lost, the Lancaster, although quite luckily only one man died. Perhaps even more interesting is how Porter lashed some vessels together to allow ironclads to protect less armored ships. Two of these were the Lafayette and the General Sterling Price. The Lafayette was positioned closest to the Confederate defenses, thereby protecting the more vulnerable Price. A link to a Currier and Ives print of the ships is posted below which clearly indicates these two vessels.

I believe that Alexander did serve on the Lafayette even though his records indicate that he was in Company G and would have been on the Switzerland. Soldiers remember the units they served with, especially in combat. It would have been a matter of soldierly pride for Alexander to say he served on the Lafayette when they "ran the gauntlet" past Vicksburg that night in April 1863.

Here are photos of the Lafayette, Switzerland, and the General Sterling Price.

Source: http://www.scattercreek.com/~normw/lafayette.jpg

Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:US_Ram_Switzerland_%281854%29_nh55829.jpg

Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:USSSterlingPrice.jpg

As shown in the official record the companies of the 101st Ill. Inf. remained with the Ram Fleet, Mississippi Squadron until June 1863. There were other "marine" operations the fleet engaged in, which can be read about on numerous Internet sites. Here are links to the main Vicksburg Campaign article at Wikipedia, the Vicksburg National Military Park website, and a few Civil War history sites as indicated below:

Wikipedia:
USS Lafayette

USS Switzerland

USS General Sterling Price

United States Ram Fleet

Currier and Ives Lithograph of the fleet running past Vicksburg

Other Websites
A digital issue of Harper's Weekly April 18, 1863 with an article about the Vicksburg battle

Norm Witherbee's Web Page about Morgan County, Ill. Civil War Soldiers

Civil War Reminiscences of Daniel F. Kemp

Shotgun's Home of the American Civil War - Vicksburg

It was some months after this event that Alexander took ill and was discharged. In July 1863 he was transferred to Company A, then was transferred to a Union hospital in New Albany, Ind. in Sept. By December 1863 Alexander was medically discharged and returned home to Waverly, Ill. He was deemed too unfit to serve in the Union Invalid Corps. These were soldiers who were wounded too severely or too ill to fight, but could work at jobs in logistics, administration, or medicine. This freed up healthy men to fight. I imagine it had to be bittersweet for Alexander to be declared unfit to continue to serve his country, but he was allowed to return home, a dream that too many soldiers would never realize.

Bertha Whitlock 1883-1949

Today (March 10) is the birthday of Bertha Whitlock, the only daughter of Alexander and Mary Whitlock. She was was born in 1883 in Waverly, no doubt at the family farm, and she also was the youngest child. Here is a photograph of her and her parents:

Bertha never married, though I think she was in love once and was perhaps left broken-hearted by her fiance. She was very dedicated to her parents and took care of them until their deaths.

The caption on the back of this photo identifies Bertha and supposedly her brother, James Oscar. However, there is some family lore about some fellow named Walter Reed (or Read) that Bertha was sweet on. The man in the photo could very well be James, but there are certain differences in the eyes and ears of the man in this photograph that look somewhat different from James. This is certainly something to speculate on. For some reason she never married and Bertha dedicated her life to teaching the children of Morgan County.

The images below are all related to her teaching career. There are several pages of handwritten notes that indicate the years she taught and where. Her career spanned from 1905 to 1940, plus she lists school year 1946-47 as teaching at Hurricane Neck. The images immediately below this text were written by Bertha--doesn't she have beautiful penmanship? She lists the years she taught, where, and how much she was paid.

Apparently Bertha primarily taught first and second grade. Uncle Randy Austiff remembers being taught by her at Hurricane Neck school.Here are several images of documents related to her teaching.

Bertha died in 1949 and was buried in the same plot in Franklin (Ill.) Cemetery as her parents and her brother James. Aunt Sharon (Whitlock) Toler has a beautiful hand-tinted portrait of Bertha hanging in her living room for all the family to see (a photo of this portrait is below).
I would like to think that Bertha was a source of inspiration for family members who became teachers--Aunt Kay Austiff, my sister Cindy, cousin Natalie, and soon my daughter Kaitlyn. If I could travel back in time Bertha is one of those ancestors I would love to talk with and learn her life story. I think she is a fascinating woman.

John Whitlock 1844-1922

John W. Whitlock was the third son of Johnson and Rebecca Whitlock. According to his obituary he was born on July, 4, 1844 in Fall Branch, Tenn.; however, his headstone states he was born in 1843. The family moved to Morgan County, Ill. in 1850 and settled west of Waverly. In 1862 he joined the 13th Illinois Cavalry with his brother, Amasa (aka Macey). Both he and Macey were mustered in at Camp Douglas, Ill. in Chicago. Although John initially was sick, he recovered and went on to serve the full three years of his enlistment. Here is a photo of John presumably taken around the time of his service, as well as image from his official records that contains his description.

During his term of service the 13th Ill. Cavalry saw extensive service in Missouri and Arkansas. There were three major engagements the regiment was involved in--Prairie D'Ane, Bayou Fourche, and Jenkins' Mill (click on the link to go to the National Park Service website for the battle summary). During this time John served as a cook, either for a company or the regiment. One interesting incident listed on his records is that in early 1864 he was charged $2.35 for lost "Ordnance and Ordnance Stores." Presumably he lost something list a pistol and ammunition. In January 1865 he was discharged upon completion of his three years of service. He presumably was paid the $100 bounty he was promised at that time.

After the war he returned to Morgan County and farmed. On January 9, 1868 he married Martha G. Wood in Sangamon County (according to the Illinois State Marriage Database). Martha died in 1914 and John died in 1922. They are buried together in Franklin, Ill. cemetery. Here is a photo of their headstone.

Apparently John and Martha had no children, or at least none survived them. None are listed on John's obituary and there are no other family records that state they had children.

According to John's obituary which was printed in the Feb. 16, 1922 Franklin Times he had moved to Franklin in 1895 and had been in poor health for the last nine years of his life. The obituary incorrectly lists his service with the 101st Ill. Infantry. This is probably attributable to the fact there was a John Whitlock who served in that regiment (John's brother and my great-great-grandfather Alexander served in that regiment).

The history of the 13th Ill. Cavalry is recounted here in the Illinois Adjutant General's Report. If anyone is interested you can download a free history of all the Illinois military units that served in the Civil War. Click here to download this pdf.

The Thirteenth Cavalry was organized at Camp Douglas, Illinois, in December 1861, by Colonel J.W. Bell.

Moved to Benton Barracks, Missouri, where the Regiment was armed and equipped. Moved for the field, in February 1862. Was on duty in southeast Missouri until June 1, 1862, when it joined General Curtis' army, at Jacksonport, Ark. Moved, with General Curtis through Arkansas, taking part in the skirmishes of the campaign, to Helena, Ark. Returned, with General Curtis, to Missouri, in the fall of 1862, and was engaged with General Davidson in the campaign of southwest Missouri and northwest Arkansas, driving Marmaduke and his command from the State.

In July 1863, the Regiment moved, with General Davidson's Cavalry Division, into Arkansas, taking part in the battles of Brownsville, August 24 and 25; Bayou Metre, 27th and 28th; Austin, August 31; and again at Bayou Metre, September 4. The Thirteenth was the first Regiment to enter Little Rock, on its capture, September 10, 1863, and was engaged in the pursuit of Price, to Red River.

In the spring of 1864, the Regiment accompanied General Steele in the expedition to Camden, taking prominent parts in the actions at Arkadelphia, Okolona, Little Missouri River, Prairie du Anne, Camden and Jenken's Ferry, during the month of April. After returning to Little Rock, the Regiment was engaged in many raids and scouts, and in skirmishing with the forces of Shelby and Marmaduke, defeating them at Clarendon and Pine Bluff. In the summer of 1864, the Regiment was stationed at Pine Bluff, in Colonel Clayton's Brigade, and engaged in scouting and picketing.

On January 25, 1865, the Cavalry Division having been discontinued, the Regiment was assigned to duty at the post of Pine Bluff. In April, detachments of the Regiment were sent to take possession of Monticello, Camden and Washington, leaving Headquarters at Pine Bluff. Mustered out August 31, 1865, and received final pay and discharge at Springfield, Ill., Sept. 13, 1865.

List of battles and skirmishes in which the Thirteenth Cavalry was engaged:

Pitman's Ferry, Ark., July 20, 1862; Cotton Plant, Ark., July 25, 1862; Union City, Mo., August 22, 1862; Camp Pillow, Mo., August 29, 1862; Bloomfield, Mo., September 13, 1862; Van Buren, Mo., December 21, 1862; Allen, Mo., January 17, 1863; Eleven Point River, Mo., March 26, 1863; Jackson, Mo., April 22, 1863; White River, Mo., April 23, 1863; Bloomfield (2d), Mo., April 24, 1863; Union City and Chalk Bluff, Mo., April 25, 1863; Bushy Creek, Mo., May 31, 1863; near Helena, Ark., August 8, 1863; Grand Prairie and White River, Ark., August 16, 1863; Deadman's Lake, Ark., August 17, 1863; Brownsville, Ark., August 24 and 25, 1863; Bayou Metre, Ark., August 27 and 28, 1863; Austin, Ark., August 31, 1863; Bayou Metre (second), Ark., September 4, 1863; Little Rock, Ark., September 10, 1863; Benton, Ark., September 11, 1863; Batesville, Ark., October 22, 1863; Pine Bluff, Ark., November 28, 1863; Arkadelphia, Ark., April 2, 1864; Okolona, Ark., April 3, 1864; Little Missouri River, Ark., April 4, 1864' Prairie de Anne, Ark., April 10, 11 and 12, 1864; Camden, Ark., April 15, 1864; Jenken's Ferry, Ark., April 30, 1864; Cross Roads, Ark., September 11, 1864; Mount Elba, Ark., October 18, 1864; Douglas Landing, Ark., February 22, 1865; Monticello, Ark., March 28, 1865.