180. Sorghum Mills, Divorce, WW II Soldier Killed, Etc.

Recent Donations to the Museum:

Abstract beginning with the sale by the U.S. Govt. of 160 acres in Randolph county to David CONNER, July 10, 1817. This was on the Mississinewa River near what would be Ridgeville. It lists these owners after Conner up to 1891;  Thomas BALOW, Jeremiah COX, William DOTY, Aquilla LOVALL, Jessie MAXWELL, Joshua ALBERTSON, Ephriam JELLISON, John SIPE, George SIPE, Morton Sipe, Robert COLLINS, William H. PATTERSON.

A large certificate, 14" x 17", from the U.S. Post Office dated Jan. 8, 1889 appointing Columbus R. CARTER as Postmaster at Snow Hill, Randolph County.

1952 McKinley Senior picture. 21" x 27", framed.

A framed, 17" x 22", High School Diploma, dated April 19, 1922, Monroe High School, Monroe Township, Randolph County, Indiana. It was issued to Georgia Mae FRAZEE.

A collection of WWII military papers belonging to Paul E. DODD were copied for the genealogy files. Paul was wounded by artillery fire on the Anzio Beachhead, March 1, 1944 during the Allied invasion of Italy. He received the Purple Heart medal, the Bronze Star and Combat Infantryman Badge.
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THORNBURG Monument dedicated.   The dedication of a monument recently erected to the memory of Isaac and Rebecca Thornburg will take place Sunday one mile east and three miles south of Windsor, Randolph County.
  The program will consist of group singing led by Marceil Thornburg, a talk on early life in Randolph County by Philip KABEL and the original poem, "In Memorium," by Mrs. Bert Thornburg.
 The dedicatory address will be given by Joe Thornburg.
 The program will be announced over a public address system.   Win. J-H, Sept. 26, 1942.
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WW II.   Union City Soldier Killed in France.   The first death message regarding a member of the United States armed services who went into the army while living in Union City, Ind., came yesterday morning to Mrs. Alva CRAWFORD of 218 South Walnut street and was as follows:
  "The Secretary of War desires me to express his deep regret that your son, Staff Sergeant Robert L. Crawford, was killed in action on June thirty in France. Letter follows. Signed, ULIO, the Adjutant General."
  Except for a few kind neighbors the mother bravely bore the terrible news alone for several hours. The father, who worked for the Pennsylvania Railroad Co., did not reach home until evening and the other children of the family were out of the city.
  Sgt. Crawford was born Nov. 9, 1919, at 218 South Walnut street which was his home until he left for army service. His parents are Alva and Mary KEAGY Crawford.
  Entering the military service in December, 1941, the month of the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, he received his training at Camp Croft, S.C., Camp Polk, La., Camp Pickett, Va. and Indiantown Gap, Pa. His last visit home was in June, 1943 and he went overseas soon after that time. He was a member of Co. G, 36th U.S. Armored Regiment, one of the units actively engaged in the invasion of France at Normandy which began June 6, 1944. His last letter home dated June 16 does not state his location or his activities, but his reported death on June 30, according to the message from the War Department, clearly indicates that in a strange land, 3,000 miles from home, he gave his bright, promising young life "in performance of his duty, in defense of his country." No higher tribute can be paid to any American.
  He leaves his parents, five sisters and six brothers.   July 28, 1944.
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Sorghum Time, 1942.   There's a current of activity around Randolph county's two cane mills for it's sorghum time and wartime sugar rationing has given new incentive to production of the golden syrup.
  Older and larger of the two mills is WEIMER's Sorghum mill, located three miles northwest of the courthouse. It was located there 14 years ago and is managed by Alva Weimer whose family has been operating a sorghum mill in the county for nearly a century.
  The other mill is north of Carlos and is managed by O.W. ALBERTSON of Lynn. Much of the work done here is on a co-operative basis or is custom work.
  The run at the Weimer mill began September 1 and probably will last until the middle of November this year because of the unusually heavy crop, Mr. Weimer said. Farmers as far away as Berne, Celina, Ohio, Marion and Connersville are served by the mill.
  Cane is brought in by the growers, stacked in the yard and carried to the crusher on a small truck running on rails. Since payment is for the gallonage produced and not for the amount of cane brought in, each farmer's production of syrup is recorded separately. Heavy rain has kept the gallonage down this year, Mr. Weimer said, and 15 gallons is the average production from one ton of cane. Production on the acre basis amounts to about 100 gallons for an acre of cane, although in other years the amount has been 125 to 150 gallons.
  The capacity of the plant is 300 gallons daily on eight to ten hours of work and storage capacity is 1,000 gallons.
  The cane first is fed into a crusher and the juice extracted there is piped into one of four vats on the second floor of the mill. From there it descends successively into five boiling vats. The color gradually fades from green to golden brown and finally is drained into cans or jars and packed for distribution.
  The Albertson mill, established in 1904, is producing 25 to 30 gallons of syrup each hour. It is running 12 to 14 hours daily and seven or eight men are employed steadily.   October, 1942.
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MONROE.   Alonzo (Lonnie) Monroe, Winchester roof painter, yesterday in Randolph circuit court filed complaint for divorce against Lulu Monroe, charging cruel and inhuman treatment. William A. GUTHEIL, Winchester attorney, represents the plaintiff.
  Judge John W. MACY issued a court order restraining Mrs. Monroe from molesting her husband pending final action of the case. The plaintiff seeks to recover personal property, included in which are four hens and 60 small chickens, and claimed that his wife had threatened him with bodily harm.  July 3, 1942.  (She was a mean old girl. Two weeks later she was arrested for assault and public intoxication. Judge Macy gave her 60 days in the Indianapolis Women's Prison.)
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   It's official now, there's a Guard Unit in Winchester, Co. K, 151st Infantry, Indiana National Guard.
  The unit comprised of three officers and 28 enlisted men, was awarded federal recognition in ceremonies in the Knights of Pythias lodge hall in Winchester.
  The guidon carried by Co K in combat was presented to Captain Roy BARNES, commanding officer of the unit, by Lt. Col. Kenneth MARLIN of Farmland, commander of the Third Battalion.
  Of more than usual interest: Winchester Mayor Harry FRAZE, lieutenant in World War II, now a buck private in the N.G., privates Med STULTS and Omer RAISOR, clothing store owners, were plying their trade by taking measurements for uniforms; Bill HUNTER, a lieutenant colonel in the last war, looking on; Cecil BOLINGER, a navy man, associating with the army, now a private; Bob Cox, the County Recorder, taking pictures and Earl FLATTER on hand to see his son Bobby become a private in the unit.   March, 1948.
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Harrisville Grocery Closes.   The voice of the auctioneer dictated a new chapter in the history of Harrisville as the goods of the Ashton WICKERSHAM grocery were sold on the block. When the sale was over and the store ceased to exist it marked the first time since 1851, 91 years ago, that the community has been without a grocery. Job HARRIS was the man who opened the first store and shortly thereafter laid out the town.
  Thus within a week residents of two Randolph county pioneer communities, first Deerfield and now Harrisville, have become doubly handicapped....no grocery stores and little gasoline available due to wartime rationing to go to markets.   December, 1942.
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Lance Cook 1950-1968.   Lance Cook, 18, died from injuries received in an automobile accident July 20, 1968. Lance, son of Mr. and Mrs. Russell Cook of Winchester, was born May 30, 1950. He was a June graduate of the Winchester Community high school and was one of Winchester and Randolph county's most outstanding distance runners of the past decade, holding WCHS records in the mile and the half-mile. He was his schools top cross country man during his junior and senior years, in both of which he advanced to the IHSAA cross country regional meets.
  Lance played trumpet in the high school band, was a four-year member of the Student Council, was an Eagle Scout and a member of Explorer Post 57. He was an officer in the DeMolay, was a member of the Winchester United Methodist church and was an officer of its Methodist Youth Fellowship.
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