by Doudna, Elma D.

See previous entry: Little Home Histories, Part 27 -- The Birthplace of Joseph W. Doudna.

I have been requested to write about our father, Joseph W. Doudna, who was a great grandson of the kidnapped John Doudna and his wife Sara (Knowis) Doudna. Their second son, John, who married Miriam Hall, daughter of Isaac and Ann (White) Hall, was his grandmother and grandfather. They had three children when they moved from North Carolina to Belmont County, Ohio, in 1804. Nearly two miles south of where Barnesville is now located, they came and settled four years before the town was laid out. Here their son John 3rd was born 6th month 24th 1808. He married Asenath Garretson on 10th month 8th 1840. She was a granddaughter of Robert Williams, whose oldest son was Richard Williams, and who married Sara Stanton. His mother was Elizabeth Dearman, who died in 1773. He later married Anna Shoebridge, who was born 9th month 7th 1748 in London, England. Robert Williams was from Ruthin, North Wales.

Robert and Elizabeth came to North Carolina on their honeymoon, which took nearly three months, and brought with them Anna Shoebridge, a friend of Elizabeth's. She wanted her to come along for company. They arrived just before the Revolutionary War and settled in Beaufort, Carteret County, No. Carolina.

Robert established trading stores at Newberne and also at Beaufort, N.C., besides owning hundreds of acres of land. Robert and Anna S. Williams' daughter, Elizabeth, who was born 4th month 29th 1778, married Joseph Garretson, who was born 11th month 29th 1782, a son of William and Mary Garretson. They came from Pennsylvania, and moved to Ohio about the year 1800, and settled at Concord, Belmont County, Ohio.

He and Elizabeth Williams were married at Concord, 4th month 26th 1804, and in 1811 they moved to Barnesville, Ohio, where they lived about a year. They then settled on a farm about one and a half miles south of town. He died here in 4th month 13th 1855.

It has been said from accounts we have of him, he was a man of great ability and was regarded as one of the best teachers in this part of the State. He spent much of his time teaching school.

It was their oldest child, Asenath, who was married to John Doudna 3rd on 10th month 8th 1840. She had also taught school and learned the tailor trade and did spinning, knitting, twisting and weaving goods for clothes, blankets, coverlets, and carpets. She had a loom, which our father made, with which we used to see her weave when we were children. She also used a twisting wheel, reel, spinning wheel and warping mill. We children used to like to see her use all of these so well and took lots of rides on the warping mill which we enjoyed very much.

I now have the twisting wheel, spinning wheel and reel that she used to use. Father fixed an attachment on the reel that would click at every hundred rounds, so that she did not have to keep an account of the rounds in getting out the warp for carpet.

John and Asenath Doudna were the parents of four children: Joseph W., Ann, Jesse I., and Sara. The oldest was our father, who was born 100 years ago this winter, 12th month 26th 1841, on the farm that was left to him by his father -- which was a portion of the original land from Thomas Jefferson to John Doudna 2nd. Here father lived all of his life. (over 91 years), except a little while in 1875 -- the year he and mother were married -- while he was helping to build the Friends Boarding School (Olney) building and barn.

That summer they lived at Stillwater near Tacoma on the Francis Davis place, so he could be near his work. They lived there until late fall or early winter and then moved to the home where John A. Doudna now lives, for a short time. They then moved back to the home farm on which he was born and where he lived until his death on 1st month 21st 1933.

His father died 4th month 3rd 1848, leaving his mother and four small children -- father being a little past six. He and his mother and brothers and sisters got along as best they could with the help of relatives at times and neighbors and hiring, until the children grew up. When they were little, they would go quite a distance, some three miles on horseback to the mill. One would ride and hold the grist on, while the other would walk, and open gates as the one on the horse could not very well get off to do it and hold the grist on.

One time when they were going to the mill, father was on the horse with grindings and they had to pass a school house. Uncle Jesse, who was walking, had a little red jacket on and the school boys took after him and called him a red fox. My, but he did run. He was so badly scared they ran after him for a long way clear to Aquille Crews and he came out and stopped them, then went and told the teacher about what they had done and the teacher told the boys, that if they ever did that again, he would whip them if it was the last day school. The teacher was Elam Bailey.

When father was quite a small boy, after his father's death, he went with his mother to the pasture by the big woods to look after the sheep and found that they had gotten out. A snow had fallen -- the kind that sticks to the branches of the trees -- which made it harder for them to see. She had to go into the woods to look for them and she left him by the bars, and told him to stand there until she came back. After a while she got turned around and did not know which way to come back to him. She called to find out where he was, and when he answered it sounded in such a different direction from where she thought she left him, she said, "Joseph thee is not were I left thee." He said "Yes mother, I am." She said, "Is thee sure thee is where I left thee?" He answered "Yes mother I am. If I am not I will give thee my dollar." She then knew she was lost. He told her to come to him which she did and found he was where she left him.

In those days, father's Uncle Asa Garretson lived down toward Somerton. While he was yet a little boy, Uncle Asa took father down to stay a week with him and help him. On second day (Monday) morning, Uncle Asa took father out to the potato field to pick up the potatoes. Father was placed near the road and after a while, Uncle Asa had to leave to go to town, so father was left there to work alone. Father said got very lonesome by himself as he had been used to being with the other children, and the time seemed long. Along about the middle of the week, Uncle Asa hauled coal and took father with him. Father thought that was nice and he enjoyed the rest of the week much better.

Another childhood experience, when he was small and had to go to mill on horseback, a neighbor had threatened him where he had to pass, in such a manner that his Aunt Elizabeth Wilson went with him to that place and remained by the bars until he went on to the mill and came back to see that nothing happened to him.

At another time his grandfather Garretson had to go to mill. When he was an old man and not very strong, he rode the horse and held the grist on in a time when the roads were muddy. Father walked along side to help in case of need. As he was going down the hill, where the water works is now located, the horse stumbled and he and the grist both went off in the mud, Father being too small to be of much help, went and called Lemuel Patterson, who lived nearby. This was the same hill on which the boys ran Uncle Jesse (father's brother), when they called him a red fox.

As grandfather was old and too weak to do much work, he would sow the wheat while on horseback. He would tie something over the horses ears to pro-the wheat from getting in its ears, and sowed broadcast. Father and Uncle Jesse had to stay home from school sometimes in order to help flail the wheat and do other things on the farm. Thus they got along until the children were grown.

Father had a very mechanical turn, as did his Uncle Asa. Father would go often and work with Uncle Asa in his shop. He had a carpenter shop and blacksmith shop. Sometimes he would work with Mason Thomas in his blacksmith shop. Father became so competent that he could make or repair almost anything he needed about his farm in later years. Father would sometimes borrow things from the neighbors and there was one man in particular who seemed glad to have him do this, as the things were not always in the best of shape, and would sometimes break in father's hands. Father would then fix them and when he took them home, they were better than when he got them. Father finally decided to have his own tools instead of borrowing and fixing up other peoples'. Items he had no money to buy, he made for the most part.

Father at one time had a Grubber thrashing machine and a Horsepower. We saw it used once or twice when he had a small crop or for some reason could hardly get a thrashing machine. He had a burr grist mill to grind wheat for graham flour, which was very good. It also ground cornmeal. He would use the Horsepower to power this and the sawmill, as he had several different sizes of buzz saws to saw lumber and wood. When he was a young man, he and a neighbor had a saw mill and father used to run the engine. He worked at that for a while and then built a carpenter shop and blacksmith shop for himself. He did bricklaying and built chimneys and was equipped to move buildings.

Our spring was at the foot of the hill below the orchard. Father made what they called a "water drawer." In about five or six different places, about two feet apart, he had poles set -- that were about three feet apart at the bottom and about two feet apart at the top -- and fastened with a cross piece to hold the track (or wires) along which ran the pullies carrying the bucket. He had a waxed cord attached to the carrier on which the bucket hung. The other end was fastened just outside the kitchen door, with a handle attached to a wheel so we could wind up the cord as the bucket came up and unwind it when we sent the bucket back down to the spring.

Sometimes when someone was down at the springhouse, those at the house would send down the butter plate and the cream pitcher in the bucket and the one down there would get the butter and cream and put them in the bucket and then tap on the wires and the one at the house would know to draw it up. When the bucket was sent down for water, it was so arranged With weights on one side that it would tip over and fill up and those at the other end could tell by the sound when it was full. This was always a great curiosity to visitors. It saved many steps and was used until our well was drilled in 1884.

When they were trying to get the Barnesville and Somerton pike, what is now known as route 8, father canvassed the west side and James Edgerton the east side with a paper to get names in order to get it.

Elisha Doudna, a friend in the Richland neighborhood wanted him to come and do some building for him. Others followed and he was kept busy much of the time for some years building houses and barns.

It was while he was working in this neighborhood, that he met our mother, Rosetta Hall. She was the daughter of Joseph W. and Sara (Webster) Hall, and a great granddaughter of Mary, the oldest daughter of the kidnapped John Doudna, who had married Isaac Hall before leaving North Carolina.

Father and mother were married 4th month 29th day, 1875. At this time he was working on the Friends Boarding School (Olney) building, and after working on the school house for a considerable time, he became foreman for building the barn. Alfred Brantinhan wanted father to take his place as foreman and continue the work where he left off. Father hesitated quite a bit, as he felt it to be too much of an undertaking to take up where another men had left off. He was afraid that in such an important job, everything might not come out all right.

When the day came for the raising of the barn, Francis Davis (the Superintendent of Olney) said to father, "Now Joseph, I don't want thee to do any work, just walk along ahead of the men, and show them what pieces to pick up and where to put them." There was close to a hundred men to help at the raising of the barn, and just as the sun went down, the last piece was laid up without a mistake. Father felt much relieved.

After working on the Boarding School building and barn that summer, he and mother went to yearly meeting while it was still held at Mt. Pleasant. Later they moved back over here on the farm, which he enjoyed so much. But at times he still worked at his carpenter work.

In 1878, 1st month 26th, when mother's great grandmother -- the oldest daughter of the kidnapped boy died (she lacked two weeks of being 100 years old) -- there were at that time representatives of five generation living. Father made her casket, as he did such work when called upon. He made caskets out of walnut wood, which he lined, padded, and varnished.

At different times he was urged by the Watt Mining Car Wheel company to come and make patterns for them as he was a very good hand to make them. He had made some patterns of cogwheels of different sizes which he wanted for his own use and took them to the company so they could make the wheels from them. He felt best satisfied to stay on the farm with his family.

About 12 years after they were married our house burned, 4th month 5th 1887. It was a cold day with a little snow in the air. Brother John was about 2 months old. We then stayed until it got warm enough (about 5 weeks) in one part of Uncle Jesse Doudna's house on an adjoining farm, which was also a part of the original farm. By that time we could move into an out building by putting up a lean-to kitchen so we would not have to go back and forth to our work. As soon as they could, they began work on the new house of which father did the greater part. Father's Uncle, Isaac Doudna, was out on a visit from Wisconsin. He and father's brother, Uncle Jesse, helped keep the farm work going. Uncle Asa Garretson, Aaron Frame, James Frame, John Bundy and William Henry Patterson each donated a day or two apiece to the carpenter work.

Father made a contract that summer with James Edgerton, to take our berries to town for shipping. Father was to see that they were taken to the road for him to save him coming in after them. In doing so much of the carpenter work himself and overseeing and helping with the farming, it was fall before we moved in -- and even then it was not all done inside. He could work at that at times in the winter.

Father had just built a new granary and had just completed it when the house burned. The granary had a nice airy loft overhead, so we put a bed up there for Taylor Farmer to sleep in. Subsequently, when we had company to stay overnight, the visiting man and sometimes father would go out there to sleep, in order to make room in the house for the women.

We had a large carriage house with a floor in it. With this and the lean-to kitchen, we got along very well for the time we lived there. We were very comfortable and happy. After the kitchen had been built a day or two, one of the neighbors came while we were eating breakfast and pleasantly said, "Hello, Joe, you are in your new house, are you?"

There were seven of the eight children then as Rosette was born after we lived in the new house a while, in 1889.

As years rolled on, father and mother -- besides raising their own family of eight children: Mary J. and Sara A. the twins; Asenath Elma, who married Irving E. Bailey; Dillwyn W. who married Edith R. Carter; Lizzie C., who married Alva B. Hartley; Joseph H., who married Nora E. Hartley; John A., who married Marietta Carter; and Rosette B., who married Frank A. Louhoff -- they also made a home for at least three old people and three other children at times.

One of the others, Alva Cook, was there over 12 years. At two different times there were 12 to sit around our table during their married life, and these were very pleasant times.

As the children married, they all settled nearby, which was a great comfort to them. Father would often say he could go up on the hill above the house and see where each one of his children lived. Thus the time went on with the great favor of not having a break in their immediate family for over 51 years, when a daughter Sara A., one of the twins, who will be remembered by many for her faithfulness in nursing at the Friends Boarding School, near Barnesville, Ohio for eleven terms. She at one time joined the faculty as teacher for a few weeks at their urgent request, when one of their number was sick. For several years she was a member of the faculty of Friends Indian School at Tunesassa, New York as caretaker or governess. She came home to help take care for her aged parents, which she did for some years and passed away 5th month 28th 1926, from this scene of action we fully believe "to that house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens" aged 50 years 3 months and 11 days.

As father expressed it "Fifty beautiful years." Then father and mother with their remaining twin daughter lived on together between six and seven years longer. Father especially growing more and more feeble until 1st month 21st 1933, when he passed away at the age of 91 years and 26 days, and we doubt not, is receiving the reward of a well spent life.

Our family in the home being now reduced to two, one or the other of brother John's boys lived with us until after our dear mother was done with the trials of time, and on the 26th of 5th month 1939 was called--we do believe to join the loved in the Heavenly-Home, aged 88 years 8 months and 21 days.

Since then the home where our dear father spent practically all of his life, has become the home of his grandson Kenneth Lloyd Doudna with his wife and baby daughter, the son of John A. Doudna and the 5th generation from the kidnapped boy.

Source: Written by: Elma D. Doudna and Mary J. Doudna, Barnesville, Ohio.

See next entry: Little Home Histories, Part 29 - The Home of Sara Doudna.

For the table of contents and first entry in this series, please see: Little Home Histories, Part 01 -- Table of Contents and Introduction.

This entry is adapted from Little Home Histories in Our Early Homes, Belmont County, Ohio, which was published in 1942. Its publication was coordinated by Robert D. and Beulah Patten McDonald. This entry has been reedited for inclusion in the Pierian Press Fulltext eBooks database, and is included on the Stratton House Inn Website by special permission. This entry is licensed for use ONLY on this Website. It may be used for educational purposes and personal pleasure under fair-use provisions via this Website. Please note that the Stratton House Inn iteration of this entry does NOT include the subject headings assigned each chapter for use in the Fulltext eBooks database.

CO-AUTHOR: Doudna, Mary J.

DATABASE: Fulltext eBooks: Copyright (c) 2002 The Pierian Press, Inc. All Rights Reserved
ENTRY NUMBER: EBK30013728

	Top			Link to this page