Memories of the Coes 16: Hunting & Threshing
Hunting
Father and E.F. were very fond of hunting. When I was a tiny girl I remember of their melting old pewter, sometimes broken spoons, and pouring the shining molten liquid into a bullet mold. If not perfect they would sometimes trim them off, or perhaps melt them over again. Several times in my memory, they had hunting contests in the neighborhood. Two would choose sides, having perhaps 30 or 40 who took part. The animal killed rated so many points, perhaps in the following order: (per E.F. Coe) red fox (considered quite destructive) weasel, wood chuck, squirrels, grey and red, rabbits, hawks, crows. Father was one of the best shots. One time, E.F. who was then too young to hunt went with father. They had a shot gun and a rifle, one of which E.F. carried, and he watched for game, and picked it up when father shot it. Father had the most individual counts, but the other side won the match. The losing side had to furnish an oyster supper for the teams.
When I was ten years old mother had a birthday party for me, which was an event never forgotten. I think there were about twenty girls about my age. There was Cora Stanley (Mrs. Chas. Osborne) Minnie (and Della?) Ward, Alice and Carrie Robertsons ((cousins), Mrs Neil Mac Cash, and Mrs W.H. Stowell) Cora Anderson, Clara and Ella Walkley, Mary Buyel, the twins and I, -- I wonder who the rest were?
When I wrote about the old family gatherings I neglected to say that in those days the children ate at the second table. We would be so hungry it seemed we couldn't wait, so we tried to think of something exciting to play during the interminable the grownups were eating.
Threshing
Of the farm machinery, the most I remember about was the horse power threshing machine. The horses would walk round and round tread-mill fashion until there would be a deep rut worn by their feet, and sometimes it would be deep with dust. Then there would be long tablefuls of the threshers, most them neighbors who changed work. Once some of the folks asked me which was the best looking man at the table. I had already picked out William Walker a bachelor who lived on the corner south of us. he had a long black beard and fine dark eyes. I think steam threshers were introduced before we left the old farm. Father said he would never have one on his place. Many thought there would be great danger of fire from them, and I guess there was a good deal. But the time came when all farmers had them.
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Patty's notes on this entry
These two sections were separate consecutive entries in the original manuscript. I've combined them into one post.
Father - Albert Coe (1827-1907), son of Ezra Coe and Elizabeth Sornberger
E.F. - Ezra Frank Coe (1853-1942), son of Albert Coe and Deborah Prentice
Cora Stanley (Mrs Chas. Osborne) - Cora E. Stanley (1865-1946) daughter of William E Stanley (1826-1903) and Sarah E Jackson (1829-1902). In 1889, she married Charles H Osborne (1862-1948), son of Sylvester Osborne (1808-1895) and Lucy Ann Halsey (about 1818-1916).
Minnie Ward - Minnie F Ward (1865 - probably between 1910 and 1920) daughter of Jerome Ward (1831-1897) and Almeda Hixson (1836-1924). She married in about 1904 Benjamin Estes (about 1867-after 1940)
Della Ward - Sarah Della Ward (1869 - after 1892) daughter of Jerome Ward (1831-1897) and Almeda Hixson (1836-1924)
Alice Robertson (Mrs Neil Mac Cash) - Alice M Robertson (1862-1940), daughter of William W Robertson (about 1834-after 1910) and Belle (about 1836-between 1905-1910). In 1888, he married Neal C. McColl (1859-1933) son of Hugh McColl (1829-1902) and Nancy Carmichael (1830-1913).
Carrie Robertson (Mrs W.H. Stowell) - Carolyn Dewey Robertson (about 1860- between 1925 and 1930 ) daughter of John Robertson (abt 1834 - ) and Adeline Park (about 1834 - ). In 1883, she married William H. Stowell (1855-1949), son of Luther Stowell (1823-1908) and Sarah Thomas (1836-1873)
Cora Anderson - Cora M. Anderson (1859-1916), daughter of Alexander Anderson (1839-1883) and Maria Northrup (1843-1895 ). In 1898, she married Edgar Cronkite (1851-1919 ), son of Tunis Cronkite (1808-1877) and Melissa Moseley (1821-1873)
Clara Walkley - Clara M Walkley (1864-1964), daughter of Miller Mills Walkley (1836-1913) and Elizabeth Ann Prentice (1835-1916, sister of Deborah Prentice). In 1886 she married John Logan (1846-1919) son of James Logan and Ann Lowrey.
Ella Walkley - Ella D Walkley (1867-1917), daughter of Miller Mills Walkley (1836-1913) and Elizabeth Ann Prentice (1835-1916, sister of Deborah Prentice). In 1900, she married Jesse Eline Burton (1870-1920), son of Leonard Burton and Sarah.
Mary Buyel - I haven't been able to identify Mary Buyel
the twins - Clara Addie Coe (1864-1950) and Carrie Evelyn Coe (1864-1948), the two youngest children of Albert Coe and Elizabeth Ann Sornberger. Clara married James Daniel McEwen (1861-1901) in 1890. Carrie married Frank Lincoln Walkley (1867-1961) in 1894.
horse powered threshing machine - A threshing machine separates seeds from stalks and husks. Originally this was done by hand. In the 1800's horse drawn machines were invented to do the threshing. This is what an 1881 horse-drawn threshing machine looked like
William Walker - There were several men named William Walker in Pavilion and Le Roy in the period 1860-1880. I'm not sure which one Elizabeth is referring to - I can't find an unmarried man old enough to be have a beard.
steam threshers - Steam powered threshers became more common in the late nineteenth century when a steam engine and belts replaced the use of horses.
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