Wareing World!
The Wareing Family Tree... Root, Trunk, & Branches.
Graphic files take longer to load, please be patient.
The Root.
William James Wareing.
( Father: Joseph Wareing.) ( Grandfather: Robert Wareing.)
William James Wareing parents were English. They left England to sail the high seas to seek a new home in the beautiful new country of the United States of America, Where they hoped to find freedom and happiness. William was born on December 17, 1851 on the ship crossing the ocean. His parents along with his sister Lizzie, and two brothers, John and Charles, settling in Hoboken, New Jersey. They were of Quaker religious faith. There philosophy, the "Golden Rule", "Do unto others, as you would have them do unto you." Their politics, socialism.
William James Wareing.
Born: December 17, 1851
Place: England
Died: April 22, 1914
Buried: Looneysprings Cemetery, Campbell Hill, Illinois.
Wed: June 25, 1881
To: Lucinda Alice Thomas.
Born: March 3, 1861
Place:
Died: March ?, 1889
Buried: Hazelwood Cemetery, Tamms, Illinois.
To this union two children were born.
Lucy Katheryn Wareing
Born: April 10, 1883
Place: Alexander County, Illinois
Died: April 8, 1971
Buried: St. Johns Cemetery, Alexander County, Illinois
William Harry Wareing
Born: April 16, 1885
Place: Alexander County, Illinois
Died: April 18, 1960
Buried: Memorial Cemetery, Cape Girardeau, Missouri.
Memories Of Leona, step-daughter of William James Wareing
On June 25th. 1976.
( This is long, But well worth the reading.)
I have been fortunate in living to know William James Wareing, and his son Harry. I am the step-daughter of William and grew up in the home he and Harry helped build for us. They came to board in our home after our father passed away. Mother was left with four little ones to care for, so she kept boarders, did sewing for people, and cleaned the company office for our house rent. Sense our father was a coal miner, and we lived in a company house.
William J. Wareing came to our little mining town as a stranger, but not for long. Soon everyone learned to love and respect him. He was a man of great integrity, and understanding, a perfect gentleman. Most everyone called him Uncle Bill, because his hair was white. He reached out a helping hand to anyone in need. Mother and we children called him Uncle Bill also.
His daughter, Lucy lived in Elco, Illinois with her mother's people. She came for a short visit once. She wanted to ask her father if he would object to her marriage to Ben Couble, and he gave her his blessing, and she went home very happy. I'll never forget when Uncle Bill's son Harry came to our house, mother let one of the boarders go, so there would be room for Harry. He was really handsome dressed in his cowboy boots and hat! He had come from Oklahoma where he had been working on a ranch. Most of the young girls near us were smitten with Harry, especially Miss Addella Luthy, and the feeling was mutual, for Harry loved her too, for they married later.
In the meantime, Uncle Bill was getting quite fond of mother and we kids. Years later mother told me how Uncle Bill proposed to her. She said, he said to her "Nettie, I've grown very fond of you and the children, and you need someone to help you, and Harry and I need a home. So lets get married." Mother thought that was a good idea too, so they got married even though Uncle Bill was twenty years older than our mother.
Not long after they were wed, Uncle Bill decided to build a real home for all of us, so he and our newly acquired step-brother built us the most beautiful large white house set in a grove of oak trees. There was a fancy bay-window in the parlor, two sliding doors between the parlor and dinning room, and a long porch across the front of the house. Uncle Bill had wall to wall Brussels carpet put into the parlor and a yard swing in the yard. Harry put a rope swing up on a large limb on a oak tree. We had a barn, a cow, Chicken house with chickens in our back lot. When we moved into the "White House" (I dubbed it that name, For I loved it so much.) mother filled the upstairs with boarders and she was very choosey whom she let in. She gave them understanding that no liquor or rough stuff would be allowed !
Mother did not get much help from me with the boarding house, for on the second day of March, 1909 my boyfriend and I were united in marriage near the bay-windows in the parlor. Two of our boarders sood up with us, a Frenchman and a Quarter Cherokee Indian, both were school teachers. And my dear old step-father stood also.
The next day Ora & I left for Herrin, Illinois where Ora had a job at the mine. Uncle Bill put his arm around my shoulder, and said "Now, Leona, always remember you have a home here if you ever need it!" Many times my thoughts turned back to that wonderful home, and the dear ones there. Through the misty windows of memories I could still see we four kids sitting at Uncle Bill's feet on winter nights waiting for our story hour.
No one could ever bring a story to life like Uncle Bill. There were two which always made our hearts ache. The saddest of all was when he was a little lad about six years of age, he saw his mother's clothing catch fire, and she was burned to death. This left such a vivid imprint on his mind that each night he would cry himself to sleep. He did until he was fourteen years old when his mother ( in spirit ) came to him one night. Uncle Bill's father was a shoemaker and they had moved from Hoboken, New Jersey to the state of Washington, where his father passed away or something happened that he put his children in a orphanage. When Uncle Bill was fourteen a farmer took him out to help on the farm. He gave Uncle Bill a nice room on the second floor, with a door leading out onto a balcony. That door was never locked, but this night Uncle Bill had locked it. He went to sleep, but awakened crying in the night. He felt a soft cool hand resting on his brow, and opened his eyes to see his mother standing there smiling down at him. He reached his arms for her but she kept backing away from him still. He said she seemed to be floating in the air. He kept saying "Mother, Mother," and got out of the bed to catch her, when she got to the door unlocked she faded from sight. He told us from that about her any more. He knew she was happy from that smile on her face.
I am nearing my eighty-third birthday, and I would almost stake my life on what Uncle Bill said. He was the most truthful person I have ever known. I was only eight years old when he told us these things, yet I drank in every word he said.
Another sad story was when he had to leave his dear wife and two children because of bad health. Seems he, and his wife had developed Tuberculosis, they decided that he should go to Kansas to live until he could be healed (since the Kansas climate was said to be healing to the lungs) she would take the children to live with her people until he could come back for them. Uncle Bill told us he lived in a sod house, but in Kansas they call it a dugout. His nearest neighbor was seven miles away. He went to town for groceries once a month.
On this occasion he went to town, and stoped for a chat with his neighbor on his way to town. That night when he got home, he was so exhausted that he put his groceries on the table, and fell into bed. Along the night, he was awakened by a loud crunching noise. He reached over gently and felt the fur of a mountain lion. He reached for a long knife in his bunk, but not being able to find it, he decided to scare the lion away. So he screamed as loudly as he possibly could, and the lion started up the steps to the outside, then stopped and looked back. Uncle Bill said he gave out with another blood curdling scream and the lion went out the door. Uncle Bill hurried to lock the door, but when morning came he found the lion had eaten every bit of meat and butter he had. So he made another trip to town for meat and butter. He stopped again to tell his neighbors of his experience with the lion. When he went into the house and removed his hat, they stood in amazement and looked at him. One of them said, "Bill what ever in the world happened to you?. When you were here the otherday your hair was brown, now it is as white as snow!" Uncle Bill couldn't account for it, except that he had turned white hair overnight from fright.
He had lived a strange and exciting life, interesting things happened to him. The most exciting and historical was the fact that he was in Fords Theater, in Washington D.C. the night John Wilkes Booth (an actor) shot Abraham Lincoln, though he couldn't have been more than ten years old at the time. He was handing out programs and saw Booth shoot our President. Mr. Lincoln died the next day. Booth broke his leg getting away. I had ment to write to Carl Sandburg about this matter since he was an authority on the life, and history of Lincoln. I waited too long, Mr. Sandburg passed away a few years ago. We were so amazed when Uncle Bill told us about this, even mother and the quarter Cherokee Indian teacher sat up and took notice. I lestened and cherished every word that came from those dear lips, and have never doubted their authenticity. Uncle Bill is my most unforgettable character.
Uncle Bill died on April 22, 1914. His death was a great blow to all of us. We sent for his daughter Lucy, who came at once. Harry, Dell and there three children Clara, William, and Clyde lived in Willisville at the time. Harry was a dear, he was always agreeable about most things. In fact, Harry, Dell and their three babes were a great comfort to us after that. They were also a joy to Uncle Bill too while he was alive. They were his own flesh and blood. Though we four kids, Leona, Hattie, John and Elmer were only his step-children, he had plenty of love for all of us.
His funeral was held at Free Will Baptist Church. It was a large funeral too. Since most everyone in our town had reason at one time or another, to be grateful to this fine old gentleman for favors shown. People came to him for advice about their problems, and he always took time to listen, and give them the very best advice he could. He was buried at Campbell Hill, Illinois. Our mother sleeps there beside him today.
Ware would you like to go today?
To the Family Tree section. "Need corrections and updates !!!! "
Old Family Letters and Documents. "Under Construction"
Wareing
Family Links. "Add your Link NOW!"
"Last Updated...12-02-2002"
Get Today's Date & Time on your website - click here!
My URL: http://come.to/example
I got it for free at http://come.to
