52Ancestors52Weeks Week 21 Theme At the Cemetery: Meeting Josiah S. Boothby and Other Boothby Relatives at the Penland Cemetery

Headstone of Josiah Stewart Boothby Penland Cemetery Lexington, Oregon.  Photo by Patti Alden

                                    

   Have you ever planned a trip with your husband, with the express purpose of secretly squeezing in a visit to a cemetery?  We had been camping and exploring the Painted Hills and the John Day Fossil Beds National Monument area of eastern Oregon for a week or so in October of 2017.  We were 550 miles from our home in northern Nevada.  In the middle of our trip I opened Google Maps on my Ipad and began talking out loud.  "But, Sweetie, Heppner and Lexington are only 2 1/2 hours away! And who knows when we will ever get back up here again?" That was my sneaky plan all along, and luckily my husband thought it would be a great adventure to drive north from our RV home base in Dayville, Oregon to find the Penland Cemetery.  "My Great Great Grandfather is up there.  I know exactly where he's buried according to Find A Grave.  I'll never get a chance to see him again.  I have to go there!" And off we went. 

  

    There is just something about visiting a place where a distant relative lived, and was eventually buried. There is an unexplainable pull or draw.  Do you think you might meet them walking down the street?  Perhaps you might feel their presence somewhere.  For me,  I just enjoy looking at scenes or places that my ancestors might have also looked at during their lifetime.  I imagine myself looking through their eyes.  It was their own unique place in the world and I want to feel like I am making a connection there. 

  That is exactly what I felt as we found ourselves south of the little town of Heppner, Oregon.  We drove north through the Umatilla National Forest on State Highway Route 207 for quite awhile until the trees abruptly thinned out and we were suddenly on top of prehistoric basalt lava flows as far as the eye could see.  Not a tree in sight. Just golden fallow wheat fields and green fall alfalfa fields growing in patches on the thin top layer of soil.  In between the flows were small valleys where the water found its way over thousands of years.  The road would follow the hills and valleys and when we got back up the hills out of the valleys it literally felt like we were on top of the world.  This was the landscape that my Great Great Grandfather saw.  

  

  We made it to the town of Heppner and took pictures of the Morrow County Courthouse (built with dark blue basalt)  and then found a pizza place for lunch (it was called "Two Old Hags Pizza" but served a great Hawaiian).  We drove around and found the local historical society which was closed for the season.  At least I know where that is now.  Then, we were off to the cemetery in nearby Lexington where Josiah S. Boothby was buried.  I couldn't wait to meet him!  I had emailed the nice man in the county office several days before we visited, and he said the gate was always open.  Google Maps took us right through sleepy little Lexington and out Cemetery Hill Road to the cemetery.  

The Penland Cemetery with Lexington in the background.  Photo taken October 2017 by Patti Alden

Yes, the gate was unlocked.  Penland Cemetery Gate Lexington, Oregon.  Picture taken October 2017 by Patti Alden

  It took a few minutes of searching and matching landmarks to find the headstone I was looking for.  I remember that the cemetery was so quiet.  All you could hear was the occasional breeze blowing by.  We did not see a  living soul anywhere.  We didn't hear a car drive by or  working farm equipment, or even a plane overhead.  I took a picture of the area directly across the street from the cemetery.  The October sun was still warm, and there was hardly a cloud in the sky.  It was a very moving experience.  

    I spent some time taking pictures, experiencing the calm and pondering the life of my Great Great Grandfather.   He was a Civil War Veteran, having served 3 years in the Union army, before coming to Lexington.  He was elected as a representative in the state legislature for Morrow County after moving to Oregon.  He worked as a farmer in the area, and survived the Heppner flood of 1903. I have previously written about the Heppner Flood in a February 23, 2021 post.   Josiah was a respected member of his church and community.  He had a total of seven children.  

  I did find one of his daughters in the Penland Cemetery, in the adjoining plot.   She was his last child, born in 1874 in Kansas to his second wife Susan Yates.  His daughter had come to Oregon with the Boothbys and married Charles Beymer who was a farmer originally  from Ohio.   Her name was Lulu E. (possibly Ella) Boothby Beymer, and she died shortly after giving birth to her second daughter in 1900.  She was 27 years old.  Both of her living daughters were raised separately by different family members.   

Lulu E. Boothby Beymer's headstone Penland Cemetery Lexington, Oregon.  Photo taken by Patti Alden

  It was a quiet trip back to our campsite, but punctuated by absolutely beautiful scenery of the Blue Mountains in the distance and the Umatilla Forest once again while the sun slowly set.  I felt like I was just a little bit closer to knowing my Boothby relatives.  In the last several years since that visit, I have found more information on my Oregon relatives.  My Great Great Grandmother Affa Woodcock Hayman was buried in an unmarked grave in the Heppner Cemetery (see my March 26, 2021 post).  I am planning another trip to the area to do more research, and of course, visit a cemetery or two.  But this time it won't be such a secret! 

Relationship Reference:  Me->Dale Boothby->Sterl Boothby->Josiah Thomas Boothby->Josiah Stewart Boothby

52Ancestors52Weeks Week 19 Theme Mother's Day: Lillie Mae Hayman Horner Boothby

 

Lillie Mae Hayman Horner Boothby b. about 1870 Maine d. 6 May 1930 San Francisco, California

   The theme for this week is Mother's Day.  I haven't written much about Lillie Mae Hayman Horner Boothby.  She was my paternal Great Grandmother, the mother of my Grandfather Sterl Boothby.  I have previously written about Lillie Mae's mother Affa Hayman (March 26, 2021) and her untimely death.  As I researched Affa's children,  including Lillie Mae, I was impressed by their resiliency and the families they raised.  Lillie Mae raised a total of seven children.   Here is her story. 

    Lillie Mae was born around 1870 in Calais, Washington County,  Maine to her parents Martin Dinsmore Hayman and Hannah "Affa" Woodcock.  When she was just 6 months old, the family moved to Portland, Oregon where her father worked as a teamster driving horse drawn street cars.   

  I looked at the 1880 US Census for Umatilla County, Midway Precinct more closely for this post.  It appeared that Martin had moved the family to Umatilla County to try his hand at farming.  They lived near the little town of Hermiston.  Dry land wheat farming was just beginning in eastern Oregon at this time.    Most occupations of male heads of family in the Midway precinct were listed as farmer, stock raiser or herder.  Martin's occupation was listed as farmer.  Martin was 40 and Affa was 37 years old.  Interestingly, both Martin and Affa listed themselves as disabled (the definition being either maimed, crippled or bedridden).  I have not been able to find any other mention of disabilities for both of them, although Affa died young and under questionable circumstances.  Perhaps this played a part in her death.  

  By 1880 Lillie Mae's older sister Lizzie was working as a domestic servant in Heppner.  Lizzie was enumerated on both the 1880 Census for Midway and Heppner, on two separate dates.  Lillie Mae was 10 years old, her older brother Holmes was 16 and her younger brother was 8 years old.  They were all attending school.  This must have been a financially rough time for the family because shortly after this census was taken the family moved to Heppner Oregon where Martin first tried farming and then worked at a lodging house.  He and Affa were eventually divorced.  The boys went with Martin to Dayton, Washington where Martin worked as a hotel clerk.  Perhaps his disability prevented him from performing hard laborious farm work at this point. 

    Lizzie was married to F. Dee Cox at the age of 16 and in 1884 Affa gave consent for 15 year old Lillie Mae to marry Silas Horner, as she testified that she was no longer able to provide for her girls.  Affa married William Kirk in 1885.   She sadly  passed away in August of 1886 in Heppner, Oregon.  

  Silas Horner was born in Indiana in 1852 and trained as a harness maker.  Both he and a German immigrant named George Nobel were listed on the 1880 Census for Umatilla County, Midway precinct, so most likely they knew the Hayman family.  George was a harness maker as was Silas.  He and George came to Heppner sometime before 1884 and went into business with each other by 1886.  The Heppner Herald of July 23,  1914 described the current business of E. G. Noble's Harness and Saddlery as having started in 1886 with  his father George.  The name of the business at that time was the Noble, Horner and Harrington Harness Company.  The business "never sacrificed quality for the sake of profits and men came 150 miles from the interior to buy their harness from them.  Heppner Harness was a byword for long service and honest goods".  The article went on to say that in a few years the firm changed to Kirk and Hayes.  I am not sure if this is the same Kirk that was Affa's second husband (William Kirk), or one of his three sons who were living in Heppner in the 1880's.  In 1894 George Noble's son purchased the business back.  There was certainly a relationship between the Haymans, the Horners, the Nobles and the Kirks.  Affa Hayman was buried in an unmarked grave in the Nobel plot in the Heppner Cemetery in 1886.

  There was an almost 18 year difference in age between Silas and Lilllie Mae when they married in 1884.  After the harness firm changed hands, Silas and Lillie Mae were living  north of Portland in Clackamas (Clark County, Washington) where their first son, Marion M. Horner was born 29 April,  1886.  Silas' new occupation on Marion's birth record was "tinsmith".  Perhaps he was trying to branch out from harness making.  Lillie Mae was back in Heppner by August of 1886, as her presence was written about in the sworn statement regarding her mother  Affa's death.  Their daughter Ceola was born 13 March, 1889 in Astoria, Clatsop County, Oregon.  There is no 1890 Census,  and I cannot find any information on Silas' occupation during that time.  But, Silas and Lillie Mae remained in Astoria, because  Harry Richard Horner was born there on 29 March, 1893.  By 1895 the family was in Camas, Washington (just north of Portland) where their last child  Clyde Dale Horner was born 30 May, 1895.  Silas purchased 160 acres of land in Clatsop County that same year.  The land was near what is now the  Saddle Mountain State Natural Area, just south east of Astoria.  After he and Lillie Mae divorced, he remarried Louisa Hagan who had a son "near Snohomish" (Washington) in 1905. Louisa was 34 years old; Silas was 53 years old and working as a farmer.  

    Silas and Lillie Mae divorced sometime after 1895, and Lillie Mae moved back to the Heppner, Lexington Oregon area.  In  1898 she married Josiah Thomas Boothby, a farmer who was living in Lexington, Oregon.  I think the 1900 Census sheds some light on their relationship at the time:  Josiah's occupation was listed as "Farmer", and Lillie Mae's occupation was also listed as "Farmer".  Very unusual for the time!  Lillie Mae and Josiah went on to have three sons together.  

                             

  

Thomas Josiah Boothby b. 5 November 1899 Lexington, Oregon d. 26 April, 1952 Portland, Oregon. Picture taken in Grass Valley, Oregon around 1909. 

Sterl Kenneth Boothby b. 17 January, 1907 Kent, Oregon d. 10 September, 1960 Grass Valley, California.  My Grandfather!  Picture taken in Grass Valley, Oregon around 1909.  Note:  Sterl moved his family from San Francisco to Grass Valley, California in 1947 where he owned and operated Grass Valley Drug.  I have a very unique connection to two Grass Valleys!

 

Harold Glenn Boothby b. 18 September, 1908 Grass Valley, Oregon d. 5 March, 1943 San Francisco, California. Picture taken in Grass Valley, Oregon around 1909. 

  The 1900 US Census also shows us what the Boothby family looked like in Lexington, Oregon...

Boothby, Thomas J. (Josiah) Head   aged 44  ...........Farmer

Lillie M. Wife  aged 39  ..............................................Farmer

Thomas J. (age 7 1/2 months)

Horner, Marion, Stepson aged 14................................Farmer

Horner, Ceola, Stepdaughter  aged 11

Horner, Harry, Stepson aged 7

Horner, Clyde Stepson aged 5

  Lillie Mae and Josiah also lived in the small central Oregon towns of Kent and Grass Valley, where Josiah engaged in farming. They were enumerated in Grass Valley, Oregon in the 1910 US Census.  Both towns are located in the rolling grain fields of southern Sherman County.   Kent is considered a ghost town. 

 Methodist Church Grass Valley, Oregon.  According to Dan Earl of Grass Valley, it is the most photographed church in Sherman County.  oldmethodistchurch.com


  

Lillie Mae and Josiah Thomas Boothby before 1915.

  Lillie Mae and Josiah were married until Josiah's death in 1915.  He went to Portland to have an operation for cancer, and did not survive.   He was remembered as being a loving father who "made no distinction between his own children and his stepchildren", and was a "good husband" (Heppner Gazette Times 28 October, 1915). 

 

  Lillie Mae continued to provide for her youngest boys as she moved to Newberg, Oregon after Josiah's death and worked as a dress maker.  The 1920 Census listed her as head of her family, and living with her sons Thomas J., Sterl and Harold.  Thomas was 20 at the time, and working as a laborer in a juice plant.  They lived at 203 Sheridan Ave. in Newberg.  

  This was on the back of  Thomas Josiah's baby picture.  I'm not sure whose writing this was, possibly Lillie Mae's.  It says "This coat was worn by Tommy, Sterl, Harold, Elmadean, Tressa and Esta."  Elmadean was the daughter of Ceola, and both Tressa and Esta were the daughters of Harry and Mable Horner.  Lillie Mae most likely made the coat for her children and it was handed down and worn by her grandchildren.  

Marion Horner worked as a shingler as an adult, and lived in Sebastopol, California.  Ceola married Willard Heyler in Grass Valley, Oregon and lived in Oakland, California after they divorced.   Harry lived in North Bend and Coquille, Oregon and worked for Raleigh Products as a salesman.   Clyde Dale attended the University of Oregon and became a physician/surgeon in San Francisco, California.  He was known as "Uncle Doc" by the family.   My father was named after him.  

  Thomas went on to serve in WWI, and did not attend college. Both Sterl and Harold attended Oregon State University and both became pharmacists.  Both of Sterl's sons also became pharmacists in California. 

  Lillie Mae was the Great Grandmother I wish I had known.  She certainly was  a survivor with a resilient spirit;  she overcame a stressful childhood, a very early marriage, the loss of her mother, rearing  a total of seven children in isolated Oregon farm country and then experiencing the death of her second husband.  She continued to make sure her children were taken care of and had good educations.  She was living in San Francisco in 1930 with her two youngest sons Sterl and Harold  when she died on the 6th of May.  The cause of death was "streptococeus cellulitus of neck and face"; a bacterial skin infection caused by strep and that is now treated with antibiotics.  She was 60 years old.  

I have posted this picture before.  It was shared on Ancestry.com by RobertPotter62 and shows Lillie Mae (second from right, sitting in the tree) with her siblings Holmes, Lizzie and Harry.  This was taken sometime between 1920 and 1930.  I think I can see some of her personality in this picture!

Relationship Reference:  Me->Dale Richard Boothby->Sterl Kenneth Boothby->Lillie Mae Hayman Horner Boothby

52Ancestors52Weeks Week 12 Theme: Loss....The Story of Affa Woodcock Hayman (Boothby/Hayman)

 The theme for this week is loss.  Loss is universal.  It touches everyone at some point  in their lives and in multiple forms.  You can loose a cherished object.  You can loose a loved one.  You can loose your children.  You can loose your livelihood.  You can loose your freedom.  You can loose your ability to tell your own story.  You can loose your life.  

  This is the story of Hannah Aphia "Affa" Woodcock Hayman Kirk (my paternal Great Great Grandmother) and the losses she experienced during her lifetime,  until she eventually lost herself and then her own life.   This is a difficult story to tell, but today I am honoring her memory by relating her life story and the strange events that surrounded her death. 

Back of the above picture.  Joseph Buchtel was one of the earliest photographers in Oregon.  In 1873 he partnered with E.H. Stolte, and they had a gallery on the corner of First and Morrison Streets in Portland (No. 91). That partnership dissolved in 1878.  This picture was taken  between 1873 and 1878.  The Hayman's were living in Portland at the time. 

Top writing: "Mrs. L. Horner (Lillie Mae Horner) Heppner, Ore". My Great Grandmother. 

Bottom writing (upside down) "Mrs. Harry Hayman, Heppner, Oregon". That would have been Harry Rideout Hayman's wife Laura May. Harry was Lillie Mae's brother. 

Side writing on right:  Affa Hayman

This photo ended up in the possession of Terry Boothby (my paternal Grandmother) and came eventually to me. It is one of my favorite photographs on the Boothby side of the family. 

  Hannah Aphia "Affa" Woodcock was born in St. David, Charlotte County, New Brunswick, Canada on 17 March,  1844.  Her mother died when she was 14 years old. By the 1860 US Census the Woodcock family lived in Calais, Maine.  When she was just 16 she married Martin Dinsmore Hayman. 

  

Martin Hayman shared by Ritch Fuhrer on Ancestry.com

  Martin Dinsmore Hayman (my Great Great Grandfather) was born in Robbinston, Maine.  In 1860 he was aged 22, and was working as a laborer.  Calais and Robbinston are about 12 miles apart on the United States side of Passamaquoddy Bay.  Martin and Affa were married October 23, 1860.   Their first child, Holmes Van Buren Hayman, was born in 1864.  Then came Elizabeth "Lizzie" Hayman in 1866, then Lillie Mae in 1870.  

   The Hayman family came from Maine when Lillie Mae was around 6 months old and settled in Portland.  On the 1880 Census Martin's occupation was teamster.   Martin worked for R. Pittock (older brother to Henry the publisher) or Henry Pittock himself as a teamster.  Their last child Harry Rideout Hayman was born in Portland in 1871.  Between 1878 and 1880 Martin drove a horse drawn street car in Portland.  

Horse drawn street cars Portland 1888

   Affa's older sister Harriet and her younger brother Edwin moved to Portland at around the same time as the Haymans.  I can imagine that being close to family again would have been a comfort and support for Affa.  Sadly, Edwin died in 1875 and Harriet died in 1878.  That must have seemed a huge loss.  

   By 1880 the Hayman family had moved to Heppner, Oregon where Martin tried homesteading and  farming on Balm Fork, south of Heppner, Oregon.  Heppner lies about 50 miles south of the Columbia River in northeastern Oregon, and sits on Willow Creek amidst rolling basalt hills and plateaus.  Balm Fork lies several miles from the actual town.  It must have been quite a shock for Affa,  moving from the large and bustling city of Portland to the remote and isolated community of Heppner.  This move set in motion a series of downturns for Affa and her children and eventually led to the loss of her life.  

  The rest of her story comes from Frances A. Cox Griffin, a granddaughter of Lizzie Hayman Cox, sister to Lillie Mae Hayman.  This story was shared on Ancestry.com by Mike Keo, who is a DNA cousin.  She wrote these stories in 1969 and they were preserved by her family.   Her words are in quotations.  

  "Hard times came to Hannah (Affa) as in 1882 she gave an affidavit for her daughter to marry F. D. Cox."  (This would be her older daughter Lizzie). "In it, she states that 'Lizzie is past the age of fifteen and that I am the mother of Lizzie I. Hayman and have sole care of my family including Lizzie. My husband having left me with my children to care for without his aide and support.'  At the age of 14 Lizzie was 'lent out' as an indentured servant".... (She was in service in the family of George Herrington in Heppner.)... In 1884 she gave her consent for Lillie to marry Silas Horner." Lillie Mae would have been around 14-15 years old at the time of her marriage. 

   This loss must have been enormous for Affa and heartbreaking.  For unknown reasons Martin left her and she suffered not only economically but emotionally as she let her two daughters go at such an early age. Although not that uncommon at the time, the early marriages of her daughters took away their company and much needed help.  Her oldest son was living with Martin who was working at the Star Boarding House in Dayton Washington as a clerk.  Her youngest son Harry was around 13 years old and was probably living with Martin until 1886 when he moved back with her.  So, she lost not only her husband, but her daughters and sons as well. She probably could not support her children with the mending and sewing she did to earn money.   She ended up doing what most women did at that time after the loss of a husband and economic stability;  she remarried.

  "On 26 October 1885 Hannah married William Whitney Kirk. They lived on his ranch six miles north of Heppner. I believe this was on Blackhorse Canyon.  She had maintained her family by doing sewing for women in the Heppner area.   She must have continued this practice after her marriage.  This was not a happy marriage and on the 15th of August 1886 Hannah was ill and asked her husband of one year to take her into her daughters in Heppner.  He refused and the next morning she was evidently too ill to eat but drank a cup of coffee and started to Heppner on foot.  It was six miles to town and she bundled some clothes and some work she was doing for a Mrs. Blackman and although her son Harry who was living with her went to get his pony for her she did not wait, telling him she was going to town and not coming back.  Harry was 14 at the time."

  "Hannah got about two miles and stopped at the A.S. Wells home probably for help.  The Wells family was not home. She went to the well for a drink and then into the house.  She came back out and layed down on a 'straw tick' mattress in the yard.  She then went back into the house where the Wells family, at least Mr. Wells, found her dying on his return home.  And on her last trip into the house, stopped and leaned against the door casing.  She must have been in a lot of pain.  In spite of Mr. Wells attempts to revive her she lived but a few minutes."

  She stated that she was going into town and 'not coming back'. What did that mean? Was she so despondent that she was thinking of leaving William Kirk? Or was she thinking about something entirely different?  Was she even able to think coherently on that morning? Had she lost herself entirely at that point due to actual illness or was it profound depression? Francis Cox Griffin had questions, too......

  "There was in inquest into her death, and though they were thorough for that day and age, I feel there were many extenuating circumstances that were not paid attention to, possibly because they didn't even know what these signs meant at the time.  In any case, the ruling was suicide. I have included the following pages to bring these other issues to light." 

State of Oregon 

County of Morrow

In the matter of Coroners Inquest at S. S. Wells place four miles north of Heppner in Morrow County, State of Oregon, on the body of one deceased supposed to be Mrs. W. W. Kirk--August 15 1886. 

The following named persons were duly impowered and sworn as Juror

D.W. Horner, G.W. Shipley, J.D.L. Lockmane, E. Nordyke, John McEntire, Thos. Morgan

(Daniel Webster Horner was the brother of Silas Richard Horner who married Lillie Mae Hayman)

Evidence Adduced

A.S. Wells  Sworn-says

Came to my house at about half past ten this morning. Saw the door open. Went thru and saw a woman seemingly in a fit.  Rubbed her hands with camphor and tried to revive her, but she died within five minutes after I arrived.  Seen her bonnet on the table and bundle of clothes on the floor--saw a teacup containing what appeared to be poisoned wheat--Had not seen her about my place before--When I first seen deceased her lips were blue-Eyes rolled back-lips quivering-Did not notice cramps in hand-Think she was breathing when I went into the house.  No froth or discharge from the mouth.  When I saw she was dead.  Straytned (sp) her head-Her hands were on her breast.  Found no writing about the house-My residence is four miles north of Heppner in Morrow County.  Believe saw track which I think was that of the deceased going up the road and into my house from there to the well and back-Recognize hat and gloves present as those of the deceased-Had some poisoned wheat over sitting in the house which has not been touched.

W. W. Kirk Sworn said--

Recognized deceased as Hannah Kirk, my wife.  Last saw her alive about half past eight o'clock this morning at my house-two miles from this place.  She wanted to go to Heppner last night-I think it was after she had gone to bed-She was not well.  I did not take her to town-Told her she could go on horseback but she did not do so.  She took a severe cold about three weeks ago and has not been well since.  She acted strange since that time was nervous.  Small things seemed to trouble her.  For some time past parties have been circulating stories to the effect that I turned all of my property over to Jeff (his son)-This seemed to trouble her but she was always wild in talking about it.  Did not know when she started this morning. She dressed in the room where I was lying.  Said she was going to Mr. Horners in Heppner (Lillies) to stay awhile-Took some work she was doing for Mr. Blackman-wrapped up a calico dress for everyday ware-We have lived peacefully together for the past few weeks-Her son Harry lived with us.  Could not get him to do anything while I was away.  He would lie about the work would leave and be gone for several days.  He was at home when his mother left this morning.  He might have left when she did.  Deceased had never said to me that she thought of committing suicide sometimes said in a joke I was getting tired of her.  I had a small amount of poisoned wheat around the place. Don't think there was more than two tablespoons full.  She had it put away.   Was cheerful last night she wanted to know if she could put down some butter for Lillie.  I told her she could.  Deceased got breakfast this morning did not eat anything but drank some coffee.  Seemed to have lost her appetite gradually since she last went to town.  Did not rest well nights.  Coughed a good deal did not complain of heart troubling her.  Has complained of her stomach..

J.H. Gentry Sworn said

Saw a woman near Mr. Wells house going toward the well and returning to the house.  After a minute came out and went to a straw tick back of the house.  Went back to the house.  When she came back to the house the second time stopped in the door and leaned against the door post saw no more of her.  Then supposed it to be Mr. Wells daughter.  Soon after this perhaps an hour Os Wells called my house and wanted me to come quick said that a woman was dying at the house and they did not know who she was.  Came down when I arrived she was dead to all appearances. Her color was blue around the nose and a spot on the neck.  Expression of face natural, not painful, mouth slightly open.  Was acquainted with her have know her five years.  Recognized body as that of Mrs. W.W. Kirk-last saw her alive about three months ago.  

Harry Hayman Sworn said

Body present is that of my mother.  Saw her at home this morning.  She started out on foot this morning and said she was going to town and was not coming back.  I told her to wait and I would get a pony for her to ride-she would not wait.  She and Mr. Kirk had quarreled some.  Don't know what about.  Mr. Kirk has not treated her well.  Would not go anywhere with her. She had had no water fit to drink for three days.  She left the house about an hour before I did.  I went to hunt my pony when she started.  Bundle and parasol shown witness, which he recognized as that of decease that she had with her when she left home. I know where poison wheat is kept about the house.  None has been used that I know of since I have been living there.  Have lived with mother since last May last.

Her appetite has been poor lately she ate nothing this morning drank a cup of coffee.  Has coughed much lately.  Would get tired and rest occasionally when at work.  Sometimes would help me run after the hogs and complain of being tired afterward.

W.W. Kirk recalled

"Produced can about 1/8 full of Wakleys squirrel poison.  Said it was the same can his wife had-There was more in it than he thought there was-said "Can't tell whether any has been taken out lately or not--found can where my wife kept it". 

A.S. Fox Sworn said

After careful examination of the body of deceased and the circumstances connected with her death.  I conclude that death was cause by taking poison-It is my opinion that it was strychnine. 

Facts-A teacup containing a small amount of wheat (moist) was standing on table in same room where deceased was found.  Experiment with same on a chicken proved it to be poisoned.

State of Oregon

County of Morrow

I hearby certify that the foregoing is a true copy of all the proceedings of the inquest as indicated by heading of said copy and that this bill of expenses the results attached is a true account of the cost of said inquest that the same was all necessary expense. 

Signed this 20th day of September 1886

C.M. Wollery 

Court of Morrow County

We the jury duly impowered and sworn to hold inquest upon the remains of Hannah Kirk found about five miles north of Heppner Morrow County, Oregon, on the 15th day of August 1886.  The said Hannah Kirk came to her death by means of poison administered by her own hands,

Dated August 15, 1886

D.W. Horner, G.W. Shipley, J.D.L. Lockmane, E. Nordyke, John McEntire, Thos. Morgan.

 We will never know the true details of the morning.  Affa's voice was officially silenced by her neighbors and her husband who made the final pronouncement of suicide.  Was it really suicide? Or was she slowly being poisoned by her husband who seemed indifferent and uncaring to her well being. She seemed to be a lost soul in that marriage, and became powerless to assert herself.  Was she suffering with depression after experiencing so many losses during her short life time?  Or, was she suffering with a long term illness such as tuberculosis?  It was a tremendous loss for her children, certainly.  She was only 42 years old.  

W.W. Kirk died in 1912 and was buried in the Penland Cemetery in Lexington (down the road from Heppner).  A.W. Wells who gave sworn testimony to Affa's death died in the 1903 Heppner Flood. Francis and Nancy Schaffer Gentry lived up Willow Creek and their son J. H. Gentry may have been another witness to give sworn testimony as a witness.  His name was James Hiram Gentry.  Martin Dinsmore Hayman died in 1906 and was buried in Kent, Sherman County, Oregon.  

Martin Hayman's Obituary shared by Ritch Fuhrer on Ancestry

 This is the only record of where Hannah Aphia "Affa" Woodcock Hayman Kirk is buried.  She is buried in the Heppner Memorial Cemetery in an unmarked grave.  All was not lost, however, as all four of her children lived long, resilient lives and raised remarkable families.  My last picture is of all four siblings in their older years. 

Left to Right:  Holmes Van Buren Hayman, Lizzie Hayman Cox, Lillie Mae Hayman Horner Boothby, Harry Rideout Hayman.  Picture shared by RobertPotter62 on Ancestry.