Meet Fred Waller Caughlan

 

Fredrick Waller Caughlan was truly a special Caughlan.  He was the son of John Wesley Caughlan. In 1962, at the age of 93, Fred wrote the 9-page booklet, “History of the Caughlan Family.” In this booklet Fred gathered what he knew about the Caughlan family. Through his efforts the booklet has given us glimpse of what life was like for the Caughlan’s in the 1800’s and he has given us important genealogical information concerning the Caughlan family. His booklet contains birth and death dates primarily of the John Wesley Family. But most importantly, it contains letters and oral histories of Cornelius, Cornelius’s son John, and John’s wife Sarah Murray Byrd Childers. Thank you Fred!

 

 

The following was in the booklet “History of the Caughlan Family” written by Fred Waller Caughlan in 1962.

 

The Fred W. Caughlan Family and Personal History.

 

I was born in Mexico, Missouri, Mo., Dec.18, 1869, and father said during a blizzard. I have a faint recollection of some things there in Mexico during the four years following. When moving from there to Trenton we changed trains in Macon, and while waiting for our train, President Grant’s special came by and stopped. Father held me up to shake his hand.

 

We lived at Trenton two years, then we moved to Maryville. While there I had tow misfortunes that kept me from going to school regularly. First I had the now bleed 36 hours before it was stopped, and I was very frail for the rest of the year. I was six years old. And the next summer we all went to Oregon county to a camp meeting. While there I got poison oak and was blinded for abut six weeks, so that my school year was spoiled. After that we lived on a farm and sister Mary and I went to a country school where we made no progress, so at 9 years I was admitted to the second grade. After two years in Savannah school, we moved to St. Joseph.

 

The first summer in St. Joseph brother Nat and I did not get along, and when father was gone he tied me up and put me in a coal bin. It made me angry so when he released me, I ran away from home and was gone from Thursday until Wednesday of the next week. I met a farmer who know me and notified the family. I started north and got four miles north of Savannah along the railroad track. About 11 o’clock I got hungry and asked an old man for something to eat. He went in and brought me two cold biscuits and a slice of fat sow belly which I could not force myself to eat. I went about 200 feet further and sat down, but could not get it down, so I said I had better go home, which I did. When I got there nobody let on that I had even been gone.

 

In St. Joseph I went through to the fifth grade. In the fourth grade I committed a very bad misdemeanor at the early part of the fall term, and the teacher blamed me for all misbehavior and spoiled my reputation, but I kept from being expelled because my class record was good, having A and B grades in my lessons. Finally she tried to punish me fro something I did not know had happened, and the principal sent me to the school superintendent. After looking up my class records she sent me back.

 

In the next year I had a teacher, who never thought that any boy was bad, and I got along fine. But in March we moved again and the teacher there insulted me when my sister Mary was in the room, so father decided I was doing no good and took me out. Before another year rolled around his health gave way and we moved to Kansas City. We three older boys had to work to support the family.

 

When I was 16 father went back into the Conference and moved away, leaving me and Charles to make our own way. After 17 the depression came and times were hard. Work was very scarce so I went home and during the summer season worked on farms and back to Kansas City for the winter. I found that with only two or three months terms at night school, I was not fitted for any good job so while working in the country during harvest I saved $19 and went to Cameron where they had a Junior College or Academy. I worked my way there for three years schooling and then a Kidder when my eyes gave out, so I thought I wanted to go into the ministry.

 

I intended to work or a year and then go back to school, but brother Charles’ partner left him and he asked me to come and help him. I stayed with him two and a half years. We built our subscription list in Plainville, a town of 300, so that it was larger than any weekly paper printed in Adams County.

 

Then I took a road job and traveled for a year, and settled in St. Joseph as a city salesman where I made tow records, one with the Combe Printing Co., and the next with the Nelson Printing Co. In the meantime in 1896 I sent for my sweetheart of over 12 years and we were married. The next three years God blessed us with two children, Bernice and Joe. I had not gotten the education I wanted, and Ellen an orphan, only got to go through the grammar grades. So we decided to take up studies in Bible, history, national affairs and travelog, so were able to converse with most people with reasonable accuracy. Or educational accomplishments were largely due to the help of my wife Ellen.

 

After my success as a salesman some of my friends put up some money for me to go in to business, but after they had outfitted my plant, left me with out $1 capital. I labored hard along that line for 13 years. In the meantime Joe, my son, got into high school and to help him with money to spend and clothe himself, I got him tree cows and he delivered milk and buttermilk to the hospital till the boys nagged him about it, and it interfered with his athletic ambitions, and he quit.

 

So suddenly I leased the printing plant, bought a few more cows and stated a dairy route. I furnished pure milk and was making quite a success selling baby milk, when I leased a larger farm to operate. During World War I, I worked for 19 to 21 hours a day, seven days a week, then the landlord sold the farm and the other dairymen got an option on all the dairy farms within 30 miles and I had to sell out.

 

I then bought a farm but before I got a good start the depression came on, and I was not making a dime so I let it go, sold out and went to California. I went back to the selling game. After 13 years at one job I went to selling insurance and continued until I was 89 and retired after 75 years. Ellen, my wife, died of cancer after 47 years of happy married life. She lies at rest in a crypt at Sacramento Memorial Cemetery, where I will follow when God calls for me.

 

 Our daughter Bernice married John Truman Stanturf and reared three daughters and one son, who joined the Navy. Just before the close of World War II he went down on the Indianapolis. Bernice and Truman spent most of their lives teaching in Indian Government schools, retiring in June, 1962.

 

Our son Joseph Fredrick joined the infantry, went to France, and after returning, worked as a bakery salesman auto salesman, and various other jobs, and finally went into the insurance business. He had three sons by tow different marriages. He was married four times, first to Nita Clark, Myrits Gardner, Norma Lee Bodertha, and last to Eloise Susa (Susie). Joe died Feb. 10, 1956. His wife continued the business until June 1960, when she sold out.

 

I lived in a very nice government controlled project till my friends got worried about me living there alone. My niece, Margaret Kimes gave me the opportunity to live with her and daughter, Mary Ann, and that is all to date.

 

When finally the Lord calls me I am to be laid by the side of my wife in a crypt at Sacramento Memorial Cemetery. I have requested that instead of flowers that those who wish to honor me, rather that spending money that soon fades, they will send a memorial fund that will help the little church I helped to build, so it will last  -- Elmhurst Methodist church. Send any offering to Margaret Kimes, 101 S. Williams, Columbia, MO.

 

 

 

 

Meet Mary Wright (Caughlan) Kelley

 

Mary Kelley, center, with her husband Bob, and their Family

 

Mary Kelley is a descendent of David Caughlan, the Bell maker and Minister. Mary has tirelessly collected Caughlan family genealogical information. Most importantly she has collected the historical information on David and the” Caughlan Bells”. She has now owns 2 bells and has located 27 bells. She is in the final stages of publishing her book on the David Caughlan Family and the “Caughlan Bells”.

 

Mary Caughlan Kelley’s Life

Mary Wright Caughlan - born while living at grandmother and grandfather David Werter Caughlan's house in E. St. Louis, March 28, 1931.  That makes 74 eventful years!  Went to Cornell University for BA degree in

linguistics.  Joined Pi Beta Phi national fraternity there.   Worked in Manhattan at a major department store in the foreign language translating department until marriage to Dr. Robert J. Kelley in 1955.

 

Lived on the north shore of Long Island for 35 years while raising Robert Caughlan Kelley, b 1958, and David Wright Kelley, b 1962.  Did professional calligraphy for clubs and individuals.  Joyfully attended Metropolitan Opera, New York Philharmonic and N. Y. State Ballet.  Took graduate courses in taxation.  Worked for H & R Block during tax season and later for a bank in their tax trust department.  Became involved with American Association of University Women and with PTA.  Was elected to local political office.  Wrote book about field trips for school system.  Retired with husband to rural Virginia in 1987.  Use our boat for cruising and fishing; also garden, do needlework, volunteer at county hospital and library.  Lifelong love of rocks and minerals (from

geology at Cornell).  Love having my father's Hammond organ.  Music, cooking and reading are special pleasures.  Very interested in family genealogy.  Been working for several years writing a book about David

Caughlan; the manuscript is finished - needs to be printed up.  Two more books (children's') are in the works.  Proud owner of two Caughlan bells.  Will celebrate our 50th wedding anniversary on June 8, 2005.

 

 

 

Meet Kristy Forsyth

Kristy in her Irish Dance Dress

 

Kristy is a descendant of Adam Clarke Caughlan. She is a kindergarten teacher in the Los Angles Area and her passion is competing in Irish Dance.

 

We all owe Kristy Forsyth and her family a great debt of gratitude.  Kristy’s and her family has provided us with the most significant Caughlan genealogical information we have received in years; the John O. Caughlan Bible.  Through her we have received valuable family letters that has given us insights to our family’s lives, conformation of common “Family Stories” that have been independently passed down form other branches of the family, and extremely important Bible records that have filled in birth and death dates of family members and the vary Bible passages our ancestors read. Much of the information would never been found it weren’t for her family’s efforts to keep and pass on this information from generation to generation. A big thank you to Kristy and her family.

 

Kristy was born and raised in Redondo Beach, CA.  She graduated form Loyola Marymount University with two degrees: one in Education and one in Music with emphasis in Music History and Piano performance.

During her studies at LMU she worked in the Archives and Special collections branch of the library and helped with exhibits, archiving books and creating a finding aid to their over 1 million postcards!  Thus she now is an avid postcard collector!

She is currently teaching Kindergarten in Los Angeles and is loving every minute!

She has an interest in virtually everything! My grandmother Ardys (Betty) Forsyth always talked to me about family history and one day she showed me this bible and we discovered it was one of the bibles everyone was looking for. I love family history and genealogy.

I love to take photographs which probably stems from the sorting of many of those postcards during college.

Her passion that connects to her roots is her Irish dancing which she started as an adult, though she has danced all of her life.  She loves being involved in my church, and has a home bible study and I help teach high school.

She is cultivating another passion---singing. She is currently singing with a touring group called the South Bay Women’s Chorus. In 2004 her group sang for a Mass officiated by Pope John Paul II in the Vatican and gave concerts in Rome and in Assisi. The year, 2005 her group is joining another choir group to sing in Carnegie Hall, New York in May.   

 

 

Meet Arnold Saaf

Our Honorary Caughlan

Arnold Saaf and his wife Iris

 

Arnold Saaf our “Honorary Caughlan,” is not related to any of us. However, we owe him a big debt of gratitude. Arnold became interested in the Caughlan family while doing research about the Metropolitan United Church in Alton Illinois where he is their Historian. Once Arnie discovered the Caughlan Bell in the Bell free at his Church, researched its’ origins, and contact Mary Kelley he was hooked.  Arnie has unselfishly spent many hours researching the Caughlan family beyond his duties at his church. Much of the new research done on the Daniel, Mary Ann, Adam Clark, and John Wesley families has been done by Arnie. Thank you Arnie, we are honored to have are one of us. 

 

 

Last Modified April 20, 2005