R/RFHA Newsletter, June 1996                                                           P.15

From Barbara Calvert, 40 Cedars Road, Caldwell, NJ 07006

Taken from Fleming Co. ,KY records

Births:

William B., son of R.L. and EMILY (RAWLINGS) McGregor; July 2, 1858

Francis A., son of James S. and ELIZA J. (RAWLINGS) Downey; Oat. 14, 1859

Mary Jane, daughter of Robert L. and EMILY M. (RAWLINGS) McGregor; Aug. 25, 1859

Marriages:

THOMAS RAWLINGS, aged 23, to Nancy Evans, aged 19 - March 31, 1853

BARBARY A. RAWLINGS, aged 18, to S.M. Smoot, aged 25 - Feb. 25, 1853

LOUISA RAWLINGS, aged 16, to James Downey, age unknown - Nov. 2, 1858

Deaths:

March 6, 1856 - EMILY RAWLINGS, age 5, of pneumonia; dtr. of PRESLEY & Sarah RAWLINGS

March 22, 1858 - LEWIS RAWLINGS, age 8 mo., son of ANTHONY & Susan RAWLINGS

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From the "Mineral County (WV) History"

GROVER HAROLD RAWLINGS FAMILY

GROVER HAROLD RAWLINGS was born at Neals Gap, four miles from Keyser, Apr. 8, 1887.

He was a twin to CORA (md. a Gano), and they were children of SANFORD RAWLINGS and his wife Laura Rotruck. Their brother PAUL was born three years later. SANFORD

had been married previously to Betty Iman and had four daughters: ADA (md. a Rogers), GRACE (m3. a Harvey), PEARL (md. a Liller), and LAVERNA (m3. a Murphy). His wives were half-sisters, and the children's maternal grandmother lived with the family after he and Laura married.

SANFORD was a Confederate veteran, serving with Col. Rosser as dispatch bearer, and at times with McNeill's Rangers. He was the son of PETER RAWLINGS and Lurannah Welch, sister of Rev. Wm. Welch. PETER and Lurannah's children were: CHARLES, ISAAC, JAMES, MARY, ELIJAH, BENJAMIN and SANFORD, They lived on a farm near Burlington. BENJAMIN became a teacher in the subscription schools they had before there were free schools. Nearby was the farm of Peter Rotruck, Laura's father. When GROVER was nine his mother died at aged 32 of what might have been appendicitis. Three years later his father died and only the grandmother was left with the children. GRACE taught school, PEARL began working at Dye's at the Stone House. GROVER worked part of the year, one job carrying water to the top of Knobley Mountain to a crew of men peeling bark, and was paid the same as the men - $1.50 per day. In 1900, Dr. F.L. Baker took him to Burlington to live in the Baker home and take care of the doctor's horses. Then came a job taking care of horses on the Burlington-Petersburg stage line. ADA, his half-sister, moved to Sulpher City along with his other half-sister GRACE. At age 16, GROVER served four years in the Marine Corps, and while in the service he was in China on the Yangtze River, and in the Philippines. He was ship's mail orderly. Later he was a coal miner, employed in that job for 44 years. In 1915 he married Mary Belle Strickler, dtr. of Wm. M. and Mary Ann (Linkswiler) Strickler. He became a mine foreman and in 1921-1936 ran the Eddy mine near Elk Garden.

GROVER and Belle had three children: MARY ELEANOR, JAMES EDWARD, GROVER RONALD. ELEANOR taught school for 33 years in Mineral County, and both sons were in WW One, JAMES as a medic and RONALD as a yeoman in the Navy. Both remained in the service after the war.

The family lived in Kitzmiller when Belle died in 1953. In 1975 RONALD died. At the time of the history was written, GROVER lived in Keyser.

Residence: Dallas Co., TX