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Good morning from your Farmer(s),
Today’s newsletter will be a bit different. Instead of a farm specific topic it will be about a short trip Beth & I took in late July.
We had been discussing taking a trip away from the farm as it has been years since we spent a night off-farm. The question was where to go as time was short.
When we moved back to the farm in 2009 I had started working on some of my family genealogy – a subject for most you are either interested in or not.
My mother’s grandfather, Charles Thaler, was six when his parents and eight siblings immigrated from Germany in 1871 landing in New Orleans that December on a ship named New York. Their intent was to travel up the Mississippi River to Vicksburg and make their new home there.
For an unknown reason they only went as far as Port Gibson, a small town located in Claiborne County, Mississippi. Note that this is only six years after the end of the Civil War. And Port Gibson was part of Grant’s siege of Vicksburg as that is one of the locations he tried to cross into Mississippi before being held back. Grant later crossed below Port Gibson – and it is said that he thought Port Gibson was “Too Pretty To Burn”.
The next record of the Thaler family was in September 1878. In August the Yellow Fever Epidemic broke out along the Mississippi River and Charles’ parents and three siblings died within a few days of each other, September 2-4, 1878.
A lady by the name of Sue Moore has researched and documented the Yellow Fever Epidemic in Port Gibson and Claiborne County. Her work is listed on the MS GenWeb site if you are interested in reading.
So, my objective was to find answers to two questions not included anywhere I could find. Questions were: 1) where were the five Thaler family members buried, 2) what happened to the other five siblings of Charles.
There are no hotels in Port Gibson! Which was fine as I wanted something better. So, after some research a reservation was made with Isabella Bed and Breakfast. This was really nice, well kept, comfortable, and safe. And, we had the whole house to ourselves. Isabel put it all together on short notice and made our stay very comfortable.
Thursday after a few chores at the farm we needed to finish, we loaded up and made the drive. After settling in we were off to supper at a place about halfway to Natchez – returning back to the B&B before dark.
Friday morning I made a few calls chasing leads and was put in touch with Jeff, a retired MS Highway Patrolman, who knew of Thaler gravestones in the Wintergreen Cemetery in Port Gibson – and about where they were located. Since he had prior commitments that morning, Beth and I set out to find them – which she did. The only name I recognized was Charles’ older brother Maurice– a survivor of the YF Epidemic.
Jeff also put me in touch with William Sanders, an author who wrote a book about the families buried in the Wintergreen Cemetery titled Whispers in the Cedars. The cemetery is very large and among the best kept I have ever seen. Bill’s book was very valuable and included research from other sources that helped put the pieces of the puzzle together.
Come to find out, the other Thaler gravestones were Maurice’s family.
Sadly, other than what we found on Maurice, I was not able to locate any information where the five Thaler family members were buried or what happened to the other siblings. But, there are always new leads to chase down so maybe one day more will surface.
The YF Epidemic caused great suffering and death. A report of the YF relief work by Freemasons included a letter from the wife of the pastor of the Presbyterian Church in Holly Springs, MS. Here is the link and go to page 171 (printed at the top of the page).
However, I do know a good bit about Charles. He married Sarah Keaton from a small community north of Lafayette, LA. They moved around some between LA and MS before settling in Hattiesburg.
Charles was a bricklayer and projects he worked on were the streets of downtown Hattiesburg and the S.H. Kress building. He and Sarah raised four children, they worshiped God at Broad Street Methodist Church, and are buried in the Old Hattiesburg Cemetery.
Here is a picture taken in 1916 in Hattiesburg. The home was located on South 10 or 11th Avenue (near to the old Frost Top on Hardy Street) and faces East. So, behind the house would be West towards USM, etc. And, all you see is cutover and no houses west of here. Amazing!
Thanks for indulging me as I share a bit of my past.
This week at the farm was about moving hay into our barns for winter feed storage for our cows. Sixteen loads, about 50 miles per load, twenty bales per load for a total of 320. Our barns are full and this year I purchased two tarps designed to cover hay.
We are thankful to have a hay source that respects our wish not to spray with chemicals. Prices have increased – up $10 per bale from prior year.
Additionally, on Wednesday our team came together to harvest seven beef and seven pigs. The pork will be cut/packed next Wednesday. Beef the week after next.
** Product Availability Update **
NOTE: Restocks are made about 6 PM on the dates indicated below!
Chicken -Restocked July 24th. Next Restock is August 14th
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Turkey - Sold Out! New poults arrived, but will be months before ready. Demand popped and I dropped the ball on this one.
Eggs - Restocked each Wednesday. We are well stocked on large at this time.
Beef - Next restock August 22nd. Half Beef- next orders are planned for late September
Pork - Next restocked fresh cuts August 14th. Cured items about August 23rd
Lamb - Restocked Wednesday July 31st. Many customers have already placed their orders.
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