William P. or Bill Hiatt as he was called by his equals, established his
home on a tract ofland which he bought, located about a mile northwest of
Kingman, IL, a small village in Shelby Co., IL. When we lived at home,
Kingman was a post office and a local stopover on the Clover Leaf (Toledo, St. Louis and K.C. or Western Railroad). There was a general store operated by Dave Best, the richest man in the area, worth $10,000.
The children of William P. were born in a 3-room log house near the road.
About 1896, William P. built a seven-room house near the original log house.
The framing lumber was on William P.'s woodland along the Little Wabash River
and sawed by Jim and Big Patterson's sawmill, powered by a high-wheeled 10 hp
Huber engine. The log house was then torn down, Jay, Clark, and Lyman lived
with their parents in this new house until they severally left to seek fortunes elsewhere. (Incidentally, these three slept in a bed in the west room (sort of a leanto). When a neighbor young man chose to stay overnight, Lyman, being the smallest, slept across at the foot (just below three pairs of feet).
The frame house was burned on a winter night in the early 1920's. A hired
man had been careless with burning brush piles. William P. was in bed,
paralyzed on one side, and neighbors came and carried him from the burning
house and to his subsequent home two miles away (in a frame house on a small
farm he had bought a few months before ). This was near the site of the Swede Church -- now gone though the cemetery remains.
We do not know of the subsequent career of second wife Mary (following the death of William P. in 1924) except that she received her legal share of the estate. At the time of his death, W. P. possessed some 200 acres of Shelby County land, plus a residence in Danville, Ill., in which Jay's family lived, rent-free, though Jay kept it up, improved it, and paid the taxes.
William P. was a serious minded man, but like to joke, especially with other men. (He had a few jokes which he regarded highly -- who hasn't and he related them to newcomers.) He and Charlotte, his wife, had this policy toward the children. The father was the court of last resort, but most discipline was cared for by the mother and was limited to loving admonitions. Father and mother never argued or quarrelled (at least not in the presence or to the knowledge of their children) So far as the children could ever determint, William P. and Charlotte were in love with each other thoughout their married life and were never known (by their children) to treat each other with anything but affection. Charlotte was a member to the Lutheran Church and a fairthful adherent. William P. attended the Free Methodist Chruch (closest) at Kingman, was a generous supporter of it, and in his last years joined the M.E. Church of Neoga, Ill. He surbscribed to the St. Louis Globe Democrat daily (Republican) and about 20 miscellaneous journals. Charlotte was a fine cook and a successful grower of many varieties of ornamental flowers and shrubs. She was sensitive to the needs of neighbors and on one occasion went to Mrs. Andrew Johnson's home and nursed the family through a siege of smallpox, a disease she had never had (at least in the U.S.) and did not acquire. William P. regularly at Christmas and at other times carried cornmeal, apples, and other staples to old Abner Holly and family, Southern "White Trash" spewed up during the Civil War, who lived on worthless land which they did not own or pay rent on and who were on occasion short of living essentials. Old Ab kept his pants up with hickory bark strips. He cut hedge for W.P. in winter for 50 cents a day.
William's public service was limited officially to serving on a county court grand jury at the county seat of Shelbyville for 2-3 weeks during several winters. Both William and Charlotte were fairly widely known and their burial services at Caskell Chapel were attended by large numbers. The Hiatt's never worked early or late hours and managed to keep their labors on more or less of a sporting basis.
William P. or Bill Hiatt as he was called by his equals, established his
home on a tract ofland which he bought, located about a mile northwest of
Kingman, IL, a small village in Shelby Co., IL. When we lived at home,
Kingman was a post office and a local stopover on the Clover Leaf (Toledo, St. Louis and K.C. or Western Railroad). There was a general store operated by Dave Best, the richest man in the area, worth $10,000.
The children of William P. were born in a 3-room log house near the road.
About 1896, William P. built a seven-room house near the original log house.
The framing lumber was on William P.'s woodland along the Little Wabash River
and sawed by Jim and Big Patterson's sawmill, powered by a high-wheeled 10 hp
Huber engine. The log house was then torn down, Jay, Clark, and Lyman lived
with their parents in this new house until they severally left to seek fortunes elsewhere. (Incidentally, these three slept in a bed in the west room (sort of a leanto). When a neighbor young man chose to stay overnight, Lyman, being the smallest, slept across at the foot (just below three pairs of feet).
The frame house was burned on a winter night in the early 1920's. A hired
man had been careless with burning brush piles. William P. was in bed,
paralyzed on one side, and neighbors came and carried him from the burning
house and to his subsequent home two miles away (in a frame house on a small
farm he had bought a few months before ). This was near the site of the Swede Church -- now gone though the cemetery remains.
We do not know of the subsequent career of second wife Mary (following the death of William P. in 1924) except that she received her legal share of the estate. At the time of his death, W. P. possessed some 200 acres of Shelby County land, plus a residence in Danville, Ill., in which Jay's family lived, rent-free, though Jay kept it up, improved it, and paid the taxes.
William P. was a serious minded man, but like to joke, especially with other men. (He had a few jokes which he regarded highly -- who hasn't and he related them to newcomers.) He and Charlotte, his wife, had this policy toward the children. The father was the court of last resort, but most discipline was cared for by the mother and was limited to loving admonitions. Father and mother never argued or quarrelled (at least not in the presence or to the knowledge of their children) So far as the children could ever determint, William P. and Charlotte were in love with each other thoughout their married life and were never known (by their children) to treat each other with anything but affection. Charlotte was a member to the Lutheran Church and a fairthful adherent. William P. attended the Free Methodist Chruch (closest) at Kingman, was a generous supporter of it, and in his last years joined the M.E. Church of Neoga, Ill. He surbscribed to the St. Louis Globe Democrat daily (Republican) and about 20 miscellaneous journals. Charlotte was a fine cook and a successful grower of many varieties of ornamental flowers and shrubs. She was sensitive to the needs of neighbors and on one occasion went to Mrs. Andrew Johnson's home and nursed the family through a siege of smallpox, a disease she had never had (at least in the U.S.) and did not acquire. William P. regularly at Christmas and at other times carried cornmeal, apples, and other staples to old Abner Holly and family, Southern "White Trash" spewed up during the Civil War, who lived on worthless land which they did not own or pay rent on and who were on occasion short of living essentials. Old Ab kept his pants up with hickory bark strips. He cut hedge for W.P. in winter for 50 cents a day.
William's public service was limited officially to serving on a county court grand jury at the county seat of Shelbyville for 2-3 weeks during several winters. Both William and Charlotte were fairly widely known and their burial services at Caskell Chapel were attended by large numbers. The Hiatt's never worked early or late hours and managed to keep their labors on more or less of a sporting basis.
Levi and family lived on a farm half a mile east of the Hiatt Rural school. From his marriage to Nancy Jane Storm in 1875 to about 1896 when they moved to Danville where he worked in the car shops of the Ry Co., as a car carpenter. A few years they later moved to Kansas City, Kansas when Uncle Levi and sons worked in the Missouri Pacific Ry. So. car shops.
Uncle Levi was carpenter and farmer while living in Shelby Co., Top chief
carpenter and wages then were $1.25 and $1.50 a day: ordinary mechanics got
$1.00 a day; harvest wage was 75 cents to $1.00 a day and winter common labor
pay was 50 cents a day and board and lodge yourself. If board and room were
supplied (in winter) the hired hand worked for his keep.
Died as a result of a toboganning accident.