Photos - Henry Clay Witham's Family

We got in some terrific photos of Henry Clay Witham's family. Remember, Henry Clay is the son of William Granville "Uncle Bud" Witham. Uncle Bud was a brother to Francis Calvin Witham. These photos were sent in from Henry Clay's granddaughter, Dana. Thank you so much for sharing them with us!

Henry Clay Witham - Postmaster - Willis Creek, KY

Curtis Witham - WWII

Roxie, Curtis, Henry, and Geneva Witham

Roxie Barnes Witham

Roxie, Clay Curtis, Henry, Geneva, Argie Witham

Obituary - Maxie Harding Witham

I'm sorry to have to announce the passing of another member of the Witham family. Thank you to Maxie's daughter, Dana, for passing the information on to us. We're sorry for your loss.

Maxie Harding Witham was the son of Henry Clay Witham. Henry Clay with was the son of William Granville "Uncle Bud" Witham. Uncle Bud was the brother of Francis Calvin Witham. 

Maxie H. Witham 

Born: Thu Mar 31, 1932

Died: Fri Jul 13, 2012

Visitation

05:00 PM to 08:00 PM, Mon Jul 16, 2012

Location: Our Funeral Home 

Funeral Service

11:00 AM Tue Jul 17, 2012

Location: Our Funeral Home 

Mr. Maxie Witham is survived by:

3 daughters: Janna C. Thomas, Dana (Greg) Speck and DeAnna (John)  Pritchard 

3 Sisters: Geneva White, Angie Belt and Eula Dicken

4 Grandchildren: Latasia Cecil, Brandon Whitham, Jessica Britt and Megan Speck

2 Great grandchildren: Clay and Olivia Cecil

Maxie H. Witham, 80, Lexington, Kentucky and formerly of Albany, passed away Friday, July 13, 2012 in Lexington. He was the son of the late Henry C. and Roxie Witham and a veteran of the Korean Conflict. He was also preceded in death by a son, Tim Witham.

He is survived by three daughters, Janna C. Thomas, Albany; Dana (Greg) Speck, Somerset, KY; DeAnna (John) Pritchard, Byrdstown, TN; three sisters, Geneva White, Muncie, IN; Argie Belt, Owensville, MO; Eula Dicken, Bowling Green, KY; four grandchildren, Latasia Cecil, Brandon Witham, Jessica Britt and Megan Speck and two great-grandchildren, Clay and Olivia Cecil.

Funeral services were held Tuesday, July 16, 2012 at 11 a.m. at Talbott Funeral Home with Dr. John Toby officiating. Final resting place in Memorial Hill Cemetery. Arrangements made through Talbott Funeral Home of Albany.

Withams - 100 Years in Morgan County

100 years ago, in 1912, the Withams, made up of mostly farmers, moved from Kentucky to Morgan County, Illinois to search for work.

We don't know the exact date yet and we don't know how they made the move (boat? train? horse and buggy?) We do know that it was a long trip, no matter which mode of travel they used.

Russell County, KY to Morgan County, IL is a trip of about 335 miles, as the crow flies, and 456 miles by modern roads. Even in today's car, it would take about 7 1/2 hours to make that drive.

(Click the photo to enlarge it.)

If you have any more information about the date of the move, the mode of travel used, or anything else that relates to it, please comment below or send us a message. Thank you! ~Mike

Temperance McDonald-Dicken

Hi, Withams! I just heard from Becky with another great find.

Just to set the stage and jog your memory...

Becky is the great granddaughter of Alex Clay (Uncle Clay) Witham. Alex Clay is the oldest son of Francis Calvin Witham and his first wife, Martha (Mattie) McDonald. Sadly, Martha passed away when Uncle Clay was less than 2 months old, so Uncle Clay never knew his mother.

We also know that Martha grew up as a neighbor to Francis Calvin, so it seems to be a very romantic love story with such a tragic ending. Unfortunately, we don't know too much more than that about Martha.

Becky has had her nose to the grindstone for 2 1/2 years, trying to find the proverbial needle in Martha's haystack. She has now tracked down a living relative of Martha's sister, Temperance McDonald-Dicken. We have been given a photo, as well as additional information, about Temperance.

LEFT: Alfred Richard Dicken and his wife, Avo.   MIDDLE: Temperance  RIGHT: Lewis Allen Dicken 

Pictured above is Temperance McDonald-Dicken with her 2 sons and daughter-in-law. Thank you to Fred who provided the photo and to Becky who so kindly shared it with the rest of us. 

We also learned that Temperance is full-blooded Cherokee Indian, which means that Martha is most likely also Cherokee. If you recall, Catherine Bunch (Francis Calvin Witham's mother) was also full blooded Cherokee Indian. It appears that we have a lot of Cherokee roots in our family. 

If you have any more information for us about Martha (Mattie) McDonald, we would love to hear from you. Please comment on this post or send me a message. 

So, Becky takes us one step closer to Martha. She's still hot on the trail and if I were a bettin' man...