(Editor's note: At the 1999 reunion celebration, it was mentioned that when any of us do a cemetery search, we should document the experience so that others may follow in our footsteps. So, here is a recent search accomplished by Doris Harder, so that others may follow in the future. Click on the links to see the pictures and the plot map. Ron Haworth)
Doris Haworth Harder and her father Niles Haworth, who is nearly 87 years old, recently conducted successful historical searches. One search was for Haworth graves and the other search was for an old Haworth homestead. But first, here is Doris' direct line:
George Haworth and Sarah Scarborough
James Haworth and Sarah Wood
Richard Haworth and Ann Dillon
Richard G. Haworth and Hannah Whitlock
Richard Haworth and Mary Hill
Benjamin Hill Haworth and Mary Wells
Charles Victor Haworth and Rosella Della Roche
Royal Franklin Haworth and Jessie Elvira Endsley
Niles Haworth and Letha Robertson, and (also see Niles obituary and picture)
Doris Haworth Harder and Harry (Dean) Harder
Doris writes that she was looking for descendants of James W. Haworth, son of Richard Haworth and Ann Dillon. On a recent trip to Linn, KS, she found the graves of James W. Haworth, (born 3/25/1805, died 12/14/1889) and his wives (1)Peninah Maudlin Haworth, born 2/11/1801, died 12/12/1878) and (2)Isabell Haworth, (born 3/17/1815, died 12/18/1882). Doris does not know Isabell's maiden name.
Daddy (Niles Haworth) was born on a farm about halfway between Linn and Palmer. He wanted to see if we could find his great grandparent's graves (Benjamin Hill Haworth and Mary Wells). Linn and Palmer are east of Concordia. We took highway K-9 east to K-15, then north and east to Palmer.
We drove into Palmer, population 123. At about 10 mph and five minutes later, we had driven through the town. When I turned around to go back, I saw a man on his little farm. I stopped and asked if there was anyone in town who was into history of the town. He said I needed to talk to "Marilyn" so I asked if he could tell me where she lived. He pointed the way and gave typical instructions for a small town; "go this way until you see this, then turn and go until you see this, then turn and it is right there."
Yeah, right! I DIDN'T find it so I asked another older fellow if there was someone in town who was into history and mentioned that my Dad's aunt and uncle used to live there and told him their names. Yeah, he said he remembered the names. He thought they might be buried in the Lutheran cemetery back out that way just outside of town, but that I needed to talk to "Marilyn". Again I asked can you tell me where she lives; "go right up this street and turn right to the end of the street. She has a rock with her name on it in the front yard."
I wandered around a bit then decided I had to be close to the place so I would just ask someone. So I parked the car, left it running and Daddy waiting while I went to the door. As I approached the door I did see the rock with her name on it. Her husband answered and said she was painting in the little red shed back by the alley. There were two red sheds but I found the right one and asked if she might know anything about the town. I mentioned Uncle Henry and Aunt Sade Palmer. She said she remembered them. She was "in the Luther League (1948 or 1949) and they had gone Christmas Caroling for Mrs. Palmer after she got sick." Her grandmother and Aunt Sade had been good friends. They had had pictures taken of her mother and Evan Palmer, (she later sent me the picture of Evan) son of Henry and Sade, when they were little. I asked if they were buried in the Lutheran Cemetery, and she started to say yes, but then remembered that for reasons that no one in town could quite understand, they had been buried in the Linn City Cemetery. She then volunteered to change clothes and take us out to the cemetery!
It was a short drive of about 1.5 or 2 miles towards Linn. (If you look at a Kansas road map, there is a blue line going straight south of Linn. There is a green sign with white letters at that intersection that says City Cemetery and points south.) As soon as we drove into the cemetery I recognized a Seelig headstone. "Marilyn" however, had no idea that there were so many relatives buried in that cemetery. She pulled straight in and parked beside the Palmer graves. We had found a gold mine of information. The relatives we found were:
Benjamin Hill Haworth, Mary Wells Haworth, Job W. Haworth, Martha Haworth - daughter of Charles Victor and Rosella Della Haworth, Infant son of Charles Victor and Rosella Della Haworth, Richard Haworth and Mary Hill Haworth, James W. Haworth and both his wives (Peninah and Isabel ), Henry Palmer, Sarah Haworth Palmer, Evan Palmer, his wife Lois Johnson Palmer, their daughter Lola, Nancy M. Haworth Seelig, Henry Seelig, Frank Seelig and his wife Bessie Montese Seelig, Job W. Haworth, and Jonathan Haworth (owner of an old steamer trunk in my possession).
This was my first effort of tracking down relatives in cemeteries so needless to say I was pretty excited at our successes. Daddy was also tremendously pleased at the way the day went. He wasn't nearly as tired as I had feared he would be. We not only found his great grandparents graves but his great great grandparents and some aunts, uncles, great aunts and uncles and distant cousins as well.
Headstone pictures: Benjamin Haworth
James Haworth of Washington Co *
* Editor's note: The will of James Haworth's brother, Richard, can be seen at Richard G. Haworth.
(Plot map - Note this 1882 map is large and may take time to open)
"Marilyn", who helped in the cemetery search, called me at my brother Will's house the day after the search to say that she had found the plat book that showed where Benjamin Hill Haworth and James W. Haworth had homesteaded in Washington County, Kansas, in the late 1800s. She said she would show us where they are located since she is very familiar with them. She also said that at one time there was a corner of a stone house on one of the places and would check with the current owner and see if we can pick up some souvenir stones.
In December (year 2000), we visited the homestead and found a part of the old stone barn on the homestead owned by James W. Haworth. James was, I believe, the uncle of my gggrandfather Benjamin Hill Haworth. Benjamin Haworth also had a brother named James W. Haworth, but it is his uncle who is buried in the cemetery. Our family has the original Homestead Deed, dated 1879, signed by Rutherford B. Hayes, for the Benjamin Hill Haworth property.
It was pretty exciting to stand where our ancestors had farmed. With the current owner's permission, we collected a few stones from the old barn on James's homestead. We took pictures of the barn remains, and the buildings are gone from the homestead. Picture #1 Picture #2
On the way out, we missed a turn and accidentally met the current owner of the homestead, but "Marilyn" had already gotten permission to gather the stones, so he knew we were going to be in the area. We drove by the house where Sarah E. Haworth Palmer and her husband, Henry Palmer had lived in Palmer, KS and met the current owners there also.
Signed, Doris Haworth Harder