IMPORTANT: A New, Better Way to Follow the Family History Updates

As many of you know, I have been sharing our family history discoveries, photos, and stories via email updates for some time. It has been a joy to see how many of you—from close cousins to distant relatives—have taken an interest in the Lepley genealogy! However, as our audience has grown, I’ve become concerned about two things: your privacy and your inbox. Sending out large group emails always carries a risk of accidentally exposing email addresses to people you may not know. I also know that life gets busy, and not everyone wants a history lesson popping up in their notifications in the middle of a workday! Putting You in Control To fix this, I am moving away from sending group emails. Instead, I will be posting all updates right here on this blog. This allows me to share more photos and better formatting than email allows, but more importantly, it puts the control back in your hands. How to Subscribe (If You Want To!) If you want to make sure you never miss a story, you can subscribe to get updates sent to you automatically. Look for the "Subscribe via Email" box on the side of this page (or at the bottom if you are on a phone). Enter your email address and click clear. Check your email: You will receive a confirmation link. You must click this to activate the subscription. You choose the frequency: Once you subscribe, you can choose to receive every post as it happens, or a "Digest" version that summarizes the news. The "Quiet" Option If you prefer not to subscribe, that is perfectly fine! This website is public and searchable. You can simply bookmark this page and visit whenever you have a quiet moment and feel like catching up on family history. Thank you for being part of this journey to uncover our past. This change ensures that our family list remains private, secure, and spam-free for everyone.

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Author’s Note: The following narrative is a work of historical fiction based on the life of Sergeant James R. Crooks (1840–1936). While the specific dialogue is imagined, the events described—from the surrender at Harper's Ferry to the tragic loss of his children—are grounded in primary historical records. To view the original military documents, photographs, and census records that inspired this story, please visit lepley.consultchris.us - James & Mary Crooks .

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The Last Guard

A Fictionalized Memoir of Sgt James R. Crooks Based on the true events and records of the Lepley-Crooks family archive. 

Prologue: The Empty Chair

Van Wert, Ohio — 1935

My Dear Leah,

I am ninety-five years old, a fact my joints attest to with every turn of the weather. The newspaper boys call me the "Grand Old Man of the Regiment." When I sit rocking on this porch, the townsfolk see the white beard, the Sunday suit, and the gold star of the G.A.R. on my lapel. They tip their hats and offer a respectful word. Occasionally, a younger man—one of the boys who came back from the Great War with a limp or a haunted look—will catch my eye, and we share a nod. We know things the others do not.

I sit here in the window at 803 South Elm Street, holding your last letter. You tell me you are singing now, standing on stages in bright lights. It brings a warmth to this old chest.

Outside, the automobiles rattle down the Lincoln Highway. They move so fast, little one—shiny machines of steel and glass, rushing toward a future I will not see. Did you know I saw the very first one? It was John Lambert’s contraption, sputtering through the mud of Ohio City back in ’91. We laughed at it then. We said a horse would never run out of oats, but an engine would surely run out of gas.

Now, the horses are gone, and the world moves at the speed of a piston.

But when the house is quiet and the traffic fades, I am not thinking of machines. I am looking at this table. I planed this oak myself, Leah. I built it for my Mary, my grace-filled wife, and it was at this very wood that I fielded your endless questions.

"Pap, did you really see the ocean?" "Did you see any sea monsters?" "Pap, tell me again about when your war was won."

I can still feel the weight of you on my knee. "Pap, swing me again," you’d cry. And I would.

This table is worn smooth by years of meals, prayer meetings, and the tinkering of my own hands. But my favorite hours were spent right here, with Mary’s hand resting in mine, listening to you fill this house with the Lord’s songs—singing so beautiful it caused me to turn my head toward the window, lest you see the tear fall.

My Mary. My precious half. She has been gone one year now. The house is too quiet without her skirts rustling in the hall.

I look at the empty chairs. My father, Robert, has been gone since '84. My brother Josiah—my chaplain, my compass—left us forty years ago. Little Elizabeth, the sister I promised to protect, is gone too.

But the hardest silences are the ones that should have been filled with the laughter of my children. I buried my little Florence when she was just a babe. I buried your mother, Mary Eleanor, when she was in the bloom of her life, leaving you to us when you were barely walking. I have buried grandsons before they took their first steps. And my son... well, the darkness took him, and some shadows are too heavy to speak of, even now.

Yet, even with all the loss, my heart is not empty. I have lived a long life, Leah. My cup runneth over.

Of all the Crooks men, only Charles and I remain. He is far away in Maryland, preaching the Word. But you... you are the one we held close. When your father moved on, Mary and I took you in. We raised you not just as a grandchild, but as the daughter we lost twice.

Before my soul is free to rejoin with my Mary and with my Lord, and my earthly body retires in Woodland Cemetery, there is one last story I would share with my little songbird. It is a lesson I learned in the freezing mud of Tennessee and the shame of a Virginia valley.

It is a story of how to stand when everything around you is falling.

This is the first installment of a fictional short story of the life of a very real man, "JR" Crooks.  Visit Lepley-Crooks family archive for more.  Follow this blog for the next installment.

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New FAQ Page: Navigating Our Family History

I have created a new Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) page on the Lepley genealogy site to assist with navigation of all the data. The amount of information, charts, and photos has grown over the years, and I thought this would be helpful.

One of the questions answered is basically where to start for those who are total beginners. I'm hoping this will give you the confidence to jump in and browse around.

You can check out the new FAQ page here: ConsultChris Genealogy Help

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Veteran Stories - The Soldier Who Wouldn't Quit: James R. Crooks

I’ve been diving deep into the military records of our Lepley Family, and I have uncovered a story that is too good to keep to myself. My first project focuses on James R. Crooks (son-in-law to Jacob & Eleanor Lepley), and his Civil War service was nothing short of extraordinary. Most soldiers enlisted once. James enlisted three separate times. His war began in humiliation: his regiment was trapped and forced to surrender to Stonewall Jackson at the Battle of Harper's Ferry. But rather than going home defeated, James waited out his parole, re-enlisted, and went back to settle the score. He marched through the freezing mountains to capture the Cumberland Gap. He fought off General Forrest in the cedar thickets of Murfreesboro. And in one of the most incredible feats of the war, he survived a massive 1,400-mile journey by rail and sea—the "Great Circle"—transporting an entire army corps to surround the enemy.

The man who started the war as a prisoner ended it as a victor. He was there at Bennett Place to witness the final surrender of the Confederate army, effectively closing the book on the war. Stay tuned for the full story of this dedicated and brave man.

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My Visit to Daughmer Savannah

Finally managed to get out to the Daughmer Preserve.  A storm system was moving through, and made for a fun time with my Olympus.  Approaching the preserve, the entire area is surrounded by corn fields.

There are these unusual looking trees sporadically throughout the corn fields.  I suspect they are remnant bur oaks that the farmers have allowed to remain.  I believe all of this area was once the property Richard Lepley inherited from his Aunt Hazel White Daughmer.  I didn't wish to trespass to confirm my hunch.  Took photos from afar.  The wind was kicking a bit here.

Parking area is just simple area with some gravel thrown down along with a porta-potty as well as signage about the preserve. You'll see a couple of paths through the growth, as well as signs periodically on the path.  The signs on the path have Scan Codes for smart phones which will link you directly to an information video on YouTube about some feature of the savannah.  

Path

Sign under Bur Oak about Fire's effect on the tree

As I walked down the path, I would stop periodically to look around.  Whenever I'd start back up, I kept hearing a click-clack or a rustling in the foliage to either side of me.  I kept looking, but was confused by what I was hearing.  Upon investigation, turns out, the plants were just full of crickets and other hoppy no see-ums, and whenever I would take a step, they would react.  Being so many of them, I could actually hear their unanimous movement.  

 

I wish I had someone with me to photograph under the trees, in order to give perspective of their size.  They are quite large and beautiful.  Here, I've deliberately framed in a home to provide a little perspective.  Although the home is some distance farther, you can at least begin to appreciate their true size.  

As I walked through some of the paths, I noticed several of these very large empty spaces where suddenly no plants were growing. Looked like a big dirt pile, which didn't make sense to me.  So I took a closer look.  They were the biggest ant hills I'd ever seen!  The photo unfortunately is boring and just looks like mound of mulch, but, I assure you, it was absolutely teeming with busy little ants, with multiple entrances all around their home.  I believe it was at least two feet across, maybe three feet.  

Birds were everywhere in the trees, calling, warning others of my presence.  I heard many bird calls I recognized, but, more than a couple which I could not place.  I heard multiple wood peckers, and strained to catch a glimpse.  I finally did, but much too far for my camera.  I saw the distinct black white pattern as one of them flew from one tree to the next, and took up his call again.  

Cardinal had a nice perch in which to observe and be observed

If you watch the videos, they talk about the interesting seed technique of the bur oaks.  I hadn't watched the videos, but as I walked by, I thought these look interesting and took a quick pic.  

I really enjoyed my visit, short as it was.  Very peaceful.  I wish more of the land could have been retained in this purchase, but, am glad they were able to get as much as they did.  

Here are some videos the Park Service has put together about Daughmer with some drone video. You can see the clean lines of corn fields against the park. Just imagine how many years of valuable trees were cut down.  I've no idea how old these trees are, but, more than a couple of them look to be pretty old, as big as they are.

 

This imbedded linked Video is published by the Daughmer Preserve

This imbedded linked Video is published by the Daughmer Preserve

This imbedded linked Video is published by the Daughmer Preserve

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Daughmer Savannah

While doing some research on Lynn Lepley and Richard Lepley, I stumbled onto the Daughmer Prairie Savannah State Nature Preserve. It appears that when Richard died, a very special piece of land went up for auction.  Richard lived on his mother's family's farmland his entire life.  This land was near or even adjoined to this Daughmer Family Land.  When his maternal Aunt Hazel died, he inherited the land.  Bill Fisher stated to the Mansfield News-Journal, "He [Richard Lepley] allowed us to use the property as part of our program and was very intent on preserving it."  Although in the traditional sense it's not 'Lepley' Land, I still find this story worth sharing.  

The land is beautiful.  I have heard about the farmland which Lynn and Richard lived on from multiple Lepley family members who visited as a child.  The land was quite memorable children's minds apparently, and indeed, it seems to be the primary location from where all the scattered Lepley's from this branch returned.  

Due to copyright, I can't place direct photos of the preserve here in this post; I hope to get some time away from the kids to take my own and will share in a future post.  In the meantime, let me direct you to a couple of links with history and photos. 

• The preserve is currently managed by the Crawford Park District - Daughmer Prairie Savannah
• The land was purchased after Richard's death by Daughtmer Prairie by Ohio Department of Natural Resources (ODNR)
• Birds of the Savannah - Jim McCormac Photography.  
  

Richard's parents were Lynn and Helen Lepley.  Helen's maiden name was White.  When Helen married Lynn Lepley, they were married on the White Family Farm and lived there permanently.  Lynn farmed and they raised their children.  The land came to be known among the Lepley family members as Lynn's Farm, but originally it belonged to the White Family.

Richard White Lepley

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Lynn Lepley, Helen White Lepley

Helen's sister Hazel White married Frank Daughmer.  Helen and Hazel’s paternal ancestors are the original owners of this portion of the Savannah now preserved by the ODNR.  When Hazel died in 1995, both her husband Frank as well as her only sibling had already passed, and she had no children. The ODNR states that five generations of family have cared for the land.  Richard inherited Hazel's portion of the White land in 1995.  I believe the Hazel White Daughmer land and the Helen White Lepley land may have touched in some places, but, have not been able to get proper plot map in front of me to see if this is accurate.  Even if the properties didn't touch, I'm pretty confident that they were within a short drive of each other.  

This imbedded linked Video is published by the Daughmer Preserve 

According to Lepley family memory, the land was visited by local conservation or botanists groups over the years before Richard's death in 2010.  I have come across a few sources which back up this family claim.  [update - In one of the Daughmer History Videos the Park service published, Bill Fisher said conservation discussions went back many years to Richard's Aunt Hazel ]

• At the Tip of the Prairie Peninsula: Flora and Natural History of Prairie Remnants in the Sandusky Plains of Crawford, Marion and Wyandot Counties, Ohio - by John J Mack - published in Southern Appalachian Botanical Society.  This abstract summary of one such study discusses the threatened fauna found in the Daughmer Savannah.
• Mansfield New-Journal Article Historic Land On Auction Block Tonight - The Martha Ballreich mentioned in the article is the sister of Richard.  Lynn and Helen had only two children, Richard and Martha.  Martha married Owen Ballreich (of Ballreich's potato chips) and lived in Tiffin, Ohio. 

I am looking forward to making a trip up there, as soon as the Corona Virus stops putting a crimp in my lifestyle!  Here's a nice article by Bob Downing of the Akron Beacon Journal highlighting the dedication of the Prairie in Jun of 2013  Bur oak trees, prairie grasses dominate Daughmer Prairie Savannah in Ohio’s Crawford County

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