Charles Gibson Aston (1863 - 1948)

I had intended to post this on the 7th of February, as Charles Gibson Aston, one of my great-grandfathers, was born on that date 148 years ago. As an adult, he was a big man who was very strong according to my Dad – he thought that was probably the source of one of his nicknames, Crane. I have also seen him called Colonel in a newspaper article entitled Colonel Aston, Commissioner.

Taken 25 Dec 1930

On 09 July 1890, a marriage license was issued to “Charles G. Aston and Cancedela McGary” (note that the correct spelling of her first name was Cancedella). You can view their marriage license from the West Virginia Division of Culture and History archives. Interestingly, it was another 5+ months before they actually got married at Cameron, West Virginia, on 25 December 1890. Yes, they actually were married on Christmas Day!

Charles was working as a carpenter. Two years later when Dessie was born, he was a sawyer, and the 1910 U.S. census says that he was a sawyer using his own mill. He was also a farmer and a member of the Marshall County Farm Bureau, owning a sizeable farm at the intersection of Fork Ridge Road and Aston Ridge. 

Per his death certificate, Charles died at home on 02 October 1948 at the age of 85. He and several other members of the Aston and McGary families are buried in the Oak Grove United Methodist Church cemetery on Fork Ridge.

Grandparent Memories:Herbert and Nellie (Church) Kuhn

After putting glassworking behind him due to health issues, Grandpa turned to carpentry and was a self-employed carpenter for many years. He built a house on a corner of his farm for his daughter and son-in-law, and it sat just up the road from the house in which he and Grandma lived. As my parents had built across the road from my grandparents, that meant it was just a hop, a skip, and a jump for me to keep a close eye on the progress. Typical of a young child, I loved to play around with Grandpa's tools, and it was probably inevitable that something would go wrong sooner or later. One day I was using a hatchet on a piece of scrap wood when I struck not only the wood but also my thumb and forefinger, slicing them quite nicely. I remember running back home, spots of blood trailing behind me on the road, yelling for Mom. It took us quite awhile to get the bleeding stopped, and I had scars for years. Needless to say, she wasn't real happy with me that day!

A few years later Grandpa and Doyle Moore worked with Dad on the construction of our new house. Once again, I got to play with the tools … although by then I was old enough to actually be helpful.

My grandparents were dairy farmers for many years, then switched to beef cattle for a few years until they ultimately quit farming altogether. As a youngster, I often played with cousins in the upper level of the barn, climbing around and over the hay bales, and I loved it when it was time to put up hay. I always thought I was being quite helpful by following the baler to make sure the bales didn't roll down the hill. Looking back now, I was probably just an extra concern for my Dad and Uncle Dale – they had to keep an eye on me to make sure I stayed safe!

Christmas 1958 with Grandma & Grandpa

Grandpa chewed tobacco and, while some folks will consider this totally gross, I'll always have a picture in my mind of the coffee can that sat beside his chair. Hey, that tobacco juice had to be spit out somewhere!

Grandma was known for being a great country-style cook – especially for beans and corn pone. To the uninitiated, that is pinto beans and corn bread, a staple meal loved by many West Virginians.

However, one of my favorite memories of being at my grandparents' house was climbing the maple trees.  The photo below shows tree no.1 when it was much, much smaller than it was by the time I started climbing.

Home of Herbert & Nellie Kuhn

There was another tree to the right of this one, then behind it a straight row of trees ran along the property line and parallel to the side of the house.   It might be easier to picture as an L-shaped line of trees around the house.  Nevertheless, I loved climbing those trees, whether by myself or with some of my cousins. Those were great times!

Formatting Dates in Genealogy

Have you ever thought about how easy it can be to read a date incorrectly? How would you read 4/11/00? The year could be 2000, 1900, 1800, etc. You would probably assume that the month and day are April 11 – but they could also be November 4, especially if you are looking at a document from another country.

The best way to prevent confusion is to use the generally accepted genealogy format of 11 April 2000. The month can be abbreviated to three letters, but I prefer to spell it out to further ensure against errors. Think about Jan vs. Jun in the context of handwriting. If the “a” isn't closed, it could easily be misread as a “u” - but there is no way to confuse January and June.

If you're researching your family and find dates that leave you wondering about the month and day, here's what you can do. Knowing that months are limited to 1 through 12, look for dates where the first two segments are higher than 12. For example, with 28/3/00 you know that the first number is the day; with 3/28/00 you know that the first number is the month.

If neither of the first two segments are higher than 12, check other records above/below or before/after the record you're looking at. Chances are good that you'll find one with a number higher than 12 and then you'll know the format being used.

Tribute to Uncle Phil

Today marks six years since the passing of one of my uncles, Philip Lee Kuhn. An excerpt from his obituary told the basics:

"KUHN, Philip Lee, 81, of Glen Easton, W.Va., died Thursday, February 3, 2005 at home. Born in Moundsville, W.Va., on November 12, 1923, Philip was the son of the late Herbert and Nellie Church Kuhn. He was a retired employee of Marshall County Schools and a member of the Fork Ridge Christian Church where he served as an elder for 25 years."

He married Dorothy Maxine Moore on 16 December 1949 – it must have been a very special Christmas for the two of them that year!

Phil & Dorothy ~ 1949

If not for Dorothy's death in August 2004, they would have celebrated 55 years of marriage in December of that year. The couple raised their family of four sons on a farm at the end of Tunnel Ridge. I've heard that at one time Tunnel Ridge ran from Fork Ridge down to Big Grave Creek, but I only remember it ending at Uncle Phil's farmhouse up on the ridge.

For many years, Phil drove a school bus from his home to various schools in Moundsville and Glen Dale. The Marshall County School District also employed him as a truck driver and warehouse man - he delivered textbooks, school materials, food, janitorial supplies and various types of equipment all over the county. During his career in the school system, he made a lot of friends and was respected for his work ethic.

I remember Uncle Phil as a quiet, soft-spoken man. In the words of one of his first cousins, he “never had a harsh word for anyone” and “he had a gentle humor that he showed with family and friends.” If only all the world could be as kind and thoughtful as Uncle Phil was.