Connelley Obituary

 The last letter in our transcriptions of Belle Tisdale's collection was Robert Tisdale's note to his mother Eliza Pratt Tisdale dated 1875. The next letter we have is dated April 29, 1890 from Frank Tisdale to his Belle. Between those two letters we have just some obituaries and funeral cards.

   Why was there such a long gap in Belle Tisdale's correspondence? Were some of her papers lost? Or did life (and death) get in the way?

   There were a lot of deaths in the Tisdale and Booksh families between 1875 and 1890.
          1876 June 16 - Belle's father B. F. Tisdale (covered in a previous post)
          1877 August 14 - Grandma Bernice Pratt's brother Arthur G. Connelley
          1878  May 1 - William Tisdale Pierce, Belle's sister Mary's son
          1878 March 31 - Sam's sister Mary Eliza "Lizzie" Booksh
          1880 November 27 - Belle's grandfather William Henry Pratt
          1883 November 17 - Edwin Clyde Pierce, Belle's sister Mary's son
          1886 January 07 - Sam's father Charles Booksh
          1886 April 06 - Belle's sister, Mary Bernice Tisdale Pierce
          1887 September 27 - Belle's cousin, Francis Tisdale Forbes
          1890 June 23 - Belle's Grandma Bernice Connelly Pratt

Many of the obituaries, death notices and funeral cards for these people were found tucked in between the pages of the family bible.

1877 Connelley Arthur Goldsmith obituary

clipping from unknown newspaper n.d. [assumed August 1877]

Belle Tisdale Booksh collection

transcribed by Vera Booksh Zimmerman, 1 June 2013

Another Pioneer Gone

Arthur G. Connelley, one of Carroll county's most estimable, and respected citizens, …[illegible].......

Tuesday last, August 14, 1877, aged seventy-eight years one month and twenty-five days.

Mr. Connelley had his foot severely bruised a short time since, by a horse treading upon it, and the nervous shock produced a severe chill, from which he never recovered, but continued to sink gradually until the end.

Father Connelley was born and spent his early years in Scott county, Kentucky, where, in 1833, he attached himself [to] the church. Emigrating to Indiana in 1835 he [settled] in Carroll county, [Indiana] and soon after became a member of the Baptist church in which he remained one of the most zealous and influential communicants up to the day of his death.

His wife, whom he survived about two years, was a sister of Preston and William H. Calvert.

The deceased was the father of twelve children, nine daughters and three sons, of whom six of the former and one of the latter survive him.

Mr. Connelley was for many years engaged in the furniture business in this city and by industry and integrity commanded the respect of everybody, and amassed quite a fortune.

He died at his residence east of town, surrounded by his family and friends. His remains were interred in the Odd Fellows Cemetery on Wednesday afternoon, and were followed to the grave by a large concourse of citizens who thus united in paying a last tribute of respect to their kind old comrade and friend.

One by one the roses fall,

Drop by drop the spring runs dry.

One by one, beyond recall,

God takes them to his home on high.

Samuel Walker Booksh 1853-1930

Samuel Walker Booksh 1875

I

Happy Birthday, Great Grandpa Sam


Samuel Walker Booksh was born on the Fourth of July in 1853 in Iberville Parish, Louisiana. He was baptized in St. Gabriel Church on 16 January 1854.

In this carte de visite the photographer, A. D. Lytle, has touched up Sam's blonde hair and mustache as well as his blue eyes. We have always called it "I wish I had a penciled-in mustache."

In 1850 the Charles Booksh family (listed as Brooks) are living in Iberville Parish, Dwelling 550, Family 590. Charles is 42 years old and Eliza is 31. With them are sons [Charles] Edward 12, [Joseph] Edgar 8, [John] Adolpha 7, [Leonard] Scott 5, and [Thomas] Claiborn 2. Son Louis Frederick had died just the month before  in July 1850. This was probably the house where Sam was born.  (US Census; Year: 1850; Census Place: Iberville, Louisiana; Roll: M432_231; Page: 343A; Image: 365)


In the 1860 census the Booksh family is is still listed in Iberville Parish, Grosse Tete post office, in Dwelling 163. Charles is 52 years old and a Planter with Real Estate valued at $37,500. His wife Elizabeth is 41 years old. His oldest son [Charles] Edward, age 22 is overseer and is listed with his wife Mary 22 and daughter Eliza 2. The rest of the family is [Joseph] Edgar 18, [John] Adolphus 16, [Thomas] Claborn 14, George [Washington] 9, Samuel [Walker] 7, Eliza [Lizzie] 5, and [Frederick] Scott 2.  (US Census; Year 1860; Census Place: Iberville, Louisiana; Roll: M653_411; Page 261; Family History Library Film: 803411) 

Sam was 8 years old when the Civil War began. His oldest brother Charles Edward and several cousins went off to fight. Besides the upheaval of the Civil War and Reconstruction, the Booksh family also suffered through the Great Flood of 1867. Also in 1867 Eliza filed suit against her husband because he had "willfully and without regard expended $6,992 of her prenuptial monies." The Booksh plantation and other properties were sold and the family broke up.

By 1870 Eliza was living in Iberville Parish but husband Charles and children, including Samuel,  are listed as living in East Baton Rouge in the 12th Ward of Baton Rouge in three adjoining houses on the property of Sam's brother Edgar (Joseph Edgard Booksh). The census lists Charles Booksh in Dwelling 422. In Dwelling 423 are Clayborn 24, George W. 19, Samuel 17, Eliza 15, Frederic 12, Erae 21 [Erefile, wife of Claiborn] and Charles 2 [son of Claiborn]. Unfortunately all are indexed with the surname Eli after the House Keeper Loucien Eli, making them very difficult to find. The next dwelling is 424 and there we find Edgar Booksh 27 [Joseph Edgard] and his wife Cramea [Delia] 27 and their three children James 4, Carie 2 [Harriet], and Anie 1 [Alice].   (US Census; Year: 1870; Census Place: Baton Rouge Ward 12, East Baton Rouge, Louisiana; Roll: M593_512; Page: 215A; Family History Library Film: 552011)

Henk Wackwitz in his "Ancestors and Descendants of Charles Booksh" writes that Edgard described himself as a "Hotel owner" and as "Running a Boarding House." He may have been referring to this time when his Booksh family came to live with him in Baton Rouge.

In 1870 Belle and her family were living with her Grandpa and Grandma Pratt in the 3rd Ward of East Baton Rouge Parish and are listed on page 215 so this was probably when Sam and Belle met.  On 23 April 1878 Arabella Maria Tisdale and Samuel Walker Booksh were married in St. Joseph's Church in Baton Rouge.

By 1880 the Booksh family had reunited and the census lists Belle and Sam living with Charles Booksh, age 72, and his wife Eliza Elizabeth Booksh, age 60, in the 9^th Ward of East Baton Rouge Parish, Louisiana. Also living with the family are four grandchildren: Elisa Mary, age 22, and her 19 year old brother, Charles C. Booksh, (children of Sam's oldest brother, Charles Edouard), as well as Mary Eliza (Mary Eliza "Maimie" David age 3); and S. B. [Seth Booksh] David age 4, children of Sam's sister Lizzie, deceased. (For a discussion of this census see blogpost of April 29, 2018)

 It wasn't long before Sam and Belle started their own family. On 4 March 1881 their first son, Samuel Walker Booksh Jr. was born. Charles Leonard Booksh was born 3 January 1883. My Grandpa Wilton Tisdale Booksh was the third child, born 7 February 1886. Daughter Arabella Guinevere Booksh (known as Belle, Vera, Roonie and Noo) was born 13 August 1889.

Sam was elected U.S. Registrar of Voters for East Baton Rouge Parish in 1892. On February 26, 1894 He was granted Patent No. 294,189 for a Breeching Attachment for Carriage Shafts. 

Sometime after 1894 the family moved to New Orleans and in the 1900 Census they are living at 1311 St. Mary Street. In 1920 they are listed at 1831 Bayou Road. Sam was a Watchman at the New Orleans Custom House  between 1920 and 1927.

Samuel Walker Booksh Sr. died 3 November 1930. He was buried at the Girod Street Cemetery.

The Booksh Family Bible

One evening after dark, the lights went out in the house in Algiers and Grandpa Booksh (Wilton Booksh Sr.) went outside with a flashlight to check the fuse box.  Wham! Someone hit him on the back of the head with a shovel and he fell unconscious in the alley. Two teenage boys made off with some boxes from the backyard shed. Among the things that were lost was the Booksh family bible. Fortunately the pages of Births, Marriages and Deaths had been photocopied.

Booksh  Births page 1 lists Charles Booksh and Eliza Leonard and their ten children.

Births page 2 lists some of their 49 grandchildren.

The Marriages page lists Charles and Eliza's marriage and the marriages of their children.

The Deaths page lists Eliza Leonard's parents, Elithebeth Crows (also recorded as Kraus and Craus) and Honore Leonard, as well as the deaths of some of their children and grandchildren, including Sam Booksh Sr. and Jr.