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Campbell Family

 

 

 

          This story about the Campbell family features two courageous women: A pioneer mother and her daughter-in-law.   

 

In January of 1841 a daughter was born to a couple on the shores of Lake Erie.  The child was named Coralin Doty.  We don’t know the first names of the parents, we do know that as a young child, the family moved to Hampshire, Illinois.  It was here that she met Francis William Campbell, the son of William and Elizabeth Campbell. 

 

 Elizabeth(1810-1885) is buried in Greenlawn cemetery and according to her obit, came here in 1871 with another son, Isaac, they settled six miles southeast of Grenola.  

 

In 1858, when Coralin was seventeen years old, she and Francis were married.  In 1862 a son, William Henry Campbell was born to the couple.  Another son, Francis N., later called Frank was born in 1865.  In 1868, Francis and Coralin headed for Kansas in a covered wagon, they settled near Oswego, Kansas.  In the spring of 1874, they again loaded their wagon to head west.  But, Francis drowned trying to cross the Neosho River with the wagon.  Coralin, at the age of thirty-three was now a widow with five children, the oldest son, William was twelve years old.  Coralin was determined to carry out the plans that she and her husband had made, that same year she loaded her family in the wagon and staked her claim at the crest of the Flint Hills three miles south of Grand Summit in Cowley County.  In those days Grand Summit existed as a stagecoach station. 

 

Like many other pioneers, the family had to learn to deal with the Indians.  One Thursday after baking a batch of fresh bread, some Indians rode up to the cabin.  Somewhat frightened, Coralin offered them some of the freshly baked bread.  The Indians caused them no harm, but returned on baking day thereafter.  Not only did the family set up their homestead in the hills where no one lives now, they plowed the rocky soil for crops and a garden, probably had a spring for well water and even planted an orchard!  Just about straight west of Angus road on Spring Creek, the stone remains of the foundation of the house and an old pear tree mark the Campbell homestead.  

 

Coralin moved to Grenola in 1902.  She became an active member of the Methodist Church and lived to be 98 years old!  She died in August of 1939, following the death of her son, Frank in April of that year.  

 

          Besides the two sons, Frank and Henry, there were a son and daughter who did not live beyond infancy. Three daughters were alive at the time of her death in 1939: Elizabeth Wiseman, Althia Barnard, and Cora Stockdale.  Elizabeth and her husband lived in California and Althia lived in Oklahoma.  The only other relative listed in her obit. other than 14 grandchildren and ten great-grandchildren, is a half-brother, Will Doty of Hampshire, Ill.  

 

Cora Lynn Campbell was born in eastern Kansas in 1870 and was four years old when the family came to settle here.  In 1888, she married James Alex Stockdale.     

 

James was the son of John and Cinderella Stockdale, from Bethany, Indiana.  James was seven when his parents settled in this area in 1870.  He and Cora Lynn lived on a farm three miles north of Grenola.  James was a mail carrier for twenty-eight years.  Later they moved to Grenola and lived in the house across the street south of the Christian Church.  Their children were Charley, Lela, and Claire.  Claire lived in Texas.  Charley lived in Yakima, Washington, where he operated a service station for a number of years.  James was living with Charley in Washington when he died in 1959.  

 

Lela married Edward Strickland. Their son, Robert, spent much time with his grandparents in Grenola and attended school here.  A member of the Grenola Historical Society, it was Robert who provided the stories about his great-grandmother as well as several pictures.  

 

          William Henry Campbell had to take on the responsibility as the man of the household at age 12.  In 1988, when he was twenty-six, he married Mary Gaily at Burden.  Mary had come here with her parents from Douglas County, Missouri.  Sometime after their marriage Henry went to work for the railroad, living at Cherryvale, Kansas and Sapulpa, Oklahoma.  Their four sons were Earl, Raymond G., Frank C. and Robert A.  

 

Mary Elizabeth died in 1917 at the age of 48 while being cared for in the home of her mother-in-law, Coralin. “Three years ago she was stricken with paralysis and since that time has been a constant invalid.  Two years ago she began to loose her eyesight, until just preceding her death; she was in almost total darkness.  Yet in her affliction she bore up with remarkable Christian fortitude.”  

 

Henry, who lived to be seventy -seven died unexpectedly at the home of his sister, Elizabeth, in Long Beach, California in 1949.

 

          Francis N. (Frank) Campbell was the son who stayed in this area.  He was born in Cane County, Illinois.  His obit states that he came to Kansas with his parents in 1868 and moved to Grand Summit in 1874 where he grew to manhood.  He married Martha M. Booth of Cambridge in 1893.  Martha was born at Grand Summit in 1876, the daughter of Andrew and Martha Reed Booth.  The couple moved to a farm 5 miles north of Grenola where they lived until 1912, then they moved in to Grenola.  Frank died in 1939 at the age of 74.  Martha, known as Mattie, lived to be ninety-seven and died in 1973 at Emporia. 

 

 Frank and Mattie had seven children.  Alberta married Harold Jones and they lived in Oklahoma, Nelda died in infancy.  Floyd B. lived in Washington State.  In 1932 Floyd married Naomi McLaughlin of Peru, Kansas.  Naomi had a twin brother, Neil McLaughlin.  I’m not sure if Floyd and Lloyd B. were twins. Lloyd’s , wife was LaFern.  They lived at Madison, Ks.  Richard married Genelle Sherman of Moline in 1941; in 1939 they lived in Oskaloosa, Ks. The other two children were Wilda Helen and a son Leo.  

 

1939 was a turning point in the life of the Campbell family.  In January the family celebrated Coralin’s 98th birthday at the home of her daughter, Cora Lynn Stockdale.  Those who lived far away sent roses and other gifts and cards and “The radio playboy, Bob Wells, of Tulsa is sending her a birthday cake.”  In April, Frank died and on August 6, 1939 Coralin died at the home of her daughter, Mrs. J.A. Stockdale.

 

 Mattie Campbell was also a brave, selfless woman.  Her daughter, Wilda, was born with a disablilty, so she cared for Wilda until her death in 1965 at age fifty-one.  Most of us remember Mattie and Wilda.  Wilda was gifted in the ability to play the accordion and played often at Church or on the sidewalk or porch in front of their house on 412 North Main.  

 

          Another son who would test a mother’s faith was Leo.  

 

I945 “Mr. Leo Campbell arrived in Grenola Saturday to rest at the home of his mother Mrs. Mattie Campbell.  Mr. Campbell, who has been in the Philippines for the past twenty-four years, was recently liberated from Los Banos prison camp on Luzon, where he was a Japanese prisoner for over three years.  In December 1941, Mr. Campbell was taken by the Japs and put in a dungeon for eighteen days.  Then he was sent to Santa Thomas prison camp.  After over a year there he was sent to Lost Banos prison camp south of Manila.  During his interment he lost about 45 pounds.  Mr. Campbell’s wife and two children are still in enemy occupied territory on Luzon but are safe and well.” May 3, 1945.  

 

Mrs. Campbell had not heard from her son, but once before, that being in December of 1943.  At that time he stated that he was well and that his wife and children were at their home and well. 

 

Like any good mother, after giving her son a few days rest, Mattie prepared a bountiful feast and invited in all the relatives and friends.  We don’t know Leo’s wife, but she also deserved a medal.  

 

Leo preceded his mother in death in 1956.  Floyd B. died in 1979 and is buried in Greenlawn Cemetery.  Lloyd was the son who cared for his mother in her last years.