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CHAPTER ELEVEN

The Maternal (Zellers/Thomas, etc.) Side

If there was a fun side to our family, it came from my mother's (Cecil Zellers') side. They were a much happier lot than the Bybees, or so it seemed to me. Best known to me were Mom's sister, Lelah Forrest Zellers Carr, and her youngest brother, Keith.

Lelah was married to Charles (Charley) Carr and they had nine children, some older and some younger than I. The one to which I was closest, Jack Harding Carr, was my age, but our family was very close to all of them, at least in our earlier days. Uncle Charley made home brew in his basement during Prohibition years and both he and Aunt Lelah could and often did use language that would make a sailor blush. Such language was never heard in our house!

They were a happy family and we often visited back and forth during the pre-depression years, sleeping three or four to a bed and staying awake as long as possible, discussing the latest cartoons we had seen during our infrequent trips to the "picture show." In the summer when it was hot, we would be sprawled all over the living room floor of whichever house happened to be hosting. Lelah was a very active and happy person, considering the size of her family, and it was always a joy to get together with them.

Before the depression, the Carrs were the one family household with whom we exchanged Christmas gifts. Charley, incidentally, was related to the Carr families in Moulton, Harlan Carr was one I remember by name. Another was "Boxy" Carr, son of Harlan I believe.

Uncle Keith was close to Cecil, because she had taken care of him after their mother, Rebecca Thomas Zellers died at age 48, of "congestion of the brain." Keith and his wife, Stellah Hammond, had three daughters, Elizabeth, Donna Jean and Marcia, all of whom were close to us until they were grown and married.

Other siblings in Cecil's family were Willis A., Guy B., Ziola A., and Irvie who died in infancy. Uncle Guy was the only one of this group that I ever got to know, although I heard about him all my life. He and I had a good week together in Hot Springs, Arkansas in early 1945, while I was having R&R from the U.S. Army. He was a lot of fun, and a real gentleman.

Willis was an older brother whom I remember as being much like Keith. In his middle age, he started tripping with one foot and thought little of it. It became progressively worse, and he died within a few years of what I can only call "creeping paralysis." We had little contact with his family after his death, but all his children, Ivan, Nellie, Marion and Dale attended Cecil's funeral.

My Zellers grandparents were Ivon Willard (Tib) Zellers and Rebecca Anthrite Thomas, mentioned earlier. Because the latter died before Cecil was married, I never knew her.

I remember Ivon as an old man, of course, because that was what he seemed to me from my earliest memories of him. In fact, he and my grandfather Thomas Bybee are so much alike in the way I remember them that they seem to have been identical.

Tib was stone deaf all during the time I knew him, and I think he had been that way for many years, perhaps a large part of his life. He was very defensive in his actions and words. This came, I suppose, from his hearing problem.

I recall one incident when I was still quite young. He was coming to visit us in Moulton, probably having arrived on the CB&Q spur running from Ottumwa. He was walking the couple of miles to our house the shortest way--on the Wabash tracks which went just west of our home.

A Wabash freight train was going out to the north just as Tib was walking over the only part of the track where there was no place to step off. The engineer blew his whistle repeatedly, but Tib either did not hear or else he misjudged the trainmen's determination not to be slowed down. The train hit Ivon knocking him off the track, and nearly killing him. In those days, the railroads had absolute right-of-way and no one could make any claim against them as long as they had been on railroad property without permission.

They brought Ivon to our house and kept him there for a day or two, and after that he went into the Wabash hospital in Moberly, Missouri, until he recovered. I remember peeking into the bedroom where he was lying in bed and seeing his back and side--cut, bruised and bleeding. I still get a sick feeling in the pit of my stomach when I think of it. He did recover, however, good as new, after a short time.

In his final years, his mind went before his body gave out, much as did his daughter, Cecil's, and he was cared for by one of his sons, either Keith or Willis and wife, in their Ottumwa home. It is not clear in my mind which family did do this.

Due to a rapid decline in his health, Tib spent his final days in the University of Iowa hospital in Iowa City, where he passed away.

Tib's name, as a child, shows up in census records in a variety of spellings, such as: Ivan, Evan and Eben. Most of his family thought it was Ivan, but his tombstone shows Ivon, and it is spelled this way in Rebecca's obituary, which I will take for gospel.

Cecil always claimed that Zellers was Dutch in origin. She sometimes referred to Germans as "dirty Dutch," which was a term applied to them during World War I. There was such a dislike among Americans for anything German during that war that even sauerkraut was renamed "liberty cabbage."

Since then I have checked with several knowledgeable Dutch people who should know, and none of them had ever heard of a Dutchman named Zellers.

Cecil's parents:
   Ivon Willard Zellers, 1855-1936
   Rebecca Anthrite Thomas, 1856-1904

The name Anthrite is no doubt a family name, since it shows up in other branches of the Thomas family. Rebecca's charred obituary tells more about her than anything else I ever heard or read:

She is referred to several times as Sister Zellers, gave her heart to Christ when she was eleven years old, and was a dedicated Christian worker. She was baptised into the Mt. Ararat Baptist Church (just northwest of Moulton, where she is buried). (See Obituary appendix for full details.)

Ivon's parents were:
   John Zellers, 1823-1893
   Ellen Myers, 1829-1901

Ellen's father: George Myers, 1800-1885

George Myers served in the Union Army during the Civil War. According to his tombstone in Mt. Ararat Cemetery, he served in Company K, 37th Iowa Regiment.

No other details about their lives are available at the time of this writing. Please see genealogical charts in appendix for more details on these three.

Rebeccas's parents were:
   Cyrenius Elmer Thomas, 1823-1864
   Emily C. Ramsey, 1832-1863

On Rebecca's side of the family we have considerably more information, especially about her father, Cyrenius Elmer Thomas. When I began my genealogical search on this branch, I had only one clue: a Civil War Prayer book which had been given to me by my mother, Cecil. It had been presented to her mother, Rebecca, by her father, Cyrenius.

The book is about three by four and one-half inches and maybe a quarter inch thick. The cover is dark green paper. of a texture to simulate leather. Tents, with rifles stacked and a guard are embossed on the front.

The title page of the booklet reads:

The booklet contains a morning and an evening scripture and meditation for each day of the month, a general morning and evening prayer, "A Soldier's Prayer on the Eve of Battle," "Prayer of a Wounded Soldier," and "Prayer of a Dying Soldier."

In the Appendix to the American Edition is the following admonition:

CITIZEN SOLDIER:

You go forth at your country's call, to uphold your country's honor, and preserve her institutions.

Permit a friend to give you a few hints in the way of advice.

Cherish a deep feeling of dependence on Almighty God, who alone can shield you in the hour of danger, and crown your mission with success.

Remember the Sabbath Day, and endeavor to keep it holy unto the Lord.

Be sure to carry your Bible with you, and use it as a book given to men to be a lamp unto their feet, and a light unto their path.

Seek to make your camp a Christian camp, where daily prayer shall be offered to God.

Allow no vindictive or revengeful passion to have a place in your heart.

Let your very calling remind you that there is but a step between you and death.

General Havelock was not the worse soldier for being a devout Christian.

The great and good Washington discountenanced profane swearing in the army, both by precept and example.

"Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved."

The above is repeated in old German script and language, as is a "Soldier's Prayer." Washington's prayer, a soldier's pledge, and advice to young soldiers are also included.

Cyrenius wrote this inscription on the flyleaf: "This book is present from Cyrenius Thomas to daughter Rebecca Anthrite Thomas."

I began the search for Cyrenius and his family by making a request through the LDS church. This was answered one morning about two a.m. by a telephone call from a (then) unknown first cousin, once removed, Etta Caroline King Myres. The call was from California to Florida and I forgive her for forgetting about the time difference.

Practically all the information on this side of the family came from Etta and I am deeply grateful to her for supplying so much. She was and is a font of information.

Cyrenius' name, being known to me only because of the prayer book, was the only thing I had to go on in my search for him. I scoured cemeteries in both Unionville and Udell looking for his and other Thomas' graves. Little did I know at that point that he had died far from home and that his body was never returned.

Less than fifteen miles from my hometown, however, a monument to his Civil War regiment stands in the courthouse yard at Centerville. His name, shortened to C. Thomas, is inscribed on the monument. It is an obelisk, and looks like a miniature version of the Washington Monument in our nation's capital.

I'm convinced that no one in our family knew that this tribute to our ancestor even existed!

Cyrenius Elmer Thomas was born December 28, 1823 in Jackson County, TN. He was the son of Joseph Berry Thomas and Lucy A. Jarvis. He and his wife, Emily, had five children, including Rebecca.

Cyrenius enlisted as a volunteer for the Union forces during the Civil War, at Unionville, Iowa. He was thirty eight years of age, according to his enlistment papers, dated August 21, 1862. He is described as being a farmer, having blue eyes, black hair, and a dark complexion. He was five feet, six inches tall.

He was placed in the 36th Infantry Regiment, Company C, Iowa Volunteers. He served until his death April 26, 1864.

Cyrenius returned home on leave from battle when his wife, Emily, died in January of 1863. The burial was delayed until he could arrange for the leave. A short time later, in October of the same year, their youngest child, Cassius Lincoln, died at the age of two.

Cyrenius fought in the battles of Ft. Pemberton, MS, March 11, 1863; Little Rock, AR, September 10, 1863; Elkin's Ford, AR, April 4, 1864; Prairie D'Ann, AR, April 12, 1864; and Camden, AR, April 15, 1864.

In late April, 1864, he was in a squad escorting a wagon train of supplies to the main Union forces in Camden. They camped overnight at Marks Mill, where they found overnight shelter and a creek for water.

Confederate General Fagan heard of this wagon train and moved against its camp. Southern forces killed or wounded most of the people, including camp followers and took others captive.

According to reports, The Eighth Kentucky Regiment, fighting for the North and made up of black soldiers, was in the same area. Southern forces mutilated the bodies of the blacks according to an eyewitness description by a 36th Regiment Iowa surgeon, who was wounded but survived. He was allowed to treat his wounded in the Confederate hospital, which was probably in Little Rock. There was also a temporary Confederate hospital at Marks Mill. This was where Cyrenius died on April 26th, from wounds, "received in action, April 25, 1864." He had been shot in the lungs and died of gangrene.

An exchange of prisoners was arranged. However, it was too late for my great grandfather, Cyrenius.

The remaining children, including Rebecca, were adopted by their widowed grandmother, Lucy Jarvis Thomas, and the family was granted a small pension for the children.

Back to Chapter 10

On to Chapter 12

Lelah Zellers Carr, Cecil Zellers Bybee and Keith Zellers



Ivon Willard (Tib) Zellers



Cyrenius Elmer Thomas