Week two's prompt was legend for Amy Johnson Crow's 52 ancestor challenge. Recently I dug up some high school writing I did on my family history. I wasn't able to verify any information on my dad's great grandfather on his mother's side. However some of the information might possible be related to my Dad's great grandfather on his father's side - Elias Baldwin (1855-1948) The legend is below.
What I wrote 1-3-1989
My Dad’s Great Grandfather Dinty on his mother side was quite a character. He swore up and down that he got his first horse from Jesse James and he was there when Wild Bill Hickok got shot. It was known that he spent a great deal of time out west seeking his fortune and that he could of met these two characters. He was a stubborn old coot in his advanced years who walked with two canes and swore in German. Dinty had a large handgun collection, when the state of Indiana passed laws saying you had to register your handguns, Dinty got upset and threw all his hands guns worth several thousand dollars into Lake Michigan only keeping a shotgun. Several newspapers tried to interview him but Dinty refused saying they would have to pay him to talk.
Dinty is a nickname. My Dad thought it might be because his great grandfather ate a lot of Dinty Moore but Dinty Moore didn't come out until the 1950's. I think the second part about the firearms is most likely true but the Jesse James and Wild Bill Hickok probably not.
Elias did live during 1938 when the federal law came out called the National Firearms Act
placing limitations on selling ordinary firearms . This also called for the registration of
firearms. During the 1940’s Elias lived in Marion,Indiana and there is river there called the
Mississinewa River nearby however in 1930 census he was listed as living in
Indianapolis, IN and the White River runs through Indianapolis
The legend lives but the mystery continues.
No comments:
Post a Comment