CHAPTER 5 HAND STORY MANUSCRIPT

THE HAND FAMILY STORY
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CHAPTER 5

THE HAND FAMILY IN KANSAS

At some point, after 1865, THOMAS LEE HAND and JOHN LEE HAND made their way to Kansas and settled around Ozawkie, near Oskaloosa, Jefferson County. This is speculation, because there is almost no documentation regarding THOMAS LEE HAND after the 1860 CENSUS of Illinois. He does not appear in any census record in 1870, 1880 or 1890. His death is supposed to have occurred near Ozawkie, Kansas in 1899. The lack of information regarding THOMAS LEE HAND from 1865 to 1899 is very strange. Although the HAND family has been very obscure from the beginning, this gap in the record seems particularly unusual. His death may not have bee reported due to the rural and frontier nature of the area around Ozawkie, however, by 1899 the area was very stable and records should have been reasonably accurate. The lack of record from three census events and lack of a death record does not leave much to research. However, one record has been found from a plot map of Christian County, Mosquito Township, Illinois:
Landowners of 1872
SECTION 24 - T. HAND
SECTION 23 - W.T. SINNARD
Since it is unknown when THOMAS LEE HAND moved to Kansas, he may have been still living in Illinois in 1872, or he may have been an absentee landowner.

JOHN LEE HAND certainly made his way to Ozawkie, Kansas, although nothing is known of how or when this actually took place. JOHN LEE HAND is cloaked in obscurity from 1865 until 1877 when he appears in Kansas.

One interesting note concerns an entry in the 1870 KANSAS CENSUS. A JOHN HAND, 16 years old, is working on a farm owned by a JOSEPH LEACH. The census record indicates that both JOSEPH LEACH and JOHN HAND were born in Pennsylvania. This information is puzzling because JOHN LEE HAND would also have been sixteen years old in 1870. Perhaps he left home to go out on his own or this may be just another JOHN HAND.

THE SINNARD FAMILY
A DIVERSION
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After JOHN LEWIS SINNARD and AMANDA MELVINA FITZALLEN SINNARD divorced, JOHN married POLLY ANN RUBEL, September 12, 1843, in Van Buren County, Iowa and soon after moved to Wapello County, Iowa where his father, ABRAHAM SINNARD, was living. In the spring of 1868, JOHN LEWIS SINNARD and POLLY RUBEL moved to Oskaloosa, Kansas. JOHN LEWIS SINNARD farmed and raised stock in Jefferson County and was very successful. His niece, HATTIE SINNARD PASHLEY, said he was very handsome and an extremely talented horseman. JOHN LEWIS SINNARD and POLLY ANN RUBEL SINNARD had a home on the outskirts of Oskaloosa and were very active in the Methodist-Episcopal Church. JOHN LEWIS SINNARD died April 4, 1886.

The SINNARD and HANDS appear to have come together once more, this time in Kansas. It can only be speculation that THOMAS LEE HAND and JOHN LEE HAND went to Oskaloosa, Kansas at the same time as JOHN LEWIS SINNARD. How this movement came about is certainly unknown, perhaps COURTLAND SINNARD was somehow involved in making it happen.

BERTHA HAND wrote in her notes the following:
"There is a COURT SINNARD, father of JOHN, HENRY, ED and MAUDE who married a MR. ROY and they had two sons. We met one of these sons who brought his mother [MAUDE] and uncle to call on us. He lives on Bell Aire in Burbank or Glendale."

This meeting must have occurred in the 1930's or 1940's. The uncle in the above note by BERTHA HAND was HENRY W. SINNARD, son of COURTLAND CHADBURN SINNARD. HENRY was living in San Bernardino, California when he died on May 20, 1948. He was 72 years old. HENRY W. SINNARD is buried in Mt. View Cemetery, San Bernardino, California. After doing research in San Bernardino, The Roy family was located. MAUDE ROY, mentioned above, sister of HENRY W. SINNARD, mentioned above, was actually LUCILLA MAUDE SINNARD ROY. She married FREDERICK ROY who was born in Missouri. A marriage record for this couple has not been located as yet. The couple had two sons, HENRY ERNEST ROY, born March 6, 1904, lives in San Diego and EDWARD E. ROY, born may 29, 1908 lives in San Bernardino. The son who visited BERTHA HAND, above, was HENRY ERNEST ROY. LUCILLA MAUDE ROY died on August 28, 1945 and is buried in Mt. View Cemetery, San Bernardino, California. FREDERICK ROY died December 19, 1962 and is buried in Mt View Cemetery, San Bernardino, California. He does not have a stone identifying his grave. Also buried in Mt View Cemetery is EDWARD A. SINNARD, brother of LUCILLA MAUDE SINNARD ROY.

A LITTLE HISTORY
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With land opening up in Kansas, the westward movement continued as people rushed into the new areas. The land around Ozawkie, where the HAND family settled, must have had some reputation as it was a busy town in the 1850's.
"The old red mill at Ozawkie was built in 1859 by Lewis Puderbaugh, when Ozawkie was quite a booming town with a government land office. The miller had a contract with the government to grind grain for the Delaware Indians whose trail crossed the Delaware River at that point. Many arrowheads have been unearthed on a knoll nearby and the Indians are known to have used the oak grove west of the river for a camping ground. The story is told of a farmer who brought his corn to the mill one cold November morning. He had driven through thawing mud all the way from Meridan and reached Ozawkie about noon. The miller suggested that they sit down and eat together. The farmer washed his hands and then took off his cap, under which was a large pancake that had been placed there to keep his head warm and now sufficed for his noonday meal."
-- from HISTORIC KANSAS

The Old Red Mill at Ozawkie would have been a familiar sight to THOMAS HAND and his son JOHN LEE HAND. They might have even used the services of the miller to handle the grain that was probably grown on their farm. Certainly ROSS LOWELL HAND would have had memories of the place also, as the majority of his younger years were spent near Ozawkie on the family farm.

THE HAND FAMILY
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JOHN LEE HAND and ALICE L. BOUCHER were issued a marriage license on September 29, 1877 by JAMES PETERSON, Probate Judge. The marriage was performed on the same date by B.P. STANLEY, Justice of the Peace. The license was certified by JAMES PETERSON, Probate Judge, on October 2, 1877, at Oskaloosa, Kansas. JOHN LEE HAND married ALICE L. BOUCHER, however, she wasn't really a BOUCHER at all. Where did they meet?

THE CLARK FAMILY
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ALICE LEVINA CLARK was born March 2, 1854 in Brimfield, Peoria County, Illinois. Her father was WILLARD F. CLARK and her mother was SARAH W. HOCKINGBERRY.

WILLARD F. CLARK was born November 5, 1826 and was from New York. He died August 6, 1860, by drowning, near Aunt Holliday's?? in southern Illinois. Aunt Holliday cannot be identified at this time.

SARAH W. HOCKINGBERRY was born February 20, 1833 in New Jersey. She died September 30, 1856, Peoria County, Illinois.

ALICE LEVINA CLARK was two years old when her mother died and six years old when her father died. She was adopted either before or after her father died by Rev. & Mrs. VAN ALFRED BOUCHER who immigrated from London, England in 1848. Mrs. BOUCHER'S maiden name was SARAH HALL. The BOUCHERS were born, raised and married in London, England. No confirmation record of this couple has been found.

ALICE LEVINA CLARK also had brothers and sisters:
1. JOHN C. CLARK: Birth: August 17, 1850, Illinois--Death: October 24, 1851
2. FLORA E. CLARK: Birth: February 22, 1852, Rochester, Sangamon County, Illinois--Death: September 3, 1896, Council Bluffs, Iowa] At the death of her mother, FLORA was taken by her paternal uncle, Captain DANIEL CLARK. At age 21 years of age she married GEORGE MUDGE, an ex soldier. They lived at 627 Mills St.,   Council Bluffs, Iowa. They had three children:
  ISAAC LEANDER MUDGE,
  JESSE ELLA BELL MUDGE [died at 9 months, 14 days]
  ALBERT LAVERNE MUDGE.
3. WILLIAM J. CLARK: Birth: March 16, 1856, Illinois. Death: ?

WILLARD F. CLARK remarried upon the death of his wife SARAH W. HOCKINGBERRY CLARK. The name of his second wife is MARY C. BERRIAN. They had three known children, half-brothers to ALICE L. CLARK:
1. JAMES EDWIN LUCIUS CLARK, lived in Goldendale and Klickitat, Washington.
2. WALTER EUGENE CLARK. John and Walter were referred to in a letter by FLORA to JAMES EDWIN LUCIUS. [This information was in BERTHA HAND'S notes. The source of information is unknown.]
3. JOHN CLARK? John may be an error in the record or possibly a person that is not documented.

WILLARD F. CLARK has been somewhat of an obscure person in the genealogical record. It was only recently that his lineage has bee ascertained. It is outlined below.

ELI K. CLARK, WILLARD'S father was born on June 22, 1794 in Connecticut. ELI'S parents are unknown. He married EUNICE BROWN sometime in 1818. They had eleven children:
1. DANIEL BROWN CLARK [See - Document 1 and Document 2]: Born, January 4, 1819, Batavia New York. Died: October 1,  1897, Council Bluffs, Iowa.
2. WILLIAM H. CLARK: Born: November 27, 1820, New York. Died: September 22, 1872.
3. PERCY ANN CLARK: Born: 1823, New York. Died: Unknown.
4. HULDA L. CLARK: Born: October 21, 1824, New York. Died: March 29, 1865.
5. ** WILLARD F. CLARK: Born: November 5, 1826, New York. Died: August 6, 1860, Illinois.
  ** Father of ALICE LEVINA CLARK [BOUCHER]
6. ORA E. CLARK: Born: December 5, 1830, Cayuga, New York. Died: April 10, 1912, Emmet Co., Michigan.
7. JEROME W. CLARK: Born: November 23, 1831. Died: August 6, 1839, West Andover, Ohio.
8. PHEBE J. CLARK: Born: April 1, 1834. Died: March 7, 1856
9. ALTYN D. CLARK: Born: August 11, 1836. Died: Unknown
10. LOIS S. CLARK: Born: July 31, 1838. Died: Unknown
11. ARISTA O. CLARK: Born: June 6, 1841, Ashtabula Co., Ohio. Died: January 10, 1920, Kaskaskia Co., Michigan
ELI K. CLARK was born in Connecticut but was married and had most of his children in New York. Me moved, along with the members of his family, to Ashtabula County, Ohio, sometime in 1834. He settled in Andover Township.

Many of the CLARK children served in the Civil War and were volunteers:
1. DANIEL BROWN CLARK: Captain, Company H, 15th Regiment, Iowa Volunteers Infantry. Enrolled on November 13, 1861 and discharged at Corinth, Mississippi on June 7, 1862. He was 5 feet 11 inches tall, light complexion, with grey hair and blue eyes. He became ill with a lung disease while on recruiting duty and resigned.
2. EDWIN J. CLARK: Private., Company D, 44th Regiment, Iowa Volunteer Infantry. Son of Captain DANIEL BROWN CLARK.
3. ORA E. CLARK: Private, Battery G. First Michigan Light Artillery. Enlisted October 1864 and was discharged in July 1865.
4. ALTYN D. CLARK: Private, Company D, First Wisconsin Volunteer Infantry.
5. ARISTA O. CLARK: Private, Company B, 23rd Regiment, Ohio Volunteer Infantry. Enlisted June 2, 1861, Columbus, Ohio.
Wounded at the battle of Antietam, September 17, 1862:
"Gun shot wound in my hips. The bullet striking my left hip, passing through and coming out of my right hip making a wound about 14 inches long .." Transferred to 1st Regiment, U.S. Cavalry, October, 1862. Discharged July19, 1865, Cumberland, Maryland. He was 6 feet 1 inch tall, light complexion, with dark hair and blue eyes.

ELI K. CLARK'S wife, EUNICE BROWN CLARK, died April 20, 1852. ELI married again to, BETSY AN SMITH. They had one daughter, EUNICE ETT CLARK, born February 5, 1855 and died December 17, 1885.

THE BOUCHER FAMILY
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The Rev. BOUCHER and his wife are mystery people in the HAND record. Immigration records have not been found. BERTHA HAND was very specific regarding the information she had on the couple, so it must be assumed that it was obtained from a reliable source. The BOUCHERS may have lived around Peoria, Illinois since that was the town where ALICE'S mother died.However, ALICE'S father died in "southern Illinois" which might indicate that the adoption could possibly have occurred there. Where and how long ALICE lived in Illinois is unknown and when and how she found her way to Kansas is also unknown. The BOUCHERS seem to appear in two census records. The ILLINOIS FEDERAL CENSUS 1860 shows a WILLIAM BOUCHER and MARY BOUCHER living in Lacon, Marshall County. Both are noted as being born in England. WILLIAM is listed as a laborer. The KANSAS FEDERAL CENSUS 1880 shows WILLIAM A. BOUCHER and SARAH BOUCHER living in Lawrence, Douglas County. WILLIAM is listed as a rail road agent. These two census events present somewhat conflicting information. In 1860, WILLIAM'S wife is listed as MARY and both are 50 years of age. In 1880, WILLIAM'S wife is listed as SARAH and they are both 55 years of age. I believe that the 1880 KANSAS CENSUS represents the actual couple and the 1860 ILLINOIS CENSUS represents another couple. It is unfortunate that the two couples do not make a proper match. If the couple in the 1880 CENSUS are correct, then it may become clear why the Rev. BOUCHER did not perform the marriage of his adopted daughter, ALICE, to JOHN LEE HAND. It would seem that only three years after the marriage of his adopted daughter, WILLIAM A. BOUCHER had his occupation listed in the census record as a rail road land agent. Apparently he was no longer involved as a pastor or preacher. Perhaps this was also the case at the marriage of his adopted daughter.

One note of interest must be mentioned regarding the BOUCHER name. A JACOB BOUCHER, Jr. lived in Oskaloosa, Kansas at the same time as JOHN LEE HAND and ALICE LEVINA CLARK BOUCHER HAND. JACOB BOUCHER, Jr. was a very prominent citizen in the community and was a trustee in the Methodist-Episcopal Church in 1860, the same church attended by JOHN LEWIS SINNARD. This connection with a BOUCHER and SINNARD in the same town is so coincidental that I continue to believe that the Rev. VAN ALFRED BOUCHER [or WILLIAM A. BOUCHER] must have had some relationship to JACOB BOUCHER, Jr. even though BOUCHER family records do not show one. JACOB BOUCHER, Jr. was from Sommerset County, Pennsylvania and was born January 5, 1810. He married ANNA MARIE MASON on May 14, 1835 in Richland County, Ohio. They had twelve children, eleven born in Ohio and the last born in Oskaloosa, Kansas. It could be that there is a distant connection to the English Rev. VAN ALFRED BOUCHER. JACOB BOUCHER, Jr. also performed marriages in 1865 as Rev. BOUCHER.

It is reported that in 1876, W.A. BOUCHER was pastor of the United Methodist Church in Oskaloosa, Kansas. Is this also the illusive VAN ALFRED BOUCHER? How did two unrelated families of BOUCHERS and a SINNARD family, who were related, find themselves in the same town and church? When did the Rev. BOUCHER and his wife SARAH die and where are they buried? These are questions still to be answered. It is unfortunate that no one in the current family has the answers.

A RETURN TO THE HAND FAMILY
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At this point, it is unclear how JOHN LEE HAND and ALICE LEVINA CLARK BOUCHER met. Both were born in Illinois, in the same year, approximately 70 miles apart. It may be that the families were acquainted prior to the move to Kansas. There is certainly no information as to how or why the BOUCHERS moved from Illinois to Kansas. Perhaps the move came about when a group of settlers went together. This could also explain how the couple could have met. Since Ozawkie is quite a few miles from Oskaloosa, the courtship of the couple would have been difficult if the BOUCHERS lived in town. In any case, the marriage took place and was apparently happy and successful as a number of children were born to the couple.

JOHN and ALICE HAND had six children during the time that they lived in Ozawkie, Kansas. They are:
1. CHARLES WILMETH - b. 08-06-1878
2. SARAH NAOMI - b. 10-20-1879
3. OLA LEE - b. 12-22-1884
4. JOHN THOMAS - b. 12-02-1886
5. ROSS LOWELL - b. 11-18-1888
6. ALYCE RUTH - b. 10-24-1891

It is unknown exactly when, but sometime between 1900 and 1910, the family moved to California and settled around Oil Center, which is near the Bakersfield area in Kern County. JOHN LEE HAND went to work in the oil fields as a carpenter, working on the large drilling rigs. The family members married and dispersed, except for OLA LEE and ALYCE RUTH, who remained in the Bakersfield area most of their lives. ALICE HAND died 10-27-1924 and is buried in Greenlawn Memorial Park, Bakersfield, California. JOHN LEE HAND remarried to MARY ELLEN URQUART ROBINSON at an unknown date. MARY ELLEN died 01-07-1944. During the last years of his life, JOHN LEE HAND was blind, most likely because of glaucoma or cataracts. JOHN LEE HAND died 11-23-1945 and is buried in Greenlawn Memorial Park, Bakersfield, California.

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