The Super Researchers of Our Family
The Best in Show Super Researchers
Edna Luree Hall (Miller) and her sister Wilna Ethel Hall (Treichler)
I am forever grateful to Edna Luree Hall Miller and her sister Wilna Hall Treichler, both daughters to John Hipe Hall and Effie McIntire for their tireless research of our extended family history and doing it the “hard way”! They both wrote endless letters, hired professional genealogy researchers, made many photocopies from books, microfiche and records, made numerous notes and charts, all in the days before the internet! Edna contributed the impeccable family genealogy pages while her sister Wilna wrote the numerous stories and memories of their father, John Hipe Hall. Edna passed this skill onto their son John with his wonderful stories of the early life of his mother and father. I am looking forward sharing those gems!
In “Hipe’s” own words, “So you want to do ‘Ol’ Dad’s history? Well I’ve lived a long time and it’s been a ‘honey’. I’m game if you are, I’d better get a little Redman (chewing tobacco) so I can concentrate. I’m past ninety, you know”
And so this self-published family genealogy gem was born and “It’s Been a Honey” remains one of my most cherished family archives. My brother Tim, also a writer and Edna corresponded for some time and discussed a reprint edition of the “Honey” document, however the Hall sisters did not live to see that idea come to life. My brother has since suffered ill health so is no longer able to complete the task. For a brief time, I had the honor of holding the original manuscript, including original photos and took the opportunity to spend a weekend scanning each page before returning to it’s rightful owner, John Miller, Edna’s son.
On a personal family history note, I remember “Uncle Hipe” as a sweet, pleasant and funny man that loved to fish with my father, Roderick “Rod” McIntire. We would visit Colorado every summer which always included a few days stay in Olathe, the place where Dad was born in 1917. His parents, Oliver and Frances settled in this part of the Uncompahgre Plateau of Western Colorado along with many other relatives, including Hipe and his wife Effie McIntire, Nellie McIntire and her husband Ira Clark, Perry McIntire and his wife Maude MacGregor. Effie, Nellie, Oliver and Perry were all siblings, born to parents Martin McIntire and Sarah Bridges, who brought their family to this region from the midwest. Olathe was sort of a “McIntire Family Hub” for many years, which is why Dad enjoyed going there during the summers. And the fishing was good! Dad would often take me along on those wonderful fishing trips, sometimes to Grand Mesa, but most often to the best fishing holes that these experts knew. Uncle Perry, was a frequent fishing companion, adding to the tobacco chewing and a lot of fish!
Hipe, as he was known to us, was married to Effie McIntire (she passed in 1956). Effie’s parents were Martin Luther McIntire and Sarah Bridges and she was a sister to Perry, Nellie and my Dad’s father, Oliver. I have a vague remembrance of Great Aunt Effie, but do have very fond memories of both Edna and Wilna, their two daughters. While staying in Grand Junction, about one and one half hour drive from Olathe, we would often share a meal at Edna and Glenn’s home. They had three sons and a basement full of toys, including a large rocking horse that I dearly loved! John, Dennis and Ron are my 2nd cousins, so my brothers and I had a great time playing with all those cool toys together! When John’s mother Edna passed away in 2012, he took up her genealogy legacy and later passed along some relevant information and artifacts, including letters from Great Grandfather Martin McIntire and numerous documents of her research of Alexander. These documents pre-dated internet availability, DNA results, Ancestry.com and all the now-available genealogy tools. Such valuable information to behold!!
Edna did her research “old school” style, spending hours upon hours in libraries and in front of a microfiche machine! What she discovered then wasn’t too far removed from what we now recognize to be fact. With our current day information readily available, we definitively know our immigrant grandfather’s name, place and date of birth and have a reasonable idea of where he immigrated to. Although we know little of his early life in Scotland, historical records support that it was not an easy or stable life. Clan wars and rebellions against the British were common. Farmers paid high rents and taxations for their land, crops and houses, so immigration to America offered a hopeful solution.
Jane McIntire Pollet Carpenter, Super Researcher Number Two
Our family is fortunate to have two letters from Jane McIntire Pollet Carpenter, written to Martin Luther McIntire which gives some first hand knowledge of the family, including Alexander and Elizabeth. What many have referred to as the “Jane letters” are invaluable documents and are introduced here so the basis of Alexander’s early life and death might make more sense. The information is Jane’s recall of what was known during her life in a very large and blended family. Martin was curious to know more of his grandfather Andrew, son of his great grandfather Alexander. Martin, wrote to Jane in the early 1920’s, when both Jane and Martin were in their latter years of life. Jane was born to Andrew and his second wife Rebecca Bogan in 1843. Martin’s father, also named Alexander, was born to Andrew and his first wife Sally Moninger. So Jane’s father Andrew was Martin’s grandfather. More of Andrew’s family and how I came to discover the true identity of his first wife, in an upcoming post!!
Several years after Edna passed, her son John sent me a number of documents and artifacts of her research, including the “Jane Letters”! Upon their arrival, I literally wept! I was holding THESE beloved letters written long ago, speaking ever so loudly from their faded and fragile yellow lined paper. I am honored to have them and it has been my utmost desire to share them with the family, the primary reason for this MacIntyre Journeys website! Although the transcripts have circulated on other sites, the scanned images may be found here:
Transcript of Jane's first letter to Martin
Kind relative,
You may think your letter was not appreciated as I had not answered but not so. I fell the 5th of April and broke the bones in my right wrist which hindered me from writing and as I am a McIntire, wanted to do this writing myself. A granddaughter came from Kieffer, Okla. to help me for awhile.
I know it was a sad picture when I tried to read your letter. From a little child I have been wondering where my brothers and their families all were, as my mother could not write, so she could not keep up with them. Our father seldom answered a letter. There are three of us living of father’s second marriage. Brother George Parker, or G.P. McIntire is in M.Y Coty with his daughter Vallie Faber, that is Alice Joyce’s mother. Alice was born in K.C. and left there when she was 13 years old, her and Frank, their mother took them to Washington D.C. and gave them up to Edward their father. Frank is a foot racer, has won many prizes.
Our grandfather McIntire was born and raised in Scotland and his wife and cousin, Elizabeth McBride in Ireland, just over the line. They came to Penn in the early days and stayed there until their four oldest children were born and came to Ohio leaving a large body of land homesteaded in Ohio. They kept a tavern and grandfather later came to Missouri to get more land, leaving his family behind who came later and when they came to his place he was dead. They went to his grave and camped until morning and turned back. Isaac McIntire was with Daniel Boone and was layed to rest in one of Daniel Boone’s coffins.
Your father’s mother was Sarah Munger, a Dutch girl. They came to Frankfort, Ind. with several small children among the Indians only 3 white families there. There was ten children when the mother died, little Rachel died shortly before her mother died. Brother Will was a little babe and father took him to his sister aunt Abbie Lile at Columbus, Ohio and he came to see father when he was 19 years old. There are some of his children there, Clint McIntire his only son. Will went to Colorado 39 years ago last fall and took the fever and died, we don’t know what part or he may have been in Washington, but his children know. His wife Dianna Moore was a Dutch girl and is buried at Jefferson, Ind.
Look on the map of Ind. Clinton Co. 6 miles east of Frankfort, there is a town Cyclone that is on our old clover field where my father’s home was when he died Sept. 28, 1876. That was 121 acre home. The cyclone left it, path in June 1880. You may get tired of me but this gives me so much pleasure. Father had lots of valuable land. The old home 320 (or E20?) was at the south side of the 12 mile prairie which is 3 miles wide and east of Lafayette.
My hand is tired now. I would have written with ink but for blotting the paper. There has never been many girls in the McIntire family.
I have one daughter, four sons, 2 of the Pollet boys and 2 of the Carpenter boys. Perry Carpenter has been dead 12 years. H.L. Carpenter of Wann, Okla. that isn’t far from Coffeyville. His farm is in Wisconsin. I will write all the births and deaths off soon of your father’s family for I happen to have the Bible. This is the 12th and brother Lewis’ birthday who was drowned fell overboard on his return from Calif. was within 200 miles of home, they never got the body. His home was at Craig, Holt Co. Mo.
What we now know about Alexander and Elizabeth
The Family
Alexander McIntyre left his Scottish homeland for America sometime around 1788 or before. He may have married Elizabeth McBride by the time they left as the records are sketchy. He and Elizabeth were certainly in Pennsylvania by 1790 and had already welcomed their first born son, Andrew in 1787. Sadly, Andrew passed away at the age of 5 for unknown reasons after his younger sister Abigail was born on July 27, 1789, in Pennsylvania. The next child born was also named Andrew, perhaps in memory of his deceased older sibling, as was often the custom. Andrew was born in 1798 in Pennsylvania as confirmed in Jane’s letter. As you can see, there is nearly a decade difference in age between Abigail and Andrew. It is possible there were other children born and died, or born still during this lapse of time, however there are no records and Jane does not mention any additional children. After Andrew was born came John in 1801, followed by Rebecca in 1802, then Edith in 1804, Richard in 1805 with Alexander in 1808 and Isaac in 1812. There will be more on these children’s lives in an upcoming post. Some are mentioned in Jane’s second letter, which will be covered at that time.
Property Purchase in Ohio
Alexander purchased property through Land Grants and Homestead opportunities, primarily in Ohio. Edward Rinker was the original grantee of the 200 acres that Alexander purchased. Sgt. Rinker served in the Revolutionary war and was granted the acreage as a stipend for his time served. One of those purchases was recorded here:
The Death of Alexander
Alexander’s death is still a bit of a mystery. Most of us have already heard the family lore that Alexander died and was buried in one of Daniel Boone’s coffins on his property in Femme Osage, Missouri. We only have what Jane has written in her letter, describing how he went to Missouri to “get more land”. When he didn’t return the family came later and found that he had died. She says that “he was with Daniel Boone and was laid to rest in one of Daniel Boone’s coffins”. I have reached out to several Boone organizations for clarification but the only response I’ve received thus far was from the Boone Society, Inc in North Carolina. The Genealogist and Treasurer wrote:
“This is the first I have heard of your story. You mentioned he was buried in one of Boone’s coffins. It must have been another Boone. Daniel Boone did not make coffins that I am aware of”.
I will continue pursuing leads to this intriguing story in order to clarify Jane’s memory of Alexander’s death. As mentioned before her father was Andrew, Alexander’s son and he may well have been one of the family members she describes as accompanying his mother Elizabeth from Ohio to Missouri. Andrew was the eldest son and already a capable adult.
Jane leaves me wondering a few things and if only I could sit down and chat over a cup of tea with her! How did Elizabeth, with children in tow take off for Missouri in search of her husband? It’s more than likely by a taking what was called the National Road, an over 800 mile “road” approved by Congress in 1806. The road started in Cumberland, Maryland and by the 1837 ended in Vandalia, Illinois when funding was no long available. In 1819, the section of road open would have given Elizabeth and her children a safe head start on their journey. Admittedly this is all speculative, but perhaps is how she managed to set out and find her dear husband. After all, they came all the way from Scotland, so what’s a few more hundred miles! The link below will take you to a site with more historical information as well as a map of the road.
After Alexander’s unfortunate death in 1819, Elizabeth was left to settle his debt and continue raising her surviving children. Debt payments weren’t completely settled for a number of years. Abigail’s husband, Robert Lisle, was instrumental in helping Elizabeth settle his intestate property with the State of Ohio. Abigail was married to Robert Lisle, a well known gentleman in the community, in 1810. The couple had five children by the time of her father’s death, the youngest just a few months old. Two years prior to his passing, Alexander and Elizabeth’s daughter Rebecca passed away suddenly. Abigail and Robert also named one of their daughter’s Rebecca who at a month old also passed away. It isn’t hard to imagine the amount of sorrow the family endured at the continual loss of their loved ones in addition to the burden of debt. She was fortunate to have her adult children to guide and assist her. Abigail’s husband Robert was one of the signer’s on the default agreement below with the state, further lending his financial support.
The Death of Elizabeth
Elizabeth lived nearly 20 years past the death of Alexander and was surrounded by some of her surviving children and grandchildren. She passed away at the age of 69 and is buried in Tarlton Cemetery, in Tarlton, Pickaway County, Ohio.
Rest well my dear 4th Great Grandmother
Our next stop will be getting to know the oldest daughter of Alexander and Elizabeth,
Abigail McIntire and her husband Robert Lisle.
See you then!