Blog Home

January 2012
Lloyd Howard Hawley       The Winston Churchill and Hawley family connection        Centralia Illinois Historical Society Museum

Lloyd Howard Hawley

Image left: Lloyd Hawley carries his bible and trumpet to church
Image right: In Uncle Howard's antique shop going through old photos
For me genealogy research is not just about about dates, but about the stories of those ancestors who have lived before me culminating in who and what I am today, resulting in the moment that I can truly become connected with them in a shared trait. Never before was that more significant to me than on a recent trip to Salem, Illinois, to research my great grandparents, Emma and Lloyd Hawley. I knew my great grandmother Emma Hawley quite well, in fact, she was the one who started me on my Hawley genealogy research when I was in high school. It was my great grandfather, Lloyd Hawley, that I did not know much about. I knew he was born in Kansas, worked for Texas Oil Company, and had moved to Salem in the 1940's because of the oil boom. On this visit I learned that his family lived next to the church they attended for years and that they eventually built and lived in a house next to where my present Uncle Howard (Lloyd's son) lived. In fact, Lloyd died in that house next door to my uncle's, the place I had visited so many times in the past. I was also able to do some research in the library to learn more about the oil boom that brought my great grandfather and his family to Salem so many years ago, and the difficulty they had finding a place to live when they arrived. It was a local pastor, Basil Parrish of the United Pentecostal Church in Salem, that helped my great grandfather find a place to live and changed his life forever. It was then, when visiting my Uncle Howard's antique shop in Salem, that I had my special moment. We were sifting through old documents and photos and I saw photo of Lloyd Hawley as he was leaving his home, his bible in one hand, and his trumpet in another, walking to church right next door. A photo I had never seen before. Wow, a trumpet? I did not even know he was a musician. I knew my grandfather, Calvin (Lloyd's son), was a musician who played his guitar in church, and I myself was a musician, having played the saxophone at my church for more than 20 years, and here was my great grandfather, Lloyd, doing the same thing nearly 60 years before. A tradition set way before my time that was being carried on now that my son plays his saxophone in church, being the 4th generation to do so. What a heritage! Lloyd died in Salem in 1956, 10 years before I was born. His life was cut short by cancer, but what a legacy he started that I'm sure he would be proud, continues today.
More about Lloyd
View Salem, Illinois photos: Salem Then & Now and other Illinois trip photos

Hawley-Winston Churchill Connection

Image left: Jerome sisters
I am a huge fan of Downton Abbey and as a result was recently watching a documentary called 'Secrets of the Manor House' on PBS. The show was about English aristocratic families in the Victorian and Edwardian eras (in with conjunction with the popularity of Downtown Abbey) who would marry American heiresses in order to financially support their ailing houses and livelihoods. They talked about Leonard W. Jerome and how he married his three daughters to English aristocracy and how one of them became Winston Churchill's mom. It reminded me of the story I had heard about Winston's connection to the Hawley's so I spent a little time looking it up. So yes, for certain, there is a Hawley connection to Winston Church. To be exact, the patriarch, Joseph Hawley, is Winston Churchill's 6th great grandparent. Though I have not had time to document this myself through record searches, I saw it best represented through another person's genealogy chart which I have included the link to. On the chart Joseph Hawley, Mary Hawley, and Abigail Coe are documented in the Hawley Record by Elias Hawley. Leonard W. Jerome, Jennie Jerome, and Winston Churchill are well documented so that leaves Sarah Guthrie and Aurora Murray. The Guthrie family have been documented through published articles that they are indeed related to Winston Church so I believe Winston's connection to Joseph Hawley is pretty legit. Pretty exciting for this Hawley family researcher, so Cheerio! The following website list those in the Hawley-Churchill line: http://www.sargentrivia.com/My.Family/ui121.htm

Centralia, Illinois, Historical Society Museum

Image left: Dylan stands in front of the historical museum sign
It's not too often that you go into a museum and see your relative's photos, but that was the case for me on a recent trip to Centralia, Illinois. I have researched my grandfather's side of the family, the Hawley's, but have just recently started researching my grandmother's, the Johnson's and Maroons. Both families lived in Illinois a long time with the Hawleys in the Salem area and the Johnsons and Maroons in Centralia. My grandparents, Calvin Hawley and Delores Johnson, met at a church in Salem but that is a story for another time. We accidentally stumbled upon the Centralia's Historical Society Museum while driving around Centralia looking for other sites of historical interest in the fall of 2011. It is located in the old Kohl & Meyer building. Upon visiting I was amazed at the wonderful collection they have that represents the area. The first photo I noticed was the Cortelloni band. I had seen this photo before in my Grandma Johnson's old photo albums, and there it was, posted in the museum's music section. Pretty cool. The Cortelloni's are related on my great grandfather's, Sylvester Johnson (Delores Johnson's father), side of the family. The next interesting display was the Centralia Cartage items. Though I don't know much about the company, I know that my great grandfather and great uncles worked for them for many years. Of particular interest was the room dedicated to the mine explosion of 1947. Devastating to the town of Centralia, my family lost several members in the mine disaster including my great great uncle Henry Hoeinghaus. After that we wandered into the room that held old high school photos from Centralia high school dating back to 1900. We took several photos of the relatives that we recognized. The third floor of the museum was a storage area with many old store signs, street signs, farm equipment, old appliances, records and many more items. It is great that the Historical Society in Centralia is taking the time to display and preserve these items from Centralia's past. Thanks to the staff for all your hard work and taking the time to walk us around!
Centralia Historical Society Museum photos
Centralia Historical Society Museum website