Hello to all!

    In my research, I sent to the Historical Society in Lee County, Illinois a request looking for church information in conjunction with Phinious' death.  It took about 3 weeks & I received an evelope today -- no church records, but what they did send, wow!  Feel free to pass it on to anyone else who might be interested.

    As a matter of review:  Phinious Dunsmore was the father of Leroy Densmore.  All we knew before was that Phinious was a one-legged well digger.  The following aricles are from "The Amboy Journal" newspaper:

 

Sat. March 11, 1871

    DREADFUL ACCIDENT.  On Wednesday last,  a fearful accident occurred about four miles west of Amboy.  Phineas Dunsmore, a worthy laboring man, was engaged in digging a well.  The hole had been opened for some time, and the sides had been frozen to some considerable depth.  Dunsmore was at the bottom of the well, about thirty feet, engaged in digging, when a mass of earth fell from above.  He gave the alarm, and one of the two men from above was let down in the bucket, extricated him and placed him in the bucket, when the two were drawn up. The wounded man was placed in a wagon, bleeding profusely, and brought to Amboy through a drenching rain.  Drs. Felker and Travers were called, and on examination found that his right arm was broken, and his right leg mashed to a perfect jelly.  The flesh and bones were so crushed that it was impossible to count the fractures or ascertain the full extent of his injuries.  He is now lying in a very critical condition.

 

Sat. March 18, 1871

    On Monday last, Dr. Felker, assisted by Dr. Travers, amputated the right leg of Mr. Dunsmore, above the the knee, and on Friday he was doing as well as could be expected, with the chances in favor of his recovery.  In connection with this case, it is a singular fact that on the morning of the accident, Mr. D. made application for a policy of life insurance in the National Life Insurance Company of Chicago, which the Company accepted after he was injured, so that had the accident proved fatal, his family were provided for to that extent at least.

 

Sat. Nov. 30, 1872

    That well at the new Elevator, eighteen inches in diameter.  Dunsmore is doing the well digging business in a new style, and he's no idea of being smashed in a well again, so he digs all the time from the top of the ground.  See his "ad".

 

Sat. Dec. 28, 1872

    The "ad":

    SOMETHING NEW!

 The One Legged Man Digging Wells Again.

The public is hereby informed that I am in the field, prepared to dig wells by a  NEW PROCESS, and with great dispatch.  Their generous patronage will be thankfully received.

                                                                                PHINEAS DUNSMORE.

 

Dec. 29, 1888

     Mr. Leroy Densmore, of Iowa, has been here to see his father, Mr. P. Densmore, who is seriously ill.

 

Phinious died December 30, 1888 (age 68).  So I can only assume that Leroy was there at the time.

 

Anyway, I got a genealogy "kick" out of these newspaper articles, since they fill in another couple of "blanks".

    I'm going on a bus trip in November to the Mid-Continent Library in Kansas City for 2 days of researching.  They have several sources for Steuben County, New York, that may give us some more information of Phinious life when he lived there.  Keep your fingers crossed!!!
 

     Luv, your cuz, Diane