Celia Lavina Hawn

(Please note: the profile photograph, is as follows... Beginning with the woman seated left: MARGARET TAYLOR COWSERT, and affectionately standing at her side is her half-sister; CELIA LAVINA ELROD HAWN)

The following revision was made on: April 19 2016, by Jlphawn

From the compiled notes of: Nancy J. Meyer; most graciously provided by Angie Marcum. Thanks cousin!!

The Obituary Notice for: Celia Lavina Hawn

Text emphasis, formatting including all inserted notations, faithful reproduction: mine, jlphawn. See Sources for two PDF files so indicated as the source of this copy.

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August 14th, 1939

The Fresno Bee Obituary

Pioneer Dies

Mrs. Celia Hawn, early day ranch woman expires

Rites set tomorrow for widow of large scale Land Operator

Mrs. Celia Hawn 83, a pioneer of Fresno County died Saturday in the home of a daughter; Mrs. Lillian Jones, at 1265 Echo Ave. She had been seriously ill three months.

Mrs. Hawn came to California from Virginia (Indiana, then Texas …njm) with her parents in 1860. In 1874 she and her new husband, the late Charles H. Hawn established their home on a ranch on the San Joaquin River, one mile west of Herndon. They engaged in grain growing and teaming on the extensive scale, employing large crews of men.

Hawn was the builder of the old Friant-Herndon canal, which he and neighboring ranchers conceived as a means of carrying water from the river at a point near Millerton to their river bottom lands downstream.

Hawn worked scraper teams to grade the canal along the river bluff and had practically completed the work when his work was halted by an Injunction obtained by Miller and Lux.

The site of a weir, which was built as part of the pioneer project, was near the Friant Dam, soon to be constructed.

In all of Hawns activities, including the hauling of Copper ore by twenty mule team from the Copper Mine near Clovis, and the handling of large scale land operations, Mrs. Hawn was an active assistant. Like other early California women she did much of the management work and took charge of the cooking and duties of the work camps.

Among the Hawn land holdings were homesteads on Cantua Creek on the west side, still held in Mrs. Hawn’s estate and under lease to oil companies for exploration purposes.

Mrs. Hawn was the mother of George H. Hawn of Riverdale, large scale west side rancher; J.A. Hawn, Fresno stockman who for many years was a champion rodeo performer, Mrs. Lucinda Parlier of Parlier, Mrs. Nellie Clark of Madera; Mrs. Lillian Jones and Celia L. Jones of Fresno. She was the sister of Mrs. Hattie Kinsey of Seattle (next is unreadable): Mrs. Maggie Cowsert, of Lone Pine; and Will Taylor of Riverdale.

Funeral services will be conducted in the Chapel of Stephens & Bean tomorrow, commencing at 1:30 o’clock.
Rev. C.S. Reynolds will officiate. Burial will be in Mountain View Cemetery.

More about Celia Lavina Elrod:

Burial; August 15 1939. Laurel Hill. Lot A. Grave 75 Mountain View Cemetery (Belmont Ave) Fresno, Co., California

Update: 4/22/16 Image of actual Fresno Bee Obituary for August 14 1939 now in Sources; contains a photograph of Celia.

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[Redaction, formatting, narrative content and text emphasis of the following, mine] Joachim Hawn, profile co-manager

Celia Lavina (Elrod) Hawn

• Born: February 7, 1856 Orleans, Orange County, Indiana
• Died: August 12, 1939 City of Fresno, Fresno County, California
• Daughter of: Elizabeth Mary Elrod (McPherson) and George Washington Elrod
• Sister to: Amelda Jennie Rice.(Elrod), Robert R. Elrod, Mary P. Elrod, Harriet Elizabeth Kinsey (Elrod), and Emma Caroline Elrod
• Half sister to:Margaret 'Magie' Cowsert (Taylor), Thomas Jefferson Taylor Jr., William 'Will' D. Taylor

Wife of: Charles Henry Hawn

Mother of:

• Lucinda Parlier (Hawn)
• Nellie Clark (Hawn)
• Charles Washington Hawn
• John Allen Hawn
• George Henry Hawn
• Lillian Jones (Hawn)
• Celia Lavina Jones (Hawn)

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For content source: See: http://macomberkin.com/tng/getperson.php?personID=I170118&tree=

Note variation for spelling of given name. Cilia vs. Celia This is a fairly common error.

• Family group sheet for George W. Elrod and Mary Elizabeth McPherson at: http://macomberkin.com/tng/familygroup.php?familyID=F104150&tree=ma...

Note: Incorrect information per to place of birth - lists Indiana, not North Carolina. No parental / ancestry information on group sheet for Mary Elizabeth Elrod (born McPherson).

• Find A Grave Memorial at: http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GSln=Hawn&GSiman=1...

Group sheet details:

Father | Male

• George Washington Elrod
• Born 1829 Orange, Indiana, United States
• Died 1863 Texas, United States
• Buried
• Married 1850 Orange County, Indiana
• Father Robert Elrod, Junior | F25777 Group Sheet
• Mother Perline Head | F25777 Group Sheet

Mother | Female

• Mary Elizabeth McPherson
• Born 9 Sep 1832 Indiana, United States
• Died 1906 Riverdale, Fresno, California, United States
• Buried Easton, North Fresno, Washington Colony Cemetery - see her profile for details
• Other Spouse Thomas Jefferson Taylor | F3195
• Married 1864 Gilroy, Santa Clara, California, United States
• Father
• Mother

Child 1 | Female

• Mary P. Elrod
• Born Abt 1851 Indiana, United States
• Died Yes, date unknown
• Buried

Child 2 | Male

• Robert R. Elrod
• Born Abt 1852 Indiana, United States
• Died Yes, date unknown
• Buried

Child 3 | Female

• Armilda Elrod
• Born Abt 1853 Indiana, United States
• Died Yes, date unknown
• Buried

Child 4 | Female

• Cilia Elrod
• Born Abt 1855 Indiana, United States
• Died Yes, date unknown
• Buried

Child 5 | Female

• Harriet E. Elrod
• Born Abt 1858 Texas, United States
• Died Yes, date unknown
• Buried

Child 6 | Female

• Infant Elrod
• Born Abt Mar 1860 Orangeville, Fannin, Texas, United States
• Died Yes, date unknown
• Buried

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Content Source:

Following details taken from above link site. http://macomberkin.com/tng/getperson.php?personID=I170118&tree=

• Cilia Elrod
• Female Abt 1855 - Yes, date unknown

Individual | Ancestors | Descendants | Relationship | Timeline | Suggest Personal Information | Sources | Event Map | l | PDF

• Name: Cilia Elrod
• Born: Abt 1855 Indiana, United States
• Gender: Female
• Residence: 1 Jun 1860, Orangeville, Fannin, Texas,
• This location [2]: Farmhouse

G.W. Elrod was 32 and E. was 24. Their children were:

• Mary P., age 9
• Robt. R., 8
• Armilda J., 7
• Sylvina, 6
• Harriet E., 2
• Infant, 3 months

Census page 14, Orangeville, Texas

• Name Sylvina Elrod
• Died Yes, date unknown
• Person ID I170118 MacomberKin | American Douthits, American Elrod family

Last Modified 3 Feb 2015

• Father: George Washington Elrod, b. 1829, Orange, Indiana, d. 1863, Texas, (Age 34 years)
• Mother: Mary Elizabeth McPherson, b. 9 Sep 1832, Indiana, United States, d. 1906, Riverdale, Fresno, California, United States (Age 73 years)
• Family ID F104150 Group Sheet

Page 14 1860 Census at: http://macomberkin.com/tng/showmedia.php?mediaID=1412&medialinkID=3...

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Personal Narrative

I never met my grandmother, Celia. She had died many years before my birth. There are but two precious and treasured sources from which my ‘memory’ of my grandmother is drawn and recollected here. It is my deep hope, that a fellow Hawn or Elrod family researcher with additional information may read this, and graciously elect to share that with me.

With respect to my father’s advanced age at the time of my birth, he was not able to share his memories of his parents with me directly, as he died when I was eighteen months old. My mother as well had no direct memories of my dad’s parent’s as both had died prior to her marriage with my dad.
Of his siblings, a brother Charles Washington “Charlie” Hawn, had died in 1937 much prior to my birth. Sisters Lillian (Hawn) Jones, and Nellie (Hawn) Clark were both killed in Madera, CA. 1953 when the car they were in was crushed by an oncoming freight train that impacted the car while it was attempting to clear the ‘crossing’ boundary. A third woman in the car was also killed. See sources for John Allen Hawn, Sr. for a copy of the newspaper article. A third sister,Lucinda (Hawn) Parlier who died in 1972, I had never met. Another brother, George Henry Hawn died in 1963. Remaining then, was my father’s youngest sibling, a sister, also named ‘Celia’ . It is from her that the first and perhaps most formative of my ‘memories’ of my grandparent’s were preserved and transmitted. I do not recall the year Aunt Celia died, although do have recollection of my mother so informing of her passing, but it must have been before my eighth or ninth birthday. And her married surname is not one I have found record for, but have for some reason always remembered to be: “Reed/Read” . (Correction: married surname = Jones. Jlphawn 4/22/16

As a very young child, my first memories of ‘Aunt Celia’ began around age five ‘ish’. In fact, I do recall it being she who very intentionally focused one visit’s content upon the apparent visual state of unacceptability I presented as I ran to greet her. On that day, I would not be released of her presence, until confidently able to demonstrate I could tie my shoe laces properly! Rather than the reciprocal embrace I anticipated, came an embarrassing scolding of particular and singular kind. She could not abide having me, as she put it:

“….looking like some kind of Ferrell child – not so long as your last name is ‘Hawn’! For gracious sake!!”

My memories of her are few, but she made quite the impression! As the sole remaining sibling of my father to have contact with my mother and me, Celia was expressively determined not to allow me to be vacant of what she considered to be some ‘key’ artifacts about her parents.

There are ‘two’ fundamental memories that Celia shared with me more than once, and for that reason, I have always considered them to have been important to her, and therefore, important to me. Other details, though less prominent in memory were that my grandparents were pioneers. They had crossed the Great Plains, becoming prominent among early families in the central California valley. My grandfather had several articles written about him that I would always be able to refer to, but Grandma Celia was a typical pioneer wife – the home and rearing of the children was her responsibility. Not many articles were written about the countless pioneer women who made the man’s home livable, and cared for his children accordingly.

Fortunately for me, I had a conscientious Aunt Celia, who would not permit the memory of her mother to likewise be forgotten.

My first ‘memory’ regards a component of ancestry that Celia described as coming to ‘us’ Hawn’s by way of our Elrod family association. That matter, one I always took for granted given Celia’s firmness of attitude on the subject, was that the Elrod’s were an important early American family, one even with ties to the American Revolution. These Elrod’s also had specific ‘Cherokee’ ancestry from who Grandmother Celia was a direct descendant. I assume now she was referring to the line of descent: (George Washington Elrod, Robert Elrod Jr., Robert Elrod Sr., Christopher Elrod Sr., Johannes Dietrich-Deter Elrod/Ellroth/Elrodt).

Aunt Celia was likewise adamant, that when I grew up I absolutely needed to verify that lineage because it was proximate enough for me to have been enrolled with the Nation according to their ‘blood’ quantitative standard.

“Son, did you know, we Hawn’s have Cherokee blood through my mother and her kin? This is something we’re very proud of! You need to remember this, and someday take it up on your own so to prove it and get yourself on the rolls. I never did it, and regret not doing so when I was a girl. But you can, and should!”

And indeed, as an adult, I did research this issue, but without success. It is widely known, that many early American families have ‘family myths’ of Cherokee origin or affiliation. There are many likely reasons for this and I’ll not take the time here to delve into that here, except to say, to date, it is my suspicion that among my Elrod ancestors who I can trace back to North Carolina (Home seat of the Eastern Cherokee Nation) there also existed a ‘family’ myth of Cherokee inter-marriage at some early point, especially as a family with pioneer association in the Carolina territories, and by extension throughout the South East region of the U.S. I have read the query of a few other Elrod family researchers seeking the same content – but I have yet to either verify, or even find reasonable circumstantial evidence upon which to base a suspicion, that there was indeed a formative Cherokee presence in the Elrod lineage that I descend from. A DNA study will resolve once and for all the matter of any proximate relationship with a Native American genetic contributor – which I have planned to take in the spring of 2016. But even that will only qualify Native American affiliation, not Tribal or Nation specificity direct enough to verify ‘Cherokee’ descent. So, while a treasured memory that played a part in my adult becoming, alas, it is not one I can claim conscientiously.

The second ‘memory’ of my Grandmother Celia however, comes from the experiences my Aunt Celia herself had, recounting her mother, and therefore as far as I am concerned, remains intact and valid:

“I can still remember like it was yesterday, her sitting on the front porch with her baby brother Will, and the two of them singing this beautiful melody they had learned as children. It was just so enchanting for us kids to sit there and listen to them sing in harmony so lovely…”

My recollection was that Aunt Celia no longer remembered the words of their melody, but she did hum it for me at least on one occasion. Admittedly, I do not recall that melody. But, for me, the mental image of my grandmother sitting with her younger brother, with assembled kids listening, spontaneously singing a beloved family tune, has for some reason always remained very vivid and important image to claim as an ‘indirect’ memory of my grandmother, even though at the time, I had not seen a picture of the woman from which to derive a factual ‘image’ .

For that, I would have to wait until shortly after my mother’s death in 1978 when the daughter of my uncle “Charlie” Hawn reached out and contacted me through my then Guardian. She had read my mother’s death notice in the local paper, and even attended her funeral, and clearly had seen me there, but chose not to approach out of respect for the occasion. Her name was Geneva Hinkle (Hawn).
And from her came the actual ‘image’ of my grandmother from a single portrait photograph, circa 1920/30’s that Geneva showed me.

Now, granted who among us, hasn’t nostalgically re-envisioned a recollection about the ‘beauty’ of an ancestor as an important feature of our memory, accurate or not so much? Especially, for an important ancestor, one perhaps we never met, but knew of by way of transmitted memories and recollections, and nonetheless experienced a personal investment with and connection to, like a Grandparent. But I have to say, as objectively as personally possible:

"What a stunner!"

The photograph as I recall it was of a woman in her later years, her cropped white hair curving deftly about her temples, discreetly reflecting the era, with an imposing and almost ‘regal’ posture and facial expression. A beautiful locket of either Jade or other polished green gem prominently hung from her neck. I still recall blurting-out with the unrestrained enthusiasm of a teenager:

“Holy crap! That’s my grandma Celia? She’s absolutely beautiful!”

Geneva laughed and explained that her daughter then had inherited the locket in the picture. If somehow possible, she promised to try to excise the photo from its’ in-framed home and make a photo-copy to send me. (Yes, those were the years before our current technology of point, click, download, perfect!) However, sadly, that never did take place, and I departed California not long after with my new family as they returned to their native Canada.

Although I personally have no physical image of the woman, I will always remember the thrill and surprise and inexplicable if astonished, ancestral pride that suddenly swelled within me, as I viewed that picture of Celia Lavina (Elrod) Hawn, for the first time. That earlier ‘woman’ who with her brother on that porch sang a beloved melody, as recollected by my Aunt Celia, became as though alive to me and took upon herself the presence of person … because of Geneva’s gift that day. Thank you, Geneva!

There are many pictures of individual ancestors I today possess as result of stalking the halls of historical records, or that a relative thoughtfully bequeathed me in my pursuit of ancestral knowledge, that from time to time I will glance upon and reflect warmly, even proudly. But that portrait of my grandmother Celia has remained to this day, the one I would absolutely cherish and treasure recovery of. Regardless, it is my ‘memory’ of her.

Joachim Hawn, January 4, 2016

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Web California Find A Grave Index/Memorial: http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GRid=22499687&ref=...

Bio follows

• Birth: 1856 Orange County, Indiana, USA
• Death: 1939 California, USA

Daughter of George Washington Elrod and Harriet Mary Elizabeth Elrod/Taylor

Wife of Charles Henry Hawn

• Mother of
• Lucinda Parlier
• Nellie Clark
• Charles Washington Hawn
• John Allen 'Happy Jack' Hawn
• George Henry Hawn and 2 others

Sister of

• Ameida J. Elrod;
• Robert R. Elrod;
• Mary P. Elrod;
• Harriet Elizabeth Kinsey;
• Emma Caroline Elrod and 3 others

Family links:

Spouse:

• Charles H Hawn (1841 - 1932)
• Calculated relationship

Burial:

Mountain View Cemetery, Fresno, Fresno County, California, USA

Created by: Lester Letson

Record added: Oct 27, 2007

Find A Grave Memorial# 22499687

Does memorial provide photograph of grave site? Yes