Among other things, I collect unusual names --- and Truthful Wing certainly was gifted by her parents with one of those. The juxtaposition of names gets even better during 1889 when, as a newly licensed teacher, Truthful found her first job at the school on Jackson Township's Chinquapin Ridge.
The Chariton Herald of July 4, 1889, in reporting the end of the summer term at Chinquapin, noted that "Miss Truthful Wing is a very estimable young lady and we recommend her highly and hope she will do as well in all her schools as she has in this her first school." The Chinquapin Ridge reporter, identified only as Bessie, also reported that "Miss Dicie Hines will teach the fall school, a term of six weeks." Perhaps Truthful had found a school closer to home (or one that paid better).
How did Chinquapin Ridge get its name? Most likely because early settlers found a variety of white oak growing there that more often than not is spelled "chinkapin" although it derives from "chinquapin," a variety of chestnut not found in Iowa that it resembles in some ways.
I came across Truthful some years ago in a memoir of early days at May School, northeast of Derby, written by her sister Delia. You'll find that memoir here, along with information about the Wing family in general. Truthful was among at least eight children born to Casper and Frances Wing, two of whom died young and are buried at Goshen. Among her brothers was Doctor Seneca Wing, known as "Doc." So Truthful wasn't the only sibling blessed with an unusual given name.
I got to wondering yesterday evening about what had become of Truthful --- and since there was only one of her in the whole wide world that information wasn't hard to track down.
As it turns out, she taught in the rural schools of southern Iowa for 14 years, then moved with her family soon after the turn of the 20th century to Kansas where she continued to teach until 1907.
During that year, she married the widowed Isaac C. Malsbury, some 20 years her senior, and became surrogate parent and grandparent to his children and grandchildren.
Isaac died during 1922 and Truthful continued to live in their home in Humboldt, Kansas, until her death just short of age 65 on Aug. 12, 1936. She's buried in the Leanna Cemetery, Neosho County, with a tombstone that records her given name before identifying her as I.C. Malsbury's wife, a nice touch I thought.
I also came across this image of the Casper and Frances Wing family. That's Truthful, second from left in the back row.
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