The first shipments of ration booklets were arriving in Lucas County, local arrangements were under way for the third national draft lottery on the 17th and children in Chariton and elsewhere were being organized to plant victory gardens in the spring --- all on the home front during March of 1942, 80 years ago, as World War II expanded globally.
But there were light-hearted news stories, too, in the Chariton newspapers published that month, including the following brief report concerning Russell native Edwin L. Goltry on the front page of The Herald-Patriot of March 19, headlined "Knittin' for Britain."
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Edwin L. Goltry, 83, former resident of this county, is doing his bit by "Knittin' for Britain." Early this winter he had completed his 34th sweater.
Goltry now makes his home with his daughter, Mrs. Al Mullen, near Bedford. He was born near Russell in 1858. He says he was taught to knit by his mother while his father was serving in the Civil War.
During the first World War he secured yarn from the Red Cross which he made into socks and sweaters for the soldiers. Now he is making them for the soldiers in World War II. He says he likes the yarn he gets now from the Red Cross much better than that of 25 years ago.
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Edwin actually hadn't lived in Lucas County since 1879, when he relocated to far southwest Iowa and took root in Montgomery County, but still had many relatives here. And he had three more years to knit before death on Dec. 24, 1945, age 87, at the home of his daughter, Clara, at Bedford.
Here's the obituary that appears on his Find a Grave memorial page (he's buried in Montgomery County). It does a good job of putting his life in context, but I couldn't track it to its source. It does not appear to have been published in either Lucas or Montgomery County and Bedford newspapers are not accessible online:
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Edwin Lewis Goltry, son of Aaron and Sarah Landon Goltry was born April 19, 1858 in Lucas County, near Russell, Iowa. He died at Bedford on December 24, 1945 at the age of 87 years, 8 months and 5 days.
His father died while serving as a soldier in the Civil War and the mother was left to rear her family of four children in a small log cabin located on forty acres of brush land. They endured the hardships of extreme poverty and pioneer conditions which thrust upon him early in life the heavy responsibilities of helping support the family.
In a crude log schoolhouse near his home he secured the rudiments of his education but most of his knowledge was obtained through his own efforts. For a time in young manhood he taught school and throughout his life he kept abreast of the times through continuous reading and study.
He came to western Iowa in 1879 and in 1885 was united in marriage with Emma Adair Huff. They established their first home on a farm in Pottawattamie County, later purchasing for their permanent home a tract of virgin prairie land in Montgomery County. Through their efforts this was transformed into a home with a setting of beautiful trees and flowers.
He was interested in community advancement and was instrumental in helping to organize the Elliott Mutual Telephone System.
During the Civil War his mother taught him to knit and during the two world wars he was one of the most industrious of Red Cross knitters.
Mr. Goltry is survived by one son, Ray (Lewis Raymond) of Red Oak, three daughters, Grace Bowdish of St. Louis, Missouri, Clara Mullen of Bedford and Laura Kemling of Grant, Nebr., 25 grandchildren and 24 great grandchildren; one brother, William L. Goltry of Boone, Iowa.
His wife preceded him in death in 1922 and the oldest daughter, Maude Chickering, in 1929. One granddaughter died in infancy and three grandsons recently, one of whom gave his life for his country. Mr. Goltry was member of the Elliott Methodist Church.
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And here's some information about Edwin's father, Aaron, taken from my own compilation of Lucas County Civil War fatality information:
GOLTRY, AARON H., age 33 at enlistment, of Cedar Township, Lucas County; Private, Co. G, 34th Iowa Volunteer Infantry; enlisted 12 August 1862; mustered 15 October 1862 at Burlington; died of malaria on 10 April (or 30 April) 1863 at the Marine Hospital, Chicago; buried Rosehill Cemetery, Chicago; cenotaph located in the Russell Cemetery, Lucas County.
Aaron, son of William and Alcemena (Heddon) Goltry, was born 14 February 1829 in Steuben County, New York, where he married on 10 September 1854 Sarah Landon. They arrived in Cedar Township, Lucas County, during December of 1854 and all of their children were born there: Anna Jeanette, 11 June 1855; Edwin Lewis, 19 April 1858; Emma Elizabeth, 6 May 1860; and Aaron William, on 22 February 1863, four months after his father's deployment.
Co. G was deployed along the lower Mississippi River until January-February, 1863, when it was assigned to escort prisoners of war to Chicago. Aaron apparently became critically ill with malaria while in Chicago and was taken to Marine Hospital, where he died during April. Military records give the date of death as 10 April; records related to his burial at Rosehill Cemetery give the date as 30 April.
On 7 December 1867, Sarah married as her second husband, David S. Force whose death on 19 January 1880 left her a widow for a second time. Her pension in Aaron's name was restored during the late 19th century and daughter Anna "Nettie" Goltry, disabled since her early teens, also was granted a "helpless child" pension during those years. Sarah died 6 August 1908 and was buried in the Russell Cemetery where a cenotaph commemorating Aaron also is located. This stone may have been moved to Russell from the Lagrange Cemetery.
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