Noah was the second child of William and Sarah Frank, Barbara’s little brother.
The Civil War had been underway a few months when he enlisted in the 3rd Illinois Cavalry, Company G and was sent first to Camp Butler, where he got measles, but improved. (On our trip to Boston this summer, we saw the sign for Camp Butler near Springfield, IL and stopped. It is a cemetery now).
He was then sent to Camp Benton in MO, where he thought he was getting better, but died in January 1862 at the age of 18. It might have been pneumonia as a complication of the measles as that was common. He had been in the army for less than five months.
Here are some comments from the Civil War Muse about Camp Benton:
“The presence of so many troops in one great encampment, the crowded condition of the barracks, inexperience of the soldiers, inclemency of the winter months and the inability of the department to do all that was required occasioned a large amount of sickness,…many measles patients were afterwards attacked with pneumonia and died.”
Either Noah, Isaac, Edward or Columbus Frank, though it is most likely Columbus
We have three letters from Noah and also a hammer he made. Here are some excerpts:
Camp Butler
Sept. the 20, 1861
Dear Brother,
I received _ letters today and was glad to hear that you was all well. I have not been sick an hour since I left home. the boys are in high spirits this evening. We have drawed our full uniform today and we will get the saddles this week.
Dear sister i received your letter the other day and was glad to hear that you was well I am perfectly well and out of danger from the measles I would have written sooner but Mr. Thomas was coming home and I thought he could tell you better about the times than I could in a letter…tell Isaac and Ed to write to me for it does me good to get a letter from them if it is only a dozen words and tell Martha to put in a few words to when you are writing and tell bub and Sarah I would like to see them write soon from Noah to Barbara Frank.
Bub was Noah’s little brother, Columbus, aged five.
An entry from Minnie Lee’s journal about her uncle, Noah
I believe this is a picture of Darwin M. Schenck. There were only a few letters readable on the back of the picture, and they matched up with him from Noah’s Company G. They may have been friends and exchanged pictures.
William (1819-1912) and Sarah Winkler Frank (1822-1900) were Barbara Lucas’ parents. They were born in Davidson Co., North Carolina and moved to Timewell IL (previously called Mound Station), and had nine children.
This newspaper article was written in the 1960s and mentions William Frank.
Willam Frank (in the bottom picture he has a cane like the article mentions)Barbara Lucas, Minnie and Mabel Lee, Sarah Winkler Frank
Newton Lucas driving his new auto with Ruth and Barbara in the back seat
The postcard sent by Barbara’s sister Sarah Frank to her when she heard about the car.
Newton Lucas must have been an adventurous person, with his trip to the Rocky Mountains in his twenties, and buying a car at age 71 in 1909! Henry Ford introduced the Model T in 1908.
Here is a timeline of his life: 1860 Trip to the Rocky Mountains
Dec. 25, 1860 While cutting firewood, a tree fell on him, crushing his hip and making him a cripple for life*
1866: Went with his brother William to Texas, bought 600 head of cattle and drove them back to Illinois. They crossed the Red River on April 22, and reached Quincy on Sept. 20, 1866. Apparently it was not a financial success.*
1872-1876 in the hay and grain business with his brother William, also operated a sawmill during these years.*
1882-1883 Operated a steam thresher in Mt Sterling*
1883 Bought his farm of 220 acres in Pear Ridge Township, Ill.*
1892 Was a delegated to the Republican State Convention. He had cast his first vote for Abraham Lincoln in 1860*
Barbara was born in Davidson County, North Carolina to William and Sarah Winkler Frank. She was the oldest of eight children.
She married Newton Lucas in 1865 when she was 23, and they had three children, Minnie, Ruth and Willie.
Ruth, Newton, Willie, Barbara, Minnie
We have three letters from Barbara to Minnie, one written August 29, 1861. Her letters are chatty, and in this letter she talks of hair pins and dress fabric she has seen, also the state of Willie’s buggy which has gotten muddy. She writes:
Ruth sent you a letter today. I told her it would have been very good if she had left somethings out – I want you to be sure and Burn it – she had no business to say anything about P____ she don’t like Elmer very well and is a lttle jealous of Lizzie because Willie takes her more than he does Ruth”
I wonder what Ruth had spilled in her letter that left Barbara so concerned? I guess we will never know! Lizzie is Willie’s future wife. Barbara also asks about Minnie’s two children, Mamie, age one, (not our Mamie) and Claude, age three:
Ma would like to know if Mamie ever gets spanked, hope she don’t…I do want to see them so bad.”
Ma is Sarah Winkler Frank. Sometimes Barbara looks stern in her photos, but I don’t think that was her nature at all. She seems warm and caring.
Newton and Barbara on their wedding day, August 29, 1865
Father of Newton Lucas. He was born in Butler Ohio, and grew up on the farm there. He moved to Crawfordsville, Indiana in 1833 where he earned his medical degree. In 1836 he moved to Mt. Sterling, Illinois where he taught school and practiced medicine. He also had a lumber and mercantile business, and later bought his farm 1 1/2 miles south of Mt. Sterling, along with other land in the area. He had over 1000 acres and an estate worth about $30,000 at the time of his death.* He was married to Sarah Ann Keith, 1817-1890, and they had 12 children. Sarah was born in Hardin County, KY and died in Brown County, IL.
They named many of their children after famous people: George Washington, Henry Clay, John Hardin, Ethan Allen, and Daniel Webster Lucas. The ones with “non-famous” names are Newton, William, Martha Ann, Mary Elizabeth, Helen, James Edward and Rosa Roat (adopted child). Newton may have been closest to Ethan Allen – they had neighboring farms and Ethan was the executor of Newton’s will. The only other sibling we have a photograph of is Mary Elizabeth (1843-1940).
He went to the Rocky Mountains in an oxcart from Timewell in 1860 (he would have been 22) to prospect for gold and maybe find work.
Five of his letters from that journey have survived. Here is an excerpt from one telling about coming down from the mountain:
I was in the lead. I had not went far before one of my feet went through which upset me and down I come but I soon regained my position I was in a hurry to get all right before the boys were up so they would not get to laugh at me. I moved on a little more cautious than before but still in a smart trot so as not to let on wishing to see some of the rest get in the same position but I had not gone far before I heard a noise behind me looking around I seen Charley Pettigrew was laying on the snow and his pack scattered all around him he soon got up all right and come. we came to a place in the snow where thare been several went under we got over and sit down to see the maneuvers of the rest presently Enos M come along in a run when all of a suden one foot went down and he fell and his pack went over his head and he turned a somerset over it then if you had have been close you might have heard me laugh but the fun wasn’t all over yet we told him to come away & let the next try his luck presently. Dan Come along in he went he was loaded with shovels, pans and the cooking vesels & these come over his head in a very unceremonious manner ratling terribly his weight being considerable he went in the snow considerable this caused a laugh that was a laugh .
Duke City Roots 