Claudia Overington Newman Gammon, 1925-2014

As I said in my last post, my grandmother Claudia passed away on February 8. I wanted to write a bit about her life, so here's my attempt.

My grandmother as a baby (1925)

She was born Claudia Overington Newman on June 2, 1925 in New York. Her parents were Claudia "Poppy" Overington and Glenn T. Newman.

My grandmother with her mother, on the porch at Oaklands. (1925 or 1926)

The story is that Poppy was attending Hood College, and a friend wanted to go on a date but couldn't go alone. So Poppy went with her friend, and her friend's date brought Glenn, who was at Annapolis, where I believe he was at the military academy. But Poppy missed the train back to school and didn't get back until well after curfew and so she was expelled. Facing disgrace, her family encouraged her to marry Glenn and so they were married on June 14, 1924.

By the time my grandmother was four or five years old, Glenn and Poppy had divorced. Poppy and my grandmother moved in with Poppy's parents at the Overington house, Oaklands, in Frankford, Philadelphia. Poppy worked as a stenographer at a railroad office and her parents took care of my grandmother during the day. She told me once that when she'd been learning to talk she'd started calling her grandfather Grinnie, and the name stuck. And her grandmother at some point or other became Minnie. She seemed to have happy memories of her childhood at Oaklands.

Claudia at the beach in Atlantic City with her grandparents (1929)

Jumping rope in the driveway at Oaklands

August, 1931

When she was eight years old, her mother married Edgar Jones, known as Casey. They continued to live at Oaklands for some time. By 1940 Poppy was working as a secretary for security brokers and Casey was a salesman for a manufacturing company. My grandmother grew up in a mansion with servants. She attended services in a church her ancestors had helped to found. Her grandparents regularly took her to the beach at Atlantic City, New Jersey. Her childhood was one of decaying privilege, as the family fortune was nearing exhaustion by the time she was born. Her grandfather had failed to pay his taxes and the city arranged that he could keep his property as long as he was alive, but once he passed away they would take the house. He lived until 1950, and by the time the house was torn down in 1953 it was in such an advanced state of disrepair that I have to assume that its condition and subsequent condemnation was due to the family's inability to keep it up, or perhaps they did not care to since they knew they wouldn't be staying.

My grandmother in her graduation dress (1942)

At any rate, my grandmother graduated from Frankford High School in 1942 and went away to Albion College in Michigan to study biology. While she was there, a bunch of new Army recruits were there for a ten week training program. There she met one from Los Angeles - my grandfather, Howard Gammon.

My grandparents outside the house where my grandfather was stationed at Albion College (1943)

In 2011 my father and I interviewed my grandmother about a few things using my cellphone as a recorder. She'd already had her stroke and had difficulty focusing but she was delighted to talk about how her parents met, and how she and my grandfather had met and gotten married. She got roped into a blind double date much like her mother had. "I was horrified," she said. "I had to go out and go, of all things, on a scavenger hunt and things like this with an absolutely blind date - somebody in the army that I didn't know from Adam!"

I'm not sure of the exact story but at some point or other they got engaged, I believe before my grandfather got shipped off to a military base in California. My grandmother went with her grandmother to a department store to buy her wedding dress, which was made of cotton. They got the dress pressed at a Chinese laundry. My grandmother had wanted a petticoat to wear under the dress but couldn't find one so she called up her college roommate, who was in Chicago. Apparently rationing wasn't as strict there so my grandmother took the train out there to visit and picked up a petticoat.

June 3, 1944 in Roswell, NM

I know my grandmother took a train out to Roswell, New Mexico, where she met up with my grandfather and his mother and they got married. I think my grandfather got shipped out to Hawaii after the wedding and then came back to her. They lived in a lot of places throughout their marriage until 1958. They had a daughter, Mary, in 1947, then another, Jeanne, in 1948. I learned on the day she died that she'd had two miscarriages after that. She had named one of those babies Ruth. My father Jim was born in 1953, the youngest of the family.

My grandparents and their three children in the middle, with my grandfather's parents on either side (early 1950s)

They lived for some time in Chardon, Ohio and later on Runyon Avenue in Piscataway, New Jersey. In 1960 my grandfather opened his own business, Gammon Technical Products, which was based out of Newark, NJ originally, then in Brielle and finally in Manasquan, NJ. They raised their three children. My aunts eventually moved to Chicago, where they lived until recently, when they moved back to NJ. My father stayed in New Jersey, where he met my mother. My grandparents went with them when they eloped in Bel Air, Maryland.

1959

At my parents' wedding (1974)

The period of my grandmother's life I was around to witness is actually the time I know the least about. She and I never had much of a relationship. So I will leave you with her obituary, as published by the Asbury Park Press:

Claudia Overington Newman Gammon, 88, passed away peacefully at home Saturday, February 8. She was raised in Philadelphia and attended Albion College. she married Howard M. Gammon in 1944. Howard went on to fly in WW2 and they lived in several places before settling in New Jersey in 1958. 

Claudia was an active member of St. Mary's by the Sea Episcopal Church and volunteered for many civic organizations over her life including past president of the Manasquan Woman's Club and the Manasquan Thrift Store for the VNA. She loved to read and travel. 

Claudia is survived by her husband of almost 70 years, Howard M. Gammon; 3 children, Mary and Jeanne Gammon of Spring Lake, their foster daughter, Lovi of Elgin, IL, and Jim Gammon and his wife Wanda, and her 2 grandchildren, Jimmy and Sandi, all of Wall Township. 

Visitation will be held from 3 to 6 p.m. Wednesday, Feb. 12 at O'Brien Funeral Home, Route 35, Wall Township. Funeral Service will be held at 2 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 13 at St. Mary's by the Sea Episcopal Church in Point Pleasant Beach. In lieu of flowers, contributions may be made to the St Mary's by the Sea "Table Fund". http://www.saintmarysbythesea.org/. For more information or to send condolences, please visit www.obrienfuneralhome.com.

Fearless Females, March 4: The Gammon-McKee Wedding

Yesterday I posted about Carrie Bernice McKee, the great-grandmother after whom I was named. Today I'm going to write about her wedding. She married my great-grandfather James Mathias Gammon on November 6, 1921.

On their wedding day, on the porch:

Their wedding was at her father's house, 1815 Westmoreland Boulevard, in Los Angeles, California. It was a gorgeous, huge Craftsman that still stands.

Fearless Females, March 3: Carrie McKee

Today's prompt:

Do you share a first name with one of your female ancestors? Perhaps you were named for your great-grandmother, or your name follows a particular naming pattern. If not, then list the most unique or unusual female first name you’ve come across in your family tree.

I do actually share a name with an ancestor, but it isn't my first name. My father's father's mother was Carrie Bernice McKee. She was born in Wayne City, Illinois on June 24, 1887, after four older brothers. Her father Albert Finley McKee Senior was from Chagrin Falls, Ohio and her mother Sarah Helen Smart was from Newmarket, New Hampshire. The family moved around a lot but eventually Carrie moved to Los Angeles, where she met and married my great-grandfather James Mathias Gammon on November 9, 1921 at her father's house. They were both 34 years old. They had two sons: my grandfather Howard and my great-uncle Newton (who died in 2005).

Carrie and James died in the early 1970s, over a decade before my older brother was born. My mother never even met her, but my parents decided to name both my brother and I after her because she was such an intelligent and powerful woman in the Gammon family. My brother's middle name is McKee and mine is Carrie.

In about a month I will be going down to Maryland to meet the descendants of one of Carrie's brothers. She was the last of the McKee siblings to pass away (she outlived them all by at least 29 years) and when she did, my branch of the family lost touch with the others. It has been a particular joy of my research to rediscover these relatives. I was always very interested in Carrie because I was named after her, and she's always meant a lot to me.

For more photos of Carrie, check out her tag (CBM) on my Flickr photostream.

As a bonus, here are some of the extra-special female names in my family tree: Aralinda, Armilda/Artmilda, Auleen, Calantha, Coloma, Docia, Elender, Erman, Fairy, Firm, Junale, Marilda, Philonise, Philura, Treulie, Wilmartha, Zelina, Zilpha, and Zoa.

Do you have any of these names in your family tree? Have you even heard of them before? I've excluded any that are more modern than my grandparents.

AncestryDNA Reference Post

I've decided that it would be beneficial and convenient for me and my family to have a page where all our AncestryDNA results are listed together, for reference. I also decided that I will make it public because this information is more or less public on Ancestry.com already, and perhaps it will be informative to my readers if you are interested in the AncestryDNA test and what the results look like. I've included the modern-day locations of each of these ethnicities, as provided by Ancestry. Results also come with a bunch of information about each of these regions, including details on migrations into and out of the region to help you understand how your ancestors might have ended up where you are.

Some people may wonder what will happen if they get the test and do it wrong. Well, it turns out that I can answer that question. If the sample received in the lab doesn't contain enough genetic material, they will send you an email with a link to order a replacement kit free of charge. We've had this happen with one of our samples, and Ancestry was very good about it. We are currently awaiting the replacement kit.

I will continue to update this page as more results come in. If you are one of the people I have ordered a test for and want to know its status, these are listed at the bottom of this post, below the results. I will update it as soon as something changes.

If you are one of my friends and I manage a family tree for you on Ancestry.com and you are interested in this DNA test, please let me know. The test costs $129 when ordered by a subscriber (like me) and $199 when ordered by a non-subscriber so the advantage is obvious. The downside is that the results will be linked to my account and not yours, but I will definitely keep on top of the information and keep you updated if you choose to do the test.

Photos of Couples, 1852-1974

So this isn't a terribly substantial post, but it's something I've wanted to do for a long time. The semester is coming to an end and I find myself incredibly busy, so this is the relatively simple project that is getting tackled this month. I put together all the photos of couples in my family tree. Many are aunts and uncles or cousins, but several are my direct ancestors. They are arranged in chronological order.

Mary Elizabeth Redding & Russell Howard McKee

married on October 13, 1852

James Wilkinson Gammon & Armilda Eliza Myers

married on November 19, 1852 in Monroe, IA

Isaac Newton Morrison & Lydia Josephine Gammon

married in December 1879 in Centerville, IA

Anna Mary Seufer & Newton Franklin Gammon

married on February 14, 1880 in Decatur County, IA

Katharine Rebecca Wilson & John Overington

married on November 5, 1889 in Philadelphia, PA

William Overington, Jr. & Claudia Wetherill Fries

married on November 16, 1903 in Philadelphia, PA

 

Walter Smart McKee & Willie May Maxson

Albert Clate Gammon & Abigail Ruth Lester

married on January 1, 1907 in Ringgold County, IA

James Mathias Gammon & Carrie Bernice McKee

married on November 9, 1921 in Los Angeles, CA

Edgar Percival Jones and Claudia Overington

Howard McKee Gammon & Claudia Overington Newman

married on June 3, 1944 in Roswell, NM

Gisele & Walter Leonard McKee

  

Jack Leroy Upper & Claudia Overington Reid

married in 1950

Shirley Bubadias & Victor Carl Fetzer

married on August 2, 1953 in Neptune, NJ

Jim Gammon & Wanda Starnes

married on November 25, 1974 in Bel Air, MD (shown)

and on July 16, 1983 in Belmar, NJ

Who is Annie McMillan?

While surveying Ames Municipal Cemetery in Ames, Iowa, looking for Willis & Elsie Gammon, I came across this confusing headstone for Annie Witherell Gammon, wife of William McMillan, who lived from April 28, 1850 to August 26, 1901. 

I cannot figure out who this woman is! It doesn't help that I don't know which of her names might be her maiden name. She could have been born a Witherell and married a Gammon before William McMillan or maybe Witherell is her middle name and Gammon her maiden name. She could have even married both a Witherell and Gammon before McMillan (probably not, though, she was only 51 when she died). 

She must be related somehow - she's a Gammon! Witherell is also suspiciously close to Wetherill, a name I know very well from a completely different branch of the family. One of my 5x-great-grandmothers was Mary Wetherill (m. Earl). Now, she is in the records as "Mary," "Polly," and "Anne," but she died in 1853 so this cannot be her stone, even leaving the Gammon/McMillan confusion aside. 

One day, maybe I will figure her out. Until then, she will remain an enigma.

The Women Before

These are the women of my father's side of the family.

1st Left: 4x-great-grandmother Elizabeth Love (Yarnall) Burns
1st Center: 4x-great-grandmother Elizabeth Caroline Wetherill (Earl) Riddle
1st Right: 4x-great-grandmother Elizabeth (Harding) Overington
2nd Left: 3x-great grandmother Armilda Eliza (Myers) Gammon
2nd Center: 3x-great grandmother Jenny R. (Burns) Overington
2nd Right: 2x-great-grandmother Anna Mary (Seufer) Gammon Bird
3rd Left: 2x-great-grandmother Claudia Wetherill (Fries) Overington
3rd Center: 2x-great-grandmother Sarah Helen (Smart) McKee
3rd Right: Great-grandmother Claudia "Poppy" (Overington) Newman Jones
4th Left: Great-grandmother Carrie Bernice (McKee) Gammon
4th Center: Grandmother Claudia Overington (Newman) Gammon
4th Right: Me!

Missing, because I don't have any pictures of them, are:

3x: Christina (Leopold) Seufer, Sally (Swain) McKee, Sarah H. (Pearson) Smart, Malina R. (Hawkins) Newman, Mary Margaret (Durbin) Whitfill, and Mary Earl (Riddle) Fries

2x: Rebecca Jane (Whitfill) Newman

Four Generations of Girls

Ladies of the Family, a photo by nameless.ship on Flickr.

The baby there is my aunt Mary Margaret Gammon. Holding her is her father's mother Carrie (McKee) Gammon. Left to right the others are her mother's mother "Poppy" (Overington) Jones, her mother Claudia (Newman) Gammon, and her great-grandmother Claudia (Fries) Overington.

Going to Iowa

As I've mentioned a few times, the Gammon family moved to Iowa around 1850. After that, the family spent a couple of generations there. Some branches still live there to this day. Around the time that I started compiling a map of all the graveyards containing my ancestors, I developed an interest in traveling to Iowa myself and I am finally making the trip!

The Iowa map above consists of twenty graveyards in eleven counties, containing nearly a hundred of my relatives. That cluster to the south there is Decatur County. It may seem a little macabre to be planning a graveyard tour, but I can think of no better way to connect with the people who have come before me. My mother and I have always had an affection for cemeteries and I look forward to sharing the experience with her. It is amazing that she is willing to do this with me even though she is only related to these people by marriage. I am so lucky to have a family that supports my interests.

We plan to drive out there from our home in New Jersey early in July. If you have any tips on traveling in Iowa or going grave hunting, let me know!

Leroy H Gammon and Nellie M Cain

I got a message on Ancestry.com today from a man who asked me how I was related to his great-great-grandfather William Henry Cain, who is in my family tree. I honestly had no idea, so I looked it up. As it turns out, Williams's daughter Nellie Cain (pink)  married my great-great-grandfather's cousin Leroy Gammon (blue):

I couldn't give the man who contacted me any new information about his family because I only know about Leroy and Nellie through my research. However, I came across an interesting question.

Nellie, from what I can tell, lived in Illinois her whole life until the 1910 census when she is listed as Leroy's wife of six years in Eden, Iowa. Leroy lived in Eden his entire life. So, how did they meet? I went back to the 1900 census record I had saved to Leroy and discovered the answer.

That's the 1900 Census from Eden Township, Iowa. First is William E. Gammon and his wife Caroline as well as their son Leroy H - the Leroy in question. The next family is the one of interest. The household consists of Watson and Julia Cain as well as a great-nephew and great-niece. I recognized the Cain name and looked up Watson in the family tree of the man who contacted me. Watson, it turns out, is Nellie's grandfather, who lived next door to Leroy and his parents in 1900. He's in green in the tree above.

It's not often that we know how two people met, especially not if they are from different places. It is really amazing to find that connection for someone in my tree.

Eugene Arthur Gammon - WWII

Eugene Arthur Gammon, my third cousin twice removed, was born in Colorado Springs, Colorado on the third of June, 1915, to Eugene Gammon and Gertrude Evelyn (Dunning) Gammon.

I do not know when he joined the Navy, but I have no record of a draft card so it would seem that he enlisted. He was assigned to serve in the Southwest Pacific Theater on the USS Canopus (AS-9) as a warrant officer. The ship was a submarine tender. The Canopus was scuttled after the surrender of Bataan, and her crew were evacuated to Corregidor, where they served in the Marines 1st, 2nd, 3rd, and 4th battalions. Most of the crew were captured at the fall of Corregidor on May 6, 1942, including Eugene Arthur Gammon. He was taken as a POW by the Japanese military and apparently held captive for two years.

The Japanese used unmarked freight ships to transport their POWs in horrible conditions, earning them the name "hell ships." These ships were often attacked by American forces who were unaware that they carried American soldiers. One such ship was Arisan Maru, which was hit by three torpedoes from an American submarine, either the USS Shark or the USS Snook, on October 24, 1944. It was carrying almost 1800 prisoners from Manila to Japan, including Eugene. Only nine prisoners survived the sinking of the Arisan Maru. Eugene Arthur Gammon was lost when the ship sank in the South China Sea. His name is among the tablets of the missing at Manila American Cemetery in the Philippines.

He has two gravestones in America. One is in Fort Logan National Cemetery in Denver, Colorado. He is also  included on his parents' gravestone at Evergreen Cemetery in Colorado Springs. Here's a photo of the stone in Denver:

Eugene was awarded the Bronze Star, Purple Heart, and Prisoner of War medals, presumably posthumously. 

The Mystery of the Youngest Harris Gammon

Presumably named after his great-grandfather Harris Gammon who fought in the Revolutionary War, the youngest of the three Harrises in my tree revealed to me that his life had been something of a mystery. These days with census records online, Harris had never been missing from my family history.

However, something that was simply a little odd to me turned out to be very important to his family. I didn't think it was terribly strange when, on the census records, Harris went from Eden, Iowa in 1885 to Aspen, Colorado in 1900, and then back to Eden in 1910. People move, right? The Gammons did it all the time. Then I came across this news clipping:

Leon Reporter, Leon, Iowa
Thursday, January 23, 1902
HARRIS GAMMON arrived last week from Colorado to visit his brother WAYNE GAMMON and other relatives and friends. After an absence of fifteen years and not hearing from home for more than ten years, he finds many changes, but still many familiar faces. MR. GAMMON had long ago been given up as dead by his relatives and they are indeed glad to see his countenance once more, and in appearance he has changed but very little since leaving Leon.

Harris remained in Iowa with his family until his death in 1920, at which point he was interred in the family plot at Meek Cemetery.

The real mystery to me, however, is this: Why was he in Colorado for fifteen years? My guess is he went in for the last Colorado gold rush. If he did, it doesn't look like he came home rich. On the 1910 federal census he's living with his sisters Mary and Anne as well as a boarder. In the 1915 state census he's living alone, but by the federal census in 1920 he's listed with Mary and Anne once again.

James Wilkenson Gammon

In my previous post I discussed the Gammons that first moved to Iowa. Now I'd like to discuss my 3x-great grandfather James Wilkenson Gammon - a member of that family.

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About James:
He was born in 1825 in Knoxville, Tennessee to Dozier Brawner Gammon and Lavina Turbeville. Two of his three older siblings had already passed away. He was followed by three younger brothers. When he was very young, around the year 1828, the family moved to Putnam, Indiana. In 1850, they moved again to Iowa.

James' wife, Armilda Eliza Myers, was born in Indiana but her family relocated to Iowa around the same time the Gammons did. The two married on November 19, 1852.

They had a son, Louis Larue, in 1853, and a daughter, Lydia Josephine, in 1855, followed by three more sons: Newton Franklin in 1856, Eugene Theophilus in 1858, and Bird Lafayette in 1859. By 1860 the family was living on a 160-acre farm in Eden, Iowa. Martha Jane was born in 1861, Catharine Melvina in 1863, Willis Wilkenson in 1865, Dozier Gaines in 1867, and Charles Thomas in 1869, By the time their last child, Lucius Wickliff Lee, was born in 1871, the homestead had grown to 240 acres.

James died on February 11, 1886 in Eden. He left behind his wife and eleven living children. By the time Armilda passed away on April 14, 1901, however, four of their children had also died: Newton in 1890, Lydia in 1891, Charles and Lucius in 1894. Of all their children, only Charles never married. Although Lucius and Lydia both married (Lydia married twice, actually), neither produced children. James and Armilda had a total of 19 grandchildren.

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I am particularly attached to James Wilkenson Gammon because I love reading about him. What little I've found indicates that he was quite an interesting man. I have included some of these documents below, with my favorite tidbits italicized.

James' Obituary: 
DIED -- At his residence in Eden township, Decatur county, Iowa, February 11, 1886, James W. Gammon, after protracted illness of some four weeks with disease of kidney and liver which seemed to baffle the skill of his physicians. He was born in Knox county, State of Tennessee, June 16, 1825, and was in the sixty-first year of his age. He moved to Indiana with his father in the year 1828 and remained there till 1848, at which time he came to Iowa and settled in Wapello county, but shortly after, located in Monroe county, and in the year 1852 was married to Armelda E. Myers, and moved to Decatur county in the spring of 1854 and settled on the farm where he died. The fruits of his marriage were eight sons and three daughters all of whom survive him to mourn his death. All of his sons and one daughter and his wife was at his bedside when he breathed his last, which was as quiet as the sleep of an infant. He was a man of broad and liberal views and of positive convictions, was always willing to defend what he believed to be the truth, but charitable to all who might differ with him. Reason being his guide his desire was to so live that to rest with mother earth that those who should survive him might be better qualified to live in harmony with nature's laws. His wife has lost an ever kind and faithful husband, his children an affectionate and loving father, and the community a kind and obliging neighbor. His remains were followed to their last resting place, in Eden Prairie cemetery, by a large concourse of friends and neighbors, and was buried in compliance with his wishes, without any funeral ceremonies.

James' Biography:

JAMES GAMMON, deceased, son of Lovina and Dozier Gammon, was born in Tennessee, June 16, 1825, and removed to Indiana with his parents in 1828.  He was married in Monroe County, Iowa, November 4, 1852, to Armilda E. Myers, who was born in Montgomery County, Indiana, in 1829, and removed to Monroe County in 1850.  Her parents were Thomas and Eliza (Jones) Myers.  They removed from this State to Nebraska, where her father died, and where her mother still lives.  Mr. and Mrs. Gammon came to Decatur County in 1855, and settled on section 24, Eden Township, where his family still reside.  He died February 11,1886, aged nearly sixty-one years.  His family consists of his wife, eight sons and three daughters.  The four youngest sons are still at home.  Mr. Gammon was an honorable man and an upright citizen.  Politically he was a Democrat; religiously he was opposed to the churches, and denied the authenticity of the Bible, but believed in doing right at all times and under all circumstances.

(From Biographical and Historical Record of Ringgold and Decatur Counties, Iowa, (Lewis Publishing Company (1887)), p. 563)

The Gammons in Iowa

Dozier Brawner Gammon is my 4x-great grandfather. The line, without spouses and siblings, looks like this:

Dozier → James W. → Newton → James M. → Howard → James H. → ME!

His family looks like this:

Dozier and his wife Lavina did not have an easy life. They married in Knoxville, Tennessee when he was 25 and she was 26. In 1819 their first child, a son they named George Washington Gammon, was born there. In 1821 a second son, John W. Gammon was born. And then in 1823, a daughter - Minerva Jane Gammon. Sadly, she died that same year. The following year, John passed away at the age of three. From there, it seems their luck improved. In 1825, with only their eldest child still living, James Wilkerson Gammon was born. Another son, William Eaton Gammon, came in 1827. The family moved to Putnam, Indiana and two more boys joined the family - Hugh Gammon in 1829 and Lee Harris Gammon in 1832.

By 1850 three of the boys had married and George already had seven children. The entire family relocated to Decatur County in Iowa, which had become a state only four years earlier. Dozier bought up a bunch of land and so did some of his sons; they parceled it out amongst themselves and some renters and all settled on farms. James married in 1852 and by 1853 Hugh was the last brother to settle down.

The Gammon boys had a LOT of children out there on the farm. George and his wife Martha had eleven children, six boys and five girls. James and his wife Armilda also had eleven children, eight boys and three girls. William and his wife Caroline had seven children - five girls, a surviving boy, and a son that died in infancy. Hugh and his wife Evaline produced only three children - all boys. The youngest brother, Lee, had eleven children with his first wife Ema - five girls and six boys. Two of the boys died in childhood. He also acquired a young step-daughter when he married his second wife, Martha, after his first wife died.

That's a grand total of 43 biological children between five brothers - 40 that survived childhood, plus a step-daughter.

Let's put that into perspective. The farthest back I can find statistics for is 1890, by which point the youngest of those 40 kids was in his late teens. At any rate, in 1890 the average household size in America was 4.93 people - meaning you could expect a family with both parents living to have three children. The average American household these days is about 3 people - that's one child per family. By today's standards, those five brothers collectively had eight times the expected number of offspring. Do keep in mind, however, that they were living in an agricultural community, which would traditionally be expected to exceed the average - more kids means more help on the farm. I suspect this may still be true today, although I would be surprised to find a family of thirteen even in the middle of Nebraska.

In 1866 the house of Dozier Gammon was purchased by the county to form the Decatur County Home for the "feeble-minded" and "nonviolent insane." At the time this included orphans and the poor. I'm not sure where Dozier went to live after selling his home, though he only lived three more years. His wife had died in 1856.