Minnie Beatrice Rogers

Born ( ), daughter of Rev. Theodore Rogers and Mary Suzanna Eubank, in Waverly, Illinois.

Married Isaac H. Lewis and lived in Waggoner, Illinois.





Children:

Theodore Lewis (died in infancy)
William Lewis m. 1. Anna Van Siverington, 2. Sadie ( )
Mary Lewis m. Roy Reineke
BERTHA LEWIS m. EDGAR ARNOLD
George Lewis m. Helen ( )

The Lewis family moved often as Rev. Isaac H. Lewis was transferred from one circuit to the next. Waverly, Sherman and Rushville are three of the towns they lived in that I know of. The family was living on the old Rogers homestead on the county line in Pittman township, Montgomery county when Isaac died in 1905. After that, Minnie and the children moved into a house in Waggoner and operated it as a boarding house. The residence is no longer standing but its distinctly round porch can be seen in many of the surviving family photos.

Isaac Houston Lewis 1851 - 1905

Born January 22, 1851, son of William Barnett Lewis (1810-1888) and Mary McGhee (1811-1884), in Stewart County, Tennessee.

Married Minnie Beatrice Rogers in Waverly, Illinois in 1886.




Children:

William Lewis m. 1. Anna Van Siverginton 2. Sadie ?
Mary Lewis m. Roy Reineke
BERTHA ESTELLE LEWIS m. EDGAR ANDREW ARNOLD
George Lewis m. Helen ?

Died July 9, 1905 in Montgomery County, Illinois.


From the St. Louis Christian Advocate, July 26, 1905:

A Good Man Gone

Rev. I.H. Lewis was born in Stewart County, Tenn., January 22, 1851, where he grew to manhood around the parental home. He was converted and united with the M.E. Church, South, in early life; was licensed to preach at the age of 21; came to and was admitted in the Illinois Conference of the same church in 1878. In due time he was ordained deacon and elder by Bishop J.C. Keener. Here he spent the last and perhaps the best twenty-seven years of his life. During these years he has filled circuit and station work and at our last conference he was appointed by Bishop Smith to the Salem District, and it is reported that here, as in other works he had served, he was very popular, doing the work of a presiding elder as a workman that needeth not be ashamed, until the early spring, when he became unable to longer travel his District. He, with his family, came to their home near Waggoner, Illlinois, where for three months he suffered, but patiently and hopefully endured as seeing One invisible and all the time kept in touch with his preachers and their work by corresponding with them. On Sunday morning, July 9, after calling his his own dear loved ones to him and bidding them good by, he also called all present and gave them words of comfort as to his condition and then passed away in the triumphs of the gospel he had preached to others -- aged 54 years, 5 months and 17 days. He was married to Miss Minnie Rogers, the only daughter of the sainted Theodore Rogers, Nov. 16, 1886. To this union was born five children, the eldest dying in infancy. Four -- Willie, Mary, Bertha and George -- are left with their kind mother to mourn the loss of a kind and effectionate father and a faithful and true husband. Besides these he leaves five brothers, three sisters, together with Sister Lewis' mother and brothers and the preachers of the Illinois Conference to feel their loss in his death and add tears of sympathy with the bereaved. Surely a good man has fallen. Funeral services at New Hope Church, on the Girard Circuit, Monday evening, conducted by the writer, assisted by Revs. O.E. Lockart of Kinmundy, Ill., G.M. Buford of McVey and H.D. Denning of Nilwood, which services were attended by a large and sympathetic congregation. The body was laid to rest in Sulpher Springs Cemetary to await the resurrection of the just. Will Nashville Advocate please copy the above.

W.D. Blaylock, P.C.

Thaddeus Southwick Stevens 1901 - 1968

Born April 25, 1901, son of Albert David Stevens and Bernice Beatrice Crane, in Joplin Missouri.

Married Elizabeth Latham Souther in 1928 in Springfield, Illinois; divorced in 1938.





Children:

DAVID LATHAM STEVENS m. CAROL BEATRICE ARNOLD
Richard Chase Stevens

Married Ellen Eileen Immel of Robinson, Illinois.

Died October 12, 1968 in Springfield, Illinois.

Elizabeth Latham Souther 1909 - 2000

Born Jan. 1, 1909 in Springfield, Illinois to Latham Timothy Souther and Lyna Chase.

Married Thaddeus Southwick Stevens June 5, 1928 at Springfield. They were divorced in 1938. On Aug.17, 1942 she married Logan Ellett McMinn.

Children by Thad Stevens:

DAVID LATHAM STEVENS m. CAROL BEATRICE ARNOLD
Richard Chase Stevens

Child by Logan McMinn:

Logan Lindsay McMinn

Edgar Andrew Arnold 1890 - 1968

Born January 1, 1890, son of Edgar Willis Arnold and Ellen Ann Ferguson, in Montgomery County, Illinois.

Married Bertha Estelle Lewis in Montgomery County, Illinois.



Children:

Margorie Arnold m. Darrell Clark
CAROL BEATRICE ARNOLD m. DAVID LATHAM STEVENS
Thomas Arnold m. Barbara Goren

Died November 4, 1968 in Waggoner, Illinois.

Known to all as "Newt", Edgar served in France during World War I. When he married, his family arranged to leave him and his wife to operate the family farm. Bertha was suprised when it became apparent that Edgar's brother, George, would stay with them as well.

Bertha Estelle Lewis 1892 - 1987

Born May 13, 1892, daughter of Rev. Isaac H. Lewis and Minnie Beatrice Rogers, in Rushville, Illinois.

Married Edgar Andrew Arnold in Montgomery County, Illinois and raised their family on the Arnold family farm.




Children:

Marjorie Arnold m. Darrell Clark
CAROL BEATRICE ARNOLD m. DAVID LATHAM STEVENS
Thomas Arnold m. Barbara Goren

Died Feb., 1987.

Bertha Lewis left an astounding collection of photographs, scrapbooks, genealogical data and a family bible. Along with a few 19th Century photographs, this collection spans several generations from horse-and-buggy days to the Space Age. Some of her treasures include the Ordination Certificate of Theodore Rogers signed by Peter Cartwright. The part of the collection in my charge contains Isaac & Minnie Lewis' marriage certificate, several letters from her genealogist cousin, Mayer Davidson, a few works of humorous doggeral by another cousin, Bennet Rogers, and numerous clippings of obituaries and marriage announcements.

My memories of Grandma Arnold are of a kindly old lady who baked pies, made quilts, attended scores of funerals and kept my mother abreast of the lives of miriad relatives I could never keep straight. Looking through her photos reveals a life complete with a childhood and youthful adulthood. My impression from the photos is that she was rather more sedate than her fun-loving friends, but held some very close friendships including that of her sister, Mary.

Most of the photos show unnamed individuals, but there are enough named faces to make identification of most of them possible. It is my intent to digitize much of the collection as time and means permit.

Carol Beatrice Arnold 1926 -

Born Oct. 2, 1926, daughter of Edgar Andrew Arnold and Bertha Estelle Lewis, in Montgomery County, Illinois.

Married David Latham Stevens on Jan. 21, 1951 at the First Methodist Church in Springfield, Illinois.



Children:

Thomas Richard Stevens
Gary Evan Stevens m. Kathleen Souter
LARRY ARNOLD STEVENS m. Melinda Jo Conlee
Joan Michelle Stevens m. Tim Thome

David Latham Stevens 1929 -

Born Nov. 8 1929 in Springfield, Illinois to Thaddeus Southwick Stevens and Elizabeth Latham Souther.

Married Carol Beatrice Arnold on Jan. 27, 1951 at Springfield.





Children:

Thomas Richard Stevens
Gary Evan Stevens m. Kathleen Souter
LARRY ARNOLD STEVENS m. Melinda Jo Conlee
Joan Michelle Stevens m. Tim Thome

Larry Arnold Stevens 1963 -

Born Jan. 3, 1963 in Springfield, Illinois to David Latham Stevens and Carol Beatrice Arnold

Married Melinda Jo Conlee Aug. 2, 1997 at Springfield.
Children:

Lillian Conlee Stevens

Hello, this is my genealogy blog. That's my self-portrait taken in February, 2002.

I'm a native of Springfield, Illinois and have remained here all my life. I studied the cello starting at age 10 and made music my vocation as a young man. I was a member of the Decatur-Millikin Civic Symphony for 16 years, sharing the stage with such music legends as Benny Goodman, Mel Torme, Pearl Bailey, William Warfield, Doc Sevrensen and many others. I've played bass guitar for our local Elvis impersonator and accompanied Nick Lindsay on cello at a recital given in the Old State Capitol Building. I sing and play guitar and have a catalog of unreleased songs and never-performed chamber music. I perform Vachel Lindsay poems at any opportunity, and have recited before the Vachel Lindsay Association at the Governor's Mansion in Springfield. I was appointed to the Board of Directors of the Vachel Lindsay Association in 2002 and became Recording Secretary of the board in 2004.

From 1992 until about 2001, I was lead singer of The Spoonbenders, a pop/rock band. We spent many years producing an album and seeking a recording contract, but eventually disbanded. We mostly played small clubs in Chicago and St. Louis, such as Shuba's and the Lounge Axe. The album, tentatively titled "Happy Hollow", was finished but never released.

In 1993, I was the subject of a feature article in The State Journal-Register in which I was described as a "funky Renaissance man."

In 1994, I joined AIG/New Hampshire Insurance Services working in commercial property and casualty underwriting, especially commercial assigned risk auto insurance. I became a registered representative in 1999. In 2003, the AIG/NHIS office in Springfield closed and I joined AIG/American General working in the administration of Variable Universal Life and Universal Life policies.

In 1997, I married Melinda Jo Conlee of Cantrall, Illinois and we set up house in Springfield. Our daughter, Lillian, was born in 2000.