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| Funeral services of Mrs Treca A. Rennie, who died Monday, November 25 1929 at her home, 214 Fifth Street of this city, were conducted Friday afternoon at the Zoercher & Huber Funeral Home by Roy Arthur, Pastor of the Baptist Church. Interment was made in the family plot in Cliff Cemetery. Mrs. Rennie is survived by two daughters and three sons who are Mrs Mollie Maier of this city (Cannelton); Mrs. Margaret McCoy of Chicago; Robert W. Rennie of Parma, MO; Capt. W.C. Rennie of Ft. Des Moines, Indiana; and J.E. Rennie of New York City and Asbury Park, NY. She is also survived by six grandchildren and four great grandchildren. Mrs. Rennie was a pioneer Perry County Woman, having been born on Dec. 2, 1848. At the time of her birth the rural sections of the county were known as "flats" and "hollows" and it was at a point known as Boone's Fork at the headwaters of the Little Oil Creek in Union Township that she first saw the light of day. She was the of Burgess and Georgette Martin Harp, the former an old resident of this county and later a native of Crawford County. Her father was called into service when she was quite young and her elder brother, James Harp, was a member of the local unit of Home Guards. The burdern of looking after their small farm and the stock thereon was placed upon her. In addition to her mother, three small sisters and a brother of 10 months comprised the family group. Her father died after five months of service in the 81st in Infantry. The winter was extremely cold and Mrs. Rennie was compelled to provide the firewood to keep the family warm. She chopped down trees on the farm, dragged the logs over the snow covered |
fields with a team of oxen and chopped the wood to fire lengths. Deserters from the Confederate Army often wandered thru that territory on their way home, and occasionaly a member of Morgan's Raiders strayed through that section, making it unsafe for women folk to be alone, and a musket was kept handy at all times while she was at work in the field or cutting and hawling wood. She spent her childhood in that community, and, at an early age was united in marriage to William J. Rennie, who served as a wagoner in County D. 35th in Volunteer Infantry. Her husband preceeded her death 21 years ago last June. This couple spent their early life in various sections of the county but when the Kansas boom was in full swing in 1880, they sold their farm and started for Kansas, with their four children in a covered wagon. Upon reaching that state they found that that section had suffered from a severe drought and became discouraged and started on the return trip to their native state. Arriving in St. Louis on Oct. 19, 1820, they became stormbound (see news clipping about THE GREAT BLIZZARD in mom's book) and abandoned the idea of the long drive. After waiting for two days in St. Louis for a boat they secured passage on the steamer Wyoming which was plying between St. Louis and Pittsburg. They left the boat at Magnet (then called Rono), and located on a farm on Figgins Flat. One of the standing incidents of their covered wagon pilgrimage was the meeting of the James-Younger outlaws, shortly after the Lawrence, Kan. bank robbery. The outlaws did not offer to molest them in any way, however and greeted them in their roadside camp as perfect gentlemen. |
They remained on their little farm in the Figgins Flat community until the spring of 1895 when they moved to Smithland, Kentucky, where they remained until Mr. Rennie's retirement from the farm in 1907. They removed to this city and Mrs. Rennie resided here until her death. Her sons and daughters located in distant states and she spent many days of her declining years traveling about the country to visit them. She covered many thousand miles each year to visit her children until her advanced age prevented her from her visits. She was a constant reader and took keen interest in state and national affairs and possessed a remarkable memory. In politics she was a staunch Republican and seldom failed to vote at the general election, and very seldom missed a political rally of the party of her choice. She pointed with pride to the fact that her father voted for Lincoln; and was a great admirer of Theodore Roosevelt. Mrs. Rennie was baptized in an evangelistic church many years ago and attended the local Baptist church. She led a quiet and unassuming life and in her younger days rendered assistance to the neighbors and friends of her community that were sick and in distress, often walking many miles to help an unfortunate friend. She enjoyed excellent health until about three weeks ago when she was taken ill. Her condition was not considered serious until the last few hours of her life and her death was unexpected. |
