Just where have you been?

What happened to my grandmother's aunt would never happen here.

I'm telling you, it would never happen here.

This is my line:

Peggy --> Ida --> Bertha --> Celia

This is Celia Moore Gearheart and her daughter, Bertha Gearheart Stevens.

Bertha is my mother's mother.

Celia had a sister named Cora, and she married Doctor William Campbell.

And, he walked away for sixteen years.

Or, maybe it was thirty years.

Several years ago, I came into possession of my mother's journals.  

She was not an educated woman, neither was she uneducated.

In one of them, she recounts the story of Doctor William Campbell.

I have left all of her spelling the same.

You can figure it out.

From the journal of Ida Stevens Clemens

About 1956

"I Ida Clemns have wrote all the Family History I can remember about my grand parents I hope I may be able to find more soe where.  My Grand mother come over in Ky from Ironton Lewarnce Ohio and mett my grand Father and that were married thay help to raise hir sister to children Thelma & Delmer Campbell there mother Cora Moore Campbell his Husband Will Dock Dr. Campbell.  he went away for 16 years before he come back no one nowed Where he went too he come back home and he & aunt Cora went to house keeping and thay lived at Limestone Carter till he Died he was away from home to see some friend of his Koon Moore and he fell of his horse and never did talk any more and he Died at my Grand Father house at Limeston carter Ky.  he was buried at my father Corb Stevens homestead cemetary at or near Lawton Carter Ky. and his wife cora was burred there too and his daughter Thalma Campbell Collins Johnson.  by Ida Stevens Clemens"From the journal of Ida Stevens Clemens

My mom often talked about this scenario, saying that Aunt Cora never asked a word about where he had been.  They just started up where they left off.

I'm telling you, that would not happen in this house.

There would be a lot of explaining to do, 

and if you aren't going to talk... then you're going to listen!

In some of mom's belongings, I ran across this article that she had saved, entitled,

"The Roving Doctor of the Hills"

by Arthur A. Moore

Cora's maiden name is Moore, so this man must be connected in some way.

Plus, a distant cousin of mine uploaded the article onto UsGenWeb.

The Roving Doctor of the Hills

The article states that he was gone for thirty years!

I know that a common mistake that we, as genealogists can be guilty of is something called

"presentism"

which is when we place today's present values 

to interpret situations of the past.

I can't help it in this case.

The article states that he went on practicing medicine all over the southern states, and even across Texas, into Mexico.  I don't know how believable all of the article is, but what I do know is

that he was gone an awful long time!

They had two boys, which Cora must have continued to raise, along with the help of her parents.

He didn't live long after returning home, for he fell off his horse after going to visit Koon Moore.  

He never regained consciousness, and died.

Thelma (daughter), William, and Cora Campbell

Brown Cemetery, Lawton, Carter Co., Kentucky

We never knew why he left, 

and we sure don't know why he came back.