This article, in a slightly abbreviated form, was featured in the Fall 2024 edition of Nostalgia News, the quarterly newsletter of the Johnson County Museum of History. This is my most concise treatment to date of the 1890s scandals that plagued the life of my fourth great-uncle (material covered in depth in Troubled Waters Flow: The Life of Fernando C. Kegley—see details below under “Documents”). Though it is the shortest version of Fernando’s story so far, it is also the most complete, incorporating new sources discovered since the initial dossier was compiled. I hope to release these new sources soon in an appendix to “Troubled Waters Flow.” Till then, this short piece will fill the gap. The story as reconstructed here now rests on over 250 primary sources, including period news articles, personal letters, and Fernando’s patient records from Longcliff. Many thanks to my cousin Bradford Brown, Jr., for his kind permission to reproduce the photos of Fernando, John Lewis Kegley, and Bertha F. Hassler Kegley. If you have a connection to Johnson County, Indiana, please consider supporting the Johnson County Museum of History with a donation or through annual membership, which is just $20 a year for an individual and includes a subscription to Nostalgia News. You’ll be supporting not only their fantastic exhibits, but one of the finest and most complete genealogy libraries in the United States—an unparalleled resource for Indiana genealogists.

A fascinating collection of excerpts from four different books that mention Kegley and Magill ancestors and paint a vivid picture of pioneer life in Johnson County. Included are original commentary, family trees, maps, links to relevant photo albums, and a table of contents so you can skip straight to the “good stuff.”

Transcriptions, with original commentary, of documents in the Magill Archives—that is, items found among the effects of my late grandmother, Virginia Ann Magill Kegley (1938–2014): wills, deeds, abstracts, receipts, affidavits, letters, and other miscellanea going back to 1837. Highlights include the wills of William Magill (1785–1860) and his son James Henry Magill (1809–1870); items relating to Alexander Gallahar (b. ca. 1820–30), a former slave of William Magill; an 1848 deed to James Henry Magill of 40 acres of land, some of which is still in the family; the record of the 1870 estate sale of James Henry Magill; and other various letters and mementos. Click here for scanned images of the original documents.

The Civil War letters written to my fourth great-grandparents, William Carson Magill (1833–1900) and Martha Ann Vaught Magill (1837–1913), by six different Union soldiers, including my fifth great-uncles John Wesley Vaught (1842–1864, killed at the age of 21 in the Battle of Gilgal Church) and Amos Vaught (1845–1934). The collection also includes an 1849 letter to the Indiana Magills from their friends in Tennessee (notable for its mentions of slavery); a couple of receipts, a political campaign ribbon, a report card, a greeting card, various memorabilia of New Pisgah Presbyterian Church (a congregation very dear to my ancestors), and a short memoir, in addition to many “orphaned” envelopes that are fascinating to look at for their handwriting, postage, postmarks, and stationery. From the Magill Archives—the collection of my great-great-uncle Clarence Raymond “Mike” Magill (1909–1992), inherited by my great-aunt Martha Kay Magill Brummett. Click here for scanned images of the original documents.

My most sustained piece of original genealogical research, this biography of my fourth great-uncle Fernando C. Kegley is so outlandish that if I had made it up, I would not expect anyone to believe it—and yet it really happened in our family not so very long ago. I have written a 40-page introduction that narrates these complex events from beginning to end for the first time ever, drawing on on 72 new sources (for a total of 218), including five additional letters from the Indiana State Archives that no one in our family has known about for nearly 120 years. The primary sources follow with ample footnotes. If I had to encapsulate Uncle Fern’s story for a “dust-jacket blurb,” it would be something like this: “Pioneers, a shotgun wedding, insanity, mental hospitals, assault and battery, forgery, attempted jailbreaking, attempted suicide, an imaginary consumptive millionairess fiancée, the 1893 Chicago World’s Fair, divorce, greed, perjury, libel, typhoid fever, tuberculosis, syphilis, all manner of untimely deaths, and about a dozen lawsuits. In short, just a typical American family.” Click here for photos of Fernando C. Kegley and other 19th-century Kegley relatives. Click here for photos of my research trip to Miami and Cass Counties, Indiana, where I learned more about Uncle Fern’s incarceration in Longcliff Mental Hospital.

My fourth great-uncle, Arthur Leland Magill, was featured in a charming 1954 profile in the Franklin Evening Star. This is reproduced along with three other news items: a report of the theft of Uncle Art’s prized gold watch (a gift from his mother Martha Ann Vaught Magill) and coverage of his death and probate hearing in 1956. Lastly I have included a discussion of the problem of identifying Uncle Art in family photos, since no one living really remembers what he looked like. I propose a solution, of which I am even more certain now (February 2023) than I was when I came up with it in April 2022.

The memoirs of Aunt Margueritte Frances Hensley Magill (1898–1984), the wife of Uncle Wilbur William Magill (1895–1967). Margueritte was the quintessential southern lady—a homemaker and socialite, always elegantly turned out and correct in every detail of etiquette and courtesy. Born in Asheville, North Carolina, she was a never-ending fount of energy: she juggled umpteen clubs and societies—chairing many of them—all while entertaining frequently (brunch for 40? no problem!), cooking, cleaning, sewing, raising a family, raising funds for charity, giving innumerable talks and presentations (she sometimes presented “Boxes and Bows,” her holiday giftwrap tutorial, more than a dozen times per season!), running the children’s Sunday school, and furthering her education all at the same time. According to her daughter Elsie Jeane Magill Ham, Margueritte was “intelligent, artistic,” and “patient.” She frequently demonstrated her love for her family and friends, but as Elsie adds, she was also “apt to point out any bad behavior” she noticed in them! Aunt Margueritte included innumerable mentions of members of our branch of the family, including Edward and Addie Magill; Hallie Magill; Harry and Ina Magill; Clarence Magill; Bill and Marguerite Magill; Sue Magill Price, Ann Magill Kegley, and Kay Magill Brummett; and Rae Anne Kegley Tyra, Teresa Kegley Forbes, and Eric Rudie. Along the way she recorded her reactions to important historical events, including the abdication of King Edward VIII, World War II, the Kennedy assassination, and the moon landing. She is at times surprisingly frank, as in the hilarious story of her wedding night; while at others she is more reticent—“I went to the hospital for an operation,” she writes, but she never reveals exactly why! This text-searchable digital copy comes courtesy of Aunt Margueritte’s granddaughter, cousin Carolyn Ham, who scanned the whole book and has been kind enough to share it with us. We have a hard copy of this memoir in our Magill collection, and I’ve been wanting to digitize it for some time. Thanks to Carolyn, I don’t have to!

This is an email discussion about Tyra history that happened in 2013 between me and Earl N. Gabbard, the cousin of my grandpa Wayne Tyra and my great-uncle Bill Tyra. Earl knew more about our genealogy than anyone else in the family, and he shared a lot of things with me (including a couple of dozen old photos). At the end, for good measure, I included a Tyra genealogy that traces the male line back to late medieval Scottish nobility. This is not my work but was prepared by a friend of my father’s—the parts I have checked appear to be accurate, however. Click here for a photo album of all the photos mentioned in this document.

Scanned images of all the items transcribed in the document entitled Early Magill Wills and Related Documents, ca. 1837–1903. For more details, see above under “Documents.”

Scanned images of all the items transcribed in the document entitled Letters and Mementos of the Vaught and Magill Families, ca. 1849 – mid-20th-century, including the Civil War letters. For more details, see above under “Documents.”

In theory, this is my “master” photo album, incorporating all the photographs found among the effects of my late grandparents, Ernest Ray Kegley (1937–2021) and Virginia Ann Magill Kegley (1938–2014). In reality, some of the “subordinate” albums (see below) may include photos not yet added to this album.

A subset of the “master” photo album above, this album includes pictures found among the effects of my late grandfather, Ernest Ray Kegley (1937–2021).

A subset of the “master” photo album above, this album includes pictures found among the effects of my late grandmother, Virginia Ann Magill Kegley (1938–2014); it also includes pictures belonging to my great-great-uncle Clarence Raymond “Mike” Magill (1909–1992), inherited by my great-aunt Martha Kay Magill Brummett.

This album includes pictures found among the effects of my late grandfather, Ernest Ray Kegley (1937–2021) (in the “L.S. Ayres box”). These photos have not yet been incorporated into the “master” photo album listed first above.

This album includes pictures found among the effects of my late grandmother, Virginia Ann Magill Kegley (1938–2014). It focuses on the family of my great-great-uncle Wilbur William Magill (1895–1967) and his wife, Margueritte Frances Hensley Magill (1898–1984). These photos have not yet been incorporated into the “master” photo album listed first above.

Scans of documents found among the effects of my late grandfather, Ernest Ray Kegley (1937–2021) (in the “L.S. Ayres box”): a 1955 graduation invitation, graduation cards from friends, and a 2014 letter of condolence.

Scans of documents found among the effects of my late grandmother, Virginia Ann Magill Kegley (1938–2014): the 1934 guest book from the 50th wedding anniversary celebration of my third great-grandparents, Edward Curtis Magill (1860–1939) and Addie Florence Patterson Magill (1863–1937); and a 1981 letter from my great-great-aunt (by marriage) Margueritte Frances Hensley Magill (1898–1984) to my grandmother Virginia Ann Magill Kegley (1938–2014).

These photos, letters, and miscellaneous papers belonged to my fifth great-grandparents, Andrew Jackson Vaught (1816–1901) and Mary “Polly” Thomas Vaught (1818–1886), and their descendants through their youngest child, Barney Marcellus “Sill” Vaught (1859–1944). They are all from the collection of David Gray, my third cousin, three times removed, himself a descendant of Barney Vaught. Between March 24 and April 3, 2023, I travelled from my home in the northern suburbs of Chicago to visit David and his wife Julie at their mountaintop retreat in North Carolina. I spent two days scanning and photographing, and David generously let me keep everything I digitized (except some later photos of his near family, which I naturally didn’t want to deprive him of!). Thus, I now own the originals of most of the items in this album. Highlights of the album include a ca. 1881 family Bible given to Barney Vaught by his parents A.J. and Mary, the exact match of a Bible in my possession which A.J. and Mary gave to their oldest daughter Martha Ann Vaught Magill (my fourth great-grandmother); many photos of people known and unknown (are you a Vaught or Magill descendant? If you recognize any faces, please get in touch!); an additional Civil War letter from Amos Vaught to his father A.J.—I’m so excited to add this one to the others from Amos and his brother John Wesley Vaught already in my collection; and a really interesting assortment of A.J. Vaught’s ephemera—receipts, promissory notes, etc.—which paint an interesting picture of the daily life of a large landowning farmer in mid-19th-century Johnson County, Indiana. Four receipts relating to A.J.’s mother’s 1855 funeral were pierced with a needle and tied with a thread, a phenomenon I’ve never seen before. Another receipt records money received by A.J. (my fifth great-grandfather) from William Magill, who was, depending on the date of the receipt, either my sixth great-grandfather or my fourth.

Pictures and videos (1942–2021) focusing on the life of my late grandfather, Ernest Ray Kegley (1937–2021). These items were used to create the video for his memorial service.

Pictures focusing on the life of my late great-uncle, Jackson Julian Kegley (1934–2022). This album contains photos from the collection of Chelsie Dolores Julian Kegley Linzie (1913–2001), the mother of Jack and Ray Kegley.

Two news articles from 1944 relating to Wilbert Lewis Kegley (1907–1973) and Carl Johnson Kegley (1909–1987).

Pictures of my research trip to Miami and Cass Counties, Indiana, where I learned more about Uncle Fernando C. Kegley and his 1894 incarceration in Longcliff Mental Hospital. See here for an account of his life and here for photos of him and his relatives.

On December 29, 2021, Mom and I made a trek to Johnson County to visit many of our ancestors’ graves. It was a rich, fascinating, and rewarding day, and we learned a lot. We saw many of the graves we wanted to see—especially Dr. Christian Lewis Kegley (1803–1861) and his family in the Miller Cemetery—although we were not able to find them all. The weather was extremely cold and windy, hence not very well suited to wandering around until you find what you’re looking for! The latest grave we visited was that of dear Grandma Marguerite Magill (1915–2008). The earliest was that of my sixth great-grandfather William Magill (1785–1860), buried at Hopewell. We took many photos of gravestones and memorials, which you can find in this album. The album also includes additional Kegley burials that I photographed in November 2021.

Photos of a Methodist hymnal that belonged to Martha “Mattie” Ann Vaught Magill (1837–1912), my fourth great-grandmother (the sister of John Wesley Vaught, who was killed in the Civil War). The book was inscribed to Mattie on April 25, 1855 by her friend Louise “Lou” Jane Tyler (1838–1896), who also composed a rather touching dedicatory poem. Since Mattie married William Carson Magill (1833–1900) on March 1, 1855, the hymnal was probably a wedding present. This document will be transcribed and included in a forthcoming appendix to “Letter and Mementos of the Vaught and Magill Families.”

Handwritten by Clarence Raymond “Mike” Magill (1909–1992), my great-great-uncle, these notes provide excepts from and commentary on our family’s Civil War letters (see here for transcripts and here for scanned images). Clarence apparently prepared these notes in advance of the 1965 centennial celebration of the Civil War, during which some of the Magill/Vaught letters were displayed in the window of a local department store. Uncle Clarence here provides elsewhere unknown details about the death of Uncle John Wesley Vaught, etc. This document will be transcribed and included in a forthcoming appendix to “Letter and Mementos of the Vaught and Magill Families.”

In July 2022, Mom, Dad, and I took an American-history–centric vacation that brought us all the way down to Marietta, Georgia, on the outskirts of Atlanta, where we laid flowers and an Indiana flag on the grave of my fifth great-uncle, John Wesley Vaught (1842–1864), who died in the battle of Gilgal Church at only 21 years of age.

These are the photos sent to me in 2013 by my cousin Earl N. Gabbard, relating to Tyra family genealogy. See here for the accompanying text.

These photos, letters, and miscellaneous papers belonged to my fifth great-grandparents, Andrew Jackson Vaught (1816–1901) and Mary “Polly” Thomas Vaught (1818–1886), and their descendants through their youngest child, Barney Marcellus “Sill” Vaught (1859–1944). They are all from the collection of David Gray, my third cousin, three times removed, himself a descendant of Barney Vaught. Between March 24 and April 3, 2023, I travelled from my home in the northern suburbs of Chicago to visit David and his wife Julie at their mountaintop retreat in North Carolina. I spent two days scanning and photographing, and David generously let me keep everything I digitized (except some later photos of his near family, which I naturally didn’t want to deprive him of!). Thus, I now own the originals of most of the items in this album. Highlights of the album include a ca. 1881 family Bible given to Barney Vaught by his parents A.J. and Mary, the exact match of a Bible in my possession which A.J. and Mary gave to their oldest daughter Martha Ann Vaught Magill (my fourth great-grandmother); many photos of people known and unknown (are you a Vaught or Magill descendant? If you recognize any faces, please get in touch!); an additional Civil War letter from Amos Vaught to his father A.J.—I’m so excited to add this one to the others from Amos and his brother John Wesley Vaught already in my collection; and a really interesting assortment of A.J. Vaught’s ephemera—receipts, promissory notes, etc.—which paint an interesting picture of the daily life of a large landowning farmer in mid-19th-century Johnson County, Indiana. Four receipts relating to A.J.’s mother’s 1855 funeral were pierced with a needle and tied with a thread, a phenomenon I’ve never seen before. Another receipt records money received by A.J. (my fifth great-grandfather) from William Magill, who was, depending on the date of the receipt, either my sixth great-grandfather or my fourth.

A fascinating window into early 20th-century farm life in Johnson County, Indiana, this roughly 15″ by 6″ ledger book mostly contains a diary kept by my great-great-grandfather Harry Otto Magill (1885–1967) between 1904 and 1910 (pages 1–104), and subsequently by his son, my great-great-uncle Clarence Raymond Magill (1909–1992) between 1925 and 1929 (pages 108–132, 136). Harry’s section covers his time as an undergraduate at Franklin College and the early years of his marriage, while Clarence’s portion covers the end of his high school experience and his early life after graduation. Other miscellaneous contents include farm records (105–106, 133–135, 137, 140–142, 145–147, 155), high school basketball scores (107), milestones in the lives of Harry’s high school students and friends (marriages, births of children, deaths: 138, 150–152, 154, 156–157), Clarence’s penmanship practice (149, 157), a remarkable list of 64 women that Clarence went on dates with between 1925 and 1938 (152–153), and even Harry’s recipe for wine (143–145). From the collection of Ann Magill Kegley, now in the possession of Joshua Tyra. A full transcription is coming soon!

VHS and cassette tape recordings from the collection of my late grandparents, Ernest Ray Kegley (1937–2021) and Virginia Ann Magill Kegley (1938–2014). Highlights: Christmas 1974 audio featuring the voice of Bill Magill (1913–1979); 4- and 5-year-old Josh tells every fairy tale he can think of (1983–84); 81-year-old Uncle Clarence talks about his grandfather’s sleigh bells and gives a demonstration (1990); almost-77-year-old Grandma Marguerite tells an earthy story and gives a surprisingly spicy toast (1992); baby Abby acts cute for almost two hours (1992); Amy and Josh play catch very badly (with hilarious commentary from Mom and Grandma Kegley!) (1992); and much more!

8-millimeter home movies (no audio besides the ubiquitous clicking of the projector) taken between 1957 and 1982, mostly by my grandfather Harold Wayne Tyra (1931–2018). 75 clips, most between four and five minutes in length. Digitized in 2011 by my Aunt Liz Tyra (with help from cousins Zach and Jordan Tyra). Highlights: baby David Tyra, baby Josh and Amy Tyra, baby Steve and Curt Tyra, young-looking Wayne and Nell Tyra, Preston and Edith Tyra, teenage David, Steve, and Curt Tyra.

VHS/digital home movies from David and Rae Anne Tyra and family. Highlights: the Tyras’ time at Heritage Baptist Church (late 80s – early 90s), courtesy of Garry Dalton; David Tyra’s band “Stone’s Cry” performs in the mid-90s; Rae Anne Tyra’s “Creating Original Opera” project is highlighted on WTWO in 1997; the family enjoy Thanksgiving and Christmas 2022.