From a Brick Wall to a Rabbit HoleIn the Topeka Journal on March 30, 1909, A woman named Mrs. Ethel Kerns tells a judge that she was forced to leave her baby by her husband and his family. Her husband was Ben Kerns, Louise’s brother. While Louise and Horace were living in Topeka, Ben, Ethel, and their 9-month baby lived with Benjamin and Alice Kerns on the farm outside of town.
After the death of Louise under suspicious circumstances, her husband was taken into the Kerns home to live. There were three camps. One believed that Louise had committed suicide while the other believed that she was murdered and the third believed that Horace Farrar had murdered her. It seems that Ethel believed that he was guilty. She protested Horace moving in and was told to leave if she was going to keep protesting. As she started to leave, she was told she could not take the baby. In the end, she went home to her mother and sued for custody of the baby. Ultimately she also sued for divorce from Ben. Judge Dana is the name of the judge that Ethel brought forth her case and almost 6 months later he is brought another petition….
This petition was brought by Harrison Keele, who was seeking custody of his son. In the August 8 1909 article Harrison states that he has been searching for his child for 2 years. It seems that on June 19, 1907, by the cover of darkness, Louise left with their son and headed to Missouri. Once Harrison discovers her he starts the process to gain custody. The Article in the Topeka Daily Capital paints a very different picture than the one Louise and the newspaper reports she gave above. She stated he left, yet he was the one still in the original home. He said her family threatened him if he tried to see the boy. While her family said he never came to the farm. I can’t wrap my head around all the finger-pointing.
The case was seen before the court on September 15, 1909. I am still searching for information on the findings of that court appearance. But we have now come full circle back to the 1910 census. Census day was April 15, 1910. As of this date, Lewis was still living with the Kerns. This was the first document I discovered which led me over my brick wall and down this rabbit hole. In the 1920 census at the age of 15, Lewis is living with Harrison, Florence, and their family. As stated in a previous post we know this was short-lived because the 1940 census shows Lewis divorced and living as a lodger.
So many questions remain about all of the individuals we have met during this journey. I have a running list that I may attempt to discover down the road. I do have my doubts about the man Louise said Harrison was. The truth may never be fully known but what we know is that Grandma was named Betty after his mother and oddly her middle name is Louise just like his first wife who tried to smear his reputation. We do have the comfort of knowledge of God’s grace and based on grandma’s description of her father he knew God’s grace and forgiveness. His obituary states he was a member of Oakland Park Baptist Church.
