|
Oatman |
|
Joseph OATMAN, Sr. b. 15 December 1752 d 3 June 1812 Harrison Co IN |
|
According to her granddaughter, Nessie Mae ROACH of Ft. Davis, TX, Amanda WOLFE ANDREWS OATMAN was Lyndon Baines JOHNSON'S nanny. She married Sheppard Hulse OATMAN after her first husband died, leaving her with six small children. His first wife, Clara BANTA OATMAN, died giving birth to their last child, Clarence Sheppard OATMAN. In fact, she died on my grandfather's (William Arthur OATMAN) thirteenth birthday. According to the first family, "Mandy" was a harsh person, and my grandfather and the older siblings left home shortly after his mother died. That much is known. Stories vary, however, depending on the perspective. Mrs. Roach related to me that Sheppard, who was a schoolteacher, was said by the Andrews children to be a stern disciplinarian who "enjoyed" strapping the boys when they misbehaved. Whatever their personalities were, they are both buried in Lyndon Johnson's family plot on the Johnson Ranch. My mother and I visited the site a few years ago and their graves are quite close to Lyndon's gravesite, which is very modest, considering his station in life. A huge oak tree is centered in the burial ground, with a low fieldstone wall marking the perimeter. Sheppard died before my mother got to meet him, so it was a very meaningful moment for us to be in that historic place. Biographical Sketch of Dr. Harding Oatman, St. Joseph, Buchanan County, MO From "History of Buchanan County, Missouri, Published 1881, St. Joseph Steam Printing Company, Printers, Binders, Etc., St. Joseph, Missouri. Dr. Harding Oatman, physician and surgeon, Assistant Postmaster, and proprietor of the Riverton House, was born, February 10, 1813, in Indiana, and is of German origin. He was reared at his birthplace, spending his boyhood days on a farm, and receiving his education at Green Castle, Indiana. He was married December 25, 1833, to Miss Wilmarth Bird, a native of Kentucky, born in 1815. They moved to Dundee, Kane County, Illinois, where he engaged in the mercantile business for some time, and then commenced the study of medicine. He attended Rush Medical College, during 1844 and 1845, and first commenced the practice of his profession at Bethany, Harrison County, Missouri, in the spring of 1845. He remained there for eight years, then moved to Llano County, Texas, where he continued for sixteen years in practice. The country was infested by indians and he had many narrow escapes. He has discovered a new mode of treating typhoid fever, has practiced it for thirteen years, and has met with good success. He returned to Harrison County, Missouri in 1871, and thence to this county in 1876, settling at Corby's Mill, thence to Riverton, in the spring of 1881. His wife died February 29, 1844 and left three children: Susan N., now Mrs. Joseph Williamson; Julius F., and Marshall. He married again August 1, 1846, Elizabeth A. Hulse, a native of Belmont County, Ohio, born September 27, 1830. They have seven children: John C., Sheppard H., Pleasant H., Missouri, Julette, Seth W. and Enos S.
|
