Doyle.John.Henry.1932.Fleming

   This story is from Tacoma, Washington. John Henry Doyle was born in
Fleming Co., Kentucky on 23 Jan 1841. In this article he gives an outline of
his life. He is the son of Aquilla Cord Doyle and Fanny Hurst. Sarah
Emmiline Hartley was born on 8 Aug 1851 in Fleming Co., she is the daughter
of George Hartley and Elizabeth Hamm.

Story by Clark Squire in the Tacoma Times, Friday, June 3, 1932 pgs.1+2 
 
   Hard times by any other name are just as tough. Thats the opinion of John
Doyle, who lives on a 10 acre tract east of Parkland on the Collins road.
John Doyle ought to know.  He's 91 years old and has gone through plenty of
hard times and panics since the day he returned to his Kentucky cabin
following Lee's surrender. By experience the sturdy old southerner learned
to rely on a sure remedy during hard times--following the plow.  And when
all the plowing was done, John Doyle kept right behind his team on
construction jobs. Doyle returned to the plow this spring despite the fact
that he had passed the  four-score-and-ten mark more than a year ago.  He
not only has plowed several acres on his own place and planted spuds, corn
and vegtables but he has done work for the neighbors. But Doyle for the
first time is worried. "In the hard times we used to have I knew how to get
along, but this 'depression' seems different" he remarked after completing a
job for one of his neighbors the other day. "Possibly it's me. I don't seem
to be able to stand up under the strain like I used to  I'm not as spry as I
was 60 years ago. I play out quicker now.  But it's always my luck to fight
on the loosing side." 
   The 91-year-old Kentuckian's first big losing fight was in the Rebellion.
He was the sixth of 12 children in the family.  There were three sets of
twins.  A brother, William, lived for many years at Parkland.  William's
twin brother, James, died while serving in the Civil War. "Jim got miffed at
something around home and went off and enlisted with the Union army." Doyle
said, "Later he said to us, "I ain't shot a rebel yet and I never will." He
was shot accidently and died from blood poisoning at Lexington on March 30,
1863. I went with the other side and served a year with the Kentucky 2d
mounted infantry.  By that time things were pretty tough. Rations were
scarce.  We went three days at a stretch without eating. Doyle went into the
service with his own horse, and that was all he had when he came out.  He
was on the wrong side to draw a pension. In 1873, he married Emeline
Hartley, whose cheery disposition has withstood all the onslaughts of hard
times.  Today she is helping him battle the depression.  Next year they will
celebrate their 60th wedding anniversary. Conditions weren't so good in
Fleming county, Kentucky, so the newlyweds went out to Missouri. The
five-year period of hard times following the Civil war then hit them. For 16
years they struggled in that state.  Part of the time was spent just below
Kansas City and the rest near St. Joseph. They survived the hard times of
1884 but finally the grasshoppers got the best of them. Once they started
for Arkansas, but turned back. In 1891, they drove overland to Idaho. "We
were going to get rich raising cattle, but we settled 100 miles north of
Boise where the snow gets deep in winter and the winters are very long,"
Doyle said. "It cost too much for feed to make anything. We were there
during the panic of '93. Finally in 1900 we sold out and came to Fern Hill
in a wagon.  We arrived in July, and on July 11 I bought this place and
built a house. "I had to put a $1,000 loan around my neck to do it, and
that's quite a load to take on when you're 60.  But I did lots of team work
and got ahead.  I've worked on roads all around here, and every cent I made
has been spent in this county." Doyle seems to have instilled the quality of
longevity into his horses.  The colts he brought from Idaho lived to be 25
and 26 years old. Asked how he is able to remain vigourous and active at 91,
Doyle replied: "It's due to hard work all my life-Plenty of it- and good
whiskey," he added with a laugh. "Why, back in Fleming county folks kept a
keg by the bed with a cup handy. And they had
whiskey that was right." Maybe more folks would be able to beat the
depression with a plow nowadays if they could keep a keg and a cup handy
like the Kentuckians used to. 



Contributed by: Charlotte Doyle Smith <bwsmith@garlic.com>
Date: Fri, 23 May 1997