About Permelia
"Now I’ll try to tell you a little about Permelia, which I knew
first hand, since she lived with us while I was growing up.
Permelia Ann Payne Doyle Malcom was the daughter of John Payne
Jr., who lived at Potomac, Illinois. John Payne was a
substantial land owner and apparently pretty hard-headed.
On one of his trips to New Orleans, a friend gave him a
Butternut pin which he wore on his shirt. This pin became
a sign of the South but he continued to wear it after the Civil
War started, even though by then he had three sons in the Union
Army. Someone challenged him and they fought a duel and he
was killed. Grandma Permelia always said he was “a mite
too-hardheaded.”
Permelia's four older brothers got to know Abe Lincoln when he
was a circuit riding lawyer and visited Potomac quite
frequently. Uncle “Wad”, who was the only one of the
brothers I got to know, when he would come to see Grandma in
later years, said Abe would come down to the local bar for a
drink and a free bite to eat each morning. He loved to
visit with the townsfolk.
My Grandma was the head of a group of lady riders and later when
Lincoln was running for President and visited Potomac, they rode
out to meet his entourage. So he took Grandma to the dance
that night and wrote in her little Memory Book, “I hope you live
to be 100. You're a beautiful young lady.” She
showed me the little book often and each time said he was the
homeliest man she ever saw, but was very nice and a good dancer.
Grandma married a man by the name of Doyle when she was
seventeen and had two boys, Addison and Frank. When the
Civil War broke out, Mr. Doyle accepted a thousand dollars to
take another man's place in the draft, which was legal then.
According to Grandma, he gave her five hundred dollars, went out
and got drunk with the balance and went off to war No one
heard from him again so after the War, he was declared dead and
Grandma went about the task of raising her two sons without a
husband or a father.
After the War was over, Grandma's brother, Alonzo, who was a
Major by that time, was put in charge of the Indian Reservation
in Nebraska. I do not know whether he was married or not,
but anyhow, he sent for Grandma and her two sons to come out and
live with him on the reservation and she was on her way.
In Omaha she met Grandpa Joe Malcom. He followed her to
the reservation and they were married there.
Grandpa Joe made the wedding ring out of a gold nugget he had
brought back from California. It was in the shape of a
belt with a buckle. Because it was pure gold, it was very
soft so Grandma put it in a little leather pouch which she
carried on a cord around her neck."
October 28, 2007
Hello Alice,
Was
so happy to hear from you but I didn’t reply sooner as I needed to get some
ducks in a row before I answered.
I want to tell you how much I admire your
website and how much I appreciate the amount of hard work it was create it
and the years of research that went before and is still ongoing.
Also, it is so much fun to read, personal and
“newsy”.
I am going to answer your letter this way because I do not want to miss all
I am thinking concerning all your comments.
Hello, Marla!
It appears that we are third-cousins
through our ancestors John PAYNE, Jr., and Virletta O'NEAL. You
descend from their daughter Permelia; I descend from their son William.
Third cousins we are indeed.
At your web site, you describe Permelia as
your maternal great-grandmother, which would make her parents your
great-great grandparents. Also for me, John Jr. and Virletta would be
great-great grandparents.
Permelia would be a great-great aunt to
me, since she was the sister of my great-grandfather William O. Payne.
As you likely know, I also descend from
Permelia's first husband, Tom Doyle/Frank Reed. I descend from
Tom/Frank's 2nd wife, whom he married after he and Permelia parted. So
far as I know, there NEVER was a divorce between Tom/Frank and Permelia,
which would make Tom/Frank's three subsequent marriages void
ab initio. However, valid divorce or
not, Tom/Frank went on to marry three more times in Vermilion Co., IL, after
he and Permelia parted.
We too, have never found any divorce records but being
separated for so long from him and maybe for her own purposes, she just
decided to declare herself “deserted” and him “dead”.
We do know that Permelia had contact, after her
marriage to Joseph, with at least three of her relatives- Alonzo Payne, Wad
Payne and her half brother James Buchanan Payne.
Alonzo, called “Uncle Lon” by my grandfather in
his writings, was in close contact with Joe and Permelia from the beginning
when they first met.
He was either complicit, or sympathetic with
his sister’s plight.
He may have even been empowered to perform a
civil marriage in his capacity of Indian Agent.
I am figuring that out in the Nebraska and
Dakota Territories, record keeping was not a priority as I am finding it
difficult to find timely and accurate records on other family matters.
I would be willing to bet that when Tom/Frank
was married, they may have not inquired as to his past marital status and he
may have told any who did inquire that she was also “dead” or "disappeared".
We have an 1870 census record where Addison is
written down as “David”, age 6 and Permelia is listed as “Amelia” age 24.
This is pretty far off the mark to be called
spelling or clerical errors so my cousins and I speculate that Joseph and
Permelia may have been trying to hide.
And, to
really "weird up" the situation, Permelia & William's brother Wad became the
step-father of my grandmother when he married William's widow -- two days
after Wad divorced his wife.
On this page,
http://www.miller-malcom-familytree.net/payne_family.htm, you have a lengthy quote from Donald
Humphreys Malcolm. Here's the part that interests me:
Grandma married a man by the name of Doyle when she was seventeen and had
two boys, Addison and Frank. When the Civil War broke out, Mr. Doyle
accepted a thousand dollars to take another man's place in the draft, which
was legal then. According to Grandma, he gave her five hundred
dollars, went out and got drunk with the balance and went off to war.
No one heard from him again so after the War, he was declared dead and
Grandma went about the task of raising her two sons without a husband or a
father.
My
Uncle Don followed in the line of great Malcom Story Tellers and he heard
this story form Permelia when he was very young and wrote it down when he
was old.
He grew up with Grandma Permelia living in the house
and she died when he was 21.
None of the Malcoms were very good at
remembering accurate dates nor did they record dates.
The “story” was the thing.
However, many of their stories have been proven
to be actually based in fact.
As you know, that can be
nothing more than the story that Permelia told. The proof is the
marriage record for Tom/Frank and Permelia: May 17, 1864, in Vermilion
County, Ilinois. Another proof is that Addison and Frank were born in
1865 and 1866. Also, Tom/Frank remained right there in Vermilion Co.
and was known to Permelia's family, so completely known that a son from
Tom/Frank's 2nd marriage married a daughter of Permelia's brother William --
who was by the time of the marriage a step-daugher of Permelia's brother
Wad.
Your record of their marriage is in agreement with our
records.
However, we have substantial proof that Addison was
born before they were married in January of 1864.
I am guessing that the fact she was pregnant
and unmarried, quite a shameful scandal for the Payne family who were
prominent in community and business affairs of Vermilion County.
I am guessing that the two were forced into a
marriage that maybe neither of them wanted.
Since the war did not end until April 9, 1865,
isn’t it possible that Tom/Frank decided to run away to the army or
disappear for a while?
Maybe this is what he told Permelia when he
left.
He could have then returned in time to then impregnate
Permelia with her second child, Frank.
Frank’s death certificate says he was born
August 27, 1865.
That would mean that he is born 1 year and 7
months after Ad.
However, we have a 1870 census record of the
family taken on July 13th in Knox Township in
Pottawattamie County Iowa that states that Frank is 3 years old putting him
born in 1866. After Frank’ birth,
perhaps it was then that Permelia took her two
children
and fled to her older brother’s protection and care
out on the Nebraska plains.
I know that this is a
lot of conjecture on my part, but you have to admit that it is in the realm
of possibility.
Also, Uncle Don’s story is not too far amiss
from how you yourself portray Tom/Frank’s character.
In other words, IF that is the
story that Permelia to her children and grandchildren, her story is
inconsistent with facts that can be proven easily.
I worked so very hard to clear
up the stories and lies about Tom Doyle/Frank Reed that I would hate to see
new stories be spun about him. There is NO indication that Permelia
even knew Tom/Frank before he served in the Civil War.
If this is so, then you must understand how one
of my goals is to clear the name of my Great Grandmother. Not to make her
perfect but at least a person who had admiral qualities.
As I grew up, my
parents, uncles, aunts and cousins and
community friends always spoke of their admiration and love for Permelia. A
few are still alive today. In all the stories I heard she was said to be
loving, hardworking and spirited.
I will recount here one of the stories my
mother, Maybelle Warren Malcom Miller, often told us about the birth of
“Uncle Ad” as we all called him.
She said that Ad was born very prematurely, a
baby that could fit in the hand of a man.
He was so small everyone doubted that he would
live.
They kept him in a small box lined with cotton, which
was changed frequently and kept the box surrounded with hot water bottles to
keep him warm.
(Can you imagine how many days and long hours
it took to maintain this procedure?)
All the family marveled as to how such a tiny
baby could have grown into such a tall man.
(About
6’3”, as I remember him.)
Whether there ever was any
legal or ceremonial wedding between Permelia and Joseph Malcom, I am unable
to say. Despite searching, I never found any marriage record for them.
And, despite searching, I never found any divorce record for Permelia and
Tom/Frank. We, too, have
not found the record of this marriage but have little doubt that it
happened.
About ten years ago, I
was in contact with a woman named Kathleen Doyle Almelion, born 1947.
Kathleen Doyle, and married James Almelion. She was a school teacher.
She descended from Permelia and Tom/Frank's son Addison, b. 1865, Vermilion
Co., Illinois; from Addison's son William, b. 1887, Woodbury, Co., Iowa;
from William's son Keith, b. 1921. Keith was her father, and he was a
veterinarian.
At the time, Kathleen lived in Washington,
Iowa; at 921 E. Main Street. Her phone then was 319-653-7547.
Her husband's name was/is James Edward Almelion, b. 1945. ... They had a son
Andrew, b. 1977, and a daughter Erin, b. 1981.
Kathleen is herself an
extraordinary researcher, and it was because of her that I was able to piece
Tom/Frank's story together. And, it was she who sent to me the copy of
Permelia's photograph that I have on this web page:
http://www.alicemariebeard.com/genealogy/maternal/permelia.htm It's the same photo of
Permelia that you have at your web site!
Kathleen reported that
she had searched all reasonable sources and had found no record of any legal
marriage ceremony between Permelia and Joseph, and no record of any marriage
license, and no record of any divorce between Permelia and Tom/Frank.
I had searched many of those same sources, and I also found no record.
We too, have been in contact with Kathleen but her
records of Permelia and Joseph were even more sketchy and incomplete than
ours.
However, even without a
divorce, Tom/Frank went on to marry right in Vermilion Co., Illinois, three
more times.
In my mind, Tom/ Frank was probably a bit of a
scoundrel but a charming one.
He certainly was able to persuade several
ladies into marriage.
I grew up hearing the stories
of my grandfather, son of Tom/Frank from his 2nd marriage. My
grandfather said his father had wondered about his first two sons (Addison &
Frank) for the rest of his life. It's a story my grandfather would
have remembered, probably with pain -- on the order of, "Well, Dad, I'm
here. I'm your son also. Why don't you try to be a father to me,
and stop remembering those other two?"
And, Alonzo Payne definitely
knew that Tom/Frank was alive in Vermilion Co., Illinois, as did Permelia
and Alonzo's brothers William and Abel Wad! William and his 2nd wife
(Elizabeth Oliver) were friends of Tom/Frank and his 2nd wife, Lucy
Peterson. When Tom/Frank's 2nd wife died in 1883, William and his wife
donated a plot for her burial.
It is most unlikely that Permelia ever knew about Tom/Frank's secret
identity. The irony is that it appears that both of them lived out
their lives with some major falsehoods.
I would be interested in
exchanging more information and any photos you may have of Permelia's Payne
relatives.
Also, your letter spurred me on to complete the
Payne portion of my website.
My husband and I were in Danville this past
summer and picked up a lot of bits and pieces of information.
Please take a look at my website under "Payne"
and see what I have added to it on the page entitled
Songer Cemetery.
I still have a ways to go.
I am also anxious to complete the Malcom Page
of my website but I figure it will take me into next year for sure, as I
have tons of information about them.
(If only my regular life would not keep
interfering.)
As I complete a page, I
email my sisters and
cousins as to “what's up”.
If you would like me to add you to this list
concerning Permelia and Joseph, I would be glad to do so.
Did you look at my page for James Buchanan
Payne?
I am especially proud how that one turned out with
memories written by my Uncles, Donald and Vincent;
One last request.
Do you have any idea as to how I can find
information about Alonzo Payne and his records as an Indian Agent?
I
have tried several leads but have found no records of that sort and I don’t
know where to turn next.
This story is so persistent in my family that I
feel there must be some truth to it.
He did have a record of Provost Marshall and
that experience could surely prepare and qualify him for the job of Indian
agent either as a soldier or retired soldier/citizen.
Thanks
so much
Your Payne cousin,
(Ditto)
Alice
Marie Beard
Marla Miller Hembree
October 30. 2007
Marla,
Thank you for writing! I admit that I almost deleted it
because I did not recognize your email and feared that the attached file
might be a virus. Glad I opened it!
In the end, whether there ever was any "legal marriage" between
Permelia and Joseph seems not relevant. The reality is that, if truth
had been known, it would not have taken much of a lawyer to have proved that
the marriage between Permelia and Tom/Frank was void because it was a fraud
perpetrated on the poor woman. There is no indication that she EVER
knew who the man was. He simply created a complete lie about who he
was and conned her into marriage.
It must have been horrible for her to be living with a man whose
every action was calculated to hide who he was. And I say that even
though I descend from the man.
Worrying whether she and Joseph ever legally married is of no
matter. Tragically, whatever actions she had to take after her time
with Tom/Frank were primarily the cause of Tom/Frank. ... And that man
managed to successfully lie to all right until he died. Except for the
military offices in
Regarding wondering about the dates of birth of Permelia's first two
children, my recollection is that those two boys have birth records in
Regarding the military record of Alonzo Payne, here is all the
information I have:
On
I have never come across any record of Alonzo Payne having been an
Indian Agent.
Regarding the 1870 census where Permelia was recorded as "Amelia"
and
You wrote,
However, we have substantial proof that
There's a lot of conjecture and guessing in that. I'll need to
check my collection of old records, but -- as I wrote above -- my
recollection is that
This may be a case of both Permelia and Tom/Frank telling their own
"story" of how they separated. My guess is that each was doing some
story spinning. And, my guess is that over the decades and the more
than 140 years, the stories have changed, and mutated. All I can do is
go with the records and documents that were created at the time of the
events.
I don't think there is anything about Permelia's life story that
needs clearing or justifying. I've no reason to think that she was
anything other than a wonderful person. From what I can tell, she was
a young woman who became involved with and married to a man who was a liar.
She never figured out what his lie was, but she surely must have sensed that
there was something major wrong, and his lies and deceptions must have made
for a terrible marriage.
Below are excerpts about the Paynes from the
autobiography of Donald Humphreys Malcom (My mother's younger brother) and his
version of the what he heard first hand from his grandmother Permelia about her
marriages to Tom Doyle and Joseph Malcom and what he heard and personally
experienced concerning her brothers. Uncle Don wrote this autobiography in
the years 1997-1998: I have edited some names to match correct history but
have not edited anything else. Uncle Don may have not remembered some
names and date details which is perfectly understandable considering his age
when he wrote this and the time elapsed since he first heard the stories and
experienced the actual encounters. For instance, he remembers that
Permelia rode to meet Abe with other young ladies when Abe was campaigning for
President in Potomac. We know that this event occurred in Danville in 1858
and that Abe was campaigning for the Senate against Stephen Douglas. Don
may have been confused because he visited Permelia's half brother, James
Buchanan Payne, who lived in Potomac, with his grandmother when he was a young
man. Also, Don's imagination may have taken some flights of fancy when he
heard these stories as a child while growing up. However, there are enough
grains of truth to give Permelia's story some plausibility added with the other
facts that we know about the Paynes.
My comments are in
orange
and Don's narrative is in navy blue.
After this narrative is a friendly email exchange
between Alice Marie Beard and myself.