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She was from the hills of KY and proud of it. She never liked to wearshoes or dress for guests
and when important men came to call on herhusband, she usually disappeared rather than play
hostess. The story is told that when DW built the new house, the first inMoultrie County with indoor plumbing, Laura made him build a newouthouse, too. She refused to let anyone use a commode under the sameroof where she cooked. Grandchildren told of spending summers thereworking on the farm but they always had to take showers in thebasement, via the outside basement door, before coming into the houseitself and they were never allowed in the front part of the houseunless they crawled across the carpets. Laura Belle was a wealthy woman in her own right, owning severalpieces of property soley in her name: 1/25/1893 Moultrie Co, IL. Her parents transferred some property atE 1/2 SE S21 T14 R5 to her for $1 by warranty deed. 1900 Sullivan Twp, Moultrie Co, IL. She inherited 80 acres of theold homestead at S3 T13 R5, along with $4400 in cash and securities,including the note of A.B. Patterson. 2/28/1901 She bought land from Isaac and Kate E Hudson by warrantydeed for $9000. The land was situated at S 1/2 SE & NE SE S28 T14 R5. 8/13/1904 She bought land from brother, Robert, located at W 1/2 SWS12 T14 R5 for $1000 by warranty deed. 2/27/1906 Cyrus and Caroline Arnold sold their land at E 1/2 NW S9T13 R5, to Laura for $400 by warranty deed. 9/14/1906 Brother, Robert, transferred more land with the samecoordinates to her by quit claim deed for $1. 9/20/1906 On this date she received another plot at the same locationfrom Flora A Hardy, also by quit claim deed, also for $1. 3/28/1911 Property she owned jointly with her husband was transferredto her name soley by warranty deed, no money exchanging hands. Theplot was located at SW S22 T14 R5. 11/21/1917 Laura received the following letter from attorney andbrother-in-law which probably refers to the land they bought fromChenny with a loan from Elmer, neither of whom got their money : "My dear Laura: I am sending you a copy of a letter that I have written to Elmer. NowI didn't like to write to Elmer, but the time has come when you andDan must do right in this matter. You seem to be afraid of Elmer;seem to be afraid that if you will tell him or enter into anaccounting with him as to Chin's land you will get into trouble.People don't generally get into trouble doing right. As far as I amconcerned I am tired of seeing Chin's family suffer for thenecessaries of life with no possible chance of relieving them. If anyone has to take this land for Chin's life it would have been farbetter for Hill to have taken it than for Elmer to take it. Now it will be easy for you and Chin and Dan and Elmer to determinehow much is back and how much has been paid and settle this matter. Ihave men every few days talk to me about this that know about thematter, and they think it an outrage, and you can't afford to dootherwise in this matter than to get busy with yourself. Now you show this letter to Dan and show it to Chin too, and don'tfail in this. You know I write letters to some of your people whodon't see fit to answer. I don't want an answer in this letter, butthe matter must not rest any longer as it is. You must do right notonly toward Chin, but toward yourself and toward your brothers andsisters and towards Chin's children. Very truly yours, WR Huff" |
| Laura Belle also died of a heart attack. |
| Laura's funeral was held at the Christian Church, Sullivan, IL, Rev.Barnett oficiating. Songs sung during the services included: SomeTime We'll Understand, City Four Square, and At the End of the LongRoad, which was a solo. |