G. D. Castle was born 23 February 1824 in Scott County, Virginia. It's hard not to compare Elizabeth Simmons and Grandpa Castle since they were fairly close in age and in the same relationship to me--2nd great grandparents. I never met anyone who had met Elizabeth Simmons, although my dad once told me that he had heard a description of her from someone who saw her when she came to Oklahoma. (Another reason why I believe she did actually come to Oklahoma.) On the other hand I know quite a bit about G. D. Castle because my grandmother remembered him and told me about him. Can you imagine? An eyewitness description of someone born in 1824!!
Goldman Davidson was the son of William and Margaret (Cox) Castle. He married Rachel Sergeant/Sargent on 1 September 1844. Sometime between 1840 and 1850 they all moved to Pulaski County, Kentucky, from Scott County, Virginia. The first time that Goldman appears by name is on the 1850 census in Pulaski County, on the page previous to the page on which his parents appear. Family #707 includes "Solomon" Castle, age 26; his wife Rachel, age 24; and son (William) Henderson, age 2. #708 is Rachel's brother, William Sargent, age 23. Family #713 includes William Castle, age 50; Margaret, age 51; William H., age 21; Margaret, age 17; Henry G., age 14; and Patton, age 8. Also in Pulaski County in 1850 is William's son and Goldman's older brother, James, age 35, enumerated with his wife and three children.
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| Kentucky Land Grant dated 28 May 1858 |
My branch of the Castle family was actually a little late to the migration from Virginia to Kentucky. In 1858 when "Goolen" Castle purchased 141 acres on Large Branch, Caney Creek, Morgan County had already been in existence for over 25 years. Enumerated in Morgan County, West Liberty Post Office, on the 1860 census were: G. D. Castle, age 36; Rachel, age 35; William, age 14; James, age 8; John, age 4; and Lilburn, age 1. Little John and Lilburn would not live very long; they both died of scarlet fever in 1861 within days of each other.
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| Death Records for John and Lilburn Castle, 1861 |
By 1870 Goldman and Rachel's family was complete with the birth of daughter Sarah Frances "Sis," born in 1861; my great-grandfather, George Turner, born in 1863; and Nancy Anna, born in 1868. In 1867 the first of Goldman and Rachel's children married; William Henderson Castle married Nancy Jane Wells on 5 November 1867. Their first grandchild, John Seymour Castle, was born 3 July 1869.
My great-grandfather, George Turner Castle, married for the first time on 17 October 1884 to Mary Frances Nickell. Their daughter, Cora Lee, was born 10 March 1890. Mary Frances died 10 April 1893. Unable to care for his daughter, George turned to his parents who brought Cora into their home to raise. In fact, on the 1900 census Cora is enumerated with both her father and his new family and with her grandparents. George's new family consisted of wife Florida (Day); daughter Fannie (my grandmother), age 3, and son Forrest, age 1.
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| 1900 Morgan County KY census, enumerating Cora Castle with both her father and grandfather |
G. D. Castle was first appointed Postmaster of Castle, Kentucky, on 21 March 1896 and kept the position for several years. He received compensation of $8.01 in 1897 and $23.68 in 1901. The post office was at one end of his house.
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| Record of Goldman D. Castle's Postmaster Appointment |
What I know about my 2nd great-grandfather, Goldman Davidson Castle, I learned from my grandmother, who dearly loved him. He was 73 when my grandmother was born in 1897. I grew up hearing stories about how she stood on a chair and brushed his silver hair; how she tried on his "specs" (spectacles=glasses); how he saved the metal stars on top of his Star Chewing Tobacco and gave them to her; and how he so adored his wife Rachel that he would bring her "sweet crackers" after his visits to town--which she kept in her bureau drawer and did not share with the grandkids. You could definitely tell who her favorite grandparent was!
Here is my grandmother's description of her grandfather in her own words:
Sturdy type man--My first remembrance of Grandpa was about 1900-01. He let me try on his steel-rim specks (spectacles) and walk up and down their long porch to their log house of 4 or 5 rooms. The porch was boxed in on one end and contained the Castle, Kentucky Post Office.
Large orchard back of house, cribs of corn, barn for horses, cows, sheep, hogs, chickens, and turkeys--Meadow for mowing in front of house. They lived there many years. I think all the children lived there as they grew up. After Frances Nickell died (childbirth), Dad brought 2-year-old Cora back to live at Grandpa's. About 1903 the Post Office was robbed and crib of corn burned. They were afraid to live alone and were getting up in years, so they moved in with us. I have some pleasant memories of the whole family sitting before a wood fire in Grandpa and Grandma's room after dinner listening to Grandpa talk.
He had beautiful, silvery, wavy gray hair and blue eyes--These words describe him: pleasant, independent, honest. He and my mother organized the first Sunday School at Stacy Fork, Kentucky. I think most of the Castles were (hard shell) Baptists. They held their association meetings once a year.
He chewed Star tobacco that he bought in 2-inch by 2-inch squares (sweet) with metal stars on it. He gave me the stars.
The Castles had the reputation of having well-filled larders (pantries)--canned and dried fruits and vegetables, a smoke house, the ceiling bristling with hickory-cured hams--Grandpa was an artist at preserving meat and sausage--a barrel of kraut, a barrel of pickles, a barrel of sorghum, pounds of homemade butter with the imprint of a little jersey cow on the mold, jars of honey from the beehives in one corner of the big yard.
In autumn large holes were excavated in one corner of the garden plot, these were lined with straw and filled with potatoes, onions, turnips, and apples, then covered with straw and dirt to a depth of no freezing. The whole family joined in this project of producing and preparing our daily bread.
Wood, coal and kerosene gave us heat and light. We bought flour by the barrel, sugar by the 50# bag, had corn ground for meal at nearby mill. These are a few happy memories of my old Kentucky home.In February of 1907 Goldman Davidson Castle died and was buried in the little Castle cemetery on his own land where some of his grandchildren were already buried. I always wondered if my great-grandfather George held out until his father died before making the decision to move to Oklahoma in the summer of 1907. Rachel moved in with her son, James Harvey, who stayed on the Castle land, and George sometimes came back to visit, but my grandmother never saw her Kentucky home again.
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| G. D. Castle's gravestone in Castle family plot |
All three of G. D. Castle's surviving sons named sons after him. William Henderson's son, who was named as Davidson on the 1900 census, was born in June of 1882. He died just three years after the census in 1903. James Harvey's son Goldman was born in 1884 and died in 1888. He is buried in the Castle family plot. George Turner named his next-to-youngest son Goldman Henry, but to me he was Uncle Harry. He used both the names Goldman and Harry, but a lot of family members and friends called him "Plute." He was born in 1905 and died in 1978 and is buried at Rose Hill Cemetery in Tulsa.
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