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Echoes of the Past
Every now and then, when researching the ancestors, we are lucky enough to run across a passage which gives us a hint of the character of that person. Below are some stories collected from research which tells of some of the people in the DeHority ancestry. Since it is often "word of mouth", it's accuracy can't always be proven. It is included here because it adds dimension to the picture our research paints. I hope if you have similar stories you will send them along so that they can be shared here also.
| Dehority Origins | William A. DeHority | Jane Moore DeHority |
| Thomas Dehorty | Cliff Dehority |
Dehority Origins. The text below is taken from "Methodism in Pickerington, Ohio, 1812-1905", by H.E. Brill, 1904. It is from a brief biography of Andrew Doherty (1774-1856) and tells of how the family first came to this country. Research at this time seems to show that the George Doherty mentioned was probably Andrew's grandfather, or possibly great-grandfather.
"About the year 1738, four young fellows were kidnapped on the coast of Ireland, brought to America and sold as indentured servants to pay their passage. One of these young men, George Doherty, was sold to a man who lived on the Delaware coast. He finally died there. What became of the other two is not known. George was the father of Andrew Doherty.
William A. Dehority. "Public servant" is probably the title that best describes this man, as is evidenced by the following text taken from his obituary, published in the Elwood Call-Leader, September 20, 1943.
"William A. DeHority,who became first Mayor of the city of Elwood at the age of 22 and followed that office with a long and illustrious career both in public and private life, died here early Sunday at Mercy Hospital.....Mr. DeHority's death brought to an end a career which for many years was almost synonomous with state financial regulatories. He organized Indiana's first State Board of Accounts in 1909, and served as chief State Examiner until 1913. Under State Auditor Dale J. Crittenberger, Mr. DeHority served on the State Board of Accounts from 1931 until 1941. He was forced to retire then by state law....[William] returned to Elwood and in 1890 became the Democratic candidate for Mayor of the town which had just changed its name and became incorporated as Elwood. Following his election, Mr. DeHority spent a busy four years in the little town which had already begun growing rapidly in population. Under his administration, the Elwood Electrical plant was put into operation and electric street railway systems and water-works were begun and completed. At that time the city's population was 2,500.....Following his term as mayor, Mr. DeHority was associated with the Elwood State Bank, served as assistant Madison county treasurer, and was named president of the Elwood Gas Co....Then, in 1900, Governor Thomas R. Marshall called upon Mr. DeHority to organize the state's first Board of Accounts. The task facing Mr. DeHority at that time was, to say the least, gigantic. Beekeeping (bookkeeping?) and accounting in public offices in those days lacked in uniformity and method. Therefore, the first essential step, Mr. DeHority recalled only recently when he retired from the board, was to adopt and compel the use of a uniform system. Mr. DeHority was forced to stand the verbal fire of many an irate Hoosier legislator in getting the department organized and on a uniform working basis. However, with the complete support of Governor Marshall, he laid the foundation for a department which later was the model for similar organizations in other states."
Jane Moore DeHority. Jane Moore and her family were some of the early settles in Elwood. She was a well-known figure in her town, as can be seen in this excerpt from her obituary, titled "Good Mother Goes To Rest", Elwood Call Leader, August 26, 1925.
"Mrs. DeHority was probably the oldest native-born citizen of Pipecreek township. She was the daughter of Thomas and Jennie Moore, and was born in a log cabin on a farm three miles south and a mile east of Elwood on May 13, 1840. Her twin brother, Thomas R. Moore, former sheriff of Madison County, died November 7, 1922 and she was the last surviving member of a family of twelve children....Mrs. DeHority was a remarkably intelligent woman and possessed a retentive memory which enabled her to talk in most interesting manner of the early days of this community. Her parents emigrated from Carroll County, Virginia, following a trail through the forest and cleared away the tract upon which they made a home. Of the early days she had a good recollection and it was a treat to hear her tell these experiences....Nearly every person in Elwood knew and loved Mrs. DeHority whose kindly greeting to those who passed her home seemed to make the day better for having received it. This good friend and neighbor will be missed in the community and many will regret to learn of her death."
Thomas Dehorty. In a biography of Thomas D. Cubbage (Biographical and Genealogical History of the State of Delaware, Runk, 1899), who was a grandson of Thomas Dehorty by his daughter Elizabeth, Mr. Cubbage remembers his grandfather.
"Thomas D. Cubbage was born in the building in which he now conducts a store. When he was three years old, his father removed to Milford, where he died a short time after. The family then removed to the house of Mrs. Cubbage's father, Thomas Dehorty, at Mount Moriah....He was educated in his grandfather's kitchen. Public schools were unknown in Delaware in his youth and the opportunities for obtaining instruction were few. His grandfather believed in educated men; he knew the additional power which mental culture gives to the farmer and the mechanic, and he established a school of his own. The sessions were held during the winter evenings in his kitchen, and were presided over by a teacher paid by him. To this school boys of the neighborhood were invited, and received a good rudimentary training in the most essential branches of knowledge. The kitchen furnished nourishment for the body and mind. Many of the pupils who sat about its walls of evenings became well-known and successful business men."
Cliff Dehority. Before the lure of Hollywood, there was the lure of the stage, as told in Historical Sketches and Reminiscences of Madison County, Indiana, Forkner and Dyson, 1897.
"Anderson has always held the reputation of being up to date in all that was going on....In the year 1868 there was more than the usual number of minstrel troupes traversing the country, and one of these organization stranded in Anderson, and some of the party remained here for quite a while. During their stay many of the young boys became infatuated with the stage and the profession of minstrelsy....One of their principal performers was Cliff Dehority, a son of the late Henry V. Dehority. Cliff is yet a living monument of that aggregation, being now a resident of the City of New York....The company met for rehearsals over the hardware store of John P. Barnes, on the east side of the square, and after a two-weeks' training gave a public performance in Westerfield's Hall to a crowded house. The boys were so well known that a crowd was not hard to "raise" to witness their debut. They surprised even their most sanguine friends in their proficiency. "Tom" Cartwright, a brother of the proprietor, and Cliff Dehority took the house by storm with their "gags," which were all new and original, and of a local nature that made many good hits. Dehority did a song and dance that would have been a credit to a professional. It is the opinion of the writer that these boys both missed their calling when they did not adopt the stage as a life work."