Ron and all, I found references to a "Justice J.A. Jack Colby and his family in Charleston, Coles County, Illinois in 1917.  Any information on this family?  I found:  Sarah E. Ashby born in 1861  married J.A. Colby.  Maybe she was his wife? Apparently Jack Colby's wife and children were killed in a 1917 tornado. A little ironic that today is Tuesday here in Illinois and the tornado sirens are sounding off on their weekly test at 10:00 a.m as I am typing this. I found Mary Colby in the Illinois Death Index.  Maybe she was one of the Colby children killed in the tornado.  COLBY         MARY                     F/W  UNK  0004857 1917-05-26 COLES       CHARLESTON          17-05-28 May 26, 1917 A major tornadic thunderstorm took a 293 mile track across central parts of Illinois and Indiana. Once believed to be a single tornado, later study indicated it was likely at least 8 separate tornadoes. The first touchdown was about 20 miles southeast of Quincy. The tornadic storm tracked due east, before beginning a northeast curve near Charleston; separate tornadic storms then curved southeast from Charleston. The towns of Mattoon and Charleston bore the brunt of the tornado. Damage from this severe tornado in Mattoon was about 2.5 blocks wide and 2.5 miles long, with over 700 houses destroyed, while the Charleston portion was 600 yards wide and 1.5 miles long, with 220 homes damaged. Damage in the two towns amounted to about $2 million, in 1917 dollars. 53 people were killed in Mattoon, and 38 were killed in Charleston. Overall, 101 people in Illinois were killed during the tornado outbreak, with 638 injured.. http://www.crh.noaa.gov/ilx/?n=mto1917 Charleston, Illinois Tornado May 26, 1917 50 KILLED, 115 HURT AT CHARLESTON http://www.gendisasters.com/data1/il/tornadoes/charleston-tornado1917.htm Terre Haute, Ind., May 27.--Information received here early Sunday morning through indirect wires to Charleston are to the effect that fifty were killed and 115 or more injured in a tornado which struck that city late Saturday afternoon. Physicians from this place were rushed to Charleston to render assistance. Wires in all directions out of Charleston are down and information is meager. The bridge between Mattoon and Charleston was blown down, cutting off all rail connections between these cities. The Daily Review, Decatur, IL 27 May 1917        CHARLESTON DEATH LIST. Terre Haute, Ind., May 26.--Following is a partial list of known dead at Charleston, Ill.: GEORGE KILGORE. JESSE HUDDLESTON. JOHN WENTZ, JR. MRS. JACK COLBY and FIVE CHILDREN. MRS. McMANN. MRS. GEORGE BRIGGS. MRS. WILLIAM LANGE and daughter, MADELINE. CLARKE Y. NELSON. BERT WALMAN. MRS.______ SMITH. MRS. ______ WRIGHT. MR. _______ REEDE. MR. _______ JENKINS. DOUGLAS NUGENT. NED KNAUSS, TED KNAUSS. A daughter of GUYSTEWART. FRANK CASE. MR. and MRS. CHARLES BARES. A child of Harry OWEN. The Daily Review, Decatur, IL 27 May 1917 Charleston Has 35 Known Victims. MRS. J. A. COLBY, wife of Justice Colby and two children. Charleston, Ill., May 28.--The known dead here as the result of Saturday’s storm are: J.R. SWEENEY, MRS. J.R. SWEENEY, JOHN WENZ JR., NAPOLEON HUFFMAN, R.C. BARNES, GEORGE KILGORE, JESSE HUDDLESTON, ERVIN JENKINS, TED KNAUSE, MRS. J.A. COLBY, NELLIE BINGEMAN, CLARENCE BINGEMAN, MRS. SARAH LINDER, FRANK CASE, MRS. GEORGE DRIGGS, MRS. JOHANNA McMANN, MRS. B.E. BAYLES, PAUL BAYLES, MRS. WILLIAM COBBLE, MRS. WILLIAM LANG, MADELIINE LANG. MRS. CEM WRIGHT, BERT NEEDY, BID WARMAN, CLARK NELSON, GEORGE A. SMITH SR., MRS. SAM SHORES, J.W. JOHNSON, DOUGLAS RUGENT, MILDRED OWINGE, WILSON GOODMAN, the ten year old daughter of GUY STEWART, MRS. JESSIE HUDDLESTON and an unidentified woman. Bob Colby

bob, since jack is a nickname for john so maybe you might find him in either the pre , or post 1916 illinois indexes on-line under state of illinois. best , marilyn On 7-Jul-09, at 11:26 AM, RC Colby wrote: > Ron and all, > > I found references to a "Justice J.A. Jack Colby and his family in > Charleston, Coles County, Illinois in 1917. Any information on this > family? > > I found: Sarah E. Ashby born in 1861 married J.A. Colby. Maybe > she was his wife? > > Apparently Jack Colby's wife and children were killed in a 1917 > tornado. > > A little ironic that today is Tuesday here in Illinois and the > tornado sirens are sounding off on their weekly test at 10:00 a.m as > I am typing this. > > I found Mary Colby in the Illinois Death Index. Maybe she was one > of the Colby children killed in the tornado. COLBY > MARY F/W UNK 0004857 1917-05-26 COLES > CHARLESTON 17-05-28 > > > May 26, 1917 > A major tornadic thunderstorm took a 293 mile track across central > parts of Illinois and Indiana. Once believed to be a single tornado, > later study indicated it was likely at least 8 separate tornadoes. > The first touchdown was about 20 miles southeast of Quincy. The > tornadic storm tracked due east, before beginning a northeast curve > near Charleston; separate tornadic storms then curved southeast from > Charleston. The towns of Mattoon and Charleston bore the brunt of > the tornado. Damage from this severe tornado in Mattoon was about > 2.5 blocks wide and 2.5 miles long, with over 700 houses destroyed, > while the Charleston portion was 600 yards wide and 1.5 miles long, > with 220 homes damaged. Damage in the two towns amounted to about $2 > million, in 1917 dollars. 53 people were killed in Mattoon, and 38 > were killed in Charleston. Overall, 101 people in Illinois were > killed during the tornado outbreak, with 638 injured.. > > http://www.crh.noaa.gov/ilx/?n=mto1917 > > Charleston, Illinois Tornado > May 26, 1917 > > 50 KILLED, 115 HURT AT CHARLESTON > > http://www.gendisasters.com/data1/il/tornadoes/charleston-tornado1917.htm > > Terre Haute, Ind., May 27.--Information received here early Sunday > morning through indirect wires to Charleston are to the effect that > fifty were killed and 115 or more injured in a tornado which struck > that city late Saturday afternoon. Physicians from this place were > rushed to Charleston to render assistance. > > Wires in all directions out of Charleston are down and information > is meager. The bridge between Mattoon and Charleston was blown down, > cutting off all rail connections between these cities. > > The Daily Review, Decatur, IL 27 May 1917 > > > CHARLESTON DEATH LIST. > > Terre Haute, Ind., May 26.--Following is a partial list of known > dead at Charleston, Ill.: > GEORGE KILGORE. > JESSE HUDDLESTON. > JOHN WENTZ, JR. > MRS. JACK COLBY and FIVE CHILDREN. > MRS. McMANN. > MRS. GEORGE BRIGGS. > MRS. WILLIAM LANGE and daughter, MADELINE. > CLARKE Y. NELSON. > BERT WALMAN. > MRS.______ SMITH. > MRS. ______ WRIGHT. > MR. _______ REEDE. > MR. _______ JENKINS. > DOUGLAS NUGENT. > NED KNAUSS, > TED KNAUSS. > A daughter of GUYSTEWART. > FRANK CASE. > MR. and MRS. CHARLES BARES. > A child of Harry OWEN. > > The Daily Review, Decatur, IL 27 May 1917 > > Charleston Has 35 Known Victims. > > MRS. J. A. COLBY, wife of Justice Colby and two children. > > Charleston, Ill., May 28.--The known dead here as the result of > Saturday’s storm are: > J.R. SWEENEY, MRS. J.R. SWEENEY, JOHN WENZ JR., NAPOLEON HUFFMAN, > R.C. BARNES, GEORGE KILGORE, JESSE HUDDLESTON, ERVIN JENKINS, TED > KNAUSE, MRS. J.A. COLBY, NELLIE BINGEMAN, CLARENCE BINGEMAN, MRS. > SARAH LINDER, FRANK CASE, MRS. GEORGE DRIGGS, MRS. JOHANNA McMANN, > MRS. B.E. BAYLES, PAUL BAYLES, MRS. WILLIAM COBBLE, MRS. WILLIAM > LANG, MADELIINE LANG. MRS. CEM WRIGHT, BERT NEEDY, BID WARMAN, CLARK > NELSON, GEORGE A. SMITH SR., MRS. SAM SHORES, J.W. JOHNSON, DOUGLAS > RUGENT, MILDRED OWINGE, WILSON GOODMAN, the ten year old daughter of > GUY STEWART, MRS. JESSIE HUDDLESTON and an unidentified woman. > > > > > Bob Colby > > > ============================= > Colby list archives: > http://archiver.rootsweb.com/th/index/COLBY/ > ------------------------------- > To unsubscribe from the list, please send an email to COLBY-request@rootsweb.com > with the word 'unsubscribe' without the quotes in the subject and > the body of the message