I'm hoping I can do justice to the full flavor of this wonderful story. I just received the Cradle Story from Linda Keehner of Rapid City. Her father, Ralph Pesicka had verbally told me this story last summer.
Our gggrandmother, Martha Peppers Daugherty, married to William Henry Daugherty, had a brother named John. John, Jr. married Mary Ellen Prettyman. Here's their story.
"In 1840 Prettymans moved from Ohio to Pekin, Ill. Two sets of babies used the cradle before then. Abraham Lincoln used to go to Prettyman's to visit and study law. He often took care of the children and rocked them in the cradle. John Pepper married Mary Ellen Prettyman. John was Grandma Daugherty's (Edna Place Pesicka's grandmother), brother. The John Peppers had twins so the cradle was not big enough. Note: I have no record of this John having twins, however they had at least 9 children, all with approximate birth dates. Something to look into.
The Doughertys had a wider cradle so they swapped cradles. Then a month or six weeks after the trade one twin died. Grandma Place (Hattie Daugherty - sister of ggrandpa George Daugherty) was the first Daugherty rocked in that cradle (1863).
In 1883 the Dougherty's moved to SD. Uncle (to the Pesicka family)Geo. D. had the cradle for 9 children. This must mean that my dear grandpa Fred was rocked in this historic cradle. George lost his homestead. Uncle Fred Daugherty (the uncle of grandpa Fred also) found the cradle among a bunch of trees, cleaned it and put it in his house.
About 1950 or 51 Edna Place Pesicka (Ralph's mother and Hattie Daugherty Place's daughter) found it in Uncle Fred's junk pile and brought it home.
The few additions that I've heard is that ggrandpa George threw it in the dump and his son Robbie found it and took it to his house. There Hattie found it and said, "That's our cradle!" and took it back with her.
This John, with the twins, is the father of two people I've already written about in this blogsite. One was Hattie Pepper Minthorn, who wrote about the great blizzard, and the other was Irvin St. Clair Pepper who became a representative from Iowa.
The cradle is at Linda Keehner's house where it is well taken care of. The rockers are not longer connected, but the unique workmanship is very interesting. I had the opportunity to see the cradle. What a wonderful experience. I'm not sure what kind of wood it is made of...not oak or pine. Perhaps chestnut.
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