Person Page - 197

     She married William "Will" Warner Tabb.¹ Note: According to her daughter, Rosa Nell Tabb Murray Wilson:

1. "'Ethel' was a midwife and delivered babies. I think [that] nearly all the children I went to school with were delivered by her."

2. Ethel died from "heart failure."

Source: Leslie E. Tabb, Jr. (pastlet@yahoo.com) in an email dated 21 February 2004. Sarah was born on 4 February 1891.¹ Sarah died on 16 May 1963 at age 72.¹ Her body was interred after 16 May 1963 at Drakesboro, Muhlenberg County, Kentucky, at Highway Cemetery.^1,2

     Opal was born at Drakesboro, Kentucky, on 6 June 1911. Opal died on 12 January 1912.^1,2 Her body was interred after 12 January 1912 at Drakesboro, Muhlenberg County, Kentucky, at Highway Cemetery.^1,2

     Carl was born on 1 December 1912.^1,2 He married Edith Mae Robinson on 31 August 1936.¹ Carl died on 15 April 1988 at Drakesboro, Muhlenberg County, Kentucky, at age 75.^1,2 He was buried after 15 April 1988 at Ebenezer Cemetery, Ebenezer, Muhlenberg County, Kentucky.²

     Margie was born on 10 November 1914.¹ Margie died on 27 May 1997 at age 82.¹

     Her body was interred at Drakesboro, Muhlenberg County, Kentucky, at Hy Way Cemetery.¹ Vivian died. Vivian was born.

     Elizabeth was born on 29 October 1920.¹ Elizabeth died on 20 July 1990 at age 69.¹

     James was born at Muhlenberg County, Kentucky, on 29 November 1922.^1,2 James Howard Tabb

Remembers His Good Ol Days

I remember back in 1924 our Aunt Dora and Uncle Bun coming to our house. When Aunt Dora would sit down, I would sit down at her feet and rub her silk stockings.

In 1926 Dad bought our farm. He bought the farm with a government loan. I got my first dog that year, his name was Rover.

I remember Buddy [Carl Willie, another son of William Warner Tabb] building a big pen for the rabbits that he raised. He raised black and white ones. The rabbits got loose one day and ran wild. We could not get all of them back into the pen. For years there were black and white rabbits all throughout the fields and woods.

Dad always made his own wagon wheels and I was always with Dad. One day he was making a wagon wheel when the ax handle came off. The ax stuck in my foot.

They poured coal oil onto my foot and squeezed the cut tightly together and wrapped it up. In the summer time, Dad would back the wagon into the pond so that the wheels would expand.

I remember the first time I had to go to court; I was five years old. The Diamond Block Coal Mines closed down and Mr. Thomas had Dad take all of the mules out to our farm, until he could do something with them. There was a little mule and he gave it to me. I named him Bob. When Mr. Thomas came back for the mules, he wanted to take Bob also. My dad said, "No, you are not taking Bob because you gave him to Howard. You take all the others, but you are not taking Bob."

So, Mr. Thomas took Dad to court. When the lawyer asked me if Mr. Thomas gave me the mule, I replied, "Yes sir, he did." The Judge then dismissed the case.

I remember one winter when it was very cold, Dad came home from the mines. All of the cows were out and Dad tried to run them back into the field. One old cow ran between the smoke house and the chicken house, then she fell in the well. All of the neighbors came to help us get her out. Buddy went down into the well and tied a rope around the cow, our mules, Doc, and Jim, helped pull the cow out. Mom brought out quilts and blankets and wrapped the old cow up, the next day she was fine.

Every year at Easter, twenty or thirty families would gather and have an Easter Egg hunt. Every family would bring dozen and dozens of boiled eggs. The eggs were colored with crayons or crepe paper. The coloring was usually left up to the children.

I remember going to the pond when we were kids and catching chuck head fish. We would then build a fire, cook the fish, then eat. I started to school in 1928 at Cedar Dale. They sat me in a seat next to some boy I didn
t know. I cried to sit next to Raymond Dennis. The teacher would not let me.

One day we were coming home from school and as we were going through the field we ran into a nest full of yellow jackets. We were stung all over.

My sister, Mae, went to Drakesboro School. Her school was about six miles from where we lived, so she got to ride a horse.

In 1928 my Grandma Tabb [Sarah C. Driskill] died. She lived in Todd County about forty miles from us. Dad had to hook up about four mules to pull the wagon because we didn
t have a car. Dad had to stop by and pick up his brother Les [My Grandfather, Leslie M. Tabb, William s brother] and his family. All together there was about sixteen of us in that wagon. We filled the wagon with straw and put quilts down. The wagon was so full, Ted [My Uncle Oscar Clayton Tabb] had to ride the coupling pole all of the way there. I remember seeing Grandmother's body. They took her across the backwaters to Browder, there she was sent to Russleville for burial.

Joyce and Robert moved to Paradise and then Buddy and Edith moved in the other half of their house. One time we were visiting at their house and I got to spend the night. Mom, Dad, Bee, Mary, and Rose were heading home and Dad had a wreck. It was a 1928 Chevy; my Dad's ribs were broken, but none of the others were hurt. Dad couldn't work so Buddy would take me to work with him. I worked until Dad was able to go back.

Robert and Buddy raised chickens. Every time a chicken would get sick, they would make me take it to Herman Buchanan and sell it. Whenever the back waters would come up, Robert, Buddy, and I would go across the river and kill rabbits. I would have to clean them and we would give them to everyone. We would always give them to Bubby Short. Dad had eaten so many rabbits his butt got sore. He couldn't even wipe it.

Around that time I met Kay. She would come up to Joyce and Roberts to visit. Of course I was always there. She would always stay late. I was so backwards I would not walk her home, Joyce or Robert would have to. In 1941 Bee and Kay went to Chicago. They stayed with Kay's sister, Louise. They both got jobs at Jefferson Electric making radios. I went to Chicago in July of 1941 and got a job with Metal T Wood, I made panels for refrigerated trucks.


December 7th, 1941 Pearl Harbor was bombed. Kay came home with her Aunt and Uncle and I came home with Arthur Powell. While we were home we decided to get married. We married January 3, 1942. There was a big snow. The reverend Colten married us at Greenville, Ky. Bee was upset that we got married and didn't tell her. She was upset and wouldn't talk to us for a long time.

Buddy and Edith came to Chicago in 1942. Edith did not like Chicago, we all came back home to Paradise, Ky.

Buddy and I went to work at Black Diamond Coal Co. in Drakesboro. Brenda Kay was born in 1943. Right after her birth I went into the Army.

I had seventeen weeks of basic training, that was at Camp Blanding, Florida. After that I got a thirty day leave and came back home. I then went to Camp Shanks in New York, I stayed there for three days then got on a boat to go overseas to Ireland. I stayed in Ireland two days, then went to Scotland and England. There I was on a train for several days.

We had no water and very little food. They trained us so hard they nearly killed us. There were many days when all we had to eat were a little powdered eggs.

Sometime in May of 1944 we joined our outfits on the boat. We stayed there until June of that same year. We were the First Division. Part of our Division went with the Fourth Division, when they came back, we all went back to our own Divisions.

That's when we invaded the French at Utah Beach. General Patton came over August 2nd of 1944 and formed a Third Army. That's when the fight was on. We dug holes in the edge rows. There was only one way in and one way out. The Germans had them both covered.

While there in Normandy, one Battalion went to sleep, and the Germans slipped in and slit all of their throats. From then on, only one at a time could sleep.

I had shrapnel in both of my legs from an artillery shell, that's when my buddy was killed. He was only eighteen years old. He was Russian and his parents were from Pennsylvania. His dad was a coal miner and his parents could not speak English.

They sent me back to the Field Hospital, there I stayed two days, then I was sent back to the front line. We fought all of the way through France.

At the edge of Germany, our company went in breaking the German lines, we were pinned in for three days and nights. We couldn't move at all, we had to stand still. We couldn't eat, sleep, use the bathroom, we couldn't even bat an eye or we could have been killed. The ground was frozen and we were unable to dig a trench. My feet were frozen. From my waist down I felt like I was walking on stilts. There were two hundred men that went in and only thirteen of us came out.

They took the thirteen of us and sent us to a small field hospital. The next day, they flew us to England. I went into the hospital in July, I was there almost a year. I was released from the hospital in April.

I was sent back to the United States, to Camp Carson, Colorado. As soon as I got there I was issued a leave to go home. I called Joe and Robert in Chicago for money to get home on. They sent me thirty dollar. I went to their house in Chicago and Joe and Robert came home to Paradise with me. We stayed home for thirty days then went back to Chicago with Kay, Brenda, Joe, and Bobby. I went back to Camp Carson . Kay and Brenda came there.

I was discharged from the Army. Kay, Brenda, and I caught a train to go back home. We made it to St. Louis and had a three hour wait. That was the first time we were ever in St. Louis. Brenda had broke the elastic in her panties so I caught a bus and went downtown to a store and bought her a new pair of panties. Then I headed back to the train station. From there we went to Evansville, Indiana by train and then took a bus to Drakesboro, Ky. Someone met us there and took us to Paradise.

I was working at Black Diamond Coal Co. when I went into the Service, when I came home I worked for them again, then quit to work for Browder Coal. I worked there until 1951, and went to school to be fire boss.

Sandra Sue was born in May 26th, 1946. We lived upon the hill at Paradise. That was the first house we owned. We sold that house and then moved to Nebo, Ky. and that's when Ronnie was born. He was born July 25th, 1949. We moved back to Paradise and bought a house from Herman Buchanan. Mike was born there December 4th, 1958. The two girls, Brenda and Sandra were married there. We move to Drakesboro in April of 1969 and have lived here for thirty-one years.

(Rose's brother, James Howard (deceased) wrote the following for her Family History Research. There is no date so I don't know when it was written.)

Source: Leslie E. Tabb, Jr. (pastlet@yahoo.com) in an email dated 21 February 2004. He married Kathryn Cavanaugh at Greenville, Muhlenberg County, Kentucky, on 3 January 1942.¹ James died on 29 December 2003 at Muhlenberg Community Hospital, Greenville, Muhlenberg County, Kentucky, at age 81.¹ His body was interred on 1 January 2004 at Central City, Muhlenberg County, Kentucky, at Rose Hill Cemetery.¹

     This information also came from Rose Nell Tabb Murray Wilson. Her sister, Mary Lou Tabb Key, wrote it for her (Rose's) research. There is no date so I dont know when it was written.


Mary Lou Tabb Key

Remembers Her Life as a Child


I was born April 14th, 1925 at Paradise, Ky. Dr. Newman delivered me.

I remember when we lived at the Thompson Place. As soon as the cherries would start getting ripe, I would climb up in that tree and eat cherries until I made myself sick.

I went to Cedar Dale School and my teachers name was Doris Grove. One day Mae and I were cleaning house and we had the windows open. Rose and I were hanging out the widow hollering and the window fell down on us.

One evening when Mom was through washing, Rose and I were playing in the rinse water. Mom had the tubs sitting on benches. I turned one over on Rose and nearly drowned her.

My teacher came home with us to spend the night on Howards birthday. We would always get spankings on our birthdays, or get put under a bed. Howard said, You are not putting me under the bed! We didnt have to because he ran and put himself under there.

I remember when Joyce was riding Ol Prince, she was pulling on his rings and he ran into a tree. I saw it happen because I was in the cherry tree.

We moved back to the farm and went to Cedar Dale School. We walked about three or four miles one way. One day Rose and I were walking home from school and a tornado came. We were scared to death. It turned as black as night and the winds were very strong. We lied down in a big ditch and I was on top of Rose. We were holding on to roots. The wind would pick us up and then slam us back down.

I remember when Granny Tabb died [Sarah C. Driskill Tabb]. We went to see her and she had a black dress on and money on her eyes. Mom was holding Rose and I was so scared that I was clinging to Moms legs so tight she could not move.

Dad came to school to get Howard, Bee, and me. I had a fit to ride that pretty horse but Howard said it was his turn to ride. Dad let me ride behind him. When I got home, my butt and legs were so sore and chaffed, I could hardly walk. Mom was mad; she told Dad he should have known I would be chaffed from riding that horse bare back.

Uncle Oscar [Oscar Stevens - my Grandma Tabbs (Alvie) brother], He had a daughter named Grace [Dads first cousin on the Stevens side of the family]. We would always play together. One day we picked potato bugs off the potato vines and cooked them, then took them to Margaret Sparks. We told her it was a peace offering because we were mad at each other. She ate the bugs.

One night Rose was in a school play at Drakesboro School, Howard walked us to Grandmas. Howard, Robert, and Joyce went to the show. Rose and I were at School. After the play we went back to Grandmas house. Howard was still gone and Grandma made us a bed on the floor with quilts. We started giggling and Naomi would not shut up. Uncle Horace [Bartlett] hollered at us and I got mad and told him, Were going home.

He said, Alright, Ill get you a light.

Rose and I walked three miles in pitch dark, with just that little carbide light. Roses shoe kept coming off on that muddy road. She was crying, we were scared to death. It was almost midnight and we had to pass where men were gambling and drinking. We had just got home when Howard, Joe, and Robert came in. They were worried about us. They didnt know if we made it home.

A day or so after Easter, Grace, Jesse, Rose and I walked to the Haden Graveyard and hid Easter eggs. We found all but one. We never did find that Easter egg.

Grace and I smoked corn silks and rabbit tobacco. One time Howard Graham gave Rose a pretty doll with long black hair and Grace and I cut that dolls hair off and pasted corn silks on her head. Boy, Rose threw a fit!

One day we decided to ride Moms new buggy. We tied ropes to the shafts and had Rose hold on to them while we pushed it down the hill. We were going to jump on but it was going so fast that we could not. The buggy was heading for the cliff, we started screaming at Rose, Throw the ropes down! She did and it broke the shafts all to pieces. Rose didnt get hurt.

I went to Drakesboro School from the fifth grade until I graduated. After high school, I went to Evansville, Indiana and worked at Walgreens Drug Store, but only for one summer.

Irene Belies and I played hooky from school and went to Landrums Cafe! We were smoking and our Principal, Howard Shaver, came after us. James Landrum hid us behind his couch. He lived on the other side of the cafe. We would go there and eat lunch. We would get a bowl of soup, all of the crackers you wanted, and a soft drink for $ .15. Our senior year we played hooky and went to Greenville and stayed all day.

I got slapped by a Central City teacher at a ball game. We were cheerleaders. We were arguing with the other cheerleaders and a Central City teacher came down where we were and she slapped me. Edith Revelett went and told Mr. Shaver. He got into a fuss with that teacher and I thought he going to slap the teacher back.

We used to make stilts with cans and wire. One day our cousin, Ted Tabb and Grace Stevens were at our house. Grace told Ted [My fathers brother, Oscar Clayton Tabb], Come home with me and we will make better stilt. They made their stilts with string because they didnt have any wire.

Well, their string broke. So we made the best stilts. But then Ted went home with Howard and Howard gave Ted some of our wire for their stilts. We thought they would stay and play with us, instead they went back to Graces house. We were really mad at them!

Mom took us to buy new shoes for Maes graduation. We went to Wess Department Store. They found shoes that fit Rose and I could not find any black Patton shoe to fit me so I got a pair that was too small. I told Mom that they fit fine. But they hurt my feet so bad they put blisters on them. After the graduation was over I took them off. I told Mom that I didnt want to get them dirty.

I remember finding out that there was no Santa Clause. I peeped in on Howard and Bee while they were wrapping the gifts for us.

One of my boyfriends, Junior Noffisiger worked at the theater. He would give me a pass to get into the show. I would make Rose use the pass and I would use the money because I was too backwards to use the pass.

I married Wess Key on July 9th, 1946 at the Court House in Greenville, Ky. We planned on getting married on the 8th, but on the 7th we had to take Mike home and our car broke down at Litchfield. We sat there all night so we didnt get married until the 9th.

Donnie was born at Greenville Hospital; Dr. Harrison was my doctor. It was snowing so bad that I told Wess not to go get my Mom. He did anyway and she stayed at the hospital with me.

I went to work at G.E. in Owensboro, Kentucky. I worked one year and we paid for our house with the money I made. Wess and I divorced in 1979.

Source: Leslie E. Tabb, Jr. (pastlet@yahoo.com) in an email dated 21 February 2004. Mary was born at Paradise, Kentucky, on 14 April 1925.¹ She died on 11 April 2016 at age 90. She was buried after 11 April 2016 at Rose Hill Cemetery, Central City, Muhlenberg County, Kentucky.

     Flora was born at Beech Creek, Muhlenberg County, Kentucky, on 30 October 1923.¹ She married Leslie Earl Tabb Sr. at Greenville, Muhlenberg County, Kentucky, on 9 May 1942.² Flora Juanita Whitney died on 14 February 2014 at Evansville, Vanderburg County, Indiana, at age 90.¹ She was buried after 14 February 2014 at Oak Hill Cemetery, Evansville, Vanderburg County, Indiana.¹

     Leslie's occupation: Minister.² He married Roxana Mary Russell. Leslie was born at Beech Creek, Muhlenberg County, Kentucky, on 18 April 1943.^2,1 He died on 25 December 2006 at Evansville, Vanderburgh County, Indiana, at age 63.¹ He was buried on 29 December 2006 at Park Lawn Cemetery, Evansville, Vanderburgh County, Indiana.¹

     Kathryn was born at Mulenberg County, Kentucky, on 16 May 1922.¹ She married James Howard Tabb at Greenville, Muhlenberg County, Kentucky, on 3 January 1942.² Kathryn Cavanaugh died on 14 September 2013 at Drakesboro, Muhlenberg County, Kentucky, at age 91.¹ She was buried on 16 September 2013 at Rose Hill Cemetery, Central City, Muhlenberg County, Kentucky.¹

     He married Janice Jones.¹ James was born at Muhlenberg County, Kentucky, on 15 July 1949.^1,2 He died on 6 May 2016 at Los Angeles, Los Angeles County, California, at age 66.² He was buried after 6 May 2016 at Rose Hill Cemetery, Central City, Muhlenberg County, Kentucky.²

     David was born on 4 December 1958.^1,2 He died on 3 November 1986 at age 27.² He was buried after 3 November 1986 at Rose Hill Cemetery, Central City, Muhlenberg County, Kentucky.²

     Raymond was born. Raymond died in 1969.¹

     George was born. George died in August 1993.¹

     Edith was born on 5 December 1913.¹ She married Carl "Willie" Tabb on 31 August 1936.² Edith Mae Robinson died on 4 April 1983 at age 69.¹ She was buried after 4 April 1983 at Ebenezer Cemetery, Ebenezer, Muhlenberg County, Kentucky.¹

     This information came from Rose Nell Tabb Murray Wilson. Her niece, Janice J. Tabb Staples [Rose's brother, Carl Willie Tabb's daughter] wrote it for her (Rose's) research. There is no date so I don't know when it was written.



Janice J. Tabb Staples

Her Memories of Childhood Life


My Mom and Dad were the most wonderful parents in the world. My Mom had the gift to make all of her children think she loved them the most. My Father worked all of his live to provide for his family; there were five Children.

I would not change the way I was raised for all the money in the world. We were poor but my parents gave us the best childhood in the world. My mother, from the time we were born showed and taught us the love of God. My Dad showed us the real meaning of a father, gentle, yet strong, but always secure in his love.

I hope that my own children love me and their Daddy half as much as I did mine. I wish I could be the kind of mother and grandmother to my children that she was to me. But those size four and a half shoes are too big to fill.

My parents gave me the kind of love and security that every child should have and they left us the most precious Memories in the world.

Source: Leslie E. Tabb, Jr. (pastlet@yahoo.com) in an email dated 21 February 2004. Janice was born at Muhlenberg County, Kentucky, on 16 March 1948.¹ She died on 22 May 2014 at Greenville, Muhlenberg County, Kentucky, at age 66.¹ She was buried on 24 May 2014 at Ebenezer Cemetery, Ebenezer, Muhlenberg County, Kentucky.¹

     Frances was born at Evansville, Vanderburgh County, Indiana, on 2 August 1947.¹ She died on 22 August 1994 at Evansville, Vanderburgh County, Indiana, at age 47.¹ She was buried after 22 August 1994 at Locust Hill Cemetery, Evansville, Vanderburgh County, Indiana.¹

     She married James Ronald (Ronnie) Tabb.² Janice Jones died. Janice was born.

     Melvina was born at Crittenden County, Kentucky, in February 1845.¹ She married Owen Thomas Oakley at Trigg County, Kentucky, circa 30 May 1880.¹ Melvina Francis Wheeler died in 1914.²

     Marion was born at Crittenden County, Kentucky, on 8 June 1849.^2,1 He married Victoria Mabry at Trigg County, Kentucky, circa January 1871.² He married Lucinda C. Russell at Trigg County, Kentucky, on 11 December 1887.² Marion Walker Wheeler died on 20 May 1928 at Trigg Furnace, Kentucky, at age 78.^3,1

     Owen was born on 19 May 1844.¹ He married Melvina Francis Wheeler at Trigg County, Kentucky, circa 30 May 1880.² Owen Thomas Oakley died on 23 October 1926 at age 82.¹

     Victoria was born in 1844.¹ She married Marion Walker Wheeler at Trigg County, Kentucky, circa January 1871.²

     Lucinda was born in 1847.² She married Marion Walker Wheeler at Trigg County, Kentucky, on 11 December 1887.³ Lucinda C. Russell died in 1930.²

     Jane was born at Portland, Cumberland County, Maine, on 5 August 1920. She married Oscar Clayton "Ted" Tabb at Portland, Cumberland County, Maine, on 31 January 1943.¹ Jane Marie Aceto died on 22 February 2010 at Portland, Cumberland County, Maine, at age 89. She was buried on 26 February 2010 at Calvary Cemetery, South Portland, Cumberland County, Maine.

     She married Leslie Earl Tabb Jr. Roxana was born at Indianapolis, Marion County, Indiana, on 22 October 1943.^1,2 She died on 15 August 2003 at Evansville, Vanderburgh County, Indiana, at age 59.^1,2 She was buried after 15 August 2003 at Park Lawn Cemetery and Mausoleum, Evansville, Vandenburgh County, Indiana.^1,2

     He married Blanche Rae Sullivan.¹ Hershel was born at Drakesboro, Muhlenberg County, Kentucky, on 2 August 1914.^1,2 Hershel died on 4 September 1973 at Fort Knox, Hardin County, Kentucky, at age 59.^1,2 He was buried after 4 September 1973 at Rosehill Elmwood Cemetery, Owensboro, Daviess County, Kentucky.²

     Her body was interred at Drakesboro, Muhlenberg County, Kentucky, at Hayden Cemetery.¹ Pauline died.¹ Pauline was born on 6 October 1916.

     She married Hershel Lee Tabb.² Blanche was born at Island, McLean County, Kentucky, on 6 March 1924.¹ She died on 13 January 2005 at Owensboro, Daviess County, Kentucky, at age 80.¹ She was buried after 13 January 2005 at Rosehill Elmwood Cemetery, Owensboro, Daviess County, Kentucky.¹

     Arlie died.¹ Arlie was born. She married Ovie Johnson.¹ She married Dallas Houston Stinson.¹