A MAN OF MANY WORDS

AVERY, C. ROBERT

Born 10 Sep 1918 Ann Arbor, Michigan

Died 15 Nov 1979 Istanbul (Rumeli Hisar)

Buried 20 Nov. 1979 at Protestant Cemetery, Ferikoy, Istanbul. 

 Services were held on 19 November at the Union Church (Dutch Chapel) in Istanbul at 12:30 (National Archives, State Dept. RG59. Decimal File 367.113 (1930-1939) – Form 192: Report of Death of American Citizen.)

I first “met” Mr. Avery  by tombstone when I was temporarily living in Istanbul and  decided to check out who all was buried in the Protestant Cemetery in that city and see if any of the tombstones had interesting information on them (ALL information is interesting to a genealogist!)

Aside from his name, birth year and death year (1918-1979), there were only three words left: Love, Peace, and Züzüniyet.  So my thinking was yes, this last word was quite interesting, because my Turkish-English dictionary didn’t have it listed.

In wanting to know more about him, I found some records that showed all the degrees he accumulated in furthering his education and then learned that he had served with the American Board of Commissioners for Foreign Missions (ABCFM) - in their Publication department .   Since I had sought help on my project from Nancy Whittler who was then serving the Mission Board in Istanbul and fluent in Turkish, having been in Turkey for many years, I asked her if she had any idea what “züzüniyet” – the word on Avery’s tombstone meant.  She laughed, and said there was quite a story about it.

                                                                                                                               

According to Nancy, Mr. Avery was editor of the 6^th edition of the Redhouse Turkish-English dictionary.  It was a big job, but since he loved words – their precision, derivation and meaning - he wanted to leave his unique mark on the dictionary.  He chose to do this by making up the word “züzüniyet,” which would put it as the last entry in the Turkish –English dictionary.  To this word he assigned the definition “conclusion” or “final word.”  The word “züzüniyet” does not appear in any other edition.  It is, however, inscribed on his tombstone.  

Unless one knows the story, or just happens to have that particular edition of the dictionary, the word will be untranslatable!

According to the Memorial Book kept by the American Board of Missions, Bob Avery had a special joy in life.  He loved music, as a listener and singer.  He loved children; they were drawn to him; and he gave them the time they deserved.  His humor never flagged; he saw all whom he met as children of God.  

And yes, he loved words.

He died November 15, 1979 in Istanbul.

PIONEER OF THE WEST

NANCY MARYLAND COREL (LAHAY) DOBBINS

March 27, 1834-November 6, 1917

Las Animas Leader, Nov. 14, 1917

Las Animas, Colorado

Transcribed by Bobby Dobbins Title

Mrs. Nannie Dobbins, one of Bent county's pioneer citizens, passed away at the home of her son, R. G. Dobbins, last Tuesday evening, after a gradual failing in health due to extreme age.  The funeral service was held from the home on Seventh and Grove avenue on Thursday afternoon, the Rev. Eugene B. Kunts, D. D., officiating.

Mrs. Dobbins was born in Virginia, March 27, 1834, and at an early age moved to Kansas, settling near Lawrence.  Here she witnessed much of the border strife that made the history of that state.  She was a witness of the sacking and burning of Lawrence in 1856 by Quantrell and his band, and many other atrocities and wrongs of those stirring times.  In 1867 she was united in marriage with James S. Dobbins, to which union three children were born – Mary, who died in infancy; Robert G., cashier of the American Sugar plant here at Las Animas; and Scott W., who preceded his mother to the grave but a few weeks.  They continued to live near Lawrence until 1875 when they came to Bent county and settled near Rule Creek, 14 miles east of Las Animas.  With the coming of the railroad shortly after, the Santa Fe tracks were laid through their home and corrals, necessitating a removal.  For several years they resided at Fort Lyon, then a big frontier post; afterwards they settled on land just east of the Purgatoire and engaged in the stock business.  In 1904 Mr. Dobbins died, and Mrs. Dobbins then resided for several years with a sister, Mrs. Olive McGee, at Kansas City, Mo.  Some three years ago, on account of rapidly failing health, she returned to live with her son, R. G. Dobbins and family, in her declining years.

Passing away at the ripe age of 83 years and 7 months, with a residence in the west of nearly 10 years and in Colorado 42 years, would classify Mrs. Dobbins as one of the pioneers of the Great West.  What she has seen in her long lifetime, the things that made history for this great frontier of a great nation, would make a volume more interesting than a romance.  She was the type of woman that helped to make the development of the west a possibility.  Well educated, rugged of health and born with the fortitude that enabled her sex to undergo the hardships of the frontier and to face its dangers, both physical and mental, w\she went through life never shirking her part in any scheme of events no matter what it might be.  To such pioneers of the early days (…..) all that our county now is, for their fortitude made all things that followed, possible.

The many friends of Mrs. Dobbins during her lifetime, and of the family left behind, extend their deepest sympathy to the bereaved relatives at this time of sorrow.

-o-

"Nannie," as the family called her, was married first to Francois (Frank) LaHay, in Kansas.  They lived near what is now the Clinton Lake.  Two children were born to that marriage, son Ollie and daughter Ella, but unfortunately Frank died in 1863 while in Missouri and both children died in 1864.  At that time, Nannie moved back to Lawrence, where she lived with her sister Olivia Corel McGee and family.  The McGee's lived next door to the Dobbins family....

Nannie was my great grandmother.