On Wednesday evening, May 15, 1912, dozens of guests arrived at the Goe family home on South Ritter Avenue to witness the marriage of Theodore Kingsbury to Cornelia Goe. Their union brought together two very prominent Irvington families. Theodore was the seventh son of James G. Kingsbury, the publisher of the Indiana Farmer. Theodore hardly knew his biological mother as she died when he was two years old. His stepmother, Kate Gunckel Kingsbury, helped to raise him in homes on Lowell and Layman Avenues along with his stepsister, Edna Gunckel. At the time of his marriage, he worked for his father at the Indiana Farmer.
Cornelia Goe was the daughter of Hezekiah and Cornelia Farnsworth Goe of 128 South Ritter Avenue. She had two brothers and two sisters. She graduated from Emmerich Manual High School and later attended Butler University. Her father earned a comfortable income running a popular grocery store in Moore's Hall at 130 South Audubon Road. Since her family attended the Irvington Methodist Church, the Reverend John Bickel officiated the wedding that night. We do not know if the couple went on a honeymoon, but we do know that on June 12, 1912, James G. Kingsbury hosted a dinner for the couple at his home at 71 North Ritter Avenue.
Three days later, the newlyweds moved into a new house at 5515 Lowell Avenue. Theodore would have known the location of the house quite well as it was built in the backyard of a previous home belonging to his father at 98 Layman Avenue. William Babbitt took out a building permit in the spring of 1912 and erected the Dutch Colonial Revival residence for $1600. Babbitt used concrete blocks to clad the first floor and wood shake for the second floor. The elderly Kingsburys lived just around the corner at 71 North Ritter Avenue--also in a concrete-block home.
The Kingsburys lived here for five years before moving to Washington D.C. Cornelia appears to have adopted the Irvington Presbyterian Church and attended services with her husband's family. Various Presbyterian groups met at their home including the group seen below in the photographs. She was also very involved in a women's group called the Irvington Coterie Club. They met on Thursdays and newspaper accounts reveal that she hosted the ladies numerous times in this house. The club focused on historical topics as well as current events. Theodore spent much of his time during the warmer months on various golf courses. He was quite good at the sport and frequently made the sport pages for his low scores.
Within one year of moving into the residence, Theodore Kingsbury suffered the loss of his father in the spring 1913. The burden for operating the Indiana Farmer fell upon both he and his brother, James L. Kingsbury. Joy found a way into the home in 1915, with the birth of the couple's first child, Cornelia. If you are keeping track, that is the third Cornelia mentioned in this article.
In 1917, the Kingsburys relocated to the nation's capital where he found employment with the U.S. Department of Agriculture. They didn't stay there long, however, and by 1919, the couple found their way back to Irvington.
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| Cornelia Goe Kingsbury sat on the steps of her new house at 5515 Lowell Avenue c1912 (photo courtesy of the Kingsbury family) |
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| Theodore Kingsbury sat on his porch at 5515 Lowell Avenue c1912. Behind him you can see the residences at 5506 and 5510 Lowell Avenue. (photo courtesy of the Kingsbury family) |
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| Cornelia Goe Kingsbury sat on the front porch at 5515 Lowell Avenue. If you look closely, you can see a horse in the alley next to the residence. (photo courtesy of the Kingsbury family) |
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| A group from the Irvington Presbyterian Church met in the home of Theodore and Cornelia Kingsbury in either 1912 or early 1913. James G. Kingsbury was a founder of the church and considered an elder at this point in his life. Pictured: Front row left to right--James L. Kingsbury, Charlie Davis, Theodore Kingsbury, Cornelia Kingsbury (above Theodore), Reverend John S. Martin, Merrill Woods; Second Row--Grace Goe, Anna Kingsbury, James G. Kingsbury, Edna Boyle, Mary Martin, ?, Maude Martin Davis, ?, ?, Clara Goe; Top row--listed in order on photo although some names have been left off by the original documenter: Mrs. Martin, Gertrude Meisenhelder, Bonnie Major, ?, Mr. and Mrs. Layman?, Edith Schowe, Hermine Reller, and ? (photo courtesy of the Kingsbury family) |
I wish to thank Kathy and Dick Meyer for their stories and photographs. I also wish to thank Alyssa Stewart and Steve Barnett for their help with research on this house.
Sources: Kingsbury-Goe wedding: "Kingsbury-Goe Wedding," Indianapolis News, May 16, 1912, p. 7; "Irvington," Indianapolis Star, June 16, 1912, p. 26; House construction: "Building Permits," Indianapolis News, May 21, 1912, p. 15; Irvington Coterie Club: "Affairs of Clubs," Indianapolis Star, May 20, 1014, p. 13; "Clubs," Indianapolis Star, December 12, 1915, p. 37; Irvington Presbyterian Church involvement: "News of Churches," Indianapolis Star, August 29, 1914, p. 3.
