Walter Helle wrote "Memories of My Life" for his descendants. He wrote
about his grandparents: "I remember well my grandmother and grandfather on my mother's side of our family. My grandfather, Joseph Kaler,
died when I was only ten years old. To my knowledge, Grandma never said an ill
word about anyone or ever raised her voice in anger. She loved to sing hymns. She was truly a great woman. Her mother, Lodema and her
two sisters, Mary and Louisa and her two daughters, Nellie and Ethel were all
school teachers. Grandma even taught Grandpa how to read and write after they were married. Grandpa was a preacher for a time and they were all
of Baptist by faith. I am proud to have such a heritage."
Joseph died in an accident leaving Lodema with four small children to raise alone. Lodema had taught school before her marriage. After
the death of her husband, she decided to go back to teaching. She lost her only son in the Civil War and her mother just a few months later.
She raised her children to adulthood, supporting them by teaching school and by hiring the work to be done on the farm. Lodema kept a diary, which
has been the source for much of the information on genealogy, as well as an
inspiration to her descendants. Lodema kept a ledger, in which she recorded all of her business transactions after the death of Joseph.
She was a shrewd business woman, sometimes making loans to some of the others in
the community, and charging interest. She hired men to do the work on the farm,
and paid them either in cash or farm products. She never remarried. Lodema started the Henderson school in Fulton County,
Illinois in 1849. Five generations of Lodema's descendants attended this school.
Lodema's diary say she was b. in Madison County and Paulina was b. 1813in Ontario County, NY
Lodema was a very religious lady and wrote the following:
LODEMA'S CREED
Strive to be useful as well as respectable.
Love that which is good and shun all strife.
Be good and kind to all around you.
If you wish to be happy, strive to make others so.
Never do a mean act, but that witch is noble.
Remember your Creator in the days of your youth.
Honor thy father and thy mother, for this is right.
Lodema Braman Bayless
Quoted from: CASS TOWNSHIP - A FULTON COUNTY HISTORY (http://cop42.tripod.com/cass.htm) "The Henderson neighborhood is in
the northeast, across both Laswell Branch and Put Creek. Isaac Henderson came
from Ohio in 1843, settled here and gave his name to a school and to the
cemetery where he is buried. The school in a log building was taught by Lodema Bayliss, a widow from Ohio and New York. A daughter, Nancy,
taught at the Williams School in Harris Township and told her grandchildren of
riding a horse to school, of being lost in the Spoon River bottoms, staying with her horse, and at daybreak finding her way home.
Nancy married one of the Buckeye boys and went on to raise a family, three sons
and four daughters. Two of Nancy's daughters married and raised twenty-two sons. At latest count there are 450 living
descendants scattered around the globe."
Occupation: Her first teaching job was said to be in York, Livingston Co, NY in 1824.
1870 Census; Fulton Co, IL; Cass Twp; Line 24
Lodema Bayless age 64 1000-100 NY
1880 Census; Fulton Co, IL; Deerfield Twp; Line 154
Joseph Kaler, Jr age 33 Farmer IL PA OH
Kaler, Nancy age 35 Wife OH OH OH
Kaler, Henry age 11
Kaler Allice Dau F S W 8 IL fa: IL Mo: OH
Kaler Charles Son M S W 6 IL fa: IL MO: OH
Kaler, Ida Dau F S W 1 IL fa: IL Mo: OH
BAYLESS, Lodema Mother F S W 74 NY Fa: MA Mo: CT
(Sharon Bearce)