Stitches of Home & Memory

A Note from the Quilt

Kentucky Roots

Izane Ellen Hatton was born February 17, 1876, a daughter of John Preston Hatton and Mary Ann (Pitts) Hatton. She married John Morgan Robbins; together they raised three daughters: Hazel, Annie, and Emma Inez.

Names and dates tell us how a family fits together, but a photograph like this one lets us see them gathered in a single moment — parents and children, long before anyone could have imagined that the picture would be treasured by descendants many years later.

Grandma Izane's story is also part of the larger Hatton, Pitts, Robbins, and Morrison family history of Menifee County, Kentucky.

Faces Across the Years

The family album holds more than one glimpse of John and Izane, along with the relatives and friends whose lives touched theirs.

Glimpses in the Newspapers

Even the smallest newspaper notice can bring a life a little closer. In September 1950, the Menifee County News reported that John and Izane had come into town for court, noting that Izane had not visited in four years despite living only seven miles away. John's sisters, Mrs. Kelly Wells and Mrs. Marshall Stevens, accompanied them.

A home lost to fire

In May 1952, the Menifee County News reported that the home of John and Izane Robbins was destroyed by fire. The couple were outside when the blaze began, but the article reported that their possessions were lost. They were staying with Izane's sister, Mrs. Ephriam Morrison, who owned the house, while neighbors and community members were asked to help.

It's a difficult chapter of their story. It also makes the family keepsakes preserved today especially precious — although we do not know where those objects were at the time of the fire or exactly how they survived.

A family story remembered

Ishmael Eugene Rogers and his sister Ruth passed down a story they remembered hearing as children: someone came to their Grandpa John Robbins's door while the family was having supper, and shots were reportedly fired toward the house. Ishmael named Reece Ballard in his recollection. The details and date of that incident remain unverified.

A separate, documented event occurred in June 1945. Newspaper accounts describe the fatal shooting of Cora Morrison by her brother-in-law Watt Morrison, at the home of Watt's brother Roscoe. Eleven-year-old Velma Morrison ran to neighbor John Robbins, who reported the incident to the sheriff. The account places John in this family's story, but it does not establish that anyone shot into the Robbins home or that Reece Ballard was involved. The two stories may concern different events.

These reports describe a violent death. The clippings below open full size for visitors who wish to read the original accounts.

What the Family Kept

Not everything that survives a lifetime is written on paper. Sometimes it is something we can hold in our hands.

An old kettle, bearing the date 1897, has been preserved in the family and handed down to a great-granddaughter. Its worn surface and wooden handle make it a tangible connection to earlier generations.

The family quilt, made with pieces of Izane's clothing, was passed along through Aunt Ruth to granddaughters Mabel and Susie, who had the quilt top quilted. Its fabric carries a story that no printed record could tell in quite the same way.

Her Final Chapter

Izane died March 17, 1954. Her obituary in the Winchester Sun reported that she died at her home on Hawkins Branch in Menifee County following a short illness, and that she belonged to the Church of God. It listed daughters Hazel Rogers, Anna Wilson, and Emma Rogers, as well as her sisters, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren.

A record to revisit: The obituary reported Izane's age as 70, which differs from the 1876 birth year used on this page (she would have been 78). Both details are preserved here rather than silently treating them as consistent.

The family collection also includes a postmortem photograph of Izane. View Izane's final photograph (postmortem image).

Her Final Resting Place

Grandma Izane rests in Fagan Cemetery, Menifee County, Kentucky, where her memory remains part of the family's history.

🌿 Visit Fagan Cemetery

Stitches of Home & Memory