Runyon Genealogy

In March 1989 Joe Runyan achieved a rare accomplishment when he won what has been called the "Last Great Race on Earth." Joe was the first that year to drive a team of 11 dogs 1,168 miles from Anchorage to Nome, AK, in the annual Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race, which is run over a National Historic Trail called the Iditarod. Joe took slightly more than 11 days to cover the distance and crossed the finish line as his wife and baby watched. For his accomplishment, he won $50,000.

Reader Tom Runyan recently sent in an interesting item about indefatigable Samuel Runyan (born on 2 October 1833 in Wayne County, Ohio) taken from a book named Past & Present of Shiawassee County published in 1905. Samuel was married in Ohio on 2 October 1861 to Sophia Frank, a native of Pennsylvania, who was born 14 November 1842. She was the daughter of Daniel Frank, a Pennsylvania native, who died in Ohio. Sophia's mother, Elizabeth Morton Frank, was born in Pennsylvania and died at the age of 68. His father was Samuel Runyan, a native of Wayne County, Ohio, who died at age 58 when the son Samuel was just 17. His mother, Elizabeth Clark Runyan, was born in Pennsylvania and died in Michigan at 63.

After his father's death, Samuel began working on the Wabash & Miami Canal that ran from Toledo to Terre Haute, IN—a job he held for 18 years. He had an opportunity to become a steersman on a steamer for $50 per month, but rejected the offer and headed to Michigan in 1866 where he paid the government $2 for 80 acres in Rush Township. He quickly built a log house covered with a shaker roof, but he could afford to cover only one-half of it before he was left with just $1. He spent this for butter to put on Johnnie cake for his children, and then turned to the nearby 1,200 acres of marshland that was covered with huckleberries. He harvested the berries and sold them for $100 "to keep the wolf from the door."

Always an excellent hunter, he killed 30 deer in his first winter in Michigan, and also had the reputation of killing 14 bears after moving to Michigan. He was reported to have carried on his back 50 pounds of meal from Owosso to his home—a distance of 10 miles. And he split 20,000 rails for different persons in his first five years in Michigan.

By the time Samuel was 70, he was said to be able to dig post holes as well as almost anyone, and had converted his 80 acres in a "high state of cultivation with fine buildings. The timbers are 8" x 8" in dimension, Mr Runyan having cut them himself and had them sawed. It is therefore safe in saying this is one of the most substantial houses in the township." Samuel and his brother John were twins in a family of nine children. The others were James, William, Deneen, Sarah, Matilda, Josephus and David.

There is a Runyon link to the famous 60-year-old photograph that shows six Marines raising the U.S. flag over Mount Suribachi on the island of Iwo Jima during World War II. The second Marine from the left was Franklin Runyon Sousley of Hilltop, KY.

Although no relation to the Runyon family, his mother gave him his middle name in honor of Dr. Ezekiel Thomas Runyon who delivered him. Sousley was killed in action on Iwo Jima less than a month after the flag raising. He is buried at Elizaville Cemetery in Kentucky.

Dr. E.T. Runyon had a long career as a physician. He was born 30 November 1874 and married Minnie Clarke McLean on 27 December 1900. In 1960, he was commissioned as a Kentucky colonel with all honors by Kentucky Gov. Bert Combs. Dr. Runyon died 19 June 1963.

Sousley's heroism has been documented thousands of times with each publication of the famous photo. Existing memorials that commemorate the flag raising are at Arlington National Cemetery and at the exit of the airport in Harlingen, TX. Harlon Black, a Marine corporal from Weslaco, TX, who also was part of the flag-raising group, is buried near the Harlingen statue.

Source: Newspaper clippings and notes found in files of Lt. Col. Calvin I. Kephart at Rutgers University; notes of Dr. E.T. Runyon, signed by T.R.L., and the Iwo Jima web site.

The short-lived USS Brownsville, a frigate of the Tacoma class, had its keel laid on 14 September 1943 and was launched from Richmond Yard 4 at Richmond, CA, by Kaiser Cargo Inc. on 14 November 1943. Lillian Runyon Burney, daughter of Robert Runyon, who was mayor of Brownsville, Texas, at the time, christened the frigate at her launch. The USS Brownville was decommissioned by the U.S. Navy on 15 April 1946 and loaned to the United States Coast Guard. She was returned to the Navy on 28 June 1946. On 30 September 1947 she was broken up for scrap.

Source: Copy of Kaiser Cargo Inc. Launch invitation.

If you're a sports fan in Manhattan, there is a special restaurant at 932 Second Avenue @ 50th Street named Runyon's. The menu carries a sports theme and features "lead off" appetizers, "on-deck" side dishes, "the meat of the order" entrees, "greens keeper" salads, "pinch hitter" sandwiches and much more. The house specialty is "The Runyon's Exclusive," which is a "heavyweight" New York strip sirloin for $20.25. According to the menu, the restaurant was established on "Friday, April 1, 1977."

Information about the Ohio Runyon/Runyan families interested a person who requested the name list on file at the Runyon Family Papers. He lived in Michigan and was researching his Runyan ancestry, particularly John Amos Runyan (1826-1906) and his wife Sarah Elizabeth Stites (1828-1900). John was possibly born in Ohio.

A name with considerable history was Theodore W. Runyon, a physician in Miami, FL, during WWII. In August 1943, he placed a classified advertisement in the Miami Herald that stated "Lady desired, 22 to 55, as housekeeper; doctor's home." Sounds innocent enough, right? Well, a 34-year-old woman from Miami applied for the position and traveled to the home of the doctor at 5:30 p.m. on 14 August 1943. Upon her arrival, she was informed that the doctor wanted a "nude housekeeper." After registering her disgust and immediately leaving the home, the woman filed charges of indecent exposure against the doctor. Runyon faced a trial on 8 June 1944, and was convicted and fined $100 plus costs. This case became the basis for a Florida State law.