Lena Alice Saults - I’m pretty sure that Lena came from Dr. Lee Miller, who lived next door. And the name Alice, came from her father’s first wife, who died young. D.N. Saults, Lena’s father, was married to Alice Graham and Elizabeth Jane Rucker. The two girls were friends. When Alice died, D.N. married Elizabeth Jane. D.N. and Elizabeth named their first daughter after Alice Graham.

1905 - Lena Alice graduated from Knob Noster High School.13

In mom’s 1975 Christmas Card, it states, “had a letter from Ellen Freese in Denver telling of the death of her father W.H. Cunningham. Uncle Cunny who was well into his nineties is the last of Lena’s cousins -- the Oklahoma Shepherds with whom she stayed while giving piano lessons to younsters -- most of them Indians.”10

Lena Saults was in the first four year graduating class at Knob Noster High School. She graduated 1905. Prior to this graduating class, the course of study at the high school had been three years. Upon her graduation, she went to Kansas City, Missouri, to live with her cousins in order to take violin and piano lessons from a professor who taught in Knasas City at the Horner Conservatory. When these lessons were completed, she went to the Oklahoma Territory where she also lived with cousins. Here, she taught piano to Native American children whose parents, having made money on oil, had moved into town and wanted their children educated. She taught for four or five years at Atoka, in Southern Oklahoma.

Lena came back to Knob Noster and was the book-keeper at Saults and Company, which was owned by her brother Charlie, and was a combination grocery, furniture store, and undertaking establishment. In addition, Nannie continued to teach music.18

After she married, she continued to teach music. She taught using the baby grand piano that she had purchased with the money she had earned in the Oklahoma Territiry in about 1912. When she becan teaching, she charged 50c a lesson for forty-five minutes and 75c for an hour. She had thirty to thirty-five pupils a week in the summer. She was able to keep up with piano techniques through the Honer Institute, which became Kansas City Conservatory, and which is now the UMKC Music School.18

“Mrs. C. F. Covey, Knob Noster, Dies: Lifelong Resident — Knob Noster, Missouri. —Mrs. Charles F. Covey, livelong resident of knob Noster, died at 10:35 o’clock last night at her home After being ill since June 10. She was 71 years old. Mrs. Covey suffered a stroke in Yellowstone Park where she and Mr. Covey had gone for a vacation with her son, William D. Covey, and a friend, Clay Haywood, both of Kansas City.

She was hospitalised in the park for 10 days, then moved by ambulance to research Hospital in Kansas City where she remained until July 11, when she was taken to her home.

The funeral will be held at 2:30 Sunday Afternoon at the Knob Noster Methodist Church, the pastor, the Rev. Kenneth Diehl, officiating. The Knob Noster Eastern Star chapter will hold its ritualistic service at the church. The burial will be in the Knob Noster Cemetery.

Mrs. Covey was the former Lena Alice Saults, and was born August 8, 1887, in Knob Noster, a daughter of Daniel N. Salts and Elizabeth Jane Rucker. She graduated from knob Noster High School in 1905 and later was a student in piano and violin in the Kansas City Conservatory of Music.

She taught for several years in Atoka, Oklahoma, and after returning to Knob Noster, taught music the remainder of her life. She had classes in Dresden and La Monte, as well as in Knob Noster in earlier years.

She and Mr. Covey were parents of three children. One daughter died in infancy. Surviving are Mr. Covey; the son W. D. Covey of Kansas City; a daughter, Mrs. Merle A. (Betty Ann) Matthews of Knob Noster; two grandsons, Danny and Sammy Matthews; two brothers, Charles L. Saults of Knob Noster and Dr. Harlow A. Saults of Concordia.

1958, July 30 — Mrs. Covey was a member of the Knob Noster Eastern Star chapter and the Beauceant at Sedalia. Early in life she united with the Cumberland Presbyterian Church at Knob Noster (from a clipping, no indication of the paper's name, but probably the Gem or Knob Item) .

Lena was a student of piano and violin at the Kansas City conservatory of Music. She taught music several years at Atoda, Oklahoma. After returning to Knob Noster, she taught music the remainder of her life. On November 1, 1910, she opened a School Of Music, with her friend Mrs. S.P. Agee. The courses covered Piano, Violin, Voice Culture and Chorus Singing.19

1920, November 7 - Lena Alice Saults and Charles Covey were married in Knob Noster, Missouri.

1959, June 11 - Lena suffered a stroke at Yellowstone Park where she was vacationing with her family.

1918, June - Knob Noster Item (no specific date - sent from Dorothy Bonar)
Miss Lena Saults graduated from the Warrensburg Conservatory of Music, and received her diploma Tuesday evening at the exercises held at the Baptist Church at Warrensburg. The program was a very pretty one and appealed to the music lovers present, of whom there were quite a number. Miss Saults played : Romance in D Flat by Sibelius; Etude in G Flat by Chopin; Hungarian Raphopsody No. 12 by Liszt, and Piano Concerto in D. Minor by Mozart. The diplomas were presented by Mr. V.C. Coulter. Those who attended from here were Mr and Mrs Thomas Boyd, Mr and Mrs Charles Saults, D.N.Saults, Harlo Saults & family, Misses Viola Hunter and Dema Lemley and A.W.Mount.

Work in progress - In mom’s 1975 Christmas Card, it states, “had a letter from Ellen Freese in Denver telling of the death of her father W.H. Cunningham. Uncle Cunny, who was well into his nineties, is the last of Lena’s cousins -- the Oklahoma Shepherds, with whom she stayed while giving piano lessons to youngsters -- most of them Native American Indians.”10

1883 - Born in Knob Noster, Johnson County, Missouri

1900 - Osawatomie, Miami County, Kansas20
COVEY, Lucy A. head w f Sept 1839 60 Wd 3/3 children KY VA KY house keeping
COVEY, James S. son w m March 1872 28 m MO VA KY fireman for railroad
COVEY, Eula daughter w f Oct 1881 18 s MO VA KY none
COVEY, Charles son w m July 1883 16 s MO VA KY clerk at [can't read what it says]
HALL, Alice niece w f Nov 1877 MO KY KY none
[there are also several lodgers listed who work for the railroad]

1902-ish - At some point, granddad ran away from home around the age of eighteen, and rode a freight train to Canada where he joined the “101 Ranch, Real Wild West Show” as the drummer. When the “soon to be King of England”, was visiting Canada on a State visit, he came to see the show. He wore granddad's cowboy suit for one of the performances.

I've looked through some books in the Windsor Public Library in England, and the conclusion I have come to is, the royal family member was the Prince Edward who advocated his throne and married Mrs. Simpson. This all ties together with my grandfather’s story, the Royal State visit, and the 101 tour across Canada.

I would hope that I might one day find a photo.

1910 - North State Street, Knob Noster, Johnson County, Missouri census21
COVEY, Wm N. head w m 72 md 40 yrs WVA WVA WVA shoemaker at his own shop
COVEY, Lucy w f 70 m 40 yrs KY VA KY none
COVEY, Charles son w m 36 s MO WVA KY none

It is said that Granddad returned to Knob Noster because sometime after the outbreak of World War I. It was said that he was in Canada and was on his way home on the train when there was an announcement that the war was over. He then became the projectionist at the movie house in Knob Noster back in the days of silent movies. His wife to be, Lena Saults, had been employed to play the background music in the same theatre. They met, and were married.18

1916 - The final 101 Wild West Show was on November 11, 1916

1918, September 12 - World War I Draft Registration Cards, 1917-1918
He gave his mother's name as nearest relative. His employment was with Morris & McCall on Holden Street in Warrensburg, MO. He gave his occupation as an electrician. He registered on September 12th 191822

1920 - US Federal Census for Knob Noster17
COVEY, Lucy head f w 80 wd KY VA KY retired
COVEY, J.S. son age 47 s MO KY WVA clerk restaurant
PATTON, Eula daughter wd age 38 MO KY WVA none
COVEY, Chas son age 36 s MO KY WVA lineman / light station

1920, November 7 - At the age of 37, Charles Covey married Lena Alice Saults in Knob Noster, Johnson County, Missouri

1930, April 11 - Washington Township, Knob Noster City, Johnson County, Misouri census23
COVEY, Charles F. 46 m at 37 MO WVA KY Electrician meter reader
COVEY, Lena A. 42 m at 32 MO IN MO none
COVEY, Elizabeth A. 5 6/12 MO MO MO
COVEY, William D. 1 11/12 MO MO MO

Ancestry.com has them indexed as Corey, not Covey. This was the first house where they lived across the tracks on the North side of the city at the corner of Lucas and State Street, near the old IGA by the highway.

1940, April 3rd - Knob Noster City, Washington Township, Johnson County, Missouri
COVEY, Charles F. head m w 56 mrd MO no electrician / Rural Lighting
COVEY, Lena A. wife f w 52 med MO no music teacher / home
COVEY, Elizabeth A. daughter f w 15 s yes MO
COVEY, William D. son m w 11 s yes MO
HUME, Otis L. Lodger m w 42 s no OK Post Office Cleark / U.S. Government24

General Notes...
He became manager and operator of the Farmer’s Mutual Telephone company, at the time it operated in Knob Noster. Then, as an electrician by trade, he worked for the Missouri Public Service Company. At the beginning of World War II, he became an electrician working in construction. He worked in this field for twenty years, retiring at the age of 78. He retired in Knob Noster, became blind at the age of 81 and died at the age of 91, in 1975.18

He was a member of the Knob Noster Masonic Lodge No. 245, Chapter 106, Eastern Star; Knob Noster Demolay Chapter 26 of Royal Arch Masons; the Sedalia Council, the Saint Omar Commandry; and was honary Dad of the Knob Noster Rainbow Assembly.12

They were married at the home of D.N. Saults by Rev.5 Neely a Baptist minister.5 They went to Chicago, Illinois on their honeymoon and stayed with Charlie’s sister, Margaret Covey O’Brien.14