collateral research

A namesake for Nana – Part 2

/ Susan M. Posten Ellerbee / 1 Comment

I am not the first to report that Barbary Reed’s maiden name could be Friddle. My last post described how Barbary (Friddle) Reed’ s marital identity emerged.  She was the wife of John A. Reed and mother of William Wylie Reed, Nana’s great grandfather. In this post, I report how I built on the work of others to confirm Barbary’s maiden name.

Back to my mother-in-law’s family tree. Nana’s first name was Barbara although she was known by her middle name.  Not unusual.  When Nana looked at a revised family scrapbook last year, she commented about the possible origin of her first name.  Did Nana’s mother hear from her father, Virgil, that his grandmother’s name was Barbara?

Review of census records from last blog post:

1880 census, Overton, Rusk county, Texas: Household of Jno [John] A Reid, 62, born in Tennessee with William Reid, 32, son, born in Tennessee; Josie Reid, 24, daughter, born in Texas and grandson, Willie E. Reid, age 3, born in Texas. [1] John is presumed to be a widower since there is not an older woman in the household.  Josie is presumed to be William’s wife, based on 1876 marriage record for Josephine Reed and W.W. Reed.[2]

1870 census, Rusk County, Texas. [3]  John, age 52; Barbary, age 48; William, age 21; Mary, age 18, born Texas; Sarah, age 12, born Texas. John, Barbary and William were born in Tennessee. Suggests move from Tennessee to Texas between 1849 and 1858. Barbary alive in 1870 and presumed dead before 1880. Both Mary and Sarah possibly married between 1870 and 1880.

1860 census: Rusk County, Texas. [4] John Read, age 41, born in Tennessee. Married to B.A., age 37, with 3 children: Wm. W, age 14, born Tennessee; Mary A, age 10, born Tennessee and Sarah, age 1, born Texas. Family includes William Faddle, 30, a farm laborer, born in Tennessee.  Family lived next to Andrew Read whose family includes 3-year-old Josephine Read, believed to be first wife of William W. Reed (and the same Josie Reid reported in 1880 census). ‘William Faddle’ could be Barbary’’s brother.

1850 census: McCracken county, Kentucky. [5] John A Reed, age 31, carpenter, born Tennessee; Barbara A. Reed, age 27, born Tennessee; Wm w reed, age 2. born Tennessee. Ages, place of birth consistent with later census records. (NOTE: In Bedford county, Tennessee-[6]-John Read, 32, Narcissa Read, 35, Lavitha Read, 18, Mary Read, 4; possibly a different John Reed).

Online family trees show Barbara/ Barbary as daughter of Martin Turley Friddle. Unfortunately, none provided specific documentation to support their assertion.  However, those same online trees showed indexes suggesting that a will existed for Martin Friddle who died 1895 in Shelbyville, Bedford county, Tennessee.[7], [8]  I followed those hints to an actual copy of the will, dated 23 February 1895. [9] One bequest, among others, is to “heirs of . . . Barbary Reid [sic].”

On to Barbary’s mother, Dianna.  Her maiden name of Hudlow is from the death certificate for Emaline.  [Friddle] Russell, another of Martin and Dianna’s daughters.  [10] The mounting evidence now makes the assertions more probable.

ASSERTIONS:

Barbary Friddle, born about 1822 in or near Bedford county, Tennessee to Martin Turley Friddle (1797 – 1895) and Dianna Hudlow (abt 1799, Virginia – 1880).  One of 12 children.

Married John Reid/ Reed, also born Tennessee, about 1845. Family moved to McCracken county, Kentucky by 1850, then to Rusk county, Texas before 1858. Barbary died between 1870 and 1880. John died after 1880.

REFLECTION:

This post is shorter than others but more focused.   Last week, I submitted an article about mom’s family for publication. Will let you know when I hear from the journal.  I added specific information about Barbary, her parents and siblings, to personal and online trees. Online trees can still provide clues even if no source is cited or if source is only an index. Writing this post helped to update Nana’s family tree including citations.

What I learned:  Look beyond indexes and lists of documents. A copy of the original document may be available online! Remember to not discount online trees with minimal or no sources attached.

What helped: Many links and clues already attached to online tree. Updated Nana’s family scrapbook in December 2020. So glad that was done before she died!!

What didn’t help: incomplete citations and notes on my RootsMagic Tree.

To-Do:  BSO item – Barbary (Friddle) Reed’s siblings. John Reed’s parents and siblings. Continue search for John and Barbary’s death information. Write thank-you notes to online tree owners.

© Susan Posten Ellerbee and Posting Family Roots blog, 2021

SOURCES:

[1] 1880 U.S. Census, Rusk Co., Texas, population schedule, Overton, enumeration district (ED) 074, p. 58A, dwelling 140, family 142, William Reid age 32; digital images, Ancestry (http://www.ancestry.com  : viewed 1 July 2021); citing National Archives & Records Administration, Washington, D.C., T9, roll 1325.

[2] “Texas, County Marriage Index, 1837-1977,” database, Family Search (http://www.familysearch.org  : viewed 1 July 2021), entry for Josephine Reed & W.W. Reed; citingTexas county records.

[3] 1870 U.S. Census, Rusk county, Texas, population schedule, Precinct No. 1, p. 345 (ink pen); p. 301 (stamp), dwelling 128, family 131, John A. Reid [Reed] 52; digital images, Ancestry (http://www.ancestry.com  : viewed & downloaded 11 November 2020); citing Washington, D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, microfilm publication M593_1603.

[4] 1860 U.S. Census, Rusk county, Texas, population schedule, Beat 11, Bellevue Post Office, p. 108 (ink pen), dwelling 691, family 709, John Read age 41; digital images, Ancestry (http://www.ancestry.com  : viewed & downloaded 11 November 2020); citing National Archives & Records Administration, Washington, D.C. microfilm publication M653.

[5] 1850 U.S. Census, McCracken Co., Kentucky, population schedule,  p. 190B, dwelling 399, family 400, John A Reed 31; digital images, Ancestry (http://www.ancestry.com  : viewed 2 July 2021); citing National Archives, Washington, D.C., M432, roll 211.

[6] 1850 U.S. Census, Bedford Co., Tennessee, population schedule,  p. 241, dwelling 27, family 27, John  Reed 32; digital images, Ancestry (http://www.ancestry.com  : viewed 2 July 2021); citing National Archives, Washington, D.C., M432, roll 869.

[7] Lisa Davidson, ‘Reed Family Tree,”, Ancestry (https://www.ancestry.com/family-tree/person/tree/14272512/person/92321948/facts   ;  accessed 1 August 2021); “Martin Friddle,” cited Martin Friddle on list of Wills, Bedford county, Tennessee, Wills, Vols. 1-2, 1861-1922, F, page 766; no information recorded about content of the will.

[8] Tygorsnan, “Weems Family Tree,” Ancestry (https://www.ancestry.com/family-tree/person/tree/18173545/person/112034568478/facts  :  accessed 1 August 2021); “Martin Turley Friddle,” citing Bedford county, Tennessee, Administrator and Executor Bonds, Letters and Settlements, Vol 3, 1894-1917, pg. 88, appointment of A.J. Womack as administrator; no information provided about content of will.

[9] Martin Friddle will, Bedford county, Tennessee, Wills and Inventories; “Tennessee, U.S., Wills and Probate Records, 1779-2008,” digital images, Ancestry (http://www.ancestry.com : viewed & downloaded 1 August 2021); citing Bedford County Court Clerk and Tennessee State Library and Archives, Nashville, Tennessee.

[10] Logan county, Arkansas, Death certificates, certificate no. 554, Emaline Russell, 19 June 1920; digital images, Ancestry (http://www.ancestry,com  : viewed & downloaded 5 August 2021); citing Arkansas State Board of Health.

Memorial Day 2021- Honoring those who fell in battle

/ Susan M. Posten Ellerbee / Leave a comment

Memorial Day- a day to honor those who have fallen in battle. We also place flags on the graves of veterans. Four years ago, I reported on Herman E. Maurer, cousin on mom’s side, who died in World War II. Last year, I posted about William Posten, killed during the Revolutionary War and who might be related to my dad’s family. This year, I turn to my husband’s family and tell you about Lewis Garrett Holcomb who died during the Civil War.

In 1861, Lewis enlisted in the Army of the Confederacy and served in Company I, 10th Texas Cavalry Regiment.  Five of his brothers–George Creager Holcomb (my husband’s ancestor), John Wesley Holcom, Henderson H Holcomb, Thomas Harrison Holcomb and Joel M. Holcomb–also fought in the Confederate Army.

For more information about the 10th Texas Cavalry and the battles in which they engaged:  https://www.tshaonline.org/handbook/entries/tenth-texas-cavalry

Lewis died of “phlg [phlegmonous] erysipelas”,  a skin infection with abscesses, in Lee Hospital, Lauderdale County, Mississippi, on 28 May 1864. [5]  He had been in the hospital since March 1864.  Did he have an infected battle wound or was the infection caused by something else?  He is listed on Find A Grave as being buried in the Lauderdale Springs CSA Cemetery, near Meridian, Mississippi.[6]  However, he may or may not be buried there.  According to William Burdette, Jr., who lives about five miles from the cemetery:

(https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/49814868/l-garrett-holcomb      : accessed 24 May 2021).

Lewis died fighting for a cause that he and his family believed in. Some may say that Confederate soldiers are not worthy of being honored for their sacrifice. I disagree. My sons carry the blood of both Union and Confederate soldiers in their veins. I tell them repeatedly to be proud of all their ancestors.

REFLECTION:

Memorial Day is a good time to reflect on the many lives sacrificed for our country. Many have persons in their family tree who died while serving in the military. We need to remember these whether they died during a time of war or during a time of peace.  As I look deeper into my family trees, I plan to identify those who died while serving in the military for future posts.

Am I glorifying the Confederacy? My answer to that charge is “No.” I am reporting on individuals and families in our (my husband’s and mine) collective family tree. These persons are also members in the family trees of others alive today. Many Americans have ancestors who fought for the British during the American Revolution. Does that make the current generation any less American? No. Should they still embrace those ancestors? Yes. Without direct line ancestors, my sons would not exist. Remember, too, families often divide in their loyalties. Even today, families face political, religious and/or ideological differences.

With every post, I do more digital file clean-up. I review paper and digital files, adding information to fill gaps. My Genealogy Do-over doesn’t seem as tedious when I do it this way.

What I learned: Lauderdale Springs CSA Cemetery in Lauderdale county, Mississippi. More pictures of the cemetery can be found on Find A Grave website (https://www.findagrave.com/cemetery/60360/lauderdale-springs-csa-cemetery )

What helped: extensive family trees with many records already found. Online resources.

What didn’t help: incomplete citations. Not having anyone particular in mind when I considered a topic for this post.

To do: make a list of those who died while serving in the military. Choose one to honor on Memorial Day next year.

© Susan Posten Ellerbee and Posting Family Roots blog, 2021. 

SOURCES:

[1] 1840 U.S. Census, Mountain, Washington, Arkansas, population schedule, Mountain, p. 261, line 27, Joseph Hanleen; digital images, Ancestry (http://www.ancestry.com  : viewed 25 May 2021); citing Washington, D.C.: National Archives & Records Administration, microfilm publication M704, roll 20.

[2] 1850 U.S. Census, Cherokee county, Texas, population schedule, , p. 882, dwelling 527, family 527, J Holcomb 49; digital images, Ancestry (http://www.ancestry.com  : viewed 25 May 2021); citing Washington, D.C.: National Archives & Records Administration, Microfilm Publication M432, roll 909. Son, Harman Henderson, born 1843 in Texas; older children born in Arkansas.

[3] “Texas, U.S., Select County Marriage Index, 1837-1965,” database, Ancestry (http://www.ancestry.com  : viewed 24 May 2021); citing Texas State Library and Archives Commission and various county clerk offices, Texas.

[4] 1860 U.S. Census, Cherokee county, Texas, population schedule, Beat 7, dwelling 1094, family 1094, LG Holcombe; digital images, Ancestry (http://www.ancestry.com  : viewed 25 May 2021); citing Washington, D.C. : National Archives and Records Administration, microfilm publication M653. Lewis reported his birthplace as Illinois; possible that family lived in Illinois for a short time.

[5] “Compiled Service Records of Confederate Soldiers who Served in Organizations from the State of Texas,” digital images, Fold 3 (http://www.fold3.com  : viewed 25 May 2021), Holcomb, L.G. (18 pages); citing Washington D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, Record Group 109, roll 0063; Carded Records Showing Military Service of Soldiers Who Fought in Confederate Organizations , compiled 1903 – 1927, documenting the period 1861 – 1865.

[6] “Compiled Service Records of Confederate Soldiers who Served in Organizations from the State of Texas,” digital images, Fold 3, Holcomb, L.G. (18 pages); page 12 of 18.

Horace Johnson & his siblings

/ Susan M. Posten Ellerbee / Leave a comment

What topic for this blog post?  Thomas MacAntee reminded us that April 10 is Sibling Day. My mother-in-law and I have been going through old pictures, labeling as we go. I remembered that we found a picture of MIL’s aunts, her father’s sisters. Horace had one brother and six sisters.  So, this post honors Horace and his siblings.

SOURCE: https://www.askideas.com/45-amazing-siblings-day-greeting-pictures/

PARENTS:  Henry Louis Johnson, born 9 February 1884 in Texas; died 16 September 1965 in Mexia, Limestone county, Texas[1]. Married 3 July 1910[2] to Nellie Kay Janet Black, born 16 January 1888 in Bowie, Montague county, Texas; died 2 May 1960 in Mexia, Texas.[3] They are buried in Point Enterprise Cemetery, Mexia, Texas.  All their children were born in Limestone county, Texas and all but one remained in Texas.  According to my mother-in-law, the siblings remained in close contact throughout their lives. Many of their descendants still live in or near Limestone county.

The siblings:

  1. Katie Jean Johnson (13 May 1911, Horn Hill, Limestone County, Texas [4] -7 January 1986, Mexia, Limestone county, Texas[5]). Married to David Henry Brannan (1906 – 1990).[6]
  2. Luther Clyde Johnson. (12 February 1912, Ben Hur, Limestone county, Texas -16 December 1938,  Mexia, Texas).[7] Married Lillie Robinson [8] (1909 – 1965).
  3. Horace Clayton Johnson (mother-in-law’s father). (4 April 1915, Ben Hur, Texas [9] – 30 June 1991,  Wells, Cherokee county, Texas). [10] Married 23 October 1937 in Alto, Cherokee county, Texas[11] to Mabel Venette Reed (1918-1997).[12], [13]
  4. Alice Pauline Johnson. (23 Aug 1917- 26 Apr 2016, Hewitt, McLennan county, Texas).[14] Married about 1937 to Homer Andrew Tarkington (1915-1994).[15], [16]
  5. Anna Ruth Johnson. (13 November 1919- 2 September 2003, Mexia, Texas)[17]. Married 19 September 1939 [18] to Richard Elbert Romain (1918 – 1989). Divorced 1969.
  6. Edith Nell Johnson. (3 March 1922 –  24 August 1998, Odessa, Ector county, Texas).[19] Married 22 June 1939 to Billy J Gray (1922 – 1976).[20]
  7. Mary Lois Johnson (28 June 1925, Mexia, Texas – 17 July 2001, Denver, Colorado).[21] Married Stanley Ewing Davis (1923 – 1982).[22]
  8. Marjorie Ann Johnson (7 October 1928, Mexia, Texas[23] –  1 May 2005, Stafford, Fort Bend, Texas[24]). Married Woody Burl Davis (1925 – 2001).[25]
From Personal Collection

Some facts:

  • 1937 – two weddings, Horace & Alice Pauline.
  • 1938- Luther Clyde died.
  • 1939 – two more weddings, Anna Ruth and Edith Nell.
  • Per oral family history, Horace was only mechanic in Cherokee County during WWII so wasn’t drafted because farmers in the area needed his expertise to keep their farm equipment running.
  • World War II service:
    • David Brannan, Navy, 19 April 1943 – 29 September 1945 [26]
    • Stanley E Bradford, Army, 25 Feb 1943 – 31 Jan 1946[27]
    • Woody Burl Davis, Marine Corps, 6 Jul 1942 – 14 June 1945[28]
  • 6 of the 8 siblings lived longer than their spouses.
  • 1944 or 1945- three more weddings -Katie Jean, Marjorie and Mary Lois.
  • Buried in Point Enterprise Cemetery, Mexia, Texas
    • Alice Pauline Johnson Tarkington
    • Anna Ruth Johnson Romain
    • Marjorie Ann Johnson Davis

REFLECTION

 I was undecided about what to write for this week. The recognition of a National Sibling Day provided inspiration. Writing helps with two genealogy goals –review and clean-up files for Johnson- Reed family and post a story about that family.  As often happens, I came across some previously unknown information. I need to verify before I can tell you more.  According to MIL, her dad (Horace) was spoiled by his sisters.

The number of source notes for this short piece looks overwhelming.  I considered posting without the sources. Recognize that most of the notes are from one of these repositories: Social Security Administration, Texas Department of State Health Services or U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs with some personal copies and obituaries thrown in. Including sources is a  genealogical standard.  

What helped: RootsMagic family tree with names and dates, some completed citations and some document copies, access to online trees and databases. Recent look at old pictures.

What didn’t help: incomplete citations, copies of some documents missing. Duplicated some records unnecessarily.

What I learned: there are always new stories to be found.

To do: continue review and clean-up process for the Johnson-Reed family.  Remember to look closely at both digital and paper files before making extra copies.

© Susan Posten Ellerbee and Posting Family Roots blog, 2021

SOURCES

[1] “Texas, Death Certificates, 1903-1982,” digital images, Ancestry ( http://www.ancestry.com : accessed & printed ), certificate for Henry L. Johnson; citing Texas State Department of Health Services, Austin, Texas.

[2] Online family tree; no document or source attached.

[3] “Texas, Death Certificates, 1903-1982,” digital images, Ancestry (http://www.ancestry.com : viewed & downloaded 27 February 2020), entry for Nell Johnson; citing Texas Department of State Health Services, Austin, Texas; certificate no. 37422.

[4] “Texas, U.S., Birth Certificates, 1903-1932,” digital images, Ancestry ( http://www.ancestry.com : viewed & downloaded 12 April 2021), entry for Johnson female; citing Texas Department of State Health Services, Austin, Texas.

[5] Social Security Administration, “U.S. Social Security Death Index,” database, FamilySearch ((http://www.familysearch.org   : viewed 12 April 2021), Jean Brannan, death Jan 1986.

[6] Social Security Administration, “U.S. Social Security Death Index,” database, Ancestry (http://www.ancestry.com : viewed 12 April 2021), David H. Brannan, 457-03-9640, before 1951.

[7] “Texas, U.S., Death Certificates, 1903-1982,” digital images, Ancestry ( http://www.ancestry.com : viewed & downloaded 12 July 2020), entry for Clyde L Johnson; citing Texas Department of State Health Services, Austin, Texas.

[8] “Funeral services held Monday for Mexia High School Teacher,” obituary, Mexia (Texas) Daily News, 12 April 1965; Newspapers.com (http://www.newspapers.com : viewed & downloaded 11 April 2021).

[9] Texas, Bureau of Vital Statistics, Texas Department of Health, delayed birth certificate LL18432 (23 February 1942; copy issued 26 Oct 2011), Horace Clayton Johnson; Limestone County Texas County Clerk, Groesbeck, Texas; personal copy.

[10] Horace Clayton Johnson, death certificate no number (30 June 1991), Texas State Department of Health, County Clerk’s Office, Angelina county, Texas, Lufkin, Angelina county, Texas; personal copy.

[11] Cherokee county, Texas, marriage record no. 333 (23 October 1937), Horace C. Johnson and Mable Venette Reed; Cherokee county, Texas, Alto, Texas; personal copy.

[12] [No first name] Reed, birth certificate 46451 (15 February 1918), Alto, Cherokee Co., Texas Texas State Board of Health, Vital Statistics Unit, Austin, Texas; Photostatic copy issued 27 Sep 2011.

[13] Mable Venette Johnson, death certificate 8245 (12 July 1997), Texas State Department of Health Services, Austin, Texas, County Clerk’s office, Cherokee County, Texas, Alto, Cherokee Co., Texas.; photostatic copy issued 22 July 1997.

[14] Find A Grave, database and images (http://www.findagrave.com : accessed, viewed, downloaded 8 December 2016), memorial page for Alice Pauline Johnson Tarkington, Find A Grave Memorial # 161721169, citing Point Enterprise (Mexia, Limestone County, TX), memorial created by Ann Lewis Dickenson.

[15] “Texas, Birth Certificates, 1903-1932,” digital images, Ancestry ( http://www.ancestry.com : accessed & downloaded ), Amendment to Certificate of Birth for Homer Andrew Tarkington; citing Texas Department of Health, Austin,Texas; state file no. 26796

[16] Social Security Administration, “U.S., Social Security Applications and Claims Index, 1936-2007,” database, Ancestry (http://www.ancestry.com : viewed 12 April 2021), entry for Homer Andrew Tarkington; citing Social Security Administration, Washington, D.C..

[17] Social Security Administration, “U.S. Social Security Death Index,” database, Ancestry (http://www.ancestry.com : viewed 12 April 2021), Anna R. Romain, 462-03-0924, before 1951.

[18] “Texas Divorce Index, 1968-2002,” database, Ancestry ( http://www.ancestry.com : viewed 12 April 2021); citing Texas Department of State Health Service, Austin, Texas.

[19] “Edith Nell Gray,” obituary, The Odessa (Texas) American, 26 August 1998; digital image, Newspapers.com (http://www.newspapers.com : viewed & downloaded 12 April 2021). page 11, columns 1-2.

[20] “Texas, U.S., Death Certificates, 1903-1982,” digital images, Ancestry ( http://www.ancestry.com : viewed & downloaded 19 July 2020), Billy Gray; citing Texas Department of State Health Services. Austin, Texas.

[21] Social Security Administration, “U.S. Social Security Death Index,” database, Ancestry ( http://www.ancestry.com : viewed 12 April 2021), Mary L. Bradford, 463-26-8036, before 1951.

[22] Social Security Administration, “U.S. Social Security Death Index,” database, Ancestry (http://www.ancestry.com : viewed 13 April 2021), Stanley Edwin Bradford, 521227675.

[23] “Texas, U.S., Birth Certificates, 1903-1932,” digital images, Ancestry (http://www.ancestry.com : viewed, downloaded, printed 7 December 2020), entry for Margie Anne Johnson; citing Texas Department of State Health Services, Austin, Texas.

[24] Social Security Administration, “U.S. Social Security Death Index,” database, Ancestry (http://www.ancestry.com http://www.ancestry.com : viewed 13 April 2021), Marjorie A. Davis, 457-36-0447, before 1951.

[25] Social Security Administration, “U.S. Social Security Death Index,” database, Ancestry ( http://www.ancestry.com : viewed 12 April 2021), Woody B. Davis, 449-42-1703, before 1951.

[26]  “U.S., Department of Veterans Affairs BIRLS Death File, 1850-2010,” database, Ancestry ( http://www.ancestry.com : viewed 12 April 2021), entry for David H Brannan; citing Beneficiary Identification Records Locator Subsystem (BIRLS) Death File. Washington, D.C.: U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs..

[27] “U.S., Department of Veterans Affairs BIRLS Death File, 1850-2010,” database, Ancestry (http://www.ancestry.com     :    viewed 12 April 2021), entry for Stanley E Bradford; citing  Beneficiary Identification Records Locator Subsystem (BIRLS) Death File. Washington, D.C.: U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs..

[28] Social Security Administration, “U.S. Social Security Death Index,” database, Ancestry (http://www.ancestry.com : viewed 12 April 2021), Woody B. Davis, 449-42-1703, before 1951.

BSO follow-up reveals hidden treasures: Henry Renk and Rosina (Maurer) Smetts

/ Susan M. Posten Ellerbee / 1 Comment

Genealogists ask questions and try to find answers. Often, more questions arise as we search. This was the case as I explored the lives of Rosina Maurer and her husband Wilhelm Jacob Smetts. I reported that journey in a February 2018 post. As I searched local newspapers, I found the name of Henry Renk connected with Rosina. I made a note that this was a BSO to be explored another day. Now three years later, I found the answer. In this post I describe what I found and how I found it.

http://www.clker.com/cliparts/e/0/9/c/1323334955652001882golden%20disco-ball-vector-th.png

The newspaper clipping that generated my interest in 2018 was from a 1949 New Brunswick, New Jersey newspaper. [1] It said  ”Henry Renk attended funeral services for Mrs.  Rose Smetts at the home of Mr. and Mrs Robert Smetts in Matedeconk Thursday evening.” Rose/ Rosina was sister of my maternal great-grandfather, Herman Maurer.  Robert Smetts was one of Rosina’s children. I posed the question – What is Henry ‘s relationship to Rose?

In November 2020, a distant cousin saw my post about Rosina and Jacob and contacted me. He asked for more information about the children of Rosina and Jacob.  That’s when I rediscovered Henry Renk.  Rosina and Jacob’s youngest child, Robert Earl Smetts married Ethel Renk, the daughter of Henry Renk and Carrie Culver.  In 1949, Henry attended the funeral of his daughter’s mother- in- law. Henry had been a widower since 1917[2].  Henry, born 1873, and Rosina, born 1868. were of the same generation. He probably empathized after her loss of both a son and husband within the space of one month in 1936. [3] Both had been born in the United States to German immigrant parents.

In June, 1950, Robert and Ethel Smetts held a family reunion party in their home ” in honor of the 77th birthday anniversary of Mrs Smetts’ father, Henry Renk of Ridge road near here [ Monmouth Junction, New Jersey]”. [4]  Forty-five guests attended including Earl Renk, Edgar Renk , Albert Renk and their families. I imagine that the house overflowed with “14 grandchldren and eight great-children.”

Henry Renk died 27 November 1960[5] and was buried in Kingston Cemetery, next to his wife. [6] I have more information about Henry, his wife Carrie and their family. However, I am not going to delve into that here. I added their names to the family tree on Ancestry.

REFLECTION

A mystery solved and a BSO addressed. I realize the value of keeping record of BSOs. You never know when something will prompt you to look at it again, even years later. This was not a high priority item but does help to round out our family’s story.

What I learned:  keep good notes and include your sources. Obituaries and those personal notes in older newspapers are treasure troves of information.

What helped: Previous work and my notes.

What didn’t help:  Not having either paper or digital copies of all newspaper articles.  

To-do: Keep digital and/or paper copies of newspaper articles. Add URL for those articles to research logs.

SOURCES

[1] “Henry Renk attended funeral services”, The Central New Jersey Home News (New Brunswick, New Jersey”, local newspaper (9 Jul 1949): p. 7; PDF images, Newspapers.com  (http://www/newspapers.com  :  accessed 10 Feb 2018), key word Mrs. Rose Smetts.

[2] Find A Grave, database and images (http://www.finagrave.com  : viewed 28 January 2021), memorial page for Carrie Renk, Find A Grave Memorial # 44168202 , citing Kingston Presbyterian Church Cemetery (Kingston, Somerset County, New Jersey), memorial created by Wayne Irons, photograph by Wayne Irons.

[3] Jacob Smetts obituary. “”William J. Smetts”,” death notice, The Central New Jersey Home News, 14 December 1936, death date, death of son, funeral information; digital images, Newspapers.com (http://www.newspapers.com  : accessed, downloaded, printed 16 February 2018); citing The Central New Jersey Home News. p. 17, column 4.

[4] “Reunion is attended by 4 generations ”, The Central New Jersey Home News (New Brunswick, New Jersey, local newspaper (28 June 1950): p. 4; PDF images, Newspapers.com  (http://www/newspapers.com   :  accessed 6 Jan 2021).

[5]. “Henry Renk,” obituary, The Central New Jersey Home News, 28 November 1960, Henry Renk . . . died yesterday; Newspapers.com (http://www.newspapers.com  : viewed & printed 30 January 2021).

[6] Find a Grave. Find A Grave, database and images (http://www.findagrave  : viewed 28 January 2021), memorial page for Henry Renk, Find A Grave Memorial # 44168201, citing Kingston Presbyterian Church Cemetery (Kingston, Somerset County, New Jersey, USA), memorial created by Wayne Irons, photograph by Wayne Irons.

© Susan Posten Ellerbee and Posting Family Roots blog, 2021

Momma moves in

/ Susan M. Posten Ellerbee / 1 Comment

A parent moves in with one of the children. Generally, the move comes after their spouse dies. Safety and/or health reasons often precipitate the move.  Other times, financial well-being is a major consideration. Loneliness can be another factor.  Any combination of these or other reasons occur.  Genealogists look for residence patterns. Does the older person stay with one child or appear in different homes? What prompts the move to one place or another? These are the family stories to be explored and told.  In this post, I give two examples from our family tree.

SOURCE:
https://www.hiclipart.com/free-transparent-background-png-clipart-pxulz/download

Census and other records show an older person living with a younger person. When there are 20 or more years difference in ages, we often guess that the older person is a parent of the older relative. Did the older person move in with the younger person? Did the younger person move in with the older person?  What factors determined the action?

EXAMPLE #1: Unmarried child as designated caregiver for older parent

Wright Roswell Ellerbee, born in 1875, was 6th of seven children born to James John Ellerbee and his 2nd wife, Elizabeth Hayes. James John died in December 1877[1], leaving his wife with 6 children and her aging parent, Moses Hayes in Georgia. [2]  Within a few years, Elizabeth joined her stepson, William Green Ellerbee, in Cherokee county, Texas.  The 1900 census [3] shows 24-year-old Will [Wright] R. Ellesbee [Ellerbee] as head of household with his mother, 58-year-old Elizabeth and his brother, Asa, age 23.  Next door lived  Wright’s brother, James Walter Ellerbee, and his family.

Roles reversed for the next census. E. Ellerbee, widow, is now listed as head of household with Wright, her 35-year-old son. [4]  Again, the two brothers, Wright and James, lived close to each other.  Elizabeth died in 1917.[5]  Wright continued to live with his brother, James Walter Ellerbee, until Wright’s marriage about 1934 to Effie Susan Wesley.[6]  Wright delayed marriage while his mother was living and did not marry until he was in his 50s. Wright died in Cherokee county, Texas in December 1940 at the age of 65. [7]

Wright Roswell Ellerbee was the only unmarried child. Did he remain single from a sense of responsibility for his widowed mother?  He lived with his brother, James, for about 15 years after the death of their mother.

EXAMPLE #2:  Parents living with child, widow remains with same child

Mary Ann Selman Holcomb, age 64 and her husband, 79-year-old George Creager Holcomb, were recorded as living with their son, Garrett, in 1900.[8]  After George’s death in 1902, [9]  Mary Ann remained with Garrett, his wife, Minnie, and their seven children according to the 1910 census.  [10]  Presumbly, Mary Ann lived with Garret until her death in 1913 in Cherokee county, Texas. [11]

When did Mary Ann and George move in with Garrett? Garrett married about 1892. He and Minnie may have moved in with his parents or vice versa.  George’s advancing age likely determined this living arrangement .  Was Garrett living on the family homestead or in the family home? Did George and Mary have a closer relationship with Garrett than other children? Answers to these questions remain speculative. A will, probate file and cause of death for George Creager Holcomb may give clues.

I recall seeing other examples on our family trees, such as:  

  • Adult child moves in with parent after death of other parent. Sometimes this child was a widow or widower, with or without children.
  • After death of spouse, remaining parent moves in with child
  • Widow/ widower moves from home of one child to home of another child

TELLING THE STORIES

My examples give only the barest facts.  I plan to expand on these facts later.  To tell the story, follow journalistic guidelines and search widely:

  1. Who is the parent? Who is the child? Is the child oldest, youngest or in-between? Later census records show relationship between the head of household and others. In some cases, a parent is listed as a ‘boarder’.  An older person with a different surname is most likely to  be the wife’s parent but could be a relative of either spouse.
  2. What reason is suggested for the move? What is the child’s marital status? What are the ages of both the parent and child?
  3. When did the move occur? Estimate the time frame. Look for those wonderful newspaper tidbits – “Mrs. Mary Jones visited her daughter, Wilma Stone, this weekend then returned to her home in Wabash where she lives with her son, Phillip.” Obituaries give clues – “Mrs. Mary Jones died yesterday at the home of her son, Philip, where she had been living for the past 5 years.”
  4. Where were both parent and child living before the move? Where are they living now? Look for similar addresses.
  5. Why did the move occur? Consider elderly parent’s age, declining health, no longer being able to work, financial status. Look for cause of death as reported on death certificate as a clue. Is the child the only one still living on the family farm or in the family home? Consider this clue- “The daughters of Philip Jones are the 4th generation to live in the family home.”
  6. How did the move occur? Was it a fairly simple matter of moving some furniture from one place to another place in the same community? What type of transportation would have been used – wagon, car, truck, train, other?  Consider the effort of downsizing and the effects on the whole family.

In summary, look beyond the basic facts of an elderly person, or other relative, living with a younger person. If the census does not give relationships, consider whether the older person is really the parent of the younger person. Delve deeper into these stories to enrich your family’s story.  Even a best guess may have some truth in it!

For additional information about writing a story, read this article: How to write like a journalist

Reflection:

The topic for this post came as we prepare a room in our home for my mother-in-law. My father-in-law died last year. Since then, my mother-in-law requires more help to care for her home.  She maintains most of her self-care.  Social isolation associated with Corona virus accelerated her decision. Yes, my mother-in-law and I get along. Both of my parents are deceased.

As usual, as I write for my blog, I make progress on cleaning up paper and digital files. Five census records, 3 cemetery records, 2 marriage records, 1 death record done and 100s to go! This post helps me to do more than simply recite facts.  

What I learned:  Aging parents living with children was not uncommon. In one case, the parent lived with a different child over a 30-year period (3 decennial censuses). I have to look through all of my files to find that one again!  I realize that there is more to each story than what the census records tell.

What helped:  family tree with names and dates already recorded. Sources listed for facts.

What didn’t help:  Incomplete citations.  Not all information in the records had been transcribed to computer-based family tree.  

TO-DO:  Include living arrangements and my best guess in notes.  Write stories that go beyond the facts. Begin journal about current move.

© Susan Posten Ellerbee and Posting Family Roots blog, 2020

SOURCES:

[1] Ronald William Ellerbe, The Ellerbe Family History (Baltimore, MD: Gateway Press, Inc., 1986), pp. 14-42 & 14-43.

[2] 1880 U.S. Census, Early Co, Georgia, pop. sch., Damascus, enumeration district (ED) 026, p. 214A, family #, Elizabeth Eleby; digital images, Ancestry.com (www.ancestry.com  : accessed, downloaded, printed 4 September 2011); National Archives & Records Administration, Washington, D.C. NARA Roll 144..

[3] 1900 U.S. Census, Cherokee County, Texas, pop. sch., Justice Pct 8, enumeration district (ED) 30, p. 284A (printed), Family #22, Wright Ellerbee (head); digital images, Ancestry.com (www.ancestry.com  : downloaded & printed 4 September 2011); National Archives & Records Administration, Washington, D.C. Roll: T623_1619..

[4] 1910 U.S. Census, Cherokee County, Texas, pop. sch., , enumeration district (ED) 24, p. 14B, family #272, E. Ellerbee, head; digital images, Ancestry.com (www.ancestry.com : downloaded 2012); National Archives & Records Administration, Washington, D.C., Microfilm publication T624_1619.

[5] Find a Grave. Elizabeth Ellerbee. Find A Grave, database and images (http://www.findagrave.com  : viewed 8 August 2020), memorial page for Elizabeth A Hayes Ellerbee, Find A Grave Memorial # 35222677, citing Mount Hope Cemetery (Wells, Cherokee, Texas), memorial created by Wanda Karr Ellerbee, photograph by Wanda Karr Ellerbee..

[6] Marriage of Wright Roswell Ellerbee to Effie Susan Wesley estimated from 1940 Census showing Wright, wife Effie and son, Omar Lee, age 5.

[7] Texas Death Index. “Texas Death Index, 1903-2000,” digital images, Ancestry (http://www.ancestry.com  : accessed 8 August 2020), entry for Ellerbee, Wright Roswell; citing Texas Department of Health, State Vital Statistics Unit, Austin, TX.; page 7166, certificate no. 54106.

[8]  1900 U.S. Census, Cherokee county, Texas, population schedule, Alto, enumeration district (ED) 20, p. 13A, dwelling 221, family 227, George Holcomb age 79; digital images, Ancestry (http://www.ancestry.com  : viewed 8 August 2020); citing National Archives & Records Administration, Washington, D.C. microfilm publication T623_1619.

[9]  Find A Grave, database and images (http://www.findagrave.com  : viewed 8 August 2020), memorial page for George Creager Holcomb, Find A Grave Memorial # 32434400, citing Shiloh Cemetery (Alto, Cherokee, Texas), memorial created by Susan Harnish, photograph by Denise Brown Biard Ercole.

[10]  1910 U.S. Census, Cherokee county, Texas, population schedule, Alto, enumeration district (ED) 0014, p. 20A, dwelling 367, family 371, Mary Ann Holcomb age 74; digital images, Ancestry (http://www.ancestry.com  : viewed 8 August 2020); citing National Archives & Records Administration, Washington, D.C. , microfilm publication T624_1538.

[11]  Find A Grave, database and images (http://www.findagrave.com  : accessed 8 August 2020), memorial page for Mary Ann Selman Holcomb, Find A Grave Memorial # 01196611 , citing Shiloh Cemetery (Alto, Cherokee, Texas), memorial created by Judy Murphy, photograph by Judy Murphy.

Grandma’s middle name

/ Susan M. Posten Ellerbee / Leave a comment

What makes genealogists smile?  Many things. Finding an elusive record online or in a dusty archive is one.  Discovering who has the old family Bible is another. Determining first and middle names often yields surprises.  Jack’s given name is James John and Jack is a nickname.  Betsy’s birth name of Elizabeth is found in an unexpected place.  We constantly search for records to prove or disprove facts.  In this post, I describe the search and discovery of my paternal grandmother’s middle name.

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MIDDLE INITIAL “A”. AMELIA? ASH? SOMETHING ELSE?

Jennie A. Richards is Dad’s mother. According to Dad, her middle name was Amelia. I vaguely recall him saying once that her middle name was Ash. Jennie was the youngest child of Ostrander Richards and Amelia Magdelenne LaCoe.  Jennie’s maternal grandmother was Sybil Rone Ash.  Either name makes sense. I don’t remember why I gravitated towards Amelia. Did Dad recite that name most often?

My husband and I attended the annual LaCoe family reunion in August 2017 at Clark’s Summit, Pennsylvania.  While there, a cousin asked about Jennie’s middle name. I related what Dad told me.  Older relatives thought that Jennie’s middle name was “Ash”.  Aunt Mary confirmed that her mother’s middle name could be “Ash.” I was sure that I had a record with Jennie’s middle name!

Back home, I went through my files and notes.  Nothing specific. Only “Jennie A. Richards” and “Jennie A. Posten.”  I emailed my cousin with those results. I added this item to my BSO (bright shiny object) list to be explored another day.

Two years go by and I complete multiple projects for other relatives.  I periodically check websites for information about the Posten family. I do not always search for anything specific. I prioritized another revision of the Posten family history (2012) [1] as a genealogy goal for 2020.  Five relatives have a copy of either the original or one of the three revisions.  I acquire more documents during the intervening years.  Through the Genealogy Do-Over process, my analytic skills improve.

I check hints, a.k.a. ‘shaky leaves’, on Ancestry. I start again with the most recent generation–Dad and his siblings.  A copy of  Uncle Lester’s birth certificate pops up. [2] Lester Joseph Posten was John and Jennie’s first child.  Not a transcript but a photocopy of the original document!  Imagine my surprise and delight when I see the following information on that document:

  • Full name of Child: Lester Joseph Posten
  • Date of birth: June 1, 1911
  • Father, full name: John Ray Posten
  • Mother, full name: Jennie Ash Richards
middlename2

Lester’s full name and date of birth are not in dispute. I now have primary, first-hand evidence of middle names for both John and Jennie. John and Jennie provided the information for their son’s birth certificate.  Mission accomplished! Remove item from BSO list.  Add birth certificate information and scan copy to RootsMagic program. Send information to cousin who is revising LaCoe family history.

Charlotte Tucker- my maternal grandmother. I briefly reported discovery of my maternal grandmother’s middle name in a 2017 post.  I remembered hearing that Charlotte’s (a.k.a Lottie, ak.a. Gram) middle name was either Anna or Amelia.  Gram’s mother was Anna Klee.  When I received a copy of Gram’s birth certificate, I discovered that her birth name was Amalie Charlotte Maurer.[3]  Gram’s grandparents immigrated to the U.S. from Germany in the late 1850s. German children were often called by their middle name, not their first name. My database entry now shows Amalie Charlotte [Maurer] Tucker instead of Charlotte A. [Maurer] Tucker.  Census and other records show her as Charlotte or Lottie.

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REFLECTION:

For some reason, I never doubted Grandpa Posten’s middle name. Dad told me that his father’s middle name was “Ray”.  I accepted Dad’s account without question. No one else asked about it. My cousin’s question at the reunion prompted a careful review of information.  Since then, I have been on the lookout for a document to confirm Jennie’s middle name. Searches have been sporadic. Similarly, I accepted mom’s explanation of her mother’s name.  I wonder if I just didn’t listen close enough!

What I learned: Keep looking! Return to online databases regularly for documents and information added since your last search. Don’t assume that a person’s name on census records is actually their first name. Collect BMD records for siblings of your direct ancestors.

What helped: Availability of documents online. Updating of databases by online sources. Family tree already posted to Ancestry by me.

What didn’t help:  Copying Jennie’s obituary again—I already have a copy in both digital and paper files.

To-do:  Consult files before copying documents. Enter new information and scanned documents to Roots Magic – DONE.  Send information to Posten cousin – DONE.

SOURCES: 

[1] Susan M. Posten Ellerbee, The Posten Family of Northeastern Pennsylvania, 1st edition, (Yukon, Oklahoma: Published by author, 2012). Tentative title of future editions:  Descendants of Thomas Postens, New Jersey to Pennsylvania.

[2] “Pennsylvania, Birth Certificates, 1906-1911,” digital images, Ancestry (http://www.ancestry.com     : accessed & printed 24 January 2020), entry for Lester Joseph Posten; citing Pennsylvania (State). Birth certificates, 1906-1911. Series 11.89. Records of the Pennsylvania Department of Health, Record Group 11. Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission, Harrisburg, Pennsylvania.

[3] New York, New York City Department of Records and Information Services, birth certificate 5947 (28 May 1892), Amalie Charlotte Maurer; Municipal Archives, 31 Chambers Street, New York, N.Y. 10007. Photocopy of original certificate obtained in 2017 by Susan Mercedes Posten Ellerbee, Charlotte’s granddaughter.

Catherine Deborah Brown Powell Barker: Part 5. Blended family series-Powell, Brown, Barker

/ Susan M. Posten Ellerbee / Leave a comment

Twice wed, twice widowed, twice stepmother to another woman’s chlldren and mother of six.  Those words summarize the matrimonial life of Catherine D. [Brown] Powell Barker. This post is the fifth (and last) in this series about one blended family in my husband’s family tree.  Catherine was second wife of James Thomas Lafayette Powell; Catherine and James are my husband’s great-great-grandparents on his dad’s side.venn diagram_blended family_copy2

Briefly, James T.L. Powell fathered three children with his 1st wife, Deborah Daniel. His 2nd wife was Catherine Deborah Brown, the subject of this post. James died in 1890, leaving Catherine a widow with 3 living children aged 2 to 11 years. Elias Barker fathered six children with his 1st wife, Launa Barber. Elias and Catherine married in 1892 and brought three more children into the world. Catherine is the one person held in common by all of these children.

PROFILE: Catherine Deborah Brown

BORN:    19 November 1860, Mississippi (possibly Simpson county)

MARRIAGES:  1st–22 March 1877 to James T.L. Powell at Cherokee county, Texas. James died 1890 at De Soto, Louisiana. 2nd – 1 September 1892 to Elias Barker at Cherokee county, Texas. Elias died 20 August 1900 at Cherokee county, Texas.

DIED:     10 March 1944, Port Arthur, Jefferson county, Texas

BURIED: Mount Hope Cemetery, Wells, Cherokee county, Texas

PARENTS:  R.L. Brown & Marguerite Puckett (as named on Catherine’s death certificate)

PLACE IN HISTORY:

1861 – 1865:  Civil War. Catherine and her parents lived in Mississippi. Relatives fought on the side of the Confederacy.

30 March 1870 – Texas readmitted to the Union.

October 1870 – Brown family moved to Cherokee county, Texas.

1870s to 1930s – agricultural growth, especially cotton in Cherokee county. Railroad expansion meant that smaller towns disappeared. Sawmill towns proliferated in East Texas.

1930s- farming declined in the area although cotton is still a significant crop. Timber and cattle becoming more prominent.

CATHERINE’S STORY:

Catherine barely remembered her life before Texas. She called Cherokee county, Texas, her home for 60 years and that’s where she is buried. Married at 17 to a widower with 3 children,  life revolved around her husband, James Powell, children and step-children.  She loved them all.  She bore the loss of at least one child, possibly two. Then, unexpectedly, James died in 1890. Catherine, only 30 years old, became a widow with three young children to raise. The next years were difficult for the family.

Elias Barker’s family lived near James and Catherine. Remember, ‘near’ in the 1890s meant within a mile or two or on the next farm. When Elias’ wife, Launa, died in 1892, Catherine may have attended the funeral.  However they met, Elias and Catherine married in September 1892 and another blended family was born.  Three children were born to this union: Reba Barker in 1893; Ernest Emory Barker in 1896 and Alpha M. Barker in 1898. Their happiness was short-lived. Elias Barker died in August 1900, only months after the Twelfth Census of the United States.  Ten years after the death of her first husband, Catherine again found herself a widow with young children to raise.

During the next years, the family moved from place to place. 1910 found Catherine as head of household in Wildhurst, Cherokee county, “one of the many sawmill towns in East Texas,”  with her three children by Elias Barker.  Sometime after this, she became dependent on her children.  In 1920, Catherine lived with her son, William Powell, in Alto, Cherokee county,  Texas.  Between 1920 and 1930, she moved to Claiborne Parish, Louisiana, with her daughter, Reba Barker Dennis.  They moved back to Texas by 1935 and resided in Port Arthur, Jefferson county, Texas in 1940.

Children of Elias Barker and Catherine Brown Powell:

  1. Reba ‘Bertie’ Barker. (5 August 1893 – February 1990). Married Joe Mavert Dennis. Reba and Joe had two children: Lilly Kathryn Dennis (25 March 1915 – October 1993), married in 1935 to Alton G. Hall (1904 – 1985);  Joseph M. Dennis JR (12 September 1923 – 17 November 1999), married to  Betty F. Thomas ( 1924- 2016 ).
  2. Ernest Emory Barker (17 February 1896 – 23 October 1965). Married 4 May 1919 to Willie Etta Mae Chilcoat (1902-1944). Children of Ernest and Willie Etta: Norma Kathryn Barker Carlin (1921-2016); Clara Inez Barker Kelly (1924-2011); Edith Mae Barker Meadows (1926-1996); Billie Nell Barker Benoit (1928 – 1997); James Reginald Barker (1930-1992); Roy Milton Barker (1935 – 2006); Reba Sue Barker Tomplait (1939 – ? ).
  3. Alpha M. Barker (6 September 1898 – 19 March 1991). Married about 1921 to Sherman Albert McCoy (11 Dec 1895- 8 August 1966). Children of Alpha and Sherman: Albert Merle McCoy (1921-1968); Billy O. McCoy (1924 – 1925); Donald Ray McCoy (1938-2007).

Mrs. Catherine Barker died on March 8, 1944, in Port Arthur, Jefferson county, Texas at the age of 83 years, 3 months and 20 days. Cause of death? Uremia, an elevated level of waste products in the kidneys, usually the result of chronic kidney disease.  She is buried in the Mount Hope Cemetery at Wells, Cherokee county, Texas, near Elias Barker.  Interestingly, her gravestone shows her name as “Kathryn”.  She signed her name as “Mrs. Catherine Barker” on her Widow’s Pension Application and “Catherine” is the spelling that I use.

Journeys taken by Catherine Brown Powell Barker:

About 1870:  Simpson county, Mississippi to Cherokee County, Texas – about 360 miles

1870 to 1920:  Within Cherokee County, Texas – about 10 to 15 miles for each move

Between 1920 &  1930:  Alto, Cherokee County, Texas to Homer, Claiborne Parish, Louisiana—about 180 miles

Between 1930 & 1935:  Homer, Claiborne Parish, Louisiana to Port Arthur, Jefferson County, Texas – about 245 miles

1944:  Port Arthur, Jefferson County, Texas to Wells, Cherokee County, Texas – about 145 miles

Texas_LA_map_crop4_colors_counties_legend

 

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This series represents work that began in 2011. I added some details in 2017 and more as I wrote.  Confession time–I consulted more sources than are listed here. I was not as obsessive about listing each source separately. Why? No specific reason. I have the documents and references in my paper and digital files. If you want or need a more complete list, I will provide it to you.  Future posts will revert to  more comprehensive source lists.

What I learned:  There are multiple stories for each person. I enjoyed writing the stories as I tried to personalize the events in each person’s life.  Call the stories ‘historical fiction’ if you like. I don’t have evidence to support parts but the stories are based on real events.

What helped:  Previous work on the Ellerbee family. Semi-complete paper files. Entering information to Roots Magic. Catherine’s middle name from death certificate of daughter, Katherine Deborah Powell Ellerbee.

What didn’t help: Incomplete information about some of the children in each nuclear and blended family.

To-do:  Continue to follow collateral lines at some point in future.  Search for picture of Catherine Brown Powell Barker.  Consolidate all 5 parts into a cohesive document and send for publication in local or state journal.  Consider a ‘process’ post about how I put information together.  Explore Catherine’s connection (1910 census) to Wildhurst, Texas, a town that ceased to exist after the sawmill closed in 1944.

SOURCES: 

Jefferson county, Texas, death certificates, death certificate #14269 (1944), Mrs. Catherine Barker, 8 March 1944; digital images, Ancestry (http://www.ancestry.com  : accessed & downloaded 9 November 2017); citing Texas Department of State Health Services, “Texas Death Certificates, 1903-1982”, Austin, Texas.

Catherine Brown & J T L Powell:  “Texas, Marriage Index, 1824-2014,” database, Ancestry (http://www.ancestry.com   : accessed 1 February 2020), entry for J.T. L. Powell and Catherine Brown; citing Texas Department of State Health Services and county marriage records on microfilm located at the Family History Library in Salt Lake City, Utah.

Catherine Barker widow’s pension: “Widow’s Application for Confederate Pension”, 8 February, 1932, Catherine Barker, widow’s pension application no. 50567,service of James Thomas Lafayette Powell (lieutenant, Co. C, 25th Regiment Georgia Infantry, Civil War); “U.S. Confederate Pensions, 1884-1958,”   Ancestry (http://www.ancestry.com   : accessed,downloaded, printed 29 Nov 2012)  citing Texas, Confederate Pension Applications,1899-1975, Vol. 1-646 & 1-283, Texas State Library and Archives Commission, Austin, Texas.

“Texas Marriage Collection, 1814-1909 and 1966-2002,” database, Ancestry (http://www.ancestry.com   : accessed and printed 29 November 2012), entry for E. Barker and Mrs. Catherine Powell, 25 September 1892; citing Texas Department of State Health Services and county marriage records on microfilm located at the Family History Library in Salt Lake City, Utah.

1900 U.S. Census, Cherokee county, Texas, population schedule, Justice Precinct 8, enumeration district (ED) 0030, p. 1B (ink pen) & p. 2A, dwelling 16, family 16, Catherine Booker [Barker]; digital images, Ancestry (http://www.ancestry.com   : accessed, downloaded 9 October 2019); citing National Archives & Records Administration, Washington, D.C. , microfilm publication T 623, Roll 1619.

1910 U.S. Census, Cherokee county, Texas, population schedule, Wildhurst, enumeration district (ED) 24, p. 1A (ink pen), dwelling 5, family 5, Catherine Barker head, age 48; digital images, Ancestry (http://www.ancestry.com   : accessed, printed, downloaded 11 October 2019); citing National Archives & Records Administration, Washington, D.C. microfilm publication T624_1538.

1920 U.S. Census, Cherokee county, Texas, population schedule, Alto town, Justice precinct 2, enumeration district (ED) 21, p. 6B (ink pen), dwelling 127, family 131, Barker Katherine, mother, age 62; digital images, Ancestry (http://www.ancestry.com : accessed, downloaded, printed   11 October 2019); citing National Archives & Records Administration, Washington, D.C. microfilm publication T625_1786.

1930 U.S. Census, Claiborne Parish, Louisiana, population schedule, Homer City, enumeration district (ED) 14-16, p. 7B (ink pen), dwelling 145, family 146, Borker [Barker] Kathyrn, mother, age 69; digital images, Ancestry (http://www.ancestry.com   : accessed, printed, downloaded 11 October 2019); citing National Archives & Records Administration, Washington, D.C. microfilm publication T626.

1940 U.S. Census, Jefferson county, Texas, population schedule, Port Arthur, enumeration district (ED) 123-100, p. 15A (ink pen), dwelling 331, Barker Catherine, age 79; digital images, Ancestry  (http://www.ancestry.com       : accessed, printed, downloaded 11 October 2019); citing National Archives & Records Administration, Washington, D.C. microfilm publication T0627_04079.

Find A Grave memorials for Reba Barker Dennis, J.M. Dennis, Lilly Kathryn Dennis, Alton G. Hall, Joseph M. Dennis, JR ; Emory Ernest Barker, Billie Nell Barker Benoit; accessed November 2019 through January 2020.

Texas Birth Index entries for Reba Sue Barker, Lilly Kathryn Dennis; accessed January 2020.

John R. Ross, “Cherokee county”, no date, Texas State Historical Association (https://tshaonline.org/handbook/online/articles/hcc10   :   accessed 15 Jan 2020).

“Wildhurst, Texas,” no date, Historic Texas (https://historictexas.net/cherokee-county/wildhurst-texas/  :   accessed 2 February 2020).

© Susan Posten Ellerbee and Posting Family Roots, 2020

 

Back to the Blended Families- Elias Barker and 1st wife, Euna Barber

/ Susan M. Posten Ellerbee / Leave a comment

With this post, I continue the story of one blended family in my husband’s family tree.  Briefly, I started with James T L Powell and his 1st wife, Deborah Daniel (nuclear family #1) then told about James T L Powell and his 2nd wife, Catherine Brown. James and Catherine are my husband’s great-great grandparents on his dad’s side.  Now, I turn to the other nuclear family—Elias I. Barker and his first wife, Launa/ Euna Barber.

Barker_barber family

To catch you up, three posts began the longer story:

  1. Blended family introduction 
  2. James T L Powell and Deborah A.C. Daniel
  3. James T L Powell and 2nd wife, Catherine Brown

PROFILE: Elias Barker

Born: September 1853 in Milam County, Texas.

Married: 13 August 1874 at Milam county, Texas to Launa Barber.  Launa Barber Barker died in 1892, presumably at Cherokee County, Texas.

Died:  20 August 1900 in Cherokee County, Texas.

Buried:  Mount Hope Cemetery, Wells, Cherokee county, Texas.

PLACE IN HISTORY

December 1845 –  Texas admitted to union as a state.

1 February 1861 – Texas seceded from the Federal Union.

October 1861- General H. H. Sibley marched troops west from San Antonio “to claim New Mexico and the American southwest for the Confederacy.”

1 January 1863 – Battle of Galveston. The seaport returned to Texas control.

13 May 1865- Last land engagement of the Civil War fought at Battle of Palmito Ranch in south Texas, more than a month after General Lee’s surrender.  Elias Barker was 12 years old.

1866- Beginning of Texas trail drives era, moving cattle from Texas to northern markets.

30 March 1870 – Texas readmitted to the Union.  Reconstruction continues until about 1874.

ELIAS’ STORY- PART 1

March 1861. From their bed, eight-year-old Elias Barker and his brothers tried to hear what their parents were whispering about.  But they couldn’t make out any of the words. Whispering adults only meant one thing—trouble or a new baby. The next morning, Papa, his gun and knapsack with some food were gone before the sun rose.  Elias’ mother answered his question before he could even ask- “Papa’s gone hunting. He’ll be gone for a while.  You children eat breakfast then go do your chores like usual.”   But, Momma wasn’t smiling today like usual.  Later that day, Elias heard his momma talking to Mrs. Edwards  about “secession” – whatever that meant.  Some men and older boys had already left their homes and families to join some kind of fight. Life would not be ‘usual’ for a long time.

Those years changed Elias’ life in myriad ways. Death visited the community on a regular basis.  The color of black was everywhere. People anxiously gathered to read, or listen to, the local newspaper each time it was put on the wall outside of the newspaper office.  The words ‘killed’, ‘injured’ and ‘missing’ became everyday part of the community’s vocabulary.  Elias longed for a time without so many hardships.  Life on the farm went on, pretty much as usual.  Some of the men and boys returned but not all.  Those who returned had both physical and emotional scars.  Did Elias’ family lose a father, brothers, cousins? I’m not sure but it is certainly possible.

Elias had his eye on Euna Barber since she was a girl.  When she turned 16, Elias asked her daddy for her hand in marriage.  They wed on August 13, 1874, in Milam county, Texas.  Children did not come easily to the young couple.  Elias and Euna moved to Lee County, Texas where their first surviving child, Tempie D. Barker, entered the world in February 1880. More children quickly followed:  Arthur in March 1882; Isaac in August 1884; James Milton in September 1886; Cora in January 1889; and Katie L. in February 1892.  Six children in twelve years, a typical pattern for many couples of that era.  They led a simple life as farmers in east central Texas. Life as usual as it could be in eastern Texas after the Civil War.

Tragedy struck, almost without warning. After Katie’s birth, Euna died, probably from complications of childbirth. At age 39, Elias found himself a widower with six children under the age of 12, including an infant. Elias’ usual life again turned upside down. Thirty-two year old Catherine Powell, widowed two years earlier, was raising three children of her own. A marriage of convenience to meet mutual needs? Perhaps. Whatever the reason, Elias and Catherine married on 1 September 1892 at Cherokee county, Texas. Catherine again became a tie joining two families.

Children of Elias Barker and Euna Barber:

  1. Tempie D. Barker (28 February 1880 – 13 April 1966). Married Albert Barthlomew Stokes (1873-1927). Tempie and Albert had 5 children:  Carrie E (1896-1979), married 1st to E.M. Moore; 2nd to  Joseph Lenoah Stinson; Ima Stokes (1899 -1917); Ethel Stokes (1902-1991), married to George Barham Spencer (1899-1980); Malcolm Stokes (1905-1979), married to Viola Julia Artlip (1908-2002); Myrtle Stokes (1909-1999), married to _____ Leach.
  2. Arthur Barker (22 March 1882 – 8 August 1956). Married Lou Etta Hill (1873-1930). Arthur and Lou Etta had 4 children: Una Mae Barker (1903-1990), married to Nolan V. Lawhorn (1885-1963; Vada Irene Barker (1905-1992), married to Curtis Baldwin (1891-1972); Elias Morris Barker (1916-1997), married to Emma Lou Rhodes (1920-1987); Esther Barker (1919-1998), married to Jessie H. Dunn (1918-1996).
  3. Isaac Barker (1884 – ? ). No records found beyond 1900 census.
  4. James Milton Barker (6 September 1886 – 13 July 1920).
  5. Cora Barker (January 1889 – 1906).
  6. Katie L. Barker (28 February 1892 – 8 September 1943). Married to John Bunion Stinson. Katie and John had 4 children:  Coy Stinson (15 April 1913- 10 July 1986); Muriel Stinson (1918 –  ?); Hazel Stinson (1922 –  ?); Milton Stinson (29 April 1929 – 20 November 1999).

Next post:  The rest of the story- Catherine Brown Powell and Elias Barker.

reflection-swirl-green-color-hi

Reflection:

Records for Elias and Euna/ Launa before their marriage elude me.  Typing in names and dates did not produce immediate results.  Family Search website identified Isaac Barber and Tabitha Gardner as her parents. 1870 census for Isaac and Tabitha showed an 11-year-old daughter named Rohda [Rhoda?].  No other hints or shaky leaves have presented themselves.  I manually searched the 1870 census for Milam county, Texas- all 230 pages of it- and ate only 2 cookies during that process. Neither Barker or Barber found on 1850 or 1860 slave schedules for Milam county, Texas.    Next step:  consult print copy of alphabetized census records at Oklahoma Historical Society Library in Oklahoma City.

What I learned:  Tracking children who aren’t on any census record is a challenge. I found Arthur only because he is buried in the same cemetery as his parents and stepmother, Knowing the names of Elias and Euna’s parents doesn’t really affect their story as a married couple but is a ‘nice to know’ item for me.

What helped: Searches done in 2016. Multiple online resources. I am using online newspaper sources for obituaries more.

What didn’t help: Frustration at not being able to find or confirm the parents of either Elias or Euna. Finally recognized that this is a BSO for another day.

To-Do:  Add ‘find parents of Elias Barker’ and ‘find parents of Euna Barber’ to BSO list.  Add information about Elias’ children with his first wife to Ancestry tree.

SOURCES:

“Texas, County Marriage Records, 1817-1965,” database, Ancestry (http://www.ancestry.com  : accessed 10 October 2019), entry for Elias Barker and Launa Barker; citing “Marriage Records, Texas Marriages,” Texas State Library and Archives Commission, Austin, Texas.

“Widow’s Application for Confederate Pension”, 8 February, 1932, Catherine Barker, widow’s pension application no. 50567,service of James Thomas Lafayette Powell (lieutenant, Co. C, 25th Regiment Georgia Infantry, Civil War); “U.S. Confederate Pensions, 1884-1958,”   Ancestry (http://www.ancestry.com  : accessed,downloaded, printed 29 Nov 2012)  citing Texas, Confederate Pension Applications,1899-1975, Vol. 1-646 & 1-283, Texas State Library and Archives Commission, Austin, Texas.

1880 U.S. Census, Lee county, Texas, population schedule, , enumeration district (ED) 094, p. 79A (stamp); p. 49 (ink pen), dwelling 316, family 319, Elias Barker age 26; digital images, Ancestry (http://www.ancestry.com  : accessed, printed, downloaded 10 October 2019); citing National Archives & Records Administration, Washington, D.C. microfilm publication T9, roll 1316.

1900 U.S. Census, Cherokee county, Texas, population schedule, Justice Precinct 8, enumeration district (ED) 0030, p. 1B (ink pen) & p. 2A, dwelling 16, family 16, Catherine Booker [Barker]; digital images, Ancestry (http://www.ancestry.com  : accessed, downloaded 9 October 2019); citing National Archives & Records Administration, Washington, D.C. , microfilm publication T 623, Roll 1619.

Find A Grave, database and images (http://www.findagrave.com  : viewed & printed 10 January 2020), memorial page for Elias Isaiah Barker, Find A Grave Memorial # 79869838, citing Mount Hope Cemetery (Wells, Cherokee, Texas), memorial created by seemore, photograph by Deb.

Find A Grave (http://www.findagrave.com) entries for Elias Isaiah Barker, Euna Barker, Arthur Barker, James Milton Barker, Cora Barker (buried in Mount Hope Cemetery, Wells, Cherokee county, Texas);  Tempie D. [Barker] Stokes and Katie L. [Barker] Stinson (buried in Eden Cemetery, Douglass, Nacogdoches, Texas).

© Susan Posten Ellerbee and Posting Family Roots blog

 

 

Catherine D. Brown Ellerbee Barker: The tie that binds

/ Susan M. Posten Ellerbee / 1 Comment

Ellerbee-Powell-Barker Blended families: Part 3

Blended families are not new or unique to the 20th century.  Genealogists regularly encounter men with sequential, multiple wives and women with sequential, multiple husbands.  Widows and widowers often married men and women with children from a previous marriage.  This series began with a  summary of one blended family in the Ellerbee family tree. Next, I told about James T.L. Powell and his 1st wife, Deborah A.C. Daniel. Now comes Catherine Brown, 2nd wife of James T.L. Powell and the tie that binds the Ellerbee and Barker families together.

red scarf bow

Tied Red Scarf.  Original photo by Susan Posten Ellerbee

PROFILE: Catherine Deborah Brown

Born:     19 November 1860, Mississippi (possibly Simpson county)[1]

Married:  22 March 1877 to James T.L. Powell at Cherokee county, Texas[2]

Died:     10 March 1944, Port Arthur, Jefferson county, Texas[3]

Buried: Mount Hope Cemetery, Wells, Cherokee county, Texas

Parents:  R.L. Brown & Marguerite Puckett (as named on her death certificate)

Children:

  1. Katherine Deborah Powell (18 August 1879, Cherokee county, Texas – 9 July 1959, Wells, Cherokee county, Texas)[4]. Married 27 January 1895[5] at Cherokee county, Texas to James Walter Ellerbee (7 December 1872 – 9 September 1942)[6], son of James John Ellerbee and his 2nd wife, Elizabeth Hays. Katie and Walter are my husband’s paternal great-grandparents. 6 children: Odie Lesley (1896-1958), Ernest Aver (1897-1951), Evie (1901-1994), Aver I (1906-1928), Ordra (1907-1987), and James Dreebon (1915-1973).  James Dreebon Ellerbee is my husband’s grandfather.  Their stories are for a later post.
  2. William Ball Powell. (19 February 1882, Cherokee county, Texas – 25 January 1960, Cherokee county, Texas).[7] Married about 1905 in Cherokee county, Texas to Maude F. Chumley (18 October 1888 – 22 March 1958), daughter of Tom Chumley and Frances Hagood. [8] William and Maude apparently divorced and Maude remarried to _____________ Conway.   William and Maude had 4 children: Thomas Otis (1906-      ); Madaline (28 March 1908 at Nacogdoches, Texas -27 May 1909)[9]; Muriel (1912 –      ) and Margaret Nancy (7 October 1915 – 25 October 1977), married  to Tommy Ford.[10]
  3. Jessie Powell (27 January 1889 -26 November 1959), [11]. Married 1st on 24 December 1905 at Cherokee county, Texas[12] to John Thomas Beasley (20 October 1873 – 29 March 1918)[13] . Married 2nd on 29 September 1918 to Robert C. Thames. [14] * ( 1873 – before 1930). Married 3rd between 1930 & 1940 to Gust Karl Beyers (25 November 1880, Germany – 25 October 1967,  Lufkin, Texas)[15].  Children: Mattie Beasley (1907 –      ); Alma Beasley (1909 –    ); Thomas Layfeet Beasley (1910 –     ); Homer Beasley (1912 –    ); Nettie Beasley (1914    –     ); Buford Beasley ( 1919 –     ); Harold Thames (1920 –     ).

PLACE IN HISTORY:

Catherine’s life spans two centuries and eight decades. Modes of transportation changed from horse-drawn buggies  and wagons to motor cars. Wide availability of electricity markedly changed lives from candles to electric lights and wood stoves to ones powered by gas or electricity.  In-door plumbing generally made life easier.

June, 1870: 10-year-old Catherine Brown in Simpson county, Mississippi with presumed parents, W.P. and Mary J.  Brown.[16]  Her father probably fought for the Confederacy in the Civil War.

Between June 1870 & December 1872: Brown family relocated to Cherokee county, Texas.

March 1877:  17-year-old Catherine D. Brown married James T.L. Powell at Cherokee county, Texas. Her parents apparently moved to Texas.

August 1879: Birth of daughter, Katherine Deborah, in Cherokee county, Texas.

June 1880: James & 20-year-old Catherine in Cherokee county, Texas, with her stepsons, Alvey, 14;  J.M, age 12, and Peter, age 9 plus 9 month old daughter, D.C.

February 1882: Birth of son, William B. Powell in Cherokee county, Texas.

January 1889: Birth of daughter, Jessie Powell in Cherokee county, Texas

September 1890: James T.L. Powell dies at DeSoto Parish, Louisiana. He was probably visiting his son, Peter.  Catherine was now a widow with 3 young children.

September, 1892: Angelina county, Texas. Catherine Brown Powell married Elias Barker, a widower with six children.

CATHERINE’S STORY:

Catherine Brown was a Southern girl through and through. Moving to Texas when she was 12 years old, she barely remembered Mississippi before the Civil War. Her daddy followed an oft traveled route from the devastated South to the promise of a better life in Texas.  They possibly lived close to James T.L. Powell, Deborah and their 3 children. In rural Texas, ‘close’ could mean within a mile or two. When she was 16 years old, Catherine married 41-year-old James, now a widower, and assumed care of his sons, now  6, 9 and 11 years old. James had given up teaching school to become a farmer.  The older boys married, began their own families and eventually moved to Louisiana. Three children of her own (Katherine, born 1879; William, born 1882; Jessie, born 1889) enriched Catherine’s life.  An event in Louisiana in 1890 had unforeseen consequences. Alvey Monroe Powell, James’ 1st grandchild, was born to Peter and his wife, Evelyn Spinks. A visit was certainly in order. Whether Catherine and their young children accompanied James is unknown. In September 1890, 65 year old James died in DeSoto Parish, Louisiana, where he is buried.  Catherine, now 30 years old, became a widow with three young children. She endured for two years before marrying Elias Barker, a widower with 6 children.

Next in the series:   Elias Barker &  Catherine Brown Powell or Elias Barker & his first wife. To be published in January, 2020.

reflection-swirl-green-color-hi

Reflection

This is the 3rd  installment of my series about one set of blended families. I followed the outline started with the 2nd  installment – person profile, place in history, narrative story. I found this format on a webpage with scrapbooking ideas. The format helps me to be more concise and to write a more interesting story.

Earlier this year, a Brown family descendant contacted me. The person is a DNA match with my father—in-law. We traded ideas and information about the names of Catherine’s parents.

What I learned:  Writing a narrative that isn’t just reciting facts is challenging. I like the finished result.

What helped:  Previous completed research on the family.

What didn’t help:  Waiting until the last minute to begin the post.  Incomplete research logs and copying of information to RootsMagic tree on my computer.

To-do:  Update information about William Ball Powell and Jessie Powell on home computer.  Create research logs.  BSO for later—follow descendants of William Ball Powell and Jessie Powell.

SOURCES: 

[1] Jefferson county, Texas, death certificates, death certificate #14269 (1944), Mrs. Catherine Barker, 8 March 1944; digital images, Ancestry (http://www.ancestry.com  : accessed & downloaded 9 November 2017); citing Texas Department of State Health Services, “Texas Death Certificates, 1903-1982”, Austin, Texas.

[2] “Texas Marriage Index, 1824-2014,” database, Ancestry (http://www.ancestry.com  : accessed 9 December 2019); entry for J.T.L. Powell and Catherine Brown, 19 April 1877, Cherokee county, Texas; citing Texas Department of State Health Services, Austin, Texas.

[3] Jefferson county, Texas, death certificates, death certificate #14269 (1944), Mrs. Catherine Barker, 8 March 1944.

[4] Cherokee county, Texas, certificate no. 36955, Katherine Deborah Ellerbee, 9 July 1959; digital images, Fold 3 (http://www.fold3.com  : viewed, printed, downloaded 4 October 2019); citing Texas Department of Health, Austin, Texas.

[5]. Texas Marriage Index, 1824-2014,” database, Ancestry (http://www.ancestry.com  : accessed 9 December 2019); entry for Katie Powell  and Walter Ellerbee, 27 Jan 1895,  Cherokee county, Texas; citing Texas Department of State Health Services, Austin, Texas.

[6]. Cherokee county, Texas, Texas, Death certificates,1903-1982, certificate no. 39161, J.W. Ellerbee, 9 September 1942; digital images, Ancestry (http://www.ancestry.com  : viewed & downloaded 26 September 2019); citing Texas Department of Health, Bureau of Vital Statistics, Austin, Texas.

[7] Find A Grave, database and images (http://www.findagrave.com  : viewed 12 November 2019), memorial page for William B. Powell, Find A Grave Memorial # 91355097, citing Mount Hope Cemetery (Wells, Cherokee, Texas), memorial created by Wanda Karr Ellerbee, photograph by Wanda Karr Ellerbee.

[8] Bexar county, Texas, Texas, Death Certificates, 1903-1982, certificate no. 13386, Maude Chumley Conway, 22 March 1958; digital images, Ancestry (http://www.ancestry.com  : viewed & printed 12 November 2019); Texas Department of State Health Services, Austin, Texas.

[9] Find A Grave, database and images (http://www.findagrave.com  : accessed & printed 11 October 2019), memorial page for Madaline Powell, Find A Grave Memorial # 103081400, citing Mount Hope Cemetery (Wells, Cherokee, Texas).

[10] “U.S. Social Security Applications and Claims Index, 1936-2007,” database, Ancestry (http://www.ancestry.com  : accessed & printed 12 November 2019), entry for Margaret Nancy Powell Ford; citing Social Security Applications and Claims, 1936-2007.

[11]  “Texas Deaths, 1890-1976,” digital images, Family Search (http://www.familysearch.org     : accessed, printed, downloaded 11 October 2019), entry for Jessie Byers, daughter of Tom Powell and Kathryn Brown; citing State Registrar Office, Austin, Texas; Vol. 132, certificates 065501-066000,Nov-Dec, Wheeler_-Bexar counties.

[12]  “Texas, Select County Marriage Index, 1837-1965,”  database, Ancestry (http://www.ancestry.com  : accessed 12 November 2019; entry for J.T. Beasley and Jessie Powell, Cherokee county, Texas.

[13]  “Texas, Death Certificates, 1903-1982,” database with images, Ancestry (http://www.ancestry.com  : accessed 12 November 2019); entry for John Thomas Beasley, died 29 March 1918, Wells, Cherokee, Texas; citing Texas Department of State Health Services, Austin, Texas.

[14]  “Texas, Select County Marriage Index, 1837-1965,”  database, Ancestry (http://www.ancestry.com  : accessed 12 November 2019; entry for Jessie Beasley and R.C. Thomes,  Cherokee county, Texas.

[15]  Find A Grave, database and images (http://www.findagrave.com  : accessed and printed 11 October  2019), memorial page for Gust Karl Beyers, Find A Grave memorial no.69403504, citing IOOF Lufkin Cemetery, Lufkin, Angelina, Texas.

[16] 1870 census Catherine. 1870 U.S. Census, Simpson county, Mississippi, population schedule, Beat 1, p. 266A, family 486, Catherine Brown age 10; digital images, Ancestry (http://www.ancestry.com  : accessed & printed 23 January 2016); citing National Archives & Records Administration, Washington, D.C. microfilm publication M593_748.

© Susan Posten Ellerbee and Posting Family Roots blog, 2019

A tangled web of 4 blended families

/ Susan M. Posten Ellerbee / 4 Comments

Blended families are like a tangled spider’s web. The web consists of marriages, children, spousal deaths or divorce, remarriages, more children, another spousal death (or divorce) and marriage to a spouse with children from a former marriage. Suddenly, you are tracking four or more families.  Names and dates blur. My web includes two families that eventually became two (2) blended families (total of four families) and 17 children. This post outlines the families and their relationships.

Accessed 21 October 2019 from
http://clipart-library.com/clipart/6Tr6KGaac.htm

As every genealogist knows, you do not always find records in chronological order. Bits and pieces emerge at various times during your search. You put these bits and pieces together into a timeline of events. The families in this web are:

  • Family #1:  James Thomas Lafayette Powell and his 1st wife, Deborah A. C. Daniel.  3 children.
  • Family #2/ Blended family #1:  James Thomas Lafayette Powell and his 2nd wife, Katherine Deborah Brown. My husband’s paternal great-great grandparents.  5 children.
  • Family #3:  Elias Barker and his 1st wife, Launa Barber.  6 children.
  • Family #4 / Blended family #2:  Elias Barker, 2nd husband of Katherine Deborah Brown Powell. 3 children.

I found documents at various times. Retrieval dates indicate the sporadic nature of my research on these families. I offer this chronology to show the back and forth nature of genealogical research.   

2011. Document #1:  Death certificate for Katherine Deborah Ellerbee [1](wife of James Walter Ellerbee), my husband’s paternal great-grandmother. Parents listed as James Thomas Lafayette Powell and Katherine Deborah Barker.   

2012. Document #2: (I didn’t realize its significance until later). Widow’s Application for Confederate Pension, filed in 1932.[2]  “Mrs. Catherine Barker. . . widow of J. T. L. Powell. . . . James Thomas Lafayette Powell. . . . remarried to E. Barker, Sept. 1st, 1892, who died Aug. 20th, 1900.”  Conclusion:  Barker was surname of Catherine’s 2nd husband.  What was her maiden name?

Dec 2015. Document #3:  1880 census for J.T. L. Powel, age 45, and wife, Catherine, age 20.[3] Children:  Alvey Powel, son, age 14;  J.M. Powel, son, age 12; Peter Powel, son, age 9; D.C. Powel, daughter, age 9 months.  Analysis:  Alvey, J.M. and Peter could not be Catherine’s children.  D.C. Powel Is probably Katherine Deborah Powell Ellerbee, born 1879 per her death certificate.

2016. Document #4:   Death certificate for “Mrs. Catherine Barker”.[4] Parents listed as “R.L. Brown” and “Marguerite Puckett”.   Conclusion:  Catherine’s maiden name was Brown, not Barker.

2016. Back to Document #2:  “I was married to him [J.T.L. Powell] on the 22nd day of April, A.D. 1877, in the county of Cherokee, in the state of Texas.” Confirms marriage date for Catherine and JTL Powell.

2016. Document #5:  (recorded as “tentative”): 1900 U.S. Census for Elide Booker, age 46, and wife, Catherine Booker, age 41, with 8 children [5]—Isaac, age 15;  Milton, age 13; Cora, age 11, Katie L, age 8; Bertie R., age 6; Ernest E., age 4; Alpha M. age 1; and stepdaughter, Jessie, age 11.  Analysis: Catherine & Elide married September 1892. Isaac, Milton, Cora are certainly not hers; Katie could be hers but could also be daughter of Elias and his 1st wife.  Bertie R., Ernest and Alpha are certainly children of ‘Elide’ and Catherine. Catherine listed as mother of 8 children, 7 living.  Who are Jessie’s parents? 2019:  Elide Booker identified as Elias Barker.

March 2017. Document #6: [6] 1870 census for J.T. L. Powell, age 35, and Dan A.C. Powell, female, age 32.  Presumed children:  Alonzo Powell, age 4; Jas M, age 2.  Analysis:  “Dan A.C. Powell, age 32” is probably James Powell’s 1st wife.  What is her first name and maiden name?

March 2017. Document #7.   Marriage certificate for James T.L. Powell and Deborah A.C. Daniel, married 1857. [7] Analysis: Name of James T.L. Powell’s 1st wife was Deborah A.C. Daniel.  Consistent with 1870 census. Confirms Deborah as James’ 1st wife.

October 2019.  Documents # 8 and 9.  Marriage record for Elias Barker and Launa Barber, 1874. [8] Find A Grave memorial number 79870105 for Euna Barker, “mother”, death date 1892. [9] Analysis: Confirms Elias’ first marriage and his first wife’s death in 1892.

October 2019.  Document #9.  1880 census for Elias & Launa Barker with one child, Tempe, age 3 months. [10] Analysis: Elias and Launa were married with one child in June 1880.

FAMILY SYNOPSIS:

Family #1:  James T.L. Powell married Deborah A.C. Daniel in 1857 at Sumter county, Georgia. James and Deborah had 3 children- Alonzo, James M. and Peter (born 1872).  Deborah presumably died in Texas between 1872 and 1877.

Family #2/ Blended family #1:  James T. L. Powell married Catherine Deborah Brown in April, 1877 at Cherokee county, Texas. They had at least 5 children – Katherine, William, Jessie and two undiscovered.  James T. L. Powell died in 1890 leaving his wife, Catherine, a widow with 4 or 5 children.  The older children from James’ 1st marriage apparently married before their father’s death.  

Family #3:  Elias Barker married Launa Barber in 1874 at Milam county, Texas. Records show 6 children.  Launa died in 1892, possibly after birth of youngest child, Katie, in February 1892. 

Family #4/ Blended family #2:  Elias Barker remarried in September 1892 at Cherokee county, Texas, to Mrs. Catherine Powell, widow of James T.L. Powell.  Elias died in August 1900, leaving Catherine again a widow. Elias and Catherine had three children – Reba ‘Bertie’, Ernest and Alpha.  Four of Elias’ children from his first marriage – Isaac, Milton, Cora and Katie- were still at home.

SUMMARY:

I found these records over an 8-year period.  Some records were duplicated in my files.  Current analysis of the combined documents revealed previously overlooked information. I didn’t fully identify gaps until this review.

Next steps for me:   Review all documents again. Search for additional documents and information about each family. Report findings as blog posts focusing on one family per post.

REFLECTION:

Another task for Genealogy Do-Over.  Filling out the research logs for James Thomas Lafayette Powell and his 2nd wife, Catherine Brown (my husband’s great-great grandparents) showed me that more than one family was involved.  I completed research logs for James and both of his wives.  I started Research logs for Elias Barker and his 1st wife.  Research logs for the 17 children?  One done for my husband’s great-grandmother, Katherine Deborah Powell Ellerbee.  Others are on my to-do list with priorities to be assigned.  I am on a different path than when I started.

What I learned/ recalled:   Blended families are not a unique phenomenon to the late 20th century.  1900 and 1910 censuses list number of children born and number living for women.

What helped: Access to online databases. Created ‘Blended family pedigree chart’.  Printed records in files.

What didn’t help: Incomplete paper files and research logs.

To-Do: Search census records for Catherine Brown Powell Barker- 1910 through 1940; add to her research log — DONE. Create & complete research logs for Deborah A.C. Daniel, Elias Barker.  Defer research on other children of these families. Confirm birth, marriage, death dates for Catherine’s known 6 children.  Search for information about her other children (2 or 3 as indicated by 1900 & 1910 census).  

© Susan Posten Ellerbee and Posting Family Roots blog, 2019

SOURCES:

[1] Cherokee county, Texas, , certificate no. 36955, Katherine Deborah Ellerbee, 9 July 1959; digital images, Fold 3 (http://www.fold3.com    : viewed, printed, downloaded 4 October 2019); citing Texas Department of Health, Austin, Texas.

[2] “Widow’s Application for Confederate Pension”, 8 February, 1932, Catherine Barker, widow’s pension application no. 50567,service of James Thomas Lafayette Powell (lieutenant, Co. C, 25th Regiment Georgia Infantry, Civil War); “U.S. Confederate Pensions, 1884-1958,”   Ancestry (http://www.ancestry.com  : accessed,downloaded, printed 29 Nov 2012)  citing Texas, Confederate Pension Applications,1899-1975, Vol. 1-646 & 1-283, Texas State Library and Archives Commission, Austin, Texas.

[3] 1880 U.S. Census, Cherokee county, Texas, population schedule, Precinct no. 8, enumeration district (ED) 19, p. 1 (ink pen); p. 447A (stamp), dwelling 6, family 6, D.C. Powel age 9/12; digital images, Ancestry (http://www.ancestry.com    : viewed, downloaded, printed 26 December 2015); citing National Archives & Records Administration, Washington, D.C., microfilm publication T9, roll 1295..

[4] Jefferson county, Texas, death certificates, death certificate #14269 (1944), Mrs. Catherine Barker, 8 March 1944; digital images, Ancestry (http://www.ancestry.com      : accessed & downloaded 9 November 2017); citing Texas Department of State Health Services, “Texas Death Certificates, 1903-1982”, Austin, Texas.

[5] 1900 U.S. Census, Cherokee county, Texas, population schedule, Justice Precinct 8, enumeration district (ED) 0030, p. 1B (ink pen) & p. 2A, dwelling 16, family 16, Catherine Booker [Barker]; digital images, Ancestry (http://www.ancestry.com  : accessed, downloaded 9 October 2019); citing National Archives & Records Administration, Washington, D.C. , microfilm publication T 623, Roll 1619.

[6] 1870 U.S. Census, Calhoun County, Georgia, population schedule, Militia District 626, p. 55 (ink pen, p. 585 (stamp), dwelling 510, family 486, Jas T L Powell; digital images, Ancestry (http://www.ancestry.com  : accessed, downloaded. printed 9 November 2017); citing National Archives & Records Administration, Washington, D.C. microfilm publication M593_138.

[7] “Sumter County, Georgia, Marriage Books, Sumter County Ordinary Court, 1850-1857,”p.218, no. 24, James T.L. Powell, Deborah A.C. Daniel, 28 June 1857; digital images, University System of Georgia, Georgia Archives (http://vault.georgiaarchives.org/cdm/compoundobject/collection/countyfilm/id/289112/rec/3   : accessed,downloaded, printed 24 March 2017); Georgia Archives, Morrow, Georgia.

[8] “Texas, County Marriage Records, 1817-1965,” database, Ancestry (http://www.ancestry.com   : accessed 10 October 2019), entry for Elias Barker and Launa Barker; citing “Marriage Records, Texas Marriages,” Texas State Library and Archives Commission, Austin, Texas.

[9] Find A Grave, database and images (http://www.findagrave.com   : viewed & printed 10 October 2019), memorial page for Euna Barker, Find A Grave Memorial # 79870105, citing Mount Hope Cemetery (Wells, Cherokee, Texas), memorial created by seemore, photograph by Deb.

[10] 1880 U.S. Census, Lee county, Texas, population schedule, , enumeration district (ED) 094, p. 79A (stamp); p. 49 (ink pen), dwelling 316, family 319, Elias Barker age 26; digital images, Ancestry (http://www.ancestry.com   : accessed, printed, downloaded 10 October 2019); citing National Archives & Records Administration, Washington, D.C. microfilm publication T9, roll 1316.