Jacob WILLIAMS ~ Census Sunday

My third great-grandfather on my mom’s father’s side, Jacob WILLIAMS, was born in about 1830 in Kentucky. He died sometime between 1895 and 1910. I have found census records for him and his family from the 1850 Federal Census through the 1895 Kansas State Census.

Jacob had a total of at least fifteen children. He had at least five children with his first wife and at least ten children with his second wife, including my second great-grandfather, Nathaniel WILLIAMS.

1850 United States Federal Census for Jacob and Elizabeth WILLIAMS:

Name: Jacob Williams
Age: 24
Birth Year: abt 1826
Birthplace: Kentucky
Home in 1850: Johnson, Kentucky
Gender: Male
Value of Real Estate: $200

Household Members:
Jacob Williams ~ 24 ~ Farmer ~ born in Kentucky
Elizabeth Williams ~ 20 ~ born in Kentucky
Samuel G Williams ~ 1 ~ born in Kentucky
John J Williams ~ 3 months ~ born in Kentucky

1850 Census for Jacob and Elizabeth WILLIAMS

1860 United States Federal Census for Jacob and Elizabeth WILLIAMS:

Name: Jacob Williams
Age in 1860: 32
Birth Year: abt 1828
Birthplace: Kentucky
Home in 1860: Jackson, Jasper, Missouri
Gender: Male
Post Office: Fidelity
Value of Real Estate: $300

Household Members:
Jacob Williams ~ 32 ~ Farmer ~ born in Kentucky
Elizabeth ~ 31 ~ born in Kentucky
Samuel G Williams ~ 11 ~ born in Kentucky
Malinda E Williams ~ 8 ~ born in Missouri
Sarah A Williams ~ 4 ~ born in Missouri
Isaac H Williams ~ 6 months ~ born in Missouri

1860 Census for Jacob and Elizabeth WILLIAMS

1870 United States Federal Census for Jacob and Sarah E WILLIAMS:

Name: Jacob Williams
Age in 1870: 45
Birth Year: abt 1825
Birthplace: Kentucky
Home in 1870: Scott, Bourbon, Kansas
Race: White
Gender: Male
Post Office: Fort Scott
Value of Real Estate: $17,000

Household Members:
Jacob Williams ~ 45 ~ Farmer ~ born in Kentucky
Sarah E Williams ~ 25 ~ Keeping House ~ born in Missouri
Samuel G Williams ~ 21 ~ Farmer ~ born in Kentucky
Malinda Williams ~ 18 ~ At Home ~ born in Missouri
Sarah A Williams ~ 14 ~ At School ~ born in Missouri
Nathaniel Williams ~ 7 ~ born in Kansas
Mary J Williams ~ 5 ~ born in Kansas
Abraham Williams ~ 3 ~ born in Kansas
Amanda Williams ~ 1 ~ born in Kansas

On the original 1870 census it appears that the census taker originally wrote Sarah E. WILLIAMS’ age as 25. Then someone wrote over it and made it say 35 years old. She really was 25 at the time, but was the step-mother to some children almost as old as she was. I have confirmed Sarah E.’s age throughout several later censuses and other records. Nathaniel was the first child of Jacob and Sarah E. WILLIAMS.

1870 Census for Jacob and Sarah E. WILLIAMS

1880 United States Federal Census for Jacob and Sarah E. WILLIAMS:

Name: Jacob Williams
Age: 50 * See note below.
Birth Year: abt 1830
Birthplace: Kentucky
Home in 1880: Scott, Bourbon, Kansas
Race: White
Gender: Male
Relation to Head of House: Self (Head)
Occupation: Farmer
Jacob’s Father’s Birthplace: Kentucky
Jacob’s Mother’s Birthplace: Kentucky
Marital Status: Married

Spouse’s Name: Sarah E Williams
Sarah’s Birthplace: Missouri
Sarah’s Father’s Birthplace: Missouri
Sarah’s Mother’s Birthplace: Missouri

Household Members:
Jacob Williams ~ 50 ~ Self (Head) ~ Farmer ~ born in Kentucky
Sarah E Williams ~ 35 ~ Wife ~ Keeping House ~ born in Missouri
Sarah Williams ~ 24 ~ Daughter ~ Without Occupation ~ Born in Missouri
Nathaniel Williams ~ 17 ~ Son ~ Farm Laborer ~ born in Kansas
Mary J Williams ~ 15 ~ Daughter ~ Without Occupation ~ born in Kansas
Abram Williams ~ 13 ~ Son ~ Farm Laborer ~ born in Kansas
Emma Williams ~ 8 ~ Daughter ~ Attending School ~ born in Kansas
Eddy Williams ~ 7 ~ Son ~ Attending School ~ born in Kansas
Walter W Williams ~ 1 ~ Son ~ born in Kansas

This census shows Jacob as being about five years younger than he was said to be on just about every other record up until this time. I honestly wonder if Jacob and/or Sarah started shaving off a few years of Jacob’s age, since he was evidently about 20 years older than his wife Sarah. My mom and adoptive father always said that he was ten years younger than he was, because he was 20 years older than my mom. It was a HUGE secret until my mom told me when I was 18, but I still was supposed to keep the secret from everyone else. My mom has been gone for over 26 years and my father has been gone almost 10 years, so the secret is out… actually it has been for at least 20 years.

The picture of this census is not very readable. The writing is too light to show up well enough to include here, but you can find a copy several places online including on Ancestry.com.

1895 Kansas State Census for Jacob and Sarah E. WILLIAMS:

Name: Jacob Williams
Census Date: 1 Mar 1895
Residence County: Bourbon
Residence State: Kansas
Locality: Scott
Birth Location: Kentucky
Gender: Male
Estimated Birth Year: 1822
Race: White

Household Members:
Jacob Williams ~ 73 * See note below.
Sarah Williams ~ 46
Albert Williams ~ 15
Gracie Williams ~ 12
Bertha Williams ~ 10
Ed Williams ~ 21
Delia Williams ~ 23

This census actually puts Jacob at about five years older than he most likely was. This census is really a mess, so I am not extremely confident in it anyway. I truly believe that he was 20 years older than his second wife, Sarah, and three to four years older than his first wife, Elizabeth.

Delia (Dehlia) was actually married to Ed WILLIAMS. Although I could not tell this by reading the 1895 Kansas Census, I confirmed my hunch on later Federal Censuses for Ed and Dehlia WILLIAMS.

So…

Jacob and his first wife, Elizabeth, had: Samuel G, John J, Malinda E, Sarah A, and Isaac H. John and Isaac both died sometime after becoming a few months old and before turning 11 years old.

Jacob and his second wife, Sarah, had: Nathaniel, Mary J, Abraham/Abram, Amanda, Emma, Eddy/Ed, Walter W, Albert, Gracie, and Bertha. Amanda died between the age of one and eleven. Walter may have left the house in early teens or maybe passed away by the age of 16.

It is also possible that they had more children who were not alive during the dates the censuses were taken.

Jacob seemed to have lived a long life full of love, but also full of too much loss. I will continue to dig further back on his side, because I still do not know enough about him. I am sure that part of the problem is probably because of the fact that his age seemed to change often on records and I have not connected him to his parents and/or siblings. If you happen to be related and know more about this line, please let me know. Thanks!

Where Have I Been…?

You may be wondering where I have been recently. Well, you can read all about it on my other blog at The Journey.

We went on another RV Boondocking Vacation which I blogged about at Ruins at Fort Churchill ~ Nevada.  It was unfortunately cut short before we could visit anywhere else we had planned, because I hit my head.  I now have Post-Concussive Syndrome and Benign Paroxysmal Positional Vertigo (BPPV).  You can check these posts out by clicking on the links. I am SLOWLY getting better and am trying to start living life again.

Thanks for reading Digging For Ancestors!

Otis Fielding JOHNSON

Today’s post is in response to a reader’s questions related to my post Fielding and Sarah JOHNSON ~ Tombstone Tuesday.  John wrote: “… I was wondering where you found information on Fielding JOHNSON-Sarah BARR, but mainly on Otis JOHNSON” (one of their sons) “… I want to find out who he was and about his ancestors. Thank you.” You can read the entire comment at the bottom of the link above.

When I started to respond, I decided to dig a little more into Otis JOHNSON (1886-1968), who happens to be a brother of my hubby’s grandfather, Jerry Taylor JOHNSON (1881-1943). I found out several interesting things, so I just decided to make a post out of it.

Unfortunately, as I dug deeper and deeper… it appears that my hubby’s Otis Fielding JOHNSON most likely is not the same Otis JOHNSON in my reader John’s ancestry. I could be wrong, but I do not think so.  With what I could rather quickly find… our Otis was married to Grace at least by September of 1918. They were still married at least until Otis filled out his World War II Draft Registration Card in 1942 and probably until Grace’s death in 1958.

It does not appear that Otis and Grace had any children or at least none during any of the times when a census was taken. They often had someone else’s child or an older family member living with them at those times, though.

Otis Fielding JOHNSON was born March 25, 1886 in Marion County, Missouri to Fielding Monroe JOHNSON (1844-1920) and Sarah Elizabeth BARR (1846-1932).

Otis Fielding JOHNSON appears in the 1900 Census in Fabius, Marion, Missouri at the age of 14 and living with his parents, a few siblings, a white “servant” girl, and an older black “laborer” man.

In the 1910 Census, he is listed as a boarder in the Oakland Ward 5, Alameda, California. The head of the “housing” was Lousa C Barrows and her daughter, Ella K Barrows, evidently lived/worked there, too. It doesn’t say what it was, but by the different occupations of the MANY “boarders” and the fact that there were males and females in a huge range of ages… my guess at this time is that maybe it was like a hotel or really big boarding house. Not sure. Here is a copy of the census mentioned above. There are at least six more boarders on the next page (for a total of around twenty boarders) along with four servants listed as Chinese and one servant listed as black. It lists Otis’ occupation as a bookkeeper in an office. Otis’ information is underlined in red.

In September of 1918, Otis’ World War I Draft Registration Card shows him as being a Credit Man for Walton N. Moore, D.G.Co. (Dry Goods Company) on Front (Street?) in San Francisco, California. Otis and his wife, Grace, lived at 396 62nd, Oakland, California.

Otis Fielding JOHNSON’s WWI Draft Registration Card

In the 1920 Federal Census, Otis was 33 years old, married to Grace G. JOHNSON, listed as a credit manager for dry goods, and living in Oakland, Alameda, California with Grace and his widowed Mother-in-law, Julia C. MURPHY.

In the 1930 Federal Census, Otis and Grace lived in Berkeley, Alameda, California with Grace and a nephew-in-law named Robert Lewis SPENCER. Robert was 17 years old at the time and was born in California. His father was born in England and his mother was born in California. Otis was listed as a credit manager for whole-sale dry goods. His home value was listed as $6,000 at the time. A few neighbors also had values of about $7,000-$15,000, but many others had about $25-$40 values on the same page.  Regardless, it appears that Otis and Grace were successful.

In 1940, it shows Otis and Grace as being 54 years old and living at 2627 College in Berkeley, Alameda, California.  They had lived at this same address since at least 1935. According to Ancestry.com’s deciphering of this census, it says that they suddenly had two teenagers (Elizabeth J Freenglee and Robert H Freenglee) whose parents were born in Switzerland.  As you read through the original record, it becomes clear that evidently the Freenglee’s parents are missing on the census. They are listed at a different address along with several other discrepancies. Some other people on Ancestry.com have incorporated them in their family trees, but it is incorrect. Just another example of needing to check everything out for yourself.

In 1942, Otis’ World War II Draft Registration Card shows him as still (or at least once again) working for Walton N. Moore Drygoods Co. which is then on Fremont and Mission in San Francisco, California.

Otis Fielding JOHNSON’s WWII Draft Registration Card

Grace died October 15, 1958, in Alameda, California. Otis died July 4, 1968, in Berkeley, Alameda, California.

So, you may be asking, “Why did you continue to research this couple even when you discovered that this was not the same Otis JOHNSON?”

Simple…

1. I was on a roll…  
2. As anyone really hooked on genealogy knows, it is really irritating to not have as many of the “blanks” as possible filled in…
3. As I got to know more about Otis and Grace, I wanted to learn more.
4. If I am correct and they did not have any children, their particular line ended with them. They have likely been forgotten and/or not explored further on most of the other relatives’ family trees. That saddens me and made me want to devote this post to their memories. ♥

So, where does that leave John and his Otis JOHNSON?

I did not want to just be the bearer of bad news, so I tried to dig a bit further for him and his family.

First a few questions:

Is your mom the Patricia Joann Johnson Olthoff that married John Bingo Olthoff?

Was she born December 26, 1926 in Pueblo, Colorado and passed away February 11 or 12, 1989?

If so, I think I found your great-grandfather. Remember, I did not completely get this sourced or anything, so you will still need to research this yourself, John.

Do these look familiar?

If so, her father was Stanley Otis JOHNSON who was born January 14, 1904 in Montrose, Henry, Missouri, and passed away April 1968 in Rocky Ford, Otero, Colorado. His parents were likely Forster and May JOHNSON.  It looks like he probably had at least two siblings (Ethmer born about 1904 and Agnes born about 1907).

Her mother was Vida Margaret KELLOGG who was born February 28, 1896 in Rocky Ford, Otero, Colorado, to Aaron Lindsley KELLOGG (1839-1914) and Isabel K MORGAN (1862-1953) and passed away September 13, 1994 in Pueblo, Colorado.

It was rather difficult to find information that was accessible to the public, but there is a bit more via Ancestry.com. This line doesn’t appear to be highly researched by those on the internet, yet, but hopefully this is your correct line and I have helped you get a good running start.  The good news is that if you can connect Forster JOHNSON to your mother, then there is a bit more information out there. Good luck and let me know about your progress.

Moses PORTER and Daniel PORTER Families in 1880 Census

Sumner County, Kansas ~ Late 1800′s

My third great-grandfather, Moses Franklin PORTER, was born January 20, 1826 to Henry PORTER (1778-1868) and Nancy BOWLES (1792-1836) in Muddy Creek, Madison, Kentucky.  Moses died December 26, 1900 in Oxford, Sumner County, Kansas.

His second wife, Mary Ann “Polly” ROSENBERGER was born December 24, 1841 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania to Abraham Rosenberger (1799-1883) and Elizabeth KING (1817-1845). She was the step-mother of Daniel PORTER.  ”Polly” died June 15, 1904 in Oxford, Sumner County, Kansas.

Moses and “Polly” married August 30, 1857 in Taylorville, Christian County, Illinois.

The 1880 Census for Moses and “Polly” PORTER household shows the following:

Name: Moses Porter
Age: 54
Birth Year: abt 1826
Home in 1880: Oxford, Sumner, Kansas
Race: White
Gender: Male
Relations to Head of House: Self (Head)
Marital Status: Married
Spouse’s Name: Mary Porter

Moses’s Birthplace: Kentucky
Moses’s Father’s Birthplace: Maryland
Moses’s Mother’s Birthplace: Maryland
Moses’s Occupation: Farming

(Polly) Mary’s Birthplace: Pennsylvania
Mary’s Father’s Birthplace: Pennsylvania
Mary’s Mother’s Birthplace: Pennsylvania
Mary’s Occupation: Keeping House

Moses Porter ~ 54 ~ head ~ farming
Mary Porter ~ 38 ~ wife ~ keeping house
Mary I. Porter ~ 22 ~ daughter ~ Housekeeper
Laura Porter ~ 12 ~ daughter ~ Works Out
Ellen S. Porter ~ 15 ~ daughter ~ Works Out
Aaron D. Porter ~ 12 ~ son ~ Farm Laborer
Fanny M. Porter ~ 10 ~ daughter ~ At Home
Moses F. Porter ~ 7 ~ son ~ Herder
Charles L. Porter ~ 5 ~ son ~ At Home
Shirley G. Porter ~ 1 ~ son ~ At Home
(Other records show his name as Shirley Edwin Porter)

My second great-grandfather, Daniel Marion PORTER, was born December 28, 1855 in Moweaqua, Shelby County, Illinois to Moses Franklin PORTER (1826-1900) and Elizabeth Ann HOSKINS (1828-1855).  Elizabeth died due to the childbirth of Daniel and an un-named twin who died sometime after the new year.  Daniel died February 27, 1925 in Winfield, Cowley County, Kansas.

My second great-grandmother, Caroline Adele GILBERT, was born in 1864 in Iowa City, Wright County, Iowa.  She died in 1895. Daniel and Caroline were married December 1, 1879, when “Carrie” was 15 years old.   They had two children after this census: Nellie May PORTER (1882-1980) and Charles Oscar PORTER (1884-1946) ~ my great-grandfather.

The 1880 Census for Daniel and “Carrie” PORTER household shows them  as neighbors to Moses and “Polly”.  Their details are as following:

Name: Daniel M. Porter
Age: 24
Birth Year: abt 1856
Home in 1880: Oxford, Sumner, Kansas
Race: White
Gender: Male
Relation to Head of House: Self (Head)
Marital Status: Married
Spouse’s Name: Carrie B. Porter

Daniel’s Birthplace: Illinois
Daniel’s Father’s Birthplace: Kentucky
Daniel’s Mother’s Birthplace: Pennsylvania
Daniel’s Occupation: Farming

Carrie’s Birthplace: Iowa
Carrie’s Father’s Birthplace: New York
Carrie’s Mother’s Birthplace: New York
Carrie’s Occupation: Keeping House

Daniel M. Porter ~ 24 ~ head ~ Farming
Carrie B. Porter ~ 16 ~ wife ~ Keeping House
(Other records show her name as Caroline Adele)
Joseph D.J. Montgomery ~ 16 ~ white ~ servant ~ Farm Laborer
John Montgomery ~ 18 ~ white ~ servant ~ Farm Laborer

My main questions: Why were Joseph and John Montgomery listed as servants on this census?  Where they related in some way?  Why did they list the very young children of Moses and Mary as different types of laborers?  Did they go to school?

Here is a copy of the original 1880 Census for these two families:

Moses PORTER and Daniel PORTER Families in the 1880 Census

I have also created a Pinterest board called Sumner County, Kansas that focuses on photos of people and places in Sumner County in the late 1800′s and links to genealogy resources for the area.  Be sure to also go to my main Pinterest page to Follow All of my boards.

Florence Mary RIAN PORTER and Ruby Irene PORTER WILLIAMS ~ Wordless Wednesday

Florence Mary RIAN PORTER and Ruby Irene PORTER WILLIAMS
(1919~2010) and (1928~2010)
My Great-Aunt (married to Ruby’s brother) and My Grandma

Fielding and Sarah JOHNSON ~ Tombstone Tuesday

Fielding Monroe & Sarah Elizabeth JOHNSON

My hubby’s second great-grandfather, Fielding Monroe JOHNSON, was born November 30, 1844 in Hester, Marion County, Missouri to Albert Gallatin JOHNSON (1804-1871) and Mary Catherine TURNER (1811-1867).  Fielding died December 12, 1920 in Fresno, California.

My hubby’s second great-grandmother, Sarah Elizabeth BARR, was born June 29, 1846 in Union Star, Brackenridge County, Kentucky to Jereboam Beauchamp (Jerry) BARR (1819-1891) and Eliza Ann DOWELL (1821-1857).  Sarah died April 19, 1932 in Fresno, California.

Fielding and Sarah married September 12, 1869 in Palmyra, Marion County, Missouri.  They lived in various parts of Marion County for many years until sometime between 1900 and 1910 when they moved to the Fresno area of California.  They were buried in the Odd Fellows Cemetery in Fresno, California.

Fielding and Sarah had seven children: Robert I. JOHNSON (1870-1950), Thomas J. JOHNSON (1872-1887), Francis M. JOHNSON (1874-1958), Marvin A. JOHNSON (1876-1963), Mary C. JOHNSON (1878-1923), Jerry Taylor JOHNSON (1881-1943), and Otis JOHNSON (1886-1968).

Their son, Jerry Taylor JOHNSON, and Josephine M. THAYLER (1879-1975) were the parents of Evelyn Iola JOHNSON (1908-1979).

Leonard Smith PARKER (1905-1988) and Evelyn were the parents of Jerry Edward PARKER (b. 1936) ~ my father-in-love.

Samuel and Mary DANNER ~ Census Sunday

This is the area where Samuel and Mary DANNER lived with their family in 1880.
Pleasanton, Linn County, Kansas

My third great-grandfather on my adoptive father’s side, Samuel DANNER, was born about 1840 in Surry, Yadkin County, North Carolina to Adam DANNER (1793-1860) and Susannah G. Liggon (1803-1860).  He died sometime before 1910.

My third great-grandmother on my adoptive father’s side, Mary, was born about 1843 in North Carolina.

Samuel and Mary were married on March 12, 1860 in Davie, North Carolina.

Below is what can be found in the 1880 United States Census for this couple and their family.

Name: Samuel Danner
Age: 40
Birth Year: abt 1840
Birthplace: North Carolina
Home in 1880: Linn, Kansas
Race: White
Gender: Male
Relation to Head of House: Self (Head)
Marital Status: Married
Spouse’s Name: Mary Danner

Samuel’s Father’s Birthplace: Virginia
Samuel’s Mother’s Birthplace: North Carolina
Occupation: Laborer

Mary’s Birth Year: abt 1843
Mary’s Birthplace: North Carolina
Mary’s Father’s Birthplace: Virginia
Mary’s Mother’s Birthplace: North Carolina
Mary’s Occupation: Keeping House

Household Members:
Samuel Danner ~ 40
Mary Danner ~ 37
Franklin Danner ~ 18
Susan Danner ~ 13

Here is a copy of the original:

“Franklin” was my second great-grandfather on my adoptive father’s side.  His full name was William Franklin John DANNER.  He was born about 1861 and died in 1936 and was the father of Frederick Earl Danner (1889-1956).  Frederick was the father of Eunice Mae DANNER (1907-1996) who was the father of Jack Fredrick LAKEY, Sr (1927-2003) ~ my adoptive dad.

Charles Oscar PORTER’s WWI Draft Registration Card

Charles Oscar PORTER
World War I Draft Registration Card

Charles Oscar PORTER was my great-grandfather on my maternal grandma’s side.  He was born April 2, 1884 in Oxford, Kansas.

When I began studying this record, I was surprised when I saw that he did not register for the draft until September 12, 1918.

I was thinking,  ”Wasn’t it about over by then?”  I just remembered that World War I was “from 1914- 1918″.  When faced with those pesky blanks that genealogist cannot resist being able to fill in completely…….. what did I do?  I went digging into the past a bit further.  It’s a sickness… REALLY!  

World War I Draft Registration

In my deeper research I was reminded that although World War I began in 1914, the United States did not declare war against Germany until April 6, 1917.  It was at that time that the United States became an active participant in the War.

On May 18, 1917, the “Selective Service Act” was passed.  This required every male between the ages of 18 and 45 living within the United States to register for the draft.  What I did not know was that there were three separate registrations.

The first registration was on June 5, 1917, and was for men from 21 to 31 years old and consisted of twelve questions on the front.

The second registration was on June 5, 1918, and was for men who had turned 21 since the previous registration and any males who had not previously registered for whatever reason and were not already in the military.  These registration cards had ten questions on the front.  There was also a supplemental registration on August 24, 1918 for those who had turned 21 since June 5, 1918.

Not everyone who registered actually served in the War.  There were also some who enlisted and served, but did not register for the draft.

The third registration was on September 12, 1918 and was for men from 18-21 AND 31-45 years old.  These cards had a total of twenty questions on the front of the card.  ~ Charles Oscar PORTER was in this group since he was 34  years old at this time.

On November 11, 1918, at “the eleventh hour of the eleventh day of the eleventh month” the ceasefire went into effect.  Charles did not serve in World War I.

Details from Charles Oscar PORTER’s Draft Registration Card

Serial Number: 3273
Charles Oscar Porter
Permanent Home Address: Oxford, Sumner, Kansas
Age in Years: 34
Date of Birth: April 2, 1884
Race: White
Present Occupation: Laborer (Originally said Farmer, but it had a line through it.)
Employer’s Name:  (something like “A. J. & S. F. Rey” ? ~ I’m still working on this.)
Place of Employment or Business: Oxford, Sumner, Kansas
Nearest Relative Name: Julia Porter
Nearest Relative Address: Oxford, Sumner, Kansas
Height: Medium
Build: Stout
Color of Eyes: Grey
Color of Hair: Light
Has person lost arm, leg, hand, eye, or is he obviously physically disqualified? No
Date of Registration: September 12, 1918

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Some points of interest:

• It lists his eyes as grey.  My eyes are technically Hazel, but they are often grey.  I especially like my eyes when they are this grey or even more so when they seem more of a grayish purple.  Did I get these from him?
• Did the person filling out the form just assume that he was a farmer at first?  Or did he see himself as a farmer along with being a laborer for someone else?  Many in our family did both.  For example: my grandpa (one of his son-in-laws) was a proud farmer while he was also an Agronomist (my Grandma’s term) at Rockwood Golf Course in the Kansas City area.  Several generations of this family were farmers and likely saw themselves as such even when working elsewhere, too.
• Charles was married to Julia Arnellia BEEMAN at this time.  She was born February 4, 1891 and died November 10, 1920 and was the mother of Loara Lucille PORTER TARTER.  Aunt Loara lived with my grandma in the early 1990′s when Grandma lived on Sterling in Independence.  The  cousins in my daughter’s generation will likely remember her as the lady with “the dog!”     Charles later married my great-grandma Mary Irene Saphronia Jasmine SMITH (TARTER ROBNETT TARTER) and had several more children with my grandma Ruby Irene being the baby of the family.
• There were many PORTERs who can be found in the same collection of draft cards for Sumner County, Kansas.  I can connect several of them as Charles’ close relatives.  One of Charles’ brothers who registered listed his occupation as a farmer for his mother’s farm.  I wonder if Charles also worked his mother’s farm at that time and/or his own farm in addition to working elsewhere.

Simon William LAKEY ~ Tombstone Tuesday

Simon William LAKEY
1848 ~ 1919

Several records I have found show my great-grandfather on my adoptive father’s side’s name as William Simon LAKEY, but his tombstone and a few others say Simon W (William) LAKEY.  Either way, it appears he most likely went by “Simon” to those around him… especially later in life.

Simon was born in June 1848 in Ava, Baxter County, Missouri to John Burcham LAKEY (1827-1863) and Keziah “Kissie” ROMINES (1827-1893).

Simon married Mary Martha COBB in Ozark County, Missouri on August 18, 1892.  She was born in March 1879 in Dora, Ozark County, Missouri to James Bedford COBB (1850-1929) and Nancy E GUINN (1851-1891).

Simon and Mary had eight children in Mountain Home, Baxter County, Arkansas:  Mary Matilda Evelyn, Alma, William, Rosella, Andy Lee Chester, John Lee, Martha Belle, and Voyd Jackson.

Simon died in 1919 in Mountain Home, Baxter County, Arkansas.  I personally spent most of my childhood vacations in the Ozarks, Missouri and in northern Arkansas.  I especially loved our times in the Mountain Home area in northern Arkansas.  I remember camping for a week at a time for several summers in George’s Cove and it was an amazing place!  You could see the bottom of the lake clearly, even at great depths.  It was also one of those places where it seemed that nobody else knew about.  We rarely had very many fellow campers when there.

It was during these trips to George’s Cove (which is in the Mountain Home area) that my dad told us the most about this side of his family… especially his father and his Uncle John Lee LAKEY.

My direct line down from Simon William LAKEY is as follows:

Simon William LAKEY and Mary Martha COBB were the parents of Andy Lee Chester LAKEY Sr. who was born March 15, 1905.

Andy Lee Chester LAKEY Sr. and Eunice Mae DANNER (1907-1996) were the parents of Jack Fredrick LAKEY Sr (1927-2003) who was my adoptive Dad!

Thomas and Emma WATMOUGH ~ Census Sunday

This is where Thomas and Emma WATMOUGH lived with their family in 1871. ~ They lived on New Brighton in the township of Idle in Yorkshire County, England. You can even click on this graphic to be taken to an interactive map, so you can explore the area further!

My hubby’s second great-grandfather, Thomas WATMOUGH, was born about 1838 in Bradford, Yorkshire, England to Joseph WATMOUGH (1796-1869) and Sarah (b. 1799).  He died in December 1909 in West Riding, Yorkshire, England.

My hubby’s second great-grandmother, Emma KEITHLEY, was born about 1841 in Thackley, Yorkshire, England.  Some people think that her parents were John Phillips KIGHTLY and Mary GOODLEY, but I am not extremely confident in that yet.

Below is what can be found in the 1871 England Census for this couple and their family.

Name: Thomas Watmough
Age: 34
Estimated Birth Year: abt 1837
Relation: Head
Spouse’s Name: Emma Watmough
Gender: Male
Where born: Bolton, Yorkshire, England
Civil parish: Idle
Ecclesiastical parish: Idle
County/Island: Yorkshire
Country: England
Registration district: Bradford
Sub-registration district: Idle
ED, institution, or vessel: 3
Household schedule number: 125
Piece: 4501
Folio: 55
Page Number: 24

Household Members:
Thomas Watmough ~ 34 ~ Shoe Maker ~ born in Bolton
Emma Watmough ~ 30 ~ born in Idle
Joseph Watmough ~ 12 ~ Scholar ~ born in Idle
Sarah A Watmough ~ 9 ~ Scholar ~ born in Idle
Mary E Watmough ~ 7  ~ Scholar ~ born in Idle
Miriam Watmough ~ 5 ~ born in Idle
John Watmough ~ 2 ~ born in Idle

The next entry in this Census is for Thomas’ brother Joseph and his wife.  They likely lived next door.

Joseph Watmough ~ head ~ 35 ~ Cloth Weaver and General ______? ~ born in Bolton
Mary Watmough ~ wife ~ 39 ~ born in Idle

Here is a copy of the original:

This Census was taken about four years before my hubby’s great-grandfather, William WATMOUGH was born in 1875 in England.