Category: Standard Post

Newspaper Tales: C. W. Montgomery in Print

Posted on by spuddled

For today’s Newspaper Tales blog post, I’ve decided to take a look at various times in which my great-grandfather, Charles William Montgomery, showed up in newspapers throughout his lifetime. I’ve found that old newspapers can capture not only the important milestones, but also the small moments that help round out our understanding of our ancestors’ lives.

Charles was born 17 January 1861 in Lynchburg, Ohio, but the first newspaper mention of him that I have been able to find is from 1896, after he had moved twice: first to Richland County, Illinois, and then to Holdrege, Nebraska. Events in Charles’s life that did not make it into the newspaper (or at least not the newspapers I have seen) were his marriage to Laura Maud Walker on 22 February 1883 in Richland County, Illinois, and the births of daughters Myrtle, Mamie, Bessie, and Elta in Mansfield, Illinois, between 1884 and 1888. The family moved to Nebraska sometime around 1889. Charles’s first mention in print appears in The Political Forum of Holdrege: an article notes that C. W. Montgomery was to be appointed night watchman for the town, effective 5 February.1

There seems to have been something of a muddle over this appointment. An article appearing two days later in the Holdrege Weekly Progress also references Charles being made night watchman but noted that the former watchman whom C. W. had replaced was still “on the night turf.”2

The Holdrege Citizen similarly detailed this redundancy of night watchmen.3

Exactly what transpired next is unclear, but on 28 February 1896, The Holdrege Citizen reported that Charles had resigned his post. Interestingly, this notice appears on the same page as an account of Charles swearing out warrants the previous Wednesday against a group of men for public intoxication. The men pled guilty and were fined, and according to the article, the issue “caused considerable comment and feeling.” I can’t help but wonder if this somehow led to the resignation.4

Shortly after Charles’s resignation from his night watch post, a brief mention in The Holdrege Citizen provides information on his next employment situation. This one is night watch-adjacent.5

In all these articles, Charles appears fairly consistently as “C. W. Montgomery.” So I’m going to assume the “Chas. Montgomery” who took a car load of the mayor’s cattle to Omaha in June 1896 was a different individual. Though our Charles is back (and cattle-adjacent) in September 1897.6

Two years later, we learn, Laura’s sister, Eunice (Walker) Pilchard and her husband came to stay for “a few weeks” with Charles and Laura,7 though a later article revealed the visit had in actuality been only for 10 days.8 This later article refers to our Charles as “Chas. W. Montgomery, ” so maybe I should rethink that mayoral cattle business.

A month after the Pilchards’ visit, The Holdrege Daily Citizen coyly noted the arrival of “a handsome boy” at the home of Charles and Laura. This handsome boy was John Ward, the second of three sons born to the couple. The first son, Walter, had been born in March 1898 (10 years after the birth of Elta). John Ward, who would go by his middle name, was born 9 October 1899.9

Another bit of confusion comes next. Was it our C. W. Montgomery who was selected as “Chief Forester” for the Holdrege Modern Woodmen of America?10 Similarly, who was the “Chas. Montgomery” who attended the Nebraska State Volunteer Fire Department Association convention?11 I don’t know.

What does appear to be the next confirmed incident to befall Charles was that his employer at the Palace meat market sold the business. The new proprietor, Thomas Sword, would be assisted by his son as well as “Chas. Montgomery, the popular meat cutter.”12

The following month “the infant son of Mr. and Mrs. Chas. W. Montgomery” broke his collar bone by falling out of a swing. Was this John Ward, the “handsome boy”?13 Three months after that, Thomas Sword, the new proprietor of the Palace meat market, turned around and sold it to Chas. Hagstrom & Co. The article about the sale noted that our Charles would remain with the firm “for a month or two yet.”14

This “month or two” was an understatement. By April 1901 when the meat market changed ownership yet again, C. W. Montgomery was still working there, and would continue to do so.15 He seems to have been the one constant at that place.

Four months later another birth announcement for Charles’s family appeared in the newspaper. Though he wasn’t labeled as a “handsome boy” arriving at the house, it’s still exciting to see in print, as this was my grandfather, Lawrence Montgomery, born 26 August 1901.16

Before Grandpa was a year old, the family would move again, this time to Colorado. An article from May 1902 describes how Grandpa’s sister Mamie (then 16 years old) traveled to Sterling, Colorado, to prepare their new home for the family’s move.17

Even after his move, Charles continued to turn up in the Holdrege newspaper. Here he is connected with cattle again…18

Charles’s next appearance in print is a sad one that provides a lot of insight into the family’s history. His wife Laura was committed to an asylum in Pueblo, Colorado, and would spend the remaining thirty years of her life there. Even more poignant to me is the fact that her “youngest child” referenced here was my grandfather.19, 20

Six months later eldest daughter Myrtle, who had married in Colorado but then returned to Nebraska, came to visit “her parents.” I know from letters Mamie later wrote to her own daughter that Laura did write to her children from the asylum; perhaps Myrtle did in fact visit her there as well.21

Charles does not turn up as regularly in the Colorado newspapers as he did in Nebraska, at least at first. Interestingly, Fort Collins and Holdrege were roughly the same size (about 3000 people) in 1900, but by 1940, while Holdrege was holding steady at around 3400, Fort Collins had grown to over 12,000. Today Holdrege’s population is still only about 5500, while Fort Collins boasts about 170,000 residents.

Charles does show up in 1919 in an article concerning four acres of land he purchased. This article is tucked in between one asking citizens to buy War Savings Stamps and bread, and one advertising Bitro-Phosphate as a way to “increase one’s flesh.”22

Two years later Charles appears again, in an article noting he would be gone for several months to Cloverly, Wyoming.23 I wonder what was in Cloverly? It could not have been Buffalo Bill, even though Grandpa always said his father spent time “riding the range with Buffalo Bill,” because Buffalo Bill died in 1917.

Another less-mysterious trip was the one Charles took in December 1922 to Los Angeles, planning to stay for six months. At least it seems to be less mysterious: daughters Mamie, Bessie, and Elta would all eventually settle in California, though it’s not clear to me when each of them moved there with their families, and as we shall see, Elta, at least, was still in Colorado for a little while after 1922.24 This article also notes that Charles had lived for the past seven years at the New Antlers Hotel. This building still exists, and Mom, Dad, and I were able to see it in person in 2015.

In May 1923 a further article described Charles’s return from his trip. Though he enjoyed his time away, Colorado was still the winner in his book.25

Charles’s next appearance was in an article from September of that same year. This article tells us several important facts. Charles has returned to his prior occupation of being a night watchman, this time at the Great Western Sugar company. Also, daughter Elta was now living in Walsenburg, Colorado; Charles was taking a week’s vacation to visit her there.26

Charles was still employed at Great Western four years later, as an article describes how he was responsible for leading a class of eighth grade students from the Plummer School on a tour of the sugar company, describing the sugar-making process and answering the students’ questions.27

By 1933 both Elta and Bessie were living in Los Angeles, as in March of that year a newspaper article noted that Charles had wired both daughters but had not heard from him.28 It’s possible he was trying to reach them to relay information concerning their mother’s health; she would die in July of that year at age 70.

The following year Charles was the one with health concerns; a newspaper article from October 1934 notes he had been a surgical patient but was released back to his home at the Antlers Hotel.29

In May 1935 Elta sent Charles some freshly-picked California oranges. Charles shared his bounty with the staff of the newspaper which ran an article about this offering (the newspaper was then called The Fort Collins Express-Courier). Apparently this gift from Charles to the newspaper staff was not sufficient to prevent them from butchering Elta’s name; she is listed as “Alva” in the article.30

The following year Ward, the “handsome boy,” now 36 years old, visited Charles for a week. By this time Ward was married, had two children, and was living in Detroit.31

The following year it was Elta’s turn to visit Charles at 222 Linden Street (aka the Antlers Hotel).32

Then two years later in July 1939 Ward visited again. He was now a young widower, his wife having died in January of that year at age 31. The two young daughters, Jean and Ruth, were aged 10 and about 7.33

By this time Charles was nearing 80, but life would take at least one more surprising turn for him. In April 1941 an article in The Western Nebraska Observer noted that a marriage license had been been issued to Charles and a Lysle Cleave, both of Fort Collins.34 When they married on 27 March 1941 in Kimball, Nebraska, Charles was 80 and Lysle was 57.35 At some point I was sent a copy of a photograph of Charles and Lysle, which included notes written at the bottom of the page. It took some time to work out that “Mrs. Lyle” was in fact Lysle (Peterson) Cleave.

Part of what helped piece those details together was the final newspaper appearance we’ll look at today. As you might expect, that is Charles’s obituary, which appeared on 14 January 1942. Interestingly, the obituary states that Charles “would have been 75 Saturday,” when in fact he would have been 81.36 He died on 13 January 1942 in Fort Collins after a week’s illness. According to his death certificate, his cause of death was coronary occlusion and arteriosclerosis. So there you have it – Charles Montgomery’s life as described in newsprint. Now if only at least one article had mentioned Buffalo Bill…

  1. The Political Forum [Holdrege, Nebraska], 5 February 1896, pg. 3 ↩︎
  2. The Weekly Progress [Holdrege, Nebraska], 7 February 1896, pg. 1 ↩︎
  3. The Holdrege [Nebraska] Citizen, 7 February 1896, pg. 5 ↩︎
  4. The Holdrege [Nebraska] Citizen, 28 February 1896, pg. 5 ↩︎
  5. The Holdrege [Nebraska] Citizen, 17 April 1896, pg. 5 ↩︎
  6. The Holdrege [Nebraska] Citizen-Forum, 17 September 1897, pg. 8 ↩︎
  7. Holdrege [Nebraska] Daily Citizen, 8 September 1899, pg. 1 ↩︎
  8. The Weekly Progress [Holdrege, Nebraska], 15 September 1899, pg. 1 ↩︎
  9. Holdrege [Nebraska] Daily Citizen, 13 October 1899, pg. 1 ↩︎
  10. The Weekly Progress [Holdrege, Nebraska], 8 December 1899, pg. 1 ↩︎
  11. The Weekly Progress [Holdrege, Nebraska], 19 January 1900, pg. 1 ↩︎
  12. The Weekly Progress [Holdrege, Nebraska], 1 June 1900, pg. 1 ↩︎
  13. The Weekly Progress [Holdrege, Nebraska], 13 July 1900, pg. 8 ↩︎
  14. The Weekly Progress [Holdrege, Nebraska], 12 October 1900, pg. 1 ↩︎
  15. Holdrege [Nebraska] Daily Citizen, 19 April 1901, pg. 1 ↩︎
  16. The Weekly Progress [Holdrege, Nebraska], 30 August 1901, pg. 1 ↩︎
  17. Holdrege [Nebraska] Daily Citizen, 9 May 1902, pg. 1 ↩︎
  18. The Weekly Progress [Holdrege, Nebraska], 2 October 1903, pg. 1 ↩︎
  19. The Larimer County [Colorado] Independent, 28 December 1904, pg. 6 ↩︎
  20. The Fort Collins [Colorado] Express and The Fort Collins Review, 28 December 1904, pg. 4 ↩︎
  21. The Weekly Progress [Holdrege, Nebraska], 5 May 1905, pg. 1 ↩︎
  22. The Fort Collins [Colorado] Express, 21 March 1919, pg. 4 ↩︎
  23. Fort Collins [Colorado] Coloradoan, 27 January 1921, pg. 3 ↩︎
  24. Fort Collins [Colorado] Coloradoan, 16 December 1922, pg. 3 ↩︎
  25. Fort Collins [Colorado] Coloradoan, 16 May 1923, pg. 3 ↩︎
  26. Fort Collins [Colorado] Coloradoan, 21 September 1923, pg. 3 ↩︎
  27. Fort Collins [Colorado] Coloradoan, 20 January 1927, pg. 1 ↩︎
  28. Fort Collins [Colorado] Coloradoan, 14 March 1933, pg. 7 ↩︎
  29. Fort Collins [Colorado] Coloradoan, 9 October 1934, pg. 7 ↩︎
  30. Fort Collins [Colorado] Coloradoan, 28 May 1935, pg. 2 ↩︎
  31. Fort Collins [Colorado] Coloradoan, 6 August 1936, pg. 5 ↩︎
  32. Fort Collins [Colorado] Coloradoan, 25 July 1937, pg. 2 ↩︎
  33. Fort Collins [Colorado] Coloradoan, 30 July 1939, pg. 2 ↩︎
  34. The Western Nebraska Observer [Kimball, Nebraska], 3 April 1941, pg. 4 ↩︎
  35. Charles William Montgomery, Letter from Charles Montgomery (n.p: n.p, July 16, 1941). ↩︎
  36. Fort Collins [Colorado] Coloradoan, 14 January 1942, pg. 2 ↩︎

N Is for…Nurse

Posted on by spuddled

First of all, Happy Easter! Also, happy 15th birthday to my nephew, Ben. I don’t know why he isn’t still two years old, but anyway…

Now, on to this week’s post. We’re back to the alphabetical theme for this week, and this is the fourteenth Sunday of 2026. So today’s post, brought to you by the letter N, is about four sisters who were nurses. Biological sisters, that is, not the religious-order kind.

Anna Hulda Swing, Ella Rose Swing, Emma Ida Swing, and Corine Pearl Swing were my first cousins three times removed. They were the daughters of Henry Edward and Emma (Slegel) Swing. Henry was the son of Carl/Karl Swing and his wife Saloma (Bollinger) Swing, and the brother of my great-great-grandfather, Albert Carl Swing, Sr. Emma Slegel was the daughter of Samuel John and Mary (Walty) Slegel and the sister of Samuel Slagel, my great-great-grandfather. So while the girls’ parents were not related to each other, I am related to both of them.

There were 13 children in the family in total. Anna, Ella, Emma, and Corine were the 5th, 6th, 9th, and 12th children, respectively. Anna was born 7 December 1887 in Fairbury, Illinois; Ella was born 23 April 1890 in Cissna Park, Illinois; Emma was born 24 September 1895 in Lamar, Missouri; and Corine was born 31 March 1901, also in Lamar. In the 1900 census the family was enumerated in Nashville, Missouri; the household consisted of Henry, 42; Emma, 39; and children Lydia, 17; Benjamin, 14; Annie, 12; Ella, 10; John, 8; Henry, 6; Emma, 4; Bertie, 3; and Mattie, 9/12.1 By 1910 the family had moved to White Post Township, Pulaski County, Indiana; Ella and Emma were still living at home, but Anna was not, though Cora, 9, and Ruth, 7, had been added to the family.2 By 1920 Ella and Emma had also left their parents’ home, but Cora remained, not appearing on her own until 1930.

If we look first at Anna, we learn that she married Levi C. Banwart on 20 February 1910 in Francesville, Indiana. Both were 22.3 In the 1910 census the newlyweds appear in Salem Township, Pulaski County, Indiana.4 In January 1911 Anna gave birth to a daughter, Bernice E. Banwart, in Francesville. Sadly, in October of that year, 24-year-old Levi died of typhoid fever after nursing his father’s family through the same illness.5 Seven months later Anna gave birth to a second daughter, named Levila Ella Banwart.

By 1920, the census the census listed Anna’s occupation as nurse. That year she, Bernice, and Levila were living in Francesville.6 They were still in Francesville 10 years later. Anna was now listed as a practical nurse, and 19-year-old Bernice as a bookkeeper for a garment factory.7 By 1940 Anna was living alone and working as a nurse in a private home.8 By 1950 she appears to have retired, as no occupation is listed for her. It appears that Anna did not have a formal nursing degree, as her education level is listed variously as 2 years of high school (in the 1940 census) or 6th grade (in the 1950 census).9 Her obituary in 1978 describes her as a former midwife who was thought to have helped deliver 1000 babies in the Francesville area.10

Both Ella and Emma received more formal training. By 1920 Ella was in Benton Harbor, Michigan, where she was enumerated as a pupil nurse at Mercy Hospital.11 Sadly, the Mercy Hospital building was demolished in 2016. In 1930 Ella was living in Cedar Falls, Iowa; she was one of 5 trained nurses living at Sartori Memorial Hospital along with the hospital superintendent, a janitor, a cook, a maid, and a laundress.12 Sometime between 1935 and 1940 Ella moved to St. Joseph, Michigan. In 1940 she was living there in a Nurses’ Home as a resident nurse and was a hospital anesthetist. Her annual salary was $840, or about $19,750 in today’s money.13 Maybe the fact that her housing was provided would make that seem a little more lucrative? Interestingly, the record also notes her education level as 8th grade, so maybe nurse’s training wasn’t always listed as “higher education”? Or maybe the census taker was drunk. Because an article in The Herald-Press of Saint Joseph, Michigan, on 13 January 1921 notes that Ella and Emma Swing of Mercy Hospital in Benton Harbor were in Lansing that day to sit for state examinations of the State Board of Registration of Nurses. I haven’t been able to locate Ella in the 1950 census. She lived to age 95, dying on 14 December 1985 in St. Joseph Hospital in Fort Wayne, Indiana.14 She had never married.

From the Herald-Press article, we already know sister Emma was in training in Benton Harbor. In 1920 she was enumerated there (actually on the same page as Ella), also apparently as a pupil nurse. She graduated on 10 May of that year. Now Emma I can’t manage to locate in 1930, and her life took a different turn than Ella’s, as she married Roy W. Feigley on 1 July 1937 in Winamac, Indiana, at the M.E. Parsonage.15 Emma was 41, and Roy was 46 and a wholesale and retail fuel salesman. In 1940 the couple was enumerated in Fort Wayne; Emma has no occupation listed. Living with them was Anna’s daughter Bernice. She was listed as 25 (though she was really 29) and was working as a typist in an “abstract office.”16

In 1950 Roy and Emma were enumerated again in Fort Wayne, in the downstairs unit of 1118 Columbia.17 Unlike Mercy Hospital, this property, originally built in 1900, still stands. The census taker in 1950 listed Roy’s occupation as manager of an oil refinery. Roy would die of a cerebral hemorrhage in 1973 at age 78. He had also suffered from diabetes for 30 years.18 At the time of his death, he and Emma were living at 1715 Curdes Avenue in Fort Wayne. This house also still stands and is sweet if tiny. Emma would outlive her husband by nearly a quarter-century, dying 20 November 1997 at the age of 102. The informant on her death certificate was Anna’s daughter Bernice.19

Finally we come to the fourth nurse in the family. We have seen that Corine, or Cora, was still living at home through the 1920 census. By 1930 she was married and the mother of a young son (and I can’t find the family in that census anyway), so the record we have of her being the fourth nurse in the family comes from family history information provided by a cousin, Marsha Detter. On 27 September 1928 Corine married Orrell Roush in Littleton, Colorado.20 By 1940, “Orroll,” “Corinne,” and son Thomas M., 10, were living in Lincoln, Michigan. Orroll was a pattern marker at a stove factory, making $2400 a year (or $56,400 in 2026 dollars).21 By 1950 Thomas had married, and “Oral” and “Corrine” were living on their own, still in Lincoln.22 Cora was not as long-lived as her sisters. She died in 1970 at age 68; her husband died in 1979 at age 80. Their son Thomas outlived his father by only 5 years, dying in 1984 at age 54.

After thinking about the lives of these four Swing sisters, whether long or short, I can’t help but wonder how many countless lives they impacted for the better. That’s quite a legacy.

  1. Year: 1900; Census Place: Nashville, Barton, Missouri; Roll: 838; Page: 13; Enumeration District: 0024 ↩︎
  2. Year: 1910; Census Place: White Post, Pulaski, Indiana; Roll: T624_375; Page: 7b; Enumeration District: 0131; FHL microfilm: 1374388 ↩︎
  3. Ancestry.com. Indiana, U.S., Marriages, 1810-2001 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2014. ↩︎
  4. Year: 1910; Census Place: Salem, Pulaski, Indiana; Roll: T624_375; Page: 14b; Enumeration District: 0128; FHL microfilm: 1374388 ↩︎
  5. The Lamar [Missouri] Leader, 9 November 1911, pg. 6 ↩︎
  6. Year: 1910; Census Place: Salem, Pulaski, Indiana; Roll: T624_375; Page: 14b; Enumeration District: 0128; FHL microfilm: 1374388 ↩︎
  7. Year: 1930; Census Place: Francesville, Pulaski, Indiana; Page: 7A; Enumeration District: 0010; FHL microfilm: 2340358 ↩︎
  8. Year: 1940; Census Place: Francesville, Pulaski, Indiana; Roll: m-t0627-01088; Page: 9A; Enumeration District: 66-11 ↩︎
  9. National Archives at Washington, DC; Washington, D.C.; Seventeenth Census of the United States, 1950; Year: 1950; Census Place: Francesville, Pulaski, Indiana; Roll: 3042; Page: 71; Enumeration District: 66-12 ↩︎
  10. The Pharos Tribune [Logansport, Indiana], 28 August 1978, pg. 2 ↩︎
  11. Year: 1920; Census Place: Benton Harbor Ward 2, Berrien, Michigan; Roll: T625_757; Page: 4A; Enumeration District: 72 ↩︎
  12. Year: 1930; Census Place: Cedar Falls, Black Hawk, Iowa; Page: 20A; Enumeration District: 0011; FHL microfilm: 2340377 ↩︎
  13. Year: 1940; Census Place: St Joseph, Berrien, Michigan; Roll: m-t0627-01733; Page: 64B; Enumeration District: 11-81 ↩︎
  14. Indiana Archives and Records Administration; Indianapolis, IN, USA; Indiana, U.S., Death Certificates, 1899-2011; Year: 1985; Roll: 15 ↩︎
  15. Logansport Pharos-Tribune, Emma Swing Marriage Notice (n.p: Newspapers.com, July 2, 1937). ↩︎
  16. Year: 1940; Census Place: Fort Wayne, Allen, Indiana; Roll: m-t0627-01115; Page: 8B; Enumeration District: 94-14 ↩︎
  17. National Archives at Washington, DC; Washington, D.C.; Seventeenth Census of the United States, 1950; Year: 1950; Census Place: Fort Wayne, Allen, Indiana; Roll: 1979; Page: 16; Enumeration District: 95-20 ↩︎
  18. Indiana Archives and Records Administration; Indianapolis, IN, USA; Indiana, U.S., Death Certificates, 1899-2011; Year: 1973; Roll: 09 ↩︎
  19. Indiana Archives and Records Administration; Indianapolis, IN, USA; Indiana, U.S., Death Certificates, 1899-2011; Year: 1997; Roll: 39 ↩︎
  20. Ancestry.com. Colorado, U.S., County Marriage Records and State Index, 1862-2006 [database on-line]. Lehi, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2016. ↩︎
  21. Year: 1940; Census Place: Lincoln, Berrien, Michigan; Roll: m-t0627-01732; Page: 2A; Enumeration District: 11-44 ↩︎
  22. National Archives at Washington, DC; Washington, D.C.; Seventeenth Census of the United States, 1950; Year: 1950; Census Place: Lincoln, Berrien, Michigan; Roll: 4519; Page: 3; Enumeration District: 11-111 ↩︎

Sibling Sunday: Charlana Conklin

Posted on by spuddled

This week introduces our last new theme for the year, which means the year is one-quarter done. The Sibling Sunday theme takes a look at a brother or sister of one of our direct ancestors, and for this week we’re examining the life of the interestingly-named Charlana Conklin, my second great-grandaunt. I’ve discussed here before how there was uncertainty over whether Grandpa Montgomery’s middle name was Theodore or Conklin; Charlana Conklin was the sister of Grandpa’s maternal grandmother.

Charlana was born 22 July 1838 in Ohio and was the daughter of Stephen Conklin, Jr., and his wife Sarah (Mills) Conklin, both of whom had been born in New Jersey before marrying in Cincinnati in 1821.1 Charlana was the youngest child in her family; older siblings were Elizabeth (born 1822), Abner M. (born 1824), Henry William (born 1828), Caroline D. (born 1831), and Mary Ann (our ancestor, born 1835).

Charlana appears in the 1850 census with her father and siblings in Clermont County, Ohio. Her mother had just recently died, having passed away on 14 May 1850 in Withamsville, Ohio, at age 51. Only three months after his wife, Stephen also died; he passed away in Withamsville on 31 August, leaving Charlana an orphan at age 12. The next twenty years of Charlana’s life are something of a mystery, as I haven’t been able to locate her in the 1860 census.

It does appear that after Stephen’s death he had bequeathed property to his children; in 1864 Charlana sold her share of the property to John M. Hunt for $1000. Similar deeds follow this one in the Clermont County Deed Book, in which Mary Ann and William H. also sold property to John M. Hunt.2

On 9 January 1870 Charlana married Nicholas Lough in Richland County, Illinois; her sister Mary Ann had been married in Richland County in 1857. Nicholas had been born 17 March 1833 in Braxton County, (West) Virginia. It appears that Nicholas was married once previously; in the 1860 census in Clay County, Illinois, he appears with his presumed wife Moselle and children Victoria, 6; Allen, 3; and Francis, 1.3 In 1870 Nicholas, Victoria, Allen, Francis, and Electa L. (age 8), along with “Gelanie,” aged 33 and born in Ohio, were enumerated in Denver Township, Richland County. “Gelanie” is one of the worst census misspellings I’ve seen, but it’s still close enough phonetically that I think this is our Charlana.4

On 28 December 1870 a daughter was born to “Edward” and Charlana (Conklin) Lough in Illinois.5 The small family’s happiness was apparently short-lived, however. An article in the Olney [Illinois] Daily Ledger titled “What’s the Matter with Nicholas?” gives some context. Though the article erroneously notes the marriage date of Nicholas and “Charlona” as 1 May 1870, it goes on to describe how on 10 October 1872, Charlana “”lit out” for parts unknown,” leading Nicholas to hope for a permanent separation.6 An article from the same newspaper two months later notes the Loughs’ divorce decree appearing on the court docket.7 Further muddying the waters is yet another article from the Daily Ledger from 25 November, noting that Nicholas had married Sarah C. Rich the Monday after his divorce from Charlana was finalized.8

Charlana would only remain a divorcee for eight months. On 7 July 1876 she died at age 37 and is buried in Mount Moriah Cemetery in Withamsville. Her headstone still lists her as “wife of N. Lough.” Letters of Guardianship filed 7 August 1876 note that Caroline Hunt (who appears to be the 27-year-old daughter of Charlana’s oldest sister Elizabeth) was appointed guardian of Nicholas and Charlana’s daughter Effie. Nicholas would survive until 1 November 1898; he is buried in Wesley Cemetery in Wendelin, Illinois, next to his first wife.

Effie was enumerated in 1880 in Clermont County, Ohio; her household then consisted of John M. Hunt, his wife Elizabeth, and their children Carrie (Effie’s guardian), Emma, Olive, William, and Elmer. “Effa L. Lough” is listed as the “granddaughter” of John and Elizabeth.9 On 17 September 1891 Effie married Francis A. Hopper in Hamilton County, Ohio.10 One hopes their marriage was happier than that of her parents; in 1900 Frank, Effie, and son Archie were living in Zanesville, Ohio;11 by 1910 they were living in Cleveland and had been joined by a daughter, Mary;12 the family was still in Cleveland in 1920, though Mary now appears under the name Lillian;13 in 1930 in Cleveland, the family consists of Francis, Effie, and “M. Lillian;”14 and in 1940 Francis and Effie are still together in Cleveland, living at 9707 Laird Ave.15 They were still married 9 years later when Effie died of cerebral apoplexy due to arteriosclerotic hypertension in Chester County, Pennsylvania.16

  1. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints [LDS], “New FamilySearch,” database, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:S3HT-6QW3-3SY?view=index&action=view : online 20 September 2024), Stephen Conklin/Sarah Mills, 31 May 1821. ↩︎
  2. “Clermont, Ohio, United States records,” images, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3Q9M-C37P-5397-K?view=explore : Mar 28, 2026), image 452 of 667; .
    Image Group Number: 008585578 ↩︎
  3. The National Archives in Washington D.C.; Record Group: Records of the Bureau of the Census; Record Group Number: 29; Series Number: M653; Residence Date: 1860; Home in 1860: Township 4 Range 8, Clay, Illinois; Roll: M653_162; Page: 527; Family History Library Film: 803162 ↩︎
  4. Year: 1870; Census Place: Denver, Richland, Illinois; Roll: M593_272; Page: 522A ↩︎
  5. Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission; Harrisburg, PA, USA; Pennsylvania (State). Death Certificates, 1906-1968; Certificate Number Range: 001201-003750 ↩︎
  6. Olney [Illinois] Daily Ledger, 16 September 1875, Page 4 ↩︎
  7. Olney [Illinois] Daily Ledger, 18 November 1875, Page 4 ↩︎
  8. Olney [Illinois] Daily Ledger, 25 November 1875, Page 4 ↩︎
  9. Year: 1880; Census Place: Union, Clermont, Ohio; Roll: 1000; Page: 306d; Enumeration District: 050 ↩︎
  10. Ancestry.com. Ohio, U.S., County Marriage Records, 1774-1993 [database on-line]. Lehi, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2016. ↩︎
  11. Year: 1900; Census Place: Zanesville Ward 6, Muskingum, Ohio; Roll: 1310; Page: 9; Enumeration District: 0076 ↩︎
  12. Year: 1910; Census Place: Cleveland Ward 1, Cuyahoga, Ohio; Roll: T624_1166; Page: 8b; Enumeration District: 0058; FHL microfilm: 1375179 ↩︎
  13. Year: 1920; Census Place: Cleveland Ward 1, Cuyahoga, Ohio; Roll: T625_1359; Page: 10A; Enumeration District: 9 ↩︎
  14. Year: 1930; Census Place: Cleveland, Cuyahoga, Ohio; Page: 2B; Enumeration District: 0014; FHL microfilm: 2341496 ↩︎
  15. Year: 1940; Census Place: Cleveland, Cuyahoga, Ohio; Roll: m-t0627-03203; Page: 3B; Enumeration District: 92-22 ↩︎
  16. Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission; Harrisburg, PA, USA; Pennsylvania (State). Death Certificates, 1906-1968; Certificate Number Range: 001201-003750 ↩︎

Church Record Sunday: Grandma Montgomery’s Confirmation

Posted on by spuddled

For our penultimate new theme we are taking a look at church records available for our family. Specifically, today we will examine the confirmation record for Grandma Blanche (Wilson) Montgomery. We’ve covered the basics of Grandma’s life several times here before, but in case you’ve missed them, I’ll provide a brief synopsis. She was born 17 December 1908 in Bradish, Nebraska, to Carl Ozro and Sophie Christine (Roberg) Wilson. She was the oldest surviving child of ten; her older brother Anders Clarence, born in 1907, died on his second birthday. She also had a younger brother Woodrow who lived only two days in 1917.

Grandma was a lifelong Lutheran, so it is no surprise that she was confirmed at Immanuel Lutheran Church in Albion, Nebraska. What is a little more surprising to me is Grandma’s age at the time. Confirmands tend to be around 14 years of age, so I would have expected Grandma to have been confirmed around 1923. Instead, her confirmation took place on 30 May 1926 when she was 17. The Immanuel Lutheran confirmation record lists the birth and baptismal dates of Grandma’s entire confirmation class of 13.1

From this list you can see that Grandma was the oldest in her class. One other confirmand was born in March 1909; all the others were born between 1911-1913. Of particular interest is the name right above Grandma’s: her cousin Louise Christine Roberg, born 28 March 1911. In an interview with Grandma I conducted around 1988, she shared some details about her confirmation class. In addition to her cousin Louise, Grandma also mentioned a pair of Greek siblings, brother and sister. I can see #7 on the list, Helen Irene Christo (the confirmand born in 1909), with her birthplace listed as “Grekenland,” though I don’t see any likely siblings for her.

In addition to Grandma’s confirmation record I found online, this is one time when I also have relevant photographs. Not only do formal confirmation portraits of Grandma survive, but also a confirmation class photograph. In that same 1988 interview, Grandma told me how her (and Louise’s) grandfather Anders Roberg paid for their matching confirmation dresses. Which means (I believe) that Louise is second from the right in the top row; Grandma is all the way on the left in the same row.

Obviously, this group portrait shows more individuals than the 13 who were confirmed together on that day in May. Maybe Helen Christo’s brother is in this photograph, even if he ended up being confirmed at a later date. Though I have no evidence of this confirmation actually taking place. I’ve found the Christo family in census records (as in Grandma’s family, there appear to have been 10 surviving Christo children), and the next Christo confirmation took place in 1933 and was for Johnnie, who was born in 1919. Maybe George, Thomas, Peter, and James all failed at memorizing their Bible verses?

  1. Evangelical Lutheran Church in America Archives; Elk Grove Village, Illinois; Congregational Records ↩︎

Sympathy Sunday: Madeleine Hoffmann

Posted on by spuddled

Our 11th recurring theme for 2026 is Sympathy Sunday, so you can assume this post will be at least somewhat depressing. In past years I’ve highlighted a “sympathy” theme from time to time, though in those instances I wasn’t always posting on Sundays, so it was actually Sympathy Saturday. Of course, I also had Funeral Card Friday, Sunday’s Obituary, Tombstone Tuesday…

Anyway, we are directing today’s sympathy at my second great-grandaunt, Madeleine Hoffmann. She was born 9 May 1839 in Mackwiller, Alsace, France. She was the daughter of Nicolas and Marie Madeleine (Freyermuth) Hoffmann and was the fourth of nine children born to them. She was born three years after Jacob Hoffmann, our emigrant ancestor.

Her civil birth record confirms her birthdate and place, though it suggests the spelling of her first name may actually have been Madelaine. It further notes that she was born at 7 a.m., the legitimate daughter of Nicolas Hoffmann, aged 38, a journalier or day laborer and of Madelaine Freyermuth, 30. The two witnesses who came forward to confirm the details regarding Madelaine’s birth were Chrétien Friederich, a 35-year-old weaver, and Nicolas Bach, a 30-year-old day laborer. Chrétien’s wife, Marie Elisabeth Hoffmann, was Madelaine’s paternal aunt. Marie Elisabeth and Nicolas’s mother was named Caroline Bach, so it seems likely Nicolas Bach was a relative as well.1

Sadly, the next information I have for Madelaine is her death record from 1842. This record confirms her death took place at 8 a.m. on 6 June 1842 in Mackwiller and that she was three years old. Her parentage details are repeated here: her father Nicolas Hoffmann was now 43 and a day laborer, listed as born in Mackwiller. Her mother Madelaine was 37 and was born in Weyer. There were again two witnesses. The first this time was Charles Freyermuth, 37, a stonemason. He is listed as a neighbor of Madelaine, though it seems plausible he may also have been a relative since he and Madelaine’s mother both shared the Freyermuth surname. The second witness was Martin Faess (if my paleography skills are holding up). He was a 49-year-old weaver, and AI tells me that the blurry word describing his relationship to Madelaine is actually oncle (“uncle”).2

I’ll have to keep researching to see where he fits into the family tree (assuming AI knows what it’s talking about here). Especially since the very next record in the Mackwiller registre de décès (death register) is for a Marguerithe Faess, aged 11, the daughter of this same Martin Faess and his wife Marguerithe Anthony, who died exactly two weeks after Madelaine.

These records for both girls are bittersweet. Since both died so young, they would not have had any descendants or a larger impact on society by which they would be remembered, but because these records do exist, we can at least commemorate them here in a small way.

  1. Registres paroissiaux et documents d’état civil de la commune de Mackwiller > Etat civil > Registres d’état civil > Naissances > 1826-1852 ↩︎
  2. Registres paroissiaux et documents d’état civil de la commune de Mackwiller > Etat civil > Registres d’état civil > Décès > 1824-1846 ↩︎

Ahnentafel Number: Carl Ozro Wilson, #10

Posted on by spuddled

Our next theme, for this 10th Sunday of the year, is Ancestors by Ahnentafel Number. What in the heck, you might ask, is an ahnentafel number? In which case, you may have been asking yourself this question for a long time since it’s emblazoned across the top of my website. Wikipedia provides the following:1

An ahnentafel (German for “ancestor table”; German: [ˈʔaːnənˌtaːfəl]) or ahnenreihe (“ancestor series”; German: [ˈʔaːnənˌʁaɪə]) is a genealogical numbering system for listing a person’s direct ancestors in a fixed sequence of ascent.

What this means in practical terms is that every direct ancestor in my family tree is assigned a number. Most genealogy software programs will helpfully spit out reports or pedigree charts that automatically assign ahnentafel numbers depending on who you assign as the “home person” (or person #1) in your tree. From there, that person’s father becomes their number doubled (#2); their mother becomes their number doubled plus 1 (#3). That pattern continues throughout; your paternal grandfather becomes #4, the paternal grandmother #5, the maternal grandfather is #6, and the maternal grandmother #7, and so on.

So here we are on the tenth Sunday of 2026, taking a look at #10 in my ahnentafel numbering system: my great-grandfather, Carl Ozro Wilson. Carl has shown up in this blog a number of times previously; if you ever want to quickly find prior entries for a particular family member, you can take a look at the Subject Index. In Carl’s case, the index links to two blog posts that had at least some focus on him; one discussed his marriage, and the other his obituary. There is also this excellent article written by our cousin David Johnson about Carl and Sophie (Roberg) Wilson.

Because Carl has already received some air time here, I’m not going to give a full narrative rundown of his life but will instead focus on a few highlights. Photos are always a good starting point. This first one shows Carl (standing on the left) with four siblings. Carl was born 8 February 1885 in Creighton, Nebraska. In the back are Maud Ethel, born 1881, and Jerry Erving, born 1884. The baby perched on the table is Pearl Ethel, born 1892, and at the bottom right is Carolyne B., born 1889. I’ve never noticed before but now feel compelled to ask rhetorically: did Maud and Pearl really both have Ethel as a middle name? Anyway…

Eldest 5 children of Wellington and Lucinda Wilson

Some 14 years later the next photo was taken, a wedding portrait of Carl and Sophie.

Then, around 1920, this one, showing Sophie and Carl along with baby Mildred Genevieve (born 1919), Ozro Willie (born 1911), Pearl Jeanette (born 1912), my grandmother Blanche Agnes (born 1908), and Clarence Salmer (born 1915).

Finally I have an undated photo purported to be of Carl (in the dark jacket) picking corn. Who is that child with him?

Again, rather than reiterate what has already been captured here, I’ll include some geographical highlights from Carl’s life:

  • 8 February 1885: born Creighton, Nebraska
  • 1900 census: Lincoln, Nebraska
  • 13 March 1907: married Sophie Roberg in Boone County, Nebraska
  • 1907-1915: lived in Newman Grove, Nebraska
  • 1910 census: Midland, Nebraska
  • 1920 census: Mellette County, South Dakota
  • 1929-1939: Wood, South Dakota (managed restaurant/liquor store)
  • 1930 census: Wood, South Dakota
  • 10 June 1939: dies of heart attack in Wood, South Dakota (found dying in his liquor store/restaurant)
  • 13 June 1939: buried at Winner Cemetery, Winner, South Dakota

There you have it – a quick recap of the life of Carl Ozro Wilson, ahnentafel #10. If you want more details, or if you want an ahnentafel report of your own, just let me know. I’m happy to oblige.

  1. Wikipedia contributors, “Ahnentafel,” Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Ahnentafel&oldid=1313256358 (accessed March 7, 2026). ↩︎

Census Sunday: Ancestors in 1801 Norway

Posted on by spuddled

This week’s new theme (because I love alliteration) is Census Sunday. And while I could choose from a multitude of U.S. census records, for this one I’m going to travel to our Norwegian homeland and the 1801 census that took place there. The Digitalarkivet, available online from the National Archives of Norway, has proven to be invaluable in filling out some of our family tree branches. Here are two examples.

First up are my 5G-grandparents, Jacob Arnesen and Ingeborg (Eliasdatter) Rodberg. In 1801 they were living in Innvik, in the Sogn og Fjordane area of Norway.1 The household was on the Rodberg farm. What looks to us like a surname was in fact the name of the farm where the family lived, though often this name did become a family’s chosen surname after emigration to America. In 1801 that household consisted of:

  • Jacob Arnesen, 46
  • Ingebor Eliasdtr, 44
  • Pernille Jacobsdtr, 17
  • Dorthe Jacobsdtr, 9
  • Mari Jacobsdtr, 5
  • Arne Arnesen, 27
  • Dorthe Andersdtr, 72

My Norwegian skills are nonexistent, but the Digitalarkivet provides a handy transcription of the Norwegian text, and I can Google. There is also this useful Norwegian vocabulary list provided by FamilySearch. With these tools, we learn that Jacob was the “husbonde,” or head of household and a “bonde og gaardbeboer,” or farmer and farm dweller. He is marriage to Ingeborg was a first marriage for both. Pernille, Dorthe, and Mari were all children of Jacob and Ingeborg; all were single.

Arne Arnesen, as you might expect from the fact that both he and Jacob used the patronymic “Arnesen,” was Jacob’s brother. His occupation, abbreviated “Nat. soldat,” indicates he was part of the area’s militia. Last in the household was Dorthe Andersdatter. She is listed as Jacob’s mother, and her marital status description, “enke efter 2det ægteskab,” indicates she had been married twice but was now a widow. Her occupation is listed as “inderste,” which apparently means something like a roomer.

Interestingly, my direct ancestor, Arne Jacobson Rodberg, born between Pernille and Dorthe, was not living at home with his parents and siblings but with Andersen Pedersen and Kari Andersdatter. He was fourteen and working as a “tienere,” or servant. Arne would marry Martha Jonsdatter Stauri in 1816, and they would have a daughter named Synneve Arnesdatter. Synneve, who has been mentioned here before, would marry Svend Arnesen Røberg in 1851, and they would be the parents of our immigrant ancestor Anders Mathis (Svendsen), who would take on the surname Roberg in the new country.

Where were Svend Arnesen Røberg’s ancestors in 1801? His mother, Ingeborg Svensdatter, had been born in 1798. Her family was living in the same Innvik parish as Jacob; their household consisted of the following individuals:

  • Svend Larsen, 39
  • Mari Christensdatter, 43
  • Ingebor Svensdatter, 2
  • Siri Svensdatter, 1
  • Jon Olsen, 18
  • Ole Olsen, 13
  • Baarni Olsdatter, 22

Some more fancy Googling reveals additional details. Svend’s marriage to Mari was his second, though this was Mari’s first marriage. Mari appears to have children by a man named Ole, however, as Jon Olsen, Ole Olsen, and Baarni Olsdatter are listed as Svend’s stedbørn, or stepchildren. Like Jacob, Svend was listed as a farmer and farm-dweller. Ingeborg and Siri, ages 2 and 1, are obviously “ugivt,” or single. The farm name I have seen listed for Svend in some sources is Fjellkarstad, but daughter Ingeborg would marry Arne Andersen from the Aland farm in 1824, and their son Svend would take on the Røberg farm/surname. I think my head is starting to spin.

  1. https://www.digitalarkivet.no/en/census/person/pf01058410000551 ↩︎

On This Day: Swift-McDonald Wedding

Posted on by spuddled

Our next recurring theme is a return to an old one. All through 2024, my posts centered on events that had taken place on that same date in earlier years. So today we’re taking a look at the wedding of Martha Harriett McDonald, my second cousin five times removed, to Frank Swift. As an aside, it was also on this day in in 1883 that my great-grandfather, Charles William Montgomery, married Laura Maud Walker in a double wedding ceremony in Richland County, Illinois, in which his sister, Hattie F., married Martin V. West.

First, a little background on Martha. Born 15 August 1848 in Mackville, Washington County, Kentucky, she was the twelfth child of James and Martha Shepherd (Peter) McDonald.1 Her mother was 47 when she was born, and her oldest sibling was 28. In 1850 the family was enumerated in Washington County and consisted of James, 52, a farmer with real estate valued at $5520; “Patsy,” 50; Dewitt, 21; M. J., 19; Marcus, 16; Joseph, 14; Josephine, 12; Maria, 10; Alice, 8; and Martha, 2.2 Older siblings Richard, Milly, Martin, and James had either left home already or, in the case of Martin, died in infancy.

Sometime before 1860 the family moved to California. In that year they were enumerated in Sacramento.3 James died five years later and is buried in Woodlawn Memorial Park in Colma, having been moved there from the Masonic Cemetery in San Francisco sometime in the 1940s.4 Another five years after that, on 22 February 1870, Martha married Frank Swift at the home of her brother, M. J. McDonald, in San Francisco; she was 21, and he was 22.

The San Francisco Call Bulletin; 25 February 1870, pg. 3

I’m tempted to leave the story there with a happy wedding, and the attendance of both newlyweds at a St. Patrick’s Day Ball in Sacramento a month later.5 But instead I’ll move on to sadder things. Frank and Martha would have two children, both of whom died young. Jasper McDonald Swift was born 18 May 1871 in Sacramento and died 21 September 1874. Florence Swift was born 23 January 1873 and died in May 1877. Of cold consolation is the fact that Martha did not have to experience either loss; she herself died on 1 June 1874 in San Francisco, aged 25. And Frank predeceased Florence, dying on 6 January 1877, about four months before his daughter. Funerals for both Jasper and Martha were held from the family residence at 534 Ellis Street, San Francisco. A history of the McDonald family references Martha’s death “in her child-bed,” suggesting she may have been expecting a third child in 1874 and died of complications.6 Causes of death for the rest of the family remain a mystery. The family history also refers to Frank as a “handsome, successful, and popular young man.” Corroborating this account is the fact that when his will was probated, his estate was valued at $80,000.7 This would be worth roughly $2 million today.

  1. J. Harvey Sweeney, Jr., Moses Sweeney Descendants (n.p: 2006, n.d). ↩︎
  2. The National Archives in Washington, DC; Record Group: Records of the Bureau of the Census; Record Group Number: 29; Series Number: M432; Residence Date: 1850; Home in 1850: Washington, Kentucky; Roll: 221; Page: 154a ↩︎
  3. The National Archives in Washington D.C.; Record Group: Records of the Bureau of the Census; Record Group Number: 29; Series Number: M653; Residence Date: 1860; Home in 1860: Sacramento Ward 4, Sacramento, California; Roll: M653_63; Page: 562; Family History Library Film: 803063 ↩︎
  4. Find a Grave, database and images (https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/120527749/james-mcdonald: accessed February 21, 2026), memorial page for Col James McDonald (16 Dec 1797–16 Mar 1865), Find a Grave Memorial ID 120527749, citing Woodlawn Memorial Park, Colma, San Mateo County, California, USA; Maintained by Nancy Farmer (contributor 49834495). ↩︎
  5. The Sacramento Bee, 19 March 1870, pg. 2 ↩︎
  6. Supplement No. 1 to Edition B of the Macdonald Genealogy. Containing Records of the Descendants of Jesse Peter, One of the Pioneer Settlers Near Mackville, Washington County, Kentucky; Together With A Few Remarks on the Early History of the Peter Family, and Whatever Other Information of Value Concerning This Branch of the Name Could Be Collected Up to Feb. 25, 1880; Author: McDonald, Frank V. (Frank Virgil), 1852-1897 ↩︎
  7. Find a Grave, database and images (https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/144482560/frank-swift: accessed February 21, 2026), memorial page for Frank Swift (30 Oct 1847–6 Jan 1877), Find a Grave Memorial ID 144482560, citing Woodlawn Memorial Park, Colma, San Mateo County, California, USA; Maintained by Douglas Robinson (contributor 46999364). ↩︎

Heirloom Highlight: the Camellia Dishes

Posted on by spuddled

This week’s theme is a slight departure from the usual doom and gloom. Don’t worry, I’m sure we’ll be back to the depressing soon enough. But first, I wanted to incorporate a theme intended to explore some of the many heirlooms with which I am surrounded. To my knowledge, none of the heirlooms have significant monetary value, but all are priceless.

For our first Heirloom Highlight, I’m taking a closer look at a set of dishes I inherited from Grandma Hoffmann. The “Camellia Dishes” are a set that Grandma had for as long as I can remember and always brought out for holiday dinners. Mom, also, when I interviewed her and Dad based on questions found in To Our Children’s Children by Bob Greene and D.G. Fulford, included the camellia dishes as one of her memories of her childhood kitchen, noting Grandma had had the dishes “for a long time.” The earliest photos I’ve found of the dishes (so far) are from 1970. Here is one taken before digging in to the holiday meal, and one after. Grandma seems very startled in the latter.

I don’t know exactly when Grandma acquired the dishes, nor whether she purchased the entire set at once or piece-by-piece over time, but I have learned something of their general history. A quick reverse image search of the maker’s mark led me to the W. S. George Pottery Company and the (sure enough) Camellia pattern, which often used the Bolero shape. The Bolero shape refers to scalloped edging that appears on some of the pieces.

The W. S. George Pottery Company was founded in 1904, with plants eventually in East Palestine, Ohio, and in Canonsburg and Kittanning, Pennsylvania. The company would close in 1960 after having gone bankrupt in 1955.1 Vintage ads for W. S. George wares can be found on the Laurel Hollow Park website; these include other patterns using the Bolero shape, but not our friend the Camellia. Etsy, eBay, and Replacements.com all include Camellia dishes for sale, but I don’t think any new additions could compare to the originals that have been used by family over the years. Not to mention I don’t think there’s much room left in the china cabinet.

  1. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/W._S._George_Pottery_Company ↩︎

Morbid Curiosity: The Tragic Death of Edith Baker, et al.

Posted on by spuddled

This week’s theme is “Morbid Curiosity,” although doesn’t that really describe most of these entries? Anyway, our focus for this one is Edith Elizabeth Baker, my fourth cousin twice removed. Born in Little Rock, Arkansas, on 13 November 1922, she was the third great-granddaughter of my fifth great-grandparents, John and Mary (Simpkins) Furrow. She was the third child of Horace Madison and Rebecca “Beckie” (Reeves) Baker, with older sisters Hazel Marie and Florence Marguerite. When Edith was born, her father was 42 and a fireman; her mother was 28. She was born at home, at 306 S Woodrow Street in Little Rock.1

In 1930 the family was enumerated in the same house on Woodrow Street. Horace was listed as a railroad engineer, 48 years old. “Rebeca” was 38, Hazel 12, Florence 9, and Edith 7.2 The tragedy that struck the family came six months later; information can be gleaned from newspaper articles as well as Edith’s death certificate. The latter notes her date of death as 15 October 1930 and states she died at 5th and Booker Streets in Little Rock, the result of an automobile accident. The certificate also notes that an inquisition was held, and that Edith was buried on 17 October at Roselawn Cemetery.3

A more detailed account of the accident is provided by contemporary newspaper articles. The Jonesboro [Arkansas] Evening Sun of 16 October 1930 describes how Edith and her father were walking next to the curb on a street which had no sidewalk. Drivers of two cars, approaching at an intersection, realized they were about to collide, and swerved. The cars struck one another and spun. One of the cars pinned Horace and Edith against a telephone pole. Edith’s head and chest were crushed, while her father’s left leg, collar bone, and possibly his skull, were fractured. He had still not regained consciousness by the time the article went to press.

The drivers, along with witnesses including one physician, tended to the wounded, although Edith was dead on arrival at the Baptist State Hospital. The news article revealed also that the driver whose car pinned Horace and Edith against the telephone pole was J. E. Garrison, a Little Rock Police Department patrolman, and the driver of the other car was D. R. Fones, secretary of the Little Rock School Board. Patrolman Garrison was immediately suspended pending further review, and both men were released on a $1000 bond, charged with manslaughter. The investigation appears to have proceeded quickly. By 18 October, three days after Edith’s death, the Southwest American of Fort Smith, Arkansas, was reporting that both Garrison and Fones had been exonerated of criminal negligence.

Life went on for the Baker family, as it does, though there is still more tragedy to come. Still in Little Rock in 1940 in the house on S Woodrow, the household consisted of Horace, Rebecca, and Florence, along with nieces Marjorie and Maxine Baker, and a granddaughter named Reba Sue Baker.4 Reba, as we shall see, was the daughter of eldest daughter Hazel, though I’m not sure where Hazel was in 1940 or 1950. By 1950 the household had shrunk once more, now consisting just of Horace, Rebecca, and their granddaughter, now listed by her full name, Rebecca Sue.5 Interestingly, they are still at the same address, which means either this Zillow record is incorrect, or the Baker family had a new house built in 1945 to replace the one they’d lived in since at least 1922.

Horace would live another six years, dying on 26 April 1956 of uremia and hypertensive cardiovascular disease.6 His wife died 30 March 1963 of coronary thrombosis and coronary sclerosis (at least I think that’s what it says).7 Returning to the vanishing Hazel, though I haven’t found her marriage record, I did find a record of her divorce from a J. C. Camp on in November 1950. The decree notes that no children were affected by the decree, suggesting Rebecca was not his daughter.8

Nine years after the divorce, the second tragedy would strike, but the groundwork was laid in 1952. On 3 January of that year in Faulkner, Arkansas, Rebecca (the younger) married Jimmie R. Scott. She was 18, and he was 22.9 The following year the young couple had a daughter, Sue Ellen.10 Daughter Norma Jo was born sometime around the middle of 1957, and Charlotte Jean followed around September 1958. Apparently it was not a happy household, however, as by January 1959 Rebecca had filed for divorce, with Jimmie also seeking custody of the children. Again, details are provided by newspaper and death records.

On 5 January Jimmie, Rebecca, Sue Ellen, and Charlotte were in downtown Little Rock. Norma does not appear to have been with them. The foursome had visited a doctor’s office in “the busy Donaghey Building.” Jimmie left the doctor’s office first, then waited for Rebecca, who was carrying Charlotte, in a stairwell. When Rebecca reached him, her estranged husband pushed her into the stairwell, pulled out a gun and began firing at Rebecca before turning the gun on himself. Luckily, neither Sue Ellen nor Charlotte were physically injured, although both witnessed the attack.11

Rebecca’s death certificate, which lists her father as a Bob Camp, notes her cause of death as “Gun shot wound of chest and head,” noting she lived “a very few moments” after the shooting, and listing the manner of death as homicide by her estranged husband.12 Jimmy’s death certificate notes his manner of death as suicide. The two were buried in two different cemeteries.13 Hazel would outlive her murdered daughter by 17 years, dying at age 58 of an acute coronary occlusion.14

What of the remaining child of Horace and Rebecca (the elder)? Florence was married on 14 May 1945 to Paul S. Thurston.15 On Halloween of that year Paul enlisted at Wright Field in Dayton, Ohio, and by 1950 Paul and Florence, along with daughter Janice and son James, were living at Fort Bliss Air Force Base in El Paso.16 17 Another daughter, Patty, would later join the family. Florence and Paul were married for 37 years before his death in July 1982.18 Florence would die in 2003. A grandson, as well as her husband, preceded her in death; she was survived by her three children, two grandsons, and a chihuahua named Tia Maria.19

  1. Arkansas Department of Health, Vital Records Section; Little Rock, AR, USA; Birth Certificates; Year: 1922 ↩︎
  2. Year: 1930; Census Place: Little Rock, Pulaski, Arkansas; Page: 41A; Enumeration District: 0033; FHL microfilm: 2339827 ↩︎
  3. Arkansas Department of Vital Records; Little Rock, Arkansas; Death Certificates; Year: 1930; Roll: 5 ↩︎
  4. Year: 1940; Census Place: Little Rock, Pulaski, Arkansas; Roll: m-t0627-00168; Page: 18B; Enumeration District: 60-63 ↩︎
  5. National Archives at Washington, DC; Washington, D.C.; Seventeenth Census of the United States, 1950; Year: 1950; Census Place: Little Rock, Pulaski, Arkansas; Roll: 1818; Page: 13; Enumeration District: 77-107 ↩︎
  6. Arkansas Department of Vital Records; Little Rock, Arkansas; Death Certificates; Year: 1956; Roll: 2 ↩︎
  7. Arkansas Department of Vital Records; Little Rock, Arkansas; Death Certificates; Year: 1963 ↩︎
  8. Arkansas Department of Vital Records; Little Rock, Arkansas; Divorces; Year: 1950; Film Number: 4 ↩︎
  9. Arkansas Department of Vital Records; Little Rock, Arkansas; Marriage Certificates; Year: 1952; Film: #6 ↩︎
  10. Pulaski County Clerk; Little Rock, Arkansas; Marriage Records ↩︎
  11. Hope [Arkansas] Star, 6 January 1959, pg. 8 ↩︎
  12. Arkansas Department of Vital Records; Little Rock, Arkansas; Death Certificates; Year: 1959; Roll: 1 ↩︎
  13. Arkansas Department of Vital Records; Little Rock, Arkansas; Death Certificates; Year: 1959; Roll: 1 ↩︎
  14. Find a Grave, database and images (https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/124102775/hazel_marie-camp: accessed February 7, 2026), memorial page for Hazel Marie Baker Camp (3 Oct 1917–16 Sep 1976), Find a Grave Memorial ID 124102775, citing Bradfield Chapel Cemetery, Daingerfield, Morris County, Texas, USA; Maintained by KindredWhispers (contributor 46986453). ↩︎
  15. Pulaski County Clerk; Little Rock, Arkansas; Marriage Records ↩︎
  16. National Archives at College Park; College Park, Maryland, USA; Electronic Army Serial Number Merged File, 1938-1946; NAID: 1263923; Record Group Title: Records of the National Archives and Records Administration, 1789-ca. 2007; Record Group: 64; Box Number: 00381; Reel: 106 ↩︎
  17. National Archives at Washington, DC; Washington, D.C.; Seventeenth Census of the United States, 1950; Year: 1950; Census Place: Fort Bliss Military Reservation and Biggs Air Force Base, El Paso, Texas; Roll: 4174; Page: 78; Enumeration District: 71-13 ↩︎
  18. Social Security Administration; Washington D.C., USA; Social Security Death Index, Master File ↩︎
  19. https://www.legacy.com/us/obituaries/name/florence-thurston-obituary?id=29936340 ↩︎