If you grew up during the 1970s, you are probably like me, the first thing you think of when you hear the acronym Y. M. C. A. is the song by the Village People. Yesterday, I was checking on information for a person who married into our family and discovered he was in a building whose "roomers" extended for pages and pages in the 1920 census for Memphis, Shelby County, Tennessee.(1) When I began to investigate the address, 245 Madison, I discovered it was the Y. M. C. A. I'm not exactly sure what the building would have been like inside in 1920. I had posted a query in the Tennessee Genealogical Society's Facebook group asking if anyone knew what was at that address in 1920 only a minute or two before I found the information on my own. If I'd been more observant, I would have seen Y. M. C. A. mentioned in the description at the top of the pages by the enumerator. There's even a note that there was no "head" there because the secretary of the "Y" lived "out in town." In spite of the fact that I answered my own question, several other people posted comments about the building's history. Cindy Rodgers found a link that describes several historic buildings in Memphis including the Y. The top floors of the building have now been turned into loft-style apartments. Some of them such as this one offered for sale don't appear to be in the best of shape, but it does give one a sense of some of the architecture in the building. Others for sale, such as this one, appear to have a great view of the baseball field. There's a history of the Memphis Y available at their web site.
This is not the first time I've run across a family member/connection in a Y. I once located a distant Lantz relative in a Y. M. C. A. in Newport, Rhode Island. As in the case above, the year was 1920. In this case, John P. Lantz, the son of Samuel Lantz and Sarah Zook, was the General Secretary of the Y. M. C. A.(2)
According to the YMCA's web site, the Y. M. C. A. was founded by George Williams in London in 1844. I found it interesting that the first "Y" for college students in the United States was at Cumberland University in Lebanon, Tennessee in 1856. I guess that there's more to Lebanon than Cracker Barrel. The Y in Cincinnati, Ohio (another city where I've lived) was the first to offer ESL (English as a Second Language) classes in that same year. They offered them to the German immigrants. Sometime in the 1860s, they began to offer affordable housing to farm lads who were moving to the "big city" and needed a safe place to live. If the web site is any indication, the rooms in these facilities were similar to hotel rooms. [You can read more about the history of their services at the link at the beginning of this paragraph.]
It is obvious from the large number of persons residing in the Memphis "Y" in 1920 that the facilities met a need. The young man I was following had indeed left a rural place some 450 miles distant. He fit the demographic of the persons to whom that housing was targeted.
Was it fun to stay at the Y. M. C. A.? I guess the approximately 250 young men residing at the one in Memphis in 1920 could tell you a definitive answer to that question. In the mean time, I'll just always think of it as a place where "You can get yourself clean; you can have a good meal."(3)
Sources:
(1) 1920 U.S. Federal Census, Shelby County, Tennessee, population schedule, Memphis, Ward 4, SD 10, ED 83, p. 89 (stamped), sheet 5A (written), entry for O. W. McClure, dwelling 29, line 48; digital image, Ancestry.com (http://www.ancestry.com : 29 June 2013); citing NARA microfilm publication T625, roll 1763. The enumeration of the YMCA begins on page 4A and continues through page 6B.
(2) 1920 U.S. Federal Census., Newport County, Rhode Island, population schedule, Newport Town, ED 52, sheet 17A (written), John P. Lantz household, dwelling 261, family 256, line
44; digital image, Ancestry.com (http://www.ancestry.com : 4 Jan 2003); citing NARA microfilm publication T625, roll 1670.
(3) "Y. M. C. A.", from Village People, Cruisin' (New York: Casablanca, 1978), lyrics by Henri Belolo, Jacques Morali, and Victor Willis.
Sunday, June 30, 2013
Saturday, June 29, 2013
Thoughts on Research and Sensitive Information
During the past week, I've uncovered a couple of family stories involving persons who married into the family which may have been sensitive. In one case, I chose to publish the results to the blog. No children of that person remained alive. I was hoping to find the story of his first family from their descendants. In the second case, the children of the person was alive, and I saw no reason to publish the information to receive additional leads. I've verified the information that I found shocking although there are still a couple of records I can obtain which are not available digitally which may further tell the story.
I think I've questioned myself a half-million times about whether or not I did the right thing in the first case, but I'm fairly comfortable with my decision. It's probably the only chance I have of making contact with descendents.
In the second case, I'm also very comfortable with my decision to not tell the story. I have written it up with documentation for the individual's children. It will also rest in my genealogy software. It's up to his children to tell the story publicly if they so desire.
Have you uncovered sensitive information such as this in your own research? How did you handle it?
I think I've questioned myself a half-million times about whether or not I did the right thing in the first case, but I'm fairly comfortable with my decision. It's probably the only chance I have of making contact with descendents.
In the second case, I'm also very comfortable with my decision to not tell the story. I have written it up with documentation for the individual's children. It will also rest in my genealogy software. It's up to his children to tell the story publicly if they so desire.
Have you uncovered sensitive information such as this in your own research? How did you handle it?
Friday, June 28, 2013
Abe's Widow Vivian
One of my grandfather's brothers was a schoolteacher. Abraham Lowden Lantz, Jr. first taught at the Amish School (sometimes called the Lantz School) near Gibson, Monroe County, Mississippi. The Amish settlement there lasted only from about 1896 to 1907. Abe is no longer living with the family by the 1910 census, and I've been unable to locate him using a variety of strategies in that census. His father deeded him land 27 Dec 1909(1) which he sold on 21 Apr 1914.(2) He married Anna Vivian Anderson in Waco, McLennan, Texas on 25 June 1914(3) only a short time after selling the land, and my mother believed he met her in Arkansas or Texas. Abe died during the influenza epidemic of 1918 on 8 Oct 1918.(4) I should probably add that the order of her name is uncertain. In the 1900 census, she is called Anna V. and her date of birth is given as June 1887,(5) and it is based upon this census that I have derived the name order. In the 1910 census, which is prior to her marriage, she is called Vivian A.(6) In most records after her marriage, she is called Vivian A., but the "A" in those cases likely refers to her maiden name.
I wanted to discover what had happened to his widow. Mom thought she'd heard that she'd moved to New York to be near family, but when I began researching, I discovered that she was living with her mother Nannie C. Anderson in Denver, Colorado at 1580 Detroit.(7) A quick check of city directories shows that Vivian is present in the 1920 through 1923 directories and is missing in the 1924 one, although her mother remains at that address.(8) I have been unable to locate her after this time. I assume that she probably got married in either 1923 or 1924; however, I've been unable to locate Denver County marriage indexes or images from this time period online. Attempts to creatively locate her using various strategies have failed. It appears that Colorado marriages, specifically Denver County ones, from that period have not been microfilmed so as to be available at the Family History Library and in Family History Centers. I've even tried searching the SSDI with Vivian as the name and June 1887 as the birth date without any prospects that continue to look promising after brief follow-ups. I guess I'll eventually have to make a trip to Colorado if I'm to solve this mystery.
Sources
(1) Monroe County, Mississippi, Deed Record, Book 73, p. 139. The land is described as: Beginning at the North East Corner of Section (33) Thirty three and of Township (14) Fourteen of Range (6) six East thence south with said Section line 35 chains and 28 Links to a stake, Thence due West seven chains and seventy links to a stake, thence north 5 chains and sixty five Links to a stake, thence West 21 chains and 35 Links to a stake, thence North 29 chains and 63 Links to a stake on the section line, thence East along section line 27 chains to beginning point, containing eighty four and 34/00 acres (84 34/00) more or less. And intended and shall convey the land bought of Eli Yoder see Book 58 page 410 for Deed of said Yoder to said Lantz to which reference is here made.
(2) Monroe County, Mississippi, Deed Record, Book 76, p. 374.
(3) "Texas, Marriages, 1837-1973," index, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.1.1/FXSM-V2W : accessed 28 Jun 2013), A. L. Lantz and Vivian Anderson, 25 Jun 1914.
(4) Abe Lowden Lantz tombstone, State Line Cemetery, Texarkana, Ark. (Photographed by Allen Lantz (104 St. Augustine Dr., Long Beach, MS 39560), April 2002. Also visited and photographed by Lori Thornton, 21 May 2002.).
(5) 1900 U.S. Federal Census, HenryCounty, Missouri, population schedule, Bogard Twp., Blairstown Village, SD 6, ED 76, p.33 (stamped), Francis H. Anderson household, dwelling 26, family 26; digital image, Ancestry.com (http://www.ancestry.com : about 2002); citing NARA micropublication T623, roll 858.
(6) 1910 U S. Federal Census, Young County, Texas, population schedule, Graham, Pct 1, North Ward, SD 13, ED 266, p. 137 (stamped), sheet 2B (written), Nannie C. Anderson household, dwelling 29, family 29; digital image, Heritage Quest (http://www.heritagequest.com : about 2002); citing NARA micropublication T624, roll 1595.
(7) 1920 U. S. Federal Census, Denver County, Colorado, population schedule, Denver, SD 1, ED 241, sheet 4A (written), Frank L. Mosher household, 1580 Detroit St., dwelling 83, family 88; digital image, Ancestry.com (http://www.ancestry.com : accessed about 2002); citing NARA micropublication T625, roll 162.
(8) U.S. City Directories, 1821-1989, digital images, Ancestry.com (http://www.ancestry.com : 27 Sep 2013); Denver, Colorado, City Directory, 1920, entry for Mrs. Vivian Anderson Lantz, p. 1401; Denver, Colorado, City Directory, 1921, entry for Mrs. Vivian Lantz, p. 1328 and for Vivian A. Lands, p. 1324; Denver, Colorado, City Directory, 1922, entry for Mrs. Vivian A. Lantz, p. 1388; Denver, Colorado, City Directory, 1923, entry for Vivian A. Lantz, p. 1423; Denver, Colorado, City Directory, 1924, entry for Nannie C. Anderson, p. 539.
I wanted to discover what had happened to his widow. Mom thought she'd heard that she'd moved to New York to be near family, but when I began researching, I discovered that she was living with her mother Nannie C. Anderson in Denver, Colorado at 1580 Detroit.(7) A quick check of city directories shows that Vivian is present in the 1920 through 1923 directories and is missing in the 1924 one, although her mother remains at that address.(8) I have been unable to locate her after this time. I assume that she probably got married in either 1923 or 1924; however, I've been unable to locate Denver County marriage indexes or images from this time period online. Attempts to creatively locate her using various strategies have failed. It appears that Colorado marriages, specifically Denver County ones, from that period have not been microfilmed so as to be available at the Family History Library and in Family History Centers. I've even tried searching the SSDI with Vivian as the name and June 1887 as the birth date without any prospects that continue to look promising after brief follow-ups. I guess I'll eventually have to make a trip to Colorado if I'm to solve this mystery.
Sources
(1) Monroe County, Mississippi, Deed Record, Book 73, p. 139. The land is described as: Beginning at the North East Corner of Section (33) Thirty three and of Township (14) Fourteen of Range (6) six East thence south with said Section line 35 chains and 28 Links to a stake, Thence due West seven chains and seventy links to a stake, thence north 5 chains and sixty five Links to a stake, thence West 21 chains and 35 Links to a stake, thence North 29 chains and 63 Links to a stake on the section line, thence East along section line 27 chains to beginning point, containing eighty four and 34/00 acres (84 34/00) more or less. And intended and shall convey the land bought of Eli Yoder see Book 58 page 410 for Deed of said Yoder to said Lantz to which reference is here made.
(2) Monroe County, Mississippi, Deed Record, Book 76, p. 374.
(3) "Texas, Marriages, 1837-1973," index, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.1.1/FXSM-V2W : accessed 28 Jun 2013), A. L. Lantz and Vivian Anderson, 25 Jun 1914.
(4) Abe Lowden Lantz tombstone, State Line Cemetery, Texarkana, Ark. (Photographed by Allen Lantz (104 St. Augustine Dr., Long Beach, MS 39560), April 2002. Also visited and photographed by Lori Thornton, 21 May 2002.).
(5) 1900 U.S. Federal Census, HenryCounty, Missouri, population schedule, Bogard Twp., Blairstown Village, SD 6, ED 76, p.33 (stamped), Francis H. Anderson household, dwelling 26, family 26; digital image, Ancestry.com (http://www.ancestry.com : about 2002); citing NARA micropublication T623, roll 858.
(6) 1910 U S. Federal Census, Young County, Texas, population schedule, Graham, Pct 1, North Ward, SD 13, ED 266, p. 137 (stamped), sheet 2B (written), Nannie C. Anderson household, dwelling 29, family 29; digital image, Heritage Quest (http://www.heritagequest.com : about 2002); citing NARA micropublication T624, roll 1595.
(7) 1920 U. S. Federal Census, Denver County, Colorado, population schedule, Denver, SD 1, ED 241, sheet 4A (written), Frank L. Mosher household, 1580 Detroit St., dwelling 83, family 88; digital image, Ancestry.com (http://www.ancestry.com : accessed about 2002); citing NARA micropublication T625, roll 162.
(8) U.S. City Directories, 1821-1989, digital images, Ancestry.com (http://www.ancestry.com : 27 Sep 2013); Denver, Colorado, City Directory, 1920, entry for Mrs. Vivian Anderson Lantz, p. 1401; Denver, Colorado, City Directory, 1921, entry for Mrs. Vivian Lantz, p. 1328 and for Vivian A. Lands, p. 1324; Denver, Colorado, City Directory, 1922, entry for Mrs. Vivian A. Lantz, p. 1388; Denver, Colorado, City Directory, 1923, entry for Vivian A. Lantz, p. 1423; Denver, Colorado, City Directory, 1924, entry for Nannie C. Anderson, p. 539.
Thursday, June 27, 2013
A Shocking Discovery
Have you ever made a discovery that really surprised you? I did that yesterday as I was researching one of my grandfather's sisters yesterday. What was the shocking discovery? That her husband had been previously married and divorced. Obviously our family did a good job covering up that bit of information. I honestly don't believe that my Mom ever knew it. She never mentioned it, and she wasn't the type to hold back information. In fact, she would often tell me stuff she knew other people in the family sometimes wanted to cover up. Since Mom is gone, I decided to call my Dad to see what he knew about the situation. I shocked him too. He also believes Mom never knew anything about it.
Emma Lantz was born 10 Feb 1881 in McLean County, Illinois. The family moved to Monroe County, Mississippi in 1896 with an Amish settlement. My great-grandfather Abraham Lantz had left the Amish church and had married a Methodist woman, Laura Lucy Taylor. The attended the Christian Church in their community and continued to worship with the Christian Church after moving to Mississippi. However, it is apparent that he maintained ties with the Amish as he came to Mississippi with the failed settlement in Gibson, Monroe County, Mississippi. His son Abe actually taught in the Amish school. It is frequently referred to as the Lantz School in county histories. Emma married Harry Eugene Hosmer (born 1871 in LaSalle County, Wisconsin) on 23 Aug 1905 in Monroe County, Mississippi.(1) I knew that they had lived in Telfair County, Georgia, and I had at least one of the census records for them before yesterday. It was a systematic review of my data that made me realize that this was not his first marriage.
It was the 1910 census(2) that tipped me off:
Hosmer, Hary E., head, M, W, 38, M2, 4, Wisc., NY, NY, machinist
--, Irma M., wife, F, W, 28, M1, Ill., Pa., Pa.
--, John E., son, M, W, 11, --, MS, MS, MS
That was a bit inconclusive. Why did it say John's father was born in Mississippi while Harry was born in Wisconsin? Emma's name was incorrect, as well as the locations where her parents were born. (Her father was born in Ohio, and her mother was born in Illinois. Her paternal grandparents, however, were both born in Pennsylvania.) Was John perhaps adopted? However, Harry had definitely been married previously according to this census.
I decided to keep following the family through on the census before backing up to find his first marriage. The 1920 census revealed a brother, DeWit C. Hosmer, living with Harry & Emma in Helena, Telfair County, Georgia.(3)
I found Harry and Emma living in Miami, Florida according to the 1925 and 1928 Miami City Directories.(4)(5) He was in the grocery business at the time. Incidentally, there is also a Eugene in the 1925 directory who is a carpenter. [This will be important later.]
By 1930, they are back in Telfair County, Georgia, just outside of Helena, where they are residing with and working for William N. Barrows on his farm.(6) [Their ages are drastically incorrect in this census, but it has to be them.]
It took me awhile to locate them in the 1940 census, but I finally located them at 227 College Avenue in Douglas, Coffee County, Georgia, where Emma is listed as head of household and Harry is "absent."(7) They apparently lived in Eastman, Dodge County, Georgia in 1935.
It was now time to go back and find an earlier marriage for Harry. I found it in Clay County, Mississippi, which is adjacent to Monroe County. In fact, the part of Monroe County in which Emma Lantz, his second wife, lived is almost adjacent to the Clay County line so this was not a surprising place. He married "Essia Coleson" on 20 Feb 1898 there.(8) Her name appears to have actually been Essie, so this was likely a transcription error in the database. One other comment about the database is that I would not be surprised if this is not the date that the certificate was issued rather than the date of the actual marriage. I need to either go to the courthouse in West Point or have my nephew who lives in West Point do that for me to obtain a copy from the marriage books. I have been unable to locate Harry, Essie, and John in the 1900 census.
Since John E. was living with his father and step-mother, I wanted to assume that Harry was a widower when he married Emma, but I know we can never assume anything so I began to search for Essie Coleson's name.
My first piece of information came via the American Genealogical and Biographical Index (AGBI). I found an entry referring to a 1916 family history which I was able to locate full-text online. The entry for Harry Eugene Hosmer reads:
Let's analyze this. Harry was living in Birmingham, Alabama, at the time the information for the book was collected. This was a location which I did not previously have. The information was presumably collected before August 1905 since Harry married Emma Lantz then, and she would have appeared in the narrative. If the information was collected after August 1905, the submitter did not know about Harry's second marriage. Harry and Essie had a second child that I had not found in censuses with Harry. There is no indication that Essie died in childbirth or that Hazel Nellie is deceased. It's now time to see if I can find Essie and Hazel in other censuses.
I was able to find them in the 1920 census where they are living in a boardinghouse type of establishment in ward 20 of St. Louis, Missouri. The head of the household is Clarence Greenlaw. There is a rather long list of boarders, both male and female, and from a variety of occupations in the household.
Hosmer, Hazel, lodger, F, W, 18, S, MS, WI, IL, waitress, hospital
Hosmer, Essie, lodger, F, W, 39, D, IL, IL, IL, trainer, millinery(10)
Until I discovered this entry, I did not know for sure whether Essie may have died before 1905 or if she and Harry had divorced. I did not know for certain that Hazel had survived childhood.
I began to try to find them in the 1910 census and failed. I decided to try some of the online trees for clues. A few of them provided an undocumented claim that Essie (aka Esther Mills Coleson) married Eugene Hollingsworth on 8 May 1905 in Dallas, Tarrant County, Texas. I continued to try to locate Essie and Hazel with this new surname in the 1910 census, but I have come up empty thus far in my efforts. I have not located an online indexed record to support the marriage date in Dallas, but I have also not looked beyond the basic indexes available at Ancestry.com and FamilySearch, so there may be some others out there. What is interesting is that Essie must have divorced a second time and began using the Hosmer surname again before 1920. It may have been easier for her to use her to bear the same last name as her daughter.
Another interesting thing is that John E. Hosmer seems to transform into Harry E. Hosmer, Jr. In 1920, he is boarding at 1907 Reynolds Street in Brunswick, Glynn County, Georgia with a Peerson family. His occupation is listed as a pipe fitter with the oil refinery.(11)
By 1930, he is married and still living in Glynn County.(12)
Hosmer, Harry E., head, O, 1500, M, W, 30, M, 24, Miss., Wisc., Wisc., carpenter-house
--, Lola C., wife-H, F, W, 27, M, 21, Ga., Ga., Ga., none
--, Constance E., dau, F, W, 5, S, Fla., Miss., Ga., none
--, Harry E., III, son, M, W, 3/12, S, Ga., Miss., Ga., none
Holtzendorff, Betty G. T., mother-in-law, F, W, 70, wd, 18, Ga., Ga., Ga., none
The fact that a daughter was born in Florida around 1924 or 1925 supports him being the Eugene living in Miami, Florida in 1925.
I have not continued to follow Harry E., Jr., except to locate multiple sources to verify his death on 21 Dec 1973 in Glynn County, Georgia(13) and burial in the Palmetto Cemetery in Brunswick in that county.(14)
I would love to know what happened to Harry's first wife Essie and to his daughter Hazel. I'm simply fascinated with the story because it was an untold story in our family, even though it only concerned my mom's uncle by marriage. Divorce was not as common prior to 1905. Knowing our family, I'm surprised that Emma would have married a divorced man. There also appears to be a second divorce for Essie (if I can verify that 1905 marriage in Texas).
I've got additional work to do on this, but it certainly got my attention.
Disclaimer: I do not pretend that these citations all follow Evidence Explained exactly. They are close and were mostly done off the top of my head rather than by checking the manual which I would have done for a more formal report.
Sources:
(1) Monroe County Mississippi Marriages (1821-1921). (s.l.: s.n, n.d.), Vol. 2, p. 341. Note: A copy of the marriage record from the circuit clerk's marriage books is in my possession. I need to dig it out and enter it in my software.
(2) 1910 U.S. Federal Census, Telfair County, Georgia, population schedule, Helena, SD 11, ED 164, p. 269 (stamped), sheet 4B (written), Hary E. Hosmer household, dwelling 72, family 72, lines 95-97; digital image, Ancestry.com (http://www.ancestry.com : 26 Jun 2013); citing NARA microfilm publication T624, roll 212.
(3) 1920 U.S. Federal Census, Telfair County, Georgia, population schedule, Helena, SD 12, ED 114, p. 273 (stamped), sheet 9B (written), Harry E. Hosmer household, dwelling 195, family 213, lines 86-88; digital image, Ancestry.com (http://www.ancestry.com : 26 Jun 2013); citing NARA microfilm publication T625, roll 278.
(4) Miami, Florida City Directory, 1925, p. 616, entry for Harry E. Hosmer, U.S. City Directories, 1821-1989; digital image, Ancestry.com (http://www.ancestry.com : 26 Jun 2013).
(5) Miami, Florida City Directory, 1928, p. 471, entry for Harry E. Hosmer, U.S. City Directories, 1821-1989; digital image, Ancestry.com (http://www.ancestry.com : 26 Jun 2013).
(6) 1930 U.S. Federal Census, Telfair County, Georgia, population schedule, Militia District 1530 outside Helena town, SD 11, ED 17, p. 136 (stamped), sheet 1B (written), William N. Barrows and Harry E. Hosmer households, dwelling 22, families 22 and 23, lines 91-94; digital image, Ancestry.com (http://www.ancestry.com : 26 Jun 2013); citing NARA microfilm publication T626, roll 386.
(7) 1940 U.S. Federal Census, Coffee County, Georgia, population schedule, Douglas, Twp. 148, Ward 3, Block 130, SD 8, ED 34-4, p. 50 (stamped), sheet 1A (written), Emma Hosmer household, visit 11, lines 34-35; digital image, Ancestry.com (http://www.ancestry.com : 26 Jun 2013); citing NARA microfilm publication T627, roll 659.
(8) Mississippi Marriages, 1776-1935, database, Ancestry.com (http://www.ancestry.com : 26 Jun 2013), entry for H. E. Hosmer and Essia Coleson.
(9) Cleveland Abbe and Josephine Genung Nichols, Abbe-Abbey Genealogy in Memory of John Abbe and His Descendants (New Haven, Conn.: Tuttle, Morehouse, and Taylor Co., 1916), p. 262; digital image, Open Library (http://openlibrary.org/books/OL7113056M/Abbe-Abbey_genealogy : 26 Jun 2013).
(10) 1920 U.S. Federal Census, St. Louis (Independent City), Missouri, population schedule, Ward 20, SD 183, ED 391, p. 36 (stamped), sheet 15A (written), entries for Hazel and Essie Hosmer, dwelling 262, family 247, lines 29-30; digital image, Ancestry.com (http://www.ancestry.com : 26 Jun 2013); citing NARA microfilm publication T625, roll 957.
(11) 1920 U.S. Federal Census, Glynn County, Georgia, population schedule, Brunswick, Ward 3, SD 11, ED 92, p. 117 (stamped), sheet 13B (written), entry for Harry E. Hosmer, dwelling 275, family 321, line 71; digital image, Ancestry.com (http://www.ancestry.com : 26 Jun 2013); citing NARA microfilm publication T625, roll 259.
(12) 1930 U.S. Federal Census, Glynn County, Georgia, population schedule, militia district 25, SD 16, ED 2, p. 10 (stamped), sheet 9A (written), Harry E. Hosmer household, dwelling 189, family 197, lines 29-33; digital image, Ancestry.com (http://www.ancestry.com : 26 Jun 2013); citing NARA microfilm publication T626, roll 366.
(13) Find A Grave, database and images (http://findagrave.com : accessed 26 Jun 2013), memorial page for Harry Eugene Hosmer, Jr. (1899-1973), Find a Grave Memorial no. 35558036, citing Palmetto Cemetery, Brunswick, Glynn County, Georgia; created by David Woody, 5 April 2009; also Social Security Death Index, database, Ancestry.com (http://www.ancestry.com : 26 Jun 2013), entry for Harry Hosmer, no. 257-03-6557; also Georgia Deaths, 1919-98, database, Ancestry.com (http://www.ancestry.com : 26 Jun 2013), entry for Harry E. Hosmer, certificate no. 042627; citing State of Georgia, Indexes of Vital Records for Georgia: Deaths, 1919-1998 (Atlanta, Ga.: Georgia Health Dept., Office of Vital Records, 1998).
(14) Find A Grave, database and images (http://findagrave.com : accessed 26 Jun 2013), memorial page for Harry Eugene Hosmer, Jr. (1899-1973), Find a Grave Memorial no. 35558036, citing Palmetto Cemetery, Brunswick, Glynn County, Georgia; created by David Woody, 5 April 2009.
Emma Lantz was born 10 Feb 1881 in McLean County, Illinois. The family moved to Monroe County, Mississippi in 1896 with an Amish settlement. My great-grandfather Abraham Lantz had left the Amish church and had married a Methodist woman, Laura Lucy Taylor. The attended the Christian Church in their community and continued to worship with the Christian Church after moving to Mississippi. However, it is apparent that he maintained ties with the Amish as he came to Mississippi with the failed settlement in Gibson, Monroe County, Mississippi. His son Abe actually taught in the Amish school. It is frequently referred to as the Lantz School in county histories. Emma married Harry Eugene Hosmer (born 1871 in LaSalle County, Wisconsin) on 23 Aug 1905 in Monroe County, Mississippi.(1) I knew that they had lived in Telfair County, Georgia, and I had at least one of the census records for them before yesterday. It was a systematic review of my data that made me realize that this was not his first marriage.
It was the 1910 census(2) that tipped me off:
Hosmer, Hary E., head, M, W, 38, M2, 4, Wisc., NY, NY, machinist
--, Irma M., wife, F, W, 28, M1, Ill., Pa., Pa.
--, John E., son, M, W, 11, --, MS, MS, MS
That was a bit inconclusive. Why did it say John's father was born in Mississippi while Harry was born in Wisconsin? Emma's name was incorrect, as well as the locations where her parents were born. (Her father was born in Ohio, and her mother was born in Illinois. Her paternal grandparents, however, were both born in Pennsylvania.) Was John perhaps adopted? However, Harry had definitely been married previously according to this census.
I decided to keep following the family through on the census before backing up to find his first marriage. The 1920 census revealed a brother, DeWit C. Hosmer, living with Harry & Emma in Helena, Telfair County, Georgia.(3)
I found Harry and Emma living in Miami, Florida according to the 1925 and 1928 Miami City Directories.(4)(5) He was in the grocery business at the time. Incidentally, there is also a Eugene in the 1925 directory who is a carpenter. [This will be important later.]
By 1930, they are back in Telfair County, Georgia, just outside of Helena, where they are residing with and working for William N. Barrows on his farm.(6) [Their ages are drastically incorrect in this census, but it has to be them.]
It took me awhile to locate them in the 1940 census, but I finally located them at 227 College Avenue in Douglas, Coffee County, Georgia, where Emma is listed as head of household and Harry is "absent."(7) They apparently lived in Eastman, Dodge County, Georgia in 1935.
It was now time to go back and find an earlier marriage for Harry. I found it in Clay County, Mississippi, which is adjacent to Monroe County. In fact, the part of Monroe County in which Emma Lantz, his second wife, lived is almost adjacent to the Clay County line so this was not a surprising place. He married "Essia Coleson" on 20 Feb 1898 there.(8) Her name appears to have actually been Essie, so this was likely a transcription error in the database. One other comment about the database is that I would not be surprised if this is not the date that the certificate was issued rather than the date of the actual marriage. I need to either go to the courthouse in West Point or have my nephew who lives in West Point do that for me to obtain a copy from the marriage books. I have been unable to locate Harry, Essie, and John in the 1900 census.
Since John E. was living with his father and step-mother, I wanted to assume that Harry was a widower when he married Emma, but I know we can never assume anything so I began to search for Essie Coleson's name.
My first piece of information came via the American Genealogical and Biographical Index (AGBI). I found an entry referring to a 1916 family history which I was able to locate full-text online. The entry for Harry Eugene Hosmer reads:
Harry Eugene Hosmer, b. Oct. 28, 1871; resides in Birmingham, Ala. Married at West Point, Miss., Feb. 20, 1898, Essie M. Coleson, b. Jan. 8, 1881. Children, b. at West Point: 1. John Eugene, b. Apr. 12, 1899; 2. Hazel Nellie, b. Mar. 17, 1901.(9)
Let's analyze this. Harry was living in Birmingham, Alabama, at the time the information for the book was collected. This was a location which I did not previously have. The information was presumably collected before August 1905 since Harry married Emma Lantz then, and she would have appeared in the narrative. If the information was collected after August 1905, the submitter did not know about Harry's second marriage. Harry and Essie had a second child that I had not found in censuses with Harry. There is no indication that Essie died in childbirth or that Hazel Nellie is deceased. It's now time to see if I can find Essie and Hazel in other censuses.
I was able to find them in the 1920 census where they are living in a boardinghouse type of establishment in ward 20 of St. Louis, Missouri. The head of the household is Clarence Greenlaw. There is a rather long list of boarders, both male and female, and from a variety of occupations in the household.
Hosmer, Hazel, lodger, F, W, 18, S, MS, WI, IL, waitress, hospital
Hosmer, Essie, lodger, F, W, 39, D, IL, IL, IL, trainer, millinery(10)
Until I discovered this entry, I did not know for sure whether Essie may have died before 1905 or if she and Harry had divorced. I did not know for certain that Hazel had survived childhood.
I began to try to find them in the 1910 census and failed. I decided to try some of the online trees for clues. A few of them provided an undocumented claim that Essie (aka Esther Mills Coleson) married Eugene Hollingsworth on 8 May 1905 in Dallas, Tarrant County, Texas. I continued to try to locate Essie and Hazel with this new surname in the 1910 census, but I have come up empty thus far in my efforts. I have not located an online indexed record to support the marriage date in Dallas, but I have also not looked beyond the basic indexes available at Ancestry.com and FamilySearch, so there may be some others out there. What is interesting is that Essie must have divorced a second time and began using the Hosmer surname again before 1920. It may have been easier for her to use her to bear the same last name as her daughter.
Another interesting thing is that John E. Hosmer seems to transform into Harry E. Hosmer, Jr. In 1920, he is boarding at 1907 Reynolds Street in Brunswick, Glynn County, Georgia with a Peerson family. His occupation is listed as a pipe fitter with the oil refinery.(11)
By 1930, he is married and still living in Glynn County.(12)
Hosmer, Harry E., head, O, 1500, M, W, 30, M, 24, Miss., Wisc., Wisc., carpenter-house
--, Lola C., wife-H, F, W, 27, M, 21, Ga., Ga., Ga., none
--, Constance E., dau, F, W, 5, S, Fla., Miss., Ga., none
--, Harry E., III, son, M, W, 3/12, S, Ga., Miss., Ga., none
Holtzendorff, Betty G. T., mother-in-law, F, W, 70, wd, 18, Ga., Ga., Ga., none
The fact that a daughter was born in Florida around 1924 or 1925 supports him being the Eugene living in Miami, Florida in 1925.
I have not continued to follow Harry E., Jr., except to locate multiple sources to verify his death on 21 Dec 1973 in Glynn County, Georgia(13) and burial in the Palmetto Cemetery in Brunswick in that county.(14)
I would love to know what happened to Harry's first wife Essie and to his daughter Hazel. I'm simply fascinated with the story because it was an untold story in our family, even though it only concerned my mom's uncle by marriage. Divorce was not as common prior to 1905. Knowing our family, I'm surprised that Emma would have married a divorced man. There also appears to be a second divorce for Essie (if I can verify that 1905 marriage in Texas).
I've got additional work to do on this, but it certainly got my attention.
Disclaimer: I do not pretend that these citations all follow Evidence Explained exactly. They are close and were mostly done off the top of my head rather than by checking the manual which I would have done for a more formal report.
Sources:
(1) Monroe County Mississippi Marriages (1821-1921). (s.l.: s.n, n.d.), Vol. 2, p. 341. Note: A copy of the marriage record from the circuit clerk's marriage books is in my possession. I need to dig it out and enter it in my software.
(2) 1910 U.S. Federal Census, Telfair County, Georgia, population schedule, Helena, SD 11, ED 164, p. 269 (stamped), sheet 4B (written), Hary E. Hosmer household, dwelling 72, family 72, lines 95-97; digital image, Ancestry.com (http://www.ancestry.com : 26 Jun 2013); citing NARA microfilm publication T624, roll 212.
(3) 1920 U.S. Federal Census, Telfair County, Georgia, population schedule, Helena, SD 12, ED 114, p. 273 (stamped), sheet 9B (written), Harry E. Hosmer household, dwelling 195, family 213, lines 86-88; digital image, Ancestry.com (http://www.ancestry.com : 26 Jun 2013); citing NARA microfilm publication T625, roll 278.
(4) Miami, Florida City Directory, 1925, p. 616, entry for Harry E. Hosmer, U.S. City Directories, 1821-1989; digital image, Ancestry.com (http://www.ancestry.com : 26 Jun 2013).
(5) Miami, Florida City Directory, 1928, p. 471, entry for Harry E. Hosmer, U.S. City Directories, 1821-1989; digital image, Ancestry.com (http://www.ancestry.com : 26 Jun 2013).
(6) 1930 U.S. Federal Census, Telfair County, Georgia, population schedule, Militia District 1530 outside Helena town, SD 11, ED 17, p. 136 (stamped), sheet 1B (written), William N. Barrows and Harry E. Hosmer households, dwelling 22, families 22 and 23, lines 91-94; digital image, Ancestry.com (http://www.ancestry.com : 26 Jun 2013); citing NARA microfilm publication T626, roll 386.
(7) 1940 U.S. Federal Census, Coffee County, Georgia, population schedule, Douglas, Twp. 148, Ward 3, Block 130, SD 8, ED 34-4, p. 50 (stamped), sheet 1A (written), Emma Hosmer household, visit 11, lines 34-35; digital image, Ancestry.com (http://www.ancestry.com : 26 Jun 2013); citing NARA microfilm publication T627, roll 659.
(8) Mississippi Marriages, 1776-1935, database, Ancestry.com (http://www.ancestry.com : 26 Jun 2013), entry for H. E. Hosmer and Essia Coleson.
(9) Cleveland Abbe and Josephine Genung Nichols, Abbe-Abbey Genealogy in Memory of John Abbe and His Descendants (New Haven, Conn.: Tuttle, Morehouse, and Taylor Co., 1916), p. 262; digital image, Open Library (http://openlibrary.org/books/OL7113056M/Abbe-Abbey_genealogy : 26 Jun 2013).
(10) 1920 U.S. Federal Census, St. Louis (Independent City), Missouri, population schedule, Ward 20, SD 183, ED 391, p. 36 (stamped), sheet 15A (written), entries for Hazel and Essie Hosmer, dwelling 262, family 247, lines 29-30; digital image, Ancestry.com (http://www.ancestry.com : 26 Jun 2013); citing NARA microfilm publication T625, roll 957.
(11) 1920 U.S. Federal Census, Glynn County, Georgia, population schedule, Brunswick, Ward 3, SD 11, ED 92, p. 117 (stamped), sheet 13B (written), entry for Harry E. Hosmer, dwelling 275, family 321, line 71; digital image, Ancestry.com (http://www.ancestry.com : 26 Jun 2013); citing NARA microfilm publication T625, roll 259.
(12) 1930 U.S. Federal Census, Glynn County, Georgia, population schedule, militia district 25, SD 16, ED 2, p. 10 (stamped), sheet 9A (written), Harry E. Hosmer household, dwelling 189, family 197, lines 29-33; digital image, Ancestry.com (http://www.ancestry.com : 26 Jun 2013); citing NARA microfilm publication T626, roll 366.
(13) Find A Grave, database and images (http://findagrave.com : accessed 26 Jun 2013), memorial page for Harry Eugene Hosmer, Jr. (1899-1973), Find a Grave Memorial no. 35558036, citing Palmetto Cemetery, Brunswick, Glynn County, Georgia; created by David Woody, 5 April 2009; also Social Security Death Index, database, Ancestry.com (http://www.ancestry.com : 26 Jun 2013), entry for Harry Hosmer, no. 257-03-6557; also Georgia Deaths, 1919-98, database, Ancestry.com (http://www.ancestry.com : 26 Jun 2013), entry for Harry E. Hosmer, certificate no. 042627; citing State of Georgia, Indexes of Vital Records for Georgia: Deaths, 1919-1998 (Atlanta, Ga.: Georgia Health Dept., Office of Vital Records, 1998).
(14) Find A Grave, database and images (http://findagrave.com : accessed 26 Jun 2013), memorial page for Harry Eugene Hosmer, Jr. (1899-1973), Find a Grave Memorial no. 35558036, citing Palmetto Cemetery, Brunswick, Glynn County, Georgia; created by David Woody, 5 April 2009.
Wednesday, June 26, 2013
Brick Wall: Thomas Duke
Today's blog post is about one of my brick wall ancestors. It's also a product of the beginnings of a review of the information I have on this family. I have noted in here gaps in my database because of old software and never going back systematically to review information as well as changes in my research methodology from a genealogical newbie to more recent years. Some of my comments are in the footnotes.
Thomas Duke was born 3 May 1828 in Virginia according to his tombstone which was is located in Greenbriar Cemetery in Becker, Monroe County, Mississippi. According to family tradition, he was the son of Benjamin Duke and his wife ______ Parker. He is said to have been orphaned when he came to Monroe County, Mississippi, allegedly with a Knowles family. There are family stories which indicate he spent some time working with the tobacco industry in North Carolina before coming to Mississippi. He served for the Confederacy in the Monroe Guards. His widow Malinda applied for a pension in 1900 from the state of Mississippi. (1) He married Nancy Malinda Allred 15 Aug 1867 in Monroe County, Mississippi.(2) (The original tombstone reads "Thomas Duke & wife. In the years since I first began doing genealogy, a cousin has erected a second tombstone which has her name as "Nora Malinda Allred Duke Rogers"; however, I have come across absolutely no evidence that her name was Nora. She went by the name Malinda. The 1910 U.S. Federal Census shows her name as "Nancy M."(3) An article by a member of the Rogers family indicates her name was Nancy Melinda Duke, a widow, when she married John Rogers after Thomas' death.(4) I have contacted this cousin, who also wrote an article which appears in Monroe County: A Pictorial History using the name "Nora," asking her for her source for the name Nora. I have received no response.) Allegedly, his oldest daughter, my great grandmother Berniece Estelle "Bennie" Duke was named in honor of his father, Benjamin. That is why she was called Bennie. His oldest son was James Parker Duke. The James came from Nancy's father James. The Parker is supposed to have been Thomas' mother's maiden name. Although I'll leave the documentation of these persons for possible future blog posts, the children of Thomas and Malinda are:
1. Berniece Estelle "Bennie" Duke (Jul 1868-15 Jun 1949); married Andrew Capus "Cape" Thornton
2. Martha Virginia "Virgie" Duke (16 Dec 1870-17 Jan 1956); married William Richmond Moss
3. James Parker "Jim" Duke (12 Feb 1873-1 Sep 1971); married Electa Bristoe/Bristol
4. Joseph Thomas "Joe" Duke (3 Jan 1876-6 Jul 1960); married Mary Catherine Conwill
5. Myrtis Duke (9 Jul 1883-24 Mar 1976); married Egburt Green Betts, Jr.
Thomas Duke died 18 May 1894 in Monroe County, Mississippi (according to his tombstone).
Needless to say I have not yet performed a reasonably exhaustive search for Thomas' parents. I need to get the Confederate Pension application file as I have only the index. I may have it somewhere in a folder or in a notebook, but it's not in my database. Searching all of Virginia and North Carolina will be a major task. I'm hoping that some of the wonderful online resources we now have may prove helpful in this search. Years ago I did find a Benjamin Duke in Nansemond County, Virginia who was living at the right time to have been Thomas' father, and there were Parker families in the area. I have not yet located any records showing Thomas was placed under anyone's care as an orphan in Virginia or North Carolina, but I have only researched in a few counties (and some of those searches were done before I completely documented where I had searched, although I may still have some notes of sources with check marks in that old Duke notebook that I need to dig out).
Sources:
(1) Betty C. Wiltshire, Mississippi Confederate Pension Applications, A-G. (Carrollton, Miss.: Pioneer Pub. Co., n.d.), p. 250.
(2) Monroe County Mississippi Marriages (1821-1921). 4 vols. (s.l.: s.n, n.d.), Vol. 2, p. 149. Note: This is a name and date index of marriages in Monroe County that is held at the Evans Memorial Library in Aberdeen, Mississippi. I have a copy of the recorded marriage from the circuit clerk's marriage volumes in a notebook in a closet that I don't feel like digging out at the moment. I obviously need to add that better source to my genealogy database! I have a lot of gaps like that from my early research in my database because my original genealogy program only had 10 fixed-width lines for research notes, sources, or whatever one could cram into the space.
(3) 1910 U S. Federal Census, Itawamba County, Mississippi, population schedule, Beat 5, town of Fulton, SD 1, ED 20, sheet 2A (written), John Rogers household, dwelling 28, family 29; NARA micropublication T624, roll 743; Ancestry.com (http://www.ancestry.com : 4 Jan 2008).
(4) Elizabeth Roberts, "John Wesley Rogers Family," in Franks, Bob and Turner, Roy, eds., An Itawamba Sampler: A Researcher's Guide to Itawamba County, Mississippi (Mantachie, Miss.: Itawamba Historical Society, 1990), p. 19.
Thomas Duke was born 3 May 1828 in Virginia according to his tombstone which was is located in Greenbriar Cemetery in Becker, Monroe County, Mississippi. According to family tradition, he was the son of Benjamin Duke and his wife ______ Parker. He is said to have been orphaned when he came to Monroe County, Mississippi, allegedly with a Knowles family. There are family stories which indicate he spent some time working with the tobacco industry in North Carolina before coming to Mississippi. He served for the Confederacy in the Monroe Guards. His widow Malinda applied for a pension in 1900 from the state of Mississippi. (1) He married Nancy Malinda Allred 15 Aug 1867 in Monroe County, Mississippi.(2) (The original tombstone reads "Thomas Duke & wife. In the years since I first began doing genealogy, a cousin has erected a second tombstone which has her name as "Nora Malinda Allred Duke Rogers"; however, I have come across absolutely no evidence that her name was Nora. She went by the name Malinda. The 1910 U.S. Federal Census shows her name as "Nancy M."(3) An article by a member of the Rogers family indicates her name was Nancy Melinda Duke, a widow, when she married John Rogers after Thomas' death.(4) I have contacted this cousin, who also wrote an article which appears in Monroe County: A Pictorial History using the name "Nora," asking her for her source for the name Nora. I have received no response.) Allegedly, his oldest daughter, my great grandmother Berniece Estelle "Bennie" Duke was named in honor of his father, Benjamin. That is why she was called Bennie. His oldest son was James Parker Duke. The James came from Nancy's father James. The Parker is supposed to have been Thomas' mother's maiden name. Although I'll leave the documentation of these persons for possible future blog posts, the children of Thomas and Malinda are:
1. Berniece Estelle "Bennie" Duke (Jul 1868-15 Jun 1949); married Andrew Capus "Cape" Thornton
2. Martha Virginia "Virgie" Duke (16 Dec 1870-17 Jan 1956); married William Richmond Moss
3. James Parker "Jim" Duke (12 Feb 1873-1 Sep 1971); married Electa Bristoe/Bristol
4. Joseph Thomas "Joe" Duke (3 Jan 1876-6 Jul 1960); married Mary Catherine Conwill
5. Myrtis Duke (9 Jul 1883-24 Mar 1976); married Egburt Green Betts, Jr.
Thomas Duke died 18 May 1894 in Monroe County, Mississippi (according to his tombstone).
Needless to say I have not yet performed a reasonably exhaustive search for Thomas' parents. I need to get the Confederate Pension application file as I have only the index. I may have it somewhere in a folder or in a notebook, but it's not in my database. Searching all of Virginia and North Carolina will be a major task. I'm hoping that some of the wonderful online resources we now have may prove helpful in this search. Years ago I did find a Benjamin Duke in Nansemond County, Virginia who was living at the right time to have been Thomas' father, and there were Parker families in the area. I have not yet located any records showing Thomas was placed under anyone's care as an orphan in Virginia or North Carolina, but I have only researched in a few counties (and some of those searches were done before I completely documented where I had searched, although I may still have some notes of sources with check marks in that old Duke notebook that I need to dig out).
Sources:
(1) Betty C. Wiltshire, Mississippi Confederate Pension Applications, A-G. (Carrollton, Miss.: Pioneer Pub. Co., n.d.), p. 250.
(2) Monroe County Mississippi Marriages (1821-1921). 4 vols. (s.l.: s.n, n.d.), Vol. 2, p. 149. Note: This is a name and date index of marriages in Monroe County that is held at the Evans Memorial Library in Aberdeen, Mississippi. I have a copy of the recorded marriage from the circuit clerk's marriage volumes in a notebook in a closet that I don't feel like digging out at the moment. I obviously need to add that better source to my genealogy database! I have a lot of gaps like that from my early research in my database because my original genealogy program only had 10 fixed-width lines for research notes, sources, or whatever one could cram into the space.
(3) 1910 U S. Federal Census, Itawamba County, Mississippi, population schedule, Beat 5, town of Fulton, SD 1, ED 20, sheet 2A (written), John Rogers household, dwelling 28, family 29; NARA micropublication T624, roll 743; Ancestry.com (http://www.ancestry.com : 4 Jan 2008).
(4) Elizabeth Roberts, "John Wesley Rogers Family," in Franks, Bob and Turner, Roy, eds., An Itawamba Sampler: A Researcher's Guide to Itawamba County, Mississippi (Mantachie, Miss.: Itawamba Historical Society, 1990), p. 19.
Tuesday, June 11, 2013
The Perfect Peach
Masumoto, David Mas; Musumoto, Marcy; and Masumoto, Nikiko. The Perfect Peach: Recipes and Stories from the Masumoto Family Farm. New York: Ten Speed Press, 2013.
The Masumoto family owns a peach orchard in California. This book is a blend of family stories, stories about farm life, and recipes using peaches. The stories are almost poetic in places. The recipes are wide-ranging -- beverages, appetizers, salads, main courses, desserts, preservation, etc. Several of the non-alcoholic beverages looks like they would be very refreshing on a warm summer day. The Masumotos' passion for the peach is evident throughout the book, Photos are scattered throughout the volume, depicting not only the fruit, but also the family and farm. The stories in the book are worthwhile even if one doesn't want to make the dishes, but anyone who does take a look at the book is certain to find a few recipes worth trying. This review is based on an electronic galley provided through the publisher via NetGalley for review. It is hoped that the formatting issues in the galley will not be present in the final electronic version of the book. It's probably a book for which most would wish to own a physical copy anyway.
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