Digging Up Your Family

Caroline McQueen UPDATED

UPDATE: Rather than rewrite the entire thing, I am just adding this update: according to a newspaper article concerning Edmond Richards and Spencer DeMumbrie (which will be transcribed in another post!) Caroline McQueen's parents were Peter McQueen and Elizabeth Freeland. The article also states her birth date as May 11, 1826. ALSO, the article states that Edmond settled with Caroline in Mississippi, however, as you can see below, she couldn't have. Edmond isn't found in Mississippi on the census records until 1870, after Caroline had passed. One last thing: the baby book of Caroline's great-grandson, James Paul Stalls Jr-my granddaddy-(1917-1987) has Caroline's name spelled Carolyn.)

There are exactly two records that I have found regarding Caroline (Carolyn, Carolin) McQueen and her (probable) short life.

I haven’t yet figured out who Caroline’s parents are, but I do know that she was born about 1827 in Mississippi. The death certificate of one of her children says she was born in North Carolina (but we all know how accurate those are, right?).

On March 14, 1846 Caroline married Edmond Richards in Crittenden County, Arkansas. She was 19 years old and Edmond was 23 years old.

The only other record I can find of Caroline is the 1850 census enumerated on October 26, 1850 in Tyronza Township, Crittenden County, Arkansas. She is listed as Catherina, age 22 years old. Edmond is listed as Edward, age 25 years old. They have two children, George (age 3 years) and Lucy (age 2 years). Also in the household with them are Mary McQueen (age 18 years), who I presume is Caroline’s sister, and Mary Edwards (age 14 years), who I cannot figure out who she is or why she lives with them.

(note: the family lives next door to Edmond’s widowed mother, Rhoda. Rhoda took care of her adult daughter Susan, known as Sukie, who is listed on the census as “idiotic”. According to Earle Epic by Gladys Wright and Committee Members-no further information on the book-“Sukie’s mind had been affected by some illness so that it never matured”.)

In 1860 the Richard’s family is found on the Eastland, Texas census. Edmond (shown as Edmund, age 37 year) is the only parent. The children listed are: George (age 12 years), Laura (age 10 years), Alice (age 8 years), Marshall (age 6 years) and Jerome (age 4 years). There is also listed Melissa Richards (age 16 years) that I think is Edmond’s niece from his brother John.

So, if Caroline died then it happened between February 20, 1856 (her son Jerome’s birth date) and August 13?, 1860 (the day the 1860 census was enumerated…I can’t quite make out the day). I can only imagine she passed away. The alternatives are she either ran away or divorced. I just know I haven’t found her on the Mortality Schedules. Yet.

Bring Out The (figurative) Bloodhounds

Trying to track the maternal line of a family is pretty difficult (unless you are royalty, in which case you probably aren’t making your family tree since it’s been recorded throughout the years anyway). Pretty much women weren’t as important to keep up with back in the day. Really, up until 1850 when everyone in the household was required to be listed by name on the census records, the only place you could find a woman’s name was in a family Bible, marriage and divorce records and/or possibly wills. So, in an effort to keep the maternal lines of my parents fresh in your mind, I decided to list them along with the information I have (and the information I don’t have yet). Enjoy!

My direct maternal line (beginning with my grandmother):

Ruth May Craft

b. August 9, 1925 Gibson County, Tennessee

d. January 14, 2007 Clarksville, Montgomery County, Tennessee

Katie Clady Cathey

b. December 18, 1897 Indian Bayou, Lonoke County, Arkansas

d. November 25, 1935 Trenton, Gibson County, Tennessee

Margaret Elizabeth “Lizzie” Summers

b. March 15, 1870 Tennessee

d. October 20, 1952 Martin, Weakley County, Tennessee

Amanda Summers

b. abt 1852 Tennessee

d. abt 1889 Tennessee

Emily Jane Duffel

b. abt 1822 Tennessee

d. aft 1880 Tennessee

Susan McCarroll

b. abt 1800 North Carolina

d. aft 1860 Tennessee

Susan Currey

b. abt 1770 Rockingham County, North Carolina

d. aft 1830 Williamson County, Tennessee

Elizabeth Brownlee

b. ?

d. aft 1790 Rockingham County, North Carolina

(note: I have spelled Currey as Currie in other posts and on the sidebar. It has come to light that it may actually be Currey. Also, Elizabeth Brownlee’s last name might have actually been Brownlees. I am awaiting confirmation before I change them, though. Another important note to add concerns Emily Jane Duffel. Though she seems to be listed everywhere on the internet as Susan McCarroll’s daughter, I haven’t actually seen any confirmation on it. I mean, I pretty much assumed since the census records for Susan’s husband, Allen Duffel, list an extra female-older than the rest of the children-that the Houston County, Tennessee: History and Families (Turner Publishing Company, 1995) failed to list (which isn’t surprising, considering the book is trying to tell me that Emily Jane Duffel and Basil Pinkney Summers married in 1830, which would mean Emily was about 8 years old…in reality they married about 1839). Also, there wasn’t another Duffel family in the area that I have found.)

My father, Roger Dale Ray (Robert Jewell Vincent)’s, direct maternal line, beginning with his mother, my grandmother:

Louise Rose

b. March 20, 1923 Muhlenberg County, Kentucky

d. January 9, 2004 Owensboro, Daviess County, Kentucky

Nellie Lillian Claxton

b. abt 1893 Kentucky

d. abt 1962 Indiana

Willie Melton

b. abt 1873 Kentucky

d. aft 1920 Kentucky?

Hepseba Powell

b. abt 1848 Indiana

d. ? Kentucky?

Alice Bean

b. abt 1824 Virginia

d. aft 1880 Indiana?

(note: as you can see, I don’t have much information on this line at all. I haven’t found the death records of Lilly Claxton or Willie Melton yet, mainly because I haven’t figured out what mix of first, middle and married names might be on the records. I haven’t found Hepsy on a census after 1880 yet.)

Paulina Groves

Paulina (Polina) Groves was born in Kentucky about 1828 or 1829. There are no records as to who her parents are, so I cannot yet provide that information.

She married John Vincent on July 4, 1849 in Muhlenberg County, Kentucky.

On the 1850 census Paulina, listed as Palina, (age 21 years) and John (age 34 years), a farmer, are found living in Muhlenberg County, Kentucky with their two oldest children: Sarah S (age 7 years) and Martha F (age 4 months). They are both listed as persons over 20 years of age and are unable to read or write. Interestingly enough, they are living next door to Isaac Groves and family. This might be Paulina’s brother. I have not yet confirmed this, though. Also, four doors down from the Vincent family is the Hall family. Listed in their household is a 12 year old Susan B Vincent. I’m not sure what relationship she has to the Hall family or if she has any relationship to John Vincent (I just found it interesting).

In 1860 the family is still in Muhlenberg County, Kentucky in the same house. They are still living next door to Isaac Groves, though I no longer see the Hall family with the mysterious Susan B Vincent in the neighborhood. In 1860 John (age 45 years), a day laborer and Paulina, listed as Perlina, (age 32 years) have the following children living with them: Martha A (F?, age 10 years), Robert (age 7 years), Isaac (age 6 years), Rachael (age 3 years) and William H (age 1 year). I assume Sarah has married, though I haven’t done any research on her as of yet.

Sadly enough, in 1870 Paulina is widowed. Based on the age of her youngest child I gather that John passed between 1863 and 1870. I think she and her children have moved as none of the neighbors are the same. She is still in Muhlenberg County, Kentucky. She is listed as Purlina (age 40 years). The children living with her are: Martha (age 19 years), Robert (age 16 years), Isaac (age 14 years), Rachel (age 10 years), Samuel (William?, age 8 years) and Nilda (age 6 years). I find it odd how far off the ages are compared to previous census records.

I cannot find Paulina anywhere on the 1880 census. I assume she passed between 1870 and 1880, though. I cannot find her youngest child, Nilda (Nelda, Mildred) on the 1880 census, either, though she didn’t marry until 1885.

I am still trying to find where Paulina might be buried, and John, too.

Wordless Wednesday: Roger Dale Ray (Robert Jewell Vincent)

Roger Dale Ray (Robert Jewell Vincent) (1946-2007)

Henry Corbett Craft

Henry Corbett (or Corbit) Craft was the son of John Craft and Epanetes Willhite. He was born on May 4, 1895 in Hickman County, Tennessee. Most everyone called him CC throughout his life, but his second wife, Maudie, called him Corb.

In 1900 CC was living in Hickman County, Tennessee with his parents and siblings. The family’s last name was misspelled as Croft. An odd thing about the 1900 census is that it has his father, John, as “in school” and “farm laborer”. It also says that his mother, Epanetes, is “in school”. I think that the enumerator may have been mistaken (I mean, surely they weren’t in their 30s and in school, right?). His siblings listed (and I can’t say that these names are correct) are: Ivey A (age 16 years), James (age 14 years), Caha L (age 11 years), Alley (age 8 years), Katey P (age 6 years) and William (age 3 years). CC is listed as Henry C (age 4 years).

In 1910 the family was still living in Hickman County, Tennessee. His father is listed as John and his mother is listed as Epsey. This time the family’s last name is correct as Craft. The siblings he lived with at the time were (again, I don’t know which names are correct): Santford (age 23 years), Pearl (age 16 years), Willie (age 12 years) and Robert (age 9 years). The census does list his name as Henry, but the transcriber entered in as Hemroy (which makes me giggle very unprofessionally).

Henry Corbett Craft married Katie Clady Cathey on July 18, 1915 in Humphreys County, Tennessee.

In 1920 the family is living in Gibson County, Tennessee. The family’s last name, once again, is misspelled as Croft. On this census record Henry is listed quite clearly as Aubrey, though I cannot figure out why. Katie’s name is misspelled as Katty. They have two children: Nettie Sue (age 2 years 10 months) and Louise (age 1 month). CC was, at this time, a laborer in a cotton mill. Though the census record just has Katie as “at home” I think that she worked the cotton fields.

Over the course of the next 10 years CC and Katie had four more children, one, a daughter, which was stillborn.

On the 1930 census the family is living in Gibson County, Tennessee. The census transcriber had put Eraft as their last name, and I will admit it is kind of difficult to make it out. The children listed on this census are : Nettie S (age 13 years), Louise (age 10 years), Maggie N (age 8 years), Ruthie May (misspelled as Reathi, Rarthi-depending on whether you look at Family Search or Ancestry, age 4 years 7 months) and Jessie P (age 1 year and 1 month).

After 1930 CC and Katie had three more children: Mary Katherine (born 1931) and twins, John and Unnamed (born 1935). The Unnamed was a stillborn that had apparently quit developing long before John was born since it was small enough to have been buried in a kitchen matchbox. Katie passed away within a couple days of the twins’ birth in 1935.

In 1936 CC married Maudie Berkley. They did not have children together (that are known), but CC did get a stepson from Maudie’s previous marriage.

Henry Corbett Craft died on December 27, 1971 at Butler Nursing Home in Milan, Gibson County, Tennessee where he had been under care for about 3 months. He is buried in Double Springs Cemetery near Milan, Gibson County, Tennessee.

It was understood that he had been a sharecropper in his earlier years. Later in life CC owned a shop where he repaired shoes and made brooms and mops to sell. My mother said “he’d have a mouthful of tacks that he spit out onto the shoe (quite accurately, I might add) and then tap, tap, tap it into the shoe sole”.

CC was a religious man later in life. As a young man he had been a heavy drinker. One night after drinking quite a bit an angel appeared to him on his way home and grabbed the reigns of the horse (or mule, perhaps). This apparently changed his life. He had prophetic dreams throughout his life, including one concerning the death of his son John’s twin.

He said very long prayers at meals and would end the prayers with a long, drawn out “Aaaaameeeeeen” and look up with tears in his eyes.

At one point he was a member of a Church of God congregation that was further into the country and in an old house with creaking wood floors. Because the members of the church would dance around speaking in tongues, the state of the floors really concerned my mother (I guess she imagined the floors just giving way one day!).

Solving One Mystery Can Lead To Another

The question kept coming up of why wasn’t my granddaddy, James Paul Stalls Jr (1917-1987) on the 1920 census with his parents. I just couldn’t understand where he could have been, since he would have been about 3 years old (depending on what month the census was enumerated). The Census record I found that his parents were on was done on January 17, 1920 in Memphis, Tennessee. You can plainly see that his parents are living with the Richards family (James Paul Stalls Jr’s mother’s family). Listed are Jerome Richards (Minnie’s father), Minnie Richards (Minnie’s mother), Paul Stalls (granddaddy’s father), Minnie Stalls (granddaddy’s mother), Bluford Richards (granddaddy’s uncle), Willie Richards (Bluford’s wife) and Nannie Taylor (the servant/nanny).

The possibilities of why he wasn’t living with them were A) perhaps that’s when he had scarlet fever and maybe he was in the hospital-but you would assume they would still have listed him as living in the household with the family, or B) maybe he was living with his grandparents, James Paul Stalls Sr’s family. So I looked them up.

Lo and behold, there he is. But wait! His parents are there, too! Listed (and misspelled) are Frank Curtius and Mary Curtius (JPS Sr’s step-father and mother). Mary’s mother is also there, Francis Bondurant. What’s this? The STALLS family is listed as Curtis’? Crazy! But there they are! Paul Curtis, Mamie Curtis and Paul Curtis Jr. That’s not right, is it? Nope. As you can see, Curtius is misspelled. As is Bondurant. Minnie’s name is written as Mamie. And Paul Sr, Minnie and Paul Jr should all be Stalls. I’m not even going to get into the age differences (only two of the ages listed are correct).

So the Curtius census was enumerated on January 3-4, 1920, also in Memphis, Tennessee.

The questions this raises are: was the Stalls family actually living with the Curtius family and moved within the 14 days between enumerations to the Richards household? Was granddaddy living with them after the move or was he in the hospital (we need to find out when he had scarlet fever)?

This isn’t the first time that someone is listed on more than one census record for the same year. Another example (which this may or may not be the same person, but the names and ages are the same):

My mom noticed on the House of Proctor website that someone had cited the 1870 Nashville, Tennessee census, enumerated July 15, 1870, as listing Amanda Summers. She is 18 years old and is a boarder in the Wyatt household.

In the 1870 Stewart County, Tennessee census, enumerated August 22, 1870, Amanda is living with her parents, Pink and Emily, her siblings, Greenberry and Clementine, and two boys that may or may not be her siblings, Anderson and Rufus (in another post I mentioned that they were not on the 1860 census, even though they would have been 5 and 3 in that year). On this census Amanda is 18 years old, but it isn't actually listed how she is related to the Summers family (but we know she is the daughter, according to other census records).

So, the questions raised by these census records: if the Nashville, Tennessee census is our Amanda, is it possible that she went to Nashville to give birth to Lizzie? If so, where is Lizzie (that question is going to haunt me until I find the answer!)? Either way, Lizzie isn’t listed as living with her on either census. It’s just so strange.

Rolls Razor

1947 ad for the Rolls Razor. For just $15 you would never have to buy new blades again! I wonder how well this sold?

Mom’s Scrapbook: Pages 5-13

There are several blank pages throughout my mom’s scrapbook. I’m not taking pictures of those and posting them. That would probably be pretty boring. I’m also not sure why the pictures didn’t come out as well this time as last time. They are kind of blurry and for that I apologize.

Page 4 is blank

Page 5-Why is this brochure for Greenville, Tennessee upside-down? I don’t know! I think that it may have just somehow ended up that way. I don’t see my mom deliberately taping it in the scrapbook like that.

Page 6 is blank.

Page 7-Two brochures for Unto These Hills. On the page my mom wrote:

“The most colorful & beautiful play ever seen about Indians.”

Page 8-An ad that was cutout and taped in for the movie The Hanging Tree starring Gary Cooper, Maria Schell and Karl Malden. I would say, “but Mom…why did you cut this out and tape it in your scrapbook?”, but I already know the answer: because Edward “Kookie” Byrnes was in that movie and she looooooooooves him.

Page 9-A brochure for Homespun Valley Authentic Mountaineer Village (the “One Thing In Gatlinburg You MUST NOT MISS!”) and a postcard of the Hemlock Motel in Gatlinburg. On the back of the postcard the Hemlock Motel boasts “Individual stone cottages. Tiled combination or shower bath. Air-Conditioning. Free Television, Playground. Restaurants near by. Open Feb. 15 to Nov. 15. Phone 196”. Free Playground!?!? Let’s go! On the page my mother wrote:

“Homespun Valley is located in the center of Gatlinberg, Tennessee”. Even though Gatlinburg is on both the postcard and brochure she still managed to misspell it.

Page 10 is blank.

Page 11-Brochure for Oconaluftee Indian Village in Cherokee, North Carolina. On the page my mom wrote:

“Oconaluftee is an Indian Village in Cherokee, North Carolina. This Village is also very colorful.” She must have been on a “colorful” kick.

Page 12 is blank.

Page 13-Two postcards that I can only assume she got in Cherokee, North Carolina. I can’t look on the back of the cards because she taped AND stapled them to the page.

Enroute To Sauk City, Wisconsin

These photos were found in a little album that belonged to my Grandpa Bill (William Harcourt Gollings, 1907-1995). Only one of the pictures was actually labeled with a name. I know Grandpa Bill is wearing the white letter sweater, but I am not sure who the other three men are. Grandpa Bill grew up in Chicago, Illinois so I am assuming that is where the other men are from. If all of the pictures were taken about the same time then we can date these to around 1927.

This is the only picture that is actually labeled. I can’t tell if it says Carl Geppinger or Carl Gappinger, though.

UPDATE: I just looked him up and he is Carl Geppinger, born May 20, 1911 and died February 6, 1997. His parents were Carl Geppinger and Francis (unknown last name).

I posted these in the order they are seen in the album.

I’m not sure what happened to this guys face, or which one he is.

So you know who these men are? Contact me!

Margaret Stringer

I have been putting off writing about Margaret Stringer day after day because there are so many odd things about this woman that I can’t make sense of it all. And I want to blame the census records for this, but I don’t know if that’s the problem I am having. The thing is, I can’t find her on the 1860 or the 1870 census. At all. Nothing, really. I don’t know which name to look for, actually. As in, I have looked for several names she may have gone by, but I can’t find any of them. Of course, it could be a case where I am seeing it, like it’s right in front of me, and it just isn’t registering for some reason.

Margaret Stringer was born January 11, 1843 in Kentucky. Her parents are Gray Stringer and Elizabeth Pitt. Now, some of this is going to go into Elizabeth Pitt’s life, too, but stay with me here because it gets interesting.

In 1850 Margaret was living with her parents in Muhlenberg County, Kentucky. She was 7 years old. Her siblings that lived in the home were: America (age 11 years) and Lucy (age 9 years). There is also a Balis Stringer, age 15 years, living with the family, but I haven’t figured out how he is related to them yet. I keep seeing websites that list him as the son of Gray and Elizabeth, but I don’t see the basis for that yet. I searched for a death record for him, but was unable to find it. AND usually the children on census records are listed in order of birth, oldest first. On the 1850 census Balis is listed last. He shows up 10 years later in Missouri as a 26 year old blacksmith, which kind of disproves the websites claiming him as the Stringer family’s son since they all claim he, too, was born in 1843 making him Margaret’s twin (or Elizabeth getting pregnant with him soon after Margaret was born).

As I said before, I cannot find Margaret Stringer on the 1860 or 1870 census. I was told by a descendant of Margaret’s sister, Lucy, that Margaret married a John Pitt. I found a marriage record for John S Pitt and MK Stringer in McLean County, Kentucky on May 24, 1850. So that information matches up. It’s kind of bizarre when you think about it though: Gray Stringer’s mother was Sallie Pitt. Gray married his cousin, Elizabeth Pitt. Then Margaret married a cousin, John S Pitt. Anyway, at some point Margaret and John S Pitt divorce and she may or may not have married a Moore. (note: keep this fact in mind: after Gray Stringer died his wife Elizabeth married Joseph C Moore). I haven’t found anything saying that she did, but there is a reason for this coming up (I promise).

By 1880 Margaret married John J Breedlove. They show up this year on the census living in Sacramento, McLean County, Kentucky. The children living with them are: Emma (listed as a Breedlove, but she is also listed as John’s stepdaughter…so she was either a Pitt or a Moore, but I am not sure which one, age 11 years), Mary Jane (age 7 years), Ona L (age 5 years) and William M (age 3 years).

No census for 1890.

In 1900 the Breedlove family was still living in Sacramento, McLean County, Kentucky. Margaret is listed as Margaret K Breedlove. The children listed on the 1880 census are no longer living with Margaret and John. Two more daughters are on this census: Lucy J (my great-grandmother, age 18 years) and Drusy B (age 15 years). Also living with the family are two of Margaret’s grandchildren: Magnola Lovell (age 4 years) and Mack Lovell (age 1 year). According to Mack’s death certificate the parents of Magnola and Mack are Jim Lovell and Lulu Breedlove. I’m not sure if Lulu is the nickname of one of the daughters listed or not. This census also tells us that Margaret is the mother of nine children and only five are still living. I haven’t figured out all of the children yet. As you can see I have listed six of the children.

In 1910 Margaret and John are still in McLean County, Kentucky. But a new person is on the census with them: Benjamin A Moore. Someone had scratched out his last name Moore, though. So it looks as though he is a Breedlove. But he isn’t (more on Moore in a second..haha). Benjamin is listed as 47 years old, single and John’s stepson. Margaret is still the mother of nine children of which five are still living. So now we have 7 of her children listed: Benjamin A Moore, Emma (last name?), Mary Jane Breedlove, Ona L Breedlove, William M Breedlove, Lucy J Breedlove and Drusy B Breedlove. I do not have any clue who the other two are. Lulu? Perhaps, unless, as I said before, that is just a nickname for one of the children listed.

In 1920 Margaret is listed on the census as Margaret H Breedlove. She is living with her son, listed as Ben A Moore, and her sister Virginia in McLean County, Kentucky. She is widowed and her son is named as the head of household.

Margaret Stringer died on December 7, 1924 in Island, McLean County, Kentucky. The cause of death was arteriosclerosis, which she apparently (according to the death certificate) had suffered from for several years. The contributor to the cause was apoplexy (bleeding, which could have been anything).

Now, for a little something extra concerning Benjamin A Moore that is a little off: Benjamin A Moore is shown living with Margaret’s mother and her second husband, Joseph C Moore, on several census records. It isn’t until Elizabeth, Margaret’s mother dies, that he lives with Margaret. On his death certificate it says that his mother is Margaret and his father is Joseph Moore. So, did Margaret have a “thing” with her stepfather? Or is it a different Joseph Moore? Maybe the informant knew he was Margaret’s son, but didn’t know who the father was and just put Joseph’s name on the certificate knowing that Ben had pretty much been raised by him. Why wasn’t Ben living with his mother growing up? And who is Emma’s father? Or what if Joseph C Moore wanted children and Elizabeth wasn’t able to have any more for some reason? Would she have asked her daughter to surrogate for her? Benjamin was born about 1864 (according to census records). Emma was born about 1869 (according to the 1880 census record). Could they have had the same father or different fathers? Could Benjamin have been Margaret’s with John S Pitt and just took the Moore last name because he was raised by Moore? I just don’t know.

And I really wish I could find those census records.

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