Friday's faces from the past: Bettie Frances Nowell Davis family

Bettie Frances Nowell was George Eugene Nowell's youngest sister, and Grandma Zula's aunt.

I can't say for sure when or where this photo was taken. Or even who everyone is. But I can make a few guesses from the data I've collected. Maybe someday, someone from this branch of the Nowell clan will stumble across it and be able to verify the identities.

One copy of this photo was labeled "Aunt Betty's family, children & in-laws" (I have two scans, this one was the larger of the two). Bettie and Sam Davis had eight children that I can account for, that were probably still living when this photo was taken (they lost one child prior to 1910).

The oldest daughter was born about 1901, and I swear, her name on the 1910 census looks to be "Daniel". I haven't been able to find anything else on her to confirm her name, so for now, I'll just refer to her as Danni. :) Second child, Verna, was born 21 Feb 1903. Their third daughter, Della, was born about 1911. I haven't been able to find any more on her, either.

So, I think the women in this photo are Aunt Bettie and her three daughters.

I also have a photo (on the right, there) of Verna Davis and her husband, Lester "Bud" Wright. Perhaps someone with better facial recognition skills can figure out which one is Verna. I think that might be Verna and Bud on Bettie's right, but I'm not certain of that at all. And, of course, it's also possible that any one of them could be a daughter-in-law instead.

Now, the two boys in front are probably Aunt Bettie's youngest sons, John Travis Davis born 1 Aug 1920, and Robert Franklin Davis b. 2 Nov 1917 d. 8 May 1978. I'm terrible at guessing ages, but I'm going to take a shot anyway, and "guess" that the youngest there is around 10 years old. So if that is John Travis, that would put the year somewhere around 1930. Aunt Bettie and her husband, John Samuel Davis, were probably still living in (or near) Chandler, Henderson County, Texas.

Bettie and Sam's other three sons were George M. Davis, 22 Mar 1906 - 28 Jul 1941; Harry Thomas Davis, 15 Jul 1908 - 2 Jul 1961; and Jack A. Davis born about 1915.

I know I'm straying a bit from the topic, here, but something of interest that I came across while researching this branch was Harry's cause of death. According to his death certificate (free member account at FamilySearch.org required to view the image), Harry Davis was "Shot four times with .22 rifle, in shoulder above heart and stomach", and "Homicide" was marked on the certificate. I know my family loves the gory details, so I thought I'd go ahead and mention it. Back to the photos.

I have two more photos of Aunt Bettie. This first one was probably taken around the time she and Sam got married, about 1900, likely while they were still living in Comanche County. But it might have been taken later than that.

The one on the right is labeled November 15, 1943. They were living in Chandler in 1940, having moved back after living in Liberty County for a while. So this may have been taken in Chandler.

If anyone needs these photos for their research, or to hang on their "ancestor wall", be sure to click on them first for the full size image.

Martha Nowell's Confederate widow's pension application

Mattie and Varie

On 15 July 1913, Martha Elizabeth "Mattie" Nowell went to Comanche County Judge J. H. McMillan to apply for a Texas State Confederate widow's pension. We learn some more interesting things from this pension application packet from the Texas State Library and Archives Commission.

Widow's Application for Pension No. 21935
Martha indicates in her application that her husband died ten days prior on 5 July 1913, in Comanche County, Texas, and that they were married on 7 Feb 1867 in Winston County, Mississippi. Also that she is 69 years old, was born in Winston County, Mississippi, and has resided in Texas for about 45 years. She has lived in Comanche County for about 35 years, and her post office address is Comanche, Texas RFD 4.

At the time of submitting the application she didn't know Joseph B. Nowell's regiment during the war, but that wasn't a problem because he already had an accepted pension on file to refer them to. However, she did have to find two witnesses to verify that she was indeed the widow of J. B. Nowell, had not remarried in the ten days since he died, and had lived in Texas continuously since at least March 1, 1880. J. E. Brown and M. L. Brown vouched for her on that.

Joe and Varie Brown family

Now, J. E. Brown may well be Martha's son-in-law, Joel E. Brown, who married daughter Emily Elvira "Varie" Nowell, and lived nearby in Comanche County. I have no idea who M. L. Brown is, but likely one of Varie's in-laws.

The State and County Assessor, M. E. Hall, also had to submit a certificate indicating the assessed value of any land and personal property associated with Martha Nowell, which was, in fact, "Nothing".

So all of this information was submitted in Martha's pension application to George W. Kyser, Commissioner of Pensions. It was filed July 31st, approved September 1st, and "allowed from" December 1st, 1913.

Sam and Bettie Davis

But also on file with Martha's pension application is an Application for Mortuary Warrant submitted by her son-in-law, John S. Davis on April 1, 1926. Sometime after J. B.'s death, Martha went to live with daughter Bettie Frances (Nowell) Davis' family in Henderson County, Texas. She appears in their household on the 1920 census.

Mortuary Warrants, when approved, helped pay all or part of the funeral expenses for a pensioner. While this particular application makes no mention of the requested or approved amount, another Mortuary Warrant attached to the pension file of a different ancestor who died in 1919 indicates that the State would pay up to $30 of the burial expenses.

Mattie with a granddaughter

The mortuary warrant application indicates that Martha E. Nowell died on 15 March, 1926 in the home of J. S. Davis in Chandler, Henderson County, Texas. That he is her son-in-law, and his post office address is Chandler, Texas R 2.

Also attached to the application is a Certificate of Undertaker and Certificate of Physician. Dr. M. M. Moss of Brownsboro, Texas, was of the opinion that Mrs M. E. Nowell's last illness was influenza.

The Certificate of Undertaker is a bit more interesting. It features several crossed out passages from the standard, typed form, replaced with handwritten corrections. If I put the handwritten text in quotation marks, it reads like this:

I, "We Blake Cade & Smith", do certify that I am undertaker "we deal in caskets" in the town of "Chandler" County of "Henderson", State of "Texas", that I had charge of the body of "we sold the casket for Mrs. M. E. Nowell", who died in "near" the town of "Chandler", County of "Henderson", State of "Texas" on the "15th" day of "March" 1926. That said body was prepared for burial by me "friends of deceased" on the "15th" day of  "March", 1926, and that I am of the opinion that warrant herein applied for should be issued to the said "J. S. Davis" who makes the foregoing application.

Well, Family, that's your family history lesson for today. To download the family photos to your computer, click on the image for the original size, right-click and save. If you are on a Mac, well, you can figure it out. ;-)

Amanuensis Monday: J. B. Nowell's Confederate pension application

Joseph Benton Nowell
and
Martha Elizabeth (Dennis) Nowell

Joseph Benton Nowell applied for a Confederate pension in Comanche County, Texas on 8 Nov 1902. It is pension application number 9443, and was approved on 16 Feb 1903 by Chief Pension Clerk E. A. Bolmes and Comptroller R. M. Love. however, the law at the time stated pensions could only begin on the first day of April or October, so he wouldn't have received his first pension until April 1903.

The Questionnaire
Someone filled in the answers on the questionnaire for him, because J. B. Nowell was illiterate according to most censuses that he appeared on. However, he did sign his own name to the form.

From his answers to the pension application questionnaire, we learn that J. B. Nowell was 60 years old, had lived in Comanche County for 16 years, and his post office address was "P. O. Comanche". Also, that he had been a "bona fida resident citizen" of Texas since at least 1 Jan 1880.

J. B. was working as a farmer, but his answer concerning his physical condition was "Health Poor unable to work but very little" - which I suppose was intended to say that he was able to work, but very little. "Indigestion, Rheumatism & Asthma" are listed as his ailments.

He served 4 years in Company F of the 14th Mississippi Infantry, enlisting in 1861, and discharged in 1865. The only personal property he owned that was of any value was a stove (at least, I think that's what it says) worth $25, and one cow, also worth $25.

Witness Testimonies
Texas Confederate pension applications required two credible witnesses to submit statements under oath to the county judge. Testimonies that appear to have been jotted down by Comanche County Judge W. C. Jackson, but were signed by M. E. Nowell (J.B.'s wife) and W. T. Dennis (his brother-in-law) on 18 Nov 1902, were submitted along with his application.

Bear with me, County Judge Jackson wasn't big on punctuation.

Evidence of W. T. Dennis
"My name is W.T. Dennis I am 64 yr old I live in Brown Co, Texas I have Known the applicant J.B. Nowell about 44 year he and I Joined the Confederate army together and served together all through the war. I Know of my own Knowledge that the statements made by him in the application are true. W. T. Dennis"

Evidence of M. E. Nowell
"I am the wife of the applicant herein I have Known him since about 3 year before commencement of the war, we were Married in Jan 1867 I went to the army camp and saw the applicant herein J.B. Nowell one time while he was in the (illegible) and got letters from him all during the war, and saw him one time during the war while he was at home on a furlow. I saw him when he went off to Join the army and Know of my own personal Knowledge and not Just from hearsay that he Joined the army and performed the duties of soldier. I am 59 year old. M E Nowell"

Affidavit of Physician
An Affidavit of Physician was also included the the pension application, also dated 18 Nov 1902. In it, Dr. J. F. McCarty swore under oath to County Judge W. C. Jackson that he had examined J. B. Nowell and found him to be suffering from "Asthma Rheumatism & dispepsia" (yes, spell check, I know it's dyspepsia, but that is how the doctor spelled it), which rendered him unable to support himself through physical labor.

On the marriage date
In her statement, Martha Elizabeth Nowell says that she married J. B. in January of 1867. In her own widow's pension application, filed after J. B.'s death (I'll be posting the data gleaned from that one probably next Monday), she states their marriage date as 7 Feb 1867. However, the index of Mississippi, Marriages, 1800-1911, at familysearch.org has the date as 06 March 1867. Just thought I'd mention that.

Photos: George Eugene Nowell and Rebecca Ann Joplin

George Eugene Nowell and
Rebecca Ann Joplin
Somewhere in Texas ca. 1895
Click for full size image

Now that I am thinking further ahead concerning family photos, I've decided to begin posting these photos for current and future researchers of these lines to add to their family history research. George and Rebecca had a lot of kids, a lot of grand-kids, and who knows how many great-grand-kids. Statistically, there has to be someone out there who will appreciate these.

So, if you stumbled across this post researching George Eugene Nowell and Rebecca Ann Joplin, feel free to save these images. You don't have to leave a comment or anything, but you are certainly welcome to. Here's some info to help you determine if you have the right Nowell family:

George Eugene Nowell 1875-1949
George was born 9 Apr 1875, probably in Delta County, Texas according to the death certificate of J.D. Nowell. His parents were Joseph Benton Nowell and Martha Elizabeth "Mattie" Dennis. He died in Livingston, Texas on 26 Apr 1949, and was buried in Rockhill Cemetery, in Henderson County on 27 Apr 1949. Here is a link to his findagrave.com memorial.

Rebecca Ann Joplin
Rebecca was born in Tennessee on 18 Mar 1879, to John Joplin and Sarah Ann Douglas (or Douglass). Her mother died when she was young, and John Joplin remarried to Lucretia "Creasy" Choate. Rebecca married George Eugene Nowell on Wednesday, July 4, 1894 in Hillsboro, Hill County, Texas. She died 20 Apr 1962 in Tyler, Smith County, Texas, and was buried in Rockhill Cemetery, Brownsboro, Henderson County, Texas the following day. Here is Rebecca's findagrave.com memorial.

More Photos

Rebecca and Zula

George and Lorraine

George, Oletha and Rebecca

I'm not sure whether or not I can post the newspaper clippings of their obituaries without infringing on the newspaper's copyright (if anyone knows, please comment!), so I will check into that. Rebecca's death certificate is available at familysearch.org, but I haven't been able to locate George's yet.

FHWC: Jack and Zula start a family (cont.)

In the Spring of 1927, Grandma, Granddaddy and 1 1/2 year old Effie were living in or near Chandler, Tx (maybe Brownsboro), when they welcomed Winnie Dois Parmer into the world on March 22.

The sisters were very close growing up, seemingly inseparable when you look through the family photos. While the two were very different, their personalities complimented each other well. Effie was shy and reserved, whereas Winnie was very outgoing. And it was probably because of this that Grandma allowed Effie to wait on starting school until Winnie could go with her.

Now, Granddaddy enjoyed a stop at the bar when he had the chance, but he learned, perhaps the hard way, that he couldn't stop there if he had Effie with him. You see, Grandma was opposed to drinking, so Granddaddy just wouldn't tell her. But Effie would rat him out.

Winnie, on the other hand, enjoyed going to the bar with her daddy. Granddaddy would set her up on the bar, and she would become the center of attention. Granddaddy didn't have to worry about Winnie telling on him.

Other things that happened in the family, 1926 to 1930

Zula's brother John Benjamin, and his wife Alice Terrell, added two more children to their growing family. In addition to Lorene, Murry, and Juanita, John and Alice had John B. Nowell Jr. on January 1, 1926, and Margaret Virginia Nowell on 26 July, 1928.

On March 15th, 1926, Zula's grandmother, Martha Elizabeth Dennis Nowell, succumbed to influenza at the age of 82. She died in the home of her son-in-law and daughter, J. Sam and Bettie F. Davis, in Chandler, and was buried at Rockhill Cemetery in Brownsboro.

Around this same time, something happened that none of us knew about until Grandma was in her 90s (heck, I just found out last week!). As Gina told it:

"Me, Grandma and Mama were sitting around her kitchen table as usual and somehow it came up. Grandma said it took place between Effie's birth and Winnie's. She thinks she was just a month or so pregnant...it wasnt officially verified by a doctor or anything. She said she was "late" and figured she must be pregnant again but within a few weeks "stuff" came out and she figured she miscarried."

Almost a year after Winnie was born, Granddaddy's mother, Martha Fransina "Synie" Parmer died of heart failure in Chandler. About a year and a half later, Granddaddy's father, Green Clifton Parmer, also died, on August 1, 1929. Like most of the Parmers and Nowell's who died in Henderson County, they are also buried in Brownsboro's Rock Hill Cemetery.

Maggie Lorraine and her husband, Otis Sanders, as you may recall, divorced around this time, or at least sometime between their daughter Elsie's birth and Otis's 1930 marriage to Allene Hancock.

On October 24, 1929, the stock market crashed (Black Tuesday), sparking the beginning of the Great Depression. In November, around $30 billion in stock values simply vanished, while President Hoover announced that, "Any lack of confidence in the economic future or the basic strength of business in the United States is foolish."

By March of 1930, the unemployment rate more than doubled from what it was prior to "Black Tuesday", to over 3 million.

Meanwhile, in 1930, Grandma and Granddaddy were raising their daughters on a rented farm in part of Justice Precinct 4 in Henderson County. Grandma's siblings, George "Kit", Dora and Tommie were still at home with their parents and young niece, Oletha Wilson.

Sources

Winnie's Death certificate

"United States Census, 1930," index and images, HeritageQuest Online (http://0-www.heritagequestonline.com.catalog.houstonlibrary.org/dvimage/genealogy/stage/dvimage?filename=/heritage/vault/hqc14/T626/2355/1/46A.tif&invert=0&scale=2&mimeType=application/pdf : accessed 11 Feb 2013), Amry Parmer, Justice Precinct 4, Henderson, Texas, United States; citing enumeration district (ED) 107-15, sheet 2A, family 29, series T626, roll 2355, Page 46. Or view it here: http://www.usgwarchives.net/tx/henderson/census/1930/15-02a.gif

#21935, Martha E Nowell, Confederate pension applications, Texas Comptroller's Office claims records, Archives and Information Services Division, Texas State Library and Archives Commission.

"Texas, Deaths, 1890-1976," index and images, FamilySearch
(https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.1.1/JXQQ-39D : accessed 08 Feb 2013), Francis Sina Parmer, 03 Jan 1928; citing reference certificate # 2600, State Registrar Office, Austin, Texas.

Timeline of The Great Depression - PBS - http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/americanexperience/features/timeline/rails-timeline/

FHWC: Jack and Zula start a family

After getting married, Grandma and Granddaddy probably rented the farm in Henderson County where they were living by 1930. Granddaddy was still working as a farmer, and Grandma was taking care of the house. And probably visiting with family at every opportunity, cause she always did love chatting around the table with friends and family.

Effie Parmer

1925 - Their first child
The first hit we get on Grandma and Granddaddy after their 1924 marriage is on the 18th of August, 1925, when their first daughter Effie was born. However, Effie wasn't born in Henderson County according to her own entry in her bible, but in Baird, Callahan County, Tx some 250 miles west.

Callahan County is on the eastern border of Taylor County, where Grandma's sister Maggie Lorraine was probably still living with husband Otis Sanders. Maggie's daughter, Elsie, was born in either 1924 or 1925, several months to a year before Effie.

Could it be that Grandma wanted to visit or help her sister when Elsie was born, despite being pregnant herself? Or did Grandma talk Granddaddy into moving there for a while so she could be closer to her sister?

Well, whatever the reason was, Zula Irene Nowell Parmer (according to that bible entry), gave birth to her first child in Baird, Tx, about 43 miles from her 1922 home in Lawn, Tx. But try to order a copy of Effie Parmer's birth certificate from Callahan County, and you have a whole new mess on your hands.

The conundrum - Or "Why can't this $#!% be easy?"
When I attempted to order this document by mail, I received a letter back stating, "We don't have a Birth Certificate for Effie Parmer. We do have an Unnamed infant born to Zula Nowell and Luther Turner on 8.18.1925."

I was also informed that the Callahan County TXGenWeb site's claim that "Copies are made at $1.00 per page," at the Callahan County Clerk's office apparently doesn't apply to birth certificates. They are $23, same as a certified copy (or perhaps they can only issue certified copies). Should have called ahead. Hindsight.

And no, I'm not suggesting that Effie's REAL dad was some guy named Luther Turner. Nor can I find any instance of a Luther and Zula Turner living in Texas between 1920 and 1930 to suggest that this is simply the wrong birth record.

Grandma and Granddaddy seemed to be plagued by record keepers with sloppy handwriting and/or poor hearing. So I have no doubt that this is just another case of a "best guess" by the transcriber of the original document, or simply incorrectly recorded data.

I'm guessing here, but I figure she must not have ever needed to obtain a copy of her birth certificate, and therefore it went uncorrected. Or she was born somewhere else, and I just haven't located the correct birth record. Either way, unless I can track down the original document, this one remains just another weird mystery.

Sources
Google Maps

Effie Martin's bible, Wife's Genealogy page

Death certificate of Effie Lorraine Parmer Martin

"United States Census, 1930," index and images, HeritageQuest Online (http://0-www.heritagequestonline.com.catalog.houstonlibrary.org/dvimage/genealogy/stage/dvimage?filename=/heritage/vault/hqc14/T626/2355/1/46A.tif&invert=0&scale=2&mimeType=application/pdf : accessed 11 Feb 2013), Amry Parmer, Justice Precinct 4, Henderson, Texas, United States; citing enumeration district (ED) 107-11, sheet 2A, family 29, series T626, roll 2355, Page 46.

FHWC: Henderson County, Tx - Meet Jack

It was 1923 or 1924 when Grandma's family moved to Henderson County from Lawn, Tx. Grandma was about 20 years old, and she and her brothers, Kit and Tommie, sister Dora, and baby niece Oletha were all living with George and Rebecca. This is where Grandma met the love of her life.

Meet "Jack" Parmer
Rufus Amery Parmer, better known as Jack, was born and raised on a farm in Henderson County, Texas. He came from a large family, who had migrated to Texas from Barbour County, Alabama in the 1850s and 1860s.

Granddaddy's paternal line
According to oral family history, his great-grandmother, Mary Ledbetter Tindel, wife of John Tindel (or Tindell), was full blood Indian. April has researched this claim extensively, and surely knows more of the facts behind this legend.

John and Mary Tindel played a huge role in the development of the Henderson County town of Fincastle, and established the first school there. But by the time Granddaddy was born, the town began to dwindle when the railroad tracks were laid through other towns in the county.

Green Clifton Parmer with granddaughters

John and Mary's daughter Lydia Frances Tindel married Jacob Henry Parmer in the late 1840s, probably in Barbour County, Alabama where their first 6 children were born. Jacob Henry Parmer was the son of Benjamin Parmer Sr., a Georgia native who had migrated near Creek Indian territory in Pike County, Alabama in the 1820s (the area was formed into Barbour County in 1832).

Lydia Tindell Parmer gave birth to Green Clifton Parmer, Granddaddy's father, on July 26, 1860 in Barbour County, Alabama, just before Jacob and Lydia moved their family to join Lydia's parents and Jacob's brother Zachariah Wesley Parmer in Henderson County, Tx. (Zachariah was married to Lydia's sister, Mary Jane Tindel.)

Granddaddy's maternal line
Granddaddy's mother, Martha Fransina "Synie" Greer, was born in Henderson County on May 17, 1866, to Civil war veteran John Alford Grier and Martha Elizabeth Perkins Crumpler Grier.

Four years after burying Jacob Parmer in the Fincastle Cemetery, Synie and Green were married on November 20, 1884 at "Home" according to the marriage page from Synie's bible. They had seven children: Henry Alford, Nora Elinor, Lyta Pearl, Nathan Napolean, George Browning, Rufus Amery, and Joe Matterson.

Granddaddy was a twin, born December 17, 1901, two years after the death of his grandmother, Lydia. Jack and Joe Parmer were the youngest of Green and Synie's nine childen. Granddaddy might have been born first if the order in which Synie listed their names in her bible is any indication of their birth order.

Left to right, George, Nathan, and Green Parmer pausing from their work for a photo-op c. 1910

Jack (front) and Joe (back).

I remember Granddaddy telling my sister and I about his school days, though I don't remember any specifics, just that he said he got in trouble a lot.

The Nowell family may have rented a farm neighboring Granddaddy's brother, Nathan's farm. The census taker visited George Nowell's household immediately after Nathan Parmer's in 1930, anyway.

Granddaddy and Grandma's brother, Kit, were about the same age, and probably became good friends. As the story goes, Granddaddy had been out hunting with Grandma's brother, and when they returned, upon seeing Grandma, he told Grandma's brother that he was going to marry her.

Now, I've already mentioned how Grandma knew she was going to marry Granddaddy in "Grandma was a witch". And she was right. They were married on September 16, 1924, supposedly in Tyler, Smith County, Texas.

I couldn't find their names in the marriage book at the library. Either it was misread by the transcriber (happens a LOT with these two), or maybe they got married somewhere else.

***

Again, anyone related to or researching this line, I'd be happy to share the full size, unaltered scanned images of these photos and documents. Just let me know what you need in the comments.

Sources

• Lydia's bible, family records page, scans received from Gary Wright.


• Synie's bible, family records and marriages pages, scanned images received from Gary Wright.


• Grandma's bible, marriages page, scanned images received from Gina.


• Effie's bible, wife's genealogy page, scanned images.


• Conversations with Gina, Nancy, Donna and April.


• Kathryn Brown, "FINCASTLE, TX," Handbook of Texas Online (http://www.tshaonline.org/handbook/online/articles/hrf10), accessed February 08, 2013. Published by the Texas State Historical Association.


• Linda Sybert Hudson, "HENDERSON COUNTY," Handbook of Texas Online (http://www.tshaonline.org/handbook/online/articles/hch13), accessed February 08, 2013. Published by the Texas State Historical Association.


• "The Palmers and Parmers of North Carolina, Alabama and Mississippi" by John T. Palmer, pgs 12-18, scanned pages received from Gary Wright.


• "United States Census, 1860," index, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.1.1/MHDH-CVK : accessed 08 Feb 2013), Jacob H Parmer, , Barbour, Alabama; citing p. 167, family 1309; NARA microfilm publication M653, FHL microfilm 803001.


• "United States Census, 1870," index and images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.1.1/MXLB-PR2 : accessed 08 Feb 2013), Green C Parmer in household of Jacob H Parmer, Texas, United States; citing p. 7, family 38, NARA microfilm publication M593, FHL microfilm 0553090.


• "United States Census, 1870," index and images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.1.1/MXLB-R3M : accessed 08 Feb 2013), John A Grear in household of John A Grear, Texas, United States; citing p. 32, family 229, NARA microfilm publication M593, FHL microfilm 0553090.


• "United States Census, 1880," index and images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.1.1/MFNV-1J9 : accessed 08 Feb 2013), Jacob N Parner, Fincastle, Henderson, Texas, United States; citing sheet 184B, family 0, NARA microfilm publication T9-1310.


• "United States Census, 1900," index and images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.1.1/M3GP-L32 : accessed 08 Feb 2013), Green C Parmer, ED 60 Justice Precinct 5, Henderson, Texas, United States; citing sheet 11B, family 197, NARA microfilm publication T623, FHL microfilm 1241644.


• "Texas, Births and Christenings, 1840-1981," index, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.1.1/F6G2-PR2 : accessed 08 Feb 2013), Rufus Amery Parmer, 17 Dec 1901.


• "United States Census, 1910," index and images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.1.1/MK1L-WJT : accessed 08 Feb 2013), Green C Parmer, Justice Precinct 5, Henderson, Texas; citing sheet 6A, family 102, NARA microfilm publication T624, FHL microfilm 1375576.


• "United States Census, 1920," index and images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.1.1/MHYC-8Z9 : accessed 08 Feb 2013), Green C Parmer, , Henderson, Texas; citing enumeration district (ED) , sheet 21B, family 447, NARA microfilm publication T625, FHL microfilm 1821818.


• "Texas, Deaths, 1890-1976," index and images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.1.1/JXQQ-39D : accessed 08 Feb 2013), Francis Sina Parmer, 03 Jan 1928; citing reference certificate # 2600, State Registrar Office, Austin, Texas.

FHWC: The notorious Maggie Lorraine

Maggie Lorraine Nowell was one of our more infamous family members. I've written about her before in a Wedding Wednesday post. Born October 7, 1906, Maggie Lorraine was closest in age to Grandma than any of her other sisters, so I would imagine they were pretty tight.

Let's return back to the Fall of 1922 in Taylor County, Texas. The Nowell family has probably harvested this year's crop of cotton, or are close to finishing up. Newly-wed Della is expecting, and is likely certain she knows the gender of the child, having used the "magic" pendulum.

And Maggie Lorraine is in love. Or something like that.

Otis and Maggie Lorraine Sanders

Otis R. Sanders
The family of Otis Sanders had been living and farming in Taylor by 1900. Otis was seven years older than Maggie, who was soon to turn sixteen when they married on October 3, 1922. Eight months later, on June 14, 1923, Maggie Lorraine gave birth to her first child, Lorena Sanders.

Eight months? Actually, about 36.3 weeks from the date Maggie and Otis married. Now it could be that Lorena was born a little early. Or it could be that Maggie Lorraine, whether she knew it yet or not, was already pregnant. I can just hear Grandma scoffing out a, "Good Lord."

Either way, there was another new baby in the family to bring a little bit of joy after mourning the loss of their big sister Della.

Another tragic loss

Lorena Sanders 1923-1924

Lorena Sanders didn't live to see her first birthday. I have been unable to find her death certificate so far, but her tombstone provides this information:
LORENA Dau Of
ML OR Sanders
June 14 1923
Apr 4 1924
Maggie Lorraine's daughter was buried in Rogers Cemetery in Tuscola, the same cemetery Della was buried in the previous year.

On the move again
I can't be sure what prompted George and Rebecca to make the nearly 300 mile trek to settle down in Henderson County, Tx. George's mother was 80 years old, not in great health, and still living with Sam and Bettie Davis in Henderson County. His brother, Johnny R, was buried in Brownsboro's Rock Hill Cemetery in 1923. And his uncle, Robert Adolphus Nowell, had died there back in 1920.

Perhaps they just wanted to live closer to the remaining Nowell family. Or maybe, despite the fact that overall cotton production was going well in Taylor County, George had reason to think they would fare better in Henderson County. At this point I can only speculate.

Whatever the reason, George, Rebecca, Kit, Zula, Dora, and Tommie moved to Henderson County sometime between Maggie's October 1923 marriage to Otis, and Grandma's September 1924 marriage to Granddaddy. I don't know if Otis and Maggie went with them, or remained in Taylor County.

Elsie Sanders ca. 1925

Elsie Sanders
All I have on little Elsie Sanders is a photograph, and two censuses. She was born about 1925, and was 5 years old at the time she was enumerated on the 1930 U.S. Census for Taylor County on April 11 of that year.

She was living in the household of Otis Sanders with Otis's widowed mother, Maggie Mitchell Sanders, and Otis's wife, Allene.

Where did Maggie Lorraine go?
The thing is, on that 1930 census, Otis has just remarried. His new wife is a seventeen-year-old local girl by the name of Allene A. Hancock. Well, Allene Hancock Sanders, now.

So, what? Does he just have a thing for teenage girls? Nope. Otis was married to Allene for 34 years until he died in 1964. They had kids. Grandkids. Great-grandkids. You can read all about it at Find a Grave.

But wait, there's more...

Otis and Allene are also enumerated on the 1930 census in Henderson County on April 23rd. They were living in the dwelling of Sidney C Leavell (haven't had time to look for a connection to that one), and apparently paying rent to him.

Now, this isn't the first time I've seen someone's name pop up twice in the same census year, but it is the first time I've seen it happen 300 miles away. Granted, there are possible explanations.

According to Allene's bio on Find A Grave, Otis and Allene married in Louisiana in 1930, but I haven't been able to find a specific date or location. Perhaps they are on their way to or back from Louisiana while Otis's mom watches over Elsie, renting a room for a night or two before continuing on. Just a coincidence that he's in the same Justice Precinct of Henderson County as his ex-wife's family?

Or, perhaps Maggie had gone to live with her family in Henderson County, and there was some matter Otis needed to clear up. But Maggie Lorraine isn't living with her parents on the 1930 census. Nor is she living with her brother, John. Or Aunt Bettie. She doesn't appear to be in Taylor County, either. I know she's alive, there's a lot more to her story. Maybe she's remarried, too?

Maybe he was there looking for his ex-wife and couldn't find her? I have no idea. Much more digging to do here.

Ten years after
April 3rd, 1940 Elsie Sanders is living with her grandmother, Maggie Mitchell Sanders. There are no street names or house numbers recorded for this area, just the order of visitation and family numbers. The census taker visited the household of Otis Sanders just before stopping by his mother's place.

Otis, Allene, and their three children are living in a rented house for $5 a month. He had been seeking work, and finally landed a job as a floor manager at a dance hall.

His mother is 67, owns her house, and is receiving an income from some other source than wages or salary. Elsie is 15, and attending school after having completed her second year of high school. I know no more about her.

Aside from an undated photo of a George Gough with "one of Lorraine's husbands" written on it, Grandma's sister Maggie Lorraine Nowell has fallen off my radar until 1948.

***

Side note: If any descendants or relatives of Elsie Sanders happen across this, please leave a note in the comments (my contact form went screwy and I haven't had a chance to fix it). I'd be happy to pass along the full size original scans of the family photos. I'd also be interested to learn what became of Elsie.

Sources

• Grandma's bible


• "United States Census, 1900," index and images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.1.1/M356-XNG : accessed 06 Feb 2013), William A Sanders, ED 152 Justice Precincts 3 & 6, Taylor, Texas, United States; citing sheet 8A, family 131, NARA microfilm publication T623, FHL microfilm 1241672.


• "United States Census, 1930," images, HeritageQuest Online (http://0-www.heritagequestonline.com.catalog.houstonlibrary.org/dvimage/genealogy/stage/dvimage?filename=/heritage/vault/hqc14/T626/2355/1/102A.tif&invert=0&scale=2&mimeType=application/pdf : accessed 06 Feb 2013), Otis R. Sanders, 3 J-PCT, Taylor, Texas, United States; Series T626, Roll 2400, Page 25B


• "United States Census, 1930," images, HeritageQuest Online (http://0-www.heritagequestonline.com.catalog.houstonlibrary.org/dvimage/genealogy/stage/dvimage?filename=/heritage/vault/hqc14/T626/2355/1/102A.tif&invert=0&scale=2&mimeType=application/pdf : accessed 06 Feb 2013), Otis R. Sanders, 5 J-PCT (South Part), Henderson, Texas, United States; Series T626, Roll 2355, Page 102A.


• Lorena Sanders - Find a Grave http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GRid=15917060


• "Texas, Deaths (New Index, New Images), 1890-1976," index and images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.1.1/K3XV-QZK : accessed 06 Feb 2013), Otis R Sanders, 1964; citing State Registrar Office, Austin, Texas.


• Allene B Hancock Sanders - Find a Grave http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GRid=15915731


• "United States Census, 1930," index and images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.1.1/CM7M-RW2 : accessed 06 Feb 2013), George W Nowell, Precinct 5, Henderson, Texas; citing enumeration district (ED) 0019, sheet 3B, family 60, NARA microfilm publication T626, roll 2355.


• "United States Census, 1940," index and images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.1.1/K43G-V84 : accessed 06 Feb 2013), Elsie Sanders in household of Maggie Sanders, Lawn, Justice Precinct 6, Taylor, Texas, United States; citing enumeration district (ED) 221-32, sheet 2A, family 25, NARA digital publication T627, roll 4144.


• There's probably a few more, but I'm so tired. If you need to know where I found some bit of information, leave a comment and I'll let you know.

FHWC: Taylor County, Della Nowell Wilson

Cotton farmers had struggled with drought conditions in Taylor county throughout the 1910s, but the 1920s brought a resurgence in cotton farming to the area. This is where we find the Grandma's family in 1922, about 25 miles south of Abilene in the tiny rural community of Lawn.

The Santa Fe Railroad laid tracks in 1909, but the small town of Lawn wasn't close enough to benefit. The community couldn't bring the rails to Lawn, so in 1910 they took Lawn to the rails, leaving behind what is now called Old Lawn.

The newly re-established town of Lawn enjoyed a fair amount of growth over the next two decades, with a peak population of 650 residents in 1929.

1922 was a good year for Taylor County cotton farmers. The number of bales ginned rose by over 8,000 from the previous year, to 30,385.

Zula, Maggie Lorraine and Dora were attending school in Lawn, Tx during the 1921-1922 school year. Grandma was 18 years old, and in the sixth grade.

Della Nowell, the eldest of George and Rebecca's children, was 26 in the Spring of 1922. She married a fellow called Bird Wilson on March 22nd, 1922. By the time the cotton was planted, Della was pregnant.

Maggie Lorraine also married in October the same year, but we will get to that story tomorrow.

On February 9, 1923, Della gave birth to Oletha Wilson. But Della soon fell ill. She was suffering from an infection commonly referred to as childbed fever.

Childbed fever, or puerperal fever, according to the Encyclopedia Britanicca, could develop "... after long and injurious labour and unskilled instrumental delivery..."

Della Wilson's death certificate states that she succumbed to "Flu and Child Bed Fever" on March 4, 1923 at the age of 27. She was buried March 6th at Rogers Cemetery, in Tuscola about 8 miles northeast of Lawn.

Whatever became of Della's husband is still a mystery to me. Rebecca and George took Oletha in. Grandma had just turned 19 the previous November. After losing her baby brother nearly six years earlier, she had a new baby in her life. But now her oldest sister was gone.

And there would be more joy and heartbreak for the Nowell family in the year to come.

Sources

• TSHA - Lawn, Tx http://www.tshaonline.org/handbook/online/articles/hll24


• TSHA - Cotton Culture http://www.tshaonline.org/handbook/online/articles/afc03


• "Usual Planting and Harvesting Dates, 1997", Agricultural Statists Board, NASS, USDA


• http://www.ladytexian.com/TXTaylor/school/lawn.htm
  - No longer active, but have the text saved. Zula, Maggie and Dora Nowell listed as students.


• Grandma's bible


• The Texas Almanac and State Industrial Guide 1925, Book, ca. 1925; digital images, (http://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth123783/ : accessed February 05, 2013), Page 224, University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, http://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting Texas State Historical Association, Denton, Texas.


• "Texas, Deaths, 1890-1976," index and images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.1.1/JDXR-CJT : accessed 04 Feb 2013), Dello Wilson, 04 Mar 1923; citing reference 10269, State Registrar Office, Austin, Texas.


• "Texas, Deaths, 1890-1976," index and images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.1.1/J6SJ-TPV : accessed 04 Feb 2013), Oletha Walker, 27 Mar 1975; citing reference 24988, State Registrar Office, Austin, Texas.


• http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/482821/puerperal-fever


• http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GRid=15956059

FHWC: Out of Comanche County

Maggie, Kit and Zula

Mom once asked Grandma how long it took to travel by covered wagon. My mom was working on a historical romance novel, and Grandma was a great source of information for how things were in the "old days". Grandma said they could cover about 25 miles a day.

As previously mentioned, boll weevils drove many of the cotton farmers out of Comanche County in search of more conducive land. The next time Grandma's family pops up on the US census is in Hunt County, about 200 miles Northeast. But something terrible happened along the way.

Tragedy in Mansfield

Rebecca, Zula, and baby (probably J.D.)

On October 7, 1917, Grandma's one-year-old baby brother, J.D., had to see a doctor in Mansfield, Tarrant County, Texas, just outside of Fort Worth. But to no avail.

A week later, on the 15th, J.D. died of "bowel trouble with brain complications". He was buried the following day in Pleasant Valley Cemetery in Mansfield (that cemetery is now located in Cedar Hill, Dallas County).

Granny Rebecca was the informant for the death certificate. Well, actually, there are two death certificates for J.D., 29418 and 29415. 29418 does not have burial information, whereas 29415 does. And I found them quite by accident because the name is spelled Norwell instead of Nowell on both documents.

From these two death certificates we learn that J.D. was 1 year, 1 month, and 16 days old, born on 30 Aug 1916 in Comanche County, Texas, that he was breast-fed, and he first saw the doctor that signed his death certificates (I can't make out his name) 8 days before his death. It is also stated that his father, George Nowell (okay, Norwell on the document) was born in Delta County, Texas, and his mother, Rebecca Joplin, was born in Nashville, Tennessee.

These two death certificates are the only evidence I have that J.D. Nowell ever even existed. I don't remember Grandma ever mentioning him, and he isn't recorded in the family bible.

Eastward bound: Hunt County, Texas
The primary cash crop of Hunt County at the time was cotton, and this may well be what drew George and Rebecca Nowell to take a chance there, despite the fact that the rest of George's family headed to Murchison in Henderson County.

George's widowed mother, Mattie, lived with her youngest daughter, Bettie, and Bettie's husband, John S. Davis. George's brother John R., and oldest son John Benjamin, had also moved their families to Henderson County by 1920.

Though cotton production was at its peak in Hunt County, the majority of farmers weren't really turning a profit. This was mainly due to the fact that many of them rented the farms they worked on.

George, Della, Kit, Grandma, and Maggie Lorraine all worked for wages as farm laborers. In addition, 16-year-old Grandma, 14-year-old Maggie, and 8-year-old Dora were also attending school.

But it wasn't long before the Nowell family packed up their belongings and hit the road again. This time they would travel 250 miles west, where adventure and more tragedy awaited.

Sources

• "Texas, Deaths, 1890-1976," index and images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.1.1/JD6S-R8H : accessed 04 Feb 2013), J. D. Norwell, 15 Oct 1917; citing reference cn 29418, State Registrar Office, Austin, Texas.


• "Texas, Deaths, 1890-1976," index and images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.1.1/JD6S-RZ1 : accessed 03 Feb 2013), J. D. Norwell, 15 Oct 1917; citing reference cn 29415, State Registrar Office, Austin, Texas.


• TSHA - Hunt County http://www.tshaonline.org/handbook/online/articles/hch22


• "United States Census, 1920," images, HeritageQuest Online (http://0-www.heritagequestonline.com.catalog.houstonlibrary.org/dvimage/genealogy/stage/dvimage?filename=/heritage/vault/hqc29/T625/1820/2/116A.tif&invert=0&scale=2&mimeType=application/pdf), G E Nowell, 6-PCT (part), Hunt, Texas, United States; citing ED 140, Dwelling 206, Family number 210, Series T625, Roll 1820, Page 166.


• "United States Census, 1920," images, HeritageQuest Online (http://0-www.heritagequestonline.com.catalog.houstonlibrary.org/dvimage/genealogy/stage/dvimage?filename=/heritage/vault/hqc28/T625/1818/1/156A.tif&invert=0&scale=2&mimeType=application/pdf), John Nowell, Murchison, Henderson, Texas, United States; citing ED 21, Sheet 7A, Dwelling 121, Family number 122, Series T625, Roll 1818, Page 156.


• "United States Census, 1920," images, HeritageQuest Online (http://0-www.heritagequestonline.com.catalog.houstonlibrary.org/dvimage/genealogy/stage/dvimage?filename=/heritage/vault/hqc28/T625/1818/1/187C.tif&invert=0&scale=2&mimeType=application/pdf), John B. Nowell, Murchison, Henderson, Texas, United States; citing ED 21, Sheet 17A, Dwelling 334, Family number 345, Series T625, Roll 1818, Page 187.


• "United States Census, 1920," images, HeritageQuest Online (http://0-www.heritagequestonline.com.catalog.houstonlibrary.org/dvimage/genealogy/stage/dvimage?filename=/heritage/vault/hqc28/T625/1818/1/187B.tif&invert=0&scale=2&mimeType=application/pdf), John S. Davis, Murchison, Henderson, Texas, United States; citing ED 22, Sheet 16B, Dwelling 324, Family number 335, Series T625, Roll 1818, Page 187.

FHWC: Where Grandma came from

Grandma's parents were married in Hillsboro, Tx in the summer of 1894. George and Rebecca probably met in Johnson County after her father, John M. Joplin, moved his second wife and children there from Tennessee sometime before 1900. George's parents and maternal grandparents had been living in Johnson County by 1880, having previously made a go of it in Lamar County after his parents married.

George and Rebecca had both grown up on farms, and they continued with what they knew. Along with George's parents Ben and Mattie, older brother John R.'s family, and little sister Bettie Frances, George and Rebecca headed about 100 miles west to rent a farm in Comanche County.

The economy in Comanche County was booming for farmers and ranchers between 1890 and 1900, and the rapid population growth reflected that. Cotton farming in the area increased dramatically from a single bale produced in 1860, to over 24,000 commercial bales in 1900. Comanche County was the place to be.

George and Rebecca Nowell

The Nowells established a cotton farm, worked hard, and raised their family. I can't say for sure whether their first two children, Della and John Benjamin, were born before or after they arrived in Comanche County. Della was born 2 Jun 1895, and John B. was born 6 Nov 1897. But they were definitely living on a Comanche County farm by 1900, where the rest of their children were certainly born.

George Columbus "Kit" Nowell came along on the 26th of January, 1901, followed by Grandma Zula Irene on November 11, 1903. Maggie Lorraine and Dora were born in 1906 and 1911, respectively.

George's father's health was declining by then. Joseph Benton Nowell was receiving a small pension for his service in the civil war, but he was no longer able to work. On the 5th of July, 1913, Ben Nowell passed away at the age of 69 or 70 (born 1842 or 1843), when Grandma was 9 years old.

George and Rebecca had two more children, Tommie born August 13, 1914, and J.D. born on the 30th of August in 1916. However, things weren't going as well as they had hoped.

The Nowell's, like most of the cotton farmers in Comanche County, were struggling. Cotton crops were being destroyed by an infestation of boll weevils, leaving farmers in the area with nothing to show for their hard work. As Grandma would say, they didn't have a pot to piss in, or a window to throw it out of.

It was time to get out of Comanche County and try their luck elsewhere.

Sources:

• "Texas, Marriages, 1837-1973," index, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.1.1/FXQ7-BYC : accessed 03 Feb 2013), George Nowell and Rebecca Joplin, 05 Jul 1894;


• Grandma's bible


• "United States Census, 1880," images, HeritageQuest Online (http://0-www.heritagequestonline.com.catalog.houstonlibrary.org/dvimage/genealogy/stage/dvimage?filename=/heritage/vault/hqc23/T9/1313/1/366B.tif&invert=0&scale=2&mimeType=application/pdf
  ), George Nowell, 5-PCT, Johnson, Texas, United States; Series T9, Roll 1313, Page 366.


• "United States Census, 1900," index and images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.1.1/M3LW-M48 : accessed 03 Feb 2013), George Nowell, ED 26 Justice Precinct 1 (west half), Comanche, Texas, United States; citing sheet 11B, family 198, NARA microfilm publication T623, FHL microfilm 1241622.


• "United States Census, 1900," index and images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.1.1/M3L7-XGY : accessed 03 Feb 2013), Joseph B Nowell, ED 27 Justice Precinct 1 (east half), Comanche, Texas, United States; citing sheet 18A, family 322, NARA microfilm publication T623, FHL microfilm 1241622.


• "United States Census, 1900," index and images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.1.1/M3L7-LCR : accessed 03 Feb 2013), John R Nowell, ED 26 Justice Precinct 1 (west half), Comanche, Texas, United States; citing sheet 11A, family 194, NARA microfilm publication T623, FHL microfilm 1241622.


• "United States Census, 1910," index and images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.1.1/MK15-83L : accessed 03 Feb 2013), George N Nowell, Justice Precinct 2, Comanche, Texas; citing sheet 15B, family 299, NARA microfilm publication T624, FHL microfilm 1375554.


• "United States Census, 1910," index and images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.1.1/MK15-VRG : accessed 03 Feb 2013), Ben Nowell, Comanche, Comanche, Texas; citing sheet 8A, family 123, NARA microfilm publication T624, FHL microfilm 1375554.


• "United States Census, 1910," index and images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.1.1/MK1P-PMS : accessed 03 Feb 2013), John R Nowell, Comanche, Comanche, Texas; citing sheet 19A, family 331, NARA microfilm publication T624, FHL microfilm 1375554.


• "United States Census, 1880," index and images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.1.1/MD7F-CCG : accessed 03 Feb 2013), J. M. Joplin, District 8, Henderson, Tennessee, United States; citing sheet 289B, family 0, NARA microfilm publication T9-1262.


• "United States Census, 1900," index and images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.1.1/M3PS-5MK : accessed 03 Feb 2013), John M Joplin, ED 54 Justice Precinct 1 (southeast part), Johnson, Texas, United States; citing sheet 20B, family 350, NARA microfilm publication T623, FHL microfilm 1241649.


• TSHA - Comanche County http://www.tshaonline.org/handbook/online/articles/hcc20

FHWC: Grandma was a witch

Jack and Zula Parmer - 1924

Zula Irene Nowell was born 11 Nov 1903 in Comanche County, Texas. She was a granddaughter of Joseph Benton Nowell, the former subject of my FHWC project. But I've decided instead to write about my memories of Grandma. And blog them. Much easier.

She claimed her daddy was 100% Irish, by which I think she meant that he was descended from Irish immigrants, because surely she knew he was born in Northeast Texas. Her mother, she said, was Black Dutch.

Grandma (she was my great-grandmother, but we all called her Grandma) and her siblings grew up picking cotton on her parents' farm. She received an 8th grade education in Lawn, Taylor County, Texas before her family moved to Henderson County. There she met her future husband, Rufus Amery "Jack" Parmer, the son of another cotton farmer.

Grandma's divination teachings
According to her, as a young woman, with a tub of water and a mirror at noon on the first day of May she discovered who she would marry (this would have been sometime between 1922 and 1924). She said she saw Jack Parmer's face in the water wearing a hat. Then the next time she saw him in person, he was walking up the road, wearing that same hat.

They were married 16 Sep 1924 in Tyler. I think the photo above was taken that day, because she had several printed up (I'm not sure how many are out there). Here is the back side of the photo:

Near the bottom Grandma Zula wrote "To Dear Mother From Jack and Zula." She wrote it in pencil so it is rather difficult to make out now. It was probably one of her daughters that wrote in the dates and ages in pen later.

Anyway, back to Grandma's witchery, she had a method for determining the gender of your future children. Stick a threaded needle into the eraser end of a pencil, and hold the pencil over your wrist by the thread (now I know this is called a pendulum).

Eventually the the pencil will begin to move. If it moves in a circle, it means girl. Back and forth in a line means boy. Then it will come to a stop, and begin to move again telling you the sex of the second child, and so forth for as many children as you think you want to have.

As kids, we had a good time playing with this one. I can't really speak to the effectiveness of it, since it has a fifty-fifty chance of accuracy, and I only have one child. But my sister swears by it. I always got 3 girls, then a boy.

One who controls the weather, controls the world
In addition to divining future elements of one's life, Grandma also passed on a means of controlling the weather. Texas summers are often drought-ridden, so whenever we really needed some rain, Grandma would call us up and tell my sister to "throw a snake over the fence."

So my sister would catch and kill what my great-grandmother called a chicken snake, though I think they are more commonly referred to as rat snakes. Then my sister would hang it over the barbed-wire fence and we would wait.

Now, I'm not a superstitious person, and I'm not exactly sure how hanging a dead snake over a fence would have any impact on the weather, but I'll be damned if it didn't always seem to work. In fact, the more snakes my sister hung on the fence, the more rain we would get.

Grandma's snake bite remedy
Grandma also had a way to deal with poisonous snake bites, though we never really had a need to test this one. The way she put it was, "Split a chicken and lay it over the bite." It would seem the intention behind doing this was to draw the poison out of the wound, into the chicken.

And this is why my mom would declare, "Grandma is a witch!"

FHWC: I'm in, but way behind

The Family History Writing Challenge, in case you haven't already heard, is a 28 day project to motivate genealogy researchers to put their family's story down in writing. Though I'm a little late in getting my research organized, I am going to at least do the best I can to get started writing before the end of February.

So, I've chosen an ancestor to focus on. I decided to go with Joseph Ben Nowell because I actually tried to sit down and write up a little history on him a few years back for some cousins who were interested. He is my ggg grandfather, and could easily be the oldest relative we have actual photographs of.

After gathering all of my documentation into one place this morning, I wrote up a timeline of his life in Notepad. I included the source citations for each fact in my timeline for convenience later. That took the better part of the day because I had to go back and look up the proper citations for census records I had downloaded from FamilySearch and HeritageQuest Online.

I'm missing some documentation too, but one of my cousins will be mailing it to me soon. My next step will be to add historical events to his timeline. I'm not sure how long that is going to take, but it will give me a better feel for what his life was really like.

I haven't even set a word count (probably 500, but we'll see) because I know I'm not going to be ready to start writing on Friday. I still need to determine how I want to write it, and get an outline drafted. So, I'll be getting a late start when it comes to the actual writing, but maybe I'll be able to stick with it through March.

Anyone else out there taking the Family History Writing Challenge? Am I the only one too far behind to get started writing on February 1st?

Coping with Conflicting Census Data

Census records are a marvelous way to discover where your ancestors lived, what they did for a living, and who else lived in the house. But what if you find errors in the census data that call into question whether or not this is the family member you are looking for?

Who the Heck is Elizabeth?

This has been one of the most confusing census conflicts I have come across. I know George Nowell and Rebecca Joplin married on July 4th or 5th of 1894 in Hillsboro, Hill County, Texas. (The family bible says 4, the Texas Marriages index says 5). So in 1900, they would have been married 6 years, as is indicated on the census.

According to the family bible, George was born 9 April 1875, and Rebecca Joplin was born 19 March 1879 (her death certificate says 18 March 1879). So the birth months and years are also a match.

The first child born to George and Rebecca Nowell was Della on 2 June 1895 according to the bible and her death certificate. Now here is the second inconsistency we come across. The census has "Ardella" born one month before George and Rebecca were married.

However, looking to the date the census was taken (29 June 1900), my Della would have just turned 5, so the age still matches. But that brings up another problem - if George and Rebecca were married in July, they wouldn't have celebrated their 6th anniversary yet.

So, back to the family bible, John Nowell was born 6 Nov 1897. Okay, that one fits. Additionally, all of the birth locations for self and parents match what I know.

How do I reconcile the number of hits versus the number of misses? And the wife's first name seems like a huge miss!

Why Errors May Occur on US Censuses

It wasn't until 1940 that census takers began recording who the informant for a household was. Browsing through 1940 census records, I noticed several instances of neighbors or landlords being the informant for a family unit.

Like death certificates, the information found on a census is only as reliable as the person who supplied it. But prior to 1940, there is no way to know who provided the information on US censuses.

But could a neighbor be so close on months and years of birth, but be completely wrong about the wife's first name? Is it possible that the census taker got the names from another source because no one was home, then went back for the rest of the information without double-checking the names?

Other Ways to Investigate

If I had been able to find George Nowell, born in Texas between 1874 and 1876 married to an Elizabeth on the 1910, 1920 or 1930 census, I would have simply dropped it there. But I couldn't find them. This isn't proof, but it does encourage one to keep looking for other information.

Also living in Comanche County in 1900 were my George Nowell's brother, John R Nowell and family, in the same enumeration district. In fact, in order of visitation, John Nowell was 191, and George Nowell was 195.

George and John's parents, Joseph B and Mattie Nowell, are also living in Comanche County, in a neighboring district, with their sister, Bettie Francis. This isn't firm proof, but it is highly suggestive. Oh, and did I mention, there are the only 3 Nowell households in Comanche County on the 1900 census (that I can find, anyway).

In 1910, I find George and Rebecca, in Comanche County, with children Della, John, George, Zula and Maggie. This time all of the names and ages match up. George's parents are still in Comanche County, as is his brother John's family. They are still the only Nowell's I can find in the county.

Again, this doesn't prove that "Elizabeth" was really Rebecca, but I can't discount the possibility that someone simply gave the census taker the wrong name, with some of the dates slightly skewed.

Other ways to confirm the location of your ancestors when census records are somewhat sketchy include tax rolls, land records, and death certificates of children who may have died young.

Discuss

Have you encountered census data that matched everything but one or two glaring details? Were you able to reconcile the information you found, or are you still trying? Please share your own experiences with conflicting census data, either on your own blog, or in the comments below.