So where did Oliver L. Jackson come from exactly?? or "Mom and Dad, where are you?"

Previously we located Oscar and Leanna in Caldwell, Kansas in the 1930 census.  We find the same family unit in Caldwell in 1920 as well, only lacking the two additional children (Robert and Wilma) and Leanna's father Henry B. Andrews.

1920 US Federal Census
Caldwell, Sumner, Kansas


Oscar Jackson, age 37, b. Arkansas, both parents b. Arkansas, married, rent, can read and write, clerk for a laundry
Leina Jackson, age 31, b. Georgia, father b. N. Carolina, mother b. Georgia
Elenor Jackson, age 11, b. Kansas, school, dtr., all children father b. Arkansas, mother b. Georgia
Albert Jackson, age 10, b. Kansas, school, son
Fannie Jackson, age 8, b. Kansas, school, dtr.
Henry Jackson, age 5, b. Kansas, son
Mary Jackson, age 2, b. Kansas, dtr.
Thomas WILLIAMS, age 22, b. Oklahoma, lodger, father b. Missouri, mother b. Kansas, mechanic for a garage

Oscar Lothair Jackson's WWI Draft Registration Card

In 1910 the new family is in Peabody, Marion, Kansas.

1910 US Federal Census
Peabody, Marion, Kansas, District 75
family 79
Maple Street


Oscar L. Jackson, age 28, b. Arkansas, both parents b. Arkansas, Marriage 1 for 3 years, laundryman, steam, employed by someone else
Leana M. Jackson, age 21, b. Georgia, father b. N. Carolina, mother b. Georgia, Marriage 1 for 3 years, mother of 2 children, both alive
Eleanor L. Jackson age 1 and 11/12, dtr, b. Kansas, father b. Arkansas, mother b. Georgia
Albert L. Jackson, age 6/12. son, b. Kansas, father b. Arkansas, mother b. Georgia


The state of Kansas also did a state enumeration between the years 1855-1925.  Although these census' reiterate much of the same information that is found in the US Federal census', they were taken five years after each of the federal census years and these census' sometimes ask a few different questions, such as what state or country the residents came from immediately before their arrival to Kansas. A search of these records reveals Oscar and Leanna's household in the following years:

1925 Kansas State Census
414 No Main St.  fam no 7 [note that on this census  the visitation numbers are out of order] im.62


Oscar Jackson, age 43, laundry, own shop, born Arkansas, from Missouri to KS
Leanna Jackson, age 36, b. Georgia, from Alabama to KS, the rest of the family have no jobs
Eleanor Jackson , age 16, b. Kansas
Albert, age 15, b. Kansas
Fannie, age 13, b. Kansas
Henry, age 11, b. Kansas
Mary, age 7, b. Kansas


1915 Kansas State Census
Caldwell, Sumner, Kansas
fam 4, im.86


H.B. ANDREWS,  age 54, male, owns home
M.J. CLARK, age 66, female 
L.M. JACKSON, age 26, female
E. JACKSON,  age 6, female
Albert JACKSON, age 5, male
Aunie JACKSON, age 3, female [this should be Fannie]
H.B., age 1, male
[I do not know why Oscar is not here with his family and was unable to find him elsewhere in 1915]


Now that we have tracked Oscar and Leanna throughout the census' that are available from their married years together, (the 1910 census indicated they had been married for three years) we can take another step back and attempt to find them with their birth families.  We know that they possibly were married in Kansas, since the children are born there, so one or both of their families may have relocated at some point since their respective births in Arkansas and Georgia.  We know that Oscar's mother's maiden name is Major(from the CA death registration), and that he was born in about 1882 in Arkansas.  I'll start looking in Kansas and Arkansas for him first.

My first attempts at finding Oscar in the census' before his marriage were unsuccessful, but after I did a search of the Kansas state census, I discovered why.  Oscar's mother had either been widowed or divorced and had remarried, and Oscar was listed with his step-father's last name in all of the census' except for the 1905 Kansas State census.  His mother remarried a Charles W. Cupp.  Mr. Cupp was a laundryman, as Oscar was to become as an adult, and the Oscar listed in the household was a match in both age and place of birth, as well as parental births although the middle initial was off (it actually could be an L, when I looked at the original document), so I confirmed his identity furthur by tracking his Cupp siblings.  Charles S. Cupp's mother is identified on his Texas death certificate as Mary Jane Majors.

1905 Kansas State Census
1 March 1905
Caldwell, Sumner, Kansas
images 80-81, line 7


C.W. Cupp, age 45, born Missouri, from Missouri to Kansas, laundry
M.J. Cupp, age 43, born Arkansas, from Missouri to Kansas, housewife
O.L. Jackson, age 22, born Arkansas, from Missouri to  Kansas, laundry
C.S. Cupp, age 13, born Missouri, from Missouri to Kansas, attended school
J.T. Cupp, age 9, born Missouri, from Missouri to Kansas, attended school
G.E. Cupp, age 3, born Kansas


1900 US Federal Census
Sumner, Caldwell, Kansas, District 319, image 14, family 161


C.W. Cupp, age 40, born Sep 1859 in Missouri, father b. Ohio, mother b. Maryland, owns home free, laundryman, married 12 years
M.J. Cupp, age 37, born July 1862 in Arkansas, father b. Canada (Eng), mother b. Arkansas, married 12 years, mother of three children all alive
Oscar Cupp, age 18, born Apr 1882 in Arkansas, father b. Illinois, mother b. Arkansas, laundryman
Chas O. Cupp, age 8, born Aug 1891 in Missouri, father born Missouri, mother b. Arkansas, in school
Jacob T. Cupp, age 4, born Sep 1895 in Kansas, father b. Missouri, mother b. Arkansas


1895 Kansas State Census
Sumner, Caldwell, Kansas, image 66, line 12, fam 343


C.W. Cupp, age 35, born Missouri, to Kansas from Missouri, laundry
Mary Cupp, age 32, born Arkansas, to Kansas from Missouri, housekeeper
Oscar Cupp, age 18, born Arkansas, to Kansas from Missouri [should be age 13, wrong on census]
Charlie Cupp, age 3, born Missouri, to Kansas from Missouri
W. YOUNGER, age 20, born Illinois, to Kansas from Illinois, line man


Now we know that Mary and Charles were married in about 1888.  We should look in Missouri for their marriage record because they both came to Kansas from Missouri and Charlie was born in Missouri in about 1892.  Charles W. is in the 1880 census with his family in Union, Marion, Missouri, so I would begin there.  His mother, Sarah, is widowed and his father had died in the previous four to five years.

1880 US Federal Census
Union, Marion, Missouri ED 22, page 20, anc. im. 15


Sarah A. Cupp, age 42, widowed, keeping house, born in Maryland, parents b. Maryland, all of the family can read and write.
Charles W. Cupp, age 20, son, works on farm, all children b. Missouri, father b. Ohio, mother b. Maryland
Annie Cupp, age 13, daughter, at school
Jacob Cupp, age 10, son, works on farm, attended school within the year
Eddie Cupp, age 4, son


And what about Oscar and his parents??  Well Oscar wasn't born yet for the 1880 census, there are no remnants of the 1890 census for any of the areas where he probably might have been, and I don't think he was in Kansas for the 1885 census.  We don't know if Mary Jane was married to Oscar's father yet in 1880, so I've searched for her under both names.  It has been a problem.  I have a couple of possibilities, which gives us some leads to follow up on, but I'm not sure where they will take us.

First I have found an Arkansas marriage record for a J.H. Jackson, born in 1857, age 21 marrying an M.J. Majors, born in 1860, age 18, on 31 August, 1878 in Pulaski, Arkansas.  This is a pretty good match, although elsewhere she says she was born in 1862, but that is a pretty common error or fabrication in records.

In 1880, I find an interesting census record for a Lizzie Majors with children listed as Mary J. Jackson and James H. Jackson in Garland, Hot Springs, Arkansas.  Everything about this record is wrong, but there is enough right about it that I think it is worth further investigation.  We never know when a guess will lead us down the wrong path for awhile or lead to results, so I'll start looking for these Majors and Jacksons in 1870 in Arkansas, try to find a birth record for Oscar, and see if there is a death notice for this James H. Jackson.  Statewide birth and death certificates began in 1914 in Arkansas, but newspaper notices, church records, and local records may be available. Is this Oscar's parents listed as single and children of Lizzie Majors and with incorrect ages?  That would be one messed up census record, but I've seen worse!

The Oscar L. Jackson and Leanna Jackson family of Kansas and California

As with the Young family, we at least know that the family was in Kansas by 1930.  Almost certainly some of the Young/Jackson descendants remained in Sumner County,  Kansas well into the twentieth century, as Elta and Albert Young as well as Oscar and Leanna Jackson are buried in the Caldwell Cemetery.

1930 United States Census     324 N. Main Street, Caldwell, Sumner, Kansas
               
Oscar L. Jackson, born in Arkansas, both parents born Arkansas, age 47, rents for $25 a month
           proprietor of a laundry


Leanna Jackson, wife, born in Georgia, father b. North Carolina, mother b. Georgia, age 41
Elinor Jackson, daughter, age 21, no occupation
       all children born in Kansas, father b. Arkansas, mother b. Georgia
Albert Jackson, son, age 21, helper at laundry
Fannie Jackson, daughter, age 18
H. B. Jackson, son, age 16
Mary Jackson, daughter, age 12
Robert Jackson, son, age 3 and 3/12
Wilma Jackson, age 8/12


Henry B. ANDREWS , father-in-law, age 69, born in North Carolina, both parents b. North    
         Carolina, carpenter, finishing work


So, as is often the case, this census information both provides answers and raises questions.  We would expect to see Oscar's daughter Billie Jean, that we believe was born in 1929 on this census.  Instead we see a Wilma.  Is Billie's year of birth wrong, was the name mis-transcribed, or did she grow into a different name??  We will look for a birth certificates for both a Billie Jean and a Wilma, as well as any other children born to Oscar and Leanna between their marriage date and 1940 or so.  There is a large break between the birth of children Mary and Robert.  Were there other children born during this span?

The good news is that Leanna's father, Henry B. Andrews, is living with the family and is still working, as a carpenter, so we now have her maiden name. (Also the H.B. Jackson in the census is probably named after him).  Hopefully we will be able to find his family in North Carolina or where they later lived in Georgia as well as a marriage record, probably to be found in Georgia.  More hunting news later.

Clinton Cemetery Revisited

After the forty degree plus variations in the weather this past week here in Lawrence and another snow, I took the opportunity to head back out to Clinton Cemetery and take some more pictures.  There were still a few blankets of snow and the ground was a bit soggy, but it was seventy and sunny, and I took advantage of the warm break, since another cold front is on its way.

When the genealogist gets a lead that an ancestor is buried in a particular cemetery, she should remember to get not only pictures of that ancestor's stone, but also pictures and details on all burials with the same surname, since they will often later be found to be relatives.  I also always look for maiden names that could be included on female relative's stones.  Just as I do when I find an ancestor in census records, when I find an ancestor's final resting place, I take a strong inventory of everyone that is nearby.  Proximity can be an excellent lead for further investigation.  Proximity is never proof, but it can provide clues and direct your research.

As I recorded the Anderson family stones, a  stone was laid nearby for a Ruth A. Lamb (1855-1928).  Was the A perhaps short for Anderson?   The main family stone was for a Lillie Mae (1878-1964) and John W. Anderson (1868-1920).  There are also a couple of children's stones, Mable Ruth Anderson (1904-1907), and Glenn Anderson (1914-1914).  The fact that Mable's middle name is Ruth is adding to the evidence that Ruth A. Lamb is a relative.  Let's see what comes up in a census search for 1920 for the Anderson family and Ruth Lamb.

I find the John W. and Lily M. Anderson family in 1920 in Marion, Douglas, Kansas.
 

1920 US Federal Census, Marion, Douglas, Kansas

John W. Anderson, age 50, head, born Kansas, father born Missouri, mother born Illinois, owns home, able to read and write

Lily M. Anderson, age 42, wife, born in California, mother and father born in California, able to read and write

Donald W. Anderson, age 13,son, born in Washington, father born in Kansas, mother born in California, able to read and write

Pearl M. Anderson, age 11, daughter, born in Washington, father born in Kansas, mother born in California, able to read and write

Lila N. Anderson, age 9, daughter, born in Kansas, father born in Kansas, mother born in California

Ida M. Anderson, age 4 years and 7 months, daughter, born in Kansas, father born in Kansas mother born in California

Edward C. Anderson, age 2 years and 4 months, son, born in Kansas, father born in Kansas, mother born in California

This census gives us a little more information to go on, namely that Lillie's family is from California and she and her husband lived in Washington for at least a few years before coming to Kansas, where John was born.  I should search for marriage records in all three states.  The family is back in Kansas by 1910, where we find them in Clinton, Douglas, Kansas.

 1910 US Federal Census, Clinton, Douglas, Kansas

John W. Anderson, age 42, head, born in Kansas, father and mother born in Illinois

Lily M. Anderson, age 30, [mistranscribed at ancestry as age 50], wife, born in Kansas, father and mother born USA

Donald Anderson, age 3, son, born in Washington, son, mother and father born Kansas

Pearl Anderson, age 1, daughter, born in Washington, mother and father born in Kansas

Since Donald and Pearl were both born in Washington, I would begin with a marriage search there even though it seems a bit odd since there is no family connection that we know of there.  A search of the Washington State digital archives at www.digitalarchives.wa.gov. finds a marriage for a John W. Anderson and Lillie Lamb in 1903  in Spokane County.  After going to the notes we find that they were married on Oct.12, 1903, filed on Oct 14, 1903, document easpmc414 and an image is available online...nice.

This certificate gives us some additional information.  First off we learn that Ruth is not an Anderson, but is a probable relative of Lillie, and that Lillie is of Long Beach, California and that John W. Anderson is of Gray, Washington.  I certainly am a little bit curious about how these two connected so far from their home bases.  I also notice that their witnesses are Mw(?Matthew) and Birdena Woodward, and I know that there are a lot of Woodward burials in the Clinton Cemetery.  Maybe there is a connection there that brought John to Washington.  We will try to find out.

Clinton Cemetery, Lawrence, Kansas

Today I went to Clinton Cemetery to fulfill a Find A Grave request. Find A Grave is a great genealogical site that allows users to find where their ancestors are buried and get pictures of their grave site and memorial. If your ancestor isn't listed and you know where they are buried, you can build and post their memorial and then request that someone who lives nearby go take a picture of their headstone for you and post it online. When you post a request, an automatic email goes out to all of the volunteers who live nearby and hopefully, one of them will get a chance to fulfill your request. It's just a little something I can do to help out some of my fellow genealogists and since I enjoy cemeteries, with all of their interesting sculptures, epitaphs and often, scenery, it gives me an excuse to head out and do a little exploring.

Today was a little chilly, but the wind was still and the sun was out and that helped it feel a little warmer. The sky was a few incredible bright shades of blue. After traveling about fifteen miles on country roads and a few missed turns, I found the cemetery at the end of a dead end road, near Clinton Lake. The cemetery is still being used for burials and it was evident that it was being cared for, older stones were repaired and sunken stones had been re-situated on top of the soil. There is a small memorial area where you can sit and rest, and a posting area where the burials are listed, with the unknowns listed as such, which indicates that some records have been lost. Luckily, this cemetery has been well transcribed and most of the photos are already posted. The particular request I had simply involved taking a picture of the other side of the stone. Only the wife's side had been posted.

There isn't any out of the ordinary scenery to be found here but there is a pretty gated entry noting the cemetery's established date of 1864, a few nice trees as well as some craggy trees (for character perhaps) and a wooded area at the back of the cemetery. There were some examples of the usual traditional epitaphs (as I am now, so you shall be...) and stone imagery (hand pointing up to heaven as the destination) as well as a few examples of my favorite headstones, stones carved in the forms of stumps or trees. Many, but not all, of those particular types of stones were provided to Woodmen of the World (WOW) members as part of their benefits until the 1920's, when they became too expensive. Since that time, other types of markers can be purchased or may be provided to mark the graves of Woodmen in order to fulfill their obligation that no Woodmen be laid to rest in an unmarked grave.