See the middle of the second column for the remaining paragraphs.
My paternal 5x GGrandmother Sarah Jane was born to Susanna and Jehu Price on September 4, 1762 in Great Egg Harbor, New Jersey. She married John Parker in 1782, and had one son. Poor Mr. Parker died in 1788.
In 1790 she married Daniel Ackley with whom she had six children. But was widowed again in 1815 when Daniel drowned. One account is told of Sarah packing up and, with seven children in tow, she "traveled unescorted with her family" to what is now Greene County, Pennsylvania.
Sarah Ackley died in September of 1851 at age 89. In 1940 she was honored with a monument placed near the Ackley Creek near where she had homesteaded. See her plaque below.
1. Fannie Elizabeth (Ward) Skinner Burkett, b. 1896 Daviess County, Missouri - 1967 Denver, Colorado;
2. Ora Evaline "Evie" (Baker) Childers, b. 1888 Daviess, County, Missouri - 1984 Tulsa, Oklahoma;
3. MOTHER: Matilda Anna (Lee) Baker Ward Price, b. 1864 Carroll County, Missouri - 1933 Sand Springs, Oklahoma;
4. Zelma Pearl (Price) Fox Brown, b. 1909 Keystone, Pawnee County, Oklahoma - 1978 Tulsa, Oklahoma;
5. Gladys Naomi (Price) Bivens, b. 1905 Cherryvale, Kansas - 1989 Sand Springs, Oklahoma; and
6. Zeala Violet (Price) Skinner, b. 1902 Gallatin, Daviess County, Missouri - 1993 Inglis, Levy County, Florida.
I was so happy to see this photo on Ancestry as shared by my 2nd cousin, Margaret (Bivens) Breeden. Like many of my cousins, this is the only photo I've seen of my paternal 2xGGrandmother Anna and her daughters.
Margie was an active family researcher and shared considerable data on Rootsweb, and Ancestry. Her grandmother was born Gladys Price. I miss "seeing" her online. She passed in January of 2017, but her family tree remains public on Ancestry.
Years ago, she wrote this "memory" on a Findagrave memorial regarding my paternal Great-Grandfather:
"Sam Childers was my Great Uncle. Evaline (Eva) Baker was my Grandmother's sister. I spent many times with Aunt Eva and Uncle Sam, either at their house or my Grandmother's. They also lived down the road from my Uncle Harry Baker and his family. Uncle Sam was a great guy and I loved his many stories. I was not aware that Pat Anderson had passed. I'm sorry to hear that she did."
Are you also related to these women?
In poring over my collection of marriage records, I am reminded not to accept someone's age without question.
Elton married Esther and they both lied about their ages on their marriage license. In reality he was 30. She was 16 years old. Her 17th birthday was six+ weeks away.
Why? Was it because her parents would not have approved? Two pages below show what they told the court clerk:
And no, I know not why a second page covers the top portion.
The witnesses to their marriage were Wesley Raymond Fox and his bride of one year, Zelma Pearl (Price) Fox. Pearl was Esther's aunt. And Pearl was half-sister to Esther's mom, Evie. Yet Pearl and Esther were both born in 1909. I remember Grandma talking about a "Pearl." If so, perhaps they were close friends then and remained so. Do you know?
Guess who also lied about their ages on their March 12, 1925 marriage license? Wes is actually 19, but indicates he's 22 years old. Pearl is 16, but says she's 18 years old.
Pearl's mom, "Anna Price," is named as a witness on the certificate. I don't know why it was necessary to lie about your age, Miss Zelma Pearl. I mean, really! I've seen plenty of Oklahoma marriage licenses for teenagers who had a parent write their "consent" on the license. Zelma Pearl's mom is a witness and they still "fudged" their ages. Maybe Mom didn't know how young her son-in-law actually was?
NOT TO BE OUTDONE: in July of 1929 we have my G-Uncle Ernest and G-Aunt Mabel applying for a license in Creek County, Oklahoma. Young Mable was born on Halloween in 1914. This according to her grave marker (not considered "primary" source-worthy) AND the Oklahoma State Vital Records Index (a better secondary source).
Ernest was born in 1908. This made the couple 14 and 21, respectively. So WHAT ages did they put on their marriage license?
Source: "Oklahoma, County Marriages, 1890-1995." Database with images via FamilySearch.
NOTE: Ernest signed it "Earnest" just to confuse future family researchers.
Kids, today. They'll say anything.
My maternal great-grandfather's first wife, Daisy, is difficult to trace. Records show her with varying names. Census sheets list her as both "daughter" and adopted daughter. The potential for error in censuses can be high due to the many volunteers who've transcribed notes from enumerators. But clues can be helpful when taken as a whole. A wider picture is needed. And Daisy's mother Susan is the focus of this post.
Susan was born October 23, 1837 in Dayton, Ohio to David and Susan Margaret (Waitman) Neff. I believe she was their sixth of seven children. After the death of his first wife (and mother of 12 children!), Lemasters Martin Boggs, age 70, married 41 year old Susan in Franklin, Iowa, about 1878. By the 1880 census, Susan and Lemaster appear with a three year old named "Daisy Johnson" in their household. She is described as "daughter" yet both her parents' birth locations are listed as "unknown."
Did Susan have Daisy with an earlier husband or is Daisy a foundling they adopted?
Notice a few irregularities? Daisy and John appear to be married--and were so on November 21, 1897. But contrary to custom, Susan does not refer to John as son-in-law to the census taker--but "boarder." Daisy is back to being listed as adopted daughter. Susan's three year old grandson has a different surname than his two year old sister. But both children have the same birth year. And why the name Price for little three year old Guy? He was born January of 1896. Was Daisy married prior to her 1897 marriage to John Coffee? A search in this county finds an "Elwyn Price" living in nearby Versailles, and his 26 year old son, Guy Price. A Morgan County history of notable figures described Elwyn Price as a "stockholder and director of the Bank of Versailles." Was there a relation? Or did Daisy--on a whim, name her child after the banker's son? Oh, the joy of deciphering censuses!
By 1905 Susan is living in Kansas City, Missouri. A city directory page shows her name, marital status as widowed, first name of husband, and her residence address:
Boggs Susan wid Lamaster M r 4115 Flora
Susan Boggs passed away the next year, and her grave is in the Elmwood Cemetery, Kansas City. Just recently Ancestry.com/ uploaded new probate cases, and Susan Boggs' case was among them. 38 pages' worth. Only a few are shared below. Click on each within the gallery to view or to enlarge. She died intestate (without a will) at age 68.
--"Missouri, Wills and Probate Records, 1766-1988" via Ancestry.com/ originally from "Kansas City, Missouri and Jackson County, Missouri Probate Records and Case Files, 1853-1955." Woo hoo! Don't you love new databases!
--Neff/Boggs marriage date: via researcher Ed Woodyard
I've spent this evening learning of my paternal 2xGrandmother's father-in-law. Matilda never met him, as she married his son, James A. Price (her third husband), in 1900 long after Linsey was killed in the war between the states.
Several databases are uploading military records which is a boon for family historians. I especially like learning the physical descriptions of my ancestors. Why, unless you committed a horrendous crime and had your face splashed across a newspaper's front page, few documents from the 19th century describe a person's coloring, height, and weight as do military enlistment docs. The Union Army's records offer more detail than do those of the Confederacy.
Linsey Price enlisted June 5, 1863 and served with Company F of the 11th Regiment Cavalry. While Price may have been born and bred in Kentucky, he joined a Missouri unit with the Union Army. Many researchers spell his name "Lindsey." But I only find his signature showing a spelling of Linsey. See for yourself in these splendid actual docs:
Did you see Pvt. Price was "5 foot 7 inches high," fair complected, hazel eyes, with dark hair. And his health record, word! The detailed questions. I've not seen that before in Civil War records.