Born Matilda Anna Lee in Carroll County, Missouri on December 7, 1864 to Josiah Lee (1820-1890) and Eveline Brizendine (1841-1884), Anna first married at age 19.
Her bridegroom, William Albert Baker, was born about January 18, 1860 in Keokuk County, Iowa to William E. Baker born in North Carolina (abt. 1833-1866) and Mary Jane Millikan (1833-1910) born in Morgan County, Indiana.
Did your people stay in one place for generations? Did they grow up knowing their great-greats and 50 cousins? Not mine. On both sides, my ancestors seemed to always be moving west. Some of us later reversed the trend. (Ask me how much I miss the Pacific Ocean).
I have a guess as to how Albert and Anna met. The 1880 Federal Census for Grand River, Daviess County, Missouri shows 20 year old Albert working as a laborer on the Thomas Feurt family farm. The Feurts were neighbors to the Lee family in Grand River. Yes, Anna's family.
So on January 17, 1884 "Mr. Albert Baker" married "Miss Annie Lee" in Daviess County. They had three children who survived infancy. Two boys: Harry Albert and Samuel Oscar. I descend from their daughter Ora.
One year later Albert's older brother John K. Baker married Anna's older sister Margaret Lee on January 25, 1885. They had one male child, and sadly, Margaret died five months later. John married Louisa Agnes Hoffman six years later. They had five children. Would love to hear from their descendants.
HUSBAND NO. 2:
After June of 1899, Anna lost Albert. In a letter she wrote in 1931, Anna said Albert died shortly before the birth of their youngest son, Sam. Adding that it was about six years after their marriage, she cited the cause as "ulcers of the liver."
William H. Ward and Mrs. Matilda A. Baker applied for a license to marry in Daviess County, Missouri on November 19, 1890. William was 26. Mrs. Baker was 25.
The Rev. William L. Merritt signed the document indicating he married the couple on November 20th 1890. It was filed of record on what looks to be the 29th of "Nov.", 1890.
As much as I like to hope that the signature of the bridegroom on the Application for License to Marry is that of "W. H. Ward," I note that the handwriting throughout the page appears to be from one person. This is not an original document, but one transcribed later by a court clerk onto the Daviess County marriage book.
Anna had three children before William's untimely death nearly ten years into their marriage. Anna once said William died of double pneumonia when his youngest son was about 16 months old. I do not know when Baby Lawrence was born, so I've no exact date. Do you know?
HUSBAND NO. 3: Oh, my. I hope you can read this horrible facsimile of their marriage application and license.
On November 29, 1900 in Daviess County, 35 year old Anna Ward married James Allen Price (age 37). She had six children to add to their new family. James was recently divorced and raising several of his own children. I believe his ex-wife had left for Texas. (You probably know the same country AND western songs as I do about 'them ex's" in Texas).
James and Anna later added four children of their own. Their one son, Elmer Glen, died in 1905--a year after his birth.
Zeala Violet, b. Nov 1902 in Gallatin, Missouri,
Gladys Naomi, b. 1904 in Cherryvale, Kansas, and
Zelma Pearl, b. Jan 1909 in Keystone, Oklahoma.
Before March of 1905, James and Anna moved from Missouri to southern Kansas. The Kansas state census told me they were living in the town of Cherry in Montgomery County with seven children. Jobs were plentiful. Mining and smelter jobs. Hard work.
About 1908 the family again moved by covered wagon just over the border to the booming oil town of Bartlesville. Oklahoma had just become a state.
Their final home was in Sand Springs, Tulsa County, where James later died at age 57 in 1920. Mrs. Anna Price passed on June 9, 1933 at age 68.
BTW, Anna's father Josiah Lee had four known wives. Anna descends from his marriage to his third wife.