Alabama Smith References, part II

Earlier today I found references to some Alabama Smith Revolutionary War Vets in Thomas Owen's Revolutionary Soldiers in Alabama. Then as I was skimming through the rest of the eBook that is published on HeritageQuest online, I found an entry for Colonel John McCutchen of Jackson County, Alabama, a revolutionary soldier who died Jan 17, 1835. The entry for Colonel McCutchen included an article that was published in the Southern Advocate, Huntsville, Jan 27, 1835 that mentioned a meeting that convened to pay tribute to this fallen hero. At the meeting, Colonel James Smith was called to the chair and Major John B Stevens was appointed secretary. Resolutions to pay tribute were "resolved" and signed by James Smith, Chairman and John B. Stevens, Secretary.

Who was this Colonel James Smith? If he was important, then why wasn't he included in this account? There was an entry for James Smith of Jackson Co., AL who was listed on the 1840 Pensioners Census and living with James P Smith (p. 148). But this entry had no mention of him being a Colonel. Is this the same person?

Sources:

A Census of Pensioners for Revolutionary Or Military Services: With Their Names, Ages, and Places of Residence, as Returned by the Marshals of the Several Judicial Districts, Under the Act for Taking the Sixth Census, By United States Census Office. 6th census, 1840, United States Census Office, Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints Genealogical Society, Published by Printed by Blair and Rives, 1841. [This title is available as eBook on google books.]

History of Alabama and Dictionary of Alabama Biography, Vol IV, Thomas M Owen, 1921. [This title is available as eBook on google books]

Revolutionary Soldiers in Alabama: being a list of names, compiled from authentic sources, of soldiers of the American Revolution who resided in the state of Alabama, Thomas M Owen, 1911. [This title is available as eBook at HeritageQuest.com]

Colby Franklin Dennis Research

I went to the library today to pick up my photocopies of the Rasco book I ordered through Interlibrary Loan. They had another book I had ordered through ILL - Samuel Bell Maxey: Biography, by Louise Horton, 1974. I was puzzled because I didn't remember ordering the book and I had no idea why I ordered it. I used the search within all documents feature on my pc to find any "Maxey" references. I finally found it in a family tree genealogy report I had exported and saved on Dec 4, 2008. Evidently, my ancestor, Colby Franklin Dennis, had served under this Samuel Bell Maxey in the Civil War. I found notes I had copied in Colby's file in my family tree maker software which made reference to this. The notes made reference to Louise Horton's book about Samuel Maxey, a draft version; however, I was not able to find this exact book that supposedly mentioned my Dennis ancestor. This book I ordered through ILL was the next closest thing. Although this book did not specifically mention my ancestor, it did outline Maxey's journey through the Civil War, which matched up with the abstracted Civil War records that I copied from Ron Brother's online cemetery and death database. I was a bit disappointed that the book did not mention anything about my ancestor having gone missing or being a POW. I don't believe Maxey was as known for his Civil War service as he was his service in the Indian Territory or as a Senator of the state of Texas.

Alabama Smith References

Earlier today I found some information on the Cherokee Indian removal from the southern states and the Trail of Tears. I found information on John R. Gourd who testified that he knew James Smith, father of my ancestor David Smith, back in the old country and that they were of Cherokee blood. I could not find a connection between the two families, however. At least not in GA. I did find information on John Gourd's family and posted it here.

I decided to try and go back to what I knew: Richard Smith was born 18 Dec 1838 in Blue Cove Springs, Jackson County, Alabama. This was the same time that the Cherokee indians (the last tribe) were removed from the southern states. So a couple of possible scenarios presented themselves: (1) Richard Smith was born while his family was being removed and travelling along the Trail of Tears; (2) Richard Smith's family was originally from AL and they stayed there even though their kind was being removed. They might have chosen to live as white men instead of leaving their home.

I spent a couple of hours trying to find out if Jackson County, AL was along the Trail of Tears route. Although I could not find specific evidence that Jackson county, AL was along the Trail of Tears route, it is feasible that it was because Jackson County, AL is located in the northeastern part of the state, bordering both TN and GA.

I also tried to find this Smith family on the Trail of Tears and/or Native American Rolls, but did not have much luck. This can be addressed another time.

In my search for Jackson County AL history, I found a few references to a couple of Smith families in the A Census of Pensioners :

(1) James Smith was 81 years old (b. about 1759), resided in Jackson County, AL with James P Smith, head of house.(p. 148)

(2) John Smith was 77 years old (b. abt 1763), resided in Jackson County, AL with Larkin Smith head of house(p. 148)

(3) Rebecca Smith, 39 years old (b. abt 1801), resided in Jackson County, AL with Rebecca Smith, head of house(p. 148)

These three Smith families were also mentioned in Thomas Owen's History of Alabama & Dictionary of Alabama Biogrpahy, Vol IV. These entries referenced two other sources: Census of Pensioners and Revolutionary Soldiers in Alabama.


(1) James Smith, Soldier of the American Revolution, 81 years old (b. about 1759), resided in Jackson County, AL June 1, 1840, with James P Smith, head of house (p. 1588)- Census of Pensioners, 1841, p. 148

(2) John Smith, Soldier of the American Revolution, 69 years old (b. abt 1771), resident of Madison County, AL, private in the NC Militia, enrolled on Sept 26, 1833 under Act of Congress of Jun 7, 1832, payment to date from Mar 4, 1831; annual allowance - $80. Revolutionary Pension Roll in Volume VIX, Sen. doc. 514, 23rd cong. 1st sess 1833-34. He resided in Jackson County, AL, Jun 1, 1840 with Larkin Smith (p. 1588), age 77 - Census of Pensioners, 1841, p. 148

(3) Rebecca Smith, Soldier of the American Revolution, 39 years old (b. abt 1801), resided in Jackson County, AL (p. 1588), June 1, 1840 - Census of Pensioners, 1841, p. 148

A Colonel James Smith was also mentioned in an article about John McCutchen in Thomas Owen's Revolutionary Soldiers in Alabama.

Sources:

A Census of Pensioners for Revolutionary Or Military Services: With Their Names, Ages, and Places of Residence, as Returned by the Marshals of the Several Judicial Districts, Under the Act for Taking the Sixth Census, By United States Census Office. 6th census, 1840, United States Census Office, Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints Genealogical Society, Published by Printed by Blair and Rives, 1841. [This title is available as eBook on google books.]

History of Alabama and Dictionary of Alabama Biography, Vol IV, Thomas M Owen, 1921. [This title is available as eBook on google books]

Revolutionary Soldiers in Alabama: being a list of names, compiled from authentic sources, of soldiers of the American Revolution who resided in the state of Alabama, Thomas M Owen, 1911. [This title is available as eBook at HeritageQuest.com]

Smith Family Research

Today I was all by myself at work. I took this time to finish reading and summarizing the Cherokee Citizenship application of Sarah Ann (Smith) Grider. Sarah Grider and several of her children and grand-children, filed for citizenship in the Cherokee Nation in 1896. Their application was denied, even though another Cherokee council member testified that they were Cherokee by blood.

This application was very important because it listed Sarah's parents - David and Sarah (Gallymore) Smith - and her grand parents - Jim Smith on the paternal side and Jennie (Lee) Gallymore on the maternal side. Sarah (Smith) Grider was the sister to my ancestor, Richard Smith.

The cherokee council member mentioned above was one John R Gourd. He testified that he knew David Smith's father, James Smith, who was known as "Cherokee Jim Smith" in the old country. This testimony gave insight about how the Indians migrated from the eastern US to the Central US. He testified that he knew James in the "old country" that was "east of the Mississippi River." He said he saw James in Chattanooga TN and in AL, but that he didn't see him again after he arrived at OK.

I did some research on this John R Gourd to get an idea of where he was from and how old he was. I found him on the 1900 Cherokee Nation, Indian Territory census report as John Rattling Gourd, b. 1819 in GA. Both parents in GA.

I read up on the Cherokee removal from the east to the west and the Trail of Tears. Most Cherokees came from the western half of GA, mostly in the north, western 1/3 of NC, and most of TN. During the Trail of Tears of 1838-1839, most of them were rounded up at forts along the TN river. Most of GA, TN and NC Indians left at Chattanooga, TN and went across the state into AR. Another trail left from AL at the TN river. This group followed the river up into MO, then back down in to AR. Most of them followed one of these two routes. A 3rd route was by land up into North TN and MO, then back down into OK. Many Indians had already left their lands and settled in AR by 1817. In 1838, these indians were also forced to move into OK.

I got confused because I could not find an 1840 census report for either Indian Territory or OK. Were there any census reports taken for these removed Indians during this time? I did find various Native American Rolls that were taken over time on the accessgenealogy page.

John Rattling Gourd was born in GA, as were his parents, so I thought maybe he knew James Smith back in GA. However, James' son David Smith's 1850 AR Census report listed his place of birth as TN. I pulled all the James Smiths from the 1830 GA Census reports, printed all of the county formation details and highlighted the counties that were original Cherokee lands. I tried to match them up with the Gourd family, however I coud not find any Gourd families in the old nation. I was able to trace John Rattling Gourd to the family of Rattlinggourd Conrad and Mary Polly Toney; Evidently their children took Rattlinggourd as their surname - then it was broken up into "Rattling" as a middle name and "Gourd" as a surname. This family is outlined in the book, "History of the Cherokee Indians and their Legends and Folklore" p. 635. This book is available for full view at google books.

The following scans are of a card that my 2nd great grandfather, Claude Rual Smith, Sr used to carry in his pocket. I believe it is a Draft Registration Card to prove that he had registered for the draft. It was probably also used as a form of identity.

The WWI draft registration card that I pulled off of ancestry.com is below.

Looking for Wills at the NC State Archives

This post has been updated with new screenshots from the NC State Archives website. Please refer to this 2011 post instead.

I consider Mitchell's "Will Index" to be my #1 resource material to researching NC families. It is a two volume set that sits out on the main counter at the NC State Archives. It can be searched online using the NC State Archives MARs search Engine. This is how I went about finding the last will and testament for Henry Williams:

Go to NC State Archives webpage

Click on the MARs Catalog link on the left side and a new window will open. It may take a couple of minutes to completely load. You will see the main search page. I have included a screen shot below:

Next I type in "Henry Williams" in the search box and I put a check mark beside the Mitchell Will Index listing. Then I click on the search button.

The database loads the Mitchell Will Index and reports back that there are 7 hits in the County Records Part 1 section and 9 hits in the County Records Part 2 section. This index is alphabetized by county name. Counties starting with a letter in the first half of the alphabet are in County Records Part 1 and those in the second half of the alphabet are in County Records Part 2. The actual published copy of the index is alphabetized by last name.

If I wanted to look for a will for Henry Williams in Caswell County, NC only, then I could type in "Henry Williams Caswell" into the search box and it would bring up 1 hit in County Records Part 1.

Click on the County Records Part 1 link and I get a display of 1 record for Henry Williams.

Click on the blue "I" icon in the first line

The record depicts information for this Henry Williams. The will was recorded 1786 in Caswell Co., NC. The call number and MARS Id number are not important.

Once you find the will date, person's name and county, you can go to the Archives and look through the will boxes. They are organized by county first, then alphabetized by last name. Before you can look through the records you have to fill out a call slip. The call numbers start with a 3-digit prefix assigned to the county of interest. Caswell County's 3-digit prefix is 020. Then the next 3-digits are assigned to document type. For wills, that number is always 801. The last number of the call number is the box number that contains your ancestor's file. This last number is left blank on the call slip. You will put your surname on the call slip instead. They will bring you the box that contains the surname for the county of interest. For example, I might find the will of Henry Williams, 1786, Caswell County, using the following call number: 020.801.25. Box 25 containing the surname Williams.

The archivist will give you the whole box and you can only take out 1 file folder at a time. You must keep all documents inside the folder in order at all times. You can request copies be made by filling out a copy request form. Copies are $0.10 a page. Information on locating estate records at the archives can be found in my post "Locating Estate Records at the NC State Archives."

A Peek into the NC State Archives: Loose Documents of Estate Records

In this post, I'd like to talk about a collection that is part of the Archives: "The Series of Original Loose Documents of Estate Records." This collection contains a serious of documents pertaining to the estates of deceased persons in NC. This collection is sorted by county, then alphabetical by last name.

Documents contained in these files include administrator bonds, affidavits, inventory and estate sales receipts, legal proceedings, division of assets to legatees, etc. These files can be reviewed by filling out a call slip. The call numbers start with a 3-digit prefix assigned to the county of interest. Sampson County's 3-digit prefix is 087. Then the next 3-digits are assigned to document type. For estates, that number is always 508. The last number of the call number is the box number that contains your ancestor's file. This last number is left blank on the call slip. You will put your surname on the call slip instead. They will bring you the box that contains the surname for the county of interest. For example, I might find the loose documents of the estate of Abiah Godwin in Randolph County using the following call number: 081.508.56. Box 56 containing the surname Godwin.

Below is an example of documents contained in the file of Abiah Godwin, Sampson Co., NC (In order of appearance in the file):

Page 1 illustrates how much money the administrator of the estate brought before the judge, probably from the sale of items in the estate. The administrator brought in 79 pounds, 3 shillings, and 11 pence. 39 pounds, 6 shillings, and 8 pence were awarded to the administrator for his duties as administrator leaving 39 pounds, 16 shilling, and 3 pence to be divided between Abiah Godwin's 7 legatees…5 pounds, 13 shilling, 7 pence awarded per legatee.

Page 2 is a scan of what was on the back of the first page. It reads "A settlement of the estate Abiah Godwin, Deceased."

Page 3 is a receipt of monies owed to Samuel Godwin from the estate for his duties of administrator.

Pages 4 and 5 contain an inventory of the estate of Abiah Godwin taken on 4 Feb 1796, consisting of furniture, pots, farm stock, kitchen goods, etc.

The records contained in this series are "Loose Papers" which means they range from administration bonds to petitions for dowers, etc. Some items are frequently misfiled, so it is a good idea to look through all of the folders for the surname you are researching. For example, you might find a court suit about your ancestor in his Father's estate file, even though the two of them died 40 years apart. 

The value of this collection is that it is organized by county and then by surname whereas other bound volumes of estate records are organized by date.

You can read about how to find WILLS at the NC State Archives in my post "Looking for Wills at the NC State Archives - Updated." 

Back up Blog

Here is my method for backing up my main blog posted here on Wordpress.com:

1. Done weekly
2. edit post
3. click on HTML view
4. copy all html and text from the edit post box
5. open new post in my genealogybyginger.blog.com blog
6. Click on the HTML view
7. paste html and text from my wordpress blog into the blogger.com window
8. change all links pointing back to my blog to the blogger.com blog addresses (all posts' web addys are saved to a google document)

Lou Ella Godwin Otten (1882-1947), Part III

In Part I of my series, “Who was Louella Otten?” I presented 3 sets of documents that outlined the history of my 2^nd great grandmother, Louella Otten.

1. Marriage record from Sharp Co., AR: Ella DAVIS married Alvin GODWIN, 1899

2. 1900 Sharp Co., AR census report: Lou A CARPENTER, daughter of Wm CARPENTER (step-sister Osieola DAVIS, daughter of Wm CARPENTER’s second wife, Dora NIX DAVIS, was also enumerated)

3. Obituary of Ella Otten: survivors included 3 CARPENTER brothers – Marlin, Ernest, and Willie; one half-sister, Nellie CARPENTER ECKERT, and one sister, Osieola DAVIS CLARK.

These sources put together indicate that Lou Ella was either a DAVIS or a CARPENTER. At first I thought she was a Carpenter because that is what the census report indicated and I have a bad habit of putting lots of stock in what census reports say. I learned my lesson this time.

I received a copy of Ella Otten’s death certificated obtained from the OK Department of Health this week. It clearly states that Ella’s father was Bill DAVIS and her mother was Dora NIX.

So lessons learned: Don’t believe everything you read!

Summary:

Lou Ella Davis was the daughter of Dora Nix who married first Bill Davis and second William Carpenter in Sharp Co., AR in 1890.  Dora Nix Davis Carpenter was enumerated with her daughters, Lou Ella Davis and Oseola Davis in her new husband, William Carpenter's household in the 1900 Highland Township, Sharp Co., AR census report (Lou Ella was actually already married and enumerated with husband Alvin Godwin by this time as well). The Carpenter boys also listed on the census report were Lou Ella and Osceola's half-brothers. I believe the obituary was incorrect - the brothers were actually half brothers. 

Lessons Learned about Family trees on Rootsweb

A fellow Godwin researcher sent me information from some family trees that were posted on rootsweb.com about the Dora Nix and James F. Davis family. I contacted the researchers who posted these trees to get more information about their research and to find out more information about this elusive James F. Davis.

In both of the trees, there were two daughters listed as children of Dora Nix and James F Davis. They were Osceiola Davis and Tillie Davis. According to the trees, Oscieola Davis married Samuel Walker Loyd and Tillie Davis married William E. Carpenter. William E. Carpenter was the son of Dora Nix Davis and her second husband, William Carpenter. If Tillie Davis were really the daughter of James F. Davis and Dora Nix, then that would mean that Tillie Davis married her half brother Willie Carpenter!

I questioned that situation and started digging. One of the trees referenced the file of Mike Peters. After some digging, I found a Pedigree Resource file Mike Peters had posted to the familysearch.org website. Sure enough, there was Dora and James F . Davis with two daughters: Tillie Davis (married William Carpenter) and Osieola Davis (married Samuel W. Loyd).

Mike Peters also posted marriage information on William Carpenter to Dora Davis to the Sharp Co., AR Marriage Record website. I found Mike's address and I wrote him a letter. In the letter, I asked him for source information for James, Tillie, and Osieola Davis.

My letter was received and answered!

In an email, Mike said he had the death certificate of his grandmother, Osieola Davis Clark (Los Angeles, CA). The certificate listed James F. Davis as Osieola's father. He also confirmed that Tillie Davis who married William E. Carpenter was not James and Dora Davis' daughter.

While looking through other files on familysearch.org, I found another user submitted Family Data Collection file posted by Nellie Mae Conklin on one Otala "Tillie" Aldrich who married William Carpenter, son of William Carpenter and Dora Nix Davis Carpenter! Tillie and William Everett Carpenter's death records can be found on the CA death record site.

Nellie Mae Conklin has published several books that are available in libraries across the country. She did submit to the LDS FHL a book on Tillie's Aldrich family, with some entries on the Carpenter family. However I was not able to borrow it through my local FHL because evidently they don't allow unmicrofilmed books to leave the library in Salt Lake City.

So...with the success of my last letter writing excursion fresh in my mind, I set off to write another letter to the 89 year old Nellie Mae Conklin in which I requested either a copy of the book or a copy of her Carpenter family entries from the book.

I am eagerly awaiting her reply.

There are many lessons learned in this essay:

Use user submitted rootseb family tree files as a guide only and don't believe everything your read as fact
Remember to dig deeper to find the actual sources of information
It illustrates how one small printed mistake can be reproduced for many years
Letter - writing can be successful!

Lou Ella Godwin Otten (1882-1947), Part I

Lou Ella Godwin Puzzle

According to Joyce Hambleton Whitten’s transcribed Arkansas Marriage Records, an Ellce or LouElla Davis, 19 yo, of Hardy, Sharp Co., AR married Allen or Alvin Godwin, 22 yo, also of Hardy, Sharp Co., AR on 14 Mar 1899. The marriage was officiated by W. E. Dark, witnessed by J. N. Pully.

In the 1900 Fulton County, Pleasant Ridge Township, AR census report taken 2 June 1900, Alvin Godwin was enumerated with his wife, Looeler? Godwin. Alvin Godwin was 21 years old, born Jan 1879, married 1 year, 0 kids, born in AR with father born in AR and mother born in MS. “Looeler?” Godwin, wife, was 18 years old, born Feb 1882 in AR, both parents born in TN.

This census report corroborates the approximate date of marriage and ages of Alvin and LouElla Godwin listed in the marriage record.

Alvin and Ella Godwin were enumerated again in the 1910 Fulton Co., Mammoth Springs, AR census report with their two children, Laura and Arvil Godwin:
Godwin, Alvin T. Head, 30 yo (b. abt 1880) Married 11 years (abt 1899), AR AR AR
Ella Wife, 30 yo (b. abt 1880), Married 11 years (abt 1899), 2 / 4 kids living AR TN AR
Laura 8 Daugh AR AR AR
Arvil 6 Son AR AR AR

Alvin and Ella divorced sometime between 1910 and 1920. By 1920, Alvin was back living with his parents in Mammoth Springs at age 40, was divorced and an Ella “McGee” was found in Shawnee, Pottawatomie, Co. OK. The census states she is married, born in TN around 1886 (34 years old) with two kids - Lorine O, 17 born in MO and Orvale L, 15, born in MO. The children's ages match up, however, Ella's age is off and the census lists the kids' birthplace as MO instead of AR.

By the time the1930 census was enumerated, Lou Ella was married to Nace Robert Otten. They were listed in the 1930 Shawnee, Pottawatomie Co., OK census report: N Robert Otten was 42 yo, married, b. in MO; railroad conductor; WWI vet, Ella Otten, was wife, 44 yo, married, b. TN, both parents born in TN;

This past fall we found the obituaries of both Lou Ella and Nace Otten at the Shawnee public library, as well we photographed the headstones placed on their graves in Fairview Cemetery, Shawnee, OK. The obituaries brought up some interesting questions about exactly who was Alvin Godwin married to? The marriage record said Alvin Godwin married Lou Ella DAVIS. However according to the obituaries, Lou Ella had 3 brothers with the last name of CARPENTER. So did Alvin Godwin marry Lou Ella Davis or Carpenter? Was Lou Ella married to a Davis before marrying Alvin?

Here are the transcripts from the death notices and obituaries:

Shawnee (Okla.) News-Star, Friday, July 18, 1947
Deaths
Funeral Pending For Mrs. Otten, Railroader’s Wife
Mrs. Ella Otten, 62, of 431 North Aydelotte, died Thursday at 4:15 p.m. in a local hospital as result of a heart attack suffered about 10 days ago.
She was the wife of N. R. Otten, Rock Island conductor.
Funeral services are being arranged by Gaskill’s.
Mrs. Otten came to Shawnee in 1910 from Hardy, Ark. She was a member of the first Presbyterian church and the Ladies Auxiliary to the Brotherhood of Railway Trainmen.
Surviving besides her husband are one son, Orville Godwin of Tulsa, one sister, Mrs. Ed Clark, Los Angeles, a half sister, Mrs. Roy Eckert, Shwanee, and three brothers. The brothers are Ernest and Marland Carpenter of Hardy, Ark., and Willie Carpenter, Los Angeles. Mrs. Otten also leaves nine grandchildren.
[Microfilm No. XVI-378-406 from the Shawnee, OK public library]

Shawnee (Okla.) News-Star, Sunday, July 20, 1947 (p. 2A)
Deaths
Otten Services Set for Monday
Funeral services for Mrs. Ella Otten. 62. 431 North Aydelotte, who died Thursday in a local hospital will be held Monday at 2 p. m.
Services will be held in the Gaskill chapel with Rev. Claybron Derring in charge. Burial will be at Fairview cemetery.
Mrs. Otten was a member of the Central Presbyterian church and the Laides Auxiliary to the Brotherhood of Railway Trainmen. She had lived in Shawnee since 1910, coming from Hardy, Arkansas.
Bearers will be Henry Martell, O. Beeson, Wallace Doss, Robert Freeman, Edmond Kitchell and Sam Hewlett.
[Microfilm No. XVI-378-406 from the Shawnee, OK public library]

I did find the three brothers listed in the obituary as children living in the household of William Carpenter in Highland Township, Sharp Co., AR in 1900:
Highland Twp., ED 119, enumerated 4-5 June 1900, T623, Roll 77, p 44
William Carpenter, head, white male, b. sept 1844, 55 yo, Married 10 years, IL, Unk Unk, farmer, owned free farm
Dora B or E Carpenter, wife, white female, b. June 1864, 35 yo, married 10 years, 6/8 children living, TN TN TN
Lou A Carpenter, daughter, white female, b. Feb 1882, 18 yo, single, AR IL IL
Oceola Davis, step-daughter, white female, b. Jan 1885, 15 yo, single, AR TN TN
Acy Carpenter, son, white male, b. Jan 1892, 8 yo, single, AR IL TN
Willie Carpenter, son, white male, b. July 184, 5 yo, single, AR IL TN
Marlin Carpenter, son, white male, b. Oct 1896, 3 yo, single, AR IL TN
Ernest Carpenter, son, white male, b. May 1899, 1 yo, single, AR IL TN

1910 Sharp Co., AR census report:
Dora Carpenter, head, 45 yo (b. abt 1865), widow, 6/6 children, TN TN TN
Willie Carpenter, 15 yo (b. abt 1895), single, AR IL TN
Marlin Carpenter, 13 yo (b. abt 1897), single, AR IL TN
Ernest Carpenter, 10 yo (b. abt 1900), single, AR IL TN
Nellie Carpenter, 5 yo (b. abt 1905), single, AR IL TN

However, as I mentioned earlier, my Lou Ella Godwin was enumerated with Alvin Godwin in Pleasant Ridge, Fulton Co., AR, 2 June 1900. She was born Feb 1882 according to both census reports, so it is possible she was enumerated twice. There is mention of a DAVIS living in the family’s household in 1900, she was Ocealo Davis, 15 years old, born about 1885, step daughter of William Carpenter.

So what should I do with this information? Should I attach my Lou Ella to William Carpenter? Did she marry a Davis before marrying my Alvin Godwin at the age of 19? Or is it more than a coincidence that she had a step sister with the last name of Davis? Was she really Dora Davis' daughter and William Carpenter's step daughter?

Continued on Part II

Lou Ella Godwin Otten (1882-1947), Part II

Lou Ella Godwin Puzzle, Part II

Previously, I posted information on Lou Ella Otten, 1882-1947. This post is a continuation of the question of who are Lou Ella Otten's parents?

Recap: Lou Ella DAVIS married Alvin GODWIN in Sharp Co., AR in 1899, therefore I predicted that Lou Ella's surname was DAVIS. However her obituary of 1947 stated she had 3 brothers with the CARPENTER surname. I then went on a quest to determine if Lou Ella was a DAVIS or CARPENTER. Most of the evidence presented below lean towards her being a CARPENTER. However I still have to ask the question of why her marriage record stated her last name was DAVIS. One might simply answer that she was previously married to a DAVIS prior to marrying my Alvin GODWIN (at the age of 19). However, in the census report of Lou Ella's family we find a step sister by the name of Oscielo DAVIS and a marriage record between Lou Ella's father, William Carpenter, and a Dora DAVIS. Therefore, I am inclined to believe that the mixup was with Lou Ella and her step mom's family.

I found Lou Ella's family in the census reports. I have listed them chronologically, and you will see Lou Ella's "Carpenter brothers" in the 1900 census report with her. Nellie Carpenter, her "sister" who married Roy Eckert, did not show up until the 1910 census report. Their father was William Carpenter, b. abt 1844:

1870 Douglas Co., MO census report:
William Carpenter, 28 yo (abt 1842), farmer, value of personal estate: $1238, IL
Catharine Carpenter, 26yo (abt 1844), Keeping house, IL
Ellenora Carpenter, 5 yo (b. abt 1865), IL
George M Carpenter, 3 yo (b. abt 1867), IL
Franklin Carpenter, 1 yo (b. abt 1869), MO

1870 Douglas Co., MO Census Report for William and Catherine Carpenter

William and Catherine Carpenter moved from Douglas Co., MO to Izard Co., AR between 1870 and 1875. According to the 1880 Izard Co., AR census report, the two youngest children, George and Franklin, moved with them, three more children were born, and Ellenora, the oldest, was no longer living in the household - she would have been only 15 years old:

1880 Izard Co., AR, Lafferty Creek Township, enum 84, July 5 1880, Lines 59-60
William Carpenter w m 38 yo (b. abt 1842) farmer IL TN TN
Catharine Carpenter w f 31 yo (b. abt 1849) wife m khouse IL VA VA
George B.Mc. Carpenter w m 13 yo (b. abt 1867) son s works on fm IL IL IL
Franklin Carpenter w m 11 yo (b. abt 1869), son s works on fm MO IL IL
Charles Carpenter w m 9 yo (b. abt 1871), son s works on fm MO IL IL
Wm. S. Carpenter w m 5 (b. abt 1875), son s AR IL IL
Sherwood Carpenter w m 1 (b. abt 1879) son s AR IL IL
- So far William and Catherine have at least 6 Carpenter children

1880 Izard Co., AR Census Report for William and Catherine Carpenter, p. 1

1880 Izard Co., AR Census Report for William and Catherine Carpenter, p. 2

On 12 Feb 1890 in Sharp Co., AR, William Carpenter is remarried to Dora C. DAVIS and they are enumerated on the 1900 Sharp Co., AR census report:

1900 Sharp Co., Highland Twp AR census report:
Highland Twp., ED 119, enumerated 4-5 June 1900, T623, Roll 77, p 44
William Carpenter, head, white male, b. sept 1844, 55 yo, Married 10 years, IL, Unk Unk, farmer, owned free farm
Dora C Carpenter, wife, b. June 1864, 35 yo, married 10 years, 6/8 children living, TN TN TN
1. Lou A Carpenter, daughter, white female, b. Feb 1882, 18 yo, single, AR IL IL – Born before Wm married Dora, so probably daughter of Wm and Catherine Carpenter and probably my Louella. Her father's birthplace, IL, matches with that of William Carpenters'; My Louella was also enumerated with her husband of 1 year, Alvin Godwin, in the 1900 Fulton Co., Pleasant Ridge, AR census report.
2. Oceola DAVIS, step-daughter, white female, b. Jan 1885, 15 yo, single, AR TN TN – Also born before Wm and Dora were married in 1890, so probably Dora’s from a previous marriage as this child has the same surname that Dora had before marrying Wm Carpenter
3. Acy Carpenter, son, white male, b. Jan 1892, 8 yo, single, AR IL TN
4. Willie Carpenter, son, white male, b. July 1894, 5 yo, single, AR IL TN
5. Marlin Carpenter, son, white male, b. Oct 1896, 3 yo, single, AR IL TN
6. Ernest Carpenter, son, white male, b. May 1899, 1 yo, single, AR IL TN
* There are 6 children listed in this census report.
Willie, Marlin, and Ernest Carpenter are the 3 “brothers” listed in Lou ella’s obituary

1900 Sharp Co., AR Census Report for William and Dora Carpenter

1910 Sharp Co., AR census report:
Dora Carpenter, head, 45 yo (b. abt 1865), widow, 6/6 children, TN TN TN
Willie Carpenter, son, 15 yo (b. abt 1895), single, AR IL TN
Marlin Carpenter, son, 13 yo (b. abt 1897), single, AR IL TN
Ernest Carpenter, son, 10 yo (b. abt 1900), single, AR IL TN
Nellie Carpenter, dau, 5 yo (b. abt 1905), single, AR IL TN

1910 Sharp Co., AR Census Report for Dora Carpenter

According to Lou Ella Otten’s obituary, she had 3 “brothers” – Willie, Marlin, and Ernest Carpenter – Assuming Lou Ella is the “Lou A. Carpenter, 18 yo, b. Feb 1882” listed in the 1900 census report and is really a child of Wm Carpenter and his first wife, Catherine, then the 3 boys must actually be half brothers (they were children of Wm and 2nd wife Dora).

The “half sister” Mrs. Roy Eckert, mentioned in Lou Ella Otten's obituary is actually Nellie Carpenter, daughter of Wm and Dora (2nd wife) Carpenter and sister of the 3 boys, but truly a half sister of Lou Ella, so that part of the obit is correct.

Mrs. Ed Clark of Los Angeles was Osceola Davis. She was listed as an actual “sister” to my Lou Ella Otten but she was probably a step sister. She was listed in the California Death Records: Oceola Clark: b. 20 Jan 1885 in AR; d. 22 Mar 1955 in Los Angeles, CA; Mothers maiden name was Nix. Father's name was Davis. (no social security number given).

According to all of the above information, it looks as though Lou Ella Otten was a Carpenter, and the daughter of William Carpenter and his first wife, Catherine Warner. Lou Ella was born 26 Feb 1882, therefore she could not be the daughter of William and his second wife, Dora Carpenter because Dora did not marry William Carpenter until 1890.

If these assumptions are correct, then why does Lou Ella’s marriage record say Lou Ella Davis?
And why does her obituary state that Mrs. Ed Clark (Osciala Davis) was a “sister” when she would have really been a step sister?

And why does it say the 3 Carpenter men were “brothers” instead of half brothers, especially when it states that Nellie (Mrs. Roy Eckert) was a “half-sister?”

Related Posts:
Lou Ella Godwin Otten (1882-1947) Part I
Lou Ella Godwin Otten (1882-1947) Part III

I found a picture of Lou Ella Otten's nephew, Davis T. Loyd

Here is a picture of Davis T. Loyd taken May 1954 in Los Angeles, CA. From my grandfather's personal collection. Davis T. Loyd was the nephew of my 2nd great grandmother, Lou Ella Otten. Davis was the son of Lou Ella’s sister, Osieola Davis Loyd. This picture was probably sent to us from Osieola Davis Loyd. I have recently been in contact with Davis’ nephew, Mike Peters and have shared these photos of his uncle with him.




Here is a picture of Davis T. Loyd and his wife, taken in Los Angeles, CA. From my grandfather's personal collection.

The Will of Thomas Williams, Granville Co., NC (1761)

The Will of Thomas Williams, Granville Co., NC:

Wills to my wife and son Roger Williams, all estate with wife having use of same for the term of her widowhood or lifetime; to son Roger, a negro slave; to son Thomas, a negro slave and my mill and plantation ; to son William, a negro slave and upper part of my land divided between sons Thomas and William; to son Samuel, 2 negroes; I leave to wife and son Roger 100 pds. Virginia money to purchase 2 more negroes for her use during her widowhood and then, at her death, one of them to son Thomas and the other to son Roger Williams; to wife and son Roger all stock, household goods, etc., but if she remarry, then divided to my four children.
Exrs: my wife and my son Roger Williams
Wts: William Burrow, John Burch, Saml. Lancaster

Source: Abstracts Of Granville County, NC, Unrecorded wills, 1746-1771, by Zae Gwynn
Page 65-Feb. 12, 1761–proved Aug. court 1761

The Will of William Williams, Granville Co., NC (1763)

I do not know how this William Williams of Granville Co., NC connects into my Williams family line. It is always my way to publish everything I find. I hope someday down the line I can connect them all.

Williams, William–wills to son Charles Williams 250 acres of land on south side of Tarr river, also my part of the wagon and the two horses belonging to the wagon, a feather bed and furniture; to son Stephen Williams, plantation whereon I now live containing the 143 acres on north side of Tarr river and a feather bed and furniture, a horse and my saddle; to daughter Lucy Pitman, wife of Samuel Pitman, 5 shillings; my wife Elizabeth to have use of plantation and dwelling house whereon I now live for as long as she is my widow or for life and at her death, the land to go to the aforesaid Stephen Williams; the movable property divided between Charles and Stephen Williams.
Exrs: my son Charles Williams and friend Francis Fowler
Wts: John Williams, John Morris

Source: Abstracts Of Granville County, NC, Unrecorded wills, 1746-1771, by Zae Gwynn
Page 66-April 3, 1763–proved Feb. 1765

The Will of Daniel Williams, Granville Co., NC (1759)

Here is the will of Daniel Williams of Granville Co., NC. Daniel Williams was married to Ursula Henderson. They were the parents of my Henry Williams of Caswell Co., NC. I found two other Williams wills in Granville Co but I am not sure how they connect if at all to my Daniel Williams family. They are William Williams and Thomas Williams.
Williams, Daniel–wills to wife 3 negroes loaned to her for her lifetime, 12 cattle, one horse, feather bed and furniture, household goods, which I do not give away herafter, and at her death to be equally divided between my seven children: Merya Goodman, Henry Williams, John Williams, James Williams, Joseph Williams, Mary Mitchell, Daniel Williams; to my son-in-law Benjamin Goodman, 200 acres of landing being the land whereon he now lives at Capt. Mitchells line; to son John Williams, 350 acres which I purchased of Richard Bullock; to sons James and Joseph Williams, 800 acres of land in Halifax county, Virginia to be equally divided between them; to son Daniel Williams, 400 acres being land and plantation whereon I now live; to daughter Marya Goodman, for her lfietime, 3 negroes and, at her death, to go to her children; to son Henry Williams, 2 negroes and the use of a mullatto fellow to serve to age 21 years; to son John, 3 n3groes; to son James, 3 negroes; to daughter Mary Mitchell, 4 negroes; to son Daniel, 4 negroes; to my wife Ursula Williams, I lend for her lifetime 6 sheep, 12 hogs and, at her death, to be divided to my seven children; to my youngest children, James, Joseph, Mary Mitchell, and Daniel Williams, all rest of cattle, sheep, and hogs to divide between them; to son James, a horse and a feather bed and furniture; to son Joseph, a stallion, a feather bed and furniture; to daughter Mary Mitchell, a horse; to son Daniel Williams a horse and a mare, a feather bed and furniture; to son James Williams, land on Anderson swamp containing 400 acres; to son Joseph, land on Hico road and branches of Island creek—400 acres; my executors are to sell my crop of tobacco and pay my debts and to get 8000 ten penny nails and 8000 eight penny nails and give them to James and Joseph Williams and whereas Henry Williams and Marya Goodman have had pewter bought for them, it is my desire that John, James, Joseph, Mary Mitchell, and Daniel are to have pewter bought for them in equal amount by my executors and if any surplus from these sale, to be divided in eight parts for my wife and children; after wife’s death, all that is left to be divided to them.Exrs: my wife, Ursula Williams, John and James Williams
Wts: Luke Waldrup, William Sims

Source: Abstracts Of Granville County, NC, Unrecorded wills, 1746-1771, by Zae Gwynn
Page 64–Nov. 15, 1759–proved Dec. court 1759

Lark Family Revealed

My great grandmother, Nova Lee Peters, had a sister, Mary Peters who married a guy named Carlyle Fleming Lark in 1929. Mary Peters Lark died young in 1949, but not before witnessing the marriage of their son, Stanley Lark, to his wife, June Lawrene Wyatt. The existence of the Lark family was new to us when we started our research in 2005. Since then, my grandfather has been trying to make contact with his Lark cousins. He obtained mailing addresses and phone numbers of Stanley, Russell and Nancy, children of Mary Peters Lark and wrote to each of them. I believe he briefly talked on the phone with his cousin Stanley but wasn’t able to get much information from him. He did receive a Christmas card from Nancy this past year (2007) and got her address from that.

I received most of my information on the Lark family from Stanley’s wife’s side of the family. Stanley’s wife, June, had started the family history but had to cut it short when she passed of cancer in 2003. Her brother Larry Wyatt, has been dilligently trying to pick up where she left off. He has been a great help to me. We started corresponding again this month. I asked him for pictures and history of June and Stanley’s family. He sent me two collages that were made by Michael Lark, only son of Stanley and June; they collages had multiple pictures outlining the lives of Stanley and June. I was sad to learn that Stanley passed away in 2006. This is why my grandfather’s letters and cards were unanswered.

Today on a whim I typed in “Michael Lark” into my Myspace friend finder and low and behold the profile of my second cousin once removed, Michael Lark, son of Stanley and June, appeared. I sent him a message telling him who I was and what I was looking for. I’m not sure if he will respond or not, but it’s still exciting to know that I was able to find and locate some distant family members. I also found a couple of his son’s pages. I browsed through their pictures to try to learn a little about them.

Hill Family Photos - Arkansas

I found these photos among my great grandmother's photos. My great grandmother was Blanche Kathryne Hill Binns. She was the daughter of Nathaniel "Gus" Gustaves Hill and Jessie Barton. Blanche had 4 other sisters, Jo Hill, Nora Lee Hill, Doris Hill, and Inez Hill. They were from Dierks, Arkansas.

Civil War pension applications of Richard Smith

I received copies of Richard Smith's pension application from my grandfather, Darrel Smith June 2007. My goal is to transcribe them in their entirety.

Update 1/14/09: All 60 pages of the pension packet have been scanned and saved to my hardrive. I made two digital copies of each page, 1 .tif format and 1 .jpg format. The .tif files were moved to my external harddrive in the XL Files / Smith / Richard Smith Pension Application Files folder. The .jpg files were saved in genealogy/Smith/Richard Smith (1838-1913)/ Pension Application Files folder.

I started a word document - "index.doc" with a table that includes page no., date, and notes. I'm keeping the pages in their originally numbered order (by Darrel Smith).

Here is a copy of a survey Richard Smith submitted to the Pension Board. It is important because it lists Richard Smith's two wives' names and the names of his living children. Survey was submitted Aug 4, 1898:


Another thing to note about this survey is that Richard Smith listed his son Preston's date of birth as Aug 24, 1868. Preston Smith's obituaries, death certificate, and headstone list his date of birth as Aug 15, 1866. This contradicts with the information Richard provided about his oldest living son, Ray Smith whom he listed as being born Oct 9, 1866.