Treasure Chest Thursday: Marriage License and Certificate of Nova Peters and Orville Godwin

Marriage License for O Godwin and Nova Peters, both of Thayer, Oregon County, Missouri and both over 21 years of age obtained by the Recorder of Deeds in Alton, Missouri, 9 November 1927.

Marriage Certificate for O Godwin and Nova Peters, both of Thayer, Missouri stating they were united in "Holy Matrimony" at Alton, on the 9th day of  November 1927 by the authority of a License bearing date the 521960 day of November A.D. 1927 and issued by the Recorder of Deeds of Oregon County, Missouri.

Wordless Wednesday - Louise Benson & James Putman Lasiter Sr

These are a couple of pictures of my great-grandparents, Thelma Louise Benson and James Putman Laister Sr. Louise Benson was the oldest of eight children born to Barney and Eva Mae Dennis Benson 1 January 1912 in Avant, Oklahoma. She was an educated woman who finished High School before marrying James "Put" Lasiter in 1932. James Lasiter I believe was an only child born to James Franklin Lasiter and Rosalie Putman 20 November 1908 in Oklahoma. Louise and Put had three children, a boy and two girls born before 1940. They moved to Fort Smith, Arkansas and Put got a job with the local newspaper.

I chose these two pictures because they portray the couple at the beginning of their life together and towards the end of their life together. I never met my great-grandfather Put. He passed in 1974 of heart failure, just two years before I was born. My great-grandmother Louise, lived another 20 years after Put passed away.

The first picture looks like one of those photos that is developed in one or two colors and then has the actual colors added in with a paintbrush or colored pencil. I love how my great-grandfather's blue eyes stand out of the photo. My great-grandmother's hair was red, but I don't remember her having blue eyes too.

These photos are privately held by me, Ginger R. Smith. I obtained this collection in September 2009 from my Mother who got them from her mother when she died in 2003.

This Wordless Wednesday post is part of the daily blogging theme hosted by GeneaBloggers.

Related Posts:

1. T. J. Benson, Louise Benson's grandfather
2. Five Generation Photo - Eva Dennis Benson, Louise Benson Lasiter, Sue Lasiter Godwin, Marilyn Godwin, Ginger Smith

Tombstone Tuesday - T. J. and Lulu Benson

"Benson: Lulu G, 1856-1911 and T. J. Tiny, 1856-1921, In Loving Memory"

Red Hill Cemetery, Lamar County, Texas

Photo privately held by Nancy Walsh, Utah, USA. 

Digital copy mailed to me by Nancy, 27 July 2006. 

T. J. Benson and Lulu Bullington were my 3rd great-grandparents. They were married July 5, 1878 in Washington County, Mississippi. (You can view their marriage license here.) They lived in Mountain, Arkansas for a bit and then finally settled on a family farm in Lamar County, Texas by 1900.

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This post is part of the daily blogging theme "Tombstone Tuesday" hosted by GeneaBloggers.

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Related Posts:
1. T. J. Benson - What's In A Name Post
2. Treasure Chest Thursday: Marriage License of T. J. Benson and Lulu Bullington

What's In a Name?

T J Benson (1856 – 1921)

My third great-grandfather, T J Benson, was born in 1856 in either Alabama or Mississippi. He married Lulu Bullington, July 5, 1878 in Washington County, Mississippi (see License). His real name and his parents’ names are unproven at the time this essay was written, however some speculation has been made and will be addressed in this essay.

What’s in a Name?

Nancy Walsh, the great-granddaughter of T J Benson and his wife Lulu Benson, stated in an email to me that T J’s real name was “Terry James(1).” Nancy currently has in her possession the bible records of her mother, Margaret Segner Benson, which noted “T. J. Benson [stands for] Terry James Benson [and] he may have been born in Alabama.”

T J Benson also went by “Tyney” or “Tiny” according to the 1880 Arkansas census report (2) and other miscellaneous records (Washington Co., MS marriage records, “Tinie Benson to Lulu Bullington, 05 July 1878″ and headstone, “T. J. Tiny Benson, 1856-1921 and Lulu G Benson, 1856-1911,” Redhill Cemetery, Lamar Co., TX)(3)

According to census reports, “Tyney” (2), “Terry J” (4), and “T J” (5-6) Benson was born in AL (2) or MS (4-6) between 1854 (4) and 1860 (6). T J’s headstone denotes that he was born in 1856 (7). Also according to the census reports, his parents were born in SC (father) and NC (mother) (2), Unk (4), or AL (5-6).

Lastly, the obituary of T J Benson’s youngest child, Jay Stanley Benson, and the delayed birth certificate of Jay's sibling Cullen Benson list their father’s name as “Thomas Jefferson” Benson! (8) Who doesn't want to be named after a major President?

Sources:

1. Personal correspondence with Nancy Walsh, 23 June 2006
2. 1880 Montgomery Co., Mountain, AR census report, FHL film no. 1254052, T9-0052, p. 425B.
3. Washington County, MS Marriage Records, USGenWeb site, Grooms – “B”, online. [See actual marriage License here.]
4. 1900 Lamar Co., Justice Precinct 5, TX census report, 13 June 1900, Line 38, T623_1652, p. 10A.
5. 1910 Lamar Co., Justice Precinct 8, TX census report, 15 Apr 1910, Line 87, T624_1572, p. 258B.
6. 1920 Lamar Co., Justice Precinct 8, TX census report, 24 Jan 1920.
7. T J Tiny Benson, grave marker, Redhill Cemetery, Lamar Co., TX.
8. Jay Stanley Benson, obituary, 31 May 2007, Athens Daily Review, (Athens, TX), United States Obituary Collection, Ancestry.com & Windfield Cullen Benson, delayed birth certificate, 5 August 1944, Bureau of Vital Statistics, Texas Department of Health.

Treasure Chest Thursday – Death Certificate of Osceola Davis Clark

Two years ago I wrote about my 2nd great-grandmother Lou Ella Godwin (See Lou Ella Godwin puzzle post # 1 here, post # 2 here, and post # 3 conclusion here) who’s parentage had both my grandfather and I stumped for a couple of years due to a discrepancy between a marriage record and an obituary. 
According to their marriage certificate, Lou Ella DAVIS married my 2nd great-grandfather, Alvin Godwin in 1899, however, Lou Ella’s obituary stated she had 3 brothers, Marland, William, and Ernest CARPENTER, one sister, Mrs. Ed Clark, and one half sister, Mrs. Roy Eckert.
The 1900 Sharp County, Arkansas census report corroborated this obituary with the head of household being William Carpenter, his wife, Dora Carpenter, daughter Lou A CARPENTER, step-daughter Osceola DAVIS (Mrs. Ed Clark from the obituary), and sons Acy, William, Marlin, and Ernest CARPENTER.
How could Lou Ella have been both a Davis and a Carpenter? I posted a copy of Lou Ella Otten’s death certificate (Shawnee, OK) in the conclusion (post # 3) of my story and it clearly stated that Lou Ella’s parents were Bill DAVIS and Dora NIX, therefore Lou Ella’s maiden name was DAVIS and not CARPENTER.
The 1900 Sharp County, Arkansas census mentioned above in the household of William and Dora Carpenter had an Osceola DAVIS listed as a “step-daughter” to William Carpenter.  I contacted Osceola’s grandson, Michael Peters and got a copy of Osceola’s death certificate from him. It turns out that her father was also a DAVIS , albeit not exactly the same name – her father was listed as James F DAVIS (Lou Ella’s father was Bill DAVIS ) and mother was Dora NIX. I’m not too worried about this discrepancy though. Osceola and Lou Ella were very close, even though one lived in OK and the other lived in CA. In fact we have pictures of both and could not even tell them apart. Michael Peters had to tell me which one was which when I showed him the pictures.
Here is a copy of Osceola’s death certificate:

A copy of this death certificate was sent to me by Osceola’s grandson, Mike Peters on 19 Sept 2008.  The original was obtained from the Los Angeles County Clerk Registrar/Recorder’s Office of the State of California Department of Public Health.
I learned the following from this certificate:
Name: Osceola Clark
Born: 20 Jan 1885
Father’s name: James F. DAVIS , birthplace unknown
Mother’s name: Dora NIX, birthplace unknown
Died: 22 Mar 1995 at St. Vincent’s Hospital at 2131 West 3rd Street, Los Angeles, CA from colon cancer
Burial: in Park Lawn Cemetery in Montebello, CA
Informant: Gladys Loyd Peters (Osceola’s daughter)
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By the way, as a side note, I wouldn’t have been able to make this find without the help of Mike Peters.  I found his file and his name and address on the FamilySearch.org website and I actually sent him an old fashioned snail mail letter with stamp and envelope and he wrote me back!  You can read about our initial exchange in my post “Lessons Learned about Family trees on Rootsweb.” I sent him quite a few pictures of his family that my grandfather had in his collection because Osceola and Lou Ella traded pictures and wrote back and forth quite a bit. I hope to be adding more posts on these two families soon!

Wordless Wednesday - Father and Son

Father and Son: Lawrence Orville Godwin Jr (left) and his father, Orville Godwin standing out in front of the Sommer's Sign Company, 408 E. 2nd Street, Tulsa, Oklahoma, where Orville Godwin Sr. worked in 1956. (Photo privately held by Larry Godwin Jr., Fort Smith, Arkansas, digitized by Ginger R. Smith, 2005). 

This photo was taken shortly before Orville Godwin was murdered in his home by his neighbor, T H Hubbard, September 11, 1956. Orville Godwin was a sign painter and he worked here at the Sommer Sign Company in Tulsa, OK. His son Larry was living in Fort Smith, Arkansas with his Mother at the time. He was finishing up High School, getting married and entering the United States Marines.

Lessons Learned about Family trees on Rootsweb: The case of children of James F Davis and Dora Nix

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!

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RELATED POSTS:

Oscieola Davis was my 2nd great-aunt and you can read more about her life here.

Wordless Wednesday - Osieola Davis (1885 – 1955)

Osieola Davis was the sister of my 2^nd great grandmother, Lou Ella Davis Godwin. She lived in Los Angeles, CA. She was very close to my Godwin family and sent pictures to my great grandparents often. Many of these pictures were recovered from my grandfather and his sisters’ collection of photos. Osieola was often mistaken for my 2^nd great grandmother, Lou Ella in the pictures. I have sent copies of the pictures to Osieola’s grandson, Michael L. Peters to verify his grandmother was in them. Here is a snapshot of Osieola’s life:


Osieola Davis was born 20 Jan 1885 in Arkansas, the second child of James F Davis and Dora Nix (1). In 1890 her mother Dora Davis remarried to William Carpenter in Sharp County, Arkansas (2). Osieola, her sister, Lou Ella Davis, and 4 half siblings were enumerated with their mother and their step father William Carpenter on the 1900 Sharp County, AR census report in Highland Township (3). 

Osieola Davis married Samuel Loyd 19 Oct 1902 in Sharp Co., AR. Osieola and Samuel Loyd moved to Oklahoma sometime between 1900 and 1910. They were enumerated on the 1910 Hulbert, Cherokee County, OK census report. Their two children, Gladys and Davis Loyd were enumerated with them, along with Samuel’s widowed mother Malley Loyd. Samuel Loyd was a stock tender(4). He did not apply or receive any land grants in OK (5).

Osieola Davis Loyd remarried to Ester V Clark sometime between 1910 and 1920. They were enumerated with Osieola’s two children on the 1920 Jasper County, MO census report in Joplin, MO (6). Ester was enumerated as “Edward Clark.” He was a bartender in a saloon. He was from Missouri.

Osieola and Ester Clark removed to Los Angeles, CA sometime between 1920 and 1930. They were enumerated on the 1930 Los Angeles County, CA census report in Montebello Gardens, Whittier Township. Osieola’s son Davis was enumerated with them. According to the census report, they lived at 761 Elnora Street (7).

Osieola Clark died of colon cancer 22 Mar 1955 in Los Angeles, CA (1). I obtained a copy of Osieola’s death certificate from her grandson, Michael L Peters. Mike and I were not able to find an obituary for Osieola Clark. She was buried in Park Lawn Cemetery (or Memorial Park) in Commerce, Los Angeles Co., CA.

Osieola and Samuel Loyd had two children, Gladys Irene Loyd and Davis T. Loyd. Gladys Irene Loyd married Rulon Richard Peters; she died 4 Mar 1997 in Thousand Oaks, Ventura Co., CA (8). Davis T. Loyd married Annie May Stumpf; he died 18 May 1996 in Lake Isabella, Kern Co., CA. Davis and Anne had no children (9).

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Picture of Lou Ella Davis Godwin Otten on the left in the solid dark dress and her sister, Osieola Davis Clark in the print dress on the right. Original photo privately held by Lou Ella’s grandson, Lawrence Godwin, Fort Smith, Arkansas.


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Osieola Davis Clark and her dog Butch and her 1937 Dodge. Original photo privately held by Lou Ella’s grandson, Lawrence Godwin, Fort Smith, Arkansas.


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Sources:

1. Osieola Clark, death certificate, 22 Mar 1955, Los Angeles County Registrar-Recorder/County Clerk Office, State of California.
2. Sharp County Marriage Records, user submitted files, online.
3. 1900 Sharp Co., Highland Twp., AR census report, 4-5 June 1900, Series T623, Roll 77, p 44.
4. 1910 Cherokee Co., Hulbert Twp., OK census report, 29 Apr 1910, Series T624, Roll 1244, page 5B, ED 12, Image 693.
5. BLM GLO records, land patent search, online.
6. 1920 Jasper Co., Joplin, MO census report, 6 Jan 1920, p. 5A (Edward V Clark, head)
7. 1930 Los Angeles Co., Montebello Gardens, Whittier Twp., CA census report, 9 Apr 1930, Roll 175, page 7B, ED 1558, Image 1119.0
8. Gladys Peters, death certificate, 4 Mar 1997, Vital Records Section, Ventura County Public Health Department, State of California.
9. Personal correspondence with Michael L. Peters, 11 Sept 2008

Tulsan Slain At His Home (1956)

There are two great-grandfathers that I never met because they died before I was born. One in particular died fairly early in life at the age of 50 and as you can see from the title of this post, he did not die peacefully.  I’m not too surprised by this because Orville Godwin didn’t live too peacefully in life either.  He was a sign painter and a drunk, and unbeknownst to us until reading this article, he was evidently married to a woman, almost 20 years his senior, named Mrs. Mildred Godwin. 

Lawrence Orville Godwin Sr was born October 12, 1905 in Hardy, AR to Alvin and Lou Ella (Davis) Godwin. He married Nova Lee Peters, November 9, 1927 in West Plains, MO.  They had 3 daughters and a son (my grandfather). They were divorced around 1945 and Orville moved around a lot going from one job to another.

In 1956 Orville was living with his wife, Mildred, in a small apartment in Tulsa when he was gunned down by his neighbor, Mr. T. H. Hubbard. Although Mr. Hubbard confessed to shooting Orville, he did not say why, except that Orville had taken his gun earlier that day and was threatening to kill him with it.

On to the story….PS it took up 3 pages in the newspaper and contained 2 pictures, one of the killer and one of the grieving widow.

Picture of T. H. Hubbard being led away by police


From the “Tulsa Daily World,” 11 Sept 1956, Tulsa, OK

Tulsan Slain at His Home; Neighbor

Held, Confesses Shooting, Gives No

Reason

WIFE PLEADS WITH SLAYER TO BE SPARED

Argument Over Gun Apparently Figures in East Side Death

Lawrence Oliver Godwin, 54,  of 1305 E. 1^st St., was shot by a neighboring resident who admitted the shooting after his arrest.

T. H. Hubbard, 54, a concrete finisher, was arrested within 5 minutes after police were called at 5:14 p.m.  He was seized at the home of a son about a half-block from the shooting scene.

Detectives Woody Wilson and Jim Gott said they recovered the death weapon from the home of the son, Eddy Hubbard, 1329 ½ E. 1^st St.

The elder Hubbard, who made a signed statement to police within the hour, confessed firing shots at his neighbor but offered no sensible reason for shooting him.

Wife Knows No Motive

Mrs. Mildred Godwin, 69 year-old wife of the slain man who witnessed the shooting, also was unable to offer any motive for the slaying.

Mrs. Godwin said the gunman also pointed his weapon at her, after firing shots at her husband, but did not fire at her when she threw up her hands and pleaded:

“Don’t shoot me!  Please don’t shoot me!”  Mrs. Godwin said she had been lying on a bed resting when Hubbard came to the door.  She said she let him in and that he pulled a gun from his pocket and began firing.
Her only suggestion of a motive was that she had overheard her husband and Hubbard talking Sunday night on the Godwin’s front porch about a gun.

Gives Hazy Account

“I didn’t hear all they said, but I heard him (Hubbard) say he wanted his gun,” Mrs. Godwin said.  She denied any knowledge of a gun and said to her knowledge there had never been a gun in her home.

Hubbard, in his statement, gave a hazy account of Godwin’s coming to his sleeping room Monday afternoon a short while before the shooting and getting his (Hubbard’s) pistol.

The shooting suspect claimed Godwin picked up the pistol and hurriedly walked back to his own apartment with it.  Hubbard said he followed and walked into Godwin’s bedroom.

He said the pistol lay on the foot of Godwin’s bed and claimed Godwin told him he was going to kill him.  Hubbard said he then reached down, picked up his own pistol and began firing.

Neighbors Hear Shots

The shots were heard by  several neighboring residents and Mrs. Eva Livesy, who lives in another apartment at 23 S. Peoria Ave. said she saw Hubbard walk off the Godwins’  porch and stuff a pistol inside his shirt. 

Mrs. C. O. Freeman, 19 S. Peoria Ave., whose husband owns the houses in which both the victim and suspect lived, also saw Hubbard leave the house and walk northward toward an alley and toward his son’s home.

Neighbors said Hubbard and Mr. and Mrs. Godwin all drank heavily.  Dozens of empty whisky and vodka bottles were found in Hubbard’s sleeping room, located only a few yards from the Godwins’ porch.

Denies Knowing Victim

A baffling aspect was that Hubbard denied knowing Godwin and Mrs. Godwin claimed she did not know Hubbard.

“I had seen him around a few times but I didn’t know him,” Mrs. Godwin said.

Freeman, the landlord, said Hubbard had lived at 23 S. Peoria Ave. only a few weeks.  The Godwins had lived at their address about 4 months.

Hubbard listed his permanent address at Rt. 5, McAlester.  He said his wife lives there and that he has 10 children.  He is employed  by the Western Concrete Co.  Godwin was a sign painter for the Summers Sign Co., 408 E. 2^nd St.  His wife said they were married 10 years ago.  He is survived by a former wife and three daughters of Fort Smith, Ark., she said.

Differ on Number of Shots

Witnesses to the shooting reported hearing five shots fired and Mrs. Godwin thought there were four, but Detectives Wilson and Gott said six rounds had been fired from the revolver.

W. A. Lang, County Investigator, said a preliminary examination of the body at the scene disclosed two wounds.  Both struck in the left arm and ranged into the chest, Lang said.

J. Howard Edmondson, County Attorney, and Earl Beddoe, Assistant Police Chief, directed the interrogation of Hubbard and questioning of witnesses at police headquarters.

Arrangements for Godwin are pending with the Tulsa-Whisenhunt Funeral Home.

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Godwin Rites Today

Graveside services for Lawrence Oliver Goodwin, 54, of 1305 ‘E. 1^st St., Tulsa sign painter, will be held at 3 p.m. Thursday in Rose Hill Cemetery under the direction of the Tulsa-Whisenhunt Funeral Home.  Godwin was shot to death Monday afternoon at his home.

Treasure Chest Thursday – Death Certificate of Alvin Godwin

Alvin Godwin (1879-1950) was my 2nd great-grandfather, the father of Orville Godwin who was murdered in Tulsa in 1956.  Alvin was married in 1899 to my 2nd great-grandmother, Lou Ella Davis Godwin of Ash Flat, Arkansas.  They had two children, Lorine and Lawrence “Orville” Godwin born in 1903 and 1905.  Lou Ella and the children left Alvin early on. Alvin remained behind on the family farm with his parents, David and Zilphia Pulley Godwin. He died in a rest home in Springfield, MO in 1950. His remains were removed to the family cemetery in Saddle, AR where a single small block inscribed with “Alvin Godwin” marks his grave.

I learned the following from this death certificate:

His residence: Trotten Rest Home in at 809 Garfield Street, Springfield, MO
He was widowed
He was born January 27, 1879 in Saddle, AR which matched my records
He died November 17, 1950
He was a retired farmer, he did not serve in the armed forces
His cause of death was acute hemorrhage and cancer to the face….hmmm that sounds like it must have been pretty painful
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Up until just recently, we had never seen a photograph of Alvin Godwin. However a cousin, Jo, recently sent us a photo of Alvin sitting with his parents, David and Zilphia and two females. This picture was probably from the 20s or 30s because David Godwin died in 1928.

Picture (L to R) of David Godwin, his wife Zilphia Ann Pulley Godwin, unknown female, Alvin Godwin, & unknown female, taken 1920s. Original privately held by Jo Nicholson, Mammoth Springs, AR, digital image emailed to me 2010.

Amanuensis Monday – John F Dry Estate File

Transylvanian Dutch blog author John Newmark started the Monday blog theme called Amanuensis Monday. According to John, “amanuensis” means:

"A person employed to write what another dictates or to copy what has been written by another."

This week I am posting a transcript of 2 documents that were included in the estate files of John F Dry of Perry County, Illinois.

John F Dry was born about 1780 and died 25 August 1847 in Perry County, Illinois. John F and Elizabeth Dry’s son, John Moses Dry married Sarah GODWIN, March 30th, 1837, in Perry County, Illinois.

I believe Sarah GODWIN was the sister of my ancestor Elijah GODWIN of Lawrence County, Arkansas.

I have done a lot of research on the DRY family because they were instrumental in reconstructing my GODWIN family once they left Randolph County, North Carolina, moved to Putnam County, Indiana, and finally settled in Perry County, Illinois in the early 1830s.


John F Dry’s sister Ellen married Cornelius GODWIN, and his sister Sarah married (2nd) Nathan GODWIN both of whom were probably both brothers of my ancestor Elijah GODWIN.


Below are two documents. The first is the Administrators Oath of Jeffery Thornsberry. Jeffrey  THORNBERRY  was the 2nd husband of Sarah DRY (the daughter of John F Dry and sister of John Moses Dry). Sarah DRY married 1st to Nathan GODWIN  in 1835. Nathan must have died because in 1840, Sarah married Jeffrey THORNBERRY. 


Jeffrey THORNBERRY testified that his Father-in-Law, John F Dry, died on or about the 25th of August, 1847 without a will. Here is the transcript: 


Administrators Oath, filed 6 Sept 1847


“State of Illinois
Perry County
Act. Jefferson Thornberry duly sworn deposes and says that John F Dry late of said county departed this life on or about the 25th day of Aug 1847 and that so far as he knows or believes, he died without making any last will and testament.
Jefferson Thornberry”


The second document is the “Affidavit of Heirs of John F Dry” filed 4 Oct 1849 in which John F Dry lists all the heirs of his deceased Father, John Moses Dry, and his wife’s name – Elizabeth – who has since died and not produced any more heirs.


"Affadavit of heirs of John F Dry” 
filed 4 Oct 1849


“State of Illinois
Perry County
Act.John M Dry being duly sworn deposes and says that John F. Dry, late of said county deceased left at the time of his death a widow Elizabeth Dry, who is since deceased without other heirs than those herein aforementioned as the heirs of the said John F Dry that the said John F Dry left at the time of his decease:


1.  Daniel M Dry
2.  Leah Jinks, wife of Weston Jinks
3.  Lydia Bridges, wife of John Bridges
4.  John M Dry
5.  Ellen Godwn, wife of Cornelius Godwin
6.  Sally Thornsberry, wife of Jeffrey Thornsberry
7.  Daniel Dry
8.  John Dry
9.  Edmond Dry
10.  Paul Dry
11.  Jackson Dry


His children and heirs of law him surviving who are all now living as far as I know or believe.

John M Dry (his mark)”
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Notes:
The John F Dry Estate file was probate file no. 158 retrieved from the Perry County courthouse by a volunteer for me. This packet also included an admistrator’s oath and a Sale Bill.
Images:

Thornberry’s affidavit of date of death of John F Dry

John M Dry’s affidavit of heirs of John F Dry

Copyright © 2010 by Ginger R. Smith, http://genealogybyginger.blogspot.com/