What was his name??

 My great-great-grandfather, Josiah Pogue, was a man with many names. To this day, I don't know what his "real" name was --I suspect it was Josiah. 

Josiah first shows up as a three-year-old in the 1850 Franklin County Illinois census. He is clearly listed as Josiah. The last name is spelled Pouge (This happens often. The name is also misspelled as Page) . He's still Josiah as a thirteen year old, living with the John M. Foster family in 1860 in Franklin County. Both parents (or at least his mother) had died sometime between 1850 and 1860 and the Foster's were a family intertwined with the Pogue family in some way. Relatives perhaps, or at least close friends?

In 1880, 23-year-old Josirus Pogue was listed as a cousin living in the William Foster household. William Foster is related to the above-mentioned John M. Foster, who lived next door in 1880.

Thirty-eight year old Josiah Pogue married Mahala McClearin Striplin in 1886 in Franklin County. It is unclear how Josiah aged fifteen years in a six year period of time but it is likely an error and it should say twenty-eight. (This whole marriage record has a lot of problems and the recorder appears to have been careless in a number of ways.) One witness was John Croslin who married Laura Plasters. Laura was later listed as next of kin for Josiah's brother George.) The marriage was performed by John M Foster, who was a Baptist minister.

In 1900, fifty-two year old Cyrus Pogue was enumerated in the Franklin County census with his wife Mahala and four children, including my great-grandmother Isabel Pogue. Josiah died later in the year and his tombstone lists his name as Josiah.  

In 1910 when Olive Isabel "Belle" Pogue married, her license listed her father as Joseph Pogue. He is also called Joseph S. Pogue on her Social Security Application. On her 1959 death certificate, her father is listed as Silas Pogue. In 1964, when Josiah's daughter Lydia Pogue Ewing died, her obituary listed her father as Joe Pogue.

Other mentions have been found calling him Si, Silas, and Cy. He likely was truly named Josiah but called Joe or Cy by various people. Both of these nicknames can easily be found within the name Josiah and various people likely mistook these as nicknames for Joseph and Cyrus or Silas. 

#52 Ancestors topic of the week - Nicknames!!