Family Secrets? Or Stories Never Told?

We all have secrets in our family. But it's often the story that wasn't told and not some deep, dark secret. Judy Russell has a great talk about how knowledge can be lost in just a couple of generations. Regardless of how incredible it is, the story doesn't get passed on. Or it becomes like the game of telephone. It starts as the true story and ends up garbled and something totally different than the original.

My family is no different. The story of the family members who fought in the various wars was never passed down. The stories of their immigration to this country weren't discussed. None of these things were kept secret -- they just weren't shared. 

But we did have a couple of family secrets. 

A good example was learning that my great-grandfather, Albert Butzek, was a step-great-grandfather. No one talked about the fact that my great-grandmother had been married and divorced previously. Her first husband was the father of my grandfather and some of my aunts and uncles. This was unimportant to them since they considered Albert to be their father. As a genealogist, It was crucial to me to ensure I was tracking the right family. It wasn't that it was a deep dark secret. It just wasn't talked about, and there was an assumption that everyone knew about it. Well, I sure didn't.

After researching for a couple of years, I learned that my grandmother, Florence Halliday, had been married before she married my grandfather and had a child with this first husband. Imagine my surprise in learning that my dad had a half-brother that was never talked about. He had some challenges. It's unclear if they were physical or mental, but he died young, making it easier to keep him a secret. 

Divorce was definitely a taboo. So it just wasn't talked about. And things that aren't talked about, get forgotten. They become family secrets, hidden for generations, waiting to be uncovered by genealogists!!! 

This week's #52Ancestors Prompt is Family Secrets!

From New York to California -- Harrison Greenwood's Migration

 

This week’s #52Ancestors prompt is Migration. Harrison Hiram Greenwood is a perfect example of many who migrated within the United States, moving from one side of the country to the other.

Harrison Hiram Greenwood was born 1 April 1814 in Cortland County, New York, most likely in Solon. The son of Simon and Rebecah (Kenney) Greenwood, Harrison seems to have used the name Harrison most of the time but used the name Hiram in the 1870 census. At some point before 1835, he married Clarissa Welch, the daughter of John S. Welch. Harrison’s brother Moses married Clarissa’s sister, Sarah, around the same time. Harrison and Clarissa’s first child, Hiram, was born in Cortland County in about 1835.

Between 1835 and 1840, the family moved to Medina County, Ohio. Clarissa’s parents had migrated to nearby Wayne County. Three children were born in Ohio: Betsey Ann, about 1840; Margaret Ann, about 1841; and Sarah, about 1843. The family next packed up and moved to Rock County, Wisconsin, where their daughter Rosetta was born between 1847 and 1849.

By 1860, they had moved again to Owatonna, Steele County, Minnesota. This is where Rosetta married John B. Norman in December of 1866. They remained there until shortly after 1870, when Harrison and Clarissa packed up and made their most significant move – to Placerville, El Dorado County, California. This would be Harrison’s last move, as he died there in February of 1874. Clarissa remarried and lived until 1900, dying in Tahama County, California.

Harrison seems to have owned land wherever he went. But it’s unclear why the family made these moves. Perhaps it was for better land. Maybe it was just wanderlust. More needs to be uncovered about the Greenwood family.

 

The Greenwood family is not my family but belongs to a friend whose family I’m researching.

"Writing These Few Lines"

This week's prompt for #52Ancestors is Letters and Diaries

I am not lucky enough to have many letters from relatives. In fact, I have precisely one—a copy of a letter from my second great-grandfather, Alexander Clark, in Iowa to an old friend, C.B. (Charles) Reddie, in Brazil, Indiana. It's unclear how they knew each other—perhaps they arrived in the United States together or knew each other in Scotland. They were both coal miners; based on the letter, they knew each other's families. C.B.’s wife, Isabella Graham, was born in County Fife, as was Alexander, so perhaps that was the connection.

The letter, dated 16 December 1895, was written in Clarkdale, Iowa, and sent to C.B. Reddie of Brazil, Indiana, in response to a letter that C.B. had sent.

“Of course, you will find a great change from your former way of living, but these things must be put up with.”

Something had happened in C.B.'s life that changed it —his wife had died in August 1895  Charles was a new widower. Alexander mentioned that they received the photos that were sent and he noted “You have better stood time well as far as looks go. Well I hope trade is good with you and keeping you going and help to keep your mind from other things.” This seems like something an old friend would say to comfort a grieving widower.

“Work is going slow here. Trade seems at a stand still. No one seems to be using any coal this winter. I think the coal trade is played out in this part of the country. We hardly make as much as clear expenses  but then we will best have to put up with it. I hope for better times.”

Besides working in the coal mines at an early age, Alexander Clark and his family owned a small coal mine in Appanoose County, Iowa. It’s unclear what years they had this mine and how large it was, but they were concerned about the coal industry. A major strike had occurred the previous year, and the effects were still being felt. As a small mine operator, they faced competition from the mines in southern Illinois. Unionization and mechanization were growing, which likely also affected the mine operation.

Then Mr. Clark went on to talk about his family.

“Alex, John & Charles are all dead & gone. George & William are married & live here beside us. George & wife has 2 children, 1 boy & 1 girl. William & wife has 6 children, 1 girl and 5 boys. Grace & Maggie [my great-grandmother] are married & live at WhatCheer. Grace has 1 girl & 2 boys. Maggie 1 girl. James & Isabella are still unmarried & live at home with us. Alex left one boy & he lives with us. He is 13 years of age. John left 5 children 3 boys & 2 girls. They live with their mother in Mystic. Alex was killed in the Pit at WhatCheer. John died of Typhoid fever in Mystic. Charles was killed by lightning standing speaking to his mother in the door about 3 years ago. He was 17 when he died. So you see we have all our little troubles in life. And when death comes we have rest from them all.”

He finishes his family talk with the following:

“I was 61 years old yesterday. I am not able to work very hard now but still I get along very well. Mrs. Clark has got a cold in her back which pains her bad at present but I think it will soon get better again.“

Mrs. Clark lived until 1903, and Alexander Clark lived until 1912.  He closed his letter somewhat pessimistically – or perhaps he was being a realist.

“Wishing you all as Merry a Christmas as it is possible for you to have under the circumstances. There will be a great want this time.”

And he signed off:

I loved reading this letter for so many reasons. First, it’s a genealogical goldmine!! But secondly, this is a man I know very little about. Born out of wedlock, he was in the coal mines at a very early age. He and his family journeyed to the United States, hoping for a better life. He seems to have written this letter very matter-of-factly, and I get the feeling that, regardless of the troubles he’s seen, he is proud to have his family around him. 

 

George Elmus Edwards (1880-1923)

My great-grandfather, George Elmus Edwards, was born 145 years ago on 7 February 1880 in Williamson County, Illinois. He was the third child and oldest son of Hugh Richard and Martha (Rains) Edwards. There is some confusion surrounding George's birthdate. 

GEORGE’S BIRTH DATE

The family has always celebrated the birthday as 7 February 1880, but the birth certificate dated 7 February 1880 lists the child’s name as John.[1]

• The 1900 census lists Elmus' birth as February 1882 and Marshal (John Marshall was the next son) as October 1883.[2] 
• When he married in 1907, he gave his age as 27, which puts his birth year as 1880.[3]
• When he married again in 1910, he gave his age as 30, again putting his birth year as 1880. The 1910 census also lists his age as 30.[4]
• In 1918, George confused things even more when he registered for the draft. He listed his age at 38, which indicates an 1880 birth date. But he lists his date of birth as 7 February 1882.[5]
• In January of 1920, he is listed as 39 on the census, which would agree with a February 1880 birth date.[6]
• A death certificate has not been found, but his tombstone reads 1880-1923. [7]

When presented with conflicting evidence, his daughter Stella Edwards Butzek was adamant that his birthdate was 7 February 1880. This mystery may never be sorted out—the name John on the birth record can't be explained. But it is clear that George was born before John. George may not have really known what year he was born in, and his parents may have decided to change his name after it was registered. (Or the registrar just made a mistake.) 

GROWING UP 

George grew up on a farm in the Northern Township of Williamson County. He had seven siblings; two (Mary and Henry) died at birth, but the others all lived to adulthood. He was called both George and Elmus throughout his life. It's unclear where the name Elmus came from. There doesn't appear to be any familial connection to the name, and it seems an uncommon name in Illinois at the time. And there was only one Elmus Edwards found in the area.[8]

THE QUAIL PROBLEM

 In 1900, the Lacey Act was adopted, which prohibited shipping live or dead animals across state borders without a federal permit, and in the early 1900s, many in southern Illinois ran afoul of this law.[9] In 1903, Noah Moore attempted to ship 1,200 quail from nearby Franklin County to St. Louis -- in a coffin.[10] In 1904, a man with two trunks containing 700 quail was arrested near Creal Springs.[11]  A 1905 article noted that J.P Odell was arrested for shipping 556 quail to St. Louis. The penalty was $12,300 [12] Others were arrested for shipping large amounts of quail to St. Louis.[13]

George Elmus Edwards was in the middle of all this. He was arrested for shipping several hundred quail out of Williamson County. Out on bond, he was arrested again in January of 1905 for attempting to ship more quail. The bond for the second offense was set at $2,800.[14] When shipping the quail, he apparently used the alias W.W. Stone and, in April, was found guilty of twenty counts of violating the Lacey Act. He still faced an additional 172 counts.[15] No further mention of his quail shipping exploits has been located.

WHO IS LOREN EDWARDS?

The next bit of trouble George Elmus got into was apparently fathering a child out of wedlock. On 12 September 1906, Loren Henry Edwards was born in Franklin County, Illinois. His birth certificate listed his mother as Alice Stubblefield, maiden name Alice Stubblefield. His father was listed as Elmas Edwards, a farmer.[16] Alice was the daughter of Thomas James and Louisa (Kirkpatrick) Stubblefield. She may have married, around 1900, to a James or Hiram Stubblefield, who was a next-door neighbor in 1900. She married a second time in 1919 to Louis Cloyd. Loren used the name Stubblefield in his early life. In 1940, he gave his name as Loren Edwards on the census. His surname had been written as Stubblefield, but it was crossed out. Loren was the informant.[17] In 1940, he used the name Loren Henry Edwards when registering for the draft.[18] His obituary stated he was born to Elmas and Alice Stubblefield Edwards.[19] No record of a marriage between Elmus and Alice has been located. DNA evidence seems to bear out the fact that Loren was related to George’s family. 

AMANDA WILLIAMS, A MYSTERY WIFE

In September of 1907, Elmus Edwards, aged 27, married Amanda Williams, aged 19.[20] It is unclear what happened to Amanda, but there is an unphotographed entry on Find a Grave for Amanda Edwards, who died on 22 March 1908 at the age of 19 years, 7 months, and 3 days. This would fit with the age given at marriage. It also lists the inscription as the wife of C.E., but since there is no photograph, that can’t be verified, and it could likely be G.E. Whatever happened, Amanda seems to have disappeared. 

MARRIAGE TO MY GREAT-GRANDMOTHER

In March of 1910, 30-year-old G.E. Edwards of Corinth married 17-year-old Belle Pogue of Thompsonville. They were married by  John Borum, a clergyman in Williamson County. His parents are listed as Richard Edwards and Martha Rains. Her parents are listed as Joseph Pogue and [illegible] McClaran. It was his second marriage, her first.[21] They set up house in Corinth, where they were enumerated in the 1910 census less than a month after marriage. Elmus, as he was listed, was working as a farm laborer, and they were renting. They lived next door to Elmus’ father, Richard.[22] George Elmus Edwards had finally settled down to a wife and raising a family. 

When he registered for the draft in September of 1918, the family was living in Thompsonville, Franklin County, Illinois. He was self-employed as a farmer.[23] By 1920, they had three children, son George, and daughters Stella and Hazel.[24] Ruby Laura was born shortly after the census was taken in 1920. The following year, his five-year-old daughter Hazel died from burns suffered when her clothes caught on fire while she was drying her hair in front of the fire.

George Elmus Edwards died in March of 1923. No death record has been found. His widow, Belle, went on to marry at least two more times. 

GENEALOGICAL SUMMARY

GEORGE ELMUS EDWARDS, born 7 February 1880 or 1882 in Williamson County, Illinois; died 12 March 1923 in Williamson County. He married 1) 20 September 1907 in Williamson County to Amanda Williams, daughter of Millard M and Edna J. Williams. He married 2) 31 March 1910 in Williamson County, Illinois to Olive Isabel Pogue (1892-1959), daughter of Josiah and Mahala Jane (McClerran) Pogue.  He is buried in County Line Cemetery in Franklin County, Illinois. They had four children.

Children of George and Olive Isabel:

1. George Everett Edwards, born 1 October 1910, Corinth, Williamson County, Illinois; died 15 July 1939, Corinth, Williamson County, Illinois. Married 3 July 1931 in Cook County, Illinois to Clara Jane Martin (1912-2009), daughter of William and Caroline (Clayton) Martin. No children.
2. Stella Mae Edwards, born 23 July 1912, Corinth, Williamson County; died 1 January 1989 in Blue Island, Cook County, Illinois. Married 9 May 1931 in Chicago, to Anton Marcinek/Butzek (1907-1943). Two children.
3. Hazel Lucille Edwards, born 23 July 1916, Corinth, Williamson County, Illinois; died 12 November 1921, Corinth, Williamson County.
4. Ruby Laura Edwards, born 22 April 1920, Corinth, Williamson County; died 29 April 2011, Bartlett, Cook County, Illinois. Married 22 June 1940 in Chicago, Cook County to Charles A. Kroll (1919-1974) son of Francis and Anna Kroll. Five children.

------------------------------------------------------------------------

[1] "Birth Records, 1877-1925," digital image, Family Search  (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3QS7-L9KE-XWGM : accessed 11 September 2024); Williamson County, p 99-100, #1294, entry for John Edwards, 7 February 1880; FSL Film #7621362, image 114 of 748.

[2] 1900 U.S. census, Williamson County, Illinois, population schedule, Northern Township, e.d. 119, sheet 7a, dwelling 126, family 134, Richard Edwards household; digital image, Ancestry (https://www.ancestry.com/discoveryui-content/view/3809691:7602: accessed 11 September 2024).

[3] “Illinois, County Marriages, 1810-1940,” digital image, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:33S7-LB2L-KFR: accessed 11 September 2024); Williamson County, Book L, p. 358, #2209, Edwards-Williams, 1907; DFN 5204408, Film #965419, image 549. 

[4]“Illinois, County Marriages, 1810-1940,” digital image, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:KF25-NZK: accessed 11 September 2024); Williamson County, Book M, page333, #3854, Licesen for Edwards-Pogue, :Digital Fold Number 5204409, Film #965420, image 202. For census, 1910 U.S. census, Williamson County, illinois, population schedule, Corinth Township, e.d. 154, sheet 10b, dwelling 146, family 146, Elmus Edwards household; digital image, Ancestry (https://www.ancestry.com/discoveryui-content/view/6127180:7884: accessed 11 September 2024).

[5] “World War I Draft Registration Cards, 1917-1918,” digital image, Ancestry (https://www.ancestry.com/discoveryui-content/view/84317:6482: accessed 11 September 2024); card for George Elmus Edwards, Order #A292, Williamson County IL Local Board No 1, 12 September 1918.

[6] 1920 U.S. census, Williamson county, Illinois, population schedule, Corinth Township, e.d. 162, sheet 5b, dwelling 103, viist 104, Elmus Edwards household; digital image, Ancestry (https://www.ancestry.com/discoveryui-content/view/90055261:6061: accessed 13 October 2022).

[7] Photo of tombstone, County Line Cemetery, Franklin County, Illinois. Photo taken by author and in personal archive.

[8] Derivation of the name Elmus and use in southern Illinois in the time period, ChatGPT-4 (https://chatgpt.com : accessed 7 February 2025). 

[9] 18 U.S.C. 42.

[10] "Quail Shipped in Coffin," Free Press (Carbondale IL), 7 January 1903, p.5, col.2.

[11] "Quail hunter Arrested," Free Press, 21 December 1904, p.2, col.3.

[12] "Untitled," Free Press, 3 February 1905, p.4, col.4.

[13] "Quail Shippers Arrested," Free Press, 24 February 1905, p.2, col.2.

[14] "Local News," Free Press, 24 January 1905, p.3, col.2.

[15] "Game Law is Violated," McHenry Plaindealer, 20 April 1905, p.7, col.6. 

[16] "Franklin County Register oof Births," digital image, FamilySearch; Volume 2-3, 1888-1915, Entry for No name child 1906; Film #4002901, image 291 of 6

[17] 940 U.S. census, Franklin County, Illinois, population schedule, Barren Township, e.d. 28-1, sheet 4b, visit #121, Loren Edwards household; digital image, Ancestry (https://www.ancestry.com/discoveryui-content/view/139333475%3A2442 : accessed 7 October 2024).

[18] “World War II Draft Cards Young Men, 1940-1947,” digital image, Ancestry (https://www.ancestry.com/discoveryui-content/view/40110818:2238 : accessed 7 October 2024); Serial #1935, card for Loren Henry Edwards, 1940, Franklin County Local Board #1, Benton, Illinois.

[19] “Loren Edwards,” Southern Illinoisan,” 24 October 1978, p.24, col. 1; digital image, newspapers (https://www.newspapers.com: accessed 7 October 2024).

[20] See footnote #3.

[21] See footnote #4.

[22] 1910 U.S. census, Williamson County, illinois, population schedule, Corinth Township, e.d. 154, sheet 10b, dwelling 146, family 146, Elmus Edwards household; digital image, Ancestry (https://www.ancestry.com/discoveryui-content/view/6127180:7884: accessed 11 September 2024).

[23] See Footnote #5.

[24] See Footnote #6.

Surprise in a Pension File

 This week's #52Ancestors in #52 Weeks Prompt is Surprise

A recent find in a pension file was quite a surprise. There are many stories about pages from a Bible or other originals included in a file as proof of some event. I've never encountered such a thing until now.

John C. McDowell (1784-1861) served as a Sergeant in Captain James Dennison's Company of the Pennsylvania Militia during the War of 1812. His widow, Susannah Vaughn McDowell (1792-1876) filed for a Widow's pension after John's death. It is 50 pages long and will likely be filled with great information. But the surprise that caught my eye was a "Certificate of Birth and Christening" for a son born in 1815. Besides the lovely decoration, Susannah's maiden name is also included. 

This decorative certificate was definitely a Surprise!!!