What Happened to James Pogue? A Theory in Progrss

James Pogue is my 3rd great-grandfather. I know very little about him. He was likely born about 1807, probably in Kentucky. I'm not sure who his parents were. He married at least twice. First in 1831, in Gallatin County, Illinois, to Lydia Medlin, and second in 1839 in Franklin County to Nancy Plaster. Some trees also speculate about a marriage to Nancy Taylor. It's unclear if that's an additional marriage or if Nancy Plaster and Nancy Taylor were the same person.

James, along with a group of others in his neighborhood, served briefly in the Black Hawk War in 1832. He was part of Captain Archilaus Coffey's Company, 1st Regiment, 1st Brigade of Illinois Volunteers.

James had at least four children: William R., George W., L.E. (possibly Lydia), and Josiah Pogue. There may have been two others - David and James. It's not even clear who the children's real mother is. The family, minus David and James, is enumerated in the 1850 Franklin County census. But after that, they seemed to have disappeared. 

In 1860, Josiah was living with the John M Foster family. George hasn't been found, but he enlisted in the Union Army in May of 1861 in Anna, Illinois. I've seen no sign of L.E. Pogue, the family's only daughter. She would have been about 15 or so in 1860, so likely too young to get married. Perhaps she was adopted by someone and changed her name. And I don't even really know what her first name was. I've always assumed it was Lydia because her brother Josiah named his first daughter Lydia. But in truth, I don't know.

William R. Pogue was a 22-year-old living in Springfield, Lane County, Oregon. He married and stayed in Oregon, buying land and raising a family. He eventually ended up in an asylum, where he died in 1921. 

For years, I assumed that both James and his wife had died sometime after 1850, since they could not be found in the 1860 census. But I found a land purchase in 1851, and later that year, an interesting abstract of a court record in Franklin County, Illinois.

The court record, which gave the last name as Page (a common mis-transcription of the name), noted that one James Page had willfully neglected his minor children - George W, aged 9, Lyenin, aged 7, and Josiah, aged 4. One Joseph Swafford was made their guardian. I haven't been able to locate the original of this court record. The interesting thing is that this transcript does not mention William R., who would have been 11 or 12 at the time, and still a minor.

In April of 1852, James Poague of Franklin County sold the land he had purchased just a year ago. And this was the last record I've been able to find for James Pogue.

So what happened to him? And why wasn't William listed in the court case? 

In the fall of 2025, I took a SLIG course, Tracing Westward Journeys: Events that Paved the American West (1787-1890), coordinated by Katherine Willson. One of the instructors, Amber Oldenburg, discussed the Oregon Trail, noting that it was unknown how many people actually died along the trail as they traveled west.

I got to thinking about William R. Pogue, the young man who ended up in Oregon. How and why did he travel out there? Was he traveling alone, working his way out there? That led me to wonder whether his father might not have taken him and headed west, perhaps dying somewhere along the way, leaving a young William to fend for himself. 

So this is my Theory in Progress--the possibility that James Pogue and his son William traveled west to Oregon once he sold his property in 1852. He may have only had the capacity to take care of one child and chose the oldest. He may have been lured by the stories of others who travelled west, found gold or good land. 

My next step will be to revisit the 1860 census records to see whether James Pogue is listed anywhere. Since I don't know for sure when they might have made the journey, I want to check manuscripts, diaries, etc., to see if there is any mention of James Pogue and, perhaps, how and where he died. 

While this is just a theory, some parts of it make sense. It may be a theory that is very hard to prove. But it's a place to start!

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This week's #52Ancestors Prompt is Theory in Progress

A Colorful Tale

Early in my research, I was surprised to learn that my paternal grandmother had been married before marrying my grandfather. It was one of those family secrets that people don't talk much about, but they assume you know.

I obtained a copy of the marriage record. Dated 25 January 1916, Florence Halliday, age 16, was married at Eldon, Wapello County, Iowa, to H.W. Edwards, aged 24. H.W., whose name I learned was Harold, was listed as a salesman.[1] Although my grandmother was listed as aged 16, she was born on 15 February 1897 and was therefore almost 19 years old.[2] It's unclear why the age was incorrect.  

What made this marriage colorful (besides being puzzled about the listed age) was reported in a newspaper article I found about the wedding.

"Married in Eldon," The Gazette (Cedar Rapids, IA), 

1 February 1915, p.2, col.3. From newspapers.com.

First, it was noted that Florence's new husband had given up a theatrical career, although he was employed by a company that likely made theatrical scenery. Is this what attracted her to him in the first place?

Secondly, the marriage took place on stage during the last act of the play $1 for a Kiss. That had to have been an extraordinary wedding ceremony. The play was written by Moore and Watterson. J.G. Moore was listed as a witness to their marriage, along with J.M. Baker. Were they both actors in the play? No record of a play by that name has been found, so it was likely just a local production. 

Their wedding reception was a banquet given by the "Sons of Rest". This appears to be a social group, perhaps formed around theater people. There doesn't seem to be any formal group by that name. 

Eight months later, a son was born—Richard Eugene Edwards.[3] This was another family secret. It's unclear what illness Richard had, but it was some sort of chronic disability. He spent most of his short life living with his Halliday grandparents. Richard died on 12 September 1934 in West Frankfort, Franklin County, Illinois, aged 18. He was listed as an Invalid.[4] 

The Halliday-Edwards marriage didn't last very long either. The final divorce decree was issued on 1 May 1919 in Albia, Monroe County, Iowa. Florence was awarded custody of Richard and child support of $12 a month.[5] 

Harold didn't waste any time remarrying. On 6 May 1919 in St. Louis, Missouri, he married Miss Blossom Cheek of Decatur, Illinois.[6] That marriage also didn't last very long. Harold died on 2 December 1930 in Jacksonville, Illinois.[7] 

Harold was a mysterious person. In addition to his early theater career, his name was often listed differently. He usually went by H.R. Edwards, occasionally Harold. But when he married Florence, he was listed as H.W. Edwards. He appears to have established himself as a salesman until his death. His birth date is given as 4 September 1893 on his World War I draft registration.[8] His tombstone agrees to the day and month but lists the year as 1894.[9] His obituary lists his birth date as 9 September 1891.[10] But even if you use the earliest year, he died young, before he was forty years old.

Harold was not the only family member who went on the stage. His brother Charles had toured the country in various productions. He also died before he was forty.[11]

My grandmother married George Michael Martin on 12 September 1925 in Albia, Monroe County, Iowa.[12] They lived there for a couple of years before moving to West Frankfort, Illinois, where they lived a fairly routine life.

Florence Halliday Edwards Martin died 10 July 1967 in West Frankfort, Franklin County, Illinois, of congestive heart failure.[13] She left no sign of her early, colorful life.

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The #52 Ancestors Prompt for Week 2 is A Record that Adds Color

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SOURCES:

    [1] “Iowa Marriage Records, 1880-1947,” digital image, Ancestry (https://www.ancestry.com/discoveryui-content/view/3998653:8823: accessed 7 June 2023); Wapello County, p. 90-93, #1454, Edwards-Holiday, January 1916; Iowa Department of Public Health.

    [2] Clerk of the District Court, Keokuk County, SIgourny Iowa. Copy received from grandmother’s files. Florence Halliday, 1897, Keokuk County.

    [3] Birth record not found. Date of birth from: “Illinois Deaths and Stillbirths, 1916-1947,” database, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:NQ1J-SRQ: accessed 8 June 2023), Richard Eugene Edwards, 12 September 1934, Franklin County,; Public Board of Health, Springfield, FHL microfilm 1,712,057, image #948.

    [4]“Illinois Deaths and Stillbirths, 1916-1947,” database, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:NQ1J-SRQ: accessed 8 June 2023), Richard Eugene Edwards, 12 September 1934, Franklin County,; Public Board of Health, Springfield, FHL microfilm 1,712,057, image #948.

    [5] “Court Records, v. 31, 29 April 1918-29 Oct 1920,” digital image, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3Q9M-CS4R-GXYD : accessed 8 June 2023); District Court, Monroe County, Iowa, Record No. 31, p. 235, April 1919 term, 1 May 1919, #9819, Divorce Decree Florence Edwards, Plaintiff vs. H.R. Edwards, Defendant.

    [6] “Cheek-Edwards,” Herald and Review (Decatur, IL), 9 May 1919, p.9, col. 4-5; digital image, newspapers.com (https://www.newspapers.com: accessed 9 June 2023).

    [7] “Illinois Deaths and Stillbirths Index, 1916-1947,” database, Ancestry (https://www.ancestry.com/discoveryui-content/view/423029:2542: 9 June 2023); Jacksonville, 2 December 1930, Harold R. Edwards.

    [8] “World War I Draft Registration Cards, 1917-1918,” digital image, Ancestry (https://www.ancestry.com/discoveryui-content/view/30810145:6482: accessed 9 June 2023), St. Joseph City, Missouri, Draft Card E, S, Harold Edwards.

    [9] Find a Grave, memorial #26082249, photo by kpet. Graceland Cemetery (Decatur, Macon County, Illinois), H. Robert Edwards Sept 4 1894-Dec 2, 1930.

    [10] “Decatur Resident Dies in Jacksonville,” Hearld and Review (Decatur IL), 3 December 1930, p.3, col. 6; digital image, newspapers.com (https://www.newspapers.com: accessed 9 June 2023).

    [11] “Charles Edwards, Actor, Is Dead at Fort Dodge: Wife and Family Here,” The Gazette (Cedar Rapids), 18 June 1918, p.3, col. 4; digital image, newspapers.com (https://www.newspapers.com: accessed 8 June 2023).

    [12] “Iowa, Marriage Records, 1880-1947,” digital image, Ancestry (https://www.ancestry.com/discoveryui-content/view/3193437:8823: accessed 9 June 2023); Monroe County, #94, 68, 012948, September 1926, Martin-Edwards; citing Iowa State Board of Health.

    [13] Death certificate, Florence Halliday, Franklin County, Illinois. Copy in author's possession.

The Ancestor I Admire The Most

There are many ancestors I admire. They didn't do anything important - they just survived, and in my mind, that's something to be admired. My grandmother was one of those who endured many trials and tribulations. She did not have an easy life. 

Stella May Edwards was born on 23 July 1912 in Williamson County, Illinois. Her parents were George Elmus Edwards and Olive Isabel Pogue. Stella was ten years old when her father died in March of 1923, leaving her mother to raise the three remaining children. Her little sister Hazel had been killed in a horrible fire just a couple of years before. 

Stella's mom remarried in 1926 to Joseph Kehder. That marriage produced a half-brother, Richard Eugene "Gene" Kehder, who remained close to his half-sister until her death, even after the marriage ended in divorce. Olive Pogue went on to marry at least one more time, possibly two. She lived until 1959. 

My grandmother moved to Chicago to find work sometime around 1930. There she met and married Anton Martinek/Butzek. (He legally changed his name to Butzek, the name of his stepfather, when he was naturalized in 1943.) The couple stayed in Chicago for a couple more years, where my mother was born. They moved back to southern Illinois by 1935, where a son was born in 1939. 

Life was hard in southern Illinois during the depression. My grandfather farmed during the day and worked in the coal mines in his spare time. He learned to farm by reading books on agriculture, and apparently, he had one of the more prosperous farms in the area. But even that wasn't enough. He was working on a WPA road crew in 1940. Things were only going to get worse.

In November of 1943, my grandfather was killed by a falling piece of coal while working in Old Ben Coal Mine #15 in Franklin County, Illinois. My grandmother and her two young children stayed in southern Illinois for some time. (My mom was ten, my uncle just three.) They moved into town, and my mom graduated from West Frankfort High School. My grandmother didn't actually sell the farm until many years later.

Sometime after 1950, the family moved to Chicago so my grandmother could find work. She worked at a meat company near the stockyards for a while, then moved to Goes Lithographing as a secretary. She held that job for many years until her "retirement." 

Early in my life, my parents bought a small house in Dolton. My grandmother and Uncle Tony lived in a small upstairs apartment. I always felt lucky that they were close by. I used to go upstairs every night and brush my grandmother's hair. I assume she found it relaxing, but I remember it as being a way to bond with her. 

Even after my grandmother retired, she still did odd jobs. She often "looked after old ladies," as she described it—sitting with them and taking care of them. She moved from her small Roseland apartment to a basement apartment in Blue Island. She kept active in her church and had many friends. 

My grandmother died on January 1, 1989. She had gotten in her car to go to church. Her Bible was on the seat next to her. It was sudden and unexpected. She was only 76 years old. 

My grandmother never did anything extraordinary. She just went to work every day to support herself and her children. She never remarried, having lost the love of her life early on. She loved her church. She loved her grandchildren, and I was happy that my sons, her first great-grandchildren, got to know her a little bit. Her life was not unlike that of many of my other ancestors, admired for how they faced life's daily challenges.

The first #52Ancestors Prompt of 2026 is An Ancestor I Admire