Monday's Child

Monday's Child is Fair of Face

This will be a series stemming from this blog post.

*Disclaimer: Before the time of actual birth records it's hard to be certain what year an individual was actually born as you will see as you read along.

My 2nd great grandmother, Isabell Singleton Athey, was possibly born on Monday, April 1, 1872,  in Collin County, Texas, to Benjamin Franklin Athey and Martha Ann Singleton Hodge. She was named after her maternal line. Isabell for Martha's mother, Isabell Peach and Singleton for Martha's father, John Singleton Hodge.

Her siblings were:

• Benjamin Franklin Athey Jr.
• Susanna "Susie Anna" Athey
• Duran Peach Athey
• Martha Lavona Athey
• Emma Wilson Athey
• Henrietta "Etta" Athey
• John Dillard Athey
• Charles Monroe Athey
• Lucy Jane Athey
• Arthur Mart Athey

In the earliest picture I have of Isabell, or Bell, as I have seen several times, she looks to be about 5 or 6 years old. Then there's another where she appears to be in her mid to late teens.



According to Poem Shape, the term "fair of face" can not only mean a child is beautiful or good looking, fair can also mean auspicious or fortunate. So a "Monday's Child" would be beautiful and have a prosperous life. I may be partial but I think my ancestor was very pretty. Let's see if her life can be classified as prosperous.

To help us get the biggest picture of Isabell's life, I want to try to outline the events of those close to her (siblings/parents) as well.

BIRTH OF ATHEY CHILDREN

I will start with the birth of the eldest child, Isbabell's brother, Benjamin Franklin Athey, Jr.

Benjamin's obituary says he was born 6 Dec 1869 in Millwood, Collin County, TX. However I believe it was actually 6 Dec 1870 or 71. His parents were married 3 March 1871 in Kaufman County, TX. The Athey and Hodge family were enumerated together in 1870 but they weren't married and there were no babies listed in the household. He could've been born out of wedlock in 1870. If he was born in 1871 that would make Isabell's birth year of 1872 impossible, hence the disclaimer at the top of this post.

Isabell was the next child born on 1 April 1872, according to her Death Certificate. Census records show her birth year as 1876 (1880 census - making her a Saturday child), 1874 (1910 census - making her a Wednesday child), 1873 (1930 census - making her a Tuesday child). I have yet to locate her in 1900 or 1920 and there are no other records that indicate a birth date.

Next up is a sister, Susanna Athey. I just discovered her while researching for this blog. I don't know how I missed her all these years as she was right there with the family in the 1880 Collin County, Census. Her birth year is given as 1874 (1880 census), Sept 1872 (1900 census), 1873 (1910 census) she may very well have been older than Isabell.

Then there was Duran Peach Athey. His middle name comes from his maternal grandmother's maiden name. Duran was born on the 29th of December. Again, I can't be certain of the year. The 1880 census says 1878, 1877 (1910 census and death index), 1875 (1940 census), 1877 (WWI and WWII Draft), 1874 (Death Certificate)

Next, Martha Lavona Athey was born 2 May 1879 (1880 census and death certificate), 1880 (1920, 1930 & 1940 census)  *Fun fact - I am related to Martha on my paternal side and her first husband, Frank H. May is related to me on my maternal side.

Then there is Emma Wilson Athey who was born on the 15th of May 1882 (1910 & 1920 census), 1881 (1930 census & SS Death Index).

Henrietta "Etta" Athey was born 7 Dec 1881 ( Find A Grave memorial) 1883 (1900 census) 1882 (1910 census).

John Dillard Athey was born 12 May 1884 ( Death Certificate and Obituary) 1885 (1910 & 1930 census) 1883 (1920 census)  1882 (1940 census) 1889 (SS Application)

Charles Monroe Athey was born 25 April 1885 (SS Application & WWI Draft) 1886 (1910, 1920, 1930, Death Certificate, Find A Grave, & WWII Draft)

I'm not certain of the order of birth between the last two children. Lucy Jane and Arthur Mart.

Lucy Jane was born 27 May 1888 (1940 census, Death Certificate, Death Index and Find A Grave memorial), 1889 (1910 census) 1885 (1920 census) 1890 (1930 census)

Arthur Mart Athey was born 6 April 1888 ( WWI Draft) 1887 (1920 census) 1891 (1910, 1930, Death Certificate, Find A Grave Memorial, & WWII Draft) 1893 (1940 census) 1890 (SS Application)

The birth year of 1891 as an option for Mart brings us to the next big thing to happen in the life of Isabell and all her siblings, the death of their mother. The 1891 birth year would be impossible if the death date of his mother is accurate. She is said to have died 3 March of 1891 so there's no way he could've been born in April of that same year.

The only record I have for Martha Hodge Athey's death is her Find A Grave memorial. There is not stone showing a death date there and Death Certificates weren't required by the state of Texas until the year 1903. I wonder, considering Martha's age, 35 years, if maybe she didn't die due to complications with childbirth. Either of Arthur Mart, Lucy Jane, or an unknown infant who died as well. Most likely the later.

MARRIAGES OF ATHEY CHILDREN 

1891 The next big event to take place would be the first marriage in this Athey family. Susanna Athey married Mr. John A Clark on 4 Oct 1891 in Rockwell County, TX
1892
Benjamin Franklin Athey Jr married Miss Viola Bethel Beaver on 24 July 1892 in Collin County, Texas.
1894
Isabell Athey married a Mr. C E Moore on 2 Sept 1894 in Rockwell County, TX This C E Moore is a bit of mystery. I've heard his name was Charles or Charlie. He and Isabell had one son named Henry Edwin Moore so I suspect the 'E' stood for Edwin. It's also been said that Mr. Moore was Native American.
1897
Emma Wilson Athey married Mr. James Robert Byrd on 18 Sept 1897 in Rockwall County, TX
1898
Henrietta "Etta" Athey married Mr. M Chancey McGinnis on 9 Jan 1898 in Collin County, TX
1900 
Martha Lavona Athey married Mr. Frank H. May on 29 July 1900 in Collin County, Texas.

Their father Benjamin Franklin Athey Sr. died on 6 Sept 1900. Frank H. May was the temporary administrator of his Estate.
1901
March 1901 **Frank H. May was adjudged insane. This comes from a newspaper article found on Newspapers.com from The Democrat out of McKinney, TX for the date of  21 March 1901



** Turns out the above article contains a typo. The man actually adjudged insane was Thomas H. May b. 1870 from TN. I found the actual court records. He spent the 1910, 1920, & 1930 census as a patient in Terrell, Kaufman, TX as a patient and died in March 1935.

Also, from the same source on 10 Oct 1901 there is the divorce of Isabell from C E Moore, granted by Judge Dillard. In that same paper is the marriage of Isabell Moore to Mr. James Thomas Foster. Their marriage license is dated for the 6th of Oct 1901. The wording of the divorce article gives the date of her divorce as 5th Oct 1901

1904
Duran Peach Athey married Miss Emmer/Emma May Curry on 1 Feb 1904 in Bowie County, Texas and John Dillard married Miss Eliza Jane Jones on 8 March 1904 in Hunt County, Texas.

1905
Three marriages took place this year. Charles Monroe Athey married Miss Martha Valonia Askins on 12 July 1905 in Rockwall County, Texas, Lucy Jane Athey married Mr. Audrey DeWitt Smith on 29 October in Collin County and an abandoned/divorced Henrietta "Etta" McGinnis married Mr. Bert Clarence Robert 16 Nov 1905 in Collin County, Texas.

1911 Duran Athey's wife and infant daughter, named after her mother, died.

1914 Arthur Mart/Mark Athey married Miss Alice L Cain/Kain in Nacogdoches County, TX in June 1914. I can't find an actual marriage liscense/bond but there's an index and her name is transcribed as Alice King. Two dates are given for their marriage the 7th and the 14th. Alice died in 1931 and sometime after that Arthur Mart married Bertha Mae Watson Bobbitt.

1915 Martha Lavona Athey May remarries Mr. George D. Orman 8 January in Henderson County, Texas

1916 Susanna Athey Clark died 4 Oct 1916 in Van Zandt County, Texas

1917 Duran Athey remarries a widow, Miss Minnie Lee Jones Robbins, in Collin County, Texas.

THE LIFE OF BELLE ATHEY

Belle's father was a corn & cotton farmer it would seem from reading through his Estate Records. In one instance it said that "B F Athey along with his daughters Belle Moore and M L May, owned a growing crop consisting of about 37 acres of corn and cotton" In another paper is stated that Belle was a widow living with her father and she had a four  year old son, Henry Edwin Moore. There's not much as far as documentation on Isabelle's first  husband. In fact the only reference I can find is her marriage and that only gives his name as C E Moore - no age, race, or anything else. BUT I can tell you what a cousin of mine shared with me. She is the daughter of Isabell's daughter, Evie Mack Foster Alexander. Evie's husband Fred Alexander conveyed this to his duaghter:

"Charlie Moore was one half Native American (Cherokee) and was working for Belle's dad. She was very young and fell in love with him and married him, I think in Rockwall County. One day when uncle Henry was a baby (he was born in Rockwall), Charlie left home to go to the bank in Dallas and disappeared. After many years he was declared dead, and she married grandpa Foster. He was carrying money is what I was told, and they thought he was killed along the way. Anyway that's what daddy told me. Granny and uncle Henry were very close I think, because mother had a postcard written to her (granny) from uncle Henry while he was in the service during WWI and was very sick."

As shared above, in 1901 Isabell was granted a divorce and she married my 2nd great grandfather James Thomas Foster. J T Foster was the son of Malcolm Foster, and it's assumed Mary Knox as there is a marriage record for Malcolm and Mary. The first census James is shown in is the 1880 Collin County census which only gives initials. The wife of Malcolm is clearly given as N J Foster. If Mary died and he remarried there's no record that I have found. And no death record for either Mary Knox or "N J" from the 1880 census.


THE CHILDREN OF JAMES AND ISABELL

Not long after James Thomas and Belle were married she became pregnant with their fist child,

• Mary Ellen Foster was born in Simms, Bowie, Texas on the 28th of Sept 1902. She died soon thereafter. 
• Evie Mack Foster was born December 1, 1903,  Simms, Bowie, Texas
• James Arthur "Art" Foster was born June 7, 1905, Simms, Bowie, Texas
• Jodie Sidney Foster was born December 22, 1906, Collin County, Texas
  
  
• Wesley Lewis Foster was born March 25, 1908, Collin County, Texas
• Jessie Marion Foster was born January 30, 1910, Midland Texas he died not long after
• George Franklin Foster was born April 14, 1911
• Ivy May Foster was born October 18, 1913 she died as an infant but there is a picture of her with Evie Mack Foster 
  

• Willie Belle Foster, my great grandmother, was born January 30, 1915, Simms, Bowie, Texas
• Bessie Lee Foster, was born Christmas day, December 25, 1916
• Harvey Sims Foster, was born March 2, 1918, Bowie County, Texas
  

  

   Right to Left: Henry Edwin Moore, Arthur Foster, Jodie Foster, Wesley Foster, George Foster, Harvey Foster. 

Isabell's parents both died before she was even 30. Her first husband left and never returned leaving her to raise their only son. She remarried, gave birth to 11 babies and lost 3, I can't imagine how heartbreaking that would've been. Stories that survive about James Thomas aren't exactly fairy tales. He was a hard man, prone to temper fits. One story says that Isabell could give as good as she got. The story says an argument broke out between the two and they were so mad at each other that they took turns chunking their dishes out the door. At the end of the fight there was only one plate left. They had to use syrup bucket lids for plates for a time. At meal time Isabell would always give James the one last plate - maybe for spite? Anyway, new dishes were purchased before company came.

Again, Evie Mack's daughter shared this story of Grandpa Foster:

Grandpa had a BAD temper. My daddy, Fred Alexander, stopped him many times, I was told, from whipping the boys and old mules when they didn't perform as they should. My mother, Evie Foster, laid a pillow in a bottomless chair one time and put it at grandpa's place at the table. When he sat down to eat he fell through and everyone laughed. Mother said his face got red as he looked all around. Then his eyes fell on her and said "daughter you're the only one who would do this." Guess she was the only one who get by with it.

James Thomas Foster died in 1927 leaving Isabell to raise at least 4 children, the youngest being 9, all by herself.

Isabell delivered babies all around the country side including her own grandson, Charles (my grandpa). Her services were never hampered day or night by the fact that she had asthma. She would never take pay for the deliveries, but most surely some gave her eggs, chickens, butter, vegetables, or whatever they could. She passed away when my grandfather was only 6 months old on November 3, 1935. She was only 63 (if her birth  year was indeed 1872).

I'm not sure about you, but I don't find Isabell's life to have been what most consider prosperous. I'm pretty sure I ruled out 1872 as a birth year, anyway. From the existing records it's possible that she was a Saturday's child, who worked hard for a living, Wednesday's child, full of woe, or Tuesday's child full of grace. I can definitely see her as a Saturday's child and a Wednesday's child. What do you think?

Until next time,
Becky

*I've been terrible about keeping up with this blog, but my SIL has been plugging away. Be sure to stop by and check out her blog over at Days of Our Lives