Like Mother Like Daughter(s)

Okay -- I'm changing things up a wee bit. I was using the 52 Ancestors prompts from 2015 but I recently found the Author of those on Instagram and saw that she is now hosting a whole new set of prompts via an email subscription. Starting this week, at week three, I will be using these prompts.

This week the prompt is longevity. It took some time to finally find someone that I felt fit the mold but I kept digging until I came to Mary Jane Latham.

 At first I thought I would write about Tyler's 3rd great grandmother "Nell" Story Schoonover, who lived to be 89, but as I was working on a way to phrase the reason I chose her I noticed a branch or two of my step-dad's tree was blank. If you know anything about genealogy at all you should know it can easily turn into rabbit holes and trails and its easy to get off topic. I kept coming back to the fact that my step-dad's grandfather Elmer Moore listed his mother's maiden name as Latham. And he was born in TX. Moore is a very common name and Texas is a very big state. But I finally was able to place Elmer's parents and when I did I found his mother lived to be even older than 89 and had an obituary to prove I was indeed right about Elmer being her son.

Now that I have found her, I have spent quite a bit of time trying to find anything before the 1910 census (other than a few birth records here and there for a few of her children). Her obituary tells us when and where she was married and I can't even find record proof of that! So for now, I will start with what I have and if I find answers along the way I can always add them later.

According to her obituary. Mary J Latham was born in Temple, Bell County, Texas 14 Oct 1877 (the obituary looks like a 2 but that would have made her age 104 not 98). She is said to have married John Rufus Moore 13 Oct 1895 the day before she turned 18. The obituary says this took place in Dallas some 130 miles from where she was born. I often use maps in my research. They can really help you feel good about "hunches" or make you rethink your line of thinking all together.

Mary's husband John Rufus isn't much better as far as pre 1910 records. I have discovered from death certificates and a "Sr." by the same name as one of his sons that John was a twin. His brother was Berry D. Moore and according to his DC the son of Andrew Jackson Moore and Sue Anna Watkins. John and Berry were both born 8 Feb 1869 in Tennessee. John's DC lists his father as Andrew Moore and mother as Watkins. I can find Berry living right along side John and Mary in 1910, 1920, and 1930 so I was hoping if I could find brother Berry before 1910 I would also find John & Mary. That was not the case. Berry married his wife, Rachel Allen, in Williamson, Texas, in 1893,  two years before John and Mary. Williamson County sits directly below Bell County (where Mary was born).

From here I think I will do a timeline and include a map at the bottom:

• 1877 -- 00 - Birth of Mary Jane Latham in Temple, Belle County, TX
• 1895 -- 17 - Marriage to John Rufus Moore in Dallas, TX
• 1896 -- 18 - Birth of first child, Mattie Elizabeth Cook (somewhere in TX)
• 1898 -- 20 - Birth of son Thomas F. Moore in Oklahoma (according to DC)
• 1901 -- 23 - Birth of son Berry D Moore, McNeil, Travis County, TX (according to DC)
• 1902 -- 25 - Birth of Elmer Moore , Travis County, TX (daughter, Marian's BC)
  
  

• 1905 -- 27- Birth of son Johnnie Moore, McNeil, Travis County, TX (only record of him is 1910 census - found birth record on Fold3)

• 1907 -- 30 - Birth of daughter Charlotte "Lottie" Irine Moore, McNeil, Travis County, TX (birth record)
• 1910 -- 32 - Birth of son Warren, McNeil, Travis County, TX (birth record) 

It's here that I want to pause in our time line to mention a few details. Notice the occupation of John Moore in this record. It says lime worker. 

In the 1910 Travis County census, John was listed as a cooper for a lime factory I personally believe he worked for the Austin White Lime Company. His brother, Berry, also gives his occupation as a cooper, but says he works for a barrel factory.

Austin White Lime Company 1890

In addition to John, Mary and the children, living in the Moore household, is Mary's mother, Mary Layton. She is widowed and 60 years old. She states she was born in Mississippi, while her father was born in Georgia and her mother Alabama. I am certain that Layton was an error instead of Latham. **See bottom of post for update**

• 1913 -- 35 - Birth of son, Monroe Allen Moore, Travis County, TX 
• 1915 -- 37 - Birth of daughter, Ruth Lillian, Leesville, Gonzales County, TX (SS Application)
• 1918 -- 40 - Birth of daughter, Marie Flora, Nocona, Montague County, TX (SS Application)
• 1920 -- 42 - Birth of daughter, Edith, Spanish Fort, Montague County, TX (birth record)
• 1920 -- 42 - Death of son, Thomas, from appendicitis
• 1922 -- 44 - Birth of daughter, Evalena, 
• 1927 -- 49 - Marriage of son Elmer to Daisy Gossett, Garza County, TX
• 1930 -- 53 - Precinct 6, Montague County, TX Census. John is listed as a farmer. They rent. Living in the home with them are children: Warren, Monroe, Ruth, Marie, Edith & Evelyena
• 1934 -- 56 - Death of grandson, Curtis Boulware, the 6 year old son of Lottie and Emry.
  
   
  

• 1935 -- 57 - The 1940 Eastland County, TX, census Mary is living with her daughter, Mattie and son-in-law Arthur Cook. The 1940 census asked residents where they were living 5 years prior. Mary answered Dallas, whereas her husband John said Henrietta, Clay County, TX. Clay County is where their son Elmer was living when his son Jimmie Dale was born. Mattie and her husband Arthur said they were living in Eastland, TX in 1935. Arthur is a High School janitor. No occupation listed for John or Mary.
• 1940 -- 62 - Above mentioned census record places her in Eastland, TX
• 1944 -- 66 - Death of her Mother. Mary Jane is still living in Eastland.
  
  ** I was finally able to find more details about her mother and therefore the rest of her family, thanks to a contributor that shared a transcription of the obituary. It turns out Mary Latham not only was named after her mother, but she inherited longevity from her too!**
  
  
  101-Year-Old Pioneer, Mrs. Mary L. Latham, Dies
  Mrs. Mary P. Latham, 101, long-time resident of Austin, died in a local hospital Sunday.
  Mrs. Latham was born in Mississippi, Tenn., Jan. 7, 1843. She came to Wise county, Texas at the age of 19. She remembered the hectic days of the Civil War and the aftermath. When the Indian uprisings took place in Wise county she and her husband moved to Waco, and from there to Travis county.
  She is survived by four daughters, Mrs. Frances E. A. Wylie, of Austin, Mrs. Martha L. Wheeler of Wichita Falls, Mrs. Mary J. Moore of Eastland and Mrs. Ollie B. Wheeler of Lawton, Okla.; 29 grandchildren, 84 great-grandchildren and 28 great-great-grandchildren. She has been a widow for the past 39 years.
  
  Funeral services were held from the chapel of the Wilke Funeral home Monday at 3 p.m. with the Rev. E. L. Sparks officiating.
  
  Pallbearers will be grandsons: Albert Cahill, G. D. Wylie, Perry Wheeler, Thomas Hays, and Edwin Courtner. Burial was in the Merriltown cemetery.
  
  - The Austin Statesman
  February 28, 1944

The Cameron Herald; 13 April 1944

• 1953 -- 76 - Death of sister, Francis E Latham Wiley (age 87). 
• 1954 -- 77 - Death of her husband, John R. Moore. They lived at 413 West Plummer. [Research tip: I had tried a few databases, including Newspapers.com, Chronicling America, and Portal to Texas in search for his obituary to no avail. When I was reviewing John's death certificate I came across his address and decided to google it. That led me to an uploaded PDF of an advertisement from the Eastland Telegram. That in turn led me to google Eastland Telegram archives which led me to the linked page in the caption below]

Eastland Telegram; 24 Oct 1954

• 1970 -- 93 - Death of sister, Ollie Belle Latham Wheeler (age 85). And not even a month later, she buries her son Berry Moore. Burying all your loved ones is the consequence to a long life. I have only touched on a few. Mary is still in Eastland.

• 1971 -- 93 - Buries her last remaining sister, Mattie Lorene Latham Wheeler (age 98). I can find no obituary for Mrs. Wheeler. 
• 1976 -- 98 - Mrs. Mary Jane Latham Moore breathes her last. 

Before I bring this blog to a close I want to write a bit about Mary Jane's parents. We discovered her mother was Mary P Latham. Her father is not as clear, though I believe him to be James Riley Latham. Mary P. gave her last name as Layton in the 1910 census. Her death certificate said her parents were Benjamin Franklin Lathan -- with an 'N' and Becky Filgo. The informant was her grandson George D Wylie's wife. I'm not sure how accurate her information would be. I say this because I find that a James Latham married a Mary Laton in January 1869 in Waco, McClennan County, TX. Maybe Mary P misspoke and gave her maiden name to the census taker in 1910.

I have only found who I believe to be Mary P with her husband once, in the 1870, Johnson County, TX, census, with two month old baby Frances. This location explains why Mary Jane would get married in Dallas.

One more thing before I leave you. Here is the map I promised earlier with markings of all the counties mentioned to help you get a grasp at how much this family migrated throughout the great state of Texas.

Until next time,
Becky