Busting Through Brick Walls

I've been lying in my bed in the reclining position for days now, fighting an intense muscle spasm in my neck that just will not respond to all the usual tricks I have up my sleeve. Usually, when I find myself confined to my bed, I take that time to deep dive into my genealogy research. This time, I think it might have paid off. 

Years ago, I began researching my step-mom's side of the family. I quickly encountered a brick wall on her maternal side with her great grandfather, James Walter Moore. You can find my previous blog post about him here. I have gone back numerous times trying to discover who his parents could be and today, I may have just found them. It all starts with a widowed mother, Sarah JONES, living in Bates Township of Sebastian County, AR. She is 40 years old and is listed with the following JONES children:

1. Nittie age 19 born in Texas
2. Walter age 18 born in Texas
3. Littie age 15 born in Texas
4. Susan age 14 born in Texas
5. Clyde age 5 born in Arkansas
6. Elsie age 3 born in Arkansas
   

The first thing I notice instantly are the three names Nittie (I have "Nettie" in my tree), Walter, and Susan. The ages and birth dates all fit for my previous MOORE siblings theory (read the blog I linked earlier).

Then I notice the age gap between Susan and Clyde meaning JONES could be a second marriage for Sarah. Thirdly this family is on the same page as James Walter's soon-to-be wife's family, the DILLAHUNTYS. 

Other things that begin to line up are so many familiar names. Is Littie actually something along the lines of Lettie? James Walter named his daughter Leta. A little more research shows I was correct, Littie's maiden name was not JONES but a marriage record indicates it was indeed MOORE. Now bear with me because "Littie's" name is all over the place in all the records I find her in. Her marriage record gives her name as Lillie. But the entry is directly across from who I believe to be her sister, Nettie. With the records only being a week apart.

See the record for yourself below:

Now remember when I mentioned James Walter Moore's daughter Leta? Her middle name was Grace. The youngest JONES child, Elsie's middle name was also Grace. And she married a MARTIN. Her half-sister, Susie's brother-in-law, Leonard Larkin MARTIN, to be exact. 

Then there's the youngest JONES child from the 1900, Sebastian County, census -- his name being Clyde. James Walter Moore also named his youngest son, Clyde

James Walter Moore eventually moves to Vann, Muskogee County, OK and by 1930 the Clyde JONES family is living there as well, with his mother going by the nickname Sallie rather than Sarah.

Sarah, the mother of these MOORE/JONES children died in 1940 and is buried in Lone Star cemetery in Sebastian County, AR. Her headstone says she was the wife of Lee JONES. Using that information I was then able to his death notice in Fort Smith Elevator published Friday, 11 March 1898. If he was about 25 that would make his birth date around the year 1873.

This lets me look for a marriage record between a Lee JONES and Sarah/Sallie MOORE and sure enough, I found one even if her name is given as MOON instead. (Why is it so hard to get an accurate name?) But notice Miss is marked through and Mrs. is written over it, indicating she was previously married. Also of note, in this record from 1890, Mr. Lee JONES is said to be 30 years of age. So which one do we believe, his marriage record or his death notice?

Regardless, here's the marriage record.

Littie MOORE BUCKNER's death certificate claims her father's name was Thomas MOORE. I wish I had any of her siblings' death certificates to compare because sometimes the informant gives bad information in their time of grief. Was Littie's middle name actually Thomas? And was her mother's maiden name truly JONES before she married Thomas MOORE?



I can't access the actual image of Clyde JONES' death certificate from Burlington, Skagit County, Washington, but the information given is that his full name is Clyde Thomas JONES and that his father's name was Lee JONES and his mother's name was Sally STROUD. His death date was 14 June 1955. 

And that lead me to this gem!

Then searching in that same county, Fayette County, Texas, I find 12 year old Sallie STROUD living with a 29 year old female with the initials E A HART and several young HART children in the year 1870. There's also a 13 year old house servant living with the family. Her name was Sophia McKEEN.

I don't believe E A HART to be Sarah's mother. As there is evidence she was the widow of Lucius Simmons HART and her name at the time of their marriage in 1860 was HUNT not STROUD. So what relation is she?

After further digging in Fayette County, Texas I discovered that a Mr. Balus C STROUD married a Ms. Louisa A HEART in 1864 is this a connection? Baylis STROUD was married previously to a Nancy GILL and can be found with two young children; Walter (age 3) and little Sallie (age 7/12) THIS is her parents!

And using that I find that Sallie STROUD was enumerated twice in 1870. 



Once with her widowed father and brother on page 38. And then again with E A HART on page 44, who would have been her recently deceased step mother's sister-in-law, so her aunt through marriage, both her father's remarriage and then her step-mother's brother's marriage. Maybe she was helping her with the younger children? 

There's another HART connection. Lucius and Louisa HART had a brother named Junius HART who married Lois Antoinette MOORE who was the sister of Thomas Lyt MOORE (see further down below). Lois Antoinette is also who I believe Walter's older sister "Nettie" is named after.

AND as a BONUS there's even a birth record from the GILL Family Bible



And for now the trail ends with a few Thomas MOOREs born around the same time frame all living in Fayette County, Texas in 1870. For now, I don't know which one is mine. But I believe I'm settling on the Thomas L Moore b 1856 in Mississippi with parents named James K and Mary MOORE.

I also believe I have found a memorial tribute and it all starts to make sense, with his daughter's name -- Littie Thomas MOORE, she was indeed named after her father. West Point was a small community that sprang up in the 1880s at the crossroads of the MKT railroad. 




I hope you're able to keep up. I've convinced myself these are indeed the parents and siblings of James Walter MOORE. Hopefully, I've also convinced you.

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This is a bit out of order but I also wanted to include the 1910 census where the remaining Sarah aka Sallie JONES family is right next door the the remaining Emily DILLAHUNTY family on Burnville and Booneville Rd. 

Until next time, 
Becky

52 Ancestors - In The Census

This week the scheduled prompt is In the Census. I want to take this opportunity to demonstrate how there is a lot you can do in your research without necessarily having to pay for subscriptions. Most all of the information I will be giving you, will come from FamilySearch, a free site that just requires you to register.

During our Christmas dinner at my Dad's, I took several pages of research and copies of records over to my Step-mom. We went through them and she asked a few questions that I didn't have answers to and at the time I had let my subscription expire with Ancestry. All of that led me to find a new to me record data base on FamilySearch; the Oklahoma, School Records, 1895-1936. 

The topic person of this post will be her grandmother, Leta Grace Moore Sloan and her siblings.

Leta Grace was the fourth child born to James Walter Moore and Mattie Dillahunty. She was born in Greenwood, Sebastian County, AR about 1914.

Other children in birth order were:

• Alta
• Alma
• unknown baby (born and died before 1910)
• Adolphus
• Leon Thomas
• Hershel (died at age two)
• Clyde

Sometime between 1918 and 1920 the Moore family moved from Sebastian County to Vann, Muskogee County, OK.

They first show up in the scholastic census report in 1921 and only the four oldest are of school age.

The next year, 1922, pay attention to how much their birth dates and months change. Who was giving this information, anyway? Also notice Alta's last name is no longer Moore. She married James Cowan in Sept of the previous year.

In 1922, you will notice they're now in District 3. I don't believe they moved, as much as there was a restructuring or labeling of the districts.



In 1923 they are still in District 3. Alma's last name has changed to Pettie becuse she married Luther Petty in Oct of 1922. Once again, their birth months and years are all over the place. I also included the instruction page that lays out the procedures and guidelines for the enumerator.

Try as I might, I cannot find this family at all in 1924 and by 1925 the two older sisters are no longer there but baby Leon has finally joined the ranks. This time they're in District 77.

The next census year I can find is 1927. Earnest Beavers was the census taker. The birth dates are becoming more and more regular now. Leta is listed as being born in July in almost all of them, though its still a toss up as to whether the year was 1913 or 1914 and the days.... well they're still random.

1928: This year James F. Beavers is the enumerator. He was the Notary Public in the previous year.

The 1929 census is very sloppy and inaccurate. The children aren't even listed in the correct order. And Leta's name is spelled horrifically. It looks like the enumerator's name is F J Vann.

December 17, 1929 Leta Grace marries Charley Sloan in Sequoya County, OK . You can see the Sloan and Moore families side by side in the 1930 census. This census was taken 03 April 1930 by Pearl Martin. If she had waited just a few weeks more, baby Dorothy would've made an appearance in this census, as she was born 25 April that same year.

Also of note -- living with the Sloan family are George Sloan's step-daughters with the same last name as his deceased wife. George was first married to Florence David. Her brother was Isaac David who was married to Mollie Wasson. Florence died in 1915; Isaac in 1913. Widows George and Mollie then married one another in 1916.




Around the year 1930 some really big changes and unbearable heartbreak begin to happen. During the next six years this family would see tremendous loss. I don't know how poor Mattie endured it.

 First, notice how James Walter is no longer listed as the parent in the next scholastic census; 1930.  There is no specific death date that I have been able to find for Walter, but he is said to have died around this time. He is buried in Vaught Cemetery, in Webber Falls, OK. 

I can't tell you anything about Walter's death, and believe me I have searched and searched and searched for answers. I don't know how he died or even where. Again, he is said to be buried in Vaught Cemetery where his baby boy, Hershel is buried.

 An outbreak of tuberculosis was about to hit this family hard claiming the life of our young, new mother, in 1933. She was only 20 years old and baby Dorothy was only three. She is also buried in Vaught cemetery. Maybe that is how Walter died as well?



What Leta was doing in Latimer County, I'm not sure but The Encyclopedia of Oklahoma History and Culture states:

In 1920–21 the legislature created Eastern State Sanatorium, a treatment facility for tuberculosis patients; now operated as an Oklahoma Veterans Center, it is located two miles northwest of Talihina. Nearby, the Choctaw-Chickasaw Sanatorium for Indian tuberculosis patients was opened in 1917.

She may have been there.


In 1935, her sister, Alma Moore Petty, dies all the way in Tulare County, CA. I don't know the exact cause. Or why she was in Tulare CA. In 1940 her remarried husband and children are in the Exeter, Tulare, California census.

Tulare Advance Register 26 Nov 1935

In April 1936, not even 5 months later, sister Alta Moore Cowan dies from pulmonary tuberculosis in Willcox, Cochise, AZ. She is buried in Sunset Cemetery there. Again, why was she all the way in AZ? The dry air was said to help TB but I have found no record of a sanatorium in Willcox. In 1940 Alta's husband is also remarried. He and his family are still living in Vann, Muskogee, OK.

In the course of six years this family of eight became a family of four. Mattie buried a husband and three young daughters. In 1940 poor widowed Mattie is living in Tulare, CA with her youngest son Clyde. She is a seamstress. Clyde is 18 and is a form setter for a curb company. As I have stated in other posts, the 1940 census asks residents where they were living in 1935. Mattie and Clyde both answered 'same place'.

I can't seem to find Adolphus in the 1940 census but his WW2 draft registration says he's still living in Vann, OK and gives his mother's address as Tulare, CA.

That leaves brother Leon. He is also living in Tulare County, specifically, Visalia. His occupation is listed as laborer for the WPA. In 1935 he said he was also living in Tulare County.

This tale is not yet over. Mattie eventually remarries to a Mr. Mose Pierce Cravy. I think around 1941, going off of social pieces in the Tulare Advance Register. He passed away three years later in 1955. She would then go on to bury at least one more child before she herself died in 1982. Adolphus (named after his mother's father Adolphus Dillahunty) dies two days after the 40th anniversary of Leta's death on the 7 Aug 1973 in Tulare, CA. Mattie herself finally succumbs to death in 1982.

Leon lives to be 79, passing away in 1995. He also would've endured so much loss and the pain of watching his mother's heart break time after time with the passing of each child. I have not been able to confirm death records for Clyde. I can fill in some pieces of his life using other records. One dated 6 Dec 1963 gives his birth date as 13 Jul 1921. His middle name is Francis (most likely named after his great grandfather Francis Marion Dillahunty) and sates he is a used car salesman for Caravan Chevrolet in Tulare County. By 1964 he was selling cars for Tom & Jay's Auto Sales and his wife was named Velma. Voter registration says he was a Democrat and that he was a Taxi Driver in the 40's. I do not know his death date.

I can't imagine the heart break this mother endured in loosing so many dear loved ones; in total two husbands and at least 6 children. I cannot imagine how she remained sane.

Until next time,
Becky