DING! DING! DING!

I've been doing a little census housekeeping recently. Basically making sure all my censuses are sourced. It's a little confusing because I printed out a census list that had missing sources. Some of the ones they say are missing aren't.

One of the people listed was Lucile DeNevers Carter.  She is memorable, to me at least, by the fact that she married a relative of mine by the name of Manville J. Chinn, Jr.

Her 1920 census record was added to my database before I started linking the actual images, so I thought for the heck of it I would look for her and her husband and children on 1920 again. Indeed, she was there not only with her husband and children, but her parents. Her parents were Robert E. and Ida B. Carter. For the heck of it I decided to look for them in my database because I have tons of Carters in Missouri.

That is when the bells went off! I had both her folks in my database, but the age on the census was 8 years younger than their death records. I did indeed have a couple by the name of Robert Ewing Carter and Ida Bell Vivian, both of whom are related to me separately. It took a very careful perusal of Ida's death certificate to see that the informant was Lucile Chinn. Then, after a little more digging I found the Social Security application index record that gave Lucile's parents' names. I love it when things work out like this.

Copyright 2010-2016, ACK for Gene Notes

Where There's a Will ... NOT!

Another of my ancestors died intestate. John Vivion Webb. His elder children were appointed guardians of the minor children in 1854. John V. Webb died in 1855. He was shy of his 58th birthday. I presume that he was incapacitated in some way that he was not able to write a will. It was astounding to me that in the 1855 probate records that his sons, William and John G. and son-in-law Edward Roth, had to post a bond in the amount of Sixty Thousand Dollars.  That would be about 1.5 million today. Almost speechless here.

Copyright 2010-2016, ACK for Gene Notes

Where There's a Will, Part the Second

Reverend Charles Whiting left a will, written in Springfield, Missouri in 1872. In it he names his six boys: Percy Whiting, Charles Whiting, Marcus Whiting, John Whiting, James Whiting and Eugene Whiting; "some of them having middle names which I have neglected to write." Then he mentions his daughter Jennie. What? Actually this must be Virginia Emma, almost always shown as Emma.

This will was written two years before their youngest son was born, Frank Everett Whiting. Maybe Frank didn't make it past the 1880 census, so his father didn't think to change his will?

Reverend Whiting was married to Lucy Mourning Webb, a daughter of John Vivion Webb, another of my great-great-great grandfathers. Lucy outlived her husband by 20 years.  

Copyright 2010-2016, ACK for Gene Notes