I am nearing the end of a series on the possible children and grandchildren of Jeremiah Crews and Elizabeth Harland. As usual, most of this information comes to be from Marian Kay Cruse Abbott, unless otherwise noted.

Every now and then I come across these sad stories that break your heart, of lives that were seem unlived and cut short too soon, and that after much heartache. The story of Edmund Cruse and wife Hattie Shepherd is one such story. Edward, an orphan himself, would orphan his own children after an accident. Hattie survived two husbands to marry a third, and was then cut short from that marriage after only eight years and during her ninth or tenth pregnancy. Edmund was 32 at the time of his death, and Hattie was barely 40 years of age. 

Edward Cruse was the fifth and last child born to Zachariah Cruse and Rachel Lane. He was born on 19 August 1872 in Vigo County, Indiana (1).  Sometime between 1876 and 1880 Zachariah and Rachel died and within weeks of each other. Edward was between three and eight years old at the time. Obviously, Edward went to live with someone, but I was unable to locate him in a quick search of census records. There is, of course, no 1890 census, so a second chance of finding him is gone from us. On 17 September 1890 he married Hattie Shepherd Grindle. 

Hattie, the daughter of Hiram Shepherd and Sarah Tipton (2, 10), had previously married William Grindle in Clay County, Indiana on 7 March 1890 (3, 5). She was born on 8 October 1873 (9, 7), and can be found in 1880 living in the home of her father and mother (4). 

The 1900 census finds the Cruses living in Harrison Township in Vigo County, Indiana on Main Street in the 6th ward in house number 118 (6). Five year old son Albert "Bertie" and three year old son Paul H., sometimes referred to as "Harry," were living with them. Albert was the son of Hattie, but his father had been her first husband, William Grindle (8), and he had been legally adopted by Edward. Records sometimes give him as Bertie, or Albert Cruse, and at other times as Grindle (Grinnell). Sometime after 1900, two more children were born to Hattie - a son named Claude and a daughter named Pearl (8). 

Edward was a teamster, and on 12 January 1905, he was apparently kicked by a mule, likely in the head. Seven days later, on 19 January 1905, he died. The chief cause as given on the death certificate was "traumatic meningitis," while the immediate cause was listed as "kick by mule." He was 32 years old. He was buried in the Highland Lawn Cemetery in Vigo County, Indiana (1). 

For some reason, the children were entered into records at the Rose Orphan Home as early as 10 February 1905, less than a month after Edward's death. I have no idea if the children stayed there for a time, but it is believed that the two youngest children of Edward and Hattie, Claude and Pearl, went to live with their uncle, Edward's younger brother, Henry Harrison Cruse and his wife, Elizabeth Baysinger (11). Claude was again living with his aunt and uncle in 1920 (14). 

The Rose Orphan Home was huge, having well over 200 residents in the 1910 census. Named after benefactor Chauncey Rose, a book has been written about it and can be found here.  For an online history of the orphanage go here. This orphanage was considered one of the top 10 institutions of its kind in 1910, and it did, at least for Albert and Harry, what  schools had not done for their father - they learned to read and write. 

Four months after Edward's death, Hattie remarried a third time to Marion Johnson, son of William Johnson and Ada Bell, on 9 May 1905 in Vigo County, Indiana. Five years later, in 1910, Albert and Harry are found in the 1910 census in both their step-father's household and as residents in the Rose Orphan Home  (12, 13). I have no explanation for that. In this same census, Hattie indicated she had given birth to eight children, but that only five lived. This would have been Albert by her first marriage, Harry, Claude, and Pearl by her second marriage, and daughter Marie Johnson, born in 1906, by her third marriage. 

Around December of 1912, Hattie again became pregnant. This pregnancy would be her last, and on 24 August 1913 she passed away from puerperal sepsis, protracted labor, and delivery under anesthesia (1).  She was buried in the Highland Lawn Cemetery, but no markers mark her grave or the grave of her second husband, Edmund Cruse. 

1.  Ancestry.com. Indiana, Death Certificates, 1899-2011 [database on-line]. Lehi, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2015. Name of father and mother and their birthplaces not known, but considering the circumstances that of his parent's death this is unexpected.

2.  Ancestry.com. Indiana, Marriage Index, 1800-1941 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations Inc, 2005.

3. Source #2 gives information as stated about Hattie, but it does NOT name her spouse. The name Wiliam Grindle comes from Marian Kay Cruse Abbott citing other records. 

4.  1880 U. S. Federal Census, Vigo County, Indiana, Lost Creek Township, household of Hiram Shepherd. 

5. Ancestry.com. Indiana, Marriage Index, 1800-1941 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations Inc, 2005.

6. 1900 U. S. Federal Census, Vigo County, Indiana, Harrison Township, household of Edward Cruse. The census gives Edward's birth month as April, but since birthdates do not square with other information in regards to the children, it cannot be said this is any more accurate than the birthmonth of August as given on the death certificate. 

7. It should be noted that source 2 above gives her birth year as 1871 and source 6 gives birthdate of October 1874. 

8. Rose Orphan Home Records, courtesy of Marian Kay Cruse Abbott. Also, the 1900 census states she was the mother of 2 children and 2 were living, and Bertie and Paul were the two children listed in that census. 

9.  Ancestry.com. Indiana, Marriages, 1810-2001 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2014.

10. The name Sarah Tipton is found in source 2 (marriage certificate). The 1880 census gives her name as Emmeline, and source 1 (death cert of Hattie) gives her name as Emmeline Tipton. 

11. 1910 U. S. Federal Census, Vigo County, Indiana, Otter Creek Township, household of Henry Harrison Cruse. 1

12. 1910 U. S. Federal Census, Vigo County, Indiana, Harrison Township, household of Marion Johnson. 

13. 1910 U. S. Federal Census, Vigo County, Indiana, Harrison Township, Rose Orphan Home Records. 

14. 1920 U. S. Federal Census, Vigo County, Indiana, household of Henry Harrison Cruse. 

A continuing but nearly finished series on the grandchildren of Jeremiah Crews and Elizabeth Harland. As usual, most of this information, unless otherwise stated, comes from Marian Kay Cruse Abbott. 

Amanda Cruse born 29 March 1865 in Prairieton, Vigo County, Indiana, was the only daughter born to Zachariah Cruse and Rachel Lane (1). She was between 11 and 15 when her parents died sometime between 1876 and 1880. I have been unable to determine who she lived with after her parent's death. 

On 24 August 1895, Amanda married Isaac Henry Burner, the son of Newton Burner and Sarah Fallon, in Clark County, Illinois (2). Henry was 21 years her senior, so that at the time of their marriage, Amanda was 20 and Henry was 41, having been born on 24 January 1854 in Licking County, Ohio. He was first married to Ida Dolittle of Crawford County, Illinois (3). Ida died on 22 September 1892, after which Henry married Amanda (4). Amanda and Henry had only one child - Blanche May Burner, born on 2 July 1899 (4). Amanda was 34 at the time of Blanche's birth. 

One of several pictures
found on Ancestry.com.

Amanda and Henry are found in the 1900 Clark, Johnson County, Illinois census, along with daughter, Blanche May Burner, who was a month shy of a year old (9). Nine years later, on 9 August 1906 in Illinois, Henry died. The following is an excerpt from Historical Encyclopedia of Illinois and History of Clark County (4): 

The deceased was a Democrat, but had no ambition for office or public honors. He belonged to the Cumberland Presbyterian Church, Orange Township, and was buried in the cemetery near the church. Mrs. Burner is also identified with the work of the Cumberland Church and is a lady of standing and influence. At the time of his death Mr. Burner was the owner of his original purchase of forty acres, which constituted the family homestead and upon which most of his children were born. Although he had leased the land to prospectors, no wells had been drilled; now, however, three fine wells are in operation, with an average flow of 250 barrels daily. 

Henry was buried in Butternut-Willow Creek, Cumberland Presbyterian Cemetery (7).  

In the 1920 census, Amanda and Blanche are living with Amanda's brother-in-law, 75 year old John Lingafelter in Johnson, Clark County, Illinois (5). John was the husband of Henry's sister, Almeda Burner (8).  Amanda was 53 and Blanch was 20. By 1930, Amanda and Blanche had moved to Casey, still in Clark County, Illinois. Amanda owned her home on N. 10th Street (6).

Amanda survived Henry by 34 years, passing away on 19 January 1940 in Casey, Clark County, Illinois. She was buried beside her husband (1). 

Picture found at www.findagrave.com, entry
for Henry and Amanda.

1.  Ancestry.com. Illinois, Deaths and Stillbirths Index, 1916-1947 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2011.

2.  Jordan Dodd and Liahona Research, comp.. Illinois, Marriage Index, 1851-1900 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations Inc, 2005.

3.  Ida Dolittle brought three children into the marriage - Earlie E Wilson, Arthur Wilson, and Sarah Wilson. It is possible her marriage to Henry was her third marriage. 

4.  Historical Encyclopedia of Illinois and History of Clark County. (Chicago: Middle West Publishing Company, 1907), biography of Isaac Henry Burner found on pages 711-712. 

5.  1920 U. S. Federal Census, Clark County, Illinois, household of John P. Lingafelter. 

6.  1930 U. S. Federal Census, Clark County, Illinois, household of Amanda Burner. 

7. Entries from ww.findagrave.com for both Henry and Amanda. They share a headstone. 

8.  Jordan Dodd and Liahona Research, comp.. Illinois, Marriage Index, 1851-1900 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations Inc, 2005.

9.  Census records courtesy of Marian Kay Cruse Abbott. I could not locate the census record on Ancestry, which means it is likely an aberration/misspelling of the name on the original rolls. 

Joseph Cruse (1863-1934), possible grandson of Jeremiah Cruse and Elizabeth Harland

I am wrapping up a continuing series on Jeremiah Crews and Elizabeth Harland. Jeremiah was a son of David Crews of Madison County, Kentucky, and his first wife, Annie Magee. Unless otherwise noted, this information comes courtesy of Marian Kay Cruse Abbott. 

Joseph Cruse, the third son born to Zachariah Cruse and Rachel Lane, was born mid-way through the Civil War on 6 August 1863 in Vigo County, Indiana (1, 5). He was between thirteen and seventeen years old when his parents died. He went to live with his uncle, William Cruse, in Honey Creek Township, Vigo County, Indiana (13).  

On 15 April 1893, in Vigo County, Indiana, Joseph married Emma Rebecca Misner (2), daughter of Leander Misner and Martha Jane Davidson. Emma was born on 12 June 1869 in Carroll County, Indiana (7). 

Seven years after their marriage, in 1900, Joe and Emma were living in Crawford, Oblong County, Illinois, and Joe was farming. Living with them were nephew, Irwin Misner, aged 14, and niece Josie Cruse, aged 8 (7). 

Daughter Felma was born on 9 September 1909 in Vigo County, Indiana. Joe and Emma had been married sixteen years already, and Emma was forty years old. Whether Joe and Emma had moved back to Vigo County, or whether she was there on a visit, is not known (4). It is known that by 1910 they were living in Terre Haute, Vigo County, Indiana, on North 14th Street. Joseph was a grocery clerk. Living with them were nine month old daughter, Felma, and 18 year old niece, Josie (8).

Between 1910 and 1920, Joseph and Emma moved to Martinsville, Clark County, Illinois. They are found in 1920 living on Main Street in that town. Nineteen year old Felma was still living with them. Again, Joseph was a grocery clerk (9). They were still living there in 1930. Felma, at 29 years of age and unmarried, was still living with her parents (10). 

On 26 May 1934, Joe died in Martinsville, Clark County, Illinois. He was buried two days later in Ridgelawn Cemetery in Martinsville, Clark County, Illinois (5, 6).  His obituary, found in a Martinsville newspaper, is as follows: 

    Funeral services for Joseph cruse were conducted at the residence Monday afternoon at two o'cock by Rev. J. C. McMahon of the Methodist Church. Interment was at Ridgelawn.  
Mr. Cruse died Saturday night at eight o'clock following an extended illness of heart trouble. He was 70 years, 9 months and 6 days of age. Surviving are his wife, and one daughter, Felma. 
Mr Cruse was well known in the community. For man years he was employe by the Miller Store of this city. 
    Joseph Cruse, son of Zachariah and Rachel Cruse, was born in Vigo County, Indiana, August 20, 1863, and departed this life after a lingering illness, on Saturday, May 26, at his home in Martinsville, aged 70 years, 9 months, and 6 days. 
    He was united in marriage April 15, 1893 to Emma Misner. to this union one child, Felma, was born who with Mrs. Jose Daughterty, a niece who made her home with them from early childhood, consituted this happy family. Early in life Mr. Cruse lost his parents, both leaving this word inside of one week. It is only natural that he loved his home intently and was loved by all within his home. All who knew him speak in the hihest terms of respect concerning his integrity, fidelity and industry. A good neighbor and a tusted employee, having been employed by E. C. Miller Department Store for 21 years, he leaves behind a record that will be cherished by all. 
    Two brothers, John and Ed, preceeded him in death. He leaves to mourn his departure, his wife, daughter Felma, niece Josie, three brothers, Frank of Independence, Missouri; henry of Colorado; and Thomas of Rosedale, Indians; one sister, Amanda Burner, of Casey, Illinois, and a host of nieces, nephews and friends.

After Joseph's death, Emma and Felma moved to Paris, Edgar County, Illinois, and they are found living there when the 1940 census was taken (11). On 9 September 1945, Emma died at her home in Paris, Edgar County, Illinois (3). She was buried beside her husband in Ridgelawn Cemetery in Clark, Martinsville Co., Illinois (12). 


1.  Obituary of Joseph Cruse (found above on page). 
2.  Ancestry.com. Indiana, Marriages, 1810-2001 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2014. 
3.  Obituary of Emma Cruse.
4.  A further look at tax records could determine this.  
5. Ancestry.com. Illinois, Deaths and Stillbirths Index, 1916-1947 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2011.
6. http://www.findagrave.com, entry for Joseph Cruse. 
7. 1900 U. S. Federal Census, Crawford, Oblong Co., Illinois, household of Joseph Cruse. Gives month and year only of birthdates. 
8.  1910 U. S. Federal Census, Terra Haute, Vigo Co., Indiana, household of Joseph Cruse.
9.  1920 U S. Federal Census, Clark, Martinsville Co, Illinois, household of Joseph Cruse.
10.  1930 U. S. Federal Census, Clark, Martinsville Co., Illinois, household of Joseph Cruse.
11.  1940 U. S. Federal Census, Paris, Edgar Couty, Illinois, household Emma Cruse.
12. http://www.findagrave.com, her entry.
13. Information courtesy of Marian Kay Cruse Abbott. 

Authors Helping Houston - Help for Victims of Hurricane Harvey

Many of you may not know that I live northeast of Houston. Yes, we survived Hurricane Harvey this past week.  Our house is one of the highest in our neighborhood, which sits alongside Lake Houston.

All in all we got 30+ inches of rain. The most we have ever had before was 14 during what is called The Tax Day Flood last year. We had electricity except for two days (not back to back) when trees fell on lines. (In contrast, during Hurricane Ike, we were without power for 27 days.)

Despite our good fortune, we still have had to scramble for milk and eggs in stores. We have to get gas while we can. We have had to reroute our drives through flooded streets, and hubby missed several days of work. But we had it much, oh so much easier than most.

Many, though, are suffering great hardships and face long recoveries. I have joined with several Houston authors to raise funds for the victims of Hurricane Harvey. Between September 4th and September 17th, any royalties earned on my first novel Keeping Secrets, will go to the Dickinson, Texas Relief Fund. You can click on the link to find out about the help and aid David and Maria Matties have given their community. They are truly heroes, as are so many others who are looking to rebuild their lives in the Dickinson area.

At Authors Helping Houston you will see not only Keeping Secrets, but other books as well. Peruse the list. Perhaps you will find a new, local author. Links for purchasing books are on the page.

Additionally, I have autographed paperback copies that can be purchased from me. Email me at donnahechlerporterbooks@wordpress.com. Books are $15, and payment can be made through Paypal.

For those that purchase, thank you so much for thinking of others during this difficult time. May Our Lord reward you a hundredfold for your generosity.

Throwback Thursday: Birth Certificate of Scott McQueen

Below is the birth certificate of my great-grandfather Scott McQueen. I have often lamented that birth certificates were not required earlier. I could have learned so much about those elusive ancestors if they had been, provided the paperwork was still around. 

Scott McQueen was the son of Jame Polk McQueen and his second wife Sarah Jane Lowe. His grandparents were Milton McQueen and Susan Simmons, and William Mallett Lowe and Francis Laird. The only grandparent he would ever have known would have been William Lowe, for he died in 1902 when Scott was seventeen years old. William Lowe also lived near the McQueens and Chester, Texas. The other three grandparents all died before Scott was born. 

It does appear this birth certificate was created "after the fact" in 1951 when Scott was 65 years old. 

And note - the county clerk's name was "Tom Sawyer." 

James Polk McQueen and Scott McQueen

Benjamin Franklin Cruse (1861-1944), possible grandson of Jeremiah Crews and Elizabeth Harland

I am winding down my series on the possible children and grandchildren of Jeremiah Crews and Elizabeth Harland. As usual, most of this information comes to me courtesy of Marian Kay Cruse Abbot. 

Benjamin Franklin Cruse was the second child born to Zachariah Cruse and Rachel Lane. His grandparents were David Cruse and Jane Jewell. He was born in July of 1861 (3), three months after the official start of the Civil War in April of that same year. He is sometimes seen in records as B. F., as Ben, and as Franklin and/or Frank. For consistency, I will refer to him as Ben.

According to family tradition, Ben's parents, Zachariah and Rachel, died between 1876 and 1880 and within two weeks of each other (4). Ben would have been between 15 and 19 years of age. I do not know how much care he and his older brother John Cruse gave to their younger siblings, but in later years it was Ben's younger brother, William Thomas Cruse, that saw to his funeral arrangements after his death (4).

In 1880, eighteen year old "Franklin Cruse" was living in the household of Henry Lansing in Honey Creek Township in Vigo County, Indiana, He was working as a farm laborer. Henry Lansing lived next door to Alexander Moore (1)  who has been mentioned in other places on this blog. Moore's sister, Edith Cruse, was married to James Cruse, son of David Cruse and Jane Jewell and uncle of Ben.

At some point, Ben left Indiana and moved to Illinois. In 1900 he was living in Macon, Maroa County, Illinois, in the household of William Cox. He was 38 years old, single, and working as a farm laborer (2).

For some reason, he is not findable in the 1910, 1920, nor the 1930 census. It is known that about 1918 he took a job as a night watchman for Penrod, Jurden and Clark which was a large lumber company in Independence, Misouri. He worked here for about 20 years before retiring about 1938 (7). 

By 1940, Benjamin was living in Independence, in Jackson County, Missouri at 319 South Spring Street. He was renting this home and at 78 years of age he was still single. He had apparently never married (5).

He subsequently moved to 505 East Pacific Street (7). On 12 March 1944, his home burned and he perished in the fire (6). Benjamin Franklin's brother, Thomas Cruse, as well as Thomas' son, Walter Cruse, traveled from Rosedale, Indiana, to Independence, Missouri, to make Ben's funeral arrangements (4). 

His obituary found in The Independence Examiner, 13 March 1944, page 3, reads as follows:

B. F. Cruse, 83 years old, was found dead in his little one-room home at 505 East Pacific Street by city firemen shortly after 7 o'clock Sunday morning, after the firemen had extinguished a fire in the place. The body was found on the floor between a stove and the south wall. Damage to the building and the contents was estimated at $150. According to the fire department report the fire was caused by a coal oil lamp. Pending funeral arrangements, the body was removed to the George C. Carson Funeral Home. Mr. Cruse was for twenty years a night watchman for Penrod, Jurden and Clark until his retirement seven years ago. 

The Kansas City Times, 1 March 1944, page 6, column 4, reads as follow:

Funeral services for Benjamin F. Cruse, 84, of 503 East Pacific, Independence, at 10 o'clock Wednesday at the Carson Chapel, Independence. He is survived by a brother, William T. Cruse, Rosedale, Indiana. Burial will be in Wooodlawn Cemetery, Independence.

Sources:

(1) 1880 U. S. Federal Census, Vigo County, Indiana, Honey Creek Township, household of Henry Lansing.

(2) 1900 U. S. Federal Census, Macon, Maroa County, Illinois, household of William Cox.

(3) Census records point to year with consistency. The 1900 census gives the month.

(4) Research of Marian Kay Cruse Abbott. 

(5) 1940 U. S. Federal Census, Independence, Jackson County, Missouri.

(6) Research of Marian Kay Cruse Abbott. She cites Missouri Death Certificates as the source. 

(7) Obituary of Benjamin Franklin Cruse, courtesy of Marian Kay Cruse Abbott and found in The Indepedence Examiner, 13 March 1944, page 3.

Throwback Thursday: The Descent from the Cross

This wood-cut is from the John Robert McQueen Family Bible. I had intended to post it around Easter, but I got busy with end-of-the-year activities with my boys. But, summer is here - so hopefully I will get back on my schedule!

And after these things, Joseph of Arimathea (because he was a disciple of Jesus, but secretly for fear of the Jews) besought Pilate that he might take away the body of Jesus. And Pilate gave leave. He came therefore, and took the body of Jesus. 

                                                                                                                                                   John 19:38

.

John Cruse (1859-1904) - Son of Zachariah Cruse & Rachel Ellen Lane

A continuing series on the probable children and grandchildren of Jeremiah Crews and Elizabeth Harland. This week we start a series on the grandchildren of David Cruse and Jane Jewell through their son Zachariah Cruse and Rachel Ellen Lane. A great portion of this information comes to me courtesy of Marian Kay Cruse Abbott.

John Cruse was born just before the outbreak of the Civil War in May 1859 to Zachariah and Rachel (Lane) Cruse in Vigo County, Indiana (1, 6, 10). Since his parents were living in Honey Creek Township the following year when the census was taken, it seems likely John was born there. Zachariah's mother, Jane Jewell Cruse. John was the oldest child of Zachariah and Rachel.

I have been unable to locate the family in 1870 census. According to family records it is believed that John's parents, Zachariah and Rachel, died between 1876 and 1880 and within two weeks of each other. John was between 17 and 21 years of age. He had six younger brothers and sisters behind him, with the youngest, William Thomas Cruse, having been born in 1876. In 1880, soon after his parents died, 21-year-old John is found living in the household of Edwin H. McPheters and working as a servant and farm laborer (2).

Not long after the 1880 census, John must have left Vigo County and moved to Illinois, for on 29 December 1884 he married sixteen-year-old Anna Miranda Misner in Crawford County, Illinois (3, 6, 7). Amanda, the daughter of Leander Misner and Martha Jane Davidson, was born in 1868 in Indiana (4, 5). It is possible that John and Miranda were part of the same family groups that left Indiana and moved to Illinois, for Leander and Martha Jane Misner's daughter, Stella Misner, was reported on the 1880 census to have been 8 months old and to have been born in Illinois. All their other children had been born in Indiana (4).

John and Miranda had three daughters. Lena Rachel Cruse, born 27 November 1887 in Annapolis, Crawford County, Illinois. Amy Jane Curse, born 7 May 1889 in Vigo County, Indiana. Josie Cruse born in 1892 (8).

Miranda passed away a day before Christmas on 24 December 1898 in Crawford County, Illinois (8). She was buried in the Prairie Grove Cemetery in Crawford County, Illinois (8, 9).

John was only 39 years old when Miranda died, but for some reason it appears as if he placed his daughters with others and moved in with his brother in Prairieton in Vigo County, Indiana, for he is found living there with brother Thomas Cruse when the census was taken in 1900 (10).  The census records him working as a farm laborer, so it does not appear at least on the surface of things as if he was sick and unable to take care of himself, so the reason for moving and sending his girls elsewhere to live is not clear.

That same year, 13-year-old Lena Cruse was a boarder in the household of Elva Williams and living in Crawford in Licking County, Illinois. Eleven-year-old Amy Cruse was living in Clark, in Melrose County, Illinois, in the household of Benjamin Wheeler. Eight-year-old Jose Cruse was living with her aunt and uncle Joe and Emma (Misner) Cruse in Crawford in Oblong County, Illinois (11).

John died four years later on 4 February 1904. He appears to have somehow "frozen" to death, as that is listed as the chief and only cause of death on the death certificate (6). Family members have stated that when John died, the winter weather prevented them from taking his body back to Crawford County, Illinois, for burial beside his wife. Consequently, he was buried in Hull Cemetery in Vigo County, Indiana, but there is no marker (8).

(1) 1860 U. S. Federal Census, Vigo County, Indiana, Honey Creek Township, household of Zachariah Cruse.

(2) 1880 U. S. Federal Census, Vigo County, Indiana, Honey Creek Township, household of Edwin H. McPheters.

(3) Illinois County Marriages 1810-1934, courtesy of Marian Kay Abbott.

(4) 1880 U. S. Federal Census, Crawford County, Illinois, household of Leaner Misner (as Mizener.) (5) Birthdate and father's name for Anna Miranda Misner from 1880 census (4). Mother's name courtesy of Marian Kay Abbott.

(6) Ancestry.com. Indiana, Death Certificates, 1899-2011 [database on-line]. Lehi, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2015. John Cruse's death certificate. It should be noted that the date was "unknown," but the month and year given as May of 1861. This year is obviously an error since John is found in the 1860 census with his parents. Parents names are stated on death certificate. Father's birthplace was Indiana, but mother's birthplace was unknown. 

(7) John's death certificate (6 above) gives Amanda's maiden name. 

(8) Information on courtesy of Marian Kay Abbott. 

(9) Find a Grave (website): https://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GRid=69314720&ref=acom.

(10) 1900 U. S. Federal Census, Vigo Couty, Indiana, Prairieton Township, household of Thomas Cruse. This census gives the birth month of May which coincides with the death certificate (6 above). 

(11) Census record research of Marian Kay Abbott. 

Throwback Thursday: McQueen Bible, Eve with Cain and Abel

The John Robert McQueen Bible may have been given to him and first wife Sarah Barclay, daughter of Robert Barclay and Sarah McKenzie, upon their marriage in 1856. By this time, John's father, Milton McQueen, and Sarah's mother had married, so they were also step-brother and step-sister at the time of their marriage. They were also cousins, as John McQueen and Nancy Crews were John's grandparents but Sarah Barclay's great-grandparents.

The Bible itself was published in 1850. Woodcuts were a common art form in pictures in Bibles of this era.

Below is the picture of Eve with Cain and Abel.

Throwback Thursday: The Unknown Man

Once in the flight of ages past, 

  There lived a man, and who was he?

Stranger, how e'er thy lot be cast,

   That man resembles thee,

The clouds and sunbeams o'er his eye,

   That once their shades and glory threw,

Have left in yonder silent sky,

   No vestige where they flew.

(Author Unknown)

This photograph was found in the old trunk my grandfather brought from his mother's house. There was no name, and the mystery has persisted as to who he is.

Probably because he is so darn handsome.

I believe this is a carte de visite, which was created about 1854 but become popular about 1859 and beyond the Civil War. It has a more sepia cast to it than a cabinet card would, and less ornamentation. It probably dates from about 1860 to 1880.

Part of the mystery surrounding the mystery man is that he does not look like any of the McQueens or Whiteheads. I have often wondered if perhaps it was Emile Corbello who married Tennessee Anne McQueen. He was French and likely had a dark look to him.

Or perhaps it was Thomas Rock? He was a well-to-do gentleman, and he certainly traveled a lot. There are a number of records of his having been in Orange County while practicing his profession as an attorney.

 Then again, it could be some suitor who simply wished to leave one of the McQueen or Whitehead sweethearts a picture of himself.

Throwback Thursday: Letter from Urah Whitehead to Anna Lee McQueen, 1919

Urah Whitehead as a young boy.

Today, for Throwback Thursday, I am sharing a letter from Urah Whitehead to his sister Anna Lee Whitehead McQueen. I previously shared a postcard from Urah to Anna Lee that you can see here.

Today's letter is dated the 4 March 1919 and is only about two weeks before the postcard was sent.

Although Scott McQueen would later go to work for the Gulf Oil Pump Station, at this time he was still living on his father, James Polk McQueen's property, probably in the log cabin, and was farming. Undoubtedly the rain hit them hard that year. As for the "babies," Urah is undoubtedly referring to Russell McQueen, aged 9, and Woodrow McQueen, aged 4. (Daughter Dagma had not yet been born.)

The full transcript of the letter is below.

Flagny, France

March 4, 1919

Mrs. Anna Lee Mcqueen

Chester Texas

dear Sister. I recd your letter to day. Was sure glad to hear from you all again. I was sure glad to know you all were well. Well Sister I know you all did have a good time with all the games and singing at your house. Gee but how I do wish I could have been there to heped you spread some Joy. Tell teh Babies that was sure sweet hello's they sent me. Well Sister you said you all were having so much rain over there that you all couldn't hardly do any thing. it very seldom ever ceases raining over here. I have been over here now very near eight months and we have not had as high as three days right straight a long with out it didn't rain some. Well Sister I don't know I am coming home but I guess it be some times this summer. I am well. i must say good-bye. With much love and many kisses to you all from your Bro in France 

Urah Whiteehad

36.M P. Co.

A. E. F.

A. P. O. 796

Amelia Cruse Dawson (1873-1940)

This is a continuation of a series of articles on the possible children and grandchildren of Jeremiah Crews and Elizabeth Harland of Madison County, Kentucky, and Vigo County, Indiana. Today's information comes from Marian Kay Abbott with some of my own quick research. 

Amelia Cruse was born in February 1872 in Vigo County, Indiana, (5) to James and Edith (Moore) Cruse (10). She had one sister, Julia Cruse, born in 1870. While James and Edith had several other children, none of them lived long, and Julia and Amelia were the only children to reach adulthood.

On 22 April 1874 James Cruse died. A year later, on 31 May 1875, Edith died. Julia was five years old, and Amelia was three. She did not remember her father, which is not surprising, but she did remember her mother being laid out for the funeral, which is quite surprising for a child of three. For more on James Cruses' death go here. 

The girls, now orphans, were thrust into the court system, and William Carpenter was given charge of at least the girls' meagre financial situation. For more on that go here.

The girls were also spearated. Julia is found in 1880 living in the home of Jeremiah and Gertrude Blocksom as a "servant." Being separated so young, Amelia, at least, was not aware she had a sister until she was nearing 30 years of age (8). For more on Julia's life go here and here. 

Amelia went to live with David and Lucinda (Gilbert) Smith. David and Lucinda married on 12 April 1855 in Hamilton County, Indiana (1). Five years later, in 1860, David and Lucinda, with their daughter and two sons, were living in Washington Township in Hamilton County, Indiana (2).  I have been unable to find David and Lucinda in the 1870 census, nor do I know how they came to adopt Amelia after the death of her parents. 

By 1880, David and Lucinda and their two sons, along with Amelia Cruse, had moved to Washington Township in Clark County, Illinois, where they were enumerated in the census that year. Amelia is listed as "adopted," although her surname of "Cruse" is still given. David was a farmer as were his sons, Albert and William (3). 

As a sidenote - and one of interest which I have never seen before - the 1880 census has a category which is titled "Is the person [on the day of enumerator's visit] sick or temporarily disabled, so as to be unable to attend to ordinary business or duties? If so, what is the sickness or disability?" Now, I have, of course, seen this category, but this census notes that Lucinda (Gilbert) Smith, who was 45 years old at the time (a year older than her husband), was unable to attend to her duties due to change of life.  Honestly, I have never seen that before, and I am not quite certain what to make of it (3). 

On 1 September 1895, Amelia Cruse married John Dawson in Clark County, Illinois (4, 5).

A quick perusal of records yielded no information on Dawson before his marriage to Amelia. A more thorough search of the records will be needed. Even the census records in regards to his birth are not clear. The 1900 census states he was born in August of 1860 in Illinois (5). However, the 1910 census gives his birthdate as 1871 and in Indiana (6). 

On the 3 December 1896, Amelia gave birth to the couple's first child, a son they named Clyde Leslie Dawson (11). Two years later, on 28 May 1898, Amelia and John had a second child and daughter they named Helen (9). There appear to have been no other children born after Helen (12). 

John and Amelia left Illinois and had moved to Harrison Township in Vigo County, Indiana, by 1900. They would remain here for the rest of their lives. In 1900, John's occupation seems to be "car refiner rr." The word refiner is easy to read, and "rr" probably refers to railroad. I am not certain about the word "car" (5). 

About 1902, Amelia learned she had an older sister. It may have been Julia, or her husband John Whiteside, that contacted Amelia, for she states in her deposition for a pension on her father's behalf that she knew nothing of the witnessess concerning her parent's death or service as John Whiteside was handling all of the details. Two years later, about 1904, Julia and Amelia formally applied for Civil War pension benefits based on the fact their father and mother died while they were minors under the age of 16 (8). For more on that go here. 

The 1910 census finds John and Amelia still living in Harrison Township in Terra Haute. John was now working as a foreman on a "washing" gang. They were living in Ward No. 3 on South Street (6). 

I have not located either John or Amelia in the 1920 census, but by 1930 Amelia is found as a widow. She was still living in Terra Haute in Vigo County and with daughter, Helen Dawson, who was 33 years old. Amelia was working as a seamstress, while Helen was working as a clerk. They were still living in Ward No. 3 and were renters on Poplar Street (7). 

Amelia entered St. Anthony's Hospital in Terra Haute about 15 January 1940. She never went home, dying there on 27 February 1940. Dr. Van Arsdall attended her during this time. Her cause of death on her death certificate was given as "chronic endo-carditis, chronic myocarditis," and both of those were due to "chronic artheriosclerosis." She was, of course, stated to be a widow. Her usual place of residence was 309 S. 13th Street in Terra Haute. Daughter Helen gave the information for the death certificate, she knew nothing of her mother's family history, and the death certificate clearly states "family history unknown" (9). 

Amelia's obituary from the Terre Haute Tribune, 28 February 1940 (13), reads as follows:

Amelia Dawson, 309 1/2 South Thirteenth Street, died at 10:30 o'clock Tuesday morning at St. Anthony's Hospital.  Surviving are one son, Clyde, of Chicago, and one daughter, Mrs. Helen Denges, of Terre Haute.  Funeral services will be held at 3 o'clock Thursday afternoon at the Gillis Funeral Home, with Rev. A. J. Esperson officiating.  Burial will be in Highland Lawn Cemetery.

SOURCES: 

(1) Hamilton County, Indiana; Index to Marriage Record 1850 - 1879 Inclusive Vol, W. P. A. Part One 1850 - 1859 Part Two 1860 - 1869; Book: 1; Page: 315.

(2) 1860 U. S. Federal Census, Hamilton County, Indiana, Washington Township, David Smith household. 

(3) 1880 U. S. Federal Census, Clark County, Illinois, Wabash Township, David Smith household.

(4) Research of Marian Kay Cruse Abbott.  

(5) 1900 U. S. Federal Census, Vigo County, Indiana, Harrison Township, John F Dawson household.

(6) 1910 U. S. Federal Census, Vigo County, Indiana, Harrison Township, John Dawson household.

(7) 1930 U. S. Federal Census, Vigo County, Indiana, Harrison Township, Amelia Dawson household.

(8)  Civil War Pension Records for Julia Whitesides and Amelia Dawson (James Cruse), courtesy of Marian Kay Abbott.

(9) Ancestry.com. Indiana, Death Certificates, 1899-2011 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2015. In regards to Amelia Cruse Dawson: Birthdate is likely an error (see footnote #10). Also, the birthplace is given as Illinois, which is also clearly an error.

(10) Amelia's death certificate gives he birthdate at 5 March 1873, however, all census records indicate the birthyear was 1872, including the 1900 (source #5) which is closest to the event and may well have been given by Amelia herself. Also, Helen did not know of her mother's family history, and the death certificate even notes "family history unknown." It should be noted that the tombstone give the birthdate as 1873, and the information on Amelia's page on www.findagrave.com also gives the birthdate on the death certificate.

(11) Ancestry.com. U.S., Social Security Applications and Claims Index, 1936-2007 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2015.

(12) 1910 census (see footnote #6) indicates that after fifteen years of marriage only two children were born and two children lived, with the youngest, Helen, being 11 that year. So it appears that no other children were born to Amelia, and if they were, they were born after 1910 and did not live to adulthood.

(13) Obituary courtesy of Marian Kay Cruse Abbott. 

Throwback Thursday - Bible Woodcut "Deluge"

Today, on Throwback Thursday, I share a woodcut from the John Robert McQueen Family Bible published in 1850. 

This is titled "Deluge." 

The picture is a bit sobering to say the least. 


"In the six hundredth year of Noah's life, in the second month, on the seventeenth day of the month, on the same day all the fountains of the great deep burst open, and the floodgates of the sky were opened." Genesis 7:11

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Julia Cruse Whiteside, Part 2

This is a continuing series on the possible descendants of Jeremiah Cruse and Elizabeth Harland. Jeremiah was a son of David Crews & Annie Magee of Madison County, Kentucky. Most of today's research is my own, with a smattering of records coming to me courtesy of Marian Kay Abbott. 

For Julia Cruse Whiteside, Part 1 go here.

On 9 October 1887 in Vigo County, Indiana, Julia Cruse married John Whiteside (3). For the record, I have seen the name written with an "s" at the end as well, but for consistency I have dropped it. 

John Whiteside was born 9 January 1865 in Peoria, Peoria County, Illinois (1) to William Whiteside and Ann McAvoy (1, 13).  When the 1870 census was enumerated, John Whiteside is found living with his parents in Reeve in Daviess County, Indiana. He was seven years old that year, so there is some discrepancy in the records in regards to his birthyear (14). Later census records do not do much to clear up the issue.

As always, children soon followed: Mary in July of 1888 (14, 15), Thomas in February 1891 (14, 15), Anna in March 1893 (14, 15), Charles in February 1894 (14, 15), and Margaret in May of 1897 (14, 15).

By the time the 1900 census was taken, John and Julia had moved to Barr in Daviess County, Indiana. The census does note that Julia had given birth to six children with only five living at the time. John was working in the coal mines there (14).

In 1904 they moved to Illinois (15). While in Illinois, five more children were born: Josephine in 1900 (15), James in 1902 (15), Mildred in 1904 (15), Herbert and Herman, twins, in 1907 (15).

Also in 1904, Julia and her sister, Amelia, applied for Civil War pension benefits based on the fact their father and mother died while they were minors under the age of 16. Depositions were given by both girls as well as their uncles Alexander Moore, William Cruse, and Samuel S. Moore, Jeremiah Hess, Dr. Thomas Drake, and others (4).

Julia stated in her deposition that at that time she lived in Danville, Illinois, with her husband and eight children. She did not know much about her family. She explained that the Vigo County marriage document for her father should have read "James N. Cruse" rather than "James H. Crews." She also stated that when her father died, Edward A. Roberts lived nearby and that he subsequently purchased the little place where they had lived (4).

By the time the 1910 census was taken, they were living in Danville Ward 5 in Vermillion County, Illinois, where John was a bartender in a saloon. At some point in the census year, John had been out of work for eight weeks. The nature of the absence from work is not stated. Nineteen year old Thomas was working as a porter in a saloon, while eighteen year old Charles was a helper at a glass works. The family was renting a house on Vermont Street. Julia had given birth to twelve children, but only ten were living (15).

courtesy of www.findagrave.com

Between 1910 and 1918, John and Julia moved from Vermillion County to Peoria in Peoria County, Illinois. She died there on 25 April 1918. She was buried in St Mary's Cemetery (1, 18). She was 48 years old and was working as a housekeeper in Danville, Illinois. Danville is 120 miles west of Peoria, so I cannot account for the discrepancy in where she worked with where she died, unless the death certificate was merely listing the last occupation she had  (1).

Two years after Julia's death, when the 1920 census was taken, John and sixteen year old twin sons Herbert and Hermann are found in Peoria, Peoria County, Illinois, as "roomers" in the home of 54 year old Sarah Sutton and her daughter, Leona Babs, aged 6.  John and Herbert were waiters in a restaurant, while Hermann's occupation is given as "meat delivery" for a restaurant (16).

The 1930 census finds John still living in Peoria, Illinois, this year renting his own house at 1700 N. Adams Street. That year he is the head of the household with two boarders living with him - 27 year old Leona Dermeyer and 25 year old Emma Dewey. According to the census, both women were married, so I cannot account for why they were boarding with John. He was working as a retail merchant in a grocery store. The women were both salesladies in department stores (17).

John outlived Julia by fourteen years, dying on 13 January 1932 in Peoria, Illinois. He was buried three days later on 16 January 1932 in St. Mary's Cemetery in Peoria (1, 18). At the time of his death he was working as a clerk and he was living at 1611 N. Adams St. (1). There is no picture of a headstone for John on the website Find a Grave, so it is unknown if he had one and it was not pictured, or if he did not. 

SOURCES: 

(1) Ancestry.com. Illinois, Deaths and Stillbirths Index, 1916-1947 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2011. 

(2) U. S Federal Census, 1870 Vigo County, Indiana, Honey Creek Township, household of James Cruse.  

(3) Vigo County, Indiana; Index to Marriage Record 1840-1920 Inclusive Volum, W. P. A. Original Record Located: County Clerk's O; Book: 10; Page: 495.

(4) Civil War Pension Records for Julia Whitesides and Amelia Dawson (James Cruse), courtesy of Marian Kay Abbott.

(5) U. S. Federal Census, 1880 Vigo County, Indiana, Honey Creek Township, household of Jeremiah Blocksom. 
(6) Ancestry.com. Indiana Deaths, 1882-1920 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations Inc, 2004.

(7) U. S. Federal Census, 1860 Vigo County, Indiana, Honey Creek Township, household of Jeremiah Blocksom.

(8) U. S. Federal Census, 1850 Vigo County, Indiana, Honey Creek Township, household of Jeremiah Blocksom.

(9) U. S. Federal Census, 1870 Vigo County, Indiana, Honey Creek Township, household of Jeremiah Blocksom. 

(10) Ancestry.com. U.S., Find A Grave Index, 1600s-Current [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2012.

(11) Will Records, 1818-1921; Author: Indiana. Circuit Court (Vigo County); Probate Place: Vigo, Indiana. 

(12) Vigo County, Indiana; Index to Marriage Record 1840-1920 Inclubive Volum, W. P. A. Original Record Located: County Cleek's O; Book: 8; Page: 50. The 1850, 1860, and 1870 censuses given above for Jeremiah Blocksom, #s 7, 8, 9, show his wife as Elizabeth. On 14 April 1831, he married 1st Nancy Atkinson in Vigo County, Indiana. See Book: Family History Library, Salt Lake City, UT; Page: 1392539 items 3-5. 

(13) U. S. Federal Census, Reeve, Daviess County, Indiana, household of William Whiteside. Living with William and wife Ann was 60 year old Catherine McAvoy and subsequent records indicate this was Ann's mother.

(14) U. S. Federal Census, Barr, 1900 Daviess County, Indiana, household of John Whiteside. This census gives birth month and birth year, while the 1910 census only gives birth years.

(15) U. S. Federal Census, 1910 Danville Ward 5, Vermillion County, Illinois, household of John Whiteside.

(16) U. S. Federal Census, 1920 Peoria, Peoria Co., IL, household of Sarah Sutton.

(17) U. S. Federal Census, 1930 Peoria, Peoria Co., IL, household of John Whiteside.

(18)  Find a Grave, www.findagrave.com.