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Claire 1940's for us Outlander fans!



Saddle shoes, boots, and sandals... Oh My! 

Virginia "Jennie" Shaw Part Two

Due to a message from a member at Find a Grave about linking family members I discovered why Jennie disappeared after the 1920 US Census.

Some time between the 1920 US Census and 1928 her husband Charles C Smith died.  On 11 Sep 1928 she marries Frederick Wesley Niles in Newburg, Phelps Co, Missouri. This is what I have been able to find so far...

Ancestry.com. Missouri, Marriage Records, 1805-2002 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2007. Original data: Missouri Marriage Records. Jefferson City, MO, USA: Missouri State Archives. Microfilm.

The 1930 US Federal Census finds them living in  Springfield on North Campbell. Jennie's daughter, Margaret, is with them listed as Step Daughter to the head of household Fred. Margaret is listed as married with the last name Hurst but her husband is not in the household. Some searching finds Margaret's marriage certificate to Loren D Hurst on 23 Jul 1927. Fred's occupation is shoemaker in a repair shop. There is a notation in the margin that Fred and Jennie are "deaf & dumb".

Ancestry.com. 1930 United States Federal Census [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations Inc, 2002.Original data: United States of America, Bureau of the Census. Fifteenth Census of the United States, 1930. Washington, D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, 1930. T626, 2,667 rolls.

The 1940 US Federal Census shows that they are still in Springfield at 433 (E) High Street. It says in 1935 they were in the "same place". Both are listed as "unable to work", given their ages of 81 and 71 it's not surprising.

In 1946 Fred and Jennie are in the Springfield city directory living at 764 E Commercial.

Virginia Ann "Jennie" Shaw Baker Smith Niles died at home (2021 Benton Ave, Springfield, Mo) on 17 Mar 1948 of Acute Hepatitis. Jennie's Find A Grave memorial. She is buried at Maple Park Cemetery in a unmarked grave where her sister Frances Belle Shaw Pierpont and other Pierponts are also buried.

My mom and dad who live in Springfield found the area of Jennie's unmarked grave.

Frederick Wesley Niles passes away on 11 Oct 1948 in Springfield Missouri and is buried with his first wife, Mary Ellen Roberts, at Mill Creek Cemetery in Phelps Co, Missouri. Fred's Find A grave Memorial.

DNA Testing

DNA testing has proven that Virginia Jennie Shaw was my Grandfather Roy Henry Baker's mother. I have several matches to Jennie's father's line the Oldhams. There is still the mystery with the question of Roy's Baker paternity... trying to figure out if John D Baker was his biological father. I am working on the Baker line with a close DNA match but in true form messages at Ancestry DNA have gone unanswered so far. We have a couple matches that might solve the mystery if they would only check their messages and jump in with information!

I found out what happened to Jennie after the 1920 US Census. A post about that  is coming!

Who is in my tree?

A fellow genealogy blogger Genea-Musings posted a Saturday night fun challenge to see how many people were in everyone's trees. I use Family Tree Maker software and it's interesting to run reports about different facts in my tree.

I learned by going to Publish>Person Reports>Surname Report>choosing the "Details" tab at the top. I can then customize the report to include different categories of people.

I learned that as of today I have 173 surnames, 1205 people, 610 males and 582 females. The top 10 surnames are;
1. McDaniel
2. Jones
3. Denby
4. Skeen
5. Hancock
6. Baker
7. Gannaway - my stepfather's family
8. Pollack
9. Maris
10. Skidmore

First page of nine of the surname report. The _____ is five underscore where the surname, usually the maiden name of women, is unknown.

The report also gives me the total count of each surname plus the numbers of males and females as well as the earliest and most recent dates associated with the name.

In the publish feature I can also do charts of all sorts; genealogy report, relationship reports, place reports, media reports, and source reports. I need to spend more time running reports, I think it will help me find "holes" I need to work on and it's just plain interesting!

Virginia "Jennie" Smith, Born 14 Sep 1906 - Died 26 Apr 1916, the daughter of Virginia "Jennie" Shaw Baker Smith

 Two of nine.

I now know what happened to two of the nine children my great grandmother Virginia "Jennie" Shaw Baker Smith gave birth to.

Her first child was Roy Henry Baker, my Grandpa Baker. I want to do a timeline post on him sometime soon that is going to be a challenge!

Roy Henry Baker Born 05 Jul 1888 - Died 08 Dec 1965
Harry E Baker Born in about 1892 - Died after 1900
Edith M Baker Born in about 1894 - Died after 1910
Ella B Baker Born in about 1898 - Died after 1900 She is missing from the 1910 census when she would have been only 12

There was another child that died by 1900, the census says Virginia Baker was the mother of 5, 4 still living. That child might have been between Roy and Harry but more likely between Edith and Mary.

Then along came Mary Baker in 1902 - Died after 1910

A second husband....

Virginia "Jennie" Smith Born 14 Sep 1906 - Died  26 Apr 1916
Charles Smith Born about 1909 - Died after 1920
and finally
Marguritte Smith in about 1912 - Died after 1920

I was looking at different resources to try to find more about what happened to these Grand Aunts and Uncles, hoping to be able to locate some of their descendants, my cousins. I was poking around on Missouri Digital Heritage last night and found young Jennie Smith's Death Certificate. I can cross her off my list to research.

Jennie was a "schoolgirl", age 9 years 7 months 12 days when she died.She was sick with measles for over a week before she was admitted to the Kansas City General Hospital. She died 9 days later of empyema, a complication of measles and lobar pneumonia. If you are curious you can read about empyema here at Healthline and about measles and pneumonia in The Archives of Internal Medicine in 1918.  I can not imagine watching a child die of complications of measles. The antibiotics that could have likely saved her were still over a generation away. Under Place of Burial on her death certificate it looks like Unknown is crossed out and above it Forest Hill is written. It says she was buried on April 28th 1916. I have not been able to confirm her place of burial.

Postcard from 1916

Actual photo from the 1920s

Jennie's siblings, Mary age 14, Charles age 7, and Marguritte age 4,  would have been at home at this time and seem to have escaped her fate. I could not locate any death certificates for them around the time of Jennie's death.

If she had lived she would have been 51 when I was born.

Southern California Genealogical Society Jamboree

June 6 - 8, 2014 Burbank California

http://www.genealogyjamboree.com.

Virginia "Jennie" Shaw, even more questions

Virginia "Jennie" Shaw
My Great Grandmother
Interesting fact; Jennie was "Deaf and dumb", I don't know if she was born this way or lost her hearing as a young child.

Born October 1869 in Missouri, USA

Sources; 1870, 1880, 1900, 1920 US Censuses

1870 Residence; Campbell, Greene County, Missouri, USA.

She is living with her father William Shaw, age 61, her mother Mary (Oldham) Shaw, age 24, and her sister Frances, age 3. They are living next door to Mary's mother. William is a “Teamster”.

Source; 1870 Us Census

1870 United States Federal Census, Campbell, Greene County, Missouri, USA

  

In 1880 she is listed in two US Censuses

1880 Residence 1; Springfield, Greene County, Missouri, USA.

She is listed as living at the “assylem Fulton”.

She is listed with her mother Mary J, age 34 and step father John M Stutzman, age 49, Occupation; Carpenter, along with several half and step siblings and her sister Belle (Frances), age 13, and brother Johnie, age 7. There are also boarders living in the house including Mary's mother and sister.

• When did her father William die? The only clue I have is from Ancetry.com “His grand-daughter told a story of how he was driving a wagon back from Boliver (to Springfield), and he was killed by bushwackers just outside of town (Springfield). It was on "Stagecoach" road, just as it crests out over a hill." 

1880 United States Federal Census, Springfield, Greene County, Missouri, USA

1880 Residence 2; Fulton, Callaway County, Missouri, USA

She is a pupil at the Missouri Institute for the Education of the Deaf and Dumb.

• When did she loose her hearing?
  
  

1880 United States Federal Census, Fulton, Callaway County, Missouri, USA

1888 - Marriage to John D Baker according to the 1900 census which states they have been married 12 years.

4 Jul 1888 - birth of Roy H Baker In Greene County, Missouri < my grandfather

26 Jan 1891 - Marriage to John D Baker (b. Feb 1861 in Illinois)

Source; Missouri marriage license, Springfield, Greene, Missouri

• Compare this to the 1900 Census marriage date?

Missouri Marriage Records, 1805-2002

Apr 1892 birth of Harry E Baker in Missouri

Dec 1894 birth of Edith Baker in Missouri

Sep 1898 birth of Ella B Baker in Missouri

Source; 1900 US Census

According to the 1900 census, census taker was very sloppy...

Enumerated on 4 Jun 1900

Address 1961 Benton Ave, North Campbell Township, Springfield, Mo

She is the wife of head of household (John D Baker)

Age 30

Married 12 years

Mother of 5, 4 still living

Her father was born in Tennessee

Her mother was born in Virginia

She can read, write and speak English

1900 United States Federal Census, Springfield, Greene County, Missouri, USA

1902 birth of Mary Baker in Missouri

Source; 1910 US Census

31 May 1904 – Marriage to Charles Smith in Clinton, Henry County Missouri, USA

Source Missouri Marriage Records, 1805- 2002 The copy is so poor it is almost unreadable.

• What happened to John D Baker? Did he die or did they divorce?

1907 birth of Virginia Jennie Smith in Kansas

1909 birth of Charles J Smith in Kansas

Source; 1910 US Census

1910 US Census Jennie is living in Topeka, Ward 2, Shawnee County, Kansas, USA

Address 112 Adams St

Wife of head of household Charles Smith, age 36, birthplace Michigan, parents birthplace, father; New York and mother; Germany, Occupation; Common Laborer, Odd Jobs

Age 45 (?)

Her second marriage (Charles' first)

Can read and write

Is Deaf and Dumb

Has three more children; Mary Baker age 8 born in Missouri, Jennie Smith age 3 and Charles Smith age 1 both born in Kansas.

John and Jennie's daughter Ella who would have been 12 is not on the census with her mother and step father. Edith and Mary Baker are with Jennie. Roy would have been 22, his whereabouts is unknown. Harry E. would have been 18 and his whereabouts is unknown.

• What happened to Ella?

1910 United States Federal Census, Topeka ward 2, Shawnee County, Kansas, USA

1912 birth of Marguritte Smith in New York

Source; 1920 US Census

1919 Residence - 1729 Holly St, Kansas City Mo, Chas T "grinder", can not find them in the 1920-21 directories.

Source; U.S. City Directories, 1821-1989

Add

U.S. City Directories, 1821-1989, Kansas City, Missouri, USA

 

1920 US Census Jennie is living in Kansas City Ward 2, Jackson, Missouri, USA

Address;1729 Holly St, Kansas City Mo

Wife of head of household Charles Smith, age 48, Parents birthplace Germany, Occupation; Grinder, tool sharpener

Age 51

Can read, write and speak English

Parents born in Missouri.

Children; Charles J Smith 11, Marguritte Smith 8.

• Where is daughter Jennie Smith who would be about 13? 
  Edited to add Jennies fate. I posted about my find here in my post about her.
   

1920 United States Federal Census,  Kansus City Ward 2, Jackson County, Missouri, USA

What happened to Jennie, Charles and the kids after 1920? The trail runs dry....