Oooops! Wrong William Pearson

I try my best not to perpetuate incorrect information.  People who blindly copy other people's Ancestry trees infuriate me, and I am always embarrassed when I go back over information and find that I have no source to corroborate a vital statistic. I keep waiting for the genealogy police to show up at my door.  Occasionally, though, such misinformation can't be helped.  Such was (but thankfully, no longer is) the case with a gentleman by the name of William Pearson.

First, the facts.  The 1900 Pulaski County, Illinois, census lists one William T. Pearson as the son of George and Kate Pearson.  George and Kate are my great great grandparents.  According to this census, William was born in July of 1883 in Virginia.  We all know what happened to the 1890 census, so I couldn't confirm this by going backward.  Instead, I moved ahead to 1910.

In 1910, I found Will Pearson in Pulaski County.  He had been married for 5 years and had two children, and the census put his birthday at 1882.  Of course, it listed his birthplace as Illinois, but we all know how accurate census takers were... My guy, right?  Yep, his WWI Draft Registration card listed him as William Lawrence Pearson, put him in the next county over (Alexander County), and his listed date of birth was 11 January 1883.  I wrote off the middle initial dilemma and July/January mix-up as a census discrepancy and moved on to the1920 census  Still at the same address in Alexander County, and now his birthplace is listed as Virginia.  Things seemed to be coming together.  1930 placed William L. in Oklahoma...which I thought was a tad odd, but I pushed on. 1940, same place.  Oooooh, and then I found an entry in the West Virginia U.S. Births Index.  CONCRETE EVIDENCE...maybe?

Date of birth: 11 January 1883

Father: G.W. Pearson (My great great grandfather's middle name was William.)

Mother: C. Pearson (Kate is short for Catherine.)

Place of birth: West Virginia?  *sigh*  

Honestly, it all seemed too close not to be the person I was tracking, but then... I uncovered a Social Security claim that could not be ignored.  It listed William's date of birth as 11 January 1886 (not a big deal), but it listed his parents as George B. Pearson and Mary Jane Graham!  What the what?!  What was the likelihood of:
1. two William Pearsons being born in Virginia/West Virginia 

2. in 1883

3. to two George Pearsons

4. who then ended up in the middle of nowhere, Pulaski County, Illinois?

Apparently, the likelihood was rather higher than I would have anticipated.  I discovered that William Lawrence Pearson was actually a relative, though not the person I was looking for.  His father was George B. Pearson, who was my great great grandfather's cousin.  William' Lawrence's mother was Mary Jane  (frequently referred to as Carrie, so that's where the C. came from). 

And so I moved all the documentation for George William and Kate's son to William Lawrence Pearson (said a little prayer that no one had blindly copied my information from Ancestry) and started over.  Honestly, I no longer remember how I finally found the correct information.  It's a miracle I ever did, because here is the reality of William (no known middle name) Pearson.

1.  Outside of a Social Security claim (that incorrectly lists his state of birth as Illinois), no document other than the 1900 census indicates even a middle initial for this William.  His WWII registration even states "none" for his middle name.

2.  I have not found a birth record. Most documents indicate he was born in Bluefield, but they don't agree on the state.  There is a Bluefield in both Virginia and West Virginia.  

3.  I still have no idea when he was actually born.  It ranges from 17 July 1877 to 17 July 1883.

4.  If a 1910 census exists for him, I haven't found it.

5.  His mother is Kate, but his father is actually John Winston Pearson, George William's cousin.  This is a long and involved tale for another blog post.

6.  This William married his cousin, Florence Deven.

7.  Both Williams are grandsons of Benjamin Everett Pearson... My genealogical co-conspirator and co-blogger also descends from Benjamin Everett Pearson. 😮

The Photo

It’s so interesting, how time goes by so quickly.  I’ve had to do some math to complete this post, and I believe I’ve had this photo for 42 years.  I’ve made so little progress in identifying the individuals in it that you’ll be shocked that 4 decades have transpired.  I’ve lost track of how many cousins I’ve contacted, but let’s try:  including my dad, my aunt, their cousin, and about 1/2 a dozen distant cousins, I’d hoped that maybe one or two of them would have some answers, but so far it is only the parents in the center, my great grandmother Elsie (bottom row 2nd from right) and her brother Gerrit who are identified. 

Just by virtue of some other searching, not by any diligence in contacting relatives or using any tried and true research skills, I happened across both of the following photos, one by an ancestry user and one uploaded to Find a Grave from the public domain.  It was only after a few days of having saved the 2nd photo of great aunt Gert and her husband that I saw what is hanging on the wall above them.  42 years later, is this a lead?

I’m still trying to identify 8 siblings, but I have renewed hope!  And a few outgoing messages to two more distant cousins 😂 Are you one, dear reader? #tenkley #tenclay #dutch #netherlands #northdakota #iowa #52ancestors

Nobody Knows About...This Picture

I call this photo "Grandpa Ben and Men in Hats."

If we're being genealogically correct, it's my great grandpa Ben, and his name was actually Daniel Benton Pearson.  He is second from the right with his hat at a jaunty angle.  I found this photo in a tote of pictures I received when my grandfather (Ben's son) died. There was nothing on the back to identify the subjects.  That is not at all unusual, but what is unusual is that there are no other pictures of Grandpa Ben with these men ANYWHERE in the gigantic tote of unsorted pictures.  

Those other men in hats?  No idea.  Based on the style of dress, it's the early 1920s.  Grandpa Ben wore the same hat in a September 1923 photo with his new wife (my great grandmother) and his step daughter, Lois.  If I had to hazard a guess (and this is probably wishful thinking), I would say that the man on the far right and the man partially hidden in the back (third from the right) are Grandpa Ben's brothers, Peyton Eric and Horace Irwin, respectively.  The three of them certainly resemble each other and look to be reasonably close in age. If I were feeling particularly hopeful, I would say the man third from the left might be my great great grandfather, George William Pearson.  Though his face is partially obscured by his hat, the prominent jowls suggest he might be significantly older than the other men in this photo. I have never seen a picture of him (if one exists), but he lived until 1927.  The resemblance to the men on the right, particularly around the chin and lips, is notable. I don't even have an educated guess for the men in the less-structured hats or the man all the way to the left.

If you look closely, you will observe additional men in the background of this photo.  I see at least three.  Was this a family get-together for a birthday or other special occasion?  Maybe a church gathering?  Your guess is as good as mine.  But if I had a few moments to talk to my great grandpa Ben, you can be sure I would ask him to identify the men in this photo.

Read about Ben's brother, Horace.
Read about Ben's sister, Nettie.
Read about Ben's nephew, Pierson/Joseph.

Read a little bit about Ben's half brother, William.

Be Careful!

 52 Ancestors #52Ancestors #Week3

When I was a kid, I remember diligently but still frantically searching my parents’ file cabinet for proof of my adoption. I don’t resemble my mom, and I was absent from any “she looks just like…” at family gatherings. What I neglected to note until I was much older is that I’m something of a doppelganger for my DAD, much like my daughter is for her dad.

Adoption. Illegitimacy.  Affairs.  

I have had a few friends and acquaintances who have hired me to look into their family history, to document and report back. I know now, after a few experiences of my very own, that one of the very first things that must be discussed is, is the client (or more pointedly myself) prepared for what I may find.  What perhaps every family is likely to find, at some point in some branch of their family.

In 2020/21, more time at home allowed for additional genealogy time. This was serendipitous, as in the summer of 2018, my cousin and partner in crime and I became enmeshed in a joint battle to FIND ALL THE PEARSONS. 

I don’t recall when exactly I noticed the DNA match in my account, but a closely related cousin to me mother was eventually narrowed down to a possible cousin or even a possible sibling to my maternal grandmother.  My great-grandfather (Gram’s dad) was a notorious alcoholic and philanderer. What a gentlemanly sounding euphemism.  Truth be told, the man couldn’t behave, at all.  Neighbors and family functions were all fair game, so I’d been expecting a “find” like this for many years.  However, after probably a year of sleuthing and more than a few emails, I eventually received a response, and there was an additional element of surprise. The DNA match in question was not a sibling for Gram, but a cousin, because it turns out that her dad (Clyde the Philanderer) was the son of his married mother and a man who was not her husband.  Backing this up are the Y-DNA results of another cousin in my family which point to the man in question. Never had paid much attention to those previously, as they indicated to me as possible name change in the 1700’s - I just didn’t think enough about it.  I’ve since conversed with some of the grandchildren from both lines, and since the parents of Clyde have been dead for so long, chalk his parentage up to irony?

Another year, another great grandfather.  My aforementioned cousin/co-blogger has been more than worth her weight in gold when it comes to combing the internet for newspaper articles for both her family and mine. My great grandfather on my Dad’s side was a straight arrow - staunch Lutheran, married, two sons, same job for all of his days. He died when I was 2, but I have a letter in which he wishes to meet his first great-grandchild. Sadly, this couldn’t happen due to age and distance. Imagine my surprise when provided with a newspaper clipping pronouncing his divorce from someone who wasn’t his known wife of 40+ years, but also the mention of a daughter!  My grandpa and his brother had a sister, and none of them ever knew.  Phone calls were made to my dad, my aunt and one of their cousins, none of whom could attest to anyone ever having heard a peep of this news.  Pictures were exchanged with the sister’s children and grandchildren, who coincidentally had been doing DNA testing right around the time the newspaper clippings were being found.

Additional surprises have been and will continue to be found, I’m sure. They can be enriching, if you choose. It seems fair to conclude with a word of caution, though: Be careful of that which you seek, for you may find it!

Nobody Knows About Pierson McClure/Joseph Marion Miller

As I have wound my way through the maze that is genealogy, I thought nothing was more enraging than tracking an ancestor for decades and then having them disappear without a trace (like Nettie or Jennie Grace). However, it is even more frustrating when you overcome a significant roadblock only to then be stymied by another disappearance. This is the case with Pierson McClure, AKA Joseph Marion Miller.

Pierson/Joseph was the child of Nettie Pearson and Elmer McClure, and one of my previous posts covers the roller coaster that was Nettie's life. Elmer was Nettie's first husband, and as far as I have been able to track, Pierson/Joseph was her only child from any of her marriages. According to "Illinois Births and Christenings, 1824-1940," he entered this world on September 30, 1914, in Pulaski County, Illinois, as Pierson McClure. Before he can be recorded on the 1920 Federal Census, his mother marries twice more, so unless they connected later on in life, it is likely Pierson had no memories of his actual father. When Pierson was 1, his mother married Roy Hudson. By the time he was 4, she had married Walter Miller. So, it seemed to me I should find a 1920 census for Walter and Nettie Miller, and Pierson McClure should appear as the head of household's stepson. So much for that plan. After several attempts and enlisting the assistance of my co-blogger and cousin, I came up empty on a 1920 census.

The 1930 census places Walter and Nettie in Berrien County, Michigan, and with them is one child, Joseph Miller. He is listed as Walter Miller's son, and is about 16 years old. As such, he was too old to be Nettie and Walter's son, so my working theory was that he was Walter's son from an earlier marriage, and that Nettie's son, Pierson, must have perished in his youth. It was also possible that he had chosen to live with his father. At the time, I had no evidence to support either of these theories, but I also didn't have any better leads.

When I stumbled upon this WWII Draft Registration Card, I'm sure my mouth hung open for some time:

Mounds, Illinois? September 30, 1914? Mother...Nettie?? This was Pierson; there was no doubt! I found him in the 1940 census with his mother and her new husband, Mr. Johnson. But what was the name change all about? Had Walter insisted on a name change? Was Nettie hoping to present the three of them as a "normal" family? And then I found this in the Illinois, U.S., Roman Catholic Diocese of Springfield Sacramental Records:

Line 11: Joseph Miller, son of Walter Miller and Nettie Pearson, born September 30, 1914, was baptized into the Catholic faith on May 17, 1923, in Mattoon, Illinois. The other side of the page states that Joseph was a "convert." Did converting also mean changing his name? Had Walter formally adopted him? Regardless of the answers to those questions, I felt like I had finally hit the jackpot in terms of tracking this phantom relative.

And then...the trail went cold. There were 3 identifying documents in 1940 - the census, the WWII draft card, and a passenger and crew list that corroborated that Joseph was a sailor. Beyond that, no service records, no marriage, no 1950 census, no date of death, just...nothing. I've tried both names to no avail. Pierson McClure or Joseph Marion Miller, I'm coming for you, whatever your name is.

52 Ancestors - Herbert Chamberlain

Here’s the little we know about Herbert Chamberlain - he was born the eldest child of Joseph Albert and Florence Lee (Hughes) Chamberlain on the flat delta of the Mississippi River, in Mississippi County, Arkansas in July 1896. His legal name, or his middle name may have been George, as remembered by his younger brother when that brother was an old man.

Herbert is remembered as a rather slim-faced blonde young man (resembling his brother’s grandson), and as being at least a bit aimless. Based on his siblings’ stature, he can’t have been very tall.  He was the oldest, so he may have been assigned to look after his two younger brothers and his one or two sisters.  He may have been close to his next-oldest brother Lee, but Lee died in childhood at an undetermined age.

He filled out a registration card for WWI, and it is probably unfortunate that he didn’t serve.  He may have needed structure, discipline or a job.  Perhaps all three.

During or after World War I, the Chamberlains were back across the Mississippi, this time near Portageville, MO. Herbert was in jail after an assault or fight (decades later, remembered as a murder by his surviving brother - I’ve found no evidence of this). He had been jailed due to non-payment of an attendant fine, which surely was outside of his financial reach. Herbert and his cellmate broke out a cell window, (according to the newspaper only the evening before their scheduled release). The cellmate was apprehended a very short while later in a nearby town, while Herbert was never seen or heard from again. They had escaped by jumping onto a passing train, as was common at the time but could often be fatal.  I’d like to think he lived, and may someday be “found”

There is a record for a Herbert Chamberlain in a later Idaho Census record, married with a child named Lee. This had my attention for many years, but an obituary also exists, seemingly for the same man, who appears to have had a family of origin in Louisiana.  Perhaps a recheck.  Meanwhile, I’d love to think of sitting beside my Gramps’ brother, legs hanging over the edge of a fast-moving boxcar, nibbling on a piece of cornbread and trading stories.

52 Ancestors - Florence Lee (Hughes) Chamberlain

So many loose ends could be wrapped up with a day spent with my great-great grandmother Florence Hughes Chamberlain.  She was a woman who lived a subsistence life, described as a hillbilly who lived in a dirt-floor shack by her eldest granddaughter, reminiscing about a family trip taken to the hills of south central Missouri when she was about 12 years old.

Florence was born in the mid-1870’s in a farm-based community full of extended family on her father’s side but a fairly foreign territory for her mother, recently arrived with her father from Virginia.  Florence was likely her parents’ only child, and when she was small her paternal grandmother lived in the household.  It is unknown when her grandmother died.

Florence was rumored, even by her own son, to be an Indian woman, although this has been shown almost certainly false by DNA results of several descendants.  The Trail of Tears passed not far from her birthplace, but more than 30 years prior to her birth.  She was the daughter of a Union veteran, while her maternal grandfather, returned to Virginia before she was a teen, fought for the Confederacy.  She lived in an area peppered with sundown town, and a newspaper clipping featuring her great-aunt by marriage, who lived nearby, having been “assaulted by a negro” who was accused of stealing her market money. Certainly these experiences had more than a passing impact on her son’s racist views.

About 20 years old when she married, the young Chamberlains soon moved to Arkansas.  As far as I can tell, they sharecropped most of their working years, and their 3 oldest children, all sons, were born in the first decade of their marriage, followed by a daughter, Lillie.  There may have been another daughter, not recorded anywhere that I’ve found but remembered by Florence upon seeing her son’s only blonde daughter, about age 6, during the aforementioned visit. This family is missing from both the 1910 Census and the 1930 Census.  Combined with the loss of Census records in 1890, there are gaping holes in Florence’s life.

Things I’d like to discuss with my ancestor:  What can you tell me about your parents? They can’t both have disappeared into the ether, can they?  Did you have a much younger sister named Nancy, or was she YOUR illegitimate daughter raised by your parents.  Was your husband or Harry Coleson your true love, or both, or neither?  Yes, Harry is the biological father of your youngest son, the science is solid.  Was he Lillie’s father, too?

When Florence and her husband were both near 50, their elder son Herbert was in jail after an assault or fight (decades later, remembered as a murder by his surviving brother - I’ve found no evidence of this). Herbert and his cellmate got the bright idea to make a run for it, which according to the newspaper was the evening before their scheduled release. The cellmate was apprehended a very short while later, while Herbert was never seen or heard from again. I’d love to know if his mother mourned him, or if her poor life left her with little to think of but survival. She was a faithful religious woman according to her obituary, so certainly she prayed for her missing son.

Florence and her husband lived for as time in Barry County, Missouri (the only time they owned the land they lived on), prior to moving to Tennessee where they lived with Lillie and her children.  It was a full house. Did she get along with her daughter?  Lillie’s first daughter was named for her grandmother and called “Flossie.” 

Nobody Knows About Jennie Grace (Terpinitz) Lambert Amey Johnson

 

Now, you might have read my post about Nettie M. Pearson and thought, "Gee, there's nothing amazing about this woman other than her multiple marriages."  And I suppose you would be right.  Jennie Grace Terpinitz, however, is a most amazing (and as far as I can tell, forgotten) woman.

Jennie Grace was born April 1st, 1898, the only child of Charles C. Terpinitz and Leona Deane 'Sally' Green  in Anna, Union County, Illinois.  As a granddaughter of my ggg grandfather, Thomas J. Green, she is my 1st cousin 3x removed. Jennie came from a musical family, and this seems to have been a significant influence.  Various articles about her early life mention her participation in theatre and music.

The Champaign Daily Gazette, 1916

The first amazing thing Jennie Grace does is attend college at the University of Illinois in Urbana-Champaign.  This post's portrait was found in the university's 1919 yearbook.  She was a first soprano in the University Women's Glee Club and a member of the Athenean Literary Society.  According to the 1922 yearbook, this society was founded in 1907 for the purpose of "acquiring proficiency in literary eloquence." Jennie Grace was involved in several other groups/committees and graduated in 1922 with degrees in music and journalism.

She married Wilbur Carl Lambert in June of 1922, and the 1930 census finds them living in Nutley, New Jersey.  A luncheon with friends that same year might have introduced Jennie Grace to her next husband.  Listed among the guests was Mrs. J.W. Amey.  Her husband was Dr. Jesse W. Amey, brother to Jennie's next husband, Peter W. Amey.

The Miami News, February 1930

Jennie Grace divorced Wilbur (as far as I have been able to ascertain, their 14-year marriage did not yield any children) and married Peter in 1936 in Dade County, Florida.  Peter was 63 and Jennie Grace was 38.  The 1940 census places them in St. Lawrence County, New York.  Jennie's occupation is listed as a musician.  They share their home with Jennie's mother, Leona Terpinitz.

The marriage did not last long, though.  In 1941, Jennie and Peter divorced (their marriage didn't yield any children either), and Jennie married Elmer Johnson that September.  When the United States entered World War II, Elmer, an officer in the Army Air Forces answered the call, and Jennie didn't feel like being left at home.  She enlisted in the WACS on January 31, 1943, and an article in The Miami Herald says her husband approved of her service.  Of her decision, Jennie said, "He's got his work, and I should have mine, especially in wartime."  This, and other articles covering her service, mention that she spoke French, German, Spanish, and Italian, that she was a retired opera and concert singer, and that she had once studied at the Sorbonne in Paris.  She was certainly a formidable female, even if she did only stand at 5 feet tall (according to her enlistment record)!

The last confirmation I have of Jennie's whereabouts is a 1946 article discussing her service to her country.  Below are a few excerpts:

The Miami Herald, August 1946

Elmer dies in 1961, but there is no mention of Jennie in his brief obituary.  Perhaps she predeceased him, or perhaps she got divorced for a third time.  At present, I do not know when or where Jennie Grace died, but I am fairly certain she did not leave any children behind.  For a woman who accomplished so much, it seems a shame that there was no one to remember her.