Census Sunday: My Great-Great-Great Grandparents in 1930

This week I will discuss my 3rd great-grandparents who were alive in 1930. Most of them had passed away by this time, but I did have six of them living in 1930. This is my last generation that had any members alive in 1930, so I will be moving on to the 1920 census next week. (Well, actually, it will probably be in two weeks since I am getting married next weekend)!

Anna (Wise) TRAHAN

1930 U.S. census, St. Landry Parish, Louisiana, population schedule, Police Jury Ward 2, enumeration district (ED) 14, sheet 22B, dwelling 391, family 391, Pierre Richard household; digital images, Ancestry.com (http://www.ancestry.com : accessed 17 July 2011); citing NARA microfilm publication T626, roll 820.

Anna WISE was the mother of my great-great-grandfather, Oscar TRAHAN. She is one of the few Germans on my paternal grandfather's side of the family. She was born 04 Oct 1866 to Andrew WISE and Anna GREY and was baptized at Our Lady of the Sacred Heart Catholic Church in Church Point, Acadia, Louisiana. She married Theoville TRAHAN 05 Nov 1883 at St. John's Cathedral in Lafayette, Lafayette, Louisiana. She was Theoville's second wife, and they had twelve children. Anna was 14 years younger than Theoville and outlived him by quite some years. She died 01 Mar 1952 in Carencro, Lafayette, Louisiana, at the age of 85.

I'm not 100% certain the Anna in this census record is my Anna, though. She is living in the household of a young couple named Pierre and Amy RICHARD and is listed as a cousin. Her age is given as 70 years old, which assumes a birth date of 1859-1860. This is off of her known birth date from church records by 6-7 years. However, it was not unusual for an elderly person's age, particularly an illiterate elderly person's age, to be off by a few years in census records. Her relationship to Pierre is listed as cousin, and I haven't had time to research a link between my Anna and Pierre Richard. Both of this Anna's parents are listed as being born in Louisiana, but my Anna's parents were supposedly born in Germany and Ireland. Once again, though, it wasn't unusual for an elderly's person's parents' birthplaces to be incorrect in census records.

Paul Lucius PREJEAN & Marie Alicia BERNARD

1930 U.S. census, Lafayette Parish, Louisiana, population schedule, Police Jury Ward 6, enumeration district (ED) 19, sheet 18A, dwelling 335, family 338, Lecuise Prejean household; digital images, Ancestry.com (http://www.ancestry.com : accessed 17 July 2011); citing NARA microfilm publication T626, roll 798.

Lucius and Alicia were the parents of my great-great-grandmother, Virginia (Prejean) Trahan SCHENKEL. Paul Lucius PREJEAN was born 11 Feb 1866 to Ursin Theomile PREJEAN and Adenysa LEGER and baptized at St. Charles Borromeo Catholic Church in Grand Coteau, St. Landry, Louisiana. He married Marie Alicia BERNARD 22 Jan 1885 at St. Peter's Catholic Church in Carencro, Lafayette, Louisiana. He died 10 Mar 1938 in Carencro, Lafayette, Louisiana. Marie Alicia BERNARD was born 30 Dec 1863 to Honore BERNARD and Virginie LEBERT and baptized at St. John's Cathedral in Lafayette, Lafayette, Louisiana. She died 26 Mar 1949 in Lawtell, St. Landry, Louisiana. 

In 1930, Lucius and Alicia (aka Alice) were living in Police Jury Ward 6 of Lafayette Parish, Louisiana. Present-day Ward 6 is 3.5 miles south of I-10 along Ambassador Caffery Parkway in Lafayette and just east of the town of Scott. Lucius was a retired grocer. Neither Lucius nor Alicia were listed as literate or able to speak English.

Susan Rilla (Woods) BAKER

 1930 U.S. census, Las Animas County, Colorado, population schedule, Precinct 55, enumeration district (ED) 63, sheet 2B, dwelling 34, family 34, William C. Baker household; digital images, Ancestry.com (http://www.ancestry.com : accessed 17 July 2011); citing NARA microfilm publication T626, roll 245.

Rilla was the mother of my great-great-grandmother, Emmer Link (Baker) PROFFITT. She was born 06 Mar 1853 in Caldwell County, North Carolina, to John D. WOODS and Adaline Rilla JORDAN. She married James Gilbert BAKER 17 Dec 1874, possibly in North Carolina. She died 17 Nov 1938 in Wilmore, Comanche, Kansas. 

In 1930, she was living with her oldest son (and Emmer's younger brother), William Clay BAKER, and his wife, Mary (Shrader) BAKER, in Las Animas County, Colorado. Las Animas County is in southwest Colorado on the border of New Mexico. Her age is given as 73, which is off by about 3-4 years from the birth date given in her obituary (06 Mar 1853).

Mary Ellen (Molesworth) CRYSLER

1930 U.S. census, Sanilac County, Michigan, population schedule, Fremont Township, enumeration district (ED) 17, sheets 5B-6A, dwelling 114, family 116, Mary Crysler household; digital images, Ancestry.com (http://www.ancestry.com : accessed 21 June 2011); citing NARA microfilm publication T626, roll 1028.

Mary Ellen MOLESWORTH was the mother of my great-great-grandfather, Ernest CRYSLER. She was born 04 May 1858 in Dorchester, Middlesex, Ontario, Canada, to William Edward MOLESWORTH and Priscilla DEMARAY. She married George Calvin CRYSLER 30 Jun 1875 in Arkona, Lambton, Ontario, Canada. Mary died 26 May 1935 in Melvin, Sanilac, Michigan.

In 1930, she was living as a widow in Fremont Township, Sanilac, Michigan, with her son, Ernest, and two grandsons, George and Harold.

Cora Millicent (King) WEDGE

1930 U.S. census, Oakland County, Michigan, population schedule, village of Oxford, enumeration district (ED) 41, sheet 17A, dwelling 450, family 463, Joshua Wedge household; digital images, Ancestry.com (http://www.ancestry.com : accessed 17 July 2011); citing NARA microfilm publication T626, roll 1017.

Cora was the mother of my great-great-grandmother, Nellie May REYNOLDS. Cora was born 05 Nov 1874 in St. Clair County, Michigan, to Suel Alfred KING and Ardelia STRATTON. She gave birth to Nellie illegitimately 21 Oct 1890 in Elk, Sanilac, Michigan, at the age of 15. Nellie's father was listed as Douglas REYNOLDS on the birth certificate. The only Douglas REYNOLDS I have found in the area was a man who died just two months before Nellie was born on 16 Aug 1890 from consumption. It doesn't appear that he and Cora ever married. Cora eventually married Joshua WEDGE 06 Oct 1897 in Lynn, Sanilac, Michigan. Cora was the last of my great-great-great grandparents to die on 27 Feb 1964 in Pontiac, Oakland, Michigan.

In 1930, Cora and Joshua were living at 27 Stanton Road in the village of Oxford in Oakland County, Michigan. Joshua was a railroad laborer. Their youngest daughter, Thelma, was age 20 and working as a saleslady for a variety store. They had two boarder, Earl Teal and George Bice, living with them. George was a laborer of some type (it's hard to read) and Earl was an inspector for an automobile factory. 

Census Sunday: My Great-Great-Grandparents in 1930

Three weeks ago, I started a Census Sunday series, in which I featured the census records showing my great-grandparents in 1930. I skipped the next two weeks because my mom was visiting from Louisiana two weeks ago, and last week I was in Louisiana visiting. Now that I am back on track, this post will feature my great-great-grandparents in 1930.

Oscar TRAHAN and Bertha DUHON

1930 U.S. census, Harris County, Texas, population schedule, Justice Precinct 3, enumeration district (ED) 178, sheet 32A, dwelling 587, family 649, Oscar Trahan household; digital images, Ancestry.com (http://www.ancestry.com : accessed 21 June 2011); citing NARA microfilm publication T626, roll 2352.

This is my great-great-grandfather, Oscar, and his second wife, Bertha. He ran off to Texas to work for the oil refineries after he left his first wife. I cannot seem to find his first wife, Virginia PREJEAN, in 1930. They divorced around 1920. She had a child with a man named DOMINGUE in 1926, and then she married a SCHENKEL in 1932. I looked for Virginia and her son, Claude DOMINGUE, but I have not been able to find them in 1930. I also looked for her future husband, Louis SCHENKEL, but she was not with him either in 1930. I'm just going to have to order Claude's SS-5 application to see who his father was. Perhaps they were with his father in 1930. DOMINGUE is a very hard name to find in the census. It is pronounced like the word "domain," so you can imagine how it gets spelled. Oscar and Virginia's only chld, Bienvenue, was featured in my last Census Sunday post in the home of his father-in-law (see below).

Maurice BONEAUX and Marie Alice SONNIER

Maurice and Marie were the parents of my great-grandmother, Beatrice Marie BONEAUX. They were featured in the last Census Sunday post, since my great-grandparents, Beatrice and Bienvenue, were living with them.

John Henry MERTENA and Blanche WELDEN
John and Blanche were the parents of my great-grandfather, Merlen Paris MERTENA. They were featured in the last Census Sunday post, since my great-grandfather was still single and living at home with them.

William Harmon PROFFITT and Emmer Link BAKER

1930 U.S. census, Creek County, Oklahoma, population schedule, Mannford, enumeration district (ED) 24, sheet 3A, dwelling 49, family 51, William H. Proffitt household; digital images, Ancestry.com (http://www.ancestry.com : accessed 21 June 2011); citing NARA microfilm publication T626, roll 1900.

William and Emmer were the parents of my great-grandmother, Hassie Cora PROFFITT. They were living in Mannford, Creek, Oklahoma, where William was a Methodist minister. Creek is just one county west of Tulsa County. They moved around Oklahoma a lot since William was a minister. I really need to dig into church history and find out where all his appointments were located. My great-grandmother, Hassie, was not living with them. Her younger sister, Bessie, was the only child living at home in 1930. Hassie was probably boarding with a family near where she was teaching, but I haven't been able to find her yet in the 1930 census. I'm not precisely sure where she was teaching. I know that at one time between 1925 and 1930, she was teaching in Pawnee County, just one county north of Creek County.

Lovell Hugh PEMBERTON and Alvina Mary LESPERANCE

1930 U.S. census, St. Clair County, Michigan, population schedule, Kimball Township, enumeration district (ED) 20, sheets 17A-B, dwelling 391, family 394, Lovell H. Pemberton household; digital images, Ancestry.com (http://www.ancestry.com : accessed 25 December 2005); citing NARA microfilm publication T626, roll 1024

Lovell and Alvina were the parents of my great-grandfather, John Vital "Jack" Pemberton, who was already married and living with his wife and two children in Port Huron, St. Clair, Michigan, in 1930. Lovell and Alvina were living on Ditty Road in Kimball Township, not too far from Port Huron. Every census year, they seem to migrate further north. Their youngest four children were still living at home in 1930. Lovell was a blacksmith, and the oldest of the four children at home, Madeline, was a laborer in the salt plant. Morton Salt Company had large operations in Marysville, Michigan, just a few miles from Kimball Township, so I presume she worked for them.

Ernest George CRYSLER

1930 U.S. census, Sanilac County, Michigan, population schedule, Fremont Township, enumeration district (ED) 17, sheets 5B-6A, dwelling 114, family 116, Mary Crysler household; digital images, Ancestry.com (http://www.ancestry.com : accessed 21 June 2011); citing NARA microfilm publication T626, roll 1028.

Ernest was the father of my great-grandmother, Mabel CRYSLER. Mabel was already married in 1930 and living with her husband, John Vital "Jack" Pemberton, and two children in Port Huron. Ernest was a farmer living with his mother, Mary (Molesworth) CRYSLER, in Fremont Township, Sanilac, Michigan, in 1930. Ernest's first wife and Mabel's mother, Nellie REYNOLDS, died in 1917. He remarried Minnie SIBLEY in 1919. I'm a little confused because this lists Ernest as a widower, and Minnie is also listed as a widower, living with her mother, Pauline CAMPBELL, in Port Huron in 1930. It seems Ernest and Minnie must have had an unhappy union. Interestingly, Minnie was 10 years older than Ernest. Ernest's sons, George and Harold, were living with him in 1930. George was working as a farm laborer.

Alexander CURRIE and Mary RAYMOND
Alexander and Mary are not found in the 1930 census because they both died prior to 1930. They were the parents of my great-grandfather, Archie CURRIE. Alexander died in 1909, and Mary died in 1920.

Robert PLAINE and Florence Minnie HILLMAN
Robert and Flora are not found in the 1930 census because they were living in Ontario, Canada in 1930. They never immigrated to the U.S. They were the parents of my great-grandmother, Jennie Grace Christina PLAINE, who immigrated in the 1920s.

Tombstone Tuesday: Daniel and Mabel Crysler Pemberton Beedon

Photographed by Tami Lindsay

BEEDON
MABEL E.
1910-1989
DANIEL R., SR.
1911-1985

My great-grandparents
Woodland Cemetery
Port Huron, St. Clair, Michigan

This is the grave of my great-grandmother, Mabel Ellen (Crysler) Pemberton Beedon. Daniel R. Beedon, Sr. was her second husband. She married him 16 Apr 1954 in Port Huron, St. Clair, Michigan. Mabel was the mother of my maternal grandfather, John Peter Pemberton.

Surname Saturday: CRYSLER

Crysler is the surname of my great-grandmother, the mother of my maternal grandfather. Tim McGraw's Palatinate family history from the lastest episode of Who Do You Think You Are? inspired me to write about my own Palatinate family, who also have some celebrity ties.

Mabel Ellen CRYSLER

Born 10 Jan 1910 in Peck, Sanilac, Michigan

Married John Vital "Jack" PEMBERTON 7 Aug 1927 in Port Huron, St. Clair, Michigan

Married Daniel Robert "Bob" BEEDON 16 Apr 1954 in Port Huron, St. Clair, Michigan

Died 29 Dec 1989 in Port Huron, St. Clair, Michigan

Ernest George CRYSLER

Born 21 Oct 1877 in Forest, Lambton, Ontario, Canada

Married Nellie May REYNOLDS 18 Nov 1904 in Sandusky, Sanilac, Michigan

Married Minnie SIBLEY 11 Oct 1919 in Port Huron, St. Clair, Michigan

Died 8 May 1942 in Port Huron, St. Clair, Michigan

George Calvin CRYSLER

Born 15 Aug 1853 in Arkona, Lambton, Ontario, Canada

Married Mary Ellen MOLESWORTH 30 Jun 1875 in Arkona, Lambton, Ontario, Canada

Died 2 Mar 1929 in Peck, Sanilac, Michigan

Daniel CRYSLER

Born 21 Jun 1809 in Johnstown, Fulton, New York

Married Catherine Jane SIPES abt 1830 in Ontario, Canada

Died 1870 in Arkona, Lambton, Ontario, Canada

Jacob CRYSLER

Born 1766 in East Camp (now Germantown), Columbia, New York

Married Sally DePUY abt 1786 in New York

Married Elizabeth YOUNG abt 1794 in Schenectady, Schenectady, New York

Death date unknown

Wilhelmus "William" CRYSLER

Born 26 Jul 1729 in East Camp, Columbia, New York

Married Catharina "Catherine" SCHAUER in 1754 in Claverack, Columbia, New York

Died 1808 in Echo Creek, Schoharie, New York

Johannes CRYSLER

Born 2 Dec 1703 in Guntersblum, Neiderneisen, Germany

Married Eva Catherina MONK (MANCK) in 1725 in Athens, Greene, New York

Died in Rhinebeck, Dutchess, New York

• Johannes was also the fourth great-grandfather of auto baron, Walter P. CHRYSLER. He and my great-grandmother are fifth cousins.

Johann Phillip CRYSLER/KRUESSLER

Born abt 1670 in Guntersblum, Neiderneiesen, Germany

Married Anna Caterina BRAUN 26 Apr 1701 in Germany

Died in Athens, Greene, New York

• Listed on "New York Subsistence List" as "Johann Philipp Kreuszler and Anna Catherine with three Chilldren"
• Early Eighteenth Century Palatine Emigration by Walter Allen Knittle, PhD and printed in Philadelphia by Dorrance and Company, shows the Crysler family as embarking in the Third Party from June 5 to June 10, 1709. In this book, they are listed as "Johannes Griesler, wife and three children."

Yet More Relatives from 1909

Tonight I will look at my maternal grandparents' sides of the family to find my third and fourth great-grandparents who were alive in 1909.

My third great-grandparents, John PEMBERTON and Mary Ann COOMBS, were alive in 1909 and 1910. They were the parents of Lovell Hugh PEMBERTON, my great-great-grandfather. For the 1910 census, they were living in Lenox, Macomb, Michigan. John was age 71, and Mary was age 66. John was a blacksmith with his own shop. They had three of their grandchildren living with them: Verna LEONARDSON, age 12; Clarence LEONARDSON, age 7; and Leslie LEONARDSON, age 2. These were the children of Grace Mary PEMBERTON, their daughter who died in 1909. I haven't found Grace's death certificate yet; only a gravestone with the year of death, but I suspect that she died after giving birth to her youngest child in March 1909. The youngest child also died that same year.

My third-great-grandmother, Christine GOSLIN, was alive in 1909 and 1910. She was the mother of my great-great-grandmother, Alvina Mary LESPERANCE. She was a widow living in Ira, St. Clair, Michigan, in 1910, with her single son, William LESPERANCE. She was age 64. William was age 42 and a painter. Her other son, Charles LESPERANCE, age 44, was living next door with the Matilda BLOM family. He was a farm laborer.

My third great-grandparents, George "Calvin" CRYSLER and Mary Ellen MOLESWORTH, were alive in 1909 and 1910. They were the parents of my great-great-grandfather, Ernest George CRYSLER. They lived in Fremont, Sanilac, Michigan in 1910. Their youngest son, Earl Louis CRYSLER, age 18, still lived at home. Their ages were given as 53. Calvin was a farmer, and Earl worked as a farm laborer.

My third-great-grandmother, Cora Millicent KING, was alive in 1909 and 1910. She is the other person, besides Carrie ORTH, that I would most like to talk to. She was the mother of my great-great-grandmother, Nellie May REYNOLDS. Nellie's 1890 birth record states that her birth was illegitimate, but her father was named as Douglas REYNOLDS. Cora was only 15 years old at the time of Nellie's birth, and Douglas seems to have died only 2 months prior to Nellie's birth. I have found no record of a marriage for Cora and Douglas, but Cora did marry Joshua WEDGE in 1897, seven years after Nellie's birth. In 1910, Cora, age 34, and Joshua, age 38, were living in Addison, Oakland, Michigan, with their two daughters, Lula, age 11, and Thelma, age 4 months. Joshua's mother, Doris, was also living with them. Joshua was a farm laborer.

Cora's parents, Suel KING and Ardelia STRATTEN, were living in Moore, Sanilac, Michigan, in 1910. Suel was age 72 and Ardelia was age 66. Their widowed son-in-law, Walter J. CHISOLM, and 6-year-old grandson, Darrel CHISOLM, were living with them. Suel was a farmer.

Douglas REYNOLDS' mother, Lucy NEWTON, was alive in 1910, but I can't seem to find her in the census. She was age 71 and a widow. I have her death record, so I know she didn't die until 1913. She was probably living in Sanilac County, where she is buried.

My third great-grandfather, George HILLMAN, was living in Canada in 1909. He was the father of Florence Minnie HILLMAN, my great-great-grandmother. I've found him in Euphemia, Lambton, Ontario in the 1911 census. He was an 80-year-old widower, living with his daughter, Matilda HILLMAN, and grandson, Harvey HILLMAN. It appears that Matilda gave birth to Harvey out of wedlock, and George and his wife, Mary Mildred MCINTYRE, helped to raise Harvey.

So I think that is finally the end to my 1909/1910 series post. At least for my direct ancestors...we won't discuss the aunts and uncles and cousins because that could take ages!!

Saturday Night Fun: Where Were They in 1909? Part II (My Maternal Side)

This is a continuation of my Saturday Night Fun post from last night. See the first post about my paternal great-grandparents here. This post will cover my maternal great-grandparents.

My maternal grandfather's father was John Vital "Jack" PEMBERTON. He was born 19 Feb 1908 in Mount Clemens, Macomb, Michigan, so he was only a year old in 1909. In 1910, he was living in Mount Clemens at 208 Gratiot Avenue with his parents, Lovell Hugh PEMBERTON and Alvina Mary LESPERANCE. There were also two older siblings in the household: Gilbert, age 6, and Nellie, age 4. John was age 2. Lovell was working as a blacksmith.

My maternal grandfather's mother was Mabel Ellen CRYSLER. She was not born until 10 Jan 1910 in Peck, Sanilac, Michigan. She was the daughter of Ernest George CRYSLER and Nellie May REYNOLDS. In 1910, the family was living in Yale, St. Clair, Michigan. In the household were Earnest, age, 30; Nellie, age 21; George, age 3; and Mable, age 3 months. Ernest was working as a railroad laborer. Ironically, next door is Claude STANLAKE and his wife Lizzie DAWSON, with their two children. After Lizzie's death, Claude remarried to Mary TRAVIS. They had a daughter named Eleanor. Eleanor's son and Mabel's granddaughter married in 1978. In fact, the only reason I found the CRYSLER family in the 1910 census was because I was helping my first cousin trace her STANLAKE ancestors on her dad's side. Because CRYSLER looks like it is misspelled as CHRYSTER, I had a hard time finding them using the index at Ancestry.com. We easily found the STANLAKE's in the index, and there were the CRYSLER's conveniently living next door.

My maternal grandmother's father was Archie CURRIE, who has been the subject of many posts on this blog. Archie was born 2 Nov 1889 in Maple Valley, Sanilac, Michigan. His parents were Alexander CURRIE and Mary RAYMOND. Thanks to the new Seeking Michigan site, I have now found Alexander's death record. He died in 1909 in Sanilac County. I have not been able to positively identify Mary yet in the 1910 census. Perhaps after Alex died, she returned to Canada to stay with one of her children. I have found Archibald CURRY, age 20, working as a farm laborer for John W. and Clara SCOTT in Flynn, Sanilac, Michigan, in 1910.

My maternal grandmother's mother was Jennie Grace Christina PLAINE. She was born 9 May 1903 in Euphemia, Lambton, Ontario, Canada. Her parents were Robert PLAINE and Florence Minnie "Flora" HILLMAN. Jennie was 6 years old in 1909. She was still living in Ontario with her parents at Willowdale Farm outside of Newbury. In the 1911 Census of Canada, Jennie, age 9 [wrong age - I have her birth record which states she was born in 1903], was living with her parents in Euphemia Township. All five of her siblings were there as well: Violet E., age 16; Mary E., age 15; William G., age 13; Robert H., age 6; and Walter L., age 4. Also in the household were Jennie's paternal grandparents, George PLAINE, age 82, and Mary Ann TRUMPASS. age 80. Robert was age 42, and Flora was age 39. The family was Presbyterian, and Robert was a farmer.