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. 

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!!