Shaking Harder: the Weavers

A Tragic Tale of a Home Broken by Disease

As an obsessive genealogist, I, as I am quite sure many of you have done, often chase the rabbit down his rabbit hole and find myself in the quagmire of the Roots of Wonderland. Many times I have needed an external force of some kind, such as a husband wise enough to set dinner in front of the computer screen so I can’t avoid it, to pull me from the frenzy.

One such rabbit hole provided the clues to a tale that touched my heart in a way that even dinner couldn’t pull me back.

Allow me to, first, set the stage. My great-grandmother’s sister, a woman named Elsie Evaline Pryor, was born during the U.S. Federal Census Gap. Her parents died after the 1880 census, and her brother and sisters were married by the time the 1900 census rolled around. While some of the 1890 census records still exist, Oklahoma and Indian Territory enumerations are not among them. As a result, Aunt Elsie Pryor proved to be a challenging person to research, as even the vaguest of family rumors about her existence were kept among cousins who, shall I say, are not as sharing as I would like them to be.

Elsie married a man named Odrien “Ode” Johnson. Census takers and other hand-written records from 1900 on were not consistent in how they spelled either of their names. Alsey and Adrian, Bad and Lucy, the list of variations is truly endless and to say frustrating would be a gross understatement.

So as many other researchers will when an avenue dries up, I turned to newspapers for obituaries, hints, hoping for a scandal just big enough to make the paper, but not so big it would break my heart. What I found was not scandalous, but it broke my heart all the same, and I couldn’t let this go.

January 1919

On 31 Jan 1919, an article ran in the Boynton Index telling of the Weaver tragedy. Mr. and Mrs. William Weaver died of the flu a day apart of each other, and left their children orphaned.

The influenza pandemic that swept across the globe was the cause of many such tragic tales. Depending on the source, any number between 20 million to 100 million people died during the virus’s reign of terror. Every family experienced loss to the flu, or knew someone who did. From the crowded streets of New York City to the most rural isolated communities in Alaska, the disease struck indiscriminately, taking the young and the old, the rich and the poor, the otherwise healthy and those with their immune systems compromised by other illnesses. 

The 1918 influenza pandemic was the most severe pandemic in recent history. It was caused by an H1N1 virus with genes of avian origin. Although there is not universal consensus regarding where the virus originated, it spread worldwide during 1918-1919.

Quoted from the CDC website

The Weavers lived in a shack 7 miles northwest “of town,” so the article indicated. I wanted to see if I could find them and returned to census records. Nine years prior, the 1910 federal census taken 22-23 of April in dist. 145, Bald Hill, Okmulgee, Oklahoma. enumerated William H Weaver, age 35, with wife Martha 28, daughters Nellie 8, Annie 4, Sarah 6m, and son Paul age 3. The census reports that Martha was the mother of 5, 4 living. In their 10 years of marriage, the Weavers had already suffered the loss of a child. Researchers with public family trees indicate that this child was John F. Weaver, born 22 Feb 1902 and died 7 Apr 1905.

In 1918, the eldest daughter Nellie was married to Arthur Naten and had a newborn child–a daughter named Maeco–when sickness swept through the Weaver household that cold January of 1919. Naturally, the Weaver children would have been brought to their sister Nellie, and the Boyton Index indicates this, but without the means to provide for her siblings, Nellie, 17, new to marriage, new to motherhood, and ill-prepared raise her siblings, faced the bitter prospect of losing her entire family in a matter of days. In the aftermath of a world at war, and sickness at home, how hopeless her situation must have seemed. 

The Red Cross provided some relief, and at the time the article ran, most of the sick children had shown signs of making a slow recovery. A Dr. Pearce, however, stated the seven year old–Silas Calvin Weaver by my estimation–was still in serious condition and should be hospitalized, a daunting expense.

No funds were available at this short notice but community efforts were being rallied and the Red Cross did manage by time the article ran, to pay for one casket–at $45. Homes were needed for the children, treatment was needed; the community pulled together what they could, as best they could. 

February 1919

Two weeks later, on 14 Feb “Valentine’s Day”, the Boyton Index ran another article, providing a much needed update to the sympathetic community. The names of the children were not given, but the names of the families who took them were. Mrs. W.H.Welsh took in “the oldest girl” (which would be Annie, as Nellie was married and out of the house). Mrs. A Bohrer had the second girl (Sarah), Mr. and Mrs. L.S. Fisher took the seven year old boy (Silas), and my connection to this tragic tale: Mr. and Mrs. Ode Johnson of Okmulgee have the eleven year old boy (Paul).

The article also says that an uncle took in the baby, but it was not specified if the uncle was a Weaver or a Campbell. It took some digging, but I located the 1930 federal census record of Bald Hill, Okmulgee, Oklahoma, that William Weaver’s brother Elijah Weaver reported a nephew in his household, namely Ezra Aaron Weaver. A connection to the family later confirmed my research was accurate. Ezra Aaron Weaver was born in March of 1918, and wasn’t even a full year old when he was orphaned.

Additionally, the Boyton Index article was written by someone who provided temporary quarters to another Weaver, affectionately the “Little General.” The author was not named. It was only after connecting with the descendants was I able to find my missing Weaver. James Walter Atkinson was raised and adopted by George and Eva Atkinson.

Nellie Weaver Naton appears on the 1920 federal census in Sutton, Muskogee, with husband and child, but no siblings. A few households down on the same page, William Pearce, a physician, is enumerated with wife and son, and a boarder Sara Walker. More than likely, this is the Dr. Pearce that recommended hospitalization for Silas.

AN APPLE CORE TIP: Newspapers are a wealth of information, and online sites like Elephind.com (free to use) and Newspapers.com (subscription based) have thousands of old newspapers digitized from all over the world, completely searchable. Do not underestimate the value of a local library’s microfiche collection either. Stretch your legs, grab a notebook, and plan a day of researching away from your own computer. Calling the library ahead of time will give the staff time to locate specific films if you can provide them with enough specific information and can speed the process along. Some people only turn to newspapers when looking for obituaries, but there are other reasons to leaf through those dusty pages. There are articles on the local weather, which can serve to breathe life into BMD biographies. Gossip columns can provide clues on epidemics in the area, who raised what crops, and who was seen courting Aunt Sally. And occasionally, you may find a clue to an elusive relative hiding in an article about a completely different, seemingly unconnected, family.

Shaking Even Harder

or
What I Could Find
on Some Families Who Opened Their Homes

Regarding Annie Weaver: A Teamster in the oil industry, William H Welsh lived in Tulsa on the 1910 federal census, with wife Clara (Jeffers), sons H William 8, Frank 5, and brother Frank Welsh. No mention of daughter Anna, who appears at age 14 with this family on the 1920 census taken in Sutton, Muskogee. It would appear then that Anna Welsh is our Annie Weaver. Incidentally, this Welsh family is three pages down from the Natons. Hopefully, this distance was close enough for the sisters to remain in constant contact. Grief is easier to manage with the support of family.

Regarding Paul Weaver: At first Paul Weaver disappeared completely, because as I previously mentioned, no one had managed to record Ode and Elsie (Pryor) Johnson’s names with any degree of consistency. It didn’t help, too, that the Johnsons were constantly on the move. They married in Carter County, Oklahoma in 1897 when Elsie was just 14. They purchased a homestead in Washita County, Oklahoma in 1908, and they were enumerated on the 1910 federal census in Myrick, Johnston County, Oklahoma. The 1930 federal census dated 28 Apr for Creek, Wagoner County states that Elsie and Ode were divorced, but they were still living in the same household, and with adopted son Isaac Johnson who was born in 1921. I found a Muskogee County, Oklahoma marriage license issued 26 Dec 1930 for Elsie Johnson and Ode Johnson, showing that they had reconciled at least some of their differences. Ode Johnson died eight years later, and Elsie and son Isaac Johnson are found in Arizona by the 1940 federal census. Elsie Johnson died in 1949, Kern County, California. For a very long time, the 1920 census record for Ode and Elsie Johnson eluded me.

However, because of this rabbit hole excursion through the Boyton Index and specifically because of Paul Weaver, I was able to finally locate Ode and Elsie’s federal census record for 1920. In Severs, Okmulgee, Oklahoma, Dode Johnson, 57, with wife Eva, 36, and son Paul Johnson, 11.

Regarding Sarah Weaver: Widow Mrs. Carrie Bohrer was the proprietess of a millinery shop in Boynton, Oklahoma. The 1930 census states she was born 1893 in Missouri, but I had found little else at the time of my “trip to Wonderland.” Carrie it appears, adopted Sarah Elizabeth Weaver as Sarah graduated from Boynton high school with the name Bohrer. Sarah Weaver Bohrer met her husband Silas Max Jones while attending college in Muskogee. According to her Odessa, Texas obituary, Sarah survived two sisters and five brothers, born 1 Oct 1910 and passing 22 Feb 2006.

If the obituary is accurate, and the siblings mentioned are Weavers, Anna and Nellie would be the two sisters, and five brothers are Silas Calvin, Paul, the two babies mentioned in the article–James and Ezra–and the child lost to the Weavers prior to the 1910 census: John. 

So Let’s Talk Applesauce! What brick wall triggered you to search through newspapers? What rabbit hole did you fall down as a result? Did you find anything surprising? Did you find anything that changed your perspective?

The Calamity of Common Names, Continued.

When William J. Pryor isn’t William J. Pryor, Part Two

In the last post, I introduced you to my Great-Grand Uncle William Julius Pryor, and I return now to Researcher Jane, who is focused on finding evidence to support her Indian roots.

Tuning In:
Researcher Jane Makes a Discovery

First, I think I should clarify something, lest you think I harbor ill-thoughts about Jane. Nothing could be farther than the truth! Researcher Jane is a cousin that I have corresponded and actively collaborated with. She is the sort of public tree researcher that makes it truly easy for the rest of us. Her tree is heavy with documentation, and that which is is uncertain of is clearly marked as a potential lead, not an actual fact.

All of Researcher Jane’s research was sound. She followed all the clues the way a researcher should. So how did her facts become so derailed?

She fell victim to public trees, much the same way we all do. All of us, even the professional genealogist with all the fancy letters listed after their names have at one time or another, come across some knowledge that looks completely vetted. And with the advent of “Click To Add” whole branches, facts that look vetted become overlooked. Sometimes, we never get a chance to correct it before “it goes viral.”

Introducing William J. Pryor, Osage

All of the hints that appeared on the public trees painted William Julius Pryor as an Indian. He is enumerated as an Indian on the 1930 U.S. Federal Census, specifically a Cherokee, so there were many attempts to prove this heritage. And one of those documents used was the following record, a household found on the 1900 U.S. Federal Census. (The first census conducted that included the enumeration of the Native population of America)

1900 U.S. Federal Census: “William Pryor” Household

“United States Census, 1900,” Oklahoma Territory, Osage, Osage & Kaw Nations

close up of above

The “Indian Name” section on the bottom of the 1900 U.S. Federal Census Special Population Form, where you can see William J Pryor’s name in Osage

William Pryor, born in Oklahoma Aug 1875. Married less than a year. Ettar Pryor, wife, also born in Oklahoma, Jun 1878.

Now, to understand where Researcher Jane went off the rails, you need to realize how difficult it has been to locate the 1900 and 1920 census records for William Julius Pryor. I have eye strain from searching through all the Oklahoma records, page by page scrolling, and the best I can figure, so far, is that the William Julius Pryor family is enumerated on one of the pages that has degraded to the point of illegibility. Not ruling out that the family could have moved to Kansas or even back to Texas during this time, though both locations seem unlikely.

How exciting it must have been, then, to stumble across this record. The right names, married, in Oklahoma. And Indian! Like the 1930 census. I know I was excited at first glance. I quickly realized some key differences however.

William J. Pryor vs. William J. Pryor

Comparing the census information:

This comparison drawn completely from information taken directly from the censuses in question.
Note the differences

So these are differences I spotted when I opened the record to view the scanned image of the 1900 U.S. Federal Census. Not only is there a 6 year discrepancy between years born for the Williams, there is also an age discrepancy between the Ettas. The States of their respective births are also off. Not to mention the years married and the number of children born. It was clear to me that W.J. and Mary E. Pryor are not the same people as William and Ettar Pryor.

Ordinarily this would not have become an issue. You have simply crossed of an avenue of research, and you move on to the next, right?

The problem though, came in the corrections. Researcher Jane, certain she had found her Great-Great-Grandfather William at long last, made corrections to the transcription of the document.

AN APPLE CORE TIP: When conducting research online at websites like Ancestry and Family Search, pay close attention to the transcribed information and the “corrections” contributed by other hands. Missing information filled in after the original transcription can be extremely useful, but beware. The extra information is only as good as the original research was to obtain it. Don’t just look at the transcribed/corrected tab of your hint. Open the document to see what information might be missing. You might be surprised at what you find!

In looking at the transcription history, it is clear that the original transcriber skipped the many categories that would have made this information evident. The names weren’t even linked as husband and wife. The dates of birth, the years married, number of children born, all very clear in the image, weren’t transcribed at all. These were left blank. So Researcher Jane “added” everything the transcriber “missed.” She added the information she knew to belong to William Julius Pryor and Marryetta Johnson Pryor, their exact dates of birth, their states born, their parents’ states, marriage year, etc.

I spoke to her about the suggested corrections not long after Jane had made them, about my concerns that the three children: Della, Tennie, and Ethel weren’t present in the household. About the vast differences in the ages of the husband and wife and about the leap from Cherokee as listed on the 1930 census to Osage.

A retraction has been done, but it took a long, long, very long time before the 1900 census ceased showing up as a leafy clue at the online site.

So, Who is the Second William J. Pryor?

So glad you asked. The above excerpt of the 1900 U.S. Federal Census belongs to a man named Wah-Tse-Kah-Wah or William John Pryor and his 2nd or 3rd wife Wah-Huh-Sah or Etta (Westbrook) Pryor. Despite a discrepancy in the month of his birth, this record is in keeping with the many Osage Reservation censuses that were taken annually, as well as the U.S. federal censuses that occurred in the following decades. He was a man known to his people, acting often as an official interpreter for the Osage, and was among the delegation sent to Washington D.C. His final resting place can be found in Fairfax Oklahoma. Here is a link to his Find-A-Grave memorial page.

A Lesson Learned

I know, because I have been there, that the excitement of finding that one elusive clue to that frustratingly missing person can give us a giggle-high for days, but as most researchers who are after the singular John Smith in an orchard full of John Smiths can attest, do the due diligence to ensure the path you’re on is still the correct one. And if it turns out that you are researching the wrong ancestor, hold on to that information anyway. Perhaps one day, the research you did will help someone else find their missing apples.

Let’s talk Applesauce! Have you come across a similar situation? How did you handle it? What marvelous discoveries were made as a result?

The Calamity of Common Names

When William J. Pryor isn’t William J. Pryor, Part One

A successful family historian follows the facts, yes? We start with a name we know well, and armed with strong family data, like the family bible, or personal memories from actually having known the person, we find our ancestor on the census in the state and city that we expected them to be, with the children or siblings they’re supposed to have. No surprises. These are the people on our tree that have no deviations from the paper trail. They are on every census, their BMD records are clearly written and complete, and there is nothing to suggest that anyone is missing from the family photo.

When the picture isn’t so clear or perfect, when we are armed with only minimal facts and a vague idea, that is when we have to adapt. This aspect of genealogy leads us down dark paths through unfamiliar orchards. We have to have the perfect mixture: A keen working knowledge of local history, a credible, common sense family lore, and a strong ability to think critically, all tempered with a smattering of fearless inspiration. In short, we spend quite a bit of time guessing and drawing reasonable conclusions. This is where trouble can find us.

First, A Brief Introduction to Martha Pryor

When I started researching my great-grandmother, Martha Elizabeth Pryor, I was armed with some pretty solid information. I knew she was married at least four times, I knew her husbands’ names, I knew which marriages produced issue, and thanks to her first husband’s Dawes Roll Card, I knew her parents names were Gilbert Pryor and Sarah Roberts, non-citizens of the Cherokee Tribe. In other words, White. (I’ll come back to this later) And thanks to a rather degraded copy of a copy of a photo in my mother’s “hand-me-down” collection, I knew Martha had a brother named Bill.

On the reverse of this photo, written in pencil which has sadly faded, are the words “Uncle Bill Pryor and Ett.”

Now, my Martha Pryor was born in Missouri on 19 Jan 1877. So I knew I could find Martha on the 1880 U.S. Federal Census, in a family unit comprised of parents named Gilbert and Sarah Pryor and a brother named Bill, Will, or William, which I did. By this time, the family had started their migration from Missouri to Cooke County Texas. I discovered more siblings, which was exciting, and more information on Martha’s brother Bill. He’s listed on the census as William J Pryor, born in Missouri, age 10. I out-lined him in Red.

1880 U.S. Federal Census: Gilbert Pryor Household

“United States Census, 1880,” Texas > Cooke > Precinct 7 > ED 118 > image 43 of 57; citing NARA microfilm publication T9, (National Archives and Records Administration, Washington, D.C., n.d.)

Because I’m obsessed with collecting ALL my cousins, I was not content with moving straight up the family tree. I wanted to fill out the branches, to find what happened to the family during the frustrating Census Gap of 1890. The other children on the 1880 census provide a great deal of story for later posts, and I’ll get to them. Today, I want to focus on William J. Pryor, and the pitfall of knowing what you think you know.

Introducing William Julius Pryor

As the photo suggests, “Uncle Bill” had married a woman the family had referred to as Ett. It did not take long for me to locate information on William and Maryetta Pryor’s family. Like most farmers during this time, they were prolific and had quite the brood. Locating the 1910 census and the 1930 census was easy, and thanks to other family researchers with public trees, I was able to compile enough data that I could confirm and adopt.

William Julius Pryor was born 12 Dec 1869 in Morris, Texas Co. Missouri. As a child, he moved with his family to Texas and then Indian Territory. As an adult he married and lived in the State of Oklahoma, until his death on 23 Sep 1949.

Finding the 1900 and 1920 federal censuses for William Julius Pryor is still these years later, proving difficult, which isn’t necessarily a sign of anything wholly bad. I have located some people enumerated in prison or asylum records, but by 1900, our subject was married with at least three children. Usually if one cannot be found, the others can be. So the search continues.

1910 U.S. Federal Census “W.J. Pryor” household

“United States Census, 1910,” Oklahoma > Beckham > North Fork > ED 12 > image 12 of 42; citing NARA microfilm publication T624 (Washington, D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, n.d.).

And Now, the Frustrating Part

One Ancestry family researcher, I’ll call her Jane, had the Indian Rumor in her family. It’s common enough that I’m sure you know at least one person who has made the following claim: “I’ve been told there’s an Indian way back in our tree, and I believe it’s true because I have straight hair and high cheek bones.” (fuel for later post). While researching her great-great grandfather William J. Pryor, Jane found the 1930 census with his family unit, all the people that should be there, at age 60 (consistent with someone born in 1869) but his race is recorded as Indian, not White. The 1910 census, he is White, the 1880 census he is White, Missouri born to White parents who originated from Tennessee. The 1930 census appeared to be the only reference to any Indian heritage at all.

1930 U.S. Federal Census: “William J Pryor” Household

“United States Census, 1930,” Oklahoma > Seminole > Econtuchka > ED 10 > image 16 of 18; citing NARA microfilm publication T626 (Washington D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, 2002).

Now, regardless of what I know, I researched this as a potential lead. Why research William’s Cherokee heritage, you ask? Because what if I am incorrect? What if Gilbert and Sarah Pryor were listed as non-citizens because they had not been recorded on the Old Settler or Immigrant lists? It’s a good idea once in a while to question your own research. Make sure the “I’s” are crossed and the “T’s” are dotted, right?

An APPLE CORE TIP: Not all the information on a census record is going to be 100% accurate. We use the census records as a weather vane, and most of the time, we can be certain what we’re gleaning from these tools are as close to fact as we can possibly get. But we also need to be very, very aware that people LIE, then like now, and that Census Takers were only Human, that they too could record inaccuracies, or perpetuate a lie or skew the facts. Sometimes it becomes obvious that one inaccurate census is the fault of the enumerator, but frequent inaccurate censuses may point to the enumerated as being the troublesome rogue.

Well, my research through Cherokee records netted me nothing close to substantial, and it reaffirmed that I had been on the right path with my own family orchard. And, based on the other records of the households enumerated on this particular census, I have theorized that the enumerator–Mrs. Gladys M. Spink–might be the culprit behind these dodgy facts. Nearly every family on that page and subsequent pages have the same make-up: Indian (Cherokee) Father, White Mother, Mixed-Blood Children, though I am curious what her motives might have been.

Researcher Jane, on the other hand, followed the dark orchard path to the Osage Nation, and stumbled across a 1900 U.S. Federal Census record for William J. and Etta Pryor.

Follow the Calamity to the Next Post

Who Do I Think I Am?

I’ll start with the basics. My name is Kimber Lee.

The rest is a long story, one that has no specific beginning. At least, none that I’ve yet to discover.

You see, I was born without grandparents. Well, yes I know everyone has grandparents, that my parents didn’t just fall from the sky and say, “Here we are!” My grandparents, however, had passed from the earth years before I was born. As a young child, I thought I had been cheated, robbed, of something precious, something all my classmates complained about having. They’d roll their eyes and puff dramatically, and say in that day-old stale Wonder bread tone of voice, “I have to go to my grandparents’ house this weekend.”

I wanted to scream at them. “Don’t you know how lucky you are to have an obligation like that?” I wanted more than anything to “suffer” as they did. I wanted a connection, a warmth, a love that never comes from just a name and set of dates on a page.

So I relished every word my parents spoke of their parents. All of it, the good, the not-so-good, even the down-right horrible. My father doesn’t speak about his family much, but that comes from being a quiet man and the product of his generation. And he won’t say, but I think there’s some pain there, either in the memory itself or the inability to remember what he believes he should. My mother, once she gets started, will talk for hours on end about her parents, her grandparents, aunts, uncles, cousins, half-cousins…the list with her is endless. Because she, too, is the product of her generation, though she’s not as shy on details as my father is.

As a result of my thirst to know my grandparents, my mother and I have been close, even in my early years. So close that it is difficult for me to say if I share her passion about family history, or she shares mine.

So a few years ago, well almost a decade now if I’m being honest, I needed something to occupy my mind after my husband went in for his first back surgery. And my parents meant well, but they were making me more nervous about it than I wanted to be. So that’s when I purchased my first subscription to Ancestry.com. I sat down with my parents, in the comfort of my childhood home and surrounded by family mementos of little but sentimental value, and I entered the first bit of dry facts that the three of us could remember.

And, like those commercials, I got my first “leaf” almost instantly. I found my father on the 1940 census, only a few months old, And his elder brother Gerald, who died at 10 years old when he fell from atop a windmill was also in the represented household. And my dad and I shared a bittersweet moment as we both realized that census would be the only federal census Gerald would ever be on.

Well, it didn’t take but two seconds for me to be hooked. I’m sure you all have similar stories, about the excitement you get stumbling across online trees that have your people counted among their leafy branches. And if any of you are like me, you too got swept up in the flood of information, clicking and adding your new old family so fast your fingers can’t keep up.

A week later, I went back, sobered from the excitement and from helping my husband during his initial stages of convalescence. And I discovered to my horror that I had clicked and added too many people who were either too young or too old to have had their offspring. It’s embarrassing to admit to anyone. I used to be a mortgage underwriter for Pete’s sake. I KNOW I need to validate the so-called proof of income, I know I need to look up the business licenses of the potential borrowers and vet their ability to make payments through the tri-merge credit reports. My account reps collectively thought I was too hard, too unyielding. Too willing to say “no” and too uncompromising over the terms of when I said “yes.”

But there I was with my shiny new tree, heedless of all the warnings I had read about what pitfalls to avoid and what not to do, and yet, all those mistakes were there.

You know the trees I’m talking about. Suddenly you have a Minnesota born Lutheran farmer as the son of a dead Caribbean pirate and no real way to connect the two. And that’s when you start to really care about what you’re looking at and what you’re adopting as fact. That’s when you start to apply yourself to the field of study.

And that’s the true defining moment when you transform from a hobbyist family tree maker only interested in plotting the first three generations at most, to a passionate genealogist with a plan to dig into some serious roots..

So.

Who do I think I am?

My name is Kimber Lee. I am the product of my ancestors’ endeavors, and it is my responsibility to ensure that those we have lost are never forgotten. I am the Family Historian, the Keeper of the Names and Dates, but most importantly, the Champion of Their Stories. Without me, without you, none will remember they existed at all.