#52Ancestors: WK 16: ADAMS, Benjamin Franklin

** cross posted to Lass Chronicles **
Jen from Jenealogy likes to tease me that I have a lot of "presidents" in the family. I have three.

Zachary Taylor ADAMS.
John Quincy Adams WARREN.
Andrew Jackson GUTHRIE

That's it. That is all the presidential names I have in my tree. Then I have four Benjamin Franklins (actually, I have five -- that 5th married into the family). Today, I'm talking about my great-grandfather: Benjamin Franklin ADAMS, Sr.

Benjamin Franklin, Sr (or Grandpa Adams, as I knew him) was born 11 Nov 1897 -- what would eventually be known as Armistice Day, Remembrance Day, and Veterans Day.¹ He died 27 Nov 1989.¹ His funeral was held on a miserably cold day. I'll come back to that.

Benjamin was the oldest of six children born to Welcome Adams and Mary Francis CORNSTUBLE.² I can find him in the 1900 and 1910 censuses living with his family in Arkansas.^{3, 4} On 1 Jan 1917, at 19 years old, Benjamin enlists in the Army.⁵ I cannot imagine the horror of World War I. I do know that Benjamin was injured -- family lore says mustard gas.

On 11 November 1918, the armistice [was] signed between the Allies of World War I and Germany at Compiègne, France.⁶

On 30 Nov 1918, Benjamin was released from the Army.⁵ At this point, I lose him in the public record. I have searched every permutation of his name, age, race, and gender in an effort to find him in the 1920 United States Census. If he is there, I don't know how he is enumerated.

On 22 Feb 1921, Benjamin married Sally Lou GREEN in Paris, Texas.⁷

Ben and Sally settled in Kerr County Texas where they had four children: Eulaliah Louise (1922 - 2009), Zona May (1924 - 1995), Jack Charles (1929 -2000), and Benjamin Franklin, Jr. (1934 - 1998).

Adams Family, 1936: Benjamin, Sally, Eulaliah, Zona, Jack, and Ben, Jr.

From 1925 until 1954, Benjamin worked for the Veterans Administration.⁸ Sally died (cod: Tuberculosis) in 1944.⁹ Benjamin remarried in 1945 and again in 1980. In 1958, he moved with his second wife (Bessie) to Austin, Texas.

31 July 1958, The Kerrville Times

I have a vague memory of the last house Benjamin lived in. It was on Avenue H. When I remember it, I think it's on a corner or not far from the corner. In searching the Ancestry City Directories Collection, I've found my memory to be not too shabby.¹⁰ The streetview only confuses me. I don't recognize the house or the lot at all.

House on Avenue H

As I mention above, Benjamin Franklin Adams, Sr died 27 Nov 1989. His funeral might be my clearest memory of attending a funeral. I was 14. I'd already been to my father's parents' funerals in Aug 1981 and Aug 1989. There are possibly 13 other funerals between 1975 and 1989 I might have attended.

Grandpa Adams' funeral was miserably cold. I wore a bright red wool coat with a hood. My hair was in a French Braid; and I didn't want to use my hood because it might pull my hair loose. I can remember being worried that fussing with my hood would be disrespectful; but at the same time, my ears were going numb.

I never spent much time with my great-grandfather. My family lived nearly four hours away from Austin. Looking at his obituary, I feel like I've lost some history.¹¹Benjamin was awarded a Purple Heart, he worked as a civil servant for the VA, he was active in the American Legion and his church.

Obit: Austin American-Statesman, Nov 1989

A couple weeks ago, I asked my family for memories or stories about Grandpa Adams. Over the weekend, my Aunt mentioned she remembered Grandpa Adams as meticulous. She has a clear memory of him rolling his cigarettes. I should have recorded the story; but I was distracted. Here is a paraphrasing of her story:

Grandpa Adams rolled his own cigarettes. I can remember he would get his papers out. Lay one paper down. Then he would get his tobacco and make a neat line on the paper. Then he'd roll the tobacco into the paper. He'd lick it and inevitably get a piece of tobacco stuck to his tongue. Then he'd pick off the little bit of tobacco [Here she demonstrates carefully picking the tobacco off her tongue] before checking the cigarette and smoking it. --Patricia GARRETT Fielder, 20 Apr 2015

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1. Ancestry.com. U.S., Department of Veterans Affairs BIRLS Death File, 1850-2010 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2011.

2. Benjamin's siblings were: Robert Edward (1900 - 1967), Daisy Bell (1903 - 1990), John Porter (1908 - 1939), David Welcome (1910 - 2003), and Opal Dora (1918 - 1992).

3. Year: 1900; Census Place: Benedict, Faulkner, Arkansas; Roll: 58; Page: 8A; Enumeration District: 0017; FHL microfilm: 1240058

4. Year: 1910; Census Place: Monroe, Sevier, Arkansas; Roll: T624_66; Page: 14A; Enumeration District: 0173; FHL microfilm: 1374079

5. Ancestry.com. U.S., Department of Veterans Affairs BIRLS Death File, 1850-2010 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2011.

6. Wikipedia,. 2015. 'World War I'. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/World_War_I.

7. Lamar County Genealogical Society (Lamar County, Tex.). 2008. Lamar County, Texas, marriage records, 1841-1937. Paris, Tex: Lamar County Genealogical Society.

8. Ancestry.com. 31 July 1958. The Kerrville Times (Kerrville, Texas) [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations Inc, 2005.

9. Ancestry.com. Texas, Death Certificates, 1903–1982 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2013.

10. Ancestry.com. U.S. City Directories, 1821-1989 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2011.

11. Austin American-Statesman, 28 Nov 1989.

#52Ancestors: WK 15: PEAL, Parina Permelia

** cross posted to Lass Chronicles **
This will be a short entry for two reasons: I'm behind in posting and I don't know much about this woman. Still, I love the name of my fourth great grandmother. Did her parents love alliteration? Is this really her name? I have seen Panina as an alternate spelling.

Parina was born about 1817 in Georgia.¹ In Aug 1832, a license was issued to Wilson Adams and Parina Peal.² In Dec 1832, she married Wilson ADAMS in Georgia.³

Parina and Wilson had at least ten children: John W., Mary M., Josiah W., Eliza Jane, Mahala A., Frances C., and Zachary Taylor (my third great grandfather), [Joanna Elizabeth]⁴, [Marcelles Trautmann]⁵, and [Kadie Ellen].⁶

There is no recorded and confirmed death date for Parina, although there are at least two trees on Ancestry.com that mention 1896.

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1. Source number: 1156.124; Source type: Family group sheet, FGSE, listed as parents; Number of Pages: 1

2. Ancesrty.com. Georgia, Marriage Records From Select Counties, 1828-1978 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2013. (Indexed as Brina Peal)

3. Ancesrty.com. Georgia, Marriage Records From Select Counties, 1828-1978 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2013. (Indexed as Parena Peal)

4. Year: 1860; Census Place: Wards 2 and 3, Claiborne, Louisiana; Roll: M653_410; Page: 663; Image: 239; Family History Library Film: 803410

5. Ibid.

6. Ibid.

#52Ancestors: WK 9: CORNSTUBLE, Mary Francis

** cross posted to Lass Chronicles **
This week, I'm thinking out loud about my research for Mary Francis CORNSTUBLE. First, a little background.

Mary Francis Cornstuble was born about 1881 in Missouri.  She was the middle child (and second daughter) of Dora Bell (GINGER) and John E. Cornstuble.¹ On 3 Dec 1896, 15 year old Mary Francis married Welcome ADAMS.

Marriage Record: Mary Francis Cornstuble & Welcome C. Adams²

A little less than a year later, my great-grandfather (Benjamin Franklin Adams) was born. Five more children followed (Robert, Daisy, John, David, and Opal). Sometime after 1918 (Opal's birth year) and before 1930 (when Welcome is enumerated as divorced), Mary Francis and Welcome divorced. She remarried a man named Alec or Alex Smith. Alec/Alex died in 1930. Mary Francis is enumerated in the 1940 U.S. Census with her daughter and son, Opal and Robert. Sadly, on 7 Jan 1950, Mary Francis died in a house fire.

Death Notice: Mary Francis (Cornstuble) Adams Smith³

Myths vs. Reality and the beginnings of a One-Name Study

When I was about ten...maybe a little older, I was told by my grandmother, Eulaliah, that we had several "Indian" names in the family. Cornstubble, Cornsilk, and Rainwater. I was told that we are descendants of either the Choctaw or Cherokee nations because of where our family was from, Southeast Oklahoma, Southwest Arkansas, Northeast Texas -- an area some will know as Arklatex or Arklatexoma.

First, I've never found a Cornsilk or Rainwater in the family tree. Cornsilk and Rainwater are in my general search area. Those names (as well as Cornfield, Corntassel, and Cornshucker) show up in the Oklahoma and Indian Territory, Dawes Census Cards for Five Civilized Tribes, 1898-1914.⁴ However, Cornstuble is the name that I have to follow; and it, so far, has never appeared in any Indian Census record I have searched.

Second, I have been told Cornstuble is not "Indian" -- although, that's up for debate beyond the scope of this post. I can say MY Cornstuble family traces to Illinois. Does that help or hurt the family mythology?

At RootsTech, there was at least one session on One-Name Studies. I didn't attend (hello, conflict!), but I am now wishing I had. Cornstuble presents an interesting topic for study.

The US Census Bureau says that Cornstubble appears 145 times in the 2000 Census.⁵ That is 145 potential cousins! The US Census Bureau does not include Cornstubble in the 1990 Census data.⁶ The methodology for the 1990 summary explains why some names don't end up in the list.

There are variations and/or misspellings for the Cornstuble name in Illinois, Oklahoma, Kansas, and Arkansas between 1850 and 1940: Barnstable, Comstuble, Connstuble, Constable, Cornstable, Cornstble, Cornstoble, Cornstubble, Cornstufle, Cornstusle, Coustablle, Scorstubble...

Based on my brief searching and spot checking, the name Cornstuble pops up in Illinois, Kentucky, and Maryland; and for at least one individual has a German origin.

All of this makes me think I need to consider a one-name study for Cornstuble. As a bonus, just today, I found a website that seems to cover an entire branch of the Cornstuble family: Descendants of Stephen Cornstub(b)le. I'm about 90% sure this is my Cornstuble family. How 'bout them apples? #52Ancestors turns up all kinds of interesting things!

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1. The Cornstuble children are:
Sarah Jane Cornstuble (1876 – 1922)
Henry Douglas Cornstuble (1879 – 1900)
Mary Francis Cornstuble (1881 – 1950)
Charley Cornstuble (1883 – 1920)
Sherman Cornstuble (1887 - ?)

2. Familysearch.org,. 'Frances Cornstuble and Welcome Adams, "Arkansas, County Marriages, 1837-1957" — Familysearch.Org'. N.p., 2015. Web. 5 Mar. 2015.

3. Newspapers.com,. 'Obit: Mary Francis Cornstuble Adams Smith - On Newspapers.Com'. N.p., 2015. Web. 5 Mar. 2015. (Joplin Globe, 8 January 1950, Page 4).

4. Ancestry.com,. 'Oklahoma And Indian Territory, Dawes Census Cards For Five Civilized Tribes, 1898-1914'. Ancestry.com. N.p., 2014. Web. 4 Mar. 2015.

5. U.S. Census Bureau. 'Frequently Occurring Surnames From The Census 2000'. Census.gov. N.p., 2015. Web. 4 Mar. 2015.

6. U.S. Census Bureau. 'Frequently Occurring Surnames From The Census 1990'. Census.gov. N.p., 2015. Web. 4 Mar. 2015.

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Optional Theme: Week 9 (Feb 26-Mar 4) – Close to Home. Which ancestor is the closest to where you live? Who has a story that hits “close to home”?

#52Ancestors: WK 7: ADAMS, Eulaliah Louise

** cross posted to Lass Chronicles **
Week 7 (Feb 12-18) – Love. Which ancestor do you love to research? Which ancestor do you feel especially close to? Which ancestor seemed to have a lot of love?


When I decided to try the 52 Ancestors challenge, I didn't plan on writing about any family closer than my great grandparents. Though all of my grandparents are dead, it seemed...too close...to write about them. However, I don't think there is any couple more deserving of a spotlight about love.

Eulaliah Louise ADAMS was born 15 June 1922 in Mt. Vernon, Texas. She was the first of four children for her parents, Benjamin Franklin and Sallie Lou [possibly Lue] (GREEN) Adams.

Polly, as she preferred to be called, was a no nonsense lady that loved her children and her husband. There are a few family stories about my grandparents that always make the rounds at holidays and birthdays.

First, let me introduce my grandfather: John Moore GARRETT, Jr. He was born  07 Aug 1919. He also, was the first child (of two) to John Moore (Sr.) and Sidney Carrie (GUTTERY) Garrett.

JM, as he was called, and Polly met at a dance. This is what my grandmother says on 17 Sep 1940:

17 Sep 1940 - Diary Excerpt - Eulaliah Louise Adams

The tiniest entry in her day: "Met J.M. Garrett, Jr. tonite."

Here's the version I have heard:

My grandfather met Polly at a dance.  At the end of the night, he came home, woke his mother, and told her he had found to girl he was going to marry.

Either way, they did marry just a few months later on 23 Feb 1941. I even have their marriage license. Still sealed in an envelope. I refuse to open the envelope.  I'll just have to get a copy of the record from microfilm.

Funny thing though, I have always heard my grandparents ran off to get married. They didn't tell anyone, keeping it a secret for several days and/or weeks.  However, my grandmother's diary debunks that story.

Saturday, 22 Feb 1941

Sunday, 23 Feb 1941

Her diary does go on to say they didn't tell his parents until March 1.  She tells her parents (via letter) on March 8.  They are not pleased. Still, Polly and J.M. are completely in love.  J.M. is serving in the national guard in Lockhart, Texas.  Polly is still attending college at what was Southwest Texas State Teachers College.

They spend a large part of their first 18 months of marriage apart, seeing each other on weekends and holidays.  On 25 Sep 1942, Polly boarded a bus that took her from Texas to Oklahoma to Missouri to Ohio to Pennsylvania to Massachusetts. She was reunited with J.M. on 29 Sep 1942.  On 24 Mar 1943, Polly left Massachusetts to return to Texas.  J.M. left with is unit on 31 Mar.  They would not see each other again until World War II ended in 1944.  During that time, my mother was born.

My grandmother lived with her in-laws during the war.  She sent weekly pictures of my mother to my grandfather.

At the end of the war, J.M. and Polly settled in San Antonio, Texas. They bought a house. They had a second daughter in 1946. They lived a happy life until sometime between 1969 and 1970 when J.M. was diagnosed with cancer.  He died 22 Sep 1971.

My grandmother never remarried. I asked her once why she never remarried. Her answer still brings tears to my eyes and a lump to my throat.  "Why? I married the perfect man the first time around."

My grandmother died 11 Dec 2009 in the house she bought with her husband. In the house she raised her two daughters. In the house that held both joy and sorrow and love. Lots and lots of love.

J.M. and Eulaliah Louise (Adams) Garrett - circa 1941

#52Ancestors: WK 5: CALLAWAY, Dora

** cross posted to Lass Chronicles **
Like most of my 2nd+ great grandparents, I just know the basics (the average of 5) about Dora CALLAWAY. She was born about Jul 1849 in Georgia to John and Lavicy^[1] (GERMON) Callaway. She is the youngest of eight. She spent most of her life in Arkansas. She married two men (outliving them both): Zachary Taylor ADAMS and George K. CROW. She had nine children (all with Z. Adams), two did not survive to adulthood. Her son, Welcome Adams, was my Week Two ancestor.

If it wasn't for a small selection of public records, I wouldn't know anything about Dora Callaway.

• The 1900 U.S. Census revealed she is a farmer that owns her own property and has a mortgage.  This census also alerted me to the fact that two of her children have died.
• Her son's (Taylor Noah) WWI draft card revealed she remarried.  Without that bit of information, I'm not sure I would have ever found her after the 1900 U.S. Census.

Profile View on Ancestry: Callaway, Dora

Funny thing, though. A few weeks ago, someone on Ancestry contacted me about being a DNA Match. The only person we share in our trees is John Callaway, Dora's father.

I should explain a couple things before I go on:

• I'm obsessive about data...bad data is worse than no data at all.
• Until recently, my tree has been private because, well, genealogy vultures.

Now, let's talk DNA matches. I love AncestryDNA. Until I hate it. There are some big failures in the AncestryDNA tool. The absolute failure, in my opinion, is triangulation -- though "circles" is trying to help there.

Back to the person that contacted me. This person seemed excited and knowledgeable. Then I looked at the referred tree and noticed there's a big, glaring, ugly sign: no sources. Lots of dates for births, deaths, and marriages...no sources.

I don't understand this. If a person has worked on a tree for years (I've dabbled in my genealogy for 20+ years), doesn't it make sense to have sources?

I replied and asked about sources -- I was thinking maybe this person had a family bible. Oh, Holy Grail! Instead, I was told the sources were available, but all the info had been vetted via a family association.

Hit the brakes, buster! A family association? What is this? Where has this been? How have I never heard of this group?

I did a little Google searching. I did a little hunting on the group website. I'm not overly impressed. At least, not from a genealogical standard point of view. Again, the tree information I am looking at doesn't seem to have sources. There's nothing on the site that points to who runs the site or the group. The blog is years out of date. And, ok, I'm going to be a tech-snob but...they are using COMIC SANS for the site font.

There is a FamilyTree DNA Project. There seems to be a journal/newsletter. This group is been in existence since 1975, from what it says.  Still, I hesitate to integrate any of the information into my tree. How do I know the John Callaway in their tree is my John Callaway?

I will most likely contact someone at the FTDNA Project -- they may be the group admins, as well; but I'm reserving most of my judgement for now.

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[1] Her marriage license lists her as "Lavicy Germon."

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Optional Theme: Week 5, Plowing through — We will likely be plowing through a lot of snow by this time. What ancestor had a lot of struggles to plow through? Or take it more literally… It’s up to you.

#52Ancestors: WK 2: ADAMS, Welcome Calfy

** cross posted to Lass Chronicles **
Welcome Calfy (this is based on his WWI registration) Adams was born 20 Jun 1875 in Arkansas to Zachary Taylor Adams and Dora Adams, née Calloway.  He was the second of seven (possibly nine) children.

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Some Context within American History

In 1875, Ulyssess S. Grant was President of the United States.  Henry Wilson was Vice President (although he would died 22 Nov 1875).

1 Mar 1875, Congress passed the Civil Right Act -- prohibiting racial discrimination in public accommodations and jury duty. In 1883, the Supreme Court rules the Act unconstitutional.

4 Jun 1875, Harvard and Tufts play the first game of college football (this is a disputed fact).

9 Nov 1875, Sitting Bull, Crazy Horse, and the hundreds of Sioux and Cheyenne associated with them are deemed hostile to the United States by Indian Inspector E.C. Watkins. This is part of the what some call The Black Hills War.

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He married Mary Frances Cornstuble in 1896 in Ouachita County Arkansas.

Detail of marriage record for W.C. Adams and M.F. Cornstuble

They had six children, their eldest being my great-grandfather: Benjamin Franklin ADAMS, Sr.  Their youngest, Opal Dora ADAMS was born in 1918.  In 1918, based on Welcome's WWI draft card, he and Mary Frances were living in Garvin, McCurtain Co, Oklahoma.

WWI Draft Card for Welcome Calfy Adams

This is where my research falls apart.  Or my level of patience drops into the basement.  Welcome, Mary Frances, and their six children disappear from the public record.  I can't find them in the 1920 census. I can't find them in city directories. I can't find marriage licenses, divorce decrees, land, probate, birth records, death records...not a single piece of public record.

I have three running theories.

Theory One: Timber Camps
While discussing my disappearing relatives with a fellow genealogy geek, Jen pasted a bit of McCurtain County History:

Between 1910 and 1921 the Choctaw Lumber Company laid tracks for the Texas, Oklahoma and Eastern Railroad from Valliant, Oklahoma to DeQueen, Arkansas. McCurtain County

You will notice in the screenshot of Welcome's WWI draft card, he worked for M.D. Morphew.  Welcome's son, Robert, also worked for M.D. Morphew.

I hunted down M.D. Morphew via his son's Texas Death Certificate (thank you State of Texas for having these records digitized!), the 1920 Census, and the WWI draft card collection on Ancestry.

Turns out, M.D. Morphew worked for the Pioneer Coal & Timber Co.  He also started his own timber company, The McCurtain Timber Co.  Neither of these discoveries leads me anywhere.  At least, I haven't had this information long enough (since last night) to develop a research strategy that produces more than Google Books results and a lot of dead ends.

Theory Two: Misspelled and/or Mistranscribed Names (a chronic problem for Welcome)
In 1880, he is enumerated as Welcome (zoom, is my friend!) but transcribed as William. I added Welcome (with the reason being transcription error).

1880 Census - Welcome Adams

In 1900, he is enumerated as Welcome but transcribed as Welsome.

1900 Census - Welcome Adams

In 1930, he is enumerated as Welcome and transcribed as Welcome, but someone has added the variant: Weleom

1930 Census - Welcome Adams

In 1940, he is enumerated as Welcom and transcribed as Welcom, but I added Welcome as a variant.

1940 Census - Welcome Adams

If Welcome, his wife, and his children are misspelled and/or mistranscribe, none of my normal variations are working.  I do know that Ben F. ADAMS would probably have been in a military hospital or base recovering from his injuries during WWI.  I will be requesting his military records soon.

Theory Three: The Mothership. You think I kid.
This is my current reigning theory. I'm pretty sure Welcome, Mary Frances, and all of their children are aliens. In 1920, they decided they needed a little intergalactic vacation. Maybe they knew about the coming depression? The dust bowl? Sadly, they were ordered back to Earth...and they are back in the public record (mostly) from 1930 forward. Yep. I'm frustrated. Again.

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What else do I know?  At some point between 1918 and 1930, Mary Frances and Welcome divorced (the 1930 census lists him as divorced). In 1940, he is listed as widowed. Did he remarry? Mary Frances died in 1950.  On 5 Mar 1955, Welcome, a retired carpenter, died in Tulare County California.

I know a little about Welcome's life.  I know where he lived during the censuses of 1880, 1900, 1910, 1930, and 1940.  I know where he lived and how he earned a living in 1918 via his World War I draft card.

When did Mary and Welcome divorce? Why?
Where is Welcome in 1920? Why can't I find him? Why can't I find ANY of this family in 1920?
Why was he named Welcome Calfy? Was "Welcome" a common name in the 1870s? What about Calfy? Was it a family name?

Other questions that can't ever be answered also plague me.  Questions about his personality, his opinions, his aspirations.  These are always the questions that plague me when I research my family tree.  So much is lost when each generation dies out without any personal record.


Optional Theme: Week 2, King — January 8 is Elvis’ birthday. January 15 is the birthday of Martin Luther King, Jr. Do either of these “Kings” remind you of an ancestor? Or, taken another way, do you have a connection to royalty? Did you ancestor flee from an oppressive king?