Ancestors of Edith ROBERTS McMURRAY LUCK – Page 30

Funeral Card Friday: Margaret Ann Hemphill Daniel

*1915_1223 Margaret Ann Hemphill Daniel- Obituary. Prairie City News, Prairie City, Iowa, 23 Dec 1915. (Click to enlarge.)*

Actually, the title of this post is a misnomer, as we do not have a funeral card for Margaret Ann Hemphill Daniel. We do, however, have an obituary, which is even better. And I wanted this to get posted to the Geneabloggers Pinterest site so am using the prompt, to help others find this information.

The small county of Pike, along the Mississippi River north of St. Louis, must have been a wild and beautiful place in 1839, when Margaret Ann Hemphill was born. Prairie, bluff, and the eternal river that provided food, transportation of crops and goods, as well as people, would have been a part of everyday life for the Hemphill family.

Margaret was the third of ten children of Elizabeth Carson Turner (1811-1882) and David Houston Hemphill (1810-1882). David was a native of South Carolina, and Elizabeth had been born in Illinois, so they may have met during David’s migration or in Missouri. Their first child, Rebecca Jane, was born in Missouri per most references, so they were in Pike County by May of 1836. By 1850, ten year-old Margaret Ann’s father was listed in the US Federal Census as a farmer with $3200 in real estate (more than many adjoining farmers); many others on that census page were from South Carolina too.

In the 1860 US Federal census, Margaret was twenty-one and still living with her parents and siblings. Interestingly, Margaret and her older brother Joseph and younger brother John are listed as having some personal estate: Joseph, a farm laborer, has $140, Margaret noted as a Domestic (like her mother) has $125, and John, also a farm laborer, has $100- could this be an inheritance, as the younger children did not have any values listed? Their father was again listed as a farmer, but with $800 in personal value, nothing listed for real estate.

The Civil War was particularly hard on those who lived in Missouri- it was a border state and sympathies could be found for both sides. Many battles and skirmishes took place in Missouri, and family farms were raided for whatever foods, blankets, and other comforts the troops from either side could grab, leaving less for the citizens of the area.

Meanwhile, Robert Woodson “R.W.” Daniel, a native of Rockbridge County, Virginia who had been born 26 May 1843, had migrated to Pike County with his parents when just two years old. In 1862, he enlisted in Co. C., 3rd Regiment, Missouri State Military Cavalry for a term of 3 years. (More about RW in another post.) Less than a year after being discharged, RW and Margaret married on 16 Jan 1866 in Pike County, Missouri.

Their first daughter, Ella V. Daniel, was born in October of that year.

Soon after their marriage they migrated to Warren County, Illinois, along with his parents, Charles M. Daniel (1819-1875) and Elizabeth Thomas (1817-1885). Their first daughter, Ella V. Daniel, was born in October of that year, in Young America, Warren County, Illinois. Two sons were born: John W. Daniel, in 1868, Charles H. Daniel in 1869, plus another child of unknown sex born about 1870; all three died in infancy.

The family lived in Warren County for about five years, where they met the John S. Roberts family. The Robertses, including John’s wife Elizabeth Ann Murrell Roberts, came to visit after daughter Ella was born, and brought their five year-old son, George A. Roberts (1861-1939). George would marry their daughter Ella V. years later, in 1885.

A number of Warren County families decided to migrate to Jasper County, Iowa, including the Roberts and Daniel families. The Roberts family migrated about 1868; it is unknown if the families migrated together, but RW and Margaret Ann Daniel were in Jasper County by the 05 Aug 1870 US Federal Census.

Margaret had one more child, Lily G. Daniel, in 1872. Lily thankfully survived into adulthood, married, and had two daughters. (Winnie V. Walker, called “Cousin Winnie” by Edith Roberts, and Hilma L. Walker.)

RW and Margaret lived on the farm and worked the land through 1900, and then moved to Des Moines, Iowa, by the 1910 Census. They apparently moved back to Prairie City in 1915, due to Margaret’s illness and need for family to help nurse her. Margaret died 19 Dec 1915 at age 76.

*Margaret Ann Hemphill Daniel- illness mentioned in Prairie City News, 23 Dec 1915, Vol. 41, No 52, Page 1, Column 1.*

Their daughter Ella V. Daniel Roberts passed away 17 Jan 1922 at the young age of 55. Robert Woodson Daniel died just five months later, on 20 Jun 1922 at age 79.

Notes, Sources, and References:

1) Margaret Ann Hemphill Daniel- Obituary. Prairie City News, Prairie City, Iowa, 23 Dec 1915. Volume 41, Number 52, Page 1, Column 1. Original newspaper- the whole paper!- in author’s possession. This scan is from long ago- hence not optimal quality, sorry. I need to put a rescan on my list of Genealogy To-Do items.

2) Beautiful old map of 1836 Missouri, 3 years before Margaret Ann was born: http://www.mapofus.org/_maps/atlas/1836-MO.html

3) Margaret’s obit states that she was a member of the “W.R.C.” This was the ‘Woman’s Relief Corps’ which was a group that was formed to help Civil War veterans and their widows and children.

4) Interestingly, the Missouri marriage records state Margaret’s name as “Mrs. Margaret E. Hemphill.” Entries for other brides, though in a different hand, are very clearly “Miss” so it is unknown if Margaret was previously married to a Hemphill, instead of that being her maiden name, or if it was a clerical error. (Hopefully the latter or a lot of researchers have wrong information.) Margaret A. Hemphill is listed in the family of David H. Hemphill and Elizabeth C. Turner, so hopefully it was just an error. Adding to Genealogy To-Do list…

5) Margaret Ann Hemphill Daniel Find A Grave Memorial #76668654– http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GSvcid=210058&GRid=76668654&

6) Hemphill-Daniel Marriage Record- Ancestry.com. Missouri Marriage Records, 1805-2002 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2007. Original data: Missouri Marriage Records. Jefferson City, MO, USA: Missouri State Archives. Microfilm.

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Wedding Wednesday: Ella V. Daniel and George A. Roberts

Roberts-Daniel marriage announcement, after 16 Apr 1885. newspaper unknown but possibly one from Prairie City, Jasper County, Iowa. — *Roberts-Daniel marriage announcement, after 16 Apr 1885. Newspaper unknown but possibly from Prairie City, Jasper County, Iowa. (Click to enlarge.)*

Ella Viola Daniel was just 18 when she married her 23 year-old friend and neighbor, George Anthony Roberts.

Great-granddaughter wearing the wedding dress of Ella V. Daniel. — The sixteen year-old great-granddaughter of Ella V. Daniel wearing her wedding dress, about 1970 in Edith Roberts Luck’s home. The dress was stored in the attic for over 50 years of hot Iowa summers and very cold Iowa winters, but was still in good condition. (Click to enlarge.)

Ella and George had four children together, with the first living only three months. Their children were John Robert Roberts (1888-1888), George A. Roberts, Jr. (1889-1965), Ethel Gay Roberts (1891-1969), and Edith Mae Roberts (1899-1982).

Their daughter Edith remembers them as a loving couple, and they had 36 years together before Ella died at age 55. George lived 17 years longer, and remarried, to Lucy L. (Cadwalader) Frank (1875-1970).

Notes, Sources, and References:

1) Family photos and ephemera.

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Madness Monday: Ratification of the 19th Amendment on August 18, 1920

Edith Roberts, center front, with her sorority sisters at Iowa state University, circa 1920. — Edith Roberts, center front, with her sorority sisters at Iowa State University, circa 1920. (Click to enlarge.)

August 18, 1920, was actually not the day of madness- it was all those years before that date that were the madness. How could one half of the population of the United States of America not be allowed to vote? In a country based on freedom, women had no freedom to choose those who would make the laws nor use them to judge. Taxation without representation? It continued long after 1776 for every woman and every black person who was not allowed to vote, despite many of them having taxable income.

The 15th Amendment, passed in 1870, (theoretically) gave men of any “race, color, or previous condition of servitude” the right to vote. Women had worked to help gain suffrage for black men, hoping that it would be realized that women should also have the right to vote. That was not to be, especially because men and those with interest in taverns and the liquor industry thought that if women had the right to vote, alcoholic beverages would be banned. So black men were allowed to vote in 1870 (although discrimination made that difficult in some areas of the country). It took fifty more years of toil, suffering, discrimination, even torture (yes, in the USA!) for passage of the 19th Amendment ‘allowing’ women the right to vote.

I worked to get the Equal Rights Amendment passed back in the 1970s, but sadly, ratification fell short and women still do not have full protection under the law in this country. Back then, when I realized that Edith Roberts had been in college, studying biology in 1920 when the 19th Amendment was ratified, I could not wait to hear her stories. She loved debate- had won a number of contest when young- and in her later years followed politics and international news, mostly through the PBS station in her hometown of Newton, Iowa. I naturally thought she would have been the same as a young woman (without the television, of course), especially since she was studying a ‘man’s’ subject, rather than womanly arts like teaching or music (which was her first major when she went off to college). Her father had been active politically in Jasper County, Iowa- she adored him, so I assumed she followed his political leanings and maybe they even discussed such issues at home. Iowa was such a progressive state- I could only imagine that in an Iowa college, they would have discussed and debated the issue of women’s suffrage. I wanted to know what it felt like to be a part of such a momentous event for women- had she joined protesters marching against President Wilson’s policies? Was she ever arrested due to her vocal call for women getting the right to vote? How did her college classmates react when women got the right to vote? What were her feelings the first time she exercised her hard-won suffrage? I could feel a connection between my conviction and what I imagined was hers, because she had always been a woman of her own mind, independent politically, financially, and mentally.

As I blurted out my many questions, probably not waiting for an answer between, she had a pensive look on her face, and one could see she was traveling back in time 50 years, back to when she was my age. Then there was a slight frown. And a pursing of her lips, the way she did when she was not happy. Her brows scrunched together, and she shook her head in disbelief and almost shame. “I hate to say this, but I don’t remember anything about women getting the right to vote. I was in a sorority, and went to dances and recitals and…” She was more interested in her social life than politics back then, she admitted. Rising from the green ‘divan’ in her 1920s Craftsman bungalow, she climbed the steep stairs to the attic. I followed to that place of family treasures, and she opened an old trunk, way in the back of the attic. Edith pulled out an old scrapbook filled with dance cards, programs, poems, and memorabilia of a joyous part of her life, that time away at college when young and anything was possible. No politics here. For a few moments, she was again a beautiful young woman with friends and pretty clothes and no responsibilities in life. “I was spoiled,” she said. “My father put up with so much from me, probably because I was the baby.” She admitted to not handling her money well and having to write her father to send more- I was shocked, as she had been such a frugal, hardworking woman all the time I had known her. She did talk about how scandalous it was for her to be studying biology, when they had to go catch their specimens for dissection and she was one of only a few women in the classes.

She did seem to regret not realizing those important issues and moments, like August 18, 1920, when women in all the United States were granted the right to vote. (Some states allowed women voting rights before then, but only a few, mostly western states.) Mostly, however, it seemed that she enjoyed the sweet reverie of being 20 years old and being in love with her world, something she had long forgotten.

Proposed Nineteenth Amendment to the Constitution of the United States of america. NARA. — Proposed Nineteenth Amendment to the Constitution of the United States of America. NARA.

Notes, Sources, and References:

1) Family photos and memories.

2) When I think about not going to vote because the choices are awful, it is cold and rainy, or the lines too long, I think about those who worked so hard to get all Americans the right to vote. And then I go exercise it.

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Sentimental Sunday: Father’s Day 2014

Edward A. McMurray, Jr., with his daughter, 1955. — *Edward A. McMurray, Jr., with his first daughter, 1955*

There is a sadness in my heart today because on Father’s Day, I have no dad here to visit or call, none to cook dinner for, to hug, to tell him I love him. There is no father-in-law, nor grandfathers, or great-grandfathers left in my family either. I am thinking of them so much today though, so it is a Sentimental Sunday, and I appreciate all that they gave to me of themselves over the years to make me who I am today. I feel that one truly and fully understands the sacrifice of a father for his descendants once one has their own family. Even after being a parent for so many years, I still think of the events, wisdom, love, genetics, even quirks imparted by these paternal ancestors, and the light bulb goes on and I say, “Wow. They cared so much that they would even ___.”

This care and love extends to their participation in the military, too. Most were not fathers when they enlisted, but they already had that ‘take-care-of-the-future” thought strongly in their minds- enough to risk their very lives for it. Thankfully, none of my paternal ancestors gave their life in a battle to protect our freedoms, although some were wounded, either physically or mentally. All were changed by the horrors of war, but still went on to become fathers, hoping that future generations would be able to live more peacefully.

How can “Thank you, I love you.” ever be enough to say on this day, or ANY day???

A father is… PROUD.

Lloyd Eugene "Gene" Lee with his son Robert "Bob" Lee, winter of 1936. Bobbie was four years old. — *Lloyd Eugene “Gene” Lee with his son Robert “Bob” Lee, winter of 1936. Bobbie was four years old.*

A father is… a TEACHER.

*Edward A. McMurray, Jr., with his first grandson, about 1989.*

A father is… LOVING.

Bob Lee and son, 01 JUN 1959. — *Bob Lee and two-day old son, June 1959.*

A father is… FUN.

*Irving I. Cooper and his first grandchild, Feb. 1962.*

A father is… a HELPING HAND.

*George A. Roberts with his grandson, about 1926. Caption written by his grandson.*

A father is… PROTECTIVE.

*Dr. Edward A. McMurray, Sr. with his son, about 1924.*

A father is… a PROVIDER.

*1954- Edward A. McMurray, Jr., feeding daughter.*

A father is… A BUDDY.

A father is… SURPRISING.

*G. W. Helbling in his garden, August 1934. I had not know that he loved roses and gardening until I saw this picture, long after he passed away.*

A father is… LOVE.

Thank you, Dads.

Notes, Sources, and References:

1) Family photos in possession of author.

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Treasure Chest Thursday: Four Generations of the John Roberts Family, 1900

Four generations of the Roberts family: John Roberts (1832-1922), his son William Edward "W.E." Roberts (1858-1935), his grand-daughter Maude Mae Roberts Jensma (1884-1980), and great grandson Edward Jensma (1907-1986) — Four generations of the Roberts family.

This photo shows John Roberts (1832-1922) seated on right and his son William Edward “W.E.” Roberts (1858-1935) seated on left.

John’s grand-daughter and W.E.’s daughter with Mary Margaret Main, Maude Mae (Roberts) Jensma (1884-1980), is standing in back.

Great grandson Andrew Edward Jensma (1907-1986), the son of Maude and her husband Andrew D. Jensma (1876-1961), is held on his great-grandfather’s knee. Edward was known by his middle name for most of his life.

John Roberts would have been about 76 when this photo was taken, W. E. about 50 years old, and Maude 23-24 when her first son was born.

W. E. was the oldest of the children of John Roberts and his wife Elizabeth Ann Murrell. Jason Lee Roberts (1859-1940), George A. Roberts (1861-1939), Mary Jane Roberts (1863-1947), and Wilbert John Roberts (1877-1878) were their other children.

Notes, Sources, and References:

1) Family treasure chest of photos.

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Category: Ancestors of Edith ROBERTS McMURRAY LUCK

Funeral Card Friday: Margaret Ann Hemphill Daniel

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Wedding Wednesday: Ella V. Daniel and George A. Roberts

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Madness Monday: Ratification of the 19th Amendment on August 18, 1920

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Sentimental Sunday: Father’s Day 2014

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Treasure Chest Thursday: Four Generations of the John Roberts Family, 1900

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