Claude Aiken was the second of  two children of William Hanford Aiken (1859-1942) and Dora J. Russell (1864-1935). He was born in Lorraine County, Ohio- possibly Black River, on 15 Aug 1884, 1889, or as late as 1896 per some Aiken researchers. His parents had moved the family to West, New Madrid, Missouri, by the 1900 US Federal Census, when Claude was 4 years old.

By age 21, the family moved to Florence, Fremont, Colorado, where Claude was living with his parents and working as a blacksmith in 1910. (His sister, Dorothy Adele Aiken,  had married in 1906.)

Claude married Elvira Kring  (1890-1948), daughter of Louisa and Adolph Kring, in 1916 per one Aiken researcher.

As the First World War raged in Europe, Claude became a farmer in Oakville, Missouri, which is bounded by the Mississippi and Meramac Rivers in South St. Louis County. His 05 Jun 1917 Draft Registration listed his wife and mother as being dependent on his income, and them living at “Jeff Bk’s” (Jefferson Barracks?), R. #10, Oakville, Mo. His mother was separated from her husband (although listed as a widow on censuses and city directories), so she too depended on Claude’s income.

Soon thereafter in 1917, the family moved to 4527 Alaska Avenue in St. Louis, Missouri, where he was working as a drug clerk for S. J. Lee and Son Drugstore at 4067 Chouteau Avenue. Samuel J. Lee was his brother-in-law, married to Claude’s sister Dorothy Adele Aiken.

Claude and Elvira had moved down the road to 4431 Alaska Avenue, and in with Elvira’s father and siblings, by the time the 1920 US Federal Census was enumerated on 06 Jan 1920. The family enjoyed traveling out west during the 20s and 30s, and a family photo album that has been passed down has many pictures of the Colorado and Canadian mountains.

In the 1930 census, the group was still together but this time Claude was listed as head of household, and with wife Elvira had three children, born in 1921, 1924, and 1928. The 1933 St. Louis City Directory indicates that Claude and Elvira were living at 3938 West Bowen. He and Elvira divorced sometime shortly after that.

More to come tomorrow about Claude Aiken.

 

 

Notes, Sources, and References:

1) 1900 US Federal Census for William H. Aiken, head of household: Source Citation: Year: 1900; Census Place: West, New Madrid, Missouri; Roll: 877; Page: 4A; Enumeration District: 0078; FHL microfilm: 1240877. Ancestry.com, accessed 9/18/14.

2) 1910 US Federal Census, William H. Aiken, head of household: Source Citation: Year: 1910; Census Place: Florence Ward 3, Fremont, Colorado; Roll: T624_119; Page: 30B; Enumeration District: 0069; FHL microfilm: 1374132. Ancestry.com,, accessed 9/19/14.

3) Claude’s 1917 Draft Registration: Source Citation: Registration State: Missouri; Registration County: St Louis; Roll: 1683865; Draft Board: 3. Ancestry.com. Accessed 9/19/14.

4) Claude’s tombstone states he was born 15 Aug 1884; his 1917 Draft Registration states 15 Aug 1889 (better to be older to avoid the draft), researchers state year was 1896.

5) 1920 US Federal Census, Adolph Kring head of household: Source Citation: Year: 1920; Census Place: St Louis Ward 13, St Louis (Independent City), Missouri; Roll: T625_950; Page: 5B; Enumeration District: 249; Image: 859. Ancestry.com. Accessed 9/19/14.

6) 1920 US Federal Census: Source Citation: Year: 1930; Census Place: St Louis, St Louis (Independent City), Missouri; Roll: 1235; Page: 10B; Enumeration District: 0481; Image: 473.0; FHL microfilm: 2340970. Ancestry.com. Accessed 9/19/14.

7) 1933 St. Louis , MO City Directory: Source Information: Ancestry.com. U.S. City Directories, 1821-1989 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2011.

 

Please contact us if you would like higher resolution images.

Copyright 2013-2014 by Heritage Ramblings Blog and pmm.

 

We would love to read your thoughts and comments about this post, and thank you for your time! All comments are moderated, however, due to the high intelligence and persistence of spammers/hackers who really should be putting their smarts to use for the public good instead of spamming our little blog.

September 11, 2014, among other things, was the 40th anniversary of the television premiere of, “Little House on the Prairie” which was based on the beloved books of Laura Ingalls Wilder. The books were favorites of mine as a child- I would check out one after the other at the school library and the public library, devouring them even under the covers with a flashlight, over and over. I would dream of what it must have been like to be a pioneer in the olden days- that was probably the beginning of my (virtually) time-traveling, family history-loving self. Even though I was an adult when the series premiered, I just had to watch the programs, and they never disappointed- not a case here of ‘the-books-were-so-much-better.’ I loved seeing the settings and costumes, and sometimes-ornery, sometimes-sweet Laura, portrayed by Melissa Gilbert. (She made me think of how my grandmother would have been at that age. Grandma thought that too.) The series added characters and changed story lines from the books, but they did them well. They had the bonus of the very handsome Michael Landon, my favorite from his previous series, “Bonanza,” as Charles Ingalls, Laura’s father.  The programs from 1974-1983, plus movies from the series, still air around the world in reruns and are now being released as DVDs in their uncut and remastered versions, indicating their popularity through time.

Melissa Gilbert is releasing a cookbook full of “Little House” series recipes and memories on 16 Sep 2014, entitled My Prairie Cookbook: Memories and Frontier Food from My Little House to Yours. She also published, in 2010, an autobiography that includes stories from her “Little House” days.

The “Little House” books have an even more special meaning for me- I knew my boyfriend was THE one when he gave me the whole set of “Little House” books as a Christmas gift when we were starving college students. OK, they were just paperbacks, but it was a nice boxed set and invaluable because I loved the books so much. The fact that he thought of them for a gift- well, that was stupendous. We are still together 35 years later, and thinking of the stories, the books, and the gift (plus the extra hours he worked to earn the money for them on top of a full load of classes plus work), make this a very ‘Sentimental Sunday.’

It is also a ‘Sentimental Sunday’ because we had the same kind of pioneers in our family! Edith Roberts McMurray Luck told stories of how her family migrated to Illinois and then to Jasper County, Iowa in the late 1800s, just after folks like the Ingalls family pioneered farming and towns on the midwest prairies. The Roberts, Daniel, and Murrell families were originally from Virginia, Missouri, Kentucky and Indiana, and migrated to Roseville in Warren County, Illinois from their respective homes in the 1850s. They then traveled to Jasper County, Iowa, in 1858 with a large grouping of families and covered wagons full of household goods, elderly parents, and children.

Our McMurray and Benjamin ancestors were people of the frontiers, migrating west as the lines blurred between native and white settlements, sometimes being part of the casualties or captured during those hostilities, and eventually migrating to Iowa from Pennsylvania. Heinrich Horn immigrated from Germany (probably as a conscripted mercenary “Hessian” in the Revolutionary War and captured by George Washington’s forces at Trenton, then paroled when he became an American citizen); he settled in Virgina, then Pennsylvania with some of his descendants moving later to Iowa. The New England-born Paynes and Burnells became farmers and ministers in Illinois, Wisconsin, Kansas, and even took the train to settle out in California in the 1870s, when it still was a sort of ‘Wild West.’

The Lee family sailed from England to the Illinois prairies, going up the Mississippi from New Orleans, and although the Bunker Hill, Illinois area had been settled a while, the prairie was still a harsh environment to farm and have a business in 1875. Lee married-ins like the Lutz, Russell, and Aiken families had moved west through frontier Ohio and even into ‘Indian Territory,’ which has since become the state of Oklahoma.

The Helblings migrated to Pennsylvania from Germany, and lived on the unsettled outskirts of what is now the large Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania metropolitan area. The Springsteens were from New Jersey and watched the growth of the early Indiana prairie town that became Indianapolis, Indiana.

Edith Roberts said often to her family, “You come from strong pioneer stock. You can do anything you set your mind to.” That legacy has helped many of her descendants get through tough times, and appreciate the strong, determined pioneers that fill our family tree.

Stories to come about these families and their migrations!

 

Notes, Sources, and References:

1) “Little House on the Prairie” tv series information: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0071007/

2) Wikipedia article about the TV series: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Little_House_on_the_Prairie_(TV_series)

3) Wikipedia article about the books: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Little_House_on_the_Prairie

4) “Little House” books- http://www.littlehousebooks.com 

5) Melissa Gilbert’s autobiography- Prairie Tale: A Memoir, Gallery Books, 2010, ISBN-13: 978-141659917.

.

 

 

Please contact us if you would like higher resolution images.

Copyright 2013-2014 by Heritage Ramblings Blog and pmm.

 

We would love to read your thoughts and comments about this post, and thank you for your time! All comments are moderated, however, due to the high intelligence and persistence of spammers/hackers who really should be putting their smarts to use for the public good instead of spamming our little blog.

The family oral history is that this clock sat on the fireplace mantle in the household of Samuel Lenton Lee (1849-1932) and later his son, Samuel J. Lee (1879-1964), and then grandson, Lloyd Eugene “Gene” Lee (1907-1991). It is known positively that it belonged to Samuel J. Lee and Gene Lee, but not verified that it was owned by the elder Samuel Lee. The two younger Lees lived on Alamo in St. Louis, Missouri.

Inside it has printing on how to use and regulate the clock, and states “Made and sold by Seth Thomas, Plymouth Hollow, Connecticut. Warranted  Good.”

The clock is a wood veneer, possibly rosewood, with ebonized pillars and gold at the cap and base of the pillars. It appears that the clock face has been replaced as it has little wear. Note the “S” and “T” on the hands of the clock.

Further research is needed to date the clock. My very brief research suggests it may be from 1870-1875 or so.

The clock has not worked for more than a day or two since it has been in our possession, despite numerous rides to the clock repair shop.

Samuel Lenton Lee immigrated to Bunker Hill, Illinois in 1870, per censuses, at age 21, from his birthplace in Irthlingborough, Northamptonshire, England. (Family oral history stated the year as 1856, but he would only have been 7 at the time.) He arrived in New Orleans and took passage on a boat up the Mississippi to Macoupin County, Illinois. On 7 Oct 1878, he married Louisa Marie Brandenberger- perhaps the clock was a wedding gift? Samuel died in Bunker Hill, and his son Samuel J. moved to St. Louis, Missouri, sometime between 1906, when he married Dorothy Adele Aiken (1884-1953) in Bunker Hill, and 1910, when he is found in the US Federal Census in St. Louis, Missouri.

 

So okay, I really cannot do a Wordless Wednesday post, and this will be my last. But what good is seeing an artifact if one does not know the history to make it a family treasure?

 

Notes, Sources, and References:

1) Family  treasure.

2) Source Citation: Year: 1900; Census Place: Bunker Hill, Macoupin, Illinois; Roll: 324; Page: 10B; Enumeration District: 0051; FHL microfilm: 1240324. Ancestry.com. Accessed 7/2/14.

3) Source Citation: Year: 1910; Census Place: St Louis Ward 23, Saint Louis City, Missouri; Roll: T624_821; Page: 8B; Enumeration District: 0355; FHL microfilm: 1374834.

4) Dating clock: https://www.antiqueclockspriceguide.com/labelstrademarks.php?lm=Seth%20Thomas

5) See also Five Family Photos for Friday- Samuel J. Lee of St. Louis, Missouri  and That Place Thursday: Samuel J. Lee and Son Pharmacy, St. Louis, Missouri.

 

 

Please contact us if you would like a higher resolution image.

Copyright 2013-2014 by Heritage Ramblings Blog and pmm.

 

We would love to read your thoughts and comments about this post, and thank you for your time! All comments are moderated, however, due to the high intelligence and persistence of spammers/hackers who really should be putting their smarts to use for the public good instead of spamming our little blog.

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.

A father is… a TEACHER.

A father is… LOVING.

A father is… FUN.

A father is… a HELPING HAND.

 

A father is… PROTECTIVE.

A father is… a PROVIDER.

A father is… A BUDDY.

A father is… SURPRISING.

 

A father is… LOVE.

Thank you, Dads.

 

 

Notes, Sources, and References:

1) Family photos in possession of author.

 

Please contact us if you would like higher resolution images, or to post images on other websites.

Copyright 2013-2014 by Heritage Ramblings Blog and pmm.

 

We would love to read your thoughts and comments about this post, and thank you for your time! All comments are moderated, however, due to the high intelligence and persistence of spammers/hackers who really should be putting their smarts to use for the public good instead of spamming our little blog.

 

 

 

 

Since many folks will be heading off to lakes and beaches or just a picnic pavilion in a park this first big weekend of summer, here is a picture of two of our Lee ancestors relaxing at the lake. The place was Lake Taneycomo in southern Missouri, and the time was probably about 1928.

Ruth Nadine Alexander, on the left, was born 01 Feb 1906 in Missouri to George Harrington Alexander (1879-1951) and Wilhemina Schoor (1882-1942), on the right. Ruth was the second of six children, and lived in Missouri all her life.

On 27 Jul 1929, Ruth married Lloyd Eugene “Gene” Lee in Marshfield, Missouri. Their only child, Robert Eugene Lee, was born in 1932.

Sadly, Ruth died at the young age of 46 on 1 Dec 1953 in St. Louis, Missouri.
Notes, Sources, and References:

1) Family oral history, records, photos, and ephemera.

2) Find A Grave Memorial# 57013395 for Ruth Nadine Alexander: http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GSln=LEE&GSpartial=1&GSbyrel=all&GSst=26&GScntry=4&GSsr=4601&GRid=57013395&

 

Please contact us if you would like a higher resolution image.

Copyright 2013-2014 by Heritage Ramblings Blog and pmm.

 

We would love to read your thoughts and comments about this post, and thank you for your time! All comments are moderated, however, due to the high intelligence and persistence of spammers/hackers who really should be putting their smarts to use for the public good instead of spamming our little blog.