52 Ancestors: Week 6 "Surprise": Nellie Cox Finally Found!

For years, I have been searching for my 2nd-great-grandmother Sarah Claire "Sadie" (Dyer) Gatlin's half-sister Nellie Cox. Nellie and her husband Owen McDonough were charged as accessories to murder after Tom Cox, Nellie's brother and Sadie's half-brother, shot and killed Ben Dowell, a police officer in 1903. A mistrial was declared. The 1906 Nashville city directory stated that Owen McDonough had moved to Birmingham, Alabama. I hadn't been able to locate Owen or Nellie since then.

Sadie died in Chicago, Illinois on 20 January 1945. Her death notice mentioned a surviving sister, Mrs. E. Goolsby. All of Sadie's other siblings were dead, so Mrs. E. Goolsby had to be Nellie.

A few months ago, I finally located Nellie's first husband, Owen McDonough. I found him listed in Lorain, Ohio city directories in the 1920s. His wife was named Jennie. Apparently Nellie's first marriage ended in divorce. I don't know when Owen and Nellie split up, but I wouldn't be surprised if it were when Owen left Nashville. Being charged as accessories to the murder that Nellie's brother committed probably put a strain on their marriage.

Since I had finally located Owen, I decided to try searching for Nellie again, although I had searched before without success. And much to my surprise, I immediately found her!

Nevada. Department of Health. Death certificate 65-1741 (1965), Nellie Dale Goolsby. Ancestry.com. Nevada, Death Certificates, 1911-1965 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2016.

Nellie died in Las Vegas, Nevada on 13 July 1965. I never expected to find her there! Her death certificate confirmed that her mother's maiden name was Mary Reynolds. My conclusion was correct. Her date of birth was consistent with the ages found in earlier census  records. And I now had her second husband's name, Ezra A. Goolsby.

I still haven't located her in census records after 1900. Ezra Goolsby was enumerated in Memphis, Tennessee in 1940. He was a hotel proprietor. Nellie wasn't listed with him. It's possible that he just didn't mention her, though. Nellie and her first husband Owen McDonough both seem to have managed to avoid the census takers for decades. They may have been afraid that they would be tried as accessories to murder again.

Ezra Goolsby's mother, Salemma W. (Harris) Goolsby, died in Chicago, Illinois on 6 May 1926. His brother, Fleming Goolsby, lived in Chicago in 1930. Perhaps Nellie and Ezra met in Chicago. Sadie and her husband and children lived there; she was Nellie's only living sibling.

Nellie and Ezra (who died in 1979) are buried in Woodlawn Cemetery in Las Vegas.

Uniform Time Zone Plan

Chicago Tribune, 18 November 1883, page 12

On 18 November 1883, five standard time zones were implemented across the United States and Canada. The General Time Convention had been held at the Grand Pacific Hotel in Chicago, Illinois on 11 October 1883. At the convention, railroad executives decided to adopt the time zone system developed by William F. Allen.

The Official Railway Guide: North American Freight Service Edition. National Railway Publication Co., 1883. Available from Google Books.

Before the time zones were implemented, more than fifty different times had been used by the railroads.

Chicago Tribune, 18 November 1883, page 12

Although the railroads adopted the time zones, their use was not legally required in the United States until 1918, when the Standard Time Act was passed.  Calculations of differences in time were published, and train schedules sometimes included the difference between railroad time and local time.

Chicago Tribune, 18 November 1883, page 12

Montreal Daily Witness, 19 November 1883, page 6

Jewelers saw the time zone plan as a business opportunity, and offered to regulate watches so that they would conform to the standard time.

Daily American (Nashville, TN), 18 November 1883, page 2

Other businesses also mentioned the standard time in their advertisements.

St. Louis Post-Dispatch, 19 November 1883, page 8

Illinois, Archdiocese of Chicago, Cemetery Records, 1864-1989

FamilySearch has added the database Illinois, Archdiocese of Chicago, Cemetery Records, 1864-1989 to their collection. It contains records from cemeteries that are under the jurisdiction of the Archdiocese of Chicago. The majority of records are burial index cards, but the collection also includes some burial registers, burial logs, and lot owner registers. The cemeteries are located in Cook and Lake Counties, Illinois.

When I searched this collection, I found burial index cards for my 3nd-great-grandmother Sadie (Dyer) Gatlin and some of her children. For me, the biggest find was the burial card for Sadie's daughter Anna Elizabeth (Gatlin) Doying. Until I found her burial index card, I did not know where she was buried. Her burial date (2 September 1964) also helps me to estimate a death date for her. I know that she died in August 1964; she probably died at the end of August.

Illinois, Archdiocese of Chicago, Cemetery Records, 1864-1989, database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:Q2HF-5Q4M : 31 October 2016), Anna E Doying, 02 Sep 1964; citing River Grove, Cook, Illinois, United States, St. Joseph's, Archidiocese of Chicago; FHL microfilm 1,493,420.

Sympathy Saturday: Michael Joseph Gatlin

I have previously written about my great-grandfather John Schneider's sister Marie (Schneider) Illig, who died of bronchopneumonia due to influenza during the 1918 pandemic. Marie was not my only relative that died in the pandemic; Michael Joseph Gatlin, brother of my great-grandfather Henry Brown Gatlin, also died of bronchopneumonia.

In 1918, the Gatlin family lived in Chicago, Illinois. On 1 October 1918, 374 cases of influenza were reported to the Public Health Service by the Illinois Health Officer. The 2 October 1918 issue of the Chicago Daily Tribune reported the effects of the disease on hospital staff.

Chicago Daily Tribune, 2 October 1918, page 17

By 9 October 1918, 135 people had died as a result of the influenza pandemic.

Chicago Daily Tribune, 9 October 1918, page 8

On 10 October 1918, there was another death: Michael Joseph Gatlin. He died of bronchopneumonia at Augustana Hospital. Dr. S. J. Burrows had attended him on October 9 and 10.

Illinois State Board of Health. Bureau of Vital Statistics. Death certificate no. 27450, Michael Joseph Gatlin, 1918.

Michael was only 22 years old at the time of his death. Like many members of his family, he had worked in the printing industry. He was buried in Mount Carmel Cemetery in Hillside, Cook County, Illinois.

Chicago Daily Tribune, 12 October 1918, page 11

Tuesday's Tip: Swedish-American Newspapers

The Minnesota Historical Society provides access to 28 Swedish-American newspapers published between 1859 and 2007. These newspapers were published for the Swedish immigrant communities. More than 300,000 digitized pages are available for searching and browsing. There is a text correction tool that you can use to correct mistakes. There is also a user annotation tool, which can be used to add comments and tags.

I found some interesting things in this collection. My ancestors attended the Bethlehem Lutheran Church in Chicago, and news from the church was published. My great-grandfather Edward Theodore Anderson and his brother-in-law Carl Dahlquist were elected to serve as deacons. My 2nd-great-grandfather C. J. Dahlquist (Carl's father) was in the Anti-Saloon League (something that I was previously unaware of).

Svenska Amerikanaren, 18 January 1917, page 15

I found a death notice for C. J. Dahlquist's son Martin L. Dahlquist.

Svenska Tribunen-Nyheter, 6 August 1919, page 12

C. J. Dahlquist's brother Frank A. Shirlander and his wife were attacked by a former employee in 1905. The incident was reported in two Swedish-American newspapers.

Svenska Amerikanaren, 30 May 1905, page 11

Svenska Tribunen, 31 May 1905, page 11

If you have Swedish ancestors who immigrated to the United States, this collection is worth a look. The collection can be accessed at http://www.mnhs.org/newspapers/swedishamerican.

After the Great Chicago Fire: LaSalle Street South from Washington Street

LaSalle Street South from Washington Street. Alternate Title: Views in Chicago & Vicinity Before and After the Fire. Chicago, IL: P. B. Greene, 1871. Photo by Greene, P. B. -- Photographer [Public domain]. Located at New York Public Library, Stephen A. Schwarzman Building / Photography Collection, Miriam and Ira D. Wallach Division of Art, Prints and Photographs. Available from New York Public Library Digital Collections and Wikimedia Commons.

Today is the 145th anniversary of the Great Chicago Fire, which affected my Winters and Walker ancestors, and probably also my Graham ancestors. This image shows some of the destruction that resulted from the fire.

Those Places Thursday: 425 25th Street, Chicago, Illinois

130 years ago today, on 8 September 1886, my great-grandmother Ellen Victoria Dahlquist was born at the residence of her parents Carl Johan (or Charles John) and Mary (or Marie) Louise (Borg) Dahlquist.

Return of a Birth, Ellen Dahlquist. State of Illinois, Cook County. No. 115239, dated 7 October 1886.

The family lived at 425 25th Street, Chicago, Cook County, Illinois, in the 5th Ward.

Lakeside Directory of Chicago, 1886. Fold3.

The following map shows the neighborhood that the Dahlquist family lived in in 1886.

Portion of Rand McNally and Company. Map showing the boulevards and park system and twelve miles of lake frontage of the city of Chicago. Chicago, Ill.: Rand, McNally & Company, 1886. Detached from: Glossop, Frank. Glossop's street guide, strangers' directory and hotel manual of Chicago. 10th ed. Chicago: [Frank Glossop], 1886.  Public domain. Available from Chicago Historical Society and Wikimedia Commons.

The family did not live at 425 25th Street for long. In 1887, they moved to another residence in the neighborhood, 373 24th.

Mary Florence (Gatlin) Pate

My great-grandfather's older sister Mary Florence Gatlin was born 134 years ago today, on 1 September 1882, in Nashville, Davidson County, Tennessee. She was the first child of my 2nd-great-grandparents John William Morton Gatlin and Sarah Claire "Sadie" Dyer. She was probably named after her aunt Mary Florence Gatlin, who died in May 1881.

Florence married Downie Campbell Pate on 2 April 1902 at St. Columba's Church in Nashville. The couple originally planned to marry on 9 April 1902, but changed their wedding date at the last minute.

Tennessee, County Marriages, 1790-1950, database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:KZWS-695 : 20 July 2016), D C Pate and Florence M Gatlin, 05 Apr 1902; citing Davidson, Tennessee, United States, Marriage, p. , Tennessee State Library and Archives, Nashville and county clerk offices from various counties; FHL microfilm 2,073,659. 

Tennessee, County Marriages, 1790-1950, database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:KZWS-69G : 20 July 2016), D C Pate and Florence M Gatlin, 05 Apr 1902; citing Davidson, Tennessee, United States, Marriage, p. , Tennessee State Library and Archives, Nashville and county clerk offices from various counties; FHL microfilm 2,073,659.

Florence and Downie's first child, Bruce Clarence Pate, was born in Nashville on 16 March 1903. Their second child, Downie Campbell Pate, was born in Nashville on 1 November 1905. Sometime between 1905 and 1908, the family moved to Bloomington, Monroe County, Indiana. Florence and Downie's other children were born in Bloomington: William Melville Pate (born 8 October 1908), Kenneth Stansell Pate (born 15 September 1909), Mary Florence Pate (born 21 November 1911), James George Pate (born 21 December 1913), and Sarah Caroline (or Sara Carolyn) Pate, born 10 April 1920.

By 1930, the family had moved to Chicago, Cook County, Illinois, where Florence's parents and most of her siblings were living.

Florence died on 22 November 1944 in Chicago. The cause of death was heart disease. She was buried in St. Joseph Cemetery in River Grove, Cook County, Illinois on 25 November 1944.

Illinois Department of Public Health. Division of Vital Statistics. Death certificate no. 32377, Mary Florence Pate, 1944.

Church Record Sunday: Baptism of Theodor Mandius Eriksen

Theodor Mandius Eriksen, the son of my 2nd-great-grandmother Marthe Elisabeth Eriksdatter/Erickson's brother Svend Jacob Eriksen/Erickson and his wife Laura Thomsen, was baptized at Our Saviour's Lutheran Church in Chicago, Illinois on 9 March 1884.

Our Saviour's Lutheran Church, Chicago, Illinois. Ancestry.com. U.S., Evangelical Lutheran Church of America, Records, 1875-1940 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2015. Original data: Evangelical Lutheran Church of America. ELCA, Birth, Marriage, Deaths. Evangelical Lutheran Church of America, Chicago, Illinois.

Theodor was born on 20 December 1882.

The baptismal sponsors were Jorgen and Antonetta Thompson, Andreas and Martha Anderson (my 2nd-great-grandmother Marthe Marthe Elisabeth Eriksdatter/Erickson and her husband, my 3nd-great-grandfather Andreas Troedson/Andrew T. Anderson, and Hans Olson.

Sports Center Saturday: Earl Anderson

My paternal grandmother's brother Earl Theodore Anderson was on the swimming team when he was in high school. He was the Calumet High School team's fastest swimmer.

Temulac (yearbook, Calumet High School,  Chicago, Illinois), 1934, p. 75.
Ancestry.com. U.S., School Yearbooks, 1880-2012 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2010. 

He came in fourth in the 200-yard free stroke at the senior city meet.

Temulac (yearbook, Calumet High School,  Chicago, Illinois), 1934, p. 124. Ancestry.com. U.S., School Yearbooks, 1880-2012 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2010.

Chicago Fire of 1874

Chicago Daily Tribune, 15 July 1874, page 1

Nearly three years after the Great Chicago Fire, there was another fire in Chicago. It began in the area of Taylor, Twelfth, and Clark Streets and Fourth Avenue (known as the Cheyenne district), which contained many "houses of ill-fame".

Buildings were blown up to try to contain the fire, but this action created additional fire. People tossed their belongings onto the street to try to save them, and many of their possessions were stolen. The saloons near the burnt district were crowded (after what they went through, many people probably needed a drink!) Thousands of people gathered at Lake Park with their belongings.

As a cat lover, I was pleased to learn that a woman had managed to rescue her four cats (but I disagree with the Chicago Daily Tribune's characterization of the rescue as "a ludicrous incident"!)

Chicago Daily Tribune, 15 July 1874, p. 12

Forty-seven acres south of the Loop were burned, 20 people were killed, 812 buildings were destroyed, including the St. James Hotel, the Michigan Avenue Hotel, the Jones School, the Great Adelphi (Aiken's Theatre), the post office, the First Baptist Church, and the Kehilath Anshe Ma'ariv Synagogue. The neighborhood's residents included middle-class African-Americans and Jewish immigrants from Poland and Russia.

After the fire, the National Board of Fire Underwriters demanded that Chicago make changes in fire prevention and firefighting. Many fire insurance companies canceled their coverage of buildings in Chicago.

It was alleged that Nathan Isaacson, a Jewish immigrant, had set fire to his shanty and barn, which were located next to an oil factory. He was arrested and charged with arson, but was not convicted. He was probably the victim of prejudice.

References
Chicago Fire of 1874
The Fire. Chicago Daily Tribune, 15 July 1874, pp. 1-2, 7, 12.
The Second Chicago Fire - July 14, 1874. The Story of a House: Official Blog of Glessner House Museum.

Marshall J. Gatlin

Marshall J. Gatlin was born 113 years ago today, on 24 June 1903, in Nashville, Tennessee. He was the son of my 2nd-great-grandparents John William Morton Gatlin and Sarah Claire "Sadie" Dyer.

Nashville, Davidson County, Tennessee. Birth certificate no. 646, 1903. Ancestry.com. Tennessee, City Birth Records, 1881-1915 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2012.

 Marshall lived in Nashville until 1910, but shortly afterward, he and his family moved to Chicago, Illinois. In 1920, Marshall worked as a feeder in a printing shop in Chicago.

1920 United States census, Chicago Ward 23, Cook County, Illinois, population schedule, page 1B, family 29. Ancestry.com. 1920 United States Federal Census [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2010.

Marshall married Julia Ancis on 16 August 1922 in Cook County, Illinois.

Cook County Marriage Index, 1914-1921, p. 3246. Ancestry.com. Cook County, Illinois Marriage Indexes, 1912-1942 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2011.

Marshall died of tuberculous peritonitis at his residence in Chicago on 13 September 1923. He was buried at St. Joseph Cemetery in River Grove, Cook County, Illinois on 15 September 1923.

Illinois Department of Public Health. Division of Vital Statistics. Death certificate no. 24330, Marshall J. Gatlin, 1923.

Chicago Daily Tribune, 14 September 1923, page 10

Mappy Monday: Map of the Chicago & Western Indiana Railroad and the Belt Railway of Chicago

Map of the Chicago & Western Indiana RR and the Belt Railway of Chicago Showing Connections. Traveler's Official Guide of the Railway and Steam Navigation Lines in the United States, Canada, and Mexico. New York: National Railway Publication Co. 32nd year, no. 10. March 1900. Page 52. Available from Google Books.

This map shows the connections of Chicago & Western Indiana Railroad and the Belt Railway of Chicago. Some of my ancestors lived in Chicago and Indiana, and they may have traveled along this route.

Tombstone Tuesday: Esther Elizabeth (Anderson) Kellman

Photo by Joan Kobernik Hoeft - Find A Grave contributor

Esther Elizabeth Anderson was born on 1 September 1889 in Chicago, Illinois. She was the daughter of my 2nd-great-grandparents Andreas Troedsson/Andrew T. Anderson and Marthe Elisabeth Eriksdatter/Erickson. She married Carl Winton Kellman on 15 November 1913 in Chicago. They had two sons, Carl Winton Kellman and Robert Anderson Kellman. By 1930, the Kellman family had moved to Sycamore, DeKalb County, Illinois. Esther's husband Carl died on 11 November 1944. Esther moved to Selah, Yakima County, Washington in 1960. She died on 17 November 1970 in Yakima, Yakima County, Washington. She was buried in Terrace Heights Memorial Park in Yakima, Yakima County, Washington.

Sunday's Obituary: Marshall J. Gatlin

Chicago Daily Tribune, 14 September 1923, page 10

GATLIN––Marshall J. Gatlin, beloved husband of Julia, nee Ancis, fond son of Mr. and Mrs. William M. Gatlin, brother of Mrs. D. C. Pate, Mrs. Frank J. Smith, Henry B., Walter R., John R., Clarence J., and Bruce E. Gatlin. Funeral from residence, 2119 Cleveland av., Saturday 9 a.m. to St. Vincent's church. Interment St. Joseph's.

Marshall J. Gatlin was born on 24 June 1903 in Nashville, Tennessee. He was the youngest child of my 2nd-great-grandparents John William Morton Gatlin and Sarah Claire Dyer. By 1911, he was living in Chicago, Illinois. He married Julia Ancis on 16 August 1922. He worked as a printer. Marshall died of tuberculous peritonitis at his residence in Chicago on 13 September 1923.

Wordless Wednesday: My Father (Age 6 1/2 Months) and Grandfather

Tombstone Tuesday: Carl Anderson Dahlquist

Photo by Mary Dutcher - Find A Grave contributor

Carl Anderson Dahlquist was born on 29 May 1920 in Chicago, Illinois. He was the son of Carl Frederick Dahlquist and Minnie Anderson. He married Marjorie Buell, and they had two sons. He was a veterinarian in LaGrange, Cook County, Illinois. He died on 19 September 2005 and was buried in Plainville Cemetery in Plainville, Adams County, Wisconsin.

Carl was my first cousin twice removed. His paternal grandparents were my 2nd-great-grandparents Carl Johan/Charles John Dahlquist and Mary/Marie Louise Borg.

Sympathy Saturday: Martin Luther Dahlquist

Martin Luther Dahlquist was the son of my 2nd-great-grandparents Carl Johan/Charles John Dahlquist and Mary/Marie Louise Borg. He was born on 22 February 1891 in Chicago, Illinois. He worked as a shoe salesman in his father's store. He married Grace Victoria Anderson on 16 May 1917 in Chicago.

Martin died far too young. When he was only 28 years old, his appendix ruptured. He had surgery at Englewood Hospital, but he did not survive. He died at the hospital on 30 July 1919. He was buried in Oak Hill Cemetery on 2 August 1919.

Martin never knew his only child. His wife Grace was pregnant at the time of his death. Their daughter Harriet was born almost two weeks after he died.

Englewood Times, 1 August 1919, page 8

Chicago Tribune, 1 August 1919, page 15

Illinois. Department of Public Health, Division of Vital Statistics. Certificate of death no. 21260, Martin L. Dahlquist, 1919.

Wednesday's Child: Sara Amalia (or Sarah Emilie) Eriksen

My 2nd-great-grandmother's brother Elias Eriksen (also spelled Erickson) and his wife Ingeborg became the parents of a daughter on 30 December 1874. Sara Amalia was baptized on 16 May 1875 at Our Saviour's Lutheran Church in Chicago, Illinois.

Baptismal record for Sara Amalia, daughter of Elias Eriksen, 16 May 1875. Side 1. Our Saviour's Lutheran Church, Chicago, Illinois. Ancestry.com. U.S., Evangelical Lutheran Church of America, Records, 1875-1940 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2015. Original data: Evangelical Lutheran Church of America. ELCA, Birth, Marriage, Deaths. Evangelical Lutheran Church of America, Chicago, Illinois.

Baptismal record for Sara Amalia, daughter of Elias Eriksen, 16 May 1875. Side 2. Our Saviour's Lutheran Church, Chicago, Illinois. Ancestry.com. U.S., Evangelical Lutheran Church of America, Records, 1875-1940 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2015. Original data: Evangelical Lutheran Church of America. ELCA, Birth, Marriage, Deaths. Evangelical Lutheran Church of America, Chicago, Illinois.

Sara died the following year. She was buried on 25 February 1876.  She was listed as Sarah Emilie Eriksen on her burial record.

Burial record for Sarah Emilie Eriksen, 25 February 1876. Our Saviour's Lutheran Church, Chicago, Illinois. Ancestry.com. U.S., Evangelical Lutheran Church of America, Records, 1875-1940 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2015. Original data: Evangelical Lutheran Church of America. ELCA, Birth, Marriage, Deaths. Evangelical Lutheran Church of America, Chicago, Illinois.

Easter 1945

My father, Easter Sunday, 1 April 1945, Chicago, Illinois