52 Ancestors: Week 2 "Challenge": Mary Nevins

I have not been able to identify any relatives of my 3rd-great-grandmother Mary Nevins, other than her husband and children. I know that she was born in Ireland in the 1830s and was in the Davidson County, Tennessee by January 1855, when she married my 3rd-great-grandfather William Dow Gatlin.

I don't know whether she immigrated to the United States with other family members. I searched for others in the Nashville area with the surname Nevins, and found Robert F. Nevins, a grocer. He turned out to have been born in Tennessee about 1830. He couldn't have been Mary's brother.

I found a death certificate for Alexander Nevins, son of Joseph Nevins and Mary Haley born 21 December 1832 in Ireland. He died in Nashville on 8 April 1922 at the Little Sisters of the Poor home. However, he had previously been in the National Soldiers Home in Washington County, Tennessee. He had previously lived in North Carolina. He had initially enlisted in the U.S. Navy in 1857 in Boston Massachusetts. I have not found any evidence that he and Mary were related.

The names of Mary's sons may provide clues. My 2nd-great-grandfather was named John William Morton Gatlin (but was usually known just as William Morton Gatlin or William M. Gatlin.) His paternal grandfather was John McNairy Gatlin. His father was William Dow Gatlin and his great-grandfather (his paternal grandmother's father) was William Gower. Perhaps the name Morton came from Mary's side of the family. Another son was named Clarence Bateman Gatlin. I do not know of anyone (family, friends, or famous people) that he could have been named after. These names also may have come from Mary's side of the family.

Mary died on 9 September 1888. Her death was recorded in the Davidson County, Tennessee death register, but parents' names were not recorded then. Researching Mary has definitely been a challenge. Hopefully I will eventually break down this brick wall.

Tombstone Tuesday: Ella (Lee) Gatlin

Ella Lee was born on 5 October 1868 in Nashville, Davidson County, Tennessee. She was the daughter of Thomas Lee and Annie Glacheen. She married Clarence Bateman Gatlin on 28 November 1889 in Davidson County, Tennessee. Their children were Thomas (born 17 October 1890, died 18 April 1891), Annie Lee (born 9 July 18930, Mary Nevins (born 30 May 1895, died 13 April 1900), Lillie Gertrude (born 18 July 1897, died 26 November 1898), Helen Barbara (born 4 December 1899), Clara Louise (born 2 September 1902), Clarence Joseph (born 15 May 1906, died 14 November 1910), Katherine Elizabeth (born 16 November 1909), and Ida Lucille (born 30 July 1913). She died on 14 August 1954 and was buried on 16 August 1954 in Calvary Cemetery, Nashville, section 16, lot 64, space 9.

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

Sunday's Obituary: John G. Gatlin

Nashville American, 1 September 1897, page 3

John J. Gatlin, a well-known brickmason, died last night at the residence of his sister, Mrs. N. L. Page, 95 Wharf avenue. He was 56 years old and had lived the greater part of his life in this city. He leaves a wife.

John G. Gatlin was born on 15 August 1841 in Tennessee. He was the son of my 4th-great-grandparents John McNairy Gatlin and Margaret "Peggy" Gower. He served in the Confedederate Army as a private in the 10th Regiment, Tennessee Cavalry, Company D, and was held at Rock Island Barracks as a prisoner of war. He married Martha Ann Gower on 20 December 1865 in Davidson County, Tennessee. In 1874, John and Martha adopted a two-year-old girl, Minnie (formerly Tennessee Reed). John died on 31 August 1897 in Nashville, Davidson County, Tennessee and was buried in Mount Olivet Cemetery, Nashville.

Tombstone Tuesday: Katherine Elizabeth Gatlin

Katherine Elizabeth Gatlin was born in Nashville, Davidson County, Tennessee on 16 November 1909. She was the daughter of Clarence Bateman Gatlin and Ella Lee. She worked for AT&T for forty-one years. She died on 18 June 1994 in Kettering, Montgomery County, Ohio and was buried on 21 June 1994 in Calvary Cemetery, Nashville, section 16, lot 64, space 7.

Mother-in-Law Day

Since today is Mother-in-Law Day, I am posting a picture of my mother and her mother-in-law, my paternal grandmother Helen Martha Marie (Anderson) Gatlin.

Tombstone Tuesday: Clara Louise Gatlin

My first cousin three times removed Clara Louise Gatlin was born in Nashville, Davidson County, Tennessee on 2 September 1902. She was the daughter of Clarence Bateman Gatlin and Ella Lee. She worked as a clerk for New York Life Insurance Co. in Nashville, Tennessee. She died on 31 January 1984 in Dayton, Montgomery County, Ohio and was buried on 4 February 1984 in Calvary Cemetery, Nashville, section 16, lot 64, space 3.

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.

Wordless Wednesday: My Cousin and Me in Grandma and Grandpa Boe's Backyard, Ridgewood, New Jersey

Wedding Wednesday: Ivy Lagemann Dillon and Annie Lee Gatlin

On 16 July 1916, my 2nd-great-grandfather's brother Clarence Bateman Gatlin and his wife Ella (Lee) Gatlin announced the upcoming wedding of their daughter Annie Lee Gatlin and Ivy Lagemann Dillon.

Nashville Tennesseean and Nashville American, 16 July 1916, page 3

Annie and Ivy married on 20 July 1916.

Tennessee, County Marriages, 1790-1950, database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:KZWW-VNH : 20 July 2016), Ivy Lagemann Dillon and Annie Lee Gatlin, 20 Jul 1916; citing Davidson, Tennessee, United States, Marriage, p. 12257, Tennessee State Library and Archives, Nashville and county clerk offices from various counties; FHL microfilm 2,073,883.

Tennessee, County Marriages, 1790-1950, database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:KZWW-VNH : 20 July 2016), Ivy Lagemann Dillon and Annie Lee Gatlin, 20 Jul 1916; citing Davidson, Tennessee, United States, Marriage, p. 12257, Tennessee State Library and Archives, Nashville and county clerk offices from various counties; FHL microfilm 2,073,883.

The marriage took place at 7:00 PM at the Cathedral of the Incarnation, Nashville, Davidson County, Tennessee. They were married by Father John A. Murphy. The bride wore a champagne tailored suit. The maid of honor was Annie Gilmore, and the best man was Lee Farris.

The wedding reception took place at the home of the bride's parents. The home was decorated with pink and white flowers. Ices that matched the color scheme were served.

Nashville Tennesseean and Nashville American, 21 July 1916, page 3

Travel Tuesday: Annie Gatlin and Ida (Gatlin) Andrews' Trip to Bowling Green, Kentucky

Nashville American, 22 August 1909, page 14

On 20 August 1909, my first cousin three times removed Annie Lee Gatlin and her aunt, my 2nd-great-grandfather's sister Ida Lee (Gatlin) Andrews, left Nashville and went to Bowling Green, Kentucky. They spent two weeks there. They were probably visiting my 2nd-great-grandfather's sister Lillie May (Gatlin) Bailey and her daughter Mary Elizabeth Bailey. Although Lillie and Mary were living in Nashville in 1910, they had lived in Bowling Green at least from 1899-1903, and they had returned to Bowling Green by 1912.

Sunday's Obituary: Nancy L. (Gatlin) Page

Nashville Tennessean and Nashville American, 4 January 1911, page 4

   PAGE––Monday evening at 8:15 o'clock, January 2, 1911, at her residence, 50 washington street, Mrs. Nancy L., wife of the late John F. Page, aged 81 years.
   Funeral from the residence as above this (Wednesday) morning at 10:30 o'clock, January 4. Services conducted by Rev. John Derrett.
   Interment at Mt. Olivet cemetery.
   The following gentlemen are requested to serve as pallbearers: T. J. Duggon, Howard Threatt, James T. Evins, C. B. Harwood, Ben Turbeville and Willie Sullivan.
   Carriages from Wilkerson Company.

Nancy L. Gatlin was born on 8 July 1829 in Tennessee. She was the daughter of my 4th-great-grandparents John McNairy Gatlin and Margaret "Peggy" Gower. She married John F. Page on 24 February 1854 in Davidson County, Tennessee. They had seven children: Mark Albert Page (born 25 August 1856), Anna Lee Page (born 27 January 1858), John G. Page (born 16 August 1860), Robert E. Lee Page (born about 1864), Martha Adelia Page (born 19 March 1869), Mary Elizabeth Page (born 23 January 1871), and William James Page (born about 1873). Her husband John died on 6 May 1893. Nancy was predeceased by two of her children; her son Robert died on 11 November 1898 and her son William died on 4 March 1905. Nancy died on 2 January 1911.

Treasure Chest Thursday: My Father's Baby Book

My grandmother Helen Martha Marie (Anderson) Gatlin recorded information about the first seven years of my father's life in a baby book. The book is full of treasures. I learned who attended my father's birthday parties and what gifts he received. My grandmother recorded my father's first reaction to his new baby sister. She wrote that at age 18 months, my father could carry the tune of a Swedish hymn, Tryggare kan ingen vara. She wrote about the trips that he took.

The baby book also includes a family tree. There are some mistakes, but the family tree provided an important clue about the identity of my 3rd-great-grandmother's father. Her name was Amanda Russell, but she was listed as Amanda Sawyer. This record helps me to make the case that James Sawyer was her father.

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

Those Places Thursday: Swift Creek, Craven County, North Carolina

My 6th-great-grandfather Lazarus Gatlin owned land on the north side of Swift Creek in Craven County, North Carolina.

File no. 3654, Lazarus Gatlin. Book 26, p. 139. Land grant no. 1073. Entry no. 148. Ancestry.com. North Carolina, Land Grant Files, 1693-1960 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2016. 

File no. 3654, Lazarus Gatlin. Book 26, p. 139. Land grant no. 1073. Entry no. 148. Ancestry.com. North Carolina, Land Grant Files, 1693-1960 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2016.

Swift Creek is located in Craven County, North Carolina. It runs north to south and joins with the Neuse River opposite Hog Island.

The first Baptist church in the New Bern area was located at Swift Creek. It was founded by Rev, William Burges, probably around 1740. Lazarus Gatlin was a Baptist; he probably attended this church.

NWIS Site Inventory for North Carolina. USGS Site Map for USGS 0209205053 Swift Creek at Hwy 43 nr Streets Ferry, NC. State of North Carolina DOT, Esri, HERE, DeLorme, INCREMENT P, NGA, USGS. http://waterdata.usgs.gov/nc/nwis/nwismap/?site_no=0209205053&agency_cd=USGS

References
Paschal, G. W. Early Baptists in North Carolina. Biblical Recorder, 21 November 1934.
Taylor, Ralph. Craven Geography.

Tuesday's Tip: Look for Your Ancestors in Trade Publications

Trade publications may contain information about ancestors and their work lives. Many of these publications are on Google Books. These are some of my finds from trade publications.

 My great-grandfather John Boe was the president of the St. Louis Motor Car Company. In 1919, he attended the National Automobile Dealer's Association meeting in St. Louis, Missouri (where he lived). The August 1919 issue of American Garage and Auto Dealer contains a photograph from the meeting, and my great-grandfather is in it. 

American Garage & Auto Dealer, vol. 10 no. 5 (August 1919), p. 12. Available from Google Books.

I found another photograph of him in from the same year in Motor World for Jobbers, Dealers and Garagemen. Prior to finding these pictures, I had only seen one photograph of my great-grandfather John Boe.

 Motor World for Jobbers, Dealers and Garagemen, vol. 61 (October 1919). Available from Google Books.

Prior to working in the automobile business, John Boe had a farm machinery company. The February 25, 1914 issue of Farm Implements reported that his company moved to Lewiston, Montana. This information was news to me. By 1915, John Boe and his family were in St. Louis, Missouri. At the time that the news item was published, one of my grandfather's sisters was a newborn baby. Perhaps the family briefly lived in Lewiston, Montana, or maybe L. O. Yonker, of Lewiston who purchased stock in the company, handled the day-to-day operations and John traveled. Perhaps John eventually sold the company to L. O. Yonker.

 Farm Implements, vol. 28 no. 2 (25 February 1914), page 62. Available from Google Books.

In 1915, John advertised for three salesmen with experience selling automobiles and threshing machinery.

Farm Implements, vol. 29 no 4 (30 April 1915), page 57. Available from Google Books. 

John's brother Theodore had previously worked with him in the farm machinery company; it had been called Boe Brothers before the name was changed to the John Boe Machinery Company. The July 31, 1913 issue of Farm Implements reported that Thoedore was working in the implement business in Arnegard, North Dakota.

Farm Implements, vol. 27 no. 6 (31 July 1913), page 54. Available from Google Books.

My great-grandfather Henry Brown Gatlin worked as a printer. In 1904, Typographical Journal included his name on a list of pending applications for membership in the Typographical Union. This notice told me how long he had worked as  a printer and where he had previously worked. I learned that he had gone to Chicago earlier than I had thought.

Typographical Journal, vol. 25 no. 5 (November 1904), page 518. Available from Google Books.

My 2nd-great-grandmother's brother Mathias Joseph Nagel was a gardener. The November 1887 issue of Gardeners Monthly included a letter he wrote about transplanting trees.

Gardeners Monthly, vol. 29 no. 347 (November 1887), page 326. Available from Google Books.

Father's Day

Top left: my paternal grandfather Henry Cornelius Gatlin
Top right: my father (with my cat Flash)
Bottom left: my maternal grandfather John Boe
Bottom right: Joker, the father of my cat Kit

150 Years Ago Today: Obedience Lucas

My 5th-great-grandmother Obedience Lucas died 150 years ago today.

Obedience was born on 16 December 1787 in Davidson County, Tennessee. She was the daughter of Andrew Lucas and Nancy Gower.

Obedience married Nathan Gatlin on 16 February 1803 in Davidson County, Tennessee.

Davidson County, Tennessee. Marriage Record, 1803-1804, p. 71, Nathan Gatlin and Obedience Lucas. Ancestry.com. Tennessee State Marriages, 1780-2002 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations Inc, 2008

Obedience and Nathan's first child, my 4th-great-grandfather John McNairy Gatlin, was born ten months later. The family lived in Davidson County, Tennessee. By 1830, they had moved to Giles County, Tennessee. By 1850, Obedience, Nathan, and some of their children were living in Tippah County, Mississippi. Obedience was blind.

1850 United States census, 3rd Division, Tippah County, Mississippi, population schedule, p. 517B, family 370. Ancestry.com. 1850 United States Federal Census [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2009.

Nathan died on 8 March 1855. By 1860, Obedience had moved in with her daughter Nancy and son-in-law Lorenzo Dow Gower. They lived in Davidson County, Tennessee.

1860 United States census, 12th District, Davidson County, Tennessee, population schedule, p. 38, family 248. Ancestry.com. 1860 United States Federal Census [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2009.

Obedience died on 18 June 1866. She was buried in Gower Cemetery.

Those Places Thursday: Illinois State Penitentiary

Illinois State Penitentiary was the original name for Joliet Correctional Center in Joliet, Will County, Illinois. It was in existence from 1858 to 2002.

The penitentiary was built with convict labor. In May 1858, thirty-three prisoners arrived from Alton to begin construction. Prison transfers were completed in July 1860.

From the 1870s onward, the penitentiary had work contracts with businesses in the area.

According to the Joliet Prison Post, vol. 1 no. 2 (1914), the inmates at the penitentiary were classified into three grades, which would determine the privileges that they were allowed. Prisoners in the first grade could write letters and have visitors once a week. Prisoners in the second grade were allowed to write and have visitors once every two weeks. Incoming prisoners were placed in the second grade upon arrival, and would be moved to the first grade after thirty days if their conduct was good. The third grade was for "willful offenders against the prison discipline" (p. 57). These prisoners could only write letters and have visitors once every four weeks, and could not go into the yard for recreation.

My great-grandfather's brother William D. Gatlin was sent to the Illinois State Penitentiary on 16 October 1917 to serve a sentence of one to fourteen years for robbery. He died there on 23 September 1919. He was shot by Henry Springer, a guard at the Illinois State Penitentiary, after refusing to obey orders. The incident occurred when William was being taken back to solitary confinement. William must have been in the third grade!

References
Joliet Correctional Center
Joliet Prison Post, Volume 1, Issue 2, 1914