Genealogy is lot like the song "One Piece at a Time" by Johnny Cash. The information and facts that we gather and entered into our genealogy database are acquired piecemeal, often one piece at a time.
For years a young lady has been lounging in my database with question marks (???) for the first name of her husband. The young lady is Elizabeth A Crawford. Elizabeth A. Crawford was born 12 August 1868 to David Faire Crawford and Sarah J. Adams. She first married Sidney J. "Dave" White about 1886. Their firstborn, a son, was born in Sept 1887. They had 3 children, one boy and two girls. Dave White died May 29, 1894[1] leaving his young wife to rear 3 children alone.
In the 1900 census[2] for the Courthouse Township of Chesterfield County, South Carolina, Elizabeth white is listed as age 30, widowed, 3 children, 3 living. About 1902, Elizabeth A. Crawford remarried and for many years now the only info I had was that through this marriage she had 2 children Walker and Pearl Wadsworth. So for all of these years her 2nd husband was a mystery and listed in my database as ??? Wadsworth.
Last night I was leisurely browsing through the Chesterfield County Estate Records available on FamilySearch.org. One of the estate records that I took a look at was that of Lewis H. Wadsworth. Lewis H. Wadsworth was born 13 September 1832 to John H. Wadsworth and Susannah Davis. Now Susannah Davis just happens to be a sister to my third (3rd) second great grandfather and a daughter of my fourth (4th) great grandfather. She is also my 3rd great grand aunt.
Lewis H. Wadsworth estate #987 contained his WILL and his death date of 7 March 1910. Well the death date matches what I have in my database but what is this in his WILL.
The Will says his wife is Elizabeth C. Wadsworth. That can't be right, I have researched this line for 35+ years; Lewis H. Wadsworth married Mary Ann Freeman on 28 December 1849.
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| Portion of Lewis H. Wadsworth WILL |
The will is right, at 70 years of age; Lewis H. Wadsworth married Elizabeth Crawford White, a widowed and had two additional children - Walker and Pearl Wadsworth. The estate file #987[3] contained a sheet of paper listing ALL his Children by both of his wives. The Children listed by his first Wife, Mary Ann Freeman were Thomas; J. W. ; Eliza Hunt; Nancy E. Odom; Susan Teal; Effie Rivers; Martha Douglass and Eliza Wadsworth. The children of his second wife, Elizabeth C. were Walker and Pearl. Estate folder#988 [4]also pertains to the guardianship of these two fatherless children.
Walker Wadsworth was born 13 June 1903 and Pearl Wadsworth was born about 1906. Lewis H. Wadsworth died on 7 March 1910 and is buried in the Bethesda United Methodist Church Cemetery.
After the death of Lewis H. Wadsworth, Elizabeth A. Crawford White Wadsworth married a third time. She is listed in the 1930 Census[5] as Elizabeth Herndon living with her son David F. White. His first name is unknown, he is also listed in my database as ??? Herndon and the cycle continue one piece at a time.
[1] Jim Tipton, Find A Grave, digital image, http://www.findagrave.com; Headstone for Sidney J. White; (22 December 1862–29 May 1894); Memorial # 32292615; Record of the Brock Cemetery; Brocks Mill, Chesterfield County, South Carolina, USA; Accessed on 31 March 2012.
[2] 1900 U. S. Census, Chesterfield County, South Carolina, population schedule, Court House, Chesterfield County, South Carolina, enumeration district (ED) #21, Page 104B, Line 53, Dwelling 370, Family 377, Household of Elizabeth WHITE; digital images, Ancestry.com (http://ancestry.com : viewed March 2012); citing National Archives Microfilm T623_1523.
[3] Chesterfield County, South Carolina, Chesterfield County Estate Papers, Lewis H. Wadsworth; "Chesterfield County Estate Papers," digital images, LDS Church, Family Search (https://www.familysearch.org/: viewed, downloaded 31 March 2012); Estate Folder #987, died 7 March 1910.
[4] Chesterfield County, South Carolina, Chesterfield County Estate Papers, Walker Wadsworth; "Chesterfield County Estate Papers," digital images, LDS Church, Family Search (https://www.familysearch.org/: viewed, downloaded 31 March 2012); Estate Folder #988, guardianship.
[5] 1930 U. S. Census, Pee Dee, Chesterfield County, South Carolina, population schedule, Cole Hill, Chesterfield County, South Carolina, enumeration district (ED) 13, Page 261B, Line 62, Dwelling 47, Family 49, Household of David F. WHITE; digital images, Ancestry.com (http://ancestry.com : viewed 14 January 2011); citing National Archives Microfilm T626_Roll: 2192.
Awesome. I love this.
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