Ocie Lee (Nelson) Johnson, 1912-1982, Texas, Arizona

Ocie Lee Nelson (d/o Fred Walter Nelson and Cora Maude Burns)
b. 12 Jul 1912 Vasco, Delta, Texas
d. 29 Nov 1982 Phoenix, Maricopa, Arizona
m. 25 Aug 1928 Texas
Vester Gale Johnson
b. 16 Aug 1908 Paragould, Greene, Arkansas
d. 1 Apr 1986 Phoenix, Maricopa, Arizona

Arizona Republic, Phoenix, Arizona, 29 Nov 1982, Page 42
Ocie Johnson
Ocie Lee Johnson, 70, former manager of the Stouts Hotel in Gila Bend, died Nov. 27, 1982, at Phoenix Baptist Hospital.
Mrs. Johnson, 726 E. Mountain View Rd., retired as manager of the hotel in 1978 after 11 1/2 years. She was born in Vasco, Texas and moved to Arizona 53 years ago.
She is survived by her husband, Vester; daughter Barbara Neal; son, Norman; two sisters; a brother; and eight grandchildren.
Services will be at 10 a.m. Tuesday Hansen Mortuary, 8314 N. 7th St.

Arizona Republic, Phoenix, Arizona, 27 Apr 1986, Page 34
Vester G. Johnson
Vester G. Johnson, 77, a retired hotel manager, died April 25, 1986, at a Phoenix hospital. Mr. Johnson, of Phoenix, was born in Arkansas and moved to Arizona 57 years ago from Cooper, Texas. Survivors include a daughter, Barbara Neal; a son, Norman; five grandchildren; and six great-grandchildren. Friends may call from 6 to 8 p.m. today, with services at 2 p.m. Monday, at Hansen Mortuary, 8314 N. Seventh St.

Booth Family Tree

Booth Family Tree

Click graphic to make it larger.

Press the ESC key to close it.

To post to Printerest, you need a graphic. One of the easiest graphics to create is a family tree, using Word SmartArt. You can use Paint to create the actual graphic. 

I created the Booth graphic because I've been contacted by a distant Booth cousin, a descendant of Lucinda Ann Booth. She found this blog and is currently digging through her files. Blogs are a great way for researchers to get in touch with each other. 

Perhaps this newly found cousin will be able to explain what's up with the birth of the first three children. Something is amiss but I can't get a handle on what it might be.

Burns Children...

Children of William B. "Bill" Burns and Sarah C. "Sally" Booth
Child 1: Henry Eugene Burns
b. 20 Feb 1880 Sulphur Bluff, Hopkins County, Texas
d. 10 mar 1958 E.T.M.C., Clarksville, Red River County, Texas (FAG memorial 15387980)
m 4 Dec 1898 Mt. Vernon, Franklin County, Texas
Mae Henry Anderson *
b. 20 Dec 1990 Pattonville, Lamar County, Texas
d. 20 Oct 1967 Bogata, Red River County, Texas (FAG memorial 15388059)

Child 2: Charles Nathaniel Burns
b. 15 Jan 1881 New Boston, Bowie County, Texas
d. 28 Feb 1959 New Boston, Bowie County, Texas (FAG memorial 9567225)
m. 17 Mar 1905 Franklin County, Texas
Mary Della Campbell
b. 13 Feb 1871 Desoto Parish, Louisiana
d. 23 Nov 1958 New Boston, Bowie County, Texas (FAG memorial 9567228)

Child 3: Cora Maude Burns
b. Apr 1885 Texas
d. Where? When?
m. 13 Nov 1901 Franklin County, Texas
Fred Walter Nelson
b. 12 Jul 1881 Arkansas
d. Where? When?

Child 4: Andrew Jackson Burns
b. Jul 1886 Hopkins County, Texas
d. 10 Apr 1931 Red River County, Texas
m. 30 Jun 1904 Franklin County, Texas (FAG memorial 29954413)
Annie Olivia Anderson *
b. 21 Aug 1885 Hopkins County, Texas
d. 15 Mar 1970 Clarksville, Red River County, Texas (FAG memorial 29954520)

Child 5: Sara Carrie Burns
b. 23 Aug 1889 Bowie County, Texas
d. 2 May 1935 Sulphur Springs, Hopkins County, Texas (FAG memorial 52457414)
m. 1904 Franklin County, Texas
John Henry Covington
b. 29 May 1881 Sulphur Springs, Hopkins County, Texas
d. 27 Oct 1952 Sulphur Springs, Hopkins County, Texas (FAG memorial 29799520)

Child 6: Pearl Elizabeth Burns
b. 15 Jun 1889 Hopkins County, Texas
d. 17 Sep 1967 Sulphur Springs, Hopkins County, Texas (FAG memorial 59886062)
m. Where? When?
James Henry Jackson
b. 18 Dec 1878 Texas
d. 3 May 1962 Cooper, Delta County, Texas (FAG memorial 59886089)

Child 7: John Dow Burns
b. 4 Aug 1895 New Boston, Bowie County, Texas
d. 12 Jun 1950 New Boston, Bowie County, Texas (FAG memorial 45582540)
m. 22 Sep 1912 Bowie County, Texas
Florence Campbell (Wife #1)
b. 2 Aug 1894 Delta County, Texas
d. 9 Apr 1922 New Boston, Bowie County, Texas (FAG memorial 45577427)
Floy Bell Kemp (Wife #2)
b. 2 Oct 1899 Oklahoma
d. 16 apr 1979 New Boston, Bowie County, Texas (FAG memorial 46093145)

Child 8: Lillie May Burns
b. 27 Apr 1896 Hopkins County, Texas
d. 23 Feb 1975 Horatio, Sevier County, Arkansas (FAG memorial 41261084)
m. 9 mar 1913 New Boston, Bowie County, Texas
Charles Elon Lawrence (Revernd)
b. 28 mar 1895 Detroit, Red River County, Texas
d. 27 Jun 1974 Horatio, Sevier County, Arkansas (FAG memorial 41261035)

* Anderson wives are sisters, d/o Joseph Anderson and Margaret J. Sickles.

Burns/Booth...the beginning

The Burns name is introduced into the McKee family when William B. Burns marries Sarah C. Booth. William and Sarah went by the nicknames of Bill and Sally.

Sarah C, "Sally" Booth d/o Ananias Jackson Booth, Sr. and Mary Jane McKee
b. 8 Feb 1860 Randolph County, Illinois
d. 1898 Texas...Does anyone have any more concrete info?

The Booth family moves to Texas between 1872 and 1874 when Sally is between 12 and 14. Sally marries Bill Burns between 1874 and 1879 in Texas.

William B. "Bill" Burns s/o Isaac Burns and Mary Ann Ripley
b. 11 May 1856 Randolph County, Illinois (1880 census says North Carolina)
d. Rumor at this point: 15 Jan 1916 Simms, Bowie County, Texas (FAG memorial 7029432)

Henderson Family Lore
Ananias Jackson Booth was wealthy, and after his wife Mary Jane died, he remarried and his second wife was caught putting poison in the well water to kill him. Leaving her he told a daughter Sally and her husband, Bill Burns, that if they would give him a home the rest of his life, he would deed all his property to them. But the deed was not recorded at once, then while he was helping Sally and Bill Burns move into the home, he accidentally dropped a gun and it killed him. Bill Burns knowing that the deed had not been recorded, mounted a horse and rode to the county seat and had it recorded before Booth was buried. No other Booth realized anything out of his fortune.

Family Lore Not Withstanding...
If the Burns family had any substantial money, it isn't evident in the lives of the Burns children. Many of them are prosperous farmers and ranchers; however, none of them seem to evidence any great wealth.

Based on census entries, the oldest child, Henry Eugene Burns, seems to take much of the responsibility for his younger siblings after the 1898 death of his mother. In the 1900 census, siblings Charles Nathaniel, Cora Maude, Andrew Jackson, and Sara Carrie are living with him and his new wife Mae Henry (Anderson) Burns. Henry is 20 years old and responsible to the care of lots of people. Younger siblings Pearl Elizabeth, John Dow, and Lillie May can be found on the 1900 census with Fred and Amanda Tally in Franklin County. All three of the younger children are listed as boarders. Bill Burns is alive but seems not to have a hand in raising his children.

Lillie May (Burns) Lawrence, 1896-1975, Texas, Arkansas

Lillie May Burns (b. 27 April 1896 in Hopkins County, Texas) was the daughter of William "Bill" B. Burns and Sarah "Sally" C. Booth. Lillie was the youngest child in her family and only two when her mother died. After Sally's death, Bill seems to disappear. He's difficult to locate in records. Lillie appears to have been raised by her older brother Henry.

Lillie marries young--she's a month short of 17--when she marries Charles Elon Lawrence on 9 March 1913 in New Boston, Bowie County, Texas. Charles was born 28 March 1895 in Detroit, Red River County, Texas, the son of Samuel Patton Lawrence and Mary Idella Campbell. Lillie and Charles have the following children.

Child 1:
Ennis Alvin Lawrence
b. 12 Sep 1914 New Boston, Bowie County, Texas
d. 6 Mar 1996 Horatio, Seiver County, Arkansas (FAG 46197105)
m. Where? When?...before 1938
Myrtle Leona Lincoln
b. 26 Jun 1916 Bowie County, Texas
d. 7 Apr 2003 Texarkana, Bowie County, Texas (FAG 7364244)

Child 2:
Leona Virginia Lawrence
b. 27 Aug 1919 New Boston, Bowie County, Texas
d. 1 Oct 1992 Shreveport, Caddo Parish, Louisiana
m. Where? When?...before 1952
Howard Franklin Collins
b. 23 Nov 1912 Texarkana, Bowie County, Texas
d. 7 oct 1984 Shreveport, Caddo Parish, Louisiana

Child 3:
Loyd Elon Lawrence
b. 9 Jul 1923 Bowie County, Texas
d. 21 Dec 1971 New York City, New York

Child 4:
Mandy Lawrence
b. 1925 New Boston, Bowie County, Texas
d. Before Apr 1930 New Boston, Bowie County, Texas

Child 5:
Della May Lawrence
b. 28 Dec 1936 Texarkana, Bowie County, Texas
d. 28 Aug 1950 Taylor, Columbia County, Arkansas (FAG 67532136)

Child 6:
Living Lawrence
b. 29 Dec 1936 Texarkana, Bowie County, Texas
m. When? Where?
Joseph Oscar Hood
b. 26 Mar 1926 Plain Dealing, Bossier Parish, Louisiana
d. ?? Nov 1985 Plain Dealing, Bossier Parish, Louisiana

At some point, Charles becomes a reverend, and sometime in the 1930's the family moved to Arkansas. Losing three children must have tested the faith of both Charles and Lillie. The loss must also have caused them to cling tighter to their living children.

Both Charles and Lillie die in Horatio, Sevier County, Arkansas. Charles dies 27 June 1974 with Lillie following on 23 Feb 1975. Both are buried in Horatio Cemetery, Horatio, Sevier County, Arkansas.

I'm missing obituaries for Lillie and Charles. The obituaries would of course provide more detail about lives of Lillie and Charles. The demise of Random Acts of Genealogical Kindness closes the door on one possible route to these obits. My next best bet is to see if a local library offers a look up service. If I strike pay dirt, I'll post a follow up. In the meantime, if you're researching this family I'd like the opportunity to trade info with you. Please post a comment.

Royce Allen Burns, 1932-2007, Texas

I'm the worst about concentrating on chasing obituaries in newspapers. However, there's so much more that you can find in newspapers. While trawling for info on NewspapersArchives.com, I ran into this wedding article for Royce Allen Burns (Find A Grave memorial 75585024). I didn't have a marriage date for Royce and the Texas marriage index on Ancestry.com doesn't pick up until 1966. So finding this article was a nice way of getting to the date, location, and so much more.

The Paris News, Paris, Texas, 26 Dec 1956, Page 9 Paris News Service

ROSALIE - Royce Allen Burns, Rt. 1, Bogata, and Miss Imagene Cagle, Rt. 3, Clarksville, were married Saturday morning by the Rev. Hoyt Briniee, Bogata Baptist pastor, at the home of the bridegroom's brother-in-law and sister, Mr. and Mrs. Maxie Lewis. The attendants were Gerald Burns and Miss Betty Butler.

The bride wore a blue faille dress with full skirt and fitted bodice, with boat-shaped neckline and short sleeves, her small hat with veil being rhinestone-trimrned.

After the ceremony, a three tiered cake, trimmed in blue, was cut and served with punch by Mrs. Juarez Jordan and Mrs. Lewis. The table was spread wi th lace over blue, Christmas decorations being used elsewhere in the rooms.

Miss Reba Joyce Robinson had charge of the register, and Mrs. Jim Robinson and Mrs. Gene Burns were also in the houseparty. Guests included Mrs. R.S. Rice, Bobbie Rice and Bobby Lee Yenable, all of Denison; Carl Henry Burns, New Roads, La.; Gene Burns and Burl Robinson.

The bride, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. John Cagle, Rt. 3, Clarksville, is a Clarksville High School senior, while the bridegroom is employed by Griff in and Dickson Construction Company. He is a son of Mr. and Mrs. Gene Burns, Bogata.

After a trip to Arkansas, the couple will be at home in Bogata.

Now if I only had a wedding picture...

Billie Jo (Green) Neal

Billie who was born in 1937 had a custom ID of L (lurk), which means that I should be checking the Web for an obituary. I've been through my Ls at least three times in 2010 and never found an obituary for Billie. However, in this pass, I was looking for her husband and found her instead.

Billie was married to J. C. Neal. I've found all sorts of records for J. C.; however, none of the records say what J. C. stands for. At this point, I'm about convinced that his name is just the initials J. C. and that the initials don't stand for anything. I'm hoping that somebody reading this post will correct the error of my ways and tell me what J. C. stands for.

Anyway, Billie's obit opened the door to so much information. Her obit included her marriage date and place, the date of J. C. Neal's death, and of course, a list of survivors.

Billie's burial location also lead me to the Sulphur Bluff (New) Cemetery Registry, which included information that I was missing on J. C.'s parents: John Plenket Neal and Effie Mae Jackson (who is a Burns/Booth decendant). Both of J. C.'s parents are in the same cemetery. With dates, I was able to backtrack into records and correctly identify records for John and Effie.

You can find the following on Find A Grave:
Billie Jo (Green) Neal - 41324538
J. C. Neal - 66226816
John Plenket Neal - 66226983
Effie Mae (Jackson) Neal - 66227070
James Henry Jackson - 59886089
Pearl Elizabeth (Burns) Jackson - 59886062

Pearl is the daughter of William B. Burns (F.A.G.7029432)and Sarah C. Booth (Bill and Sally).

In this period of searching for my Ls, I've found lots of women. The obituaries help so much in identifying exactly who they are.

Next, I'm going to be concentrating on my Ds. These are people who I know are dead (I have a death date and record), or based on their date of birth, are most likely no longer living. I need to find dates of death and then pursue obituaries.

Fred Walter Nelson m. Cora Maude Burns

Fred has a World War I draft/registration record that says that he was born 12 Jul 1881. This record is only one on which I've seen an exact DOB for Fred. Since this is a federal record, I'm going to use this as his working DOB. In the 1917-1918 WWI record, the family is living in Tira, Hopkins County, Texas.

Based on the 1900 census entries (see below), proximity played a part in the marriage of Fred and Cora Maude Burns. They married 13 Nov 1901 in Franklin County, Texas.

I can track census entries:
1900 Cora: Texas, Franklin County, J. P. 2, District 41, SD 1, ED 41, Sheet 5 B
1900 Fred: Texas, Franklin County, Justice Precinct 41, SD 1, ED 41, Sheet 6 A (35)
1910: Oklahoma, Choctaw County, Hugo, SD 4, ED 59, Sheet 8 B (5501)
1920: Texas, Delta County, Cooper, District 48, SD 1, ED 48, Sheet 24 A (2651, 8337)
1930: Can't find the family!

The censuses show the following children:
Pearline Nelson b. 1906 Texas
Lawrence J. Nelson b. 1908 Texas
Olie L. Nelson b. 1913 Texas
Ina M. Nelson b. 1917 Texas
Jesse D. Nelson b. 1919 Texas...SSN 454-26-1694 might be a record of his death...

Alas, this family remains a mystery post 1920. I'll have to peck away at this one some more to see if I can make any headway.


Pin It