Paw Paw's Birth—Born in 1913, Filed in 1932

Source:  Johnson County, Illinois, "Record of Births Reported to County Clerk," delayed birth certificate unnumbered (1932), volume 5, p. 427, Retta May Martin; County Clerk's Office, Vienna.

[Note: Pre-printed form with transcribed answers in bold.]

Record of Births Reported to County Clerk

427 [stamped]

Certificate of Birth

1. PLACE OF BIRTH

    County of: Johnson

    Township of, Road District of, or Village of: [Blank]

    or City of: [Blank]

    Registration District No.: [Blank]

    Primary District No.: [Blank]

    Registered No. (Consecutive No.): [Blank]

    Street and Number, No.: [Blank]

    St.: [Blank]

    Ward: [Blank]

    Hospital: [Blank]

    (If birth occurred in hospital or institution, give its name instead of street and number.)

2. FULL NAME OF CHILD: Retta May Martin

    If child is not yet named, make supplemental report, as directed.

3. Sex of Child: F

4. Twin, triplet, or other?: [Blank]

5. Number in order of birth: [Blank]

    (To be answered only in the event of Plural births.)

6. Legitimate?: yes

7. Date of birth: (Month) May (Day) 28 (Year) 1914

FATHER

8. FULL NAME: J.A. Martin

9. RESIDENCE (P.O. Address) Buncombe

10. COLOR: white

11. AGE AT LAST BIRTHDAY: 41 Years

12. BIRTHPLACE (City or Place): [Blank]

      (Name State, if in U.S.): Ill

      (Name County, if Foreign): [Blank]

13. OCCUPATION: Engineer

      (Nature of Industry): [Blank]

MOTHER

14. FULL MAIDEN NAME: Lilly may Ally

15. RESIDENCE (P.O. Address): Buncombe

16: COLOR: White

17: AGE AT LAST BIRTHDAY: 21 Years

18. BIRTHPLACE (City or Place): [Blank]

      (Name State, if in U.S.): Ill

      (Name Country, if Foreign): [Blank]

19. OCCUPATION: Hwife

      (Nature of Industry): [Blank]

20. NUMBER OF CHILDREN OF THIS MOTHER (Taken as of time of birth of child herein certified and including this child)

      (a) Born alive and now living: 3

      (b) Born alive and now dead: 1

      (c) Stillborn: 0

WHAT TREATMENT WAS GIVEN CHILD'S EYES AT BIRTH?: [Blank]

21. CERTIFICATE OF ATTENDING PHYSICIAN OR MIDWIFE*

I hereby certify that I attended the birth of this child, who was born alive at [BLANK] M., on the date above stated.

*When there is no attending physician or midwife, then the father, mother, householder, etc., shall make this return.  See Sec. 12 of vital stastistics law.

22. (Signature) (Physician or Midwife): J.A. Martin Father M.D. Midwife

      Address: [Blank]

      Telephone: [Blank]

      Date Certificate Signed: (Month) [Blank] (Day) [Blank] Year 192[Blank]

23. Given name added from a supplemental report: (Month) [Blank] (Day) [Blank], (Year) 192[Blank]

      Registrar: [Blank]

24. Filed: [Blank], 192[Blank]

      Registrar: [Blank]

      Post Office Address: [Blank]

Filed for Record this 5/11 day of [Blank] 19232

Clerk: Martha. E. Burris, [Signature]

**********

Analysis

While not marked as delayed, it is a delayed birth registration. J.A. Martin, or Joel Arthur Martin clearly registered his daughter Retta May Martin's (Paw Paw, my paternal grandmother) birth well after her birth. It is not surprising her parents did not register it earlier since they lived in rural Johnson County, Illinois. 

Handwriting suggests the person who filled out the form is the same person who signed "J.A. Martin Father" but differs from the clerk's signature. It is possible that Joel filled it out himself as he could read and write.[1] There is no registration number assigned to this registration. The spelling of her name differs from how she spelled it, "Rettie Maye". The listed date of birth differs from what Paw Paw reported on her social security application, 28 April 1913, which is also listed on her death certificate.[2]

My Notes and Thoughts

Rettie Maye Martin, 15 years old, abt. 1928.

Most likley born at her rural home, it is hard to say which birthdate is correct for her because she wasn't exactly truthful about a lot of things for many reasons, some known. Also, I wonder what prompted him to do it on 11 May 1932, specifically. Paw Paw did not apply for a social security number until 1968, but that is usually why a delayed birth certificate would be needed. [3]

Rettie Maye with her son Joseph Marshall, February 1937

There are two reasons I am interested in this document. First, I am trying to track down where she was after 1930 and before December 1936, when my father was born.[4] Did she go back to southern Illinois between living in Fort Bend County, Texas in 1930 and living in San Antonio, Bexar, Texas in 1936? Did she go back and forth?

L-R: Carole Marshall, Joel Arthur Martin, and Joseph Marshall, c.1942

Second, her father Joel, my paternal great grandfather, is a mystery, too, in this time period and around his death in 1948.[5] This document nails his feet down, so to speak, in Johnson County on that filing date in 1932. When I received her birth certificate after going back and forth with the state archives and the county clerk's office, I was just so happy to have received it that his occupation did not click with me until I transcribed the form. He listed "Engineer" as his occupation.

I had previously hypothesized he had worked for the railroad: 

• There isn't much industry in southern Illinois other than agriculture, the railroad, and coal.
• I have a photo of him in a uniform that makes one think "railroad."
• His pocketwatch was one that a railroad worker would have used.
• And in 1930, seemingly randomly since they were from Johnson County, Illinois, his children—Roscoe (19), Rettie Maye (16), and Mabel (14)—are living by themselves on a rented farm in rural Fort Bend County, Texas, near the town of Katy, named after the Missouri, Kansas, Texas (M-K-T) railroad line. [6]

Joel Arthur Martin and his pocketwatch.

When I looked at some railroad maps in that time period, I determined one could take the train from Vienna, Illinois, to St. Louis, Missouri, and hop on a Missouri, Kansas, Texas (M-K-T) train and be on their way down to Ft. Bend County, Texas. Also, the M-K-T had a stop in San Antonio, Bexar, Texas, where Paw Paw eventually ended up and gave birth to my dad in 1936. Likewise, one can also hop on a M-K-T train in Texas and head back home pretty easily too. Wild and far-fetched, I know, but...

That one word, "Engineer," on the occupation blank on her delayed birth certificate was exciting to see and lends a little more weight to my theory. Now to find the M-K-T railroad files. The Houston History Research Center has some M-K-T records. I'll contact them to see what all they have. And I'll explore the railroad history in Johnson County, Illinois. Did Joel work for them? Are there any extant records? What kind? By 1940, Joel is not working and living in Bloomfield, Illinois, near his youngest daughter Mabel and her family, but it is possible he did not die in Illinois at all.[7] So, if not, where did he die? Maybe he died there and it wasn't recorded, like his daughter's birth.

Someone recorded Joel's death on his tombstone and another memorialized it on Find A Grave. It indicates he died in 1948. [8] 

• The state of Illinois and Johnson County do not have a record of his death. [9]
• He doesn't appear on the Social Security Index. [10]
• He doesn't appear on the Railroad Retirement Index (1934-1987). [11] 

Presumably family buried him next to his wife Lillie May in the Taylor United Methodist Church in Vienna where their landline is no longer working. [12]😅I contacted the Johnson County Genealogical Society via Facebook, but they directed me to Find A Grave. I then wrote the society, but they did not have any information sbout my Martin family, but they verified the church was still open and passed along my inquiry about the church to someone at the church. That person sent me a random picture of Joel's tombstone (from Find A Grave) via text, but did not return my immediate text response explaining that I was in search of his burial record, nor did they answer my phone call. So, I've explained to my husband that if my letter direct to the church yields nothing, then we need to head to Johnson County, Illinois, because I think being boots on the ground would be easier. And faster. LOL. I could then have a look-see at probate, tax, and land records too.😘 

So, more work to do to flesh out their story and to solve other research problems. Our work is never done is it?

~Caroline

1. 1900 U.S. census, Johnson County, Illinois, Bloomfield, population schedule, Enumeration District (ED) 36, p. 176 (stamped), sheet 8-B, dwelling 113, family 113, Joel Martin household; image, Ancestry (https://www.ancestry.com/search/collections/7602/ : 12 August 2021), National Archives microfilm T623, roll 309.

2. Maye Marshall, SS no. 451-98-8135, 12 August 1968, Application for Account Number (Form SS-5), Social Security Administration, Maryland. Also, Texas Department of State Health Services Vital Statstics Unit, death certificate no. 142-03-036004, Maye M. Marshall, 9 April 2003; Texas Department of Health, Austin.

3. Maye Marshall, SS no. 451-98-8135, 12 August 1968, Application for Account Number (Form SS-5), Social Security Administration, Maryland.

4. City of San Antonio Board of Health, birth certificate no. 6441 (1936), Baby Martin; Bureau of Vital Statistics, San Antonio. And, Texas Department of State Health Services, delayed birth certificate no. 843951 (1943), Joesph Kent Marshall Jr; Vital Statstics Unit, Austin.

5. Ancestry, Find A Grave (http://www.findagrave.com : 25 March 2021), database with images, memorial #50505974, Joel Arthur Martin (1871-1948), Taylor United Methodist Church Cemetery, Vienna, Johnson, Illinois; gravestone photograph by chris cornell.

6. 1930 U.S. census, Fort Bend, Texas, Precinct 8, population schedule, Enumeration District (ED) 20, p. 283 (stamped), sheet 1-B, dwelling no. 20, family no. 20, Roscow Martin household; image, Ancestry (https://www.ancestry.com/search/collections/6224/ : 11 July 2011), National Archives microfilm T626, roll 2333. 

7. 1940 U.S. census, Johnson County, Illinois, Bloomfield, population schedule, Enumeration District (ED) 44-1, p. 3423 (stamped), sheet 1-B, household 18, James W. Blacketer household; image, Ancestry (http://www.ancestry.com : accessed 19 Mar 2020); National Archives microfilm T627, roll 4208.

8. Ancestry, Find A Grave (http://www.findagrave.com : 25 March 2021), database with images, memorial #50505974, Joel Arthur Martin (1871-1948), Taylor United Methodist Church Cemetery, Vienna, Johnson, Illinois; gravestone photograph by chris cornell.

9. Illinois Department of Health, "Certification That Record Was Not Found," 14 December 2020, Joel Arthur Martin, date of death 1948, Johnson County, Illinois. And, Johnson County Clerk, Letter indicating record not found, 11 April 2022, Joel Arthur Martin, date of death 1948, Johnson County, Illinois.

10. "U.S., Social Security Death Index, 1935-2014," database and images, Ancestry (https://www.ancestry.com/search/collections/3693/ : 22 March 2022), negative search for "Joel Arthur Martin"and "J.A. Martin" born in 1871, died in 1948.

11. "U.S., Railroad Retirement Pension Index, 1934-1987," database and images, Ancestry (https://www.ancestry.com/search/collections/61597/ : 2 April 2022), negative search for "Joel Arthur Martin" and "J.A. Martin" born in 1871, died in 1948. 

12. Ancestry, Find A Grave (http://www.findagrave.com : 25 March 2021), database with images, memorial #50505974, Joel Arthur Martin (1871-1948), Taylor United Methodist Church Cemetery, Vienna, Johnson, Illinois; gravestone photograph by chris cornell.

Was Emma Catholic or Lutheran?

L: St. Joseph's Catholic Church
R: St. Mary's Cathedral Basilica
Galveston, Texas
Pics taken Aug 2016; Collage: Feb 2017
© Copyright 2016-17 Caroline M. Pointer

Just like I knew her tombstone was there, I knew my Great Grandmother Emma had lived and died in Galveston, Texas, but other than who she married and the children she birthed, I didn't know much else about her.

But I so desperately wanted to know more.

So, I started digging.

(In records. I didn't dig-up her grave ... Do you think that might help? Just kidding. Sorta. Did I mention 'desperate'? ;) )

Born 14 Feb 1857, Emma's parents were Otto Schleicher and Bertha Schumann and she was baptized a little after her 14th birthday, 30 Mar 1871, at the First Lutheran Church in Galveston. [1]

Original Baptismal Font, St. Joseph's Catholic Church,
© Copyright 2016 Caroline M. Pointer

However, all of her children, including my grandfather Big Paw Paw (Joseph Marschall), were baptized at St. Joseph's Catholic Church. [2] When I toured St. Joseph's last summer, I learned that it served the German community, specifically the German farmers and others in the German working class in Galveston. All of the details on the ceiling in the church were painted to make it look like carved wood detail instead of it being actual carved wood detail.

And it turns out Emma and John were married in St. Mary's Cathedral (Catholic, now a Basilica) in Galveston after obtaining a dispensation from the bishop. [3, 4] Emma was not Catholic and in order to marry John Marschall, who was Catholic, they had to ask for special permission to marry. What's interesting to note here is that Emma did not decide to become Catholic in order to marry John, and that John didn't decide to become Lutheran to marry Emma. (Something to ponder in the wee hours of the night...)

Emma Marschall's tombstone,
Lakeview Cemetery, Galveston, Texas.

After Emma died 30 Jun 1928 in Galveston, she was buried in Lakeview Cemetery. [5, 6] Interestingly, her burial record appears in the First Lutheran Church's records.

I find that curious, especially since her parents — Bertha Schumann and Otto Schleicher (Listed as "Oston" on the marriage record.) — are married 28 Oct 1846 in Galveston by a Methodist Episcopal missionary, Henry P. Young [7] (a.k.a., Heinrich P. Jung, a missionary from the Methodist Episcopal Church in Houston, Texas).

And as mentioned, Bertha has Emma baptized at the First Lutheran Church in 1871. I've not found any other church records for Bertha. (Note: I said "church" records. I've found out quite a bit about her in other records. More to come later!)

However, both Bertha's and Emma's choices in churches seem to have one thing in common — they offered services in the German language. Kind of important considering Bertha immigrated to Texas from Köthen in the Duchy of Anhalt (Prussia) probably arriving 8 days before she married Otto, who emmigrated from Görzig, near Köthen, probably on the same ship. [8] Gee, did they know each other before getting on the ship? Or did they meet during that 3-month voyage? But I digress...

So, it seems Emma was, indeed, Lutheran, and not Catholic. But her mother and her husband John Marschall had been Prussian and, more importantly, they spoke German.

While I don't know if Emma spoke it fluently, it's not a stretch of the imagination to believe Emma probably spoke at least some German, especially since her husband spoke it as well. I wouldn't be surprised if she spoke both German and English fluently.

Not surprisingly, her family's language (and her friends) probably influenced her choices of where she worshiped, and her marriage to a Catholic certainly influenced her to have their children baptized, at least, in the Catholic Church.

Makes me wish I had taken German in high school instead of French. For my senior year of high school, I had registered for French 3, but they put me in German 1 because the pre-requisite of 10 students didn't register for French 3. (No idea why. *snort*) But even though the German teacher begged me to stay in German 1 (I'd made a 100 on our first quiz.), I chose to switch out of it into Sociology because after taking 9 years of Spanish and 2 years of French, I didn't want to start another language right before graduating. I regret that now.

However, I'm thinking of taking a German language class locally. Because why not? (I also love German food. It'd be great if I could find a German language/German cooking class, but I'll settle for a German language class, a German restaurant, a German cookbook, YouTube videos, and some spare time...*snort*)

And I also need to visit the First Evangelical Lutheran Church in Galveston to take some pictures. You know, to complete my collection. ;)

Which brings me to an upcoming blog post teaser: Emma had a sister who lived to be an adult and at least two other siblings who didn't. More on them and their parents, my 2nd great grandparents, later. But her sister's place of worship changes too. And it's a different church than any listed above. Oh, these Schleicher women!

~Caroline

Notes:

1. "Evangelical Lutheran Church of America, Records, 1875-1940," indexed database and digital image, Ancestry (http://www.ancestry.com : accessed 6 May 2016), Texas > Galveston > First, Baptisms, page 118 (image 712 of 1592), Emma Schleicher entry, 1871; citing original data in: Evangelical Lutheran Church of America. ELCA, Birth, Marriage, Deaths. Evangelical Lutheran Church of America, Chicago, Illinois.
2. Josephum Marschall baptism entry (1893); certified translation issued 2016 by Lisa May, Archivist, St. Joseph Catholic Church, Archdiocese of Galveston-Houston Archives, Houston, Texas, citing vol 1, p. 252. Privately held by Caroline M. Pointer, address for private use.
3. Marschall-Schleicher marriage entry, (1880); certified photocopy of entry issued 2016 by Lisa May Archivist, Archdiocese of Galveston-Houston Archives, Houston, Texas, citing St. Mary's Cathedral, volume 7, p. 10, second entry. Privately held by Caroline M. Pointer, address for private use. 
4. Johanneni Von Marschall-Emilium Schleicher, dispensation granted, 13 January 1880, unpaginated entry; "Marriage Dispensations, Galveston," Dispensation Files; Archdiocese of Galveston-Houston Archives, Houston, Texas.
5. "Texas Deaths, 1890-1976," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:K37W-GNG : 5 December 2012), Emma Marschall, 30 Jun 1928; citing certificate number 25815, State Registrar Office, Austin; FHL microfilm 2,114,541.
6. "Evangelical Lutheran Church of America, Records, 1875-1940," indexed database and digital image, Ancestry (http://www.ancestry.com : accessed 21 Apr 2016), Texas > Galveston > First, Burials, page 392 (image 1449 of 1592), line 135, Emma Marschel entry, 1928; citing original data in: Evangelical Lutheran Church of America. ELCA, Birth, Marriage, Deaths. Evangelical Lutheran Church of America, Chicago, Illinois.
7. Galveston County, Texas, Record of Marriages, vol. A (1838-1850): 79, 1846 entry for Oston Schleicher and Bertha Schumann; County Clerk's Office, Galveston. Texas State Library and Archives microfilm No. 1008865. 
8. Chester W. and Ethel H. Geue, A New Land Beckoned: German Immigration to Texas, 1844-1847 (Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing Company, Inc., 1982), 141. The authors obtain their information from multiple sources including German Immigration Contracts, passengers lists in various archives, etc. Bertha's mother, brothers, and future husband are all listed in this book as coming to Texas in 1846 on the Margaretha ship. I haven't obtained the passenger lists to ascertain if Bertha or her sisters are listed specifically. 

How does a daughter say goodbye?

Carolyn Marie Blacketer ca. 1943

How does a daughter say goodbye?

I remember most mornings you woke me up with, “Top of the mornin’ to ya and the rest of the day to me.” And that always woke me up because you made me giggle. And no matter how much I tried, I never, ever could beat you to saying it. 

I remember your big smile and the twinkle in your eyes.

And your fierce loyalty. I may have been completely and utterly wrong about something, but you were always there to back me up – no matter what. Do you know how rare that is?!?

I remember Saturday morning shopping at the mall and your generosity to everyone. No one ever caught you on Christmas unawares - even if they showed up on Christmas Day. You always had a present for them. And what about the Christmas where you made up all those rhyming clues and made me hunt for each of my Christmas presents?  Oh, how I loved that.

I remember your stories and pep talks. How could I ever, ever forget the life-altering story you told me of our long line of managing women? Or when I turned thirteen you said, “Now, Caroline, I’ve already been through three teenagers. So, I’ve heard it all. I don’t want to ever hear you say you want to do something just because everyone else is doing it. Would you jump off a bridge if everyone else were doing it? No. No, you wouldn’t.” [The 'Duh.' was understood.]

I remember watching our T.V. shows together. I still watch them. When I'm watching Designing Women and The Golden Girls, you’re always right there laughing with me.

I remember watching you cook, learning how to measure ingredients in my hand, and now I can’t make Gran’s potato salad, Gran’s sausage stuffing, Gran’s peanut brittle,Gran’s refrigerator cookies, and Gran's pralines without thinking of you and Gran while doing it.

Carolyn Marie Blacketer 1954-1955 school year.

I remember all those times you took me to the library. And now I can’t walk into a library without thinking of you. [And considering what I do, that happens a lot.] And what about all those romance books you used to read? I somehow picked that up from you.

I remember your big strong hugs when I needed them the most. And every time you said, “I love you.”

I remember being grounded by Dad numerous times and not being able to go outside or watch T.V. for a week. And how while we’d read in the living room together after dinner during that week, you’d stop reading and say, “When is your father going to learn taking away your reading would be a better punishment?” And I’d answer, “I dunno.” Then we’d go back to reading. *snort*

And your other words of wisdom? “People in hell want ice water, Caroline. Doesn’t mean they’re gonna get it.” And, “If wishes were horses, beggars could ride.” And the sayings I know you got from Gran: like saying “God bless America and all the ships at sea,” when all you wanna do is damn whatever it is that’s upsetting you. And the ever-so-wise, “’To each his own,’ said the old lady when she kissed the cow and the old man who peed in the sea to keep the boat from sinking.” And now whenever I'm upset or stumped, I can't help but think of blessing America, of blessing her ships at sea, of an old lady who must have really loved that cow, and of an old man with creative problem-solving skills.

So. 

How does a daughter say goodbye?

Mom & me in a Ghost Town in West Texas in Jul 1977.

The answer, of course, is...

...she doesn't.

She laughs.

She cries.

She remembers.

She laughs some more.

Then she cries again.

Then she tells.

And then cries some more.

And then she says, “I love you. And I’m gonna miss you somethin' fierce, Mom.”

Then she sighs. And smiles with tears in her eyes as she says,

“Top of the mornin’ to ya and the rest of the day to me.”

~Caroline

Carolyn Marie (Blacketer) Marshall

b. 3 Mar 1939, San Antonio, Texas

d. 28 Sep 2012, San Antonio, Texas

2012 Goals, Balls, & Big Paw Paw

Okay. This is my second attempt at writing this blog post. The first one disappeared, and since this was meant to be EASY, you're gonna get the short version.

• I've buddied with Jenna at Desperately Seeking Surnames. Why? Mainly because I liked her idea of just 3 goals.
• I've created 3 goals as well for 2012 for this blog in particular. Why only 3? Because I've 2 professional blogs with many more goals. [And I've buddied up with Kim Von Aspern-Parker from the blog Le Maison Duchamp for those. And if you go read her goals and action plans, you'll clearly see how far behind I already am, which is why I partnered with her. She's gonna keep me in line. I hope.]

The 3 Goals

1. Continue Big Paw Paw's stories. The man was baaad. And that makes him SO good to write about.
2. Continue my They Had Balls series. Cuz who doesn't want to read about that? It was kicked off by Big Paw Paw & then his story automatically demanded his own series. I continued it with the probable pirate in the family [some readers have dubbed him Captain Eddie. Love that.] I still have Loyalists, witches, fornicators, prisoners, murderers, and those who've been murdered. And they all had balls [the proverbial ones]. And stories to reveal. In fact, these ancestors are demanding it.
3. Create Landing Pages for ancestors whose stories are long and varied, like Big Paw Paw. I've new followers/readers all the time who could benefit from links to all the stories about a particular ancestor in one place when they come and visit.

So there you go. Simple pimple. [Cuz the other blogs' lives are completely mapped out. God and Kim help me. ;) ]

~C

Was It Really Worth It?

My husband's side of the family ~the Pointer's~ seem to think they have the corner on bad ancestors. When in Iowa last summer, I got the chance to ask a few of them just why they thought their ancestors were so bad.  More than one replied, "Because," and in a loud whisper they continued,"We have a murder in the family. Possibly two. And possibly 2 murderers"


[Snort.] Well, I'm no mathematician, but in my family? 6 murders + 1 possible murderer + 1 possible pirate + 1 accused & imprisoned witch + 2 publically accused fornicators (one who later married the publically accused & imprisoned witch = I win. [Not that I'm keeping count of all the naughty people in the family, or anything.]


Now, Big Paw Paw never murdered anyone, at least not that I've found. And no one ever murdered him, which is amazing. Again, I'm not a mathematicion, but his 4 marriages + 3 divorces + 2 confirmed extra-marital liasions [may have been more, but hard proof on extra-marital affairs is hard to come by] + being a lousy husband 4 times + being a lousy father 2 times + being kicked out of his family 1 time + being kicked out of the Catholic Church 1 time [may have been more & may have been a formal excommunication] = 1 naughty Big Paw Paw.


And it's very easy for me to list all of Big Paw Paw's faults and mistakes.  [Mainly because there are so many of them.]  And it's also very easy for me to forget that Big Paw Paw didn't always make bad choices.  Why? Because those who knew him, didn't think very highly of him. And Big Paw Paw didn't leave much of a paper trail behind on things he did get right.


However, I'm proud to announce that I've found hard proof that indicates that Big Paw Paw wasn't wrong all the time. [Amazing. I know.] Well, at least the 45th District Bexar County Court Judge didn't think Big Paw Paw was wrong in 1938.


I mentioned in my post A Review of All the Players a piece of property with a house that Big Paw Paw sues his sister, Jane Rosin, over.  When I first read in the San Antonio Express that Big Paw Paw had sued his sister, I rolled my eyes and shook my head. Suing a family member never turns out well. If divorcing his 1st wife, who was the younger sister of Otto Rosin, Jane's husband, wasn't bad enough, then suing Jane later over some property and a house definitely did not help familial relations. But, of course, you and I have 20-20 vision in this case and Big Paw Paw was a bit nearsighted [and so was Jane].


Big Paw Paw first acquired the house and property located at Lot number 14 in Block numbered 1, New City Block 6000 in the City of San Antonio, said lot having 50 feet fronting the East side of Palmetto Ave. in Dignowity Place on 20 Aug 1925 from a C.E. and Alice Scull [sic].  So, he purchased this home approximately 2 years after his divorce from Emma.


Then, according to his 2nd wife's petition to the court during their divorce [Her story is forthcoming. LOTS of drama], Big Paw Paw had practically abandoned this home, which she was living in at the time she filed for divorce. This petition was filed Aug 1927. She explains to the court that Big Paw Paw was refusing to pay her weekly allowance of $15 set by the court; that he wasn't paying the mortgage or the insurance on the home; that he wasn't paying the creditors on the liens on the home; that he wasn't securing the home against theft and vandalism; and that he wasn't paying the payments on the furniture in the home. Basically? Big Paw Paw just wasn't paying for diddly squat when it came to Oveta. So they asked the court to appoint a receiver to handle all the community property. The best part of this petition? She states the actual address of the house [Hallelujah!]: 730 N. Palmetto, on the southeast corner of Palmetto & Burnett [sic] Streets. [But don't go rush to look it up just yet. Lemme finish the story. Then, I'll show it to you.]


I'm sure by know Oveta was thinking she pulled one over on Big Paw Paw. A receiver, Bernard Loben, was appointed to take over the community property 7 Oct 1927. [Poor Bernard. And Oveta. They had no clue who they were up against.]


On 5 Dec 1927, Big Paw Paw files a Public Affidavit [Gawd, I love his paper trails.]. In this affidavit  he says this same property was purchased before his marriage to Oveta, that she had no interest in it whatsoever, that she had abandoned him, and that she hadn't lived with him for at least 6 months. [So there.] Interestingly, the affidavit wasn't filed until 7 Mar 1928. [Hm.]


Because Big Paw Paw apparently didn't like to leave anything to chance, he executed a Warranty Deed with V/L [Vendor's Lien] with a John Marshall, Jr. of Galveston, Texas [who I've always believed to be his older brother] on this same property for $5000. And like the affidavit, it was executed on 5 Dec 1927 and filed 7 Mar 1928 in Bexar County, Texas.  The Vendors Lien part just meant that Big Paw Paw would go on making the lien payments and at the conclusion of the liens, the property would be owned outright by John.


So, Round 1, Big Paw Paw.


Remember how I told you in my post Smiling Big and Laughing Hard that Big Paw Paw's first wife, Emma [Again. This was Otto Rosin's, Jane's husband's, little sister.], contracted tuberculosis and died 11 Mar 1931? Good. Keep on remembering that.


Now. The next bit of documentation on this property that I could find was where John Marshall, Jr. [Big Paw Paw's big brother] executes a Warranty Deed with Otto Rosin effectively selling this property & house of Big Paw Paw's [or what used to be his] "...for a good valuable and sufficient consideration to me in hand paid..." No amount was recorded for the selling price. It was filed on 5 Feb 1932. Coincidentally less than a year after Emma died at such a young age.


Then in an act that would wake the sleeping giant, Otto Rosin executes a Warranty Deed with his wife Jane Rosin [Big Paw Paw's oldest sister], and sells her the same property for $3000 on 24 Jun 1937.


Enter Big Paw Paw.


On 2 Jul 1937, Big Paw Paw files a lawsuit in the 45th District Court of Bexar County.  And he claimed the following [But I re-worded the legalese. You're welcome.]:

• That around 30 Jun 1937, Jane Rosin, et. al. "seized and possessed" the now infamous [at least in my mind] property.
• That Jane Rosin, et. al. [Otto] "unlawfully entered...and ejected" Big Paw Paw from his house and took possession of his house to the tune of $7500 in damages. [Now, that? I would've loved to have seen.]
• That the rental value of the home was $500 per month.
• That he purchased the home from Mr. Schull in 1925.
• That in 1928 he conveyed the property to his brother, John Marshall, Jr. [Do you realize how many hours I looked for direct proof of their kinship? To think that all this time it was just sitting there. In a lawsuit. Yowzer.] And that the deed was to be held in trust by John Marshall, Jr. and that no consideration was paid. 
• That in 1932 that Big Paw Paw requested that his his brother, John, place the deed in the name of a person in San Antonio [Remember. John was from and in Galveston, Texas] "...in order to facilitate the handling of said property." And it was understood, according to Big Paw Paw, by all parties that the deed was to be held in trust by Otto Rosin and that Otto didn't pay anything for the property. So, according to Big Paw Paw, John essentially transferred the deed to Otto Rosin. I guess Big Paw Paw was still paying on those liens on the property. Otherwise, why not sell it back to Big Paw Paw?
• That before the execution of the deed from Otto to Jane on 30 Jun 1937, that Jane had no interest in the property and that even though the deed had been conveyed from Otto to Jane, it had not been "...placed of record in Bexar County, Deed Records." [Oops.]
• And that  Big Paw Paw had been unlawfully kicked out of his home. That no money had changed hands between Otto and Jane. That this was fraud. And that, "Jane Rosin well knew that her said husband had been the holder of the title to said property in trust for plaintiff..." all before the transaction. [Big Paw Paw was fit to be tied.]

And what did the court find? That Big Paw Paw was right:

• That the first conveyance to John Marshall, Jr. "...constituted nothing more than a mortgage, and the legal title remained vested in Joseph Marshall." 
• That Big Paw Paw payed off the debt.
• That John conveyed it to Otto at the insistence of Big Paw Paw; that "...Otto received said deed for indemnity purposes constituting a mortgage, the legal title remaining in plaintiff."
• That Jane & Otto had no "further liability."
• That Jane had been fully aware of the situation before the last conveyance from Otto to herself.
• That Jane Rosin, et. al., give the deed to Big Paw Paw.
• That Jane Rosin, et. al., not pay any damages to Big Paw.

Round 2, Big Paw Paw


So what happened to the property?  Well, Big Paw Paw and my grandmother, Paw Paw (his 4th wife), finally sold it in 1946 to an Isaac and Esther Mora and their son, Oswaldo Mora for $3000.


And what does it look like today? Well, I didn't get a chance to go by there when I was last in San Antonio because my silly living relatives wanted to do a whole bunch of stuff. [It's hard balancing the living and the dead.] But I did find it on Google Maps. It's depressing, really. It looks abandoned. The windows are all boarded up. However, if I ever win the lottery and after I purchase my 2nd great-grandparent's home which is 3 blocks south of the Riverwalk there in San Antonio [prime real estate], I'm gonna buy this house.


But I think it's ironic and sad that Big Paw Paw worked so hard to keep this house, and now it's abandoned. I also think it's ironic and sad that Jane SO wanted to get back at Big Paw Paw [O.K., I'm guessing.] with this house, and now it's abandoned. Was it really worth it?


The address is 730 North Palmetto, southeast corner of Palmetto and Burnet, but the address doesn't take you to the southeast corner of Palmetto and Burnet. But this is the photo of the house on the southeast corner. [If you're not able to see it here, then click the link, "View Larger Map" down below.]

View Larger Map

They Had Balls

[This was my submission for the McSweeney's Internet Tendency Column Writing Contest.  I didn't win, but I thought I'd share it with y'all.  The intended audience was those who don't know anything about genealogy or family history.  Hope you like...]

Brief Description

I have just under 5000 dead people [well, mostly dead] in my family tree so far.  They have many things in common [not the least of which, is me], but 2 things stand out the most.  They have a story to tell.  And they had balls.  I yearn to tell their stories and bring them back to life.  So, each installment will be a fresh perspective [and by "fresh" I mean sarcastic] on an ancestor's life story, and how they had moxie, guts, audacity, and balls to get through their lives.

The Dead Talk

I search for dead people and their stories. 

Well, I don't search for just any dead person's story. I search for stories of those folks who I'm related to – mostly those I'm blood-related to, but not always. Sometimes I'll mix it up and search for those crazy people who decided to marry into the family.  Or those who lived near the family.  Or those who have no apparent connection to the family, but they have a funny name or they're ugly (or if I'm lucky, both). No matter who they were though, once I track them down, I ask them about their story.

I know what you're thinking. Dead people don't talk, so how can they possibly tell their story? A forensic scientist would beg to differ with you on that. And being a genealogist and family historian, so would I. On a good day, I can't get some dead people to shut-up. 

On the other hand, some days, dead people can be very tight-lipped. Ornery, in fact. 

And the thing about these dead people – all of them – is that they have at least one story to tell. Sometimes it's funny.  Sometimes it's sad.  Sometimes it's downright naughty (if I'm lucky).  Sometimes it'll make you think, “What the hell?”  But there's always a story.

And there's something else about dead people. They had balls. You know, when they were alive.

Take my grandfather for example. I never met my Big Paw Paw, and apparently he was one of those people who thought he could keep his secrets after he died, but he was wrong. Once he started telling me his story, he couldn't stop. He was the son of a Prussian immigrant, a survivor of the Storm of 1900 on Galveston Island, and a veteran of World War I. 

But he didn't stop there.  [No siree.]

He was a lover of women. Mostly young women, but not the icky, “she's-too-young” young, but the “wow-she's-way-younger-than-him” young. In fact, Big Paw Paw, at last count, had 4 wives (one of them my grandmother), 3 divorces, 3 mistresses (and, yes, my grandmother was one before Big Paw Paw married her), and 1 excommunication from the Catholic Church. [Apparently, the Catholic Church is serious about that whole “no divorces” rule thingy.]

Big Paw Paw may have loved those younger women, but they were certainly his downfall. You see, he was also kicked out of his family after he divorced his first wife. Probably because his first wife had been his sister-in-law [his older sister's husband's younger sister]. And I guess they liked her more than him and thought that Thanksgiving and Christmas would go a whole lot smoother without the lying, two-timing, cheating Big Paw Paw. (Personally? I think he would've been the life of the party, but, hey, what do I know?)

Big Paw Paw's response to being kicked out of the family was a big “I-don't-need-you-screw-you” kind of response. He changed the spelling of his last name, which really threw me off when I went looking for him, and he never communicated with his family again.

Well, if you don't count the times he sued them.

Anywho, Big Paw Paw wasn't all bad. He was part of the housing boom in San Antonio back in the late 1920's and 1930's. In fact, he stayed in the housing business until he died in 1968. And he wasn't in it to make money just for himself either. [Nope.]  I mean, with all the wives and mistresses he had over the years, he was still able to keep them in the lifestyle they had become accustomed to.  

Which was mighty generous of him.  

For all his faults though, he sure was a looker.  I mean, I can see why all the younger ladies were going all crazy about Big Paw Paw.  If the photos of him are anything to go by, he was a well-dressed man. And if his photos of my grandmother are anything to go by, he dressed his women well.

So, yeah, he was dead by the time I decided to get to know him. But once I found him, he talked. And he had balls. Balls to survive a devastating storm when he was just seven years old. Balls for fighting in World War I. And balls to juggle that many women no matter what everyone else thought about him, including his family. 

But I think the ones who had the “big brass ones” were Big Paw Paw's women. They never killed him when they found out about each other. 

It takes some pretty big balls to take the high road.

Brief Descriptions of 3 Additional Installments

1. What does an ancestor do when charged with fornication?  And just why the hell was he charged with fornication when he was married to her?

2. What does an ancestor do when everyone else doesn't believe the same thing as him, and they are at his door?  And they have him surrounded.  Oh, and they brought fire with them?

3. What does an ancestor do when his son is locked up in the nastiest prison ever, and he's not willing to just let him sit there and wait it out 'cause he's never done that before so why the hell would he do that now, dammit?

Biographical Note

Caroline Pointer is the author of the genealogy and family history blog, Family Stories, as well as the author of the column "In2Genealogy" for the digital magazine Shades of the Departed.  As a professional genealogist, a family historian, a wife, and a mother, she enjoys writing about and laughing at her ancestors.  Well, laughing at them until she recognizes a little bit of herself in them.

Movie Wednesday: A Prussian Immigrant

In Texas, all 7th grade students take a Texas History class.  My daughter's teacher became interested in genealogy and decided to assign her students a genealogy project with a Texas twist.  [Oh Yeah.]  Among many handwritten reports she had to do of her family's genealogy [family group sheet, pedigree chart, fan chart, and the like], she had to create a presentation on one of her Texas immigrant lines.  In other words, who were they, how'd they get to Texas, and such.  Well, we [the kids and I] have been doing a lot of legwork on the Marschall's of Galveston, Texas.  [Yeah, I know.  It's rough to *have* to do research on an island...on a beach. *sigh*  Hey, we did go to the archives before we went to the beach.  But you can hear the waves from there...]

Anywho, here's what my daughter [with some help from me], put together.  I did alter the last two slides to remove her name from the project in order to put it on my blog.  Also, the soundtrack, "In Color" which was co-written by Jamey Johnson, James Otto, and Lee Thomas Miller & performed by Jamey Johnson, was used on her school project, but has been taken off this newer version.  YouTube did not require me to do this.  They simply monetized the version on YouTube.  I just decided the right thing to do would be to make one without audio.  So, if you haven't heard the song before, go buy it [after you watch the slideshow, of course].  It's awesome, from a family historian's perspective, that is.  

So get some popcorn, sit back, relax, and enjoy learning about A Prussian Immigrant...

Wordless Wednesday: Not Really Wordless

Who's That Girl?

It's Me!  Here I am Nov 1976 with my family at a Texas A&M football game getting my pic taken with Reveille, our mascot.  My brother was a sophomore in the Corps of Cadets.  I looked up who we played in November of 1976.  There were 3 games that month & we whooped all of our opponents' butts.  We whooped some Arkansas Razorback butt on Nov 13th.  We whooped some TCU Horned Frog [snort] butt on Nov 20th.  And we whooped some Texas tea-sippin' Longhorn butt on Nov 25th.  In fact that year we were whoopin' butt and takin' names.  We were only outscored twice by Houston and Texas Tech.  [Note: Aggies are not losers.  We may get outscored, but we never lose.  At least that's what my dad always said.]  We even went on to whoop some Florida butt at the Sun Bowl on Jan 2nd.  Not a bad year for the Ags.

I remember the pic being taken, but I have no idea which November game it was taken at.  Pretty sure it wasn't Arkansas because I've never been to Arkansas.  So that leaves the TCU and Texas games.  The TCU game was at home at Kyle Field and Texas was at Austin.  If I had to guess, I'd say the Texas game in Austin as there are people seated on the field level & that's where the away fans used to sit at an Aggie-t.u. game.  [Yup.  That's where we'd put 'em too.]  Also, that would explain why I'm on field level and having my pic taken with our beloved Reveille.

Gig'em!

He Never Promised Me A Rose Garden

He lived his life in the papers.

Consistently.

Thank God.

In the 1920's, San Antonio, Texas experienced a housing boom, and since the Great Depression was slow in coming to Texas for a number of reasons, the prosperity of the 1920's lasted a little longer than in other states.  In the 1930's public housing was on the rise as slums were cleared out, and then in the 1940's another housing boom occurred.

And apparently my grandfather, Joseph Marshall [a.k.a. Big Paw Paw], was in the middle of it all.  If you believe what you read in the newspapers, that is.

When I first started researching my grandfather, I didn't really know much about him, other than he wasn't a nice man.  In fact, if I recall correctly, the word, "mean" has been used to describe him a few times.  Turns out he had a lot of secrets, and maybe - just maybe - if he hadn't been so secretive - you know, kept everything inside- he would've been nicer.  Or at least remembered in a lot nicer way.  And maybe I wouldn't have been so nosy about his life.  

However, he was secretive and I am nosy.

One of the things I did know when I started researching my grandfather [who died 3 years before I was born] was that he had several lumber yards in San Antonio and he'd been involved in demolition throughout the city.  And both of these are true because I've verified them through land records, newspapers, and city directories.  However, that wasn't really the whole story.  There was a fourteen year difference between my grandfather's and grandmother's ages, and by the time "Big Paw Paw" married my grandmother, he'd already lived another life.  Literally.  A life that he kept to himself.

But if he thought that he took his secrets with him to the grave, he was sadly mistaken.  I have some of his genes in me [Goodness, I hope not the bad ones.], and I can be a little tenacious when properly motivated.

And my grandfather's story really motivates me.

If he had wanted to "fly underneath the radar," then he should've stayed out of the papers, but lucky for me, he didn't.  With the combination of census records, city directories, historical newspapers, and historical land records, I've pieced together some of my grandfather's work & business history, and here's what I found:

According to the 1910 census, Big Paw Paw and his younger sister, Mary, were living with one of their older married sisters in Galveston, Texas.  [Another Mary ~rolling eyes heavenward~  This is the Mary that married a Harry who owned a dairy.  I swear it.  I couldn't make this stuff up.] Anywho, "Big Paw Paw" was a fisherman with his brother-in-law at the time.  He must've mentioned being a fisherman to my dad once, because on one of our many fishing trips on the Laguna Madre Bay, my dad shared with me that his dad had been a fisherman in Galveston.  [I've pointed out on the map below where the Laguna Madre is, but to get an idea of where it is in relationship to Galveston, San Antonio, and Texas, click on the link for the bigger map below and "zoom out."








View Texas Coast in a larger map








Big Paw Paw married his sister-in-law, Emma Rosin in San Antonio, Texas in 1917, which was just before he went off to fight in World War I.  [His sister Jane had previously married Emma's older brother, Otto Rosin.]  When he came back, he and Emma were living in San Antonio, Texas, and his listed occupation was a tree surgeon in the 1920 census.

As I shared this week in my Wordless Wednesday post, he must've had a green thumb.  In a San Antonio Express newspaper article dated 12 Nov 1922, Big Paw Paw is pictured with a rose that had a 63-inch stem that he had grown.  I wonder if my dad knew this about his father.  Growing up, I remember countless times working in the yard with my dad, including our rose garden.  He loved it so much that he bought and we ran a plant nursery for a while.  And If you've been reading my stories, you can probably guess my dad was quite the entrepreneur (i.e., truck & trailer business, pet shop, plant nursery, etc.).  Kinda like Big Paw Paw.

Three years later in a newspaper ad on 20 Dec 1925, he's listed as a "Consulting, Developing Landscape Engineer" for the San Pedro Arms apartment building which was touted in the San Antonio Express newspaper as "San Antonio's Newest and Most Modern Apartment Building."  And his business address is listed as well, which made identifying him a lot easier.  [How lucky can I get, right?]  I'm inclined to think this building development may have been where he added real estate to his list of business activities.  Just a guess, though.

Emma is listed as Big Paw Paw's wife until 1923 in historical land records that I have found on the County Clerk's website for Bexar County.  [All of them digitized & available for free. ~ "God love 'em," as my Gran and mom used to say.]  The twelve-page listing of his land records [Yes, I said, "TWELVE."] is a veritable goldmine of information on my grandfather's business transactions, at least, the ones involving land.  He didn't just have a house and building wrecking company and lumber yards.  He purchased real estate, wrecked [if necessary] homes, built homes, sold and/or rented homes.  It's apparent to me from these records that Big Paw Paw liked to be involved in all aspects of the real estate process.  My dad always said he had a home & building wrecking company, but he also told me his dad had taught him to be a carpenter.  I have several photos of my dad when he was little on the work-site with Big Paw Paw.  It seems that Big Paw Paw believed in learning how to work hard from an early age, and that's probably where my dad got that silly idea from and why I began working for my dad at the age of 8.   Additionally, after my dad graduated from college there are land transactions that he executed on my grandfather's behalf, which coincides with what my dad told me about him working for Big Paw Paw early on in his and my mother's marriage.  It makes me wonder why the "home & building wrecking company" memory was bigger to my dad than the rest of the business that Big Paw Paw did.  

Maybe Big Paw Paw didn't talk much about his business activities.  I'm guessing Big Paw Paw wasn't much of a talker.  Period.  Well, it does seem, though, that he was a big talker with the women.  

[For what it's worth, I think he was pretty good lookin', and apparently I'm not alone in my thinkin'.]

Speaking of Big Paw Paw's women, I haven't found Emma on any transactions after 1923, nor have I found a death certificate for her.  She just vanishes into thin air, or she got the hell outta Dodge.  However, Big Paw Paw's land transactions continue consistently, and amongst them is an affidavit dated 5 Dec 1927 [but filed 19 Mar 1928] where he's talking about how he had purchased a particular piece of property before his marriage to his wife Oveta Marshall who had left him 6 months ago, and that she had no interest in this particular property.  Now, I know some of what goes on with Oveta and this property, especially what identifies this Joseph Marshall as Big Paw Paw, but I don't know the whole story.  Like, who the heck is Oveta?  Is this Emma?  However, their divorce story is waiting for me.  In another land transaction in 1928 that pertains to this property, to Oveta, and to Big Paw Paw, everyone was kind enough to leave me the cause number and judicial district court that the divorce was filed in.  [Thank you.]  

Anyhow, I haven't even begun to scratch the surface of Big Paw Paw and his wives and women.  And since Big Paw Paw apparently left really nice paper trails, I suspect I'll be finding a lot more about them.  At this point, it seems that the women that dealt with Big Paw Paw warrant a story and post of their own [and quite possibly a medal, in my humble opinion.  *rolling eyes heavenward*]

While Oveta Marshall never appears in any land transactions, if indeed Oveta is not Emma, Big Paw Paw has a ton more of land transactions through right after he died in 1968.  These last transactions were carried out by the executrix of his will, who interestingly wasn't my grandmother.  [But I'll leave that to his wives' and women's post.]  His land purchases, like so many others at the time, made the newspapers.  [Thank God.]  Big Paw Paw also used the classified section to sell and/or rent his homes.  All of these write-ups and ads in the newspapers usually included his address.  Below is an example of 2 of his many purchases.  It's from a write-up in 5 Apr 1936 in the San Antonio Express "Real Estate and Classified" section where he purchased 2 properties from a Mr. Wm. F. Schutz in San Antonio.  What's so neat about this one is there are articles on the same page describing the rapid growth of San Antonio, how it was starting to drive-up the prices of real estate, and they were encouraging buyers to buy now before the prices went up.  It appears to me that Big Paw Paw was right in the middle of all this real estate hullabaloo, better known as the San Antonio housing boom that started in the 1920's.  Of course, buying houses at the time would turn out to be a big mistake for most people as the Great Depression was right around the corner, and many of these same people who bought homes would be losing them.  However, the enterprising person that he was, Big Paw Paw was right there to rent them a house.

Additionally, I found in the 4 May 1935 issue of the San Antonio Express where he'd made a formal complaint of "theft of residence" against a Mr. Ben Nathan of the Loan & Wrecking Company.  Apparently they were squabbling over who actually owned a particular house and property and Mr. Nathan had already taken the house apart and reused the lumber in several new houses.  Big Paw Paw claimed he had owned the property and that Mr. Nathan had stolen it from him.  No outcome was printed in the paper, so I'll have to go down to the courthouse for that one.  I have a feeling that they're gonna know me at the courthouse almost as much as they knew my Big Paw Paw.  [Snort.]

Some of Big Paw Paw's personal life can be gleaned from the newspapers as well.  [Thank God.]  In the San Antonio Light on 3 Jul 1937, I found where he'd filed a lawsuit in the 45th District Court against his older sister Jane Rosin over a title and for damages.  Now because of the date, I have an inkling as to what this was about, but I need those records to know for sure.  [And I'm SO gonna get my hands on those records. ]

Likewise, Big Paw Paw filed for divorce [again?] from an Ola Mae Marshall and the notice was listed in the San Antonio Light newspaper on 28 May 1936.  I have some suspicions about this marriage and divorce, and when I get my little hands on those records and figure out all his wives and women, I'll let you know. [rolling eyes heavenward]

Additionally, I had some more luck in the city directories for Big Paw Paw and my grandmother that yielded me not only addresses, but the name of his company, Burnet Wrecking Company.  I'm guessing that he named his company after Burnet Street located in San Antonio, which is named after David G. Burnet who was the first provisional President of the Republic of Texas.  Just a guess though.

Also, Big Paw Paw was not afraid, apparently, to do business outside his comfort zone because there are several classified ads where he was selling some horses and some puppies in the San Antonio Light newspaper.  Basically, I think Big Paw Paw found opportunities to make a buck and wasn't afraid to capitalize on them.

The old-fashioned way.

The American way.

How else and where else could the youngest son of a Prussian immigrant farmer go from being a fisherman in the Gulf of Mexico to a wheelin' and dealin' businessman in San Antonio, Texas?

As I mentioned before, I never knew my Big Paw Paw, and he certainly never promised me a "rose garden," but he certainly gave me the "fertilizer" and "green thumb" in order to grow one.  And you can bet your bottom dollar that I'll be sharing more of his "rose gardens" with you.  

In the meantime, go see if some of your ancestors lived their lives in the papers.

The newspapers, that is.

You never know.  They may have been married to my Big Paw Paw, or maybe he sued them.  [Snort.] 

Sources and Credits:

Handbook of Texas Online, s.v. "," http://www.tshaonline.org/handbook/online/articles/SS/hds2.html (accessed 4 Mar 2010).

The San Antonio Housing Authority: The Evolution of Public Housing.  www.saha.org/aboutsaha//pdfs/Publications/01%20Evolution%201.2pdf (accessed 4 Mar 2010).

"1910 United States Census," database, Ancestry.com, (http://www.ancestry.com : accessed Jan 2007), entry for Joseph Marschall (age 17), p.4A, Galveston, Texas; citing "NA film no. T624-1554."


"1920 United States Census," database, Ancestry.com, (http://www.ancestry.com : accessed Jan 2007), entry for Joseph Marshall (age 27), p.4A, San Antonio, Texas; citing "NA film no. T625-1779."

Ann M. Tolley, Archives Technician, National Personnel Records Center, St. Louis Missouri, to Caroline Pointer, letter, 18 Oct 2007, summation of military personnel records of Joseph Marshall; Marshall Family, Caroline Pointer's Research Files; privately held by Caroline Pointer, Conroe, Texas.


"The San Pedro Arms," San Antonio Express, 20 Dec 1925, p.A5; digital image, Ancestry.com (http://www.ancestry.com : accessed 28 Feb 2010), Historical Newspaper Collection.


"Business Leasing New Sites Here," San Antonio Express, 5 Apr 1936, Real Estate & Classified section, col.4; digital image, Ancestry.com (http://www.ancestry.com : accessed 28 Feb 2010), Historical Newspaper Collection. 




"Theft of Residence Charged in Complaint," San Antonio Express, 4 May 1935, p.16, col.2; digital image, Ancestry.com (http://www.ancestry.com : 28 Feb 2010, Historical Newspaper Collection.


"Courts: New Suits Filed in 45th District Court, Judge S.G. Taylor," San Antonio Light, 3 Jul 1937, p.12B, col.1; digital image, Ancestry.com (http://www.ancestry.com : 28 Feb 2010), Historical Newspaper Collection.

"Courts: New Suits Filed in 37th District Court, Judge Harry L. Howard," San Antonio Light, 28 May 1936, p.12B, col.7; digital image, Ancestry.com (http://www.ancestry.com : 28 Feb 2010), Historical Newspaper Collection.

John F. Worley Directory Co, Worley's San Antonio City Directory, 1938-1939 (John F. Worley Co., 1939), 848; digital image, Ancestry.com (http://www.ancestry.com : 28 Feb 2010), U.S. City Directories.

John F. Worley Directory Co, Worley's San Antonio City Directory, 1938-1939 (John F. Worley Co., 1939), 170; digital image, Ancestry.com (http://www.ancestry.com : 28 Feb 2010), U.S. City Directories.

John F. Worley Directory Co, Worley's San Antonio City Directory, 1948 (John F. Worley Co., 1948), 679; digital image, Ancestry.com (http://www.ancestry.com : 28 Feb 2010), U.S. City Directories.

"Bexar County, 1837-1963 Historical Records," Bexar County Clerk's Office, Bexar County, Texas - County Clerk (http://www.countyclerk.bexar.landata.com/Default.aspx : Mar 2007), database and digital images, "Deed, Emma Marshall Grantee and Joseph Marshall Grantor, 21 May 1923," bk 724, p.203.


"Bexar County, 1837-1963 Historical Records," Bexar County Clerk's Office, Bexar County, Texas - County Clerk (http://www.countyclerk.bexar.landata.com/Default.aspx : Mar 2007), database and digital images, "Affidavit, Joseph Marshall, Filed 7 Mar 1928," bk 1019, p.3.

"Bexar County, 1837-1963 Historical Records," Bexar County Clerk's Office, Bexar County, Texas - County Clerk (http://www.countyclerk.bexar.landata.com/Default.aspx : Mar 2007), database and digital images, "Transfer, Joseph Marshall, Jr., Grantor and B.J. Cater, Grantee, 17 Jan 1962," bk.555, p.551.

"Bexar County, 1837-1963 Historical Records," Bexar County Clerk's Office, Bexar County, Texas - County Clerk (http://www.countyclerk.bexar.landata.com/Default.aspx : Mar 2007), database and digital images, "Deed of Trust, John & Josephine Marschall, Jr. Grantor and Farm and Home Savings and Loan Grantee, 17 Mar 1928," bk.1052, p.159.