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.

Setting the Setting

Please note: this is post #5 of an ongoing research problem that involves an old arson case from 1957, in which a house fire occurred, killing my Paw Paw's [grandmother's] brother, Roscoe Martin and all four of his children.  For better clarity, here are the previous posts:

He Had Me at "Detective"
Here's My Plan, Stan
Somehow, Someway, and Someday 
Technological Shores of the Internet

What Was Going On In 1957?
 This was the question I asked myself when trying to place Roscoe and his family in a time and place.  In order to understand what was going on at the time that Roscoe and his 4 children were killed in a house fire that was ruled as arson, we need to understand what was going on in the world as a whole, in the United States, in Vienna, Johnson County, Illinois, and in my branch of the family.  Will this provide any direct answers to who set the fire?  I don't know.  Probably not, but it will help to understand the times.  We have progressed so far in technology, and we get caught up in the "now" that we either forget or we just don't plain know what life was like "back in the day."  Here's a short, but informative video, entitled "The 50's - What Happened in 1957?" from One Special Dream Studio on YouTube that gives us a glimpse of what was going on in 1957: 





Pretty cool, huh?  Both the addition of video to Family Stories and the actual video itself.  [Why didn't I go high-tech sooner?]

Little Egypt
Johnson County, Illinois is located in the southernmost part of Illinois.  The culture of this area is markedly different than the rest of Illinois because the pioneers who settled here were mostly from the south [i.e., Tennessee, Kentucky, North Carolina, Virginia, etc.]  As most people do, when they migrated they brought their beliefs, their religion, their culture, etc. and set-up shop, so to speak, for better or for worse, in southern Illinois.  The culture in this area is more like St. Girardeau, Missouri and/or Paducah, Kentucky than it is the rest of Illinois.  Quite a few of these pioneers were descendants of folks who were from the mountains ~ first in North Carolina, then in Tennessee.  This area was nicknamed "Little Egypt" in the 1830's.  It's believed that when the the rest of Illinois experienced bad harvests, settlers traveled south in order to buy grain from the southern region of Illinois where harvests were good, just as in Egypt as told in the Genesis 41:57 and 41:1-3.  There are several places in southern Illinois named after places in Egypt, such as Cairo, Illinois [pronounced Cay-row].  Southern Illinois was also a place that had decidedly torn loyalties during the Civil War, and these torn loyalties were the impetus for many family feuds that occurred in Johnson County as well as Williamson County [north of Johnson County].  Furthermore, southern Illinois was an important area for the Union side due to the accessible waterways and for the crops that were grown there, namely cotton and tobacco.  In addition, coal mining and the railroad were key industries here as well.  Below is a map of Johnson, County, Illinois where Roscoe lived and where he died with place markers.  I also included place markers for towns where Nelson and Mary Casteel Martin settled as well as Roscoe's father and grandfather.  Nelson and Mary were Roscoe's great-grandparents that migrated from Wayne County, Tennessee to Johnson County before 1850 and were the subjects of my Saturday Surname post this past weekend.








View Johnson County, Illinois in a larger map  

From the Perspective of My Branch of the Tree
So, what was going on in my branch of the family tree at the same time?  My dad had graduated from Breckenridge High School in San Antonio, Texas, married my mother, and had begun classes at Texas A&M University in College Station, Texas in 1955.  My parents were living in College Station, Texas in 1957, and had just had their first child the previous year.  My Paw Paw [my father's mother and Roscoe's sister] was living in San Antonio, Texas and my dad's sister had just graduated high school there before the summer of 1957 when Roscoe and his children were killed.  Roscoe's and Paw Paw's father, Joel Arthur Martin had passed away in 1948 at the age of 76 in Johnson County, Illinois and was buried in Taylor Cemetery.

So hopefully this gives us a better idea of the time and place in which Roscoe and his family had been living.  As more family members are found and more details are uncovered, I will add placemarkers to this map.  As I mentioned earlier, I don't know if this will help me find more clues, but it definitely gives me the "lay of the land," and helps to fill-in some details in Roscoe's story.



Sources and Credits:
 Ford, Jeffrey, narrator. The 50's - What Happened in 1957?. Video tribute. Digital video. One Special Dream Studio, 2007. You Tube. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8-TpEsSjhgA : 2009.

Egyptian Area Agency on Aging. The History of Southern Illinois. http://www.egyptianaaa.org/SI-History2.htm : 2009.

Adventures in Preservation.  Southernmost Illinois History. http://www.southernmostillinoishistory.net/civilwar.htm : 2009.

All photos in slideshow (courtesy of Photobucket) are privately held by Mrs. Caroline Martin Pointer, Conroe, Texas, 2008.

SNGF ~ One of the Nicest Things

On his blog, "Genea-Musings,"  Randy Seaver every Saturday issues a writing mission ~ Saturday Night Genealogy Fun.  This Saturday the mission ~if we choose to accept it~ is the following:

1. What is the Nicest Thing another genealogist did for you, or to you, in the last week or so?  (If you have no examples for this past week, go back in time - surely someone has done a nice thing for you in recent years!)

2.  Tell us about it in your own blog post, in a comment to this blog post, in a comment on Facebook, or in a tweet on Twitter.


I Accept Your Challenge and Raise You Many Nice Things
Well, Randy, I do choose to accept your challenge.  My hurdle to jump is not finding a recent "nice thing," but is trying to remember all of the "nice things" that have been done for or to me this week by other genealogists.  The genealogy community is so welcoming, so generous, and so, well, just plain wonderful.  This, frankly, is a problem I can definitely live with!  [Can I hear an, "Amen?"]

[cue Julie Andrews' singing "These Are A Few of My Favorite Things" from "Sound of Music"] 

These Are A Few of My Favorite "Nicest Things":
I have received not one, not two, but three Kreativ Blogger Awards this week from Greta [Greta's Genealogy Bog], from Felicia [My NOLA Heritage], and from Jennifer [Jennifer's Genealogy Blog].  It is always wonderful to win an award for something you do and/or have done, is it not?  I can tell you it's even better when your peers give you that award!  Thank you so much!  It lets me know that all that time I take trying to get an image "just right" or a word, paragraph, and/or an idea "just right" is worth the time and trouble.  It makes it worth it to know that others are reading and watching and are enjoying it.  That is very gratifying and is definitely a "nice thing."  Thank you!

When the Dog Bites...
If you've been keeping up with my Roscoe Martin Family Murder Mystery, then you know that I am pretty heavily encouraging interaction from those who read my blog.  For me, it's all about the goal ~ finding out who killed them and why they were killed.  I don't know everything, and I am willing to receive any help that anyone can give.  And this is where the generous genealogy community comes in to play ~ not to mention those who aren't even a part of the genealogy community.  I have had input on my strategy posted in "Here's My Plan, Stan" ranging from supportive opinions to helpful suggestions.  Gini [Ginisology], Mavis [Georgia Black Crackers], and Joy [JoyintheBurbs She has great pics of the wedding we went to in NOLA last weekend on her blog...yes, she's an IRL ~in real life~ acquaintance of mine] all echoed my thoughts of foul play in this case.  Sheri Fenley [The Educated Genealogist] and Jennifer [Jennifer's Genealogy Blog] had suggestions for me ~ things I hadn't thought of.  How cool is that?  And all of them along with Craig Manson [GeneaBlogie] were very supportive and encouraging.  To all of them, I say thank you!

When the Bee Stings...
Likewise, on my post from last night, "Technological Shores of the Internet" ~ a continuation of the murder mystery ~ I received 2 supportive and encouraging comments from Herstoryan [who's practically a neighbor of mine.  I bet we've walked by each other in the mall or library and just didn't know it.  How 'bout lunch this week ~ real life, not virtual?] and Missy [Bayside Research Services ~ love her blog header.  I'm in it.  Go look.  I'm on the beach.  See, I'm the hot chick [snort] waving with one hand and holding a huge margarita in the other hand...]  Seriously, though, I appreciate the feedback.  It keeps me going when searching for my family story.  Of course, this doesn't even take into account all the Twitter retweets and feedback that I've received during the week...all of them gifts that I treasure!

When I'm Feeling Sad Grateful...
"Thank you," just doesn't seem enough, but I'll say it anyway.  Thank you.

These Are A Few of my Favorite "Nicest Things"

Surname Saturday ~ Martin

Have You Seen This Surname?
At times, it seems as if my Martin's came from, well, nowhere.  Everyone, I'm sure, who researches their family lines feels like this from time to time.  Ah, but no one comes from nowhere ~ so we must press on ~ diligently looking for our family, turning over every rock.

Wanted!
So, here's my "wanted" poster for my Martin family line.  Yes, I am aware that this is an extremely common name, but it doesn't hurt to try, right?  Here's what I do know:

• Nelson Martin [my 3rd great grandfather] was born abt. 1820 in North Carolina.  [No pesky details to clutter up this story.  No sireee.]
• Nelson Martin moved to Wayne Co, TN sometime bet. 1820 and 1841.  [Alas, no travel log left behind.  I guess they thought no one would care when they moved or who they moved with  They thought wrong...]
• Nelson Martin married Mary Ann "Polly" Casteel in Wayne Co, TN in 1841. [I'm so glad he didn't marry someone with a common name.  I mean, why make it harder? ;) ]
• Nelson & Mary [Casteel] Martin ~ their first 4 children were born in Wayne Co., TN: Joel Harrison b.1842 [my 2nd great-grandfather]; William Green b.1844; Genoria Ann b.1846; and Andrew Taylor b.1847.
• Nelson, Mary, and their 4 children moved to Johnson Co, IL sometime bet. 1847 and 1850.  [Could you imagine?  Almost 400 miles with the little kiddos?  I wonder if they heard the phrase, "Are we there yet?" a few times.]
• The Martin's are said to have known and traveled with at least 2 other families: the Kerley's and the West's.
• The Kerley Family: Daniel and Mary "Polly" [?] Kerley and their son Osburne Kerley.  [Well, I'm glad that my Mary "Polly" had another Mary "Polly" with whom to discuss the importance of...being a Mary "Polly"?]
• The West Family: Woodson and Martha [Casteel] West.  [This Martha Casteel is thought to be a sister of Mary...Perfect, Mary and Martha, get it?]
• Not only is it said that these 3 families knew & traveled with each other, but it's been said that Daniel & Mary "Polly" Kerley raised both Nelson and Woodson as their own along with their son Osburne.  [Why?  Why?  Oh, why?]
• In the 1850 census Nelson Martin and his family are living with Daniel Kerley and his family in Johnson Co., IL.  ["Polly?"  "Yes," they replied in unison.]
• In the 1850 census in Johnson Co, IL, Woodson West and his family are living nearby the Kerley's and the Martin's, and Osburne Kerley and his family are living nearby his parents, the Martin's and the West's. [Snug as a bug in a rug.]
• In May 1851, Nelson's and Mary "Polly's" fifth child is born: Martha Jane.
• In July 1851, Nelson buys his first 40 acres of land in Johnson Co., IL ~ near all the "fam."
• In May of 1852, Nelson buys his second 40 acres of land in Johnson Co, IL.
• Nelson and Mary "Polly" Martin go on to have 5 more children in Johnson Co, IL: James Henry b.1854; Mary E. b.1855; Nelson Alexander "Nell" b.1861; Rosencious b.1863; and John Franklin b.1870.
• Nelson Martin died 7 Jul 1887 from  "debility from malignant tumor" as per his death record.
• It's been said that Nelson was a Republican in a decidedly Democrat county in southern Illinois, having been one of only 40 votes for Abraham Lincoln in 1860 in Johnson Co., IL back in the day when your vote was made vocally...in front of everyone.  [Douglass received 1563 votes.]
• It's been said that Nelson Martin served as Justice of the Peace and was a farmer in Johnson Co, IL.
• It's been said that Mary "Polly" was a midwife and knew herbal medicines, and was said to have had her own horse and buggy in order to make house calls.
• Two of Nelson and Mary "Polly's" sons ~ Joel Harrsion [my 2 great-gf] and William Green ~ both served in the Civil War for the Union side.

Please note: Anytime that I used the phrase, "It's been said..." means this information is not verified, but I included it just in case it "rings a bell" with another researcher.  [A girl can hope...]  However, I wish I knew more about Nelson's origins, and more about the relationship between him and the Kerley's and the West's.

So, have you seen this surname ~ MARTIN?

Technological Shores of the Internet

“All you need is the plan, the road map, and the courage to press on to your destination.” ~ Earl Nightingale Quotes [U.S. Motivational writer and author, 1921-1989 from ThinkExist.com]

You Are Here
On the second post, “Here's my Plan, Stan,” concerning Roscoe Martin, his family, and the tragedy that befell them, I spoke of my plan and promised the strategy in which I will use to implement the plan.  So this post is my “road map” to finding who killed my grandmother's brother and his four children in a house fire 14 Jul 1957 in Vienna, Johnson County, Illinois, and why.  After this “road map” post, I will be “stepping-up” the Roscoe posts with detailed accounts of my searching with screen shots and everything.  This way you'll know exactly how I'm searching ~ not just where.  As always, if you have suggestions, please feel free to chime in with help.  This is a “win-win” because I can derive help from others, and hopefully, others can derive some help from me.

They Saw My Light
I mentioned in my last post, “Somehow, Someway, & Someday,” of how the genea-gods favored me with a smile, giving me genea-bliss in the form of a distant cousin.  A distant cousin who knew Roscoe.  A distant cousin who Roscoe nicknamed his first son after.  A distant cousin who will be sending me information about this tragedy.  I'd like to take a moment and point out the “vital importance of being earnest” in your family story search.  To not leave any stone unturned.  To walk down every avenue, known and unknown, in searching for your family story, for your earnestness will indeed payoff.  Certainly, this isn't the first time that I've been contacted by a “distant cousin” who, too, is researching their family story, but it is the first time I've been contacted by a distant cousin who has some of the specific information that I seek.  That's a good feeling, to say the least.  It's good to know that the time that I've taken to set-up familial beacons on the technological shores of the internet have not been in vain, for it's proof that the familial “ships” really do see the light on the shore through breaks in the darkness and the distance of time.

This Road Map is Written in Pencil
Here is the “road map” that I intend to use to guide me to the answers that I seek.  This is not written in stone, but will change as the search goes on.  As new information is gathered and assessed, this road map will indeed change.  For example, when I receive the information from my distant cousin, I will update this list, hopefully, crossing items off the list, but knowing genealogy, it will probably bring more things to add to the list. ;)
 

Correspondence

• Mail application and $13 check to the Johnson County Historical & Genealogical Society.
• Mail request & check for Roscoe's Social Security Application.
• Mail request for military records [National Archives].
• Contact Barnett family researcher of this same area.  See if any relation to Police Chief Barnett.
• Contact Vaughn family researcher to see if has any info.  [Roscoe's maternal grandmother, Catherine Caroline, was a Vaughn.]

Update Online Familial Beacons

• Place a new query on Ancestry's message board on the Martin surname board as well as the Johnson County, Illinois board.
• Place a new query on the Rootsweb Martin mail list and the ILJohnson mail list.
• Place a new query on the Genforum Martin surname board as well as the Johnson County, Illinois board.
• Place new queries on the Genealogy Wise Martin surname group and Illinois group.  Also search for southern Illinois and/or Johnson County, Illinois groups.
• Search Ancestry's family trees looking for others who have Roscoe and/or Norma.
• Search Rootsweb's WorldConnect family trees for others who have Roscoe and/or Norma.
• Add pertinent info to My Heritage tree, Dynastree tree, and Family Link tree.
• Notate any researchers on the above boards and make contact with them.
• Surname Saturday on Twitter and on blog: post names, names, & names.  Saturday's blog post will be a re-cap of the week's research in hopes of connecting with someone who knows something.
• Promote research on Facebook and Genealogy Wise page.
• Check Diigo.
  

  Phone Calls:

• Johnson County Sheriff's Dept. to find where the sheriff's department's reports from 1957 would be located for arson cases, if they still exist.  Also inquire about the Medical Examiner's report and its location. [The ME suggestion is from Sheri Fenley ~ thanks Sheri!]
• My aunt [dad's sister]: See what she knows ~ told to her by my Paw Paw, Roscoe's sister.

 

Systematic Online Search:

• FamilySearch.org: Consult outline for research in Illinois, search for available materials & make a “to order”/to do list; search databases for available info, and notate other researchers.
• Illinois Regional Archives Depository / Southern Illinois University: looking for available pertinent records such as Roscoe's birth certificate, etc.  Also see just what is available.
• Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library, Springfield, IL: look for instructions for search in the Vienna Times [A suggestion made by Jennifer.  Thanks Jennifer!]
• Ancestry.com: Find pertinent databases; search found databases.
• National Archives & Record Administration: Find info to obtain military records.
• Heritage Quest/ProQuest: Search for books in Johnson County, Illinois and/or books concerning Martin surname.
• Google Books: Search for books on Johnson County, Illinois and/or Martin surname.
• PERSI: Check for articles concerning Johnson County, Illinois and/or Martin surname.
• USGenWeb: for Johnson County, Illinois: run searches for pertinent names & places; place query.
• Genealogy Trails for Illinois: run searches for pertinent names and places; place query.
• Interment.net: run search for Roscoe and children; if positive, contact poster of info.
• Google [general search]: timeline and history of the lie detector test.
• Google Genealogy Search: run searches for Roscoe & others involved.
• Google Earth, Google Maps, & Historic Map Works for applicable maps of area.
• Find A Grave: look to see any if any other possible relatives have left virtual flowers on any of these family members' virtual memorials.  Make contact.
• Montgomery County Memorial Library [online database]: Perform searches for Johnson County, Illinois & Martin surname.
• Clayton Genealogical Library [online databases]: Perform searches in catalog & for microfilm for Johnson County, Illinois and Martin surname.

Visit and Research:
Montgomery County Memorial Library
Clayton Genealogical Library
Local Family History Center

Courage?  Check.  Plan?  [Just Call Me Stan.]  Check.  Road Map?  Check.
So, have I forgotten anything?  The above is listed in the order in which I plan to complete it.  Some can be done simultaneously [ah, the joys of a laptop and a desktop].  As I mentioned before, I will be going into detail as to how I'm searching online with screen shots [Hey, I'm going high-tech!  Thanks to Denise for her review on her blog Family Matters of Jing which I downloaded and plan to use for screen shots.]  Also I use Gensmarts, and I will be sharing how I use that as well in my research.  As you can probably guess and as I mentioned above, I will be increasing my posts on this particular research problem.  It will be technical, but I believe that the search can be a part of the family story.  Remember, it's interactive, so feel free to tell me what you think.  Well, time to go because it looks like I've got a mountain to climb...

Credits:
All images from Microsoft Office Clip Art.

Somehow, Someway, and Someday

Roscoe, Centaurs, and Genea-Bliss
I know I promised in my last "Roscoe" post an outline of my strategy for this post, but when the mythological genea-gods smile down on you, well, you must take the opportunity to perform the thankful "Genea-Happy Dance..."  [Yes, I have "Greek" mythology on the mind.  Thanks to the person ~you know who you are~ for putting it there.]

The mythological genealogy gods work behind the scenes like invisible hands sometimes "toying" with us for their amusement alone, leaving us frustrated when we cannot scale that proverbial "brick wall".  However, sometimes when we least expect it they look down upon us mere mortals and favor us with a token of genea-bliss.  I don't know what I did [set-up a bunch of online familial beacons, maybe?], if anything, to deserve a mythical genea-nod but I know better than to look a gift centaur in the mouth.  I'm taking it, and running away quickly before they can change their minds.  So, what's my token of genea-bliss, you ask?  Well, are you sitting down?

My Internet Bread Crumbs

Remember in my last "Roscoe" post I shared how I had found online memorials of Roscoe and his children on Find A Grave?  They had been entered by a wife of a distant cousin with a brief note on the fire that had killed them.  In addition, I added my photos to their memorials.  At the time, I had made a mental note to contact her, but I wasn't researching Roscoe at the time, but some other "Martin's".  Plus, this was before I found out that the fire had been ruled as arson.  I recently updated the photos in Find A Grave with some [hopefully] better looking photos.  Now, this is where the hands of the mythological genea-gods come into play.  From what I can tell, the wife of my distant cousin who set the memorials up and/or my distant cousin happened to check the memorials.  They saw the photos that I had added as well as my notes.  Then they somehow found my Genealogy Wise page, became members at Genealogy Wise [is there a referral incentive program? ;) ], read my latest Family Stories blog post that shows up on my  GW page that featured Roscoe, and posted answers to some of my questions I had posted.  Here's some of what my distant cousin posted on my Genealogy Wise wall:

We were glad to see the pictures you entered.  We are the only ones who have ever put flowers on their grave.  We have never missed a Memorial Day.  I guess you know all five are buried in one grave.  The fire was so hot that they were buried together.  Roscoe has a veterans memorial but the children have no monument.  Roscoe's widow hasn't been dead that long and is buried at Taylor with a nice rock close to Roscoe and the children.  My grandmother was Ida Martin Taylor and a sister of Joel Arthur Martin (Grandma always called him Bub and Mother and others always called him Uncle Bub), so the Martin's are my family also.  When John Winston was a baby they let  my Mother Addie May take him.  Roscoe nicknamed him Jackie after me.  I was about 11 at the time and remember him well.  Mother and my Stepdad wanted to adopt him, Roscoe was willing but Norma took him back.

About the lie detector test, one of the State men that gave it told Uncle Bent that they were the meanest people he had ever given the test.  They could lie and never show it.  This was never published but passed from Uncle Bent to my Mother to me so I believe it.  There is some history I can give you about our Martins and family and community remarks about the fire.  The house belonged to Mother and Roscoe's cousin, Addie and Charlie Cheek.  The house was located in the country just off Route 45 before you get to Vienna.  I was raised on down the country road from there.  It was a small house but was a two story house with 2 rooms upstairs.  That is where the children were.  They never had a chance.  I also have the death certificates of the 5 if you want a copy.  Also copies of the cemetery and where they are buried.

My distant cousin also found my email, or maybe my contact button on my blog.  Here is some additional information:

"After I hear from you, I will send more info that I have by e-mail or reg. mail however you prefer.  My grandma Ida was your Great G'Father's sister...My wife was excited that you found Roscoe and the children on Find A Grave.  She put them on because she didn't want them forgotten..."

Wow, huh?  It's a lot of information to digest.  There are many things of interest, and I will tackle them in length in my next post, provided the seances I have planned this weekend while in New Orleans for a wedding at St. Patrick's Church don't produce some "connections".  That's a joke.  Well, the seance part is a joke.  The New Orleans wedding at St. Patrick's Church is not, but wouldn't that be cool if we could actually talk with our ancestors instead of trying to read their minds?  [Of course, that would take all the fun out of it...]

So, Do You Have a Nickname?
Now, I'd like to point out that some of the information that my distant cousin has already provided and the info that he is willing to share is exactly what my blog, "Family Stories" is all about.  Certainly, names, birth dates, and death dates are welcome and important, but where else would I find out that my Great-Grandfather was affectionately called  "Bub" by his sister Ida and "Uncle Bub" by other family members?  My Paw Paw called him "Pop" as indicated on her photos of him.  So, this is another piece of my great-grandfather's story.  [It also makes me think about my loved ones' nicknames for me.  Do I have them written down somewhere?  Well, the ones that I actually like, that is...]

Yes, I Have a "Thing" for Jewelry
It's also interesting to note how the info he gave me compliments the info that I've been able to assemble on my own.  It reminds me of the "multi-faceted-ness" of family stories.  [Yes, I'm making up words now.  Just "go" with it.]  How, as the family stories are created, the family members are all a part of it as it occurs.  Each family member representing a "facet" of the gem ~ the family story, and when the light actually shines on another facet of the family story, well, it's just that more beautiful, is it not?

There's That Word Again...Forgotten
My distant cousin mentioned that his wife put the memorials on Find A Grave "...because she didn't want them forgotten..."  And that is what it seems to "boil down to" every time, doesn't it? We want our ancestors and loved ones to not be forgotten.  So we search, we write, and we search a little more, then write a little more.  All so they won't be forgotten.  No matter how they lived.  No matter how they died.  They will not be forgotten, which is why somehow, someway, and someday Roscoe's children ~ Jack, Bill, Jerry, and Cheryl ~ will have a tombstone...in remembrance.  They will not be forgotten and neither will their story.

So, now you know why I am in genea-bliss right now, albeit with a herd of centaurs chasing me.  [A group of centaurs is a herd, right? ;) ]

Sources:
Martin Research Files. Privately held by Caroline M. Pointer, [ E-address & street address for private use,] Conroe, Texas.

Shii. Image of Athena and Jason on Cup made by Douris ca. 480-470 B.C. [Digital Image]. 2006. Public Domain.  
 (http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Douris_cup_Jason_Vatican_16545.jpg : accessed Nov 2009 at Wikimedia Commons).

Clicgauche. Bronze Young Centaure Malmaison. [Digital Image]. 2006. Public Domain. (http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Centaure_Malmaison_crop.jpg : accessed Nov 2009 at Wikimedia Commons).

 Dic-as. Diamond La Luz de Dia. [Digital Image]. 2003. Public Domain. (http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Diamant_la_luz_de_dia.jpg : accessed Nov 2009 at Wikimedia Commons).

Michael, Nick. Beham, (Hans) Sebald (1500-1550): Buffoon and Two Bathing Women (P. 216, B. 214), copperplate engraving, 1542, a good impression of the first or second state of four, trimmed just inside the platemark, retaining a strip of blank paper outside the borderline. [Digital Image]. 2006. Public Domain. (http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Hercules_fighting_the_Centaurs.jpg : accessed Nov 2009 at Wikimedia Commons).

Here's My Plan, Stan

[Note: This is a series of posts that is an investigation of 5 murders.  The first post was "He Had Me At 'Detective,'" and this post is my plan of attack, so to speak.]


Here's the Problem:

If the fire that killed my grandmother's brother, Roscoe Benton Martin, and his four children in 1957 was ruled as arson, then who killed them?  Whether the arson investigation was solved or not, who set the fire and why?

So, What Do I Know?

• Roscoe Benton Martin was born on 19 Mar 1911 in Bloomfield, Johnson County, Illinois to Joel Arthur Martin and Lillie May (Alley) Martin. He was the second of four children in total and the first of three children surviving to adulthood.
• His mother, Lillie May died 6 Jun 1918 when Roscoe was 7yo.
• Roscoe is found with his father and two sisters in Stonefort, Williamson County, Illinois in the 1920 population census.
• Roscoe was in the United States Army [as per 2 photographs of my grandmother's now in my possession].
• Roscoe was living with his two sisters, Rettie Maye and Mabel Irene in Precinct 8, Fort Bend County, Texas in the 1930 population census.
• Roscoe married Norma Ethel Conroy sometime before 1942 in Johnson County, Illinois.
• Roscoe and Norma had four children: Jack, Bill, Jerry, and Cheryl Maye [exact dates need verification].
• Norma Ethel Conroy was born abt. 1922 in Johnson County, Illinois to Emmett Cecil Conroy and Frieda A. Hall. Her siblings were William N. Conroy and Raymond Lester Conroy.
• According to my grandmother, Roscoe died in a house fire trying to save his children in Illinois.
• Information found in two newspaper articles (The Hammond Times 16 Jul 1957 and 17 Jul 1957 accessed on Ancestry.com) is as follows:

1. Roscoe (46yo), John (14yo), William (12yo), Jerry (10yo), and Cheryl (3yo) were all killed Sunday, 14 Jul 1957 in a house fire approximately 6 miles north of Vienna, Illinois.
2. Don Pender (a guest in the home), Roscoe, and a Billy McCuan (from nearby Tunnell Hill) were all “in the home prior to the fire”.
3. Norma Martin, Roscoe's wife, escaped from the fire “uninjured”.
4. The fire was reported by Don Pender, who also escaped the fire.
5. “Billy McCuan was found sleeping in his car near the home.”
6. An empty 5-gallon gasoline can was found outside the home and two rooms in the home were found to have gasoline in them, leading investigators to suspect arson.
7. “The bodies were retrieved from under a portion of the tin roof.”
8. “Firemen were hindered due to a lack of water near the residence and had to draw water from a nearby pond.”
9. “Three state investigators, armed with a lie detector, launched an arson investigation.”
10. Norma Martin (Roscoe's wife), Don Pender, and Billy McCuan were all “given a lie detector test and were completely cleared from any connection to the fire.”
11. The Johnson County, Illinois sheriff at the time was Orlan Cox.
12. The police chief (of Vienna?) was Bill Barnett.
13. After the lie detector test, Sheriff Cox still felt that it was arson, but “had no leads.”
    

What Do Others Know?

Online memorials were found on findagrave:

• A wife of a distant cousin created online memorials on Findagrave for Roscoe, John, William, Jerry, and Cheryl. She mentions the fire, and that they were all killed in it.
• Also states the full names of Roscoe and his children: Roscoe Benton, John Winston, William Lester, Jerry Ray, and Cheryl Maye.
• States all of their ages at death, full birth dates [John b.14 Sep 1942; William b. 26 Apr 1945; Jerry b. 18 Sep 1948; Cheryl b. 2 Oct 1953] and their death date.
• The birthdate that is listed on the online memorial for Roscoe Benton Martin is the same birthdate that my Paw Paw listed on the back of his Army headshot photo.
• States that Roscoe had been in the United States Army from 1929-1939.
• States they are all buried in Taylor Cemetery in Vienna, Johnson County, Illinois.
  

  So, I Think I Have A Few Questions...

• Was Roscoe employed at the time of the fire? If so, what was his occupation? Had Norma been employed outside of the home?
• How was Roscoe's and Norma's relationship? Were they “getting along”?
• Who were Billy McCuan and Don Pender, and how well did Roscoe and Norma know them?
• According to the newspaper article, the bodies were retrieved from under a portion of the tin roof. How were the bodies laying, exactly, and where? Were they all together?
• How big was the house? Did each child have their own room, or did they share?
• Was Don Pender going to stay the night? Where was he from?
• Why was Billy McCuan sleeping in his car? Had he or any of the others been drinking alcoholic beverages?
• What time did the fire start, and when was it reported?
• How did Don Pender report the fire? Did he make the phone call before he exited the house?
• Were there other houses nearby? Had they been living in a neighborhood or in the country?
• What 2 rooms in the house had been doused with gasoline?
• How can a lie detector test be used to clear 3 people in an arson case in 1957 when in 2009 the results of a lie detector test aren't usually admissable in court?
• How accurate was a lie detector test in 1957? What is the timeline & history of the lie detector test?
• Where was Roscoe's father, Joel Arthur Martin living at the time of the fire? What other relatives lived in the area?
• Did Norma's family live nearby?
• If 2 rooms in the house had been doused with gasoline [obviously before the fire] and the house had been occupied by Roscoe, Norma, Billy McCuan, and Don Pender before the fire, why didn't they smell the gasoline? The fumes would have been quite noticeable.
• Previous to their guests coming over, had they left the house unoccupied on the day of the fire, Sunday? When and for how long?
• Where had the children been? Was the fire before “bedtime” or after?
• Has this arson case ever been solved? Where would this investigation paperwork be located now?
• If 3 state investigators gave the lie detector test, would there be any state-level investigation paperwork, and where would that be located?
• What happened to Norma after the fire? Where did she go?

So, Where To Look?

• Johnson County clerk's office [Illinois] http://www.idph.state.il.us/vitalrecords/countylisting.htm
• Johnson County Genealogical and Historical Society [membership = $13] http://johnsoncountyil.net/
• My aunt [my dad's sister]
• Wife of distant cousin from Findagrave http://findagrave.com/
• Illinois Regional Archives Depository [IRAD] http://www.cyberdriveillinois.com/departments/archives/irad/iradhome.html
• Southern Illinois University at Carbondale [houses Johnson County records] http://www.cyberdriveillinois.com/departments/archives/irad/siumap.html
• Illinois Genealogy Trails http://www.genealogytrails.com/ill/
• Johnson County, Illinois Genealgy Trails http://www.myillinoisgenealogy.com/il-county-johnson.html
• ILGenWeb for Johnson County http://johnson.ilgenweb.net/
• Rootsweb for Johnson County Illinois http://www.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~iljohns2/
• Rootsweb for other researchers. [mailing list]
• Ancestry.com [census, newspapers, military, message board, SSDI, obituary, etc.] http://ancestry.com/
• Genforum message boards. Check through surname and county boards] Http://Genforum.com
• Contact the Barnett surname/family researcher that I met through Genealogy Wise of this target area to see if there's any relation to the Police Chief Bill Barnett
• Contact the Vaughn family researcher that I met through Ancestry.com Message Board.
  
• Google Earth & Google Search
• My Illinois Genealogy [Johnson County] http://www.myillinoisgenealogy.com/il-county-johnson.html
• Pope and Johnson County Illinois Information http://www.myillinoisgenealogy.com/il-county-johnson.html
• The Family Tree Resource Book for Genealogists [Ed. By Carmack and Nevius]
• Clayton Library Center for Genealogical Research, Houston, Texas http://www.houstonlibrary.org/clayton
• Montgomery County Memorial Library, Conroe, Texas http://www.countylibrary.org/gen.htm
• Family Search http://familysearch.com/
• Interment, Cemetery Records Online http://www.interment.net/
• National Archives and Records Administration http://www.archives.gov/veterans/military-service-records/get-service-records.html
• Johnson County, Illinois Sheriff's Dept. http://www.road-police.com/police/Illinois/Vienna/property_3524/police.html

What To Do First?

I will outline my strategy in the next post/update as well as any research I've completed at the time. My plan involves using genealogical skills combined with some “creativity”. It's also going to take some ingenuity because I have no budgetary plans to travel to Johnson County, Illinois [unfortunately]. The first thing I'll need to do is give you the “lay of the land,” so to speak. I've never been there, but all of my grandmother's lines come from there, and I've had the opportunity to “meet” some researchers from this area online as well as research the area. Hopefully, this will help. It was a close-knit community then, and it's a close-knit community now. Moreover, it's an area where “outsiders” aren't really welcome, but I'm getting ahead of myself. More on this community and the time period in which this crime took place will be in my next post. So, that's my plan, Stan. Have I forgotten anything? [I'm sure I have...] Or do you have any additional questions that you think I should be asking?  Let me know.  Please, post your comments below.

He Had Me at "Detective"

So What's Your Magical Number?
I was officially employed at the age of eight.  I mean, really employed ~ not "pick-up your clothes, make your bed, brush your teeth, and here's your 2 bucks", but an honest-to-God job.  Considering child labor laws, how was this possible, you ask?  Well, when you work for your parents, they don't apply.  My dad had a kind of all-around truck and trailer business ~ the eighteen-wheeler kind.  No, he wasn't a truck driver, nor did he own a trucking company [which I get that a lot], but he had a mechanic's shop that did, well, what a mechanic's shop does.  In addition, he had a paint and body shop, a frame machine that could bend a trailer's frame back into position after a wreck, sold truck & trailer parts, sold new and used trailers, and sold used heavy-duty trucks.  Like I said, it was an all-around truck and trailer business that, in it's heyday, did very well.  I guess eight was the magical number that my dad decided was the perfect age to bring his little girl into the family biz, so to speak.  So, what was my job title?  I was the official "heavy-duty truck and trailer parts inventory clerk" [and "do whatever else your dad and your older brother tell you to do"].  In other words, my job every summer was to count big, greasy, and sometimes unidentifiable parts.  Most of the parts were identified with parts numbers and other important data that I was to mark down along with the count.   The ones that weren't labeled, I was supposed to mark with a round neon-colored sticker for someone else to problem-solve.  I even had my own official clipboard.  I started out at 10 bucks a week, and that was my magical number to get the job done.

Green-Screened IBM Monsters
Each summer my dad added a little more to my duties [of course], but he upped my pay as well.  By this time, though, I was working for my mom at her pet shop [a story for another time], but I was given "time off" to help dad with inventory.  After I would complete a particular section I was taught to enter the data into the computer [remember those old green-screened IBM monsters?].  When I came upon an item that didn't have a part number, instead of leaving it for someone else to solve, my dad showed me how to figure out the manufacturer, look it up by picture in the gazillion catalogs he had, and obtain the information to enter into the computer.  [O.K., can I just pause and say that, just now, all that was easier to explain and type than to do?]  When my dad first explained it to me, he said, "Caroline, it's like you're a detective and you're trying to solve a mystery.  Keep looking.  You can find it.  Solve the mystery."  Well being an avid Nancy Drew and Trixie Belden fan [which he very well knew], he had me at, "detective".

The Irony
I find it ironic now that the man who taught to me how to problem solve [and so many other things] was the same man who asked me in high school to "do" our family tree and is the same man whose family has 5 related unsolved murders that, to the best of my knowledge, he thought were deaths ~ not murders.  While growing up, I had heard several times from my mom that my Paw Paw's [my dad's mom's] brother had been killed in a house fire trying to save his four children.  Then, when I interviewed my Paw Paw for my family tree project my senior year in high school, I remember her telling me that very same story.  She, of course, gave me his name for the tree, but she didn't volunteer anymore information, my mother didn't know anything else, and I never asked anymore about it.  That is, until now. 

The Duke's, Roscoe, and More Snow
Unfortunately, my Paw Paw passed away 6 years ago, and I'm not able to ask her any questions.  In trying to take her line back, I had some difficulties with the spelling of her name, Rettie Maye Martin.  Sometimes, she went by Rettie and sometimes she went by Maye, and both names are easily phonetically misspelled.  The one item that "saved" me was that I remembered her brother's name.  Remember, the show "Duke's of Hazzard" [not the movie, but the t.v. show]?  Do you remember Boss Hogg's sheriff, Rosco P. Coltrain? [and, wow, you can follow the actor that played Rosco on Twitter.  Will wonders never cease?]  Anyhow, that's how I remembered my Paw Paw's brother's name, Roscoe Martin.  [Silly?  Yes, but did it work?  Uh, yeah.]  Roscoe's name was a much easier name to follow in the census with usually only 2 variances [Rosco/Roscoe].  I was able to trace them from Texas back to Illinois, where they were born, which I had also remembered from our interview.  You want to know how I remembered that?  Simple, at the time it was beyond my comprehension that she was not born in Texas.  [Isn't everyone born in Texas? ;) ]  Also, when she told me she was from Illinois, my reply was, "You mean, where it snows?"  [I told you we South Texans are enamored with the whole snow concept ~ the fluffy kind, not the ice kind.]

Seeing Their Faces Made Their Story Come Alive
Remember Hurricane Ike and how my kids, my dog, and I stayed with my sister in San Antonio for a few days, and I acquired quite a few family photographs, mostly from my Dad's side of the family?  Well, amongst all of them were some photos of Roscoe [with his full name, Roscoe Benton Martin, written on the back], as well as photos of all 4 of his children.  There were also photos of him and his wife and of him and his sister, my Paw Paw.  While looking at the photos, I was captivated because I realized I was looking at the family ~ my family ~ that had perished in a house fire.  All of the photos were identified on the back in my Paw Paw's handwriting.  When I got home, I entered their data in my database software [Rootsmagic] and on my Ancestry.com tree, which is used solely to connect with other possible family members. [In other words, it's not complete, but I use it as my "clue" tree.]  A few days later, I decided to look on findagrave.com for my Martin's in both Johnson County and Williamson County in Illinois.  To my delight [not really delight, but you know what I mean, right?], I stumbled upon Roscoe's and his four children's online memorials.  The house fire that killed them was referenced, and the information had been entered by the wife of a distant cousin.  "Hm," I thought to myself.  "I need to contact her to possibly exchange information."  There were no pictures of Roscoe and his children nor of their tombstones, but did have photos of the cemetery's sign/plaque.  So, I quickly scanned my photos of them and added them to their respective memorials, to my Ancestry.com tree, and to my Rootsmagic software.  I then went on to other Martin's.  [I have since updated the photos.]  On, yet, another day, I began to think about the house fire, and I thought that maybe, just maybe, there had a been a write-up in the local newspaper about it.  After all, this was a small community, and five of it's citizens had perished in one night.  [Sounds reasonable, right?]

The Summer of 1957
So, I searched on Ancestry.com with all of Roscoe's pertinent information, and I got 2 positive hits [at least as far as I had looked].  I quickly found and read the first article, and yes, there was a house fire; and yes, Roscoe and all 4 of his children perished in that fire in the summer of 1957; but the investigators had determined that it was arson.  My heart dropped into my stomach at reading that, but I think my heart actually stopped beating for just a second as I read that Roscoe's wife and two men that they knew had been in the home for some time before the fire started [meaning that evening], and that Roscoe's wife and one of the men had got out unscathed.  And the other man?  He'd been sleeping in his car located on their street.  Oookay, these details were a bit suspicious, but what convinced the investigators that it was arson?  Well, I think the empty 5-gallon gasoline can located right outside the house and the two rooms in the house that had gasoline poured in them were pretty convincing.  I thought at the time, "Oh my God.  Someone needs to solve those murders." [Duh.]  Then a couple of weeks ago as I was fixing Roscoe's photo and creating a design for it to share with y'all for a Wordless Wednesday post, I started thinking about him and his children, and how unfair it was that their lives were taken.  Four beautiful children. [Don't you think?]  It also got me to thinking how unfair it was that these murders may have never been solved, to the best of my knowledge.  Why hadn't , my Paw Paw known, or if she had, why didn't she say anything?  Had it been too painful?  Thankfully she had their photos and identified them...for me.  I was thinking again that someone needed to look into this, and I was beginning to think that "someone" was me.  After all, when someone murdered Roscoe, his three boys, and his little girl, they ended the Martin surname, at least as far as my great-grandfather's line is concerned.  So, I've decided to "own" this one.  I mean, technically speaking their family story ended when they died in that house fire, but for me, that's an unacceptable ending.  After all, my middle name is Martin, so actually their story kind of "owns" me, and if not the person who solely carries the name in my great-grandfather's line, then who?

Let's Interact
I've decided to make this ongoing investigation a series of posts.  This means that as I research, I will be posting at least once a week with updates ~ kind of an "in-process, step-by-step" kind of thing.  Also, I invite all of your hints, tips, and suggestions.  Yup, I'm making it interactive.  That is, if you want to interact.  If not, then feel free ~ as always ~ to watch the ending of this family story unfold.  So, whaddya' think?  Don't Roscoe, Jack, Bill, Jerry, and little Cheryl Maye deserve to have their family story completed?  Don't they deserve to rest in peace?  So, "What's in a Name?"  Well, in this case, a family mystery.

I can almost hear my dad saying, "Caroline, it's like you're a detective and you're trying to solve a mystery.  Keep looking.  You can find it.  Solve the mystery."

Sources:

Texas. Fort Bend County. 1930 U.S. census, population schedule. Digital images. Ancestry.com. http://www.ancestry.com : 2007.

Illinois. Williamson County. 1920 U.S. census, population schedule. Digital images. Ancestry.com. http://www.ancestry.com : 2007.

Illinois. Johnson County. 1910 U.S. census, population schedule. Digital images. Ancestry.com. http://www.ancestry.com : 2007.

United Press, "Probe Deaths of 5 in Fire," The Hammond Times, 16 Jul 1957, p. 5, col. 2; digital images, Ancestry.com (http://www.ancestry.com : 15 Oct 2008), Historical Newspaper Collection.

Brown, Ann, Find A Grave (http://findagrave.com/ : accessed 16 Oct 2008), "Martin, Roscoe Benton," Memorial #8494172.

Brown, Ann, Find A Grave (http://findagrave.com/ : accessed 16 Oct 2008), "Martin, John "Jack" Winston," Memorial #8494193.

Brown, Ann, Find A Grave (http://findagrave.com/ : accessed 16 Oct 2008), "Martin, William "Bill" Lester," Memorial #8494179.

Brown, Ann, Find A Grave (http://findagrave.com/ : accessed 16 Oct 2008), "Martin, Jerry Ray," Memorial #8494152.

Brown, Ann, Find A Grave (http://findagrave.com/ : accessed 16 Oct 2008), "Martin, Cheryl Maye," Memorial #8494212.

Photo Credits:

Martin, Roscoe Benton. Photograph. ca. 1931. Digital Image. Privately held by Caroline Martin Pointer, [address for private use,] Conroe, Texas. 2008.

Martin, John "Jack" Winston. Photograph. ca. 1954. Digital Image. Privately held by Caroline Martin Pointer, [address for private use,] Conroe, Texas. 2008.

Martin, William "Bill" Lester. Photograph. ca. 1954. Digital Image. Privately held by Caroline Martin Pointer, [address for private use,] Conroe, Texas. 2008.

Martin, Jerry Ray. Photograph. ca. 1954. Digital Image. Privately held by Caroline Martin Pointer, [address for private use,] Conroe, Texas. 2008.


Martin, Cheryl Maye. Photograph. ca. 1954. Digital Image. Privately held by Caroline Martin Pointer, [address for private use,] Conroe, Texas. 2008.

Wordless Wednesday: Roscoe

Roscoe Benton Martin: My Paw-Paw's Brother

Wordless Wednesday: Lillie May

Lillie May Alley ~ My Great-Grandmother

Best Friends

This is a collage of my Paw Paw [grandmother on dad's side] and her best friend Hazel.  While sifting through some old photographs of my Paw Paw, I found an old envelope with no letter inside.  However, I thought that it was neat to keep because it's my grandmother's handwriting and it has their addresses on the envelope.  The envelope was postmarked 31 Dec 1943.  My Paw Paw would have been 30 years old, and it was 2 days after my dad's seventh birthday.  The black and white photograph, judging by other photos of my Paw paw, was taken probably ca. 1939 [Paw Paw on the right and Hazel on the left].  The color photo is one of my Paw Paw [on left] and Hazel [on right] taken around 1977...and that cute, adorable child practically inhaling the snow cone in the sticky heat?  Why, it's ME, of course!  If I had to guess [which I do], I'd say we were in Breckenridge Park in San Antonio, Texas.

This post is a part of the Postcard Friendship Friday McKlinky hosted by Marie at her blog Vintage Postcards~Cpaphil.  Go take a look at all the vintage postcards and mail-related images.  It's a virtual walk through time!