Just Trying To Learn About The Man

To recap my 24 May post:  I debated James Lawrence Adam’s birth date. His death certificate reports that he was born 19 June 1872 in Des Moines, Iowa. As births were not recorded at that time in Iowa, I must rely on the U.S. Census records to help in determining his birth date. The following birth dates are reported in his census records.

1870 U.S. Census             Lawrence Adams            Age 11/12              Born in July

1880 U.S. Census             Lawrence Adams            Age 10           

1900 U.S. Census             James L.  Adams            Age 30

1910 U.S. Census             James L. Adams             Age 40

1920 U.S. Census             Missing data

1930 U.S. Census             James L. Adams            Age 57

1940 U.S. Census             James L. Adams            Age 71                       

The first discrepancy that shouts out at me is the name variations of this man. It appears that he may have been called Lawrence as a child. About 1900 Lawrence Adams suddenly becomes James L. Adams.

Are Lawrence Adams and James L. Adams the same person? I believe they are. In 1910 James L. Adams and wife reside with his parents, Dr. James W. Adams and Mary Adams. James W. and Mary were also reported to be Lawrence’s parents in the 1870 and 1880 census records. James W. and Mary most likely named their only son after his father.

The second discrepancy is that of age/birth date. As you can see, the 1870 U.S. Census reports Lawrence as being eleven months of age. Had Lawrence been born 19 June 1872, he would not have appeared in the 1870 Census. His appearance in the 1870 census strongly suggests a birth year of 1870 or earlier.

The census also reports the birth month as July; which is tricky. With James being eleven months of age and with the census enumeration date of 13 June 1870, it is a logical assumption that James was born in July of 1869. Yet his family celebrated a June birthday according to his surviving daughter.

As the years progress, Lawrence’s age progresses logically as he ages ten years in each census until the year 1900. 1900 seems to be a year of change. As an adult, Lawrence becomes James L. In 1930 his age is reported as 57 when logic suggests 60. Then in 1940, James L. Adam’s age is reported as 71.

Why would James Lawrence Adam’s age be reported in 1930 as three years younger that his logical age? It may have something to do with his young wife and daughter. James Lawrence was thirty years older than his second wife, Charlotte. In 1930 James Lawrence and Charlotte Adams (age 29) had a three-year old daughter. He may have wanted to appear younger with a wife and child of such a young age.

Life is full of discrepancies. So, was James Lawrence Adams born in June or July? Was he born in 1869, 1870 or 1872? What do you think?

Well Dressed Gentlemen Wear Straw Hats

Who is that debonair gentleman wearing the straw hat? He is James Lawrence Adams of Chicago, Illinois. His daughter, Charlotte Jane, is the only remaining person who knew him personally.

Charlotte recalls that her father was always impeccably well dressed. He was a fanatic about shining his shoes. Charlotte never saw her father sitting around in old clothes. He wore a suit daily. The straw hat was part of his summer attire. This type of hat wear was popular in the 1930s.

In Flanders Field

In Flanders Field

In Flanders Fields the poppies blow

Between the crosses row on row,

That mark our place; and in the sky

The larks, still bravely singing, fly

Scarce heard amid the guns below.

We are the Dead. Short days ago

We lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow,

Loved and were loved, and now we lie

In Flanders fields.

Take up our quarrel with the foe:

To you from failing hands we throw

The torch; be yours to hold it high.

If ye break faith with us who die

We shall not sleep, though poppies grow

In Flanders Fields.

By Lieutenant Colonel John McCrae, MD

Canadian Army

Lieutenant Colonel John McCrae, M.D., “In Flanders Field,” Arlington Cemetery (http://www.arlintoncemetery.net/flanders.htm : accessed 28 May 2012).

This Memorial Day I visited two locations.

In search of  Memorial Day treasures, my first visit was to my Grandmother Meyer’s Family Bible. Dried poppies from Flanders Field were a gift from her son, Robert. Uncle Bob, a World War II veteran, visited Flanders Field in 1941 and sent this poppy home for his mother. My Grandmother preserved another flower; this one came from Korea. Her son, Paul, followed his older brother’s lead and while serving in Korea sent a Japanese Rose home to his mother. Both wartime gifts were obviously appreciated as they were saved in her Bible.

My second visit was to the gravestones my World War II Veteran Father and my Mother. My Father was a medic during World War II. He built hospitals, drew blood and retrieved the wounded throughout Europe. 

For some reason, my father never got on the American Legion Veteran list. As a result, his grave is not decorated with an American Flag. Each Memorial Day I place a flag by his gravestone. I don’t mind.

The cemetery was quiet, as usual, until I heard a single trumpet. A young man standing in the center of the cemetery was playing taps in honor of the veterans of the Town of Maine Cemetery, Park Ridge, Illinois. It was very somber moment. That sound took me back in time to my father’s funeral. I last heard taps played on a very snowy day in December, 2005. 

I must honor my other veteran ancestors of the Town of Maine Cemetery.

The Town of Maine Cemetery has a Civil War Memorial. My family and I passed by this Memorial for my entire life and never realized that Ferdinand Meyer, Civil War Veteran, was a paternal ancestor.

I must also mention my Uncle Dick Dollen. He was killed in an accidental fall while painting his ship in dry dock shortly after enlisting in the Navy. His safety harness failed.

 

With Gratitude For All Those Who Serve.

James Lawrence Adams

Locating and confirming the parentage of James Lawrence Adams is important in linking my husband to the Revolutionary War Patriots Captain Andrew Beatty and General James Cox.

I presently believe that James Lawrence Adams was born 19 June 1872 in Des Moines, Iowa to James William Adams and Mary I. Cox. 

Information found in the Illinois Death and Stillbirth Index of 1916-1947 and James Lawrence Adams death certificate offer the best information to date. This sounds nice, but the death certificate informant was Mrs. J. L. Adams. Information she supplied may also be recorded in the death index. I must search for another source with a different informant.

Mrs. J. L. Adams (Charlotte Adams nee Ludiger) was not present at his birth and most likely learned about his birth date and parentage from James himself. I know for a fact that Mrs. J. L. Adams never met her in-laws. While this does not diminish the importance of her knowledge or information, I feel it necessary to gather more evidence to confirm her stories.

Official, governmental proof from the Great State of Iowa can provide the proof of birth date and more importantly his parentage. If James was born in 1872, I am out of luck. The Great State of Iowa began recording births in 1880.  My next avenue for information will be the Iowa Genealogy Society. Perhaps their library will hold other records there linking James to his parents.

I currently have the 1880 and 1990 U.S. Census and his death certificate as evidence of parentage. I was hoping for another piece of evidence. Patience . . .

A Blogging Milestone

The other day I reached a milestone and let it pass by without acknowledgement. On Wednesday, May 16, 2012, I wrote my 100^th Blog Post!  Whew! Whew!

It feels like the 100-Day celebration in Elementary School. Did any of your children have the homework assignment of collection 100 items to celebrate the 100^th day of school? We glued 100 pennies on a poster.

This Blogging Milestone is the adult version of 100-Day!

It’s Revolutionary . . . I Hope

The search has begun for my husband’s Revolutionary War ancestors. When the research is complete, I expect four Patriots in my husband maternal line. The surnames that I will be searching for are Cox, Potts, Adams and Cundiff. Ancestry.com has given me the base from which I will start my research. Several S.A.R. and D.A.R. applications are available for viewing on Ancestry.com.

I must connect each generation to the previous one. I plan I gathering birth and death certificates for the most recent generations and then work my way back in time. My research strategy is to begin with what is known and work from there beginning with the Cox/Pott line.

I made a quick Descendant Chart and will work from it to build my case. I believe that William Potts and General James Cox are my husband’s the fourth and fifth great grandparents. Here is the chart.

I am off to the safety deposit box for a copy of my husband's birth certificate. Then I must call his mother and ask for her birth certificate. That is the easy part of the research! Wish me luck with the rest!

Linda

Darn It!

Life with a puppy has proved delightful yet challenging resulting in less “me” time. Today I caught up on my Who Do You Think You Are? episodes. Thank goodness for the ability to record favorite television programs.

I was surprised to hear that NBC has decided not to renew Who Do You Think You Are? for a fourth season. Ancestry.com thanked NBC for airing the program for three years and are looking for another avenue of distribution of the show.

Every action has a reaction. The obvious reaction is a huge number of disappointed genealogy fans. Despite the disappointment, there was another reaction.

Following the May 14^th NBC announcement, Ancestry.com stock dropped 13.7 percent in a single day. On the morning of May 14, 2012, Ancesty.com stock was valued at $26.16 and by the close of the day the value dropped to $22.57. I checked the value today, May 16^th and found the stock selling at $22.29.

Those who know me must be wondering how all this financial information can be coming from me. Anyone who knows me knows that I cannot even balance my checkbook. I relied on Dick Eastman’s 14 May 2012 Genealogy Newsletter. If you care to read more about it, please visit his website: blog.eogn.com.

So, I am left dumbfounded. I am sure Ancestry.com will rise to the challenge and find a way to continue airing this great program.