Tag Archives: crowder mountain

Come out, come out wherever you are! The hunt for Ancestor #4: Georgia Eva Baxter’s parents. 52 Ancestors.

There was a lot of sadness in Eva Georgia “Georgie” Baxter Payne’s 47 years.  Her mother died when she was 4.[1] Georgie died 5 years after her husband when she was 47 leaving behind 8 children, the youngest who was 8.

And she had a really inconvenient birthday. The 1880 census recorded everyone who was living in the household on June 1st, 1880. And Georgie was born on June 10th, 1880.[2] Oh, the 1880 census her family was on was enumerated on June 17th, 1880; but this enumerator followed the rules.[3]

Finding her parents was a bit of a challenge.  Georgie’s death certificate said her mother was Mary Alexander and her father was S. R. Baxter.  The informant was my grandmother, Georgie’s daughter, Jennie E Payne.[4]

image01-52-ancestors-from-death-certificate

There are no S.R. Baxter’s that I could find in North Carolina.  I looked.  And I looked.  And I looked.

I looked for Georgie’s marriage certificate James. James and Georgie were married October 18th, 1902. North Carolina marriage certificates have parents’ names. I found the film, I scrolled through it.  Bingo! You know that feeling when you find the obvious document that will have your answer.  The excitement! The answer!

image02-marriage-certifcate

Georgie’s parents are listed as unknown and unknown, and they both were dead. And you know that feeling too, don’t you?

Time to use the FAN method! I recorded the information that was on the marriage certificate including those who signed. B. R. Payseur, and name I still can’t read, and something like Reasley Carrol.

image03-m-c-signers

I went back to the North Carolina death certificates on Ancestry.com and search for people who had a father S.R. Baxter or a mother Mary Alexander.

And I found Sara Baxter, whose mother was Mary Baxter and her father Peter Baxter.  And her husband? Boyce R. Payseur.[5]  Now we know that B. R. Payseur was a witness to James and Georgie’s wedding.  I felt like I was on to something. OK, not solid proof.  But it sure felt like a substantial lead.  And it was.  Boyce is listed as a guardian for Georgie’s children.[6] James and Georgie’s son was named Jack Boyce Payne. [7]

image04-br-payseur

But I needed more.  I hunted down Peter Franklin Baxter’s probate files, who is listed as Sarah’s father on her death certificate and her father in 1880.[8] He died October 16th, 1897, five years before Georgie and James were married.[9]  When his will is recorded it lists a Sally Payseur, wife of Boyce and a Georgie Baxter.[10]  But that still isn’t enough. What if there is another Georgie Baxter that has a sister named Sally/Sarah?

So I searched for the final settlement for Peter’s will.  And lo and behold, Georgie, is now Georgie Payne and her husband is JR Payne.[11]

image05-settlement

She tried to hide her parents, but with a little FAN work I found her.  Every piece of data on every may be significant.

The answers are out there.

[1] Find A Grave, database and images (http://findagrave.com : accessed 29 Jan 2014), memorial page for Mary M Baxter,  Find A Grave Memorial no. 1616009; citing Bethlehem United Methodist Church, Lincoln County, North Carolina.
[2] North Carolina Death Certificates, 1909-1975, digital images, Ancestry.com (http://www.ancestry.com accessed : 3 Aug 2010), entry for Georgie E Payne, 3 Feb 1928, reg. dist. no. 3C5462, reg. no. 2, cert. no. 397; North Carolina State Board of Health, Office of Vital Statistics, Raleigh, North Carolina.
[3] 1880 U.S Census, Lincoln County, North Carolina, population schedule, North Brook Township, ED 104, p. 22 (penned), dwelling 213, family 213, P Frank Baxter household;  database and digital images, Ancestry.com (http://www.ancestry.com : accessed 28 Apr 2011); citing FHL film 1,254,970;  citing NARA microfilm publication, T9, roll 970.
[4] North Carolina Death Certificates, 1909-1975, digital images, Ancestry.com (http://www.ancestry.com accessed : 3 Aug 2010), entry for Georgie E Payne, 3 Feb 1928, reg. dist. no. 3C5462, reg. no. 2, cert. no. 397; North Carolina State Board of Health, Office of Vital Statistics, Raleigh, North Carolina.
[5] North Carolina Death Certificates, 1909-1975, digital images, Ancestry.com (http://www.ancestry.com accessed : 20 Jan 2014), entry for Sarah E Baxter Payseur, 26 Jan 1961, reg. dist. no. 23-70, rcert. no. 567; North Carolina State Board of Health, Office of Vital Statistics, Raleigh, North Carolina.
[6] “North Carolina, County Records, 1833-1970,” images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.3.1/TH-1942-20584-4368-0?cc=1916185&wc=M9M5-7BR:n955600874 : accessed 23 Oct 2013), Gaston > Estates, 1894-1962, vol. 106, Patrick, G. Reece – Payne, William F. > image 442.
[7] 1920 U.S Census, Gaston county, North Carolina, population schedule, Crowder Moutain Township, [unnumbered], ED 75, sheet 6-B, dwelling 107, family 116, James R Payne household; database and digital images, Ancestry.com (http://www.ancestry.com : accessed 29 Jan 2014); citing NARA microfilm publication T625, roll 1299.
[8] 1880 U.S Census, Lincoln County, North Carolina, population schedule, North Brook Township, ED 104, p. 22 (penned), dwelling 213, family 213, P Frank Baxter household;  database and digital images, Ancestry.com (http://www.ancestry.com : accessed 28 Apr 2011); citing FHL film 1,254,970;  citing NARA microfilm publication, T9, roll 970.
[9] Find A Grave, database and images (http://findagrave.com : accessed 30 Jan 2014), memorial page for Peter Frank Baxter,  Find A Grave Memorial no. 81615977, citing Bethlehem United Methodist Church, Lincoln County, North Carolina.
[10] “North Carolina Probate Records, 1735-1970,” images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.3.1/TH-195-2581892-1-13?cc=1867501&wc=10922811 : accessed 30 Jan 2014), Lincoln > Wills, 1895-1911, Vol. 05 > image 58 of 330.
[11] “North Carolina Probate Records, 1735-1970,” images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.3.1/TH-195-2609206-1-55?cc=1867501&wc=10922709 : accessed 30 Jan 2014), Lincoln > Settlements, 1904-1919, Vol. 03 > images 342-343 of 372.

How Eight Children Ended Up Living Alone in 1930

When we looked at Jennie Elizabeth Payne in the 1930 census, we were left with the question, why was Jennie, 22, was living on a farm in Crowder Mountain, North Carolina with 4 brothers and 3 sisters?  The oldest brother, Floyd, owned the farm which appeared to be family run. 1  The story we find is a sad one.

Let’s step back to the year 1920. Jennie is 12, and living with her parents, James, 37, and Georgie, 36, Payne. James owned his farm with a mortgage on Kings Mountain Road in Crowder Mountain, North Carolina. He lived there with his wife, 3 daughters, Lela, Jennie and Daisy and 4 sons, Boyce, Floyd, Thomas and Robert. His sons and oldest daughter worked the farm.2 Later that year, James and Georgie added another daughter to the family. In 1922, their fifth son Otto is born.3

But December 27, 1922 found James Payne suffering from influenza and pneumonia and on January 5, 1923 he died leaving his wife and 9 children.4 Five years later, tragedy strikes the family again. In November 1927 Georgie was suffering from pneumonia and on February 3, 1928 she also died.5

And in 1930, the 8 of the brothers and sisters are living together on the family farm without their parents.

The story is not the records, the story comes from the records.

Footnotes
1. 1930 U.S. census, Gaston County, North Carolina, population schedule, Crowder Mountain Township, p. 133 (stamped), enumeration district(ED) 9, sheet 18A, dwelling 280, family 314, Jennie E Payne; digital image, Ancestry.com (http://www.ancestry.com : accessed 31 May 2012); citing NARA microfilm publication T626, roll 1691.
2. 1920 U.S. census, Gaston County, North Carolina, population schedule, Crowder Mountain Township, pp. 65-66 (stamped), enumeration district(ED) 75, sheet 6B-7A, dwelling 97, family 106, Jennie E Payne; digital image, Ancestry.com (http://www.ancestry.com : accessed 1 Jun 2012); citing NARA microfilm publication T625, roll 1299.
3. 1930 U.S. census, Gaston Co., North Carolina, pop. sch., p. 133 (stamped), dwelling 280, family 314, Jennie E Payne.
4. North Carolina, State Board of Health, death certificate #421 (stamped) (1923), James R Payne, Bureau of Vital Statistics, Raleigh; digital image, Ancestry.com (http://www.ancestry.com : accessed 1 Jun 2012); citing Microfilm S.123. Rolls 19-242, 280, 313-682, 1040-1297.
5. North Carolina, State Board of Health, death certificate #397 (stamped) (1928), Georgie E Payne, Bureau of Vital Statistics, Raleigh; digital image, Ancestry.com (http://www.ancestry.com : accessed 1 Jun 2012); citing Microfilm S.123. Rolls 19-242, 280, 313-682, 1040-1297.

The Questions a Record Begs Us to Ask

Census records are great for giving us birth events, names and relationships (stated or presumed) and depending on the year other various event and identity information.  But I do believe that every census tells a story, with the questions it begs us to ask.

My grandmother was Jennie Elizabeth Payne and she was born in North Carolina.  In 1930, I find her living in Crowder Mountain, North Carolina with her brothers and sisters.1

I think too often we gather the names, the vitals and the relationships and move on.  Or maybe we transcribe everything off the record.  But what is the story that this document tells us?  What are the questions that it is begging us to ask and then answer?

A quick look tells us that  particular census is not the basic family unit we expect to see.  Where are the parents?  There are some fairly young children in this household; Otto B is only 8.  Where are his mother and father and why have they left their youngest children to be raised by their oldest.

Floyd R Payne, Jennie’s brother, owns the house.  This is not typical for a 20 year old single male in this area. Floyd is listed as a farmer on a General Farm, and his two brothers, Thomas and Robert, are listed as laborers on a Farm, presumably the family farm.  None of the sisters are working and Lela and Jennie are in their 20’s.  So it would appear that the family is not destitute.

So how did they end up in this situation?  Are the parents dead? Is there some other reason for this family setup?  It’s not that they were living here in this particular time and place, the story will come from why were they living here in particular time and place and where are the people we expect to be there.

The story begins by asking the right questions.

Footnote
1. 1930 U.S. census, Gaston County, North Carolina, population schedule, Crowder Mountain Township, p. 133 (stamped), enumeration district(ED) 9, sheet 18A, dwelling 280, family 314, Jennie E Payne; digital image, Ancestry.com (http://www.ancestry.com : accessed 31 May 2012); citing NARA microfilm publication T626, roll 1691.