Mom's Stores - June 4, 1944

Mom's Stories - A Portrait of Ma

Here's some of my mother's writings from the Bernardi side of the family.

William Marcus Jeffrey (1852-1900/1902)

I thought when I moved to Willis, Texas that I would have a better chance solving the mystery of what happened to my great-grandfather, William Marcus Jeffery. It didn’t turn out to be any easier to solve the riddle than before.

William was born in Caldwell County, Texas, in November, 1852, the son of Jeremiah C. Jeffrey and Miverva Minervice (Franks) Jeffrey. William possibly was born in Prairie Lea, the location given on the first census[1] where he is mentioned, The Caldwell County 1860 lists parents and William as a son age 8 along with Mary A. age 9, Andrew age 5 and James, 11 months.

By 1870[2] the family had moved to Crockett, Texas. With them were children J D, (I believe this to be Jeff Jesse, born 1861)  J C, (Jerry C) age 6, and M E (Mattie Elizabeth) age 1 year.

By 1880[3] William’s father had died and Minerva remarried to George Forrest, listed on the census as Dr. but his occupation is given as a farmer. He had been living nearby on the last census so possibly was a family friend.

With them are James, Jerry and Mattie. William, now 28 years old is not living with them. There is a William Jeffrey living in Milam County, Texas[4] with a family named Harvey. This William is listed as 28 years of age and relationship as laborer. We suspect this is our William who has gone off to find work.

There is no 1890 census so the next time we find William, he is the father of Daisy, born to Ellen Crain in 1892 in Oakwood, Texas, on the border of Leon and Freestone Counties[5].

In 1894, William and Ellen are married in Anderson County, Texas.[6] William’s brother was living in Palestine in Anderson County so they might have been living with him or nearby.  Mattie was born the same year but we don’t have a record of just where.

By June, 1900 the census of Montgomery county shows they had moved to Willis Texas. Willis was a major center for tobacco growing. I imagine that William wanted to find work to support his family. With them are now Manni, age 2 and Maud age 2 months. William’s mother and sister Mattie along with a few other relatives are now living in Huntsville.

Then the mystery occurred. Ellen remarried in May of 1902.[7]  What happened to William?

I’ve searched records and even wandered cemeteries trying to find him. I haven’t turned up so much as a clue. There is a large and very old cemetery near where they might have lived in Willis. I was told that one field is full of unmarked graves. It’s possible that he was buried there or he could have been buried in Huntsville or even the Jeffrey cemetery in Caldwell County. We’ve found no trace. He has simply vanished.  But I haven’t given up searching.

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[1] 1860 Federal Census Caldwell County, Texas

[2] 1870 Federal Census, Houston County, Texas

[3] 1880 Federal Census, Houston County, Texas

[4] 1880 Federal Census, Milam County, Texas

[5] Certificate of Death for Daisy Robinson

[6]Index of "Texas, Marriages, 1837-1973," index, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.1.1/FX74-XVW : accessed 23

Sep 2013), W. M. Jeffrey and Ellen Crane, 14 Oct 1894.

[7] Anderson County Marriages Index familysearch.org

Ellen Katherine Crain/Jeffrey/Moore (1870-1959)

I remember visiting my great-grandmother, Ellen or Granny as she was called at my great-aunt's house. She was very quiet and very wrinkled and had long grey braids that were wound around her head. I was just a youngster and was a bit shy. We didn't say much to each other.

I wish I had been older and wiser and had asked her about her life. Now that she's gone, I'm trying to put pieces together.

Her early life is a mystery. We don't know for sure where she was born or who her parents were. There are several family legends that are most likely not true. Her death certificate gives her date of birth as December 3, 1870 and place as Willis, Texas. I really doubt the place of birth is correct. The informant was her daughter, my grandmother, Maude Pettey and this was where she was born. She might not really have known. Besides that, it’s a very stressful time for many informants since they are dealing with the grief of losing a loved one.

Ellen’s maiden name was Crane or Crain depending on who was writing it down. I did find a family by that name in Crockett, Houston County, Texas[1], at the right time for Ellen to have met our great-grandfather, William Marcus Jeffrey.  William’s mother and siblings were living in Crocket at that time. [2]

There is no 1890 census but we have a record of the first daughter Daisy born in 1892[3] in Oakwood, Texas. Oakwood lies in both Leon and Freestone counties.

William and Ellen married in 1894 in Anderson County. William’s brother, Andrew was living in Anderson County at this time.[4]

The second daughter, Mattie, was born in 1894 in either Leon County or Montgomery County. The records conflict here. Her son Radford’s birth certificate gives her birthplace as Leon County. Her death certificate just says Texas and Ancestry.com says Montgomery County. I lean toward using the son’s birth certificate since she might have given the information herself.

In 1900 we find the family of William and Ellen in Willis Texas with four children, Daisy, Mattie, and daughters Manni, age 2 and Maude age 2 months. The census also notes that Ellen had five children and four living children[5]

This census was taken in June of 1900. In May of 1902, Ellen married Albert Moore in Huntsville, Texas. We don’t really know what happened to William. Our best guess is that he died and Ellen, like almost all women at the time needed to find a way to survive. Most often the solution was to move in with relatives or to remarry quickly. Ellen had in-laws living in Huntsville so I imagine that she went to stay with one of them until she married Albert.

In the 1910 census of Walker County, Albert and Ellen are listed with three daughters, Daisy, Mattie and Maude. We are told by family that Manni had died. We don’t know how or when or where she was buried. Albert’s occupation is listed as farmer. [6] The family remembers him as a prison guard at the Huntsville Prison but I’ve not been able to find him in any employment records for the prison.

On the 1920 census[7] Albert and Ellen are listed with daughter Daisy. Mattie might have been already married by then. Maud didn’t marry until 1922 but there are other reasons she might not have been listed. We know from personal contact that she worked for the phone company as an operator. She might just have been at work or maybe was renting a room elsewhere. In any case, Albert is again listed as a farmer

On the 1930 Census[8] the location is now the Goree Unit of the Huntsville Prison. Only Albert and Ellen (listed as Helen) are there and Albert is listed as not working. Not surprising since he died of cancer in August of 1931.  His death certificate only lists his place of burial as Near Huntsville.

Once again Ellen went to live with relatives. This time she went to live with her daughter, my grandmother, Maude Pettey and her husband Jesse. My dad has some great stories about her in his memoirs.[9]

Ellen died March 7, 1959. She was buried in Pine Prairie Cemetery in Huntsville. 

There are unanswered questions about this woman. Why was she buried in Pine Prairie instead of Old North Church where many of my ancestors are buried?  I can only find one other Moore in Pine Prairie - Frank Henry Moore Jr. and can't find any connection to Albert. And Ellen died before her daughter Daisy or her husband. Perhaps there’s an unmarked grave of someone we've been looking for.  Or she knew Daisy would be buried there and wanted to be near her. And what happened to her husband William Jeffrey and her daughter Manni? Where are they buried? And where did she come from?

I would so love to go back in time and find out the answers to some of these questions, but I know that isn’t going to happen. I can only keep plugging away at the search and maybe I’ll eventually discover the truth about Ellen Crain.

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[1] Census for Houston County 1880

[2] ibid

[3] Death Certificate Daisy Robinson familysearch.org

[4] Anderson County Marriages Index familysearch.org

[5] 1900 federal Census for Montgomery County, TX District 1 West of the RR tracks.

[6] 1910 Federal census for Walker County

[7] 1920 Federal census for Walker County www.archive.org

[8] 1930 Federal census for Walker County www.archive.org

[9] Pettey, Jesse, (Dec. 1, 2001) One More Mission, A Journey from Childhood to War, Xlibris