Cars (and trucks) in Family Photos

I have a bunch of old family photos that feature a car. Some of them are just the car, but most of them have some people posed in front of the vehicle. People have always been proud of the vehicles they buy, so some of the pictures are probably to show off that car. Some of them were taken on arrival or just before leaving after having traveled somewhere for a visit. Others might just have been a coincidence. I went through all the pictures I have and chose some of my favorites to share, along with the captions written on the back, if there was one.

Bobbys 59 Buick

This one makes me laugh. It's a fantastic photo of my mom with her siblings, probably taken in 1959. Their Uncle Bobby's car would have been brand new. What's funny about it is what's written on the back of the picture. Not a date, not the names or ages of the kids, not what they were doing, but "Bobbys 59 Buick". That was what we needed to remember about this picture, haha.

May 25, 1947

This photo, taken in the Spring of 1947, is of my Grandma Cobb (far right) when she was about 7 months pregnant with my mom. The other two women are unknown. The only thing written on the back was the date.

Bob & Roy

My Grandpa Cobb and his brother in about 1946. I'm not sure if it's when Grandpa was released from service or if he was just home on leave.

Bobby, Louise & Jeanie Cobb

 My mom, on the right, with her little sister and their Uncle Bob.

Jack

This is my mom's cousin's husband. I love the flip in his hair and how he's standing with his face in profile - looks kinda "Hollywood" to me.

My Grandpa Cavanaugh is in the middle with his brother Melvin (Deacon) on the left and an unknown man on the right.

These are my Dad's parents, probably about the time they were married.

This is the German jalopy I had (It fell apart!)

This is Oliver Timson, husband of my great aunt Evelyn, when he was overseas in WWII.

 Great Aunt Evelyn with her daughter, Carla.

My great-grandpa Cavanaugh, his son Melvin and dog Skippy getting ready to move some apples.

My Grandpa Cavanaugh looking very debonair in what looks like a racing car.

Dec. 29, 1951

My Grandma Cobb on her parent's farm for a visit in 1951.

Aug 1958

My great-grandma Powell, on the right, with her sister Maxine. 

My Aunt and her new husband in 1957.

This was my Dad's 1966 Ford Fairlane 500.

I don't know whose Maverick this was, but I love this picture not only because someone was super proud of this car, but because that's my grandparent's house in the background and there are so many great memories there.

Aug 19, 1951

And this one is just adorable. It wasn't only the grown-ups that were proud of their cars. My mom is in the driver's seat and her little sister is posing on the hood.

Lexon C. Cavanaugh, 1891-1949

Lexon Charles Cavanaugh moved to California as a young man, later fought in WWI in France, retired after twenty-five years in the Army, and died in a tragic train accident. His life was certainly interesting, but because he never married and didn't have children, there is no one telling his story. Until now.

Meet Lexon, my Second Great-Uncle.
He was born on October 3rd, 1891, 1892, or 1893 (depending on which record you look at - one even says 1895!) to John Houston Cavanaugh and Mary Calier (Read) in Mountain Grove, Wright County, Missouri. His family always called him Charlie, but as soon as he could get away on his own, he began using his preferred first name.

Lexon, age 3 or 4

I wish I had a photograph of him as a grown man, but the only one I have is a family photo taken when he was a young boy. I cropped the photo, above, for a closer look. His physical description varies a bit in records, but, generally, he is described as having blue or gray eyes, brown to black hair, and, as an adult, he stood about 5'5" tall. Lexon was the shortest of the boys, with brothers who ranged from 5'6" to 5'10". 

I have searched for documentation to shed light on Lexon's life. The earliest records I've found are the 1900 and 1910 census records; 1900 in Texas County, Missouri and 1910 in Greene County, Missouri, just outside of Springfield. In early 1910, Charlie and his younger brother Elmer left for California to find work in the orchards. They were just 17 and 18 years old when they left for their adventure. Once they arrived, they urged their parents and younger siblings to join them. The family soon followed and they all settled in San Bernardino County. 

In 1911, Charlie disappeared and his parents were frantically searching for him. An article in the newspaper said he was ill when he took his pay and left work, saying he was going home to his parents. Instead, he purchased a ticket to San Bernardino and disappeared. His distraught mother placed an ad in the lost and found for a full week. I'm not sure if they found him. This is the time period where he began using his given name, Lexon. Makes me wonder if he wanted a fresh start, alone, for some reason. His parents and siblings all left California and settled in Washington within just a few years after Charlie's disappearance.

This ad ran in the Lost & Found section of the San Bernardino County Sun
from August 31 - September 7, 1911,
from Newspapers.com.

UPDATE! Thanks to a reader hint, I now have a photo of him as a young man! This photo was attached to the 1911 missing person report in Tulare County, California. Charlie would have been about 18-19 years old in this photo.

Ancestry.com. Tulare County, California, U.S., Sheriff's Office and Jail Records, 1874-1963 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2015.
This collection was indexed by Ancestry World Archives Project contributors.
Original data: Sheriff's Records. Textual records. Tulare County Sheriff's Office, Visalia, California, USA.

Page 1 of the San Bernardino County Sun, Aug 31, 1911,
from Newspapers.com

Page 2 of the San Bernardino County Sun, Aug 31, 1911,
from Newspapers.com

In 1913 and 1914, Lexon was found in San Bernardino City Directories and shown as employed by the County Hospital. The excerpt below tells us he was working as an ambulance driver.

From the San Bernardino County Sun, October 2, 1914.
This clip, from newspapers.com, lists warrants paid to County Employees.

On June 5th, 1917, Lexon registered for the draft. No longer an ambulance driver, he worked for I. L. Lyon & Sons Ranches in irrigation and was living in Redlands, San Bernardino, California. This document gives his birthdate as October 3, 1895, but it looks like something else was written under the five...maybe a 2? Most records say 1892. Regardless, this tells a little about what he'd been up to. In addition to his address and occupation, it says he was a sailor in the Navy for 6 months, was single without dependents, and on the back, it includes a basic physical description.

WWI Draft Registration card for Lexon Charlie Cavanaugh.
Image from Ancestry.com.

Conscripts from Redlands Precinct 7 include Lexon Charlie Cavanaugh.
From the San Bernardino County Sun, 12 Jul 1917, p.13, found on newspapers.com.

Lexon was one of the conscripts from the Redlands Precinct 7 that was examined by the Exemption Board in the summer of 1917. Finding no cause for exemption, he was chosen with six other men from Redlands to serve in the first contingent. There was a big reception given for the men before they left to undergo training. The townspeople were proud of their soldiers and an enthusiastic crowd of about 3000 showed up to offer support. There were speeches, patriotic music, and readings offered in the outdoor amphitheater. I imagine Lexon was overwhelmed and honored by the reception.

Reported in the L.A. Times, 5 Sep 1917.
Redlands Honors Its Selected Men.
Seven men, including L. C. Cavanaugh, were honored at an outdoor
reception with over 3000 people in attendance.
Clipped from newspapers.com.

Soldiers leaving on September 5, 1917, to American Lake Training Camp, include
L.C. Cavanaugh from Redlands.
San Bernardino County Sun, 2 Sep 1917, front page.
Clip from newspapers.com.

The American Lake Training Camp was located at Camp Lewis, now Fort Lewis, in Tacoma, Washington. Lexon was among the first recruits to arrive and train at the newly constructed National Army training camp for draftees from Washington, Oregon, California, Idaho, Utah, Nevada, Wyoming, and Montana. It was the largest training camp in the United States at the time. When the men first arrived, they began training in their own clothes, as uniforms were still being processed for them. The men were part of the 91st Division, also called the Wild West Division. Lexon, with Company H of the 364th Infantry, departed Camp Lewis in late June 1918 by train for New Jersey. From Hoboken, New Jersey, they boarded ships to cross the Atlantic and set sail on July 12, 1918. After an almost two week voyage by sea, they arrived on English soil and then crossed the English Channel into France.

The soldiers made their way across France, mostly by train, until they arrived on the front lines on September 25, 1918, at La Cigalerie Butte, near Eclisfontaine, France as part of the Argonne Offensive. They pushed hard through constant fire during several days of "do or die" fighting. There was a high number of casualties, both dead and wounded, by the time the 91st Division was relieved from the front line and placed in Corps Reserve on October 3, 1918 - Lexon's birthday. The Argonne Offensive has been called the greatest effort of the American Expeditionary Forces, and Lexon was there at the beginning with the 364th Infantry.

When the war ended on Armistice Day, November 11, 1918. Lexon was still in France and remained there for four more months. On March 25, 1919, he left St. Nazaire, France on the ship Orizaba bound for the United States. He was listed on the passenger list with Company H of the 364th Infantry, rank Private First Class of Redlands, California. His next of kin was Henry Huckaby, a friend. Was "Charlie" still out of touch with his parents? Or maybe he just felt more comfortable listing someone he knew well and who lived nearby.

The U.S.S. Orizaba
Photo from Wikipedia, public domain.

Decades later, in 1945, Lexon completed his WWII draft registration. On the back, it says he was discharged just two days before, on July 26, 1945, after serving 25 years in the Army. This discharge date is also written on his death certificate, along with his Army serial number, 2267287 and his rank, Corporal. 

I have not been able to find Lexon in 1920, 1930 or 1940 census records.  I have looked and looked, searching page by page in case there was an indexing error. So far, I've not had any success. For the time period of 1920-1945, during his enlistment, he may have been living on base somewhere, possibly overseas, and may be why I can't find him on census records. I have some more searching to do in his military records to try to fill in this big gap.

WWII Draft Registration card, front, dated July 28, 1945.
Image from ancestry.com.

WWII Draft Registration card, back, dated July 28, 1945.
Image from ancestry.com.

On January 12, 1949, Lexon's mother died in Yakima, Washington. On her funeral home record, "Charlie" is listed with her children, his residence California. Finally, some proof that they did find him and didn't spend their whole lives wondering what had happened to their son. Lexon died just four months after his mother, on May 31, 1949, in King County, Washington. I believe he traveled to Washington for his mother's funeral and hadn't returned to California. His death certificate says his usual residence was Sacramento, California, but he was a transient. He died as a result of injuries to his chest, back and skull when he was hit by a train while resting on the tracks near Kent, Washington. One article I saw said he was traveling to Seattle, perhaps to find transport back to Sacramento. Another said he had been working in an orchard nearby. If that's true, he may have been working to earn his return fare. Whatever situation caused him to be near Kent and resting on the tracks that day is irrelevant. His death was tragic, regardless of what led to him be there that day.

Lexon Charles Cavanaugh Washington State Death Certificate.

Article found in the The Post-Register, Idaho Falls, Idaho from 1 Jun 1949.
Image from newspapers.com.

Lexon's body was transported back to Yakima County where he was interred in the same cemetery as his mother. Their graves are not near one another, though, as Lexon was placed in the Veteran Section. Fitting, I think, for a man who devoted such a chunk of his life to the U.S. Army.

Lexon C Cavanaugh is buried in the Veteran Section
of the Tahoma Cemetery in Yakima, Washington. 

John and Mary (Read) Cavanaugh, 1895 Family Portrait

Many years ago I received this photocopied 1895 family portrait from Lavera Cavanaugh, a granddaughter of John and Mary Cavanaugh. It shows John Houston Cavanaugh and his wife, Mary Calier (Read) Cavanaugh, with their first three sons. Lavera's father was their son Orvel, who was born about a year after the portrait was taken. It was the first time I had seen a picture of the couple and I was thrilled to receive it. 

John and Mary (Read) Cavanaugh with sons  Lexon Charlie, Elmer Diamond and Arthur Virgil.
Taken in late summer or early fall 1895, probably in Mountain Grove, Missouri.
Photocopy from original provided by Lavera Cavanaugh.

John Houston Cavanaugh was born 1 February 1870 near Grovespring in Wright County, Missouri to William S. and Nancy Charity (Moser) Cavanaugh, their second son. Nancy died when John was about 5 years old and he and his brother James were raised by their father and step-mother, Elizabeth (Latimer). At age 20, John married Mary Calier (or Colyer) Read, born 29 December 1871, the daughter of Benjamin Burgess and Sarah Jane (Gartin) Read. They were married in Douglas County, but made their home near Mountain Grove in Wright County.

In the portrait, they are shown with their first three children, sons Lexon Charlie, Elmer Diamond and Arthur Virgil. The photo was probably taken in Mountain Grove as son Arthur was born there in January of 1895 and the next child, son Orvel, would be born there in January of 1897. John and Mary had a total of six children. Following the four sons, two daughters were welcomed to the family. Zona Ruby in 1901 and Opal Edna Jane in 1906. The years surrounding the births of the girls were tumultuous ones for the family. The young couple and their four sons had moved to neighboring Texas County where they were found in Clinton Township by the 1900 census taker. A year later, Zona was born in Waterville, Douglas County, Washington. Soon they were back in Missouri where Opal was born in 1906. Within ten years, they were back up in Washington state, living first in Grant County and finally in Yakima County.  Mary died on 12 January 1949, followed by John on 26 August 1954. They are buried at Tahoma Cemetery, Yakima, WA.

Lexon Charlie Cavanaugh, John and Mary's first son, was born on 3 October 1891 in Mountain Grove. In the family portrait, he is the one standing behind his parents. Called Charlie, he found himself in California after 6 months in the Navy and settled there, working for many years in orchards near Redlands in San Bernardino County and later in Sacramento. Charlie never married and died tragically in May of 1949, just months after his mother's death. I don't know the whole story, but Charlie had been living in California. It may have been the death of his mother in January of 1949 that brought him back to Washington, but that part of the story isn't known. What is known is that he  was hit and killed by a freight train. A newspaper article says he was dozing on the tracks a few miles south of Kent. He is buried at Tahoma Cemetery in Yakima, Washington in the Veteran section.

Elmer Diamond Cavanaugh, the second son of John and Mary, was born on 11 January 1893 in Moutain Grove. He is seen leaning on his father's leg in the portrait. Elmer, a decorated WWI Army veteran, was called "Curly" by his friends and family. After his return from service, he married Ethel Juanita Bradley. They had three children; son Norman Wellington 1921-1925, daughter Bethelma Beatrice 1923-1929, and daughter Helen Darlene 1926-1994. Daughter Bethelma died as the result of injuries sustained in a house fire. Perhaps it was her death that caused the marriage to crumble. In 1930, it appears they were separated. Ethel and Darlene were living with Ethel's parents and Elmer had son Norman with him, though both listed their status as married. In 1931 Ethel was remarried. Elmer became a policeman in Grant County and died in 1957. He is also buried at Tahoma Cemetery in Yakima; his grave is located near those of his parents.

Arthur Virgil Cavanaugh, the baby seated on his mother's lap, was born on 31 January 1895 in Mountain Grove. He married Sarah Kate Erickson in Ephrata, Grant County, Washington on 12 July 1915. They had three children; son William Virgil 1916-1997, daughter Evelyn Winnifred 1918-1922, and son Melvin Roy "Deacon" 1921-1985. They, like Art's parents, moved around a bit before finally settling in Selah, Yakima County, WA. Art was a farmer and had orchards in Naches and in Selah Heights. He and his wife lived the rest of their lives in Selah. Art died in 1988 and is buried with Katie at West Hills Cemetery in Yakima. Evelyn and Deacon are buried in plots next to their parents.

A Serendipitous Visit to the Genealogical Society's Library

When I was a young girl I found a small family tree in my parent's wedding bible that had been filled out for a few generations. I looked at it often and it really sparked my curiosity. It wasn't until I married and had children, though, that I developed the urge to learn as much as I could about my family history. That was in the late 1980s and early 1990s and I lived in a small town without easy access to a research library. It would be several years before online research was a thing. I tried to fill in as much as I could on some blank pedigree charts but that's as far as I got.

Fast forward almost ten years, past a failed marriage and the beginning of my life with husband #2 in a new city more than 100 miles away.

One morning after I settled into my new home, I read an article about the local Genealogical Society in the newspaper. It gave the address and library hours, so the following Saturday morning I took some "me-time" and went to check it out. It wasn't a huge library, but it was the first time I'd ever visited one devoted to genealogy research. I wasn't sure what I'd find, but I knew that my paternal grandparents were from the area so I decided to see if I could find them, or their parents, in census records. I can't remember now which years were available in the library, but I know for sure I saw the 1920 census. There they were, the names from the bible I'd seen as a young girl. It was easy. Then I discovered the Obituary Files. Members had been retrieving obituaries from the newspaper for years and years and saving them in alphabetical files. The files also included burial information for local cemeteries. Jackpot. I found so much new information so quickly.

Those obituary files led me to the graves of my paternal grandmother who died when my dad was a boy, my paternal great-grandparents, and, to my surprise, the graves of a set of 2nd great-grandparents! From their obituaries, I was able to add new information to my pedigree charts and fill in family group sheets. For the first time since moving, I felt like I really belonged in this city.

My interest in genealogy was always present, but when I found my ancestors in the library that day, it ignited my passion for researching my roots. I joined the genealogical society soon after that first visit and have attended numerous meetings, workshops, and seminars over the years. With more and more records available online, I don't need to go to the library to hit the jackpot anymore, but it will always be a special place for me. 

Opal Edna Jane Cavanaugh (1906-1946)

Sometimes I find new cousins. This is one of the really fun things that happens as a genealogist. And it happened to me again this week.

My great-grandfather, Art Cavanaugh, had a younger sister, Opal. She died before my father was even born. I've put together a pretty good summary of her life with the documents I have discovered so far, and finally located her grave in the local cemetery, but her children's families are still works in progress. This week, though, I have added quite a lot to their stories.

Opal Edna Jane Cavanaugh was born 16 June 1906 in Springfield, Greene, Missouri to John Houston Cavanaugh and Mary Calier Read. She was the youngest of 6 children;  her birth followed brothers Lexon Charlie, Elmer Diamond, Orvel Burgess, Arthur Virgil, and sister Zona Ruby. In about 1915 the family moved to Yakima, Washington where Opal was living with her parents in the 1920 census. She fell in love about that same time and soon married Gordon Alvin Schmitt, a Canadian citizen, on 5 Jan 1921. Gordon was a farm laborer who traveled from Canada in 1920 to Yakima to visit his sister, Mrs. Sam (Violet) Falconer.

Marriage certificate of Gordon A Schmitt and Opal E J Cavanaugh, 5 Jan 1921, Yakima County, Washington. Ancestry.com. Washington, Marriage Records, 1865-2004. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2012.  Original data: Washington State Archives. Olympia, Washington: Washington State Archives. Accessed 26 July 2016.

After their marriage, Opal and Gordon moved to Canada where Opal became a citizen and they began their family. Daughter Ivy Myrtle was born in 1923 and son, Fraser Jasper, followed in 1925. In 1926, Gordon was in Michigan where he filed his first papers for naturalization. In 1927, Opal traveled back to Yakima with just her son Fraser. I haven't located a record of a divorce, but both Opal and Gordon  were quickly remarried. Gordon married a woman named Elsie about 1928, and they had a son Kenneth born in 1929. Opal married John Delmonico on 10 June 1929 in Yakima.

In 1930, Opal E. Delmonico was found on the federal census in Everett, Snohomish County, Washington. She was a lodger, employed as a waitress in a café. She was listed as married, but John is found in Beaver, Clallam County, Washington working in a logging camp. He was listed as divorced. Opal's son Fraser hasn't been located on the census yet for 1930. Gordon and Elsie were found that year in Indianapolis, Marion County, Indiana with their mixed family; Ivy, Elsie's two children from a previous marriage, and little Kenneth.

By 1940, Opal was back in Yakima county. She and Fraser were living next door to her parents, John and Mary. Opal was listed as Opal Peterson, widowed. Another marriage may have occurred, though a record of it hasn't been located. Fraser was found in the Selah schools for several years and was a handsome young man. While his earlier years were rather chaotic, this time in Selah, near his grandparents, was hopefully a happier time for him.

Fraser Jasper Schmitt, Selah High School yearbook, 1943. Ancestry.com. U.S., School Yearbooks, 1880-2012 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2010. 

Image is cropped from original, accessed online 26 Jul 2016.

In Indiana, 1940 was probably not as happy a time for Opal's daughter, Ivy. About 1933, Gordon made a decision about Ivy's future that is difficult to understand.

An older couple in the area had lost a daughter to pneumonia. Gordon decided to give Ivy to the Earlywines. He is reported to have said, "This is my daughter, she is now yours." After that, Ivy lost track of all the Schmitt family except for her grandparents, John and Magdalena Schmitt. Very few members of the family even knew about her. Later in her life, she did have some contact with her brother Fraser. 

(as told to me by Elaine Schmitt Hill, a first cousin of Ivy's. She got the information from Ivy's daughter Judy.) 

Ivy was living with W F and Bertha Earlywine in Hensley Johnson county, Indiana in 1940. She was listed as a lodger. She retained the Schmitt name until she married James A. Hill about 1942.

Opal was married once more after 1940 to Ernest Caldwell. She died on 1 September 1946 in Yakima, Washington and was buried at Tahoma Cemetery with a simple cement stone. She was only 40 years old. Her adult life was full of heartache and hard times and it's very sad that she died so young. I don't know the circumstances of her death; I'll order a copy of her death certificate soon to learn more.

Grave of Opal Cavanaugh Caldwell, Tahoma Cemetery, plot C 80 NW 7, 
Yakima, Yakima county, Washington. Photo taken by author on 29 May 2016.

Opal (Cavanaugh) Caldwell obituary, newspaper clipping from Yakima Daily Republic, 
published on 2 Sep 1946. 
Copy obtained from the Yakima Valley Genealogical Society's obituary file on 28 Jul 2016.

Ivy and James had seven children, two sons and five daughters. Ivy died on 23 September 1985 in Multnomah, Oregon. Five of her children, Judith, Janice, Allan, Cheryl and Terry, are still living and I've recently made contact with several of them. The eldest child, Franklin Wayne Hill was born in 1943 and died in 2008. A daughter, Karen Lee Hill Main, was born in 1956 and died in 2008.

Fraser was married first to Helen Schweitzer Fisher and they had at least two children. Son Max Jay Schmitt was born in 1947 and son John Huston Schmitt was stillborn in 1949. I've not been able to find Max so don't know what became of him. Fraser married three more times, Alice B Allen in 1952, Ruby L Yost in 1959 and Elberta M Whitman in 1979. I don't know if he ever had other children. He died on 30 March 1980 and is buried at West Hills Memorial Park in Yakima, Washington. I go there every Memorial Day to decorate the graves of my grandparents, Art & Katie, great aunt Evelyn and great uncle Melvin. Next year I'll also look for Fraser's grave and pay him a visit.

Nancy Charity (Moser) Cavanaugh (1846-1875)

Nancy Charity Moser was my 3rd great-grandmother. It was no easy task to find her.

I knew that my 3rd great-grandfather, William Cavanaugh, had at least two wives. One I knew simply as Nancy C., and the other was Elizabeth Latimer. My 2nd great-grandfather's death certificate listed his parents as William Cavanaugh and Mary Webb. I thought Mary must have been yet another wife and I searched for evidence of their union and proof that she was the mother of John Houston Cavanaugh. I found William on the 1860 census, before he was married, living with his parents. In 1880, he was listed with Elizabeth and several children. I hadn't found him anywhere in the 1870 census, the year of John Houston's birth.

Both Nancy C. and Elizabeth Latimer Cavanaugh's are buried in Shaddy Cemetery, Grovespring, Wright County, Missouri. Nancy's tombstone records her death date as 28 July 1875. Also buried there are two toddler girls, daughters of WS and NC Cavenaugh, according to their tombstones.

• Mary M. Cavenaugh born 25 November 1871, died 22 November 1872
• Arminda C. Cavenaugh born 24 October 1873, died 5 December 1874

This was narrowing down my search for Mary Webb. I knew there was a son, James, born in 1868, then John in 1870. I surmised that William and Mary had married about 1867 and maybe she died during or shortly after John's birth in February of 1870. That would have allowed a reasonable amount of time for William to remarry and conceive the child Mary M., born in 1871. I searched for marriage and death records, as well as a Webb family in the area in 1860. I kept coming up empty.

I came across a transcript of a Wright County guardianship case that assigned William Cavanaugh as guardian of the minor children of Annzi Moses on 2 November 1869. Since this was so close to John's birthdate in 1870, I knew I wanted to find out more. But first I wanted to locate the family in the 1870 census. It was really bugging me. Maybe the last name had been transcribed incorrectly and that's why it wasn't showing on an index. So I started looking through the census that year in Wright County, Missouri...page by page. On one page, under an ink stain, the family I was searching for was found!

Year: 1870; Census Place: Wright, Missouri; Roll: M593_826; Page: 445B; Image: 139063;

Family History Library Film: 552325

Family number 248 was transcribed as Wm, Mary, James and John Erace, with Polly, Catharine, James and Wm Mosier. This John was the right age as my John with parents born in Tennessee and Indiana (information that matched with other sources). Wm is written at the far end of the line for the name, suggesting a long surname. It's super hard to read, but the first part of the surname could be CAVE. The spellings Cavanaugh and Cavenaugh were both seen in records for this family. I really thought that my "Mary" was hiding under that thumbprint shaped ink stain.
There were also all those Mosier children. Recall the guardianship record regarding the children of Annzi Moses? Moses, Mosier...close. Next, with the first names of these Mosier children, I searched for them in the 1860 census. I found a Moses family, in Wright County, that appeared to be a match.

Year: 1860; Census Place: Wright, Missouri; Roll: M653_660; Page: 921; Image: 360;

Family History Library Film: 803660

Family number 268 was transcribed as Emezah, Rachel M, Nancy E, John W, Sarah J, Martha E, Mary A, Caroline M, James E, and Wm W Moses. Looking at the record, the last name looked to me more like Moser. The four youngest children are a close match with the 1870 record I found; Mary is commonly given the nickname Polly, Catherine and Caroline are similar, James and William are a match. A closer look at Nancy and that middle initial looks like it might actually be a C. I wondered if this could be Nancy C., the wife of William that died in 1875. The age is right, and if it is her, the relationship made the connection with the guardianship record that I was looking for. But why would William have been named guardian for these minor children, siblings of Nancy, prior to his marriage to her? The theory I was following so far had Mary Webb as William's wife at least until February 1870.

I pulled out John's death certificate again. The informant was his son Elmer Cavanaugh. Elmer would have never met his grandmother, so this is not real reliable information. Looking around in the family, I found that John's wife's had a maternal grandmother named Mary Webb. Perhaps Elmer had heard the name or found it written somewhere and confused the relationship. I was beginning to believe that Nancy C. was actually John's mother.

Nancy's father, Emeziah, was a civil war casualty. It was his death that resulted in the guardianship case.

National Archives and Records Administration. U.S., Civil War Pension Index: 
General Index to Pension Files, 1861-1934 [database on-line]. 
Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations Inc, 2000.

I ordered the military pension file in hopes that I would find documentation proving William's relationship to the children; I was hoping for the marriage record of William and Nancy. The file arrived, but it didn't mention William's relationship to Emeziah, Nancy, or the minor children. It did give evidence that Emeziah's wife was the initial guardian of the children, and that she died in 1869. It was then that William was named guardian.

I looked again at that 1870 census and closely examined the name under the smear of ink. While I initially thought it was Mary, as it was transcribed, I saw that it could easily be Nancy. The whole center of the name is within the ink stain. The age and birthplace match the information I found for Nancy Moser. There is also the fact that Nancy's younger siblings were living in the household under a recent guardianship agreement. Nothing came up in my search for a death record for a Mary Webb Cavanaugh of that age, time and place. No marriage records were found for William Cavanaugh and Mary Webb. In fact, the only evidence suggesting "Mary Webb" existed was the death certificate information supplied by Elmer Cavanaugh.

My conclusion was that Nancy C. Moser was the first wife of William S. Cavanaugh and the mother of his first four children; Mary, Arminda, James and John. After Nancy's death, William married Elizabeth Latimer. There was not a wife named Mary Webb.

In 1850, her full name, Nancy Charity Moser, was given on the census record. Nancy Charity Moser, my third great-grandmother, was born 11 October 1846 in Greene County, Indiana to Emeziah Moser and Rachel Mahala Watkins. She was the oldest of eight children. Her family migrated to Ozark County, Missouri by 1850 and then on the Wright County by 1860. Her daddy died in the war, her mother died soon after, she buried two baby girls, and then she died at the dreadfully young age of 28, leaving two little boys without a mother. In her short life she suffered great tragedy, and, I hope, great joy. I'm so glad I found her. 

http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GRid=65404655

Created by: PSC

Record and photo added: Feb 09, 2011

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Finding my 6th Great Grandfather, James Cavanaugh

I am a Cavanaugh. Out of all the names that I research, Cavanaugh is the one I most want to take way back. The country of origin is likely Ireland, though I haven’t made it there yet in my backwards-through-time journey. Over the last few years, however, I have made some fantastic discoveries that revealed two additional generations of the Cavanaugh family as far back as the early 1700s in Virginia.  

For many years, the earliest Cavanaugh in my tree, and those of other researchers that I corresponded with, was James W. Cavanaugh, born in 1818 in Kentucky. He is found in federal census records, first in Bedford County, Tennessee in 1850 and then in Wright County, Missouri in 1860. The 1850 record shows an older woman named Elizabeth Cavanaugh, born in Virginia about 1794, living in the household. No relationship was stated, but my guess was that this must be his mother. There was also a young girl listed; Elizabeth Louallen, age nine, who was born in Indiana. Louallen? I’d never seen that name before in my research and it was a mystery. Search after search ended with no results.

About six years ago, I located a marriage record that broke through the brick wall. Polly Ann Cavanaugh married Noah Llewelling on 29 June 1837 in Bartholomew County, Indiana. Other records showed the name as Llewellen. Misspellings were common in old records and it was pretty easy to see how Llewellen and Louallen could be versions of the same name. The connection between the surnames and the marriage in Indiana prior to Elizabeth’s birth were huge clues that led to even greater discoveries.  

I found an Elizabeth Cavanaugh listed as head of household in Bartholomew County in the 1840 federal census. That census didn’t list the names of other family members, just showed tick marks for each male or female in different age brackets. One particular tick mark showed a male that could be my end-of-line-at-the-time James!  

The 1840 Federal Census listing for Eliz Cavanaugh in Columbus, Bartholomew, Indiana: 

Males – 15-19      - 2  (b. 1821-1825) 

Males – 20-29      - 1  (b. 1811-1820 matches James W.) 

Females – 15-19   - 1  (b. 1821-1825) 

Females – 30-39   - 1  (b. 1801-1810 has to be Elizabeth as head of household, age off by a few years) 

Now I had an Elizabeth Cavanaugh that could be the same woman from the 1850 census, who lived in the same community where Polly married Noah Llewelling, and she had a son the right age for my James. I followed a hunch that Polly and James were both Elizabeth’s children and young Elizabeth Louallen from the 1850 census was her granddaughter.  

Several months passed before I found the next clue. It was a message board post, http://boards.rootsweb.com/localities.northam.usa.states.indiana.counties.bartholomew/4476.1/mb.ashx ,that was a response to a query looking for information on Polly Cavanaugh and Noah Llewellen. It mentioned a guardianship record for several minors in Bartholomew County, including Polly Ann Cavanaugh and James W. Cavanaugh. Following is the full text of that response: 

Subject: Re: Polly Cavanaugh md Noah Llewellen 1837 Bartholomew, IN 
Date: Sun, 09 May 2010  
Author: Donna_Kuhlman 
Surnames: 
Classification: queries 

Found Cavanaugh estate papers in Bartholomew Co. Archives. Probate Court, February 1852. Smallwood C. Cavanaugh, guardian of James, Polly A., John, Robert H. and Nancy Jane Cavanaugh, reports that said wards have all arrived at the age of majority. A financial distribution of $48.43 each is made and he asks to be discharged. Also found were two original signed receipts for these funds. One is from James W. Cavanaugh, who signed his own name, and the other is from Noah Lewelling and Polly A. Lewelling, who both signed with an "X." This last reads: Columbus Bartholomew Cty Indiana Received of S.C. Cavanaugh guardian of the heirs [of] Philip Samuel Cavanaugh decd the sum of forty eight dollars and forty three cents it being our part of a lagacy left by William Cavanaugh late of Virginia to the heirs of James Cavanaugh late of said State in witness whereof we have hereunto set our hands and seals this third day of January 1838. Noah (X) Lewelling, Polly (X) Lewelling.  
Smallwood Cavanaugh (1806-1855) was the son of Fielding Cavanaugh Sr. Fielding and Phillip S. Cavanaugh were both on census in Fayette Co. KY in 1820, and I would suppose that they were brothers; and these documents would suggest Fielding and Phillip were sons of a James Cavanaugh of Virginia. William Cavanaugh, who money was here distributed, might have been an uncle with no direct descendants. It appears that Smallwood Cavanaugh had been appointed guardian of his young cousins, although their relationship isn't spelled out in any of the documents I found in Bartholomew Co. You might find more in Fayette Co. KY probate records.  
Donna 

I contacted the county clerk in Bartholomew County and requested copies of the guardianship papers. I received four pages of documents, beginning with the original guardianship bond following Samuel’s death in 1837 and ending with a final accounting of the probate case in 1852. The papers confirmed the sibling relationship between Polly and James, named the other siblings and gave the name of their father, Samuel Cavanaugh. All matched the information Donna provided in the message board post. However, the papers I received did not include the signed receipts that she referenced, though the distribution amounts she listed do match those shown in the document. The pages I received all reference the name Samuel, not the full name Phillip Samuel, and there is no reference to a James or William as stated on the receipt that Donna transcribed. (A trip to Indiana to search those archives in person may be in my future...) 

10 May 1837, Guardianship Bond, Bartholomew County, Indiana

I was beginning to develop a more complete picture of the household: 

Father: Philip Samuel Cavenaugh/Cavanaugh died about 1837 in Indiana 

Mother: Elizabeth born about 1794 in Virginia 
Children: 

James W. Cavanaugh born about 1818 in Kentucky 

Polly Ann Cavanaugh married Noah Llewellen/-ing/Louallen 

Nancy Jane Cavanaugh 

John H. Cavanaugh 

Robert Henry Cavanaugh 

While offering some wonderful new information, this document (and the other three received with it) raised some new questions, too. There was no mention of their mother, Elizabeth, though in 1837 she was still living. Who was the guardian, Smallwood C. Cavanaugh? Donna mentioned in her post that he was a cousin, the son of Fielding Cavanaugh. I would need to verify this new information. Also mentioned in the document were James H. J. Glanton and Edmund Orr. I would need to research those names as well as the siblings names. And my James would be 18 or 19 years old in 1837; why would he need a guardian? Add to that some new locations to research. Fayette County, Kentucky and Virginia. Whew! 

Some research into the laws of the time period answered a few of the questions. At that time, one was considered a minor until the age of 21, so James was still a minor at 18 or 19 years old in 1837. I also learned that it was common practice then for a guardian to be named even when the mother survived. Women were not considered capable of handling finances or making major decisions concerning the upbringing of their children. This raised even more questions for me. I wondered how Elizabeth felt about having someone else come in and take over after her husband died. Was she relieved? Or, easier for me to imagine, was she angry and frustrated? She and son James travelled south to Tennessee by the late 1840s. Why did they leave? Did Polly and Noah travel with them? Was their daughter being raised by relatives following their death? I still haven't found those answers and may never know. 

I searched for records to more fully document the lives and family of Elizabeth and Phillip Samuel Cavanaugh. The first item I found was this marriage bond: 

Ancestry.com, Kentucky, County Marriages, 1797-1954 > 004542756 > Image 511 of 712

This marriage bond showed that a Philip Samuel Cavenaugh/Cavanaugh planned to marry a Betsy Smith in Bourbon County, Kentucky in 1817. Betsy is a common nickname for Elizabeth, so that part fit. Also, the date made sense, since I knew that their son, James W., was born in 1818. The place is Kentucky, which also matched James birthplace. This was a good start! I looked for more records in Kentucky. 

In the 1820 Federal Census there is a Phillip S. Cavanaugh in Fayette County, Kentucky:  

Males –under 10     - 1  (may be James W., born 1818, age 2) 

Males –26-44          - 1  (Phillip S., putting his birthdate between 1776 and 1794) 

Females –under 10  - 2  (one of these may be Polly Ann) 

Females –16-25       - 2  (one may be Betsy, putting her dob bet. 1794 and 1804) 

The only name shown was the head of household and that was almost always the eldest male in the house. One of the females is a near match with the Elizabeth in Bartholomew County, Indiana in 1840 (born between 1801-1810) and does match the Elizabeth in Bedford County, Tennessee in 1850 (born about 1794). I'm not too concerned that the ages are different in 1840 and 1850. That was actually very common. Census takers didn't record which member of the household was interviewed and each person's recollection could be different. The enumerator may have even obtained the data from a neighbor if no one was home when he knocked on the door. The dates are close enough for me to believe they are the same woman. The young boy also fits with the information I have for James W. Cavanaugh. At this point I was fairly confident that I was on the right track.  

In 1830, again on the Federal Census for Fayette County, Kentucky, I found a listing for Saml Cavenaugh: 

Males – 5-9         - 3  (b. 1821-1825 may be John H., Robert Henry + ?) 

Males – 10-14     - 1  (b. 1816-1820 matches James W.) 

Males – 40-49     - 1  (b. 1781-1790, head of house, Philip Samuel) 

Females – < 5     - 1   (b. 1825-1830 may be Nancy Jane) 

Females – 5-9     - 2   (b. 1821-1825 may be Polly Ann + ?) 

Females – 30-39 – 1  (b. 1791-1800 matches Elizabeth "Betsy") 

Sometime between the date of the 1830 census and Samuel's death in 1837, the family moved from Kentucky to Indiana. Migrations during this time were commonplace, but usually happened with clusters of family members. I needed to look for those other names...Smallwood, Fielding, Glanton. 

Ancestry searches yielded several matches in census and marriage records. A Fielding Cavanaugh was listed in the Fayette County, Kentucky census records in 1810, 1820 and 1830. I found a Smallwood Cavanaugh had married a Mary Glanton in Bartholomew County, Indiana in 1833 and his family is listed there on the 1850 census. But most interesting were three marriage records from Virginia. All three were dated 1808, from old Rappahannoch and Essex County records, and all three were labeled as daughters of James Cavanaugh: 

Polly Cavanaugh married Burwell Glanton 

Phebe Cavanaugh married John H. Glanton 

Roadie Cavanaugh married Daniel M. Gaines 

A closer look at the record information showed that the marriages were derived from a deed and a copy was found in the Family History Library on microfilm. I ordered it into the local genealogy library and waited. And waited. Oh, lordy, I couldn’t wait to take a look at that microfilm. When it arrived I hurried to the library to view it. The Yakima Valley Genealogical Society Library is a fantastic local resource. I’ve been a member of the society off and on for many years and love researching at the library. But those microfilm viewers are old and don’t print copies so I took pictures of screen shots with my phone. Not as clear as I’d like, but I got copies, nonetheless. 

This document was the golden ticket. Right away, in the first paragraph, I had some answers: 

This indenture made this 20th day of September one thousand eight hundred and five between Thomas Cavanaugh, William Cavanaugh, Susanna Cavanaugh, Burwell Glanton and Polly his wife, Daniel Gaines and Roadie his wife, John Glanton and Phebe his wife, Fielding Cavanaugh, Caty Cavanaugh, Grace Cavanaugh, and Phill Cavanaugh of the one part and Turner Dixon of the other part… 

that the said Thomas Cavanaugh, William Cavanaugh, Susanna Cavanaugh, who are brothers and sister of Frederick Cavanaugh deceased and Fielding Cavanaugh, Burwell Glanton and Polly his wife, Daniel Gaines and Roadie his wife, John Glanton and Phebe his wife, Caty Cavanaugh, Grace Cavanaugh and Phill Cavanaugh who are children and heirs of James Cavanaugh another brother of the said Frederick Cavanaugh… 

The deed is for the sale of a “lott of land containing one acre” that was “known by the name of Dublin” “belonging to the estate of Frederick Cavanaugh deceased”. The acre was sold for eighty pounds (about $3400 today). Then at the end of the deed it lists the following witnesses: 

Smallwood Coghill 

Thomas Coghill 

Lewis Spindle 

Robert Gibson 

I have filled in some bits and pieces of the stories of these Cavanaugh, Glanton and Gaines families since I stumbled onto this deed. The migration patterns to Kentucky (Fayette and Woodford Counties) and then on to Bartholomew County, Indiana in all of the families closely match that of Philip Samuel Cavanaugh and his family. There is still much work to be done. That witness named Smallwood Coghill was either related somehow or just a very good friend of Smallwood's father and I'm working to figure that out. I'm also curious if Frederick Cavanaugh naming his acre "Dublin" might be a clue to the Ireland connection. Were the Cavanaughs originally in America as indentured servants? I want to look for other land transactions in Virginia up to 1800. I have an entire book on Fayette County, Kentucky that I've just started reading. Simple historical research to learn about events happening in these places at the time my ancestors were there can add to the stories. I hope for many more years of health so that I can continue researching and see where it leads. 

But, for now, this is my Cavanaugh line: 

(first name unknown) Cavanaugh, b. abt. 1725 (my 7th great grandfather)


Children of Cavanaugh, 1725-?: 

Frederick Cavanaugh, b. abt 1755, d abt 1805 
Susanna Cavanaugh, b. abt 1755 
William Cavanaugh, b abt 1755 
Thomas Cavanaugh, b abt 1755 
James Cavanaugh, b abt 1755, d bef 1805  




Children of James Cavanaugh, 1755-1805: 

Rhoda Cavanaugh, b abt 1775, d 1821 
Fielding Cavanaugh, b abt 1778 
Caty Cavanaugh, b abt 1780 
Mary "Polly" Cavanaugh, b abt 1782, d 1839 
Grace Cavanaugh, b abt 1783 
Phoebe Cavanaugh, b abt 1784 
Philip Samuel Cavanaugh, b abt 1785, d 1837 




Children of Philip Samuel Cavanaugh, 1785-1837: 

Female (first name unknown) Cavanaugh, b abt 1817 
James W. Cavanaugh, b abt 1818, d 1866  
Polly Anne Cavanaugh, b abt 1820, d abt 1849 
John H. Cavanaugh, b abt 1822 
Robert Henry Cavanaugh, b abt 1823, d 1851 
Nancy Jane Cavanaugh, b abt 1825 




Children of James W. Cavanaugh, 1818-1866: 

William S. Cavanaugh, b 1847, d 1900 
Martha Ellen Cavanaugh, b 1849, d 1918 
Nancy J. Cavanaugh, b 1851, d 1894 
Sarah Anne Cavanaugh, b 1854, d 1913 
Lucy C. Cavanaugh, b 1855, d 1914 
Henry Newton Cavanaugh, b 1858, d 1922 
Jackson Lee Cavanaugh, b 1863, d 1941 
John Harrison Cavanaugh, b 1865, d 1936 
(name unknown) Cavanaugh, d bef 1900 




Children of William S. Cavanaugh, 1847-1900:

 James E. Cavanaugh, b 1868, d 1936 
John Houston Cavanaugh, b 1870, d 1954 
Mary M. Cavanaugh, b 1871, d 1872 
Arminda C. Cavanaugh, b 1873, d 1874 
Flora B. Cavanaugh, b 1875 
Thomas H. Cavanaugh, b 1877 
Joseph E. Cavanaugh, b 1879 
Emma Martha Cavanaugh, b 1881, d 1972 
Susan T. Cavanaugh, b 1887, d 1977 
Margaret S. Cavanaugh, b 1890, d 1986 




Children of John Houston Cavanaugh, 1870-1954:

Lexon Charlie Cavanaugh, b 1891, d 1949 
Elmer Diamond Cavanaugh, b 1893, d 1957 
Arthur Virgil Cavanaugh, b 1895, d 1988 
Orvel Burgess Cavanaugh, b 1897, d 1991 
Zona Ruby Cavanaugh, b 1901, d 1991 
Opal Edna Jane Cavanaugh, b 1906, d 1946 


Then Art's son William Virgil Cavanaugh,
William's son William Carl Cavanaugh,
and then me.