family research

[dawn]

Hello I just found this genealogy forum, I'm not too familiar with forums. I began researching my family line and was abruptly stopped. I went as far as my G.G. Grandmother Alice Euphemia Arnold. I was told that I could get back no further by a family member because Alice was orphaned as a small child. Apparently, her parents drown crossing "the river" and Alice was taken in by a family. She moved between 5 families until she was 12, the last family she was with were the Arnold's so she took their last name as her own. It has been told that my G.G. Grandmother Alice was the Granddaughter of a Blackfoot Chief. Alice was born sometime around 1874 and she passed in 1946. She married William Judson Doss and they are both buried in the Bethel Cemetery in Gilchrist, Mercer County, Illinois. Does anyone have any suggestions on how I find some kind of information.

[Bill Childs]

Hi, Dawn. Welcome.
Do you have any idea where Alice was born and/or where her parents may have died?
Bill

[dawn]

Hello Bill I am so glad someone replied, I found a William Judson Doss and Alice Arnold on RootsWeb with the same birth dates as mine. According to those records Alice was born in Pittsburg, Kansas, there is no info on her parents though. She and William were also married in Kansas. But if she didn't know her last name or birth date I doubt she actually knew where she was born. This is just so frustrating.

[Bill Childs]

Dawn,
Give me one or two names of Alice's children for a cross-check.
Bill

[dawn]

Hi Bill, Okay she was my G. Grandmother's mother, Hazel Della Marie Doss. Also, mother of Treva Louise Doss, Cecil, Alvin. There are a few others. Alice died in Millersburg, Illinois at her daughter, Treva Louise's house. I want to thank you so much for your interest in this and all your help.
Dawn

[Bill Childs]

The childrens' names were necessary because William J. Doss's wife is never listed as an Alice on what I have.
The 1900, 1910, 1920 & 1930 census always shows her as "Mae" or "May", which could be what the family called her. She is consistently listed as born in Missouri, about 1877 or 1878 and on the 1900 Clark Co., Mo. census as b. Sep 1877. On the 1900 Clark Co., Mo census, she & William are listed as married for 2 yrs, and in 1910, married for 12 yrs, with Oral G. listed as William's "Step-daughter", 13 yrs old.
William J. Doss, is consistently listed as b.abt. 1872 Kansas, but in 1880 and 1900, he and his family lived in Clark Co., Mo., on the Mississippi River, which is 3 counties from Mercer Co., Ill. His father was a carpenter (they often moved around for work) and John & Mary's children are listed as born in Ky, Ill, Mo, Ky, Ks, and the last two in Mo., which is where they lived in 1880 and 1900 Clark Co.
All of this would lead me to believe that Alice/May lived in Clark Co., Mo., too, but of course logic doesn't always apply !

The census data raises the question in my mind of whether someone actually found a record of Alice/Mae being born in Crawford Co., Ks or did they assume she was because that's where Willim Doss was born and they didn't know that he lived hundreds of miles away in 1880?
(In 1900, William and "May" Doss, m'd 2 yrs, with children Oral G. 3; Perry L. 1; and Orval J., 0 months (born May 1900) lived in Clark Co., Mo., where William lived with his parents John and Mary Jane Doss in 1880, and where "father" John lived with William and May Doss in 1900.)

(There are other questions about the families this DOSS line descend from in Stokes Co., NC, in the 1700s, but that one can wait)

The children listed for her and William Doss on various census records are:
Oral G., dau, b.1896 Mo., m'd a Harmon and then Wilbur Smith.
(listed as William Doss's 'stepdaughter' in 1910 Warren Co., Ill)
Perry L., son, b.1899 Mo.
Orville J., son, b.1900 Mo.
Hazel, dau, b.1902 Mo.
Lou, dau, b.1905 Mo.
Alvin, son, b.1907 Ill.
Cecil, son, b.1909 Ill.

My suggestion would be to look, or have someone elso look, in the Clark Co., Missouri courthouse records in Kahoka and see if you can identify her. The locals at the time would have known what her last name was (well, there's a chance they wouldn't), local papers may have the story in their archives (?), and there may be court documents placing her with the Arnolds who may have adopted her at an early age. Sounds like a long chance, but the authorities often paid a lot of attention to orphans and the like, in order to prevent them from becoming a 'public burden' and to keep them out of trouble.
Critiques always welcome,
Bill

[dawn]

Hi Bill thats them! I'm so excited you got them. My G. Great Grandmother was called Mae. I don't know why, her name was Alice Euphemia. Everyone called her Mae and even on her headstone it reads Alice M. Also, talking to the daughter of "Lou" which is Treva Louise, Alice did have a daughter Oral that she brought to the marriage. "Lou's" daughter could only tell me what I have told you. She did say that someone in the family started genealogy and she thought that she had some of the papers, she took my address and told me if she found anything she would send it. Is this your family line? I've been researching my family line on my dad's side (Bruce) for some time now but I'm still like a newbie. I have a hard time finding info.
Thank you for the info you have given me. "Lou's" daughter didn't say anything about an adoption, she told me that Alice moved between 5 families until she was 12 and the last family she was with were the Aronld's so she took their name as hers. Do you think they might have something on the drowning? I will see what I can find in Clark County. Again Thank you so much for your help.

[Bill Childs]

Dawn,
Here is the census data:

1880 Clark Co., Mo Census; ED39 Sweet Home Twp; 17 June; p.18B; Family # 165, 178:
DOSS, John; 49, Carpenter, b. Ky; father b.Va; mother b.Ky.
........, Mary Jane; 45, wife, Ky, Ky, Ky.
........, Lou Mittie; 22, dau; Ill.
........, Mary Ella; 20, dau, Ky.
........, Margaret D; 18, dau, Mo.
........, Joel B; 16, son, Ky.
........, William J.; 8, son, Kans*******
........, Ota May; 4, dau, Mo.
........, Robert; 1, son, Mo.

1900 Clark Co., Mo Census; ED27 Madison Twp; 13 June; Sheet 6B; Family # 98, 99:
DOSS, Wm; Farm Laborer; b.July 1872, 27, m'd 2 yrs; Ks, Ky, Ky.
........, May; wife; Sep 1877, 22, m'd 2 yrs; Mo, Unknown, Mo.
........, Oral G; dau; Jun 1896, 3, Mo, Ks, Mo.
........, Perry L.; son; Feb 1899, 1, Mo, Ks, Mo.
........, Orval J; son; May 1900, 0 months old; Mo, Ks, Mo.
DOSS, John; father; Oct 1831, 68, widowed; Ky, Va, Ky.

1910 Warren Co., Ill Census; ED144 Monmouth Twp (in city); 26 April; Sheet 16B; address: 825 G (?) Street; Family 392, 392:
DOSS, William; Laborer; 38, m'd 1x, m'd 12 yrs; Kans; Unkn; Unkn.
........, May; wife, 34, m'd 2x(?); m'd 12 yrs; 7 children; Mo, Mo, Mo.
........, Oral; Step-dau; 13, Mo, Mo, Mo.
........, Perry; son, 11, Mo, Kans, Mo.
........, Orville; son, 10, Mo, Kans, Mo.
........, Hazel; dau, 8, Mo, Kans, Mo.
........, Lou; dau, 5, Mo, Kans, Mo.
........, Alvin; son, 3, Ill, Kans, Mo.
........, Cecil; son, 6 months old; Ill, Kans, Mo.
(William worked in a lumber yard)

1920 Mercer Co., Ill Census; ED74 Mercer Twp, Aledo (city); 12 Jan; Sheet 10A; address: 209 W. 5th Street; family 294, 290:
DOSS, Mae; Head; 43, m'd, Mo, Mo, Mo.
HARMAN, Ora; dau, 23, m'd, Mo, Mo, Mo.
DOSS, Perry; son, 20, Mo, Mo, Mo. Moulder in Iron Foundry.
........., Orville; son, 19, Mo, Mo, Mo. Moulder in Iron Foundry.
........., Lou; dau, 15, Mo, Mo, Mo.
........., Alvin; son, 12, Ill, Mo, Mo.
........., Cecil; son, 9, Ill, Mo, Mo.
HARMAN, Edward; Grandson; 4 yrs 7 months old; Ill, Mo, Mo.
(don't know where William Doss was)

1930 Scott Co., Ia Census; ED23 Davenport (city), 2nd Ward; 14 April; Sheet 10B; address: 708 1/2 Margarette Street; Rent $23/month; family 243, 268:
DOSS, Mae; Head, 52, widow, Mo, Mo, Mo.
........., Alvin; son, 23, Ill, Mo, Mo. Shipper/Car Shops.
........., Cecil; son, 20, Ill, Mo, Mo. Truck Driver/Warehouse.
SMITH, Wilbur; Son-in-Law; 33, m'd @ 24 y/o; Ill, Ill, Ill. Truck Driver/Coal Co.
SMITH, Ora; dau, 33, m'd @ 25; Mo, Mo, Mo.
HARMON, Edward; Grandson; 16, Ill, Kans, Mo. Laborer/Nursery.

.........
Bill

[dawn]

Hi Bill sorry for not replying sooner. My son is visiting from Minnesota this week. I have contacted a look-up volunteer in Missouri and explained what I was looking for. Have heard nothing yet. Have received nothing yet from "Lou's" daughter, Micki.
I have searched numerous sites for drownings on the missouri river and Blackfoot sites for history. I am going to keep searching and wait for contact from the look-up in Missouri.
Thank you

[Bill Childs]

Dawn,
Some part of every oral history is usually true and some parts are sometimes not after three or four generations as information can get pretty tangled.
Let's consider that Arnold was Alice's family's name. I'm not saying that this is certain, but here's a 'for instance' for you.

Looking at the several Arnold families who lived in 1870 & 1880 Clark Co., Mo., I found a Steadman (Stedman) and Lydia (Liddie) Arnold who did have a daughter named Alice who was born in 1875 or '76 in Clark County.

Lydia died about 1876 in Clark Co., Mo, and their daughters Alice & Elsie (Aisley) were sent (presumed, because their father was still alive in 1880) to live with their older married sister Rachel (who had m'd George Wilsey per county marr. records) after Steadman remarried (2nd wife Lucy Hocrafter) .
Also, this Wilsey family with the two young Arnold girls (surname was lined out) did live in 1880 Madison Twp, Clark Co., where we find your Alice as William Doss's wife in 1900.

Sending the children to live with relatives often happened when one of the parents remarried. So, I'm thinking that the drowning may well have happened later than when Alice was sent to the relatives, and 'Arnold' may have been your Alice's last name afterall. Speculation for sure, but this matches the records to the story except for finding information about her parents drowning.

Steadman Arnold was born in Illinois about 1830 and Clark Co., Mo is on the Mississippi so he may have had reasons to go across the river.
Just something to consider and you might have them keep an eye out for information about a Steadman & Lucy Arnold (or the WILSEYs) drowning in the river.
Bill

[dawn]

Hi Bill, that does make sense to me. You said that Steadman and Lydia Arnold did have a daughter named Alice. Was she their natural born child? On census, if someone had taken in a child did they list that child as adopted or as their own? I seems it would be so much easier to find info if she really was an Arnold. Micki also told me that her real name was Alice Euphamie and that Euphamie was an indian name. I looked it up and only found Greek and I think Irish origin. My mom told me that my Grandma Hazel always referred to her mother as Euphamie Mae.
It would be so much easier if you could just go back and speak with them yourself but I do like a puzzle. I know how stories get changed and blown out of proportion. But it seems like they all have the same story. The only thing my mom could tell me about Grandma Hazel was that she was Blackfoot. I remember my Grandma Hazel and she had very strong Indian features. I hate to say that like that but I do not know any other way to put it. I spoke with Micki, who would be Alice's grand daughter, she told me the story to begin with about the drowning and Alice going between 5 families. Her sister, can not remember her name, also knew the story. I found a web site with information from Orville's daughter, she tells the same story on the site. These three women are Alice's grand daughters, could the story have gotten blown up that close to Alice? You think maybe.
Well I guess I will be doing some research on that Arnold line. Thank you again for your help and all your knowledge.