RootsChat.Com
Research in Other Countries => United States of America => Topic started by: Erato on Friday 07 July 17 21:24 BST (UK)
-
Eva Alma Chapman [aka Evelyn A.] was born in Minnesota in 1902. Her parents were Benjamin Henry Chapman and Susan Jane Corey [aka Susan Jane Northrup]. She can be found with her parents and various siblings on the 1905 Minnesota state census and on the 1910 federal census in Black Duck, Beltrami County, Minnesota.
At some point before 1920, the Chapman family relocated to Canada and settled in Peace River, Alberta. Whether Eva moved north with her family is unknown, but I can't find her in the United States. In fact, she remains disappeared until her death in Harris County, Texas on 29 June 1950.
https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:33S7-9B9H-W9V?i=252&cc=1983324
https://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GRid=126990151
She was the wife of Henry L. Williams but it is unknown where or when they married. I believe that her husband was probably Henry Lawson Williams born 13 September 1898 in Texas and died 3 December 1985.
https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:33S7-9YTF-3XLF?i=468&cc=1968530
https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:33S7-9RFW-6J6?i=29&cc=1488411
https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:33S7-9YTF-3XLF?i=468&cc=1968530
https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:JVRT-ZJQ
https://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GRid=126990066
Where were Eva and Henry and their children between 1920 and 1950?
-
Looks like Eva crossed the border to Canada on 3 Oct. 1916 with her mother, who was listed as Mrs. B.H. Chapman, and 8 siblings. They were coming from Black Duck, Minnesota and going to Bear Lake (?), Alberta.
-
Henry Lawson Williams crossed the border from Canada to US on 14 Dec. 1940 with wife Eva Alma and two daughters. Mother-in-law was Susan J. Chapman of Grimshaw, Alberta. Henry was in the US from birth to Sept. 1924, when he came to Canada from Miami, Texas.
-
This appears to be one of the daughters mentioned on the border crossing. https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:J5JJ-P2S Social Security application says she was Avis Lorraine Williams born 20 Jan 1933 in Berwyne Alberta, Canada to Henry L. Williams and Evelyn A. Chapman. Her surname was Williams as of Sep. 1948, Morris as of Jun. 1958, Smith as of Mar. 1960 & Dec. 1967, and Duckworth as of 20 Jul. 1981 and 31 Oct. 1995.
-
Picture of Avis' gravestone: http://usgwarchives.net/ms/covington/photos/tombstones/belbaptistchurch/duckwort4011gph.jpg
-
The other daughter on the border crossing was Cora Fay Williams born 28 Mar. 1931. This may be her on the SSDI - https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:JTJ3-16Y
-
Thanks, Shellyesq. Weird gravestone with Smith in quotes and large letters. Presumably, the grateful sons were all Smiths.
-
I found the 1924 border crossing for Henry L. Williams. He was single, age 26, coming from Miami, Texas, going to Edmonton as a landseeker, and had $700. It sounds like they married in Canada.
-
I don't know if this was provided on previous images, but looking at the 1924 border crossing for Henry, it looks like Roberts ??? Co. is written above "birthplace: Texas"
It also looks like his religion may have been Methodist(?).
-
Thanks, Lisa, that makes sense. Miami is the county seat of Roberts County which, Google informs me, is an extremely sparsely populated county northeast of Amarillo. I see that it bills itself as the "most pro-Trump county in America," reason enough to scratch it from my bucket list of vacation plans and, given the latest news coming from the NYT, not much to brag about.
-
;D ;D ;D
I'm still a Canadian citizen, so I can't vote here. I almost wish I could have done so during the last election. ;)
You may already know about this resource:
http://peel.library.ualberta.ca/index.html
I've tried searching for Chapman and Williams, but so far have not found any newspaper articles about them. I am going to take a break now, but will resume later tonight.
-
Thanks for reminding me of the Peel's site. I found it a couple of years ago and then misplaced the link and had forgotten all about it. The Chapman family in Alberta was large [eleven children] and, as far as I can tell, all of them except Eva stayed in Canada. I will start running all of their names through Peel's to see if I can find something. The truth is, my heart always sinks when I discover that someone crossed the border into Canada because it seems like such a black hole for information. I have a few hints gleaned from online family trees and one or two graves but that's about it for this family of Chapmans.
-
You've not found Eva in 1921, correct? Is there a chance that she was married to someone prior to her marriage to Henry Williams?
-
It is possible that she was previously married. I don't know.
-
Hello! I think I might be able to help you. I am Eva's great niece. I live in northern Alberta. I am the granddaughter of Eva's younger sister Roa. Benjamin Chapman moved to the Berwyn, Alberta area around 1913. Susan and the children came in 1916. Benjamin died in the early 1930s after an accident with a horse. Susan passed away in 1958 while living with her daughter Ruby in Grande Prairie, Alberta.
-
Aha, that makes us distant cousins, then; in fact, third cousins once removed. Benjamin Henry Chapman's father [Cecil J.] was a younger brother of my great grandmother, Charlotte Elizabeth Chapman. Our common ancestors were their parents Benjamin Henry Chapman and Mary Esther Pepper.
It's good to hear from a descendant of one of the Canadian branches of the tree which, as I said, are difficult to track. I look forward to learning more and I can tell you a bit about the Chapmans who stayed in the United States if you're interested in them.
-
I am excited to have made contact with you. I must make a correction to my last post. Susan died in 1953. I double checked my notes and Benjamin died in 1931. Their son Walter passed away in 1973. He was living in Berwyn, Alberta at the time. My understanding is that part of Berwyn is built on the Chapman homestead.
-
Here's a shot of the B.H. Chapman homestead in Moundville Twsp., Marquette County, Wisconsin, on the north side of the village of Endeavor at about 43°43'44.02"N, 89°28'46.69"W. That's B.H. sitting on the back stoop. The photo probably was taken before 1880 because B.H. was seriously crippled in a farming accident in 1880 and got around on crutches thereafter. I don't see any crutches propped up next to him in the photo.
This would have been B.H.'s second house - the first was a log cabin located a bit further south at approximately 43°43'2.38"N, 89°28'8.18"W. My great grandfather [Hugh Ennis, husband of Charlotte Elizabeth Chapman] later owned that parcel of land and my grandfather wrote about helping to dismantle the original log cabin that was still there in around 1890.
-
Thank you for the information. It is wonderful to learn more about my roots.
Eva was in a relationship/marriage with Harry Wagstaff before she married Henry Williams. I cannot find them in the 1921 census. What I did find is a grave for a baby Wagstaff in 1921. It is in the Berwyn Cemetery.
I have also found homestead records if you are interested.
-
Now that you have three posts under your belt, we can continue this conversation in personal messages since it is of no particular interest to RootsChatters in general. I will send you a PM now.