David Owens: Union Township/Mount Vernon

More on my trip to South Dakota to continue my work on David Owens life. Union Township is outside of Mount Vernon, SD. That is the town where my 3rd GG, David Owens, and his wife Eliza Barker Owens settled at the end of their lives. David filed for a land patent in 1884, which was patented in 1889. It was the NW1/4 of Section 11, Union Township. In 1897, Emery Owens applied was granted the NE1/4 of Section 11. Sometime during this period, Emery acquired the SW1/4 of Section 11, making a total of 480 acres. Now, consider that South Dakota is not all Badlands and high desert. The northeastern side of the state is fertile with arable land.  That's a chunk of usable land. David appears to have left his portion to Emery, because by the time the map was published in 1901, Emery had this land, but had to wait to patent the NE1/4 (in 1902).

1902 Union Township, Davison County, SD Plat Map

Here is a photo of the homestead...there's a question whether this was the Owens homestead or another building was there before. According to the owner, the basement is the original basement. This location is at 257th St and 398th Ave in Davison County. I put two not perfectly matching photos below of the homestead.  

Miracle of miracles, I also availed myself of the US BLM database of land grants and was able to find both of the Owens land grants paperwork. I have linked directly to the page with the patents.

David's 1889 Land Patent

Emery's Land Grant. Land previously owned by Wm Brearly

Finally, here are the grave stones of both David Owens and his wife, Eliza Barker Owens.

Things and Other Things that Are Coming Up with Love

What we work on, in our genealogical research, is discovering what the lives and loves of our ancestors were like in whatever small way we can, without a big book of family stories to read from. Filling in those blanks has brought me great pleasure this past three years. I've taken trips of exploration, interviewed distant relatives, researched parts of family I never knew I had, and met with others in my own far-flung family who share my interests in-person from time-to-time (shout out to my cousin in Clarksville!)

This past several months have been most busy. Hopefully making memories that won't be quite as hard to unearth for future generations.  I am blessed to be the mother of three children, all brought into my life and heart through adoption. They are all well-adjusted and amazing kids and I couldn't be more proud of them and their accomplishments thus far in life. They are all grown now and settling into adult lives of their own making. My oldest is married and has a two-year-old child of his own. To see him with her would warm the coldest of hearts. You can read a little bit about my youngest two's start in life here. They are doing far beyond early predictions. All three are the greatest joy of my life.

Recently, I've been trying to put together pieces of the family trees of all three of them. Fortunately, two will share the same information or it might have gotten a little crazy. In discussing doing the work on this with them, they, who have generally shown little or no interest in their biological families, are indeed most interesting in hearing about the people who came in generations before.

What I've discovered thus far is compelling and fascinating. The two stories are about as different as they could be from one another as it relates to the path of immigration, but each story is very rich. And, both stories end up in the north-central Midwest.

I don't have the resources with their research I've had with my own biological family. I can't ask a cousin to ask a cousin if I can come up and talk to them. Most of their relatives don't even know they exist. It could be a bit shocking to make those calls! They all had open adoptions, so talking to at least one birth parent is not a problem, but, what we find out from that adventure, we have yet to discover. It's one I'm looking forward to doing what I am able to do and providing it to my children to help them in their own quest for self-identity.

The USC Trojans: Willis Smull's Children

PETER SMULL > SAMUEL SMULL m LORENA THOMPSON > WILLIS LEON "LEE" SMULL m Bessie Cox

1132 W 36th Pl, Los Angeles
The address is now an apartment building, but was a house
like the one to the right of the apartment complex

A while back, we talked about how the lines of the various family intersected. Lee's parents were an intersection of the Coopers and the Smulls, both major lines of my genealogy. Lee and Bessie farmed in South Dakota for several years, then moved into town to ensure their children got a good education. After Lee's untimely death from surgical complications in 1921, the family moved to Los Angeles, California. They lived at 1132 W 36th Place in Los Angeles, just blocks from the USC campus.

Lee and Bessie's four kids thrived in California. At least three of them graduated from USC in Los Angeles and all had successful careers. The two daughters never married.

Marlyn Smull and Carol Sharpe

Marlyn Archie Smull was born 21 Apr 1901 in Clark County, South Dakota. He married Carol Ophelia Sharpe on 30 Nov 1927 in Clark County. She was born 11 Aug 1902 in Clark County. While still in South Dakota, he attended Dakota Wesleyan, where he took part in football and basketball, band (piccolo), was on the debate team and belonged to the literary society.

Once in California, Marlyn attended USC and graduated with a degree in Commerce in 1925. During his time at USC, he was a faithful and devoted member of Sigma Phi Epsilon and stayed deeply involved with the fraternity for his lifetime. After his marriage, he was employed by the Adohr Creamery. In 1931, he was assistant route superintendent. He then began teaching school, spending a year teaching at Compton High School. He then took a position teaching at the University of Tennessee in Knoxville where he advised the Sigma Phi Epsilon's. Eventually, he returned to California and moved to San Bernardino, where he taught at CSU-San Bernardino for the remainder of his career. He and his wife had no children. He died 07 May 1977 in San Bernardino and she died 20 Jul 1990 in San Diego County.

Mary Lorene (left)
Mary's co-author and landlord, Dr Gladys Vail (right)

Mary Lenore Smull was born 18 Jul 1902 in Clark County. She graduated from USC in 1926, her specialty being a dietician. She spent ten years after graduation working as director of dietetics at Methodist Hospital. In the late 1930s, she moved on to Kansas State University in Manhattan, where she directed campus cafeteria operations. While there, she with Dr. Gladys E Vail, authored School Lunches for Kansas Children, published in 1944. She also boarded with Dr. Vail during her time in Kansas.

She eventually returned to California and took a position as dietitian at South Bay Hospital in Redondo Beach. She also co-chaired an effort in the Southland to create a "Dial a Dietitian" so citizens could ask diet/food/health questions. That service started in 1964. Mary retired to the Chula Vista area, where Lois and Myron lived, and died in Bonita, San Diego County, 04 Apr 1999.

Myron at USC

Lois L Smull was born 08 Sep 1906 in Clark County. I'm not sure where she went to school, but couldn't find alumni info on her at USC. She was a bookkeeper by trade and prior to 1959 had been bookkeeper at the Fredericks Nursing Home and later at the Pacific Homes in Burbank. She retired to the Chula Vista area, where brother Myron and sister Mary lived. She died 10 May 1991 in Chula Vista.

Myron Leon Smull was born 14 Nov 1907 in Clark County. He graduated from with a physical education degree from USC in 1932 and got his teaching certificate and taught at Taft in Perris, California in 1935 in secondary education. He also received advanced degrees from USC in education and administration.While there, he suffered a broken leg while playing a night baseball game at a local diamond. By 1941, he was teaching at Sweetwater High School and by 1944 was assistant district superintendent of attendance. His early years he also assistant coached a number of sports. He married Wilda French and had two sons, Michael and Robert.

Older Myron

In 1946, he became principal of Southwest Junior High and principal of Mar Vista High School in 1955. He retired in 1969. He was also very involved in the community and served in many capacities including being  was past president of South Bay Kiwanis Club; board member of Imperial Beach Boys Club; board member, Imperial Beach Parks and Recreation Commission; honorary life member, Mar Vista PTA; member of South Shores California Retired Teacher Association; San Diego County Officials Association; National Educators' Association; Sweetwater Education Association; the Accreditation Committee for Western Assocation of Schools and Colleges and past member of Southwest Lodge No 283, F&AM.

He died in a hospital at age 66 on 04 Dec 1974 in San Diego County. His wife remarried in 1979 to John L White. Wilda died 01 Sep 1992 in San Diego County.

William Clayton Cooper of South Dakota

WILLIAM COOPER > AMOS COOPER > FRANKLIN COOPER > WILLIAM CLAYTON COOPER m Mary Fairy Spaulding

You can read about the various Cooper's here.

Franklin Cooper, born in Bucks County, Pennsylvania, came with his parents to Clark County, Illinois in the mid 1820s. He married Jemima Wilson, a much younger woman, on 14 Mar 1850 in Stephenson County, Illinois and they later came to Polk Township, east of Plainfield, in Bremer County, Iowa, where they farmed. Jemima Ann was born 31 Oct 1832 in Kentucky. Franklin died at home in January 1893 and was buried in Horton  Jemima lived on until 1908. They had 10 children, only four of whom survived childhood. Jemima traveled frequently in her last years visiting her children and also was involved in various groups like the GAR auxiliary and the Ladies Aid Society.

1890s Play in Plainfield - Jemima is second row, far right

Son William Clayton was born in March of 1862 in Stephenson County. He married Mary Fairy "Fairy" Spaulding on 10 Oct 1883 in Horton, Iowa. She was born in January 1864 in Iowa. The 1900 census has William listed as a "landlord." Fairy was involved in the Royal Neighbors and can be seen here on this float in 1900.

Plainfield Royal Neighbors, 1900: Fairy Cooper is 4th from left, front row

In 1907, the couple took a leap and left for Fort Pierre, South Dakota, where they would take a land claim. On a visit home, he told everyone about what a great deal it was, "There is plenty of good land around Pierre that anyone can get by remaining on fourteen months and paying 50 center per acre." His four adult daughters lived in either South Dakota or Nebraska with their families.

In 1915, William met with a tragic accident:

"The community was shocked and saddened by the death Saturday morning of Wm C Cooper, a well known resident of our town. Mr Cooper was assisting his son-in-law on a farm near Carpenter, Friday evening when he threw his fork down from the stack and immediately sprang down. The fork stuck in the ground, the handle standing upright and Mr Cooper was impaled on the handle. He was taken at once to the Watertown hospital, but died the next morning at 8 o'clock. He leaves a wife and three married daughters as well as a number of grandchildren to whom their grandfather was an especially dear playfellow and friend. Funeral services were held at Carpenter Monday afternoon."
Huron Weekly State Spirit
Thursday, August 26, 1915, Huron, South Dakota

Her daughter Edith Cooper Zwanziger lived in Huron near her mother and in 1930, her grandson, Lawrence Zwanziger lived with his grandmother. Mary died in a Huron, South Dakota hospital 01 Apr 1948. 

Bad, Bad Henry Burton

JACOB SMITH > JAMES SMITH > JOHN R SMITH > NANCY SMITH m (1) George Royce (2) Henry Wallace Burton

Click image to increase size

When John R Smith married Nancy "Nannie" Baker, little did the family know the name "Nannie" would carry on through three generations. You can read a little about John and his daughter Harriet here and about daughter Ollie here and son Alfred here.

The 2nd Nannie: Nancy Smith
Royce Burton

John and Nancy had daughter Nancy "Nannie" Smith on 13 Dec 1877 in Nebraska. She would marry George Royce, originally of Iowa, on 19 Mar 1896 in Garretson, Minnehaha County, South Dakota. George was born 18 Jan 1872.

Nannie's parents and some of her siblings moved along with the Royce's to California. While living in San Joaquin County, California. George made his living as a carpenter. By 1900, Stockton, which is located in the "Central Valley" of California and highly agricultural, had become an industrial city with streetcars, banks, hotels, and theatres. Main Street was its major commercial area. They would have nine children together before George died on 03 Aug 1915 in Stockton,

About the time of George's death, Henry Wallace Burton was just finishing his second term at San Quentin. This time for an unnamed felony. His career of crime might be quite lengthy, but all I have to go on is the two times he was incarcerated in San Quentin and his time at the Tulare County jail.

He was born in Greene County, Iowa 11 Jan 1884 to James O. Burton and Caroline "Carrie" Utter. The family moved West from Iowa to Tulare county before 1900. In 1908, Henry was a butcher and 20 years old. He was also on his way to prison for assault with intent to murder. He was sentenced to six years and was out in slightly over four years in December 1912. His second term for the "felony" started in late 1914 and he was in prison for 10 months, getting out in later 1915.

His 1908 and 1914 intake photos from San Quentin

Detailed description of his body at San Quentin

On 16 Jan 1920, he married Nancy "Nannie" Smith Royce and they lived in Stockton. He was some years younger than her. If his life of crime wasn't over, he didn't go back to the penitentiary. He was a dairy farmer and most of the Royce children resided with the couple on the 1920 census. Henry wouldn't make it to the 1930 census. He died on 06 Jun 1929 at the age of  45. He and Nannie would have one daughter, Nancy "Nannie" Violet Burton. Nannie would not remarry.

Nancy Smith Royce Burton died 09 Jan 1946 in French Camp in San Joaquin County.

Nancy Burton married William John Sohriakoff, born in San Francisco to Russian immigrant parents on 23 Oct 1924. Nannie would die on 13 Dec 1976. The couple had four children. William died 25 Jun 2003 in Grass Valley, California.

The Double Tragedy of the Alfred Smith Family of South Dakota

JACOB SMITH > JAMES SMITH > JOHN R SMITH > ALFRED SMITH m Maggie R Johnson

Click on image to enlarge

You can read about John R Smith and his daughter Harriet here and about his daughter Ollie here.

Alfred Smith was born 16 May 1867 while his parents lived in Iowa. They moved on eventually to South Dakota. His parents then moved on to Ripon, San Joaquin County, California, but some of the children remained in the Midwest including Alfred.

He met Maggie R. Johnson, who was born in 1874 in New York and married her on 15 Dec 1892. The couple would have eight children; one died in infancy, one died in a tragic accident that would make headlines for days, one would be the victim of another accident during a snowstorm.

Mabel Smith was born in 1909. Her family lived in Mitchell, Davison County, South Dakota. She was your typical 10-year-old who one Saturday afternoon set out to visit friends. When she hadn't arrived home by supper, her parents began to worry. They set about searching for her to no avail. Several hours later, the sheriff was notified and Al Scott's bloodhounds spent hours searching for the girl. Early on, they had some hints that she had been in the area near her parents' home, but as nothing turned up, they turned to other sources who had purportedly seen the girl and headed down to the railroad yard. The trail was cold there. They gave up in the early hours in the morning with intent to start again later that morning.

Reportedly, the girl had been seen speaking to a "strange Negro man," earlier in the day. The only negros in the area were two laborers who had been rooming in the area while they worked on the road gang. The sheriff was quick to point out that they were well-known in town and were also not in the area on the day of the disappearance. Talk of the "strange negro," died out.

Common old house porch cistern trap door

On the 21st of October, three days later, her body was discovered in the cistern under the porch of the home of the C. E. Thompson's, a short distance from her home. She had drowned. Cisterns in old homes were not uncommon. They typically used the roof as a rain collection surface, gutters and downspouts delivering the water into the cistern. They were often built under porches, with a trap door over the entrance to avoid accidents. The vault below held the water which was typically accessed  by a pump in the house and used for laundry and cleaning rather than drinking.  In the Thompson home, the cistern door was not near the back porch entry, where the child had entered, so it was unclear why she had raised the cistern door and gone in if it weren't at someone else's hands.

Her mother believes she was murdered. This article, which was newswired to nearby Aberdeen, makes clear that it was a mystery that would have no clear solution, despite the fact the coroner's inquest came back with a ruling of accidental and not homicidal causes. No suspect was ever located.

Just three years later, young Archie Alfred Smith, on his way home from work with his coworker, Orvis Yahne, would walk the tracks in a blinding snowstorm and be hit and killed by the train snow shovel. He was 21 years old.

Alfred died 03 Apr 1936 in Davison County and Maggie died in Stellacoom, Pierce County, Washington on 25 Nov 1951.

Florence Newcomb & L. Arthur Larson: The Perfect Match

JACOB SMITH > JAMES SMITH > JOHN R SMITH > OLLIE B. SMITH m Robert Kingsbury Newcomb > FLORENCE SMITH m Lewis Arthur Larson

Click image to increase size

You can read about Ollie's family here.

Florence, 1935

Florence Faye Newcomb was born 24 Apr 1909 in Lake County, South Dakota. There was always something that shined about Florence. From an early age she was interested in performing and winning. She attended Easter State Normal School and was a charter member of the Theta Chapter of Pi Kappa Delta, which got its charter at the school in 1930. Florence thrived and excelled in forensics, especially extemporaneous speaking. She also participated heavily in theatre arts, performing in student plays throughout her time on campus. She was also May Queen in her senior year.

In 1930, the school got its first shot at attending the national Pi Kappa Delta convention and tournament. Florence took top prize in women's extemporaneous speaking. This is the same year that L. Arthur Larson of Augustana College took second place in the men's competition. Reportedly, they had met previously while in high school and he lost to her in a debate on the "independence for the Philippines."

L. Arthur Larson

L Arthur Larson was born 04 Jul 1910 in Pennington, South Dakota to municipal court Judge Lewis Larson and Annie Bertia Huseboe. He excelled in school and graduated from Augustana as valedictorian. He won a Rhodes Scholarship and in 1931, left for London and Oxford to study. He secured four degrees while there, including one in civil jurisprudence.

In the meantime, young Florence had secured her first teaching post at Freeman High School in Huron, teaching English and Speech at a salary of $1,350 per year. In her second year of teaching, her drama students participated in a dramatic contest conducted by the University of South Dakota and took first place performing, "The Variant," a play about the last hours of a condemned man.

After traveling to London, where she graduated with special credit from the Royal Academy of
Dramatic Arts, she returned to South Dakota. In 1934, she continued to seek the limelight and won  the local challenge in a nationwide  radio contest sponsored by Columbia to find its next radio star to co-star with actor Dick Powell in a new radio program called, "Hollywood Hotel." She did get an expense-paid trip to New York, but did not win the national competition.

In July 1935, she would marry L. Arthur Larson. He got a job at the famous firm in Milwaukee, Wisconsin who specialized in insurance law, Quarles, Spence & Quarles in 1935, but found himself laid off in 1939. He then went to University of Tennessee College of Law in Knoxville. It was there he and Florence had their two children, a boy and a girl.

President Dwight D Eishenhower

From there, he went to Washington DC during the war years where he served at the Office of Price Administration and as the Chief, Scandinavian Branch of the Foreign Economic Administration.In 1945, he was appointed assistant law professor at Cornell School of Law in Ithaca, New York. It was during his time there, he became a respected expert on worker's compensation law. He authored a 11-volume treatise on the subject in 1952, just before being heading to London as a Fulbright Fellow at the School of Economics. He was appointed as Dean of the Pittsburgh School of Law in Pennsylvania in 1953. During that time I found one reference to Florence's continuing involvement in theatre, when she was in a play there that made the news.

Always a registered Republican, he was of a centrist viewpoint, which appealed to President Dwight D. Eishenhower, who had read Larson's book, "A Republican Looks at His Party," and agreed with the tenets he espoused. Eisenhower had him come aboard as an Undersecretary of Labor in 1954. He then went on to serve briefly as the head of the US Office of Information Agency, and then as Eisenhower's chief speechwriter. He then spent a year in 1958 as Knapp Professor of Law, University of Wisconsin School of Law.

Rule of Law Research Center, 1960

Larson moved on to Duke University as the a law professor and later as director of the Rule of Law Research Center at Duke, a position he held for many years until his retirement in 1980. In 1975, he was named the James B. Duke Professor of Law. He also continued to dip into politics and foreign policy and consulted with President Lyndon Johnson, the US State Department, and the United Nations. He was cited as a champion for peace.  He wrote several more books, including in 1968, "Eisenhower: The President Nobody Knew."

In the Duke Law School Review: A Tribute to L. Arthur Larson, one of those providing tribute indicated that Florence had developed a reputation as a sculptor.

He remained the country's leading expert on worker's comp law and his books were the standard reference in the field. And, he was considered a leading expert in foreign affairs, disarmament, and arms control. In 1960, he won the World Peace Award of the American Freedom Association.

After he retired, he continued to write. The couple were married for 55 years when Florence died 02 Mar 1991 and Arthur died 27 Mar 1993, both in Durham, North Carolina.

The Other Newcombs of South Dakota

JACOB SMITH > JAMES SMITH > JOHN R SMITH > OLLIE BEATRICE SMITH m Robert Kingsbury Newcomb

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You can read a little bit about John Smith, who went to California after living in Wisconsin, Iowa, Nebraska, and South Dakota, here. The Newcombs in this story shouldn't be mixed up with the Newcombs that married into the Munson family elsewhere in this blog. If there is a connection, it goes way, way, back and I'm not dealing with it!

Olive Beatrice "Ollie" Smith was born 26 Mar 1876 in Nebraska. Several of her siblings settled in South Dakota and did not go on to California with their parents. Ollie met and married Robert Kingsbury Newcomb and married him on 06 Nov 1897 in South Dakota. The couple settled in Ramona, Lake County, South Dakota. Robert had several jobs during their marriage, but in about 1915, he started to experiment with breeding and incubation of chicks. He studied and perfected his methods and in 1929, opened the Sunshine State Hatcheries first state-of-the-art location in Madison.

Before long, he had several locations throughout the state, which were operated by his four sons: Bob, Chuck, Parker, and Lyle.  I don't know what became of the hatcheries, but a news item from 1962 indicated that Lyle's son, Lyle Ralph, had declared bankruptcy and was no longer in the hatchery business. Farming operations and technology kept improving and with the loss of three of the sons by the mid-1950s, my guess is that the effort slowly fizzled out. I'd be interested to know what the end of the story was.

Madison location of the Sunshine State Hatcheries

Ollie died 07 Sep 1949 in Minnehaha County, South Dakota. Robert died 14 Dec 1955.

Ollie and Robert had eight children:

1. Mable born 28 Oct 1898 and died 03 Jan 1899 in South Dakota.

2. Robert "Bob" Kingsbury Newcomb Jr. was born 30 Oct 1899 in Lake County. He died on 08 Apr 1952. Terrible floods swept through parts of South Dakota that week. Bob was trying to keep flood waters out of the basement of his Lake Kampeska home when he succumbed to a heart attack. He was listed as the first victim of the floods that year. During the war, he was regional director of the Civil Aeronautics Association for seven states. He operated the hatcheries at Flandreau, Sioux Falls, Arlington, Salem, Bryant and Huron at various points. He was also the founder and operator of the South Dakota Turkey Breeder's Association. He left his wife and two sons.

3. Lyle Smith Newcomb was born 27 Nov 1901 in Ramona, Lake County. He operated the hatcheries

Lyle Smith Newcomb

in Huron and Madison and died after a lingering illness 23 Sep 1950 in Madison. He left four children and his wife Vera.

4. Parker William Newcomb was born on 27 May 1903 in Lake County. He married Myrtle Dahl, who had a child from a previous marriage. They had four children together. He died 17 Aug 1957 in Lake County. During World War II, he served as a Lt Colonel in the US Army and served a full career in the South Dakota National Guard. He is also listed as having worked in the hatcheries.

5. Emma Mary Newcomb was born 21 Nov 1905 in Hamlin, South Dakota according to her birth index record. She married Fred John Kaske, who served in World War II. They moved to Ventura, California. Emma died 29 Nov 2001. They had two children.

6. Charles B. "Chuck" Newcomb was born on 13 Sep 1907 in Hamlin. He married Camilla Euphame Steensland on 08 Jun 1934 on her parents' farm. They lived in Arlington until 1939 when they moved the family to Sioux Falls to work in the hatchery business. The couple had six children. Chuck died in April of 1986, but Camilla lived to be 100 years old and died in Salt Lake City, Utah, on 05 Aug 2013.

Camilla Steensland

7. Florence Faye Newcomb was born 24 Apr 1909 in Lake County. She and her husband Lewis Arthur "Arthur" Larson had two children. She died 02 Mar 1991 in Durham, North Carolina. Arthur died  27 Mar 1993 in Durham. I'll be writing separately about them.

8. Doris R Newcomb was born 08 Oct 1916 in Lake County. She married Gordon Norbraten on 07 Sep 1938 in Hutchinson, South Dakota. They had one daughter. Gordon died 07 Aug 1975 in Miami-Dade County, Florida and Doris died 16 Aug 1995 in Lee County, Florida.

Clan William: Poor Walter Woodington, Jailed Again

Capt Thomas Munson > Samuel Munson > Samuel James Munson > William Munson > Samuel II Munson > Freeman Munson >  Amos Munson > Henrietta Munson > Walter Amos Munson

My 2nd great grandmother, Mary Ann Munson's sister Henrietta and her husband Moses, had six
children I could find. The baby, Walter Amos Woodington, was born 21 Aug 1880 in Cassville, Grant County, Wisconsin.

Elevated view of Eau Claire, WI

I found evidence that he did marry in Indiana on 02 Jan 1906 in Warren County to Minnie Kirkendall, who was born in Ohio. I know nothing about her beyond that. I believe she died prior to 1920, possibly in South Dakota. In 1910, the Woodington's were living in Firesteel, Aurora County, South Dakota. Many people had headed to South Dakota for the free land grants, but many returned quickly as the life was hard and rarely prosperous.

There is evidence to suggest that upon his return to Wisconsin, which occurred by at least 1915, that he had a serious alcohol problem. In June of 1915, he received a 30-day sentence for being a drunken vagrant and panhandling. His job in the article was listed as "farm hand."

In May 1916, he was caught up in a sweep by police of chronic panhandlers and drunkards, and received another 30 days.

The only positive thing I found in news articles was on July 18, 1920, he sold Lots 46, 47, and 48 in the Lincoln Park addition in Eau Claire to John Goulette for $150.

The 1920 census has him listed as age 42, widowed, working as a laborer in a rubber company, and living with his brother George in Eau Claire. The place he worked was most likely the new Gillette Safety Tire Company that had opened in 1916 in Eau Claire. I can't imagine he held the job for long.

The Eau Claire Leader published on 18 Aug 1921 that Woodington was again arrested. This time for 90 days in County jail after just coming off a stint of 10 days in jail.

The judge said, "Well, you're not much of a stranger, are you," as Woodington greeted him upon entering the court room. Woodington was by then drinking wood alcohol.

I don't have any proof of death, but the articles end around this time and I would guess he did not live much longer. I'd be interested in any proof of what happened to Walter after that time.

Peter Smull Family: Samuel Smull of South Dakota

PETER SMULL > SAMUEL SMULL m Lorena Thompson

(Click on the image to increase the size)

Lorena' mother
Anna Cooper Thompson Hardy
in Iowa

The Coopers and the Smulls of Stephenson County, Illinois, connected in multiple ways over the generations. Samuel Smull was the son of Peter Smull and Mary Waggoner who resided in Centre County, Pennsylvania until they moved to Stephenson County, Illinois in the 1850s. Samuel was born 27 May 1840 in Centre County. On 20 Aug 1866, he married Lorena Thompson, daughter of Ann Cooper and her first husband, Daniel Thompson in Mitchell County, Iowa. 

The young Smull family settled, along with other Smulls, in the 1860s in Chickasaw and Bremer Counties. Samuel and wife lived in Bradford, now a deserted town in Chickasaw County swallowed up by the larger Nashua, Iowa. Samuel served as a private in the 147th Regiment of the Illinois Infantry for a year (1865-1866) during the Civil War. In 1870, his farm land in Bradford area was valued at $4,000. In 1880, he was in very nearby Polk Township in Bremer County farming. Along with thousands of those lured by the call of cheap land, the Smulls moved to South Dakota in about 1884, residing at the time of the 1900 census in Richland Township. They homesteaded  on section 30 SW. 

Not a lot is known about them during their time there, but they did manage to make it into a couple of news items in the early 1900s:

Mesdames Almeda Herbst and Samuel Smull, from South Dakota, and Mrs MJ Smull of Plainfield came to the latter place Monday evening and have been visiting at Jas. Cooper's.
Nashua Reporter June 27, 1901
===
The James Williams family, John Bateen, and Mr & Mrs Smull ate turkey at See William's last Thursday.
Huron Journal World Spirit December 3, 1908
===.
Sam Smull has been under the weather for a couple of days.
Huron Journal World Spirit December 17, 1908

Sam died 06 Nov 1919 in Grand Island, Nebraska. The entire family had been en route to California when Sam fell ill. They removed him from the train at Grand Island and sent him to the hospital, where he died almost immediately. The family returned to Clark, SD with the remains for burial. His wife Lorena preceded him 07 Jun 1918.

Their two sons, Bertrum W and Willis Leon "Lee" farmed in South Dakota on the land in section 30 SW after their parents retired and moved to town. Bert was born in Aug 1873 and Lee was born 28 Dec 1874 in Iowa. 

Bert married Nellie Blanche Irwin on 13 Sep 1914 in Kingsbury, South Dakota. She was born on 14 Aug 1886 in Webster, Day, South Dakota. They had one son, Byron Eugene, born 16 Oct 1915 in South Dakota. Byron died 12 Apr 1983 in El Sereno, Los Angeles County, California. We know little about Byron other than he served in World War II, having enlisted with two friends from where he worked at Lockheed*. 

According to Bert's Find-a-Grave 133565997, "While on the farm Lee and Bert operated a threshing machine every fall. Bert Smull married Nellie Irwin who was a clerk in the C. W. Chambers store in Carpenter. After Bert and Nellie were married, they lived on the farm and later moved to a farm north east of Clark, where they lived until Bert's death in the early 1920's. Nellie and son, Byron moved then to Calif. Nellie was blind for many years before her death."

Bert died 09 Apr 1926 in Codington, South Dakota and Nellie died in Los Angeles County on 15 Sep 1973.

Lee married Elizabeth Emma "Bessie" Cox on 22 Nov 1899 in South Dakota. Bessie was born 14 Jan 1876 in New York. They had four children, Marlyn Archie, Mary Lorene, Lois, and Myron. Those kids are pretty interesting and will have a later post of their own. Education for the children seemed of the utmost importance to the couple. They would all attend college in South Dakota and later in California. Lee died from surgical complications on 22 Oct 1921 in Mitchell, South Dakota. His wife moved to California with the family after his death and died in Los Angeles County on 27 Nov 1944.The best tale comes from the obituary for Lee and outlines the lives of the Smulls:

* - Information from Ancestry member PEGGYSUEOGNE about her father, Edgar Vincent Nelson: "
 ARMY INDUCTION Fort MacArthur, San Pedro, CA He had been a Foreman at Lockheed Aircraft; he enlisted with his two friends Ronnie Blanchard and Byron Smull  30 July 1944

A Little More on David Owens

I had a lot of fun working on the family of David Owens - check the tag list on the sidebar to see all
the posts related to him which cover his arrival in Iowa, move to Davison, South Dakota, and the lives of his children.

I also love that they keep adding newspapers over at NewspaperArchives.com, my favorite source of news articles. Recently, they added Iowa State Reporter, a small press that published from Waterloo.

Here are a few tidbits that look into the life of David Owens' life in Iowa. What I see is a good farmer, a wise man, a sometimes frustrated father, and a responsible, participating member of his community. It also nailed down the time of the arrival of the Owens' party in Poyner Township. And I had no idea he was a fruit grower primarily. He had some rough weather years here in Iowa. These take him all the way to just after his move to South Dakota:

PUBLIC NOTICE
Notice is hereby given that I have, this day, given my son, James D Owens, his time and that hereafter I will not be responsible for any debts or business engagements he may make. David Owens, Poyner Township, May 27, 1874
Iowa State Reporter May 27, 1874
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Sheriff's Sale
State of Iowa, Black Hawk County > xx
Notice is hereby given, that on the 30th day of May AD 1874, at 10 o'clock am at the Court House, in the city of Waterloo, and county aforesaid will be sold at public auction to the highest bidder, for cash, the following described real estate, levied upon and taken by virtue of a general execution issued from the office of the clerk of the circuit court within and for the county of Black Hawk, State of Iowa, in favor of Rena Chapman and against the property of EE McStay, Charles B Case, and David Owens, to-wit:
Lot No four (4) in block No nine (9) in village of Raymond, Black Hawk County, State of Iowa, excepting the north forty-two feet (42) of said lot or so much thereof as may be necessary to satisfy said writ of execution and all accruing costs. GW HAYZLETT, Sheriff of Black Hawk County, Dated at the Sheriff's office, Waterloo, April 30, 1874.
Iowa State Reporter May 27, 1874
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David Owens, of Poyner township, tells us that his section the storm destroyed the fences and quite a few and quite a number of trees. Fifteen of his large fruit trees were either entirely destroyed or badly injured.
Iowa State Reporter June 10, 1874
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David Owens, of  Poyner township, has sold to Thompson Bros., forty barrels of apples this year. They were mostly of the gros pommier variety and as handsome as any apples ever seen in this market. Mr Owens has been one of the most successful fruit growers in the county.
Iowa State Reporter October 21, 1874
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...In 1855, L Doud, C Chamberlin, David Owens, William Wheeler, Albert Taylor, John Helton, John Hollar, Henry Kimble, John Linderman, IT Corwin, Martin Zimmerman and James Poyner settled in the southern part of the township.
Iowa State Reporter May 26, 1875
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David Owens of Poyner Township came in on Monday with a big egg, expecting to beat the Lester township production furnished by Enos Wood. It was not quite large enough to do that, and Mr Owens has gone back to induce his hen to make another effort.
Iowa State Reporter August 18, 1875
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...The reports in regard to corn are just as varied. David Owens, of Poyner Township, tells us his opinion, made up from actual observation, is that the crop will not be more than half the usual yield, taking the average into consideration. The weather recently has been too cool to make a crop, for the late planted. Oats are potatoes are generally good.
Iowa State Reporter August 18, 1875
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David Owens of Poyner, exhibited twenty varieties of apples, making a very fine show.
Iowa State Reporter October 3, 1877
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POYNER.
Justices - J. N. Marble, J. P. Keiffer.
Assessor - James K. Winsett.
Clerk- J. J. Hoxie.
Trustees- Ed. Marble, W. S. Deitrich, David Owens.
Constables- Joseph Barker, C. Miller
Iowa State Reporter October 16, 1878
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David Owens of Poyner township says his apple crop will be about six hundred bushels of excellent fruit. He also tells us that for the last two years he has been getting all his fuel from groves of his own raising.
Iowa State Reporter September 24, 1879
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BOARD OF SUPERVISORS MEETING, 17 Oct 1881
...The following bills were audited as follows viz:
ON THE POOR FUND
David Owens, vinegar and apples for poor house $2.37
Waterloo Courier October 26, 1881
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David Owens, of Poyner, who has one of the large orchards of the county, informs us that the prospects now are that he will not have more than a quarter or a third of a crop. At first he expected an immense yield, but the last frost injured the fruit so that it has been dropping from the trees ever since. He also says his cherry crop will be light.
Iowa State Reporter June 28, 1882
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The Mount Vernon, Dakota Gazette says that David Owens of this county has purchased a timber claim four miles southeast of that town.
Iowa State Reporter March 8, 1882
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WG met David Owens of Poyner township the other day. He has for a good many years given much attention to fruit raising. he thinks the past winter killed about 70 per cent of his trees, notwithstanding a good many have budded and blossomed this spring. He says the wood is already turning black under the bark and by August will be dead. The trees that stood the winter best with him are the Haas, Duchess, Walbridge and the Perry Russett. The last he pronounces a poor thing in the way of fruit, but he has a good opinion of Walbridge, both as to fruit and tree.
Iowa State Reporter May 23, 1883
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David Owens, formerly an old resident of Poyner township, came in Tuesday night from Dakota, where he is now living, near Mt Vernon. He has left at this office specimens of sod corn, wheat and American and Russian flax. He is loud in praise of the productiveness of the soil, and in his general surroundings, and the specimens we have from him certainly corroborates his enthusiasm. He will spend a couple of weeks among his old neighbors.
Iowa State Reporter October 16, 1884
===

The Prolific David Owens: Daughter Carrie Elnora Owens

Early 1900s postcard for Mt Vernon, SD

DAVID OWENS m ANNA E BARKER  > CARRIE ELNORA OWENS

You can read about David Owens' beginnings here. One little caveat discovered when working on
mother Anna: Barker may have been previously married to George Barker when they came to Black Hawk County. I don't know if George died or they divorced, but I'm fairly certain this is the Anna Eliza Barker David took as his third wife. I have not discovered Anna's earlier beginnings.

Carrie Elnora was born in Poyner Township, Black Hawk County in 1875 date according to her tombstone). She was the first daughter and third child of David and his third wife "Eliza." When the Owens' packed up and moved to near Mount Vernon, Davison County, South Dakota in April 1884, Carrie was nine years old. She married Thomas Benjamin Haynes in South Dakota in 1892. Thomas' parents had come from England and he was born in Wisconsin. Thomas was a farm implement dealer in Mount Vernon.

They resided in Mount Vernon their entire married lives, Thomas dying in 1949 and Carrie following him in 1950.

Owen Haynes

Their children were Hazel Lorraine, born 1896, who married James Earl Wells, Jr. James was an economist and analyst for the Department of Agriculture's Farm Board in Washington DC beginning in 1927. He was made secretary of the Commodity Credit Corp by Franklin Roosevelt and later was named second vice president and director, a post he held until 1936. He continued to work for the Federal government until at least 1940. After retirement, they lived in Minneapolis until their move to Tucson, Arizona in about 1966. James died in 1967 and Hazel in 1987.

Son Owen James Haynes, born in 1899,  was the first man in Mount Vernon to enter the service during World War I. He went on to Camp Cody, Demin, New Mexico and spent a year there before being sent to France, where he served with an ambulance company. When he returned, he left for Vermillion, where he attended the University of South Dakota. While there, he received his undergrad and law degrees. He practiced law in Belfourche, South Dakota before he joined Standard Oil Co in 1923. He rose to the rank of Vice President of California Explorations, a subsidiary of Standard Oil, that was in charge of lands, leases, and government relations. He died in 1971 in the wealthy enclave of Burlingame, California. His wife, Florence Nelson and daughter, Marilyn survived him.

The Prolific David Owens: Son David C Owens

Nodaway County Poor Farm
David served as superintendent

DAVID OWENS m SARAH HOLLER > DAVID C OWENS

You can read about David Owens' beginnings here.

Young David C Owens (middle name is reported as Casper and Crockett, though I have no confirmation in records of either) was born the last son of David Owens and Sarah Holler on 13 Aug 1859. He was born in Black Hawk County, Iowa. I think a lot happened to him between 1880 to 1900, but all of this is put together from other records and news articles.

Brother George Franklin lived in Sheridan County, Nebraska in the 1890s, and it appears, that for at least time, so did David C. David is the one who received three land patents from 1890-1894 for a total of 467 acres in Sheridan County, but George is the one who stayed there to farm. My hypothesis is that David sold his land to George before moving on.

In 1891, while in Nebraska, he married Laura Josephine Shafer, born in Indiana in 1862 and daughter of Dr. George and Lydia (Faustknaup) Shafer in Indiana. Dr Shafer was a widower living in Bowen, Sioux County, Nebraska in 1900.

In 1900, the Owens' were located in Lincoln, Nodaway, Missouri, just south of Braddyville, Iowa, where sister Harriet Owens Reynolds resided. David was a hardware salesman at the time. By 1910, he was farming in Nodaway County.

They had five children: Cecil Arthur (1894-1958), Aden Dwight (1895-1963), Bryan (1897-1907), Frank Leo "Leo" (1901-1962) and Neva Ruth (1903-1990). All five children were born in Braddyville, Iowa and son Bryan died in Braddyville. I can only surmise that they moved around a bit between the two counties, only 50-ish miles apart or may have had the farm and a house in the town. It's a question I'd like to find the answer to!

By 1920, he was superintendent of the Nodaway County Poor Farm, housing 25 inmates. 1930 brought him back to farming in Nodaway County. In 1937, his beloved wife Laura died in St Joseph, Missouri at age 74. David in 1940 was also living in St Joseph, in the home of his daughter Neva Ruth and her current husband, Paul Reeves. Paul died in 1942, which is about the time I believe  David moved to his son Cecil's home in Kitsap County, Washington where he died in 1944. Both David and his wife were buried in Braddyville Cemetery in Braddyville, Iowa.

The Prolific David Owens: Son William Lincoln Owens

A typical blacksmith shop

You can read about David Owens' beginnings here.

David and his new wife Anna Eliza "Eliza" Barker's first child was a boy. William Lincoln Owens was born 17 Jun 1867 inBlack Hawk County, Iowa. In 1884, the family moved to Davison County, South Dakota, settling near Mount Vernon. William was 16 at that time.

1891 found William visiting in Hartington, Nebraska, located west of Sioux Falls and south of Yankton, South Dakota, It was there he met and then married Aretta "Retta" Hamilton, who had come to Hartington to visit her uncle. The visit lasted though, when she decided to teach school there. They married at the Presbyterian Church there. According to a news article, the officiating minister, Rev Mr Martin said to the young couple, "I have performed many marriages in my time and not a single one has ended in divorce."

The article also stated he was raised in his early years in Raymond, Iowa, but in fact, spent his early years on a farm, near Raymond. Retta was the daughter of Jasper and Mary (Miller) Hamilton and was raised in Ellsworth, Wisconsin.

They moved to Davison County where William was a blacksmith. "I have been blacksmith in Mount Vernon for 45 years and have shod horses for 65 years," he said in the news account. For a brief time they lived on a farm outside of Mount Vernon, then moved to a farm near her parents in Wisconsin. The more rugged life seemed to suit them though, so they returned to South Dakota. William is well-known for his love of horses and hunting and at the time of the article in 1957, he was registered as the oldest licensed hunter in the state. He plied his blacksmithing trade from that point on.

"When asked what he thought of the change in transportation from the old era to the new, Mr Owens said that in his blacksmith shop in Mount Vernon, he made the "Owens Special" the first car in the city in 1908. It had rubber tires, high wheels, and a 24-horsepower engine." 

They moved to Mitchell in 1945.

Crappy news photo - but all I gots!

"Today, Mr & Mrs Owens live quietly at home. He drives her to the grocery store; if he shops for her and does not get just what she thinks is right, back it goes. Mrs Owens is a woman of firm convictions. Petite and fragile looking though she is, she does all her own housework, washing walls when needed, and plenty of canning. She is a charter member of the Rebekah Lodge and the Women's Relief Corps in Mount Vernon. Her husband is a former member of the IOOF lodge in Mount Vernon. Baptized a Methodist, she used to attend the Congregational Church. Now the two of them enjoy listening to the church services on the radio. According to Mrs Owen, they play a great deal of cards in the evening for a past time "Nobody has been taken any better care of than I," Mr Owens said in speaking of their long married life together. "You bet your life it has been happy and my wife is wonderful." he said. Mrs O retaliated with "Oh, yes, we have our disagreements, but they never last long and are never serious." Undoubtedly a powerful tall big man in the prime of life, he still towers over a person, even though now a little stoop shouldered. His large hands have a firm, strong grip. His good health he said is caused by the fact he has, "no bad habits: no liquor, no tea, or coffee, and no tobacco." Their ages? Mrs Owens will be 86 next June 9 and her husband will be 91, June 17. Mitchell Daily Republic March 1, 1958

William and Retta had only one child, a daughter, Lorraine, born in 1893 in Wisconsin. Lorraine married first John Wagner, who died before 1926 and Elmer Locke in 1926. There were no children of those marriages.

William and Retta made it to their 69th year of marriage before W. L. died in 1959. Retta followed him in 1965.

The Prolific David Owens: Son Emery Ellsworth Owens

A bit of ridiculous in the career of Emery Owens,
Police Chief, Mitchell, SD
Mitchell Evening Republican April 26, 1921

David Owens, my 3rd great grandfather, married my 3rd great grandmother, Sarah Holler  and had a passle of kids. He went on to have a passle more with his third wife, Anna. You can read their early story here.

I've spent the last little bit digging into the families of those children, with some frustration, some fascination and some questions, as I always seem to have.

Emery Ellsworth Owens of David Owens and his third wife, Anna Eliza Barker in Jan 1869 in Black Hawk County, Iowa. They David Owens clan eventually settled in Davison County, South Dakota, along with their children. Emery was quite a character, it seems. In the late 1910s, he served as Sheriff of Davison County. The papers are full of the crimes of the day, such daring bank robberies with blown safes and other nefarious crimes. In 1920, apparently with great reservation, the new mayor, Dr.  E. V. Bobb, appointed Emery Owens as Chief of Police of Mitchell, South Dakota, at a monthly salary of $175 per month. I say, with great reservation due to this transcribed article:

MAYOR BOBB MAKES OWENS CHIEF POLICE
NEW CITY ADMINISTRATION HOLDS ITS FIRST SESSION MONDAY EVENING
Owens Assumes Office
Former Sheriff of Davison County Gets Appointment - Council Approval Unanimous
Emery Owens, former sheriff of Davison County, was appointed chief of police of Mitchell for the coming year by Mayor EV Bobb at the opening session of the city council under the new administration. The appointment was unanimously approved by the council. An ordinance to raise the salaries of police officers was placed on its first reading at this meeting.

Mr Owens assumes office today. In making the appointment Mayor Bob made a straightforward talk to the council: "The police proposition has been a bone of contention in Mitchell as long as I can remember," he declared, "I had an idea that I was the smooth guy who wouldn't have any trouble, but I have found out different."

"I consulted many business men as to who would be best to appoint and found there were three or four good men, whom there appeared to be nothing against. Then a story was published in The Republican speaking of Mr Owens as a possible appointee, and it appeared that the city at large took it for granted that he was appointed."

"The next morning, however, an avalanche of protest poured in upon me and I found that friends who had backed me up in the campaign for election were bitterly opposed to this appointment. Charges were made against Owens which almost made me think by Friday evening that he was as bad as a horse thief. I have investigated these charges, however, and find that they are unfounded."

"Many of my friends warned me that I would get into a peck of trouble if I appointed Owens to this position, but if I refused to appoint him, it would appear that I believe the charges made against him were true. Besides, I feel that Owens is the best man that can be found for the position and I am going to appoint him to head the police department."
"I know that lack of harmony between the council an the mayor is on of the worst things that can happen and I regret that this kind of fight has been made against Owens. I am going to respectfully ask that you back me up, although I do not tell you to do so."

"Some of the charges made against Owens," Mayor Bobb continued, "have been made from personal enmity, some are from person who have heard them and believed them without complete proof, while some are from prejudice. Those who object to him because of hearsay or because of prejudice, will forget their objections if he makes good during the first two months, although the others will remember. I believe that he will make a good, substantial officer with the proper backing."...(other city business)...The ordinance dealing with the raising of the salaries of the policemen, provides that the chief be paid $175 per month and the patrolmen $110 per month.
Mitchell Evening Republican May 4, 1920

What the basis was for the innuendo, gossip, and discussion was not made clear in any of the articles - that might tread into libel territory. 

But, Chief Owens began his term, having successes including hauling in thousands of quarts of alcohol, many having come from over the border of Canada, during the early years of The Volstead Act (Prohibition). He also took a firm stand on jaywalkers.

Whatever caused the issues before he was appointed, may have lingered, because in 1922, the council wanted to be rid of him, but the Mayor refused to fire Owens and Owens refused to resign. The council put a special ordinance on the ballot in early 1923 which would reduce the Chief's wages to $1 per year, to force Owens out. The ordinance was passed by the town of Mitchell by a majority of 92 votes. Owens stayed. Bobb dug in.

Finally, in May of 1923, Owens resigned. A new chief was appointed. Owens sued the city in 1925 for back wages, saying the ordinance itself was illegal. No reference to the outcome of that suit was published that I can locate, so we could speculate it was settled quietly.

Emery was married to the English Rose, Alice Taylor in 1893 - but they divorced. They had two children, Mabel Gladys Owens Soost, who farmed with her husband Fred. She died in 1981; and Nellie Elma Owens Larson whose husband Robert Henry Larson was a salesman out of Brookings. She died in 1973 and left three children.