Tuesday, January 5, 2010

SOMETIMES YOU FIND...

Things you did not know you were looking for. A few weeks ago Chuck was going through some old papers of his cousin James (Jimmy) Stephens. James was Olive Bauser and Robert Stephens grandson.

What I found was Chucks great uncle James, who was Olive and Roberts oldest child. The older James Stephens was born in 1894 and I found his marriage certificate. The wife was Edith Sickles, everyone in the family did not remember what the wifes name was.

Edith had been hospitalized at a local psychiatric hospital and there was a great stigma at that time. It was not a topic of conversation, I also believe that she died in that hospital. I think she was chronically mentally ill. They had married 28 May 1930 and Jimmy was born the following 31 October. I wonder if she was admitted soon after that because Jimmy had believed that his mother had died. James, the father died 10 March 1944 and Jimmy was raised by James sister Mary Stephens. Jimmy died in 2000, he had never married. James is also married in Union Dale Cemetery the same as his father Robert.

That solves the question about who were the two Stephens people that Chucks father had decorated their graves in Union Dale.

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