Happy Birthday George T. Roark

Digital image of  (standing) Unknown boy, Elnora Hussong Roark, George Roark,
(sitting) Allie Hogan Roark holding an Unknown child.  c. 1905, probably
Lawrence County, Missouri, original photograph held by D. Bell, c.2010

George Thomas Roark was born March 23, 1881 in Barry County, Missouri to David Martin Roark and Almeda "Allie" Hogan.

In 1900 he was resident in Barry County, living with and working for a local family.  In 1904 he married Elnora Hussong, and soon had two children, Mabel Allie (Mabel changed this to Alice later) and Roy.

In 1910 their family was living together, with his brother Tunny and new bride Minnie in Webb City, Missouri, both he and Tunny working in the mines there in Jasper County, Missouri.  George stated his occupation as "Powder-man" while Tunny was a "Machine-man."

Digital image of Mabel Roark, George Roark,  and Roy Roark,
c. 1910, probably Jasper County, Missouri, original print held by D. Deller, c.2013

 

Digital image of a group of Miners, with George Roark identified. c. 1910, probably Jasper
County, Missouri, original photograph held by D. Bell, c.2010

 George died February 27, 1914; the cause of death was Pulmonary Tuberculosis, with a secondary cause listed as "working in mines."

The mines were not good to the Roark brothers.  Three of the four brothers worked in the local mines, and all three died in their 30's, of tuberculosis.

Wordless Wednesday - Charles Joseph Deller

Digital image of Mable Alice Roark, Charles Joseph Deller, unknown girl, unknown boy,
unknown man, c. 1923, probably SE Kansas, original held by D. & M. Deller, Tulsa, OK. c. 2011

Besides the interesting hairdo and hats, the first thing I noticed was what appeared to be 'sand dunes'.  In fact, they're probably chat piles; remains from the ever present lead mining in SE Kansas, NE Oklahoma, and SW Missouri.  Charles worked in those mines in Picher, Oklahoma for a short time.  You can read more about it in this article about the Legacy of Mining and in an article, "Growing up in the Shadow of the Chat Piles."

Saints & Sinners Sunday - Elnora 'Nora' Hussong

Saints and Sinners. What do I mean by that? Well, I use the word 'Saint' as described by the Merriam Webster dictionary: "one eminent for piety or virtue, or an illustrious predecessor." And 'Sinner'? Well, the dictionary doesn't give much of a definition, just "one that sins." But the synonyms given are much more descriptive, "reprobate, scamp." So, I'd say the odds are better that an ancestor is more likely to be a combination of the two, since no one is ALL saint or sinner. But I'd have to say, that in the research I've done thus far, Nora is more saint than sinner.

Elnora Hussong, or Nora as she was known to her family, was born May Day [May 1st], 1888, in Galena, Cherokee County, Kansas, the sixth child to George W. Hussong and Elizabeth A. Gilbert. George and Elizabeth probably married in Illinois, and then moved to Kansas early in their marriage where they had ten children. George made a living in the zinc mines, as did many others of his day; and although by the 1910 census he owned the home they lived in, we can still assume that life was difficult for them. Nora told one of her grandchildren, that when she was small, she was hired out to another family as a servant, and left with them when her family moved away.

Nora was listed as living with her parents in Galena, Kansas in the 1895 Kansas Census and in the 1900 U.S. Federal Census. My husband and I only know the very basics of this family story, and if the census records are to be believed, I'm not sure how her story fits in with them. But whatever the case, Nora's story told of an unhappy childhood, and in 1904, at the age of 16, she lied about her age and married George Thomas Roark. Within 5 years, they'd had two children, Roy and Mable. And then in February, 1914, her young husband died. The cause of death was Pulmonary Tuberculosis, worsened by working in the mines.

In 1919 her son, Roy, died from influenza and pneumonia, and by 1920, Nora had married William 'Bill' Franklin Asbell, and delivered her third child, Bill Jr. Bill Sr. was not known to be a 'gentle' man, and it's generally understood that Nora was a long suffering wife. Records show that they lived in Coffeyville, Kansas and Neosho, Missouri; and when her daughter Mable divorced her husband, their child, Charles Deller, joined her in Neosho.

Nora outlived two husbands, raised three of her own children and a grandchild, and lived a long, full life. She died in Dallas, Texas, March 26, 1965 at the age of 76, while visiting with her daughter, and was buried by her second husband, Bill Sr., at Wichita Cemetery in Wichita, Kansas.

Update 10/6/2010:  Original picture was incorrectly assumed to be Nora; and replaced with correct picture. 

Top Photo:  Portrait of Elnora Hussong. Personal photo in collection of D. Bell, Forney, Texas.
Bottom Photo: Great-grandma Nora with M. Deller. Personal photo in collection of D. Deller, Tulsa, Oklahoma.

Tombstone Tuesday

It's "Tombstone Tuesday" - this is exciting - it's my first time participating! This isn't just an entry for the day - but yet another tribute for the Find A Grave website. This has to be one of the best sites ever. I'm sure there are loads of people who already know about this site - but it changed my life. More than just providing pictures for my eyes to feast on - it reassured me that I wasn't the only person in the world who enjoyed walking through cemeteries and graveyards and snapping pictures of the interesting stones. So - to the founders and contributors of Find A Grave, I offer my sincere thanks. This picture was taken by Betty Saltenberger, one of the fine volunteers there.

George Thomas Roark was born 23 March 1880, in Barry County, Missouri. From what we know, he lived most of his life in Missouri. He married Elnora Hussong 5 November 1904, and they had two children, Roy [1907-1919], and Mable [?1909-1988], both born in Galena, Kansas. George died 15 Jan 1914, in Joplin, Missouri; the cause of death was tuberculosis, and a contributing factor was working in mines (the 1910 census lists him as a 'powder man').

When I was searching for ideas for this post, I read a comment at Adventures in Grave Hunting that Lisa made about a cemetery in California, "Rumor has it that the larger the monument, the more a deceased person was loved." This might have been the case here. Their marriage license records Nora's age as over 18, but if her death certificate and funeral card are to be believed, she was only 16 when she married. When George died, Nora was just 26 years old; they had only lived together nine years . I can't imagine they had a lot of money, but this stone looks expensive. While I don't know how much Nora loved George, it would appear that she definitely appreciated him, and wanted others to know that.