Nettie - Part II

We “left off” on Nettie’s story in Salado, Arkansas in 1895 where her second child named Booth Jones was born. Soon after, in 1896, she married a Mr. Charles Trammell. On the 1900 census Nettie’s birth year is listed as 1874 and her age, 26. She lived in Newark, Independence County, Arkansas (in the Ozark Mtns.) with Charles, 41 who had three children from a previous wife. Those children are Cordelia, age 10, Olie, age 8, and Clio, age 6. Booth is with her and is listed as age 4. The census was taken in June and he wouldn’t have turned five until September. In addition to Charles Trammell’s three children and Nettie’s son, Booth, two more sons had been born to Nettie and Charles making a total of six children under the age of 10. Perry Trammell, born in 1897, was 3 at the time and Derry born in December 1898 was 1. The 1900 and 1910 censuses have a section that asks how many children a person has given birth to and how many children are living. In 1900, the census showed Nettie having given birth to four children with four living. One could guess she was including Jessie.

The 1900 census is the first record I found with Nettie’s birthplace listed as Georgia. That same census shows her father as having been born in Tennessee and her mother, Georgia. Remember, the 1880 census of Nettie at age seven showed her born in Arkansas, her mother born in Indian Territory and her father in Texas. There are just so many possibilities for these discrepancies. One could be that Nettie didn’t actually know but liked the sound of being from Georgia. Maybe she really was from Georgia, but the clues for that don’t add up. I‘m sure the guesses may be as many as the persons who read this.

The next time we find Nettie is the 1910 census living in District 4 of Cedarville Township, Crawford County, Arkansas. Cedarville is about 20 miles north of, guess where, Ft. Smith, Arkansas. There’s no Charles Trammell, no three step children and sadly, no Derry Trammell. My guess is that Derry died as a young child. However, Booth Jones, now age 14 and Perry Trammell age 12 are shown living with Nettie, that she had given birth to two children and that two were living. It seems to me the number should have been four born and three living. Now, however, Nettie is listed as being married to Harry S. Gooding, farmer. They must have married in 1910 because the census shows them as having been married 0 years at the time. Harry’s age is listed as 31. The 1880 census taken on June 22nd spelled Harry’s name “Hairy” and listed his age as 3 months old. That supports his having been born on April 3, 1880 which is what he wrote on his 1917 World War I Draft Registration card. Both of the preceding facts would make him age 30 instead of 31. Nettie’s age is listed as 35. If she was born in Oct. 1873 and the census was taken in April 1910, I think she was 36 pushing 37. Both boys are shown to have been in school that year. Harry, Nettie, Booth and Perry are all listed as being born in Arkansas as well as the fathers and mothers of all four. In the 1900 census, Charles Trammell, Perry’s father, was shown as having been born in Georgia, as was Nettie. It is difficult to know why there is so much variance in the reports of the birthplaces. Maybe the census taker just put down anything to get the job done, or maybe whoever was home at the time the census taker came around just guessed, or maybe the person reporting didn’t like the world knowing his or her business. Again, these are just guesses.

In 1917 World War I brought another source of record keeping that gives us clues—the Draft Registration. We’ve already noted that card for Jessie Blackford earlier in this blog, but now we find Perry Trammell’s Draft Registration Card. Jeanette’s tracking advice for “where ever you find Perry, you find Nettie” pays off once again. Perry Trammell registered for the draft in Little Rock, Arkansas on August 24, 1918. His date of birth (June 7, 1897) and place of birth (“near Batesville, Arkansas” which is where Newell, Arkansas is) match the Perry Trammell found living with Nettie in the 1900 census. His physical description is medium height, slim build, gray eyes and brown hair. Under the employment section he had written “unemployed”. The name of the registrar on Perry’s draft card is C.E. Smith, Jr. Nettie had a brother in Ft. Smith on the 1880 census named Charles Smith. Perhaps Nettie and Perry were in contact with her brother or maybe it was just a coincidence. What makes finding Perry’s card particularly interesting is that it shows him living with Nettie W. Gross (as best I can make out the writing). Harry Goodings’ World War I draft card registered about two weeks later on September 12, 1918, is signed by a registrar named A.T. Gross in Crawford County, the same place he had been shown living on the 1910 census. Additionally, on Harry’s 1917 draft card, the name of his wife is listed as Oda Gooding which might shed new light on why, in 1910, the census said Harry and Nettie had been married zero years. As always, there could be many other explanations.

In finding Homer Booth Jones’ Draft Registration Card, it appears that Booth Jones no longer lived with Nettie. He is shown as 22 years old, married, and employed as a day laborer in Zellner, Desha County, Arkansas. (Desha County is in the southeastern section of Arkansas with the White River as its northern boundary and the Mississippi River on its eastern boundary.) His physical description is tall, medium build, blue eyes and dark brown hair. His birthdate is listed as September 26, 1894.

By 1920 Nettie had found her way Ardmore, Oklahoma. Here a strange twist of fate takes place. It turns out that Nettie’s first born son, Jessie Blackford, had been living in Ardmore since some time between late 1912 and 1914. From what my Aunt Opal told me, Nettie lived in Ardmore for a while before she and/or Jessie realized they were both there. Wouldn’t you just love to know what events took place that allowed them to know they were both living in the same town! I expect (but don’t know for sure) that they hadn’t seen each other since Jessie was a little boy taken by his father to live with him. Jessie was doing well in Ardmore. He had three houses there, one he lived in and two others that he rented. Aunt Opal told me that he “didn’t approve” of Nettie and that when she “showed up”, he quickly sold his three houses and moved back to Texas in order not to be around her. I haven’t been able to find Grandpa Jessie Blackford in any 1920 censuses. I expect he was in transit between Texas and Oklahoma.

Nettie, however, is found in the Ward 2, District 4, Ardmore, Carter County, Oklahoma on the 1920 census. She and Harry Gooding were together and living with (You guessed it!) Perry Trammell, age 21 (I think his age was really 23). Perry had a wife, Alice, age 20. His occupation was mechanic and he was working as a machinist. Nettie’s occupation was nurse and Harry was a salesman for a tobacco company. On this census, Nettie’s age is shown as 40 but I think she was really 43. Harry’s age is shown as 42. So, instead of Nettie being four years older than Harry, as she was in the 1910 census, she’s now two years younger than he. Nice if you can pull it off! It’s always fun to see where the census says all these folks were born. This time, Perry shows as being born in Arkansas, his father in Georgia, and his mother, Nettie in Georgia. Nettie’s birthplace is listed as Georgia (unlike the “Arkansas” of 1910), her father’s is Tennessee and her mother’s is Georgia. So, it’s kind of like musical chairs—everyone changes birthplaces almost every time the census person comes around.

The last census on which I have found Nettie listed is from 1930, and speaking of musical chairs, in that census, she’s no longer with Harry Gooding. Her home at the time was “Part of Beat 3”, Washington County, Mississippi with her husband named Lewis Prairie. Washington County is bordered on the West by the Mississippi River. It’s about midway between the top and bottom of the state. Do you remember Zellner, Desha County, Arkansas where Booth Jones registered for the WWI draft in 1917? Washington County is just across the Mississippi from there and about twenty miles south. So, it’s no surprise to learn that Booth Jones, his wife Julia and their four children live in the same household with Lewis Prairie listed as the head. Their four children were Charles, age 7, Albert, age 4, Booth Jr., age 3, and Emma L., age 5 months. Booth’s occupation was “mechanic”.

Facts from the census regarding Lewis Prairie and Nettie are the following. Lewis was an “Indian” (Native American) born in Texas as were both his parents. His age is shown as 60 and Nettie’s 55(I think she was 57). It also indicates that they had been married for three years, so since 1927. Lewis Prairie’s occupation is listed as “herb doctor” and Nettie’s as “none”. That census asks if the head of the household owns or rents his home and what the value is of the home. Lewis owned the home and the value was $800. Our cousin, Jeanette, told me that there was an Indian school in Washington County, Miss. Perhaps Lewis was associated with it.

Lots of people came and went in Nettie’s life, but I think it’s safe to say that she, Booth and Perry were never far apart for very long. According to the U.S. Federal Census, guess who else lived in Greenville, Washington County, Mississippi in 1930? You got it, Perry L. Trammell! His age was listed as 29(born in 1897, really he was 32, almost 33 because the census was taken in April before his June birthday). His wife in the 1920 census was Alice who would have been 30 in 1930. The wife living with him in 1930 is Lottie, age 22. They have two children, Dollie, age 2 years, three months and Perry L., age eleven months. Perry was renting a house for $10 per month and a boarder named Bob Pfenning lived with them. Perry’s occupation was house painter.

In this last census that lists Nettie, to the best of my knowledge, we get one more version of birthplaces. This time, not only is she listed as having been born in Georgia, but now both her parents are as well. Sigh.

This is where my trail of Nettie ends for now. I don’t know the date of Nettie’s death, where she died or her cause of death. I’ve never even seen a picture of her. If any of you who read this have or find other information, let me know and I’ll print an addendum. I began this recounting of Nettie’s story saying it is difficult to do because of the many twists, turns, questions and mysteries. We may be inclined to form opinions about her life, but I hope that our conclusions will take into account that we can only guess how the times and people in her life impacted her. I’ll say good bye to writing about Nettie at this time, but I know there’ll be a good chance I’ll wake up thinking about her for many mornings to come. My own mother had an expression. She’d say, “You’re not dead until no one remembers you.”

Nettie Mae Smith Blackford Trammel Gooding Prairie – Facts, Observations, Guesses, Myths and Mystery

Orientation: Nettie was the first wife of Nathan Blackford and the mother of Jesse Smith Blackford.

It’s difficult to know where to begin with Nettie’s story because there are so many twists, turns and questions. In writing this addition to the Family Matters blog, it has become apparent to me that it is getting too long for you to read in one sitting without getting cross-eyed. Therefore, I’m going to break it into two or more parts so you’ll have a little time to absorb one before you delve into the other. This is one of those instances of “Be careful what you wish for. You may get it”. I wanted to know more about Nettie. Now I know more, but the search has opened a hundred questions we may never be able to answer.

The family stories always include that she was blonde and very beautiful, but they always seem to include a thread of leaving her. In all fairness, though, there’s also a good deal of her leaving as well. Our cousin, Jeanette, and I have been looking for documents regarding Nettie quite a bit recently. I must say the tips Jeanette has given me for finding records on Nettie have been largely responsible for much of what I’ve been able to piece together. She’s an excellent researcher! So, having said that, I’ll outline the facts we’ve uncovered and sprinkle it with stories, observations and educated guesses. Much about her, though, is and will probably remain a mystery. My intuition is that might just suit Nettie fine!

Facts: She was born in October, 1873. In some census records her birthplace is reported as Arkansas and in others, Georgia.

Her early life-
There are three 1880 US Federal Census records we’ve found that have the possibility of showing our Nettie. In 1880 her age would have shown as six or seven, depending on the month the census was taken. The first census is from Tazewell, Marion County, Georgia. A Nettie Smith is listed as the fifth of seven children. The father’s name is William and the mother’s, Elizabeth. Nettie is listed as four (which would be somewhat off the birth year). The supporting facts regarding this site being authentic are that it’s in Georgia(which is where Nettie reports her birthplace to be in later censuses) and there is a brother closest to her in age named Jesse (the name Nettie gave her first son).

A second 1880 census record is from Johnson, in Clay County, Arkansas. In that record is a Nettie L. Smith, age 4, shown as an “orphan” living with Jesse Fielden as the head of the household. Again, the birth year is off, but there’s that name “Jesse” again. I recently asked my Aunt Vera if she thought Nettie could have been an orphan and she told me she thought not. She said Nettie’s mother went by the last name West. Also, Nettie’s middle name, Mae, did not start with “L” and Clay County, Arkansas is up in the northeast corner of Arkansas, not near where she married (Pope County) nor near Sebastian County where Jessie, her first son, was born.

A third 1880 census record is the one Jeanette and I think most likely belongs to our Nettie. It is from Ft. Smith, Sebastian County, Arkansas. In it Nettie Smith is 6. This is the exact birth year because she was born in October 1863 and this census was taken in June. She is living with her mother, Amanda, age 33 (thus born in 1847), who is listed as the head of the household with the occupation of washerwoman, born in “Indian Territory”, whose father was born in New York and whose mother was born in Illinois. In 1847 a good amount of our current USA was “Indian Territory”, but we do know that Arkansas sits right next to Oklahoma which was for sure “Indian Territory” at that time. That may mean that Amanda was born close to Ft. Smith, but that’s a guess. What we do know is that Ft. Smith was a “wide open”, boisterous frontier town at that time. Earlier in this blog I used the following quote and it bears repeating. “Fort Smith was the point of departure for pioneers, peacekeepers and outlaws by horse, steamboat and rail.” ( From http://www.fortsmithmuseum.com/). There would have been a lot of come and go among the people. If you were a washerwoman, you would have met a wide variety of persons. Amanda was listed on the 1880 census as “married”, not widowed or divorced. Where her husband was and who he was are but two of the many unsolved mysteries about Amanda, but they set the stage for the patterns we will see her daughter, Nettie, develop.

Living in the household are two boys listed as sons. One is George, 19, occupation “working on a farm”, born in Arkansas whose father was born in Mississippi. His mother was born in “Indian Territory” which I take to mean his mother was Amanda. If she was his mother, he was born when she was 14. The other son, Charles, 14 was also “working on a farm”. He was born in Kansas, his father in Texas and, again, his mother in “Indian Territory”.

Nettie is shown as having been born in Arkansas (not Georgia), her father born in Texas and her mother born in “Indian Territory”.

It’s strange how all this geneology detective business works! As I was just studying the 1880 census from which I took the above information about Nettie, I may have made another discovery. Looking at the household listed above Nettie’s family in the census opened up another Pandora’s box of questions. That household is headed by another woman (listed as married but no husband around) named Maria Baurhyte, age 68 with a son named John. Maria was born in Illinois, her father in Scotland, and her mother in Germany. What makes this so interesting is that her son John, a 25 year old teamster, born in Arkansas, shows his parents being born in the same places as Amanda’s, that is, New York and Illinois. I think there is a good chance that John is Amanda’s brother and that Maria, born in Illinois, living next door, doing the same work as Amanda, is Amanda’s mother! So many in the family have spoken of our having Scotch lineage. It may well be that this is at least one Scotch link!

Well, as you can see, here we are revisiting a major theme of this research on Nettie. That is, that it raises about as many questions as it answers. The next known fact about Nettie is that she married Nathaniel Thomas Blackford on September 21, 1891, shortly before she turned 18, in Pope County, Arkansas. Pope County is a couple of counties East of Sebastian County where we think she lived as a little girl. Both areas are on the Arkansas River which would have enabled relatively easy access between them. Pope County is next to the county where Nathan had lived as a boy. They must not have lived there long if at all because within a little over nine months from the day they married, on July 5, 1892, Jessie Smith Blackford was born in Ft. Smith, Sebastian County, Arkansas. It seems that marriage did not last long nor end well. The family story has it that probably no more than a year or two after Jesse was born Nathan began to suspect Nettie was seeing another man. He left for work one day, but came back undetected and hid under the house. His suspicions turned out to be correct and that was the end of that marriage. As we know from Nathan Blackford’s story, Nathan later returned and took Jessie to live with him.

The next fact we have associated with Nettie is that she had a second son in Salado, Independence County, Arkansas on September 26, 1895, named Booth Jones. Salado is 216 miles East/Northeast from Ft. Smith where she had lived with Nathan. Both Aunt Opal and Aunt Vera have told me that the family believed that Booth Jones’ father was Nathan Blackford because he looked so much like Jessie Blackford. It raises a very good question, however, I wonder if the likeness could be because they (Jessie and Booth) had the same mother. I’ve never heard who the guy was Nathan heard while listening under the house, but in the 1900 census, Nettie listed Booth’s father as having been born in France (of all places!). Go figure.