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Researching Lucy Ethel WHITAKER Jordan Hansard

Lucy Ethel WHITAKER Jordan Hansard is my Great Grandmother. I can not find a birth record for Lucy Ethel WHITAKER Jordan Hansard. It is my theory that Lucy Ethel WHITAKER is the daughter of Valentine Columbus WHITAKER and Lucy Ann FENLEY (or FINLEY). While this matches with some family lore (the name "Broughton" is in both families) there are other pieces of information on the web that do not match, for instance that Valentine's Lucy was born "about 1866." I have not been able to contact the person who posted this information, so more research is needed.

1880 US Census, Texas, Nacogdoches County, Douglass
Name Relation Marital Status Gender Race Age Birthplace Occupation Father's Birthplace Mother's Birthplace Name Relation Marital Status Gender Race Age Birthplace Occupation Father's BP Mother's BP
J. B. FENLEY Self   S   Male   White 40 (~1840)   GA   Laborer   GA   GA
Nancy A. Fenley   Mother   Widowed Female   White 64 (~1816)   GA   ---   ---
Nettie FENLEY   Sister   Single Female   White 25 (~1845)   TX   K   GA   GA
Kittie WHITAKER   Sister   Single Female   White 27 (~1843)   TX   Keeping House   GA   GA
Clinton WHITAKER Son   Single Male   White 3 (~1877)   TX   TX   TX
Lucy WHITAKER D Single Female   White 3 (~1877)   TX   TN   GA

At first glance, this Lucy appears to be the daughter of Kittie Whitaker, but this is a false assumption. Starting with the head of the household, J. B. FENLEY is a single male. Listed next is his mother Nancy A. Fenley who is widowed. Next is Nettie FENLEY, a single female, sister to J. B. FENLEY. Next is Kittie Whitaker, a widowed female, also a sister to J. B. FENLEY. Next is three-year old Clinton WHITAKER, a son to Kittie Whitaker. Last in this list is three-year old Lucy WHITAKER, possibly a twin to Clinton, except that both of his parents were born in Texas, and Lucy's parents were born in Tennessee and Georgia. Also, instead of writing "Daughter" in the relation field, the census taker clearly wrote a cursive capital "D" then struck through it with a horizontal line. It does seem pretty clear that neither of this Lucy's parents are in this household.

Continuing my theory, I believe these are the people in the household:

John Broughton FINLEY born 2 Nov 1838 (head of household)
Nancy A. BROUGHTON Finley born 5 Feb 1816 (John's Mother, Wife of Charles Henderson FINLEY)
Annetta FINLEY born about 1855 (John's Sister)
Kizziah Amanda FINLEY Whitaker born 16 Apr 1850 (John's Sister, Wife of Dr. John WHITAKER)
Clinton WHITAKER born 14 Apr 1877 (Son of Dr. John WHITAKER and Kizziah Amanda FINLEY)
Lucy Ethel WHITAKER born in Jan 1878 (John's Niece, Daughter of John's Sister, Lucy Ann FINLEY and Valentine Columbus WHITAKER)

I still can not prove that this is match to my Lucy Ethel WHITAKER. Meanwhile, there is a published book by a well known and respected author who I have corresponded with who states that Lucy's parents are Dr. John WHITAKER and Kizziah Amanda FENLEY. After a few emails, the author has since retracted that statement, but the book is in public and personal libraries, plus the incorrect information is still published on the Web.

Nacogdoches County, Texas Marriage Records: "Jas. M. JORDAN to Lucy E. WHITAKER Feb. 16, 1896."

Notes: Family lore has it that James Marion JORDAN married Lucy Ethel WHITAKER in 1896. Looks like a match to me.

The first sure mention of Lucy Ethel WHITAKER Jordan in a US Census record:

1900 US Census, Texas, Angelina County, ED #3, Sheet 8A, lines 34-37 Name   Relation   Color   Sex   Date of Birth (month year)   Age at last Birthday   Marital Status   Number of years married   Mother of how many children   Number of these children living   Place of Birth   Place of Father's Birth   Place of Mother's Birth
JORDAN, James M.   Head   White   Male   Nov 1868   31   4 years   Texas   Mississippi   Louisiana
Jordan, Lucy E.   Wife   White   Female   Jan 1878   22   4 years   2 children   2 living children   Texas   Tennessee   Georgia
JORDAN, John R.   Son   White   Male   Jan 1897   3   Single   Texas   Texas   Texas
JORDAN, G? M.   Daughter   White   Female   Dec 1899   6m   Single   Texas   Texas   Texas

Notes: Family lore says that James Marion JORDAN and Lucy Ethel WHITAKER had three children: John Raymond JORDAN in 1897 (my Grandfather), Gertrude May JORDAN in 1899, and James Broughton JORDAN in 1902. The name and date of the first child listed is a match, but the name of the second child listed, a daughter, is mostly unintelligible but you can see a "G" and an "M." James Broughton (Dick) JORDAN was not yet born. Looks like a match. We now know that James Marion JORDAN was born in November 1868 and Lucy Ethel WHITAKER was born in Jan 1878. They were both born in Texas, as were the first two children.

Family lore says that after James Marion JORDAN died sometime between 1902 and 1908, Lucy Ethel WHITAKER Jordan married John Barton HANSARD, Sr. in 1908. John was born on 14 Jan 1865 in Georgia, USA. He died on 11 Sep 1949 in Memorial Hospital, Corpus Christi, Nueces County, Texas, USA. He was buried in Trinity, Trinity County, Texas, USA. They had the following children:

1 - John Barton HANSARD, Jr. was born about 1910 and "died at the age of 4 years" or about 1915.
2 - Donald Rogan HANSARD was born about 1912 and "died at the age of 2 years" or about 1914.
3 - Daniel Percy HANSARD was born on 20 Apr 1914 in Trinity, Trinity County, Texas, USA. He died on 20 Apr 1987 in Olin Teague Hospital, Temple, Bell County, Texas, USA. He was buried on 24 Apr 1987 in Ft. Sam Houston National Cemetery, San Antonio, Bexar County, Texas, USA.

A. H. graciously provided me with the following United States Census records (thank you!):

1910 United States Census, Polk County, Texas - Polk County, Texas - Precinct 1 ED 89 - Page 146A - Sheet 15A - April 29, 1910 250/209
HANSON, John head 44 (~1866) 2nd marriage married 4 yrs GA GA GA Foreman/railway track rents home
HANSON, Lucy wife 35 (~1875) 2nd marriage md. 4 yrs 4 children/4 living TX TN GA
JORDAN, Raymond step-son 11 (~1899) TX LA TX
JORDAN, Gertie May step-daughter 10 (~1900) TX LA TX
JORDAN, Broughton step-son 7 (~1903) TX LA TX
HANSON, J. B. son 9 months (~1910) TX GA TX
Notes: John Barton HANSARD, Lucy Ethel WHITAKER Jordan Hansard, John Raymond JORDAN, Gertrude May JORDAN, James Broughton JORDAN, and John Barton HANSARD.

1920 United States Census, Trinity County, Texas - Trinity County, Texas - Town of Trinity ED 144 - Page 69B - Sheet 18B - January 31, 1920 180/184
HANSON, John B. head 55 (~1865) GA GA GA RR Station/Foreman house owned free of mortgage
HANSON, Lucy wife 45 (~1875) TX TN TN
HANSON, J. Raymond son 22 (~1898) TX GA TX laborer/RR
HANSON, Gertrude daughter 19 (~1901) TX GA TX
HANSON, James B. Jr. son 16 (~1904) TX GA TX
HANSON, Daniel son 5 (~1915) TX GA TX
Notes: The three JORDAN kids were enumerated as HANSARDs and listed as children rather than stepchildren of John HANSARD. John Barton HANSARD, Lucy Ethel WHITAKER Jordan Hansard, John Raymond JORDAN, Gertrude May JORDAN, James Broughton JORDAN, and Daniel Percy HANSARD.

1930 United States Census, Walker County, Texas - Precinct 1 ED 5 - Page 62A - Sheet 9A - April 7, 1930 168/168
HANSARD, J. B. head 65 (~1865) md. @ 23 GA GA GA Section Foreman/Railroad rents home
HANSARD, Lucy wife 55 (~1875) md. @ 19 TX TN GA
HANSARD, Dan P. son 15 (~1915) TX GA TX
Notes: John Barton HANSARD, Lucy Ethel WHITAKER Jordan Hansard, and Daniel Percy HANSARD.

Here is Lucy Ethel WHITAKER's Death Certificate:
Texas Death Certificate: #14368
County of Walker
Registrar's No: 35
City or Precinct No: Pinedale Precinct #2
Full name of Deceased: Mrs. J. B. Hansard
Sex: Female:
Color or Race: White
Single, Married, etc.: Married
If married, wife of: J. B. Hansard
Date of birth: (blank)
Date of death: Mar 23, 1932
Time of death: 9:45 PM
Age: 59 years (blank months) (blank days) (calculated year of birth: 1873)
Trade: Housewife
Birthplace: Texas
Father's name: Don't Know
Father's birthplace: (blank)
Mother's name: Don't Know
Mother's name: (blank)
Informant: Dick JORDAN of Huntsville
Notes: The "Informant" was Dick JORDAN who was her son, James Broughton JORDAN. If her son did not know anything about her parents or her birth date, then I think I can safely assume that the age was a guess also. According to the 1900 Census, her birth date was January 1878, so if we take that as fact, then she was only 54 at the time of her death. I can not find any burial or cemetery record for her in Walker County or Trinity County.

Time Line for Lucy Ethel WHITAKER
Age Date, Event, Who, Location (all in Texas)
0 Jan 1878, born, Texas (birth month and year stated on 1900 census)
2 1880, census, Douglass, Nacogdoches County (stated age: 3)
~18 16 Feb 1896, married, James Marion JORDAN, Nacogdoches County
~19 18 Jan 1897, son born, John Raymond JORDAN, Angelina County
~21 25 Dec 1899, daughter born, Gertrude May JORDAN, Pollok, Angelina County
~22 1900, census, Angelina County (stated age: 22)
~24 25 Dec 1902, son born, James Broughton JORDAN Douglass, Nacogdoches County
~1902-1908, husband died, James Marion JORDAN
~30 1908, married, John Barton HANSARD
32 1910, census, Polk County, TX (stated age: 35)
~32 ~1910, son born, John Barton HANSARD, Jr.
~34 ~1912, son born, Donald Rogan HANSARD
~36 ~1914, son died, Donald Rogan HANSARD
~37 ~1915, son died, John Barton HANSARD, Jr.
~36 20 Apr 1914, son born, Daniel Percy HANSARD, Trinity, Trinity County
42 1920, census, Trinity, Trinity County (stated age: 45)
52 1930, census, Walker County (stated age: 55)
52 23 Mar 1932, died, Walker County (stated age: 59)
52 24 Mar 1932, buried, Trinity, Trinity County

If anyone has any information on Lucy Ethel WHITAKER Jordan Hansard, I would like to hear from you.

Last updated on June 10, 2008

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Researching Lucy Ethel WHITAKER Jordan Hansard

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