Alderson Cousins

I have been working on the Descendancy of James Cole Alderson, my great great grandfather, and came across an old goldmine today. 

There is a book available on familysearch.org called Alderson: Alderson families living in North America thru 1920 by Cross, James Allison, 1928-.

Turns out there is also a webpage called Alderson Cousins that is dedicated to the three main Alderson lines that first immigrated to the United States.  One of which I am descended from: Richard Alderson Richmond, VA mid-1600s.

There is also an old newsletter available on the website that was published for multiple years.  I have only skimmed through the first four issues but found information relating to my family.

Volume 1, Number 4  includes marriage records from the early 19th century in Maury, TN, including some of my relatives.


There is also a website dedicated exclusively to the descendants of Richard Alderson.  My great grandmother is even included!

I'm excited to go through and verify as much as the information I can and make sure it is included in my family tree.  Seems like there is always more work to do!

Alderson Family Photo

Three Generations

Photo taken end of 1902/beginning of 1903

Standing Left: Elva Alderson (Adams)- she married Ernie Adams son of Emma Daniels (sister of Arthur Daniels) i.e. she married the nephew of Ellen's husband
Standing Right: Estne Alderson (never married)

Seated Left to Right:
William Wesley Alderson
Lora Blanch Daniels (Barksdale) daughter of Ellen and Arthur Daniels
Ellen Otilla Alderson Daniels (My Great-Grandmother)-wife of Arthur Thomas Daniels
Frankie Helen Daniels (Monical) daughter of Ellen and Arthur Daniels
Isadora Winders Alderson

*original photo in posession of my grandma*

Pictures of Arthur Thomas Daniels family

Ellen Otilla Alderson Daniels, Robert N. Daniels, Arthur Thomas Daniels.

Taken in Salem, IL 1943 during WWII

J. Daniels, Ellen Otilla Alderson Daniels, Arthur Thomas Daniels, Robert N. Daniels, John D. Daniels

Findlay, Illinois about 1952

(House in picture is not their residence.)

Robert N Daniels, D. Daniels, J. Daniels, Arthur Thomas Daniels, Ellen Otilla Alderson Daniels w/ N. Daniels, John D. Daniels

Findlay, Illinois about 1952

(All the pictures are in the posession of my grandma.  Scanned 7-09)

Birthday Card signed by Ellen and Arthur Daniels

Birthday card for my grandmother from her in-laws, Ellen Otilla Alderson Daniels and Arthur Thomas Daniels.  Not dated.  Card still in her possession tucked in one of her bibles.

Birthday note to my grandmother dated 1956 from her mother-in-law, Ellen Otilla Daniels.

1910 Census: Arthur T. Daniels and Family in Illinois

Arthur Thomas Daniels and family in Omega Twp, Marion, Illinois (same as 1920 Census). Again he gives his mother's birthplace as England, interesting.

On the same page is a family that has the same surname as Ellen's maiden name Alderson. There is likely a connection between the two families. Ellen's parents are actually living in Omega in 1910 and can be found in the Census 3 pages later.


1910 Illinois Census
Date Taken: 7th and 9th of May

Source Citation: Year: 1910; Census Place: Omega, Marion, Illinois; Roll T624_307; Page: 7B; Enumeration District: 147; Image: 309


Name: Arthur T. Daniels
Relationship to Head: Head
Male/White
Age: 35
Married 10yrs
Birthplace: Illinois
Birthplace of Father: England
Birthplace of Mother: England
Occupation: Carpenter
House: Owned/Free/Farm
(There are numbers in the columns for Civil War Veteran, Blind, and Deaf though I do not think they mean he was any of these. He was born after the Civil War for one thing. Not sure what the numbers would mean. They look like 12 2-9)

Name: Ellen O. Daniels
Relationship to Head: Wife
Female/White
Age: 35
Married 10yrs
Birthplace: Illinois
Birthplace of Father: Illinois
Birthplace of Mother: Indiana
Occupation: None

Name: Lora B Daniels
Relationship to Head: Daughter
Female/White
Age: 9
Single
Birthplace: Illinois
Birthplace of Father: Illinois
Birthplace of Mother: Illinois

Name: Frank H Daniels
Relationship to Head: Daughter
Female/White
Age: 7
Single
Birthplace: Illinois
Birthplace of Father: Illinois
Birthplace of Mother: Illinois

Name: John D. Daniels
Relationship to Head: Son
Male/White
Age: 5
Single
Birthplace: Illinois
Birthplace of Father: Illinois
Birthplace of Mother: Illinois

Family with Surname of Interest:
Ell Alderson, age 50, born in Illinois, parents born in Tennessee, farmer.
Wife Mary E Alderson, age 41, born in Illinois, parents born in Illinois.
Children: Cyrus age 18, Loren age 11, Naomi age 7, Floyd W age 2/12

1920 Census: Daniels Family in Illinois

Arthur Thomas Daniels and his family in Omega Twp, Marion, Illinois. Arthur gives his parents as both being born in England. I don't believe his mother (Edith Adaline Daniel) was. Also the second daughter is listed as Helen which was her middle name, her first being Frank or Franke. (Odd I know.)

1920 Illinois Census
Date Taken: 9th, 10th and 12th of January 1920

Source Citation: Year: 1920;Census Place: Omega, Marion, Illinois; Roll T625_391; Page: 3B; Enumeration District: 185; Image: 527


Name: Arthur Daniels
Relationship to Head: Head
House: Rented
Male/White
Age: 42
Married
Birthplace: Illinois
Birthplace of Father: England/English
Birthplace of Mother: England/English
Trade: Carpenter
Industry: Carpentry

Name: Ellen Daniels
Relationship to Head: Wife
Female/White
Age: 40
Married
Birthplace: Illinois
Birthplace of Father: Illinois
Birthplace of Mother: Indiana
Trade: None

Name: Lora Daniels
Relationship to Head: Daughter
Female/White
Age: 19
Single
Birthplace: Illinois
Birthplace of Father: Illinois
Birthplace of Mother: Illinois

Name: Helen Daniels
Relationship to Head: Daughter
Female/White
Age: 17
Single
Birthplace: Illinois
Birthplace of Father: Illinois
Birthplace of Mother: Illinois

Name: John Daniels
Relationship to Head: Son
Male/White
Age: 15
Single
Birthplace: Illinois
Birthplace of Father: Illinois
Birthplace of Mother: Illinois

Ellen Otilla Alderson Daniels: Summary

b. (27 Nov 1879 Omega Twp, Marion, Illinois) 1878 -Cemetery Record
m. to Arthur Thomas Daniels on 14 Aug 1900 Marion County, Illinois -Illinois Statewide Marriage index 1763-1900
d. (3 Nov 1957 Salem, Marion, Illinois) 1857 -Cemetery Record
Buried in Parker Cemetery, Songer Twp, Clay, Illinois

Parents:
William Wesley Alderson
Isadora Winders


Children:
Lora Blanch Daniels
Frank Helen Daniels Monical
John Dennis Daniels
Robert Daniels

Had an 8th grade education (memory of daughter-in-law)

Source Records: 1900, 1910, 1920, 1930 Census, Marriage, Cemetery

*Photo taken 1943 in Salem, Illinois

Census Clues and Cemetery Records

While I was doing my census record sweep I came across a tiny clue that led me to believe that I was missing a child of one of my ancestors, William Wesley Alderson and his wife Isadora Winders Alderson. The clue came from the 1900 census where one of the questions asked by the enumerator was how my children were living versus how many total. The answer for Isadora was 3 of 4, hinting to the existence of a child born after the 1880 census that died before the 1900 census. There was also a pretty distinct gap in the ages of the living children.

I was unable to find any helpful information on the internet and made a point to look for the missing child while I was in Utah at the Family History Library in Salt Lake City. Time was short at the library and I had multiple things I was looking for, but I was by chance (though probably not really chance at all, just not somewhere I would have logically looked so early in the game) I was able to find the cemetery record for the Aldersons and the Winders (Isadora’s parents). Turns out this was a classic case of the cemetery being just across the county line, not in Marion County, Illinois where I knew the family to have lived and died and had come up empty in the Marion County cemetery records, but in Clay County, Illinois right next door to the East.

Clay county happens to be a county where one of my very elusive ancestors, George Daniels born in England (if you know anything about him, please oh please let me know!) lived and presumably died before 1880 in Oskaloosa, Clay, Illinois. Anyway, while we were looking at the cemetery records for Marion County my mother suggested we look in Clay county for good old George. The books happened to be close to each other on the shelf so I picked up the book Cemetery Inscriptions of Clay Co. Illinois (977.3795 V3t). This book turned out to be a gold mine though not for George Daniels (alas he will have to continue to wait).

Thank goodness for INDEXES! Without them we would never have found my missing Aldersons and the Winders. We found EIGHT of my ancestors buried in Parker Cemetery in Songer Township, Clay, Illinois (just across the county line from Omega, Marion County, and multiple pieces of information that I did not know!

Page 357
Alderson, W. W. Apr. 10 1858 (my great great grandfather)
Isadora-his wife-June 7, 1859-Nov. ?, ???? (my great great grandmother)
Alderson, Estna M. Apr 5, 1885 d. Oct 14, 1958 (daughter of William and Isadora Alderson)
Daniels, T. Arthur 1875-1958 (my great grandfather)
Ellen O. 1878-1957 (my great grandmother, daughter of William and Isadora Alderson, wife of Arthur T. Daniels)

Page 355
Winders, Wm. W. b. Oct 25 1824 d. July 26 1877 (my great great great grandfather)
Sarah wife of Wm. b. Dec 15, 1826 d. Aug 16, 1901 (my great great great grandmother, maiden Mosier)
Ethel L. dau of Wm W. and Dora Alderson b. June 14, 1883 d. July 1, 18??

Tada! There she is, my missing child, Ethel! (With sisters named Ellen, Estna, and Elva. Oh my.) Unfortunately her death date is not complete, apparently the transcriber was unable to read the death year, BUT I will take what I can get. She fits in exactly where I thought she would. She is buried with her grandmother, who lived with the Aldersons after her husband died. I didn’t have birth or death dates for Sarah or William W. either and was very surprised and happy to see them in the Parker Cemetery too. Talk about one of those moments when you want to stand up and do a jig in the library (don’t worry I restrained myself to a low five).

Well, my point is to never ignore even the smallest of clues and follow those little urges to look somewhere you didn’t think about initially (thank you, mother!). Doors can open and ancestors can be found. It is an amazing thing to be a part of.

Citation and Notes:

Cemetery Inscriptions of Clay Co. Illinois 977.3795 V3t

Parker Cemetery, Songer Township
Location? NW/4 of Sec. 18, township 3 North, Range 5 East
North of Xenia on Xenia-Oskaloosa Road to Songer Town House (3 miles), West about 3 miles across Railroad to County-line Road, right 1 ½ miles to cemetery.