1900

At least 21 of my direct ancestors were living in 1900. This includes 2 of 4 grandparents, all 8 of 8 g-grandparents, 9 of 16 gg and 2 of 32 ggg. By 1900, my paternal ancestors had converged on Logan County, AR, and my maternal ancestors had converged on Kane County, IL.

MARTIN and BOWERS in Logan County, Arkansas

William Ezra MARTIN, my grandfather, was between 2 and 4 years old in 1900, being born about 1896-8, in Arkansas. Several records give different birth dates and places, but they are all before 1900. William was the 2nd of 10 children born to Stephen Mannon MARTIN and Lucinda Caroline "Lena" BOWERS. I have not found this family in the 1900 US Census. At the start of 1900 they would have been a family of 4, with Stephen (24), Lena (24), Mamie (5) and William (2-4). On 17 Oct 1900, the 3rd child, Elmer Mannon MARTIN, was born in Magazine, Logan, AR.

Stephen and Lena had been married in Logan County, AR, on 4 March 1893. They were still in Logan County when William's older sister, Mamie MARTIN, died on died 22 Sep 1908. By 22 Apr 1910 the family, with 5 children, moved to Butler County, KS. As far as I know, they lived in Logan County from 1893 to 1908. Stephen was a poor farmer, but his sons learned how to maintain the new-fangled automobiles, and they ran Martin Motors in El Dorado, KS for many years.

Stephen Mannon MARTIN's father, Benjamin Stephen MARTIN, had died on 12 Aug 1899, at age 56, in Reveille Valley, Logan, AR. Stephen's mother, Sarah Washington SPRUILL, was living with her daughter Sarah and family in 1900 in Driggs, Logan, AR, then with her son, James, and family in 1910 in Driggs, and died on 22 Jan 1911 in Magazine, Logan, AR. It was Benjamin and Sarah who moved their family from DeKalb County, GA to Logan County, AR between 1880 and 1884. Their 6 children were born in GA (except possibly the last one), and they lived with their families in or near Logan County, AR in 1900.

Sarah W. SPRUILL's mother, Millie ADAMS, had died on 05 Sep 1896 at age 74, and her father James T. SPRUILL had died 12 Jan 1899 at age 79, both in DeKalb County, GA.

Lena BOWERS' parents were William M. BOWERS and Mary Elizabeth ALLEN. In 1900 they lived in Driggs, Logan, AR with 4 children, and Mary's mother, Matilda C. (NORWOOD) ALLEN. They had at least 14 children, most of who were in or near Logan County in 1900.

HUNTLEY and FISHER in AR and SD

My grandmother, Isel A. HUNTLEY, was born on 30 Aug 1897 in Arkansas, probably Sebastian County. Her parents were Adelbert Calvin HUNTLEY and his second wife, Phebe Alice FISHER. Adelbert was starting his second family, as his children from the first marriage were mostly grown, and still in Michigan.

The 1900 US Census has the HUNTLEY family in Sebastian County, AR.

Adelbert C (54), Phebe (38), Adelbert D (4), Isel (2)

In 1900, Adelbert Calvin HUNTLEY's mother, Cynthia "Sinthie" (BARTLETT) HUNTLEY was living with her daughter, Aldura (HUNTLEY) STOCKING in Claremont, Brown, SD. Aldura's husband, Miller STOCKING, ran a grocery store. Sinthie did not stay in SD long, as she died in Grand Rapids, MI on 14 Jan 1909.

Phebe's mother, Sarah Anne (KELLER) FISHER, was living in Crooked Creek, Marion, AR with her daughters: Carrie, still single, and Lillie (MITCHELL) REED, with a husband and 6 children. Sarah's son Joseph W. FISHER and his family lived in Big Creek Township, Searcy County, AR and daughter Phebe (FISHER) HUNTLEY and family lived in Jenny Lind Township, Sebastian County, AR.

GAPINSKI and HAUSLEIN in Kane County, IL

John GAPINSKI, my g-grandfather, immigrated to the US from Poland, arriving in NYC on 11 Aug 1892, and arriving in IL on 13 Aug 1892. He was the last of my ancestors to immigrate. Two of his sisters also immigrated, the older one settling in Berrien County, MI, not far from Chicago. Perhaps she was in IL in 1892, and that's why John went directly there.

Fred HAUSLEIN died on 7 Feb 1899 in Henpeck, Kane, IL. His wife, Mary (BAUERS) HAUSLEIN, had died on 17 Aug 1894 in Elgin, Kane, IL. So their 6 daughters were orphans, living with various relatives, in 1900. I haven't tracked them all down.

Sarah (BAUERS) DUMERAUF, mother of Mary (BAUERS) HAUSLEIN, was living with her husband, Adam DUMERAUF, in South Elgin, Kane, IL. Sarah and Adam were both blind. The father of Mary (BAUERS) HAUSLEIN is not known.

Louisa (or Louise) HAUSLEIN, eldest daughter of Fred and Mary, was born 27 Oct 1879 in South Elgin, Kane, IL. She married (1) Charles HUMBRACHT on 23 Oct 1899 in Kane, IL. Charles HUMBRACHT was killed by a train on 15 Feb 1901.

Louisa married (2) John GAPINSKI on 21 Jun 1901, in Kane, IL. He was 34 and she was 21. I have not yet found either of them in the 1900 US Census, but they were probably in or near Kane County.

I don't have any evidence that Michael and Agnes (ZALAZINSKI) GAPINSKI ever immigrated to the US. I only know their names, and that they lived in Wawelno, Poland. They may have been living in 1900.

John GAPINSKI's sister Mary was the first of 3 siblings to immigrate, about 1883. She married Joseph ZEHNER, who also immigrated about 1883. I'm not sure whether they married before or after immigration. Their first 4 children were born in IL. In 1900 they had 9 children, just north of Stevensville, MI, where Joseph had a fruit farm. Their son Joseph ZEHNER Jr died on 9 Nov 1900, at age 3.

John GAPINSKI's younger sister Genevieve immigrated as a teenager in 1893 or 1895. She would probably have traveled with someone, so maybe she came with John. However I have not found any trace of her until she appeared with her husband, Phillip WOLSKI, in Chicago, in the 1920 US Census.

The World's Columbian Exposition took place in Chicago, from 1 May 1893 to 30 Oct 1893, about the time when John and his sister Genevieve were coming to the Chicago area. It was a time of great growth and promise. I can't help but think that it may have impacted their lives in some way.

EATON and STURGES in Kane County, IL

George William EATON and Maggie May STURGES were both born in Kane County, IL, where they were married on 30 Nov 1892. In 1900 they were both 29, and had a son Walter (5) and daughter Ella (10 months). They lived on the 80-acre farm in Plato Township with his parents, Festus (71) and Huldah (63).

Emanuel STURGES and Margaret (SHARKEY) STURGES, parents of Maggie May STURGES, were living in Campton Township, Kane County in 1900, along with two of their grown sons, and a grandson, William ALLEN, a son of daughter Mary. So the household in 1900 was:

Emanuel STURGES (73)

Margaret (SHARKEY) STURGES (63)

William STURGES (30)

John STURGES (40)

William ALLEN (17)

In 1905, John STURGES was admitted to the Kane County Almshouse, where he died in 1919. John's occupation was "at home" in 1880, at age 20, so perhaps he was an invalid. If so, he would not be the only eldest son in my tree to have suffered such ignominy. He was not mentioned in his brother William's biography.