Ancestor Spotlight: Eugene F. Stiker

Eugene F. Stiker

Eugene F. Stiker is my 2nd great grandfather. He is the third of six children born to Gustav Justin and Louisa (Canet) Stiker, born 19 May 1869.

Eugene's parents were both born in France and immigrated to the United States around 1838. This makes him my first American-born ancestor in this family line. He lived his entire life in Indiana, born and raised in Evansville (Vanderburgh County) and eventually settling 20 miles away in Mt. Vernon (Posey County) around 1900.

Eugene married Jeanette Heerdink on 20 Jun 1894 in Vanderburgh County.  The couple had seven children over the next 12 years: Justin, Frank, Vera, Lucile Frances (my great-grandmother), Lillian, Eugene L. "Tex," and Raymond.

Eugene worked for the Evansville & Terre Haute Railroad from approximately 1885 (around age 16) until at least 1930, according to census records. His first job with the railroad was as a "laborer." At some point he was promoted to "fireman," and then eventually to "engineer" in 1892. During the 45 years that he was employed by the railroad, it changed hands a few times, finally being known as the Chicago & Eastern Illinois Railroad by 1930.

He died at the age of 66 on 15 Nov 1935 in Evansville, Indiana and is buried at St. Joseph Catholic Cemetery.

Do we share any ancestors?

Please email me at lostancestors [at] gmail [dot] com

Ancestor Spotlight: Charles C. Crowe 1867-1891

I'm not sure how "regular" this particular theme will be for me. I guess it depends on how much my ancestors cooperate with my research.

For now, I will try to spotlight at least one ancestor per month, (hopefully) alternating branches of my family. I think they get a little touchy when I spend too much time on the "other" side, which is why I think I have such a hard time finding information. That's my story and I'm sticking to it.

The way this is supposed to work is that when I add an ancestor to my website, I will spotlight them here with a link to their page.  Again, it's supposed to work like that.  We'll see.

Charles C. Crowe is my maternal 2nd great grandfather.   His page can be found here.

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Charles C. Crowe 1867-1945 

Charles C. Crowe was born on 9 Aug 1867 in Indiana. He is the son of John and Susan (Gray) Crow. The family moved to Scott Township in Jackson, Linn County, Kansas between 1869 and 1870, and Charles remained there until 1891, when he married Ida May Gray in Bates County, Missouri, at the age of 24.  It is believed that the couple marred in Missouri because the laws in Kansas did not allow first cousins to marry.  Ida's father and Charles' mother were siblings.

In 1900, he worked as a sewing machine agent Troy Township in Cannelton, Perry County, Indiana. In 1910, he was working as a machinist in his own shop in Rockport, Spencer County, Indiana. By 1930, Charles was working as a laborer in a garage and living at 125 W. 3rd Street in Mount Vernon, Posey County, Indiana.

Charles and Ida had 7 children between 1893 and 1908: Mabel L., Olive L., Owen Charles, Harold John, Albert L., Mary Ellen ("Helen"), and James Maurice ("Bill").

Rumor has it (from a grandaunt and a granduncle, Charles' grandchildren -- of course, I still need to confirm that with documentation, if any exists) that Charles and Ida's oldest daughter Mabel had "run off" and gotten married, and when Ida passed away, Charles decided he needed a housekeeper.  He retrieved Mabel, had the marriage annulled, and brought her back.  She lived with him until he died, and never married again.

Charles was a member of the International Order of Odd Fellows, and was a guest at the I.O.O.F. home from December 1942 until he died.  He died on 1 Dec 1945 at the age of 78 in Gosport, Owen County, Indiana. He was buried on 4 Dec 1945 in Mount Vernon, Posey County, Indiana, at Bellefontaine Cemetery, section A row 15 grave 9.

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I will continue to add information as I find it.  Of course, I welcome any additions, corrections, etc.

Do we share any ancestors?

Please email me at lostancestors [at] gmail [dot] com

Harold John Crowe's Date of Birth - A Research Log

This is me, still playing catch-up with my research logs, in an attempt to narrow the search for my great grandfather's birth date without the benefit of a true birth certificate.  If anyone sees anything I missed or any flaws in my analysis, please let me know.

Subject Name:  Harold John Crowe (Sr.), b. ?? d. 19 Sept 1971

Question to be researched:  When was Harold born?

Date of Search:  11.8.11

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Place Searched:  ancestry.com (1900 Federal Census, Perry Co., IN, Troy Township, ED ED number 116, Sheet 9B, dwelling 179, family 194, Herrold J. Crowe.)

Results:  “Herrold J.” is shown as 8/12 years old, born in Sep 1899 in Indiana.  Census taken on 9 Jun 1900.

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Place Searched:  Ancestry.com (1910 Federal Census, Spencer Co., IN, Ohio Township, ED ED number 84, p. 3B-4A, dwelling 72, family 74, Harold Crow.)

Results:  Harold is shown as 10 years old.  Census was taken on 18 Apr 1910, putting Harold’s birth date between 19 Apr 1900 and 17 Apr 1901.

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Place Searched:  ancestry.com (1920 United States Federal Census, Posey Co., IN, Ward 1, Black Twp., ED 50, p. 13A-B, lines 44-1, dwelling 325. family 344, Charles Crow.)

Results:  Harold is listed as age 20.  Census was taken on 13-14 Jan 1920, making his date of birth between 15 Jan 1900 and 12 Jan 1901.

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Place Searched:  ancestry.com (1930 Federal Census, Marion Co., IN, Center Township, ED number 49-402, p. 23A, dwelling 6, family 7, Harold Crowe.)

Results:  Harold is listed with his wife Lucille at age 30.  Census was taken on 22 Apr 1930, making his date of birth between 23 Apr 1900 and 21 Apr 1901.

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Place Searched:  ancestry.com (Harold Crowe Sr, no. xxx-xx-8788, "U.S. Social Security Death Index," ancestry.com.)

Results:  Harold Crowe Sr’s date of birth is given as 15 Sept 1899.

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Place Searched:  Harold John Crowe Sr, xxx-xx-8788, 1936, Application for Social Security Number, Social Security Administration.

Results:  Birth date is listed as 15 Sep 1899 for Harold John Crowe, Sr.

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Place Searched:  "Funeral Records," Harold J. Crowe; G.H. Hermann Funeral Home, Indianapolis, Indiana.

Results:  Shows Harold J. Crowe’s birth date as 15 Sep 1899.  The informant was Harold Crowe Jr.  A phone call with the woman at the funeral home revealed that the information for the funeral home records was copied directly from the death certificate.

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Place Searched:  Harold J. Crowe, Indianapolis Star, Indianapolis, Indiana, 20 September 1971, p. 31.

Results:  Obituary lists Harold J. Crowe as age 72.  He died on 19 Sept 1971, and the obituary was published on 20 Sep 1971.  This places his birth year in 1899.

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Place Searched:  (Male) Crow, Perry County, Indiana birth certificate no. 2014034 (15 September 1899)

Results:  Birth certificate shows a male child born to Charles Crow and Ida Gray on 15 Sep 1899.  I can only assume this is Harold.

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Analysis:  Census records as a whole are not reliable when it comes to exact dates.  His next oldest sibling is 2-1/2 years older, and his next youngest is 3 years younger.  Since the date on the birth certificate matches the date on his Social Security application, I am going to assume it is the same person.  That information also matches what was given in the funeral records.

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Conclusion:  Since I have 3 sources that agree with the birth date of 15 Sep 1899, I am going to assume this is correct.

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Next Steps:  I have requested his death certificate, but have not received it.  I have a feeling it will give exactly the same information that the records from the funeral home give.  I also requested his military records from WWI, but received a letter that the records were burned in the 1973 fire, so I am going to have to find a way to reconstruct them.

I Found My Great Grandfather ... Sorry Aliens!

I have been obsessing about my great grandfather, Harold John Crow(e), for the past couple of weeks.  As I mentioned in my post here, I totally blamed Aliens for abducting the entire family.   Sorry about that, Aliens.  You guys get blamed for a lot of stuff, but not this time.


I was seriously ready to pull out my hair, but then I stepped back for a second and thought about it.  I was writing down the name "Crow" and I wasn't being especially careful.  Then I looked at it.  It was hard to read my own handwriting, especially with letters that could so easily be mistaken for other letters ("r" for "n" and "w" for "m", etc.).  Then I had one of those A-HA! moments.


I decided to systematically go through the 1920 census images by hand.  I know - almost enough to make your eyes bleed.  I started with where I knew he was in 1910 (Spencer County, Indiana) and where I knew he was in 1930 (Posey County, Indiana).  I also knew that he had been married in 1920 in Posey County, Indiana.  That's where I started my search (thank goodness!)


I pulled up Posey County records and started with Black Township.  I searched every line on every page for Districts 47, 48, and 49.  No dice.


I went back and chose Mt. Vernon City, Ward 1.  I got to page 15 and found something that looked like "Crow" but I couldn't be sure.  The first names looked like Amos and Luana.  No way I could make that look like Charles and Ida (I tried, believe me).  I kept looking ... there were 13 more pages.  Then lo and behold, on page 26, there he was.  I had to know why I wasn't able to find him.  It clearly said "Crow" when I read it.  It had been indexed as "Cron."  After looking at it, I could see how it might have been misread:

... and there is Harold on line 48 at age 20 and still single (don't worry, he'll be married before the year is out).  It shows him as a soldier in the U.S. Army.  Yep, that's my man.


I literally found this information 15 minutes ago and had to share it immediately.  My first brick wall success!  Woo hoo!  I can't wait to share my good news with everyone in SecondLife tonight!

My Ancestors Were Abducted by Aliens!

What?  It must be true.  This is the only logical conclusion based on the information available.


My great grandfather, Harold John Crowe (Sr.), was born in 1899 in Cannelton, Perry Co., Indiana.  His parents were Charles C. and Ida Mae (Gray) Crowe.  I have found the family on the 1900 U.S. Census (Perry Co., Indiana) and the 1910 U.S. Census (Spencer Co., Indiana).


Sometime between March 1910 and September 1920, the entire family was abducted by aliens, forced to wear military uniforms, have their photographs taken, and who knows what else!

As you can see, the photo purports to have been taken at Davis' Studio at 35 W. Forsythe Street, Jacksonville, Florida.  Likely story.  Here is that address (courtesy of Google maps):

Shortly after returning from outer space in September 1920, Harold John Crowe married Lucile Francis Stiker in Mt. Vernon, Posey Co., Indiana.  I wonder if she had any idea where he had been.  Certainly, it must have affected their relationship somehow.  Perhaps she was sworn to secrecy.


I pick up Harold's family again on the 1930 U.S. Census in Indianapolis, Marion Co., Indiana, where Harold works as a mechanic in a garage (obviously from the extensive training he received during his abduction).   Harold is listed as a veteran of "WW" (which I take to mean World War I) on the census.  I guess this is the only way he could explain the photos in military garb.


Around 1939, Harold went to work as an engine inspector for Allison Gas Turbine (a division of General Motors specializing in aircraft engines - coincidence? I think not.) in Indianapolis, where he stayed until his retirement in 1964.  He died in September 1971 in Indianapolis and is buried at Calvary Catholic Cemetery.  His obituary in the Indianapolis News on September 20 says that he was a member of St. Catherine Church, the Speedway American Legion, and 40 & 8 "and was a WWI Army veteran."  I'm not sure what 40&8 is ... but I bet it's a coded message for other abductees.


In all seriousness, I have exhausted every search I know to do.  I have looked in city directories in Mt. Vernon, Indianapolis, and Rockport - nada.  I have looked for WWI draft cards and veteran lists - nothing.  I have looked for newspaper articles - zilch.  State census records have not been indexed or do not exist for most counties.  (And, yes, I checked the census in Jacksonville, Florida also).


I did some research on this 40 & 8 club (official name: La Société des Quarante Hommes et Huit Chevaux - or - the Society of 40 Men and 8 Horses).  Apparently, it is a branch of the American Legion that honors those soldiers who were transported through France on railroad cars during the Great War.  Each rail car had a symbol on the side "40/8" which meant the car would hold 40 men or 8 horses.


I have sent emails to the American Legion and the 40 & 8, so hopefully they will be able to provide some information that will fill in the gaps.  I am pretty sure that he missed the census because he was still overseas or returning from overseas, but I could be wrong.  I know very little about World War I (I'm rethinking that whole not-paying-attention-in-history-class thing now, though), so if anyone out there can shed some light on what might have happened between the "official" end of the war in June 1919 and the census in March 1920, I would be most appreciative!

This Week in My Family History - November 28 to December 4

This is something new I'm trying.  I totally stole borrowed this idea from Linda McCauley's blog: Documenting the Details (Thanks, Linda!).  I thought it was such a neat idea that I would try it myself.  Here goes:

Dead Folks' Birthdays & Anniversaries
28 Nov 1725   Francois Bouteiller and Marie Lanctot married in Quebec, Canada [Marie is my 7th great grandaunt]
28 Nov 1874   Leota Mount born in Indiana (d. 7 Nov 1876)  [my 2nd cousin, 4x removed]
28 Nov 1753   Marie Monique Lanctot born in Quebec, Canada (d. 8 Jul 1770)  [my 5th great grandaunt]
29 Nov 1895   James Francis Murray and Elizabeth Slowey married in Yankton, SD [Elizabeth is my 2nd great grandaunt]
30 Nov 1902   Albert L. Crowe born in Tell City, IN (d. 29 Apr 1983) [my great granduncle]
30 Nov 1951   Candice Kay Slowey born (d. 13 May 1959) [my 3rd cousin, 1x removed]
1 Dec 1935      James Ritchey Crow and Ruby Carey Brown married [James is my 4th cousin, 4x removed]
1 Dec 1841      Julius Allen Peet and Hester Ann Crow married in Linn, IA [Hester is my 2nd cousin, 6x removed]
2 Dec 1819      Reuben Crow and Elizabeth Duncan married (2nd wife) [Reuben is my 1st cousin, 7x removed]
2 Dec 1861      William Schneider born in Washington, IA (d. 1939) [my 2nd great granduncle]
2 Dec 1799      Wesley M. Crow born in Chatham, NC (d. 10 Oct 1834) [my 2nd cousin, 6x removed]
3 Dec 1843      Truman Judson Peet and Nancy Crow married in Jones, IA [Nancy is my 2nd cousin, 6x removed]


Living Folks' Birthdays
28 Nov            Thomas Mack [my 2nd cousin, 2x removed]
28 Nov            Bradley Mount [my 5th cousin, 1x removed]
30 Nov            Maria Hart [my 6th cousin]
1 Dec              James Lanctot [my uncle]


So I think next time I will stick with my direct line for now ... at least until I find a better way to extract this information.