New Leads on the Cain/Kane Family

After returning from meetings this week, I have some tantalizing new leads in the research on my 2nd-great-grandmother Mary Alice Cain/Kane's family. Helpful researcher Linda sent me text from the Barren County school census of 1895. In District 83 for Glasgow, Barren County, the household of Bland Read (Charlie Read's brother) shows son Eddie Read (age 6) and Alice Cane (age 17) attending school. We already know Mary Alice and Charlie were married in February 1895, but where were her parents? I looked through the Kentucky Probate files for guardian records but could not find any references to a Cain/Kane/Cane family in the county.

The State of Kentucky sent me copies of the birth certificates for Pearl Read and Carl Read, children of Charlie and Mary Alice. Both documents show that Mary Alice was born in or near Glasgow, Barren County.

The biggest lead of the week came from a distant cousin who is also researching this family. She recalled her mother remembered that Mary Alice had a brother named Harl Cain. It took some digging, but I found Harl Cain's World War II draft registration card, showing him living in Chico, Butte County, California. His date of birth, 16 June 1879, and place of birth Glasgow, Kentucky.

Harl Cain enlisted in the US Army in 1901. His service took him to California, and he was discharged in 1904. There's a long paper trail on Harl, so perhaps this information will lead to the parents of Harl and Mary Alice Cain. I will have more on his story soon.