Sioux City

Source: Ancestry, US Postcards. Sioux City, Iowa, dated 1915-1930.

A Professional Photographer

St. Joseph News-Press, 3 Sep 1996

As I look into the long life of Mary Isabelle Cox, sister of Pearl Cox, I start with her obituary. She lived a few months short of 100 years. In her life, she was a professional photographer and world traveler. This line definitely caught my attention to see if I could learn more about her travels. She certainly lived a fascinating life, escaping rural Jefferson & Hamblen Counties in Tennessee, only to retire there in her later years.

She grew up watching her older sisters marry significantly older men. Her oldest sister Bessie married minister C. F. Sneed in 1903 when she was 19 and he was 59. I've already noted how Pearl married Joseph Jones when she was 19 and he was 70 in 1907. Pearl was on her second marriage by 1911, to another Civil War veteran, Harvey Bales (then 66).

Her world would have been shaped by the untimely passing of her youngest sister Grace in March 1914, who died of measles and pneumonia. Mary would have been 16 then.

It's unclear where Mary was living in 1920, as she does not appear in the household of her parents in Jefferson County, or with any of her siblings. Perhaps she went off to college. Her father's obituary in 1922 gives a hint of her whereabouts, as she is listed as Mrs. W. G. Irvine of Salt Lake City.

Mary's years with William George Irvine will cover several posts. She and William were married in Salt Lake City on 1 November 1922, appearing in the Utah Select Marriages database on Ancestry. William was an Irishman who arrived in the US when he was one year old. He was 16 years older than Mary, and divorced from a previous marriage. Other than this marriage record and Nicholas' obituary, I haven't found them in the City Directories for Salt Lake City for 1922. The reason for this is that William and Mary were living in Sioux City, Iowa. How Mary went from Jefferson County, Tennessee to Sioux City, Iowa off all places, I don't know. But, the Sioux City papers give a hint at how the two linked up.  

The Cox Family

Morristown Gazette. 5 Dec 1922.

Before I follow the journey of Pearl Cox Jones' world-traveling sister, I'm going to set the stage with an overview of the Cox family. Pearl was born to Nicholas N. Cox and Julia Rebecca Noe. Nicholas and Rebecca had at least the following children:

- Bessie B. Cox, 1883-1977

- Frank Wilson Cox, 1885-1958

- Pearl Cox, 1887-1956

- Claude Cox, 1890-1975

- Robert L. Cox, 1893-1991

- Dana Gass Cox, 1896-1978

- Mary Isabelle Cox, 1897-1996

- Eunice Cox, 1900-1953

- Ruth Anna Cox, 1903-1980

- George Earnest Cox, 1905-1976

- Grace Cox, 1906-1914

Nicholas passed away on 27 November 1922. Julia passed away on 12 April 1941.

Knoxville News-Sentinel, 12 Apr 1941.

The story now shifts to Pearl's younger sister, Mary Isabelle.

Married on the 4th of July

Source: Ancestry. Tennessee Marriage Records.

The document above is from Ancestry's Tennessee Marriage Records for Hamblen County, Tennessee, showing the marriage license of my 3rd-great-grandfather Joseph Jones to his fourth wife, Pearl Cox. I previously shared a photo of their marriage certificate from his Civil War pension file. They were married by Minister C. F. Sneed, first husband of Pearl's older sister Bessie. The marriage record below says Pearl was 22, but she was 19 when she married Joseph. He was 70 years old, making quite a curious pairing.

Source: Ancestry. Tennessee Marriage Records.

Morristown Gazette, 10 Jul 1907.

Pearl remained with Joseph until his death in January 1910. After finding the information in Joseph's Civil War pension file on his marriage to Pearl back in 2012, I had hoped eventually more would come available on her later life. There are some articles, and I'll reference those. I also stumbled on some fascinating information on her world-traveling photographer sister. That's where the story is heading next.

Neighbors and Cousins

Source: Ancestry. 1870 Non-Population Schedule.

The 1870 US Census Agriculture Non-Population schedule shows a snapshot of life in Jefferson County, Tennessee. This particular section lists quite a few neighbors, many of them cousins or connected through marriage. As I go down the list I see:

- Benjamin F. Hickey, brother of my 4th-great-grandmother Sally Hickey & connection by marriage into the Thornhill family

- Joseph Jones, my 3rd-great-grandfather

- Wesley Cox, who married into the Hickey family & served in the 1st Tennessee Cavalry with Thomas W. Thornhill

- Richard Thornhill, brother of my 4th-great-grandmother Elizabeth Thornhill Jones

- Marion H. Skeen, father-in-law of Roena Green (sister of my 3rd-great-grandmother Mary Catherine Green Jones)

- Samuel Thornhill, brother of Thomas W. Thornhill & married into the Cline family

- Peter A. Cline, father of Margaret Cline, Samuel Thornhill's wife; brother to Margaret Cline, wife of Richard Thornhill

- Charles C. Cline, brother of Peter Cline, and husband to Rachel Jane Green, sister of Mary Catherine Green Jones; witness of sale of property belonging to Elizabeth Thornhill Jones

- Jane Skeen, widow of John A. Skeen

- John Kimbrough, long distant neighbors of the Jones family in Jefferson County

- William A. Bowers, husband of Margaret E. Thornhill & the plaintiff in the case of State v Samuel and Thomas Larimore

The page also tells quite a lot about the farms owned by these people. Joseph Jones had 35 acres of improved land and 90 acres of woodland. He also had two horses, a milk cow, two working oxen, one other cow, 3 sheep and 14 pigs. He grew 300 bushels of corn and 50 bushels of oats in 1870.

Administration of the estate

Source: FamilySearch. Tennessee Probate Court Books.

This document is from the Tennessee Probate Court Books for Jefferson County, Tennessee, showing Richard Thornhill appointed on 5 November 1866 as the administrator of the estate of John A. Thornhill, his nephew. I've covered the story of Captain Thornhill quite extensively on the blog in the past. As a recap, he was murdered by men of his own company in the 9th Tennessee Cavalry, Union Army on 24 June 1865. Multiple cases after his death wound their way up to the Tennessee Supreme Court and ultimately, the US Supreme Court.

I don't think I had posted this document before, so for completeness in the file on Thornhill I am adding it here. One of these days, I'll put all of this material into a combined form.

There probably wasn't much in Captain Thornhill's estate for his uncle to manage. Perhaps this was filed in the event of recovery from the various court cases and the petition for a pension submitted by John's mother Mary Gass Thornhill.

A break from the heat

Photo by Patrick Jones. Temporary pool, 26 July 2020.

It's 95 in the shade here, so we resorted to an inflatable pool for break from the heat. Maya loved it. Today is supposed to be hotter.

Certificate of Citizenship

Source: Fold3. Naturalizations 1700-mid 1900s.

I've written before about Jose Maria Campuzano, son of my 3rd-great-grandfather Vicente Antonio Campuzano. I also previously shared an image of his declaration of intention to become a citizen. Above is a copy of his certificate of citizenship, granted on 5 August 1892. Antonio Orfila provided a statement of support, showing the close connection between the Orfila and Campuzano families in early Los Angeles.

Source: Fold3.

Jose married Antonio's adopted daughter, Manuela Dominguez in 1874, and Jose's son Frank was associated with Antonio's son Antonio Orfila Jr.

I found these documents while looking back on Fold3's non-military records.

Soggy Dog & Red Ball

Photo by Patrick Jones. Maya likes the rain. 24 July 2020.

Hamblen County Summons

Ancestry, Tennessee Will & Probate Records. 

I'm not certain how I overlooked this, but the image above shows a summons in a case in Hamblen County, Tennessee Circuit Court in 1879 involving Samuel and Thomas Larimore, sons of Roland Larimore. I posted about this case in October 2017. This image shows my 3rd-great-grandfather Joseph Jones listed in a summons, along with Thomas Thornhill and my 2nd-great-grandfather Thomas Jones.

Joseph & Thomas apparently testified in the case but their testimony is not in the scanned file.

Source: Ancestry. State v Samuel & Thomas Larimore.

A ship with the family name

Spanish tanker Campuzano. Canary Islands, 17 Nov 1965.

While looking at a recently added database on Ancestry for US Select Crew Lists and Manifests, 1903-1962, I came across the name of a Spanish vessel called the Campuzano. That's an interesting find, as my Granny's Campuzano family likely dates back to Spain sometime in the 1700s. This particularly vessel appears in the database between 1947 and 1952, running between Bilbao, Sevilla, New Orleans and Texas.

According to Shipspotting.com, where I located the photo above, the Campuzano was built in Valencia, Spain in 1932. Below is an affidavit from the arrival manifest in New Orleans from 1952.

Ancestry. Ship manifest, 1952.

Thinking about travel while at home

Smithsonian Air & Space Museum Poster Collection

I have been looking at vintage travel posters again, possibly for a spot in my home office. As I've been grounded since March due to COVID-19, travel has been on my mind. The Smithsonian Air & Space Museum Poster Collection has some cool vintage posters. The Air France Museum has a nice mix of posters and postcards. I'm running into difficulty finding a similar collection of official Pan Am travel posters or postcards. They certainly exist on eBay or as reprints on Amazon, but it is tough to know if those are knockoffs. I've seen other blogs focused on specific cities, such as Los Angeles. Instagram has a #travelposters feed, which gives some ideas.

Musee Air France.

The SFO Airport Museum has an exhibition of vintage Pan American travel posters on display in Terminal 2 Departures. I was hoping to find more, but the University of Miami's Pan Am World Airways Digital Collection doesn't have travel posters. For now, I'm parking this here.

Running selfie

Photo by Patrick Jones. Old Town Alexandria Waterfront, 21 June 2020.

Here is a rare selfie, taken at the midway point of a 6 mile loop from home to the Old Town Alexandria Waterfront & back on 21 June. Our Board Chair and Communications team wanted people to take selfies from their homes during our public meeting, as we were all participating from home instead of in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. This shot made it into our weekly roundup during the meeting.

The mask is a repurposing of an old Hawaiian shirt I've probably had 25 years. My Mom was able to turn the shirt into quite a few masks. Since we're going to be wearing masks for many months, I might as well have some that are unique.

The ship in the background is the Tall Ship Providence, a recreation of a historic Revolutionary War vessel, now making its home in Alexandria.

Together we rise

Photo by Patrick Jones. Mural in DC, 8 July 2020.

Outdoor Gym

Photo by Patrick Jones. Working out with Maya. 10 Jul 2020.

Before COVID-19, when I wasn't traveling I visited our local YMCA every other day, using various free weights, exercise equipment and shooting some occasional hoops. In early March I had dropped down to a very fit, low body fat weight, and I was really pleased with my progress. With the quarantine & our home cooking, a lot of that good work went back to less fit levels. I was able to run during the quarantine period, but running doesn't burn the fat the same way that lifting weights does.

It didn't help that I waited too long to secure some free weights. Kettlebells completely sold out and are still difficult to find. I was able to order a 20 pound medicine ball in early April, and my dumbbells arrived at the end of June. Last weekend I found an 8 kg kettlebell at our local sporting goods store, but I still can't find a 10 kg or 12 kg size. At least it is a start. I'm still running, but I like free weights. Our YMCA has reopened at a lower capacity, with social distancing measures, temperature checks and limited equipment. When I visited the last time, they weren't allowing free weights, so I still need to source a few more items to round out my home gym.

The silver lining is that we have a very nice backyard & space in the garage, so there is room for a good outdoor workout space. Our black lab also enjoys the entertainment and she is a fun workout partner.

I still plan to visit our local Y (wearing a mask), but it is nice to have the outdoor gym. 

Changing Times

Photo by Patrick Jones. Hagia Sophia, Istanbul. 16 Apr 2015.

Back in 2015, I shared photos from my visit to the Hagia Sophia, a UNESCO World Heritage site in Istanbul. Today Turkey's President signed a decree allowing the site to be opened for Muslim prayers, after a Turkish court revoked the museum's status. UNESCO's statement on the status change is here. I am fortunate I was able to see the Hagia Sophia on one of my previous visits to the Istanbul office, and I hope to be able to see it again on a future trip to Istanbul.

Bankruptcy Filing

Louisville Courier-Journal. 21 Nov 1867.

In November 1867, my 3rd-great-grandfather Guilford D. Read was listed in a petition for bankruptcy. Guilford had a family butcher shop business. A year later, this public notice ran in the Louisville Courier-Journal from the District Court for the District of Kentucky:

Louisville Courier-Journal. 26 Oct 1868.

The notice makes me wonder if there are court records still available on Guilford's bankruptcy filing. According to the National Archives, these records for Kentucky might be at the Atlanta Record Center. Unfortunately due to COVID-19, the Archives has suspended reproduction and digitization services. I would like to try to get a copy of this case file in the future.

1859 Stock Market

Louisville Courier-Journal, 15 Nov 1859.

Here's a news clipping I hadn't seen previously, mentioning my 3rd-great-grandfather, G. D. Read. He sold 18 cattle at the Shelby House Stock Market in Louisville, Kentucky. In 1859 he would have been 31 years old.

4th of July

LoC.  Theodor Horydczak, 4 July 1934. Fireworks, DC.

On this 4th of July in the time of COVID-19, I'm reflecting back on things missed this year. Yesterday the New York Times ran a fascinating photo essay of archival photos from past 4ths of July. Our 4th promises to be quiet this year.

Like many, we watched the filmed version of Hamilton last night on Disney Plus. In comparing the live performance viewed at the Kennedy Center some time ago to the one released by Disney, it remains a timely, powerful show. It is good millions can see it now from the comfort of our homes.

The Atlantic, 3 July 2020.

Have a safe 4th. Stay home if you can.

Avalon Pier, 1942

LA County Library Digital Collection. Avalon, Catalina Island, CA. 4 July 1942.

Fireworks Sign, SC

Library of Congress, by John Margolies. Myrtle Beach, SC. 1988.

Welcome to July

Photo by Patrick Jones. Under the umbrella. 23 June 2020.

As the calendar turns to July, we're in this weird place where things are starting to open up here in Northern Virginia, but in other states the pace of COVID-19 continues to increase. Americans are on the travel ban list to Europe, and I'm still on no international travel through the end of September (and likely end of October or through the remainder of 2020). So, we're working from home and summer school starts up again for the kids next week. I'm thinking ahead to potential travel, but not too far ahead as nothing is really confirmed.

For now we're looking forward to the long weekend. This afternoon I picked up two racks of baby back ribs from our local butcher and am planning for ribs & corn on the cob for the weekend. The photo above is likely to be my view, as I wrap up a book (Ann Mah's The Lost Vintage), and possibly start another.