Jacob Irven Greenawalt was born January 6, 1887, to Jacob Irven Greenawalt, Sr., and Margaret Ann Gallentine, likely in White Cloud, Newago County, Michigan (though in some records he claims to have been born in Woodville, Michigan, or in Pennsylvania). Because most of the 1890 census is lost, the first time I have him in a census is 1900, age 13, residing with his parents Jacob I and 'Maggie' in Cherry Grove Township, Warren County, Pennsylvania. Also in the house are siblings Lettie, Walter, Myron, Nettie and Lyman (all kids born in Michigan), and two boarders: Edward Clark and Georgie Dykes (both also born in Michigan). I'll revisit this census when I write about Jacob Sr and Margaret.
I don't have a 1910 census image, but this photo was taken about that time. Jacob Irven Jr (back row, far right) stands with his eight brothers and sisters. Click on the image to see it larger.
Back Row, L-R: Myron Earl, Nettie Jane, Lettie May, Jacob Irven Jr.Front Row, L-R: Walter Lee, Minnie Ethel, Joseph Victor, Flora Bell, Lyman Thomas
Notes in the cemetery records state that he married Violet Blair in 1909. He also states in 1930 that he was 22 when he first married, putting his first marriage in 1909. But I have the 1910 census image where Violet is still living with her parents, and I've not been able to find Jacob. Interestingly, Jacob Irven Sr is also thus far absent from the 1910 Census. Margaret Ann is by herself with her daughters and baby Joseph in May 1910. It is probable that Jacob Jr. and Violet are married by this time. He is apparently in Saskatchewan with is father around that time, trying to secure parcels of land. Ancestry says there is at least one Jacob I Greenawalt listed in the 1911 Moose Jaw, Saskatchewan, Canada, census, but you have to have the worldwide subscription to find out the page. So I am currently searching through the free online version, one page at a time, as there is no available index of it.
A 'Jacob Irven Greenawalt' and a 'Jacob Irvine Greenawalt' are in the Saskatchewan Homestead Index (plug 'greenawalt' into the search box). Also in SK is Walter (I think the middle initial S is a modern transcription error of the curly-cue letter L so common in historic documents), and thus would be Jacob Sr's second son Walter Lee Greenawalt.
Jacob and Violet's first child, Alma, was 9 years old in January 1920, which means Violet was pregnant in May 1910 when she was listed in the census with her parents. Between 1910 and 1916, Alma, Ray, Edward and Joseph are born. (A note on cemetery records says Jacob had a deceased son, Jacob I, who never showed up in the census.)
In May 1917, at age 30, he registers for the WWI draft. The information he gives: He lives in New Bethlehem, and says he was born in Woodville (which is 100+ miles from White Cloud), Michigan. He's a railroad engineer for the Pennsylvania Railroad out of Phillipton, PA. He has a wife and four children (no names given), is caucasian and currently married, and claims no exemptions from the draft. Note that his signature is a different handwriting from the rest of the card. So he gave the information to someone else. "How do you spell that, sir?" "I-R-V-E-N, G-R-E-E-N-A-W-A-L-T" It's possible the Woodville info is just the registrars mis-hearing of 'White Cloud.'
To be continued...
No comments:
Post a Comment