Davis Family Death Certificates

Thanks to Michael Peters who supplied the death certificates of his grandmother’s family to me in September 2008.

Ella Otten death Certificate

 This is the death certificate of my 2nd great grandmother, Lou Ella Davis.

Osieola Clark death certificate

 This is the death certificate of my 2nd great grandmother’s sister, Osieola Davis. She married (1) to Samuel Walker Loyd and (2) to Ester V Clark.

Ester V Clark death certificate

This is the death certificate of Osieola Davis’ second and last husband, Ester V. Clark.

Gladys Peters death certificate

This is the death certificate of Osieola’s daughter, Gladys Irene Loyd. She married Rulon Richard Peters.  

Rulon Peters death certificate

This is the death certificate of Gladys Peters’ husband, Rulon Richard Peters.

Mike Peters is the son of Gladys and Rulon Richard Peters. His grandmother, Osieola Davis, was the sister of my 2nd great grandmother, Lou Ella Davis.

Osieola Davis (1885 – 1955)

Osieola Davis

Osieola Davis was the sister of my 2^nd great grandmother, Lou Ella Davis Godwin. She lived in Los Angeles, CA. She was very close to my Godwin family and sent pictures to my great grandparents often. Many of these pictures were recovered from my grandfather and his sisters’ collection of photos. Osieola was often mistaken for my 2^nd great grandmother, Lou Ella in the pictures. I have sent copies of the pictures to Osieola’s grandson, Michael L. Peters to verify his grandmother was in them. Here is a snapshot of Osieola’s life:

Osieola Davis was born 20 Jan 1885 in Arkansas, the second child of James F Davis and Dora Nix (1). In 1890 her mother Dora Davis remarried to William Carpenter in Sharp County, Arkansas (2). Osieola, her sister, Lou Ella Davis, and 4 half siblings were enumerated with their mother and their step father William Carpenter on the 1900 Sharp County, AR census report in Highland Township (3). 

Osieola Davis married Samuel Loyd 19 Oct 1902 in Sharp Co., AR (2). Osieola and Samuel Loyd moved to Oklahoma sometime between 1900 and 1910. They were enumerated on the 1910 Hulbert, Cherokee County, OK census report. Their two children, Gladys and Davis Loyd were enumerated with them, along with Samuel’s widowed mother Malley Loyd. Samuel Loyd was a stock tender(4). He did not apply or receive any land grants in OK (5).

Osieola Davis Loyd remarried to Ester V Clark sometime between 1910 and 1920. They were enumerated with Osieola’s two children on the 1920 Jasper County, MO census report in Joplin, MO (6). Ester was enumerated as “Edward Clark.” He was a bartender in a saloon. He was from Missouri.

Osieola and Ester Clark removed to Los Angeles, CA sometime between 1920 and 1930. They were enumerated on the 1930 Los Angeles County, CA census report in Montebello Gardens, Whittier Township. Osieola’s son Davis was enumerated with them. According to the census report, they lived at 761 Elnora Street (7).

Osieola Clark died of colon cancer 22 Mar 1955 in Los Angeles, CA (1). I obtained a copy of Osieola’s death certificate from her grandson, Michael L Peters. Mike and I were not able to find an obituary for Osieola Clark. She was buried in Park Lawn Cemetery (or Memorial Park) in Commerce, Los Angeles Co., CA.

Osieola and Samuel Loyd had two children, Gladys Irene Loyd and Davis T. Loyd. Gladys Irene Loyd married Rulon Richard Peters; she died 4 Mar 1997 in Thousand Oaks, Ventura Co., CA (8). Davis T. Loyd married Annie May Stumpf; he died 18 May 1996 in Lake Isabella, Kern Co., CA. Davis and Anne had no children (9).

Osieola Davis and her dog Butch and 1937 Dodge

 

Osieola (right) and LouElla Davis (left) (sisters)

 

Sources:

1. Osieola Clark, death certificate, 22 Mar 1955, Los Angeles County Registrar-Recorder/County Clerk Office, State of California.
   
2. Sharp County Marriage Records, user submitted files, online.
   
3. 1900 Sharp Co., Highland Twp., AR census report, 4-5 June 1900, Series T623, Roll 77, p 44.
   
4. 1910 Cherokee Co., Hulbert Twp., OK census report, 29 Apr 1910, Series T624, Roll 1244, page 5B, ED 12, Image 693.
   
5. BLM GLO records, land patent search, online.
   
6. 1920 Jasper Co., Joplin, MO census report, 6 Jan 1920, p. 5A (Edward V Clark, head)
   
7. 1930 Los Angeles Co., Montebello Gardens, Whittier Twp., CA census report, 9 Apr 1930, Roll 175, page 7B, ED 1558, Image 1119.0
   
8. Gladys Peters, death certificate, 4 Mar 1997, Vital Records Section, Ventura County Public Health Department, State of California.
   
9. Personal correspondence with Michael L. Peters, 11 Sept 2008
   

Lessons Learned about Family trees on Rootsweb: The case of children of James F Davis and Dora Nix

A fellow Godwin researcher sent me information from some family trees that were posted on rootsweb.com about the Dora Nix and James F. Davis family. I contacted the researchers who posted these trees to get more information about their research and to find out more information about this elusive James F. Davis.

In both of the trees, there were two daughters listed as children of Dora Nix and James F Davis. They were Osceiola Davis and Tillie Davis. According to the trees, Oscieola Davis married Samuel Walker Loyd and Tillie Davis married William E. Carpenter. William E. Carpenter was the son of Dora Nix Davis and her second husband, William Carpenter. If Tillie Davis were really the daughter of James F. Davis and Dora Nix, then that would mean that Tillie Davis married her half brother Willie Carpenter!

I questioned that situation and started digging. One of the trees referenced the file of Mike Peters. After some digging, I found a Pedigree Resource file Mike Peters had posted to the familysearch.org website. Sure enough, there was Dora and James F . Davis with two daughters: Tillie Davis (married William Carpenter) and Osieola Davis (married Samuel W. Loyd).

Mike Peters also posted marriage information on William Carpenter to Dora Davis to the Sharp Co., AR Marriage Record website. I found Mike’s address and I wrote him a letter. In the letter, I asked him for source information for James, Tillie, and Osieola Davis.

My letter was received and answered! 

In an email, Mike said he had the death certificate of his grandmother, Osieola Davis Clark (Los Angeles, CA). The certificate listed James F. Davis as Osieola’s father. He also confirmed that Tillie Davis who married William E. Carpenter was NOT James and Dora Davis’ daughter.

While looking through other files on familysearch.org, I found another user submitted Family Data Collection file posted by Nellie Mae Conklin on one Otala “Tillie” Aldrich who married William Carpenter, son of William Carpenter and Dora Nix Davis Carpenter! Tillie and William Everett Carpenter’s death records can be found on the CA death record site.

Nellie Mae Conklin has published several books that are available in libraries across the country. She did submit to the LDS FHL a book on Tillie’s Aldrich family, with some entries on the Carpenter family. However I was not able to borrow it through my local FHL because evidently they don’t allow unmicrofilmed books to leave the library in Salt Lake City.

So…with the success of my last letter writing excursion fresh in my mind, I set off to write another letter to the 89 year old Nellie Mae Conklin in which I requested either a copy of the book or a copy of her Carpenter family entries from the book.

I am eagerly awaiting her reply.

There are many lessons learned in this essay:

Use user submitted rootseb family tree files as a guide only and don’t believe everything your read as fact

Remember to dig deeper to find the actual sources of information

It illustrates how one small printed mistake can be reproduced for many years

Letter – writing can be successful!

I found a picture of Lou Ella Otten’s nephew, Davis T. Loyd

Davis T Loyd - taken May 1954 - Los Angeles, CA

This is a picture of my 2nd great grandmother, Lou Ella Otten’s nephew, Davis Thelbert Loyd. Davis was the son of Lou Ella’s sister, Osieola Davis Loyd. This picture was probably sent to us from Osieola Davis Loyd. I have recently been in contact with Davis’ nephew, Mike Peters and have shared these photos of his uncle with him.

This is a picture of Davis T. Loyd and his wife, Annie May Stumpf.