Earl Strong POWELL,
son of Mary (STRONG) and her 1st husband, Charles Lyman POWELL.
Best guess on his father is:
https://www.ancestry.com/sharing/11966937?h=cde795
1895 Jul 3 - Earls' mother Mary "Mamie" STRONG
marries Earl's father Charles L POWELL (Lyman, Leven, Lowell ?)
who gave his birthplace as Dekalb (Illinois ?)
and they were married in Dixon, Lee, Illinois according to marriage certificate.
and 10 months 4 days later....
1896 May 7 - Earl Strong POWELL is born in Dixon, Lee, IL.
(Note - birth certificates didn't have to be registered until about 1916)
So Earl's should be in Lee County but I don't think it is.
1900 Jun 4 - census finds Earl living with his divorced mother "Mamie" at
519 Second St, Dixon, Lee, Illinois, USA
along with some of his mother's siblings
(probably where Earl learned to be a painter)
& all living with Earl's widowed grandmother, Mary Alice (LOCKE) STRONG
About 1904 - 1907 Mary "Mamie" STRONG married 2nd,
Ishmael Bee NICHOLS with marriage certificate in Whiteside County IL.
1907 Oct 15 - Mary "Mamie" (STRONG) POWELL NICHOLS
gave birth to Glenn Arthur NICHOLS, probably in Dixon, Lee, IL.
Earl Strong POWELL was married 3 times:
1916 marriage license & certificate & consent form
Earl married Hazel Mae IRWIN when Earl was 20 and Hazel was 18
with the permission of Mamie (STRONG) required since he was
under the age of 21.
1926 Earl married Fay ELMENDORF, both of Rock Falls, Whiteside,
but married in Dixon, Lee, Illinois.
1928 Mar 13 (?) - birth of son, "Fay, Jr." later known as
Paul Fay ELMENDORF (according to his aunt, Edith W. ELMENDORF,
widow of Kenneth ELMENDORF - Fay was Kenneth's sister.
1929 Jun 1 (?) - Earl Strong POWELL marries 3rd (?):
Mildred Marie SCHMIDT, b. Lowden, Cedar, Iowa, USA
1930 Apr - Fay is divorced & she is living with her son at her parents home near Hume township, Whiteside (S of Rock Falls?)
1930 Jul - Mildred (SCHMIDT) POWELL gives birth to Eleanor POWELL in Dixon.
1932 Aug 3 - William Charles POWELL born, probably in Dixon, Lee, IL.
1934-1935 Earl & Mildred divorce when the baby, "Billy", is about 2 and is placed with his mother. Earl is given the older, "Eleanor", and she is raised by Earl's mother, "Mamie" (STRONG) POWELL NICHOLS LOWRY at 901 Avenue A, Rock Falls, Whiteside, Illinois, USA. "Mamie" or "granny" is now living with her 3rd husband, Samuel E. LOWRY (from around Hagerstown, Washington, Maryland, USA) who moved to IL with his wife & 2 daughters. The home at 901 Ave A used to be filled with boarders, but is no longer rented out.
Eleanor is raised in Rock Falls (south of Sterling), and her brother Billy is raised in Dixon IL. At first, Billy & his mother live with her folks in Dixon,
but she later marries 2nd: Lester WICKEY who had lived on Hennepin Ave. They rent various homes in Dixon, including the one at 331 Lincoln Way, Dixon, Lee, Illinois, USA. Eleanor goes to Rock Falls HS and graduates in 1949. Billy goes to Dixon's Lincoln HS and probably graduated in 1951 or 1952, and then he went into the Air Force and was stationed in Phoenix AZ.
1937 Sep 9 - Earl Strong POWELL's 2nd wife, Fay (ELMENDORF) marries her 2nd husband, Lawrence KAUFFMAN.
after 1937 - Fay's son starts going by the name of Paul Fay KAUFFMAN.
He lived in Whiteside (or Lee) County, Illinois area and worked construction.
(Despite his crippled leg & arm & hand. His mother, Fay KAUFFMAN passed away in Oregon, Ogle, Illinois around _______ and he later moved to Daytona Beach, FL where it was warmer & easier on his bones. He died around the age of 68 (?) near Daytona Beach, county?, Florida.
1940's (?) - Earl Strong POWELL is listed as working as a "press man" for the local newspaper in Dixon or Sterling (?).
1942 Earl Strong POWELL fills out a draft registration card for WW-II that shows him working in Clinton, Iowa (?) where he is taking care of a crippled man, Carl MOHR (?).
1947 Feb 8 - Earl Strong POWELL dies. He may have been working in Clinton IA, but his death certificate is on file in Whiteside County, Illinois. It suggests that he had been living "back" in Rock Falls at 901 Ave A for about 7 months - or perhaps that he had been in the Sterling Hospital that long.
1947 Feb ?? - Earl Strong POWELL is buried in the cemetery plot that was reserved for his mother, Mary "Mamie" (STRONG) POWELL NICHOLS LOWRY, but "granny" is still alive, so they bury Earl in Oakwood Cemetery in Dixon, Lee, Illinois, USA.
1947-1954 Eleanor buys the stone for her father, Earl Strong POWELL and it is placed on his grave in Oakwood Cemetery, near the corner of 4th & Dement, Dixon, IL. If you drive to 409 (?) S Dement Ave, Dixon (the northernmost house on the block) and follow their sidewalk out from the house, straight across the street, and just south of the 2nd large tree on the western border of Oak Wood Cemetery.
1953 July 10 - Eleanor POWELL and her friend, Diane LONG (?) fly out to Phoenix to visit & see her brother Bill & visit the Grand Canyon, etc.. They take the train back to Rock Falls.
1953 Oct - Eleanor POWELL meets her future husband & is engaged shortly afterwards.
1954 Jun - Eleanor POWELL marries David CAMPBELL in Dixon, Lee County, Illinois. She prepares for the wedding at her mother & Les's home at 331 Lincoln Way, Dixon, Lee, Illinois, USA. The couple move into a "brand new" apartment at 100 Park Ave (?), Sterling, Whiteside, Illinois, USA. Shirley WICKEY (?) had connections at Furniture Store that was closing - where they bought Heywood Wakefield furniture for their new home.
1965 Feb 11 (?) - Earl's mother, Mary "Mamie" (STRONG) POWELL NICHOLS LOWRY dies at the Western Illinois State Hospital (?) in East Moline, Rock Island County, Illinois. She had apparently been confined to that "asylum" for about 7 months prior to her death.
1965 Feb 13 (?) - Mary (STRONG) LOWRY is laid to rest in the "Odd Fellows" Cemetery on the SE side of Rock Falls, Whiteside, Illinois, USA. This is the same cemetery where her last husband, Samuel E. LOWRY was buried back in Sep 1946 (?). "Granny" couldn't have been buried with the rest of her family in the STRONG family plot in Oak Wood Cemetery, Dixon, Lee, Illinois - since her son, Earl, had been buried there in 1947.
Questions:
1916 Marriage - this wasn't known to me until July 2011. Who did Earl marry in Whiteside County? Get the marriage certificate & consent form. He didn't marry again until 1926 - did he have any kids by that first wife?
1926 marriage to Fay (ELMENDORF). His son was crippled in the leg at birth and had problems with the arm & hand on that same side. The mother, Fay (ELMENDORF) POWELL dropped the POWELL name by 1930 and in 19
about 1935 Earl & Mildred divorce. The baby, "Billy" stays with his mother, the older Eleanor goes with his father to his mother, Mary (STRONG) POWELL NICHOLS LOWRY and lives with "granny" and her 3rd husband, Samuel E. LOWRY at 901 Avenue A, Rock Falls, Whiteside, Illinois, USA.
with
- at least one child, "Earl POWELL, Jr" aka "Sonny" (?) from the 1st marriage
- and Eleanor and William Charles POWELL from the 2nd (?) marriage.
Biographical details are found on both the federal census data
as well as WW-I and WW-II Draft Registration Cards for Earl Powell in IL.
His WW-I Draft Registration Card is dated 5 June 1917.
On that card, he states his birthdate as 7 May 1895
and was born in Dixon, (Lee County), Illinois, USA.
He lists his residence as what appears to be 201 E. Winfield, Morrison IL.
This card was registered in Morrison, Whiteside County, IL by William Boyd
and dated 5 June 1917.
If the birth date is correct, (a different source lists 5 May 1896 as an alternate birth date), then Earl Powell would have been 22 years and 1 month old when he provided the info on his WW-I Draft Registration Card. (Or, alternately, 21 years and 1 month old if 7 May 1896 is the correct birth date.)
He lists himself as a self employed painter in Morrison, Whiteside County, Illinois. He lists a wife, but no children. This would suggest that "sonny" was born sometime AFTER 5 June 1917.
His description is given as Caucasian (White), Medium build, blue eyes, brown hair. Parts of it are difficult to read, the original might be clearer for his height, weight, complexion, etc..
>>> Illinois provides marriage license info. It should be possible to find a marriage license for Earl POWELL sometime between age 16 and 22 - by searching the IL records for the years May 1911 to June 1917. This might show the name of his wife and where they were married. The were likely married in Whiteside County, otherwise Lee County, IL. His mother lived in
Rock Falls, IL.
>>> The next logical census would be to look for 1920 for Earl POWELL in Whiteside County, Illinois with a wife and probably a baby boy.
>>> Looking for an earlier census, Earl POWELL should be on the 1900 and 1910 federal census, with his parents: Charles (?) POWELL and ______.
The 1930 federal census shows Earl POWELL (on his second?)
marriage to Mildred Marie SCHMIDT of Lowden, Cedar, Iowa, USA.
His daughter, Eleanor, was born in July of 1930, likely after the census.
His son, William Charles "Bill" POWELL was born around 1932. Earl & Mildred divorced by 1936 or so. Eleanor went to live with her father at his mother's house. "Bill" lived with his mother, Mildred, at her parent's house in Dixon, Lee, Illinois. After several years, she married Lester WICKEY and Bill continued to live with his mother, Mildred, & "Les".
By the 1940 census, Eleanor is living with Earl's mother, Mary (STRONG).
She married three times:
m1) Charles (?) POWELL, father of Earl POWELL
m2) Bee NICHOLS, father of Glen NICHOLS
m3) Sam LOWRY, no issue.
Eleanor lived with Mary "Mamie" (STRONG) POWELL / NICHOLS / LOWRY
from the time of her parents divorce, circa 1935, for about 20 years.
Mary (STRONG) had a house at 901 Avenue A, Rock Falls, (Whiteside?), IL.
I don't believe Earl POWELL married again after his second divorce,
the one from Mildred SCHMIDT, circa 1934 / 1935 in Illinois
Circa 1942, there is a WW-2 Draft Registration Card for Earl POWELL.
It lists his occupation as "nurse" (more like "assistant") to Karl MOHR (?)
or something like that. Karl was a wounded soldier (?) who lived in Clinton, Clinton County, Iowa - near the Mississippi river.
Eleanor lists Earl's death as occurring in Sterling, Whiteside, IL on 8 Feb 1947. She bought his headstone and he's buried in Dixon, Lee, IL - in the STRONG family plot. His mother, Mary STRONG, would have been buried
in Dixon alongside of her family, however, her son, Earl, predeceased her and was buried in the spot allocated for Mary STRONG. Consequently, Mary STRONG is buried in Rock Falls, IL, closer to where she lived. As of 2010, there is no memorial there.
Little is known (by me) of Earl Strong POWELL's first (?) son and wife.
There may have been other children from that marriage. There may have
been other marriages before or after Mildred SCHMIDT.
There is a photo of "Sonny" (Earl POWELL, Jr.) and his mother. Sonny appears to have an atrophied leg, perhaps from polio. His mother may have taken him back to her home or family, perhaps in Atlantic City NJ or NY or someplace "back east". Earl Strong (?) POWELL, Jr. would be a half-brother to Eleanor and William "Bill" POWELL.
There is a much more recent William Earl POWELL in Wisconsin. Possibly some relation.
In any event, Earl Strong POWELL died about the age of 51 years old.
He's buried in Dixon, Lee, Illinois - and his headstone is a little hard to spot as it's near a large tree and there is a clump of plants that tends to obscure his memorial / marker. His daughter saved up & still has the receipt for his headstone. He died when she was about 16 years old.
son of Mary (STRONG) and her 1st husband, Charles Lyman POWELL.
Best guess on his father is:
https://www.ancestry.com/sharing/11966937?h=cde795
1895 Jul 3 - Earls' mother Mary "Mamie" STRONG
marries Earl's father Charles L POWELL (Lyman, Leven, Lowell ?)
who gave his birthplace as Dekalb (Illinois ?)
and they were married in Dixon, Lee, Illinois according to marriage certificate.
and 10 months 4 days later....
1896 May 7 - Earl Strong POWELL is born in Dixon, Lee, IL.
(Note - birth certificates didn't have to be registered until about 1916)
So Earl's should be in Lee County but I don't think it is.
1900 Jun 4 - census finds Earl living with his divorced mother "Mamie" at
519 Second St, Dixon, Lee, Illinois, USA
along with some of his mother's siblings
(probably where Earl learned to be a painter)
& all living with Earl's widowed grandmother, Mary Alice (LOCKE) STRONG
About 1904 - 1907 Mary "Mamie" STRONG married 2nd,
Ishmael Bee NICHOLS with marriage certificate in Whiteside County IL.
1907 Oct 15 - Mary "Mamie" (STRONG) POWELL NICHOLS
gave birth to Glenn Arthur NICHOLS, probably in Dixon, Lee, IL.
Earl Strong POWELL was married 3 times:
1916 marriage license & certificate & consent form
Earl married Hazel Mae IRWIN when Earl was 20 and Hazel was 18
with the permission of Mamie (STRONG) required since he was
under the age of 21.
1926 Earl married Fay ELMENDORF, both of Rock Falls, Whiteside,
but married in Dixon, Lee, Illinois.
1928 Mar 13 (?) - birth of son, "Fay, Jr." later known as
Paul Fay ELMENDORF (according to his aunt, Edith W. ELMENDORF,
widow of Kenneth ELMENDORF - Fay was Kenneth's sister.
1929 Jun 1 (?) - Earl Strong POWELL marries 3rd (?):
Mildred Marie SCHMIDT, b. Lowden, Cedar, Iowa, USA
1930 Apr - Fay is divorced & she is living with her son at her parents home near Hume township, Whiteside (S of Rock Falls?)
1930 Jul - Mildred (SCHMIDT) POWELL gives birth to Eleanor POWELL in Dixon.
1932 Aug 3 - William Charles POWELL born, probably in Dixon, Lee, IL.
1934-1935 Earl & Mildred divorce when the baby, "Billy", is about 2 and is placed with his mother. Earl is given the older, "Eleanor", and she is raised by Earl's mother, "Mamie" (STRONG) POWELL NICHOLS LOWRY at 901 Avenue A, Rock Falls, Whiteside, Illinois, USA. "Mamie" or "granny" is now living with her 3rd husband, Samuel E. LOWRY (from around Hagerstown, Washington, Maryland, USA) who moved to IL with his wife & 2 daughters. The home at 901 Ave A used to be filled with boarders, but is no longer rented out.
Eleanor is raised in Rock Falls (south of Sterling), and her brother Billy is raised in Dixon IL. At first, Billy & his mother live with her folks in Dixon,
but she later marries 2nd: Lester WICKEY who had lived on Hennepin Ave. They rent various homes in Dixon, including the one at 331 Lincoln Way, Dixon, Lee, Illinois, USA. Eleanor goes to Rock Falls HS and graduates in 1949. Billy goes to Dixon's Lincoln HS and probably graduated in 1951 or 1952, and then he went into the Air Force and was stationed in Phoenix AZ.
1937 Sep 9 - Earl Strong POWELL's 2nd wife, Fay (ELMENDORF) marries her 2nd husband, Lawrence KAUFFMAN.
after 1937 - Fay's son starts going by the name of Paul Fay KAUFFMAN.
He lived in Whiteside (or Lee) County, Illinois area and worked construction.
(Despite his crippled leg & arm & hand. His mother, Fay KAUFFMAN passed away in Oregon, Ogle, Illinois around _______ and he later moved to Daytona Beach, FL where it was warmer & easier on his bones. He died around the age of 68 (?) near Daytona Beach, county?, Florida.
1940's (?) - Earl Strong POWELL is listed as working as a "press man" for the local newspaper in Dixon or Sterling (?).
1942 Earl Strong POWELL fills out a draft registration card for WW-II that shows him working in Clinton, Iowa (?) where he is taking care of a crippled man, Carl MOHR (?).
1947 Feb 8 - Earl Strong POWELL dies. He may have been working in Clinton IA, but his death certificate is on file in Whiteside County, Illinois. It suggests that he had been living "back" in Rock Falls at 901 Ave A for about 7 months - or perhaps that he had been in the Sterling Hospital that long.
1947 Feb ?? - Earl Strong POWELL is buried in the cemetery plot that was reserved for his mother, Mary "Mamie" (STRONG) POWELL NICHOLS LOWRY, but "granny" is still alive, so they bury Earl in Oakwood Cemetery in Dixon, Lee, Illinois, USA.
1947-1954 Eleanor buys the stone for her father, Earl Strong POWELL and it is placed on his grave in Oakwood Cemetery, near the corner of 4th & Dement, Dixon, IL. If you drive to 409 (?) S Dement Ave, Dixon (the northernmost house on the block) and follow their sidewalk out from the house, straight across the street, and just south of the 2nd large tree on the western border of Oak Wood Cemetery.
1953 July 10 - Eleanor POWELL and her friend, Diane LONG (?) fly out to Phoenix to visit & see her brother Bill & visit the Grand Canyon, etc.. They take the train back to Rock Falls.
1953 Oct - Eleanor POWELL meets her future husband & is engaged shortly afterwards.
1954 Jun - Eleanor POWELL marries David CAMPBELL in Dixon, Lee County, Illinois. She prepares for the wedding at her mother & Les's home at 331 Lincoln Way, Dixon, Lee, Illinois, USA. The couple move into a "brand new" apartment at 100 Park Ave (?), Sterling, Whiteside, Illinois, USA. Shirley WICKEY (?) had connections at Furniture Store that was closing - where they bought Heywood Wakefield furniture for their new home.
1965 Feb 11 (?) - Earl's mother, Mary "Mamie" (STRONG) POWELL NICHOLS LOWRY dies at the Western Illinois State Hospital (?) in East Moline, Rock Island County, Illinois. She had apparently been confined to that "asylum" for about 7 months prior to her death.
1965 Feb 13 (?) - Mary (STRONG) LOWRY is laid to rest in the "Odd Fellows" Cemetery on the SE side of Rock Falls, Whiteside, Illinois, USA. This is the same cemetery where her last husband, Samuel E. LOWRY was buried back in Sep 1946 (?). "Granny" couldn't have been buried with the rest of her family in the STRONG family plot in Oak Wood Cemetery, Dixon, Lee, Illinois - since her son, Earl, had been buried there in 1947.
Questions:
1916 Marriage - this wasn't known to me until July 2011. Who did Earl marry in Whiteside County? Get the marriage certificate & consent form. He didn't marry again until 1926 - did he have any kids by that first wife?
1926 marriage to Fay (ELMENDORF). His son was crippled in the leg at birth and had problems with the arm & hand on that same side. The mother, Fay (ELMENDORF) POWELL dropped the POWELL name by 1930 and in 19
about 1935 Earl & Mildred divorce. The baby, "Billy" stays with his mother, the older Eleanor goes with his father to his mother, Mary (STRONG) POWELL NICHOLS LOWRY and lives with "granny" and her 3rd husband, Samuel E. LOWRY at 901 Avenue A, Rock Falls, Whiteside, Illinois, USA.
with
- at least one child, "Earl POWELL, Jr" aka "Sonny" (?) from the 1st marriage
- and Eleanor and William Charles POWELL from the 2nd (?) marriage.
Biographical details are found on both the federal census data
as well as WW-I and WW-II Draft Registration Cards for Earl Powell in IL.
His WW-I Draft Registration Card is dated 5 June 1917.
On that card, he states his birthdate as 7 May 1895
and was born in Dixon, (Lee County), Illinois, USA.
He lists his residence as what appears to be 201 E. Winfield, Morrison IL.
This card was registered in Morrison, Whiteside County, IL by William Boyd
and dated 5 June 1917.
If the birth date is correct, (a different source lists 5 May 1896 as an alternate birth date), then Earl Powell would have been 22 years and 1 month old when he provided the info on his WW-I Draft Registration Card. (Or, alternately, 21 years and 1 month old if 7 May 1896 is the correct birth date.)
He lists himself as a self employed painter in Morrison, Whiteside County, Illinois. He lists a wife, but no children. This would suggest that "sonny" was born sometime AFTER 5 June 1917.
His description is given as Caucasian (White), Medium build, blue eyes, brown hair. Parts of it are difficult to read, the original might be clearer for his height, weight, complexion, etc..
>>> Illinois provides marriage license info. It should be possible to find a marriage license for Earl POWELL sometime between age 16 and 22 - by searching the IL records for the years May 1911 to June 1917. This might show the name of his wife and where they were married. The were likely married in Whiteside County, otherwise Lee County, IL. His mother lived in
Rock Falls, IL.
>>> The next logical census would be to look for 1920 for Earl POWELL in Whiteside County, Illinois with a wife and probably a baby boy.
>>> Looking for an earlier census, Earl POWELL should be on the 1900 and 1910 federal census, with his parents: Charles (?) POWELL and ______.
The 1930 federal census shows Earl POWELL (on his second?)
marriage to Mildred Marie SCHMIDT of Lowden, Cedar, Iowa, USA.
His daughter, Eleanor, was born in July of 1930, likely after the census.
His son, William Charles "Bill" POWELL was born around 1932. Earl & Mildred divorced by 1936 or so. Eleanor went to live with her father at his mother's house. "Bill" lived with his mother, Mildred, at her parent's house in Dixon, Lee, Illinois. After several years, she married Lester WICKEY and Bill continued to live with his mother, Mildred, & "Les".
By the 1940 census, Eleanor is living with Earl's mother, Mary (STRONG).
She married three times:
m1) Charles (?) POWELL, father of Earl POWELL
m2) Bee NICHOLS, father of Glen NICHOLS
m3) Sam LOWRY, no issue.
Eleanor lived with Mary "Mamie" (STRONG) POWELL / NICHOLS / LOWRY
from the time of her parents divorce, circa 1935, for about 20 years.
Mary (STRONG) had a house at 901 Avenue A, Rock Falls, (Whiteside?), IL.
I don't believe Earl POWELL married again after his second divorce,
the one from Mildred SCHMIDT, circa 1934 / 1935 in Illinois
Circa 1942, there is a WW-2 Draft Registration Card for Earl POWELL.
It lists his occupation as "nurse" (more like "assistant") to Karl MOHR (?)
or something like that. Karl was a wounded soldier (?) who lived in Clinton, Clinton County, Iowa - near the Mississippi river.
Eleanor lists Earl's death as occurring in Sterling, Whiteside, IL on 8 Feb 1947. She bought his headstone and he's buried in Dixon, Lee, IL - in the STRONG family plot. His mother, Mary STRONG, would have been buried
in Dixon alongside of her family, however, her son, Earl, predeceased her and was buried in the spot allocated for Mary STRONG. Consequently, Mary STRONG is buried in Rock Falls, IL, closer to where she lived. As of 2010, there is no memorial there.
Little is known (by me) of Earl Strong POWELL's first (?) son and wife.
There may have been other children from that marriage. There may have
been other marriages before or after Mildred SCHMIDT.
There is a photo of "Sonny" (Earl POWELL, Jr.) and his mother. Sonny appears to have an atrophied leg, perhaps from polio. His mother may have taken him back to her home or family, perhaps in Atlantic City NJ or NY or someplace "back east". Earl Strong (?) POWELL, Jr. would be a half-brother to Eleanor and William "Bill" POWELL.
There is a much more recent William Earl POWELL in Wisconsin. Possibly some relation.
In any event, Earl Strong POWELL died about the age of 51 years old.
He's buried in Dixon, Lee, Illinois - and his headstone is a little hard to spot as it's near a large tree and there is a clump of plants that tends to obscure his memorial / marker. His daughter saved up & still has the receipt for his headstone. He died when she was about 16 years old.
Earl Strong POWELL,
son of Mary (STRONG) and her 1st husband, Charles Lyman POWELL.
Best guess on his father is:
https://www.ancestry.com/sharing/11966937?h=cde795
1895 Jul 3 - Earls' mother Mary "Mamie" STRONG
marries Earl's father Charles L POWELL (Lyman, Leven, Lowell ?)
who gave his birthplace as Dekalb (Illinois ?)
and they were married in Dixon, Lee, Illinois according to marriage certificate.
and 10 months 4 days later....
1896 May 7 - Earl Strong POWELL is born in Dixon, Lee, IL.
(Note - birth certificates didn't have to be registered until about 1916)
So Earl's should be in Lee County but I don't think it is.
1900 Jun 4 - census finds Earl living with his divorced mother "Mamie" at
519 Second St, Dixon, Lee, Illinois, USA
along with some of his mother's siblings
(probably where Earl learned to be a painter)
& all living with Earl's widowed grandmother, Mary Alice (LOCKE) STRONG
About 1904 - 1907 Mary "Mamie" STRONG married 2nd,
Ishmael Bee NICHOLS with marriage certificate in Whiteside County IL.
1907 Oct 15 - Mary "Mamie" (STRONG) POWELL NICHOLS
gave birth to Glenn Arthur NICHOLS, probably in Dixon, Lee, IL.
Earl Strong POWELL was married 3 times:
1916 marriage license & certificate & consent form
Earl married Hazel Mae IRWIN when Earl was 20 and Hazel was 18
with the permission of Mamie (STRONG) required since he was
under the age of 21.
1926 Earl married Fay ELMENDORF, both of Rock Falls, Whiteside,
but married in Dixon, Lee, Illinois.
1928 Mar 13 (?) - birth of son, "Fay, Jr." later known as
Paul Fay ELMENDORF (according to his aunt, Edith W. ELMENDORF,
widow of Kenneth ELMENDORF - Fay was Kenneth's sister.
1929 Jun 1 (?) - Earl Strong POWELL marries 3rd (?):
Mildred Marie SCHMIDT, b. Lowden, Cedar, Iowa, USA
1930 Apr - Fay is divorced & she is living with her son at her parents home near Hume township, Whiteside (S of Rock Falls?)
1930 Jul - Mildred (SCHMIDT) POWELL gives birth to Eleanor POWELL in Dixon.
1932 Aug 3 - William Charles POWELL born, probably in Dixon, Lee, IL.
1934-1935 Earl & Mildred divorce when the baby, "Billy", is about 2 and is placed with his mother. Earl is given the older, "Eleanor", and she is raised by Earl's mother, "Mamie" (STRONG) POWELL NICHOLS LOWRY at 901 Avenue A, Rock Falls, Whiteside, Illinois, USA. "Mamie" or "granny" is now living with her 3rd husband, Samuel E. LOWRY (from around Hagerstown, Washington, Maryland, USA) who moved to IL with his wife & 2 daughters. The home at 901 Ave A used to be filled with boarders, but is no longer rented out.
Eleanor is raised in Rock Falls (south of Sterling), and her brother Billy is raised in Dixon IL. At first, Billy & his mother live with her folks in Dixon,
but she later marries 2nd: Lester WICKEY who had lived on Hennepin Ave. They rent various homes in Dixon, including the one at 331 Lincoln Way, Dixon, Lee, Illinois, USA. Eleanor goes to Rock Falls HS and graduates in 1949. Billy goes to Dixon's Lincoln HS and probably graduated in 1951 or 1952, and then he went into the Air Force and was stationed in Phoenix AZ.
1937 Sep 9 - Earl Strong POWELL's 2nd wife, Fay (ELMENDORF) marries her 2nd husband, Lawrence KAUFFMAN.
after 1937 - Fay's son starts going by the name of Paul Fay KAUFFMAN.
He lived in Whiteside (or Lee) County, Illinois area and worked construction.
(Despite his crippled leg & arm & hand. His mother, Fay KAUFFMAN passed away in Oregon, Ogle, Illinois around _______ and he later moved to Daytona Beach, FL where it was warmer & easier on his bones. He died around the age of 68 (?) near Daytona Beach, county?, Florida.
1940's (?) - Earl Strong POWELL is listed as working as a "press man" for the local newspaper in Dixon or Sterling (?).
1942 Earl Strong POWELL fills out a draft registration card for WW-II that shows him working in Clinton, Iowa (?) where he is taking care of a crippled man, Carl MOHR (?).
1947 Feb 8 - Earl Strong POWELL dies. He may have been working in Clinton IA, but his death certificate is on file in Whiteside County, Illinois. It suggests that he had been living "back" in Rock Falls at 901 Ave A for about 7 months - or perhaps that he had been in the Sterling Hospital that long.
1947 Feb ?? - Earl Strong POWELL is buried in the cemetery plot that was reserved for his mother, Mary "Mamie" (STRONG) POWELL NICHOLS LOWRY, but "granny" is still alive, so they bury Earl in Oakwood Cemetery in Dixon, Lee, Illinois, USA.
1947-1954 Eleanor buys the stone for her father, Earl Strong POWELL and it is placed on his grave in Oakwood Cemetery, near the corner of 4th & Dement, Dixon, IL. If you drive to 409 (?) S Dement Ave, Dixon (the northernmost house on the block) and follow their sidewalk out from the house, straight across the street, and just south of the 2nd large tree on the western border of Oak Wood Cemetery.
1953 July 10 - Eleanor POWELL and her friend, Diane LONG (?) fly out to Phoenix to visit & see her brother Bill & visit the Grand Canyon, etc.. They take the train back to Rock Falls.
1953 Oct - Eleanor POWELL meets her future husband & is engaged shortly afterwards.
1954 Jun - Eleanor POWELL marries David CAMPBELL in Dixon, Lee County, Illinois. She prepares for the wedding at her mother & Les's home at 331 Lincoln Way, Dixon, Lee, Illinois, USA. The couple move into a "brand new" apartment at 100 Park Ave (?), Sterling, Whiteside, Illinois, USA. Shirley WICKEY (?) had connections at Furniture Store that was closing - where they bought Heywood Wakefield furniture for their new home.
1965 Feb 11 (?) - Earl's mother, Mary "Mamie" (STRONG) POWELL NICHOLS LOWRY dies at the Western Illinois State Hospital (?) in East Moline, Rock Island County, Illinois. She had apparently been confined to that "asylum" for about 7 months prior to her death.
1965 Feb 13 (?) - Mary (STRONG) LOWRY is laid to rest in the "Odd Fellows" Cemetery on the SE side of Rock Falls, Whiteside, Illinois, USA. This is the same cemetery where her last husband, Samuel E. LOWRY was buried back in Sep 1946 (?). "Granny" couldn't have been buried with the rest of her family in the STRONG family plot in Oak Wood Cemetery, Dixon, Lee, Illinois - since her son, Earl, had been buried there in 1947.
Questions:
1916 Marriage - this wasn't known to me until July 2011. Who did Earl marry in Whiteside County? Get the marriage certificate & consent form. He didn't marry again until 1926 - did he have any kids by that first wife?
1926 marriage to Fay (ELMENDORF). His son was crippled in the leg at birth and had problems with the arm & hand on that same side. The mother, Fay (ELMENDORF) POWELL dropped the POWELL name by 1930 and in 19
about 1935 Earl & Mildred divorce. The baby, "Billy" stays with his mother, the older Eleanor goes with his father to his mother, Mary (STRONG) POWELL NICHOLS LOWRY and lives with "granny" and her 3rd husband, Samuel E. LOWRY at 901 Avenue A, Rock Falls, Whiteside, Illinois, USA.
with
- at least one child, "Earl POWELL, Jr" aka "Sonny" (?) from the 1st marriage
- and Eleanor and William Charles POWELL from the 2nd (?) marriage.
Biographical details are found on both the federal census data
as well as WW-I and WW-II Draft Registration Cards for Earl Powell in IL.
His WW-I Draft Registration Card is dated 5 June 1917.
On that card, he states his birthdate as 7 May 1895
and was born in Dixon, (Lee County), Illinois, USA.
He lists his residence as what appears to be 201 E. Winfield, Morrison IL.
This card was registered in Morrison, Whiteside County, IL by William Boyd
and dated 5 June 1917.
If the birth date is correct, (a different source lists 5 May 1896 as an alternate birth date), then Earl Powell would have been 22 years and 1 month old when he provided the info on his WW-I Draft Registration Card. (Or, alternately, 21 years and 1 month old if 7 May 1896 is the correct birth date.)
He lists himself as a self employed painter in Morrison, Whiteside County, Illinois. He lists a wife, but no children. This would suggest that "sonny" was born sometime AFTER 5 June 1917.
His description is given as Caucasian (White), Medium build, blue eyes, brown hair. Parts of it are difficult to read, the original might be clearer for his height, weight, complexion, etc..
>>> Illinois provides marriage license info. It should be possible to find a marriage license for Earl POWELL sometime between age 16 and 22 - by searching the IL records for the years May 1911 to June 1917. This might show the name of his wife and where they were married. The were likely married in Whiteside County, otherwise Lee County, IL. His mother lived in
Rock Falls, IL.
>>> The next logical census would be to look for 1920 for Earl POWELL in Whiteside County, Illinois with a wife and probably a baby boy.
>>> Looking for an earlier census, Earl POWELL should be on the 1900 and 1910 federal census, with his parents: Charles (?) POWELL and ______.
The 1930 federal census shows Earl POWELL (on his second?)
marriage to Mildred Marie SCHMIDT of Lowden, Cedar, Iowa, USA.
His daughter, Eleanor, was born in July of 1930, likely after the census.
His son, William Charles "Bill" POWELL was born around 1932. Earl & Mildred divorced by 1936 or so. Eleanor went to live with her father at his mother's house. "Bill" lived with his mother, Mildred, at her parent's house in Dixon, Lee, Illinois. After several years, she married Lester WICKEY and Bill continued to live with his mother, Mildred, & "Les".
By the 1940 census, Eleanor is living with Earl's mother, Mary (STRONG).
She married three times:
m1) Charles (?) POWELL, father of Earl POWELL
m2) Bee NICHOLS, father of Glen NICHOLS
m3) Sam LOWRY, no issue.
Eleanor lived with Mary "Mamie" (STRONG) POWELL / NICHOLS / LOWRY
from the time of her parents divorce, circa 1935, for about 20 years.
Mary (STRONG) had a house at 901 Avenue A, Rock Falls, (Whiteside?), IL.
I don't believe Earl POWELL married again after his second divorce,
the one from Mildred SCHMIDT, circa 1934 / 1935 in Illinois
Circa 1942, there is a WW-2 Draft Registration Card for Earl POWELL.
It lists his occupation as "nurse" (more like "assistant") to Karl MOHR (?)
or something like that. Karl was a wounded soldier (?) who lived in Clinton, Clinton County, Iowa - near the Mississippi river.
Eleanor lists Earl's death as occurring in Sterling, Whiteside, IL on 8 Feb 1947. She bought his headstone and he's buried in Dixon, Lee, IL - in the STRONG family plot. His mother, Mary STRONG, would have been buried
in Dixon alongside of her family, however, her son, Earl, predeceased her and was buried in the spot allocated for Mary STRONG. Consequently, Mary STRONG is buried in Rock Falls, IL, closer to where she lived. As of 2010, there is no memorial there.
Little is known (by me) of Earl Strong POWELL's first (?) son and wife.
There may have been other children from that marriage. There may have
been other marriages before or after Mildred SCHMIDT.
There is a photo of "Sonny" (Earl POWELL, Jr.) and his mother. Sonny appears to have an atrophied leg, perhaps from polio. His mother may have taken him back to her home or family, perhaps in Atlantic City NJ or NY or someplace "back east". Earl Strong (?) POWELL, Jr. would be a half-brother to Eleanor and William "Bill" POWELL.
There is a much more recent William Earl POWELL in Wisconsin. Possibly some relation.
In any event, Earl Strong POWELL died about the age of 51 years old.
He's buried in Dixon, Lee, Illinois - and his headstone is a little hard to spot as it's near a large tree and there is a clump of plants that tends to obscure his memorial / marker. His daughter saved up & still has the receipt for his headstone. He died when she was about 16 years old.
son of Mary (STRONG) and her 1st husband, Charles Lyman POWELL.
Best guess on his father is:
https://www.ancestry.com/sharing/11966937?h=cde795
1895 Jul 3 - Earls' mother Mary "Mamie" STRONG
marries Earl's father Charles L POWELL (Lyman, Leven, Lowell ?)
who gave his birthplace as Dekalb (Illinois ?)
and they were married in Dixon, Lee, Illinois according to marriage certificate.
and 10 months 4 days later....
1896 May 7 - Earl Strong POWELL is born in Dixon, Lee, IL.
(Note - birth certificates didn't have to be registered until about 1916)
So Earl's should be in Lee County but I don't think it is.
1900 Jun 4 - census finds Earl living with his divorced mother "Mamie" at
519 Second St, Dixon, Lee, Illinois, USA
along with some of his mother's siblings
(probably where Earl learned to be a painter)
& all living with Earl's widowed grandmother, Mary Alice (LOCKE) STRONG
About 1904 - 1907 Mary "Mamie" STRONG married 2nd,
Ishmael Bee NICHOLS with marriage certificate in Whiteside County IL.
1907 Oct 15 - Mary "Mamie" (STRONG) POWELL NICHOLS
gave birth to Glenn Arthur NICHOLS, probably in Dixon, Lee, IL.
Earl Strong POWELL was married 3 times:
1916 marriage license & certificate & consent form
Earl married Hazel Mae IRWIN when Earl was 20 and Hazel was 18
with the permission of Mamie (STRONG) required since he was
under the age of 21.
1926 Earl married Fay ELMENDORF, both of Rock Falls, Whiteside,
but married in Dixon, Lee, Illinois.
1928 Mar 13 (?) - birth of son, "Fay, Jr." later known as
Paul Fay ELMENDORF (according to his aunt, Edith W. ELMENDORF,
widow of Kenneth ELMENDORF - Fay was Kenneth's sister.
1929 Jun 1 (?) - Earl Strong POWELL marries 3rd (?):
Mildred Marie SCHMIDT, b. Lowden, Cedar, Iowa, USA
1930 Apr - Fay is divorced & she is living with her son at her parents home near Hume township, Whiteside (S of Rock Falls?)
1930 Jul - Mildred (SCHMIDT) POWELL gives birth to Eleanor POWELL in Dixon.
1932 Aug 3 - William Charles POWELL born, probably in Dixon, Lee, IL.
1934-1935 Earl & Mildred divorce when the baby, "Billy", is about 2 and is placed with his mother. Earl is given the older, "Eleanor", and she is raised by Earl's mother, "Mamie" (STRONG) POWELL NICHOLS LOWRY at 901 Avenue A, Rock Falls, Whiteside, Illinois, USA. "Mamie" or "granny" is now living with her 3rd husband, Samuel E. LOWRY (from around Hagerstown, Washington, Maryland, USA) who moved to IL with his wife & 2 daughters. The home at 901 Ave A used to be filled with boarders, but is no longer rented out.
Eleanor is raised in Rock Falls (south of Sterling), and her brother Billy is raised in Dixon IL. At first, Billy & his mother live with her folks in Dixon,
but she later marries 2nd: Lester WICKEY who had lived on Hennepin Ave. They rent various homes in Dixon, including the one at 331 Lincoln Way, Dixon, Lee, Illinois, USA. Eleanor goes to Rock Falls HS and graduates in 1949. Billy goes to Dixon's Lincoln HS and probably graduated in 1951 or 1952, and then he went into the Air Force and was stationed in Phoenix AZ.
1937 Sep 9 - Earl Strong POWELL's 2nd wife, Fay (ELMENDORF) marries her 2nd husband, Lawrence KAUFFMAN.
after 1937 - Fay's son starts going by the name of Paul Fay KAUFFMAN.
He lived in Whiteside (or Lee) County, Illinois area and worked construction.
(Despite his crippled leg & arm & hand. His mother, Fay KAUFFMAN passed away in Oregon, Ogle, Illinois around _______ and he later moved to Daytona Beach, FL where it was warmer & easier on his bones. He died around the age of 68 (?) near Daytona Beach, county?, Florida.
1940's (?) - Earl Strong POWELL is listed as working as a "press man" for the local newspaper in Dixon or Sterling (?).
1942 Earl Strong POWELL fills out a draft registration card for WW-II that shows him working in Clinton, Iowa (?) where he is taking care of a crippled man, Carl MOHR (?).
1947 Feb 8 - Earl Strong POWELL dies. He may have been working in Clinton IA, but his death certificate is on file in Whiteside County, Illinois. It suggests that he had been living "back" in Rock Falls at 901 Ave A for about 7 months - or perhaps that he had been in the Sterling Hospital that long.
1947 Feb ?? - Earl Strong POWELL is buried in the cemetery plot that was reserved for his mother, Mary "Mamie" (STRONG) POWELL NICHOLS LOWRY, but "granny" is still alive, so they bury Earl in Oakwood Cemetery in Dixon, Lee, Illinois, USA.
1947-1954 Eleanor buys the stone for her father, Earl Strong POWELL and it is placed on his grave in Oakwood Cemetery, near the corner of 4th & Dement, Dixon, IL. If you drive to 409 (?) S Dement Ave, Dixon (the northernmost house on the block) and follow their sidewalk out from the house, straight across the street, and just south of the 2nd large tree on the western border of Oak Wood Cemetery.
1953 July 10 - Eleanor POWELL and her friend, Diane LONG (?) fly out to Phoenix to visit & see her brother Bill & visit the Grand Canyon, etc.. They take the train back to Rock Falls.
1953 Oct - Eleanor POWELL meets her future husband & is engaged shortly afterwards.
1954 Jun - Eleanor POWELL marries David CAMPBELL in Dixon, Lee County, Illinois. She prepares for the wedding at her mother & Les's home at 331 Lincoln Way, Dixon, Lee, Illinois, USA. The couple move into a "brand new" apartment at 100 Park Ave (?), Sterling, Whiteside, Illinois, USA. Shirley WICKEY (?) had connections at Furniture Store that was closing - where they bought Heywood Wakefield furniture for their new home.
1965 Feb 11 (?) - Earl's mother, Mary "Mamie" (STRONG) POWELL NICHOLS LOWRY dies at the Western Illinois State Hospital (?) in East Moline, Rock Island County, Illinois. She had apparently been confined to that "asylum" for about 7 months prior to her death.
1965 Feb 13 (?) - Mary (STRONG) LOWRY is laid to rest in the "Odd Fellows" Cemetery on the SE side of Rock Falls, Whiteside, Illinois, USA. This is the same cemetery where her last husband, Samuel E. LOWRY was buried back in Sep 1946 (?). "Granny" couldn't have been buried with the rest of her family in the STRONG family plot in Oak Wood Cemetery, Dixon, Lee, Illinois - since her son, Earl, had been buried there in 1947.
Questions:
1916 Marriage - this wasn't known to me until July 2011. Who did Earl marry in Whiteside County? Get the marriage certificate & consent form. He didn't marry again until 1926 - did he have any kids by that first wife?
1926 marriage to Fay (ELMENDORF). His son was crippled in the leg at birth and had problems with the arm & hand on that same side. The mother, Fay (ELMENDORF) POWELL dropped the POWELL name by 1930 and in 19
about 1935 Earl & Mildred divorce. The baby, "Billy" stays with his mother, the older Eleanor goes with his father to his mother, Mary (STRONG) POWELL NICHOLS LOWRY and lives with "granny" and her 3rd husband, Samuel E. LOWRY at 901 Avenue A, Rock Falls, Whiteside, Illinois, USA.
with
- at least one child, "Earl POWELL, Jr" aka "Sonny" (?) from the 1st marriage
- and Eleanor and William Charles POWELL from the 2nd (?) marriage.
Biographical details are found on both the federal census data
as well as WW-I and WW-II Draft Registration Cards for Earl Powell in IL.
His WW-I Draft Registration Card is dated 5 June 1917.
On that card, he states his birthdate as 7 May 1895
and was born in Dixon, (Lee County), Illinois, USA.
He lists his residence as what appears to be 201 E. Winfield, Morrison IL.
This card was registered in Morrison, Whiteside County, IL by William Boyd
and dated 5 June 1917.
If the birth date is correct, (a different source lists 5 May 1896 as an alternate birth date), then Earl Powell would have been 22 years and 1 month old when he provided the info on his WW-I Draft Registration Card. (Or, alternately, 21 years and 1 month old if 7 May 1896 is the correct birth date.)
He lists himself as a self employed painter in Morrison, Whiteside County, Illinois. He lists a wife, but no children. This would suggest that "sonny" was born sometime AFTER 5 June 1917.
His description is given as Caucasian (White), Medium build, blue eyes, brown hair. Parts of it are difficult to read, the original might be clearer for his height, weight, complexion, etc..
>>> Illinois provides marriage license info. It should be possible to find a marriage license for Earl POWELL sometime between age 16 and 22 - by searching the IL records for the years May 1911 to June 1917. This might show the name of his wife and where they were married. The were likely married in Whiteside County, otherwise Lee County, IL. His mother lived in
Rock Falls, IL.
>>> The next logical census would be to look for 1920 for Earl POWELL in Whiteside County, Illinois with a wife and probably a baby boy.
>>> Looking for an earlier census, Earl POWELL should be on the 1900 and 1910 federal census, with his parents: Charles (?) POWELL and ______.
The 1930 federal census shows Earl POWELL (on his second?)
marriage to Mildred Marie SCHMIDT of Lowden, Cedar, Iowa, USA.
His daughter, Eleanor, was born in July of 1930, likely after the census.
His son, William Charles "Bill" POWELL was born around 1932. Earl & Mildred divorced by 1936 or so. Eleanor went to live with her father at his mother's house. "Bill" lived with his mother, Mildred, at her parent's house in Dixon, Lee, Illinois. After several years, she married Lester WICKEY and Bill continued to live with his mother, Mildred, & "Les".
By the 1940 census, Eleanor is living with Earl's mother, Mary (STRONG).
She married three times:
m1) Charles (?) POWELL, father of Earl POWELL
m2) Bee NICHOLS, father of Glen NICHOLS
m3) Sam LOWRY, no issue.
Eleanor lived with Mary "Mamie" (STRONG) POWELL / NICHOLS / LOWRY
from the time of her parents divorce, circa 1935, for about 20 years.
Mary (STRONG) had a house at 901 Avenue A, Rock Falls, (Whiteside?), IL.
I don't believe Earl POWELL married again after his second divorce,
the one from Mildred SCHMIDT, circa 1934 / 1935 in Illinois
Circa 1942, there is a WW-2 Draft Registration Card for Earl POWELL.
It lists his occupation as "nurse" (more like "assistant") to Karl MOHR (?)
or something like that. Karl was a wounded soldier (?) who lived in Clinton, Clinton County, Iowa - near the Mississippi river.
Eleanor lists Earl's death as occurring in Sterling, Whiteside, IL on 8 Feb 1947. She bought his headstone and he's buried in Dixon, Lee, IL - in the STRONG family plot. His mother, Mary STRONG, would have been buried
in Dixon alongside of her family, however, her son, Earl, predeceased her and was buried in the spot allocated for Mary STRONG. Consequently, Mary STRONG is buried in Rock Falls, IL, closer to where she lived. As of 2010, there is no memorial there.
Little is known (by me) of Earl Strong POWELL's first (?) son and wife.
There may have been other children from that marriage. There may have
been other marriages before or after Mildred SCHMIDT.
There is a photo of "Sonny" (Earl POWELL, Jr.) and his mother. Sonny appears to have an atrophied leg, perhaps from polio. His mother may have taken him back to her home or family, perhaps in Atlantic City NJ or NY or someplace "back east". Earl Strong (?) POWELL, Jr. would be a half-brother to Eleanor and William "Bill" POWELL.
There is a much more recent William Earl POWELL in Wisconsin. Possibly some relation.
In any event, Earl Strong POWELL died about the age of 51 years old.
He's buried in Dixon, Lee, Illinois - and his headstone is a little hard to spot as it's near a large tree and there is a clump of plants that tends to obscure his memorial / marker. His daughter saved up & still has the receipt for his headstone. He died when she was about 16 years old.
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