Tombstone Tuesday: Robert Lee (1895-1971) and Mabel Ada (1901-1991) Gober

 Robert Lee Gober (1895-1971) and Mabel Ada (Fulkerson) Gober (1901-1991) were my wife's great grandparents. The photograph below was taken July 3, 2015.

• At the age of 14, Mabel helped prevent a train wreck. Other husbands included Lester Berry (1898-1972) and James Samuel Usrey (1876-1929)
• Robert Gober was 6'4" tall. Here he is on the Benton, Missouri basketball team at age 18. He served in the army in WWI.

1913 Benton Basketball Team - Robert Lee Gober - Genealogy and Algebra

Robert Lee Gober (1895-1971) is on the far left in the photograph below, holding the basketball. He is my wife's great grandfather. Benton is the County Seat for Scott County, in Southeastern Missouri. 

Born in 1895, Robert Lee Gober would have been 18 in 1913. We know as an adult he was 6'4" tall, though we do not know if he had stopped growing by the time of this photograph. I don't know the identities of any of the other young men, but I was curious how much they varied in height. Let's assume he was 6'4" tall. Can we estimate the height of the shortest teammate? Definitely. 

Examining the photograph in my photo-editor, RL Gober is 1,775 pixels in height, and the shortest teammate is 1,515. (I measured from the top of the head to the bottom of the foot, choosing the back foot for both individuals)

76 inches / 1775 pixels = X inches / 1,515 pixels

Solving for X, he is 64.87 inches tall. Or 5'5. Almost a full foot shorter than Robert.

Naturally, there is some room for error in how I calculated the pixels.

(You didn't realize algebra would come in handy for genealogy, did you?)

Amanuensis Monday: Obituary for Robert Lee Gober

Amanuensis: A person employed to write what another dictates or to copy what has been written by another.

I continue my project to transcribe family letters, journals, newspaper articles, audiotapes, and other historical artifacts. Not only do the documents contain genealogical information, the words breathe life into kin - some I never met - others I see a time in their life before I knew them.

I began this project back on February 16, 2009. Since I began, many others have joined in on the meme. I am thrilled that this meme I started has inspired so many to transcribe and share their family history documents. Why do we transcribe? I provide my three reasons in the linked post. You may find others.

This week I transcribe the obituary for my wife's great grandfather, Robert Lee Gober (1895-1971)

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ROBERT GOBER

PINE LAWN – Robert Gober, 75, died at his home last Friday. He was born in Vanduser and farmed in the Sikeston area until he moved to the St. Louis area 17 years ago.

He is survived by his wife, the former Mabel Fulkerson, and one daughter, Anna Lee Wallace, of St. Louis.

Those from Sikeston attending services in St. Louis Monday were Mr. and Mrs. Ellis Alcorn, Mr. and Mrs. C.D. Alcorn, Mr. and Mrs. Dale Alcorn, Mrs. And Mrs. Lester McDonald and one daughter Tammy.

Gober’s wife is a sister of Mrs. Ellis Alcorn.

The Daily Standard (Sikeston, Missouri) · Fri, May 7, 1971 · Page 12

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Notes

1) I transcribed his WWI registration form a few weeks ago.
2) Mrs. Ellis Alcorn was Urista Fulkerson, a sister of Mabel (Fulkerson) Gober. I believe the three children of Urista and Ellis who attended the services were Cal, Dale and Blanche.
3) In addition to the familial relationships, the obituary provides an estimate for the year the Gobers moved to St. Louis - 1954.

Amanuensis Monday: Obituary for Anna Marie (Taylor) Gober - 1947

Amanuensis: A person employed to write what another dictates or to copy what has been written by another.

I continue my project to transcribe family letters, journals, newspaper articles, audiotapes, and other historical artifacts. Not only do the documents contain genealogical information, the words breathe life into kin - some I never met - others I see a time in their life before I knew them.

I began this project back on February 16, 2009. Since I began, many others have joined in on the meme. I am thrilled that this meme I started has inspired so many to transcribe and share their family history documents. Why do we transcribe? I provide my three reasons in the linked post. You may find others.

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This week I transcribe the obituary for my wife's second great grandmother, Anna Marie (Taylor) Gober.

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Mrs. Anna Marie Gober, wife of Lewis P. Gober, died at the family home in Vanduser Monday morning at 1 o’clock. She was born May 23, 1873, near Illmo, the daughter of Andrew and Drucilla Taylor.

Funeral services will be conducted Wednesday afternoon at 2 o’clock at the Methodist church in Vanduser by the Rev. Levi Bess. Burial will be in the old Morley cemetery. The body is to remain at the Welsh Funeral Chapel until time of services.

She was married to Lewis P. Gober January 6, 1891, and they were the parents of eight children, six of whom preceded their mother in death.

Mrs. Gober is survived by her husband, a prominent farmer of the community, and two children, Robert Gober of near McMullin and Albert Gober of St. Louis; four sisters, Mrs. Amanda Bess of Marquand, Mrs. Hannah Greer of Vanduser, Mrs. Matilda Crutchfield of Sikeston and Mrs. Ada Boney of Morley; seven grandchildren and four great grandchildren.

Sikeston Standard (Sikeston, Missouri) · Tue, Apr 29, 1947 · Page 8

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Notes


1) I have previously transcribed the obituary for Anna's husband, Lewis (or Louis) P. Gober.

2) I am appreciative that whoever wrote the obituary went against the cultural norm, and actually listed the given names of the sisters, instead of identifying them by their husband's names. Amanda Bess's husband was Noah Charles Bess. I haven't yet figured out if or how Noah was related to the Rev. Levi Bess.

Amanuensis Monday: Robert Lee Gober - World War I Registration

Amanuensis: A person employed to write what another dictates or to copy what has been written by another.

I continue my project to transcribe family letters, journals, newspaper articles, audiotapes, and other historical artifacts. Not only do the documents contain genealogical information, the words breathe life into kin - some I never met - others I see a time in their life before I knew them.

I began this project back on February 16, 2009. Since I began, many others have joined in on the meme. I am thrilled that this meme I started has inspired so many to transcribe and share their family history documents. Why do we transcribe? I provide my three reasons in the linked post. You may find others.

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This week I transcribe a World War I registration card, and a newspaper clipping from 1918 concerning my wife's great grandfather, Robert Lee Gober.

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2055 REGISTRATION CARD No. 51
1) Name in Full: Robert Lee Gober Age in yrs: 21
2) Home address: Vanduser, Mo
3) Date of birth: Oct 5, 1895
4) Are you (1) a natural born citizen (2) a naturalized citizen (3) an alien (4) or have you declared your intention: Natural Born
5) Where were you born: Vanduser, Mo, USA
6) If not a citizen, of what country are you a citizen or subject?
7) What is your present trade, occupation, or office: Farming
8) By whom employed: LP Gober - Father
Where employed: Vanduser, Mo
9) Have you a father, mother, wife, child under 12, or a sister or brother under 12, solely dependent upon you for support: No
10) Married or Single: Single Race: Caucasian
11) What military service have you had: No
12) Do you claim exemption from draft: No

I affirm that I have verified above answers and that they are true.

(Signature) Robert Lee Gober

24-3-22 A / REGISTRAR'S REPORT

1) Tall, medium or short: Tall Slender, medium or stout: Stout
2) Color of eyes: Brown Color of hair: Dark Bald: No
3) Has person lost arm, leg, hand, foot, or both eyes, or is he otherwise disabled: No

I certify that my answers are true, that the person registered has read his own answers, that I have witnessed his signature, and that all of his answers of which I have knowledge are true, except as follows:

(Signature) Illegible

Precinct: Vanduser
City or County: Scott
State: Mo

June 5, 1917

Mrs. Louis Gober, of Vanduser, and her son Robert, who is home on a ten day furlough from Camp Funston, were in Sikeston Tuesday afternoon.

The Twice-A-Week Sikeston Standard, May 3, 1918

Notes

1) Camp Funston was a U.S. Army training base located in Manhattan Kansas at Fort Riley.
2) Even short social news clippings can reveal important information - such as which army base someone was located at.
3) The gravesite of Robert Lee and Mabel (Fulkerson) Gober - photograph taken July 3, 2015.

Amanuensis Monday: The Marriage of Agnes Gober and William Lane - 1919

Amanuensis: A person employed to write what another dictates or to copy what has been written by another.

I continue my project to transcribe family letters, journals, newspaper articles, audiotapes, and other historical artifacts. Not only do the documents contain genealogical information, the words breathe life into kin - some I never met - others I see a time in their life before I knew them.

I began this project back on February 16, 2009. Since I began, many others have joined in on the meme. I am thrilled that this meme I started has inspired so many to transcribe and share their family history documents. Why do we transcribe? I provide my three reasons in the linked post. You may find others.

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This week I transcribe a news article from the Sikeston Standard concerning Agnes Gober, the sister of my wife's great grandfather, Robert Gober.

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Miss Agnes Gober of Vanduser and Will Lane, who lives near Charleston, slipped away from a party of friends at the Fair Grounds Saturday afternoon and drove to Charleston, where they were married. The bride is the attractive daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Louis Gober and has a great many friends among the younger set here, where she has been a student in the High School. The groom is an industrious young farmer of Mississippi county and will take his bride to the home he had ready for her, on the farm.

Sikeston Standard (Sikeston, Missouri) · Fri, Oct 10, 1919 · Page 4

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Notes:

1) Charleston is a city in Mississippi County, Missouri, and is about 15 miles from Sikeston, and 26 miles from Vanduser.

2) It sounds like the marriage wasn't a planned event - closer to an elopement. Their first child would be born 8 months, 19 days later. George William and Agnes (Gober) Lane had four children: William, Murray, Dorothy and James.

Amanuensis Monday: Reasons for taking up arms

Amanuensis: A person employed to write what another dictates or to copy what has been written by another.

I continue my project to transcribe family letters, journals, newspaper articles, audiotapes, and other historical artifacts. Not only do the documents contain genealogical information, the words breathe life into kin - some I never met - others I see a time in their life before I knew them.

I began this project back on February 16, 2009.  (Recently the posts have been sporadic, but for a few years it was weekly.) Since I began, many others have joined in on the meme. I am thrilled that this meme I started has inspired so many to transcribe and share their family history documents. Why do we transcribe? I provide my three reasons in the linked post. You may find others.

***

I've written in the past that in the role of Family Historian "I’m careful not to infer what someone’s thoughts or beliefs were, unless they were written down. I record the facts as they are known." While the reasons that the southern states seceded in the Civil War are well recorded with each state's Declaration of Secession, the reasons individuals chose to take up arms are not. The reasons individuals join the armed services today differ greatly, and I imagine the reasons differed 150 years ago, as well. So I refuse to sit in judgment of the decisions of my ancestors without knowing their reasons.

Two years ago, I discovered some records at Fold3 concerning my wife's 3rd great grandfather, Lewis C Gober. It appeared that he spent some time in the St. Louis Gratiot Street Prison as a prisoner of war after voluntarily giving himself up. The records indicated he surrendered himself on Aug 28, 1863, was charged with violating his oath of allegiance, was tried by court martial, and was released on Feb 29, 1864. There was no other information, so I had no clue why he violated his oath and joined the Confederate army. I also had no clue why he decided to surrender himself.

In the past 2 years, Fold3's Civil War records have grown. I conducted a search recently, and found some more relevant records. I found the actual signed Oath of Allegiance, dated December 23, 1862, as well as the official declaration of charges against him, and his signed statement explaining his actions.

A transcription of his statement follows:

Statement of Lewis C. Gober

I am 33 years old reside in Cape Girardeau County and by occupation a Blacksmith. I took the oath of allegiance the 23th December 1862 at Jackson Mo. The oath was administered to me by Adjutant Greene.

I joined Co. A Jeffers Reg’t C.S.A. in May ’63 for the war and deserted on the 18th of August following. I knew I was violating the oath of allegiance but was under the influence of whiskey at the time I enlisted.

Subscribed and sworn to before me this 15th day [?]‘63
L Dodge
District Adj’t Marshall

This is a reason for taking up arms I hadn't previously considered, and is a good example of why one shouldn't make any assumptions about an ancestor's thought processes without seeing an explanation in their own words.

[Note: This statement is clearly in the handwriting of the District Adj't Marshall, and was likely transcribed from oral testimony. Lewis Gober's signature indicates he did at least know how to sign his name.]

Raising Relatives and non-Relatives

As I mentioned a month ago, my wife and I are in the process of adopting twin boys, so I've wondered a little bit about other adopted children in my genealogy database, and how easy it is when looking at census records to confuse parent-child relationships.

One instance is the Denyer family in 1870. 

Samuel and Zerelda (Singleton) Denyer - Children: Amanda, Robert, Albert and Ida
Ebenezer and Sarah (Hartley) Denyer - Children: William and Margaret

Samuel Denyer died in 1861, and Zerelda died in 1867, so by the time of the 1870 census, their children were orphans. It is common for a relative to assume guardianship of orphaned children, and that is what happened.

According to the 1870 census, Amanda, Robert, Albert, and Ida Denyer were living with their uncle's family - my second great grandparents Ebenezer and Sarah (Hartley) Denyer, and their two children William and Margaret.

Another instance is the Feinstein family in 1930

Harry and Dora (Servinsky) Feinstein - Children: Sidney, Adeline, Alvin, Willard, Seymour
Herman and Annie (Blatt) Feinstein - Children: Bernard, Belle, Seymour

Dora Feinstein died in 1920. Harry remarried in 1928. According to the 1930 census, he was employed as an insurance agent. However, his children were no longer living with him and his second wife. (By 1930, all but their youngest was over the age of 18, but Seymour was only 15 years old.)

In 1930 Adeline and Alvin are living with my great grandparents Herman and Annie Feinstein, and their children. Sidney Feinstein is a lodger in a hotel, and Seymour was a resident of the Jewish Orphan Home. I have been unable to find Willard in the census.

If Harry was alive and employed, why was Seymour placed in an orphan home? I'm unable to answer this question. It's possible he was placed in the home prior to his father's remarriage.

A third instance is my wife's 2nd great grandfather, Louis Pleas Gober

In the 1880 census, Louis is living with the (unrelated, to my knowledge) Kinder family in Cape Girardeau, MO. I know his father died in 1876, but I am unsure what happened to his mother.

I recently came across these statistics:

In 2010, in the State of Missouri, "there were 10,174 children in the custody of the Children’s Division."
Only "3,427 of youth placed in the foster care system live in the homes of relative and kinship providers."
I suspect the numbers in other states are similar.

Amanuensis Monday: December 20, 1876 - An untimely death

Amanuensis: A person employed to write what another dictates or to copy what has been written by another.

I continue my project to transcribe family letters, journals, newspaper articles, audiotapes, and other historical artifacts. Not only do the documents contain genealogical information, the words breathe life into kin - some I never met - others I see a time in their life before I knew them.

I began this project back on February 16, 2009.  Since I began, many others have joined in on the meme. I am thrilled that this meme I started has inspired so many to transcribe their family history documents. Why do we transcribe? I provide my three reasons in the linked post. You may find others.

This week I look at a news clipping I found from the Missouri Republican, dated December 20, 1876, concerning a likely relative of my wife.

Amanuensis Monday: Obituary for Louis Pleas Gober

Amanuensis: A person employed to write what another dictates or to copy what has been written by another.

I continue my project to transcribe family letters, journals, newspaper articles, audiotapes, and other historical artifacts. Not only do the documents contain genealogical information, the words breathe life into kin - some I never met - others I see a time in their life before I knew them.

I began this project back on February 16, 2009.  Since I began, many others have joined in on the meme. I am thrilled that this meme I started has inspired so many to transcribe their family history documents. Why do we transcribe? I provide my three reasons in the linked post. You may find others.

***

This week I am sharing the obituary for my wife's 2nd great grandfather, Louis Pleas Gober. It appeared in the November 4, 1948 Sikeston Herald, and I retrieved the image from Ancestry.com.

Second American Civil War Blog Challenge

For the Second American Civil War Blog Challenge, Bill West of West in New England asks us to write about our ancestors and the Civil War. I neglected to participate last year, but I do have an ancestor who fought in the Civil War, as does my wife.

In the past couple months for the Amanuensis Monday project I have transcribed several documents from the Civil War era.

• Louis C. Gober at the Gratiot Street Prison

My wife’s 3rd great grandfather fought as a Confederate, in a Missouri regiment, but turned himself in to officials in Cape Girardeau and spent some time in a St. Louis prison before being tried by court martial and released. I have not yet learned the details of the trial, nor do I know why he turned himself in. It's possible he had had second thoughts about the side he chose, though he doesn't appear to have enlisted on either side after his release.

• Henry Vidaver on Abraham Lincoln

The Rabbi of the synagogue where I worship, at the time of Lincoln’s death, gave a speech that was reprinted in several newspapers across the nation.

A couple years ago I transcribed some documents pertaining to my second great grandfather's service.

• Ebenezer Denyer at the Battle of Vicksburg

My 2nd great grandfather enlisted, on June 12, 1862, as a Confederate, in a Texas regiment. He was captured at the Battle of Vicksburg, and released. He rejoined his regiment.

I'm not aware of any Union soldiers in the ancestry of either myself, or my wife. My Vanevery ancestors were in Michigan at the time, but my second great grandfather, Samuel Van Every (1820-1888) may have decided he was too old to enlist. Or felt he had to support his many children. My great grandfather, Melvin Van Every, was born in 1863.

However, it appears his eldest brother, Nelson, enlisted on the side of the Union on Dec 21, 1863 (age 18) and served until July 18, 1865. [A Nelson Van Every of the correct age enlisted in the state of Michigan. I haven't yet confirmed that it is the same Nelson.]

While a great-great uncle isn't an ancestor, it's a sign my great-great grandfather may have been a Union-supporter. I'll take whatever sign I can get that at least one branch of my family on these shores chose the side of the Union.

Amanuensis Monday: Louis C Gober at the Gratiot Street Prison

Amanuensis: A person employed to write what another dictates or to copy what has been written by another.

I continue my project to transcribe family letters, journals, newspaper articles, audiotapes, and other historical artifacts. Not only do the documents contain genealogical information, the words breathe life into kin - some I never met - others I see a time in their life before I knew them.

I began this project back on February 16, 2009.  Since I began, many others have joined in on the meme. I am thrilled that this meme I started has inspired so many to transcribe their family history documents. Why do we transcribe? I provide my three reasons in the linked post. You may find others.

***
I learned on the Civil War St. Louis site, my wife's 3rd-great grandfather, Louis C. Gober (1830-1876), spent some time in the St. Louis Gratiot Street Prison "by order of the Provost Marshall General." I searched for his records at Fold3. (I have access to Fold3 through my local library card.)

Amanuensis Monday: Sheriff Gober and a Stolen Horse

Amanuensis: A person employed to write what another dictates or to copy what has been written by another.

I continue my project to transcribe family letters, journals, newspaper articles, audiotapes, and other historical artifacts. Not only do the documents contain genealogical information, the words breathe life into kin - some I never met - others I see a time in their life before I knew them.

I began this project back on February 16, 2009.  Since I began, many others have joined in on the meme. I am thrilled that this meme I started has inspired so many to transcribe their family history documents. Why do we transcribe? I provide my three reasons in the linked post. You may find others.

***
My wife's great grandfather, Louis Pleas Gober (1867-1948), was Sheriff of Scott County, Missouri in the early 1900s. ChroniclingAmerica has archives of several area newspapers from that time, and he appears often. A year ago I shared an article from the St. Louis Post Dispatch concerning a problem he had with some mules. Below is an article from the Jackson Herald -- January 31, 1907, page 1, above the fold.

Amanuensis Monday: Missouri Sheriff Has a Mule Problem

Amanuensis: A person employed to write what another dictates or to copy what has been written by another.

I continue my project to transcribe family letters, journals, newspaper articles, audiotapes, and other historical artifacts. Not only do the documents contain genealogical information, the words breathe life into kin - some I never met - others I see a time in their life before I knew them.

I began this project back in February of 2009, and since then, many others have joined in on the meme.  Why do we transcribe? I provide my three reasons in the linked post. You may find others. If you participate, feel free to leave a link to your post in the comments.
***
This week, I transcribe another document relating to the ancestry of my fiancée. This is a newspaper article from The St. Louis Post Dispatch concerning her second great grandfather, Louis P. Gober (1867-1948). [The article was found at ProQuest Historical Newspapers.]

Amanuensis Monday: Verba Fulkerson's 83rd Birthday

Amanuensis: A person employed to write what another dictates or to copy what has been written by another.

I continue my project to transcribe family letters, journals, newspaper articles, audiotapes, and other historical artifacts. Not only do the documents contain genealogical information, the words breathe life into kin - some I never met - others I see a time in their life before I knew them.

I began this project back in February of 2009, and since then, many others have joined in on the meme.  Why do we transcribe? I provide my three reasons in the linked post. You may find others. If you participate, feel free to leave a link to your post in the comments.

***

This week, in a first, I transcribe a document relating to the ancestry of my fiancée. This is a newspaper article from The Sikeston Herald noting the 83rd birthday of her 2nd great grandmother, Verba Blackman Fulkerson (1857-1947). [The article was found at NewspaperArchive.]