_Abner BANGS ________
|
_Charles BANGS ______|
| |
| |_Hannah GRAY ________+
| (1766 - 1853)
|
|--Mary Elizabeth BANGS
|
| _____________________
| |
|_Adah T. EELLS ______|
|
|_____________________
__
|
_Unknown BLACKSTONE _|
| (1846 - ....) |
| |__
|
|
|--Benjamin Joseph BLACKSTONE
| (1874 - 1945)
| __
| |
|_____________________|
|
|__
[33989]
[Brderbund WFT Vol. 1, Ed. 1, Tree #0224, Date of Import: Nov 18, 1996]
THE HOUSTON CHRONICLE
Saturday, November 3, 1945
page 2
BLACKSTONE--Benjamin Joseph Blackstone, 71, of 5211 Inker, died at 10:45 p.m. Thursday in a local hospital. Survived by his wife, Mrs. Laura E. Blackstone of Houston; five daughters, Mrs. Jessie D. Billings, Mrs. Alice Bond, Mrs. Josie Dishongon and Miss Dorothy Blackstone, all of Houston, and Mrs. Maggie Mae Thomas of Boise, Idaho; seven sons, Albert Douglas Blackstone of Los Angeles Cal., Victor C. Blackstone of Bradenton, Fla., Earnest Blackstone of the air corps; Lee R. , David H., Robert E. and Jimmie G. Blackstone, all of Houston; six grandchildren and one great-grandchild. Funeral services at 4 p.m. Monday at the Hyde Park Funeral Home Chapel with Rev. Robert Murphy officiating. Burial in Woodlawn Garden of Memories. Pallbearers: Clarence J. Ashford, Clyde S. Ashford, Omer and Clifton Otis, Edward S. Key and Walter Sanders. Hyde Park Funeral Home.
Ben and Ethel Blackstone
by Glenda Baker
April 24, 1995
Ben Blackstone was orphaned at an early age. He always said that he was born in Taney Co, Missouri and he stated on his birth certificate that he was born in Fairview, Taney Co., Missouri. He also stated that his father was Isaac Blackstone of Kentucky and his mother was Martha Payton, of Indiana. 1 These names have never been verified. He was raised by a Cherokee Indian lady named Aunt Martha Padden Johnson. Aunt Martha died shortly after Ben's marriage in Texas.4
The first official record of Benjamin and his three sisters is on the 1880 Schedule 5 Census of Intruders to the Delaware Nation in Oklahoma. The children are listed as white orphans living on three different claims. Ben is shown as living on the J. Johnson claim. This area is near Fairland, Ottawa Co., Oklahoma.2
Ben had three known sisters, Annie, who lived in Macomb, Illinois, Maggie, who died at the age of thirty-seven, and a baby sister named Kate. 2 Ben Blackstone was a fan of Will Rogers. He also told of working on the Rogers ranch in Oologah (at that time in Indian Territory, now in Oklahoma). His job was to wake Will up to go to school.3
Later, Benjamin Joseph Blackstone worked as a sub-contractor for the rail road. He was missing his left arm from the elbow down. He said that he had been in an accident while working.4 He had black hair and blue eyes.
While he was working in Wharton, Texas he hired a man named Joe Arnold. This is how he met his wife. Miss Laura Ethel Arnold. I only know a few of the details, but, Ben and Laura eloped. They left Wharton by train and went to Freestone County.4 They were married by Reverend Tom T. Chester, a Baptist Minister in Donie, Freestone County, Texas on May 14, 1906. 5 Laura's father, Joe, was in pursuit of the couple. He must have accepted the marriage as he visited with his daughter in later years.4
Miss Laura Ethel Arnold, called Ethel, was born November 12, 1891 in Gatesville, Coryell Co., Texas. Her parents were Joel Greenberry (Joe C.) Arnold and Josephine Elizabeth Beshears.6 She had lived all of her life around Wharton Co., and Victoria County, Texas. Laura was tall for a woman back then, standing five foot seven inches. She had long brown hair which hung to just below her waist. She usually wore her hair pulled up in a bun at the nape of her neck. She had bright dark brown eyes. At the time of her marriage to Ben Blackstone she was fifteen. She told me once that her father did not believe in girls going to school. He wanted her to quit school and work at home, helping her mother. She said she couldn't become a teacher, which is what she wanted to do so, she decided to marry and have her own family.7 Ben certainly married a wonderful woman. I have heard more than one person describe her as the sweetest, kindest, woman who ever walked the earth.
Ben and Ethel moved a lot while he was working for the rail road. They usually rented a house, their meals were prepared by a cook and served in a dining tent. At one time they had a Chinese cook and another time they had a Mexican cook. They had to let the Mexican cook go because baby Joe, who was around two years old at the time, would not speak English, preferring to speak in Spanish.4
There were thirteen children born to them. The names of the children follows with their birth places, this gives us some idea of where they lived during the first twenty-five years of their marriage.
Jesse, March 18, 1907, Victoria, Victoria Co., Texas
Bert, October 22, 1908, Victoria, Victoria Co., Texas
Joe, October 19, 1910, Victoria, Victoria Co., Texas
Vic, December 21, 1912, Natalia, Medina Co., Texas
Doc, September 23, 1914, East Bernard, Wharton Co., Texas
Maggie, October 11, 1916, East Bernard, Wharton Co., Texas
Dude, August 31, 1919, El Campo, Wharton Co., Texas
Ernest, October 27, 1921, El Campo, Wharton Co., Texas
Alice, November 4, 1923, East Bernard, Wharton Co., Texas
Josie, January 1, 1925, East Bernard, Wharton Co., Texas
Dorothy, January 16, 1928, Florey, Andrews Co., Texas
Bob, May 16, 1930, Florey, Andrews Co., Texas
Jim, December 6, 1933, Seminole, Gaines Co., Texas 8
During the depression Ben worked in Andrews County clearing right of way, but, let me stop here and refer to a letter his daughter Josie wrote explaining why the family moved to Idaho: "Also I will answer your question about our family going to Idaho: We were living at Junction, Texas, and really having a hard time. Papa was clearing a right of way for a power line. He could have the wood, that was all he was getting for his work. Well, we could sell a cord at the laundry for $3.50 a cord. We could get a cord into town a week (if the truck didn't break-down). That $3.50 didn't go very far. That winter on Christmas Day we only had one meal and it was biscuits and gravy. Just before that, on Thanksgiving we didn't have a crumb to eat. Now that was the situation we were in. Now, Maggie and Harry (her first husband) were living in Idaho. She got very sick and the Doctor said she was homesick and unless she overcame that she would not live very long. Harry always had a lot of money so he sent us money to come up there on. So, we sure couldn't be much worse off than we were. It was about like the "Grapes of Wrath", but that is a very interesting story I'll tell you about some day."9
I don't know how long the family stayed in Boise, Idaho, but they were living in Andrews, Texas when their son Joe was killed in a Rodeo accident in Venice, Florida on February 23, 1936.10 They moved to Boise after that and moved back to Texas before too many years had passed. When they returned to Texas they moved directly to Houston. Ben and Laura both had their delayed birth certificates made in Houston in December of 1942. So., they were living there during the War.
Ben passed away November 1, 1945 at the Herman Hospital in Houston, Texas. He died from heart failure. He was buried at the Woodlawn Garden of Memories Cemetery on the Katy Freeway, in Houston, Texas. 11 In the years that followed, Ethel continued to live at her residence at 5211 Inker Street, in Cottage Grove, Houston, Texas. She kept a beautiful garden filled with flowering plants and roses. There was a large pecan tree that stood in her front yard. She had an open brick patio under the tree. We all spent many happy hours visiting at her house. I wish I had a dime for every hand of Forty-Two I saw played there. Some times there were as many as four tables set up in the living room with a game going at each one and players waiting their turn to play the winners! She was a Baptist and attended church where ever she happened to be living. I do not know about her other Pastors, but I do know she loved to hear Brother Robert Murphy preach.
Your may not believe this but, Mrs. Laura E. Blackstone was a down home football fan. She loved to watch the fighting Cougars of the University of Houston. She went to every game she could. He son, Jim, was captain of the football team. She was so very proud of him and HER team.
Mrs. Blackstone was also involved with politics. She had very definite ideas about just who was qualified to be in office. Mrs. Blackstone worked for the election of several people in Texas. Every where she went she was very highly respected.
She moved to Crockett, Texas in February of 1960. She bought a house on Highway 7 West outside of Crockett. She loved living there. She attended Porter Springs Baptist Church. Laura made many friends in Houston County. As her health began to fail she lived at her home when she could. She stayed with her daughter, Alice, most of the time.
On April 17, 1970 Mrs. Laura Ethel Arnold Blackstone passed away the Grapeland Community Hospital. 12 She was buried beside her husband, Benjamin Joseph Blackstone at the Woodlawn Garden of Memories Cemetery.
________________________________________________________________________
REFERENCES
1. Birth Certificate of Benjamin Joseph Blackstone, issued December 7, 1942 in Harris Co., Texas
2. The 1880 Schedule 5, Census of Delaware Nation District, Cherokee Nation
3. As told by Angie
4. As told by Mrs. Alice Hafner
5. Marriage Records of Freestone County, Texas Volume 7 Page 140
6. Birth Certificate of Laura Ethel Arnold, issued December 7, 1942 in Harris Co., Texas
7. As told to Glenda B. Baker
8. Family Information
9. Info from Mrs. Josie Bailey
10. Obit of Joe Blackstone
11. Death Certificate No. 48830, Bureau of Vital Statistics, Harris County, Texas
12. Death Certificate No 50365, Bureau of Vital Statistics, Houston County, Texas
[33987]
[S367]
Br�derbund WFT Vol. 1, Ed. 1, Tree #0224, Date of Import: Nov 18, 1996
[33988]
[S368]
Br�derbund WFT Vol. 1, Ed. 1, Tree #0224, Date of Import: Nov 18, 1996
[109567]
[S491]
Br�derbund WFT Vol. 1, Ed. 1, Tree #0224, Date of Import: Nov 18, 1996
_Ferdinand King Of Leon SANCHEZ _+
| (1017 - ....)
_Alfonso K Of Leon Castil FERNINANDEZ _|
| (1040 - 1109) |
| |_________________________________
|
|
|--Sancha DE CASTILE
|
| _Al-Mu TAMI _____________________+
| | (1045 - ....)
|_Zaida ________________________________|
(1075 - ....) |
|_Unknown ________________________
(1045 - ....)
_Nelson G. HOWELL _______+
| (1800 - 1884) m 1823
_Doctor Montraville HOWELL ___|
| (1833 - 1889) m 1858 |
| |_Mary "Polly" MOODY _____+
| (1805 - 1885) m 1823
|
|--Dumont David HOWELL
| (1874 - 1919)
| _Abraham , Jr. SUDDERTH _
| | (1800 - 1868)
|_Margaret Christens SUDDERTH _|
(1840 - 1923) m 1858 |
|_Elmina HENNESSEE _______
(1808 - 1841)
_Stephen HOWELL _____+
| (1683 - 1770) m 1707
_Thomas HOWELL ______|
| (1719 - 1797) m 1743|
| |_Desire MORRIS ______
| (1687 - 1757) m 1707
|
|--Mary HOWELL
| (1760 - 1798)
| _____________________
| |
|_Mary Alling WHITE __|
(1720 - 1776) m 1743|
|_____________________
[101880]
[S792]
Descendants of Edward Howell
[101878]
[S792]
Descendants of Edward Howell
[101879]
[S792]
Descendants of Edward Howell
_Uriah LEONARD ______+
| (1686 - 1772) m 1802
_Uriah LEONARD ______|
| (1714 - 1751) m 1736|
| |_Abigail STONE ______
| (1689 - 1769) m 1802
|
|--Lydia LEONARD
| (1742 - ....)
| _____________________
| |
|_Elizabeth FARLEY ___|
(1711 - 1775) m 1736|
|_____________________
[85542]
Ancestral File Number:
[85543]
[S578]
Ancestral File (TM)
[119588]
_UIDA9418270B505D511B01BB5D248919A397A9E
[63096]
Still Living.
[117262]
CHAN20 Jun 2001
HTML created by GED2HTML v3.6-WIN95 (Jan 18 2000) on 04/29/02 05:51:00 AM Mountain Standard Time.
Virginia SANBORN
____ - ____
Father: Harry SANBORN
Mother: Ethel HOLWAY
Family 1
: UNKNOWN BURLEIGH
______________________
|
_Harry SANBORN ______|
| |
| |______________________
|
|
|--Virginia SANBORN
|
| _Alvah Warren HOLWAY _+
| |
|_Ethel HOLWAY _______|
|
|_UNKNOWN UNKNOWN _____
HTML created by GED2HTML v3.6-WIN95 (Jan 18 2000) on 04/29/02 05:51:00 AM Mountain Standard Time.
Elizabeth UNKNOWN
[63096]
____ - ____
Family 1
: Daniel PAUL
HTML created by GED2HTML v3.6-WIN95 (Jan 18 2000) on 04/29/02 05:51:00 AM Mountain Standard Time.