Origins of my son's names

ADAM
Middle name of my great grandfather, John Adam Zaun, and his father before him.  Both were called "Adam."

SCHUYLER
Austin family lore claims an ancestral relationship to Aaron Burr.  (Possibly true:  Grandfather Austin's mother was Lillian Burr; however Aaron Burr's only daughter Theodosia died without children so the relationship cannot be direct).  In the book, Burr, by Gore Vidal, the main character was Burr's illegitimate son and his last name was Schuyler.  A bit convoluted, I admit...actually, I just like the name.  It means "scholar," and it has surely proven to be fitting.

JOSHUA
Just always loved this name.  It would have been the name of my first child except a close friend had a son right before mine and named him Joshua.  So I changed it.  Turns out it wouldn't have made a difference at all.  I was very glad I had another chance to use the name.

DAVID
His father's middle name.

JONATHAN
Wanted to use the name John, but couldn't agree.  Jonathan was close enough, and I could call him "Jon" if I wanted.  Jonathan in the story of King David is my favorite Bible character.  I was happy to find out that this is a family name from colonial New England.

MICHAEL
His father's first name.

ANDREW
By this time, we had a pattern going.  All biblical names, in order of appearance in the Bible.  Names began with A - J - J ...  needed another A.  Andrew is the name of my great great grandfather Hall.  It was good, except I didn't want to call him Andy.  So we shortened it to Drew.

KELLY
Paternal grandmother's maiden name.  Other Austin boys have the middle name Kelly too.  Family tradition!

Ancestry DNA

For my birthday this year, I asked my mother for a subscription to newspapers.com and a DNA test.  Am I a nerd or what?!  I filled a test tube with my saliva this morning and prepared it for shipment.  I cannot wait to see what it reveals about our family.

The newspapers.com subscription proved its worth in the first day.  I found a dozen articles about my enigmatic great grandfather, Augustus Allen.  Those articles helped me to flesh out his life story.  The most heart wrenching discovery was this personal ad in the Wichita Daily Eagle the week of May 5, 1919:

TO ANYONE knowing anything of A. D. Allen, formerly a real estate dealer, would appreciate all information.  Teresa Allen, 125 Pine Bluff, Paris, Texas.  

Teresa died not knowing what ever became of either of her parents.  I am hoping the DNA test will finally find them.

Oh, by the way, I also applied to be on the Genealogy Roadshow!  I received a letter confirming that my application is being considered.  I sent them the story of Teresa Allen.

Augustus D. Allen, 1859-19--

My maternal great grandfather is quite an enigma.  Information about him is plentiful, but some of it doesn't jive.  It's almost as though there are two Augustus D. Allen's at the same place, same time, same career, with the same vital statistics.  Sometime before 1904, Augustus left his wife Eva a widow and his daughter, Ethelyn, an orphan.  Yet he is documented as living and working in Wichita for another ten years, with a new wife.

The following timeline shows his name exactly as it appears in the documentation.  Facts about Eva and Ethelyn/Teresa are interwoven to reveal insights about his life.  I believe that this timeline supports the fact that the same A. D. Allen who left Eva a widow, is the A. D. Allen who continued living and working in Wichita as though his first wife and child never existed.

Augustus "A. D." Allen

Augustus D.Allen > Teresa/Ethelyn Allen > Virginia M. Crofford > Teresa Zaun Austin

1860

Hancock, Illinois - Augustus, 1 year old.  
Household at the 1860 Census:  Parents -  Robert Allen, born in Virginia; Elizabeth Allen, born in Ohio. Siblings -  James & John (twins) b. Ky, Sarah b. Ky, Jacob b. Ky, Harrisson b. Ill. Note the birthplaces of his parents and of his older siblings.

1870

Hancock, Illinois - Augustus, 11 years old.
Household at the 1870 Census:  Elizabeth Allen, b. Ohio; John, Jacob, Harrisson.  Again, note his mother's birthplace.  His father must have been deceased.  His siblings' names are consistent with the 1860 census.

1870 Littleton, Illinois - Eva Bosworth, age 3.  O.M. b. Ohio, Eliza b. Ky, Richard R. b. Ill.
1880 Littleton, Illinois - Eva Bosworth, age 13.  M.O. Bosworth b. Ohio, Eliza A Bosworth, b. Ky.

1883

Littleton, Illinois - Augustus D. Allen married Eva L. Bosworth.
Parents: Robert Allen, Elis. House, Orlando Bosworth, Eliza A. Applegate. Parents' names are consistent with prior census information.

1893

Illinois - Ethelyn Allen born (per 1900 census).
         A. D. Allen moved to Keokuk, Iowa, and ran a mercantile business for 7 years.*

Augustus D. Allen, Ethelyn,
Eva L. Allen

1900

Wichita, Kansas - Augustus D. Allen, Real Estate Agent.  Parents born in Kentucky.  Augustus consistently gives his parents' birthplaces as Kentucky.  Since Augustus' older siblings were all born in Kentucky, he may have made an erroneous assumption.  Household at census:  Eva L. Allen, Ethelyn Allen (age 7), Eliza A Bosworth.  Eliza Bosworth died around this time.  A. D. Allen was first employed with the Kansas Bureau of Immigration on Douglas Avenue, and then with B. D. Allen Realty.* There was a huge real estate boom in Wichita at this time. I do not know whether or not B. D. Allen is kin.

From Wichita newspaper articles:
1900
A. D. Allen & Eva L. Allen were defendants in a lawsuit over a mortgage loan.

1901
A. D. Allen was injured in an accident involving runaway horses & overturned carriage.

1902 
A. D. Allen, Mrs. Allen were victims of a burglary while sleeping at their residence on Pattie Avenue, an $85 roll of bills from a real estate sale was taken from his pants pocket.  Mrs. Allen had been ill.

1902
A. D. Allen sold property at 137 Pattie Avenue and bought another local property.

1902 Wichita - an "A. D. Allen" moved to Wichita from Allen County - no occupation given.  I believe this is a coincidence...I found another Augustus D. (Dennis) Allen (1860-1930) who is buried in Allen County.

1903
Mrs. Allen gave A. D. Allen a birthday dinner on March 21.  Her brother R. R. Bosworth's family was there, as well as Ethelyn Allen.  Ethelyn would have been about age 10.

1903
A. D. Allen went on a business trip to Iowa; returned with 11 men to buy land. B. D. Allen took over the sales.

1904
Wichita City Directory - Eva L. Allen, widow A. D. 125 Fannie Street.

Augustus Allen is dead.  Or is he?

1905
Wichita - A. D. Allen married Emma Schindler of Wichita.*

1907
Wichita City Directory - A. D. Allen, Emma S. 1027 s. Water Street.

1908
Wichita City Directory - A. D. Allen, Emma S. 1347 s. Main; with B. D. Allen Realty.

1908 Hospital at Old Fort Supply admitted its first patients.  Oklahoma's first mental hospital.

1909
Wichita City Directory - A. D. Allen, Emma S. 1347 S. Main.  A. D. Allen Real Estate and Loans, 121 E. Douglas Avenue.

1909
Wichita newspaper articles - A. D. Allen, president and champion of horse show; Fred Willingham, trainer. Article on A. D. Allen tells about his "two fads" - real estate and horses.  A. D. Allen made two good real estate sales.  The interest in horses is what made me wonder if this was the same Augustus D. Allen that was Ethelyn's father - my grandmother never mentioned this about him.

1910 Census, Woodward, Ok - Eva L. Allen, widow. Inmate, Old Fort Supply Hospital. 

1910
Wichita -  Augustus D. Allen, Emma S., Fred Willingham.
Census:  Real Estate Agent. b. in Illinois, Parents born in Kentucky. 

1910
Wichita newspaper article - A. D. Allen, defendant in a lawsuit over real estate; another article about trip to South Texas.  His daughter, Teresa/Ethelyn, remembered a visit from her father in Paris, Texas - this may be the occasion.

1911 Old Fort Supply Hospital cemetery -  gravestone inscription: "Eva L. Allen, 1867-1911."

1911
Wichita City Directory - Augustus D. Allen, Emma S. 1347 S. Main; 121 E. Douglas Avenue.

1911
Wichita newspaper article - Mrs. A. D. Allen is better from pneumonia.

1915
Dallas City Directory - Augustus D. Allen, real estate. 912 S. Akard, Dallas, Texas.

1916
Wichita personal ad - person looking for A. D. Allen, last seen in Fort Worth (near Dallas) headed toward Canton, OK in October 1915.

1916 - Sherman City Directory - Teresa Allen, nurse, St. Vincent's; 416 W. Laurel.
1917 - Paris City Directory - Teresa Allen, nurse, Paris Sanitarium through 1919; 125 Pine Bluff.  

1919
Wichita personal ad - This is the most compelling evidence thus far that Teresa is the same person as Ethelyn:

TO ANYONE knowing anything of A. D. Allen, formerly a real estate dealer, would appreciate all information. Teresa Allen, 125 Pine Bluff, Paris, Texas. 

1920 Census, Oklahoma City - Teresa Allen, nursing professional.  Boarder, Eleventh Street. Parents born in Kentucky.

Note about Augustus' grave:
I found a promising entry for Augustus D. Allen on findagrave.com some months ago, but when I went to look for it again, it was gone.   The grave was in Osawatomie Cemetery, Paola, Miami County, Kansas, and the date of death was 1916.  It is no longer in the database.  It was there, and now it's not.  Weird.

All of this has made me wonder...

• What made Augustus move to Iowa in 1893?
• Did Augustus and Emma divorce?  Where was he between 1911 and 1915?
• Why didn't the R. R. Bosworth family take in Ethelyn?
• What happened to the findagrave entry for Augustus?
• Where was Eva L. Allen between 1904 and 1908 (before the mental hospital opened)?

Sources:
*History of Wichita and Sedgwick County, Kansas: past and present, including an account of the cities, towns and villages of the county; Chicago: C.F. Cooper & Co., 1910, Pages 705 & 706 [NOTE:  this bio on A. D. Allen does not mention either Eva or Ethelyn, but the birthdate and place are the same, though the birth year is six years off - March 21, 1865.  My grandmother, Ethelyn/Teresa, never mentioned that her father was passionate about horses.]
          
Newspaper sources:  Wichita Beacon, Wichita Daily Eagle

Marie Louise Judd, 1859 - 1925

Connecting with a newfound cousin on Ancestry has re-ignited interest in researching my great-great grandmother, Marie Louise (Judd) Powell.  Marie Louise has the same relationship to my new cousin Kerrie!

Marie Louise Judd Powell > Georgia Powell Zaun > Ernest Earl Zaun > John B. Zaun > Teresa Zaun Austin 

Marie (called Louise) was my Nannie's mother:

Marie Louise's Parents and Childhood

Marie Louise was born in Brooklyn on March 1, 1859 to the well-known Rev. Orrin Bishop Judd and his second wife, Elizabeth*.  Her vital records indicate that she was born in 1861, but I have concluded that this is a mistake, deliberate or otherwise.  I say this because she was listed on the 1860 census as a 2 year old, on the 1870 census as an 11 year old, and on the 1880 census as a 21 year old.  If 1861 was her true birth year, of course, she would not have even appeared on the 1860 census.  Marie Louise had an older brother, Orrin B., and a younger sister, Addie.  Also living in their home were two of Elizabeth's children from her previous marriage to E. C. Gray, Esq. - MacDonald Gray and Leonora Gray.

Note: Leonora, according to the 1870 census, was "deaf and dumb" and spent some time in the Hartford Retreat for the Insane, which was "an upper-class, resort-like facility." Mention of this daughter was made in Elizabeth's testimony during her divorce trial as reported in the New York Times, April 19, 1868.

Elizabeth MacDonald Gray Judd, Marie's mother and my 3X great grandmother
(photo courtesy of Kerrie Stone, via Ancestry.com)

Scandal!

The Judds had a cultured but tumultuous home life.  There was a highly publicized divorce in 1868 between Orrin and Elizabeth that was front page news in many major New England newspapers. Terrible accusations were made in their very public testimony against each other, including physical violence.  Elizabeth's children were taken from her. Orrin then married the "other woman" Susanna Reynolds and moved to New Jersey with Louise and Addie. The 1870 census gives Orrin's occupation as "farmer" which may be a clue about his fallen status after the divorce.  Orrin and Susanna had four sons, one of whom died young. Elizabeth went to live in Brooklyn, New York with her daughter and son-in-law. (Her son-in-law, Harry Tift, had testified in her defense at the trial, giving an eye-witness account to the cruelty that Elizabeth endured from Orrin). 

Marie Louise and Jefferson Powell

Daughter Addie Bell wrote that Marie Louise met Jefferson Powell when she was living on her father's estate on the "Mechanicsville Turnpike."  There are multiple possibilities for this location; there is a Mechanicsville in Connecticut and one in Virginia, near Richmond, among others. I could not find a "Mechanicsville Turnpike" by that exact name in Connecticut, however.  The Connecticut turnpike mentioned in this article could be referring to the Hartford Pike, the Providence Pike, or the Plainfield Pike:

Mechanicsville Turnpike, Connecticut: "When Brandy hill first assumed its inspiriting name is beyond the memory of descendants of the oldest inhabitant. Tradition refers it to the bursting of a brandy hogshead upon the hill, and it may be inferred that the great outflow of liquor at Starr’s tavern during the days of turnpike opening, helped to make it permanent."

Whether Marie met Jefferson Monroe Powell in Connecticut, New York, or Richmond has yet to be determined. At the time of the 1880 census, she was single, living in Richmond, Virginia, and working as a companion and housekeeper for the Shelton family. She married Jefferson that year.  By 1900, they were living in the Brookland district of Henrico on the western end of Broad Street - this district includes the historical sites of Bethlehem Baptist Church and Glen Allen School. The Powells had eight children:  Addie Bell (1882), Georgia (1885), Harry (1887), Archie (1889), Lenora (1891), Robert (1894), Albert (1897), and Linwood (1899).

Could this be the Broad Street Road home in Henrico? I have concluded that this photo must have been taken around 1898. Jefferson and Marie Louise Powell are seated. Georgia is the oldest girl in a white dress. Addie Bell must be the one standing at the gate supporting the young child on the fence. The old man standing behind Marie Louise is unidentified.  He could not be either George Powell or Orrin Judd. Jefferson's father died shortly after the Civil War, and Marie's father died before some of these children were born.

Clearfield, Iowa

What in the world were the Powell's doing in Iowa!? My great grandmother Georgia was born in Iowa, according to certain records.  Other records indicate she was born in Virginia.  I have always wondered about this strange fact! I thought that Iowa had to be an error since all the other Powell children were born in Virginia, but this birthplace appeared in several important documents. The answer may lie in Marie's obituary which says "With the exception of a few years spent in the Valley of Virginia and in the Middle West, Mr. and Mrs. Powell have always made their home in the vicinity of Richmond." My great grandmother could have been born in Iowa after all! (Her son Bill's birth record named Clearfield, Iowa) If so, then the Powells' "Middle West" years were sometime between 1882 and 1887 based on the birth dates of Georgia's older and younger siblings who were born in Virginia.  I have not been able to find out why the Powells temporarily moved to Iowa.

Marie Louise (center) and her family at Afton Mountain, 1923. My great grandmother is the girl to her right.

Marie Louise and Jefferson Monroe Powell

Marie's life and character

There is no better way to describe Marie Louise than by her own daughter's words:

In attempting to portray something of what Mrs. Powell's stay among us has meant, one is convinced of the emptiness of words.  She was a wonderful character and exemplified in a wonderful way the life of our master.  There is scarcely a person who knew her who was not on different occasions the recipient of her kindly ministry.  Hard work has been her common lot, but never did she allow this to stay the progress of her mind.  She was not content to "live by bread alone" but was ever mending her storehouse of knowledge and enlarging the scope of her spirit.  She was for many years superintendent of the Primary Department of the Bethlehem Baptist Church Sunday School and always a faithful worker in all departments of her church.  She was very fond of children, and the young people of the church and community have greatly profited under her teachings. So her religion was not to creed or bouok [sic] but the teachings of Christ and service for her fellowmen.  Though a community servant in the highest sense of the word, never too busy to lend a helping hand, yet she never neglected her home responsibilities.  Rather, it was there she reigned supreme and never was there a more faithful wife or mother, one ever ready and willing to sacrifice for the welfare and good of home and God. thoughtful of their every material need and even more anxious about their spiritual welfare, she adorned her home with a spirit of unselfishness and tenderness that causes, not only the members of her household, but all those who know them to reverence and adore her.

Jefferson Monroe Powell (in 1932) standing beside a plaque honoring his wife, Marie Louise, at Bethlehem Church on Penick Road.  See previous post about Bethlehem Cemetery.

Bethlehem Baptist Church:   It reportedly served as a first aid station during the Civil War, burned about 1870 and was rebuilt. A brick Gothic style church opened on July 25, 1909. On November 3, 1920, this structure burned. Members dedicated the present building, located on Penick Road, on November 6, 1921.

Marie Louise's grave, early 1926.

Marie Louise's grave today.

*Interesting note on Elizabeth MacDonald Judd:  According to Addie Bell, Marie's mother was a "doctor of medicine." This does not fit with other information on Elizabeth - she was described as a poetess and a occasional contributor to periodicals.  She was a writer for the New York Tribune according to the newspaper itself. This information did ring a bell with me however; I remember my Nannie telling me about the old portrait of a woman that was hanging in the back bedroom of the Penick Road house.  She said that the woman, her ancestor, was one of the earliest female doctors in America.  I am curious to find out who this woman was...it was probably not Elizabeth.  I think it must be an earlier ancestor.

Note: Newspaper accounts of Elizabeth's suicide were a case of mistaken identity. Retractions were posted later. 

This Blog

I have added the lineage to each of the posts so that you can see how exactly we are related to each subject.

For those members of my family who might be reading this blog, I think you should be aware that I am continually revising existing posts as new information comes up in my research.  Since each blog post is on a particular topic, I thought it would be less confusing for readers to keep all the information organized by topic rather than by chronological date of discovery.  If you are interested in a particular topic, you might want to go back and check it again sometime, to be sure you haven't missed any new facts, pictures, or stories.  The blog is also searchable by keyword or topic.

Also, I'd love for you to leave comments or feedback.  I can see by the stats that people are reading it, but I have no way of knowing who.  It would help very much to receive your questions or comments - sometimes I miss inconsistencies or historical context, and I would very much appreciate your insights.  

Thank you to the ones who have commented... you have encouraged me more than you know!  

George James Powell, 1825-1866

George James Powell > Jefferson M. Powell > Georgia E. Powell Zaun > Ernest Earl Zaun > John B. Zaun > Teresa Zaun Austin (me)

George was born in 1825 in Henrico, Virginia.  He had dark hair and dark eyes, and was about 5' 11" tall. He married Mary Ellen Stevens, also of Virginia. They had eight children, the youngest of whom became my 2X great grandfather, Jefferson Monroe Powell, who was born in 1862. They lived in the "Western District" of Henrico County. George was a carpenter, which seems to be a common trade among my ancestors.

The rest of the story I pieced together, merging the historical facts with my documentation. All of the military records were found in the main branch of the Virginia Beach Library, where there is an excellent genealogy collection. 

George enlisted in the 46th Regiment of the Confederate Army in August 1864, soon after the Battle of the Crater at Petersburg. The 46th Regiment, which was a part of what was known at the "Wise Brigade," defended the fort at the Crater during the siege at Petersburg.

The 46th fought at Sailor's (Sayler's) Creek, a day that became known as "Black Thursday."  General Lee expressed admiration for the "Wise Brigade" for remaining intact through and after the Battle of Sailors' Creek. The 46th lost 40 men. The remaining 15 officers and 116 men were surrendered on April 9th, ending the war at Appomatox.

The Hillsman House at Sailor's Creek was used as a Federal field hospital.
There are still bloodstains on the wood floor upstairs.

Robert E. Lee lost 7,700 men on that Black Thursday.  I have no record of George after 1865, but I know that he died before 1870 at around the age of 40 (see update below).  His military record shows that he was never paid for his duty as a soldier. 

I have visited both of these battlefields, the Crater and Sailor's Creek.  I once spent a whole afternoon at Sailor's Creek in my college days.  My best friend Mark Lee and I drove out to the Hillsman House one day in his yellow Volkswagon "bug."  We were the only humans within a mile or more that we could tell. We sat on a large boulder and looked out over the battlefield, quietly discussing the Civil War and imagining the long ago scene.  It was such a peaceful, beautiful day. Suddenly, we were jolted by the sound of a loud gunshot from the nearby woods! We thought we heard it ricochet in the trees over our heads. We jumped off the rock and took off running for the car.  I was scared at first, but then we started laughing hysterically at the thought of retreating with "Lee." I never imagined I had an ancestor who fought there.   

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Sailor's_Creek#/media/File:Appomattox_Campaign_Overview.png

http://www.46thvirginia.org/page3.html
http://www.beyondthecrater.com/resources/np/postwar-np/nplt-19100807-richmond-times-dispatch-wise-va-brig-crater/

UPDATE ON GEORGE POWELL: September 18, 2017

I had previously concluded that George was killed at the Battle of Saylor's Creek in 1865 because I could find nothing about him after that date. Well... I found out in one of the history books at the public library that he survived the war! He was a POW, captured at Farmville on April 6, 1865, the date of the Battle at High Bridge (the same day as the Battle at Saylor's Creek). I'm not sure when the POW's were released, but his unit mustered out on April 9th, the day of the surrender at Appomattox. George missed the surrender ceremony by three days! On April 6, 1865, George (along with many others) took an Oath of Allegiance "near Farmville."  (This oath was registered at Newport News on July 1, 1865).  

From history.net:

"A former governor of Virginia, Henry Wise, led his brigade across the wagon bridge while the remainder of the units followed him or used the walkway on the trestle. Gordon took on the almost hopeless task of organizing the retiring troops by brigades. Though the Confederates still spoke in terms of “brigades,” the word had lost much of its meaning as many of them were smaller than a poorly outfitted regiment should have been. Not only were the units a shadow of their former selves, but most of the soldiers had been worn to a frazzle by the continuous marching, fighting and lack of food. Some of the men making their way across the wagon span were so exhausted that they fell asleep while walking only to be awakened when they hit the ground."

UPDATE: January 17, 2023

This update should have been made long ago. The mystery of George's death was solved with the cooperation of a cousin I met through Ancestry named Victoria Powell. 

I had discovered Mary Ellen Stevens Powell's grave on Findagrave.com. She was buried at Brook Hill cemetery in Henrico, Virginia. I also saw a gravestone for "George Littleton Powell" with the same (estimated) birthyear for George James Powell, but "Littleton" was not the correct middle name. There was a George Littleton Powell buried there who was the son of George and Mary. There are many other Powells listed in the Brook Hill cemetery, some of whom I recognized as the children and grandchildren of George and Mary Ellen. I discovered many "Littletons" in the Powell family all over the state of Virginia, especially in southside Virginia and on the middle peninsula. 

Victoria and her husband (my cousin, I presume) promised to go to the cemetery and look for the graves. She texted me a photo of the gravestones - and there they are! "George Littleton Powell" and "Mary Ellen Powell" are side by side. The dates on George's stone are 1825-1866, which fits the information I'd found on "George James Powell." I can't explain why the middle name is incorrect - "Littleton" was never on any of George's military documents. Perhaps Littleton was a family name and whoever ordered the gravestone made an assumption..? 

Mary Ellen lived until 1901 at various addresses in Richmond. 

.

UPDATE: I am meeting Victoria Powell in Richmond at the Emmanuel Episcopal Church to look at the Parish Registers back to 1860. We hope to find names that will help us put the pieces together to find George's parents and also Mary Ellen Stevens' parents. Only church members can purchase cemetery plots at the church, so there should be plenty of Powells in the registry. We have come up with a potential father for George James Powell and hope to find evidence that supports our theory. His name is Obediah Powell and his father is Frederick Augustus Powell. It is a man named Augustus that purchased the plot that George and Mary Ellen are buried in. 

Ida Rene

This post is a continuation of a previous one:  http://descenddance.blogspot.com/2014/01/ida-rene-bryant.html

Ida Rene Bryant > Jacqueline Abbott Zaun > John B. Zaun > Teresa Zaun Austin

There are several unsolved mysteries regarding my great grandmother Ida.  Some of what I have learned from family stories is contradicted by my research.

What I know to be true:

• Ida Rene Bryant was born in 1868 in Southhampton County to Eley and Margaret Bryant.
• She had a twin sister Addie who married Blucher Fletcher and lived in Princess Anne County.
• Ida married William Butler in 1895 and had three little boys, Earl, William, and Rawley. (?)
• She married George Abbott in 1904 and had three little girls, Miriam, Audrey, and Jacqueline, and a son George who died in infancy.
• She died of pneumonia  in 1933 and was buried in Bethlehem Cemetery in Richmond.

Here are the tricky bits:

• Her marriage record to William Butler lists her as Ida Rena Williams, widow.
• Earl Butler was born in 1892, three years before her marriage to William Butler. 
• In the U.S. Census 1900, it say she is the mother of TWO, though it lists all three boys.
• When she married George Abbott, they lived in Richmond even though neither had family there.  The Butler boys did not live with them.
• Some of the facts in William Butler's obituary are not consistent with other records.
• UPDATE (Aug. 29, 2018): Ida was married at age 19 to a man named Llewelen Eley. What happened to this marriage? Annulment? Divorce? Llewelen went on to live a long life in Norfolk, Va, with a new wife and children. 
• U.S. Census 1930 (?) says she was first married at age 16. Her marriage to Llewellyn Eley was at age 19. Who was she married to?

So here are my questions... 

Who is this Williams guy?  How can I find out about the first marriage of Ida's that no one in the family seems to know about?  Was he from Southhampton County or Princess Anne County?  Divorce? Annulment? Death?

Ida's birth year is given as 1868 in every early census (1870-1900), but is 1871 in her marriage record to William Butler. The 1910 census gives her birth year as 1877.   The 1920 census says abt 1869. The 1930 says 1868.  I'm guessing that 1868 is correct, which is what is on her death certificate.

It has never been questioned by the family that Earl was Ida's son. They were close all their lives. Is Earl really her son?  Did Ida have Earl out of wedlock and wait three years to get married?  Who was Earl's father?* Was William Butler married (and widowed) a second time between his first wife Sarah, and Ida?  Where was William Butler between 1874 and 1895?  Could Earl have been from Ida's first marriage to (?) Williams and adopted by William Butler?  Earl's death certificate lists William Butler as his father and Ida as his mother, but I have seen other such errors on death certificates. Earl's children believed, and still believe, Ida was their grandmother. 

*(UPDATE August 29, 2018: DNA results have proven that Earl was Ida's son). 

Where did the three boys live after their father died?  There is a record of a "Raligh Butler" living in Laurel Reformatory in Richmond, though his age and father's birthplace are wrong.  Earl later worked as a "reformatory guard" according to the census, so it seems logical that it was the same facility. Were the boys placed in a boys home or orphanage?  Is this why Ida moved from Lynchburg to Richmond, to be near her boys?  Is it why Ida and George lived in Richmond after they married even though neither one had family there?  Based on the fact that many widowed folks at that time were forced to place their children in orphanages, I am guessing that this is what Ida had to do.  The Methodist Children's Home in Richmond was opened just after 1900 - this is a possibility but I haven't been able to prove it.

Why does William Butler's obituary give his age at death as 55 (he was 61), and why did it say he had only one son (he had three)?  His occupation and death date are correct in the obituary.  His tombstone is correct.

So many mysteries!