Friday's Ramblings

Finding the Ramsey, Blunt, and Coon

Sometimes in genealogical research things seem to fall in place, records are plentiful, loaded with information, and lead to other resources that will further research. Such was the case with W. G. Blunt and Mary Lavenia Ramsey up to 1908, then their lives were forever changed. In 1908 Mary L. is married again and living with her second husband whom she had been married two years.

Living with Mary L. and her second husband are Mary L. and Willie Blunt's three children Luther age seven, Julia age five, and Mammie age three living with them. In addition is another child Roan Coon age seven son of Clifton Coon and his first wife Missouri Cowart. The 1910 Beat 3, Lincoln County census with the Clifton Coon family listed on there really created a genealogical problem for a while. When looking at this census and the two sons ages, and both were listed as Coon on the 1910 census; and not knowing about the previous marriage of Clifton What what happened to their former spouses? What is going on in this blended family previous to the marriage in 1908?  

Mary Lavenia Ramsey was the second child, and second daughter born to  Eliza Jane Ramsey and her husband Asa Martin. The Ramsey family is on the 1880 Pike County census listed only with their initials.

Marriage Record for W. G. Blunt and Mary Lavenia Ramsey
Marriage record from the Pike County Courthouse Marriage Book page 352.

Mary Lavenia Ramsey, was first married to W. "Willie" G. Blunt. They were both born in Mississippi, were married in Mississippi, and continued to live in Mississippi until their deaths. They lived in the same area of Pike and Lincoln Counties and were listed on censuses and other records until their deaths. Mary Lavenia and Willie had seven children; however, as noted on the 1900 census Venie Blunt was the mother of three children and mother of one living child. Therefore it is concluded that two children died in infancy. But on the 1920 District 92, Ruth Precinct, Lincoln County census Venie has three children a son Luther and two daughters Julia and Mamie Blunt, Venie and her first husband's children. Venie's husband Willie apparently died unexpectedly after 1900, even though his death hasn't been proven, he hasn't been found on any censuses after 1900. He was a young adult, only twenty-nine years old on the 1900 census. Venie is married to a Coon on the 1920 census and has five children by her second husband.

Mary L. is eight years old, is found listed on the 1885 Educable Children of Carter's Creek Election District, Pike County, Mississippi school census. Her older sister Florence A. is ten years old and is listed on the census as well. Their father Asa M. Ramsey is the parent/guardian listed on the 1885 Educable Census.

W. G. "Willie" Blunt died between  1900 and 1908.

George was the youngest of Clifton and Venie's children. Rowan Coon, Venie's step-son, was eighteen and the same age as her son Luther Blunt. Luther was born in Mississippi as well. It took a few years to find Venie's children by her first husband, but they were found and now they have their place in the family tree. Luther Blount (Blunt) was on 1930 and 1940 censuses. Julia and Mamie, Luther's sisters, lived in East Carroll Parish the neighboring parish of West Carroll where their other family members lived in 1940 and 1950; Alma half siblings were an important part of her family. She referred to them as her sisters and brothers. They were identified as half siblings by the research of the Blunt and Coon families. May Lavenia Coon's other family was identified from researching that specific Blunt family line.

Janie Coon, a daughter of Mary Lavenia and Clifton Coon, married Daniel Adams when she was very young, and they had Carolyn, Danny, Betty Sue, and Lucy, According to her daughter when I last spoke with her, their family lived in extreme poverty. As did many of the families during that era in rural West Carroll Parish, and southeast Louisiana. Aunt Essie married Carl Bowman, and they had eight daughters. Uncle Morris married Irma Eley and they had Mary Alice, Bobby and David. Uncle Rowan is another elusive family member that very little is known of him. He lived in the Port Arthur, Texas area. That is where he died and is interred.

The one child of Venie and Clifton's that is well known is Uncle George because he lived with our family several years.He lived with our family when he returned from serving his duty in the Army, left and married twice and divorced after several years made his way back to live with his youngest sister Alma, my mother. He lived with Mother and Daddy until he signed himself in a nursing home. That is where he died.

The great thing about family history research is that family secrets can be revealed, family stories can be  proven, and the truth will come out.

Source Information
Ancestry.com and The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. 1880-1930 United States Federal Census [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations Inc, 2010.

Sources
Year: 1880; Census Place: Beat 3, Pike, Mississippi; Roll: 662; Family History Film: 1254662; Page: 390A; Enumeration District: 039; Image: 0179.

Year: 1900; Census Place: Beat 3, Pike, Mississippi; Roll: 825; Page: 11A; Enumeration District: 0109; FHL microfilm: 1240825