Now the family dynamics become even more complex. By Sept of 1887,
Samuel had
married
his sister-in-law and his children’s aunt Elizabeth (White) Nobes. She ran a
boarding house in Lakeside, Michigan raising 7 or 8 children on her
own. Elizabeth was the widow of James Nobes (d. 1874), who was the brother of
Samuel's first wife, Mary Ann Nobes. As a result of Sam & Elizabeth's marriage, Samuel’s children were both first cousins and step siblings to Elizabeth’s
children. The story of her husband, James Nobes death can be found in an
earlier blog post
about the Nobes family.
Samuel Oakley & Elizabeth Nobes m. 2 Sept 1887
Lakeside Muskegan, Michigan
Samuel aged 55 residing in St. Paul occupation mechanic
Elizabeth Nobes aged 45 was residing in Lakeside birthplace
W.J. Aldrich (Minister of the Gospel) Witnesses: David Miner & Mrs. Miner
Did Samuel Oakley make a trip to Muskegon to check on his sister-in-law
and they then made the decision to marry? Certainly blending two young families made sense. Samuel's job with the railway was portable. With Samuel's two oldest
daughters already married Sam had a number of young children to
raise.
Again I turned to city directories to figure out where and when Sam was in St. Paul. From 1887 - 1889 a number of James Nobes sons plus brother-in-law, Isaac Nobes were in St.Paul and working for the St. P M&M Railway. By 1888 the combined Oakley/Nobes family was living at 271 Williams.
Tragedy struck again and Elizabeth passed away by the end of 1889. Her
will
was written a few days before her death and at that time she was living in
St. Paul.
Her obituary reads, "after a short illness died in St. Paul, Minn. on Nov 4th, aged 48". She was buried in Muskegon beside her first husband, her headstone simply reads “MOTHER 1841-1889”. Cemetery records for the Evergreen Cemetery list her as Elizabeth Nobes.
|
|
Weekly British Whig Nov 28, 1889 |
|
|
The Kingston Daily News Nov 23, 1889 |
What happened to the blended family after Elizabeth's death? Again I looked to the St. Paul directories. They show that Samuel took some of the Nobes children under his wing. As a foreman in railway carpentry shops he was able to provide employment for his step-sons/nephews. By 1888 Frank and Vernon Nobes were living with Samuel Oakley, as well as his brother-in-law – Isaac H. Nobes (whom he helped raise). James & Elizabeth Nobes youngest child – Nellie, (who would have been about 15 at the time of her mothers death) - by 1893 was also living with Samuel in St. Paul.
The last mention of Samuel in the St. Paul's directory is in 1893 when he
was foreman of the CGW Railway shops. Sam made a trip to Vancouver to
visit his daughter Sarah and her young family. By 1895 Samuel and son
Isaac are listed in the Vancouver directory. In 1896 their business
"Oakley & Son" furniture dealers is listed and Sam is still in the
directory in 1899.
By 1898, son Samuel Norman Oakley was the foreman of the SAL Shops[1]
in Western Branch, Virginia and his cousin/step-brother William Nobes was
chief engineer with another railway in Western Branch, Virginia. Not
quite sure the order that Sam's moves took. He appears in the 1901
Canadian Census in Cobourg, Ontario and by 1908 he is again listed in the
Vancouver directory as a cabinet maker.
Somewhere in that time period Samuel visited his is sons Robert and Samuel and his nephew William in Virginia. Descendants of Sam's son, George Lester Oakley mentioned that George grew up in Norfolk, Virginia and St. Paul, Minnesota, after his mother died.
By the time of the US 1900 census, we find Samuel with his third wife, Anne Maria Young (this was her second marriage ( her married name was Mero). Family lore has it that Annie was the widowed aunt of one of Samuel’s daughter-in-laws.
After a visit to Vancouver
to see his children, Samuel decided to return to Vancouver permanently. Annie refused to move to Vancouver and the two separated. In the 1910
US census she is living in Washington, DC and refers to herself as a widow
(which was not true). Her obit in 1931 lists her last name as Oakley.
Samuel Norman and Robert
are listed in the Virginia directory through 1901. By 1907 Samuel Norman
and family are in Vancouver, daughter Bernice was born there in 1909. By the
1921 Census, Robert and wife were living with brother George and his young
family.
[1] The Seaboard Air Line Railroad was an American railroad whose corporate existence extended from April 14, 1900 until July 1, 1967. In the days before air travel, air line was a common term for the shortest distance between two points: a straight line drawn through the air, ignoring natural obstacles. Hence, a number of 19th century railroads used air line in their titles to suggest that their routes were shorter than those of competing roads
No comments:
Post a Comment