Telegram Announcing Benjamin Ford's Death

This telegram is presumably from Octavia Lutes Ford to her daughter, Aline Ford Beeson. Unfortunately, part of it is missing so I'm guessing it was signed, "mother."

The Lost Continent of Mu

A letter received by Octavia Ford: THE PHILOSOPHICAL RESEARCH SOCIETY INC. Manly P. Hall Founder 3341 GRIFFITH PARK BOULEVARD, LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA. January 26, 1939 Mrs . B. Ford 1437 12th Avenue Los Angeles, California Dear Friend: In reply to your letter of recent date, concerning the lost continent of Mu. I regret to say that I am not personally sympathetic to the books on Mu by the late Mr. Churchward. You will find the most reliable information on the lost continents of the ancient world in the Secret Doctrine by H. P. Blavatsky. The existence of a lost Atlantis is now accepted by a number of important scholars. I might mention that the United States Government, Department of the Interior, Bureau of Education has recently published a leaflet strongly in favor of the existence of Atlantis. Very sincerely your,

Mabel Writes to Octavia

Here is an interesting letter. It's undated, but it mentions Earle, who died in 1938, so it must have been written before then. Since Octavia is away, she must be widowed and thus the letter is after 1925. Mabel worries about Abbott and how sick he is -- little did she know he would outlive his father by 64 years! Earle doesn't seem as sick as later, so maybe this is a few years before he died. Alma's husband, Sidney Marx, died in 1935, so perhaps that is the sickness in Alma's family to which she refers. It's entertaining to compare the housing costs herein with today's... Here is the text as I OCR'd it:

Dearest Mother

Your letter of Nov. 2nd came a couple of days ago, and I am writing immediately after seeing Dr. Brasel. I didn't get to see him until this afternoon.

To plunge into the subject of the house: I am sure you have no idea of the complete stagnation which exists here in regard to real estate and every other line of business. Half of the property in Dermott is for sale at sacrifice prices, but there are no buyers. I have talked with Ernie and Ernestine Kimpel, John Golden, and several others about the price of property, rents that are being paid, etc. Every one says that $20.00 is apparently the maximum rent which can be collected in Dermott -- regardless of the kind of house. Ernie has been renting his house near the school, which he says is newer and as good, if not better than your house, for $17.50. There are no vacant houses in town, but neither is there any demand. There are a good many run down houses, and several of them have been bought for $300 or $400 --some fairly nice places have sold for $800 —and have been repaired after- a fashion and are now occupied. There seems to be nothing that can be done with the better class of property except to pay taxes and insurance or simply let it go.

In spite of these conditions, I thought the Brasels might be interested in buying the place if we let them name their own price, and I put up a good stiff talk to him that we thought he either ought to buy it or pay at least $25.00 rent.

I tried to get him to make some kind of an offer, but he says the ceilings are too high, the bathroom is not conveneintly located, etc, etc, etc, and they would rather build a new house than try to remodel that one. He says they will not pay any more rent and keep up the repairs -- that they had the entire interior newly papered and painted last sping, a new roof put on half the garage, etc, etc, at an expense, altogether of $125.00, which is equivalent to more than 10.00 per month -- that they would, not stay in the house unless it is kept up, and that for them to pay the repairs is equivalent to their paying more rent.

I am convinced that no amount of pressure will induce them either to buy or pay more rent, which brings it down to your third alternative -- for them to get out. That, of course, can be easily accomplished but there is everything to lose and nothing to gain by making them move. They are unquestionably the best renters in town, and the only ones I know of who would take care of the place, pay the rent regularly, stay in, instead of moving in and out, etc.

As to the finances I have paid out --

State and county taxes ------------------ $43.93

Paving tax 33.26

Sewer tax 10.00

Total taxes $87.19

Insurance 19.50

Total property expense $106,69

One month's rent sent to you 20.00

11 HOLC payments @ $12.00 each 132.00 (Should have paid 12)

Total paid out $258.69

Total received, 12 mo. @ $20 240.00

Of course, only $ 106.69 is really prorerty expense. If it were not for the payments on the loan, you would have $133.31 clear, which is an average of $11.10 per month.

Frankly, I do not believe that, under present circumstances, there is any way at all to get any more out of the place. We can, of course, turn loose of it at any time, but there is a chance -- slim, I admit -- that property may some time be worth a little more than at present, and as long as the income from the place is paying the taxes and insurance, and supposedly meeting the payments on the loan, it seems too bad to simply let it go. If in spite of these conditions you want the Brasels to get out, there probably will be no choice except to let it go, for I do not believe that if they are made to move it will be possible to continue to hang onto it, as I have been doing As for your coming back here, we would of course be glad to see you, and I would insist on your coming except for the fact that, the way we are situated, I am afraid you will not be very comfortable. Abbott has the middle room. Earle has the front room ( with a lot of "junk" piled around in it which makes it seem very much like a store room) and when I am here I "camp out", with a cot in the dining room, etc. The only possible arrangement would be to get a room for you at Mrs. Belton's or somewhere in this neighborhood where you would be comfortable and could get back ,and forth easily. As far as the place is concerned, I am sure you could not do anything at all about it -- except to put the Brasels out.

We were sorry to hear about the sickness in Alma's family, and the financial worries in Aline's. I am certainly in a position to sympathize with both of them, for I have known nothing but sickness and financial worries -- both serious -- for the past several years. In addition to Abbott's condition which, to say the least is not encouraging, Earle has been having serious trouble with his throat, lungs, bronchial tubes, etc. He completely lost his voice several months ago, and since last May or June has been able to talk only in a whisper -most of the time a very faint whisper -- which in addition to his very poor physical condition, is a serious handicap in a business way. Financially, we are just on the verge of losing both the house and the office -- are simply staving off the crash as long as possible. Don't know how much longer we'll be able to hang on, and have no idea what will become of Abbott, nor any of us, if our creditors do foreclose, as they are constantly threatening to do.

I am telling you all this for- one reason only -- and that is to explain vhy I have not written and urge you to come and spend the winter here. We certainly would be glad to see you and if, under these circumstances you think you could stand it, we'll do our best to make you glad you came.

Have been interrupted so many times while trying to write this that I've no idea whether you'll be able to figure out what I've tried to say or not, Am rushing to get it in tonight's mail, so please make allowances for haste, errors, etc.

With much love to yourself and every member of the family,

Hastily but devotedly yours.

/s/Mabel

Octavia Ford buys land in Florida?

What was this about? This is after Benjamin Ford died. My mother was born in Atlanta, Georgia, the year before this. Aline Ford's husband, Virgil sold real estate in Florida. (I have the license somewhere.) Did Octavia go live with her daughter Aline in Georgia after she was widowed? Did my grandparents sell her land? I hope it wasn't swamp land. Hollywood, Florida, was founded in 1925, so the tract of land named here might be very valuable today.

E. Paul Ford

I just came across this handsome picture of E. Paul Ford. It's in a cardboard folder with the photographer's name, Harris Fotografer, Little Rock, Pine Bluff Ark and Washington D.C. Probably means it was taken before he moved to California in 1911. My mother always told me I looked like him. Of course he died a few months before I was born. Maybe it was the eyes. Here are some eyes: mine, Paul Ford's and my daughter Ashleigh's. Maybe not in that order.

Back when Everybody was Polite

Back in the old days, women were addressed with their husband's name or initials prefixed with Mrs. When the woman was widowed, she might use her own name or initials, still with Mrs. in front. In Benjamin Ford's obituary, his sister is listed as Mrs. M.L. Omering. Since Benjamin died in 1925, this is consistent with the fact that Marie's husband, Charles Omering, died in 1923.

Three Branches in One Picture

Abbott Hall gave me a copy of this picture. It was a surprise to find out people knew each other when I was a teenager and I didn't know much about it. This picture dates to July 1968 and was taken at Abbott and Robert Hall's house in Claremont, CA. On the left is Richard Brian Hall, Abbott Hall's son. Next to him is Alma Ford Ellis, almost 88 years old at the time. In the back is Abbott Hart Kinney Hall, granddaughter of Mabel Ford. In the front is Abbott's daughter, Joanne Turquand Hall. In between them is my grandmother, Aline Ford, aged 74. The young lady in the back right is Aline's granddaughter, Christine Louise Denton. At the right is Colleen Kinney, Mabel Ford's granddaughter and first cousin to Abbott Hall. So everybody in this picture is a descendent of Benjamin Ford and Octavia Lutes. There are two people from the second generation, three from the fourth, and two from the fifth. Joanne was born almost 80 years after Alma.

A History of Dermott, Arkansas by Abbott F. Kinney

Here is an article about Dermott, Arkansas written in 1952 by Abbott F. Kinney. It mentions Octavia L Ford as the president of the Women's clubs. I think I have some stationery with her name printed on it.

Benjamin Ford Obituary

Here is an obituary for Benjamin Ford. As you can see, it's just cut out of a newspaper with no indication of the date or which newspaper. B. FORD CALLED SUDDENLY BY DEATH

Benjamin Ford was born on December 5, 1854, in Frankfort, Ky., and died on the evening of Jan. 8, 1925, at his home in Dermott. For a short while before his death, he had been suffering from ill health, but had continued the active discharge of his official duties. His sudden death on Thursday evening, within fifty minutes after he had facilitated the handling of express from the fast south-bound train, came as a great shock to the whole community. Those with him when the end came were Mrs. Ford, his wife, Dr. E. E. Barlow, his physician, G. E. Kinney, his son-in-law, and Mrs. Gray, his sister-in-law.

After the arrival of his sons and daughters from distant points, the funeral services were held in the Presbyterian Church on Tuesday morning at ten o'clock, and interment took place in the Dermott cemetery. The services were conducted by his pastor, Rev. M. A. Boggs, assisted by Rev. B. F. Roebuck, pastor of the Methodist Church. The music was rendered by the church quartette, and consisted of greathymns which Mr. Ford had loved while alive. All the business houses in town were closed during the service, and a great many beautiful flowers had been given by his former friends and associates, showing the high esteem in which he was held in the community.Mr. Ford, at the time of his death, had given 51 years of faithful service to the Railroad Company. For 17 years he had been the agent for the Missouri Pacific in Dermott, and it is doubtful if the company ever had a more faithful or a more efficient agent. In his early years he was associated with Thomas Edison as an operator. "Uncle Joe" Cannon, the late U. S. Congressman from Missouri, was one of his intimate personal friends, and within the past few weeks before his death he had enjoyed a personal visit from Mr. C. H. Stevens, former paymaster of the Missouri Pacific. In his early youth he united with the Methodist Church and gave many active years of service to that denomination as a Steward, Sunday School Superintendent and Bible Class worker. Three years ago he united with the Presbyterian Church, of which he was a member at the time of his death.

He was married on Feb. 27, 1878, to Miss Octavia L. Lutes of Marquand, Mo. To this union were born six children, all of whom survive him except the first one, Maud, who died in infancy and was buried at Glen Allen, Mo. The others are: Mrs. S. S. Marx of Los Angeles, Cal; Mrs. G. E. Kinney of Dermott; Mr. E. Paul Ford of San Diego, Cal; Mr. H. P. Ford of Johnston City, Tenn; and Mrs. Virgil A. Beeson of Atlanta. Ga. He is survived also by his widow, Mrs. Octavia Lutes Ford of Dermott, a sister, Mrs. M. L. Omering of Little Rock, and a nephiew, Mr. E. B. Ford of Little Rock, and twelve grandchildren.

In losing Mr. Ford, Dermott has lost one of her foremost citizens, the Railroad Company a faithful official, the family a loving and devoted father, and the community a man of undaunted courage. The memory of his brave and useful life will always be to those who knew him "a part of life's unalterable good. "

The lights are out In the mansion of clay; The curtains are drawn, For the dwellers away; He silently slipped O'er the threshold of night, To make his abode In the city of light.

A picture with Ben Ford

This photo comes from Linda Sheeler who got it from Susan Shea who got it from somebody else. I've seen no other pictures of my great-grandfather, so I'll assume the man in the picture is Ben Ford. The girl on the left is MaeLouise. The woman on the left is her mother Louise Cogbill Ford. The woman in plaid is Octavia Lutes Ford. Here is a photo from a few years later with Octavia on the left. The woman next to Ben Ford looks to me to be his daughter, Mabel Ford Kinney. Here is a picture of Mabel:The boy appears to be Mabel's son, Abbott Kinney. If we assume this picture was taken about 1919, then Mae Louise was about 5 and Abbott was approaching 10. The information that came with the photo identified the other girl as Vera. Vera Marx was two years younger than MaeLouise, so the age is about right. However, I wonder why Vera might have been in Arkansas, where this picture was presumably taken (it says it was taken in Wynn, AR, which is quite a ways from Chicot county, where Ben Ford lived for the most part from 1910 onward.) And if Vera were there, her mother Alma would have been there, too, and might have been in the picture. Here is a picture of the Kinney Boys, Abbott and Gilbert. I believe this was taken in 1925 and the baby is my mother, Aline Beeson. She seems too old for this to be on the occasion of Ben Ford's funeral in January 1925. She tells me she didn't return to Arkansas after the funeral, but if Marjorie (holding the baby) was there, Aline probably would have been too. If the other girl is a family member, the only one whose age would be right would be Homer's daughter, Virginia. Here's another picture of the two boys with Marjorie.

Last Days of Homer Ford

This is a letter written by Mabel Ford Kinney to her mother, Octavia Ford on March 27, 1941, describing the demise of her brother, Homer P. Ford. I've OCR'd it so you don't have to squint at the original unless you want to do so, or want to proofread it for me. Mergraf Oil Products Company, INC. 3759 Bellevue Avenue Detroit Michigan March 27, 1941

Dearest Mother:

You probably saw the local in the Dermott News last week and will not be surprised to learn that I am in Detroit. The situation briefly is that Homer has been working very hard for a good many months trying to organize a company and buy the plant indicated in the name on the letterhead. The former owners had gone into bankruptcy, but every one says they had a fine product and simply mismanaged.

Homer succeeded in completing a purchase through the federal court here in Detroit, but the people who had lost it were very bitter and set about trying to regain possesion by the most nefarious methods. A young man who had bought some stock in the new company, with the understanding he was to have the job of office manager, was found to be assisting the former owners in their dishonesty, so Homer asked me if I could come up here and work in the office, which was not yet very firmly established but he thought the worst was over and that it was a good business proposition.

So I came up here on March 17th. When I got here Homer had been sick for a few days but was some better and as soon as he could get me started in the office was going to make a business trip to New York and then was going to a hospital to find out what was the matter with him and try to get it cured. He left here last Friday about noon, was sick all the way to New York, entered a hospital there Monday and received very encouraging reports to the effect that he had been overworking, would have to ease up, etc, but they thought he would be able to be out again in a week or so. That was Monday morning. Tuesday night in the night he had another attack of whatever it was, involving his heart, and passed away early yesterday morning.

I know you will be shocked and grieved to receive this news. Homer asked about you and told me several times that it was his most earnest desire to get on his feet and get in position to do something that would really be of help to you. You will be gratified to know that he stood very high with the bankers, lawyers, federal court Judge, etc, with whom he had been dealing here, and had really made an excellent reputation for himself. He and his wife, Gwendolyn, were most devoted and I think the only real happiness Homer ever knew in marriage was with her. She went to New York with him. The funeral is to be there Saturday afternoon, March 29, and the body will be cremated.

I do not know the address of any of the rest of the family, but I think Abbott has Paul's address and I have written him to let Paul know. I suppose you can and will tell Aline and Alma.

I am not sure I have your correct address, but hope this will reach you promptly.

The Matlock's, who had lived in your house for nearly a year, moved out without notice just before I left. They were behind with the rent and the house is now vacant. I listed it with a young man there who is trying to sell some real estate and told him we would accept any reasonable offer. Have kept the insurance in effect and will manage someway to take care of the first quarter payment of taxes which is due now and becomes delinquent April 10th. The sewer tax is also due, and becomes delinquent Mar. 31st. I will take care of that and hope and pray we can sell the place soon.

I do not have any idea what my future plans will be. I had great confidence in Homer being able to make a success of this business, but now I am completely up in the air.

Mr. Schroeder, vice president of the company, lives in New York, and will come over here after the funeral. I should get a better idea of things from him some time next week.

I will receive mail at 3759 Bellevue, Detroit, (see letterhead) for the next week or so, anyway, and will try to write you again soon.

Homer and Gwendolyn went to Albion to see Aunt May and Marion on Sunday, March 9th. He took sick the next day . Marion phoned me last night and is driving down here tomorrow. It is about 90 or 95 miles, I think.

I hope you can make heads or tails of this letter. been under quite a strain and can't either type or think, much less do both at the same time.

Dearest love.

/s/Mabel

Abbott is at Dermott. I left a Negro girl to fix his meals and clean his room. He says he is getting along all right, but of course I feel anxious about him all the time.

Aline Ford Family Photos

These pictures show gatherings of Aline's grandchildren. Marjorie moved away from Los Angeles and after that gatherings were fewer. 1954 This appears to be the second birthday party for Cary and Gary at the Andrews house on Valerio in Van Nuys in September 1954. Standing, L to R, Carol Andrews, Marjorie Robertson Andrews, Margaret Andrews, Aline Ford Pemberton, Edward Andrews. Seated nearest: Michael Thompson (looking at camera), Kevin Thompson. On right bench, from near: Gary Andrews, Christine Denton, Cary Andrews, unknown. On left bench, from near: unknown, unknown, Kelly Howard, Judith Andrews. 1956 Judging by the age of baby Paul, this was taken around fall of 1956. Is that also at the Valerio house? Men in the back: Edward Andrews, Gerry Thompson, George Howard. Women and teenagers: Aline Ford Pemberton, Margaret Andrews, Carol Andrews, Judith Andrews, Marjorie Robertson Andrews, Aline Beeson Thompson, Beverly Beeson Howard. Children in front: Christine Denton, Kevin Thompson, Cary Andrews, Gary Andrews, Michael Thompson (with baby Paul Thompson on his shoulders), Kelly Howard.

1984 Here is the latest that features members of all three branches of Aline's family. Aline Ford and Beverly Beeson had passed away by this time. The occasion was the wedding of Paul Thompson and Debra Ford in May 1984, in San Diego. A lot has changed since then... Standing: Mark Mason, Darrel Lee, Kevin Thompson, Gerry Thompson, Paul Thompson, Michael Thompson, Patrice Schmidt Andrews (with children), Gary Andrews, Scott Andrews (with child). Seated: Mary Gail Thompson Mason, Eugene Lee, Kelly Howard Lee, Aline Beeson Thompson, Debra Ford Thompson, Marjorie Robertson Andrews, Annamarie Rodriguez Andrews (with child). Scott and Mary Gail didn't make the cut for the earliest photos, but here they are, married, and Scott with two children. Somebody please identify the Andrews children.

The Third Generation

Here is a listing of all the people in the third generation. There were fourteen; no more than three are still with us.

Third Generation of Descendants of Benjamin Ford

Name	Parents	Date of Birth	Date of Death	Age	Spouse
Octavia F Marx	Sidney Strauss Marx & Alma Ford	19 Jan 1907	19 Jul 2001	94	MERLE EVERT WILSON	MERLE was born on 30 Oct 1904 in NEBRASKA. He died on 9 Feb 1984 in Onyx, Kern, California
Gilbert Ford Kinney	Gilbert Earle Kinney & Mabel Ford	29 Dec 1907	23 Apr 2000	92	Martha Turquand Stinson	Martha was born on 15 Jun 1909 in Arkansas. She died on 21 Sep 1986 in Monterey, California.
Helen Marx	Sidney Strauss Marx & Alma Ford	21 Nov 1908	2 Dec 1983	75	WILLIAM FULLER DOZIER	WILLIAM was born on 5 Jan 1905 in Anderson, Shasta, CALIFORNIA. He died on 31 Mar 1989 in Oakland, Alameda, California
Abbott Ford Kinney	Gilbert Earle Kinney & Mabel Ford	11 Nov 1909	10 Apr 2002	92	Dorothy Lucille Jeffers	Dorothy was born on 15 Oct 1924 in Dermott, Chicot County, Arkansas. She died on 17 Jan 1986 in Dermott, Chicot County, Arkansas.
Herschella Ford	Homer P Ford & Novella Taylor	25 Aug 1911	30 Aug 1990	79	Jimmy Mitchell	Jimmy was born about 1911. He died about 1978.
					unknown Muehlenbruch	He died in 1988
Benjamin Ford	Ernest Paul Ford & Louise Cogbill	12 Mar 1912	1913	1
MaeLouise Ford	Ernest Paul Ford & Louise Cogbill	28 Mar 1914		93+	Robert Wesley Town	Robert was born on 3 Feb 1913 in San Diego, California. He died on 21 Jun 1994 in SAN DIEGO, California
Marjorie Robertson	Charles Robertson & Aline Ford	6 Dec 1915	31 Jan 1997	81	Carl Bowers	Carl was born about 1914
					Edward F Andrews	Edward was born on 19 Apr 1918. He died on 4 Mar 2003 in Boulder City, Clark, Nevada
Vera May Marx	Sidney Strauss Marx & Alma Ford	19 May 1916	23 Dec 1974	58	Albert R Hunter	Albert was born about 1915
					Warrington Brereton Spears	Warrington was born on 29 Oct 1918 in Illinois. He died on 21 Oct 1958 in Los Angeles
					James J Powers	James was born in 1916.
Virginia Langman Ford	Homer P Ford & Muriel Pearl Langman	9 Sep 1918	28 Nov 1975	57	John Sturgis Bradley	John was born about 1918.
					Michael Weiss	Michael was born about 1928.
					unknown Morrison.	He was born about 1920.
Richard Benjamin Ford	Homer P Ford & Muriel Pearl Langman	1920		86+	Dorothy Eileen Laby	Dorothy was born about 1920. She died in 1962
					Almanette Bernice Melchior	Almanette was born about 1920
Ernest Paul Ford Jr.	Ernest Paul Ford & Louise Cogbill	18 Jul 1920	26 May 1976	55	Gwendolyn Suchy	Gwendolyn was born on 23 Mar 1920 in FLORIDA. She died on 11 Aug 1950 in SAN DIEGO, California.
					Mary Dodson	Mary was born about 1931
Aline Martha Beeson	Virgil Augustus Beeson & Aline Ford	1924		82+	Gerry Gail Thompson	Gerry was born on 10 Feb 1927 in Alamosa,CO. He died on 26 Jul 2004 in Pacoima, Los Angeles, California
Beverly Vee Beeson	Virgil Augustus Beeson & Aline Ford	14 Sep 1926	9 Jan 1974	47	Bruce Earle
					Louis Denton	Louis was born on 13 Jul 1920. He died on 8 Jul 1978 in Clackamas, Oregon.
					George Arthur Joseph Howard	George was born on 29 Oct 1911. He died in Apr 1981 in North Hollywood, Los Angeles, California
					Glenn Weatherspoon	Glenn was born on 13 Nov 1923 in KENTUCKY. He died on 23 Apr 1981 in LOS ANGELES, California

Marie Levenia Ford (9 Aug 1857-4 Apr 1936)

Benjamin Ford's sister Marie came to his funeral in 1925 and is listed in the obituary as Mrs. M. L. Omering. She was born August 9, 1857, in Buttersville, Arkansas. Sometime around 1880, she married Charles Omering, a German, and they lived in Little Rock, Arkansas. They had two or three children who died as infants, followed by a son, Carl Herman Omering, on August 24, 1895. Carl served in a machine gun company in World War I. Perhaps he was injured during the war, as he is listed as disabled on his World War II draft registration. Charles died August 4, 1923. Sometime in the 1920s, Carl married Grace Ethel Oates. The couple lived with Marie until she died April 4, 1936. Carl died December 23, 1954 but Grace lived until July of 1981. It's not clear whether or not Carl and Grace had any children. Charles, Marie, and Carl are all buried in Little Rock.

Photo courtesy Pris Weathers.
Here are the relevant census records from 1860 through 1930 (she sure 'changes' her name a lot, doesn't she?):

Name	Age	Place of Birth	Comment
Year: 1860; Census Place: Caroline, Prairie, Arkansas; Roll: M653_48; Page: 949; Image: 420.
Luvenia Ford	3	Arkansas
Year: 1870; Census Place: Caroline, Pulaski, Arkansas; Roll: M593_62; Page: 108; Image: 213.
Maria Ford	12	Arkansas
Year: 1880; Census Place: Hot Springs, Garland, Arkansas; Roll: T9_45; Family History Film: 1254045; Page: 119.4000; Enumeration District: 73; Image: 0242.
Chas. Oemering	23	Hanover
Mary Oemering	17	Illinois
Hester J. Power	52	Louisiana	This is problematical. She is listed as 'Mother-in-law', but her name is wrong and Marie's mother died in 1870. However, it's hard to imagine that these Oemerings are not the same Omerings that appear later.
Year: 1900; Census Place: Little Rock Ward 1, Pulaski, Arkansas; Roll: T623 73; Page: 1A; Enumeration District: 71.
Martha Omering	41	Arkansas
Chas H Omering	44	Germany
O Carl Omering	5	Arkansas
Hattie Omering	36	Arkansas	This is probably Marie's sister, Harriet Virginia Bell Ford and her daughter, Alma. Their last name was possibly Nelson
Alma Omering	12	Arkansas
Year: 1910;Census Place: Little Rock Ward 1, Pulaski, Arkansas; Roll: T624_62;Page: 37A; Enumeration District: 107; Image: 589.
Mariah Omering	53	Arkansas
Charles H Omering	54	Germany
Carl Omering	14	Arkansas
Year: 1920;Census Place: Little Rock Ward 3, Pulaski, Arkansas; Roll: T625_79; Page: 22A; Enumeration District: 128; Image: 368.
Myria Omering	60	Arkansas
Charles H Omering	65	Germany
Carl H Omering	24	Arkansas
Year: 1930; Census Place: Little Rock, Pulaski, Arkansas; Roll: 91; Page: 11B; Enumeration District: 9; Image: 154.0.
Marie L Omering	70	Arkansas
Carl H Omering	34
Grace Omering	30		Carl has married Grace Ethel Oates

List of Ben Ford's Siblings

This is from a paper that Abbott gave me from her father's papers. On the back it said, "Notes owned by Dorothy Kinney, Dermott, Arkansas". There are no sources indicated, so this is just what it is, nothing more. I scanned the copy and OCR'd it, then proof read it as carefully as I could. The birth year for Ben Ford is given as 1855, while we've accepted it as 1854 -- so if there is a typo there, it isn't mine. After the list, I've added some census records that match the list.

Father Wm. Ford died, March 1884, Atkins, Arkansas. Mother Sarah Ford, died July 21, 1870, Little Rock, Ark.

Children listed according to date of birth.

Daughter, Lizzie Ford Jones, Borned May 1838, Kentucky, died Dec. 1887, little Rock, Ark. One child surviving, Jim C. Jones, 912 Allen, Street, Little Rock, Ark.

Daughter, Margaret Ford Stanley, Borned April 7, 1840, Missouri, died June 30, 1918, Eureka Springs, Ark. No children.

Daughter, Sarah Ford Phillips Borned Sept. 1843, Missouri, died Jan. 1860, Old Austin, Arkansas. No children.

Son, James K. Polk Ford Borned March 18, 1847, Pocahontas, Arkansas, died Feb. 3rd, 1918, Little Rock, Ark. 10 children surviving. Seven boys, James Franklin, Early Wayne, Ernest Benjamin, Jessie Woodson, Samuel Washington, Shirley Edward, Lloyd Dock, Three Girls, Eudie, Della and Fruza. Myrtle deceased.

Son George Washington Ford, borned Oct. 28th, 1852, Old Austin, Ark. murdered on the plains of Texas about 1878, no children.

Son Benjamin Franklin Ford Ford borned Dec. 5, 1855, Old Austin Ark. died Jan. 5th, 1925, Dermott, Ark. Balance is known to you.

Daughter, Marie Levenia Ford Omering, borned Aug. 9th, 1857, Buttersville, Ark. One son, Carl H. Omering, both residing at 1616 spring St. Little Rock, Ark.

Daughter, Harriett Virginia Bell Ford Nelson, borned Oct. 1, 1863, Old Austin, Ark. died. Sept. 28th, 1922, Portland, Oregon. Three daughters surviving, Sarah J. Stounbough, Macon, Ill. Nora A. Gregory, Herrick, Ill. Alma M. Peglow, last heard of in Japan before the disaster.

Son, (Half-brother) Wm. Ford borned June 1879, Cabot, Ark. Killed in railroad accident on Fort Smith branch of I.M. Railroad Co. 1898, Near Atkins, Ark.

Here are some possibly relevant census records.

Year: 1850; Census Place: Jefferson, Jackson, Arkansas; Roll: M432_27; Page: 54; Image: 108

Name	Age	Place of Birth	Comment
William Ford	30	Tennessee
Sarah Ford	29	Kentucky
Elizabeth Ford	12	ditto
Margaret Ford	10	Illinois
Nancy Ford	8	Arkansas
Sarah Ford	5	ditto
James Ford	3	ditto
Mary Ford	6/12
George W. Ford	31	Tennessee	Presumably, this is William's brother
Margaret Ford	6	Arkansas	Geo. W's daughter, Wm's niece
William Ford	4	ditto	Geo. W's son, Wm's nephew
Amanda Ford	2	ditto	Geo. W's daughter, Wm's niece

Year: 1860; Census Place: Caroline, Prairie, Arkansas; Roll: M653_48; Page: 949; Image: 420.

Name	Age	Place of Birth	Comment
William Ford	48	Tennessee
Sallie Ford	38	"	Sallie a nickname for Sarah
Sarah Ford	16	Arkansas
James Ford	14	"
George Ford	8	"
Benjamin Ford	6	"
Luvenia Ford	3	"
Margaret Ford	15	"	Since she is listed separate, and from the age, this is probably William's niece, not the daughter of the same name

Year: 1870; Census Place: Caroline, Pulaski, Arkansas; Roll: M593_62; Page: 108; Image: 213.

Name	Age	Place of Birth	Comment
William Ford	55	Kentucky
Sarah Ford	45	"
George W Ford	17	Arkansas
Ben F Ford	16	"
Maria Ford	12	"
Bell Ford	8	"
Margarett Bell	25	"	Looks like the niece got married, had some kids, maybe widowed, and moved in with the uncle
Amanda Bell	8	"
Sallie Bell	3	"

Year: 1880; Census Place: Atkins, Pope, Arkansas; Roll: T9_54; Family History Film: 1254054; Page: 123.4000; Enumeration District: 139; Image: 0365.

Name	Age	Place of Birth
William Ford	67	Tennessee
Mary E Ford	39	Alabama
William Ford	4	Arkansas

A Photo Of Gilbert Ford Kinney

Now that I've met my wonderful cousin, Abbott Hart Hall, and looked at some pictures of her father, it strikes me that this picture may be her father, Gilbert Ford Kinney (1907-2000).

Okay, that's not too clear. Here's a closeup of the face with the brightness and contrast adjusted:

Now for a digression on family archeology. When I started trying to make sense out of stuff that was lying around my mother's house, I had a bow of 35mm slides. There was almost no organization, just a jumble of slides in a dusty box. I bought a slide scanner to digitize them, but I needed to organize them somehow.

It appears that most of the vacation photos cover about 1948 through 1953. Your corrections are always welcome.

I started by sorting the slides into groups based upon the cardboard mountings and how they were marked. E.g., some say Kodachrome in red, some Ektachrome in yellow, and so on. The I tried to distinguish them by the way the stamped numbers looked: some faint, some darker, some red, etc. Once I had them in groups, I tried to group them by the original roll. I tried to pick one of each sequence number. I tried to guess by the subject of the photo.

In the case of this photo, it's stamped 11, and I had it grouped with a number 12 that shows the Arkansas State Capitol. Some of the rolls of film seem to represent trips my grandmother Aline took with her husband Brooks, so the supposition would be this was taken in Arkansas. However, that would make it more likely that this is Gilbert's brother Abbott, and my eyes say it really looks more like Gilbert.

So I just went back to the actual slides and look again and the stamping of the 11 and 12 seem different. I find other slides that are indicative of a trip north in California: cypress trees as in Monterey, and Morro Rock.

This is real-time investigation, I look and add these to this posting. This one is sequence number 12 and it appears to be the same guy on the right. Here's another one with my grandmother this time: Here's another that seems to be in front of the same house. If the man is Gilbert F Kinney, perhaps this boy is his son, Gilbert "Butch" Jr?

For some perspective, here's a photo of Gilbert on the left, with hs mother Mabel, brother, Abbott, and father Earle, taken in the 1930s: (The pictures are clickable and will take you to the flickr page where you can see them in more detail.)

Feedback?

Aline Ford

Aline Ford was born in Texas on August 27, 1893. The family moved to Judsonia, Arkansas and lived there in 1900. Judsonia is on the rail line -- expected as her father worked all his life for the railroad. By 1910, she was living in Saint Louis with her mother and her brother, Homer. In Saint Louis, she probably attended Hodgen Elementary School. In the 1950s, she visited the school site and had her picture taken in front of the school: Their home in 1910, at 1613 Missouri Avenue was only a few blocks from the Hodgen School. The school recently replaced the building pictured here with a modern one. Aline may have attended Galloway Women's College in Arkansas. During the same trip as the Hodgen visit, she visited the site of Harding College in Searcy, Arkansas. Harding was located on the original site of Galloway. Sometime before 1915, Aline married Charles Robertson, a druggist. Her first daughter, Marjorie, was born in 1915. In 1920, they lived in Little Rock, Arkansas. The marriage did not last much longer. Aline and Charles were divorced and on July 15, 1922, she married Virgil Augustus Beeson. Virgil had been a newspaper publisher and Arkansas Legislator. He served in Europe as an officer in the American Expeditionary Force and after returning to Arkansas, he became leader of the Arkansas National Guard. However, Virgil became embroiled in politics and lost a struggle with the second in command when the governor sided with the other guy. At the same time, he was divorced from his first wife, Charlotte Lewis; the proceedings were covered by the local newspapers. Perhaps because of this adverse publicity, the couple left Arkansas shortly after they wed. Aline and Virgil lived in many places for the next several years. Their first daughter, Aline Jr., was born in 1924 in Atlanta Georgia. Virgil also sold real estate in Florida during this time. Aline's third, and final, child, Beverly, was born in North Carolina in 1926. After Beverly was born, the family left North Carolina and came to California. Aline and the three girls traveled via train while Virgil drove his car. They sent telegrams to each other as they traveled. By 1930, the family was living in San Francisco. Aline began working for a typewriter company managing a business that supplied typists to businesses. They moved to Los Angeles and Aline performed the same kind of work for Royal Typewriter. In 1936, she founded the Beeson Agency to provide secretarial services to attorneys. The secretaries would come to the Beeson Agency office and wait until a call for their services was received, and be dispatched to the client's office. In later years, when telephones were more universal, the Agency would telephone the secretaries at their homes. The Beeson Agency was extremely successful into the early 1980s when changing technology made the business model obsolete. Meanwhile, Aline and Virgil's relationship hit the rocks and they were divorced in 1944. Aline married E. Brooks Pemberton in 1945. They lived in a number of places around Los Angleles. They lived in the Birmingham trailer park on Balboa in Van Nuys. In 1948 and 1949 they had a "ranch" they called AlBrooks Ranch on Tuxford in Sun Valley. They raised one calf and some rabbits while they lived there. Later they lived on Stagg Street near Lockheed Air Terminal. The house on Stagg was previously occupied by Marjorie and her family. Aline also later owned another house across the street which at one time was occupied by her daughter Beverly. Brooks was a man that nobody other than Aline seemed to like, and eventually she agreed with the rest of the world and they were divorced in the 1960s. In 1948, Beverly married Louis Denton in Portland Oregon. Louis was a used car salesman. Aline and Brooks would purchase used taxi cabs in Los Angeles, and drive them to Portland, where Louis would sell them for a profit. Beverly and Louis soon split up and Beverly returned to Los Angeles so this scheme ended. Aline preferred Lincoln automobiles, owning many of them from 1953 on. Only once did she purchase a Mercury instead as she thought a station wagon would be better for traveling to horse shows while pulling a trailer. However, she found the Mercury to lack the luxury she was used to in the Lincolns and traded it for another Lincoln. Aline was among the first to do many things aside from being a businesswoman in an era when most women were homemakers. She purchased one of the first color televisions, with the round picture tube. She was one of the first people to have a garage door opener. She flew to Hawaii in 1959 and traveled around the United States several times.She visited Mexico as well. She visited Knott's Berry Farm when it was a Berry Farm. She went to Disneyland when it was $ 0.90 admission but you needed to buy tickets for each ride. Beverly's daughters, Christie and Kelly, came to live with their grandmother in the mid 1950s. Aline was effectively their mother until they were grown. In the early 1960s, Aline purchased a house on Lassen Street in Chatsworth where she could have horses. They outgrew the property and she sold it and purchased a three-acre ranch in Sand Canyon in Saugus, California. Sand Canyon is now an exclusive residential community. They raised some Arabian and half-Arab horses. They owned a beautiful gelding, El Seyn, who won many prizes. Even later in her life, she continued to work at the business she had founded. Aline moved back to Stagg Street and lived there until she suffered a stroke and needed nursing care. She died on September 30, 1976. She outlived her daughter Beverly by two years, but failed to live as long as her oldest sister, Alma, by thirteen.

Family Photo From 1937

p00031-001, originally uploaded by Mighty Morgno.

This picture was taken in front of Octavia Lutes Ford's house on 2nd Street in LA in September of 1937. From left to right: Aline Beeson, Octavia Marx, Beverly Beeson, Aline Ford, Marion Gray, Alma Ford, May Lutes, Octavia Lutes, Fannie Mae Fink, Ida Lutes.