Sentimental Sunday: Mark's Great-Great-Grandparents?

Vincent Garner Self (1834-1929) and wife Mary Malissa Hallmark (1838-1902).  Courtesy Al Lowe via FindAGrave.com

These may be some of Mark's great-great-grandparents on his father's side.  Vincent Garner (or V. G.) Self was Confederate veteran and an active member of the Methodist Church.  This picture was probably taken in the late 1890s or 1900-1901.

For some time, I've been trying to figure out who were the parents of Mark's grandfather, Marvin (or Mark) Ellis "M. E." Gresham (1886-1941).  M. E. had an older brother, W. E. (William Edward, 1882-1945), and a younger brother, L. E. (Luther Elton, 1891-1954).  Unfortunately, as they were all born after 1880, this meant I would not find them on the 1880 Census.  I did find death certificates for all three brothers, but the informants on the certificates did not know the names of their parents.

I did find M. E. and L. E. in the 1900 Census in Dallas county, Texas, living in the household of a Robert G(ranville) Young and wife "Lula," and listed as his stepsons.  Robert and Lula are listed as having been married 0 years, which means (if the census enumerator was following instructions), that they were married between June 1, 1899, to May 31, 1900.  That implied that the father of W. E., M. E., and L. E. was probably dead, likely between 1891 and 1900.  Based on the 1900 Census information about his sons, it was likely he was born in Mississippi, but I was no closer to finding out his first name.  Also according to that Census, Lula was born in April 1856 in Alabama.  On the 1910 Census, Robert Granville Young is listed as a widower, implying Lula has died.

Then I was poking around in some archived GenForum message boards, and I found a number of posts from a grandson of L. E.  I knew it was the same one, as he spelled out the name (Luther Elton) and all the other information he provided matched up.  Well - he also said he had "a hand written marriage cert. for a John L. Gresham and a Lucinda V. Self from Ozark, Franklin Co. ARK in 1880."

I contacted L. E.'s grandson (who would be Mark's second cousin), and he says he will send a copy of this certificate. I also found the record of John & Lucinda's marriage in FamilySearch, in Arkansas County Marriages.  They got the license and the marriage was performed the same day, July 1, 1880, by a Methodist minister:

Of course, I am not certain this the right couple, but the information fits. On the 1880 Census, taken the previous month, John (last name misspelled Grisham), born in Mississippi, shows up as a boarder and farm laborer with J. L. McKinny in White Oak in Franklin County, Arkansas.  Lucinda, born in Alabama, her parents V. G. and Malissa Self, and eight younger siblings, are in the same enumeration district in White Oak, which is just a few miles from Ozark, one of the county's two seats.   And oldest child Minnie Ursula "Soulah" was born in April, 1881, in Ozark.

© Amanda Pape - 2013 - click here to e-mail me.