John Allison MCSWAIN Mattie Helen JONES Cyrus Lester MCSWAIN Eunice DAVIS Tissie MCSWAIN Mini tree diagram
Cyrus Lester MCSWAIN

Cyrus Lester MCSWAIN1,2,3,5,6,7,4,8,12,9

16th Mar 18991,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9 - Nov 19875,7

Life History

16th Mar 1899

Born in Ethel, Arkansas, Arkansas.1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9

between 1900 and 1930

Resident in Prairie Township (Ethel), Arkansas County, Arkansas.4,1,2,6,3

before Sep 1918

Married: to M E (ref WWI Draft registraton, wife of Cyrus L McSwain reported as M E McSwain) in Ethel, Arkansas, Arkansas.3,11

20th Mar 1919

Married Mattie Helen JONES in Ethel, Arkansas, Arkansas.4,9

17th Dec 1923

Married Eunice DAVIS in DeWitt, Arkansas, Arkansas.15,16

about 1924

Divorced in from Mattie Jones.10

about 1924

Married in DeWitt, Arkansas, Arkansas, to Eunice Davis.2

about 1924

Divorced from Mattie Helen JONES in Arkansas County, Arkansas.10

15th May 1925

Birth of son Cyrus Lester MCSWAIN in Ethel, Arkansas, Arkansas.2,13,14,8,7

Nov 1987

Died in DeWitt, Arkansas, Arkansas.5,7

Nov 1987

Buried in Cedarcrest Memorial Gardens, DeWitt, Arkansas County, Arkansas.7

Notes

  • Lester is reported in Phillip's household in the 1900 census as Phillip's grandson, age 1 year.  Again the 1910 census reports him as Phillip's grandson.  Phillip took him in as his own son, and it is possible he had legally adopted him.

    His great grandson Kevin McSwain of DeWitt, reports Lester was a grandson of Phillip (P K) McSwain, a son of one of Philip's daughters who died in childbirth.  It is likely that Lester's mother, known as Tissie (or Tisey) in family memory, was born after the 1880 census.  She died at his birth in 1899, so does not appear in any census.  We are told she was buried in an unmarked grave.

    1900 Federal Census, Arkansas County, Arkansas, 19 June, Prairie Township, District 7, Page 13B, Hse #218, Fam #293
    McSwain, Phillip K Head W M  Jan 1847  53 Married 25 years  NC NC NC Farmer
    McSwain, Marth [sic] E   Wife W F Oct 1847 52  Married 25 years Housekeeping  NC NC NC
    McSwain, Lester Grandson  W M  Mar 1899 1 AR NC NC

    1910 Federal Census, Arkansas County, Arkansas, 22 April, Prairie Township, District 13, page 4A, Hse/Fam #58
    McSwain, Philip  Head  M W 69 Married 36 years NC  NC  NC Farmer
    McSwain, Martha  Wife  F W 67 Married 36 years NC  SC  NC
    McSwain, Lester  Grandson  M W 11 Single AR NC NC

    Lester is reported as the grandson of Phillip in these two censuses.  Philip took him in and treated him as a son.  "Phillip also left him an equal share of his property when he died"  (Shirley Rowland Mitchell, email to Orville Boyd Jenkins, 8 April 2015).

    Lester's WWI Draft Registration card tells us a lot about his current situation in 1918.

    U. S. World War I Draft Registration Cards, 1917-1918
    Cyrus Lester McSwain
    Age 19, b 16 Mar 1899 (no location given)
    Residence Ethel, Arkansas, Arkansas
    Wife M E McSwain
    Occupation Farmer
    Medium build, slender, blue eyes, sandy hair
    Registered Stuttgart, Arkansas, 12 September 1918
    Signed as Siros Lester McSwain

    Arkansas County Marriages Index 1837-1957
    Mattie Helen Jones
    Age 17, Birth Year abt 1902
    Residence Ethel, Arkansas, Arkansas
    Spouse's Name Lester McSwain
    Spouse's Age 21
    Spouse's Residence Ethel, Arkansas, Arkansas
    Marriage 20 Mar 1919 Arkansas County
    Marriage License Date 19 Mar 1919

    In 1920, Lester (age 20) has his own household with his wife Mattie Jones (age 18).  All indications are that he went by his middle name Lester.  This is the way he is always reported in the census.

    1920 Federal Census, Arkansas County, Arkansas, 4 February, District 16, Page 7A, Ethel & Chute Rd, House #119, Fam #123
    McSwain, Lester  Head M W 20 AR AR AR Farm Laborer, Working Out
    McSwain, Mattie H  Wife F W 18 AR AR MS

    In the 1930 census, Lester is living next door to Robert Oregon Knowlton, Jr, in Prairie Township (Ethel).  On the other side of Knowlton is Lester's uncle Joseph E McSwain.  Lester appears with his second wife, Eunice (Davis), and son Lester, Jr., age 4.  It was some time before the marriage record of Cyrus and Eunice was found.  This record reports that they married in December 1923, meaning Cyrus and Mattie Jones were probably divorced some time in1923.

    Arkansas, County Marriages Index, 1837-1957
    Eunice Davis
    Age 18 (born abt 1905)
    Residence Ethel, Arkansas, Arkansas
    Lester McSwain
    Age 24 (born abt 1899)
    Residence Ethel, Arkansas, Arkansas
    License issued 12 Dec 1923
    Marriage 17 Dec 1923 Arkansas County

    1930 Federal Census, Arkansas County, Arkansas, 21 April, District 25, page 6B, Prairie Township, Ethel & Chute Rd, Hse #116, Fam #117
    McSwain, Lester  Head M W 30 First married at age 19 AR AR AR Farmer
    McSwain, Eunice Wife F W 28 First married at age 18 AR MS AR
    McSwain, Lester Jr  Son M W 4yrs 10mos AR AR AR

    Notice that here the birth place of Lester's parents has changed from both in North Carolina to both in Arkansas.  Early censuses reported both born in North Carolina.  But his mother Tissie was born in Arkansas.  Reports differ for John, one reporting North Carolina and another Arkansas as his birthplace.

    1940 Federal Census, Arkansas County, Arkansas, 8 April, Prairie Township, District 1-26, page 3B, Belleview Road, Hse #49, Own $200
    McSwain, Lester Head M W 41 Married Grade 8 b Arkansas Same House in 1935 Farmer [b abt 1899]
    McSwain, Eunice Wife F W 34 Married Grade 7 b Arkansas Same House in 1935 Housewife [b abt 1906]
    McSwain, Cyrus Son M W 14 Single Grade 7 b Arkansas Same House in 1935 [b abt 1926]

    Later information about both Eunice and Lester place them in DeWitt, Arkansas, about 20 miles from his original home in Ethel where he lived with his grandfather then in his own household with Mattie.

    Lester was living in DeWitt when he died, according to the Social Security Death Index.

    Social Security Death Index: U.S., Broderbund Family Archive #110, Vol. 2 M-Z, Ed. 6
    Mcswain, Lester
    Social Security #432-32-8310
    Issued in Arkansas
    Birth 03/16/1899
    Death 11/00/1987
    Last known residence 72042, DeWitt, Arkansas

    Marriage date has not yet been exactly documented.  Lester McSwain appears with his second wife Eunice Davis, and son Lester, Jr, is 4 years old; Eunice's age at marriage is reported there to be 18, so she married Lester some  time after he birthday in November 1924.  I have reported the marriage as 1925.

    Later information about both Eunice and Lester places them in DeWitt, the southern county seat of Arkansas County.  Place of marriage is the residence at time of marriage.  It is not yet known where the actual solemnization ceremony took place.  It could have been by a pastor in the community, or in the county seat of DeWitt, about 20 miles from Ethel center.
    No details are available on when Lester and Mattie divorced.

    Cyrus L McSwain, Sr
    Birth 1899
    Death 1987
    Spouse Eunice D McSwain (1906 - 1994)
    Burial Cedarcrest Memorial Gardens, De Witt, Arkansas County, Arkansas
    Created by Jerry Grisham Mar 01, 2012
    --  Find A Grave Memorial #86051540, https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/86051540

    ----------------
    Cyrus Lester Mcswain Sr, Tissie's son, was married to my grandma's sister Eunice Davis and Kevin [McSwain]'s wife Gina comes through the Criswell line from Lavada Mae West.  Lavada Mae was daughter of Charles Winston West.  He was Eunice Davis' uncle.

    Eunice and my grandma Lela Bridgette Davis were daughters of great grandma Maggie West, who married Alex Davis first and had several girls.   When Alex died she married Henry Oliver Marcum.  H O had two kids by his marriage to a Rosie?  (I can't find what her last name was.)  She died then H O married Maggie West then H O's boy Roy Marcum married Lela Davis, Maggie West Davis' daughter.

    So I wound up with two great grandparent sets that way on them.  Roy and Lela's daughter Maggie Marcum (mom) married my dad Floyd Utley.
    --  Ancestry Messaging from Mike Utley to Orville Boyd Jenkins, 19 January  2020
    ----------------

Sources

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