Life History

Notes

• Arkansas, County Marriages Index, 1837-1957
  Angie Freeman
  Age 18, Birth Year abt 1871
  Residence Lono, Hot Spring, Arkansas
  Spouse's Name Joshua Ross
  Spouse's Age 19
  Spouse's Residence Lono, Hot Spring, Arkansas
  Marriage 25 Sep 1889 Hot Spring County
  Marriage License Date 24 Sep 1889
  
  1900 Federal Census, Dallas County, Arkansas, [no date], District 15, page 10B, Hse #153, Fam #155
  Ross, Mrs Angie Wife W F  --- 1875 25 Widow 3 child/3 living MS NC NC
  Ross, John W Son W M Oct 1891 8 Single AR AR AR
  Ross, William R Son W M Apr 1892 7 Single AR AR MS
  Ross, Emma C Dau W F --- 1896 4 Single AR AR MS
  Freeman, Susan E Mother W F --- 1847 53 Widow AL AL AL [but note difference in birth states here and in Angie's record]
  
  Susan Freeman here is identified in sources as Susan E Nix.  She is reported here as the mother of Angie.  But note the difference in birth states.  Angie reported her mother born in North Carolina, and even though Susan is reported as her mother, Susan's birth state is reported as Alabama, matching the 1850 census of Susan with her parents.
  
  Angie's father, W Freeman, is reported by a genealogy as born in 1825, while Susan is reported born in 1844, or 1847, according to the 1900 census.  This makes it likely she was the second wife of W Freeman, and thus the stepmother of Angie, accounting for the difference in birth states reported for Susan and Angie's mother.
  
  Another discrepancy occurs also.  The 1900 census reports a J Wesley Ross in Dallas County, Arkansas, who correlates with Angie's husband Joshua in other censuses.  This J Wesley Ross is reported in the household of his father and stepmother, and is reported as Single.  But his age and the initials J W match earlier reports and comments by researchers that identify him as Joshua Wesley, appearing to be the spouse of Angie Freeman.
  
  1900 Federal Census, Dallas County, Arkansas, [no date] June, Smith Township, District 15, page 15A, Hse #236, Fam #238
  Ross, Hugh P Head W M --- 1846 54 Married 34 years (then changed to 24, probably reflects the different dates of his two marriages] AR AL AL Farmer Owns
  Ross, Catherine E Wife W F Nov 1863 36 Married 24 yrs 2 children/1 living AR GA AL
  Ross, J Wesley W M --- 1870 30 Single AR AR TN
  Ross, Charlie May 1877 23 Single AR AR TN
  Ross, George Ann Dau --- 1879 21 Single AR AR TN
  Ross, Elizabeth Dau July 1880 19 Single AR AR TN
  Ross, William B April 1886 14 Single AR AR TN
  
  There is some uncertainty about this identity, due to the listing of two children in the 1880 census of the Ross family as Joe.  This Joe, reported as age 10, matches later reports of J Wesley as age 30 in 1900, and the report of Joshua Ross as age 1 in the 1870 census (a few months' discrepancy in the actual birth date).  The second Ross child in 1880 is named Joe W, but is identified by a researcher as Joshua Wesley.  Perhaps the second child is Joshua and the first child named Joe is actually the first child reported in the 1870 census as John, age 2.
  
  Since Angie is a widow in the 1900 census it seems that Joshua died, unless for some reason they have divorced, rather than Joshua having died.  With the information now available, this is the simplest solution to this mystery.
  
  Censuses are known to be terribly inaccurate at times for several reasons, and maybe all these discrepancies could be resolved if we could find more records and reliable family information and burial records.  Most of these are lacking for this couple and the Ross family.
  
  In the 1910 census, Angie is reported to have borne 5 children, and 4 living.  This would mean that she had remarried and been widowed since the 1900 census.  One of the children from the second marriage is the one who died.  The three older children match the three reported in the 1900 census.  Her mother's name is reported in 1910 as Sisson, compared to Susan in 1900.  It seems more likely that an enumerator would have mistaken Sisson for Susan than the other way around.  Sisson is a very unusual first name.  But we ahve other records that report her name as Susan E Nix.  On her marriage record, though, her middle initial is reproted as U.
  
  But Sisson's reported age in the 1910 census is 74, while in 1900 it was only 53.  This kind of discrepancy is not unusual in the censuse of that era, esepcially where the 1900 census is involved.
  
  1910 Federal Census, Dallas County, Arkansas, 4 May, Princeton Township, District 6, Sheet 15A, Hse/Fam #145
  Ross, Angie Head F W 36 Widow 5 children/4 living AR US Unknown
  Ross, Wesley Son M W 19 Single AR AR AR
  Ross, Richard Son M W 16 Single AR AR AR
  Ross, Emma Dau F W 14 Single AR AR AR
  Ross, Olie [Ollie in other sources] Dau F W 3 Single AR AR AR
  Freeman, Sisson Mother F W 74 Single Unknown Unk Unk

Sources

• 1. 1900 Federal Census, Dallas County, Arkansas
  • [no date], Smith Township, District 15, page 10B, Hse #153, #155
• 2. Arkansas, County Marriages Index, 1837-1957
• 3. 1910 Federal Census, Dallas County, Arkansas
  • 4 May, Princeton Township, District 6, Sheet 15A, Hse/Fam #145
• 4. Find a Grave Memorial Registry
• 5. Ancestry Trees
  • Barger Family, http://trees.ancestry.com/tree/40308229/person/19509448540
• 6. 1940 Federal Census, Arkansas County, Arkansas
  • 4 May, LaGrue Township, District 1-17, page 20A, Road to Cuba, Hse #377, Rents $5