A. Gates and Mary Ann White Childs

I had the most wonderful experience earlier this month. It started with a phone call from a woman calling from Kentucky. She had come across my blog and website. She thought I was just the person she had been "hunting for" to give family papers to.

It turns out that for many years, she lived across the road from a family named Schwanderman, in Boone County, Illinois. Garden Prairie, Boone Co., is where my grandfather, Garth Beckington was born and raised. The wife of this couple, Marian, was the daughter of Alva McMaster and his wife, Markella White. Markella was the daughter of A. Gates White and Mary Ann Childs.  Marian and her husband, Elsa, had no children and they were both only children. They died in 2001 and 2004.

My phone caller and her husband lived in Garden Prairie for many, many year. The job of cleaning out the Schwanderman house fell to them.  She has donated many of the papers to the appropriate historical societies, but she kept the papers on the White family. She has been searching for someone who might treasure them.

Mary Ann and my great-grandfather, Carlos Webster Childs, were the children of J. Webster and Lucy Hubbard Childs. I had never seen a picture of Mary Ann. So it was especially exciting to see the beautiful picture (below) of her included in these papers. There was also a picture of her with her husband and other family members, taken about 1920. Both Mary Ann and Carlos were adopted from the New York Foundling Home (American Female Guardian Society and the Home for the Friendless). I wrote about Carlos' adoption (or indenture at the time) in "A 19th Century Adoption" on April 1, 2013.

Mary Ann Childs White

I received another daguerreotype of J. Webster and Lucy when they were young (see the column mentioned above). This one is in better condition. Mary Ann and Gates' marriage license is included, a few letters from various people and writings by J. Webster Childs. They used to practice their penmanship in those days. J. Webster was in the Michigan Legislature in the 1860s and 70s and there is a letter from a Civil War Soldier asking for help of some sort.  I will transcribe for a future column. What generosity!

How exciting someone is willing to share this information with family, and to take the time to find them. If I hear from someone in the White family who is interested in this information, I will share.  I tried several years ago to find descendants of daughter Neenah, but didn't find anyone interested.

Aurelius Gates White and Mary Ann Childs had six daughters:  Lelia B.; Lucy Millicent "Millie"; Neenah E.; Markella; Winnifred and Geraldine. Gates and Mary Ann may have had one son who died young. The daughters all married and had children. I count 17 grandchildren in all (may not be completely accurate). I did research on this family a few years ago.

1 Aurelius Gates White (1859 - 1931)

+Mary Ann Childs (1858 - after 1930)

   2  Lelia B. White (1881 - 1918)

       +Russell Sears

3 Elizabeth Aileen (Aileen) Sears (1904-1980)

+Francis M. Toth

2    Lucy Millicent (Millie) White (1883 - 1972)

+John Daniel Clancy (1875 - 1952) 

 3 Gates White Clancy (1909 - 2001) 

+   Mary Lucille Jackson (1910 - 1989)

 3  John Daniel (Jr.) Clancy (1911 - 1953)

+  Marian Sawales

+  Dorothy Weldon

  4   Edward C. Clancy (1912 - 1912) 

3 Catherine Clancy (1914 - )

+Charles Popejoy

3 Millicent M. (Mugs) Clancy (1916 - )

   + Frederick E. Jones

3 Female Clancy (1919 - 1919)

2  Neenah E. White (1884 - 1966)

 +Charles E. C. Trueblood (1877 - 1942)

             3  Gwyn J. Trueblood (1909 - 1986) 
                      + Ona Baillargeon

+ Charlotte Ferris (1919 - )

          3  Elizabeth Trueblood (1911 - 1994)

          +David Allen Benson (1898 - 1984) 

          3 Brooks Gonaulus Trueblood (1921 - 2000)      

        + Lillian Ann Bergman (1922 - 1963) 

        + Elizabeth Jane Harris

        +  #3

         2  Markella White (1888 - 1972) 

 + Alva Henry McMaster (1884 - 1952)

         3 Marion McMaster (1916 - 2001)

          + Elza R. Schwanderman (1910 - 2004)

    2  Winnifred White (1894 - before 1940)

         + Alfred Christian Meyers (1884 - 1964) 

          3  Virginia A. Meyers (1918 - )

              + David J. Henry (1913 - )

          3  Alfred G. Meyers (1923 - 2003)

             3  Marilyn W. Meyers (1926 - 1927)

             3  Maynard W. Meyers (1927 - 1987)

         2   Geraldine White (1899 - after 1951)

              + Charles D. Chumbley (1895 - 1939)

                 3  Venita Chumbley (1922 - )

             3   Germaine Chumbley (1928 - )

          + ? Fritz

I do have more on this family, but will not include any members that may still be living.