Completing the Story of Two Little Jameson Girls, Thanks to the Henry County Genealogy Society

Today I can happily say I can close a mystery of the lives of two little girls from my direct line of the Jameson family. Last February, I first touched on these two, Avis and Lois Jameson, and told why they were such a mystery to the descendants of Carl and Jennie (Walker) Jameson. In August, Tom Jameson out of nowhere, found a picture that most likely is the only remaining picture of these girls. The picture total knocked me off my feet. He said he was going through some of his father's old possessions and came across the picture. Tom had totally forgotten about the picture. The picture surely added to the story.

Earlier this week I received a group of almost unbelievable old obituaries from Jim Rebar of the Henry County Ohio Genealogy Society. I cannot thank Jim and the Society enough for their help with these wonderful new to me (old) sources. Over the next few postings, I will share all of these new findings.

To give the full story, I start with the first part of February's post 'Jesus Loves The Little Children':

The Family of Carl Woodward and Jennie Leuretta (Walker) Jameson
Back in the early 1980's my great grandfather, Hugh Edward Jameson passed away. Hugh was the second son of Carl and Jennie Jameson. Hugh had been working on his and his wife's genealogy for a number of years. Having put together a nice package, almost like a book, to be passed to each of his heirs. When my mother, Karen Ann (Jameson) Traggorth and aunt Marilyn Sue (Jameson) Jones received the package, they quickly found a listing of Carl and Jennie's children. Within the listing, there were two daughters that they had never heard of. Both were shocked, being the family was pretty close and they had never heard of these two little girls. They call their father, Richard Lee Jameson to inquire. My grandfather told them that he knew of the girls and said they died from a childhood sickness that was common in those day (not remembering which one). When my aunt and mother asked why he or my great grandfather had never told them, he responded, that there just was not much to say about the girls.

Joint tombstone of Avis Pearl and Lois Ashley Jameson, McComb Union Cemtery, McComb, Hancock County, Ohio, courtesy of findagrave.com

A few years ago my aunt and mother took a trip together out to northwestern Ohio to visit a number of places from their youth. One stop was to Deshler, Henry County, Ohio. Upon visiting Oakdale Methodist Church, one of the churches that Thomas Jameson had built and where Carl Jameson had preached in for many years. They by chance, ran into a kind lady, Joy Verneil (Dangler) Rayle in the church. Upon talking to Mrs. Rayle, she told them that she too was a Jameson and that she was the daughter of Prudence Vestelva (Jameson) Dangler. Her mother was Hugh's first cousin. My aunt asked her if she know anything of the girls when talking about Carl and Jennie. She told them that her mother had told her this:

"Carl and Jennie had had a very tough time getting over the girls. In those days it was very common to lose children. But the fact that Carl had lost his two daughters in just the course of two days, was unbearable for him. Carl went into a great depression. It was Jennie, that had to sit him down and straighten him out, to get their lives back together. It took her strength, to make the family move on."

The cover page of Jennie Leuretta Jameson's bible

The little girls genealogy information:
Avis Pearl Jameson born September 20, 1896 in Jackson Township, Wood County, Ohio; died December 31, 1900 Continental, Putnam County, Ohio; buried January 3, 1901 McComb Union Cemetery, Pleasent Township, Hancock County, Ohio
Lois Ashley Jameson born August 9, 1898 in Deshler, Henry County, Ohio; died December 30, 1900 Continental, Putnam County, Ohio; buried January 3, 1901 McComb Union Cemetery, Pleasant Township, Hancock County, Ohio

The Picture

The picture sent by Tom Jameson in August, taken shortly before the death of Avis Pearl Jameson and Lois Ashley Jameson with their mother Jennie Leuretta (Walker) Jameson in about 1900

 The Obituary

Publish on January 11, 1901 from The Deshler Flag 

Thou I am not sure who the initials (S.J.C.) was at the bottom of the obituary, the writing shows how devastated the family truly was.

diphtheritic croup-  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Croup

There is a bright lining to this very sad story in the lives of Carl Woodward Jameson and Jennie Leuretta (Walker) Jameson. If these two little girls had not so tragically passed away, Carl and Jennie may not have continued their family with having their two youngest children, Hugh Edward Jameson and Robert Berg Jameson.

 

The children of brothers Hugh Edward Jameson and Robert Berg Jameson; right to left, Thomas Alan Jameson, Nancy Susan (Jameson) Edminster, and Richard Lee Jameson