Nellie Cole Smith 1905-?
joeysgma
Nellie is my proverbial brick in the genealogy wall. She was adopted by my great,great grandparents and shes in the census for 1910 when she was five years old. Ive been looking, looking, looking...well, then I run across some information of my Great Grandpa who would have been her adopted brother. He says she married a Walter Smith and moved to New York city! OK, even in the early part of the 1920s and 30s NYC was a BIG place and Smith...really...even Cole has a lot of names! So here I am. Nellie where fore art thou?? My Great Grandpa isn't around anymore. Funny, you get interested in something at my age (50+) and most of the people who could have helped the most are gone. Warning to you 20 somethings...start asking the questions now. Dead people are not really gone, they make up who you are now.
The adoptive parents names were Ellen and Lewis. Lewis and Ellen divorced just after adopting Nellie. Nellie stayed with Lewis and his mother helped care for her. Her name was Esther. They lived in Coldwater, Michigan, then went to Virginia because Esthers brother was sick. They returned to Michigan after that. But after the 1910 census, Nellie disappears.
Shes not a blood family member, but my grandparents cared enough about her to adopt her. That makes her real family to me.
by joeysgma
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joeysgma has been a Family Tree Circles member since Feb 2013.
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noggin on 2013-02-08 06:57:28is this the family you refer to in 1910?
1910 United States Federal Census
Name: Lewis N Cole
Age in 1910: 48
Birth Year: abt 1862
[1862]
Birthplace: Michigan
Home in 1910: Bethel, Branch, Michigan
Race: White
Gender: Male
Relation to Head of House: Self (Head)
[Head]
Marital Status: Widowed
Father's Birthplace: New York
Mother's Name: Ester A Cole
Mother's Birthplace: Michigan
Lewis N Cole 48 Widowed
Ester A Cole 66 widow
Nellie R Cole 5
joeysgma on 2013-02-08 08:09:30It is, glad I gave enough information for you to find it. Actually, Lewis was not widowed, probably being the times it was, he was embarrassed and did not want to admit to being divorced in 1906. He had one other child with his ex wife, my gg grandmother Ellen. Harry, my great Grandfather was living with his Mom and stepfather.
Do you know what happened to my Nellie?
Regards,
Diane
noggin on 2013-02-08 09:27:40Lewis N Cole married Ellen Chamberlain and they had one child Harry A Cole b 1893.
I can see why you are having problems. I cannot find her after 1910.
Nellie can be short for Ellen, Eleanor, Helen. Do you know if she would have used any of these names?
noggin on 2013-02-08 09:33:44I was hoping I might have found her in the 1920/30 census with Lewis N Cole
Web: Michigan, Find A Grave Index, 1805-2011
Name: Lewis N Cole
Birth Date: 1861
Age at Death: 71
Death Date: 1932
Burial Place: Coldwater, Branch County, Michigan, USA (Lockwood Cemetery)
noggin on 2013-02-08 09:54:51She was not with Estaer Ann cole in 1920 because:
Death:
Ester Ann Cole
Birth Date: 1845
Age at Death: 72
Death Date: May 1917
Burial Place: Coldwater, Branch County, Michigan, USA
joeysgma on 2013-02-08 11:40:35Yes, she died in 1917, Lewis and she went to VA after the 1910 census for a while to care for her brother Noah. I haven't looked there yet, Lewis lived with another family named Love when he came back home because she was gone, then moved in with his son Harry till he died in 1932. Its his Grandfather George who is my other mystery. They moved from NY in Cayuga county to Michigan abt 1858. They are in the Branch county census in 1860. Alphonzo, my ancestor is living with a family for whom he is working, living next door to Esthers family. They marry in 1861, their son was born in 1862, he died in 1864.
dmck on 2013-02-08 13:58:33Best of luck. I hope you find her. I have Smiths in my family tree too. I feel your pain.