Some Thoughts About The Surnames: Bartel and Blakye / Bartlett and Blakey

I was thinking about father's parents, Mr. and Mrs. John BLAKEY / BLAKLEY Sr.  I was looking at their marriage license. In the beginning, I had a very hard time locating it.  No matter how, I spelled their surnames, they were not on the index. So, I began to search the index page by page. I know that they were married around 1902 in Missouri.

Finally, I made this discovery. I came across a John BLAKYE. He was from Carrollton, Missouri. His wife's name was Jennie BARTEL from St. Joseph, Missouri. The marriage took place in Excelsior Springs, Clay, Missouri on July 28, 1902. This was what I was searching for.

John's surname was spelled BLAKEY. The E and Y were turned around. As for Jennie, I wondered about the spelling of BARTEL. BARTLETT is the spelling that I was searching. I don't know how this could haven been misspelled.

I wondered, if BARTEL was another name to the BARTLETT family. Jennie wasn't married before John. Jennie's mother, Harriet and siblings on the 1880 and 1900 censuses were listed with the BARTLETT surname. 

What a journey this has come out to be. I can't find any other spelling of BARTEL connected to the family.  It's still a mystery.  I may have to leave it at that.

Thanks for reading.
God bless you.
S. A. Blakley

Mystery Photo Of Four Children: Who could They Have Been?

Who are the children in this photo? It's a  mystery.

This photo is of  Isabella V. (LANKFORD) NICKERSON.
Daughter of Robert and Charlotta (DADE) LANKFORD / LANKFARD

I was looking at the children in the above photo. And I thought about Isabella (LANKFORD) NICKERSON's children. Are these children of Ezekiel's and Isabella's?

On the 1930 census Ezekiel and Isabella were listed with 5 children.
All born in Colorado.

Nathan NICKERSON born about 1922
Katherine was listed as Nathian. Error on census.

Vivian NICKERSON born about 1923
Lankford NICKERSON born about 1924
Betina NICKERSON born about 1927
Robert NICKERSON born about 1928

I believe that Ezekiel and Isabella had other children after 1930. As I was searching, I came across a Bettie NICKERSON in TX with her Aunt Ruth WHITE. Ruth was listed on Ezekiel's funeral home info as next of Kin.

After farther searching, I discovered that Ruth's maiden name was what I thought. It was Nickerson. She was Ezekiel's sister.

I was searching for Betina Nickerson  on a census record. I came across Bettie NICKERSON. She was one of four NICKERSON children listed with the WHITE household in TX. All were born in Colorado. Bettie could have been Betina.

Bettie NICKERSON 
Doris NICKERSON 
Freddie NICKERSON 
Leona NICKERSON 

Isabella Nickerson passed on Sept 15, 1938. On the funeral home info it stated that the baby was in the casket with Isabella. One can assume that Isabella give birth and died afterward.

I had always thought that when I read, "child was in the casket" with Isabella, and that Isabella died after giving birth.  On December 5, 2013, I came across a death record of Freddie NICKARSON. He passed on April 9, 1941. Ruth White was the informat on the death record.

I checked to see who his parents were. E. W. Nickerson from Denver, Colorado and Elizabeth Langford from St. Joseph, Missouri.  I thought to myself and wondered. That's Ezekiel's and Isabella's son. He was born in Sept 15, 1938. So, it appears that Isabella had more than one baby before she passed on. Twins perhaps.

It appears that Ruth White cared for the four NICKERSON children after Ezekiel couldn't. Perhaps that was why the children were with Ruth and her husband in 1940. I can't locate where E.W. Nickerson was in 1940. That still leaves a question.  Why was Isabella's name listed as Elizabeth who was from St. Joseph, MO?

As for the above photo, the children could have been the NICKERSONs. The young boy does look like Isabella. The girls look like sisters. 

I came across  a photo  of Freddie NICKERSON as a child. The year of Freddie birth on the 1930 census was about 1935. But on his birth record the year was 1938. I don't think that there were two Freddies.

Also, Leona the youngest child, she was listed for her year of birth as about 1939. She could have been born in 1938. I don't think  Isabella had triplets.  It could have been. Leona, Freddie were the same age on the 1940  census.

 Isabella (LANKFORD) NICKERSON was the sister of Leo LANKFORD. The photo of the children were found in the home of Leo and Mary (ALLEN) LANKFORD./ LANKFARD.

Family Mysteries are fun. I'm not for sure who the children were in the photo. But the description matches the NICKERSONs. How knows? It could be someone else children. They all look like siblings. But who's? Could they have been Ruth (NICKERSON) WHITE's children?

What about the connections between the 1930 and 1940 census? It give clues to who some of the NICKERSONs where about. I discovered that Nathan NICKERSON passed on in 2007 in Oregon . According to his obituary, he had a sister name Doris. And brother named Robert NICKERSON. Nathan Nickerson was born in Colorado.

I don't know any additional info on the E.W. and Isabella NICKERSON's Children. I'm hoping that some of the NICKERSON descendants will come across this blog. I have come across photos of Nathan NICKERSON and one I believe was of Vivian NICKERSON.  Nathan looked like his father.

Thanks for reading: Family Connections
S.A. Blakley

Mysteries To Uncover: Part One

Happy New Year! Welcome to Twenty Eleven!

The year has begun. I'm hoping to find more on my family history. There are things on my journey that I want to search out. I think if I keep searching, I might find more than what I'm searching for.

Here are a few mysteries that I still want to uncover: What a mystery!

On My Mother's Father's Side: 

Where was Charlotta Dade on the 1870 census?
I believe that she was in Canton, Missouri with her family.
Her parents: Isaac and Frances Dade were listed in Canton, MO 1870.

How long were the Dades in Missouri? Charlotta was born in Missouri in 1854. Don't know when Isaac and Frances Dade came to Missouri.

There is little know on the Lankford side. What happened to Mamie Morton, the sister of Robert Louis Lankford? Was Morton Mamie's last name?  Robert and Mamie had the same mother. One of the Morton slave owners was the father.


Where did Robert Louis Lankford come from on KY?
On his death record it states B----town, KY
What brought him to Canton, Missouri?

On My Mother's Mother's Side:

Where was Anna Laura Washington Allen Walters on the 1900 census? Anna or Laura surname at that time was a WALTERS. I think the Walters surname was misspelled. Trying to find out what surname her daughter Mary Allen with by. Anna had another daughter. Question if her name was Mary too.

When did Anna Walters' father, William or John Washington died?  William/John was living when his 2nd wife Maliha Hill Washington died in 1921.


When did Anna's siblings and step brother and sister died! Anna had two brothers: James A. Washington and William or John Washington Jr. William or John was a widow on the 1910 census.

Anna had a step brother, Townsend Wynn and step sister, Ida Buckner. There mother was Maliah Hill Wynn Washington. There isn't much know on Anna's sister Lillie Washington. What happened to Anna's sister Lillie?

On My Father's Father's Side: 

What about the slaves in this slave ad?
Where did they go?
Who were their new slave owners?
There should be some record of these transactions.

How did Isaac reconnect with his family in Chariton and Howard Counties in Missouri? Story has it he found some of his family members in Natchez, Missouri.

Isaac perhaps started searching after he served in the Civil War in May 1866. Isaac and his 2nd wife Rachel were listed with his mother Julia and some siblings on the 1880 census in Missouri.

Where were Isaac and Martha (Scott) Blakey on the 1870 census? Isaac and Martha could have married in 1867.  I haven't located their marriage record in MS.

Where was Isaac's mother, Julia White on the 1870 census? There was a Jula White with 4 children in Iowa with similar children names. Expect there was a Thomas.

The story has it Julia White went to Natchez MS. I can't located her or her other children of the 1870 census in Mississippi. Where were Julia's other children on the 1870 census?


About Julia White's daugthers, Martha White and Mattie White....Where they the same person? I have located a Mattie White with an Ella White. Ella was Mattie's daughter. This Mattie live near an Andrew J. White who married a Laura.

Could Andrew White have been a cousin? His father was named Isaac White born about 1800 in VA. Isaac lived next door to Julia White in 1880.
What happened to Rebeca White's parents? Rebecca was the granddaughter of Julia White. I think Rebecca was Julia's first child's daughter born in VA.

What about the other children of Julia White, Richard "Dick", Andrew, Linda, Mary, Ben, Joshua, Spencer, John and or others during the 1870's?

This is just a few things that I have thought about. Hope the find more this year. Exploring and Discovering what's out there.
Happy Searching!
Enter Into Twenty Eleven!

Staying On The Family History Journey,Peace Be With You!
Susan