Katie Elizabeth Watkins Howell Part 2 from 1900 - 1909

• 1900 -- sister Lila born
• 1900 Census, Clinton, Sampson, North Carolina
• 1902 -- Sister Lessie Myrtle born, Wayne County NC
• 1903 -- Historical Insight Wright Brothers
• 1904 -- sister Beulah born
• 1907 -- brother Wilbert Franklin born, Johnston North Carolina



1900s Then and Now

• 1909 -- sister Louise born, Johnston North Carolina

1900, age 5

sister Lila May Watkins was born 5 March 1900 in North Carolina

1900 Census, age 5 

residence in Clinton, Sampson, North Carolina.

Blake and Ida Watkins 1900 Census
North Clinton Township, Sampson County, North Carolina
from Ancestry.com

Katie, age 5, is shown living with the family starting at line 40.  Her father, here listed as "Blake" rents their farm, her mother is listed as "Ida."  

My thoughts -- This is secondary proof that Katie was born in North Carolina.  Katie is the second child born.  I wonder what information is included on the farm schedule?  I've never seen one, but it should be somewhere, right?    It looks like mother Ida was about 16 years old when she married Blake, having her first child right away.  Then, I have to admit I was a little confused by the names of the last two girls.  It must have been confusing to distinguish between Lillie and Lila May.

Sampson County Courthouse, about 1910-1915
from Wikipedia

Sampson County, North Carolina is the second-largest county in the state, according to Wikipedia.  

Location of Sampson County within North Carolina
from Wikipedia

Map of Sampson County North Carolina
with Township labels
Clinton is just about center
from Wikipedia

The Sampson County Website link  where you will find information about the government, links to the library system, and maps.  I've not explored these links yet, but be sure to comment on whatever else you find helpful in your family research.

Another helpful wiki with research links is the FamilySearch page on Sampson County.  Lots of links to look through, including county history, military records and the usual Birth Death Marriage records.  I clicked on the two Maps links for the county, but didn't see anything I could use just yet.

Lastly, the Sampson Independent newspaper.

1902, age 7 

birth of sister Lessie Myrtle Watkins, 16 February 1902 in Wayne County NC.  She went by the name of Myrtle.

1903 -- Historical Insight 

The Wright Brothers.  She was 5 years old when the Wright Brothers took their flight at KittyHawk.

1900 Kitty Hawk, North Carolina from Historical Insight, Ancestry.com
Credit:  Keystone-France/Gamma-Keystone via Getty Images

1904, age 9 

1908 Medi-Kate_Katy_Girl

birth of sister Beulah Watkins, 11 October 1904 in North Carolina.

1907, age 12 

birth of brother Wilbert Franklin Watkins, 25 July 1907 in Johnston, North Carolina.

1909, age 15 

birth of sister Louise Watkins, 19 December 1909 in Johnston North Carolina.  Katie was 15 years old when her baby sister was born.

Katie Watkins Howell 3-gen Pedigree

from Ancestry.com

Fristus and Katie Howell Part 1 1910-1919

• 1912, Fristus and Katie get married
• 1913, birth of Arlie Virginia Howell
• 1914, birth of Garland Arthur Howell
• 1916, birth of Pauline Melissa Howell
• 1917, America enters World War I
• 1918, birth of Letha Blanch Howell
• Historical Insight, America enters World War I

Fristus Howell 3 gen pedigree
from Ancestry.com

1912 -- age 40

22 December 1912, Beulah, Johnston, North Carolina, to Katie Elizabeth Watkins age 18.

I didn't know there was such an age difference, at first.  How did they meet?

Beulah Twp from Mapclick Johnston CO NC

1913 -- age 41

Birth of daughter Arlie Virginia Howell, 2 October 1913, Johnston, North Carolina

1914 -- age 42

Birth of son Garland Arthur Howell, 22 December 1914, Johnston, North Carolina

1916 -- age 44

Birth of daughter Pauline Melissa Howell, 4 October 1916, Johnston County NC

1917 -- age 44

America Enters World War I

1918 -- age 48

Birth of daughter Letha Blanch Howell, 23 May 1918, Princeton, Johnston County, North Carolina

Historical Insights -- America Enters World War I, from Ancestry.com

In the wake of the deadly surprise attack on Pearl Harbor, the United States entered World War II on December 8, 1941.

Credit: Archive Photos/Archive Photos/Getty Images
from Ancestry.com

“Yesterday, December 7, 1941, a date which will live in infamy,” declared President Franklin D. Roosevelt before Congress, “the United States of America was suddenly and deliberately attacked by naval and air forces of the Empire of Japan.” The surprise assault on Pearl Harbor, which killed 2,400 American servicemen and civilians, made Americans and their political leaders resolute. After two years of isolationism, the United States declared war on Japan and entered World War II. Fearing that the country’s entry into the global conflict was inevitable, Roosevelt had launched the first peacetime military draft in U.S. history starting in September of 1940. By the following December, the military had grown to 2.2-million servicemen. Over the next four years, the U.S. military trained 10 million additional draftees and volunteers for two distant wars against two distinct enemies: Germany and Japan. When soldiers shipped off, women were left to manage the home front with men who weren’t eligible to serve in the military. Daily life was challenging as families prepared for attacks on American soil and rationed food and common supplies to support the war effort. As factories pushed to keep up with skyrocketing demand and with male bodies in short supply, women entered the workforce in record numbers. Before the Allied victory was celebrated in 1945, nearly 420,000 Americans gave their lives.

 

The Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor shook the nation. Today it remains the second worst attack on U.S. soil—second only to September 11, 2001. December 7, 1941, Pearl Harbor, Hawaii. Credit: Fox Photos/Hulton Archive/Getty Images

 

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To encourage men and women to volunteer for the U.S. military, the government launched a widespread propaganda campaign; posters were plastered across American cities and towns. 1942, USA. Credit: PhotoQuest/Archive Photos/Getty Images

 

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From coffee to panty hose to chicken wire fencing, most common foods and supplies were rationed during World War II. Each American family was issued a ration book that contained an allotted number of coupons to purchase staples at stores. About 1942, USA. Credit: Anthony Potter Collection/Archive Photos/Getty Images

 

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By the war’s end in 1945, women made up nearly 40 percent of the workforce, while 150,000 more served in the military. After the peace, they were systematically cast out of factories to make way for returning soldiers. 1942, USA. Credit: Universal History Archive/Universal Images Group/UIG via Getty Images

 

Census Sunday part 1 -- Fristus Howell before 1912

Fristus Howell 3-gen Pedigree from Ancestry.com

Below is the 1880 Federal census, with Fristus living with his parents Jethro and Laurenda Batten Howell in Boon Hill, Johnston Co. NC.   Later on, we'll explore the different name variations for his mother, but for now note it is spelled Lorinda. Their record starts at the bottom of the page, line 49.  This is a typical farming family.  Wonder what they farmed?

Jethro and Laurenda Howell census 1880 part 1

Next page lists the children of this family.  Nellie is the oldest age 18, Fristus here is written as "Pristus" and he is 6 years old.  His grandmother Sophia LNU Howell lives with them, probably because she's been a widow since 1858.  Also living with them is an 18 year old servant/laborer John Britton.  As far as I know he is unrelated.

Jethro and Laurenda Howell 1880 Census 2

They live in Boon Hill Township of  Johnston County, North Carolina.  Some names of their neighbors that I find in my corollary research are Raines, Sasser,  and Creech.  My great uncle told me once that the young men found their girls within walking distance of their home.  Because they didn't have cars, then.  They had to finish their farmwork, walk to the girls' home to visit for a while, then walk back home.  This information is valuable when looking for your ancestors.

Boon Hill Twp from Mapclick Johnston Co NC

This is the location of Boon Hill Twp as of 2017.  This information was obtained from Mapclick Johnston Co.  The link is below, and it is a fun site to play with.

There is no 1890 census due to a major fire.  Easy enough to find this information, so I won't belabour the cause.

The 1900 census is below.  He is living with his mother Laurenda, his sister Tilithia, and his nephew Millard G. Lane.  The family starts line 4.  This is a cool census because it provides the month and year each person was born.  I have to point out that Millard is NOT a Howell child.  He is listed here as Laurenda's grandson.  Research shows that Tilithia married Millard Lane, and they had at least this son.  Point of research -- find out why Millard Sr is no living with them right now.  It is too early for WWI.

Their home is still in Boone Hill Township, but also in the Lower Boon Hill Precinct, all of Johnston County NC.  Still a farming family.  Fristus is still a farmer labourer, and he cannot read nor write.

Laurenda Howell 1900 Census

His name is indexed as Faistus, but again, if you look carefully you can make out the "r" and see where it is closed at the bottom.  But you have to squint your eyes and hold your nose to the left a bit.  Well ... hmmm ... maybe not.  I checked the other "r" words like Corra and Robert and Charley.  The enumerator wrote in something like a Palmer method of handwriting, see the sample below --

Sample of Palmer Cursive
http://writeanalog.com/learning-cursive-handwriting/

So, perhaps his name really IS written down as "Faistus."  Anyway, this is the last census we will find Fristus in as a single fellow.  He marries Katie two years after this census was taken.  Neighbors include Raines, Sasser, Daughtry, all corollary names.

This family, in the 1910 census, begins on Line 31, with Cain Nawell (according to Ancestry.com).  However, if you look closely, you can see the proper spelling in the large handwriting, with the large tilted "H" and the cross-member.  The first name "Cain" is actually London King.  He went by his middle name (but of  COURSE he did, because everyone in North Carolina did).  I asked one of King's brothers why he got that name.  Uncle said it was because his parents ran out of names by that time and they wanted something BIG.

Line 38 is Fristus.  But -- his name looks like and is indexed as Cris.  MAYbe Fris.  The only way I knew this was Fristus is because of the other people in King's family.  I missed this one for years because of the horrible misspelling.

Fristus Howell 1910 Census

Fristus is a 35 year old who is farming on his own account.  I still wonder if this is where he was living when he met Katie?  I think so, it almost looks like he has a portion of farmland that is his own, but he doesn't have a house of his own yet?  This part is all imagination at this point.

I tried to find out what exactly Upper and Lower Boon Hill precincts looked like.  All I could find was a newspaper article in 1898 where they divided Boon Hill into two voting districts.  Same thing for Beulah, divided into voting districts.

Upper and Lower Boon Hill Precincts
The Smithfield Herald (Smithfield, North Carolina)
Thu, Sep 24, 1896 ·  Page 2
Downloaded on Jun 9, 2017

• Johnston County North Carolina MapClick -- an interactive map of the county