Linda , I have one unnamed HIXON , in my genealogy , I can tell you that he was born mid 1940 s to 1950 s and he married Delores BLANKENSHIP , from Cabell County , WV. ----- Original Message ---- From: Linda Trent <lindatrent@zoomnet.net> To: ohlawren@rootsweb.com Sent: Wednesday, January 2, 2008 10:53:43 PM Subject: Re: [OHLAWREN] My genealogical puzzle. Looking for Bessie M. Hixon's birthplace A cousin just sent me a copy of the Portsmouth Times Sept. 20, 1902 that has a social article about my gg grandmother (and grandfather, I presume) living in Portsmouth. "Mrs. Delilah Rice of Colorado Springs, Colorado, is in the city, the guest of her niece, Mrs. Charles Rice..." This has me back on my mission. A mission I've been on for nearly 25 years. I want to prove one way or another my theory that my grandmother was NOT born in Clark County as her marriage record states. It is my belief that she was born in either Lawrence or Scioto, with Scioto being my favorite choice. Here's my puzzle. Bessie Mae Hixon was the minor daughter of William O. Hixon and Ella Rice (Wm was required to sign the marriage certificate). She was born May 16, 1901, and married Walton S. Tope on Apr. 16, 1919 in Springfield, Clark County, Ohio. I know for a fact she was married in Springfield, but where was she born? Her marriage record states Springfield Twp., Clark County, Ohio, but there is no birth record for Bessie in Clark County. It gets more interesting. Bessie's parents show up in the 1900 census, which was enumerated on June 18, 1900, in Bloom Twp., Scioto county, as the Hickson family. Bessie is born May 16, 1901 and then her mother died in Waterloo, Symmes Twp., Lawrence County Oct. 12, 1902. There's hardly time in there to get up to Springfield (just north of I-70) to have Bessie, and then get back to Lawrence County. I've checked the Lawrence County records and couldn't find a birth record for Bessie, but I've not checked the Scioto County records. So, by now I'm sure you're wondering why would she assume Clark County? Good question. When Bessie's mother died, her father didn't think he could raise a young lady, so he sent her to Springfield to live with her Aunt and Uncle Hattie Hixon and William Wright. Since Bessie was old enough to remember she always lived in Springfield. Her father remarried shortly thereafter, this time to Gerilda Brown, d/o Nathaniel and Martha Murray Brown (according to "So This Is Waterloo"). By 1920 they are living in Springfield, Ward 2, Clark County, Ohio the same with 1930. William died in 1939 in Ironton, Lawrence County. Did he send Bessie to her aunt at such an early age that he forgot that she was really born in southern Ohio? Did the family really go to Clark County where she was born and scurry back to Lawrence within a year. Did they just go up to visit and Bessie was born while they were traveling (thus no birth record because they didn't stay anywhere long enough). But on the other hand, travel was much more difficult especially for pregnant women, and newborn infants, would they travel knowing that her due date is nigh at hand? Was the sister a midwife, and if so wouldn't she come home to Gallia/Lawrence to deliver her sister-in-law's baby instead of having her sister-in-law travel to her? Ah, a true genealogist's puzzle. :-) If anyone can help, give leads, or anything else, please let me know. This has been bothering me for a lot of years and I'd love to finally put this to rest. If I can't find anything I'll just have to agree with the marriage record regardless how little sense it makes to me. Thanks to all, Linda Trent lindatrent@zoomnet.net Gallia County ------------------------------- To unsubscribe from the list, please send an email to OHLAWREN-request@rootsweb.com with the word 'unsubscribe' without the quotes in the subject and the body of the message ____________________________________________________________________________________ Be a better friend, newshound, and know-it-all with Yahoo! Mobile. Try it now. http://mobile.yahoo.com/;_ylt=Ahu06i62sR8HDtDypao8Wcj9tAcJ