What an "interesting" family! I think you might use a Soundex search of the 1900 census to answer your questions about the variations of RENA. All of the 1900 census was listed in the Soundex index - because people were able to use a census listing in place of a birth certificate for Social Security. This is why (I've been told) that the Soundex for the 1880 census only lists families with children age ten and under. Best wishes, Cora DABRIGMAN@aol.com wrote: > I've never really posted anything about him so here goes. > > James Frank Rena (b - ca 1854 in MO) > md- (2 time) 1889 in Shelby Co. to > Alzada Maude Stewart (1872-1917) > > The obituary for Alzada Maude Stewart states that they she and her husband > moved from Shelby Co. to Tunica Co in 1896 and had considerable farming > interests in the Dubbs area of Tunica. > > This is really an "interesting" family...there were lots of problems in it. > > James Frank Sr., the father, committed suicide in 1917 > > The issue were: > > 1) James Frank, Jr (b-1888) son of first wife > > 2) Susie (b-1891/1892) md Knox Leon Wells > Knox raped and impregnated one of their servants. The servant became > pregnant about the same time Susie did. Susie found out about it, went to > Memphis, had a "back street" abortion and died from it (ca 1920) > > 3) Ila Hugh (b-1894) > Was run out of town for stealing cotton > > 4) Walter (b-1896) > Was run out of town for stealing cotton. He moved to Earle, AR and was > killed the sheriff > > 5) Addie Maude (b-1898) md W.C. Prince and moved to Memphis > > 6) Ruby (b-1904) md W.W. Bretherick > > 7) Leslie (b-1906) md Jeanette Storey > > 8) Louis (b-1909) md Warren Sanders > > This is my dilemma: There are absolutely no Renas in MO or TN (around the > 1880s that I have been able to find. The name Rena is also a given name, so > when I do internet searches I come up with oodles of women with the first > name of Rena, but no Rena surnames. I'm thinking Rena could be a version of > Reno, Reneau, Reneaugh, etc. I have found a couple of Rena's from Memphis on > the Social Security death index. Maybe there are still some around? If > anyone lives in Memphis would someone be so kind as to look in the phone book > and pass on their names and phone numbers to me? > > Thanks, > Debbie > dabrigman@aol.com