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I AM REPOSTING THIS BLOG ENTRY IN HOPES THAT SOMEONE
WILL HELP ME FIND ELIZA's PARENTS
This lovely lady is the proverbial brick wall in my genealogy research. Her name is Eliza J. Goodwin and I think that she just dropped into Boone County out of thin air. There is a price on her head. If you find the names of her parents you will receive a reward (seriously). Here is what I know:
Birth:
Eliza J. Goodwin was born 16 June 1857 in (possibly) Roanoke, Virginia.
Marriage:
She first appeared in Boone County, WV records upon her marriage to James Jefferson Meadows on 28 Dec 1878.
Children:
Eliza and James Meadows were the parents of eight children:
- Adah S. Meadows (1880-after 1956) m. William Henry Kirby
- William Frye Meadows (1883-1956) m. Lucindy Anne Burgess
- Ida Meadows (1885-unknown) m. unknown
- Ivory G. "Ive" Meadows (1886-after 1956) m. unknown
- Grover C. Meadows (1889-after 1956) m. unknown
- Lottie G. Meadows (1890-1979) m. Cyrus Perry
- Bertha J. Meadows (1894-before 1910)
- Unnamed child (1901-bef 1910)
Census Records:
1880: Unable to locate family in census. Possible match in found in Fayette county with neighbors by the name of Frye but the ages are off slightly. The entry could be interesting because our great-granddad is William Frye Meadows.
1900: Located with husband James J. Meadows, wife Eliza, sons William, Ivory G., Grover C. and daughter Lottie in Boone County, WV.
1910: Located with husband James J. Meadows, son Grover and daughter Lottie in Fayette County, WV. James was a miner, age 52. Grover was a lineman for the railroad.
1920: Unable to locate family in census.
1930: Eliza has not been found in this census. It is possible that she is deceased. James J. Meadows was found living with their daughter Lottie Meadows Perry in Fayette County, WV. He is age 73 and "single".
Death:
Unknown.
Eliza's husband James J. Meadows died 13 Mar 1934 in Packsville, Raleigh County, WV. According to his obituary he was buried in the Mordue Cemetery in Whitesville, Boone County, WV. I have visited this cemetery and a marker for his grave does not exist. His death record states that he was a widow, so Eliza probably passed away prior to his 1934 death. The other option is that they divorced and he was a widow from a second marriage. That could be a possibility since James was listed as "single" and living with his daughter Lottie in the 1930 census. However, no family knowledge or documentation has been able to prove a second marriage.
Miscellaneous:
James Jefferson Meadows' sister Louisa Ann Meadows married John Wesley Goodwin. It is possible that James and Louisa married brothers and sisters or Goodwins are of some familial relationship. James and Lousia were the children of Henry Preston Meadows (1833-before 1910) and Lavonia J. Keffer Meadows (1836-after 1910).
A book title "Cemeteries of Boone County West Virginia Annotated, Volume I" by Danny W. Yeomans and published in 1990 by Boone County Genealogical Society states the the following tombstones were found in Fauber Cemetery. This provides a clue to second possible marriage of Eliza's. Her maiden name could be Asbury or Goodwin.
- William F Meadows, 23 Feb 1883 to 14 Oct 1956 son of James B & Eliza (Asbury) Meadows
- Anna B Meadows, 20 Oct 1884 to 16 Aug 1969 daughter of Braxton B & Lovica (Stephenson) Burgess, married William above.
Thus, I am stuck. I do not know who her parents were nor do I know when and where she died or was buried. Any information that you could provide may help point me in the right direction.
