Could use some help (find, search, world, certificate)

[dogpaw]

I am registered with Ancestry.com but I can't find any info on my grandmothers father. According to her his name was Stephen Riggs Eckley. His mother was Catherine E Coulter Eckley. He was born in Kansas, 1885 but died in Canada 1954. His mother Catherine was born in Canada 1851. He lived in California for sometime. My grandmother Jane Helen Eckley Abbott was born in San Diego CA 1915 had 2 sisters June and Ethel. I can't find a connection between them and him. There is a wife and daughter that he is connected to but not my grandmother. Her mother was Mary Florence Place Eckley Purdue which Phil Purdue was my grandmothers step-father.

Any help would be appreciated.

Does this make sense?

[Cindiana]

I believe I found Stephen in the 1900 census of Leavenworth, Kansas. This is the ECKLEY family:
James W. Nov. 1849 Iowa
Catherine June 1851 Canada
Oliver June 1880 Kansas
Bessie June 1884 Kansas
Stephen Nov. 1885 Kansas

James and Catherine have been married 20 years, Catherine has had 6 children, but only 3 are living.

Does this help? I'm not sure who you are trying to find a connection with.

[dogpaw]

I am trying to make a connection between Jane Helen Eckley and Stephen R Eckley. Catherine and James would be her grandparents. I'm trying to find Jane Helen Eckley's father.

[hcgCali]

Order a copy of her birth certificate

[STLCardsBlues1989]

Have you tried the 1920 Census for San Diego? I don't have an ancestry.com subscription, so I can't view it. But I can see it is there on familysearch.org.

According to the 1920 Census, Jane H. Eckley is 4 and lives in San Diego as a granddaughter of the household. June M. Eckley was born in 1918. Lives in the same household. I couldn't find Ethel. Was she born by 1920? It would seem odd for Stephen to hand over girls that young, especially if Ethel wasn't born yet. Why would Stephen have another daughter when he couldn't care for the 2 he had? Do you know if all 3 girls had the same mother?

Here are the Eckley's living in San Diego county in 1920.
Joseph and Inez and their son Albert.

Florence C. Eckley born 1896 in California. Lives with parent Jerome E. Place.

Then Stephen R. is single, living by himself.

And June and Jane are living as Granddaughters in a household. But, probably not with their paternal grandparents. James and Catherine are nowhere to be found. June and Jane must be living with their maternal grandparents, would be my best guess.

the 1920 Los Angeles County Census shows a James Eckley born in 1849 in Iowa. He is married, and is head of the household. On familysearch I cannot view his wife's name.
The 1920 Census shows Catherine Eckley living in Los Angeles. She was born 1851 in Canada. She is married. But it won't tell me her husband's name.
But Catherine and James are listed both as Film number 1820110, Digital GS number 4293710, image number 00081, and Sheet number 12, so I am sure they are husband and wife. But why are they not caring for their grandkids?

The 1920 Census also shows Stephen R. Eckley living in San Diego. He was born in 1886 and is single. He doesn't live with Jane, June, and Ethel. Ethel wasn't born yet, though. The best I can figure, Stephen decided that he could not take care of his girls (maybe because he was single?), so he gave his daughters to his daughters' maternal grandparents to raise. But I agree it's difficult to say.

If you can see the 1920 Census on Ancestry.com, that should tell you who June and Jane live with. That might help. My guess is that June and Jane live with their maternal grandparents.

Ancestry.com
Name: Stephen Eckley
Birth: date - location
Residence: 1900 - city, Leavenworth, Kansas
Residence: location

Name: Stephen R Eckley
Birth: abt 1886 - location
Residence: date - city, Leavenworth, Kansas

Name: Stephen R Eckley
Spouse: Elsie M
Birth: abt 1886 - location
Residence: 1930 - city, Los Angeles, California

World War I Draft Registration Cards, 1917-1918
Military
Name: Stephen Riggs Eckley
County: Yavapai
State: Arizona
There's more to see
A picture of the original document
And things like
Birth Date Race
FHL Roll Number DraftBoard
Sign up now
Name: Stephen Riggs Eckley
Birth: date
Residence: Yavapai, Arizona
Other: location

British Columbia Death Index: 1872 to 1979
Birth, Marriage & Death

Name: Stephen Riggs Eckley
Birth: year
Death: dd mm 1954 - location

Hope that is helpful.

[hcgCali]

Originally Posted by STLCardsBlues1989

According to the 1920 Census, Jane H. Eckley is 4 and lives in San Diego as a granddaughter of the household. June M. Eckley was born in 1918. Lives in the same household. I couldn't find Ethel. Was she born by 1920? It would seem odd for Stephen to hand over girls that young, especially if Ethel wasn't born yet. Why would Stephen have another daughter when he couldn't care for the 2 he had? Do you know if all 3 girls had the same mother?

In 1920 Jane and June are with their mother, Florence, living with Florence's father Jerome E. Place, and sister Eva Place. Florence is listed as "single" and so is already divorced. Five year old Ethel, the oldest of the three, is living with 74 yr old Jane H. Place in San Diego (Jerome's mother?). Ethel's surname is misspelled as Echley, which is why she doesn't come up in a search of the 1920 census.
- Ancestry.com=

If I understand correctly, Dogpaw is looking for documentation that Stephen Riggs Eckley is indeed the father of Florence's 3 children. The difficulty is that Florence and Stephen's relationship falls between the census years and so there is nothing online at Ancestry to prove the familial relationship. In 1910 they are each living with their parents. In 1920 they're already divorced. In fact Stephen is already listed as single on his draft registration in 1918 and names his father, James W. in Los Angeles, as his next of kin. June is listed in the California Birth Index but the older 2 girls are not. Ca's online birth index only lists the mother, not the father. Ordering a copy of the birth certificate is the best route.

Dogpaw, here's a link for obtaining their divorce record http://www.sdcourt.ca.gov/portal/pag..._schema=PORTAL

[dogpaw]

My grandmother never talked about her dad and didn't have anything good to say about her mom. She never mentioned living with grandparents, but talked about a women that raised her, not sure about sisters, she called momma murch. Not sure about the spelling. As for dates of birth, Jane is 1915 the other two are Ethel 1914 and June 1916 or 17. I do know that Jane's is correct. I also found that Stephen Eckley was married to a Elsie and had a daughter Helen, he was 40 when she was born. If all of this is correct he was 30 when Jane was born. He most likely split when June was a baby. I don't have access to the Canadian site but he died in Canada.

I will probably need to get her birth certificate. Thanks everyone for taking the time to help me.

[hcgCali]

I came across Ethel's death record yesterday, which had her full birthdate. Let me find it again.

Here you go. Born 23 Jul 1914 Ethel Eckley - California Death Index, 1940-1997 - Ancestry.com There's also a record of her voting registration in 1936 under her married name, so you know the marriage took place between 1930 and 1936.

It's understandable Jane wouldn't mention or even remember living with her grandfather briefly at age four.

I don't know if you noticed, but the court site will do a free phone search if it's something that takes less than 10 minutes. Here's the site to order copies of the other documents. Birth, Death, Fetal Death, Still Birth & Marriage Certificates

[dogpaw]

Thats true about her not remembering living with grandparents at age 4. Thanks for the links. I did print out the form so I can get her birth cert.