Week 4's theme is "Curious." Several people have already asked how to interpret this. Remember -- it's completely up to you! When I put the list together, I was thinking of something that you've always wanted to discover (something you're curious about) or a record/discovery that you find curious (unusual). You could also write about an ancestor who was curious (an inventor or detective, perhaps?)
Curious. Someone in my tree that provokes curiosity. Hmmm... Usually, if I am curious about someone, I research them to learn more about them. So there isn't much curiosity left. But while looking through my tree, there was one person who piqued my curious mind. There are some aspects of his life that have left us all puzzled. And more than likely, answers will not come easily, if at all. This person is Scott Edward (Edwin) Rickards, my husband's Grand Uncle.
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| Scott Edward Rickards AKA Scottie, Edwin abt 1938 Centralia, Illinois |
Now I have basic facts about his life. He was born in Centralia, Illinois on April 7, 1914, to Paul Jones & Grace Rickards. He was the baby of the family. He lived in Centralia almost all his life, graduating from Centralia High School in 1933. Sadly, his mother, Grace, died when he was just 11 years old. His grandma, Sarah Rickards, had been living with the family for years so it's likely she continued to raise him in the absence of his mother. After she passed away in 1934, it was just Scottie (as he was referred to), his father, and a housekeeper. He continued to live with his father after graduating from high school, while the rest of his siblings had moved away. His father passed away in 1941, leaving him alone. He soon moved to Iowa to live with his only sister, Ruth Rickards. He stayed there until his death on May 16, 1977. He died at the age of 63 from Pneumonia while living at Pleasant Hill Nursing Home in Des Moines, Iowa.
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| Scott Rickards Obituary Des Moines Tribune, Des Moines IA Wed., 18 May 1977 Source: Newspapers.com |
Simple. Straight Forward. To the Point. Well, that's what I thought until I visited Centralia's Museum & Historical Society. I had asked the ladies if they had anything on the Rickards family and they did. She printed out a few items and copied others to a flash drive for me. I would look at those when I got home. I was able to find some pictures of Scottie in old yearbooks, along with his siblings. Such an exciting find.
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| Centralia High School Yearbook Sphinx 1933 Source: Ancestry.com |
But it was when I got home to look at what I had copied that made me more curious. In the file that they gave me from the Historical Society was a letter correspondence between Ruth (Scottie's sister) and her old school friend, DeWitt. In the letter dated Dec 19, 1973, Ruth talks about Scottie.
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| Letter from Ruth Rickards to Friend, DeWitt December 19, 1973 Centralia Historical Society |
Transcription:
"I got to the nursing home yesterday in spite of ice and four inches of snow and hope for as good luck on Christmas. I think Scottie will never walk well enough to come home. I see him three or four times a week to break the monotony and inastivity."
When I first read this, I had no idea Scottie was in a nursing home. So I was confused. What happened? Why was he in a nursing home? At this time, he was only 59. DeWitt's reply still had me shaking my head.
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| Letter from DeWitt to Ruth January 5, 1974 Centralia Historical Society |
"Ruth, you have been a marvellous sister for Scottie. I know he has been in ill health for many years and you have supported and taken care of him - a life of beautiful service."
Ill for many years? What happened? What was wrong with Scottie? Unfortunately, to this day, I have no clue. I have inquired about his Death Certificate, but there is no guarantee it will say anything more than just Pneumonia. I have talked with other cousins on the Rickards side of the family and no one knows anything about Scottie. I have searched for the Pleasant Hill Nursing Center in Iowa where he lived, but the facility is no longer there.
The research of his life has yielded many questions. He has apparently never lived on his own. He lived with his father in Illinois until he died, then moved in with his sister in Iowa. On his 1940 WWII Draft Registration Card, he is listed as Unemployed. But there are no other descriptors on the card giving hints to any problems. Yet, on the 1940 US Federal Census, he has listed as his occupation, Salesman. There is nothing else anywhere giving any hints to anything.
The 1950 census will be released in a few months, so I am looking forward to seeing what they have listed for him. According to a 1950 City Directory that I found in Des Moines, IA, he was living with Ruth still. So sometime between 1950 & 1973, he became Ill and was sent to a nursing home. As Alice from Wonderland would say, "Curiouser and Curiouser!".
As I said when I first started this post, I may never find out what happened to Scottie. And that's something I have to accept. But it doesn't make me any less curious for sure.
Do you have any ancestors that have left you curious??
Oh dear, I do hope the 1950 Census points you in the direction of more info!
ReplyDeleteThank you Marian. Me too!
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