Isabell Adelia Rudd, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Frank Rudd, was born at Ute, Iowa, May 30, 1858, and died Feb. 28, 1942, at the George Igou? home in Dow City, where she had been cared for during the past several weeks.

She was united in marriage with W.C. Bybee on March 20, 1881, and 10 children were born to the union.  Four died in infancy and her husband passed away in 1907.  Two sons, Oliver and Asa, also preceded her in death.

Those surviving are Frank, Orchard, South Africa; Daisy, Mrs. Dave McAllister, Boise, Idaho; Charlie, San Bernardino, Calif. and Harry, Los Angeles, Calif.  Surviving also are four sisters, Mrs. Ida Butterworth and Mrs. Melissa Merrick, Independence, Mo.;  Mrs. Clara Birkhofer, Charter Oak, and Mrs. Effie Fewing, Puyallup, Wash.  Also 22 grandchildren and 10 great grandchildren and many nephews and nieces.

On April 29, 1913, she was married to John Edwards, who died May 4, 1931.

Funeral services were held Tuesday, March 3, at the L.D.S. Church in Dow City, with burial in the local cemetery.  Pallbearers were George Cook, Earnest Neethan, Davis Griffin, George Cook, Fred Baber, and Orville Arnold.

The sermon was by the pastor Elder Elvin Baughman. Mrs. D. R. Griffin, Betty Baber, Donna Jean Baughman, and Mary Lou Butterworth sang with Mrs. Baughman at the piano.

Some in attendance were Mrs. Dave McAllister, Boise, Idaho; Harry Bybee, Los Angeles; Mr. and Mrs. Archie Davis and Donald Bybee, Denison; Mrs. R.D. Henry, Nevada; Mrs. Gladys McClain, Exira; and Mrs. Ancil Chamberlain, Buffalo, N.Y.

She had been a member of the Reorganized Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints since 1870.

John Edwards, Sr. was my 3rd great-grandfather.  He served for a short period during the Civil War, in Co. G 9th Michigan Infantry.

This letter was written to try and receive an increase to his pension.  It is transcribed under the images.

Gentlemen – About three (3) years ago, I made an application for $72.00 (seventy-two dollars) a month.  Under disability that I needed the aid of another person and it was granted.  Since that time my aflliction has crawled on.
I can neither dress or undress my self.  Keep to my bed and big chair all the time.
I surely think I am entitled to the ($90.00) ninty dollars a  month.
I have got a big rupture, aboe hte naval as big as a goose egg, which is very painful all the time. Costing me about $5.00 a month for medicine all the time.
My pension certificate no. is 749.884.
Yours Resp,
John Edwards, Sr.
Dow City, Ia

This man is John Edwards, my 3rd great-grandfather.  On the right is his second wife, Delia (Rudd Bybee) Edwards.  I’m not sure who the girl on the left is – perhaps one of their granddaughters (they had no children together, so it would be from one of their first marriages).  John died in May of 1931, so this picture must have been taken before then.

Gueldon or “Bub” as he was known died at the young age of 25.  The doctor used forceps when he was born and this harmed him somehow – but I’m not sure of the details.  I believe he died after an operation.

I will have to ask my family members some more information about him – and see if they have any more pictures.

His nickname was “Bub” and my dad called my brother this when he was a kid.

I think this is the only picture I have of her as a small child and I cherish it.  I know it needs to be fixed up and retouched (Cherie, I hear it coming!) but I’m holding off as I am hoping to get a better scan of the original picture.  This is a scan of a bad copy.

This census record was the only clue I had that they had more than the children that survived to adulthood.  It also made sense that they had adopted – perhaps because they had lost so many children and couldn’t have any more naturally.

One of the treasures I found in John Edwards’ pension file was a list of his children’s names – even the ones that didn’t survive to adulthood.

As you can see, John stated that the family records were burned in a fire, so he didn’t have exact dates for the children’s births.  (Of course, my husband can’t seem to remember any of my children’s birthdays, so this doesn’t surprise me a bit!)

I now know that they had the following children:

1. ? Edwards (if any of you happen to have superhero vision and can read the first name of this child, I’d be forever grateful.)  Born Sept 1868.  This child must have died before 1870, because he/she is not with them in the census.
2. Wallace, born 25 April 1871.  He died in 1946.
3. Ida Mae
4. John, born 2 June 1878.  This is my great-great grandfather.
5. Samuel
6. Arnold
7. Olive
8. Eldin, born 13 Feb 1895 (he was adopted).

So, my question is – was there another natural-born child that was living in 1900 that I was unaware of  or was Sarah unsure about how to answer the question about her children?  She said that she had 7 children (which she did give birth to 7 children) but 3 of them were living (her adopted son was one of these three).  Minor detail, but I’m sure it’s not important.

I’m so happy to finally put some names to these children who died at such young ages.  I now wonder if maybe I could find their gravestones, if there are any existing.  They could be in Michigan, Canada, or Iowa – so a bunch of places to look.

Maybe it’s because they wore the big round hats, like my husband did when he served as a Drill Sergeant.  I think they looked very sharp in uniform.

This is my great-great grandfather, John Edwards Jr.’s cousin, Cecil Francis Edwards (1894-1969).

The picture was given to me by another Edwards researcher and I’m grateful for it – Thank you!!  I really wish I had a similar one of my great-grandfather, Alfred Edwards, in his uniform.

I had often wondered how exactly he had served.  He was born 11 September 1848, near London, Ontario, Canada.  That makes him pretty young for a soldier – about 12 at the start of the war.

I knew what unit he served in (Co. G. Michigan Infantry), but I didn’t have any dates and I was unable to get his pension records for a number of years.  I finally received them a couple of weeks ago and many of my questions are now answered.

First of all, he didn’t enlist until near the end of the war – 15 March 1865 at Pontiac, Michigan.  He would have been 16 years old at the time.  So, he wasn’t a 12 yr old drummer boy, he was close to being a man.

Second, he LIED about his age.  All of the documents pertaining to his pension state that he was born on 11 Sept 1846.

The only document in his pension file that has his correct birth date is what was listed on his death certificate.  A copy of the certificate was included in his file as his wife was trying to get back payments from a check that was returned.

The 1848 date is also what is listed in his obituary and it matches up with his age in census records.

These two years he added to his age, would have made him 18 at the time of his enlistment, instead of the 16 he really was.

He was the 10th of 11 children and I wonder if any of his older 3 brothers also served.  It’s something I haven’t looked into yet, but perhaps he was feeling left out – or maybe he was just very patriotic and wanted to serve his country.

Either way, I find it interesting that he would voluntarily join the Army and risk his life at such a young age.  Can you imagine many 16 year olds today doing the same?

Do you have any ancestors who lied about their age to join the Army?

“Sarah Edwards was born April 3d, 1850, in St. Clair county, Michigan, and died at her home in Dow City, Iowa, September 24th 1912.  She was married in Michigan September 8th 1857 [I believe this should be 1867 not 1857] to John Edwards.  In 1877 they moved to Iowa, where they have since resided.

She united with the Latter Day Saints’ church in December, 1885, and remained true to that faith until death.  She was a good wife and mother and a kind neighbor.  She had been in failing health for a number of years and at the time of her death was almost totally blind and had been a great sufferer.  The bereaved husband has the consolation of knowing that he did everything possible for her comfort and relief.  She leaves to mourn her departure her husband and three sons, Wallace, John, and Elden, all of Dow City. The funeral was held in the Latter Day Saints’ church Thursday afternoon at 2 o’clock, Elder C.J. Hunt of Deloit conducting the service and the remains were laid to rest in the Dow City cemetery. The ones thus bereft of wife and mother have the sympathy of all in their dark hour of sorrow.

I really wish that I had a picture of her.  She died in 1912, so I’m sure that some relative has one somewhere.  I am hoping that someday I find one!  I love putting a face to the names and dates.

Edwards, Alfred L.

age 72, of 703 N. W. Market. Beloved husband of Viva.  Father of Mrs. Kim (Jill) Edwards, Mrs. A.J. (Donna) Thornton, both Seattle; Mrs. Milton Cours, Sioux City, Ia.  Brother of E.E. (Mike) Roberts, Edmonds, 15 grandchildren, three great grandchildren.  Member of The Berean Church, Plumbers and Pipefitters Local 32.  Services Friday, 3 p.m., at Wiggen and Sons Chapel.  Interment, Memorial Park Cemetery, Sioux City, Ia., 1 p.m. Monday. Remembrances may be made to the Berean Church.

My great-grandfather Alfred Leroy Edwards  and his brother Elias E., served in the 42nd Division (The Rainbow Division) during WWI.  I don’t have any pictures of him during this time period, or any of his military records, but I figured that at least I could find out what battles his unit took part in to get a better picture of what his experience must have been like.

My dad has a photograph of him shaving in France, but he can’t find it right now.  Keeping my fingers crossed that it shows up!

Looking onlilne, I found this list of the battles engaged in by the 42nd Division : (1) Luneville sector, Lorraine, February 21 to March 23, 1918; (2) Baccarat sector, Lorraine, March 31 to June 21, 1918; (3) Esperance-Souain sector, Champagne, July 4 to July 17, 1918; (4) Champagne-Marne defensive, July 15 to 17, 1918; (5) Aisne-Marne offensive, July 25 to August 3, 1918; (6) Aisne-Marne offensive July 25 to August 11, 1918; (7) St. Mihiel offensive, September 12 to 16, 1918; (8) Essey and Pannes sector, Woevre, September 17 to 30, 1918; (9) Meuse-Argonne offensive, October 12 to 31, 1918; (10) Meuse-Argonne, October 7 to November 1, 1918; (11) Meuse-Argonne offensive, November 5 to 10, 1918; (12) Meuse-Argonne offensive November 5 to 9, 1918.

I also found some papers (a diary and some books) of another Iowa Private who served in the same regiment, which are available at the MacArthur Memorial in Norfolk, VA.  I would love to be able to read through his diary and get an idea of what life was like – since they may have had similar experiences.

I was also happy to find a picture of a roster from a different company(on an ebay site), but similar to the one above.  It is in great condition in a frame and has a uniform also.  It was neat to see what he would have worn.

Someone in the family HAS to have a picture of him in uniform, don’t you think?  I will have to do some searching….

]]> http://www.climbingmyfamilytree.com/2011/01/10/military-monday-alfred-edwards-served-in-wwi/feed/ 1 http://www.climbingmyfamilytree.com/2011/01/07/the-quest-for-john-edwards-civil-war-pension-an-update/ http://www.climbingmyfamilytree.com/2011/01/07/the-quest-for-john-edwards-civil-war-pension-an-update/#comments Fri, 07 Jan 2011 10:00:27 +0000 Jenn http://www.climbingmyfamilytree.com/?p=1572 One of my goals this year is to get my hands on John Edwards’ Civil War pension.  I have explained the problems I’ve been having here and here.

I was pleasantly surprised when I received a reply from the VA today!!  They were quick, I have to say.  I thought that I was going to be waiting months upon months to even get a confirmation, but I was wrong.  I wrote to them right before Christmas, so that’s a pretty quick turnaround.

Unfortunately, they didn’t have the records I was searching for.  They are (of course) housed in another facility (within the VA).  Thankfully, they forwarded my request and hopefully the next office will be as prompt as they were.

Am I beginning to see a light at the end of the tunnel?  Do his records actually exist??  Are they sitting on some back shelf in a musty, dark basement somewhere, untouched by human hands for the past 80 years?  Probably.

I just hope that the VA can unearth them for me so that I can finally read them!  After all of this time and frustration, there had better be something good in this thing!

I posted about this in March and didn’t hear anything since then.

I decided to get aggressive and made some phone calls.  I’m finally figuring out that it is better to speak directly to people instead of sending an email.  I waited on hold to the National Archives for about 20 minutes, after the recording assured me every thirty seconds that the wait was 1 minute and 8 seconds.    Hmm.  Not sure who recorded that message.

I finally got through and then to my dismay was told that I needed to speak to someone else entirely.  Thankfully, it was a quick transfer and the next person picked the phone up immediately.  I don’t think I could have handled another wait on the phone. Especially since my kids seem to think that this is the time to make messes, loud noises, need immediate attention, or fight with each other.

The woman I spoke with was very helpful.  She explained to me the reason finding my ancestor’s pension record was so difficult.  He died in 1931 and the records were closed out in 1929.  That means that they definitely have everything from 1929 and before,but it gets tricky beyond that.  The VA had the records (and could possibly still have the records).  The problem is that the Civil War records weren’t put in a separate section to themselves.  They are mixed with other pensions (including WWI).  As they find these older records, they pile them up and send them to the National Archives.  But only as they find them.  They haven’t gone through them all specifically to pull the Civil War records out.  That means that my ancestor’s pension file could be in either place.

The reason I’ve had so much trouble in the past, is that the automated ordering system at the Archives immediately kicks a message back to me saying that they don’t have records for the date I’m searching.  I called the VA and they also told me the same thing. There is obviously some miscommunication between them.  I think that it would be wonderful if the VA would take the time to go through the files and forward all of the Civil War pensions to the NARA once and for all.  I don’t when this will happen.  I know that I’m not the only one that has had this problem though.

Anyway, back to my story.  The woman gave me the number to their resident pension expert and told me that he should be able to go and see if the record is there.  If not, he could walk me through the process of obtaining the record from the VA.

After a few days of phone tag, I emailed my ancestor’s information to him and he went and searched for it.  I now know that John Edwards’ pension is NOT at the National Archives.

Here is what he told me:

The way to access the file that you are requesting is via the Department of Veteran Affairs.  We recognize that we should have these files in the National Archives and we are working with the Department of Veteran Affairs to have them transferred to us.  You need to write a letter to the VA Freedom of Information Officer.  State that you are requesting access to the pension file under the Freedom of Information Act.  You must state your willingness to pay applicable fees or provide a justification to support a fee waiver.

The address to the VA FOIA/Privacy Act Officer is:

Department of Veteran Affairs

Veterans Benefits Administration (20M33)

810 Vermont Avenue, NW

Washington, DC 20420

So, I now have another letter to write.

I’m hoping that it doesn’t take months upon months to hear back from the VA.  I guess I shouldn’t be too impatient though.  I’ve been waiting almost 8 years, what’s another 6 months?  I think that I may give them my parents’ address as a backup in case they take too long in getting back with me.  We will be moving next summer and then moving again the summer after that. (Gotta love the military!)  I would hate for them to finally send his packet and have it lost in the abyss of undeliverable mail. I just hope that they are able to give me some sort of confirmation, or that there is some way for me to verify that they have received my request and are processing it.  We’ll see.  I WILL get his pension packet someday in the near future….

Obituary of John Edwards Jr., Who Died on July 8
John Ewards [sic], was born June 2, 1877 in Crawford county and died July 8, 1935, aged 58 years, 1 month and 6 days.
When about a year old he moved with his parents to Michigan and then to Canada where he resided for seven years. They returned again to Crawford county where he has since resided, having lived in Dow City and later years in Arion. He united with the Latter Day Saint church in early life.
He leaved to mourn two daughters, Mrs. Mae Davie, Arion, and Mrs. Alma Widen, of Ogden, two sons, Alfred of Sioux City and Elsia [sic] of Missouri Valley; brothers Wallace of Arion and Elden of Pomeroy. There are also 19 grandchildren and numerous other relatives and friends. Funeral services were held Tuesday at 10 a.m. at the Dow City L.D.S. church with Elder M.O. Myers, of Deloit, in charge. Burial in the Dow City cemetery

This obit was helpful to me in putting together the timeline of when the Edwards family moved.

Ancestry.com also has these records, but they are indexed differently.

I had the hardest time finding John Edwards’ pension card on Ancestry.  Do you know how many John Edwards served in the Civil War?  A lot.  Those common names get you every time.

I knew what unit he served in, because it was on his gravestone. 

The Footnote search was so easy, because I could choose his company (G) and then his regiment (9) and voila, there he was!

Now to finally get a hold of his pension record….

My great-great grandmother is somewhat of a mystery to me.

She must either have been quite the character, or else quite the mess.  I can’t decide which.

She moved around and married so many times that I don’t know what to think. I still have a lot of research that needs to be done, but I’m hoping that by putting it out here, some light bulb will go off and I’ll know where I should search next.  Or better yet, maybe another researcher with some of the info I need will find me!

Here is a rundown of what I do know:

April 1880 She is born in Deloit, Crawford county, IA to Solomon Hattery (Sr.) and Martha Jane Mowery.  She has 5 older siblings and possibly 2 step-siblings from her mother’s first marriage, although I don’t have any proof that they ever lived with or near her.

June 1880 Here is her family in the 1880 census, living at Deloit, Crawford county, IA.
1) Solomon Hattry, white, male, age 29, married, laborer, born in OH
2) Martha J, white, female, age 37, wife, married, keeping house, born in IL, father born in PA, mother born in IL
3) Solomon M, white, male, age 7, son, born in IA, father born in OH, mother born in IL
4) Minnie B, white, female, age 5, daughter, born in IA, father born in OH, mother born in IL
5) Anna D, white, female, age 3, daughter, born in IA, father born in OH, mother born in IL
6) James D, white, male, age 3, son, born in IA, father born in OH, mother born in IL
7) Elias, white, male, age 1, son, born in IA, father born in OH, mother born in iL
8) Ella J, white, female, age 2 months, born in March, daughter, born in IA, father born in OH, mother born in IL

1895 She is living with her mother in Vail, Crawford county, IA. Her parents were divorced.
1. Martha J. Haltery, age 53, born in Penna, white, Crawford, Vail
2. Elias Haltery, age 16, born in Crawford Co, IA, white, Crawford, Vail
3. Ella Haltery, age 15, born in Crawford Co, IA, white, Crawford, Vail
4. Lily Haltery, age 6, born in Crawford Co, IA, white, Crawford, Vail

23 Sep 1896 She is married to John Edwards in Denison, Crawford, IA.

June 1897 Her first child, Alma, is born in Denison, Crawford, IA.

28 Sep 1898 Her second child (my great-grandfather) Alfred Leroy is born in Vail, Crawford, IA.

5 June 1900. She is living in Herdland Twp, Clay county, IA with her husband John Edwards and their children.
1) John Edwards, head, white, male, June 1876, age 23, married for 4 years, born in IA, father born in Canada, mother born in MI, day laborer, unemployed 3 months, can read, write, and speak English
2) Ella Edwards, wife, white, female, April 1880, age 20, married 4 years, 2 of 2 children living, born in IA, father born in IL, mother born in OH
3) Alma Edwards, daughter, white, female, June 1897, age 2, single, born in IA, parents born in IA
4) Alfred Edwards, son, white, male, Sep 1898, age 1, single, born in IA, parents born in IA

22 Nov 1900 A son, Elton Elias is born. (He later changes his name to Mike Roberts, and says that his father was in fact a man named Perry Roberts.  When you read the divorce papers below, you will realize that is very possible).

31 Oct 1902 A daughter, May is born.

8 May 1903 John Edwards files for divorce.
Petition in Equity, April Term 1903.
John Edwards Jr. plaintiff
vs.
Ella Edwards defendant

Petition in Equity.
Count One.
Plaintiff for cause of action states that he is now and for many years past has been a good faith resident of Crawford County Iowa.
Count Two.
That he married this defendant at Denison Iowa on the 23 day of Sept. 1896.
Count Three.
That from said marriage there was born four children viz: Alma aged 5 years past, Alfred aged 4 years past, Elias aged 2 years past and May born October 31, 1902.
Count Four.
That all of said children are now in the custody of this plaintiff.
Count Five.
That the plaintiff has at all times conducted himself towards the defendant as a loving and affectionate husband.
Count Six.
That the defendant disregarding her duty towards her husband has at various times since their marriage been guilty of and committed the crime of adultery in Crawford and Harrison Counties Iowa.
Count Seven.
That the defendant is not a fit person to care for or attend to the wants of said minor children nor is she able.

Wherefore the plaintiff prays that he may be divorced from the bonds of matrimony heretofore existing between him and the defendant and that he may be awarded the care and custody of the children and such other and farther relief as may be equitable and just in the premises
John Edwards Jr. [signed]

(He was awarded custody of the 4 children.)

1903-1905 She must have married Dave Rickman sometime during this period.

1905. She is in the Iowa State Census in Council Bluffs, Pottawattamie, IA.
1. Dave Rickman, 1312 W. Bway
2. Ella Rickman, 1312 W Bway

16 March 1907. She is mentioned in a newspaper article in the Clinton Mirror.
Solomon M. Hattery was struck by an Illinois Central train as he was walking on the track near the business section of Council Bluffs and injured so badly that he may not recover. Hattery lives with a sister, Mrs. Rickman. Hattery is at a hospital suffering intensely and is unconscious.

Abt. 1909. A son, Merle Rickman is born

26 April 1910 She is living in Chadron, Dawes, Nebraska – and she is divorced.
They were living on Egan Street.
1. John D. Knight, head, m, w, 37, M1 15 yrs, born in IA, parents born in IA?, speaks English, switchman for the RR, not out of work, out of work 4 weeks in 1929, reads and writes, rents a home
2. Emma Knight, wife, f, w, 36, M1 15 yrs, 5 of 5 children living, born in SD, parents born in Germany, speaks English, no occupation, reads nad writes
3. Charlie…
4. Cecil…
5. John…
6. Theodore…
7. Helen…
8. Ella Rickman, rooming, female, white, 29, divorced, 5 of 5 children living, born in IA, parents born in IA, speaks English, does housework, is out of work, was not out of work in 1929, reads and writes
9. Merle Rickman, rommer, male, white, age 1, single, born in IA, parents born in IA

17 Feb 1912. She marries B.F. Proffitt in Council Bluffs, Pottawattamie, IA.

19 Jan 1914. She marries William E. Kryselmier in Mills county, IA.

6 Jan 1920. She is living with her daughter May and her family. Her son Merle is living with her. She is still listed as married.
1) Robert L. Johnson, head, renting, male, white, age 21, married, reads and writes, born in IA, parents born in U.S., speaks English, Laborer for RR Co., wage worker
2) May R., wife, female, white, age 17, married, reads and writes, born in IA, parents born in IA, speaks English, no occupation
3) Ella J. Kryselmeier, mother-in-law, female, white, age 39, married, reads and writes, born in IA, father born in IL, mother born in OH, speaks English, housekeeper in private home, wage worker
4) Merle E. Kryselmier, brother-in-law, male, white, age 10, single, attended school, reads and writes, born in IA, father born in U.S., mother born in Iowa, speaks English, no occupation

1 Jan 1925. Iowa State Census. She is living in Council Bluffs, Pottawattamie, IA as a boarder. She is widowed and her son Merle is not living with her. He would have been about 15. What happened to him?
1) Charley H. Jaques, head, male, white, age 55, married, owned home, mortgaged, value of home $1000, $200 mortgaged, $400 insurance carried on home, attended grade school, completed 6th grade, reads and writes, born in IA, father Thomas V. Zaques, born in France, mother unknown, born in Ireland, married in England
2) Jane N. Jaques, wife, female, white, age 54, married, attended grade school, completed 6th grade, reads and writes, born in IA, father Frank C. Russel, born in MA, mother Mary Mitchell, born in NY, married in Chicago, Illinois
3) Ella J. Kryselmier, boarder, female, white, age 45, widowed, attended grade school, completed 8th grade, reads and writes, born in IA, father Solomon Hattery, born in IL, mother Martha J. Mowery, born in Illinois, married in Clinton, Ohio

After 1925, I’m not sure what happened to her.  Did she marry again?  Did she stay in Council Bluffs?

I have a lot more research work to be done on her so that I can fill in some of the blanks on the rest of her very interesting life…

These are my great-grandparents, Alfred LeRoy Edwards and Viva Lena Agee.  I never met Alfred, but I remember visiting Viva in a nursing home when I was a child.  I wish that I had more memories of her than that.

I can’t be the only person that has ever run into this problem.

I have an ancestor that served in the Army during the Civil War.

According to his gravestone, he served in Co. G 9th Michigan Infantry:

He was born in 1848 in Canada.  He then lived in Michigan and finally in Crawford County, Iowa.  That is where he died and is buried.

I have no idea if he received a pension or not.  He was 82 when he died, so chances are he had something wrong with him that he tried to get  a pension for.

I have not found him in the Civil War Pension Index: General Index to Pension Files, 1861-1934. He has a pretty common name though, making it hard to tell if he is there or not.

I went to the National Archives website and attempted to order his pension record through their online service.

When I click “order”, I get a message stating that the NARA doesn’t have the records I’m looking for.  Civil War pension records were closed out in 1929 – and John Edwards died on 3 May 1931.

They directed me to the Department of Veterans Affairs website. (And if he died in 1931 and the above-mentioned index is dated 1934 – would he be in there or not?  They said that they didn’t have records past 1929.  I’m so confused!)

I proceeded to read through their information and tried to figure out how to order the records I was seeking.  I ended up just emailing them with my question, hoping that they could help me.

I got a very timely answer from them, but it wasn’t what I was hoping  for:

We thank you for your inquiry. We are uncertain as to why the National Archives referred you to the Department of Veterans Affairs as we do not keep military records or pension packets for deceased Veterans of the era you are referring. The Department of Veterans Affairs does not maintain records of Veterans’ military service, except as necessary for providing benefits from VA. We apologize for the inconvenience.

To obtain a copy of military service records and/or Official Military Personnel File (DD-214, OMPFs), please visit the web site for the Military Personnel Records Center (MPRC) in St. Louis, which is part of the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA).

So, now I need to make a phone call (or email query) to the MPRC to see if they might have what I’m looking for.  After browsing their website though, I’m not very enthusiastic.  I don’t think that they have pension records – just military records.

Has anyone else ever run into this problem?  Did you ever find your ancestor’s records?  Is this a lost cause?

I’ll let you know what I find out from the Records Center in St. Louis.  Hopefully they’ve got some good news for me!

UPDATE:

I emailed the National Archives and they were quick with this response:

We apologize for the inconvenience and the confusion; however, the records you are looking for should be housed with the National Archives in Washington D.C. Therefore we are sending your request to them. Sincerely, Customer Service Center

My great-grandfather was Alfred LeRoy Edwards. Here he is:

I used to be confident that his parents were John Edwards and Ella Hattery, but now I’m not so sure.

Ella had 4 children while she was married to John.  The marriage ended in divorce though.  Here is what the divorce paperwork had to say:

Petition in Equity, April Term 1903.
John Edwards Jr. plaintiff
vs.
Ella Edwards  defendant

Petition in Equity.
Count One.
Plaintiff for cause of action states that he is now and for many years past has been a good faith resident of Crawford County Iowa.
Count Two.
That he married this defendant at Denison Iowa on the 23 day of Sept. 1896.
Count Three.
That from said marriage there was born four children viz: Alma aged 5 years past, Alfred aged 4 years past, Elias aged 2 years past and May born October 31, 1902.
Count Four.
That all of said children are now in the custody of this plaintiff.
Count Five.
That the plaintiff has at all times conducted himself towards the defendant as a loving and affectionate husband.
Count Six.
That the defendant disregarding her duty towards her husband has at various times since their marriage been guilty of and committed the crime of adultery in Crawford and Harrison Counties Iowa.
Count Seven.
That the defendant is not a fit person to care for or attend to the wants of said minor children nor is she able.

Wherefore the plaintiff prays that he may be divorced from the bonds of matrimony heretofore existing between him and the defendant and that he may be awarded the care and custody of the children and such other and farther relief as may be equitable and just in the premises
John Edwards Jr. [signed]

If she committed adultery various times during their marriage, then who is to say that the children are even his?

Added to the above information is the fact that Alfred’s brother, Elias Edwards, changed his name when he was older – to Mike Roberts.  According to his descendants, he thought that his real father was a man named Perry Roberts.  They thought that he might be the father of Alfred also.

As far as I can tell, Ella didn’t marry this man.  She becomes a bit elusive to me after her divorce.  I found her later with the name Ella J. Kryselmeier, though I have yet to figure out whom she married.

So what would you do?

Would you continue to research the line of John Edwards as if he were Alfred’s father and just make a note of it that he might not be?

Would you try to find out who this Perry Roberts was?

I really wish that my grandmother were still alive so that she might be able to answer some of my questions.

Could this be something that DNA testing would help prove or disprove?  If I could find a descendant from John’s brother Wallace and compare it to my brother’s DNA?

I guess I need to read up some more on using DNA in genealogy research, because I am way behind in that department.