9 Demember 2019
Received Saturday 7 Dec 2019 a Death Certificate that was ordered for my Great Aunt Henrietta Cleveland, born 1861, Henry Co, Georgia. Her parents are James H and Frances Fanny Jackson Cleveland.
What a dreadful time to begin life, Georgia and Henry county felt the full brunt of war. Her father dies while she is a babe or toddler. The exact date of his death and location of burial is unknown. Henrietta is the eight child. Both James and Fanny's parents lived in the county and certainly helped. The James/Frances Cleveland family is not found in the 1870 Federal census and the 1880 census finds Henrietta age 19 the only child at home with her mother. The missing 1890 census and the lack of marriage records for the last three children leaves a lot unknown. For the first twenty years of my researching, many miles on my car, many cranks of microfilm readers and many books perused to find little information on Henrietta. Wonderfully one day Ancestry.com appeared online and later affordable DNA testing producing DNA Matches and methods to find missing kin.
In the summer of 2019 I began to think I am kin to everyone. My DNA Matches said I had over 170,000 cousin matches!! Of course, I would guess, about one-half have small to NO trees. Two first cousins on my maternal side tested making it easy to divide my Matches between Maternal and Paternal. The McCleskey Family in Georgia has a published book and my main concern is to work on Maternal side: Holt, Bustre, Cleveland, two different Jackson families,Kite, Shaw, Dodd, and a name very unusual to me, Stalnaker among others. It was fascinating to see interesting and unusual names that didn't seem to fit into what I thought Georgia names would be. One name Rooks seemed familiar but I couldn't remember what family it belonged. The more I sorted families and became familiar with Ancestry I realized I could Search my tree names. Typing in Rooks brought up Henrietta. Frances Fanny Jackson Cleveland died in 1909 leaving an estate. Her father John Jackson and her father-in-law Rice Cleveland both left money to Fanny and her descendants. In Fanny's probate Henrietta is listed as a Rooks. Thus, the connection to my new Rooks DNA cousins.
The DNA Rook cousins posted that they descend from Andrew Jackson Rooks and Etta Brantley Rooks. Certainly Etta is abbreviation for Henrietta and she could have had a first marriage to a Brantley. But, the dates did not mesh. The marriage record from Spalding co, Ga of the Rooks-Brantley marriage would indicate that if is Etta Cleveland, she would have been 8 years old marrying Jack Rooks and that was her second marriage. Applying for the DC was, what seemed like the last chance. Posted by these descendants is a photo of a tombstone saying Andrew Jackson died in 1914. Who would be informant for Henrietta. A J (Jack) and Henrietta (Etta) had only one child, Leroy R Rooks.
When I opened the envelope from California Public Health, it was a pleasant surprise to see the clear neat handwriting. The informant was Matron, County Hospital Riverside Co, CA. Given was Etta Rooks birth date (that was unknown) and both parents: James Cleveland, b SC; Fannie Jackson, b SC.
We now have the correct Etta but do we have the correct Andrew Jackson Rooks? In the beginning the name Rooks seemed strange and unusual. By the time I finished, I wonder why I had not encountered before! Even more interesting is the number of Andrew Jackson Rooks found and how many were in both Georgia and California. Since A J "Jack" Rooks is not in my direct line, I will leave him to his descendants or at least wait until I have time for him. Records on Ancestry does show that there is a Death Certificate for him or, at least, the one buried in Olivewood Cemetery in Riverside, CA.
One of the facts missing from Etta Rooks death certificates is the name of the cemetery where she is buried. The first word, Riverside is easy to read but the second word remains a mystery, Olep, as best as I can decipher. The only cemetery in Riverside county starting with an O is Olivewood. An e-mail query to Olivewood has been sent.
Henriette Cleveland left Georgia and must have had an adventurous trip to California! I do not know about the hardships she and her family encountered, but I am sure they had them. Henrietta Etta Cleveland Rooks is found during her lifetime in only three census, with her mother in
1880 Henry Co, GA. Next, 1900, with Andrew J Rooks 51 years, Etta 39 and the introduction of son Roy R Rooks 6 years. They are in
Indian Territory, Choctaw Nation, So McAlister. It states they have been married 7 years. A J and Etta born in Georgia and Roy born in Alabama.
While doing research during the late 80s or early 90s, I made a notation that Henrietta was married to a Henry "Bud" Waldrop. This marriage seems probable because of ages. If she is 39 in 1900, married only 7 years, at her marriage to A J, she would have been about 32 years. A marriage to Bub Waldrop has been researched, no information found. The 1900 census points to Etta and A J living at least a time in Alabama. You find many Georgians living in Alabama either temporarily or permanently as the masses moved West after The War and as new lands were opened.
The next time Etta Rooks is found,
1920 Riverside Co, California, Roy is grown and on his own; Andrew Jackson Rooks is dead and Etta H (perhaps Henrietta) Rooks is living alone, age 59, Widow and working at Housework for a Private Family. She dies one year later in the Riverside County Hospital of a Brain Tumor (Cerebellum). E H Wood, signs the certificate as Chaplin. She has been in the hospital since 7 July 1921 and dies 24 September 1921. DC states she is 61 years, 7 months and 17 days and that she has lived in CA for 20 years.
I Honor Henrietta "Etta" with deep admiration. Even though I did not know her or the women of that era I know the many hardships they had. I can only hope she found happiness and comfort.
Judy McCleskey Webb, 2XGreat Niece. She was the youngest sister to my Great Grandmother.
Olivewood Cemetery responded to my request and says, Etta Rooks is buried in this cemetery. I failed to inquire if her grave site is next to A. J. Rooks.
