Great Grandma's Name Was Ella. After That It's Complicated --Part two

If you missed part one, here's the link:  Great Grandma's Name Was Ella. After That It Gets Complicated.

Carr, Kerr, Hays, or  Hayes. What's the deal with these names great grandma Ella?

I left off with on part one finding out that my great grandmother's maiden name apparently was Kerr. Her parents were a Henry Kerr and a Tina Murphy both from Sampson County, NC. So hurray at last I had a jumping off place to find out about my Ella. I had questions though. Here's why.

My paternal grandmother was Ethel Smith Murrell. She was born in Wilmington, NC and her mother's name was listed as Ella Carr on the birth certificate. Now that's not too crazy. The marriage certificate to her second husband, William Dixon, read Ella Kerr so Carr and Kerr are pretty close. The thing that has always intrigued my father and I was that on my grandmother Ethel's social security application form she wrote that her mother's name was Ellen Hayes? Why? Did grandmother not know her mother's true identity. Or was she instructed by her mother to use a different name or alias? Or perhaps it was for some other reason there was a different last name listed?

I thought for a moment and then I remembered that on the 1930 Federal census there was a cousin residing in my great grandmother's household. 

Source Information:  Ancestry.com. 1930 United States Federal Census [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations Inc, 2002. Source Citation Year: 1930; Census Place: Manhattan, New York, New York; Roll: 1573; Page: 29A; Enumeration District: 0917; Image: 860.0; FHL microfilm: 2341308

L B Hayes  born about 1900 in New York
Father's birthplace: West Indies
Mother birthplace:  North Carolina

Hmmm. Mother's birthplace North Carolina. Perhaps the choice of using the Hayes surname wasn't a random thing. It looks like the Hayes/Hays name is a family name. Was this cousin L B Hays a distant cousin or close?

Anyway, I feel my ADD kicking in about now so I must remind myself to stay on target. Oh yeah, Ella. I'm supposed to be finding out more about great grandma Ella. I decided to look for Ella's parents first because if she was born around 1882 I wouldn't catch her on the 1880 census and she may not even be on the 1900 census because I know she didn't stay in Sampson County. By 1911 she was in Wilmington, NC because that's where my grandmother was born and then by 1920 she was in NY marrying William Dixon.

Here's the 1900 and 1880 censuses for who I believe are my Henry and Tina/Tena Kerr

Source Information Ancestry.com. 1900 United States Federal Census [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations Inc, 2004.Source Citation Year: 1900; Census Place: Franklin, Sampson, North Carolina; Roll: 1217; Page: 12B; Enumeration District: 0091; FHL microfilm: 1241217

1900 census for Franklin Township, Sampson County, NC

Source Information Ancestry.com and The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. 1880 United States Federal Census [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations Inc, 2010. Source CitationYear: 1880; Census Place: Franklin, Sampson, North Carolina; Roll: 981; Family History Film: 1254981; Page: 67B; Enumeration District: 192; Image: 0596

1880 Census for Franklin Township, Sampson County, NC

Sadly, no sign of my Ella on these but there was a lot to be gained. 

1) On the 1900 census Tena/Tina is listed as Jane T. Perhaps her middle name was Jane. (Well actually I know that her middle name was Jane but that will be discussed in an upcoming post.)

2) Henry Kerr was born Jan 1854. Tena/Tina Kerr born Nov 1852.

They were married for approximately 23 years, making the year they were united around 1877.

3) They owned there own farm free and clear! Woohoo!

4) Tena/Tina was the mother of 6 children 4 still living in 1900. 

From what I can tell so far, these are the children.

Henry Tupper Kerr  b.1878--d.1940

Ida Kerr Brown b.1883--d.1968

Emma Kerr was born about 1886. As of now, I can't locate her after 1900.  Did the census taker hear the wrong name and put down Emma instead of Ella?

Murchison Kerr b.1880 --I think he died before 1900. I haven't found any further records on him either.

So where was Ella? Had she picked up and already gone to Wilmington by 1900? Or perhaps was she living in one of the neighboring households in Franklin, NC? 

It may have been a case of the latter. Let's take a look at the full census page for 1900.

Source Information Ancestry.com. 1900 United States Federal Census [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations Inc, 2004.Source Citation.Year: 1900; Census Place: Franklin, Sampson, North Carolina; Roll: 1217; Page: 12B; Enumeration District: 0091; FHL microfilm: 1241217

On this page, you find households that go by the surnames of Kerr, Hayes and Murphy. Now remember those three names have all been linked to my Ella. I think I am definitely looking in the right neighborhood!

Same thing can be said for the page before.

Source Information Ancestry.com. 1900 United States Federal Census [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations Inc, 2004.Source Citation.Year: 1900; Census Place: Franklin, Sampson, North Carolina; Roll: 1217; Page: 12B; Enumeration District: 0091; FHL microfilm: 1241217

I even found an Ella and an Ellen. I think I will be looking through some census pages and plotting out how these families are all connected. I also have to take a closer look at the Ella and Ellen I found here. Like I already said, it's complicated.

To be continued...