April 2012: Status of research on Esther Louise Johnson

Here is the status of my research on my maternal grandmother. I've switched to keeping these documents as notes in Evernote. I've set up a notebook for each surname in my ancestry, named starting with the ahnentafel number of the first female ancestor with that surname. So the research status note for Grandma Ogden is in notebook "007-Johnson."

7. Esther Louise JOHNSON
What was her full name?

Esther L OGDEN: grave marker, SD death record, funeral card, obit

Esther Laurie JOHNSON: newspaper report of marriage license [hand-written correction to “Louise”]

Esther Louise JOHNSON: NE state report of marriage, SS-5

To-do: Rock Island Co. birth record, church baptism record, SS-5, newspapers, Sheridan Co. marriage license

To-do: children’s vital records, Rock Island Co. birth record, church baptism record, newspapers, Sheridan Co. marriage license

Who were her parents?

Gust and Rose JOHNSON: 1910 US Census

Gust A and Rose JOHNSON: 1920 US Census

Gust A JOHNSON and Rosabell STRAYER: NE state report of marriage

Gust A JOHNSON and Rosabelle STRAYER: SD death record

Gust. A. JOHNSON and Roseabelle STRAYER: SS-5

Gust and Rosabelle JOHNSON: obituary

To-do: Rock Island Co. birth record, church baptism record, newspapers, mother’s obituary, Sheridan Co. marriage license; children not listed in father’s obituary

When was she born?

23-Feb-1902: Grave marker, obituary, funeral card, SSDI, SD death record, SS-5

abt 1902: 1910, 1920, 1930 US census, 1935 SD Census, NE state report of marriage

abt 1903: 1945 SD Census

To-do: Rock Island Co. birth record, church baptism record, newspapers

Where was she born?

Milan, Rock Island Co., IL: obituary, children’s 1945 SD Census card images, SS-5

IL: 1910, 1920, 1930 US Census

NE: 1935 SD Census, children’s 1935 SD Census cards

To-do: find exact location of family in 1902 land records, Rock Island Co. birth record, county or city directory for 1902, newspapers, children’s census records

Where did she go to school?

Gordon HS: interview with Mom on 7-Mar-2010

To-do: NE school census, Gordon HS records

How long did she go to school?

After 11th grade, family moved to Henning MN, new HS wouldn’t accept all her credits, would have had to retake classes, decided to skip it and did not attend HS in MN, she never graduated from HS: interview with Mom on 7-Mar-2010

11 g: 1935 SD Census

3 years of high school: 1940 US Census\

12 gr: 1945 SD Census

To-do: NE school census, Gordon HS records

When did her family move from IL to Wayne Co., NE?  

Sometime between 1902 birth and Apr 1910 since they are In Wayne Co., NE in Apr 1910: 1910 US Census

“At the age of 2 she moved with her parents to Winside, NE”: obituary (that would make it ca. 1904)

        To-do: IL and NE land records, county directories, newspapers

When from Wayne Co. to Gordon?  

Between Apr 1910 and Apr 1914: 1910 US Census and obituary for Harriet (Howard) STRAYER when Esther is in Gordon

“...in 1920 she moved to Gordon, NE”: obituary [this is most likely when they moved to MN]

To-do: NE land records, county directories, newspapers

When to Henning?

Moved to Henning during summer between Jr and Sr year of high school: interview with Mom on 7-Mar-2010 (that would be about 1919, but they are in Gordon at the end of Jan, begin of Feb for 1920 US Census; they probably moved in the summer of 1920)\

bef. 19 Mar 1929: NE state report of marriage

To-do: IL, NE and MN land records, county directories, newspapers

Where did she live?

313 Spruce St., Gordon, NE in Oct. 1963: SS-5

See father and husband’s records

When did she die?

24-Mar-1984: Obituary, grave marker, funeral card, SD state death record

To-do: Rushville church records (Morse Methodist), probate recordsMar-1984: SSDI

Where did she die?

Black Hills Rehabilitation Hospital, Rapid City: Obituary, SD state death record

To-do: Nothing

What was the cause of death?

Cardio-respiratory arrest, orthostatic pneumonia, general inanition: SD death record

To-do: Nothing

Where is she buried?

Fairview Cemetery in Rushville: funeral card, grave marker photo, obituary, SD state death record

To do: Nothing

The only thing that I'd like to know more about is the exact location of her family when she was born. In 1900 her parents were living in Milan, Blackhawk Twp., Rock Island Co., IL. The census listing indicates they were renting, so land records probably won't help. I need to look for city or township or county directories from this time period.