Was James Henry Winkler Lost in a Texas Sawmill Fire?

I'm stumped. My third great-grandfather James Henry Winkler disappeared and left few clues to his whereabouts.

While I concede it probably wasn’t deliberate, his periodic gaps in the paper trail have made it difficult to follow his movements. In late 2019, I recounted the little I knew about his life: Whatever Happened to James Henry Winkler?

Born September 29, 1862, he was enumerated as J. H. Winkler in his parents’ 1870 household. A decade later, however, he was gone. At the age of 18, he had struck out on his own. There are a couple contenders in the 1880 census that may be him, but I can’t identify him with certainty.  

In 1883, he married Pauline Brickey (my third great-grandmother) in Newton County, Missouri. The record trail quieted down and I mistakenly assumed they were enjoying wedded bliss until Pauline suddenly - without any sign of turmoil in their relationship - remarried in 1891. 

What happened to James?! Did they divorce? Had he died? I couldn’t find an answer. The record trail was silent, and James was subsequently MIA for 17 years.

I finally found J. H. Winkler in the 1900 U.S. Federal Census. I was excited to see his birth month and year matched those in the Winkler family bible. I was doubly excited when I saw that the birth states for his parents were also a match (Indiana and Tennessee). I was back on his trail in hot pursuit and, to my surprise, in new geography - the Lone Star State!

Emporia Logger Camp

Seven months after they married in Liberty County, Texas, J. H. Winkler and his new wife Cora (Shelton) Doors, were enumerated on June 14, 1900, in the Emporia Log Camp in Angelina County, Texas. 

Run by the Emporia Lumber Company, Emporia was a company town established in 1893 that harvested yellow pine and processed the timber for transport along the nearby Houston East & West Texas railway lines to meet the growing industrial needs of the United States (The Pine Bough, December 1999).

Excerpt of 1900 Texas railroad map detailing Emporia
Retrieved from the Library of Congress, https://www.loc.gov/item/98688561/

In 1896, a fire destroyed the sawmill but was extinguished quickly and spared the planing mill and 5.5 million feet of lumber. 

Fort Worth Gazette, March 24, 1896

The following year (1897), business was booming. Emporia’s new sawmill produced 85,000 board feet per day, which provided lumber primarily for railroad cars and timbers for bridges (Old Emporia). New machinery was installed in 1900 that expanded the mill's daily production capacity to 100,000 board feet.

The camp’s population climbed to 155 residents in 1900. Among these men was J. H. Winkler who worked as a logger in the sawmill. In fact, he was one of only two enumerated loggers (the other was a man named John M. Cravey). Both men worked alongside dozens of day laborers – most of them African American.

Excerpt of the 1900 US Federal Census for J.H. Winkler
His occupation was logger in the Emporia Log Camp sawmill

James and Cora rented a house like every other person enumerated at the camp. Emporia offered a no-frills existence. Most employees lived in houses built of “unpainted clapboard construction with outdoor toilets.” The cottages were without modern conveniences because this was intended to be a short lived mill. Water for household needs came from shallow wells. Amenities included a “commissary store, a community church and meeting hall, and a small school” (Old Emporia, The History of Angelina County).

Just as quickly as I discovered James’ whereabouts, the trail went cold. For six years there was little information on his activities. Was he still at the Emporia log camp in Angelina County? 

The silence was finally broken on April 30, 1906 when “Mrs. Cora Winkler” was united in marriage with W. T. Reed in Jefferson County, Texas. Again, without any warning signs, J. H. Winkler was out of the picture. Cora's marriage record provided no clues as to whether she was a divorcée or a widower.

Fire scorches Emporia

As I dug deeper into Emporia’s history, I learned about a disaster that nearly wiped it off the map. Was James among the victims of what's been called “one of the most enduring mysteries in East Texas”?

In March 1906 (one month before Cora remarried), an explosion and fire struck Emporia's sawmill. The fiery blast reportedly killed more than thirty sawmill workers (many of whom were black). Their remains were burned beyond recognition and buried in a mass grave; the location of which is unknown but believed to be somewhere on the Emporia town site (Old Emporia).

Historian Bob Bowman speculated the magnitude of the fire's damage was exacerbated by an inadequate water supply. A newspaper in 1904 wrote, “water is so scarce that, in order to operate the mill, water has to be hauled from the Neches River” which was a mile away (Old Emporia). Holding ponds stored water that supported the mill, but clearly, when disaster struck, the need exceeded their capacity (The History of Angelina County).

After the fires died down, the logging mill (what remained of it) was sold and Emporia faded until it was a ghost town that was eventually absorbed by the growth of neighboring Diboll.

Today, there is no evidence of the Emporia log camp except for a historic marker denoting its general location. Local legend speculates that the mass grave lies east of U.S. 59 in Diboll’s south meadow area.

Was James Henry Winkler killed in the sawmill explosion and fire? Was he laid to rest in the mass grave? That would certainly explain the uncertainty about his final whereabouts. But is it too easy of an answer? His fellow logger in the sawmill in 1900, John M. Cravey, lived to be enumerated on the 1910 census. Sure, it's possible that John no longer worked at Emporia when the disaster occurred or, if he did, he was spared fatal injury. Bottom line, I don't have any evidence to conclude James suffered a fiery end.

Questions remain and more research needs to be done. Maybe clues are hiding in newspaper accounts or, if I'm really lucky and they exist, surviving Emporia Lumber Company employee records. The search for James continues. Will Texas yield answers?

Whatever Happened to James Henry Winkler?

James "Jim" Henry Winkler abandoned his wife and young daughter in the late 19th century.

Over the years, the hunt for my third great-grandfather's final whereabouts has been thwarted by false starts and trails that have run cold leaving him shrouded in mystery.

I suspect he absconded from his family and intentionally sought anonymity. And he did a darn good job of it!

Here's what I know.

Tracing James' record trail: 1862 - 1880

Following James' record trail is a frustrating muddle - fragile clues suggest I'm on the right path, but conflicting facts surface to thumb their nose at me and confound any resolution.

A family bible lists exact birth dates for the nine children born to Samuel and Nancy Mariah (Barron) Winkler. James Henry Winkler was born September 29, 1862.

Winkler family bible - courtesy of  Rosemary Scott

In 1870, the Winkler family was enumerated in the federal census living in Prairie Township in Washington County, Arkansas. James was listed as "J.H." aged eight and born in Arkansas. His father was born in Indiana and his mother was born in Tennessee.

1870 US Federal Census, Washington Co, AR - detail of the Winkler family

Ten years later, in 1880, the Winkler family was still living in Prairie Township, but 18 year-old James was not enumerated in the household. Where did he go?

A broad search for James Winkler - aged 18 - turned up only one match.

An 18 year-old James Winkler was enumerated in the household of D.B. Tipps in Cooke County, Texas - about 300 miles southwest of the Winklers in Washington County, Arkansas.

This Texas-based James was a farm laborer. His birthplace and that of his parents was given as Tennessee (a match for his mother, per the 1870 census, but a discrepancy for himself and his father).

Although the name and age were a match, the birthplace and his current location were complicating facts.

1880 US Federal Census, Cooke Co, TX - detail of James Winkler

Marriage and separation

Three years later, on September 26, 1883, James Henry Winkler and Pauline Brickey applied for a marriage license in Newton County, Missouri. They were married the following day.

The marriage record indicated that both James and Pauline were from Dayton Township in Newton County - about 90 miles northwest of the Winklers in Arkansas.

James H Winkler and Pauline Brickey 1883 marriage record - Newton Co, MO

Nearly nine months later, on June 15, 1884, James and Pauline had a daughter, Annie Charles Winkler. Annie - my second great-grandmother - was born in Fayetteville, Washington County, Arkansas.

According to Annie's delayed birth certificate that was created in 1945, both parents were married at the time of the birth and were residents of Fayetteville.

Delayed birth certificate for Annie Charles Winkler

For unknown reasons, the marriage didn't last. On December 30, 1891, "Mrs. Pauline Winkler" married James Russell Lee in Fayetteville.

Had James H. Winkler died or did he and Pauline divorce?

The Archives for Washington County, Arkansas (where Annie was born and both parents were residents in 1884) had no record of a divorce. Archivist, Tony Wappel, wrote:

"I just checked our Divorce Records for that time period and find no Winklers at all. As with today, the person who filed for the divorce had to file in the county where they lived. I looked at Pauline’s marriage record and it does say Mrs Winkler. My first thought is that she was a widow and not a divorced woman. Of course, you would know better. I looked at our Personal Property Tax Records to see if they appeared in Fayetteville. No Winklers in Fayetteville in 1888. For 1890-1891, I see a W F and Sam Winkler but no Henry or no Mrs Pauline Winkler. I suppose the death or divorce happened before 1891 somewhere other than Washington County."

Furthermore, a review of the Newton County, Missouri digitized court records (where they married), turned up no evidence of a divorce between James and Pauline Winkler. If they had divorced, where would it have occurred?

Photographic evidence

In 2014, I scanned old family photographs that had been in the possession of Annie's daughter. A cabinet card depicted two women and was labeled with an intriguing piece of evidence:

"Grandma Annie Wagnon & half-sister Belle Winkler"

Annie, whose married name was Wagnon, apparently had a half-sibling and, judging by the sister's surname, the shared parent was their father James Winkler.

Who was the mother of Belle? Did Belle ever marry? I haven't located her in the records, but finding her no doubt will help solve this mystery.

I was puzzled by the appearance of a half-sibling, but I began to speculate that another relationship may have prompted the split between James and Pauline. Perhaps he even fled his marriage to be with Belle's mother.

Return to Texas

I lose James Winkler in Arkansas. But several records make me wonder if he returned to the Lone Star state.

On December 24, 1897, a James H. Winkler was appointed postmaster for Pine Valley, Walker County, Texas. The order was rescinded nearly five months later on May 14, 1898. Why did he have such a short tenure?

Appointments of US Postmasters, Walker County, Texas

On November 19, 1899, a J.H. Winkler married Cora (Shelton) Doors in Liberty County, Texas.

In the 1900 US Federal Census, the married couple were enumerated in the Emporia Log Camp in Angelina County, Texas. J.H. Winkler's occupation was given as a logger at a saw mill.

What I love most about the 1900 census is that it provided the birth month and year. J.H. Winkler was born in September 1862 - an exact match to the family bible!

The census also appeared to indicate that the marriage to Cora was his second with a small '2' written beside the 'M' denoting he was married.

His place of birth was given as Missouri, conflicting with the 1870 answer of Arkansas, but his parents matched. The father was born in Indiana and the mother was born in Tennessee.

1900 US Federal Census, Angelina Co, TX - detail of J.H. Winkler

The matching data strongly suggests that J.H. Winkler living in Angelina County, Texas was my third great-grandfather.

Unfortunately, James and Cora's marriage didn't last. On April 30, 1906, "Mrs. Cora Winkler" was united in marriage with W.T. Reed in Jefferson County, Texas.

I ordered a copy of their marriage license to see whether it indicated if Cora was divorced or widowed, but there were no clues.

Mrs. Cora Winkler marriage to W.T. Reed, Jefferson Co, TX 1906

It remains unclear whether Cora remarried as a divorcee or a widow. James slipped away once again and hasn't surfaced in any later records (yet!).

Taking stock

James' mystery remains unsolved, but the wall is crumbling.

Across three states and several decades, I've discovered two marriages and two daughters. The records may be scarce and holding tightly to James' final secrets, but my grasp is tightening and I'm certain I'm close to uncovering his final whereabouts.

Family History on the Road - Day Three

From Joplin, Missouri we drove over an hour east to Crane Creek. Day three of our family history road adventure found the weather uncooperative. The drive had us navigating winding country back roads through intermittent rain showers. Our first destination was Mars Hill Cemetery.

Followers of this blog will recall that I recently broke through my Brickey Brick Wall, and was able to locate the burial for my 3rd great-grandmother Pauline (Brickey) Winkler Lee. It was gratifying to be able to pay my respects at her grave after having discovered her whereabouts less than a month earlier. She's buried in the Lee family plots near the front of the cemetery. Her stone was covered in pale green lichen. I gently wiped the lichen growth off the lettering to make the inscription legible.

Back in the car, we snaked our way south out of Missouri and into the top northwest corner of Arkansas. After another hour's drive, we pulled into Springtown Cemetery. The landscape was a vibrant green, paved with a lush carpet of clovers. If I didn't know better, I'd think I was in Ireland.

My 4th great-grandparents George Henry (Jucket) Hawks and his wife Amanda Miller (Johnston) Hawks are buried on the grounds. For me, this cemetery was like coming full-circle. The day before - in Rossville - we paid our respects at the grave of their son Edmond. 

George also represents a bit of an intriguing family mystery. 

Amanda Miller (Johnston) and George Henry (Jucket) Hawks

There's a question about the identity of his birth parents. Family lore says his father was a Jucket, but when his mother died young, he was entrusted with a maternal aunt to raise him. The story suggests the aunt gave George her surname of Hawks. I'm collaborating with distant cousins - each descendants of George's sons - to crowd-source an answer to this mystery and locate definitive proof to substantiate the stories.

Our final stop was Jackson Creek Cemetery. What an adventure to get here! We turned off a paved county road onto a dirt path. I was apprehensive about whether the rental could manage the ruggedness. The ride was bumpy, but the view was spectacular. Lush hills surrounded a green valley dotted with hay bales and curious cows.

Although it was only four miles, the dirt path made movement slow going. There were no other vehicles to be seen. Eventually, the car began climbing a hillside and a clearing in the dense trees opened to our left. A beautiful fenced-off cemetery was tucked alongside the road. We opened the gate and began searching the old weathered stones.

My 3rd great-grandparents John J. Herriman and Mary Ann "Polly" (Reeves) Herriman were buried beside each other. Their beautifully tall stones were recently decorated with silk flowers. It was moving to see that the secluded location of the cemetery didn't prevent folks from decorating the graves. I added my own.

Mary Ann "Polly" (Reeves) and John J. Herriman

Mary Ann's father was buried to the left of her grave. Jeremiah Turner Reeves was a veteran of the War of 1812. A small gold star commemorating his military service was placed in the ground in front of his stone.

I look forward to researching more about his War of 1812 service, and seeing what records - if any - exist for him in the National Archives.

Day Three Recap

Miles Traveled: 240

Direct Ancestor Graves Visited: 6

Walloping the Brickey Brick Wall

Last month I wrote about one of my genealogical brick walls. What happened to my 2nd great-grandmother's parents? If you haven't already, take a moment to catch up on the Brickey Brick Wall.

After that blog post, I decided to investigate my theory that Pauline Lee - who died in 1899 and was mother to Elmer Lee - was born Pauline Brickey, went on to marry James Winkler, and was mother to my 2nd great-grandmother Annie Winkler.

Since Annie first appears in the 1900 US Federal Census living in Fayetteville, Arkansas (and that was also where "Mrs. Pauline Winkler" married J.R. Lee), I wrote to the Fayetteville Public Library's Grace Keith Genealogical Collection for help.

Unfortunately, we struck out on all fronts. They were unable to locate an obituary for Pauline Lee, and there was no record of a divorce between James and Pauline Winkler.

I next turned to Elmer Lee. I ordered his death certificate in the hope that it would reveal his mother's maiden name as Brickey. The record came quickly. Unfortunately, his mother's maiden name was given as "Pauline Winkler".

Perhaps, though, the informant was confused and gave Pauline's first married name?

I decided to pursue a document that Elmer would have created during his lifetime with the hope for greater accuracy (and, let's face it, the answer I wanted). I ordered his application for a Social Security Number.

Today's mail finally brought the long-awaited record and answer. I was excited to see that Elmer listed his mother's full maiden name as "Pauline Brickie". That's the link! That's the connection that I was after. Pauline Lee, who died in 1899, was in fact Pauline Brickey.

Not only have I uncovered that my 3rd great-grandmother went on to remarry, I've also discovered that Annie had a half-brother Elmer. Furthermore, Pauline's death in 1899 explains why Annie was living with an aunt in the 1900 census.

But I still have many questions. Did Pauline and James Winkler officially divorce? If yes, where's that record? And what happened to Annie's father James Winkler? The detective work continues.

Brickey Brick Wall

I have several brick walls in my tree that are tantalizingly close to revealing their secrets. This low hanging fruit - just out of reach - includes the identity of Mary Jane's birth mother, and the name of Thomas Stevens' "aged mother".

Add to these my Brickey brick wall.

Annie Charles Winkler - my 2nd great-grandmother - was born in June 1884 in Washington County, Arkansas. According to her obituary, she was the "daughter of Henry and Pauline Brickey Winkler". Both of her parents disappeared from her life, which has created considerable trouble in confirming their identities and tracking their paths after her birth.

I found a September 1883 marriage record for James H. Winkler (spelled Winkley) and Miss Paulina Brickey in Newton County, Missouri. This is the only record I've uncovered that links these two individuals in life.

Family stories suggest that James Henry Winkler (Jim) left Pauline to raise Annie alone. For whatever reasons, Pauline didn't take up the mantel. Annie is first documented in the 1900 US Federal Census living in Prairie Township, Washington County, Arkansas with an aunt - Matilda Wilson. Her parents are not in the household. Have they deserted her? Are they even alive? What I wouldn't give for the 1890 census!

I don't yet know Matilda Wilson's maiden name. Given her age, 73 years, it's most likely that she's an aunt to either James or Pauline. A son of Matilda's is living in the household. His surname is Phelan.

To advance my research, I next returned to Newton County, Missouri (where James H. Winkler and Pauline Brickey were married) to see if I could locate the Brickey or Winkler families.

In the 1880 census, there were no Winklers in Newton County. However, there was a widowed Elizabeth Brickey living with several children. None of them were named Pauline. I traced Elizabeth back to 1870 when she's living with Nelson A. Brickey (presumably her husband). There is a daughter in the household named Mary S. P. Brickey. In the 1860 census the name is spelled out as Samantha P. Brickey. It's the only female child with a "P" in the name. Is this Pauline?

I expanded my search to Washington County, Arkansas where Annie was born. The broadened search turned up a December 30, 1891 marriage record between J.R. Lee and "Mrs. Pauline Winkler". The Mrs. instead of Miss suggests to me that she was previously married.

Combined searches of Ancestry.com public family trees (gasp!) and FindAGrave.com pointed me to James Russell Lee who was married several times, including to Mrs. Pauline Winkler. Pauline Lee passes away in 1899 and is buried in Mars Hill Cemetery in Barry County, Missouri. I hypothesize that this is Pauline (Brickey) Winkler. If that's the case, Pauline's 1899 death would explain why Annie was living with an aunt in the 1900 census.

My search also indicated that J.R. and Pauline had a son Elmer F. Lee who was born in 1894 and passed away in 1966. An online family tree gives Elmer's mother's name as "Poleen Bricklin". Unfortunately, the connection is unsourced. However, I wonder if the name comes from Elmer's death certificate? Perhaps an informant was trying to recall his mother's maiden name and confused Pauline Brickey?

I'm hoping that an 1899 obituary or death notice was published in the local paper and can help source Mrs. Pauline Lee's origins. A copy of Elmer's death record or SSN application with his mother's maiden name could also help to substantiate my theory. Frankly, a divorce record between Pauline and James Henry would be handy, too!

Perhaps I'm close to smashing through the Brickey brick wall. Now where in tarnation is James Henry Winkler?