Person:Byron Baird (1)

Byron Baird is a puzzle. He seems almost to have deliberately made his life confusing to research. He was born "Byron Baird," the son of A. Baird, about whom practically nothing is known. After his mother's apparent divorce from Mr. Baird, she appears to have gone back to her maiden name; her children by Baird are also surnamed "Sapp" in the next census. In at least Byron's case, this name-change seems to have stuck and he continued to call himself "Byron Sapp" throughout his life. I have found no evidence that any legal action was taken to achieve this -- he simply called himself "Sapp" in all the censuses and elsewhere and it was accepted.

At the same time, Elizabeth (who was the eldest child in her family) had a much younger brother named "Byron," who was very close in age to his nephew, Byron Baird. So now there were two "Byron Sapps" -- one born that way, one self-determined (or whatever). And for awhile, both of them lived in Clark County, Missouri. The only way to tell the two apart, really, is that they had spouses and children of very different names -- and, later, one moved back to Iowa while the other stayed in Missouri. And to confuse things a little more (as evidenced by the ages of his spouse and three older children in the 1920 and 1930 censuses), Byron appears to have married twice -- both times to women named "Sarah."

I would very much like to find a descendant of either or both of these guys who might have some insight or know a family story or two about the situation with Elizabeth and the two Byrons. --Mike (mksmith) 13:05, 3 June 2009 (EDT)

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Clark County, Missouri, 1920 census:^S1

Sapp, Barney 49 yrs Head b. Iowa (parents, b. Iowa) Farmer

      Sarah 30 yrs wife b. Iowa (parents, b. Iowa)

      Emma 13 yrs dau b. Missouri (parents, b. Iowa)

      Nettie 11 yrs dau b. Iowa (parents, b. Iowa)

      Willie 8 yrs son b. Missouri (parents, b. Iowa)

      Alfred 1 yr son b. Missouri (parents, b. Iowa)

      Elizabeth 65 yrs mother widow b. Iowa (parents, b. Ohio)

Gee, Crate [m] 30 yrs "None" single b. Iowa (parents, b. Iowa) Laborer (Rock Quarry)

Sapp, Harrison 3 yrs son b. Missouri (parents, b. Iowa)

Clark County, Missouri, 1930 census:^S3

Sapp, Barney Head 56 yrs (marr. at 40 yrs) b. Iowa (parents, b. Iowa) Laborer (general farm)

      Sarah L. Wife 45 yrs (marr. at 30 yrs) b. Iowa (parents, b. Iowa)

      Harrison L. Son 14 yrs b. Missouri (parents, b. Iowa)

      Alfred J. Son 12 yrs b. Missouri (parents, b. Iowa)

      Joseph Son 9 yrs b. Missouri (parents, b. Iowa)

      Robert C. Son 6 yrs b. Missouri (parents, b. Iowa)

      Nellie M. Dau 3-9/12 yrs b. Missouri (parents, b. Iowa)

1. ↑ Clark County, Missouri. 1920 U.S. Census Population Schedule
   ED 33, p. 3B, house/family 74/74.
2. ↑ Hindman, Sarah; Iowa) Monroe County Genealogical Society (Albia; Iowa) Albia republican (Albia; and Iowa) Iowa Genealogical Society (Des Moines. Monroe County, Iowa, Albia Republican newspaper, abstractions and index: 1900-1922. (Des Moines, Iowa, United States: Iowa Genealogical Society, 1987-1993)
   2 June 1924 (obituary).
3. ↑ Clark County, Missouri. 1930 U.S. Census Population Schedule
   ED 12, p. 1B, house/family 18/18.