Person:Edgar Jackson (7)

The following notes are by Marda Godsey:
"Lee S. Jackson wrote a letter to "Mr. Rake" on 6 July 1935 stating that, "If this letter should be so fortunate as to get to you, you maybe of great help to us if you will be so kind. The following will explain: My father Edgar W. Jackson died when I was but nine years of age. Therefore, as I was so young and he was not a communicative man and told none of us much of his past life, we knew very little of it. But we did know that he was in the West--Iowa and Nebraska and perhaps the Dakota as a young man, that at one time he owned a pool room which burned about 1899-1900, that he was in the Spanish American War, probably under the name of James Jackson. His description follows: a tall--5'10"--white, slim, dark complexion/hair/eyes; eyes rather small; probably had a large black moustache, long Roman nose, good looking, good mixer, had a quick temper and worked in the wheat fields as the occupation we know. His full name was Edgar Washington Jackson, but he signed his name Edgar W. Jackson as he did not like his middle name. He was commonly known as "Ed" or "Jim" Jackson. The purpose of this letter is to find someone who knew what regiment, etc., he served in the War and also what name he enlisted under, and from where he enlisted. His discharge papers were burned in the poolroom fire. My mother thinks that if she could get this information she would be entitled to some back pension for raising the three of his children. My father had a knife with your name and address on--the initial is not legible--and he had often told us that his best friend gave him that knife so this is how we happened to write to you...."

"Edgar Jackson was in Painsville, Ohio on 12 October, 1903 when he received mail addressed to him at 1452 Walsh Avenue, Columbus; same address for 1904 mail. On April 29, 1904 at this address, he wrote to his wife Edith, referencing, "Oh yes you asked what I did about that Jackson; well, I found that his name was William and not JOHN as you thought it was and he is dead. I got this from the grocer man who used to be there where he lived....Yes, I went out to see uncle Bill, Sunday, and had a very nice visit; I got out there about 7 Clock and staid until after 5; and then he hitched up, and brought me to the burg; there is an awful big family of them went their...." {note that Edith had an uncle, William Comton who lived in Franklin County so it is not known whether he is speaking of his own uncle or that of his wife--}

"The marriage certificate of Edgar Washington Jackson to Martha Edith Spencer is dated 22 December 1903 in Geauga County, Ohio. Family tradition states that he gave up working in a pool hall to marry Edith.

"Edgar was living in Bainbridge, Geauga County, Ohio when his son Royal was born in May 1910 and is listed there for the Ohio Census in 1910 with his wife and three children: Lee, Violet, and Royal with the head of household being father in law John A. Spencer and John's wife Louisa (see below). He was working in Madisonville and Anderson, Texas in 1911 per his correspondence back to his wife; he distributed Seventh Day Adventist literature. He wrote to Edith in Nacogdoches, Texas on March 26, 1911 and to Altus, Oklahoma on October 9. 1911. Edgar was working on a rail road section in Lagrange, Lorain County, Ohio in 1914, per letter he wrote to his wife, and was earning $1.75 per day and "grateful to have the Sabbath off."

"In March, 1914 he wrote to her in Mesick, Michigan. Date of death is 11 August 1915 in Lagrange, Ohio with cause recorded as asphyxia accompanying congestion of the lungs with mitral stenosis as a contributing factor.. Shortly after his death, his son Lee was enrolled for February, March and April 1916 in Kingfisher County, Oklahoma as verified by a report card."

1870 Census Richland, Phillips Co., Arkansas
Jackson, G. W. 47 M W Wagon Maker VA blind
Jackson, Francis 32 F W keeping house TN
Jackson, G. F. 11 M W AR
Jackson, John A. 10 M W AR
Jackson, O. A. 8 F W AR
Jackson, Edgar W. 6 M W AR
Jackson, Wm. A. 4 M W AR
Janie: Edgar's age does not agree with 1910 census but this is more likely to be correct as this record is closer to the actual event. Marda has this comment in Edgar's notes: The early census ages from 1870 (Richland Township, Phillips County, Arkansas) and 1880 (Union County, Ohio) for Edgar W. is not consistent, however, with family information and death certificate, which would have put his date of birth as 1870. In 1880 there is no listing found for George Jackson.

NOTE: Lee Spencer Jackson always thought that his father may have worked on farms in: IOWA; NEBRASKA, and "possibly the Dakota's" before marrying in 1903.

1910 Census Dist 52, Bainbridge, Geauga Co., Ohio
Spencer, John A. head M W 64 M1 33yrs OH unkn unkn
Spencer, Louisa wife F W 67 M2 33yrs 4ch/2lvg OH unkn NY
Jackson, Edgar son-in-law M W 40 M1 6yrs TN unkn unkn
Jackson, Edith wife F W 30 M1 6yrs MI OH OH
Jackson, Lee S. son M W 5 single OH TN OH
Jackson, Violet L. dau F W 3 single OH TN OH

1. ↑ Ancestry.com. OneWorldTree. (Name: Name: The Generations Network, Inc.; Location: Provo, UT, USA;;)
   Database online.

   Record for Lee Spencer Jackson

2. ↑ ^{2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3} Ancestry.com. Public Member Trees. (Name: Name: The Generations Network, Inc.; Location: Provo, UT, USA;Date: 2006;;)
   Database online.

   Record for Edgar Washington Jackson

3. ↑ Ohio, United States. Ohio, Death Index, 1908-1932, 1938-1944, 1958-2007.
4.   United States. 1910 U.S. Census Population Schedule. (National Archives Microfilm Publication T624)
   Bainbridge, Geauga Co., Ohio.
5.   United States. 1870 U.S. Census Population Schedule. (National Archives Microfilm Publications M593 and T132)
   Richland, Phillips Co., Arkansas.