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Found a Wife

I found a wife! Not for me (my husband is work enough!) but for my Uncle Jim! Years ago, my great Aunt Helen (Still) Webster told me a story about my Uncle Jim (James Franklin Still) having a son. By the time we all came along, Uncle Jim was back East living with his brother/my grandfather (Lloyd Pierson Still). He spoke of working on ranches but never mentioned a wife or a child. 
Searching on Ancestry.com today, I found a marriage record for James Still born 1910 to a Julie Riddle on 14 April 1931 in Deep Creek, Routt, Colorado



The 1930 US Census shows Uncle Jim, obviously single, still living in East Marlboro, Chester County, PA. The 1940 Census shows him living in Clark Township, Routt County, Colorado. The 1940 Census also reveals he lived there in 1935 as well but now his father, Pierson George Still, has moved out with him and Uncle Jim is single. In fact, it shows that the two of them are living by themselves on a farm. 

I found land records for Uncle Jim, dated 15 September 1942 in Routt, Colorado. He received 649 acres on which to homestead. Whatever happened to that homestead land? I'll trace the land another time. For now, back to Julia ...

Julie Riddle is not easy to confirm. So, when I am stuck, I found timelines help.
1930 - Uncle Jim was still in Chester County, PA, so they had not yet met.
1931 - On 14 April, Uncle Jim and Julia Riddle were married. 
1940 - He is single in Colorado; she is married in Missouri as a hired hand with an 8 year old son!

In both the 1930 and the 1940 Census, Julia is a servant or hired hand to Jack and Pear Eckstine. It would appear that when Jack moved from CO to MO, Julia went with him and, at that point, took her son with her. Uncle Jim stayed in CO. The 1940 Census is the last available census at the moment, so tracing Julia and her son Billy Joe Still forward must find other sources. The 1950 Census will not be released until April of 2022.

 Billy Joe Still - my second cousin (Ancestry says he is my 1st cousin 1x removed) - was born 3 August 1931 in Steamboat Springs, Colorado. He attended Creighton High School, in Creighton, MO. Social Security records show he dies in February (what is it with my family and February?) 1990. He died in Albany, Gentry County, Missouri. 

 © 2019, Jeanne Ruczhak-Eckman


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