Sunday, August 8, 2010

What Happened To Eve?


Notice something missing on this headstone?
Yeah, I did too.
What happened to Eve?
Why isn't she here with her hubby?
Seriously, how sad is that?!

I was walking through the cemetery and when my eyes fell on this plain Jane stone for a husband and wife, I was stopped in my tracks. My heart lurched in pain for this very sad and empty space. The questions started rolling around in my head.
What could possible have happened that would lead to her name on a stone that she was not brought to it to be laid to rest with her hubby?

Sure there are so many possibilities of what could have happened. She could have moved away to live with family after her hubby's passing and not had the money to be brought back or she could have remarried and lain next to her new hubby. She was at least 52 when hubby passed and it was right at the time of depression, so really the possibilities are endless. Heck maybe she was glad to be rid off him, who knows.

This just happens to be a stone I will never forget and was haunting me all day afterwards. So the next day I decided I was going to see if I could find out what happened to her.

I tried calling the Chamber of Commerce, their number was no longer in service.
I call the police station for the newest number for the CC. The lady said she had just given the number yesterday and was aware there was a problem with it. She then referred me to the local newspaper. I didn't even know we had a newspaper!

Turns out the newspaper man is the CC! Kinda reminds of a man in a movie that stands there and changes hats for each position he does. Anyway, his receptionist tells me that the records I am looking for would most likely be in Jordanton City Hall. They have all the county records.

City Hall then informs me that the records I am after would be in the Methodist Churches records, they are the ones that deal with the cemetery.

I'm starting to get the feeling I'm getting the runaround. You know the types..I don't want to do it, so let me see who I can fluff you off on. Here, call this person instead. It was a passing feeling, but I was getting a little frustrated.

I call the church. The phone rang forever and I was about to give up, when finally it was answered. The lady informs me she is not the secretary and the actual secretary doesn't have any normal hours. She just comes in when ever she is needed.

She was kind enough to get all the information the headstone had to offer from me. She says "I have some bad news, The probability of us having any info or records have just diminished."
I was puzzled "Why is that?"
*
*
*
The church had a fire in 1935 and all records before that was lost. This was before there was a city hall to keep records at and even before Lytle was considered as part of the group of towns to be in the county lines.

How weird is that? I feel like I am talking about a town in the 1800's, but no we are talking about the 1930's. I just always assumed all the property lines had been figured out long before then.

So, apparently my hunting skills need fine tuning, cause I literally got nowhere. A dead end. A brick wall.

I figured maybe I could find something on the internet. All the possible leads I got lead to setting up an account and paying a monthly sum. Not going to happen! Not for ONE curiosity, maybe if I was going to do long term research. If you have membership with one of those sites and want to look it to it; let me know what ya find.

Eve where are ya?
Was he a mean man or a loving man.
Did ya have any kids? Family?
Did ya move away? Remarry?
If ghost could talk, now would be a good time!
Inquiring minds want to know (I'm sure L.T. would too).
"What happened to Eve?"

So there you have it folks, the mystery of Lytle's cemetery. Eve will forever be a part of me, from that one glance down at an empty space on a headstone.


Sigature,Heather

20 comments:

Jen said... [Reply to comment]

I've learned that a lot of public libraries have access to those websites. Ancestry.com is available at mine.

SuziCate said... [Reply to comment]

I probably found the same thing you did but here goes: 1910 Cencus, Medina Texas lists Eve Spencer age 27,Lt Spencer age 46, Johnson spencer age 19,and Meldred spencer age 2. I scooted around to a few different sites. One way to get information is to post queries on the family surname sites, and someone might respond with information.

shortmama said... [Reply to comment]

Very fascinating to wonder about what happened!

Unknown said... [Reply to comment]

I would wonder too!

Heather said... [Reply to comment]

@Jen I wish that was a possiblity. Our little library doesn't even have computers yet!

Heather said... [Reply to comment]

@SuziCate Thanks for the info Suzicate! That was very sweet of you to do.

Heather said... [Reply to comment]

@shortmama Yeah, my mind wouldn't shut up with all the questions!

Heather said... [Reply to comment]

@Peggy I'm a sucker for a good mystery!

Rose said... [Reply to comment]

thanks for visiting my blog and your comments re cats. I enjoyed this post. i also wonder what has happened to other family members of those who had died. It saddens me to see the baby grave sites. You are like a dective. i sometimes get that same way ut not always come up with the info. have a good day. look forward in reading your blog. Rose

Lucy said... [Reply to comment]

Heather, I hate to say this but you are about as elusive as Eve. Everytime I thought I had you, I would click on you it would tell me there was no such blog found.That is why I have not commented.

Anonymous said... [Reply to comment]

This is what I found in a quick search:

Texas Death Index, 1903-2000
about Eve Spencer:
Name: Eve Spencer
Death Date: 28 Jun 1966
Death County: Nueces
Gender: Female
Marital Status: Widowed


1910 United States Federal Census
about Eve Spencer:
Name: Eve Spencer
Age in 1910: 27
Estimated birth year: abt 1883
Birthplace: Texas
Relation to Head of House: Wife
Father's Birth Place: Texas
Mother's Birth Place: Texas
Spouse's name: L T
Home in 1910: Justice Precinct 5, Medina, Texas
Marital Status: Married
Race: White
Gender: Female
Household Members:
Name Age
L T Spencer 46
Eve Spencer 27
Johnson Spencer 19
Mildred Spencer 2

Heather said... [Reply to comment]

@Rose Thanks! The baby babies don't really bother me, but sometimes the young children get to me. I wish I had the skills of a detective!

Heather said... [Reply to comment]

@Lucy I knew you would find me eventually. Elusive as Eve..I like that!

Heather said... [Reply to comment]

@Grace Wonderful info! Thanks so much for doing that!

For those that don't know..Nueces county is in the Corpus Christi area. So yeah, she was a good ways away from here. Wow she lived a full life of 83 yrs, not bad for those times. That is awesome!

Anonymous said... [Reply to comment]

I tracked down L.T's full name:

Linnans(on his death record) or Linneus (on other records). He died 9/17/1932 right where you found him in the Lytle Cemetary.

Eve was his second wife. His first wife was Dora Allen born 6-13-1871 no exact death date - only noted that it was before 1908.

The Johnson Spencer noted on the census info was the son of LT and Dora. He is also shown as Johnnie Allen Spencer, born 1890 in Bell Texas, died April 3, 1962 in El Campo, Wharton, Texas.

There is quite a bit of information - but just birth and death dates in most cases.

You might be able to find out more information in your town library.

Anonymous said... [Reply to comment]

Eve's maiden name was Cook and she was born in Erath, Texas. Her daughter Mildred lived to be 100 and died in 2008.

Eve was probably living with her daughter when she died since her daughter's place of death was also Robstown, Nueces, TX.

Mildred's husband's name was Louis Lawrence Gajdos and he was born in Fayette, TX 8/10/07. Died 8/1/1983 in Robstown.

(This is fun!)

purplume said... [Reply to comment]

You all are super sleuths. It makes a terrific writing prompt to guess what happened to her. I am impressed at the researchers you are.

Jen said... [Reply to comment]

This is so exciting.

I was going to suggest she might still be alive. My math kinda sucks.

In my family, my grandparents on both sides bought a bunch of burial plots, more than one each though I don't know why they felt then needed more than one. Because my family gets cremated we can double up people so there are at least two per grave. So there are some extras from that. My grandparents who lived in Cincinnati are buried in Kentucky and secured a bunch of plots for my brother and me and our spouses, we live in MN. Those plots will go remain empty and it isn't likely that we will sell them because no one can find the paperwork and no one remembers where the cemetery is or what the name of it is. While there are no head stones for my brother or me that might have been what happened to Eve. She probably got remarried and moved away. Maybe when she picked out the headstone she was sure she would never find another guy as wonderful as Lt but then bam, she met some hottie and ran off to some other state forgetting all about her final resting place back home.

Anonymous said... [Reply to comment]

Wow! This post generated a lot of comments and information. Did you try to speak to her living relatives? I read names on headstones, too. We have a few old cemeteries around me, lots of history, a lot of sad history too.
Have a wonderful week!
Gerardine

kathryn said... [Reply to comment]

Wow. Sleuth-Grace really found out all the info about Eve! Amazing...I am truly impressed by all this research. If I ever want to track somebody down, I'll know who to contact!