Rufus Lauren Felder was the son of William Monroe and Aletha Ann Bates Felder.
He was born in Liberty, Mississippi according to his WWI Draft Registration which coincides with his birth family's residence in Amite County, Mississippi in 1900 and 1910 per those US Census records.
Determining Rufus' birth family is based on my conclusion an error was made by the enumerator of the 1900 US Census. In that Census, a "daughter" named "Laurina" is recorded as being 12 years of age, born in March 1888.
After searching over several days for Laurina as well as "her" 5 siblings (Ary, Edith, Eddie, Clarence, and Burnis) and finding no trace of such a person, I came to realize Rufus' birthdate recorded in his WWI Draft Registration is 23 March 1888. After finding no trace of a "Laurina" (female) Felder born in 1888, I've concluded either the enumerator made errors in recording the name as "Laurina" and the gender as female or Laurina and Lauren may have been twins and only Laurina's name was recorded. My bet is on the former explanation, supported by the fact another son, Burniece, was definitely mistakenly recorded as a daughter in the 1900 US Census.
The 1910 Census for Rufus' birth family includes his's parents and the 3 youngest children: Rufus L, Clarence H, and Bernice A). I have found nothing to indicate if Rufus is Lauren's given middle name or a nickname, but it is the name he used at least for the US Census. In 1910 he was working as a cattle buyer for a slaughterhouse. He may have been following his father's trade as he is listed as a cattle buyer for a local butcher. In 1910 the family has a black servant, Eldy McKnight 15, living with them; I have not yet researched her. Nor have I determined whether having a Black servant was a sign of prosperity for a family in this area.
The next record I found for Rufus is his 1917 WWI Draft Registration which is very helpful given the confusion over his name. It names him Lauren Felder, age 29, birthdate 23 March 1888, born in Liberty, Mississippi. It indicates he is married and has a child. Combined with the 1920 Census, it is likely he has moved from his parents' home in Liberty, Mississippi.
Per his Draft Registration, Rufus is working as a farmer in Marked Tree, Arkansas. Marked Tree is a town in Poinsett County that sits along the St. Francis River at the mouth of the Little River.
Perhaps the most significant item on Rufus' Draft Registration is the fact, stated twice, he has lost his left arm. This is stated in reply to the question re exemption from military service and also under the Registrar's report. I've located no details regarding how this may have occurred. But I find it significant considering the physical nature of a farmer's work. Undoubtedly, Lauren was not called to serve in WWI.
The 1920 US Census shows a significant change for Rufus and his young family. Three stepchildren have joined the family and he has had a second child of his own. Lula, his wife, was married previously to Joseph Spath whom I researched in connection with one of my ancestral lines. Joseph died in 1913 just shy of his 48th birthday. Rather incredibly coincidental is the fact Joseph died after surgery in Memphis to amputate an arm due to an accidental shooting.
Joseph's death in April 1913 left his widow, Lula with 3 young children and a fourth was born that June. The family was living in Shelby, Bolivar County, Mississippi which is not far from Marked Tree, Poinsett County, Arkansas. The towns are on opposite sides of the Mississippi river which forms the boundary between the states. Somehow, Rufus met Grace and they married. I've found no marriage record but a Family Tree on Ancestry.com puts a 1915 date on the marriage. This date may be based on family records, but it is certainly a reasonable date as Rufus and Grace had their first child together in April of 1916.
With the melding of the two families, Rufus became the head of a household of a wife and 5 children by 1920; they had two more children by 1930. His children are Rufus Lauren (Jr.), Hazel L, Marcus M, and Dorsey Ann. His stepchildren are Orville Spath, Nina Spath, and Josephine Spath. The Spath children are no longer living with Rufus and Grace by 1930, but his own 4 children, ages 6 to 14, are still at home. Ruus lists his occupation now as fisherman; indeed their home is on the St. Francis River and also near the Mississippi River.
In 1940 I found Lula living in Forrest City, St. Francis County, Arkansas (not far from her 1930 Arkansas home) with her brother, Mark Richardson (and his wife and daughter), two of her children by Rufus (Marcus and Dorney Ann), and two grandchildren from her first marriage (James Orville Spath and William Curtis Spath). She is a widow so Rufus has died since the April 1930 Census. I've found no record of Rufus' death but the online Death Index for Arkansas stops at 1920. The Ancestry Family Tree posts a 1933 date for his death, so I am basing my date on it.
I wonder how Rufus died and whether it might have been connected to his work as a fisherman. Having only one arm had to make any type of physical work challenging, especially assuming the lack of any real physical aids/prosthesis to assist him.
Although I am only distantly connected to Rufus and his birth family, I found researching his life challenging and interesting given both the circumstances of his life and the challenge of locating records to provide validation of his life's milestones. Mississippi and Arkansas were also new states to research in, yet the process was similar to researching in the other states where I've done considerable research.
1 March 2015: Draft
6 Nov 2020: Accepted edits to transpose Lauren's 1st and middle names and add suffix, Sr., from Member 50617913, Ash V submitted 27 Oct 2020; edited the bio to conform to this Suggestion
Vicki Edwards
Los Angeles
He was born in Liberty, Mississippi according to his WWI Draft Registration which coincides with his birth family's residence in Amite County, Mississippi in 1900 and 1910 per those US Census records.
Determining Rufus' birth family is based on my conclusion an error was made by the enumerator of the 1900 US Census. In that Census, a "daughter" named "Laurina" is recorded as being 12 years of age, born in March 1888.
After searching over several days for Laurina as well as "her" 5 siblings (Ary, Edith, Eddie, Clarence, and Burnis) and finding no trace of such a person, I came to realize Rufus' birthdate recorded in his WWI Draft Registration is 23 March 1888. After finding no trace of a "Laurina" (female) Felder born in 1888, I've concluded either the enumerator made errors in recording the name as "Laurina" and the gender as female or Laurina and Lauren may have been twins and only Laurina's name was recorded. My bet is on the former explanation, supported by the fact another son, Burniece, was definitely mistakenly recorded as a daughter in the 1900 US Census.
The 1910 Census for Rufus' birth family includes his's parents and the 3 youngest children: Rufus L, Clarence H, and Bernice A). I have found nothing to indicate if Rufus is Lauren's given middle name or a nickname, but it is the name he used at least for the US Census. In 1910 he was working as a cattle buyer for a slaughterhouse. He may have been following his father's trade as he is listed as a cattle buyer for a local butcher. In 1910 the family has a black servant, Eldy McKnight 15, living with them; I have not yet researched her. Nor have I determined whether having a Black servant was a sign of prosperity for a family in this area.
The next record I found for Rufus is his 1917 WWI Draft Registration which is very helpful given the confusion over his name. It names him Lauren Felder, age 29, birthdate 23 March 1888, born in Liberty, Mississippi. It indicates he is married and has a child. Combined with the 1920 Census, it is likely he has moved from his parents' home in Liberty, Mississippi.
Per his Draft Registration, Rufus is working as a farmer in Marked Tree, Arkansas. Marked Tree is a town in Poinsett County that sits along the St. Francis River at the mouth of the Little River.
Perhaps the most significant item on Rufus' Draft Registration is the fact, stated twice, he has lost his left arm. This is stated in reply to the question re exemption from military service and also under the Registrar's report. I've located no details regarding how this may have occurred. But I find it significant considering the physical nature of a farmer's work. Undoubtedly, Lauren was not called to serve in WWI.
The 1920 US Census shows a significant change for Rufus and his young family. Three stepchildren have joined the family and he has had a second child of his own. Lula, his wife, was married previously to Joseph Spath whom I researched in connection with one of my ancestral lines. Joseph died in 1913 just shy of his 48th birthday. Rather incredibly coincidental is the fact Joseph died after surgery in Memphis to amputate an arm due to an accidental shooting.
Joseph's death in April 1913 left his widow, Lula with 3 young children and a fourth was born that June. The family was living in Shelby, Bolivar County, Mississippi which is not far from Marked Tree, Poinsett County, Arkansas. The towns are on opposite sides of the Mississippi river which forms the boundary between the states. Somehow, Rufus met Grace and they married. I've found no marriage record but a Family Tree on Ancestry.com puts a 1915 date on the marriage. This date may be based on family records, but it is certainly a reasonable date as Rufus and Grace had their first child together in April of 1916.
With the melding of the two families, Rufus became the head of a household of a wife and 5 children by 1920; they had two more children by 1930. His children are Rufus Lauren (Jr.), Hazel L, Marcus M, and Dorsey Ann. His stepchildren are Orville Spath, Nina Spath, and Josephine Spath. The Spath children are no longer living with Rufus and Grace by 1930, but his own 4 children, ages 6 to 14, are still at home. Ruus lists his occupation now as fisherman; indeed their home is on the St. Francis River and also near the Mississippi River.
In 1940 I found Lula living in Forrest City, St. Francis County, Arkansas (not far from her 1930 Arkansas home) with her brother, Mark Richardson (and his wife and daughter), two of her children by Rufus (Marcus and Dorney Ann), and two grandchildren from her first marriage (James Orville Spath and William Curtis Spath). She is a widow so Rufus has died since the April 1930 Census. I've found no record of Rufus' death but the online Death Index for Arkansas stops at 1920. The Ancestry Family Tree posts a 1933 date for his death, so I am basing my date on it.
I wonder how Rufus died and whether it might have been connected to his work as a fisherman. Having only one arm had to make any type of physical work challenging, especially assuming the lack of any real physical aids/prosthesis to assist him.
Although I am only distantly connected to Rufus and his birth family, I found researching his life challenging and interesting given both the circumstances of his life and the challenge of locating records to provide validation of his life's milestones. Mississippi and Arkansas were also new states to research in, yet the process was similar to researching in the other states where I've done considerable research.
1 March 2015: Draft
6 Nov 2020: Accepted edits to transpose Lauren's 1st and middle names and add suffix, Sr., from Member 50617913, Ash V submitted 27 Oct 2020; edited the bio to conform to this Suggestion
Vicki Edwards
Los Angeles
Rufus Lauren Felder was the son of William Monroe and Aletha Ann Bates Felder.
He was born in Liberty, Mississippi according to his WWI Draft Registration which coincides with his birth family's residence in Amite County, Mississippi in 1900 and 1910 per those US Census records.
Determining Rufus' birth family is based on my conclusion an error was made by the enumerator of the 1900 US Census. In that Census, a "daughter" named "Laurina" is recorded as being 12 years of age, born in March 1888.
After searching over several days for Laurina as well as "her" 5 siblings (Ary, Edith, Eddie, Clarence, and Burnis) and finding no trace of such a person, I came to realize Rufus' birthdate recorded in his WWI Draft Registration is 23 March 1888. After finding no trace of a "Laurina" (female) Felder born in 1888, I've concluded either the enumerator made errors in recording the name as "Laurina" and the gender as female or Laurina and Lauren may have been twins and only Laurina's name was recorded. My bet is on the former explanation, supported by the fact another son, Burniece, was definitely mistakenly recorded as a daughter in the 1900 US Census.
The 1910 Census for Rufus' birth family includes his's parents and the 3 youngest children: Rufus L, Clarence H, and Bernice A). I have found nothing to indicate if Rufus is Lauren's given middle name or a nickname, but it is the name he used at least for the US Census. In 1910 he was working as a cattle buyer for a slaughterhouse. He may have been following his father's trade as he is listed as a cattle buyer for a local butcher. In 1910 the family has a black servant, Eldy McKnight 15, living with them; I have not yet researched her. Nor have I determined whether having a Black servant was a sign of prosperity for a family in this area.
The next record I found for Rufus is his 1917 WWI Draft Registration which is very helpful given the confusion over his name. It names him Lauren Felder, age 29, birthdate 23 March 1888, born in Liberty, Mississippi. It indicates he is married and has a child. Combined with the 1920 Census, it is likely he has moved from his parents' home in Liberty, Mississippi.
Per his Draft Registration, Rufus is working as a farmer in Marked Tree, Arkansas. Marked Tree is a town in Poinsett County that sits along the St. Francis River at the mouth of the Little River.
Perhaps the most significant item on Rufus' Draft Registration is the fact, stated twice, he has lost his left arm. This is stated in reply to the question re exemption from military service and also under the Registrar's report. I've located no details regarding how this may have occurred. But I find it significant considering the physical nature of a farmer's work. Undoubtedly, Lauren was not called to serve in WWI.
The 1920 US Census shows a significant change for Rufus and his young family. Three stepchildren have joined the family and he has had a second child of his own. Lula, his wife, was married previously to Joseph Spath whom I researched in connection with one of my ancestral lines. Joseph died in 1913 just shy of his 48th birthday. Rather incredibly coincidental is the fact Joseph died after surgery in Memphis to amputate an arm due to an accidental shooting.
Joseph's death in April 1913 left his widow, Lula with 3 young children and a fourth was born that June. The family was living in Shelby, Bolivar County, Mississippi which is not far from Marked Tree, Poinsett County, Arkansas. The towns are on opposite sides of the Mississippi river which forms the boundary between the states. Somehow, Rufus met Grace and they married. I've found no marriage record but a Family Tree on Ancestry.com puts a 1915 date on the marriage. This date may be based on family records, but it is certainly a reasonable date as Rufus and Grace had their first child together in April of 1916.
With the melding of the two families, Rufus became the head of a household of a wife and 5 children by 1920; they had two more children by 1930. His children are Rufus Lauren (Jr.), Hazel L, Marcus M, and Dorsey Ann. His stepchildren are Orville Spath, Nina Spath, and Josephine Spath. The Spath children are no longer living with Rufus and Grace by 1930, but his own 4 children, ages 6 to 14, are still at home. Ruus lists his occupation now as fisherman; indeed their home is on the St. Francis River and also near the Mississippi River.
In 1940 I found Lula living in Forrest City, St. Francis County, Arkansas (not far from her 1930 Arkansas home) with her brother, Mark Richardson (and his wife and daughter), two of her children by Rufus (Marcus and Dorney Ann), and two grandchildren from her first marriage (James Orville Spath and William Curtis Spath). She is a widow so Rufus has died since the April 1930 Census. I've found no record of Rufus' death but the online Death Index for Arkansas stops at 1920. The Ancestry Family Tree posts a 1933 date for his death, so I am basing my date on it.
I wonder how Rufus died and whether it might have been connected to his work as a fisherman. Having only one arm had to make any type of physical work challenging, especially assuming the lack of any real physical aids/prosthesis to assist him.
Although I am only distantly connected to Rufus and his birth family, I found researching his life challenging and interesting given both the circumstances of his life and the challenge of locating records to provide validation of his life's milestones. Mississippi and Arkansas were also new states to research in, yet the process was similar to researching in the other states where I've done considerable research.
1 March 2015: Draft
6 Nov 2020: Accepted edits to transpose Lauren's 1st and middle names and add suffix, Sr., from Member 50617913, Ash V submitted 27 Oct 2020; edited the bio to conform to this Suggestion
Vicki Edwards
Los Angeles
He was born in Liberty, Mississippi according to his WWI Draft Registration which coincides with his birth family's residence in Amite County, Mississippi in 1900 and 1910 per those US Census records.
Determining Rufus' birth family is based on my conclusion an error was made by the enumerator of the 1900 US Census. In that Census, a "daughter" named "Laurina" is recorded as being 12 years of age, born in March 1888.
After searching over several days for Laurina as well as "her" 5 siblings (Ary, Edith, Eddie, Clarence, and Burnis) and finding no trace of such a person, I came to realize Rufus' birthdate recorded in his WWI Draft Registration is 23 March 1888. After finding no trace of a "Laurina" (female) Felder born in 1888, I've concluded either the enumerator made errors in recording the name as "Laurina" and the gender as female or Laurina and Lauren may have been twins and only Laurina's name was recorded. My bet is on the former explanation, supported by the fact another son, Burniece, was definitely mistakenly recorded as a daughter in the 1900 US Census.
The 1910 Census for Rufus' birth family includes his's parents and the 3 youngest children: Rufus L, Clarence H, and Bernice A). I have found nothing to indicate if Rufus is Lauren's given middle name or a nickname, but it is the name he used at least for the US Census. In 1910 he was working as a cattle buyer for a slaughterhouse. He may have been following his father's trade as he is listed as a cattle buyer for a local butcher. In 1910 the family has a black servant, Eldy McKnight 15, living with them; I have not yet researched her. Nor have I determined whether having a Black servant was a sign of prosperity for a family in this area.
The next record I found for Rufus is his 1917 WWI Draft Registration which is very helpful given the confusion over his name. It names him Lauren Felder, age 29, birthdate 23 March 1888, born in Liberty, Mississippi. It indicates he is married and has a child. Combined with the 1920 Census, it is likely he has moved from his parents' home in Liberty, Mississippi.
Per his Draft Registration, Rufus is working as a farmer in Marked Tree, Arkansas. Marked Tree is a town in Poinsett County that sits along the St. Francis River at the mouth of the Little River.
Perhaps the most significant item on Rufus' Draft Registration is the fact, stated twice, he has lost his left arm. This is stated in reply to the question re exemption from military service and also under the Registrar's report. I've located no details regarding how this may have occurred. But I find it significant considering the physical nature of a farmer's work. Undoubtedly, Lauren was not called to serve in WWI.
The 1920 US Census shows a significant change for Rufus and his young family. Three stepchildren have joined the family and he has had a second child of his own. Lula, his wife, was married previously to Joseph Spath whom I researched in connection with one of my ancestral lines. Joseph died in 1913 just shy of his 48th birthday. Rather incredibly coincidental is the fact Joseph died after surgery in Memphis to amputate an arm due to an accidental shooting.
Joseph's death in April 1913 left his widow, Lula with 3 young children and a fourth was born that June. The family was living in Shelby, Bolivar County, Mississippi which is not far from Marked Tree, Poinsett County, Arkansas. The towns are on opposite sides of the Mississippi river which forms the boundary between the states. Somehow, Rufus met Grace and they married. I've found no marriage record but a Family Tree on Ancestry.com puts a 1915 date on the marriage. This date may be based on family records, but it is certainly a reasonable date as Rufus and Grace had their first child together in April of 1916.
With the melding of the two families, Rufus became the head of a household of a wife and 5 children by 1920; they had two more children by 1930. His children are Rufus Lauren (Jr.), Hazel L, Marcus M, and Dorsey Ann. His stepchildren are Orville Spath, Nina Spath, and Josephine Spath. The Spath children are no longer living with Rufus and Grace by 1930, but his own 4 children, ages 6 to 14, are still at home. Ruus lists his occupation now as fisherman; indeed their home is on the St. Francis River and also near the Mississippi River.
In 1940 I found Lula living in Forrest City, St. Francis County, Arkansas (not far from her 1930 Arkansas home) with her brother, Mark Richardson (and his wife and daughter), two of her children by Rufus (Marcus and Dorney Ann), and two grandchildren from her first marriage (James Orville Spath and William Curtis Spath). She is a widow so Rufus has died since the April 1930 Census. I've found no record of Rufus' death but the online Death Index for Arkansas stops at 1920. The Ancestry Family Tree posts a 1933 date for his death, so I am basing my date on it.
I wonder how Rufus died and whether it might have been connected to his work as a fisherman. Having only one arm had to make any type of physical work challenging, especially assuming the lack of any real physical aids/prosthesis to assist him.
Although I am only distantly connected to Rufus and his birth family, I found researching his life challenging and interesting given both the circumstances of his life and the challenge of locating records to provide validation of his life's milestones. Mississippi and Arkansas were also new states to research in, yet the process was similar to researching in the other states where I've done considerable research.
1 March 2015: Draft
6 Nov 2020: Accepted edits to transpose Lauren's 1st and middle names and add suffix, Sr., from Member 50617913, Ash V submitted 27 Oct 2020; edited the bio to conform to this Suggestion
Vicki Edwards
Los Angeles
Gravesite Details
Assume there is no marker due to lack of an earlier memorial on Find A Grave.
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