Earle Lester Baxter was
born on December 10, 1901 in Beadle County, South Dakota. He was the son of Eugene M. Baxter and
Pruella May Hollarbush.
In
1910, Eugene and his parents were renting a home on Colorado Street in Beadle
County, South Dakota. His father worked
as a painter, and his mother was a dress maker.
From that census, we learn that his parents were married around 1900 and
that he had a sibling born and die sometime between 1900 and 1910.
Earle’s
father died between 1910 and 1913.
Around 1913, his mother remarried to Virgil Vaughan Nowels.
In January
1920, Earle was living in Hamilton, Caldwell County, Missouri, with his mother
and step father and family. He was
employed as a clerk at a dry goods store.
On
June 28, 1920, Earle was hired on as a caller for the Atchison, Topeka and
Santa Fe – Coastline Railroad in Barstow, San Bernardino County, California. He was promoted to Yard Clerk on February 4,
1922, and then resigned from the railroad five months later, on July 10 with
satisfactory service. At that time, he
was described as 5’10” tall, 130 lbs, brown hair, blue eyes, and a dark
complexion.
Here
is where things get tricky:
I
found a marriage record for Earle Baxter and Elsie J. Baxter on July 16, 1929
in Kansas City, Jackson County, Missouri.
He was 27 years old and she was 29 years. Elsie was born around 1900.
By
1930, Earle was divorced and living in Barstow, San Bernardino County,
California, where he was employed as a building carpenter. Living with him are two children, Donald
Slaton (age 11) and Thomas Slaton (age 8), who are listed as his step
sons. The parents of the children are
Fulton Edmond Slaton and Gladys Beulah Shumate.
Fulton died in 1928 and Gladys is nowhere to be found in the 1930 or
1940 US Census. However, she is listed
in several California Voter Lists throughout the 1930’s. I cannot find a marriage record for Earle and
Gladys, nor find any other reason the boys were living with Earle in 1930. However, it is likely that Gladys met Earle
through her husband, who also worked for the railroad.
Earle
married Violet O. Cleeton Kelly around 1937 in Barstow, San Bernardino County,
California. This was the second marriage
for both. Violet was born on March 10,
1910 in Kansas City, Jackson County, Missouri, the daughter of John William
Cleeton and Belle Elizabeth “Emily” Glidewell.
In 1930,
Earle and Violet were living on Cottage Street in Barstow, San Bernardino
County, California, where Earle continued his employment as a carpenter. Two children were listed in their household:
Patricia
B. Kelly born in 1931
Basil
B. Baxter born 1938
Earle
Lester Baxter died one day after his 80th birthday, December 11,
1981, in San Bernardino County, California.
He was buried in Mountain View Memorial Park in Barstow, San Bernardino
County.
Viola
O. Cleeson Kelly Baxter died on January 15, 1997 in Barstow, San Bernardino
County, California. She was laid to rest
next to her husband in Mountain View Memorial Park. She was 86 years old at her death.
Notes
for Earle Lester Baxter
Birth:
Ancestry.com. South Dakota Births, 1856-1903 [database
on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations Inc, 2003. South Dakota Department of Health. South
Dakota Birth Records With Birth Dates Over 100 Years. South Dakota Department
of Health.
Residence in 1910: Year: 1910; Census Place:
Huron Ward 3, Beadle, South Dakota; Roll: T624_1476; Page: 14A; Enumeration
District: 0018; FHL microfilm: 1375489. Ancestry.com.
1910 United States Federal Census [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA:
Ancestry.com Operations Inc, 2006.
Residence in 1920: Year:
1920; Census Place: Hamilton, Caldwell, Missouri; Roll: T625_910; Page: 3B;
Enumeration District: 8; Image: 711. Ancestry.com.
1920 United States Federal Census [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA:
Ancestry.com Operations Inc, 2010. Images reproduced by FamilySearch.
Railroad: California State Railroad
Museum Libraries; Sacramento, California; Record Group: Employment Cards;
Description: Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe - Coastline; Film Number: 1711279
Residence in 1930: Year: 1930; Census Place:
Barstow, San Bernardino, California; Roll: 187; Page: 17A; Enumeration
District: 0004; Image: 623.0; FHL microfilm: 2339922. Ancestry.com. 1930 United States Federal
Census [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations Inc, 2002.
Residence in 1940: Year:
1940; Census Place: Barstow, San Bernardino, California; Roll: T627_288; Page:
67A; Enumeration District: 36-5. Ancestry.com.
1940 United States Federal Census [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA:
Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2012.
California Voter Lists: Ancestry.com. California,
Voter Registrations, 1900-1968 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA:
Ancestry.com Operations Inc, 2008.
Original
data: State of California, United States. Great Register of Voters.
Sacramento, California: California State Library.
Marriage to Elsie Baxter: Ancestry.com. Missouri
Marriage Records, 1805-2002 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com
Operations, Inc., 2007. Missouri
Marriage Records. Jefferson City, MO, USA: Missouri State Archives. Microfilm.
Marriage to Gladys Shumate: 1930 US Census
Marriage to Violet Cleeton: 1940 US Census
Death: Ancestry.com. California,
Death Index, 1940-1997 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com
Operations Inc, 2000. State of
California. California Death Index, 1940-1997. Sacramento, CA, USA: State of
California Department of Health Services, Center for Health Statistics.
Burial:
Ancestry.com. U.S., Find A Grave Index, 1600s-Current
[database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2012. Find A Grave. Find A Grave. http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi
Notes
for Violet O. Cleeson
Birth & Death: Ancestry.com. California,
Death Index, 1940-1997 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com
Operations Inc, 2000. State of
California. California Death Index, 1940-1997. Sacramento, CA, USA: State of
California Department of Health Services, Center for Health Statistics.
Burial:
Ancestry.com. U.S., Find A Grave Index, 1600s-Current
[database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2012. Find A Grave. Find A Grave. http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi
