More on Will's Family of Origin

Yesterday, I copied and pasted an account of Will's parents' family published in 1890, stating that "Willie D. . . . resides with his parents and is an agriculturist by occupation[.]"  The makeup of Will's family in 1890 might give us a clue as to why Will made some of the choices he did.

Will's parents, James L. Stewart and Lovie I. Wise, were married in Barbour, Alabama in 1849.  Their first son, Elastus T. ("E.T." or "Lack") was born in Alabama on August 2, 1850.  Their first daughter, Celestia (or Selesta) Lavonia was born in Alabama on Christmas Day, 1851.  Ada C. was born in Alabama on July 1, 1855.  The history states that James L. and Lovie moved to Bienville Parish in 1859.  The fourth child, James, was born in Louisiana probably in 1866, and Will was born in Arcadia, Louisiana on July 5, 1869 (one source has him as early as 1868 and another as late as 1870).

Why was there a gap of about 11 years between the third child and the fourth?  Infant mortality and miscarriages were common during that time.  The history reports that four children survived and three died young.  But the three deaths came after 1866.  This suggests miscarriages as a reason for part of the gap.  It is also clear from other documentation (to be discussed in a later post), that James L. spent at least the end of the Civil War in the Confederate Army.  Certainly, his absence during the war would explain some of the period between 1855 and 1866.

The second son and fourth child, James, died on March 16, 1875 at the age of 8.  I have found nothing so far that suggests the cause of death, but it could have been anything from a childhood disease we have since cured to a farm accident to who knows what.  But Will would have been about 5 at the time of death of his closest older brother (his oldest brother would have been about 25 and probably out of the house).

There was another gap of about ten years from Will's birth in 1869ish until around May 1879 when Joseph T. was born, but he died March 28, 1880.  Finally, another child, name and gender unknown, was born at some time after Joseph but died shortly after birth.

I do not know how this history of tragedy may have affected the family or Will's psyche.  I do wonder if it had a bearing on his leaving Fannie three weeks before Mabel was born.  Their first son was still living, but they had lost the next two in about two years.  Maybe he did not want to face another tragedy.