Friday, March 26, 2010

Thomas J Owens Will

I am still trying to figure out David and Jane Owens family. Not an easy task, because there are lots and lots of Owens and often they will be Owen singular as well. They frequently have very common first names as well, such as David and Thomas and Jane.


Just the other evening, I thought I had found someone who had the David D Owens I was looking for in their family tree!! It was the right name, and there were Owens from Dawn, Livingston, Missouri. Unfortunately, it wasn’t the right David, but I do have a new genealogy friend, and we may still be able to help each other out. Since a question came up about Thomas J Owens will, I am going to get out of the timeline of my story about David and Jane, and try to clear up the matter of this will.

Thomas J Owens died on 10 May 1910 in Licking County, Ohio, where he had returned to after living many years in Livingston, Missouri.

I found the information about Thomas J Owens will in the Probate Records of Livingston County, Missouri Volume IX on Ancestry.com.

It shows a Thomas J. EVANS, as the Executor of the will. Bond: May 23, 1910 He is a person in my new friends tree.

The heirs were:

Jane Evans, sister - That would have been Jane Owens, who married James Evans of Big Rock, Kane, Illinois

Thomas J. Evans, friend - The above named executor

Margaret Davis, sister - Margaret Owens, who married Elias Davis, and lived, I think, in Columbus, Ohio

Robert Owens, brother - married Vania Lane and had lived in Colorado, returning to Licking, Ohio prior to 1920

Owen M. Owens, brother - married to Kate Hommom, lived for a time in Linn, Dallas, Iowa, moved to Santa Cruz, CA about 1900

David J. Owens, brother - This person does NOT fit. Possibly someone from Dawn, who was a close friend?? There is no mention of such a person in any of the other brother and sisters obituaries.

Catherine Thomas, sister - Catharine Owens, who married James Reese Thomas, and moved to Harvey County, Kansas

David D. Owens, brother – lived in Marion, Jasper, Missouri until 1900, the moved to Santa Cruz, CA sometime after that.

I wish there was some huge family tree that had all the Owens/Owen people in it. It’s tempting to start tracking all of the Owens that I find, but that would be a HUGE task, too big I’m afraid. Hopefully this has helped to sort out a couple of them.