James Isaiah Bowman and Eliza Thompson

CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX

JAMES ISAIAH BOWMAN and ELIZA THOMPSON

 29 December 2016

Isaiah "James" Bowman was born 21 July 1860 near the town of Newton, Jasper County, Iowa to Isaiah and Esther Matteson Bowman. Eliza Thompson was born 26 December 1864 in Indiana to James and Mary E Sunderland Thompson. The couple married circa 1881 most likely in either Ponca, Nebraska or Elk Point, South Dakota.

They had seven children before they were divorced about 1903. Eliza Thompson Bowman remarried circa 1904 to a man named Norman Ferdig. James never remarried and died in 1919 at the age of 59 and Eliza Ferdig ten year later in 1929.

While the ancestry of James Bowman has been relatively easy to track, that of Eliza Thompson has been more elusive primarily due to the differing information given to various census takers. However information found under her married name by her 2nd husband has provided more accurate details.

She provided her parents names as James Thompson and Mary E Sunderland to the 1925 Iowa State Census taker. Her death certificate which was filed under her married name of Ferdig had her birthdate and place and her maiden name provided by her daughter Jennie Bowman McPherson.

Eliza Thompson was born 26 December 1864 during the Civil War in either Illinois or Indiana as both states are given as birthplaces. She might not have known.

By 20 June 1876 a James H Thompson filed for a patent of land in Union County, Dakota Territory [South Dakota]. He received 120 acres located in Section 3 and Section 10 of the 95 Township 49 Range. This is located in Alecester Township near Brule Creek. His property description was 40 acres in the northeast quarter of the Northeast quarter of Section 10 and 80 acres in neighboring Section 3 located in the south half of the southeast quarter.

Ten days later he acquired 40 acres more in Section 10 which gave him 160 acres in all. The land description was the northwest quarter of the northeast quarter.

Three years later on 15 December 1879 he acquired another 160 acres in Section 4 of Alecester Township in Union County.

That is the last record of James H Thompson in Union County, South Dakota and the only James Thompson found there so it is extremely likely that he is the father of Eliza Thompson who would have turned 15 on December 26.

In 1870 Isaiah James “Boman” was age 10 and living with his father who was a farmer in Civil Bend Township, Union, Dakota Territory Post Office Elk Point. Civil Bend was just on the northeast side of the Missouri River from Dixon County, Nebraska.

The 1880 Census for South Dakota and Nebraska was searched and there’s no record of James Thompson or his daughter Eliza when logic would suggest they would be in Union County, Dakota Territory. However James Bowman is enumerated with his father’s family in Ponca District, Dixon County, Nebraska as of 16 June 1880. He is listed as a 20 year old man working on the railroad.

In the 1900 Census was taken 5 June 1900 in which James and Eliza Thompson Bowman stated they were married for 19 years. If their anniversary was after that date they could have been married as early as 1880 but no later than 1881 and most likely in Ponca, Nebraska.

Their first child was a daughter named Lilly Bowman born 1883 [Feb1883] in Ponca, Dixon County, Nebraska when Eliza was 18 years old and James was 23 years old. Another daughter named Jennie Bowman was born in 1885 at Ponca followed by a son Jessie James Bowman in 27 August 1889, Charles Henry Bowman born 3 November 1893, all born in Nebraska. Two more children Nellie Bowman was born in 1 Aug 1897 Iowa and Mamie Bowman in 17 May 1899.

Between probably the birth of Charles Bowman in 1893 and 1896, James Bowman went to prison at Lincoln, Nebraska. The record did not give the year of his incarceration, but just the basic vital statistics: James Bowman when born calculated 1859, County Dixon, Prisoner Number 2195, Crime: Grand Larceny, Sentence: 15 months.

In 1896 the Polk Directory for Sioux City, Iowa showed that James Bowman had moved there from Nebraska in order to find work. He is listed as a laborer living at 1521 Grand Street. His 13 year old daughter was listed as a boarder in the home on 1521Grand, thus she was working outside the home more than likely as a domestic.

The following year James Bowman is still working as a laborer but his place of employment was given as Cudahy Packing Company which was one of the first major slaughter houses in Sioux City. He is still renting a house at 1521 Grand where his wife and four children 14 year old Lilly, 11 year old Jennie, 8 year old Jessie, and 4 year old Charlie. Lilly was still working outside the home at the Sioux City Starch Company as a “breaker”.

In 1898 Eliza Thompson Bowman had another baby at the age of 34. They named her Nellie Lavinia. The family was living at 1521 Grand along with James’s parents. James Bowman was the only one working. He must of lost his job at Cudahy as he is just listed as a laborer. His daughter Lilly was listed as a boarder.

At the turn of the 19th Century James Bowman found work as a teamster and had moved to 307 Pavonia Street. His daughter Lilly was still unemployed but boarding with the family. Another daughter was born in August 1899 named Mary but was nicknamed “Mamie”.

The 1900 United States Census of Sioux City, Woodbury, Iowa on 5 June 1900 listed the family as renting a home at 306 Pavonia. There is no 307 address so the 1899 census might have been in error. The census stated James was 39 years old which would have been correct as he would turn 40 in July. His occupation was given as “teamster and odd work” and he said he had been out of work 4 months within the previous year. The 1900 Sioux City directory said that he was working for the International Packing Company. He stated that he was married 19 years and he was born in Nebraska and his father and mother in Virginia and Vermont.

Information on Eliza Bowman was really in error. Her age is given as 37 years and birthday in September 1862. She said she was born in Illinois as were her parents which is at odds with information given in later records. She stated she was the mother of eight children with 7 living but only six were enumerated in the household.

The Sioux City Directory also has “Lillie M” and Jennie Bowman both working as “waiters” [waitresses] in 1900.

In 1901 James Bowman had moved to 2102 4th Street where he is listed as a laborer. At this address were his working children, Lillie M a waiter, Jennie, a waiter, and Jessie Bowman a laborer at Cudahy Meat Packing. The family is living at 2104 4th Street through 1903. In 1902 James is still a laborer and at his residene is daughter Lillie M no employment listed. At 312 Morgan Street there is listed a Jesse Bowman laborer. James Bowman’s son Jesse would have been 13.

In 1903 James is not listed in the director but three of his children were listed at 2102 4th Street. They were Lillie M, Jesse a laborer, and Annie Bowman. James and Eliza Thompson Bowman were in the process of getting a divorce. The poverty of the family and probably a combination of alcohol and domestic abuse broke this family apart after 22 years. Most of Eliza’s children were grown now. In 1903 Lillie M was 20 years old, Jennie Bowman was 17 and married to Jesse Bishop, Annie Bowman was 16 years old, Jesse Bowman was 14 years old, Charles Bowman was 10 years old, Nellie Bowman was 5 years old and Mamie was 4 years old.

The 1904 Polk Directory listed James Bowman and “Mrs. Eliza Bowman” in separate residencies. James was at 2100 4th Street with daughters Lillie M and Annie Bowman and Eliza Bowman was at 523 west 14th Street with her son Jesse Bowman a laborer. Charles, Nellie, and Mamie would have lived with their mother.

The 1905 Iowa State Census listed James as having moved to 1517 East 1st Street age 44 and a Teamster. He had been 5 months unemployed in 1904. Living with him is his daughter Lillie with no occupation and son Jesse James Bowman who was a laborer age 15 who was out of work 4 months in 1904. Both Lillie and Jesse gave the place of birth of their mother as Virginia probably by information provided by their father. Missing from the 1905 census was daughter Annie Bowman who would have been about 16 years old. She may have been married or even had died.

At the address of 523 west 14th Street were children Charles, Nellie, and Mamie Bowman although the census doesn’t list their mother who would have been Mrs. Norman Ferdig in 1905. Charles is listed as 14 years old and laboring although he spent 9 months in school in 1894. All these children listed their mother’s birthplace as Indiana which information had to have been provided by Eliza.

The 1910 United States Census showed James Bowman lodging in a boarding house and living without family. His occupation was Grader on the railroad. He listed himself as a widower when he was actually divorced. The 1910 Polk Directory states that he's living with his son Charles both teamsters for Doherty and Bryant Company. And rooming at 1013 4th Street. Charles Bowman would have been about 17 years old. The following year James is a laborer boarding at 1009 7th Street in Sioux City. His sons Jesse and Charles Bowman are not listed. He is not listed in 1912.

Eliza Thompson Ferdig had moved some 350 miles away from Sioux City by 1910 when she is found in the 1910 United States Census of Nebraska. On 25 April 1910 Eliza and her husband Norman Ferdig are enumerated in Wounded Knee Precinct, Sheridan, Nebraska, USA 25 April 1910. Norman Ferdig is listed as 39 years old [1871] born in Iowa. The census states they were married 7 years [1903] amd it was his 1st marriage but more likely they were married in 1904. He was a farmer renting a farm. Eliza Furdig stated she was 40 when she was 45 years old. She said she was born in Indiana and this was her second marriage. In this census she stated she had 7 children and all were alive. They were living next door to 27 year old Elmer “Furtig”, who was Norman’s younger brother. In 1910 Eliza’s youngest children Charles, Nellie, and Mamie would have been 17, 12, and 11 years old. As that James Bowman was living alone it begs the question who were raising these girls?

James Bowman is not located again until 1915 when he is found in both the Iowa State Census and the Polk Directory. In the census he is listed as a 55 year old divorced man with no church affiliation. He only made $500 in 1914 and he gave his address at 721 Wall Street near the Wall Street Mission for the poor and alcoholics. He stated he had a 6th grade education and that he and his parents were born in Indiana. The Polk directory said he was a laborer living at 1207 Wall Street

James Isaiah Bowman died 15 December 1919 at the age of 59 in Sioux City and he was interred 18 December 1919 in the Graceland Cemetery. He has a large granite headstone that reads “Bowman” and a gravemarker that says “Father.”

Eliza Thompson Bowman Ferdig was found in Eden Township, Gregory, South Dakota, 3 April 1920. Eden is over 400 miles northeast of Sheridan County. There she gave her age as 52 when she was actually 55 years old and born in Nebraska. She gave her father’s birthplace Iowa and mother's birthplace. Norman stated his age was 48 bornin Iowa parents and the birth place of his parents unknown. He owned his farm here in Gregory County. Living within Norman’s household was Wayne Ferdig age 11 who was an adopted son,

Five years later Norman and Eliza Ferdig returned to Iowa where they were included in the Iowa Census dated 1 Jan 1925. They were living in the Township of Grange, in Woodbury County about two miles southeast of Sioux City. Norman Ferdig age 54 [1871] was renting a farm. Within his household was Eliza Ferdig age 59 [1866] when she was actually 61 years old. Wayne Ferdig was 16 years old. He gave South Dakota as his parent’s marriage place.

This census provided quite a bit of personal information about Eliza Thompson. Her highest level of education was the 4th grade and she was able to read and write. She gave her birthplace as Indiana and the names of her parents, James Thompson and Mary E Sunderland. The census taker wrote down Michigan as the birth place of her father but that was probably a mistake as that was the birthplace of Norman Ferdig’s father. Her mother was born in Ohio. She worked in domestic and [ersonal services which was a bureaucratic way of saying she was a housewife. The most interesting aspect of this census is for religion Norman, Eliza, and Wayne Fertig said they were Latter Day Saints [Mormons]

Eliza and her second husband Norman probably stayed in Grange Township until about 1929 when her health began to fail. In 1928 her adopted son Wayne at the age of 19 had moved to Sioux City and found work at the Armour Meat Packing Company. He was living at 1410 Dace. In 1929 Norman and Eliza Ferdig were living at 1216 Leech Street where Norman was working as a filling station attendant. Wayne Fertig was living with them and was employed as a Yellow Cab driver.

Ten years to the day after James Bowman died, Eliza Ferdig died on 15 December 1929, eleven days of her 65th birth. Her death certificate stated that she died of Valvular heart disease initiated by inflamed rheumatism lining of the heart. She died in Lake Township, Monona County, Iowa while her residence was at 1216 Dace Street in Sioux City. The informant on the death certificate was Jennie McPherson who was her daughter and mother of Daisy Bishop mother of Kenneth Delbert Jones.

While James Bowman had a larger marker and tombstone place on his grave, Eliza Thompson was buried in an unmarked grave. Bowman section of Plot Edgewood 16 in the Graceland Cemetery has four burial plots. In number 1 is James Bowman who has a marker. In number 2 is “Mrs. Eliza Ferdig”. Below number on is the unmarked grave of James Bowman’s brother Marion Bowman, and in grave number 4 lays the body if Daisy Callaghan the granddaughter of James and Eliza Bowman.

Norman Ferdig was born 7 May 1870 in Boone, Boone, Iowa, and died nearly 20 years after Eliza Thomoson 8 April 1949 in Sioux City, Iowa. He was the son of John Charles Ferdig and Lucy Allen. He remarried on 16 November 1935 in Union County, South Dakota to a divorcee named Amanda Bock Courtright nearly 30 years younger than he. She outlived him and died in 1967 in Minnesota.

Wayne Ferdig the adopted son of Norman and Eliza Thompson Ferdig was born 12 April 1908 in Iowa and died 15 February 1968 in Downey Los Angeles County, California. He married Zephyreen Bertrand and had a son named Melvin Ferdig [1933-2003]

The Children of James Isaiah Bowman and Eliza Thompson

1) Lillie M Bowman was born in November 1883 according to the 1900 Census. How accurate that is can only be surmised. She would have been born near the town of Ponca in Dixon County, Nebraska where her father was a laborer and farm hand. Her m age 18, and father 23 at the time of her birth. Eliza stated that she had 8 children in the 1900 census but only 7 were living so she may or may not have been the oldest child of James Isaiah Bowman as that he and Eliza were married in 1881 and two years was a long period for newly weds to conceive a child. At age 4, on January 12, 1888, Lillie M. Bowman may have been one of thousands of people trapped by the deadly schoolhouse Blizzard in Ponca, Nebraska. Lillie M. Bowman was ten years old when the Panic of 1893 caused economic distress and suffered when her father was sent to prison for 15 months for grand larceny. When he was released the family moved to Sioux City where she lived until her death at a young age.

The Polk Directory of Sioux City showed that Lillie M Bowman lived in Sioux City, Iowa from 1896 to 1906 but is not mentioned again nor is she found in any census record after that. She may have married but there’s no marriage license to indicate that nor are there cemetery records in Woodbury County that she died there.

In 1896 Lillie Bowman was listed as living at her father’s residemce but had a separate listing which indicated that she was working and independent by the age of 13 in Sioux City, Iowa. She held various jobs such as being a waitress at age 17. In 1906, two years after her parent’s divorce, Lillie M Bowman was the only member of the family besides her married sister Jenny listed in the Polk Directory. She was 23 years old and was boarding at 304 Jones Street which is now downtown Sioux City.

Where Lillie was living was also the heart of Sioux City’s red light district—located near the railroad tracks on Jones, Pearl, Second, Third, and Fourth streets—known as the Soudan because of the number of African Americans who lived there. In 1900 the Soudan had seventeen major houses of prostitution.

Jones Street, between 3rd Street and 4th Street, in 1906, had three Saloons located at 301, 311, and 313 basically across the street where she was boarding. A madam named Hattie Lindsay, had a house of prostitution at 303 ½ Jones Street. Another madam named Mary Cake, who was notorious dive keeper of Jones Street, between 3rd and 4th, " found herself in court several times, and after paying a fine has always gone back to the forbidden district." On November 21, 1902, Joe Burke, a packinghouse worker in a drunken state, seriously wounded two men with a revolver at Sophia Lee's, a resort on Jones Street named for a notorious madam.

The number of prostitutes working in a Brothel house ranged from three to thirteen, with seven being the average. Women also worked out of saloons and dance halls. Some women worked in "cribs"— small, flimsy shacks increasingly located on the west side of town. . A brothel 'inmate" worked for a madam and enjoyed more security in the profession than a street walker.

The legal system assured madams and prostitutes who kept their establishments free from violence, theft, and general rowdiness that they would face little interference from police. The shooting, a reporter speculated in the Sioux City Journal, "may result in the closing up of all the dives in that locality and possibly Pearl Street."

The City administration had removed "the blot of the 'Soudan" from Third and Jones Streets by 1906. The newspaper reported "the mayor and the chief of police are seriously considering the advisability of not only closing up the Jones street resorts, but of transporting the Pearl street houses to a more retired portion of the city.

The reasons women became prostitutes were attributed to "the low dance, evil companions, stories of ease and luxury enjoyed by those living in sin, false promises of evil minded men, ill treatment at home, low wages and ignorance of other ways to earn a comfortable living."

2) When Jennie Bowman was born in 1885 in Ponca, Dixon County, Nebraska, her father, "James", was 25 and her mother, Eliza, was 21. She was married three times and had two sons and one daughter. She died after 1950, in Sioux City, Iowa. Jennie Bowman’s death certificate has not been looked at to find her actually birth date and death date. She moved to Sioux City with her family when she was about 11 years old and lived there the rest of her life.

Jennie Bowman lived in Sioux City, Iowa in 1900 when she would have been 15 but she is not included in family of James Bowman’s census enumeration. Although the Polk Directory showed that she was in 1900 working as a waitress with her older sister Lillie M Bowman. They were both boarding with their father at 306 Pavonia on the east side of the Floyd River. The following year Jennie and her sister were still working as waitresses and boarding with their father who had moved to 2102 4th Street a few houses away from their previous

 residence.

Jennie is not listed in the 1902 directory but probably was working as a waitress when she married 24 year old Jesse Bishop when she was 17 years old. They were married 28th November 1902. The Bishop Family and Bowman Family only about three blocks from each other off between 3rd and 4th Street on the east side of the Floyd River. He was working as a teamster.

Jennie’s husband in 1903 was working as a teamster for Hyman Levin Company along with her brother in law Jacob Bishop. Jennie was keeping house at 1706 5th Street between Iowa and Floyd and the west side of the Floyd River. Jennie became pregnant in July and the following April 7th in 1904 she had a daughter named Daisy May Bishop. Jesse Bishop had changed jobs and was a driver for the Brown Coal Company and Jennie was living at 1919 5th Street about a mile from their previous resident now on the east side of the river near the Floyd Cemetery.

The 1905 Iowa Census listed Jennie Bishop as living at 1519 East 7th Street. She said she was 20 and born in Nebraska. She stated she is the wife of Jess Bishop but her 1 year old daughter Daisy was not enumerated. Jess Bishop stated he was a laborer. The family was now living on the west side of the Floyd River.

The following year Jennie’s husband was working for Louis Kronick Company’s livery and feed stable at 510 Steuben. She and Jesse were now living at 1511 7th Street according to the Polk Directory however its not certain that they had moved residences a few house down or the addresses were mixed up.

Jennie became pregnant again at the beginning of 1907 and had a son named Kenneth Warren Bishop born 21 October 1907 in Sioux City. She was about 22 years old and in 1907 Jesse and Jennie were living at 800 Morgan Street just around the corner from their previous address. They were still living there in 1908 when their marriage began to sour. Jesse Bishop could not hold a job probably due to excess drinking and the constant moving took it’s toll. Jennie had two infants to care for and Jesse was not being a good provider. There were 36 Saloons on 4th Street which Jesse and Jennie lived near. On 4 May 1909 Jennie and Jesse Bishop were divorced.

Jennie Bishop supported herself and her two children by running a boarding house out of a home at 1059 7th Street. It was a nice residential area between St Joseph Catholic Church and St. Paul’s Lutheran Church.

In the 1910 United States Census Jennie Bowman was listed on the 25th of April as living at 1009 7th Street. She listed her status as a 25 year old mother of 2 widow. She gave her birth place as Nebraska but stated that both parents were born in Indiana. She gave her occupation as running a boarding house that she was renting. Within her house hold were her two children 5 year old Daisy and 2 year old Warren, her 19 year old brother Charles Bowman and two men listed as widowers 27 year old Frank Jenkins and 30 year old Frank Barnes. Charles Bowman was listed as a Teamster, Frank Jenkins worked for the railroad repairing train cars, and Frank Barnes was a plumber.

The next year in 1911 Jennie Bowman Bishop was still living at 1009 7th Street and running a boarding house. Frank Jenkins who was listed as a carpenter was still boarding at the address. The Polk Directory does not list Jennie Bishop for the year but Frank H Jenkins is listed as a carpenter living at 421 Jennings Street. Sometime in 1913 Jennie Bowman and Frank Jenkins married. A son was born to Jennie on 4 September 1914 who would always go by the name of Frank A McPherson but is logical that he is the son of Frank Jenkins and not Wallace McPherson

In 1915 Jennie Jenkins was living at 721 Wall Street with her husband Frank Jenkins who was now a sheet metal worker who made $600 in 1914. Both Daisy and Warren are listed as Jenkins and Frank Jenkins is 1/2 year old. She stated she was born in Nebraska and both her parents were born in Indiana. She had a 7th grade education. Both Frank and Jennie gave no religious affiliation.

By 1916 the marriage between Jennie and Frank was failing. They were still residing at 721 Wall Street where he was listed as a “tinner” a metal worker. But the Polk Directory also listed him as rooming at 1000 4th Street and working as a laborer for Cady and Savonell. They must have split up that year as in 1917 and were divorced as they were listed in separate households. “Mrs Jennie Jenkins” was listed at 305 South Wall near the Wall Street Mission and as Frank H Jenkins was boarding at 500 Bluff and working as a tank maker for the William Warnock Company.

By 2 Jun 1917 Jennie Jenkins married Wallace Mullenax McPherson in Elk Point, Union County, South Dakota. The marriage license said that Wallace was a bachelor while Jennie was a divorced woman. They were married by a Justice of the Peace named C.S Harter.

In a little more than a month, Jennie’s 9 year old son Kenneth Warren Bishop became ill and died 7 July 1917 in Sioux City. He was buried 11 July 1917 in the Fairmount Plot 79 area of Graceland Park Cemetery.

The 1918 City directory show that Wallace and Jennie McPherson resided at 301 Iowa Street and Wallace worked as a weigher in the stockyard. The family is not recorded in the 1919 directory but are found in the United States 1920 Census.

On 5 January 1920 the United States Census enumerated Jennie McPherson in the household of her 3rd husband Wallace at a house they were renting at 106 Virginia Street. She listed her age as 35 and born in Iowa. Her husband Wallace McPherson a 32 year old native of Tennessee who was a commissioner in a stockyard. Within this household was Daisy Bishop, age 14 although she would have been 16 years old in April that year, Frank McPherson age 5 listed as “son” and Marion Bowman who is listed as “uncle”. The 1920 Polk Directory also stated that the family was living at 106 Virginia Street where McPherson was the foreman of the Sioux City Stockyards Company. The following year, while still living at 106 Virginia, McPherson changed company and began to work a stock yard company of Wagner, Garrison, and Abbot. He will have worked for this company off and on for over 20 years. On 6 December 192, Jennie’s 17 year old daughter Daisy eloped with a Word War I veteran named John Cleo Phelps. They were married in Elk Point, Union County, South Dakota across the Missouri River. Daisy Bishop said she was 19 years old and she married under the name “Mae Bishop”. The marriage wouldn’t last and they divorced in 1924.

In 1922 the family of Wallace McPherson consisted of his wife Jennie and her son Frank who went by the name McPherson. They moved that year to 316 South Wall Street in Sioux City’s South Bottom neighborhood. They lived there a year before moving to 1214 Leech Street where they lived for two years. Today that address is the off ramp of Highway 29.

In 1925 the family moved back to 316 South Wall Street but they are not enumerated in the 1925 Iowa Census. Wallace was still working as a yardman for Wagner, Garrison, and Abbot. However Jennie McPherson at the age of 40 began working as a “Matron” of a Day Nursery probably out of her house or even at the Wall Street Mission. In 1926 she was listed as “Mrs. Jennie McPherson Matron Day Nursery” at 316 Wall Street. An additional listing listed Wallace M McPherson “salesman Wagner, Garrison, and Abbott” with Jennie living at 316 Wall Street.

By 1927 Jennie McPherson is no longer listed as a Day Nursery Matron but she and her husband were still living at 316 South Wall but for the rest of the decade they moved to 1410 Dace Street and then to 1212 Leech Street. While the Great Depression began in October 1929 fortunately Wallace McPherson managed to hang on to his job. Jennie’s mother Eliza Thompson Bowman Fertig died 15 December 1929, ten years to the day Jennie’s father died.

The 1930 United States Census of Sioux City enumerated the family of Jennie McPherson on 14 April. Jennie Mcpherson’s age in 1930 was given as 45 which in consistent with her birth year being 1885. She gave her birthplace as Nebraska Marital Status but that of her father and mother’s birthplace as Illinois James Bowman was born in Iowa and Eliza Thompson most likely Indiana. Wallace and her address was given as 1618 Eighteenth Street. While they were renting their home for $25 a month, they lived in a middle class neighborhood of home owners with the value of homes between $3,000 and $4500. Wallace M McPherson was 41 years old and a cattle salesman in the stockyards. Others in the household were 25 year old Daisy Jones, 15 year old Frank A McPherson, 5 year old Kenneth D Jones, 78 year old William D Schuler and 62 year old Marion Bowman. Jennie’s daughter Daisy Jones was working as an elevator girl in a department store. The rest did not have an occupation listed. Frank McPherson was her son, Kenneth D Jones was her grandson, William Schuler was a boarder and Marion Bowman was Jennie’s uncle.

Jennie McPherson rode out the Great Depression better than most people during the 1930’s as that her husband still had a fairly decent paying job and she went to work in the Sioux City home for the blind. They continued to rent at 1618 at 18th Street until 1933 when they moved down the street to 1212 18th Street where they lived for five years. When they moved out of 1618, Peter Callaghan and his wife Delores Jones Callighan moved into the residence. He was working as a Bellman at the Warrior Hotel.

Jennie’s daughter Daisy Jones and her grandson Kenneth D Jones had moved to 301 ½ South Wall Street near the Wall Street Mission where she had found work at the Armour Meat Packing Company.

On 16 March 1935 Jennie’s first husband, Jesse Bishop and father of her daughter Daisy Bishop Jones died. Jennie’s uncle Marion Bowman who lived off and on with Jennie died 14 October 1936

In 1938 Wallace and Jennie McPherson moved to 1810 South Cypress where they were buying a house. Renting from them were Peter Callaghan and his wife Delores. It was probably about this time that her daughter Daisy Jones became involved with Peter who was still married and working as a bell boy at the Miner Hotel. The 1939 Polk Directory showed that both the McPhersons and the Callaghan’s were both living at 1810 South Cypress Street. Daisy Jones may have been living there also as she is no longer listed in the directory. If so the following persons were living at that residence, 51 year old Wallace McPherson, 54 year old Jennie McPherson, 24 year old Frank McPherson, 39 year old Peter Callaghan, 34 year old Delores Callaghan, 2 year old Gayleen Callaghan, 35 year old Daisy Jones and 15 year old Kenneth D Jones. Peter and Delores must have separated for a time as the directory also lists Delores as a waitress renting a room at 708 4th Street.

Daisy Jones may have been ill and could not work anymore as she died 5 May 1940 of a heart disease at the age of 36. Her death certificate states she was married and the wife of Peter Callaghan although there is no record of Peter and Delores ever divorcing. The 1940 United States Census which was taken on 9 April nearly a month before Daisy died lists Peter and Delores as married. The census shows the Callaghans as living at 1810 Cypress Street in a home they were renting for $20 a month. Included in their household was Daisy’s 15 year old son Kenneth D Jones whom Peter calls his stepson. A 3 year old daughter named Gayleen is also included in the household. Daisy is not listed in the census and may have been in the hospital.

Jennie McPherson was the informant on her daughter’s death certificate and Daisy is buried under the name Callaghan.

The 1940 Census also showed that Wallace and Jennie McPherson had left 1810 Cypress and moved downtown to 315 Sixth Street where Jennie was working as an assistant to the Sioux City School for the Blind. In 1939, Iowa state law enacted compulsory education for blind children over age 7 and under age 19. This law required attendance at the school for the blind with some exemptions. Wallace was still a salesman for the Stockyard Commission and her son Frank was still living at home as a sheet metal worker. A workshop for the blind opened at the Wall Street Mission and had the first Braille switchboard in Iowa. Goodwill Industries merged with Wall Street Mission, forming Goodwill Industries Wall Street Mission, a name that lasted 90 years

The 1940 Census is in conflict with the 1940 Polk Directory that said the McPhersons were living still at 1810 Cypress. As that the directory is published at the first of the year it may have reflected their address before relocating. Jennie was listed as a clerk for the Work Shop for the Blind. Her son Frank was a sheet metal worker for the Philip Barnard Company.

As to why the 1940 listed the McPherson’s at 315 Sixth Street is unknown as that the 1941 directory lists Jennie and Wallace as residents of 1810 Cypress. Peter Callaghan is also living at the address and listed as Bell Man at the Warrior Hotel. However Delores is not listed with him. Frank McPherson had left home and had married Luella Rose in early 1940. They had a child Francis Jay McPherson born in April 1941. Frank McPherson was still listed as a sheet metal worker.

American entered World War II after Pearl Harbor in December 1941. During the war years, the family lived at 1810 Cypress Street although in 1942 Peter Callaghan left Sioux City and moved back to Jolliett, Illinois. The last knowledge of him is his rooming with his brother Cornelius there. Jennie McPherson continued her work at the Work Shop for the Blind where became an assistant supervisor and “forewoman”. Wallace continued his work in the stockyards.

On 17 March 1943, Jennie’s grandson Kenneth Delbert Jones enlisted in the army at the age of 18 at Camp Dodge. At the age of 19 he was sent overseas to fight in the European Operation of the war in the 333rd Infantry of the 84th Division. The next year, Jennie’s son Frank McPherson enlisted on 13 April 1944 at Camp Dodge, Iowa and was assigned to the army’s 1263rd Combat Engineers Battalion. Jennie and Wallace were still at 1810 Cypress and working as “forewoman: at the Workshop for the Blind.

In 1945 Wallace and Jennie left their home at 1810 Cypress and took up residence at 1022 Douglass Street. She still was employed at the Workshop of the Blind. The World War II ended in May 1945 in Europe and in September 1945 in the Pacific. Jennie’s son Frank and grandson Kenneth came home to Sioux City in 1946. The 1946 directory is not available but the 1947 directory listed Jennie and her husband at 1022 Douglass and she was an assistant supervisor at the Work Shop for the Blind. By the end of the year Wallace M McPherson died on 2 December 1947 three days before his 60th birthday. He and Jennie had been married 30 years when he died. There’s no record of a burial in any of the Sioux City cemeteries.

Jennie McPherson is listed as a widow in 1948 and she had moved out of 1022 Douglass and moved to 622 Jackson where she bought a house. She may have quit her job at the Workshop for the Blind as she is no longer listed as living there. This is the last record found on Jennie McPherson. The 1949 directory is not available and the 1950 Census will not be released until 2022. She is not listed in any of the Polk Directories in the 1950’s and it is probable that she died in 1949 or 1950 in Sioux City Iowa age circa 65 years old. There’s no burial record for her either in Sioux City.

In the 1950’s her son Frank McPherson and grandson Kenneth Delbert Jones moved to Southern California. Frank moved to Downey in Los Angeles County and raised two sons there. He died in Downey in 1971. Both his sons Francis Jay McPherson and Joseph Warren McPherson served in the army during the Viet Nam.

3) Annie Bowman

Born JANUARY 1887 in Ponca Dixon, Nebraska

Died unknown probably in Sioux City

4) Jesse James Bowman

Born 27 August 1890 in Ponca, Dixon, Nebraska

Died 1 June 1942 in Los Angeles County, California

Jesse Bowman was about 13 years old when his parents divorced. He became a sheet metal worker and married a woman named Mary Inez last name unknown before 1925. They adopted a little girl born in 1929 they named Patsy Bowman. Jesse Bowman moved his family first to Sacramento, California by 1935 and then to Long Beach, California about 1939 and died there in 1942 at the age of 51 years.

5) Charles Herman Bowman

Birth 3 November 1893 in Ponca Dixon County, Nebraska

Death 1937 Seattle, King, Washington

Charles Bowman was about 10 years old when his parents divorced. His mother Eliza was remarried to Norman Ferdig but his father never remarried. His mother moved with her new husband to Sheridan County, Nebraska by 1910 when he was about 17 years old. He remained in Sioux City, living with his married sister Jennie Bishop with whom he is enumerated in 1910. He was listed as a 19 year old teamster when he was only 17. At the age of 20 Charles married Kathleen Irene Coffey 1 October 1913 in Sioux City. The 1915 Iowa Census stated he had converted to Catholicism probably due to his wife and was a laundry truck driver and had made $1050 in 1914. On 5 June 1917, Charles was required to register for the draft during World War I. He was married with a 3 year old daughter, Agnes Louise Bowman, and gave his address as 705 Douglas Street. His occupation was an “auto driver for Nathan Zigler.” His physical description was that he was medium height and build with blue eyes and light brown hair. In 1918 the family left Iowa and moved to Spokane, Washington where he is listed in the 1919

The 1920 United States Census showed that Charles and his family of Kathleen and Louise were residents of Winona, Whitman, Washington where he was also an auto mechanic. They were back in Spokane, Washington for five years where he worked as an auto mechanic until in 1927 they moved to Seattle. They lived there for about ten years until his death in 1937 at the age of 44. In 1937 the Polk Directory only listed Mrs. Kathleen Bowman and in 1938 she is listed as a widow in the directory. The couple had just one daughter Agnes Louise Bowman Smith.

6) Nellie Lavina Bowman

Born 1 August 1898 Sioux City, Woodbury, Iowa

Died 10 October 1940 • Downey, Los Angeles, California

Nellie Bowman was about 5 years old when her parents divorced. The 1905 Census of Iowa showed that her brother Charles, sister Mamie, and she were living with her mother how ever Eliza Thompson, Bowman married Norman Ferdig about 1907 and moved to Sheridan County, Nebraska without her youngest children. In 1910 Nellie would have been only 12 and her sister Mamie 11. Their brother Charles Bowman went to live with his sister Jennie Bishop but the location of these two sisters is unknown. They were not living with their father James Bowman. In 1913 at the age of 15 years Nellie married Fay Mark Heyward who was about 20 years old. In 1914 he received a patent for a 160 acre farm in Sheridan County and Nellie’s first child Lawrence was born that year. A daughter Opal F Heywood was born in 1916. Fay’s World War I draft registry stated that he was living at Gordon, Sheridan, Nebraska with a wife and 2 children. The family was still living there when the 1920 United States Census was taken and Fay gave his occupation as house carpenter. Nellie’s children were said to both be born in Iowa. Fay and Nellie were divorced by 1929 and Nellie married 14 March 1930 Grover Cleveland McPherson in Bennett County although their marriage license said they were both from Sheridan County, Nebraska. Grover McPherson was the brother of Wallace McPherson. Grover McPherson was a World War I veteran and was married twice before he married Nellie. During the Great Depression, Nellie and Grover migrated to Southern California between 1930 and 1934. They left because of the drought conditions of the 1930s, that turned unanchored soil into dust. Nellie’s eldest son Lawrence N Heywood died 26 October 1934 at the age of 20 not long after arriving in Los Angeles County. The 1940 United States Census was taken on April 1st showing Grover and Nellie living in Downey at 7256 Hunsaker . Ten months later she died 10 October 1940 at the age of 42 years. She was buried in the Downey City Cemetery located at 9073 Gardendale Street in Downey, CA 90242 Block 13 Lot C Grave 1E

7) Mary Elizabeth "Mamie" Bowman

When Mary Elizabeth "Mamie" Bowman was born on May 17, 1899, in Sioux City, Iowa, her father, "James", was 38 and her mother, Eliza, was 34. She was about 5 years old when her parents divorced. It is not clear who raised her as the 1910 Census when she was 11 shows her mother in Nebraska without her and she is not listed in her father’s household either. She is not found in the Iowa State censuses except for 1905 when she and her brother Charles and sister Nellie are listed in a household with no adults. She cannot be located in the 1920 census although she has a child Edna May McPherson born 24 August 1921 in Sioux City. The father was Edmund Henry McPherson the brother of Wallace McPherson . It is not known whether they married or divorced or what the circumstances were as that Mamie is not found in the 1930 census and the next definitely record of her is after her marriage to Byron Anthony whom she married by 1938 in Long Beach California. Byron and Mamie Anthony are listed in the 1940 Census of Long Beach on 1 April living at 5242 Pacific. They may have been married as early as 1935 as they both give their residence in 1935 as Lynnwood, California. Byron Anthony in the 1930 census was married to a woman named Bessie Smith living in “San Antonio” which is now part of Huntington Park in Los Angeles. He was a family chauffeur. In 1940 he was a truck driver. "Mamie" Anthony lived in Long Beach, California, when the United States declared war on Japan just one day after the attack on Pearl Harbor that killed 2,400 Americans. Byron Anthony died in 1952 and Mamie was a widow for 30 yeas. She lived in Long Beach for almost 50 years dying there 31 January 1983 at the age of 84. She outlived her only daughter Edna Moody who died in 1980 at the age of 59 in Shasta, California. Edna and her husband Lee Moody had 3 children.