Investigating the Hess FamilyTaneya Y. KoonceAugust 19, 2009

As part of our planned genealogy share & learn session, Kim Newsom shared details of her family tree. One set of Kim’s ancestors listed are her maternal grandparents Trucilla MOORE and Jamye Layton SPENCE. Prior to the session, I researched the ancestry of Jamye Layton SPENCE and found additional details for her family tree. As shared in the presentation, every genealogy search should follow a similar process (see slide 5). As I describe how I searched for information, I will structure it in accordance with this research process.

1. What We KnowJamye Layton SPENCE was born June 27, 1926 in Crockett County, Tennessee to Wilson SPENCE and Nelson HESS. Kim has noted that Nelson HESS died in 1972.

No additional information was given regarding Nelson’s parents.

2. What Specific Question Needs to Be Answered?Logical first questions to ask for Nelson may be: who are her parents and when & where was she born? If we are able to find this out, we can extend Kim’s tree back an additional generation.

3. What Information Sources Might Answer My Question?

3.A. Identifying SourcesThe presentation listed several different types of records. A few sources that would be worth checking to find out this information are:

Death certificate – parents’ names and birth locations are commonly listed on death certificates. We know that Nelson passed away in 1972, though the location is not given.

Marriage certificate – finding the marriage certificate for Wilson & Nelson may yield their parents’ names

Census records - Jamye would have been about 4 years old and likely listed with his parents. From the 1930 census, we would be able to determine his parents’ ages, thus approximate the years they were born. We could then trace the couple backwards through each of the census records to try to locate them as children with their own families.

3.B. Searching Sources

Looking for a Death Certificate – It is not given what state Nelson died in, however, a logical first place to check is Tennessee since the family lived in Tennessee. On slide 33, the first link I’ve listed for locating death records is the site http://www.deathindexes.com. Upon going to the site and choosing Tennessee as the state of interest, we can browse the page for relevant listings. At the top of each state page, statewide sources are generally listed first, followed by county-specific resources. As we look at the statewide listings, keep in mind that 1972 is our year of interest.

It turns out that there is a statewide index that covers the years 1949-2005, though it is not complete at the website of the Shelby Register of Deeds - http://register.shelby.tn.us/index.php. The death records search is on the right side of the screen.

Enter some of the details that we know about Nelson – Her last name was Spence, she died in 1972 and was female. I could have also chosen “Crockett County” from the drop down list since this is the where the family lived, but for now, let’s leave it blank.

Shelby County Register of Deeds Search

Hit the Search button to view results. In the list of results is a Nelson H. Spence who died August 2, 1972 in Shelby County, Tennessee and was 85 years old at the time of her death. Thus, she was born around 1887. The results tell us that she is a widow at the time of her death, and a link is provided to order her death certificate. Fees vary depending on which method is chosen.

Since we’d have to wait for the death certificate to be delivered, let’s look for another source for parental names.

Another source for parental information is the Social Security Application. Is Nelson listed in the Social Security Death Index (SSDI)? One of the sources listed for the SSDI in the presentation is the free database at GenealogyBank. A search for Nelson Hess there shows us much more detail about Nelson. We learn that her data of birth with the Social Security Administration is recorded as January 24, 1887 and she was last living in Memphis, TN in the zip code 38108. With her SSN, her SS-5 application could be ordered for $27, which may have her parents’ names on it.

Looking for a Marriage Record – Slide 30 of the presentation lists the Online Birth & Marriage Records Index for USA as a place to search for marriage certificate information. Upon going to the site and selecting the state of Tennessee, there are not many options, but Ancestry.com has a database of marriages from 1780-2002 available for a fee. We’ll come back to Ancestry.com.

The USGenWeb Project is another source for marriage data. From www.usgenweb.org, select Tennessee, then Crockett County. Looking at the various types of records available, selecting “Marriages” brings you to a page with two listings of marriages; one from 1872-1899 and the other from 1900-1940. Given that Nelson was born about 1887, it is not likely she was married before 1900, so let’s look at the latter listing by selecting the S surnames. Nelson & Wilson’s marriage is listed on this page and we see they were married April 30, 1907. To obtain the marriage certificate, a check of the Tennessee State Library & Archives indicates that they hold microfilm of Crockett County marriage certificates, as well as instructions for how to order by mail for $20. There is however a note on the top of the County Crockett Marriages page that parent names are not mentioned on these certificates. However, it may be interesting to have it as part of your family collection.

If you are an Ancestry.com subscriber, you can access their online database of Tennessee Marriages spans 1780-2002. A search of the index reveals the listing for Nelson & Wilson along with a link to the image of the marriage license and certification that the couple were married. The marriage bond of $500 was paid by Wilson Spence (who is not the same Wilson Spence getting married, so likely his father?) and a W.S. Spence.

Looking for Census Records – Typically, I’d usually start with the latest census in which a person may be listed and then work backwards in time. However, the name Nelson Hess is quite unusual and unusual names are often easier searches. Since we now know that Nelson was born in 1887, a search of the 1900 census may reveal her as a young child along with her parents. Since she was married in Crockett County, it is likely that she was born there as well and this makes for a logical 1st location to search.

Slide 20 of the presentation lists several free sources of census records. FamilySearch, the database from the Family History Library has the 1900 census as part of their collection. By going to the site and selecting the appropriate geographic region of interest, a list of databases are presented and among them is the 1900 census. Entering search criteria of the name Nelson Hess in Tennessee results in 1 result.

This is the family of Dr. Nelson Hess and wife Sidney of Bells, Crockett County, Tennessee. Nelson & Sidney have six children, one is a young girl named Nelson who is enumerated as being born in January of 1886. Nelson & Sidney have been married 15 years at the time of the 1900 census. Though the whole record is not excerpted here, the elder Nelson Hess’ occupation is “Physician.” Nelson’s oldest son is 21 years old, so he is likely not Sidney’s son; the Nelson the elder may have been married before since he and Sidney have only been married 15 years.

One record alone is usually not enough to conclusively say that this is the right family, but let’s search for additional census information. Note that Nelson has a brother named James though and Kim’s grandfather is named James. Is it possible that his mom named him after her brother? Also note that Nelson has a sister named Ella. A search of the 1930 census using the currently freely available Footnote.com reveals Nelson now married to Wilson with several children (see image) including Kim’s grandfather James and a sister of his named Ella. Naming conventions, while not absolute, are also important to keep an eye out for as they can help you identify the correct family.

Further searching for information about Dr. Nelson Hess in order to clarify the family structure reveals the following: His obituary – located on the Crockett County, TN site of the TNGenWeb/USGenWeb Project. The obituary

gives his parents names as Nelson HESS and Kitty HILL. The Pension Application for Sidney HESS after the death of her husband Nelson. Her maiden name is Layton.

Remember that Kim’s grandfather’s middle name is Layton, so this all but solidifies that this is indeed the correct family as the name Layton was passed down by Nelson the woman to her son in tribute to her mom’s maiden name. The pension application is full of details about Sidney and her husband’s service in the Civil War.

The pension application states that Nelson Hess died in 1921. The Tennessee State Library & Archives holds death certificates for this time period, which can also be ordered by mail for fee (or photocopied for .25cents in person). Their online death index can be consulted before going to locate the volume and page number for the microfilm roll that has the image of the death certificate.

His pension application – provides details of his injuries during the war; notably, that he was shot through the shoulder and ankle sustaining injuries that kept him incapacitated for 10 months

Photo of Civil War Veterans on the Crocket County, TN site that includes Dr. Nelson HESS. Another photo of him alongside Civil War Veterans on the Crockett County, TN site

Sidney’s pension application states that her husband was born in Gibson County. On the Gibson County, TN site of the TNGenWeb Project is a history of the county that mentions Dr. HESS several times mentioning him as a physician, church minister, and lodge member.

Rutherford, William Kenneth, and Anna Clay Zimmerman Rutherford. Genealogical History of the Halliburton Family. [S.l.]: W.K. and A.C.Z. Rutherford, 1983 – is searchable on Google Books and though the whole book cannot be viewed, an excerpt shows that her full name was Sidney Nelson Hess. Using WorldCat can help you find out that this book is held at the Nashville Public Library as well as the Tennessee State Library & Archives. This book should definitely be consulted as someone has researched the family and Kim may be able to extend her family tree back even further than her 3rd great-grandparents, Dr. Nelson I. HESS Sr. and Kitty HILL.

Nelson I. HESS (died in 1921) is buried in Bellevue Cemetery in Crockett County. Though this was not covered in the presentation, a request for a picture of his headstone can be requested through the website FindAGrave.com where a record was created for him back in 2002.

Rev. Nelson Irvin HESS - was a Cumberland Presbyterian Minister and born March 25, 1795 in Mercer County, Kentucky and died October 2, 1869 in Gibson County, Tennessee. He was the apparently the son of William HESS & Margaret “Peggy” DAVIESS.

The book, A History of the Cumberland Presbyterian Church, available full-text for free on Google Books, has information about Reverend HESS and the memoirs of his mother is cited throughout the book. (do a search for the word “hess”).

A possible distant cousin of Kim’s uses the same online genealogy software that I use, and has some information available online about the family. This person maintains a blog at http://treelines.blogspot.com/

4. What Conclusions Can I Reach Now?Through the information above, which was located in online searches only, there is a collection of evidence that indicates that Jamye’s mother, Sidney Nelson HESS was the daughter of Dr. Nelson Irvin HESS and Sidney LAYTON of Crockett County, Tennessee, granddaughter of Rev. Nelson Irvin HESS Sr. and Kitty HILL of Gibson County, Tennessee, and great-granddaughter of William HESS and Margaret “Peggy” DAVIESS. She was likely born January 24, 1886.

All of the details gathered during the search process can be entered into genealogy software that will assist in data gathering and analysis, and as much as possible, the original sources should be consulted for examination.