Evelyn Edna King Carson (1919-2007)

Evelyn Edna King Carson

21 Jan 1919-7 Jan 2007

 Me with Grandma Carson ca 1985 at family farm in Glenville, WV

Evelyn Edna King Carson was my paternal great grandmother. Her death in 2007, coming only a few months after the birth of my daughter, was the catalyst for me to begin seriously researching my family tree.

Evelyn was born 21 Jan 1919 in Wetzel County, West Virginia. Her father, Frank Elman King, Sr. was away, fighting in World War I at the time of her birth. I have been told that her mother, Alta Edith Smith, died giving birth to her or shortly afterwards. I haven't found a death record to prove this, but her headstone at Ashland Cemetery lists her death date as 1919.

According to my grandmother, Evelyn was raised by her maternal grandparents for most of her childhood. Census records back this up. In the 1920 and 1930 censuses, she was living with her grandparents, Isaac and Caroline Smith. Her father remarried 10 Dec 1921 in Wetzel County to Anna Belle Jones and had more children with her.

Evelyn married Argial Waitman Carson 1 Nov 1938. Together, they had three children, a son and two daughters, who are all still living. They were together until his death on 24 Jan 1985. She passed away 8 Jan 2007 at her home in Glenville, Gilmer County, West Virginia. Both are buried in Kirkpatrick Cemetery, which is located on the hill behind their farm.

I can remember visiting my Grandma Carson when I was younger. My grandmother, her oldest child, would go to West Virginia to visit several times a year, taking me with her on these trips. These trips continued until I was six and my family moved, after which I only visited a couple times. She always remembered our birthdays. Every year for our birthday, we would receive a card. Even though she was on a fixed income, she always tried to include a gift, even if it was only a dollar or two.

It wasn't until I began seriously pursuing tracing my genealogy that I realized that she was a writer. She wrote a column for her local newspaper The Glenville Democrat. I found several of her articles on Google News Archive. I like to think that some of my love for writing came from her.

Sources:

1920 US Census, population schedule, Green District, Wetzel County, West Virginia, ED 144, Sheet 6B, Dwelling 121, Family 127, Isaac Smith household; NARA microfilm publication T625, Roll 1973; digital image, Heritage Quest Online (accessed 7 Jan 2011)

1930 US Census, population schedule, Green District, Wetzel County, West Virginia, ED 11, Sheet 2B, Dwelling 38, Family 38, I N Smith household, NARA microfilm publication T626, Roll 2557; digital image, Heritage Quest Online (accessed 7 Jan 2011)