Cobb/Legg/Thurston et al Connections
Seeking additional information on this couple. Here is what I have:
Newton C. Thurston, born 4-18-1859, Dunbar, Kanawha County, WV to Robert B. and Nancy (Brown) Thurston
Newton married Laura Emma Legg on 5-18-1882 in Kanawha County. They were married by James Legg.
Laura was born March 1860. Her parents were shown as:
James Legg and Sarah E. (Was he the James Legg who married them?)
There is a discrepancy as to where Laura was born. Some records show WV, one showed Ohio.
The record of Emma's death, KC Book 3, page 107, turned in by Dr. O. L. Aultz, showed Emma was married at the time of her death. It did not give her husband's name. Her father's name was given: James Legg, and her place of birth was shown as Ohio.
Her obituary:
"Friday evening, February 22, 1929." She lived on Pemberton Avenue. The obituary said she was survived by her husband, but no name was given. Also named as survivors were two daughters: Mrs. J. R. Thomas of Charleston, and Mrs. H. Wicklin of Missouri. One grandson, Estes Thomas, of Charleston, was also listed. She was shown as 62 when she died. She was 62 when she died, her year of birth would have been 1867. Since her birthday was to be the next month, March, if the death record went strictly by her month and year of birth, in March 1929, she would have been 63, making her year of birth 1866.
Laura Emma had at least two siblings that I know of:
A sister, older than Laura Emma, name unknown, who married a Cobb; and a brother, Hiram H. H. Legg, born about 1856.
I got the name of Cobb from a grandchild, Richard B. Cobb, shown residing with James and Sarah E. Legg on the 1880 Kanawha County Census. They resided in Jefferson District, Kanawha County, across the Kanawha River from Union District, where Newton resided. I noted that the names of some of the neighbors of James and Sarah E. Legg in Jefferson and Louden districts were: Brown (Nancy Thurston's maiden name), Cobb, Venable (which connects with Browns in Virginia and with families by the name of Thomas), and Thomas (the name of one of Newton and Emma's grandchildren, meaning, one would think, that one of their daughters married a Thomas. I have not found records of these in Kanawha County thus far.
I found no more children born to Newton and Emma than the two daughters: Stella was born about March 1884, and Ora or Ocie Ethel was born October 26, 1888. Of the two daughters
whose married names were shown in Laura Emma's obituary, I don't know which woman was a Thomas and which was a Wicklin.
KC Deed Book 84, pages 325/326 said Sarah Legg deeded two acres of land to Newton C. Thurston for $1 and love and affection. The land was in Spring Hill (around what is now Eastwood Avenue), and was to be held in trust for the two grand daughters: Clara Costella Thurston and Ora Ethel Thurston. Sarah wsa to have life estate, then after teh death of Clara and Ora, the land was to go to their heirs. The date of the transaction was 3-25-1901. The land was formerly owned by Mrs. J. B. Chilton and Virginia Helen Eastwood. In addition, Emma was deeded half an acre of land "on the eastern side of Dawson's Branch, next to Dr. Shepherd's property," by Samuel Weaver and his wife on 4-29-1902, it was deeded to Laura Emma Legg.
On the 1920 KC Census, Newton, age 60, and Emma, shown as 60 on this Census, resided on Pemberton Avenue, Charleston. She was shown as having been born in Ohio. So, that makes two records with her place of birth as Ohio. Order of enumeration on this Census was #23-#100
Emma's father, James Legg, was born about 1827, supposedly in (W)VA and died October 16, 1898,in Spring Hill, Kanawha County, WV. Her mother, Sarah E. Legg, 72, died October 19,1901, of dropsy. The record of death at the courthouse (failed to record book and page) showed Laura Emma's last name as Thaxton. Now, since she and Newton were together in 1920, and she was shown as survived by a husband, was she still married to Newton and Thaxton was a corruption of the name of Thurston? Or did he die and she remarry to a Thaxton?
I've not been able to find a record of death for Newton or a marriage for her to a Thaxton.
Did Newton and Laura Emma's daughter have a child by a Rogers, who was a railroad worker?
Also, another puzzle, Newton C. Thurston was shown as having been born on 4-18-1859, Kanawha County to Robert and Nancy. In addition, a William N. Thurston was shown as having been born on 2-2-1859 to Robert and Ann Thurston. Since Robert, married to Nancy (Brown) Thurston was the only Robert Thurston here, one would have to assume these couples to be one and the same. In those days, sometimes it was months or a year or so before births/deaths were reported to the county, if at all. I believe the Newton C. and William N. are probably the same child, with the record of 2-2-1859 having been reported by Robert and the other being reported by a midwife or doctor.
Robert's name has been shown in most records for him as Robert B. Thurston. However, when Laura Emma reported Robert's death, she showed his middle initial as "R." She gave his age as 87/5/26 (which is shown on his tombstone). A grand daughter of Robert, wrote in a penned note for one of her grand daughters, that his middle name was "Emmett."
Anyone able to give me any more information about this discrepancy? Or anything about his siblings/parents? Or those of Nancy? I know a sister of Nancy, Catherine, was married to a John Moss. Later, she married a Robert Glass. I have names of their children.
Would appreciate the answers to any questions posed in this or any additional information one might offer to me re this family.
Thanks much.