Nelson Evans Sears

Notes:

Nelson Evans Sears was born in Plano, Kendall County, Illinois on 15 Aug 1876 "of English and Welsh parentage"* namely Charles Madison Sears and Katherine Evans. In 1880 he moved with his father Charles Madison and his second wife, Celia Chambers, to Scranton, Iowa living for two years on the old John Henning farm two miles from town. In 1882 he returned to his home state where he made his home with his grandparents, Archibald Sears and Rachel Maria Carver, in Sandwich, Illinois. In May of 1886, he traveled to Nebraska to live with his father on a farm near Aurora. Four years later, in 1890, he returned to Plano to attend school. In 1896 he returned to Aurora to work on his father's farm. In the winter of 1898-1899 he attended Business College in Lincoln, Nebraska. In 1899 he began farming 80 acres of land in Nebraska which his grandmother had bought for him in 1897 for $2600. Nelson sold his Nebraska land early in 1901 for $7200 and traveled to Colorado in an emigrant car chartered by a David Titler arriving in Akron in March of that year. He worked in the harvest fields southwest of Akron for Ira M. Barnhouse. However, after a brief trip to California, he returned to his father's farm in Aurora, Nebraska in the fall of 1901. He returned to Colorado in 1903 where he resumed work with Ira M Barnhouse. In May of 1905 under the Homestead Act of 20 May 1862, Nelson E Sears obtained the South half of the SE quarter of Section 3, and the West half of the NE quarter of Section 10 both in Township 1S of Range 55W of the Sixth Principal Meridian, Washington County, Colorado containing 160 acres. On 20 Sep 1907 he was united in marriage to Ira Morgan Barnhouse's daughter, Edna Maude. Nelson proved up his homestead on 17 May 1909 and was issued Homestead Certificate No. 0585 of the Register of the Land Office at Sterling, Colorado. Later in 1909 Nelson and his wife Edna moved from their homestead into the town of Akron, Colorado where he purchased Lots 1, 2, & 3 facing Golden St. and Lots 10, 11, & 12 facing Gunnison St, Block 11, Original Town of Akron. On 22 Mar 1910 Nelson and Edna's first child, Alva Raymond Sears, was born in Akron. Their second, Margaret May Sears, was born 23 May 1912, and their third and last child, Faye Eleanor Sears, was born 8 Aug 1914. In 1916 Nelson began carrying mail on RFD (Rural Free Delivery) Route 1 out of the Akron Post Office. He carried mail for 25 years until 1941 at which time he retired from the Post Office and assumed the duties of Justice of the Peace for Washington County, Colorado, a position he retained until his death, 17 May 1948.
--------------*According to Nelson Sears' journal dated 1895. Sears is, indeed, an English name traceable back to Richard Sares, who arrived in America before 1632 but the Evans family, Evans typically a Welsh name, actually emigrated from Co. Wicklow, Ireland.

(Medical):Attendant: Park D. Keller MD, Akron, Colorado, May 19, 1948

Nelson married Edna Maude Barnhouse on 20 Sep 1907 in Akron, Washington Co, Colorado. Edna (daughter of Ira Morgan Barnhouse and Mary Francis Albin) was born on 24 Apr 1879 in South Bloomingville, Hocking Co, Ohio; was christened on 28 Aug 1881 in Nelsonville, Athens Co, Ohio; died on 24 Aug 1971 in Brush, Morgan Co, Colorado; was buried on 24 Aug 1971 in Akron Cemetery, Washington Co, Colorado. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Notes:

According to the Dept of Veterans Affairs BIRLS death file:
Name: Alva R Sears
Birth Date: 22 Mar 1910
Death Date: 27 Aug 1984
SSN: 473100606
Enlistment Branch: ARMY
Enlistment Date: 25 Apr 1942
Discharge Date: 19 Oct 1945
Page number: 1

(Medical):Certifier: Philip C. Brittain, D.O., Coroner, 482 Adams, Akron, Colorado 80720 August 28, 1984

Alva married Ethel Mary Aitchison on 13 Nov 1951 in Denver, Denver Co, Colorado. Ethel (daughter of Joseph Aitchison and Lillian Fulbeck) was born on 22 Feb 1901 in Whitley Bay, Northumberland, England; died about Mar 1972 in Denver, Denver Co, Colorado. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Notes:

Margaret May Sears was born 23 May 1912 in Akron, Washington County, Colorado, to Nelson Evans Sears and Edna Maude Barnhouse. She was born in her parent's house on the east side of town as were her elder brother, Alva Raymond, in 1910, and her younger sister, Faye Eleanor, in 1914, all delivered by a Dr. Kaylor. That house on the northeast corner of the block at present 5th and Date had some interesting history. Margaret's maternal grandparents, Ira Morgan Barnhouse and Mary Francis Albin, had moved the entire house from the country (Woodrow) into the east side of Akron several years before and had lived there until Nelson and Maude moved-in in 1910 just before Alva's birth. Ira and Mary consequently moved to a newly-built house on the southeast corner of the block (at present 4th & Date). But there's more. Nelson and Maude also moved their entire country house in (also from the Woodrow area) and had joined it to the house left by Ira and Mary. Margaret describes their house on the northeast corner of the block: "There was a driveway leading into the yard from the north where a car (or maybe a wagon, earlier) could park right by the back door. Across the driveway, west of the house, was our windmill. That's where we got our water for everything. Mother used a galvanized tub and a wash basin to do the [clothes] washing. The tub was moved into the kitchen for our weekly baths [our kitchen] opened out onto the back room (we always called it the back room) where mother washed [dishes] and where some things were stored and where the cellar was." The cellar (probably a storm cellar used to escape the dust) was a place of dark mystery: "A lift-up door opened up to the cellar where mother kept the jars of food she canned in the fall. Other foods that had to be kept cool were stored there. A black and scary hole in the ground I thought it to be." A barn stood to the west of the house, across what would now be the alley of that block. That barn, in fact, still stands in 2007 as depicted in the picture above. Margaret describes the barn: "There was the big red barn west of the house the north part of the barn was a garage. In the south part [were] stalls and mangers with an aisle running between them. My father kept a sow (for our supply of milk, plus a few families we sold to) for several years and in the west stall a horse named Dick." While the cellar was a mysterious hole in the ground the barn was a cornucopia of childhood delights, especially for the two girls of the family: "When we children were small we had a swing in the aisle that ran between the east and west stalls. What fun it was to swing there. The hayloft entrance was at the north end of the aisle, a ladder leading straight up to the left. We used to play up in the loft, jumping around in the hay and having lots of fun." Ira Barnhouse had been in the Civil War, having participated in Sherman's March to the Sea, but returned in poor health with dysentery for the rest of his life. He died 4 Apr 1914 and is buried in Akron Cemetery. Margaret didn't remember her grandpa Ira but she had vague memories of her grandma Mary. When Margaret started school (kindergarten) in 1917 the old grade school building, built in the late 1890s, was undergoing remodeling and expansion so she attended classes in the old Akron School north of the Methodist Church and later in an upstairs room in the high school. Finally, in 1919 the project was completed and the new school was opened where she completed her elementary schooling graduating from 8th grade in 1925. She entered Washington County High School at Akron (just built in 1916) in late 1925 graduating in 1930 in the largest class in the history of the Washington County School System, 41 seniors. Commencement was held Friday, May 23, 1930. In high school she and her best friend, Helen McCabe, were known as the "Ukulele Girls" for their ukulele duo and flapper styles, the naughty rage of the 20s. She entered Colorado State Teachers College in Greeley, Colo. in the fall quarter of the 1931-1932 school term. With the school year beginning in the fall of 1933, Margaret began teaching in rural Washington County, Colorado at the South Buena Vista School, Dist. 58. In the fall of 1934 she began teaching at Pleasant Hill school, Dist. 42, "often called the Johnson school" at that time. It was located east of the Buttes, and the Harry Johnson home was just a half mile east of the schoolhouse. "There was an old pump organ in the school, and I really loved playing it," she said in her writeup "My Years of Teaching" for the Washington County History pub 1989. "We had singing every morning." She taught at this school for three years. She wrote of the dust bowl years: "It was in the latter part of 1934, and 1935 that the dust storms were the worst. The most terrible of these storms came one afternoon (I don't remember the date.) We could see a huge black cloud rolling in from the northwest. When it came roaring over us, the schoolroom became dark and the smell of dust was heavy in the air. The parents came and got their children. I took the McDonald girls to their home which was on my way to town. I could not see the road, and all the way to town I kept squarely in the middle between the fence posts, which I could just barely see on each side. I did make it into town all right, but will always remember this frightening experience." On 21 Jun 1936, Margaret and Clifford Coyne Cooley, son of Robert Berton Cooley and Carrie Louella Miller, were married at the Presbyterian manse in Akron by Reverend G. Grey Dashen. The newlyweds, accompanied by the groom's parents, left after the ceremony for a honeymoon trip to Niagara Falls. They returned 6 Jul 1936 to begin residence in the Rena Lewis Apartments at Main St. and 5th Ave in Akron. She began her third and final year in the Pleasant Hill, Dist. 42, in the fall of 1936. In her words, "As a contrast to the previous year, there were several heavy snow storms in the school year 1936-1937. Many times snow drifts blocked sections of the road, and I had to take to the fields and pastures, opening gates and, in one instance, taking down the fence, and then of course, stopping again to close gates and put the fence back up. It was a joy one day late in the winter of 1937 when I saw the first fleecy white clouds in the sky and knew that spring was on the way". For the 1937-1938 school year she transferred to Center School, Dist. 21, north of Platner. She taught there for just one term. In the 1938-1939 school term she taught at Pleasant, Dist. 15, south of Platner. After just one year Pleasant School, to May of 1939, she began a six-year hiatus from teaching due to the duties of motherhood and demands of World War II. Coyne and Margaret's first child, a son, Daniel Berton, was born 25 October 1939 in the Anderson home in west Akron at present 581 Fremont St. (refurbished and still standing in 2007). They were still residing in the Lewis Apartments when Daniel was born but shortly after his birth they acquired (with help from R.B. Cooley) the property known as Lot Three in Block Three of the First Addition of Akron, Colorado, from J. B. Fisher. They built a Cape Cod-style house on the lot costing them just $2000. Coyne and Margaret's second child, a daughter, Catherine Lou, was born 14 Nov 1943, also in the Anderson Home. With end of World War II she resumed teaching in September 1945 at Star School, Dist. 11, for the 1945-1946 school term. for the 1946-47 school she taught at Platner, Dist 16 (8 mi E of Akron). Her salary was $116.67 per month. The next year on Sept 1, 1947 Margaret renewed her Teacher's Contract with the Dist. 16 Board of Directors to teach for the period beginning 1 Sep 1947 and ending 180 days later. Her salary was $150 per month. The school term 1947-1948, still at Platner, would be final one in Margaret's teaching career. Coyne and Margaret's third child, a daughter, Jo Ellen, was born on 13 Nov 1953. Margaret was an accomplished musician (piano, ukuele, vocal). She was a "Ukuele Girl" in her younger years. After her years of teaching in rural schools, she gave piano lessons in the 50s through the 80s. She accompanied on the piano numerous students in their instrument solo endeavors (including her son, Danny, who played, among other pieces, "Willow Echoes", on the baritone horn). While not playing the piano in any scheduled manner, she was often called upon to play for funerals and other church functions. She was a member of the Presbyterian Church Choir, faithfully singing every Sunday morning. Margaret had a life-long enthusiasm for books and writing. She served as librarian at the Akron Public Library from 1970 until her death in 1987. She fervently believed that the community should become more involved with books and their local library so she wrote the weekly newspaper column "From Off the Shelves" for the local newspaper, The Akron News Reporter. In 1976 she applied for and received a grant from the State of Colorado to engage in a Bicentennial-Centennial Oral History Project. The project's goal was to preserve valuable history that would otherwise be lost to the next generation. Various Washington County residents were interviewed and the interviewees life, work, remembrances, anecdotes and personal feelings about his/her years lived especially in Washington County were recorded onto cassette tape. Margaret died Sunday, Jan. 18, 1987, at Washington County Hospital aged 74, and is interred at the Akron Cemetery

(Medical):Physician: P.C. Brittain, D.O., 482 Adams, Akron, Colorado 80720

Margaret married Clifford Coyne Cooley on 21 Jun 1936 in Akron, Washington Co, Colorado. Clifford (son of Robert Berton Cooley and Carrie Louella Miller) was born on 15 Jul 1912 in Otis, Washington Co, Colorado; died on 5 Dec 1979 in Akron, Washington Co, Colorado; was buried on 8 Dec 1979 in Akron Cemetery, Washington Co, Colorado. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Faye married Luke Homer Covington on 7 Apr 1933 in Sterling, Logan Co, Colorado, and was divorced. Luke (son of Samuel Everett Covington and Opal Elizabeth Lee) was born on 27 Apr 1911 in Akron, Washington Co, Colorado; died on 2 Mar 1976 in Evergreen, Jefferson Co, Colorado. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Faye married Paul Hunter Johnston on 19 Dec 1937 in Sterling, Logan Co, Colorado, and was divorced. Paul (son of George Irwin Johnston and Della Richards) was born on 25 Nov 1899 in Clearfield, Ringgold Co, Iowa; died on 20 Jan 1962 in Fort Morgan, Morgan Co, Colorado; was buried about Jan 1962 in Riverside Cemetery, Ft Morgan, Morgan Co, Colorado. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Notes:

Family/Spouse: Unknown. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Other Events and Attributes:

• Divorced: 20 Nov 1978, Washington County, Colorado; Colorado Divorce Index 1851-1985

Family/Spouse: Living. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Notes:

Family/Spouse: Living. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Family/Spouse: Living. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Family/Spouse: Living. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Family/Spouse: Living. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Notes:

Family/Spouse: Joseph Eugene Alberta. Joseph was born on 28 Dec 1933 in Weldona, Morgan Co, Colorado; died on 13 Sep 2005 in Aptos, Santa Cruz Co, Californa. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Family/Spouse: John Kenneth Kooker. John was born on 15 Apr 1929 in Reading, Berks Co, Pennsylvania; died on 4 Jan 2008 in San Francisco, San Francisco Co, California. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Notes:

Family/Spouse: Living. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Family/Spouse: Living. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Notes:

Family/Spouse: Living. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

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Family/Spouse: Living. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

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