Jewell Nadine French (1904 - 1956)

Born 3 Feb 1904 in Pittsburg, Kansas

Ancestors

Died 17 Mar 1956 at age 52 in Fort Worth, Texas

Problems/Questions Profile manager: Wayne French [send private message]

Biography

Jewell Nadine French was born Feb. 3, 1904 in Pittsburg, Kansas to James Edward and Janette Alice (Wilkins) French.

Jewell's mother, Janette Alice "Nettie" Wilkins was born March 20, 1884 in Newport, Missouri. Janette's parents were John Kirkpatrick Wilkins and Margaret Isabell Bowman.

Jewell's father, James Edward French is our family's big "mystery" and remains unsolved at this writing. "James E." was "adopted" by the French family sometime between 1876 and 1880, but we have no adoption or birth records to confirm this fact. James was supposedly born on June 15, 1876 in Kansas. My grandfather, James Arthur French, Sr., "told" all of us that James original parents name was "Oldacher" (or some variation of that), and that his parents had died about the same time as each other (as the result of some kind of local plague or sickness). We also don't know if "James Edward" was his original "first and middle name" or not. The only "proof" we have of his adoption, is in the 1880 Census in Elm Township, Allen County, Kansas (Pg. 12, Line 41) where Samuel Emory and Phebe Ella (Bass) French list "James E." as their "ADOPTED SON" at the age of 3. This census also indicates that his birth place was in "Kansas" (but we don't know that for sure yet either) and both his birth parent's place of birth was also listed as "UNKNOWN".

Janette married James Edward French on March 17, 1903 in Crawford, Kansas when she was 19 years old. James and Janette had two children, Jewell Nadine (1904), and James Arthur French (1906). James and Janette were married 14 years, until her husband, James E. died on Nov. 29, 1917 in Fort Worth, Texas.

Sometime between 1917 and 1920, Janette then married Willard Bela Clark (Who was born in 1887 from Michigan) and they lived mostly in Fort Worth, Texas, but never had any children.

Jewell's brother, James Arthur, married Mary Elizabeth (Mauldin) on May 16, 1929 when James was 23 years of age.

Jewell Nadine lived with the Clark Family (in Fort Worth, Texas mostly) until her death in 1956 at age 52. She was never married.

After Janette's death in 1959, Willard B. Clark then married Charlotte J. Clark (unsure of her maiden name and when they were married).

Sources

"Kansas Births and Christenings, 1818-1936," database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:FWFM-4XG : accessed 19 September 2015), Jas E French in entry for Jewell French, 03 Feb 1904; citing Pittsburg, Crawford, Ks, reference 122; FHL microfilm 1,404,802.

"Texas, Deaths, 1890-1976," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:K3QP-R2L : accessed 16 September 2015), James E French in entry for Nadine French, 17 Mar 1956; citing certificate number 16144, State Registrar Office, Austin; FHL microfilm 2,114,667.