Leonard Alfons BISSWANGER Ralph George FLOWERS Alfonso Leonard BISSWANGER Joseph J BISSWANGER Louise BISSWANGER Helen HACKLETON Mini tree diagram

Margaret Barbara BISSWANGER1,2,3,7,4,5,6,8

20th Aug 19051,2,3,4,5,6 - 3rd Mar 19891,3,4

Life History

20th Aug 1905

Born in Arkansas County, Arkansas.1,2,3,4,5,6

about 1923

Married Ralph George FLOWERS.5,8

1st Aug 1946

Death of Ralph George FLOWERS in North Carolina.8

3rd Mar 1989

Died in Hickory, Catawba, North Carolina.1,3,4

Notes

  • When I first found Jerry Keith Bisswanger's Bisswanger genealogy, he gave the exact birth date of Margaret as 17 September 1902.  Dot Kirk also reports this birth date and the death date of 18 June 1988.

    These date come from a Social Security Death Index also report of a Margaret J Flowers.  But her full name is Margaret Carr Flowers, which means her middle or maiden name was Carr.  The North Carolina record reports her father';s last name was Jones.  It seems odd that someone in North Carolina who also married a man named Jones would have the exact same birth and death dates as Margaret Bisswanger Jones in Arkansas.

    Social Security Death Index
    Margaret J. Flowers
    Born 17 Sep 1902
    Died 18 Jun 1988
    SSN 240-07-7930 issued North Carolina (Before 1951)

    Later I found that Keith had changed the date to that on a record for a Margaret Barbara Flowers.  On her North Carolina Death Certificate was the following information.  The certificate reports her father's last name as Bisswanger (no image of the certificate).

    The census ages (1910-4, 1920-14, 1930-24) match a birth date in 1905 or 1906, and the Social Security Death Index indeed reports her birth date as 20 Aug 1905.  Her death certificate reports birth date as 20 Aug 1904.  1905 matches the consistent age reports of the censuses, and thus appears to be the correct one.  How the death certificate year could be wrong, though, is a mystery.  But I have not seen the original.  See transcriptions below.  The ages match for these two censuses.  In 1930 Margaret is reported as 24 years old, and married at age 17, thus about 1923.

    1910 Federal Census, Craighead County, Arkansas, 9 May, Nettleton Township, District 27, page 7A, Hse/Fam #118
    Bisswanger, Lenord (Leonard) Head M W 37  2nd marriage, Married 6yrs  Germany Germany Germany  immigrated 1898 Resident Alien  Farmer
    Bisswanger, Helen Wife  F W 32  2nd marriage, Married 6yrs  AR MS MS
    Bisswanger, Margret F W 4  AR Germany MS

    1920 Federal Census, Oklahoma County, Oklahoma, 14 January, Oklahoma  City, District 144, page 18A, Hse #104, Fam #254
    Bisswanger, Leonard Head M W 56  Married  Bavaria Bavaria Bavaria immigrated 1897 Naturalized 1902  Farmer
    Bisswanger, Helen Wife  F W 43  Married  AR AR AR
    Bisswanger, Margaret F W 14  AR Bavaria MS

    The 1930 census indicates that Margartet and her husband Ralph George Flowers lived in New Jersey when their children Ralph and Barbara were born.  But by 1930 they were in Lakeland, Florida.

    1930 Federal Census, Polk County, Florida, 7 April, Lakeland, District 29, page 1B, 1025 Nelson Ave, Hse #22, Fam #24
    Flowers, Ralph Head Rents $8 M W 30  First married at age 23 NC NC NC No Occupation
    Flowers, Margaret Wife F W 24 First married at age 17 AR Germany Germany
    Flowers, Ralph Son M W 6 Single New Jersey NC AR
    Flowers, Barbara F W 4yrs9mos Single New Jersey NC AR

    Bisswanger-Kummel researcher Ann Burkley referred me the North Carolina death certificate reporting a Margaret Flowers whose father's last name was Bisswanger but the age here does not match the reported date of birth.  Note that she is age 34, which should make the year of birth 1905, which is in fact the year reported by the SSDI.  Burkley also provided the dates of birth and death for Margaret Bisswanger's husband, Ralph George Flowers, which indicate he was born and died in North Carolina.

    North Carolina Death Collection, 1908-2004
    Margaret Barbara Flowers
    [Margaret Barbara Bisswanger]
    Residence Hickory, Catawba County, North Carolina
    White Female, Widowed
    Father's Last Name: Bisswanger
    Age 84, Birth 20 Aug 1904 Arkansas County, Arkansas
    Death 3 Mar 1989 General Hospital, Hickory, Catawba County, North Carolina
    Burial in state
    Social Security Number 240-16-1616

    Here is the proper SSDI record for Margaret Barbara.  Note that the SSDI says the year of birth was 1905, a year later than that reported by the death certificate.  But 1905 matches the AGE reported in the death certificate.  Also, the ages in earlier censuses of 4, 14 and 24 match birth in 1905, not 1904.  The image copy of the Birth Certificate is not available on Ancestry, only a transcription, so I have not been able to verify the date reported there.

    Social Security Death Index
    Margaret B. Flowers
    Born 20 Aug 1905
    Died 3 Mar 1989
    Last Residence Hickory, Catawba, North Carolina 28601
    SSN 240-16-1616 issued North Carolina (Before 1951)

Sources

  • 1. RootsWeb Discussion Lists
  • 2. 1920 Federal Census, Oklahoma County, Oklahoma
    • 14 January, Oklahoma  City, District 144, page 18A, Hse #104, Fam #254
  • 3. North Carolina, Death Collection, 1908-2004
  • 4. Bisswanger Genealogy
  • 5. 1930 Federal Census, Polk County, Florida
    • 7 April, Lakeland, District 29, page 1B, 1025 Nelson Ave, Hse #22, Fam #24
  • 6. 1910 Federal Census, Craighead County, Arkansas
    • 9 May, Nettleton Township, District 27, page 7A, Hse/Fam #118
  • 7. Social Security Death Index
  • 8. Email Sources

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