William L HUDSON2,1,3

about 18591 - after 1920

Life History

about 1859	Born in Texas.1
27th Jul 1894	Married Minnie L BEAUFORD in Pecos County, Texas.2 Minnie L Beauford died some time after the birth of her son Bill E and before the 1910 census, when her husband Will is a widower in the household of his father in Stonewall County, farther north from Walker where they were living earlier. Her older son Charlie Robert Hudson's death certificate, he reports his mother's name as Laura Buford. The latter appears to be a variation of Beauford. This may mean that Minnie's middle name was Laura. This is interesting since, Bill Hudson's wife in the 1920 census is named Laura M, but she is only 38 years old, or born about 1882. Bill married Minnie L Beauford in 1894, but he is a widower in the 1910 census. In 1920 his wife is the much younger Lara M. If her name was indeed Beauford, this is not the mother of the older sons, Charlie Robert or Bill E. It might be thought that the initial L in Minnie's name was for Laura and the initial M in Laura's name was for Minnie, and they were the same person. But this does not account for the fact that Laura's age in 1920 was reported as only 38, or born in 1882,, or that Bill was reported as widowed in 1910. No genealogy reporting only one wife has any comment at all to reconcile these discrepancies.
13th Jul 1895	Birth of son Charles Robert HUDSON in Fort Stockton, Pecos, Texas.4,5,3,6,7
28th Oct 1903	Birth of daughter Geneva Anna HUDSON in Texas.8,1
about 1907	Birth of son William E HUDSON in Texas.1
before 1910	Death of Minnie L BEAUFORD in Texas.1,3
after May 1910	Married Laura M BUFORD in Texas.3
about 1911	Birth of daughter Sadie M HUDSON in Texas.1
about 1917	Birth of son Olaf M HUDSON in Texas.1
after 1920	Death of Laura M BUFORD in Texas.1
after 1920	Died

Notes

There is a marriage record for a W L Hudson in Pecos County, Texas, marrying a Minnie L Beauford. Beauford is also the maiden name of William's second wife, one Lara M. But the date of this marriage is 27 July 1894, and Bill did not marry Lara until after the 1910 census, when William (Bill) is a widower. Pecos County is also far out west, in Reeves County, comparatively close to El Paso.

Texas Marriage Collection, 1814-1909 and 1966-2002
W. L. Hudson
Gender: Male
Marriage 27 Jul 1894 Pecos [Reeves County], Texas
Spouse: Minnie L. Beauford

The California death record of Bill's daughter Geneva Anna reports her mother's maiden name Beauford, strengthening the likelihood that the above marriage record is the correct one.

In 1910, William (Bill/Will) Hudson is recorded as a widower, living with his parents. He has all his children in the household with him.

1910 Federal Census, Walker County, Texas, 5 May, Justice Precinct 2, District 160, page 5B, Calhoun Ferry Rd, Hse/Fam #90
Hudson, Frank Head M W 73 Single AL AL AL Farmer [No land ownership]
Hudson, James Head M W 77 Married 55 years Tenn ? Tenn No Occupation Owns Farm
Hudson, Elisabeth Wife F W 67 Married 55 years 11 children/6 living VA VA VA
Hudson, Will Son M W 43 Widowed TX TN VA Farmer [No land ownership]
Hudson, Robert Grandson M W 14 TX TX TX
[Other reported children not included here]

James' brother Frank is also living in the household, although Ancestry.com misses him, probably because the enumerator recorded the brother first, but on the line above the House and Family number. There is a line drawn above the brother's name to highlight the intention to include him in the following family. James is listed as the head, but with no occupation. His brother Will is shown as a Farmer. Their father James is also reported as Head.

The enumeration of Bill L Hudson and his family indicates that his wife Lara is his second wife, judging by the age of the children in the house, the large discrepancy of her age (38) and his (61) and the age of Bill's oldest son, 24-year-old Robert, living next door in the household of Robert's wife's father Francis Marion Barnett.

1920 Federal Census, Stonewall County, Texas, 7 March, Commissioner's Precinct 4, District 229, Page 2A, Hse/Fam #27
Hudson, Bill L Head Rents M W 61 Married TX TN TN Farmer
Hudson, Lara M Wife F W 38 Married TX TX TX No Occupation
Hudson, Bill E Son M W 13 TX TX TX
Hudson, Olif A Son M W 3 TX TX TX
Hudson, Geniva A Dau F W 16 TX TX TX
Hudson, Sadie M Dau F W 9 TX TX TX

I presume from the general configuration of the family that Olif (Olaf?) is the only child of Lara. She is old enough that even Bill E could be her child, but that would mean she was 15 at most when he was born, while Bill L was about 48. While not impossible, this seems unlikely. For 16-year-old Geniva (Geneva?), it is not possible for Lara to be her mother, but Lara could be Sadie's mother. Bill and Lara could have married soon after the 1920 census.

Further, if Geneva is Bill's child with his first wife, where was Geneva in the 1910 census? She should be about 6 years old, but there is no child around that age by any name. I did not retain a copy of the image of the 1910 census, and cannot get it to turn up in a current search.

Next door we find a household with three surnames, Barnett, Hudson and Beauford. We know that Nora Hudson is the daughter of F M Barnett.

1920 Federal Census, Stonewall County, Texas, 7 March, Commissioner's Precinct 4, District 229, Page 2A, Hse/Fam #26
Barnett, Francis M Head Owns M W 79 Widowed NC SC SC Invalid
Barnett, Priscilla M Dau F W 43 Single TX NC IL No Occupation
Hudson, Robert C Head Rents M W 24 Married TX NC IL [Occupation Unstated]
Hudson, Nora E Wife F W 29 Married TX IL NC No Occupation
Hudson, Veda M Dau F W 1 month TX TX TX
Beauford, Ervin J Head [Status of home/farm not stated] M W 24 Married TX TX TX General Laborer
Beauford, Alma C Wife F W 18 Married MO IL KY No Occupation

At first I thought that Alma C Beauford might be Robert C Hudson's sister. But she was born in Missouri, so this does not seem likely, since Bill L Hudson was born in Texas and still lives there. Alma's parents were born in Illinois and Kentucky (1920) or in Missouri and Illinois (1930). Whatever the relationship between the two young families, the Beauford couple moved with Robert and Nora to Arizona before the 1930 census. Bill's daughter Anna also moved west, going on to California.

Sources

1. 1920 Federal Census, Stonewall County, Texas
- 7 March, Commissioner's Precinct 4, District 229, Page 2A, Hse/Fam #27
2. Texas, Marriage Collection, 1814-1909 and 1966-2011
3. 1910 Federal Census, Walker County, Texas
- 5 May, Justice Precinct 2, District 160, page 5B, Calhoun Ferry Rd, Hse/Fam #90
4. 1920 Federal Census, Stonewall County, Texas
- 7 March, Commissioner's Precinct 4, District 229, Page 2A, Hse/Fam #26
5. U.S., World War I Draft Registration Cards, 1917-1918
6. 1930 Federal Census, Cochise County, Arizona
- 29 April, Precinct 1 (outside Douglas), District 35, Page 3A, Hse #57, Fam #73
7. 1940 Federal Census, Stonewall County, Texas
- 19 April, Precinct 4, District 217-7, page 4B, Hse #130, Owns, $500
8. California, Death Index, 1940-1997