George Franklin NICHOLSON James Henry NICHOLSON Wilbert Slater ROWND Silas Franklin ROWND Mary Winona ROWND Wilbert Earl ROWND Henry Orval ROWND Owamie A ROWND Eric Thorwald ROWND Frances ROWND M C NICHOLSON Huldah Irene NICHOLSON Wilber S NICHOLSON Julius H NICHOLSON Ludilla A ROBINSON Mini tree diagram
Francis Elizabeth NICHOLSON

Francis Elizabeth NICHOLSON4,1,5,6,3

18701,2,3 - 19596,2

Life History

1870

Born in Arkansas.1,2,3

between 1880 and 1930

Resident in Prairie Township (Ethel), Arkansas, Arkansas.4,1,5,3

27th Dec 1887

Birth of son Silas Franklin ROWND in Arkansas County, Arkansas.7,8,9,4,10,11

18th Feb 1890

Birth of daughter Mary Winona ROWND in Arkansas County, Arkansas.1,12,13,14,15,16,17,11,18

21st Jan 1892

Birth of son Wilbert Earl ROWND in Prairie Township, Arkansas, Arkansas.7,9,19,20,1,11

7th Mar 1899

Birth of son Henry Orval ROWND in Arkansas County, Arkansas.21,1,7,9,5,4,17,11

8th Sep 1901

Birth of daughter Owamie A ROWND in Prairie Township, Arkansas, Arkansas.1,15,11,22,23,4

7th Jul 1904

Birth of son Eric Thorwald ROWND in Arkansas County, Arkansas.4,24,9,1,25

about 1912

Birth of daughter Frances ROWND in Arkansas County, Arkansas.5,4

31st Mar 1914

Death of Wilbert Slater ROWND in Prairie Township, Arkansas, Arkansas.20

1959

Died in DeWitt, Arkansas, Arkansas.6,2

Other facts

 

Married Wilbert Slater ROWND

Notes

  • I do not have a photo of the gravestone of Fannie's husband Bert Rownd.  I learned Fannie's maiden name from Mary Rownd Carson, when we were collaborating on information about the Rownd-McSwain family connections.  When I got Fannie's maiden name, then I could match her to the Nicholsons I had seen in censuses and the Mt Pleasant Cemetery in Ethel, Arkansas.

    1880 Federal Census, Arkansas County, Arkansas, 15 June, page 22B, Hse #154, Fam #163
    Frank Nicholson W M 32   Farmer AL AL AL [b abt 1848]
    L A Nicholson W F 33 Wife  House Keeping AL AL AL [b abt 1847]
    Martha Roberson W F 41 Sister-in-Law  AL AL AL
    James H Nicholson W M 12 Son At School AL AL AL
    F E Nicholson W F 10  Dau At School AR AL AL
    M C Nicholson W F 7 Dau At School AR AL AL
    H I Nicholson W F 2  Dau AR AL AL [Huldah Irene]

    Fannie (Frances Elizabeth) is the child listed above as F E.  The 1880 census in Prairie Township has been frustrating because so many individuals are listed with initials only.  In many cases whole families are listed only with initials, many of which match other individuals of the same last name in nearby families.  Thus it has been hard to make some of the connections.

    We note from the birth places of the children that this family moved from Alabama to Arkansas between 1878 (birth of James in Alabama) and 1870 (birth of Fannie in Arkansas).  In 1900 Frances has married Bert (Wilbert Slater) Rownd and they have four children.  The family name is listed, however, as Rowen.

    1900 Federal Census, Arkansas County, Arkansas, 15 June, Prairie Township, page 144, Hse #181, Fam #183
    Rowen, Bert  Head  W M  Feb 1858  42  Married 13 years Illinois Indiana Indiana Blacksmith
    Rowen, Francie Wife  W F  Nov 1870  29 Married 13 years  5 children/4 living  AR AL AL
    Rowen, Frank  Son  W M  Dec 1888  11
    Rowen, Winona  F  Dau  W F  Feb 1890  10
    Rowen, Earl  Son  W M  Jan 1892  8
    Rowen, Orval  Son  W M  Mar 1899  1
    Rowen, Loula I  Mother  W F  Jan 1834  66 Widow IN NY Maine

    Ancestry.com transcribed the name of Owaimee as Dwainell.  The O does have a slight "catch" in the top left side, which could make it look like a D to someone who did not know the name.  In 1920 her name looks more like Ouainell or Owaimee.  I found that Bertie McSwain mentioned members of this family in a letter to her daughter Edith McSwain Jenkins in 1979.  She spells Owaimee's name as Oamie, confirming the pronunciation, even if not the family's spelling of this melodious but unusual name.

    1910 Federal Census, Arkansas County, Arkansas, 22 April, Ethel, Prairie Township, District 13, page 4A, Hse/Fam #54
    Rownd, Bert Head M W 52  Kansas Unknown Indiana Farm Laborer
    Rownd, Fannie E  Wife F W 39  AR AL AL
    Rownd, Frank Son M W 22  AR KS KS Farm Laborer
    Rownd, Nona Dau F W 20  AR KS KS
    Rownd, Erl Son M W 18  AR KS KS Farm Laborer
    Rownd, Owaimee Dau F W 8  AR KS KS
    Rownd, Eric Son M W 5  AR KS KS
    Rownd, Orvall Son M W 11  AR KS KS (listed last for some reason, but this age is correct)

    This Nona is Mary Winona who later married Benjamin Dean McSwain. They lived in LIttle Rock, then Memphis, Tennessee, before moving to California.  After Bennie D's death, she moved to Colorado, where she died.

    1880 Federal Census, Arkansas County, Arkansas, 15 June, page 22B, Hse #154, Fam #163
    Frank Nicholson W M 32   Farmer AL AL AL
    L A Nicholson W F 33 Wife  House Keeping AL AL AL
    Martha Robinson W F 41 Sister-in-Law  AL AL AL
    James H Nicholson W M 12 At School AL AL AL
    F E Nicholson W F 10  At School AR AL AL
    M C Nicholson W M 7 At School AR AL AL
    H I Nicholson W F 2  At School AR AL AL

    In the 1910 census for Prairie Township, Fannie's father Frank Nicholson is living next door to Fannie and Bert.  He is a widower and has several boarders in his house, so appears to be running a boarding house.  Frank has two cooks, a mother and daughter named Thompson, and two younger Thompson children.  Three farm workers are also listed as lodgers, but they appear to working for other farmers, though their relationship to Frank is listed as "Hired Man."  Their occupation is "Farm Laborer, Working Out."

    1910 Federal Census, Arkansas County, Arkansas, 22 April, District 13, page 4A, Hse/Fam #55
    Nicholson, Frank Head  M W  61 Widowed  AL AL AL  Farmer
    Thompson, Low  Hired Woman  F W 38 Widow  AR USA USA  Cook
    Thompson, Susie  Hired Girl  F W 14 Single  AR AR AR  Cook
    Thompson, Mattie Lodger F W 9 Single  AR AR AR
    Thompson, Crowby Lodger M W 3 Single  AR AR AR
    Tankersly, James  Hired Man  M W 25 Single  AR USA USA Farm laborer, Working Out
    Fitzpatrick, William  Hired Man  M B 24 Single  AR TN TN Farm laborer, Working Out
    Irish, Joe  Hired Man  M B 18 Single  AR AR AR Farm laborer, Working Out

    1920 Federal Census, Arkansas County, Arkansas, 2 February, Prairie Township, District 16, page 6A-6B, Hse #109, Fam #113
    Rownd, Fannie Head F W 47 Widow AR AL AL Silversmith in her own shop
    Rownd, Frank Son M W 32 Sing;e AR KS AR  No Occupation
    Rownd, Orville Son M W 20 Single AR KS AR  Blacksmith at Home
    Rownd, Owaimee  Dau F W 18 Single AR KS AR  None
    Rownd, Erik Son M W 15 Single AR KS AR  Farmer
    Rownd, Francis  Dau F W 8 Single AR KS AR  None

    Note that Eric's name is here spelled the Scandinavian way, Erik.  The k has a clear stem, but the body is somewhat scrunched and it is a large smudge with a little tail to the right.  Ancestry.com transcribes this as Erie, though the last letter looks nothing like an E.  His name on his gravestone is Eric T.

    In 1930, Fannie's son Frank is married and Fannie is living in his household.  Fannie is shown with no occupation, while Frank is running a hardware store.  He owns his home.

    1930 Federal Census, Arkansas County, Arkansas, Prairie Township, District 25, page 3B, Hse #61, Fam #61
    Rownd, Frank Head  M W  age?? Single AR KS AR  Merchant, Hardware Store
    Rownd, Francis E Mother F W 59 Widow AR AR AL None
    Rownd, Henry O Head M W 31 Married at age 23  AR KS AR  Laborer, Blacksmith
    Rownd, Alma D Sister [Iona D] Sister [in-law] F W 26 Married at age 23 (18?) AR AR AR
    Rownd, Francis L Sister F W 18 Single AR KS AR Public School teacher
    Rownd, Margaret N Niece F W 7 Single AR AR AR
    Rownd, Warine Niece F W 5 Single AR AR AR

    This census confirms that Fannie's actual name is Frances, which we expect from the nickname Fannie.  Though it is spelled here in the male fashion, Francis, as I have found on several of my family lines.  This spelling for women's names shows up quite a lot in the censuses in the late 1800s and early 1900s.  Her daughter's name is also spelled Francis here and in the 1920 census.  (Actually the latter looks like Francies.)

    I have not determined if this was actually the common spelling for the female form of the name, or if this was just a common error on the part of the often-careless enumerators.  We also should note that standardized spelling was not a high value until into the 1900s.

    I find Alma D here for the first time.  She is age 20 or 26 -- the number is not clear.  She is reported as a sister.  But she is reported as married, though her last name is Rownd.  It took me a while to figure out what had happened here.  The entry with the children entered as they were at the end instead of with the parents made it harder.  The enumerator has drawn a linking line from Orval to Alma, as he has from the two girls Margaret N and Warine, as though they should go together in some way.  But the name should be Iona.

    Sue Rownd: "Iona (McSwain) was Orval's wife and the mother of Margaret and Wareen.  Mary Rownd and  Nona are the same person.  Her full name was Mary Winona."

    Orval is reported here as married at age 23, so he should have been married about 6 years, at age 31 in this census year.

    Ok, here's a possibility.  The name is Alma D.  Maybe this is the daughter listed as what looked like Dwainell in 1910.  Maybe her name is Alma Dwainell, instead of Ouainell.  But then who is her husband.  And in this case, she would not be the mother of the two nieces of Frank here.  Because their last name is also Rownd.  So the best possibility is that Eric is their father, but we don't know where he is or who the girls' mother is.

    It is not clear who the parents of the two girls are.  They are shown as nieces of Frank, the head of the house.  But no husband is shown for Alma, whose father also seems to be a different person.  And Orval's wife is not shown.  Who are the parents of these girls?  No information here tells us.

Sources

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