Halbrook Family Reunion 2014

Our family recently attended a reunion of descendants of Oscar Halbrook (1889-1981) and Effie Crocker (1891-1955). I have added a number of “new” (to me) cousins on Facebook and will be sharing this post on my wall there.

The reunion was held on the 123^rd birthday of Effie Jane Crocker at Sam A. Baker State Park. At the reunion, my focus was on all things Halbrook. I wasn’t the only one! Other Halbrooks enjoy genealogy, and I’m glad we’ll be sharing research.

Cousins, thank you for holding this family reunion. We had a wonderful time. It’s been some 28 years since the last one and I hope only a year until the next. This reunion has inspired me to write a post about the Halbrook-Crocker family. 

Oscar Marcus Halbrook was born on November 2, 1889. His parents were George Washington Halbrook and Rebecca Adaline Denton.

Oral history has George Washington Halbrook running away from the family. Census records would suggest this happening between 1900 and 1910, when his wife, Rebecca Adaline Denton, is listed as married but George Washington Halbrook is not present. By the next census, she is listed as widowed. I do not know whether she received word of his death, had him declared dead, or just assumed it. I have not found record of George Washington Halbrook after 1900. If you’ve heard this and/or have other information about him, please leave a comment.

Family legend also states that Rebecca Adaline Denton Halbrook was part Native American. My grandmother once mentioned to me that a grandmother of hers was part “Indian,” and I have heard this from Halbrook cousins. Please comment if you’ve heard this before about one of our female ancestresses. Be sure to mention who told you, what tribe you heard mentioned and any other details. I would love to investigate her background.

Effie Jane Crocker was born on August 2, 1891. Her parents were Sidney Stanton Crocker and Amanda “Mandy” Keith. She had10 children, 8 of whom survived to adulthood.  Descendants of four of these children were present at the reunion.

Grave of Oscar Halbrook and Effie Crocker Halbrook.
(c) Travels with My Foremothers 2011 for use only with permission.

I highly recommend a visit to the cemetery where Oscar and Effie are buried, Bollinger County Memorial ParkCemetery. It’s well-kept and has a nice memorial wall and quality facilities, which cemetery-seekers will surely appreciate.

Edgewood Memorial Park in North Little Rock, Arkansas: May 2010

Edgewood Memorial Park is in North Little Rock, Arkansas.  I was searching for the graves of some relatives: my great-grandfather’s younger brother, their niece (the daughter of another brother), and her husband and son. 

Background: “Wild Bill” Luhrsen, Lucille Luhrsen Brown, Lucille’s husband Leland Brown, and their son Leland Frederick Brown.  Wild Bill played for the Pittsburgh Pirates in 1913.  He and two of his brothers (Louis and Gus) moved to Little Rock in the late 1890s/early 1900s from Iroquois County, Illinois. They lived with a maternal aunt and uncle who had moved there from St. Louis, Missouri.  Both Louis and Bill remained in Little Rock for the rest of their lives; Gus Luhrsen settled in St. Louis around 1912.

The office was closed when I got there and the cemetery was fairly large—Find a Grave lists 3,053 interments, but it is much larger than that—and it took me a few minutes to locate the graves.  As I believe I said on the previous post, it was a beautiful day to scour cemeteries. 

The Luhrsen plot at Edgewood Memorial Park.  May 2010.

“Wild Bill” Luhrsen (1884-1973).  May 2010.

Lucille Luhrsen Brown (1912-2007) and her family. 

Lucille's didn't have a date of death, but the ground indicated a burial in the last few years.  May 2010.

Leland Brown (1922-1986). Leland was 10 years Lucille's junior.  May 2010.

Leland Frederick Brown (1952-1968).  May 2010.

Luhrsen Plot in Edgewood Memorial Park.  May 2010.

I still find it interesting that Lucille is buried with her uncle rather than with her parents, siblings, and grandparents at Elmlawn in Little Rock.  Neither of Wild Bill's two children are buried with him: his daughter Marilynn is buried in Rest Hills Memorial Park in North Little Rock, and his son William, Jr. is buried in Waveland, Mississippi.  Availability and other family ties can explain this, however. 

Edgewood is well-kept.  You may want to visit the office or call in advance to get directions to where people are buried in advance of going. 

Edgewood Memorial Park is located at:

4200 Division Street
North Little Rock, AR
72118, US
Phone: (501) 753-3930

http://www.serenityandcompany.com/Edgewood_Memorila_Park_667271.html

If you have any questions or comments about the cemetery, my photos, or the people mentioned in this post, I'd love to hear from you.  And have a happy holiday!

Elmlawn Cemetery in Little Rock, Arkansas: May 2010

I visited Little Rock in May 2010 with one day to do research at the Arkansas History Commission and find the grave sites of several relatives at two cemeteries.  I’d never been to Little Rock, and I realized that this was a tall order for a single day in town.  This first post is about Elmlawn Cemetery. 

Elmlawn Cemetery, also known as St. Paul's Cemetery, is in the middle of Little Rock.  It was established by St. Paul's German Evangelical Church (now Faith United Church of Christ) on March 22, 1897.  You can read about the history of the cemetery here.  My great-grandfather’s older brother Louis Luhrsen, Louis' wife Martha Jaronitzky, their daughter, son, daughter-in-law, and Martha’s parents are buried at Elmlawn.  A list of burials is available at the Arkansas Ties website.

The cemetery was well-kept when I visited.  In fact, as I began to look around for their headstones, an employee was mowing the lawn.  He stopped working to ask me who I was looking for and then took me right to the Luhrsens and Jaronitzkys.

The Jaronitzky plot is under a tree at Elmlawn Cemetery. May 2010.

Louis F. Luhrsen (1880-1925), born in Buckley, Illinois, and his wife Martha Jaronitzky Luhrsen (1878-1968). May 2010.

Louis G. Luhrsen, son of Louis and Martha Luhrsen, and his wife Helen Martin Luhrsen. May 2010.

Baby Martha Luhrsen, daughter of Louis and Martha Luhrsen (1904). May 2010.

Then the employee took me into the cemetery office and looked up the family's burial records. 

Elmlawn Cemetery office. May 2010.

I photographed the page on the Luhrsens and Jaronitzkys, which lists names and burial numbers and also includes a plot diagram.  There were more people in the family plot than I had expected to see, and I have not researched the relationships of some individuals to the Luhrsen and Jaronitzky families.  The plot diagram shows that Baby Luhrsen's first name was Martha, which was new information to me.

Summing up:  Even if you already have photos of headstones, you may want to visit the office at Elmlawn Cemetery to do additional research on your family.

Elmlawn Cemetery
5810 W 12th
Little Rock, AR 72204
(501) 952-3154