Clara's story

To follow up on yesterdays post and tell about my discoveries, I will continue the story started by my grandmother’s brother, Nelson Addison Mason. I had always searched the census records for Charles F. and Clara (Gustafson) Henderson (my father’s grandparents) under the Henderson family name, but never had any luck finding them. Then, on a whim, I decided to try and find Clara Gustafson on her own. Jackpot! In the 1880 census, I found Clara, who had just arrived from Sweden, living on a farm in Bluegrass, Iowa. She was living with her sister Lotte, and Lotte’s husband, Charles Storm. As I scrolled down the page I was astounded to find, living with them, Charles F. Henderson, listed as a farm laborer.

Knowing Charles and Clara eventually ended up in Keokuk, Iowa, I next made contact with Tonya B. at the Keokuk Public Library. Tonya was very helpful and, on her own time, scoured the old city directories from 1887, 1890 and 1895. Tonya found Charles F., and his wife Clara, in the 1887 city directory, but they had already separated and were not living together. Charles is listed as a “laborer” and was living with his “drinking buddy,” Thomas Corcoran, at 1513 Morgan Street, just a few doors away from the Swedish Evangelical Mission, the same folks that ran the orphanage his kids would end up in a few years later. His wife, Clara, is listed as a “domestic” and is living at 215 High Street with the Jewell family.

Three years later, in the 1890 city directory, Clara is seen living at 103 12th Street, just as told, many years later, by her son John Victor in his narrative, wherein he stated that they and the “colored man” lived at the corner of 12th and Johnson Streets! Further corroboration of the narrative is found in the 1894-95 Keokuk city directory with this listing: Simpson, John col'd r 115 s 12th (col'd = black or negro and r = resided at). This is the John Louis Simpson mentioned in John Victor’s narrative of yesterday’s post. Charles F. is nowhere to be found at this time, and I have not been able to find any other records of him anywhere, after 1887. So, by 1890 Clara is alone with her 4 surviving children, Raymond Oliver (9), Oscar Carl (8), John Victor (5), and Edward (4). The two youngest children, Harry and Eleanor both died in 1889, Harry at just over a year old, and Eleanor who only survived a few months. It was only a couple of years after this, on January 9, 1893 that things were to take a terrible turn for the abandoned family. Clara succumbed to “consumption” and died. Tonya, at the Keokuk Public Library found this obituary in the old newspaper archives:

The death of Mrs. Clara Henderson, aged about thirty years, at St. Joseph’s hospital yesterday afternoon, finishes a chapter in a story so sad as to touch the heart of the most hardened. Four years ago this woman, was deserted by her husband, who departed with another woman, leaving her with five small boys to care for. She struggled along as best she could, working hard and actually starving herself that her children might be provided for. One of her boys sickened and died, after which the privations the woman had borne told on her weakened frame and she took sick with consumption. She was cared for by the Ladies Benevolent Union and the King’s Daughters who did all they could for her. She was taken to St. Joseph’s hospital, where her death occurred as noted above. Of her four children left, two are in the Swedish Lutheran orphan’s home at Stanton, Iowa, and the two others, aged seven and ten years are in the city yet to be cared for by charitable people. The remains were taken to the home of Wm. Elom, No 711 Grand avenue, where the funeral was held this afternoon. The services were conducted by the Swedish Lutheran pastor and Rev. Dr. D. Murphy, the remains being place in the vault.

Next: Where the orphans ended up.