This weeks activities included running across the largest research file that I have on my ancestors. I said largest, I didn’t say cleanest. This file has its origins from my “junk genealogy” days. However, it was nice to run across it, as I will use it has a road map to create a new, safe for public consumption database.

The first family that I chose to research was my maternal grandmother’s parents. Henry Harrison Ekey (1884-1964) and Orpha Allen (1890-1964). They had one daughter Vivian Verniece Ekey (1917-1987), my grandmother. I chose this family for two reasons, my mother visited them many times when she was growing up and has many memories of them and the close proximity to St. Louis. As a kid, I remember visiting the cemeteries with my grandparents around Memorial Day each year to place flowers on their graves.

What I know

Henry Harrison Ekey was born 7 Nov 1884 in Franklin County, Missouri. He married Orpha Allen on 4 May 1910 in Montgomery County, Missouri. He died 20 Aug 1964 in New Florence, Montgomery, Missouri.

According to the 1920 and 1930 Federal Census, they lived in the Bear Creek township of Montgomery County where Henry listed his occupation as a farmer on property that was owned by the family. He appears in the 1900 and 1910 Federal Census with his parents Rezon Barkhurst Ekey and Elizabeth Frances “Lizzie” Wallace and many of his siblings.

Orpha Allen was born 2 Aug 1890 in New Florence, Montgomery, Missouri to Edward Lee Allen and Magnolia Elrod. She died shortly before Henry on 28 Apr 1964 in New Florence, Montgomery, Missouri. She appears on the 1910 Census, which was taken shortly before they were married, with her parents and two brothers, George D. Allen and Joseph B. Allen in the Danville Township, Montgomery, Missouri. She also appears with Henry on the 1920 and 1930 Census.

They were married 4 May 1910 in New Florence, Montgomery, Missouri and only had one daughter, Vivian Verniece Ekey. This marriage was listed in an index to Montgomery County Marriages on Ancestry.com.

I have both of their obituaries from the Montgomery County Leader somewhere in my files. Once I locate them, I will post them on this site.

Research to do

• Compile the complete listing of Henry Ekey‘s siblings.
• Locate the land records and transactions for the property that was own by the family.
• Get tombstone pictures from the New Florence cemetery.
• Locate Death certificates for Henry Ekey and Orpha Allen.
• Interview my mother to she what she has on this family. She has some pictures and other items from them.

Notes

Most of what I have recorded with sources is what I have been able to find in sources on Ancestry.com, not including the user-submitted records. It’s now time to do the further digging necessary to develop a complete picture of their life.

Please feel free to share what you have, if anything on this family.