REPOST {June 25, 2010}: Roberta's death

A repost [with revisions] from my previous blog: tgarnett.posterous.com

For a few years now I have been trying to find out what happened to my great-grandmother Roberta Pipkins.  I first learned of her name when reading the obituary of my grandfather who passed away in 2001 and that "Mama Lois" [who I thought was my grandfather's mother] was his step-mother by whom my great-grandfather, Marcellus had four children with.  According to my Aunt Mary [grandfather's half-sister] she knew a few of Roberta's siblings Columbus Stephens [married Lois's sister Minnie Allen], Harmon Brown and Roberta's Aunt Jennie Tony. She mentioned that Roberta's mother, Mandy had died early on in life and her children were raised by various relatives. All of Roberta's siblings had different fathers and took on the surnames of their respective father's. Roberta met and married Marcellus Pipkins, but it would be years before they would finally have children. My grandfather's obituary stated that his mother died when he and his brother were just children and they were later reared by Marcellus & Lois Pipkins.

Marcellus Pipkins married Roberta Perkins on December 4, 1910 in Panola County, Texas.
They had the following children:
1) Tharnar James Pipkins (b. April 6, 1924 - d. April 1, 2001) - My grandfather "Buddy/James"
2) Marcellus Pipkins, Jr (b. May 6, 1925 - d. July 4, 1993) - Uncle Junior 

Roberta was last seen on the 1930 U.S. Federal Census in Caddo Parish, Louisiana. She appears to have passed on sometime after the Census was taken because later that year her husband, Marcellus Pipkins married Lois Allen on October 28, 1930 in Panola County, Texas.

[1930 U.S. Federal Census,  Police Jury Ward 7,  Caddo Parish,  Louisiana; Enumerated: April 3, 1930; Dwelling #42, Family # 43, Roll 788; Page: 3A; Enumeration District: 70; Image:  208]. 

The family lived next door to Henderson Wynn [Roberta's first cousin] and Mariah Golden [Roberta's Aunt]

INTERVIEWS

From: C. Esther (Cousin) 
Date: March 21, 2007
Communication: Email

"Terrence,
You may come upon resistance in getting information about Roberta. It is said by some family members, 
that Roberta was "crazy".  Don't know exactly what that means, but that is the gossip. All of the folks that I've spoken with only give brief information on Roberta."

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Person Interviewed: Mary K. (Great Aunt, grandfather's half-sister)
Date: March 2007
Communication: By phone and in person

"Roberta and Marcellus had lost a son in child birth or when he was just a little boy and she was never the same

after that. Daddy said it was if she had lost the will to live, she stopped taking care of herself and eventually she just died."

Aunt Mary said she believes the child was named John Pipkins.

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Person Interviewed: Alma Golden Jones (Cousin) 

Date: October 16, 2007

Communication: By phone

Cousin Alma lived in Deberry, Panola County, Texas at the time of our conversation.
She is the granddaughter of Jennie Tony, Roberta's Aunt. Alma was born on August  04, 1923 in Panola County, Texas and died January 31, 2008 in Dallas, Texas. 

She mentioned that she knew "Cuzin Cellus and Berta". Based on her year of birth Alma would have been around 7 years old when Roberta died.

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Person Interviewed: Lillie Mae Stephens Webster (My grandfather's 1st cousin & Roberta's niece)

Date: January 10, 2008

Communication: By phone

Lillie Mae was born on March 10, 1923 in Panola County, Texas and died on March 23, 2009 in Houston, Texas.

She said she didn't know who Roberta's father was, but she said Marcellus and Roberta lived in Oklahoma and then moved back to Texas where she died. I asked her if Roberta went insane or was crazy, she said "oh no honey I ain't never heard of my aunt Berta being crazy".

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No death record has ever been found on Roberta Pipkins in Texas, Louisiana, or Oklahoma. Based on the information my Aunt Mary gave [told to her by her father Marcellus Sr] it appears that Roberta suffered from major depression and depending on her actions could have been mistaken or viewed as insanity during that time period.

Terrence A. Garnett
[October 28, 2013]

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 Source Citations:

1. Pipkins, Marcellus & Rhoberta Perkins: Panola County Marriages; Volume I: Page 260, County Clerk’s Office, Carthage, Texas.
2. Pipkins, Marcellus & Lois Allen: Panola County Marriages; Volume N: Page 134, County Clerk’s Office, Carthage, Texas.
3. Pipkins Jr, Marcellus C: "United States Social Security Death Index," index, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.1.1/V3ZK-5TL : accessed 28 Oct 2013), Marcellus Pipkin Jr, 7 July 1993; citing U.S. Social Security Administration, Death Master File, database (Alexandria, Virginia: National Technical Information Service, ongoing).
4. Pipkins, Tharner James: "United States Social Security Death Index," index, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.1.1/JTMD-YPR : accessed 28 Oct 2013), Tharner J Pipkins, 1 April 2001; citing U.S. Social Security Administration, Death Master File, database (Alexandria, Virginia: National Technical Information Service, ongoing).
5. "United States Census, 1930," index and images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.1.1/XMT1-G1J : accessed 28 Oct 2013), Marselles Pipkins, Police Jury Ward 7, Caddo, Louisiana, United States; citing enumeration district (ED) 0070, sheet , family 43, NARA microfilm publication.
6. Webster, Lillie Mae: "United States Social Security Death Index," index, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.1.1/VMC9-TTR : accessed 28 Oct 2013), Lillie Mae Webster, 23 March 2009; citing U.S. Social Security Administration, Death Master File, database (Alexandria, Virginia: National Technical Information Service, ongoing).
7. Jones, Alma: "United States Social Security Death Index," index, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.1.1/VSS2-KZK : accessed 28 Oct 2013), Alma Jones, 31 January 2008; citing U.S. Social Security Administration, Death Master File, database (Alexandria, Virginia: National Technical Information Service, ongoing)