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| Floy C. Fletcher, who wrote the history of the line of Alvah Fay, includes Alvah Jr. among those individuals for whom "we have found little information except Cencus records." She writes that "a family history is like a huge jig-saw puzzle." It was her hope, expressed in the Forward to her book, that "some one else will take this information and be able to find much more..." We have been fortunate in being able to do exactly that. Here we have one missing piece of the puzzle added by those best in postion to know-- direct descendants.
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| Floy mentions Alvah Jr. in a couple of other places in her book. "We think Frank L. is Alvah and Lucy's son. They all lived in Keystone, S.D. and Lucy ran a store. A.F. was a prospector. Moved away by boxcar but the year is not known. Have a picture of the car and A.F. (standing in doorway of car) with the crowd who came down to help and see him off, shared with us by an elderly lady in Keystone about 1980. The lady was one of the very small girls in the front of the picture. No further leads have been found. --Frank L. was a millman. We have no proof that he is Alvah F. Fay Jr's son but it appears so as to where they say his parents were born and the order on the census for 1905 taken at Keystone, S.D."--Floy Fletcher, 1986, p. 193. |
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The 1880 census, which Floy apparently did not see, does allow us to say with certainty that Frank IS the son of Alvah and Lucy. Floy must have found him in a state census for 1905. The 1880 census also tells us that the departure for Nebraska came before 1880. |
Census Place: Maple Creek, Furnas, Nebraska
Source: FHL Film 1254749 National Archives Film T9-0749 Page 717D
Relation Sex Marr Race Age Birthplace
A. F. FAY Self M M W 37 CAN
Occ: Farmer Fa: CAN Mo: CAN
Lucy FAY Wife F M W 26 WI
Occ: Keeping House Fa: NY Mo: NY
Frank FAY Son M S W 5 MN
Fa: CAN Mo: WI
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In 1900, Alvah and Lucy are back in Crop Mine Precinct, Pennington County, SD. They have been married 26 years, so they must have married about 1874. He is a merchant. Two daughters are living with them, Maude, age 19, born June 1880; and Oliveth (?), age 18, born January 1882. Both girls were born in Nebraska, where Alvah was in 1880 through 1882 at least.
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