Individual Details

searched IGI 8/29/07
Many confusing things about this lady - the facts are sketchy- most of itculled from death records and census', since those who I believe are hergrandchildren, seem to have no knowledge of her or their GrandFatherLouis Persinger. (Malcolm Persinger in Mecca, IN & Olive Dennis in Mt.Pleasant, Michigan, and Chester in Terre Haute, IN). The Death recordindex book in the Sullivan County Library shows her Birth & death date asshown here & apparently died in Sullivan Co. However the index of Deathsthere refers me to the County Public Health building which I visited inMay, 1994. This book is not copyable, the info was read to me by a clerkthere from Book CH-16, page 6. It says she was the daughter of JohnJohnson (born in Indiana as was Elizabeth Cora.) & that she died of T.B.(which we think is what killed her 2nd husband, (my Dad's GrandFather)Alfred Gibbs 2 years earlier. It is not clear, but is likely that Herfather - John Johnson is also the 2nd husband of Alfred Persinger's wife(Mary Ann Abbott Persinger-Johnson). He was from the Washington Countyarea also. Alfred Gibbs' obituary from Shattuck, Oklahoma does implythat his wife was living at the time of his death, so I presume she wasout in Oklahoma with him in 1913? Now the biggest dilemma regarding Corais that the death record in Book CH-16 says she was buried in CenterRidge Cemetary in Sullivan (as are most of my Griffith ancestors), butmost of the cemetary records were destroyed by fire, and I have traipsedall over that cemetary and could not find evidence she is there, alsonone of the 5 volume cemetary books in the Sullivan county library showher being buried in Sullivan County!....So was she simply buried as apauper with no stone? or was the death record book written wrong? ...perhaps at the last minute her son Clarence had her buried elsewhere ...(he and wife Farie were later buried at Palestine, IL...I will sometimetry to research that possibility) Malcolm Persinger seemed to vaguelyrecall visiting a Grandmother's grave in Sullivan. We do Know that anElizabeth C. Persinger was listed in the 1880 Washington County Censusliving with L.W. Persinger in Ewing (tiny town West of Brownstown),Indiana with children Heubert (age 1), and Asa C. (Carl - age 3 months -the dentist) and L.W.'s brother Amos W. (other son Louis Clarence wasborn 2 years later). According to these records its sad to note thatLouis William Persinger died while Cora Elizabeth was pregnant with hisson Louis Clarence. (L.W. died October 1881, and Clarence was born inMarch 1882)- That explains why Clarence's children whom I have spoken toknow nothing about their GrandFather Louis William Persinger. (although Iwould have thought that Clarence would have passed down some informationabout his Mother Elizabeth Cora, since he was living in the area and was32 years old when his Mother died.???? It appears from the fact that the2 daughters that Alfred Gibbs & Elizabeth had together died in infancyand were both buried in Washington County in 1892; then the couple mustnot have moved to Sullivan County until after 1892. Note that they arelisted as living together in Sullivan in the 1900 census. (See also PgDnnotes on Alfred Page Gibbs' & Louis W. Persinger) I recall Malcolmremembering his Father Chester telling him that Chester didn't likeliving with those Gibbs', which of course is common with step-children,so I would presume it likely that he didn't see his Mother much after hewas old enough to leave the household & therefore may not have been closeto his Mother in order to avoid his Step-Father Alfred Gibbs?? I havebeen sent a letter by the head genealogist at the Sullivan Library; shefeels certain that Cora Elizabeth is buried @ Center Ridge Cemetarywithout a Headstone, presumably for lack of family money to pay for one. July 94, I took a trip to Shattuck, Oklhoma. While there I do believe Iestablished with certainty that Alfred P. Gibbs died there in his BrotherOlivers home and was buried there (Also with no headstone) in the samelot next his are his wife Algie and their two children. There was muchto be learned from Mrs. Phillis Ballew (now living in Shattuck) who haskept letters written to her paternal Grandparents (Oliver G. Gibbs andAlgie Tucker Gibbs) from many of the Gibbs klan. Apparently Alfred (theycalled him Fred....also a new revelation discovered while in OK) did diein Olivers house - see Alfreds details for more. Alfred's son ArthurAnthony Gibbs (from Lathrop, MO) wrote in telegrams within a week beforeAlfred died that He has sent telegrams to Cora to get her to come toAlfreds deathbed but that she stated she was also in ill health andtherefore unable to come to Shattuck. Apparently she and Alfred had thenbeen living in Topeka, Kansas. Cora was working for a Mrs. E.C. Wintersat the Progressive oil Company in Topeka. Arthur also states that he hastried to get hold of Alva and makes derogatory suspicions about Alvausing up his parents money. Another interesting commentary comes from aletter (1918 from Cincinnati, OH) written by Oliver's half sister NellieGibbs Burks to Oliver asking "Where was Cora after Fred's death, beforeshe died?" "Was she with you or some of the children?" Too bad I don'thave the answer to that letter. I have no information as to thewhereabouts or names of any descendents of Nellie or her brother RalphGibbs, but they might be a good resource to search for. Phillis also hada photo of Alfed P. & Cora holding a child (may be Alva or one of thegirls that died very young)

Birth	17 Jul 1857	Indiana
Marriage	19 Sep 1877	Washington, Indiana - Louis William Persinger
Marriage	1 Mar 1888	Al "Fred" Gibbs
Death	24 Feb 1915	Sullivan, Indiana

Spouse

Al "Fred" Gibbs (1848 - 1913)

Spouse

Louis William Persinger (1851 - 1881)