Individual Details
John Rocky SUMPTER
(4 Aug 1904 - 13 Apr 1982)
Birthplace of Tallman, Oregon (from John Elmore's notes): " On road fromAlbany to Lebanon, on Highway 5, there is a si gn that reads "Tallman".The city is extinct, but was a rai lroad center for the East ValleyRailroad, which ran from W oodburn to Eugene. It ran through Crabtree,and there wa s a railroad bridge acrss the S. Santiam about 1 mile sout hof Crabtree. The railroad continue to Tallman, brownsvill e and on toEugene. The line from Albany to Lebanon crosse d the other line atTallman. John Rocky's father, John Alex ander Sumpter, was a bridgeworker on the railroad. The Cra btree bridge washed out around 1906 andthe railroad was bu ilt on the Eeast side of the Santiam and crossed therive r at Lebanon."
John Rocky's Christian name was added to his birth certific ate on9/20/1960, using Navy discharge documents. Have a po or copy in Elmorenotebook.
John Rocky graduated as a Hospital Apprentice First Class ( also called aPharmacy Mate) on 9/1/1923 for the US Navy (s ee certificate in Sumpternotebook).
Documentation verifies that John Rocky was married to two w omen at thesame time. He married Esther Lawson in 1930, an d Frances Riel in 1931.He had children by both of them. I n 1946, Esther requested a divorce onthe grounds of "utte r desertion" (see copies of divorce papers inSumpter noteb ook) and he paid alimony until John, Jr graduated from college. Esther had met and married "Rocky" near Washington, DC , whileFrances was married and had her children in the Mai ne/New Hampshirearea. Because John Rocky was in the Navy , he was evidently able toexplain his absences spent wit h the other wife. To the best of ourknowledge, neither wif e was aware of the other, and the children did notknow o f each other until 1999 when Ellen, John Jr's daughter, con nectedthem by phone.
Per letter from Claudette Sumpter to Ellen Hathaway on 8/24 /1999:
"I included a short piece of prose written by John, Sr. S o unable toshow any of us tenderness once we were in our t eens, he lavished love ontheir two cats, Brother and Siste r Kitty. After Mother's massive strokein her 70th year whi ch left her paralyzed down one side, she was put ina nursi ng home. For the next 5 years until his death he went dail y tobe with her and was as gentle as an "Ole Tar" can be . I thought your Dadmight enjoy it."
Poem follows: Kitty Sister I cannot say, and I will not sa y That she isdead. She is just away.
Little sister kitty is gone. She had been around so long th at it neveroccurred to me that someday she would leave us . She lived several yearspast the normal fifteen year lif e span for a cat but she was still asobstinated, persisten t, lively, loving and lovable at the end as whenshe wa s a kitten. her pedigree was nonexistent. Even her father w as anunknown lover of the night. As expected she was thi n when we returnedfrom Oregon in early August. Instead o f gaining back the lost weight,she kept getting thinner an d thinner. Finally we took her to theveterinarian last Fri day. She did not resist when the Doctor examinedher. Perha ps she was too weak but I would like to feel, as she looke dat mom and me with her big eyes, that everything would b e all right aslong as we were with her. This was not to be . The Doctor found that shewas suffering from uremia and t hat her kidneys were atrophied and unableto barely functio n. The the Doctor said, "We can do one of two things.We ca n treat the condition by forced liquids and medications (so rry, nokidney transplants for cats as yet) but such treatm ent would onlyprolong her life for a short time, or we ca n ---put her away ---euthanasia. We could only cry. Then l ittle sister kitty was gone. I hopethat she will find a pl ace for us to live with her again in thehereafter.
(Born circa 1950 - Died 8/29/1969)
(This part handwritten by John Rocky Sr)
"Poor Brother Kitty was put to sleep today - Monday, May 3r d, 1971, withthe same problem that took sister away. Broth er was one litter youngerthan sister. After sister left h e developed into a most loving kitty.Now both of our old p als are gone, as we all will be someday. Father"
Nicknamed "Prook" as hx of rickets as child and was heard t o say "Mylegs are so prooked I can hardly walk". The nam e stuck until adulthood,thanks to Aunt Ethel and Uncle Arc h Miller
John Rocky's Christian name was added to his birth certific ate on9/20/1960, using Navy discharge documents. Have a po or copy in Elmorenotebook.
John Rocky graduated as a Hospital Apprentice First Class ( also called aPharmacy Mate) on 9/1/1923 for the US Navy (s ee certificate in Sumpternotebook).
Documentation verifies that John Rocky was married to two w omen at thesame time. He married Esther Lawson in 1930, an d Frances Riel in 1931.He had children by both of them. I n 1946, Esther requested a divorce onthe grounds of "utte r desertion" (see copies of divorce papers inSumpter noteb ook) and he paid alimony until John, Jr graduated from college. Esther had met and married "Rocky" near Washington, DC , whileFrances was married and had her children in the Mai ne/New Hampshirearea. Because John Rocky was in the Navy , he was evidently able toexplain his absences spent wit h the other wife. To the best of ourknowledge, neither wif e was aware of the other, and the children did notknow o f each other until 1999 when Ellen, John Jr's daughter, con nectedthem by phone.
Per letter from Claudette Sumpter to Ellen Hathaway on 8/24 /1999:
"I included a short piece of prose written by John, Sr. S o unable toshow any of us tenderness once we were in our t eens, he lavished love ontheir two cats, Brother and Siste r Kitty. After Mother's massive strokein her 70th year whi ch left her paralyzed down one side, she was put ina nursi ng home. For the next 5 years until his death he went dail y tobe with her and was as gentle as an "Ole Tar" can be . I thought your Dadmight enjoy it."
Poem follows: Kitty Sister I cannot say, and I will not sa y That she isdead. She is just away.
Little sister kitty is gone. She had been around so long th at it neveroccurred to me that someday she would leave us . She lived several yearspast the normal fifteen year lif e span for a cat but she was still asobstinated, persisten t, lively, loving and lovable at the end as whenshe wa s a kitten. her pedigree was nonexistent. Even her father w as anunknown lover of the night. As expected she was thi n when we returnedfrom Oregon in early August. Instead o f gaining back the lost weight,she kept getting thinner an d thinner. Finally we took her to theveterinarian last Fri day. She did not resist when the Doctor examinedher. Perha ps she was too weak but I would like to feel, as she looke dat mom and me with her big eyes, that everything would b e all right aslong as we were with her. This was not to be . The Doctor found that shewas suffering from uremia and t hat her kidneys were atrophied and unableto barely functio n. The the Doctor said, "We can do one of two things.We ca n treat the condition by forced liquids and medications (so rry, nokidney transplants for cats as yet) but such treatm ent would onlyprolong her life for a short time, or we ca n ---put her away ---euthanasia. We could only cry. Then l ittle sister kitty was gone. I hopethat she will find a pl ace for us to live with her again in thehereafter.
(Born circa 1950 - Died 8/29/1969)
(This part handwritten by John Rocky Sr)
"Poor Brother Kitty was put to sleep today - Monday, May 3r d, 1971, withthe same problem that took sister away. Broth er was one litter youngerthan sister. After sister left h e developed into a most loving kitty.Now both of our old p als are gone, as we all will be someday. Father"
Nicknamed "Prook" as hx of rickets as child and was heard t o say "Mylegs are so prooked I can hardly walk". The nam e stuck until adulthood,thanks to Aunt Ethel and Uncle Arc h Miller
Events
| Birth | 4 Aug 1904 | Tallman, Linn Co., OR |  | ||
| 1910 Census | 27 Apr 1910 | Santiam, Linn Co., OR | | ||
| Marriage | 28 Jun 1930 | Washington, DC - Esther Helena LAWSON | |||
| Marriage | 22 Jul 1931 | Manchester, NH - Frances RIEL | |||
| Residence | 1947 | Contra Costa Co., CA | |||
| Death | 13 Apr 1982 | respiratory arrest 2 weeks after CVA (stroke) - Richmond, Alameda Co., CA | | ||
| Burial | 17 Apr 1982 | Bilyeu Den Cemetery, Linn Co., OR | |||
| Research Note | John's First Cousin - Frances RIEL | ||||
| Alt name | Johnnie R SUMPTER | | |||
| Title (Nobility) | Sr. | ||||
| Occupation | Tennis Champion | ||||
| Occupation | After Retirement From Us Navy, Worked For General Electric | ||||
| Military | Us Navy - Pharmacy Tech | ||||
| Research Note | Was Married To Two Women At The Same Time | ||||
| Soc Sec No | 561-38-3589 | | |||
| Reference No | 1605 |
Families
| Spouse | Esther Helena LAWSON (1906 - ) |
| Child | Living |
| Child | Living |
| Spouse | Frances RIEL (1906 - 1983) |
| Child | Living |
| Child | Living |
| Father | John Alexander SUMPTER (1880 - 1974) |
| Mother | Vesta Rena MILLER (1882 - 1919) |
| Sibling | Claude Reuel SUMPTER (1902 - 1996) |
| Sibling | Lindsey Ray SUMPTER (1903 - ) |
| Sibling | -NN SUMPTER (1910 - 1920) |
| Sibling | Lester Floyd SUMPTER (1911 - 1976) |
| Sibling | Living |
| Sibling | Living |
| Father | John Alexander SUMPTER (1880 - 1974) |
| Mother | Birdie Ada BILYEU (1882 - 1974) |
Endnotes
1. United States, Census, 1910 US Census, Santian Precinct, Linn Co., OR, page 179b - SUMPTER, John A household, John A SUMPTER.
2. California Death Index, 1940-1997.
3. United States, Census, 1910 US Census, Santian Precinct, Linn Co., OR, page 179b - SUMPTER, John A household, John A SUMPTER.
4. California Death Index, 1940-1997.
5. United States, Census, 1910 US Census, Santian Precinct, Linn Co., OR, page 179b - SUMPTER, John A household, John A SUMPTER.
6. California Death Index, 1940-1997.