My First Brick Wall

This ancestor is close to me, not because of her achievements or great stories, but because of the hard work and different detecting skills it took to uncover even a part of her story. My fascination is held by the unknown, the what-ifs, and what could have been.

"Brick walls" is a term used for road blocks in genealogy research. My first serious road block came early in my research and tree. My great grandpa, Papa Andy, died early in my life. Although we lived with him in his final months, I do not remember him at all. I knew very little about his life other than he served in the Navy. When starting my research, I asked my paternal grandpa about his dad's parents, as I had never heard their names before. Papa Ronnie knew a few details about James McDaniel, but it baffled me how little was known about Papa Andy's mom. Papa Ronnie told me he knew she died when Papa Andy was little and that her name was either Goldie or Golda and surname either Fletcher or Fetcher. That was it. Not a great starting point. After several months of research, I found her name was Goldia Fletcher, but she went by Goldie (as is common with that name). I found that she did not appear with my great grandpa on the 1930 census record, so she must have died before then. I knew that Papa Andy had several siblings, although family knowledge and obituaries of various siblings seemed to always leave somebody out or have the spellings different. I was told that Hester was Papa Andy's only full blooded sibling, and she was still living in Missouri (where the family was from). More research showed that James McDaniel had three wives during his lifetime and a total of 13 children.

I finally found birth and death dates for Goldie. She was born July 11, 1905 in near Squires, Douglas County, Missouri. She died November 24, 1924 in Noble, Ozark County, MO. This area is near Branson in the Ozark Mountains. Because of the time period and the location, paperwork was just not a priority. Details would be hard to find. Goldie lived 19 short years, but she left behind a husband and two children. Her death seemed to separate the family in the years to come. Her children and her husband's future children would be raised by various family members, meaning that her stories would be forgotten over time. James McDaniel was a rough around the edges man, who never spoke of his first wife. Andy and Hester were too young to remember her. Nobody in the family could even remember why she died. This thought made me sad that she was so easily forgotten. I found the cemetery where most of my family members are buried in Missouri, Murray Cemetery near Ava. I continued on with my research, but I was always drawn back to the mysterious death of Goldie.

THREE YEARS after my research had started, I found a website of free death certificates for the state of Missouri. I had long since told myself that I would never find an answer for Goldie. Her life seemed too short and insignificant in the world of government papers and facts. I typed her name into the search engine, and to my shock, I found my answers. I found a death certificate with the name Golda McDaniel, age 20 years, husband James McDaniel, occupation housewife. There was no birthday listed, but her tombstone reads the death date the same. Her birth year just doesn't add up to what the death certificate said. This could be that she lied about her age when she got married and James just forgot. Most importantly, the cause of death was listed: tuberculosis of the lungs. This was expected for this time period in US history, but I had an official answer. Also listed were the names of her parents, James Fletcher and mother's maiden name of Turner. I just stared at my computer and cried when I had the answers in front of me.

There are still answers I need. I feel like her story is incomplete. I don't know why I have felt such a strong pull to find her answers, like maybe she was a grandma I would have been close with, or maybe just her mystery is what intrigues me. I wonder what her story would have been if she had survived. Would she have had more children? Would they have stayed in Missouri? Would my great grandpa have stayed in Missouri instead of escaping family ghosts? I wish I had pictures of Goldie. I wish I had something tangible of hers, but like so many others, a death certificate will have to be enough. At least there is proof on paper that she did exist, and because of her, I am here today. One day, I will make the 8 hour drive to Ava to visit the cemetery and pay my respects.