Allison Royce Drake: Close to the End, But Not Quite

So this next bit is why I encourage all newbie genealogists to REALLY study the Census Record.  When it's just names and numbers it's easy just to automatically copy or print and let that be the end of it.  But if you take a closer look you just might find a tidbit that will make you crazy for the rest of your life.

Case in point:

The 1910 United State Federal Census has Allison enumerated living as a boarder in Lenawee, Woodstock, Michigan.  He is listed as 51 years old, working as a laborer, doing odd jobs and he is reported as being single.  It makes me wonder if that is how he represented himself or did the landlady just assume?

Now, according to that same census, Don D Drake (but actually transcribed as Drape, Dora D) and Royce A Drake are borders at 201 E Lovett in Eaton, Michigan.  The owner of the house is Gary Fox, who is an attorney.  Leah Gardner is listed as a servant and she is 20 years old.  And it looks like Don D is claiming to be 19 -- but it is a number that has been scribbled over.  Could be 18, could be 16, could be 13.  But in reality, Don would have been about 14.  Baby brother Royce is with him, all of 6 years old.  How did they end up there?


This is 201 E Lovett.

I have a very active imagination.  Was Jane hiding them from Allison?  Was Gary Fox her attorney?  Did Jane sell the two boys to him?  Or was he just a single guy who took in borders to make a little cash on the side.  But I'm still a little outraged that the boys were living without their mother.

Then I found a Jane Drake also living in Eaton, Michigan.  So my heart softened.  At least she was in the same city as her two youngest children.  Jane was living at 201 Prairie Street.  When I located that address, I saw that Jane was literally living right around the corner from her boys.  Jane was enumerated with the widow Mrs. Elizabeth Wheaton.  Maybe the Widow Wheaton wouldn't take in children and this is the best Jane could do.  BUT -- is this Jane Drake MY Jane Drake?  After all, Jane Drake would be kind of a common name, don't you think?  This Jane is 52 years old, married and had four children.  She was born in Michigan, her father was born in New York and her mom in Pennsylvania.  I remember my dad telling us kids that we had a little bit of Pennsylvania Dutch in our blood lines. The Census says she is a laborer and does odd jobs.

What doesn't fit -- my records show that Jane Myers Drake's mother was not born in Pennsylvania, but I believe her grandmother was.  But because of all other details plus proximity to Don and Royce, I'm going to say that this is my girl.

From the previously mentioned article from the Battle Creek Enquirer, it almost sounds like Allison moved to three Rivers on his own, but he was back in southeast Michigan by 1910, living in Woodstock, Lenawee, Michigan.  He died @ "The Poor Farm" 31 Aug 1913.  Alone.

I found an old article in my dad's papers -- no date and no publication  -- with the headline "Mother of  'Dobbie' Drake Dies at 99 in Union City."  They lauded her life as a school teacher.  The article says that she made her home in Union City for the past 50 years -- which means she would have moved to that area in 1907.

According to the article about Granpa Don D Drake -- that timing would have put him in junior high in Abscota County.  But then what were they doing in Eaton in 1910.  It was April so was school out?  Were they hiding?  Running?

According to the death certificate of AR Drake -- who I am convinced is my great grandfather, he was recorded as being a widower.  It this because if he had a living relative he wouldn't have been able to stay, or was there something that didn't allow him to correct that?  Insane?  Drunk?  By this time I'm pretty sure Jane and the two boys were with Lucia at the Converse farm.  There was also a married daughter, Hattie Gavena Fuller on the other side of the sate, but was Allison such a jerk that even his own daughters wouldn't take him in.

On the death certificate nothing was know of Allison except that he was born in Michigan and no occupation.

And there is every bit of information and conjecture that I have about Allison Royce Drake.  I have a few loose ends to tie up, but really, I don't think I'll ever find out what the hell happen.  I will be contacting my Cousin JM Converse who I consider to be the patriarch of the family.  He knew Ma Jane and maybe he had heard some stories around the kitchen table.  And I am also contacting the Lenawee Historical Society to see if they have any records on "The Poor House."  If nothing else, maybe how someone became ensconced there.

Allison Royce Drake: Spinning Wheels

Now -- in all my years of chasing my ancestors -- the loss of the 1890 United States Federal Census makes me weep.  It seems that it was right around this time Allison just might have been almost, possibly getting himself together.

TO RECAP:
So Allison gets his inheritance from his dad in 1887, and as I mentioned, there seems evidence that his brothers and sisters turned over the family farm in Hillsdale to him.  The 1890 Federal Census is gone and worthless to me.  There is nothing in the Michigan State Census.  He is not listed in any city directory.  It almost feels like he's making a conscience effort to be off the radar.

In 1896, my grandfather Don Dee Drake was born 22 June in Springport, Jackson County, Michigan.
***NOTE TO SELF *** that is a 10 year gap between Don and Hattie.  Seems a little odd.  

The 1900 United States US Federal Census finds Allison and family still living in Springport.  Lucia would be 16 years old, Hattie 14 and Don around 4.  Allison is a bar keeper in a saloon and there is no occupation listed for Jane.

***NOTE TO SELF***  Allison's brother Sidney either owns or manages a saloon, but i thought Sidney lives and works in another county.  Need to double check this.

Jane and Allison have been married for 17 years.  I don't think they had very much money as the Census has them surrounded by people with families, and many of the men are day laborers or clerks.

In January of 1904 Royce Allison was born in Union City, Michigan.  Apparently the family had moved again.  By 1904 Lucia was living and farming with her husband Frank Converse.  Maybe Allison, Jane and Don had gone to Lucia's for Christmas and Jane went into labor.  But more than likely Lucia and Frank had taken them in.  Lucia was always taking in family and strays.

I want to howl.  My information is sooooo thin.  I keep thinking that if I can just get everything down on paper -- in order -- then I can figure it out. But damn!

i found an article on Newspaper.com from the Battle Creek Enquirer date 30 March 1952 about my grandfather, Don Dee.  It was a nice piece under the column "Mainly About Folks."  By 1952 Don Dee Drake was a bit of a local celeb.  The Drakes have always been prideful -- maybe that was our downfall.  So I feel the facts were blurred and vital details smoothed over -- that Don Dee just looked like a wonderful, classy man.

The article said that Don's sister, Lucia, was living near Abscota County and that Don had attended school in "the Abscota neighborhood to which his mother moved after the death of her husband.  The elder Drake had left Springport for Three Rivers and was employed by the Sheffield Co. the predecessor of the well-known Fairbanks-Morse Co. and died his wife joined her daughter on the Abscota Farm.  Young Don was sent to county school, where he finished the eighth grade."  I think that if Jane, Don and Royce had moved to the farm AFTER Allison had died (in 1912) Don would have been 16 -- a little old for junior high or "the eighth grade."

Allison Royce Drake: Plodding Towards the Future

Every once in a while I get a bee in my bonnet and I abandon everything and spend hours just trying to find a smidgen of Allison.  Not in criminal records, yearbooks, church directories, directories, property deeds, journals and on and on.  Then I wait a few months and I try it all over again.  And I haven't found Allison anywhere so far -- other than his dads will and the federal censuses.  It almost like he's 1) he's making a conscience effort to stay off the radar OR 2) someone is trying to erase him.

So recap:  In 1887 with an excerpt from John Stout Drake's probate files, there is evidence that Allison's family turned over the family farm to him.

And we all know tht the 1890 Federal Census is G-O-N-E!

In 1896 my grandfather Don Dee Drake is born on 22 June in Springport, Jackson County, Michigan.  If you're just looking at the paper evidence, there is a 10 year gap between Don Dee and his sister, Hattie Gavena.  Just a thought.  Back in those days, and in my family, we had a lot of kids. Six, eight, ten, right?  So were Allison and Jane separated by unknown circumstances?  Was Jane suffering from health issues?  Miscarriages.  Or could Allison have been away in the pokey?  This line will have to wait for the next time I'm in Michigan.  Or maybe I can find a researcher ...

The 1900 US United States Federal Census finds Allison and family still living in Springport.  Lucia would have been about 16 years old, Hattie 14 years old and Don three.  Alison is listed as a bar keeper in a saloon and there is no occupation listed for Jane.  Jane and Allison have been married for 17 years.  I don't think they were living high on the hog.  They are surrounded by people with families, many of the men day laborers and store clerks.

In January of 1904, Royce Allison was born in Union City, Michigan.  The family had moved again.  Union City is the area where Allison's oldest daughter, Lucia, was living and farming with her husband Frank Converse.  I know for a fact that Lucia was always taking in family members and other strays down on their luck.

Allison Royce Drake: The Married Years

Allison Royce Drake marries Jane Myers in June 1882 in Hillsdale.  On His marriage license he lists himself as a farmer.

             ***NOTE*** What's the difference between a "farmer" and a "farm laborer"? To me, "farmer" implies you own a farm.  "Farm Laborer" implies you do farm work on a farm that you don't own.

Allison was living in Camden, Hillsdale, Michigan when he applied for a marriage license.

Jane and Allison's first child was Lucia -- named after Allison's mom -- born 24 Nov 1883.  The date proves that no shotgun was involved in their marriage.  Lucia was born in Amboy, Michigan.

John Stout Drake died 29 June 1884 in Amboy, Hillsdale, Michigan.  His second wife Mary Pease was still in the house as was Allison's little sister, Lucy .  I can't find any records that show Lucy Drake living anywhere else.  So Mary Pease was left taking care of her step daughter.  Well, Lucy was 19 years old when her dad died, so how much taking care of did she need?  With that being said, Lucy died of consumption in 1886.  Maybe she was already sick by then?

Allison and Jane's second daughter -- Hattie Gavena was born 01 Mar 1886 in Amboy.  Very sadly, Lucy died a few months later, 06 May, 1886 in Amboy.

I have muddled through the probate records and in my humble conclusion, John Stout Drake died intestate -- without a will.  I was a little surprised at that as John Stout was kind of a big deal farmer with quite a bit of property AND a second wife.  Surely he would want to make sure she was taken care of.

Whatever the lapse of foresight, Mary Pease Drake, the second wife was appointed executrix.

I won't take the time here to list all of John Stout's asssets and debts but there was one page in the probate records that caught my eye.  This was written on 16 Feb 1887 -- approximately 2 years and 8 months after John Stout Drake died:

"... that all of said heirs and said widow have sold and assigned and quit claimed all their right, title and interests in and to said estate both real and personal to Allison R. Drake one of said heirs it is therefore ordere, adjudged and decreed that all of the extate of said deceased both real and personal be and the same is hereby assigned to said Allison R Drake and upon exhibiting in this court proper receipts the said Administratrix with her bond will be discharged from her trust."

Somebody please let me know if I'm misinterpreting this, but it sounds like Allsion Royce's brothers and sisters turned over their shares of the farm to Allison. Was this a generous move by the family towards the littlest brother, or were things such a mess that none of them wanted to deal with the estate and the step mom?

Allison Royce Drake -- the Adult Years

So 1871 proved to be a rough year at the Drake Farm.

Bird is 14 years old, Allison is 12 and Jane is 10.  John Stout Drake manages to wait a whole 13 months before he remarried.  To me, this implies that John Stout was back in the courting game within a few months after Lucia's death.

The kids were busy with school, church, chores and farm work.  Allison and Bird were the only male youngsters left to pull the load and they also probably spent time helping out at their grandfather's (Amos Stout Drake) place as he was still farming.

Second oldest sister, Mary Serenus, married Ira Charles Hill in 1875 and moved away.

In 1879, 22 year old Bird married Eugenia Priestly and the 1880 United States Census shows Bird in residence at the Priestly Farm.  Why the Priestly Farm where there were two grown farmer sons living there as well?  That left only Allison at the Drake Farm.  Was John Stout becoming a tyrant as he got older?  Or was the new and younger wife, lazy or bitchy or a bossy boots?

The 1880 United States Census enumerates both Allison and his sister Jane  aka Jen with a farmer named John Sprowle or Sprowls.  John had a wife Elizabeth and an 11 year old daughter, Mary.  Allison is listed as a farm laborer and Jen as a domestic servant.

I wonder how this came to be because John Stout Drake is still listed in the 1880 Federal Census as being a farmer with his wife, Mary and his two daughters:  Ann who is 30 and Lucy who is in school.  there are no farm laborers recorded with the Drakes.

The Sprowls and the Drakes live and farm in Hillsdale County, Michigan.

Did Papa John throw Allison out?  Allison was, after all, 21 years old.  Did Allison get tired of working for free?  Did new wife Mary finally convince John that Allison caused too many problems.  Jen went with Allison to the Sprowls.  Maybe she thought Allison was getting a raw deal on the family farm.  Maybe she was having problems herself with her dad and/or her step mom.

Jen married George Priestly (Bird's brother-in-law) on 25 December 1881.  Her sister Lucy was a witness.  Allison Drake married Jane Myers in June of 1882 in Camden, Hillsdale, Michigan.

Allison Royce Drake -- His Father's Son

Our Allison was 12 years old the summer his baby brother, Johnny, died on 31 August 1871.  How involved is a young man with a new baby so much younger in the house.  He probably wasn't expect do look after young Johnny as there were four sisters to do it.  Actually, Allison probably had very little contact with his little brother other than someone occasionally dumping the baby in his arms and saying, "Hold your brother," while they raced off to get a fresh diaper.

In 1870, all the younger children were still in school:

• Bird, 13
• Allison 11
• Jane, 9
• Lucy, 6

Ann was 20 and Mary 16 were still in the house and the 1870 Federal Census stated that they were "at home."  You have to presume they here helping out.  There is no way a farmer's daughter is going to lay around and do nothing.  The Drakes were well read and I can't imagine "an indulgent" father not getting his children the most education available.  If Allison Royce missed more school than the typical farm boy, it was probably because he was playing hooky.  And if that was the case, Allison and/or Bird would probably been whipped, and if they continued to run off, their father would have just kept them on the farm and put them to work.  

Maybe Allison wasn't the sharpest knife in the drawer.  Maybe he was dyslexic.  Maybe he was AD or ADHD.  Maybe he was just a little slow.  But he was a handsome man and if any of his progeny are proof -- charming and funny as well.  

School attendance was usually voluntary and a child's attendance was determined by age, sex, financial situation, time of year, weather and growing season.  It seems that in the 1870s there were two school terms.  there was the May until August  (after the spring planting to before the harvesting) and then from September to May.  

School house were usually from 8 am to 4 pm.  And I thought the traditional 8 - 3 of the 1960s was way too long.  Most farm kids had to walk to school, unless you were lucky enough to have a horse.  I found and article "The Late Nineteenth Century One Room School" at Oak Hill School Teachers Resources and Curriculum Guide that state children had to walk any where from a short distance up to 3 miles.  

I imagine that like most farmers' sons in the 1870s, Allison -- along with his brother Bird -- had plenty of chores and responsibilities on the farm, especially now that Bird and Allison were the only boys, the other brothers growing up, getting married and moving on.  And those chores were a man chore's -- not the chores that a young boy would help his mother with.  There were plenty of girls to work the garden, and get the eggs, to bring in firewood.  

Allison had to feed and water the livestock, muck the stalls, milk the cows, harvest, plant, winnow, cut firewood, cut ice and get water. 

I wonder if the farming life was starting to get harder and harder for John Stout Drake.  He still had a houseful that depended on him, but he was getting older.  He no longer had 3 strapping sons to help out, just two skinny teenagers.  Maybe too much responsibility was being pushed on the boys.  

Allison Royce Drake Part 5: Chewing on the 1870 US Census

Then there was an Eleanor Whitney.  She was born in 1837 in Ohio.  She was enumerated in Woodbridge, Hillsdale County, Michigan with her husband and family on 12 August 1870.

And lastly, there was and Elinor Camelin in Reading, Hillsdale County, Michigan.  According to the census, she was born in New York in 1828.  She, along with her family, was enumerated on 08 July 1870.

So what do we got?

• Elenor Vanelstine -- the spelling of the first name is not the same.  Birth year is not the same as Lucia, but she was born in Michigan.
• Eleanor Whitney -- the spelling of the first name is not the same, the birth year is not the same AND she was born in Ohio.
• And lastly -- Elinor Camelin.  Spelling of the first name is the same and the birth year not too far off but born in New York.

Now the Elinor listed under John Stout Drake has the correct birth year and she was born in Michigan.

So let's just step outside the box and say for a second that the Census Taker was wrong.

Allison Royce Drake: Part 4

I'm still trying to figure out who the Elinor is listed with the John Stout Drake family in the 1870 US Census.  She is listed right under John Stout -- where the wife is usually listed.  She has a line before her name which usually indicates that her last name is the same as the head of household. Just like the children are listed.  The 1870 Census does not include a box to explain relationship of said person to the head of house.

So I've tried to get creative with different scenarios.

1. The Drake Family was enumerated on 23 August 1870.  Someone showed up @ the house to record the information.  It looks like a man's handwriting.  I believe that Lucia could have been at the very beginning of her last pregnancy.  Had that realization of yet another child pushed Lucia over the edge?  Was she a little crazy?  Or maybe she didn't know yet.  Maybe she hadn't even missed her cycle yet.  There were no EPT kits in those days.  But after at least 9 pregnancies, maybe she just knew. Maybe she was already experiencing morning sickness.
2. James was no longer living in the household.  Eugene - who was now 22 years old was no longer at home.  Sydney -- 19 years old -- was gone as well.  Were they really done or was the person answering the Enumerator's questions unaware that the boys were out in the fields, working the farm?

• There is an Amos J Drake married to a Mary living in Hillsdale.  My James Amos is married to a Mary.  It seems like James -- the first son -- was named after John Stout Drake's father (Amos Stout Drake). And just a note to myself here -- Lucia's dad was James Cahoon and I believe that Lucia moved to Hillsdale with her brother James.
• There is and EE Drake living at the residence of E Delavan in Moscow, Hillsdale, Michigan.  I'm pretty sure there were not a lot of EE Drakes in the same county.  This is probably my Emery Eugene.  EE was 24 years old in 1870 and my Eugene was 22, but if Eugene was working as a farm laborer, his employer would only know what Eugene told him.
• I have not yet been able to locate Sidney -- son number 3 -- in the 1870 US Census -- yet.  But I also don't know what his whole name is.  Apparently, this Drake family was big on name children after relatives and then calling them by the middle name.  From what I understand, this was pretty common practice and not just a Drake thing.  

Could the Enumerator walked up to front porch and discovered house swarming with children and babies making a racket?  Or could they be in the middle of illness?

1. Could "Elinor" actually have been Lucia?  I have no record of her middle name although I have seen an "M" and/or an "A" as a middle initial.  And considering some naming patterns, it was not uncommon for a husband to call his wife by her middle name.  
2. The Drakes were enumerated on 23 August 1870.  Elinor was listed as 43 years old -- which would have been Lucia's age as well.  Elinor was listed as having been born in Michigan -- just like Lucia.   Unfortunately, the 1870 US Census does not make note of where each individual's parents were born.  

I searched Hillsdale County, Michigan for women born in 1827 with the name of Elinor.  There were:

• Elenor Vanelstine.  Born 1831 in Michigan.  She lived in Somerset, Hillsdale County.  She was enumerated with her husband 18 July 1870, almost a month before the John Stout Drakes.  And as we all know -- so many things can happen in a month. 

When Did It Go Oh-So Wrong: Allison Royce Drake Part 3

Allison Royce Drake was born April 9, 1859 in Amboy, Hillsdale, Michigan.  His father, John Stout Drake, was 34 and his mother, Lucia, was 32.  Already in the house were Allison's older siblings: James Amos who was 13, Emery Eugene was 11, sister Anna was 9, brother Sidney was 8, Mary Serenus was 6 and Alfred Bird was just 2 years old.  That makes a whopping six kids, not including the new baby, Allison.

Side Note:  I'm not sure of what type of house the Drakes lived in in 1859.  I haven't been back north yet to see if it's still standing.  But, in the late 1970s I did live in an old 1860ish farm house surrounded by the same, so there are a few things I'm pretty sure of:

1. John Stout was a successful farmer.  In the farm map of 1858, he had 83 acres, right across the fields from his dad's (Amos Stout Drake) larger farm.  John was well respected in the community, so I'm betting that his family was well taken care of and did not live in squalor.
2. In my experience, most farm houses were 2 stories, with a steep roof, because that helped prohibit snow accumulation  The houses were built over Michigan basements.  Michigan basements -- the basement was dug out, then stone (about the size of a medium cantaloupe) were pounded into the walls.  My farm house had a hard packed dirt floor.
3. Most family farms (even today) have a garden out back big enough to feed the family and to put things up for a long Michigan winter.  A chicken coop was set up not too far from the house -- people were a little less finicky about farm smells wafting into the house -- the chickens and eggs tended to be the farm wife's domain and a young child's first chore.  Farther away from the house was usually a much larger outbuilding, where there was a milk cow or two.  The family was not going to starve.

My farm house started out as a two story dwelling with a front porch and three large rooms on the ground floor:  a bedroom, a huge kitchen (where the family lived, and worked, and ate), and a living area. Stairs to the second floor went practically straight up and there were 3 large square bedroom, with windows that were lower than today's code.  The chimney of the fireplace warmed two of the upstairs bedrooms and the the bedroom downstairs.  The woodstove's stove pipe passed through the ceiling of the kitchen, through the 2nd story third bedroom, providing just enough heat so the kids wouldn't freeze.

As the family grew and their skill at farming improved, the residents could afford a few luxuries ie. running water and an indoor toilet.  Eventually with a house full of teens, another bedroom was added on behind the house, usually onto the kitchen and was most often on story.  I imagine the Drake Farm looked very similar to mine.

April of 1861 was a big month for the Drakes.  First off, on 12 April was the start of the Civil War.   I don't think that the shot heard around the world effected them too much.  April on a farm is a very busy time.  And just 13 days late, Lucia gave birth to child #8 (and daughter #4) Jane Drake. I bet that there were some nights that spring when John Stout Drake was so exhausted he fell asleep over his dinner.  Of course James and Eugene were practically men and Sydney was finally of an age where he could contribute a good days work.  Anne was 11 and probably working beside her mom, taking care of the family -- laundry, gardening, cleaning, cooking, canning, sewing.  Mary Cyrenus at 8 years old was in the beginning years of learning farm wife duties.  Maybe she tended to the youngers -- Alfred was now 4 and Allison a toddling 2.

In 1863, another Drake daughter -- Lucy -- was born on November 14, increasing the family children to 9,

July 1st, 1863 John Stout Drake enlisted.  He was 38 years old.  At this time, I haven't researched John Stout Drake's military record.  Maybe he didn't serve.  Maybe he was exempted because he had so many kids.  Maybe he was growing crops and providing food for the military.

According to the US Non Population Schedule, John Stout Drake had 70 improved acres and 14 unimproved.  There were only two other farms in the area that had more improved  acres.  The cash value of John's farm was $2000 and the machinery and other farm implements were valued at $115.  He had 2 horses, 6 milk cows, 3 sheep, 3 swine, and the value of his animals was $452.  He had 70 bushels of rye and 350 bushels of indian corn.

When Things Fell Apart: Allison Royce Drake Part 2

Last week a hint showed up for Allison Royce Drake in my online family tree.  I was so excited!  I've never gotten a hint for him before -- like I said -- information on the elusive great grandfather was scarce.

The hint was a death certificate for an AR Drake and actually the "A" looked like a "U".

According to this death certificate, AR Drake was a white male, age 53. His marital status was "widower."  He was born in Michigan and died on 31 Aug 1913 of bronchial asthma.  And he had been living at the "County Farm" in Madison Township, Lenawee, Michigan.

So I sat down with my pencil and paper and tried to analyze what little information was on the death certificate with the very little information I had on Allison Royce Drake.  

• My Allison Royce Drake was born in 1859.  In 1913, Allison would have been 54 years old.  Pretty close.  I mean who knew how old this guy living at the county farm really was?  Obviously there was no record on hand of his birth date.
• He was white and he was a male.  Check and check.
• Has marital status was recorded as "widower."  His wife, Jane Myers Drake, was still alive in kicking.  This doesn't concern me too much as I found him in the 1910 United States Census, living in a boarding house and his was enumerated as "single."  Jan is living and working in another county, and his two youngest sons living in yet another county.  I have found no record of divorce.  In 1910, Jane is "married".
• In the 1910 United States Census, Allison is enumerated in Woodstock, Lenawee County, Michigan.  And in that same census his age is listed as 51 years old.

As brief as the information is, this sounds more like my guy.  A mean drunk who abandoned his family, who no one ever mentioned, dying in poverty with no one knowing or caring who he was.  

And how the hell did that happen?  How do you get from being the son of a well off, well respected farmer (John Stout Drake) who raised a whole passel of good kids, an active member in his church and community to a bum?  John Stout Drake, was a justice of the peace.  Marriage records show that many couples journeyed out to the farm just so JS Drake could marry them.  Many times his younger daughters would witness the unions.  In his obituary, John Stout Drake was called a "loving and indulgent father."  Was an "indulgent" father a community slap at John Stout Drake for overcompensating for his youngest son?  Was John Stout Drake a really loving parent who forgave his boy over and over again?

When Things Fell Apart: Allison Royce Drake Part 1

My great grandfather -- Allison Royce Drake -- has always been a puzzle. No death certificate.  No mention of him at family get- togethers, not even in whispers.  I have a second cousin who is older than me that actually knew his wife -- our shared great grandmother -- and he told me that all he knew was that Allison Royce Drake had been a drunk.  A mean drunk.  Well, Allison wouldn't have been the first Drake to have problems with alcohol.

A couple of years ago i found a newspaper article detailing a wreck of the Big Four Passenger train in Bellefontaine, Ohio.  Allison Drake was an engineer on one of the trains involved.  He was in critical condition and not expected to live.  Engineer Drake was from Lenawee County, Michigan.  That last tidbit of information I had of my great grandfather was a US Census that has him enumerated in the next county over.  It had to be him, right?  Allison was not a common name (although the Drake surname in that neck of the world was).  This had to be my guy.

I couldn't find anything more about Engineer Allison Drake.  Maybe he was shipped home to die?  Or maybe the reason I couldn't find a death certificate was because I was looking in Michigan instead of Ohio.  Or maybe the bodies were being held by the railroad company.  So many things that I didn't have knowledge of how to search for.

I always wondered about that term my cousin used to describe him - "mean drunk".  Could a "mean drunk" pull himself together a little late in life to become an "engine man" for a major railroad?  I don't know.  One just didn't start as an engine man.  Didn't one have to first get hired on and then over years work one's way up.  Wasn't an engineer -- for a big time railroad company kind of like being a Navy fighter pilot?  The bits just didn't fit.