Thankful Thursday - Laura Alcorn's Photo

When I wrote about my second Great Grandmother Martha Bell in November of 2013, I mentioned how I wanted a photo of her daughter Laura Alcorn.  Laura's brother Cicero Bell is my Great Grandfather.  Well, it was quite a shock when one day last winter I saw in my Gmail Inbox a message from "Laura Alcorn".  Granddaughter of the original!  She found some things I had posted online about her Alcorn family and I am so thankful that she emailed me!  We shared some information on the family and so I asked her if she had a photo of Laura.  I was thrilled to get a few including these of Laura and Carson, obviously taken some years apart.  The corsage make me wonder if the photo of Laura was taken on her wedding day. 

Laura Myrtle Bell was born August 4, 1879 in Wayne County, Kentucky.  She grew up living with her mother, Grandmother Rutha and two older brothers Cicero and John William.  After she and Carson were married, Laura's mother Martha lived with them until her death.

Carson Armstrong Alcorn was born February 18, 1882 in Wayne County.  His parents were Chesley Samuel Simpson Alcorn and Harriet Frisby Hopkins. 

Laura and Carson were married on October 2, 1902 at Ruthy Bell's in Wayne County.  They were married by J. A. Alley, "M. G." (Minister of the Gospel).   Witnesses were J. A. Clemens and J. S. Stringer.  John Stringer was an uncle of Laura's, married to her mother's sister Elizabeth.  J. A. Alley may have been a distant relative.

Carson and Laura started their life together farming in Wayne County.  Their two oldest daughters were born there and that may likely be where sometime between 1906 and 1910 they lost an infant.  About 1911, they moved to Ionia, Kansas.  They farmed in Kansas until 1923, then moved to Giltner, Nebraska where they farmed for about six years.  That makes it right about the start of the Depression when they left the farm and Carson went to work for Harrison Nursery in York.  After World War II, he and his son Estel began operating a dry cleaning business in Grand Island which Carson retired from in 1953. 

On November 22, 1955, Carson died at age 73 in Grand Island.  His final resting place is in Westlawn Cemetery.  Laura moved to Lincoln after his death and lived with her daughter Lena.  She died on February 27, 1972 at the age of 92.  She is buried beside her husband. 

Their children:

Lessie E.  (September 20, 1906 - March 8, 1996) Married Laurence Gilmore, one daughter. 

Nora E.  (January 3, 1910 - April 11, 1990)  Married Bernhardt Obermiller, one son. 

Elsie F.  (May 28, 1912 - April 26, 1917)  Died of fever (diptheria? scarlet?) in Kansas.

Lena Lavelle  (February, 1914 - March 7, 2006)  Married Hayward Williams, one son.

Mildred  (December 3, 1915 - June 11, 1999)  Married Frank Holland, three children.

Marie  (November 5, 1917 - ?)  Married Morris Swedberg, two sons.

Estel Carson  (July 1, 1921 - August, 1985)  Married Jean Viox, six children.