Did Your Grandparents Know Their Grandparents?

When I realized that my Mom only knew one of her grandparents, it got me curious about the grandparent connections in my family.

My Dad(born 1930) didn't know either of his grandmothers.  Both died around 1920-one from tuberculosis and the other from pneumonia. He did know his grandfathers.  His maternal grandfather, James Jakes, stayed with them some before he died in 1941.  His paternal grandfather died when Dad was 14 years old.

My Mom only knew her paternal grandfather, David E. Luna who lived with them a few years before he died in 1948.  Mom was 8 yrs old 

If I take it back a generation further my question becomes "Did my grandparents know their own grandparents? Below is a breakdown of each grandparent and the grandparents they knew.  

My Paternal Grandfather: Thomas D. Cooke(1888-1971)
Paternal Grandparents: Wm C. & Elizabeth Putman Cook (Died before his birth)
Maternal Grandparents: Wm B. & Eliza Manire King (Moved to Texas, died there)

My Paternal Grandmother: Pearl Gray Jakes Cooke(1891-1993)
Paternal Grandparents: Did not know any (All died before her birth)
Maternal Grandparents: Did not know any (All died before her birth)

My Maternal Grandfather: Wm R. Luna(1892-1994)
Paternal Grandparents: Elisha Luna (Died before his birth) and Kizzy Rigsby Luna(paternal grandmother) died when Will was about 17 years old.
Maternal Grandparents: David Pittman (Lived until Wm R. Luna was about 30) Mary Adcock Pittman died when Will was about 10 years old.

My Maternal Grandmother: Minnie Acuff Luna(1899-1957)
Paternal Grandparents: Knew Sarah McElroy Acuff (Paternal Grandmother); Paternal Grandfather died before her birth.
Maternal Grandparents: Knew Wm P. Hale (Maternal Grandfather); Maternal Grandmother died before her birth.

1940 US Federal Census Findings

My shocker from the 1940 US Federal census.

Finding my Dad's maternal Grandfather, James Jakes. alive and living with my Grandparents in 1940. When I first began researching over 20 yrs ago I found a Date of death on microfiche for a James Jakes in the area in which he had lived and I incorrectly ASSumed it was him. The date was within 2 yrs of his wife's death and it seemed logical to me(the whole dying of a broken heart bit after losing a spouse). I knew where he was buried however his tombstone did not have a year of death. So I never really gave much thought to researching any more on him other than his children and his ancestors. After finding that he was still alive in 1940 I was able to search FamilySearch's online death records for TN and come up with the correct Death Cert and the correct date of death which happened the following yr. It also gave his birthdate. Prior to that I only had the yr from the tombstone and a month from census records which is off by one from what his Death Cert listed. The certificate also told his place of death-- Davidson Co. Hospital(TN). and gave M as his middle initial...something I'd never seen. Makes me wonder if it is Morrow which was his mother's Maiden name. The informant on the death cert. listed his father as James Jakes...which is probably an error. I have several records showing his father was George Jakes although I don't rule out the possibility that George's middle name might have been James.

Now I'm off in search of his 1930 census entry and also going to find out who Martha Gibson, the informant on his death certificate is. Two Gibson brothers married two of James Jakes' daughters and his Aunt Ann Jakes married a Gibson. Lots of possibilities.


I love learning :-)

Search for your family in the 1940 Census Records

1940 US Federal Census at FamilySearch


1940 US Federal Census at National Archives And Records Administration