Isaac Walter Brumley – my great-grandfather was born on August 6, 1875, to Willis Brumley and his 3rd wife, Nancy J Vaughn Loughry Lewis. He was born in Omaha, Douglas, Nebraska while Willis was working on the railroad. He also had a sister born to Willis and Nancy in 1869 – Alice Florence Brumley in Missouri.
On the 1880 Census, the family was living in Jefferson, Osage County, Missouri. Willis was with his 4th wife, Delaine Foster Harris, his son William, daughters Nancy A, Alice Florence and Isaac Walter Brumley. There is also a stepson listed as James T Emmitt, which as of this writing I have been unable to connect with anyone.
On January 13, 1895, Isaac Walter Brumley married his first wife, Nancy Katherine “Katie” Cox in Maries County, Missouri. Later that same year my grandfather was born, John Leo Brumley. Five other children were born to this union, William Ralph “Uncle Willey”, Thomas Clinton, Nancy (Bea) Beatrice, Henry Elmer Raymond, and Walter Willis Brumley. The family lived back and forth between Maries and Osage Counties.
In 1910 they were living as a family in Pulaski County. Sometime between 1910 and 1912 Katie became ill with Pellagra and had to leave the home for treatment. Walter cared for the children the best he could but raising a large family was difficult. Katie did not recover from Pellagra and she died on August 28, 1912.
Walter had to work to take care of his family so my grandfather and his older brothers did the best they could do to keep the family together. John, William, and Tom worked odd jobs to help the family out while Walter worked with the railroad that took him away from home. It was decided that Elmer and Walter Willis would live with other families that could care for them properly. Nancy went off on her own to seek employment.
On May 7, 1914, he married his second wife, Margaret “Maggie” Powell in Springfield, Greene, Missouri. Maggie developed pneumonia after giving birth to a daughter in August 1915. She never recovered and died on November 7, 1915. Their daughter died just four months after birth from lack of development on December 12, 1915. It must have been a very tough time for Walter losing another wife and a daughter in such a short time.
Walter left the Springfield area after his loss and found work in Baxter Springs, Cherokee, Kansas as a carpenter for the school district. In 1918 WWI was starting up and he was called to register for the draft on September 12, 1918, but never served. He was 43 years old at that time.
He married for the last time on August 3, 1929, in Miller County, Arkansas to Martha Bell Brown Moon. They had no children but he was a stepfather to two of Martha’s children by a previous marriage.
He continued to work for the railroad up until his death on January 10, 1940, in Little Rock, Pulaski, Arkansas. He suffered from heart disease. He is buried at Kensett Cemetery in White County, Arkansas.
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Brumley Family Branches 