Marriage Puzzle

Has a census record ever helped you identify a new spouse? The 1950 census record for what appears to be my great grandfather may do just that. It shows an 80 year old E G Briles with a 72 year old wife named Anna living in Yates Center, Kansas.

E. G. Briles’ age and location in the census are in line with what I already knew about my great grandfather. Edward Grant Briles was born in July 1869 in Coffey County, Kansas. Thus, he would have been 80 years old in May of 1950. Thanks to the Ancestry database, Kansas, U.S., City and County Census Records, 1919-1961, I’ve found him living in Yates Center, Kansas in 1948.

This same database tells me that Anna M Briles was living in Yates Center with 2 people in the household in 1949 and 1950. Unlike previous years in these census records, the 1950 census recorded the street address which matches the address found for E. G. Briles on the 1950 federal census record. AND, there is no mention of an Edward Briles or an E. G. Briles on these Kansas census records living in Yates Center in 1949 or 1950.

These census records suggest that Edward G. Briles remarried sometime after the 1948 census was taken and when the 1949 census was taken. However, none of the records associated with Edward Briles’ death in July 1951 mention this second wife.

For example, his obituary published in the Emporia Gazette identifies his four children and states that his wife, Artie, died in May 1947.

Ed Briles Dead
Ed Briles, of Yates Center, died Monday evening at 6 o’clock at St. Mary’s hospital. He was the father of E. O. Briles, 924 Constitution.
Funeral arrangements have not been announced.
Mr. Briles was born July 18, 1867 in LeRoy, the son of the late Mr. and Mrs. John Briles. He and Artie Ricketts were married and she preceded him in death in Yates Center in May, 1947.
Survivors are two sons, E. O. Briles, 924 Constitution; Glenn Briles, of Yates Center; two daughters, Mrs. Ethel Darby, of Los Angeles, and Mrs. Lulu Cope, of Yates Center; a sister, Mrs. Angie Barr, of Burlington, and seven grandchildren.

“Ed Briles Dead,” obituary, The Emporia Gazette (Emporia, Kansas), 2 August 1951, p. 4; Newspapers.com (www.newspapers.com : viewed online July 2018).

A different obituary was published in the Yates Center newspaper. It also makes no mention of a second wife while providing details about his wife, Artie and their children.

E. G. Briles
E. G. Briles, son of Noah and Sarah Briles, was born on a farm in the Crandall vicinity, west of Le Roy, Kans. He passed away in St. Mary’s hospital, Emporia, Kans. On July 23, 1951, at the age of 82 years and five days.
He was married to Artie Ricketts on February 19, 1890, who preceded him in death on April 28, 1947. Their four children survive: namely: E. O. Briles of Emporia, Kans. Mrs. Ethel Darby of Los Angeles, Calif., Glen Briles and Mrs. Lulu Cope, Yates Center, also a sister, Mrs. Angie Barr of Burlington Kans.; and seven grandchildren and seven great grandchildren.
His entire life was spent within a radius of 25 miles of his birthplace. He was engaged in farming as long as his health would permit, and after moving to Yates Center, he engaged in carpentering.
Services were held at the Campbell Chapel on Wednesday afternoon, July 25, conducted by Miles C. Cool, “No Night There” and “Beyond the Sunset” were sung by H. E. Redfearn, Nr. With Charlene Morris as accompanist. Casketbearers were Leonard Massoth, Leonard Turner, Harry Ashley, N. L. Briles, August Flake and E. B. Lake. Burial was in the Crandall cemetery.

“E. G. Briles”, Yates Center News, (Yates Center, Kansas), 2 August 1951, page 5, microfilm; Kansas State Historical Society, Topeka, KS.

In the probate court records for the estate of Francis Artlissa Ricketts Briles and her husband, Eddie G. Briles, the Decree of Descent identifies the four children and indicates that “E. G. Briles, aka Eddie G. Briles had no spouse … who survived him other than the persons above named” (i.e. the 4 children)

Since the obituary and probate records do not name a second wife, I now have a puzzle to solve regarding the 1950 census record. For now, I see two possible solutions to this puzzle.

• The E. G. Briles in the 1950 U.S. Census might be a different E. G. Briles
• E. G. Briles may have been married to Anna, but she likely died prior to his death in July of 1951.

To help figure out whether my great-grandfather had a second wife, I am writing the Woodson County Clerk to see if there is a marriage record for an Eddie Briles between 1948 and 1950.

I have also identified a possible ‘Anna’ in the Find a Grave records for Woodson County, Kansas. I then located this person on FamilySearch. While this is a long shot, I have messaged contributors to Anna’s profile on FamilySearch to see if they knew anything about a possible marriage to an Edward Briles. I may also need to schedule a trip to the Kansas State Historical Society to read the newspaper microfilm for 1948 to 1951.

For now, it is a puzzle!