John Wood Brandis

   Another name for John was John Wood Lightfoot.^{1 2 4 5 6 7 8 9}

  General Notes:

John Wood Brandis was the son of Frederick G. Brandis (born NYC 1842) who after serving with the Wisconsin 13th Regiment, moved to Sherman Texas in 1869 following the trade of a carpenter. There he married Elizabeth Straub/Strob and had four sons.

In 1879 brought his wife and four sons (Albert, Walter, James and Arthur) to Silver City, New Mexico. On 28 Nov 1880 his wife died giving birth to their fifth son, John Wood Brandis, subject of this sketch.

When he was 11 days old, Jacob and Sarah (Cabe) Lightfoot "adopted" him. They had at that time two daughters (Jennie and Frances) and wanted a boy. Although there are no legal papers of adoption, John Wood Brandis took the Lightfoot name.

His father married his mother's younger sister Caroline A. and they had two sons and a daughter (Frederick, James and Annie).
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Born John Wood Brandis in Silver City, New Mexico to Frederick G. Brandis and his wife Elizabeth (Straub) on the 28th of November. He was given to the care of Sarah (Cabe), wife of Jacob Lightfoot at eleven days old, and raised as their own child - thereby assuming the Lightfoot name. In 1885 John was enumerated in their household in Gila, Grant Co., New Mexico with "sisters" Sarah and Virginia Peavler, daughters of his adopted mother's first husband, Gabriel Peavler.

In August of 1899, when John was 18, he married Dora Carter, the daughter of Simeon B. Carter and Margaret (Ramsey). They became the parents of five children. The two oldest, Walter Lee and Myrtle Virginia, were born in Richmond, NM. Their third and fourth child, Ethel May and Carl Merle, were born in AZ - and their last and youngest child, Joe (later raised by Saunders), was born in NM.

While in Idaho in 1913 John's wife Dora died, and is believed to be buried in Van Wyck. The only mother John knew, Sarah (Cabe) Peavler Lightfoot died in 1917. By 1918 John was back in Arizona working in Bisbee as a blacksmith. In about 1931 he took as his 2nd wife Sarah E. (Hays), widow of George Carlton. They moved from Morenci to Moriarty, New Mexico and then back to Arizona where they were residing in Safford at the time of his death. He was preceded in death that year by his brother Arthur Brandis Bail, and 6 months later his brother Harry died. John and his 2nd wife Sarah are both laid to rest in the Safford City Cemetery and share a headstone.

In 1918, John completed the World War I Draft Registration Card. On the line requesting a name for the nearest relative, John, who was widowed at the time, listed his 5 children as "Walter, Myrtle, Ethel, Carl, and John". Notice the last child was not called Joe or Joseph as most researchers indicate but rather John. It is not known if Joseph, who would have been about 7 years old at the time, ever used the name of John at any time during his life.

(Source: Patti Peters, email, Dec 2018)
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John's passport application in Mar 1919 was for travel to the silver mines in Rosario, Sinaloa, Mexico where he was employed as a "shifter". He gave his current residence as Bisbee, AZ.

His passport application in Jan 1921 indicated that he had lived in Silver City, New Mexico (described as "outside" of the United States at the time) from his birth date until 1903. He further stated that he lived in Bisbee, AZ from 1903 to 1921 which is further described at "outside" the United States even though Arizona became a state in 1912. There is no mention of him being in Idaho because that would not have been "outside" the United States. His intended destination was Mexico for purposes of employment and travel was via the S.P. Railroad. Although not specifically indicated, his travel was probably for mining operations being conducted in Mexico.
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  Noted events in his life were:

• He appeared on the 1900 US Census in Lower Gila, New Mexico Territory on 27 September 1900. ¹

1900 US Census
Sheet 1A, District 57, Dwelling 237, Family 257
Lower Gila, Grant County, New Mexico Territory
Farm owned, no mortgage
John W. Lightfoot..Head..Nov 1880..19..NM..Farmer
(Living with wife and father.)

.

• His occupation on 19 June 1907 was a Watchman in Bisbee, AZ.
This very short newspaper article describes John Lightfoot's occupation as a watchman for the San Simon Copper Company.

Source: The Bisbee (Arizona) Daily Review, June 19, 1907
Article furnished courtesy of Patricia Davidson-Peters
.

• He appeared on the 1910 US Census in Alma, New Mexico Territory on 4 May 1910. ²

1910 US Census
Sheet 10A, District 250, Dwelling 206, Family 206, Roll 918
Alma, Socorro County, New Mexico Territory
Home Rented
Married 11 years
John Lightfoot..Head..30..NM..NY/MO..Farmer
(Living with wife and 4 children.)

NOTE - If his birth date was 28 Nov 1880, then his age should have been 29 instead of 30.
.

• On 12 September 1918, he registered for the World War I Draft at Tombstone, AZ.

Name: John Wood Lightfoot
Event Type: Draft Registration
Event Place: Cochise County, Arizona, United States
Birth Date: 28 Nov 1880
Home Address: Box 358, Bisbee, AZ
Occupation: Blacksmith
. ⁵

• He resided in Bisbee, AZ on 27 March 1919.
⁷ This residence information is based on data from John Wood Lightfoot's passport application of 1919. It was for purposes of travel to Rosario, Sinaloa, Mexico because of employment as shifter for the "Minas del Tajo" at Rosario, part of the complex of various silver mines recently started in the area.

• He resided in Bisbee, AZ on 17 January 1921.
⁶ This residence information is based on data contained in John Wood Lightfoot's passport application of 1921. Strangely, he requested the passport to be sent to "James Pearce, Gen. Delivery, Bisbee, Arizona" instead of his own name. No reason was given.
.

• He appeared on the 1930 US Census in Morenci, AZ on 11 April 1930. ⁸

1930 US Census
Sheet 48B, District 3, Dwelling 245, Family 262, Roll 56
Morenci, Greenlee County, Arizona
AC524 - A Hill; Home rented, $10
John W. Lightfoot..Self..49..NM..NY/Germany..Widowed..Shift Boss, Copper Mine
.

• He appeared on the 1940 US Census in Moriarty, NM on 4 May 1940. ⁴

1940 US Census
Sheet 3B, District 29-13, Family 54, Roll 2454
Moriarty, Torrance County, New Mexico
Home rented, $10
Last Place of Residence: Clifton, Greenlee, Arizona
John Lightfoot..Head..59..NM ..8th grade..Foreman, S.C.S. Camp
(Living with 2nd wife.)

NOTE - SCS was the Soil Conservation Service

.

• His obituary was published in the Silver City Enterprise in June 1955 in Silver City, NM.

John Lightfoot, 74, a Silver City pioneer, died in Safford, Arizona on June 9. He was born in Silver City Nov. 28, 1880 and lived much of his life in this vicinity. In the days of the boom in mining at Mogollon, he was one of the freighters who drove wagon teams over the road across the mountains and valleys. Later he farmed at San Simon, Arizona, and then moved to Safford, Arizona where he died after a long illness. He married Dora Carter in 1898 and they were the parents of five children. Mrs. Lightfoot died in 1913.

In 1930 he married Sarah Carlton who survives him. He is also survived by three sons, Walter of Phoenix, Arizona, Carl of Downey, California and Joe of Glenwood; two daughters, Myrtle Dannelley of Silver City and Ethel of Downey, California; one brother Henry of Reno, Nevada and two sisters, Jenny Lacy of San Simon, Arizona and Frances Herrell of Phoenix, Arizona. Funeral services were held June 11 in Safford, Arizona at the First Baptist Church with the interment in the Safford Cemetery. Local people who attended the services were Mrs. Myrtle Dannelley and sons, Richard and Bobby, Mr. and Mrs. Joe Frost, and Mr. and Mrs. Willis Lacy.

(Source: Unknown newspaper, probably the Silver City Enterprise).

• He was buried on 11 June 1955 in the Safford City Cemetery in Safford, AZ.

Find A Grave Memorial 99703096
. ⁹

John married Dora M. Carter, daughter of Simeon B. Carter and Margaret A. Ramsey, in August 1899.^{1 2 10} (Dora M. Carter was born on 6 January 1880 in , Lawrence County, AR ^{1 2 11} and died on 9 June 1913 in Van Wyck, ID.)

  Noted events in their marriage were:

• They appeared on the 1900 US Census in Lower Gila, New Mexico Territory on 27 September 1900. ¹

1900 US Census
Sheet 1A, District 57, Dwelling 237, Family 257
Lower Gila, Grant County, New Mexico Territory
Farm owned, no mortgage
John W. Lightfoot..Head..Nov 1880..19..NM..Farmer
Dora Lightfoot..Wife..Jan 1880..20..unk..0/0
Jakob Lightfoot..Father..Mar 1834..66..OH..Farmer
.

• They appeared on the 1910 US Census in Alma, New Mexico Territory on 4 May 1910. ²

1910 US Census
Sheet 10A, District 250, Dwelling 206, Family 206, Roll 918
Alma, Socorro County, New Mexico Territory
Home Rented
Married 11 years
John Lightfoot..Head..30..NM..NY/MO..Farmer
Dora Lightfoot..Wife..30..TX..TX/TX..4/4..Housewife
Walter Lightfoot..Son..10..NM
Myrtle Lightfoot..Daughter..8..AZ
Ethel Lightfoot..Daughter..6..AZ
Carlo Lightfoot..Son..2..AZ
.

  Marriage Notes:

The marriage date of August 1899 was given by Patti Peters. No source citations yet given and no event location.
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John and Dora were in Alma, Socorro County, New Mexico Territory in 1910. According to the census, John was a farmer at the time, however, there was news of gold discoveries in the Long Valley area of Idaho. It is believed that John and his family may have relocated to that area where he probably participated in some of the many mining operations at the time.

Unfortunately, his wife, Dora, died supposedly in the community of Van Wyck in Boise County where she was buried. With the building of water reservoirs in Valley County, Idaho, the creation of Lake Cascade flooded many areas of the old mining areas including Van Wyck which now lies totally underwater. There is no information about the re-interment of any of those that were buried in the Van Wyck area or whether any unclaimed grave sites were allowed to be flooded over.
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John next married Sarah C. Hays, daughter of George W. Hays and Unknown, about 1931.⁴ (Sarah C. Hays was born on 6 March 1867 in Sulphur Springs, TX,¹² died on 6 November 1969 in Safford, AZ ¹² and was buried after 6 November 1969 in Safford, AZ ¹².)

  Noted events in their marriage were:

• They appeared on the 1940 US Census in Moriarty, NM on 4 May 1940. ⁴

1940 US Census
Sheet 3B, District 29-13, Family 54, Roll 2454
Moriarty, Torrance County, New Mexico
Home rented, $10
Last Place of Residence: Clifton, Greenlee, Arizona
John Lightfoot..Head..59..NM ..8th grade..Foreman, S.C.S. Camp
Sarah C. Lightfoot..Wife..72..TX..4yrs college
.

  Marriage Notes:

Following the death of his first wife, Dora Carter in 1913, John moved back to Arizona which had become a state in 1912. He has not yet been located in the 1920 US Census but in 1930 he is living by himself in Morenci, Arizona and working in a copper mine.

He was re-married to Sarah E. Hays, widow of George Carlton, in Arizona sometime around 1931 but no record of the marriage has yet been found.

By 1940, both John and Sarah had moved to Moriarty, New Mexico, a distance of about 350 miles.

They both retired to Safford, AZ which was only about 50 miles away from Morenci. John died and was buried there in 1955 and Sarah died 14 years later. Both are buried in the Safford City Cemetery.
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(Source: Patti Peters, email, Dec 2018)
In 1930 when John W. Lightfoot married for a second time, he was a contractor for the Phelps Dodge Company. His wife Sarah was the daughter of Dr. James M. Hays. After their marriage, they appear to have remained in the Morenci/Clifton area at least a few years longer where he most likely became employed with the SCS (Soil Conservation Service) as they were still residing in Clifton in 1935 when the SCS was established and dedicated to preserving the farmlands of America and protecting against flood.

By 1940 John and Sarah were living in Moriaty, a ranching and agricultural community located in central New Mexico about thirty miles east of Albuquerque. While there, John was employed as a foreman for the SCS Camp , but is believed to have also been farming with his good friend Joe Tarier/Torero. He managed CCC camps until about 1940. These camps (Civilian Conservation Corps) had been created during the Great Depression shortly after President Franklin D. Roosevelt was inaugurated in March of 1933. The purpose was to put men back to work while controlling erosion and improving national and state domains such as forest roads, amphitheaters, ramadas, and fences.
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