Stewart Oterbine Lightfoot ^{1 2 3 4 5 6 7}

  Noted events in his life were:

• He has alternate birth date of 1876 and a birth location of Pennsylvania.

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• He has alternate birth date of 8 January 1879 and a birth location of , Franklin County, PA.

• He appeared on the 1880 US Census in Southampton Township, Franklin County, PA on June 1880. ⁶

1880 US Census
Page 110B, District 92, Roll 1131
Southampton Township, Franklin County, Pennsylvania
Stewart O. Lightfoot..Son..1..PA

(Living with parents.)
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• He appeared on the 1910 US Census in Southampton Township, Franklin County, PA on 27 April 1910. ²

1910 US Census
Sheet 9B, District 35, Family 200, Roll 1348
Southampton Township, Franklin County, Pennsylvania
Home owned, no mortgage
Married 10 years
Stewart Lightfoot..Head..31..PA..Laborer, Odd Jobs

(Living with wife and 5 children.)

NOTE - If his birth date was 9 Jan 1878, then his age should have been 32 instead of 31.
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• His occupation on 12 September 1918 was a Foreman at Standard Steel Works Company in Burnham, PA. ⁵

• He resided in Lewistown, PA on 12 September 1918.
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• On 12 September 1918, he registered for the World War I Draft at Lewiston, PA.

Name: Stewart Lightfoot
Birth Date: 09 Jan 1878
Birthplace: , United States
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• He appeared on the 1920 US Census in Granville Township, Mifflin, PA on January 1920. ³

1920 US Census
Sheet 6A, Household 114, District 118
Granville Township, Mifflin County, Pennsylvania
Stewart O. Lightfoot..Head..38..PA

(Living with 2nd wife, 2 sons from 1st wife, and 1 son from 2nd wife.)

NOTE - If his birth date was 9 Jan 1878, then his age should have been 41 instead of 38. His age could not have been 38 as that indicates a birth year of 1882 and he was already shown on the 1880 census.
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• He appeared on the 1930 US Census in Derry Township, Mifflin, PA on April 1930. ⁴

1930 US Census
Sheet 3B, District 0008, Household 54, Roll 2078
Derry Township, Mifflin County, Pennsylvania
Stewart Lightfoot..Head..54..PA

(Living with wife, 5 children, and 1 brother-in-law.)

NOTE - If his birth date was 9 Jan 1878, then his age should have been 52 instead of 54.
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• He was buried on 24 September 1931 in the Lind Memorial Cemetery in Lewistown, PA.

The 1879 year of birth on the gravestone may not be correct. The only known document that shows a birth date for him was the WWI Draft Registration Card from 1918 and he entered his birth date as 9 Jan 1878.

Find A Grave Memorial #62590911
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• His obituary was published in The News-Chronicle on 6 October 1931 in Shippensburg, PA.

Stewart O. Lightfoot, 52, died in the Harrisburg hospital, September 21. He was born near Shippensburg, a son of Robert and Margaret Lightfoot. He was a member of the Holy Temple Knights of Malta at Lewistown, where he resided the past fifteen years. April 26, 1898, he enlisted in Co. L., 3rd Illinois Regiment, serving as a private in the Spanish American War and was honorably discharged January 23, 1899.

He is survived by his second wife and ten children; also four sisters and one brother. Mrs. Charles Forsythe, South Penn street, is a sister of the deceased.

Funeral services were held at Lewistown, September 24. Burial was made in the William Lind Memorial cemetery at Lewistown.

(Source: The News-Chronicle, Shippensburg, PA, 6 Oct 1931, Page 6)
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Stewart married Myrtle Lydia Simons, daughter of John Simons and Lydia Belle Coy, on 23 December 1899 in Chambersburg, PA.^{1 2} The marriage ended in divorce. (Myrtle Lydia Simons was born on 18 October 1882 in , Franklin County, PA,^{2 9 10 11 12 13} died on 28 April 1947 ¹³ and was buried after 28 April 1947 in Scotland, PA ¹³.)

  Noted events in their marriage were:

• Marriage Image: 23 December 1899, in Chambersburg, PA. ¹

• They appeared on the 1910 US Census in Southampton Township, Franklin County, PA on 27 April 1910. ²

1910 US Census
Sheet 9B, District 35, Family 200, Roll 1348
Southampton Township, Franklin County, Pennsylvania
Home owned, no mortgage
Married 10 years
Stewart Lightfoot..Head..31..PA..Laborer, Odd Jobs
Myrtle Lightfoot..Wife..27..PA..6/5
Cora Lightfoot..Daughter..10..PA
John Lightfoot..Son..9..PA
Rhoda Lightfoot..Daughter..7..PA
Blanch Lightfoot..Daughter..5..PA
Stewart Lightfoot..Son..2..PA
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• Stewart Oterbine Lightfoot and Myrtle Lydia Simons were divorced on 14 January 1919.

  Marriage Notes:

Name: Stewart O. Lightfoot
Spouse's Name: Lydia M. Simons
Event Date: 23 Dec 1899
Event Place: Chambersburg, Franklin, Pennsylvania
Father's Name: Robert Lightfoot
Mother's Name: Margaret A. Lightfoot
Spouse's Father's Name: John Simons
Spouse's Mother's Name: Lydia Belle Simons

Citing this Record
"Pennsylvania Marriages, 1709-1940," database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:V263-GY2 : 11 February 2018), Stewart O. Lightfoot and Lydia M. Simons, 23 Dec 1899; citing Chambersburg, Franklin, Pennsylvania; FHL microfilm 323,905.
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After Stewart and Lydia divorced in Jan 1919, both were quickly remarried. If they had not already relocated from Franklin County, PA, Stewart and his 2nd wife had moved a few counties northward into Mifflin County, PA. Meanwhile, Lydia and her 2nd husband had moved one county to the east into Cumberland County, PA.

But where their children went remains somewhat of a mystery. Daughters Ethel and Rhoda who would have been about 20 and 17 years old respectively at the time of the divorce are not found anywhere after the previous 1910 US Census. But the youngest daughter, Blanche, was found in the 1920 US Census at the age of 15 living as a boarder with another family in Philadelphia. Interestingly, 2 years subsequent, she returned to Cumberland County, PA perhaps to be near her mother and was married there in 1922. However, by 1930 she and her entire family had moved to the same township in Mifflin County, PA where her father was living. Her father died there in 1931 but Bertha remained there with her family until her death in 1997.

The oldest son, John, appears to have remained with or near his father and shows up with him and his 2nd wife in the 1920 US Census.

The middle son, Stewart, was married in Massillon, Ohio sometime around 1930 and raised his family there until his death in 1999.

Floyd, the youngest son, also appears to have remained with or near his father and also shows up with him and his 2nd wife in the 1920 US Census.

This all has to make one wonder if the 3 daughters did not stay more or less together and if Blanche were in Philadelphia during the 1920 US Census, then perhaps Ethel and Rhoda may also have been there. I have been unable to locate any records about either one.
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Stewart next married Rhoda May Rheam, daughter of John Calvin Rheam and Mary J. Stimley, after 14 January 1919.^{3 4} (Rhoda May Rheam was born on 5 July 1893 in , Mifflin County, PA,^{14 15 16} died on 17 May 1972 ^{15 16} and was buried after 17 May 1972 in Lewistown, PA ¹⁶.)

  Noted events in their marriage were:

• They appeared on the 1920 US Census in Granville Township, Mifflin, PA on January 1920. ³

1920 US Census
Sheet 6A, District 118, Household 114
Granville Township, Mifflin County, Pennsylvania
Stewart O. Lightfoot..Head..38..PA
Rhoda M. Lightfoot..Wife..30..PA
Floyd W. Lightfoot..Son..8..PA
Russell O. Lightfoot..Son..1..PA
John Lightfoot..Son..18..PA

NOTE - Stewart was recently divorced in 1919. On this 1920 census, there are two previously unknown sons, Floyd and Russell, each with a Lightfoot surname. I can find no birth records for either of these 2 sons but based on the age of Floyd, he was born while Stewart was still married to his 1st wife, Lydia Simons.

But based on the 1 year age of Russell Lightfoot, it is a little more difficult to figure out who was his mother, either Lydia Simons or Rhoda Ream. It seems unlikely that there would have been a 7 year gap in the ages of the last children born to Lydia Simons so therefore I am assuming that Russell was born to Rhoda. He was probably an illegitimate birth which may explain the reason for the divorce between Stewart and Lydia in 1919.

Equally difficult to figure out is the reason why the enumerator entered John, the older known son of Lydia Simons, last on the list. Usually this is done to signify different parentage meaning Floyd and Russell may have been born to Rhoda Ream. But then how could the 8 year old Floyd have Rhoda Ream as his mother because Stewart was still married to Lydia Simons at the time?

I suspect that the older John was listed last merely because the enumerator almost missed him and entered him out of sequence, a common error with enumerators.
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• They appeared on the 1930 US Census in Derry Township, Mifflin, PA on April 1930. ⁴

Sheet 3B, Household 54, Roll 2078, District 0008
Derry Township, Mifflin County, Pennsylvania
Head..Stewart Lightfoot..54..PA
Wife..Rhoda M. Lightfoot..49..PA
Son..Russell O. Lightfoot..11..PA
Son..Howard W. Lightfoot..6..PA
Son..Leon R. Lightfoot..4..PA
Daughter..Arlene L. Lightfoot..3..PA
Son..James L. Lightfoot..0..PA
Brother-in-law..Robert W. Ream..30..PA
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