John Hillis BEARD
Sex: M
Individual Information
Birth: 11 Aug 1874 - Richland Co, IL 2 3
Christening:
Death: 15 Feb 1950 - Wichita, Sedgwick Co, KS 2 4
Burial: 17 Feb 1950 - Lawrenceville City Cemetery, Lawrence Co, IL 2 3
Cause of Death:
AFN #:
Events
1. Unknown, Education in Sumner Public School, Sumner, Illinois
Parents
Father: John BEARD (1839-1917)
Mother: Amanda Zana SHAW (1836-1918)
Spouses and Children
1. *Lucy Jane SHICK (1 Apr 1875 - 11 Oct 1925) 5
Marriage: 24 Mar 1901 - Lawrence Co, IL
Children:
1. (Infant) BEARD (1902-1902)
2. Vera Marie BEARD (1904-1975)
3. Velna Irene BEARD (1906-1929)
4. (Infant) BEARD (1907-1907)
2. Clara HOUCHEL (1874 - 1941)
Marriage: 26 Mar 1927 - Robinson , IL
3. ... (BEARD) (Abt 1880 - )
Marriage: Bef 1901
4. ... (BEARD) (Abt 1885 - )
Marriage: Abt 1942 - MI
Notes
General:
Also Known As:<_AKA> John Baird
Cause of Death:<CAUS> acute myocardial infarct ion
Ancestral File Number:<AFN> GB30-2S
As a young man he went to Oklahoma wh ere he worked as a railroad laborer. At one time he owned a mill, and another time, a grocery store. About 1912 several families left Illinois to resettle in Arkansas. Among these were his youngest brother Ennis, and a friend whose youn g daughter Ruby was the same age as John's daughter Vera. John's brother was go ing to raise crops and John was going to try his hand at saddle horses. The ch oice in land made by all concerned was poor, and each family was under-capitali zed. All had returned to Illinois after a year. John's Arkansas property, farm equipment and belongs were sold at a sheriff's auction (Ruby and Vera remained life-long friends). John worked as an oil field laborer in Lawrence County, Il linois.
Information on marriage #1 was provided by his daughter Vera Kirkha m. Marriage was annulled. He married Lucy Jane Shick in 1901. She had a prolong ed and debilitatin illness before her death in 1925. John married widow Clara Houchel Elder in 1927. She died in 1941. About the time of the outbreak of Wor ld War II John moved to Dearborn, Michigan, not far from his brother Ennis. He went to work as a laborer at Ford Motor plant in Dearborn where tanks were made during the war. During thie period John married again, with very unhappy resu lts, and he was divorced shortly afterwards. When he was no longer able to wor k, his final pension amounted to $9.00 a month. In 1949 he left Illinois to liv e with his daughter Vera and her husband and their family.