Dear List Members,This e-mail will not necessarily help those of you with many years of
experience in genealogy. However, it will help those that
are fairly new to genealogy.
It is all about using all resources available to you. Using Oscar B. Cagle, and his wife
Lucille Elizabeth Stripe Cagle, as an example.We all use census records as sometimes this
is the first places to start. But as we know the information on a given family may be
limited.This is how i came about finding all the information i needed on this family.
Having known they lived in Cuba Crawford County, Missouriand Los Angeles, California i
knew where to look. A major resource i use is online death records. I have a site i use
that i have saved inmy favorites folder. So they both died in Missouri, so i used their
online site that covers deaths from 1910 - 1966.Both of them were found there so i had
complete birth and death information.Also i must say here sometimes i use what best can be
called the shot gun approach to genealogy. I find what i can find on a family then skipto
another family, and come back to them at a later date.My major resource i use is the
Family Search by the LDS religion. It is free and in some cases has more data than pay
sites. Of course Rootsweb,which with Ancestry sponsors ours and other lists. Originally
Rootsweb was a stand alone site but they became so big they needed help.And also USgenweb
is a major free site also.But getting back to my story. I knew that Lucille, died in Cuba,
Missouri so i went searching for an obituary for her. This i found and gave me a
treasure of information. Her parents Delbert Stripe, and Margaret Shomes, and her husbands
name and their only two children. Dorothy Mae Cagle,along with her married name of Fooks,
her husband was listed as Melvin Fooks.
As most of you know you need a marriage name for the women in your family, so you can find
birth, marriage, and death information.So i was able to find pertinent information for
her. Their second child was Doris Cagle, and it mentioned she died as an infant. A very
important clueto use.
Using the Social Security death database at Family Search i found Dorothy Mae Cagle Fooks
birth and death and as indicated where she died whichwas Cuba, Missouri. Sometimes when
you use this site you need to use the process of elimination which i do. There
couldn't be that many people listedwith a Fooks surname, which there
wasn't.Missouri's marriage records for many counties are limited. Using Family
search and the Missouri marriage database i couldn't find a marriage forOscar &
Lucille Cagle.However, her obituary said they were married in 1925 in Los Angeles. I was
also able to find that Oscar Cagle, was a retired Navy veteran, which ithink explains
their living in LA.So next i used Family Search again and the California databases.
Knowing from her death record Lucille, was born in LA. So i found their marriage recordof
9-20-1930 in Los Angeles. As to the discrepancy of their marriage in 1930, and their two
girls born in 1927 and 1928 i have no answer.Knowing Dorris, died as an infant i used the
California birth and also death databases. In her death record it gave her date of death
as -6-17-1928, and her
age of 3 months. It also had a middle initial for her as Doris C. Cagle. So i knew she was
born 3-1928 so i next checked California's birth records which gaveher complete date
of birth of 3-13-1928. Getting back to her parents marriage record it also gave
Oscar's full name which is Oscar Bryant Cagle.So in closing this is their family
genealogy. Oscar Bryant Cagle, born 12-21-1896 in Mussel Fork Chairiton County,Missouri.
He died on 7-26-1946 inCuba Crawford County, Missouri. He married Lucille Elizabeth
Stripe, on 9-20-1930 in Los Angeles, California. She was born 2-19-1910 in Los Angeles,and
died 11-7-1961 in St. Louis, Missouri. They had two girls Dorothy Mae Cagle, born
3-04-1927 in Los Angeles. She died on 9-08-2010 in Cuba, Missouri.Doris C. Cagle, was born
3-13-1928 in Los Angeles, and died there on 6-17-1928.So there you have it a rather
lengthily explanation of the facts but it shows how one record can have a bit of data with
a hint that leads to more.My letter writing is exactly like my verbal explanations, it
takes me an extra time to get to my point.If any of you have other information please let
me know. Such as their being married after their children were born.
Best Regards,Earl D. Cagle Sr.