Little Ladybug

Around 7:00 every morning, my husband and I wake up to the soft cry of our daughter, who hasn't quite made it out of bed yet. After Zak goes to work, Miss V and I sometimes play, do some light chores, enjoy lunch with Daddy on his break, watch a movie, go to play group, walk around our cul-de-sac, and visit Grandma in the afternoon. Little V is learning so much, and understanding what we say to her, though she doesn't know how to say the words herself just yet. She likes to tease, wave, and hug. I'm learning as I go since she's reached the climbing stage. Certain furniture can't be near tables or desks; the rocking chair needs to be tucked under the desk, and lots of doors need to be closed. When we hear Daddy coming through the front door, she giggles and runs toward the curtain which separates rooms, as she looks for Daddy's face peeking between the curtains. I can't thank Heavenly Father enough for our Little Miracle.

Hooper 1940 Census

Previously, I looked at the section of the 1930 Census which included my Grandpa Calvin Muir Hooper as a 5-year-old boy. I wanted to follow the family in the 1940 census to see how their lives had changed.

Charlotte Jeanette Muir Hooper

It looks like the family is all together this time. Morise L. Hooper is the 40-year-old head of household, and Charlotte J. is his 35-year-old wife. Five years before, they lived together in Pioche, Lincoln, Nevada, but have returned to Beaver, Utah. They currently rent a home for $10 per month.

U.S. Census for Beaver, Utah 1940 including Hoopers and Muirs

U.S. Census for Beaver, Utah 1940 including Hoopers and Muirs, close up of first part

She is a housewife, and my 15-year-old Grandpa Calvin Hooper is a student, who completed 7th grade in the previous year.

The document delves into educational background, acknowledging the highest educational grade completed. Apparently, Morise completed his fourth year of high school, and Jeanette finished her third year of high school. I learned before that she married at 18, so did she drop out of school to get married, was that all the education available for her, or is there a different explanation?

The employment section backs up part of the questioned 1930 census record, because again Morise is in the mining industry, previously employed as a Mill Operator. He is listed as not currently employed, but seeking work,  having worked 28 weeks in 1939, and unemployed for 12 weeks. He made $600, and it shows there was an additional source of income.

They had added two family members, my Grandpa's (half) siblings LaRoy M. and little Charlotte [La]Fay.

Again, they are either in the same house or next door to Charlotte Jeanette's mother, Mrs. Hannah E[lizableth] Muir. Her youngest, Lucy, has moved away, so now it is Hannah (65), Marion J (37), and Wallace B (33) still at home. She is listed as the owner of the property, valued at $1,500. Both sons completed two years of high school, but my great-great-grandma Hannah Elizabeth Orton Muir was only able to complete the 8th grade. It must have been a tough year for them employment-wise, because Marion was only able to work 25 weeks ($300) and Wallace only 8 weeks ($200), both as farm laborers. Hannah was no longer working as a laundress.

U.S. Census for Beaver, Utah 1940 including Hoopers and Muirs, close up of second part

Calvin Muir Hooper in his youth

Charlotte Jeanette Muir Hooper

Charlotte Jeanette Muir Hooper

Hooper 1930 Census

I recently got personal access to ancestry.com and many of their records. I'd like to work on some ancestral foundations by looking at the documents for my close ancestors. I'll start with my Grandpa Calvin Hooper.

Census 1930, Beaver, Utah, United States

Muir/Hooper families on the 1930 Census

First half of the Muir/Hooper family 1930 census 

Second half of the Muir/Hooper family 1930 census

The Hoopers are found living with or near their family, the Muirs in Beaver, Utah. (Hannah) Elizabeth (Orton) Muir is shown as head of household over her children Marion, Wallace, and Lucy. Familysearch.org lists four children who must have already moved away and three children who had already passed away. She is my Grandpa Calvin Hooper's grandmother, and Jeanette Hooper's mother. Her listing as head of household makes sense, since Elizabeth's husband passed away around 1924. She is listed as a 51-year-old widowed immigrant from England who works as a laundress in a private home (possibly her own). That would be nice, since her youngest daughter, Lucy, is still only 12 years old. Her boys, Marion and Wallace worked as laborers on a farm.  All of her children were born in Utah. Only Lucy attended school, but all knew how to read. Oh, archives.gov explains that the question asked was if the person had attended school between September 1, 1929 (and April 1, 1930), so Lucy was the only one who attended school in the last year.

Elizabeth's other daughter, (Charlotte) Jeanette Muir Hooper, is the head of her own household. She's 25-years-old, and my Grandpa Calvin was a 5-year-old boy at the time.  He hadn't yet attended school, but again, it says he knows how to read. It lists a separate dwelling, so I wonder if that could be the basement or an apartment within the same home, or if it had to be a separate building. She married her first husband at the age of 18, and didn't know where he had been born.

It surprises me that Jeanette is listed as head of household, because she already carries the last name of her second husband, Morise LeRoy Hooper. (Familysearch.org lists their marriage in 1928). He didn't pass away until 1966, so where was he in 1930?

Morise LeRoy Hooper, uploaded by Rob Johnson

Morise LeRoy Hooper, age 19, uploaded by Rob Johnson

I can't find an exact match, but maybe with some miscommunication or forgetfulness, this could be him. I found a record for Morrise Hooper for the 1930 census in Mace, Shoshone, Idaho. He's listed as a 34-year-old boarder, working in a lead mine along with several other boarders. He was born in Iowa, his father in the United States, and his mother in Missouri. (Familysearch.org lists Morise L. Hooper born in Iowa, his father in Ohio, and his mother in Indiana.) It also lists him as divorced. If this is him, perhaps he couldn't remember his parents' birthplaces. He had been married and divorced two other times, so maybe that's why he claimed "divorced."

I'll have to look at earlier and later records to find out more about their lives, but I am proud to see that if this is Grandpa Hooper's new Dad, that he was willing to travel and do whatever he could during the Great Depression in order to support his family, even working in a dangerous lead mine in Mace, Shoshone, Idaho.

New Year 2015

Normally we get together with the Porters around New Years, but they had other plans or were not able to make it, so we asked if we could invite the Hoopers to the cabin for New Years. Grandma Sue and Grandpa Porter are very generous people. My parents, brother Ammon, and the Witte family (cousins) came to enjoy the warm cabin, real and junk food, and the icy beach. Bubbles from the loft were a big hit, as well as the musical instruments and Barbie collection.

Video link: Jeremy slides on the ice