Ronald Wilson Couch

Ronald married Joyce Marie Hochstafl [Group Sheet]

1. Ronda Renee Couch
2. Lee Jay Couch
3. Charlene Faye Couch

Notes:

Anecdote per son, Doug Couch: Margaret (Marie) Ann Adkins met a girl in grade or middle school with the last name Couch and decided she would like to be named Couch. Later, she met Wilson in Calif, some 2500 miles away from her WVa home, and they were married about 2 weeks later.

Died:
Wilson died at his home in Grand Terrace, and was later "declared dead" at the hospital in Loma Linda.

Buried:
Wilson's and Margaret's graves are adjacent to the curb markings in the Iris section: 414  |  407.

VIEW THANK YOU LETTER FOR GIFT OF GRAVESITES BY CHURCH MEMBERS

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Wilson married Margaret Ann Adkins on 09 Apr 1941 in San Diego, San Diego Co, CA. Margaret (daughter of Andrew Jackson Atkins and Mary Frances Horton) was born on 07 Oct 1921 in Cuckleburr Creek, Kanawha Co, WV; died on 06 Dec 2006 in Lancaster, Los Angeles Co, CA; was buried on 12 Dec 2006 in Montecito Memorial Park, Colton - Loma Linda, San Bernardino Co, CA. [Group Sheet]

Notes:

Birth:
VIEW BIOGRAPHY

Name:
Name information

Margaret's original birth certificate was destroyed in a courthouse fire. A delayed certificate was filed by the Bureau of Child Welfare. Margaret and her sister, Hester, went to accomplish the refiling when Margaret was around 18 years old (per Margaret). Her name at birth was Margaret Marie, but she used Margaret Ann throughout her life.
• Her father, Andrew Jackson Atkins, used Atkins.
• Her paternal grandfather, William C. Millard Atkins, used Atkins, as do most of her siblings.
• On her marriage certificate, she used Adkins.
• On the birth certificate of her youngest son, Doug, she used Atkins.
• Her great grandparents and great great grandparents through her paternal grandfather (William C. Millard Atkins), were Adkins:
     ° Jesse Adkins, son of Allen Adkins & Mahala Adkins, and
     ° Letha Rachel Adkins, daughter of Robert Adkins & Nancy Lilly.

Died:
Lancaster Community Hospital

Buried:
GRAVESITE INFORMATION

Burial: December 12, 2006 at Montecito Memorial Park, 24145 Barton Road (at Waterman) Loma Linda, California 92324
Location: IRIS 3-403 west end of park near Waterman

Funeral: December 11, 2006 at The Grove Community Church, 19900 Grove Community Drive, Riverside, California 92508

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Notes:

Death Certificate gives Washington as birthplace. Verna Aldrich (Verna King-Couch) gave Olympia as the place of birth. (noted because one family member had it down as Illinois)

Born in Olympia, Alva was one of two of Walter's and Ella's children born in Washington. Apparently, Walter and his brother Emmett migrated to Washington to take part in the paper industry's mills in Oakville, Grays Harbor County, Washington.

"In the 1800

Birth:
Birth also given as Oakville, Grays Harbor County, WA, as does his WWI Draft Registration card.

Buried:
Find A Grave Memorial

Died:
VIEW OBITUARY

Resident Succumbs

   The death of Alvah Couch of South Huntington Drive occurred at the Keaster Hospital, Saturday afternoon, after an illness extending a short period. Mr. Couch suffered a severe attack of appendicitis which was followed by pneumonia. He was born in Southern Illinois, and had been a resident of Southern California for about three years, a port of the time having been spent in the Imperial Valley. His mother, Ella Couch, came here last fall for a visit following the death of her husband. His widow and two children and a brother, Levi Couch, reside in Lamanda Park, also two aunts, Mrs. J. F. Jourdan and Mrs. F. G. Legg, of Nina street.

Alva married Verna May King on 08 Oct 1911 in Monticello, Drew Co, AR. Verna (daughter of John William King and Viola Eudora Lamb) was born on 17 Dec 1892 in Monticello, Drew Co, AR; died on 29 Mar 1976 in Ramona, San Diego Co, CA; was buried on 31 Mar 1976 in Nuevo Memory Gardens, Ramona, San Diego Co, CA. [Group Sheet]

Notes:

DOB also given as 1893 (my records show 1892)

Name:
(also spelled Mae)

Died:
Obituary Transcription:
-----------------------
Verna M. Aldrich
Mrs. Verna Mae Aldrich, 83, passed away in a rest home in Ramona on March 29. Mrs. Aldrich, born in Arkansas had been a Romona resident for 34 years (sic). She was a member of the First Congregational Church of Ramona; the Women's Fellowship of the church; the Order of the Eastern Star, Santa maria Chapter 453 (she was a past matron), and she was an honorary member of the Ramona Women's Club. Mrs. Aldrich is survived by her husband Lewis B. Aldrich (sic) of Ramona and two children, Wilson Couch of Colton, California and Glen R. Couch (sic) of San Francisco. She is also survived by two stepchildren, Della Kallock of Oregon and Lewis Aldrich of San Diego, California as well as two sisters and one brother. Graveside services were held in Nuevo Memory Gardens on March 31 at 2 p.m. with the Reverend Richard M. Bushman of the First Congregational Church of Ramona officiating. Bonham Brothers Mortuary, Ramona, was in charge of arrangements.

Buried:
Find A Grave Memorial

Notes:

Married:
Residence of both Alva Couch and Verna May King was in Saline, Drew Co, AR on the date of their marriage.

Notes:

Some children of AJA used ADKINS, while some used ATKINS. All children were born of the same parents.

Son, Virgil, said Andrew's brothers were Emery and Bellam.

Birth:
(Family recollection was that Andrew was born in Cabell County; however, his death record shows Putnam County and is undoubtedly from the memory of the informant, his son, Ray.)

VIEW BIOGRAPHY

Name:
• Andrew's draft registration, dated September 12, 1918 and signed by him, shows him with a birth date of August 10, 1883. This document is personally signed by Grampa Andrew, spelling his last name ATKINS.
• The Family Bible of his brother, Oliver Balaam ATKINS, gives his birth date as 8 Aug 1883.
• Census records do not agree on his age (which is not unusual for census records).
• Family recollection of his children while living agreed he was born on August 10, 1884.
• Further notes on spelling the family name:

• Further notes on spelling the family name:

• Grampa Andrew's children spelled it both Atkins and Adkins, with some children spelling it one way part of their life, and the other way another part of their life.
         • An example is one son's entire family spells it Atkins, and yet when he gave the information for Grampa Andrew's death certificate, he gave it as Adkins.
• Grampa Andrew himself, spelled it Atkins like his father, William C. Millard "Bud" Atkins, had spelled it.
• Beyond Andrew's father, Millard Atkins (sometimes called "Bud"), Andrew was preceded by
   1. His grandfather was Jesse ADKINS
   2. His great grandfather was Allen ADKINS
   3. His great great grandfather was Thomas (Thomas Tindel "Tinsley") ADKINS
• In addition to this,
   1. His grandmother, Jesse's wife, Letha, had a maiden name of ADKINS
   2. His great grandmother, Allen's wife, Mahala, had a maiden name of ADKINS
   3. His great great grandmother, Thomas's wife, Susannah, had a maiden name of ADKINS
• Although there are other explanations, the family name Adkins derives from a naming custom where families would indicate the earliest male ancestor by using the first two letters of the ancestor's given name, and add "kin" to it, indicating they were his kin, generations later. Using this convention, Adkins (plural) are the kin of Adam.

Buried:
Find A Grave Memorial

Andrew married Mary Frances Horton. Mary (daughter of William H. Horton and Octavia Egnor) was born in Dec 1882 in Cabell Co, WV; died on 24 Dec 1928 in Little Sandy Creek, Kanawha Co, WV; was buried on 26 Dec 1928 in Rush Branch, Little Sandy Creek, Kanawha Co, WV. [Group Sheet]

Notes:

=====
1910 census from Curry, Putnam, West Virginia showing Mary and Andrew Jackson Atkins (both age 27) married with children of Nada age 2 and Silly [Sally] age 1 month.

ancestry.com for Mary Frances Horton with a date of death of 1928. The census record was located in Mullins family tree.

One World Tree shows a Mary Horton (b 1900 d 1928) married to Andrew Adkins. Her father is shown as William Horton and mother as Octavia Egnor b abt 1866, d 1888.

Nada (Adkins) Strickland (deceased oldest child of Mary Horton Adkins) gave her recollection of her mother's birth as being in Griffithsville, West Virginia; however also said she was born in Putnam County. Currently, Griffithsville is in Lincoln County, but many years ago might have been in Putnam or Cabell counties, as boundaries changed many times.
=====

Burial place variation:
================
MFH (Adkins) death cert. gives burial place as Burial Pauley Grave Yard, Big Chimney, WVA

Family-KNOWN burial site near entrance Rush Branch (dirt road) off Little Sandy Ck Rd WVA

Birth:
Although Mary Frances Horton Adkins death certificate gives 1883 as her birth year, the family records of Celia Setliff, spouse of great grandson to Octavia Egnor, and per 1900 census, Mary was born December 1882.

Died:
Home is located south of Rush Branch along the south side of Little Sandy Creek.

Buried:
VIEW LOCATION

See also (nearby) Proctor Cemetery, Kanawha County, WV

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Notes:

Name also given as Windell Wade Couch

2000 post discovered:
Top of Form 1 Couch, Gray, Skaggs,: Wabash Co., IL
Posted by: Kenneth L. Gray Date: October 08, 2000 at 19:54:53
of 196
Searching for information to extend my data on my family history. Wade Couch (1861-1922) married Ella Skaggs (b.1866) Their daughter Hattie Couch was my grandmother and married Ernest Gray. Ernest's father was Wilson Gray, and his father was Daniel Parker Gray who married Lucy Crackel. Gray, Crackel, and Couch were frequent surnmes in Wabash, Edwards, and White counties of Illinois.
Does anyone recognize these people? Can you extend my family history data?
Thank you. Kenneth L. Gray

Walter married Ora Ella Scaggs on 17 Oct 1883 in Richland Co, IL. Ora (daughter of Thomas Scaggs and Mary Ellen Turner) was born on 7 Aug 1866 in Lawrence Co, IL; died on 04 Mar 1957 in IL; was buried in New Bethel Cemetery, Bellmont, Wabash Co, IL. [Group Sheet]

Notes:

Name:
(First name given as Ora, Oria, Orie, and Orrie, with last name sometimes spelled Skaggs or Scags.)

Notes:

Married:
Marriage date from pages watched by "TheCouches" on WeRelate.org wiki for Walter and Ella.

Notes:

Buried:
Block 3, Row 9, Space 107C

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John married Viola Eudora Lamb on 24 Dec 1891 in Monticello, Drew Co, AR. Viola (daughter of Thomas Edward Lamb and Marian J. Bertha Hall) was born on 29 Feb 1872 in Monticello, Drew Co, AR; died on 16 Apr 1933 in El Centro, Imperial Co, CA; was buried on 18 Apr 1933 in Evergreen Cemetery, El Centro, Imperial Co, CA. [Group Sheet]

Notes:

Buried:
Blck 3, Row 9, Space 107B

Find A Grave Memorial

Notes:

Birth:
Wm. C. Millard's son's birth certificate lists him (Millard Sr.) as born in Elk River, WV; which is in Kanawha County and eastward, no part of which is in Cabell County. However, basically all of WV was originally Kanawha County. But if he was born in 1857, WV did not exist as a state until 1863.

Although Millard's death certificate gives his birth year as 1857, his son, Oliver Balaam's family Bible gives it as 1859.

Name:
William C. Millard Atkins went by Millard. He is said by his grandchildren to have had a nickname, "Bub", apparently after his grandfather, Robert Atkins. I've never heard why he has an additional middle initial "C".

William married Mary Jane Richmond. Mary was born est 1861 in VA; died est 1892 in WV. [Group Sheet]

Notes:

Apparently, William H. Horton's middle initial stands for Holley, his mother's maiden name.

2nd husband of Octavia Egnor.

=====
November 3, 2008, received email re 1910 census data, ancestry.com and One World Tree data as follows:

1910 census from Curry, Putnam, West Virginia showing Mary and Andrew Jackson Atkins (both age 27) married with children of Nada age 2 and Lilly age 1 month. [note: This "Lilly" has to be Sally, born 1910 - addl note: Sally's 1909 birth record has been found, and her birth name was Cicly.]

ancestry.com for Mary Frances Horton with a date of death of 1928. The census
record was located in Mullins family tree.

One World Tree shows a Mary Horton (b 1900 d 1928) married to Andrew Adkins. Her father is shown as William Horton and mother as Octavia Egnor b abt 1866, d 1888.
=====
One LDS record shows a specific marriage date of October 12, 1882, Kanawha Co, WV, and shows William's middle initial as H. It also shows Octavia as Octaby.
====================

One record shows Lydia Woodrum as another wife of John Washington Egnor. Also she is shown as another wife of William Horton, husband of John Washington Egnor's daughter, Octavia Egnor; however, another John Washington Egnor is his son, Octavia's brother...a more probably match.

Carol Setliff's records show a Benjamin H. Plumley as born to Octavia and Plumley, but the H. seems to indicate he was son of Octavia and Horton, as there are three children listed with H. as middle name. Benjamin was listed as born May 1889; which conflicts with Willey H.'s birth year; however, Willey is also listed as born 1888. My personal records show a Balam Horton, which may be inaccurate or may be a nickname for Benjamin.

Birth:
Documentation on 1866 birth year not given, from a OneWorldTree family tree record.

Same for IGI record showing birth as 1857, Kanawha, VA and married to Octaby Smith. HOWEVER, the official record of his marriage to Octavia (as Octaby), gives him as 24 years old in October 1882. This would mean he was born most likely in 1858...or possibly in 1857. It gives him as married in Putnam County, VA and then living in Kanawha County, WV.

William married Octavia Egnor on 12 Oct 1882 in Kanawha Co, WV. Octavia (daughter of John Washington Egnor, Sr. and Lucinda Frances Plumley) was born in 1860 in VA; died after 1930 in WV. [Group Sheet]

Notes:

=======
(their notes)
YEAR AGE EVENT/LOCATION {Source}
---- --- ----------------------------------------------

MAR: MARRIED FOUR TIMES
MAR: 1ST TO SMITH
MAR: 2ND TO ???
MAR: 3RD TO WILLIAM HORTON
MAR: 4TH TO JAMES SADDLER
BIR: 1856, 1857, OR 1860

Birth: ABT 1856 in VA (per 1870 census)
Birth: ABT 1857 in Per Anthony Ray Gould
Birth: ABT 1860 in Per Carolyn Saul
Birth: 1860 in Per Lincoln County book
Death: UNKNOWN
Census: 1860 not listed
Census: 1870 Listed as age 14, in Union Twp, Griffithsville PO #25, Lincoln Co, WV
=======
1870 Lincoln Co. WV Fed Census, Union Twp, Griffithsville PO, Pg4
#25-25 John W. Egnor 37, farmer, born VA, cannot read or write;
Lucinda 35, housekeeper, born VA, cannot read or write;
Mathias 16, labors on farm, born VA;
Martin 15, labors on farm, born VA;
Octavia 14, Mary 19; Martha 8; Lucinda Jr. 4, John 1

Doug Couch notes May 2009:
From various records found, the apparent order of marriages is 1)Smith, 2)Horton, 3)Plumley, 4)Saddler. Relatives of the time say there was an additional husband, Sutliff...order not known. She is said to be Indian...said to be full-blood Cherokee. For many years we did not know her given or surname. In late 2008, information surfaced showing her as Octavia Egnor, confirmed by several census records, etc.



Name:
View First Name Variations

• Note: Not in 1860 census with parents, unknown reason
• Octava given as age 14 - 1870 Census
• Octavia given as age 19 - 1880 Census with Floyd Smith
• Octavy given as age 22 - 1882 Marriage to William Horton
• Octaby is a typo re "Octavy" in the 1882 Marriage Record
• Octavia in 1898 Delayed Birth Record of son Sylvester
• Octavie in 1900 Delayed Birth Certificate of daughter Lillie
• Octavia given as age 44 - 1900 Census with James Plumley
• Octova given as age 50 - 1910 Census with James Sadler
• Octava given as age 56 - 1920 Census as Widow with sons
• Tava given as age 56 - 1930 Census with son Sylvester
• Octavie in 1939 Death Certificate of daughter Martha
• Octavia in 1949 Death Certificate of daughter Eva
• Octova in 1950 Death Certificate of son Albert
• Octavia in 1958 Death Certificate of son Willy

Birth:
No record has been found for Octavia's birth as an Egnor or death with any last name ascribed to her spouses. Family lore has it that she was an Indian of Cherokee descent, but no further information was given. As she doesn't show in the 1860 census and then shows in the 1870 census as 14 years old, it is possible she was informally adopted into the family. Without U.S., VA/WV or Cherokee records showing this, it is not possible to determine.

---

If she was Cherokee, none of the ancestors shown here were actually hers...unless some of them were actually Cherokee.

---

Interestingly, her grandchildren through her daughter, Mary Frances Horton Atkins, never provided either a first or last name or a specific tribe for Octavia when asked, even though decades later it came to light that Mary's oldest daughter at least, did know her name and tribe. This would be congruent with her children instructing her grandchildren throughout their lives to not reveal this information to avoid persecution and possible relocation as an Indian.

---

Information previously unavailable: A granddaughter of Octavia whose mother grew up away from her siblings after her parents died in 1928 & 1931, said that DNA testing has been done by one of the granddaughter's siblings, and no Native American blood was indicated. Those grandchildren had also been told about being descended from Native Americans (as had the granddaughter's mother's siblings). If more information comes to light and is suitable for showing here, I will add it at that time.

Notes:

2nd Husband to Octavia

Married:
Listed in IGI record as William H. Horton, b.1857, Kanawha, VA, married to Octaby Smith b. abt 1862, on 12 Oct 1882, Kanawha, WV. This was an LDS submission, submitter unknown.