On one sheet of the 1940 Federal census for Jackson Township, Pope County, Arkansas you’ll find three connected families: Graham, Condley, and Marable. Sheet 5B was enumerated on 9-10 April 1940 by Floyd C. Crouch.

Column 1. Street, avenue, road, etc.: On dirt road east of 105.

Street, avenue, road, etc.

You actually have to go back a couple of pages to sheet 4B to find the street information. 105 refers to Arkansas Highway 105, which runs north-south through Pope County.

Erman Graham

Now, to sheet 5B, line 48, where we find the household of Erman Graham.

Erman was the son of William Thomas Graham and Virgie Viola Copeland. Erman married Jackie Fisher in Pope County on Saturday, 13 May 1939, so on this census day, they were one month shy of their first wedding anniversary.

Household of Erman Graham, 1940.

Erman, here misspelled Ermon, was the head of the household, a white male, aged 21 years, and married. He had not attended school during the census year, and his highest grade completed was H-3 — the junior year of high school. His state of birth was Arkansas. Erman was living in the same place in 1935, which it was meant he lived in the same county, not the same house. He was renting the farm and self-employed as a farmer.

Jack Graham was Erman’s wife. The encircled X after her name indicated that she was the one who answered the census enumerator’s questions. She was a white female, aged 17 years, and married. She had not attended school during the census year, and her highest grade completed was the senior year of high school, H-4. Her state of birth was Arkansas. Jackie answered “no” to all the work-related questions, and an H was entered in column 25 indicating “housework.”

Condley / Marable Household

Line 56 begins the combined Condley / Marable household.

Grover Condley was Erman Graham’s stepfather. He married Virgie Copeland Graham on Sunday, 9 March 1924, about three-and-a-half years after William Graham’s death. By the time of this census, Grover and Virgie had been married about 16 years.

Condley / Marable household, 1940.

Grover M. Condley was the head of household, a while male, aged 46 years, and married. He had not attended school during the census year, and his highest grade completed was seventh. He was born in Arkansas. The encircled X after his name indicated that he provided the information about this household. Grover worked 52 weeks at private work as a farmer in the farm industry.

Residence in 1935: Same house.

Grover owned the home in which they were living, and its value was $600. His residence in 1935 was the same house — notice that the census enumerator originally wrote in “same place,” then struck out “place” and replaced it with “house.”

Virgie Condley was Grover’s wife, a white female, aged 45 years and married. She had attended no schools during the census year, and her highest grade completed was third. She was born in Arkansas.

Elizia Chambers was Grover’s mother, a white female, aged 72 years, widowed, attended no school during the census year, and her highest grade completed was third. Her birthplace was recorded as ID, which is the abbreviation for Idaho, but Eliza was actually born in Indiana. Eliza was residing with Grover in 1930 as well, but on that census, her name was given as Elizabeth N. Condley. It appears as if Eliza married a man named Chambers during the intervening decade, but I have found no marriage record.

Paul M. Marable was Grover’s son-in-law. He was a white male, aged 22 years, and married. He had attended no schools in the census year, and his highest grade completed was freshman year of high school, here called H-1. He was born in Arkansas. Paul worked 45 weeks as a farmer for a private employer, most likely his father-in-law.

Pernia Marable was Grover’s daughter (technically, stepdaughter) and Paul’s wife. They were married in Pope County three years earlier, on Wednesday, 20 January 1937. Pernie was a white female, aged 20 years, married, had attended no schools in the census year, and had completed her sophomore year of high school, H-2. She was born in Arkansas.

Paul D. Marable was the daughter of Paul and Pernie. Her relationship on the census was granddaughter to Grover. She was a white female, aged 3 years, single, with no schooling, and born in Arkansas.

Dwain R. Marable was the son of Paul and Pernie, and grandson of Grover. He was a white male, aged 11 months, born in Arkansas. The enumerator originally wrote down F for female, which was then crossed out and M written above.

Bibliography

Ancestry.com, 1940 United States Federal Census (Provo, UT, USA, Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2012), http://www.ancestry.com, Year: 1940; Census Place: Jackson, Pope, Arkansas; Roll: m-t0627-00164; Page: 5B; Enumeration District: 58-26. Record for Ermon Graham. https://search.ancestry.com/cgi-bin/sse.dll?db=2442&h=100285586&indiv=try.

Ancestry.com, 1940 United States Federal Census (Provo, UT, USA, Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2012), http://www.ancestry.com, Year: 1940; Census Place: Jackson, Pope, Arkansas; Roll: m-t0627-00164; Page: 5B; Enumeration District: 58-26. Record for Virgie Condley. https://search.ancestry.com/cgi-bin/sse.dll?db=2442&h=100285611&indiv=try.

“United States Census, 1930,” database with images, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:XMG7-H2W : accessed 6 May 2022), Elizabeth N Condley in household of Grover M Condley, Jackson, Pope, Arkansas, United States; citing enumeration district (ED) ED 23, sheet 3A, line 46, family 51, NARA microfilm publication T626 (Washington D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, 2002), roll 89; FHL microfilm 2,339,824.

Wikipedia contributors, “Arkansas Highway 105,” Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Arkansas_Highway_105&oldid=1080476265 (accessed April 27, 2022).

“Arkansas, County Marriages, 1837-1957,” database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:NMRK-JMS : 9 March 2021), Erman Graham, 13 May 1939; citing Marriage, Pope, Arkansas, United States, county offices, Arkansas; FHL microfilm 2,132,056.

“Arkansas, County Marriages, 1837-1957,” database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:NMG4-FWR : 9 March 2021), Virgie V Graham in entry for Grover M Condley, 9 Mar 1924; citing Marriage, Conway, Arkansas, United States, county offices, Arkansas; FHL microfilm 2,048,099.

“Arkansas, County Marriages, 1837-1957,” database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:NMRK-Q5J : 9 March 2021), Pernie Willidene Graham in entry for Paul M Marable, 23 Jan 1937; citing Marriage, Pope, Arkansas, United States, county offices, Arkansas; FHL microfilm 2,132,056.