Edmonia Judson (1864 - aft. 1920)

Born 8 Mar 1864 in Abbeville, Vermilion Parish, Louisiana, USA

Ancestors

Wife of Narbal Simon — married 1 Aug 1878 in Lafayette Parish, Louisiana

Descendants

Died after 1920 after age 55 in Acadia, Louisiana, United States [uncertain]

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Biography

Edmonia Judson has French origins.

Edmonia Judson lived in Louisiana.

Edmonia Judson's birth during the U.S. Civil War was recorded in St. Mary Magdalen Catholic Church in Abbeville, Louisiana on March 8, 1864.^[1] Her father, on the birth record called "Sirs Frank Getson," was listed on the 1860 US Census as "C. F. Judson," a 35-year-old schoolteacher from "north," a boarder just two doors away from the family home of (then) 22-yr-old Emilie Carmelite Sarver of St. Landry Parish, Edmonia's mother.^[2] There was not a marriage-- her mother's early, brief marriage to Ivy Hayes would have been an obstruction-- but Edmonia's having the Judson surname suggests that he at least may have acknowledged paternity. The registration in a church suggests a baptism (although the church record doesn't mention it) and the location away from their home parish suggests that Emilie and Frank may have been living together in Abbeville. Given the timing, it is likely he'd joined or been drafted into the military (but for which side? Perhaps he went back "north"), and was killed in the Civil War or otherwise never came back.

In 1870 Edmonia's mother was back in St. Landry Parish, next door to her own newly-widowed mother, and was living with a Benjamin Faulk. Edmonia, age 6, was with her, as was the new-born "Delia Sarver." From the infant's surname it appears that Delia is the child of Emilie and not Benjamin-- or at least that her parents were not married and the child not (yet?) acknowledged.^[3] The descendants of Delia have an interesting but unhappy (and largely undocumented) view of her and of Emilie, but Emilie married Dupre Plaisance in 1874 and gave her daughters several half-brothers and -sisters during her long last marriage.

On August 5, 1878, 14 yr-old Edmonia married 19 yr-old Norbert Simon in St. Joseph's Catholic Church in Rayne, Louisiana.^[4] In 1880 they were living in 2nd Ward, Lafayette, Louisiana, with their first child and a nephew of Norbert's.^[5]

Edmonia and Norbert had a total of 14 biological children:

1. Carmelite Simon (1879-1911)
2. François Simon (1883-before 1900)
3. Ursule Simon (1885)
4. Joseph Adam Simon (1887)
5. Paulina Simon (1889)
6. Pierre Luma Simon (1891-1964)
7. Jean Delma Simon (1891-1891)
8. Paul Elma Simon (1891-1891)
9. Ulysse Simon (1892)
10. Onesime Antoine Simon (1895)
11. Marie Edmarselle Simon (1896)
12. Edna Simon (1898)
13. Elina Simon (1900)
14. Pearl Simon (1902)

François, Paulina, and two of the triplets, Jean Delma and Paul Elma, did not survive childhood.

Besides Edouard Martin, Edmonia and Norbert took in and raised several other children. In 1900, 22-year-old Abram Plaisance, Edmonia's half-brother, was living with them; in 1920, their grandson Bernis Hanks was living with them, and almost certainly had been since the death of his mother, their eldest daughter, Carmelite Simon Hanks, in early 1911. It's probable as well that they raised Carmelite's three daughters from that date, at least until the older girls married (and the youngest moved with her sister Corinne) before 1920.

In 1900 they were living in Ward 6, outside of Crowley, in Acadia Parish, Louisiana.^[6] In 1910 they were still in Police Jury Ward 6, Acadia Parish.^[7] Their oldest daughter, Carmelite's, return home is believed to have been because of a difficult pregnancy, or injury or illness requiring the help of Edmonia. Carmelite's family (with Carmelite included in that count as well), was living just next door. [It has been theorized that Carmelite's death in February 1911 was from post-partum injury which may or may not have included depression. But she appears to have been in her mother's care in the first trimester of her pregnancy -- the census is dated April of 1910. There is also a slight possibility of ALS, which killed Carmelite's granddaughter in 1983.]

In 1920, still living near Crowley, Edmonia and Norbert had only two children and one grandson remaining at home with them.^[8]

Edmonia Judson Simon died at an unknown date after the census of 1920, probably in Acadia Parish, Louisiana.

Sources

1. ↑ Birth: Rev. Donald J. Hebert, Southwest Louisiana Records 1740-1900 ("SWLR"), CD #101 (Baton Rouge, LA: Claitor's Publications Division, 2001)

   GETSON, Edmond[sic] (Sirs[sic] Frank & Amely[sic] SARVER) b. 8 March 1864 (Abbeville Ch.: v. 2, p. 96)

2. ↑ "United States Census, 1860," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.1.1/MFP7-3NM : 30 December 2015), C F Judson in entry for Games [James] Myers, 1860.
3. ↑ "United States Census, 1870," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.1.1/M87K-V59 : 17 October 2014), Edmonia Judson in household of Benj Faulk, Louisiana, United States; citing p. 47, family 388, NARA microfilm publication M593 (Washington D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, n.d.); FHL microfilm 552,029.

   Household Members:

   Benjamin Faulk M 50 Louisiana

   Emil[ie] S[arv]er F 30 Louisiana

   Delia S[arv]er F 0 Louisiana

   Edmonia Judson F 6 Louisiana

4. ↑ Marriage: Hebert, SWLR CD:

   JUDSON, Edmonia (Carmelite SARVER) m. 5 Aug. 1878 Narbal SIMON (Rayne Ch.: v. 1, p. 194)

5. ↑ "United States Census, 1880," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.1.1/MD6T-XGC : 13 July 2016), Amonia Simon in household of Narbal Simon, 2nd Ward, Lafayette, Louisiana, United States; citing enumeration district ED 22, sheet 411D, NARA microfilm publication T9 (Washington D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, n.d.), roll 0455; FHL microfilm 1,254,455.

   Narbal Simon Self M 20 Louisiana, United States

   E[d]monia Simon Wife F 17 Louisiana, United States

   Carma[l]i[t]e Simon Daughter F 0 Louisiana, United States

   Edmore [sic] Martin Son [sic] M 8 Louisiana, United States

   Her husband's 8 yr-old nephew, Edouard Amede Martin, was the son of Louisa Simon and Edouard Martin.
6. ↑ "United States Census, 1900," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.1.1/MSP2-2MD : accessed 3 April 2017), Emonia Simon in household of Norbare Simon, Ward 6 (excl. Crowley town), Acadia, Louisiana, United States; citing enumeration district (ED) 8, sheet 9A, family 161, NARA microfilm publication T623 (Washington, D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, 1972.); FHL microfilm 1,240,556.

   Norb[er]r[t] Simon Head M 41 Louisiana

   E[d]monia Simon F 46 Louisiana

   Ur[s]ule Simon Daughter F 16 Louisiana

   Joseph A Simon Son M 13 Louisiana

   Pie[r]re L Simon Son M 10 Louisiana

   Ul[yss]e Simon Son M 8 Louisiana

   [O]nize Simon Son M 5 Louisiana

   Edmoz Simon Daughter F 4 Louisiana

   Edna Simon Daughter F 3 Louisiana

   Abram Plsants Bro-in-law M 22 Louisiana

7. ↑ "United States Census, 1910," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.1.1/MPTD-DZN : accessed 3 April 2017), Edmonia Simon in household of Narbal Simon, Police Jury Ward 6, Acadia, Louisiana, United States; citing enumeration district (ED) ED 9, sheet 6A, family 97, NARA microfilm publication T624 (Washington D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, 1982), roll 507; FHL microfilm 1,374,520.

   N[o]rb[ert]Simon Head M 54 Louisiana

   Edmonia Simon F 50 Louisiana

   Car[me]lite Simon Daughter F 26 Louisiana

   []Ul[yss]e Simon [Son] [M] 18 Louisiana

   Oneza Simon [Son] [M] 15 Louisiana

   Edm[oselle] Simon Daughter F 13 Louisiana

   Edna Simon Daughter F 11 Louisiana

   Elina Simon Daughter F 9 Louisiana

   Pearl[] Simon Daughter F 8 Louisiana

8. ↑ "United States Census, 1920," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.1.1/MVQ3-RSS : accessed 3 April 2017), Edmonia Simons in household of Naibal Simons, Police Jury Ward 6, Acadia, Louisiana, United States; citing ED 12, sheet 22B, line 53, family 428, NARA microfilm publication T625 (Washington D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, 1992), roll 603; FHL microfilm 1,820,603.

   N[orb[ert] Simon Head M 60 Louisiana

   Edmonia Simon F 56 Louisiana

   []Uly[s]se[] Simon[] Son M 27 Louisiana

   Edna Simon[] Daughter F 22 Louisiana

   B[e]rnice Hanks Grandson M 12 Louisiana

Acknowledgments

Thanks to Greg Simon.