Ray Curtis McDonald (1892 - 1945)

Born 15 Nov 1892 in Gainesville, Ozark County, Missouri, USA

Ancestors

Husband of Ruby Cowdry (Griffin) McDonald — married 13 Nov 1911 in Gainesville, Ozark, Missouri, USA

Descendants

Died 30 Apr 1945 at age 52 in Gainesville, Ozark County, Missouri, USA

Problems/Questions Profile managers: Wahl Barkes [send private message] and Deborah McDonald [send private message]

Biography

A Note about Ray Curtis McDonald: Ray McDonald was born on November 15, 1892 in Gainesville, Missouri and at an early age he became a member of the Christian Church at Gainesville. He told his grandson Bill McDonald that the middle name of Curtis was not given to him by his parents--he made it up. After his marriage to Ruby Griffin they lived in Flippin, Arkansas. He moved the family to Springfield, Mo. in 1917, where he worked in a railroad roundhouse for a year and a half. He was then called to prepare to enter the army in WWI (which never happened), and so he returned the family to Flippin and worked in the general merchandise store of his father-in-law Jenks Griffin. He later opened his own general store and also owned and operated a cotton gin in Flippin, and acquired several "Arkansas farms" which he had taken in exchange for unpaid debts in his store. After WWI, when the price of cotton fell drastically and the Depression hit Arkansas, he lost his business and couldn't sell the farms, which he lost to back taxes. Ray moved the family to Tulsa, Oklahoma in 1924 or 1925, where he sold insurance for a while, and also peddled ice from a truck during these very hard times. At about this time, Ray and Ruby separated, reunited, separated again and later divorced in about 1931 (they were still living together in Tulsa at the time of the 1930 census). He worked at various jobs in the Tulsa area until he remarried to Minnie Robinette in about 1940, and they moved to the Los Angeles, California area. In 1942, he traveled with his sons Dennie and Raymond as itinerant defense workers, and later he and Minnie worked with Dennie and family at a combination restaurant/gas station/motel at Lost Hills, California. He was an enthusiastic fisherman and avid hunter during all of his life. He really enjoyed and loved his grandchildren Billy Neal McDonald, son of Raymond, and Beulah and Ruby, daughters of Dennie. In early 1945 he and Minnie moved back to Gainesville, Mo. and bought a farm which he was developing when he died suddenly of a heart attack on April 30th of that year. (Minnie later married Charles McKinney and relocated to Pismo Beach, California.) According to Ray McDonald's obituary in the Gainesville newspaper, "His untimely passing means a great loss to Ozark County, as he was a man of sterling integrity, highly respected and esteemed by all who knew him and would have been a great asset to this county. He had a very pleasing personality and had many friends, some of whom had known him in his youth, but many new friends he had made since returning to the home of his childhood." Ray is buried in the Gainesville Cemetery.

Raymond was born in 1892 in Gainesville, Ozark County, Missouri.^{[1] [2] [3] [4] [5] [6] [7]}

It was there that Raymond McDonald married Ruby Cowdry Griffin on November 13, 1911. ^[8]

Ray passed away November 15, 1945. His burial was in Gainesville Cemetery in Gainesville, Missouri. ^[9]

Data

Born: 15 Nov 1892 in Gainesville, Ozark County, Missouri. ^{[1] [2] [3] [4] [5] [6] [7]}

Marriage: Ruby Cowdry Griffin on 13 Nov 1911 in Gainesville, Ozark, Missouri, USA. ^[8]

Child: James Dennie McDonald.

Died: 30 Apr 1945 in Gainesville, Ozark County, Missouri.

Burial: Gainesville, Ozark County, Missouri, USA

Residences:
1900: Bridges, Ozark, Missouri, USA ^[1] Single; Son of Head of House
1910: Bridges, Ozark, Missouri, USA.^[2] Married; Head of House.
BET 1917 AND 1918: Greene, Missouri^[3] Single; Son of Head of House.
1920: White River, Marion, Arkansas, USA.^[7] Married; Head of House.
1927: Tulsa, Oklahoma, USA
1930: Tulsa, Tulsa, Oklahoma, USA.^[4]
1935: Tulsa, Tulsa, Oklahoma^[5] Married.
01 Apr 1940: Springfield, Greene, Missouri, USA^[5]
1942: Freeport, Texas, USA^[6]

Sources

1. ↑ ^{1.0 1.1 1.2} Year: 1900; Census Place: Bridges, Ozark, Missouri; Roll: 880; Page: 12A; Enumeration District: 0092; FHL microfilm: 1240880 File @M282@ 1900 US Census Image for McDonald Household: George, Julia, Beulah, Selbey W, Flay, Ray, Alvie, James E 21of47 Lines 1 thru 8
2. ↑ ^{2.0 2.1 2.2} Year: 1910; Census Place: Bridges, Ozark, Missouri; Roll: T624_804; Page: 7B; Enumeration District: 0134; FHL microfilm: 1374817.
3. ↑ ^{3.0 3.1 3.2} U.S., World War I Draft Registration Cards, 1917-1918. Registration State: Missouri; Registration County: Greene; Roll: 1683215.
4. ↑ ^{4.0 4.1 4.2} Year: 1930; Census Place: Tulsa, Tulsa, Oklahoma; Roll: 1934; Page: 14B; Enumeration District: 0058; Image: 467.0; FHL microfilm: 2341668.
5. ↑ ^{5.0 5.1 5.2 5.3} Year: 1940; Census Place: Springfield, Greene, Missouri; Roll: T627_2107; Page: 81B; Enumeration District: 39-17.
6. ↑ ^{6.0 6.1 6.2} U.S., World War II Draft Registration Cards, 1942. The National Archives at St. Louis; St. Louis, Missouri; Draft Registration Cards for Fourth Registration for Texas, 0427/1942 - 04/271942; NAI Number: 576252; Record Group Title: Records of the Selective Service System; Record Group Number: 147.
7. ↑ ^{7.0 7.1 7.2} Year: 1920; Census Place: White River, Marion, Arkansas; Roll: T625_71; Page: 11B; Enumeration District: 88; Image: 1021.
8. ↑ ^{8.0 8.1} Missouri Marriage Records 18052002(6)-1.jpg. Missouri, Marriage Records, 1805-2002.
9. ↑ Find A Grave Memorial# 32702816 for Ray Curtis McDonald; Maintained by: Linda Caughron Originally Created by: Maggie; Record added: Jan 06, 2009.

• Missouri Marriage Records, 1805-2002 (Ancestry Online publication, 2007; APID: 1,1171::0). Original data - Missouri Marriage Records. Jefferson City, MO, USA: Missouri State Archives.

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